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Whos Missing From The Table

November 08, 2022 | 2 minute read

When I hear of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives in the work place, it’s often used in a quota context, and that’s never sat well with me. I...

Adding Comments

December 24, 2020 | 1 minute read

In a previous life I would add comments using an open source system, and keep them inclusive and unmoderated, as I’ve always supported free speech. Unfortuna...

The Global Economic Future

April 23, 2020 | 4 minute read

There is currently an opportunity to explore a different global economic future than we’ve had until now. I welcome you to spend some time on what that futur...

Recycling Tracker

January 19, 2020 | 1 minute read

We recently published the the minutes from Monday’s ideas Vancouver meetup which included a conversation around tracking where our recycling goes. There seem...

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

Womepedia.org

December 03, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

Do any womxn want to take on the challenge of starting a wiki? A One Day Website customer has paid for https://www.womepedia.org/ and would love to see it ru...

Budget Coffee

November 26, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

This is the launch of "Budget Coffee" like founders coffee, where we meet 2x a month, and discuss budget things. As we'll all have different techniques, it w...

A few more Facebook groups and pages

January 03, 2019 | 1 minute read

If you're still on Facebook, the first thing to keep in mind is that anything you write there -- including every profile you click on, every keystroke you ty...

Why don’t more women speak up?

September 28, 2018 | 2 minute read

I managed to miss most of the Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford hearing today, but caught the end of it. I knew going into it that not much would likely sway in public ...

Facebook Debates

September 21, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

For those who think they're good at debating, I challenge you to sign up for my 24 hour debate challenge. If you agree, I will partner you with someone else ...

What’s your best advice for someone about to…

September 13, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

What's your best advice for someone about to go on a hiring spree? (no recruiters mentioning their firms please -- I don't intend on using recruiters current...

Finding a non-US path of Totality

August 09, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

For those that don't want to, or can't, touch US soil at all (most of the world right now, it seems), what do you recommend for seeing the eclipse on the 21...

Giving without expectations

July 12, 2017 | 1 minute read

I was co-working in the social, ground floor area of my building when I noticed a man in a wheelchair going through the alley with a sweater dragging behind ...

What Keeps You Content? - Data Driven Wellness

March 10, 2017 | 3 minute read

What Keeps You Content? [meetup.com] Attendees Kris Leo Ivan Trevor Tyler Zee Jennifer Scott Harondel John Bill What keeps you content Kaggle (Google boug...

MakerMobile

January 26, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I've heard of trademark and copyright infringement cases, but the winner has to be Actua's Makermobile. The Government of Canada has apparently funded this c...

Emotional Intelligence - Data Driven Wellness

January 13, 2017 | 1 minute read

Last night Vancouver's Data Driven Wellness meetup met on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. These are my notes, mostly books and URLs that were mentioned ...

What can you teach in 30 minutes?

December 29, 2016 | 1 minute read

Welcome to the thirty minute club! In order to join, you have to agree to teach something on Google Hangouts for 30 minutes. You don't have to be the best at...

Conscious Canada

September 06, 2016 | 1 minute read

At the Ideas - Vancouver meetup tonight, we were discussing how many businesses there are that should be boycotted, and even if they are, as one voice, there...

Bratzer v. Victoria Police Department (No. 3).

April 22, 2016 | 2 minute read

My friend David Bratzer has closed the page in a long journey against the Victoria Police Department for exercising his right to discuss his political belief...

#fivetenfriday

March 12, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

My first entry for #fivetenfriday was experimenting with the GIMP. I don’t normally edit my photographs except for cropping. It was a lot of fun testing the ...

Creative Vancouver meetups

May 25, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

If you're new to Vancouver, you might be looking for some creative Vancouver meetups. It could be to meet other interesting people, entrepreneurs, hackers, o...

Ideas - Vancouver meeting May 14th

May 13, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This month, you're invited to join us at 18:00 at Matchstick Coffee (Chinatown - Vancouver) to discuss amongst other things: bio-tech: life with CRISPR-Cas9...

Yin yoga in Vancouver

May 05, 2015 | 1 minute read

After 10 years on the West coast, I finally agreed to go to a yoga class. I thought I would report back to my East coast friends and family who may be worrie...

The Open Source Future

March 30, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

I've been thinking and discussing a lot about the open source future, and am considering an 8 episode podcast trial. It's currently planned to be 2 parts per...

Vancouver Sales Event Meetup

February 21, 2015 | 1 minute read

Last night I got to attend my first Vancouver Sales Event Meetup run by my friend Erin Dalzell and hosted at Spacelist. I tried to write down as many URLs as...

Vancouver Vending Machine Circuit

February 07, 2015 | 1 minute read

If you're looking for something unusual to do while in Vancouver, consider a photography challenge - each of the unique machines found in the Vancouver vendi...

My list of subreddits

January 24, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

If you're familiar with Reddit, you know it's based on sub-reddits, which are effectively communities with a shared interested. This is my list of subreddits...

Map of cheap meals in British Columbia

January 23, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

Enjoy my map of cheap meals in British Columbia! If you know of anywhere in British Columbia you can get a proper meal for $5 or less, please contact me and ...

ASC in Vancouver

November 03, 2014 | 1 minute read

UPDATE! As we're still receiving $50 entries from people wanting to be awesomites, we're moving the event to January 28th, 2015. The call for submissions is ...

Fruits and vegetables in Vancouver

September 16, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

I was wondering where to buy my fruits and vegetables in Vancouver, and I realize knowing where is cheaper at any given time is a problem that is still not s...

Vancouver community spaces

August 05, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

I've decided to start a list of Vancouver community spaces for creative thinkers, as I couldn't find a good one myself. Hackerspace/Makerspace Vancouver Hac...

Center for Social Impact opening May 1st

March 31, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

A shared office space tentatively called ‘Center for Social Impact’ is opening May 1st next to Habit in Chinatown. A great opportunity for home desk folks to...

You lose your rights under the Mental Health Act

November 27, 2013 | 2 minute read

I just read this article in Focus magazine [PDF] which is the source of what nightmares are made of. Apparently in Canada, you lose your rights if being arre...

Project - Help someone out

October 24, 2013 | 2 minute read

This post is about my latest project idea - Help someone out. Version 0.2 - Oct 24th 10:08am EST. Check back regularly, as I'll be updating this post based o...

How can I help your business?

July 16, 2013 | 1 minute read

How can I help your business? I'm offering an initial 60 minute video consult over the next 2 weeks, please contact me to setup an appointment. All I ask fro...

Centre of the Universe is quietly being closed?

June 21, 2013 | 1 minute read

It is being alleged on social media that the Astronomy interpretive centre known in Victoria at the Centre of the Universe is being closed at the centre of t...

Job Jar is looking for alpha testers

June 06, 2013 | 1 minute read

In the software development lifecycle, the alpha stage is when you have your minimal viable product (MVP) and are ready for testing. This means things will l...

Electoral Reform

April 10, 2013 | 2 minute read

Dear Elections BC; As we're about to head into another voting period in British Columbia, I wonder how long it will be until we see electoral reform. Since I...

100 pushups

April 08, 2013 | 1 minute read

Have you ever wondered what it would take to do 100 pushups? The folks at onehundredpushups.com have developed a 6 week program to help you achieve that goal...

Thinking and succeeding as a Modern Business

March 26, 2013 | 2 minute read

I often consult one-on-one with entrepreneurs, but recently I had the opportunity to speak to a room full of leaders in non-profit and social enterprise.  Di...

Beacon Hill Goat Run

March 21, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

Every day at 10:10a.m. and 4:10p.m. you can catch the Beacon Hill Goat Run down at the Beacon Hill Children's Farm. https://youtu.be/oNk9eHk-Lrs https://www....

The blue bridge is down

February 23, 2013 | 1 minute read

As I bicycled towards the Johnson street blue bridge in the rain this afternoon, it was up as a barge was going through. Traffic was backed up East of Swans ...

Victoria, in the middle of the winter

January 22, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

We don't really do snow here, they still talk about the snow in '96, where they apparently got over an inch of it. It's the middle of the winter here in Vict...

Saving the B.C. film industry

January 17, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

There seems to be a lot of controversy lately around the B.C. film industry not making it into the Christy Clark BC Jobs plan. I don't see the correlation. A...

Biospace, and the DIYBIO movement

January 15, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

Derek Jacoby and I made a TEDGlobal video, if only for a picture (3:49 in the video). This video is from the TED talk by Ellen Jorgensen of Genspace fame tal...

Free education online

January 06, 2013 | 4 minute read

I posted a couple days ago, a list of free university course aggregators. I've had several people contact me with individual sites (such as MIT Open CourseWa...

looking for a place to stay for two months

January 03, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

Someone wants to rent my condo short-term, so I'm looking for a place to stay for two months. Priorities, in order of importance (but not required): Broadba...

Want something delivered right meow?

November 21, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Life, like business, often comes down to the line between time and money. Next time you're feeling time constrained or especially lazy, consider Right Meow B...

Black Tie Dinner III

November 05, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Exactly one year since the last one, it's time for Black Tie Dinner III! If you've never heard about black tie dinner, click here. This time we're taking ove...

Are you a skeptic?

October 20, 2012 | 2 minute read

If you're like me, you probably have two types of friends on social media that post (potentially) controversial materials. The first group are the parrots, t...

When should we discuss the Malahat?

August 15, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

For about a decade, Vancouver has been considered the most livable city in the world. This year it was controversially brought from first to third, the examp...

Looking for cheap flights?

July 11, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

If you frequently travel, that likely means you also frequently try to find the best flight deals. I often use Matrix, or Hipmunk when looking for cheap flig...

Profile: Mitch Altman, hacker.

June 29, 2012 | 1 minute read

I had the opportunity to meet Mitch Altman in Tokyo a few years ago, at the Tokyo hackerspace. Mitch is a rare breed; he's got world class level of smart...

Open Data Society of British Columbia

May 29, 2012 | 1 minute read

The current premier of British Columbia has committed to supporting the concept of Open Data by creating DataBC. Never before have British Columbians had acc...

Creatively United Mobile Phone Photo-Art Show!

April 23, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Last week-end I had the opportunity to have 3 of my photos shown at the first annual Creatively United Mobile Phone Photo-art show.   The photos had to...

What produce is in season?

April 07, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Thanks to a conversation with Janice M and Maryanne C, a couple of Victoria's food experts and friends, I was pointed to a list of all of the fresh produce t...

Hidden gems in Victoria

March 20, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Couchsurfing has a list of the top 50 "Best of Victoria" list. I also have a Facebook group called Victoria's Secrets to discuss these hidden gems. Are there...

Welcome to the New Amsterdam

March 16, 2012 | 1 minute read

Victoria has always been a tourist city, but for the first time in a long time, that is going to hit new heights. We have a new city council, lead once again...

Feeling blue, at the end of an era…

February 23, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

After ~87 years, the Johnson street bridge in Victoria, also known as the blue bridge, is being dismantled. You can read the details on the city of Victoria ...

Can you afford to give up a few vegetables?

February 20, 2012 | 1 minute read

Thanks to Victoria city councilor Lisa Helps, I was made aware of a Victoria citizen who has made a request for vegetables. I can't imagine making such a...

IdeaWave 2012

February 19, 2012 | 1 minute read

We're less than a week away from IdeaWave, a conference that features 50 talks over 2 days, 10 minutes each. We're still actively looking for great i...

Atagamaton

January 31, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

If you've done anything in the digital interactive media circuit in Victoria, you've crossed paths with the talented David Parfit and/or Scott Amos. On Frida...

Innovation month in Victoria

January 30, 2012 | 2 minute read

I declare February as Innovation Month. If you've had a really good idea for years you've been sitting on, or just had an epiphany now, there is no better ti...

The tender conscious of the herd

January 26, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

One of my younger brothers started a blog and I found a quote that really resonated with me, "[It] really wasn't a necessity. It was more of an atte...

It’s snowing!

January 17, 2012 | 1 minute read

It's fairly rare that it snows in Victoria, perhaps a bi-annual event. Right now it's really coming down here downtown, and it started last night. Around...

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gunna do…

January 08, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

For as long as I can remember, I've been a radio scanner enthusiast. Although when I moved to Victoria, I knew they had adopted CREST which uses talk groups,...

Your social network

December 09, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

As people are justifiably upset with the privacy issues around Facebook, and several friends have left that network altogether recently, I've been wondering ...

Victoria co-working space

December 07, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Over the years, we've seen several co-working spaces come and go. We've not seen a model yet that we thought would survive, even from the beginning. Over 2 y...

Social Innovation in British Columbia

November 25, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm fortunate to have been chosen as one of the top 500 social innovators in British Columbia, and have been invited to participate in the discussion around ...

What’s the cheapest North American meal?

November 24, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

After reading that the toast sandwich is officially the UK's cheapest meal, it made me wonder, what is the cheapest meal available in North America? Although...

Settlers of Catan night

November 22, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

If you've got a bit of board game geek in you, check out the Canadian Pacific Lawn Bowling club's website which has announced a bi-weekly Settlers of Catan n...

Get out and vote!

November 16, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I just completed a short rant to a few friends on Facebook who were claiming inaction to voting is an action, or they were pleading ignorance to even knowing...

Truth or Dare?

November 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I asked "Truth or Dare?" on Facebook and Twitter yesterday. I've received over 50 comments between the two, so it seems like people want to play. I see there...

Black Tie Dinner II

November 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

On Tuesday, November 22, 7:00pm – 8:30pm,  don’t miss the much anticipated Black Tie Dinner II! This is a fun event where we’ll take over the new Burger King...

If only there was a United Way to contact them…

November 09, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

For three years I've heard an advertisement by the United Way on the radio in Victoria, BC. It claims that they help one in every three people in Victoria. T...

What media matters?

November 08, 2011 | 3 minute read

I recently had the opportunity to meet Bill Weaver, host of a popular annual retreat called Media That Matters. I know several people who have attended, from...

Things get cloudy for #occupyvictoria

November 03, 2011 | 1 minute read

I'm not sure what changed, my understanding of the #occupyvictoria movement in centennial square (beside city hall) is that the protestors would be left alon...

What would you do with $500-1000 this Monday?

October 21, 2011 | 2 minute read

All it takes is 200 words in an email, and a 5 minute pitch, to win anywhere between $500 and $1000. Awesome Shit Club (ASC) is one of the many projects to c...

B.C. wineries

October 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Wondering where to find a winery near you in British Columbia? Wonder no more! If you’re the owner of one of these wineries, and would like your business na...

Libation calendar

October 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I've started a Victoria libation calendar. If you're aware of events around beverages that are fermented ot distilled in Victoria, contact me for edit access...

Evening to inspire - Seat auction

September 26, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm going to auction off one seat to the amazing Evening to Inspire event on October 7th. While the tickets are selling for $175/person, I will provide one t...

Victoria’s Makerspace

September 15, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Victoria's makerspace is a community based tool collective. A group of us have put our cool tools all in one location, so you get the benefit of using other ...

B.C. Private liquor stores

September 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Ever wonder where you can find a B.C. private liquor store near you? Wonder no more! If you're the owner of one of these liquor stores, and would like your ...

Black Tie Dinner

August 19, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

On September 6th, 2011 at 7p.m. don't miss our first ever Black Tie Dinner! This is a fun event where we'll take over the McDonald's at 980 Pandora avenue we...

#YYJ, the navigation aid on Saltspring Island

August 11, 2011 | 1 minute read

Twitter often uses airport codes as hashtags in municipal areas to build community, however the misuse of these codes can lead to technically incorrect resul...

Crowdsourcing a fiddle

June 15, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

The Victoria police department announced that Darth Fiddler was assaulted, and his fiddle ruined in the process. As it was being talked alot about on twitter...

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Tech

Bitcoin Custodial Wallets Are Fine

November 24, 2023 | 1 minute read

I propose the bitcoin/cryptocurrency industry refer to cold storage as your self-bank, as that is a more relevant equivalent to fiat, whereas a wallet can be...

Open Banking Coming To Canada

November 23, 2023 | 1 minute read

Canada is getting something new called “Consumer Driven Banking,” which is also known as “Open Banking.” This means that big banks will have to let you use n...

3 Ai Tools Everyone Should Try

October 31, 2023 | 2 minute read

Most people have tried, or at least heard of ChatGPT from OpenAI, and there are a lot of rapid advancements to AI every day. In this post I’ll highlight thre...

Opportunities In Ai

May 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

Here are the two exciting areas of opportunity I am working on in AI

Assessing Your Level As A Bitcoin Enthusiast

April 15, 2023 | 4 minute read

In order to determine where you stand as a Bitcoin enthusiast, I have devised a self-assessment tool. You are welcome to share your level after reading or le...

Creative Shirt

January 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

You’ve found me and my new creative shirt! We’re likely at SXSW or nostrica.com together!

Open And Decentralized Online Voting

January 06, 2023 | 3 minute read

I’ve been thinking about online voting for over a decade, first from doing security audits on them, and realizing how deficient they are in structure and sec...

Generating A Keypair With Nostr

January 04, 2023 | 6 minute read

The intention of this article to talk about key pairs and authentication, and how to generate a key pair to use nostr Notes and Other Things Over Relays.

Whos Missing From The Table

November 08, 2022 | 2 minute read

When I hear of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives in the work place, it’s often used in a quota context, and that’s never sat well with me. I...

Free Ai Tools

September 09, 2022 | 1 minute read

While often we’ve heard about artificial intelligence or AI, which is the idea of technology being used to mimic or surpass human behaviour, it relies on var...

Happy World Password Day

May 05, 2022 | 1 minute read

I’ve been asked fairly often, for decades, what I recommend for a password manager. For as long as I can remember, the quick answer is KeePass.

2022 Bitcoin And Nft Updates

March 02, 2022 | 8 minute read

It’s been over a year since my last article, so I figure it’s time for an update. This post is an intended provide a professional update for those interested.

Preparing for your first client

February 25, 2020 | 4 minute read

Those who have repeatable businesses success often attribute their success to repeatable processes. The intention of this article is to ask the questions nee...

Measuring impact over time

February 21, 2020 | 2 minute read

One of the biggest trends in investment right now is the notion of “impact investing”. Impact means different things to different people, but in terms of soc...

De-risking yourself for pre-seed

February 20, 2020 | 4 minute read

There are a couple of important decisions an entrepreneur should make before crossing the chasm from idea to implementation one should ask, namely what type ...

The Lunar Occultation of Mars

February 18, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

At approximately 3:38 Pacific Time (Vancouver) Mars will disappear behind the moon, reappearing at 4:49:18 a.m. This is known in astronomy as the lunar occul...

Plastic Free from Amazon

January 19, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

Open your Amazon account Select ‘Help’ from the main selection bar Select ‘Contact Us’ under ’Need more help?’ Start a Chat Request all future ord...

Website Creation

January 19, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

For 8 years I’ve run One Day Website which does domainname registration, Wordpress install and setup, and hosting for a year, for $299. This fills the niche ...

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

Meeting schedulers

September 11, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

We often need to schedule meetings, and it can be a lot of work to organize a time that works for multiple people. Here are a few solutions I've found. Note ...

Open source self-hosted small business tools

January 28, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

I'll start by listing some of the tools that most if not all of my businesses use: Nextcloud -- Not only is this a dropbox replacement for file management, i...

I’m looking for smart phone recommendations

April 17, 2018 | 1 minute read

I'm not a fan of planned obsolescence, so I want a phone that will last. I currently have a Nexus 5, which is ~5 years old. Why I still like it: There are a ...

New Tech: IPFS

April 11, 2018 | 1 minute read

IPFS is a distributed, peer-to-peer (p2p) hypermedia protocol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CMxDNuuAiQ It's not just theoretical, you can use it now. The...

Debugging internet issues

October 12, 2017 | 1 minute read

If you're on osx, if you have something like brew.sh, install mtr. Once you have mtr installed, you can test your internet connection with any computer on th...

first steps on osx after security – install brew

October 12, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

If it's your first time on osx, or just setting up a new machine, or doing a re-install, there are a few things I install by default. Before you start the so...

vim: vi improved. A text editor worth learning.

August 29, 2017 | 1 minute read

vim is the improved version of vi (short for visual editor) which is an old school text editor for UNIX based operating systems (Linux, BSD, OSX etc). Once y...

Renaming crypto(currency) to dmoney

June 19, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

This growing use of “crypto” to mean “crypto currency” is not going to end well for either cryptography or digital currency. — matt blaze (@mattblaze) June ...

MakerMobile

January 26, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I've heard of trademark and copyright infringement cases, but the winner has to be Actua's Makermobile. The Government of Canada has apparently funded this c...

Emotional Intelligence - Data Driven Wellness

January 13, 2017 | 1 minute read

Last night Vancouver's Data Driven Wellness meetup met on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. These are my notes, mostly books and URLs that were mentioned ...

Another chance to consider Bitcoin

January 04, 2017 | 1 minute read

As we have economic uncertainty in several countries around the world, you have to think where the world's elite are looking to put their money, and there's ...

Getting Thunderbird to Inbox Zero plugin

August 24, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

idea: I would love to help with this, if there are any developers who have the chops. I want a Thunderbird email plugin that at some (setting driven) interva...

Summary of the Product Market Fit Process

November 12, 2015 | 6 minute read

For the first half of 2015, I spent most of the time on the product market fit (PMF) process, trying to (in)validate a business idea. This week at Founders C...

Project: DIY OpenEEG/OpenBCI

October 30, 2015 | 2 minute read

Several years ago my friend Derek (of Biospace.ca) loaned me his Zeo Sleep Manager and I blogged the experience. You put on the headband at night, and it wou...

Canadian VPS comparison

June 28, 2015 | 1 minute read

This Canadian VPS comparison table features VPS hosting providers that are not only Canadian, they host the servers on Canadian soil. This is useful to anyon...

Installing owncloud and pydio on Debian 8

June 28, 2015 | 4 minute read

Update: I was asked for a list of Canadian hosting providers where one can try the steps below, so I created this list of Canadian VPS providers. If you want...

The Open Source Future

March 30, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

I've been thinking and discussing a lot about the open source future, and am considering an 8 episode podcast trial. It's currently planned to be 2 parts per...

Vancouver Sales Event Meetup

February 21, 2015 | 1 minute read

Last night I got to attend my first Vancouver Sales Event Meetup run by my friend Erin Dalzell and hosted at Spacelist. I tried to write down as many URLs as...

Open Source Software Solutions

January 26, 2015 | 2 minute read

When choosing which software to use, one philosophical choice you must make is if you're OK with proprietary software, or if you will prioritize open source ...

My list of subreddits

January 24, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

If you're familiar with Reddit, you know it's based on sub-reddits, which are effectively communities with a shared interested. This is my list of subreddits...

Learn to hack

December 26, 2014 | 2 minute read

If I told you it was free, would you want to learn to hack? I'm interested in offering a free course on how to hack to those who sign up over the next week. ...

Vancouver community spaces

August 05, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

I've decided to start a list of Vancouver community spaces for creative thinkers, as I couldn't find a good one myself. Hackerspace/Makerspace Vancouver Hac...

Big day for bitcoins!

March 19, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

If you've never heard of bitcoins, they are a decentralized digital currency based on an open-source, peer-to-peer internet protocol. It was introduced by a ...

Free university courses

January 03, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

I mentioned in August 2011 that Stanford started offering free university courses online for free. It's really exciting to see this trend spreading, most not...

Hacking sub $10 gadgets

October 18, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Even the most frugal of us now have the opportunity to hack, with the increase in sub $10 gadgets. I wrote a few weeks ago about the TI MSP430 for $4.30. Her...

Looking for cheap flights?

July 11, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

If you frequently travel, that likely means you also frequently try to find the best flight deals. I often use Matrix, or Hipmunk when looking for cheap flig...

Profile: Mitch Altman, hacker.

June 29, 2012 | 1 minute read

I had the opportunity to meet Mitch Altman in Tokyo a few years ago, at the Tokyo hackerspace. Mitch is a rare breed; he's got world class level of smart...

For 1M I will change the world

March 25, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

I was reading an article about how Bell labs has an 'idea factory', the idea is give highly innovative critical thinkers the freedom to create, and c...

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gunna do…

January 08, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

For as long as I can remember, I've been a radio scanner enthusiast. Although when I moved to Victoria, I knew they had adopted CREST which uses talk groups,...

A fight on Google’s street view

December 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

If you slowly scroll towards the two kids, and even passed them and look back, it appears as though you are watching the two boys walking, and get into a phy...

Your social network

December 09, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

As people are justifiably upset with the privacy issues around Facebook, and several friends have left that network altogether recently, I've been wondering ...

Social Innovation in British Columbia

November 25, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm fortunate to have been chosen as one of the top 500 social innovators in British Columbia, and have been invited to participate in the discussion around ...

Is morse code still alive?

November 07, 2011 | 1 minute read

I read an article in yesterday's Vancouver sun that is calling for the death knell of morse code, known by those in the amateur (ham) radio community as cont...

B.C. wineries

October 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Wondering where to find a winery near you in British Columbia? Wonder no more! If you’re the owner of one of these wineries, and would like your business na...

Victoria’s Makerspace

September 15, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Victoria's makerspace is a community based tool collective. A group of us have put our cool tools all in one location, so you get the benefit of using other ...

B.C. Private liquor stores

September 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Ever wonder where you can find a B.C. private liquor store near you? Wonder no more! If you're the owner of one of these liquor stores, and would like your ...

My first art exhibit: The Community Experience

August 10, 2011 | 1 minute read

I’m excited (and nervous!) to announce my first ever art exhibit. The running title is “The Community Experience”, which is a combination of sharing experie...

@cqwww

August 08, 2011 | 2 minute read

I'm often asked what in the world "cqwww" means, and why I would have picked that for my twitter handle. I've been an amateur (ham) radio operator since arou...

Help me name my MBEST web app

July 04, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm just finishing a new website, which has a running name of MBEST. It is a social media memory manager/bookmarking tool. Initially it has five modules; Mov...

Microscope mod for your smartphone

June 26, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

With a $5 microscope and illuminator from Amazon.com, you can attach it to the case of your smartphone and take microscopic pictures! https://www.youtube.com...

Shared co-working space

June 02, 2011 | 1 minute read

A group of us from the Victoria - Ideas meetings have been talking for some time about getting a shared co-working space in Victoria. It is intended for thos...

Browser plugin request: Media tab

May 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

While I often have over 50 tabs running in Firefox or Chrome, sometimes one or two will start playing audio or video, and there is no easy way to know which ...

Animated magic eye

May 30, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Have you ever seen a "magic eye" image? technically known as a stereogram? Today I discovered there is an animated one. Amazing!  

Shaw.ca breaking the internet

May 11, 2011 | 5 minute read

On the internet, network services are commonly defined by the port they use. For example, when you are on a website, you're typically connected to port 80 of...

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Self Development

Buying Bitcoin Or Ethereum

September 11, 2020 | 5 minute read

The last few months have been insane in the cryptocurrency market, like no other financial market I’m aware of in history. There have been altcoins making +1...

Hidden Rules Among Class

August 01, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

Today I saw an image on the internet that really resonated:

Astrology

April 24, 2020 | 1 minute read

I was asked again yesterday if I believe in astrology, and I said no, as a science based person I believe in astronomy. I got the go-to response of “Don’t yo...

What type of entrepreneur are you?

December 05, 2019 | 5 minute read

To me, there seems to be three types of entrepreneurs -- inventors, innovators, and iterators. Because we don't distinguish between these very distinct types...

Budget Coffee

November 26, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

This is the launch of "Budget Coffee" like founders coffee, where we meet 2x a month, and discuss budget things. As we'll all have different techniques, it w...

Great Minds Talk About Ideas

November 10, 2019 | 4 minute read

There's a famous quote: Great Minds Discuss Ideas; Average Minds Discuss Events; Small Minds Discuss People This quote is often attributed to Eleanor Roosev...

Hacking Strength

May 09, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

If you know me, you know that I'm curious, and love to hack all of the things. I use the term hack in the original sense, not the mainstream media version. ...

Marie Kondo has helped me Spark Joy

January 18, 2019 | 4 minute read

A dear friend lent me Marie Kondo's "the life changing magic of tidying up" last year, and I had it sitting around for months until the last few days of the ...

Stop relying on other people

November 25, 2018 | 3 minute read

One of the things I'm witnessing lately is a lot of people who spend most of their social time complaining. "The government didn't do ...", "My parents didn'...

Interactive Tutorials

October 14, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

While you can learn anything you want for free online these days, or in person, some people learn best with interactive tutorials. For those people, I've pro...

Finding Purpose

September 25, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Yesterday I had the pleasure of catching up with my friend Kerry, a Tibetan Buddhist Nun. This was an impromptu video where I pressed record, asked for a one...

Facebook Debates

September 21, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

For those who think they're good at debating, I challenge you to sign up for my 24 hour debate challenge. If you agree, I will partner you with someone else ...

Understanding Co-dependence

March 15, 2018 | 1 minute read

I'd heard the term codependence many times before, and usually associated it with romantic relationships. A friend of mine mentioned she recently read a book...

What do you practice?

February 17, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53cqxEOuHNI A great reminder from Prem Rawat via young Ali Sherazi. On top of critically thinking about which mental states w...

Giving without expectations

July 12, 2017 | 1 minute read

I was co-working in the social, ground floor area of my building when I noticed a man in a wheelchair going through the alley with a sweater dragging behind ...

Teaching children to critically think

May 09, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I was recently with a loved one who has children. One of their children asked me if Santa Claus was real. I didn't want to lie, as it's not my child, so I qu...

What Keeps You Content? - Data Driven Wellness

March 10, 2017 | 3 minute read

What Keeps You Content? [meetup.com] Attendees Kris Leo Ivan Trevor Tyler Zee Jennifer Scott Harondel John Bill What keeps you content Kaggle (Google boug...

Emotional Intelligence - Data Driven Wellness

January 13, 2017 | 1 minute read

Last night Vancouver's Data Driven Wellness meetup met on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. These are my notes, mostly books and URLs that were mentioned ...

What can you teach in 30 minutes?

December 29, 2016 | 1 minute read

Welcome to the thirty minute club! In order to join, you have to agree to teach something on Google Hangouts for 30 minutes. You don't have to be the best at...

Love

October 06, 2016 | 2 minute read

My thoughts on love. This will likely be updated as I feel I have new insights, as this is always evolving. I was reminded after reading a recent tweet by my...

Free university

September 21, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

I've written years ago about free online university courses, there's no limit today on what you can learn other than what time you're willing to put into it....

Bratzer v. Victoria Police Department (No. 3).

April 22, 2016 | 2 minute read

My friend David Bratzer has closed the page in a long journey against the Victoria Police Department for exercising his right to discuss his political belief...

Life without alcohol

January 04, 2016 | 4 minute read

I just read the Chicago Tribune article on What I learned by not drinking for 2 years, and a lot of it hit home, having just hit the 1 year mark myself of li...

The 30-day Silence Breakup Model

January 02, 2016 | 2 minute read

It is only when you break up from a romantic relationship, do you really evaluate what really mattered, and what didn't. As a result, if there seems to be a ...

Entrepreneurial See-Saw

January 02, 2016 | 2 minute read

There is a see-saw in which most entrepreneurs seem to identify themselves. At one end, is passion. At the other end, is financial success. The odds of these...

Positivity and Gratitude

December 16, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

Last night I got to hang out with Mohammed Alsaleh, one of the first Syrian refugees in Vancouver/British Colombia at the PeaceGeeks Christmas party. He was ...

Project: DIY OpenEEG/OpenBCI

October 30, 2015 | 2 minute read

Several years ago my friend Derek (of Biospace.ca) loaned me his Zeo Sleep Manager and I blogged the experience. You put on the headband at night, and it wou...

Forget discipline, form a habit

July 07, 2015 | 1 minute read

Perhaps the only discipline you need, is that required to form a single habit. While there has been a long standing rumour it takes 21 days to create a habit...

Yin yoga in Vancouver

May 05, 2015 | 1 minute read

After 10 years on the West coast, I finally agreed to go to a yoga class. I thought I would report back to my East coast friends and family who may be worrie...

Logical Fallacies

May 04, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

"A fallacy is incorrect argument in logic and rhetoric resulting in a lack of validity, or more generally, a lack of soundness. Fallacies are either formal f...

Did you check snopes?

February 17, 2015 | 3 minute read

When I read articles, forwards or shares I know aren't true, sometimes I reply, sometimes I  just delete them. I see the same emails getting forwarded around...

Failure is a learning opportunity

July 30, 2014 | 1 minute read

I spend a lot of time in startups, and most startups fail. Those that live more standard and stable careers might not see it, but failure isn't a negative to...

100 pushups

April 08, 2013 | 1 minute read

Have you ever wondered what it would take to do 100 pushups? The folks at onehundredpushups.com have developed a 6 week program to help you achieve that goal...

Thinking and succeeding as a Modern Business

March 26, 2013 | 2 minute read

I often consult one-on-one with entrepreneurs, but recently I had the opportunity to speak to a room full of leaders in non-profit and social enterprise.  Di...

Free education online

January 06, 2013 | 4 minute read

I posted a couple days ago, a list of free university course aggregators. I've had several people contact me with individual sites (such as MIT Open CourseWa...

Free university courses

January 03, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

I mentioned in August 2011 that Stanford started offering free university courses online for free. It's really exciting to see this trend spreading, most not...

Tilting my head until my neck cracks

September 10, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

I've noticed several friends and family members who regularly tilt their heads until their neck "cracks". I figure when they do it so often, th...

What do you use to shave?

July 20, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

I've been using Gillette Sensor Excel for shaving, but I see I can get 10 disposable razors for cheaper than 5 SE blades. Obviously the cheaper option ha...

For 1M I will change the world

March 25, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

I was reading an article about how Bell labs has an 'idea factory', the idea is give highly innovative critical thinkers the freedom to create, and c...

Can you afford to give up a few vegetables?

February 20, 2012 | 1 minute read

Thanks to Victoria city councilor Lisa Helps, I was made aware of a Victoria citizen who has made a request for vegetables. I can't imagine making such a...

Rule of thirds and the golden ratio

January 30, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

As the LCD light on my digital point and shoot camera has died,  a replacement LCD is over $100. I'm debating if I'm better off buying a new cam...

The tender conscious of the herd

January 26, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

One of my younger brothers started a blog and I found a quote that really resonated with me, "[It] really wasn't a necessity. It was more of an atte...

Hitting the mental gym

January 05, 2012 | 1 minute read

As I walked down to Ideas Victoria tonight, I walked by at least 3 gyms, each busier than I've ever seen them, and I generally walk by them every week at the...

A summary of 2011

December 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

What an incredible year! Started a new company IdeaWave sold out and turned a profit Created an organization that gave away over $3,000 to entrepreneurs Bou...

How well do you sleep?

December 30, 2011 | 2 minute read

I've been curious for a while about my sleeping habits, as an entrepreneur on my own schedule, I don't use an alarm clock unless I have to. As a result, my s...

Idea: A game that offers real certifications?

November 14, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

After watching a TED talk by Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world today, I immediately came up with an idea; what if while questing in a game you w...

Determining your core values

October 26, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

  This is an intregal part of the self-assessment process. There are a lot of values to choose from, take for example this list: Acceptance Fast pace...

What would you do for $5?

August 18, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Could you build a list of things you'd do for $5? If so, check out FIVERR, but warning, I spent over 2 hours going through this site my first time. It's amaz...

My first art exhibit: The Community Experience

August 10, 2011 | 1 minute read

I’m excited (and nervous!) to announce my first ever art exhibit. The running title is “The Community Experience”, which is a combination of sharing experie...

DIY DNA testing

July 12, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Do-it-yourself DNA testing is now possible with the OpenPCR kits which are only $512! Check out OpenPCR.org for the full details. "It is essential for most w...

Leadership

June 18, 2011 | 1 minute read

To me, leadership is about helping others. When I was younger, it meant being the boss, but I realize now I was incorrect in my assumption. Last year I compl...

Are you ready for your next interview?

June 17, 2011 | 2 minute read

As I've been on both sides of the interview desk, I had the opportunity today to work with Jen and Randy who are doing amazing work at The Pathway Project. A...

Random acts of pizza

June 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Just in case you're losing faith in humanity, there's a subreddit to bring it all back. Random acts of pizza is for those that have fallen on hard times, as ...

Ready to challenge yourself?

February 03, 2011 | 1 minute read

A few friends and I have been working through self imposed self-development processes. Weekly we challenge ourselves to step out of our comfort zone to learn...

Announcing the Victoria Pop Choir

January 12, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Nils Skalin is launching a Victoria Pop Choir. He says anyone can join, no matter what level of experience you have. He's created a Facebook group for those ...

New years resolution? Get some new wallpaper!

January 02, 2011 | 1 minute read

About 7 years ago I got my Canadian amateur radio certificate, and discovered the world of ham radio awards and contests. In Canada, there are over 50 award...

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Canada

Open Banking Coming To Canada

November 23, 2023 | 1 minute read

Canada is getting something new called “Consumer Driven Banking,” which is also known as “Open Banking.” This means that big banks will have to let you use n...

Recycling Tracker

January 19, 2020 | 1 minute read

We recently published the the minutes from Monday’s ideas Vancouver meetup which included a conversation around tracking where our recycling goes. There seem...

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

Canadian Tax Tips

November 28, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

Where do you recommend one go for Canadian tax tips? I'll post three here: The Canadian Tax Sherpa Deductions, Credits, and Expenses Report on Federal Tax ...

Budget Coffee

November 26, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

This is the launch of "Budget Coffee" like founders coffee, where we meet 2x a month, and discuss budget things. As we'll all have different techniques, it w...

Schitt’s Creek closets going on sale for charity

October 02, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

If you watched Schitt's Creek, this Thursday they have 800 items going up for auction from the "closets of the Rose family". (Givenchy, Balenciaga, Alexande...

Bitcoin exchanges in Canada

August 08, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

This is not an endorsement, but a running list of Canadian cryptocurrency exchanges. There are other exchanges like Coinbase and Kraken that serve Canadians,...

Personal Information data is a liability

July 09, 2019 | 3 minute read

Most businesses are still in the mindset that they should collect data for big data sake -- some day it'll be valuable. More unscrupulous businesses sell or ...

Getting your ham radio licence in Canada

February 18, 2019 | 1 minute read

If you’re interested in getting your amateur (ham) radio licence in Canada, you can start with Industry Canada’s website. I would start on the radio exam gen...

Thoughts on Initiative Q

October 26, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

I responded to an influencer I know who is sharing links to Initiative Q. He's an NDPer, so I empathize. Seriously though, he's a math genius whom I respect,...

Carfentanil found in Vancouver region

October 19, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Here in Vancouver, specifically in the downtown eastside (DTES), on average two people are dying from an overdose per day, because of fentanyl. Fentanyl is r...

Phone scammers pretending to be CRA

March 06, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

In Canada, there is a popular phone scam where the caller will pretend to be the Customs and Revenue Agency (CRA -- Canada's version of the IRS). A few thing...

Free credit score and reports for Canadians

February 15, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

I just came across this free credit score and report service, called BorrowWell.com. They appear to respect your privacy (other than running several privacy ...

Is reading the bible hate speech in Canada?

September 09, 2017 | 1 minute read

My friend Steve, an advocate for free speech in the U.S, and I were discussing hate speech, where I highlighted that most progressive countries have hate spe...

MakerMobile

January 26, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I've heard of trademark and copyright infringement cases, but the winner has to be Actua's Makermobile. The Government of Canada has apparently funded this c...

Financially Investing in Yourself 101

October 19, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

This applies to those new to financial investing for retirement in Canada. These are the recommendations I usually make, so I'm summarizing here. Pay down ...

Free university

September 21, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

I've written years ago about free online university courses, there's no limit today on what you can learn other than what time you're willing to put into it....

Conscious Canada

September 06, 2016 | 1 minute read

At the Ideas - Vancouver meetup tonight, we were discussing how many businesses there are that should be boycotted, and even if they are, as one voice, there...

Bratzer v. Victoria Police Department (No. 3).

April 22, 2016 | 2 minute read

My friend David Bratzer has closed the page in a long journey against the Victoria Police Department for exercising his right to discuss his political belief...

Dark Information Sharing

November 25, 2015 | 2 minute read

Here are a few links I mentioned regarding the Dark side of Information Sharing last night at Nik Badminton's sold out Dark Futures conference. These are pub...

Canadian VPS comparison

June 28, 2015 | 1 minute read

This Canadian VPS comparison table features VPS hosting providers that are not only Canadian, they host the servers on Canadian soil. This is useful to anyon...

SIP Provider Comparison

February 27, 2015 | 1 minute read

Until now I've been using les.net which is a Canadian SIP provider, so they must comply with Canadian privacy law by keeping personal information private. As...

Government liquor stores (LDB) in British Columbia

February 13, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map of government liquor stores in British Columbia was originally posted to victoria.intoxicant.ca on May 18, 2012. After publishing a list of wineries...

Wineries in British Columbia

February 11, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map of wineries in British Columbia was originally posted to 250life.ca on Oct 10, 2011, and is one of the first uses of the B.C. Open Government Licens...

Private Liquor Stores in British Columbia

February 11, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map I created of private liquor stores was originally posted to 250life.ca on Sept 8, 2011 and was one of the first uses of British Columbia's Open Gove...

Where to buy hop rhizomes in Canada

January 25, 2015 | 1 minute read

There appear to be only 6 places to buy hop rhizomes in Canada, if you know of any more, please let me know and I'll update the map. This will likely only be...

Approved business tax software in Canada

January 06, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

I found the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) approved business tax software in Canada list, and went to each one to get their pricing. As you can see below, some ...

CPR Partners desk for sale

July 27, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

I'm selling my (Canadian Pacific Railway) CPR Partners desk. It's the nicest desk I've ever owned, I refinished it myself. It is from pre-World War I (approx...

Are all employment opportunities good?

May 03, 2014 | 1 minute read

A friend posted the following on Facebook, leading me to ask the question, are all employment opportunities good? Kinder Morgan in its submission to the Nati...

You lose your rights under the Mental Health Act

November 27, 2013 | 2 minute read

I just read this article in Focus magazine [PDF] which is the source of what nightmares are made of. Apparently in Canada, you lose your rights if being arre...

The end of Canadian photographers?

November 12, 2013 | 1 minute read

While I realize it sounds like hyperbole, I will no longer be able to use Canadian photographers, it's too risky. My friend Jhayne posted a link on her Faceb...

Electoral Reform

April 10, 2013 | 2 minute read

Dear Elections BC; As we're about to head into another voting period in British Columbia, I wonder how long it will be until we see electoral reform. Since I...

Biospace, and the DIYBIO movement

January 15, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

Derek Jacoby and I made a TEDGlobal video, if only for a picture (3:49 in the video). This video is from the TED talk by Ellen Jorgensen of Genspace fame tal...

Chipmunk

May 25, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

While visiting my cottage this year for the first time in years, I had a chipmunk stare at me at squeak for at least 10 minutes. I managed to get a minute of...

Put a man in space? pfffht!

December 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

My friend Nick Farr and team have recently started Copenhagen Suborbitals which plan on launching a human into space. I'm lucky to know a lot of really talen...

What good is your roll of change?

December 21, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Not much, according to London Drugs. I had the misunderstanding that change had to be accepted, up to certain maximums that it's not excessive. In Canada thi...

Social Innovation in British Columbia

November 25, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm fortunate to have been chosen as one of the top 500 social innovators in British Columbia, and have been invited to participate in the discussion around ...

What’s the cheapest North American meal?

November 24, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

After reading that the toast sandwich is officially the UK's cheapest meal, it made me wonder, what is the cheapest meal available in North America? Although...

Canada’s polygamy laws ruling released today

November 23, 2011 | 2 minute read

Today, Canada's polygamy laws were upheld by the Supreme court. I wonder how many guys are reading this today and are like,"My wives are gunna be upset about...

Get out and vote!

November 16, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I just completed a short rant to a few friends on Facebook who were claiming inaction to voting is an action, or they were pleading ignorance to even knowing...

@cqwww

August 08, 2011 | 2 minute read

I'm often asked what in the world "cqwww" means, and why I would have picked that for my twitter handle. I've been an amateur (ham) radio operator since arou...

Double fish

July 03, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I was fishing this morning with a couple friends just off Mayne island, when I caught a small fish. While reeling it, it felt like I hit a snag. It wasn't fi...

Western Canada in a picture

June 06, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I managed to take this picture yesterday on Mayne island. I think it summarizes Western Canada quite well.  

The Canadian election issues that matter to me

April 24, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm sending this to all registered political parties I can find in Canada. email kris at ideawave.ca with your party's perspective on any/all of these issues...

Does your vote count?

April 23, 2011 | 1 minute read

There are a lot of reasons to not be happy with the current political system, as I've mentioned, I  believe that electoral reform should be the main concern ...

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Tech Tip

Hunting For Clear Skies

January 22, 2024 | less than 1 minute read

If you’re looking to the skies, you’ll want to make sure there are clear skies, and you’ll also want to verify that you’re in an area with as little light po...

Bitcoin Custodial Wallets Are Fine

November 24, 2023 | 1 minute read

I propose the bitcoin/cryptocurrency industry refer to cold storage as your self-bank, as that is a more relevant equivalent to fiat, whereas a wallet can be...

Assessing Your Level As A Bitcoin Enthusiast

April 15, 2023 | 4 minute read

In order to determine where you stand as a Bitcoin enthusiast, I have devised a self-assessment tool. You are welcome to share your level after reading or le...

Generating A Keypair With Nostr

January 04, 2023 | 6 minute read

The intention of this article to talk about key pairs and authentication, and how to generate a key pair to use nostr Notes and Other Things Over Relays.

Free Ai Tools

September 09, 2022 | 1 minute read

While often we’ve heard about artificial intelligence or AI, which is the idea of technology being used to mimic or surpass human behaviour, it relies on var...

Happy World Password Day

May 05, 2022 | 1 minute read

I’ve been asked fairly often, for decades, what I recommend for a password manager. For as long as I can remember, the quick answer is KeePass.

Neowise

July 14, 2020 | 2 minute read

It’s time to look to the sky as we’re blessed with NEOWISE

Goaccess

June 09, 2020 | 2 minute read

This article is written for intermiediate level techies interested in privacy centric web analytics.

Transitioning from Wordpress to Jekyll

January 19, 2020 | 2 minute read

After many years of Wordpress, I’ve decided to transition the website from One Day Website’s Wordpress to Jekyll. There were a few main reasons for the tran...

Replacing Google

January 02, 2020 | 3 minute read

For years I've not used most of Google's services, but today as I read an article from Google's former head of International Relations, I was reminded to wri...

Canadian Tax Tips

November 28, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

Where do you recommend one go for Canadian tax tips? I'll post three here: The Canadian Tax Sherpa Deductions, Credits, and Expenses Report on Federal Tax ...

Meeting schedulers

September 11, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

We often need to schedule meetings, and it can be a lot of work to organize a time that works for multiple people. Here are a few solutions I've found. Note ...

Privacy centric browser setup

July 16, 2019 | 1 minute read

I'm often asked for tech tool recommendations that I use, that are privacy & security minded. If you ever have such a question, don't hesitate, I love to...

Open source self-hosted small business tools

January 28, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

I'll start by listing some of the tools that most if not all of my businesses use: Nextcloud -- Not only is this a dropbox replacement for file management, i...

Merry Xmas

December 24, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

For years, I've said Merry Xmas, to the ire of many Christians in my life. This year, I present: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas which explains how Χριστό...

Interactive Tutorials

October 14, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

While you can learn anything you want for free online these days, or in person, some people learn best with interactive tutorials. For those people, I've pro...

QubesOS on an Intel NUC

September 28, 2018 | 1 minute read

I recently installed QubesOS 4.0 on an Intel NUC (model: nuc7i5bnh). It works fine, with one caveat. After you reboot the first time, everything just works. ...

What’s your best advice for someone about to…

September 13, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

What's your best advice for someone about to go on a hiring spree? (no recruiters mentioning their firms please -- I don't intend on using recruiters current...

Modern cell phone story (privacy related)

June 15, 2018 | 1 minute read

As you walk around with your cell phone on, you walk by different cell phone towers, which allow you to make a phone call no matter where you are. Your cell...

New Tech: IPFS

April 11, 2018 | 1 minute read

IPFS is a distributed, peer-to-peer (p2p) hypermedia protocol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CMxDNuuAiQ It's not just theoretical, you can use it now. The...

Free alternatives to sign documents

March 26, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

If you have to sign documents once in a while, are trying to save on printing paper, and are looking for a free alternative to DocuSign, here are a few you s...

Phone scammers pretending to be CRA

March 06, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

In Canada, there is a popular phone scam where the caller will pretend to be the Customs and Revenue Agency (CRA -- Canada's version of the IRS). A few thing...

Debugging internet issues

October 12, 2017 | 1 minute read

If you're on osx, if you have something like brew.sh, install mtr. Once you have mtr installed, you can test your internet connection with any computer on th...

first steps on osx after security – install brew

October 12, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

If it's your first time on osx, or just setting up a new machine, or doing a re-install, there are a few things I install by default. Before you start the so...

vim: vi improved. A text editor worth learning.

August 29, 2017 | 1 minute read

vim is the improved version of vi (short for visual editor) which is an old school text editor for UNIX based operating systems (Linux, BSD, OSX etc). Once y...

Another chance to consider Bitcoin

January 04, 2017 | 1 minute read

As we have economic uncertainty in several countries around the world, you have to think where the world's elite are looking to put their money, and there's ...

The best pen

March 02, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

There are so many important things to solve in the world. It's 3:00am and I'm researching the best pen.  According to penaddict.com, the top 5 micro ink gel...

Canadian VPS comparison

June 28, 2015 | 1 minute read

This Canadian VPS comparison table features VPS hosting providers that are not only Canadian, they host the servers on Canadian soil. This is useful to anyon...

Installing owncloud and pydio on Debian 8

June 28, 2015 | 4 minute read

Update: I was asked for a list of Canadian hosting providers where one can try the steps below, so I created this list of Canadian VPS providers. If you want...

SIP Provider Comparison

February 27, 2015 | 1 minute read

Until now I've been using les.net which is a Canadian SIP provider, so they must comply with Canadian privacy law by keeping personal information private. As...

Did you check snopes?

February 17, 2015 | 3 minute read

When I read articles, forwards or shares I know aren't true, sometimes I reply, sometimes I  just delete them. I see the same emails getting forwarded around...

Open Source Software Solutions

January 26, 2015 | 2 minute read

When choosing which software to use, one philosophical choice you must make is if you're OK with proprietary software, or if you will prioritize open source ...

Learn to hack

December 26, 2014 | 2 minute read

If I told you it was free, would you want to learn to hack? I'm interested in offering a free course on how to hack to those who sign up over the next week. ...

Job Jar is looking for alpha testers

June 06, 2013 | 1 minute read

In the software development lifecycle, the alpha stage is when you have your minimal viable product (MVP) and are ready for testing. This means things will l...

Free university courses

January 03, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

I mentioned in August 2011 that Stanford started offering free university courses online for free. It's really exciting to see this trend spreading, most not...

Wallpaper - The Head

November 12, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

If you're looking for a free, open source solution for creating or editing images, check out the GNU Image Manipulation program, or the GIMP. While I've been...

Defining your websites in LinkedIn

July 15, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I noticed that by default when you enter your websites into LinkedIn, they usually say "Company website" or "Personal Website" without more details. This is ...

Youtube buffering easter egg

June 24, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Next time you're on youtube and watching the buffer wheel: Hit one of your keyboard arrow keys. Now you'll be playing a game of snakes while you wait for yo...

Fix your website, please.

April 23, 2011 | 1 minute read

I'm not nearly as passionate about your website as you are. When I go to your website, I'm looking for only two things: consciously: I'm looking for content....

Replacing Google with DuckDuckGo

January 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I wrote an article on PrivaSecTech last week about how Google is now filtering things the American movie and music industry want it to filter, and decided it...

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Idea

Bitcoin Custodial Wallets Are Fine

November 24, 2023 | 1 minute read

I propose the bitcoin/cryptocurrency industry refer to cold storage as your self-bank, as that is a more relevant equivalent to fiat, whereas a wallet can be...

Customer Discovery

February 07, 2023 | 10 minute read

Customer Discovery – Prioritizing your Ideas

Creative Shirt

January 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

You’ve found me and my new creative shirt! We’re likely at SXSW or nostrica.com together!

Open And Decentralized Online Voting

January 06, 2023 | 3 minute read

I’ve been thinking about online voting for over a decade, first from doing security audits on them, and realizing how deficient they are in structure and sec...

Do Work Get Equity

December 17, 2020 | 1 minute read

Working just for money doesn’t retain workers, and working just for money isn’t satisfying.

The Global Economic Future

April 23, 2020 | 4 minute read

There is currently an opportunity to explore a different global economic future than we’ve had until now. I welcome you to spend some time on what that futur...

Recycling Tracker

January 19, 2020 | 1 minute read

We recently published the the minutes from Monday’s ideas Vancouver meetup which included a conversation around tracking where our recycling goes. There seem...

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

Regenerative wearables

December 04, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

I'm exploring how we might make a fabric or wearable item that is regenerative. In the ideal, if it was left in a field, maybe it would grow. For example Is...

Redefining nerds & geeks

August 25, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

I think we need a new term for nerds. Nerds & geeks are still derogatory terms, even if said tongue-in-cheek and using them justifies people not learning...

Join Vancouver’s newest busking band.

October 25, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Did you know the Vancouver public library rents instruments? While checking out their renovated top two floors and rooftop patio, I decided to challenge myse...

Love

October 06, 2016 | 2 minute read

My thoughts on love. This will likely be updated as I feel I have new insights, as this is always evolving. I was reminded after reading a recent tweet by my...

Getting Thunderbird to Inbox Zero plugin

August 24, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

idea: I would love to help with this, if there are any developers who have the chops. I want a Thunderbird email plugin that at some (setting driven) interva...

Project: DIY OpenEEG/OpenBCI

October 30, 2015 | 2 minute read

Several years ago my friend Derek (of Biospace.ca) loaned me his Zeo Sleep Manager and I blogged the experience. You put on the headband at night, and it wou...

The Open Source Future

March 30, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

I've been thinking and discussing a lot about the open source future, and am considering an 8 episode podcast trial. It's currently planned to be 2 parts per...

Learn to hack

December 26, 2014 | 2 minute read

If I told you it was free, would you want to learn to hack? I'm interested in offering a free course on how to hack to those who sign up over the next week. ...

Support things that last a lifetime

November 14, 2014 | 1 minute read

When I need to buy a new product, I often research it in depth, to ensure I'm getting the best value for my money. For years my friends have been asking me w...

ASC in Vancouver

November 03, 2014 | 1 minute read

UPDATE! As we're still receiving $50 entries from people wanting to be awesomites, we're moving the event to January 28th, 2015. The call for submissions is ...

Project - Help someone out

October 24, 2013 | 2 minute read

This post is about my latest project idea - Help someone out. Version 0.2 - Oct 24th 10:08am EST. Check back regularly, as I'll be updating this post based o...

How can I help your business?

July 16, 2013 | 1 minute read

How can I help your business? I'm offering an initial 60 minute video consult over the next 2 weeks, please contact me to setup an appointment. All I ask fro...

Thinking and succeeding as a Modern Business

March 26, 2013 | 2 minute read

I often consult one-on-one with entrepreneurs, but recently I had the opportunity to speak to a room full of leaders in non-profit and social enterprise.  Di...

What do you use to shave?

July 20, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

I've been using Gillette Sensor Excel for shaving, but I see I can get 10 disposable razors for cheaper than 5 SE blades. Obviously the cheaper option ha...

For 1M I will change the world

March 25, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

I was reading an article about how Bell labs has an 'idea factory', the idea is give highly innovative critical thinkers the freedom to create, and c...

IdeaWave 2012

February 19, 2012 | 1 minute read

We're less than a week away from IdeaWave, a conference that features 50 talks over 2 days, 10 minutes each. We're still actively looking for great i...

Put a man in space? pfffht!

December 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

My friend Nick Farr and team have recently started Copenhagen Suborbitals which plan on launching a human into space. I'm lucky to know a lot of really talen...

Your social network

December 09, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

As people are justifiably upset with the privacy issues around Facebook, and several friends have left that network altogether recently, I've been wondering ...

Social Innovation in British Columbia

November 25, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm fortunate to have been chosen as one of the top 500 social innovators in British Columbia, and have been invited to participate in the discussion around ...

Idea: A game that offers real certifications?

November 14, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

After watching a TED talk by Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world today, I immediately came up with an idea; what if while questing in a game you w...

Truth or Dare?

November 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I asked "Truth or Dare?" on Facebook and Twitter yesterday. I've received over 50 comments between the two, so it seems like people want to play. I see there...

What would you do for $5?

August 18, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Could you build a list of things you'd do for $5? If so, check out FIVERR, but warning, I spent over 2 hours going through this site my first time. It's amaz...

Browser plugin request: Media tab

May 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

While I often have over 50 tabs running in Firefox or Chrome, sometimes one or two will start playing audio or video, and there is no easy way to know which ...

Android app request - Rogers MY5 updater

May 30, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

In Canada, if you have Rogers wireless as your cellphone provider, they offer a My5 and My10 plan, where you list the 5 or 10 people you talk to the most, an...

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Activism

Recycling Tracker

January 19, 2020 | 1 minute read

We recently published the the minutes from Monday’s ideas Vancouver meetup which included a conversation around tracking where our recycling goes. There seem...

Carfentanil found in Vancouver region

October 19, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Here in Vancouver, specifically in the downtown eastside (DTES), on average two people are dying from an overdose per day, because of fentanyl. Fentanyl is r...

Collaborative Sunday Story Time

October 14, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Add one sentence to the story as a comment, to continue the story. Once the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) realized they couldn't compete w...

Why don’t more women speak up?

September 28, 2018 | 2 minute read

I managed to miss most of the Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford hearing today, but caught the end of it. I knew going into it that not much would likely sway in public ...

Modern cell phone story (privacy related)

June 15, 2018 | 1 minute read

As you walk around with your cell phone on, you walk by different cell phone towers, which allow you to make a phone call no matter where you are. Your cell...

Is reading the bible hate speech in Canada?

September 09, 2017 | 1 minute read

My friend Steve, an advocate for free speech in the U.S, and I were discussing hate speech, where I highlighted that most progressive countries have hate spe...

Renaming crypto(currency) to dmoney

June 19, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

This growing use of “crypto” to mean “crypto currency” is not going to end well for either cryptography or digital currency. — matt blaze (@mattblaze) June ...

MakerMobile

January 26, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I've heard of trademark and copyright infringement cases, but the winner has to be Actua's Makermobile. The Government of Canada has apparently funded this c...

Are you checking in to Standing Rock today?

October 31, 2016 | 2 minute read

[caption id="attachment_878" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Surveillance Culture around Standing Rock #NoDAPL[/caption] </p> There are a lot of peopl...

Conscious Canada

September 06, 2016 | 1 minute read

At the Ideas - Vancouver meetup tonight, we were discussing how many businesses there are that should be boycotted, and even if they are, as one voice, there...

Bratzer v. Victoria Police Department (No. 3).

April 22, 2016 | 2 minute read

My friend David Bratzer has closed the page in a long journey against the Victoria Police Department for exercising his right to discuss his political belief...

Are all employment opportunities good?

May 03, 2014 | 1 minute read

A friend posted the following on Facebook, leading me to ask the question, are all employment opportunities good? Kinder Morgan in its submission to the Nati...

Electoral Reform

April 10, 2013 | 2 minute read

Dear Elections BC; As we're about to head into another voting period in British Columbia, I wonder how long it will be until we see electoral reform. Since I...

Big day for bitcoins!

March 19, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

If you've never heard of bitcoins, they are a decentralized digital currency based on an open-source, peer-to-peer internet protocol. It was introduced by a ...

Is your political party research for sale?

March 17, 2013 | 1 minute read

With a looming provincial election in British Columbia this May, I decided it's time to do some research. For those that follow my privacy and security blog,...

Saving the B.C. film industry

January 17, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

There seems to be a lot of controversy lately around the B.C. film industry not making it into the Christy Clark BC Jobs plan. I don't see the correlation. A...

Welcome to the New Amsterdam

March 16, 2012 | 1 minute read

Victoria has always been a tourist city, but for the first time in a long time, that is going to hit new heights. We have a new city council, lead once again...

Can you afford to give up a few vegetables?

February 20, 2012 | 1 minute read

Thanks to Victoria city councilor Lisa Helps, I was made aware of a Victoria citizen who has made a request for vegetables. I can't imagine making such a...

Use social media as you want to

January 19, 2012 | 1 minute read

I see a lot of  unsolicited directions on how to use social media contextually; don't be negative with social media! Don't auto-DM! Give origina...

Put a man in space? pfffht!

December 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

My friend Nick Farr and team have recently started Copenhagen Suborbitals which plan on launching a human into space. I'm lucky to know a lot of really talen...

Get out and vote!

November 16, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I just completed a short rant to a few friends on Facebook who were claiming inaction to voting is an action, or they were pleading ignorance to even knowing...

If only there was a United Way to contact them…

November 09, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

For three years I've heard an advertisement by the United Way on the radio in Victoria, BC. It claims that they help one in every three people in Victoria. T...

What media matters?

November 08, 2011 | 3 minute read

I recently had the opportunity to meet Bill Weaver, host of a popular annual retreat called Media That Matters. I know several people who have attended, from...

Schools or Prisons?

November 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

"Schools or Prisons?" is a public forum this Tuesday evening, Nov 8, at Alix Goolden Hall (907 Pandora Ave). It runs from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. The goal is to ki...

Random acts of pizza

June 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Just in case you're losing faith in humanity, there's a subreddit to bring it all back. Random acts of pizza is for those that have fallen on hard times, as ...

Shaw.ca breaking the internet

May 11, 2011 | 5 minute read

On the internet, network services are commonly defined by the port they use. For example, when you are on a website, you're typically connected to port 80 of...

Does your vote count?

April 23, 2011 | 1 minute read

There are a lot of reasons to not be happy with the current political system, as I've mentioned, I  believe that electoral reform should be the main concern ...

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Social

Bitcoin Custodial Wallets Are Fine

November 24, 2023 | 1 minute read

I propose the bitcoin/cryptocurrency industry refer to cold storage as your self-bank, as that is a more relevant equivalent to fiat, whereas a wallet can be...

Whos Missing From The Table

November 08, 2022 | 2 minute read

When I hear of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives in the work place, it’s often used in a quota context, and that’s never sat well with me. I...

Accessible Family Friendly Online Games

January 10, 2021 | less than 1 minute read

With all of us at home, last March as soon as the pandemic was announced I launched ab8.ca with the intent on providing you a space to be online without foll...

The Global Economic Future

April 23, 2020 | 4 minute read

There is currently an opportunity to explore a different global economic future than we’ve had until now. I welcome you to spend some time on what that futur...

Fear Mongering

April 13, 2020 | 3 minute read

Under normal conditions, when I try to explain privacy and security concerns to people, the best way to do so can be considered fear mongering. Facts don’t u...

Social Distancing

March 15, 2020 | 1 minute read

A pandemic declaration means spend at least 14 days social distancing.

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

Great Minds Talk About Ideas

November 10, 2019 | 4 minute read

There's a famous quote: Great Minds Discuss Ideas; Average Minds Discuss Events; Small Minds Discuss People This quote is often attributed to Eleanor Roosev...

Redefining nerds & geeks

August 25, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

I think we need a new term for nerds. Nerds & geeks are still derogatory terms, even if said tongue-in-cheek and using them justifies people not learning...

Join Vancouver’s newest busking band.

October 25, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Did you know the Vancouver public library rents instruments? While checking out their renovated top two floors and rooftop patio, I decided to challenge myse...

Collaborative Sunday Story Time

October 14, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Add one sentence to the story as a comment, to continue the story. Once the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) realized they couldn't compete w...

Why don’t more women speak up?

September 28, 2018 | 2 minute read

I managed to miss most of the Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford hearing today, but caught the end of it. I knew going into it that not much would likely sway in public ...

What Keeps You Content? - Data Driven Wellness

March 10, 2017 | 3 minute read

What Keeps You Content? [meetup.com] Attendees Kris Leo Ivan Trevor Tyler Zee Jennifer Scott Harondel John Bill What keeps you content Kaggle (Google boug...

Emotional Intelligence - Data Driven Wellness

January 13, 2017 | 1 minute read

Last night Vancouver's Data Driven Wellness meetup met on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. These are my notes, mostly books and URLs that were mentioned ...

Ideas - Vancouver meeting May 14th

May 13, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This month, you're invited to join us at 18:00 at Matchstick Coffee (Chinatown - Vancouver) to discuss amongst other things: bio-tech: life with CRISPR-Cas9...

Logical Fallacies

May 04, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

"A fallacy is incorrect argument in logic and rhetoric resulting in a lack of validity, or more generally, a lack of soundness. Fallacies are either formal f...

Did you check snopes?

February 17, 2015 | 3 minute read

When I read articles, forwards or shares I know aren't true, sometimes I reply, sometimes I  just delete them. I see the same emails getting forwarded around...

Vancouver Vending Machine Circuit

February 07, 2015 | 1 minute read

If you're looking for something unusual to do while in Vancouver, consider a photography challenge - each of the unique machines found in the Vancouver vendi...

The tender conscious of the herd

January 26, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

One of my younger brothers started a blog and I found a quote that really resonated with me, "[It] really wasn't a necessity. It was more of an atte...

Use social media as you want to

January 19, 2012 | 1 minute read

I see a lot of  unsolicited directions on how to use social media contextually; don't be negative with social media! Don't auto-DM! Give origina...

Put a man in space? pfffht!

December 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

My friend Nick Farr and team have recently started Copenhagen Suborbitals which plan on launching a human into space. I'm lucky to know a lot of really talen...

Your social network

December 09, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

As people are justifiably upset with the privacy issues around Facebook, and several friends have left that network altogether recently, I've been wondering ...

Social Innovation in British Columbia

November 25, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm fortunate to have been chosen as one of the top 500 social innovators in British Columbia, and have been invited to participate in the discussion around ...

What’s the cheapest North American meal?

November 24, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

After reading that the toast sandwich is officially the UK's cheapest meal, it made me wonder, what is the cheapest meal available in North America? Although...

Get out and vote!

November 16, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I just completed a short rant to a few friends on Facebook who were claiming inaction to voting is an action, or they were pleading ignorance to even knowing...

Truth or Dare?

November 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I asked "Truth or Dare?" on Facebook and Twitter yesterday. I've received over 50 comments between the two, so it seems like people want to play. I see there...

Defining your websites in LinkedIn

July 15, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I noticed that by default when you enter your websites into LinkedIn, they usually say "Company website" or "Personal Website" without more details. This is ...

Make up a new word, or reuse a known one

July 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

After hearing Stephen Fry talk about language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY I decided we should today try to make up a new word, or reuse an o...

Leadership

June 18, 2011 | 1 minute read

To me, leadership is about helping others. When I was younger, it meant being the boss, but I realize now I was incorrect in my assumption. Last year I compl...

The sharing of ideas

April 25, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

While ideas meetings started in Victoria over three years ago, and IdeaWave 2 years ago, there are now a bunch of other community based idea sharing groups i...

What do you do that is interesting?

March 19, 2011 | 1 minute read

Since watching Christopher Bowers 2010 IdeaWave talk, I've tried to stop saying the standard hello/how are you if it's more than in passing, hoping to get so...

Announcing the Victoria Pop Choir

January 12, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Nils Skalin is launching a Victoria Pop Choir. He says anyone can join, no matter what level of experience you have. He's created a Facebook group for those ...

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Event

Recycling Tracker

January 19, 2020 | 1 minute read

We recently published the the minutes from Monday’s ideas Vancouver meetup which included a conversation around tracking where our recycling goes. There seem...

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

Emotional Intelligence - Data Driven Wellness

January 13, 2017 | 1 minute read

Last night Vancouver's Data Driven Wellness meetup met on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. These are my notes, mostly books and URLs that were mentioned ...

Dark Information Sharing

November 25, 2015 | 2 minute read

Here are a few links I mentioned regarding the Dark side of Information Sharing last night at Nik Badminton's sold out Dark Futures conference. These are pub...

Project: DIY OpenEEG/OpenBCI

October 30, 2015 | 2 minute read

Several years ago my friend Derek (of Biospace.ca) loaned me his Zeo Sleep Manager and I blogged the experience. You put on the headband at night, and it wou...

Creative Vancouver meetups

May 25, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

If you're new to Vancouver, you might be looking for some creative Vancouver meetups. It could be to meet other interesting people, entrepreneurs, hackers, o...

Ideas - Vancouver meeting May 14th

May 13, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This month, you're invited to join us at 18:00 at Matchstick Coffee (Chinatown - Vancouver) to discuss amongst other things: bio-tech: life with CRISPR-Cas9...

Vancouver Sales Event Meetup

February 21, 2015 | 1 minute read

Last night I got to attend my first Vancouver Sales Event Meetup run by my friend Erin Dalzell and hosted at Spacelist. I tried to write down as many URLs as...

ASC in Vancouver

November 03, 2014 | 1 minute read

UPDATE! As we're still receiving $50 entries from people wanting to be awesomites, we're moving the event to January 28th, 2015. The call for submissions is ...

Thinking and succeeding as a Modern Business

March 26, 2013 | 2 minute read

I often consult one-on-one with entrepreneurs, but recently I had the opportunity to speak to a room full of leaders in non-profit and social enterprise.  Di...

Black Tie Dinner III

November 05, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Exactly one year since the last one, it's time for Black Tie Dinner III! If you've never heard about black tie dinner, click here. This time we're taking ove...

Are you a skeptic?

October 20, 2012 | 2 minute read

If you're like me, you probably have two types of friends on social media that post (potentially) controversial materials. The first group are the parrots, t...

Hackathon at an AT&T Long Line Bunker

October 10, 2012 | 2 minute read

Are you interested in an in-person visit to a +11,000 sq ft cold-war era AT&T Long Line bunker with +200 foot high communications tower? W...

Profile: Mitch Altman, hacker.

June 29, 2012 | 1 minute read

I had the opportunity to meet Mitch Altman in Tokyo a few years ago, at the Tokyo hackerspace. Mitch is a rare breed; he's got world class level of smart...

Creatively United Mobile Phone Photo-Art Show!

April 23, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Last week-end I had the opportunity to have 3 of my photos shown at the first annual Creatively United Mobile Phone Photo-art show.   The photos had to...

Welcome to the New Amsterdam

March 16, 2012 | 1 minute read

Victoria has always been a tourist city, but for the first time in a long time, that is going to hit new heights. We have a new city council, lead once again...

IdeaWave 2012

February 19, 2012 | 1 minute read

We're less than a week away from IdeaWave, a conference that features 50 talks over 2 days, 10 minutes each. We're still actively looking for great i...

Innovation month in Victoria

January 30, 2012 | 2 minute read

I declare February as Innovation Month. If you've had a really good idea for years you've been sitting on, or just had an epiphany now, there is no better ti...

Makerspace classes

December 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Makerspace is offering classes now in various subjects. They are quite popular, and most of them sell out, so sign up today for any that interest you! As of ...

Settlers of Catan night

November 22, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

If you've got a bit of board game geek in you, check out the Canadian Pacific Lawn Bowling club's website which has announced a bi-weekly Settlers of Catan n...

Black Tie Dinner II

November 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

On Tuesday, November 22, 7:00pm – 8:30pm,  don’t miss the much anticipated Black Tie Dinner II! This is a fun event where we’ll take over the new Burger King...

Schools or Prisons?

November 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

"Schools or Prisons?" is a public forum this Tuesday evening, Nov 8, at Alix Goolden Hall (907 Pandora Ave). It runs from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. The goal is to ki...

What would you do with $500-1000 this Monday?

October 21, 2011 | 2 minute read

All it takes is 200 words in an email, and a 5 minute pitch, to win anywhere between $500 and $1000. Awesome Shit Club (ASC) is one of the many projects to c...

Apple harvest and pie tasting

October 15, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Tomorrow morning the Moss street market will be hosting their second annual pie tasting. Show up by 10:30am, and for only $5 you can taste three of the pies....

Evening to Inspire

October 07, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Tomorrow night will be the 3rd Evening to Inspire event, a fundraiser for the BC Children's hospital foundation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0PfPLBleY0 ...

Artifact or artifiction

October 05, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Do you think you can tell the different between the real story about an artifact and a fake one? Would you like to enjoy some cocktails and food in the proce...

Victoria’s Makerspace

September 15, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Victoria's makerspace is a community based tool collective. A group of us have put our cool tools all in one location, so you get the benefit of using other ...

NorthWest Ale launch today!

August 24, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

At 4p.m. today Spinnakers brewpub will launch their new NorthWest Ale! From their Facebook event: Free samples of NWA Live music Complimentary food pairings...

25th Victoria Fringe launches today

August 24, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

After catching a couple fringe shows several years ago, I was fortunate enough to win a fringe "Superpass" at the after party, that would allow me to see all...

Black Tie Dinner

August 19, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

On September 6th, 2011 at 7p.m. don't miss our first ever Black Tie Dinner! This is a fun event where we'll take over the McDonald's at 980 Pandora avenue we...

Cask night!

August 12, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

A cask is essentially the freshest you can ever have beer. Instead of injecting it with CO2, the cask is tapped, and gravity fed. This means that the beer wi...

Victoria’s Electronic Music Festival

July 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

If you're in Victoria this week-end, check out the VEMF today and tomorrow from noon until 10p.m. officially, and then there are a lot of after party venues....

Ready to make your first interactive art display?

July 18, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

No matter what your background, this is your chance to learn the art side and the technical side of creating an interactive media exhibit! MediaNet is offeri...

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Critique

Astrology

April 24, 2020 | 1 minute read

I was asked again yesterday if I believe in astrology, and I said no, as a science based person I believe in astronomy. I got the go-to response of “Don’t yo...

Happy Solstice and Self-Care Week!

December 27, 2019 | 2 minute read

For a couple of years, there was a lot of propaganda about the war on Christmas, that still resonates with me. It makes me wonder about anyone who made such ...

Thoughts on Initiative Q

October 26, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

I responded to an influencer I know who is sharing links to Initiative Q. He's an NDPer, so I empathize. Seriously though, he's a math genius whom I respect,...

Collaborative Sunday Story Time

October 14, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Add one sentence to the story as a comment, to continue the story. Once the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) realized they couldn't compete w...

Why don’t more women speak up?

September 28, 2018 | 2 minute read

I managed to miss most of the Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford hearing today, but caught the end of it. I knew going into it that not much would likely sway in public ...

Facebook Debates

September 21, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

For those who think they're good at debating, I challenge you to sign up for my 24 hour debate challenge. If you agree, I will partner you with someone else ...

Modern cell phone story (privacy related)

June 15, 2018 | 1 minute read

As you walk around with your cell phone on, you walk by different cell phone towers, which allow you to make a phone call no matter where you are. Your cell...

Himalayan Bath Salt Lamps and Essential Oils

January 15, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

One of the feedback I got from the podcast on sleep was to consider Himalayan Bath Salts, and Essential oils. According to Snopes, Himalayan Bath Salt Lamps ...

Teaching children to critically think

May 09, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I was recently with a loved one who has children. One of their children asked me if Santa Claus was real. I didn't want to lie, as it's not my child, so I qu...

MakerMobile

January 26, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I've heard of trademark and copyright infringement cases, but the winner has to be Actua's Makermobile. The Government of Canada has apparently funded this c...

Are you checking in to Standing Rock today?

October 31, 2016 | 2 minute read

[caption id="attachment_878" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Surveillance Culture around Standing Rock #NoDAPL[/caption] </p> There are a lot of peopl...

The “432 Hz vs. 440 Hz” conspiracy theory

October 24, 2016 | 1 minute read

There's currently a post on HackerNews called The “432 Hz vs. 440 Hz” conspiracy theory. It links to an article by Jakub Marian that starts to break down why...

Conscious Canada

September 06, 2016 | 1 minute read

At the Ideas - Vancouver meetup tonight, we were discussing how many businesses there are that should be boycotted, and even if they are, as one voice, there...

Logical Fallacies

May 04, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

"A fallacy is incorrect argument in logic and rhetoric resulting in a lack of validity, or more generally, a lack of soundness. Fallacies are either formal f...

Did you check snopes?

February 17, 2015 | 3 minute read

When I read articles, forwards or shares I know aren't true, sometimes I reply, sometimes I  just delete them. I see the same emails getting forwarded around...

Are all employment opportunities good?

May 03, 2014 | 1 minute read

A friend posted the following on Facebook, leading me to ask the question, are all employment opportunities good? Kinder Morgan in its submission to the Nati...

The end of Canadian photographers?

November 12, 2013 | 1 minute read

While I realize it sounds like hyperbole, I will no longer be able to use Canadian photographers, it's too risky. My friend Jhayne posted a link on her Faceb...

Use social media as you want to

January 19, 2012 | 1 minute read

I see a lot of  unsolicited directions on how to use social media contextually; don't be negative with social media! Don't auto-DM! Give origina...

Canada’s polygamy laws ruling released today

November 23, 2011 | 2 minute read

Today, Canada's polygamy laws were upheld by the Supreme court. I wonder how many guys are reading this today and are like,"My wives are gunna be upset about...

What media matters?

November 08, 2011 | 3 minute read

I recently had the opportunity to meet Bill Weaver, host of a popular annual retreat called Media That Matters. I know several people who have attended, from...

Squashing science

July 27, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

As I'm reading Euclid's Window, it talks a lot about how throughout history, religion based oppressors have tried to silence science.  I can't imagine a worl...

Isn’t blaming the weapon a little premature?

January 19, 2011 | 1 minute read

I just read the Victoria Police Department's press release regarding the attempted murder of Cst. Lane Douglas-Hunt yesterday. It makes me angry, frustrated,...

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Vancouver

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

Budget Coffee

November 26, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

This is the launch of "Budget Coffee" like founders coffee, where we meet 2x a month, and discuss budget things. As we'll all have different techniques, it w...

I just saw my first scalped person.

May 23, 2019 | 1 minute read

Trigger warning: Not a story for the faint of heart. Walking home through the DTES just now, hundreds of people high, or drunk, passed out, or racing to thei...

A few more Facebook groups and pages

January 03, 2019 | 1 minute read

If you're still on Facebook, the first thing to keep in mind is that anything you write there -- including every profile you click on, every keystroke you ty...

Join Vancouver’s newest busking band.

October 25, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Did you know the Vancouver public library rents instruments? While checking out their renovated top two floors and rooftop patio, I decided to challenge myse...

Carfentanil found in Vancouver region

October 19, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Here in Vancouver, specifically in the downtown eastside (DTES), on average two people are dying from an overdose per day, because of fentanyl. Fentanyl is r...

Giving without expectations

July 12, 2017 | 1 minute read

I was co-working in the social, ground floor area of my building when I noticed a man in a wheelchair going through the alley with a sweater dragging behind ...

What Keeps You Content? - Data Driven Wellness

March 10, 2017 | 3 minute read

What Keeps You Content? [meetup.com] Attendees Kris Leo Ivan Trevor Tyler Zee Jennifer Scott Harondel John Bill What keeps you content Kaggle (Google boug...

MakerMobile

January 26, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I've heard of trademark and copyright infringement cases, but the winner has to be Actua's Makermobile. The Government of Canada has apparently funded this c...

Emotional Intelligence - Data Driven Wellness

January 13, 2017 | 1 minute read

Last night Vancouver's Data Driven Wellness meetup met on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. These are my notes, mostly books and URLs that were mentioned ...

#fivetenfriday

March 12, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

My first entry for #fivetenfriday was experimenting with the GIMP. I don’t normally edit my photographs except for cropping. It was a lot of fun testing the ...

Umbrellas and Bottles

March 08, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

I went to an opening at an art gallery in an alley, only to later discover I had accidentally went to a different opening and a different gallery in the same...

Project: DIY OpenEEG/OpenBCI

October 30, 2015 | 2 minute read

Several years ago my friend Derek (of Biospace.ca) loaned me his Zeo Sleep Manager and I blogged the experience. You put on the headband at night, and it wou...

Creative Vancouver meetups

May 25, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

If you're new to Vancouver, you might be looking for some creative Vancouver meetups. It could be to meet other interesting people, entrepreneurs, hackers, o...

Ideas - Vancouver meeting May 14th

May 13, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This month, you're invited to join us at 18:00 at Matchstick Coffee (Chinatown - Vancouver) to discuss amongst other things: bio-tech: life with CRISPR-Cas9...

Yin yoga in Vancouver

May 05, 2015 | 1 minute read

After 10 years on the West coast, I finally agreed to go to a yoga class. I thought I would report back to my East coast friends and family who may be worrie...

Vancouver’s Chinese Tea Shop

March 30, 2015 | 1 minute read

You might think you know tea, and more importantly the process of serving it skillfully, but I speculate tea drinkers of all levels would be pleasantly infor...

Vancouver Sales Event Meetup

February 21, 2015 | 1 minute read

Last night I got to attend my first Vancouver Sales Event Meetup run by my friend Erin Dalzell and hosted at Spacelist. I tried to write down as many URLs as...

Government liquor stores (LDB) in British Columbia

February 13, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map of government liquor stores in British Columbia was originally posted to victoria.intoxicant.ca on May 18, 2012. After publishing a list of wineries...

Vancouver Vending Machine Circuit

February 07, 2015 | 1 minute read

If you're looking for something unusual to do while in Vancouver, consider a photography challenge - each of the unique machines found in the Vancouver vendi...

Map of cheap meals in British Columbia

January 23, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

Enjoy my map of cheap meals in British Columbia! If you know of anywhere in British Columbia you can get a proper meal for $5 or less, please contact me and ...

ASC in Vancouver

November 03, 2014 | 1 minute read

UPDATE! As we're still receiving $50 entries from people wanting to be awesomites, we're moving the event to January 28th, 2015. The call for submissions is ...

Fruits and vegetables in Vancouver

September 16, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

I was wondering where to buy my fruits and vegetables in Vancouver, and I realize knowing where is cheaper at any given time is a problem that is still not s...

Vancouver community spaces

August 05, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

I've decided to start a list of Vancouver community spaces for creative thinkers, as I couldn't find a good one myself. Hackerspace/Makerspace Vancouver Hac...

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entrepreneur

Open Banking Coming To Canada

November 23, 2023 | 1 minute read

Canada is getting something new called “Consumer Driven Banking,” which is also known as “Open Banking.” This means that big banks will have to let you use n...

3 Ai Tools Everyone Should Try

October 31, 2023 | 2 minute read

Most people have tried, or at least heard of ChatGPT from OpenAI, and there are a lot of rapid advancements to AI every day. In this post I’ll highlight thre...

Opportunities In Ai

May 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

Here are the two exciting areas of opportunity I am working on in AI

Customer Discovery

February 07, 2023 | 10 minute read

Customer Discovery – Prioritizing your Ideas

Creative Shirt

January 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

You’ve found me and my new creative shirt! We’re likely at SXSW or nostrica.com together!

Open And Decentralized Online Voting

January 06, 2023 | 3 minute read

I’ve been thinking about online voting for over a decade, first from doing security audits on them, and realizing how deficient they are in structure and sec...

2022 Bitcoin And Nft Updates

March 02, 2022 | 8 minute read

It’s been over a year since my last article, so I figure it’s time for an update. This post is an intended provide a professional update for those interested.

Impact Investment Economy

December 31, 2020 | 4 minute read

I started the year by talking about impact investing, and I thought it was a great subject to end off this year, where we’ve all been forced to reflect upon ...

Do Work Get Equity

December 17, 2020 | 1 minute read

Working just for money doesn’t retain workers, and working just for money isn’t satisfying.

Finding Problems

July 15, 2020 | 3 minute read

Most startups fail, and there are many reasons for that. The biggest one is due to failing on product / market fit (PMF). The current trend in entrepreneursh...

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

What type of entrepreneur are you?

December 05, 2019 | 5 minute read

To me, there seems to be three types of entrepreneurs -- inventors, innovators, and iterators. Because we don't distinguish between these very distinct types...

Womepedia.org

December 03, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

Do any womxn want to take on the challenge of starting a wiki? A One Day Website customer has paid for https://www.womepedia.org/ and would love to see it ru...

Canadian Tax Tips

November 28, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

Where do you recommend one go for Canadian tax tips? I'll post three here: The Canadian Tax Sherpa Deductions, Credits, and Expenses Report on Federal Tax ...

A Free One Day In-Kind Website

November 09, 2019 | 1 minute read

As you may know, about 8 years ago I started One Day Website for my friends who either don't want to figure out how to register a domain, setup web hosting, ...

Thoughts on Initiative Q

October 26, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

I responded to an influencer I know who is sharing links to Initiative Q. He's an NDPer, so I empathize. Seriously though, he's a math genius whom I respect,...

What’s your best advice for someone about to…

September 13, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

What's your best advice for someone about to go on a hiring spree? (no recruiters mentioning their firms please -- I don't intend on using recruiters current...

MakerMobile

January 26, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I've heard of trademark and copyright infringement cases, but the winner has to be Actua's Makermobile. The Government of Canada has apparently funded this c...

Entrepreneurial See-Saw

January 02, 2016 | 2 minute read

There is a see-saw in which most entrepreneurs seem to identify themselves. At one end, is passion. At the other end, is financial success. The odds of these...

Summary of the Product Market Fit Process

November 12, 2015 | 6 minute read

For the first half of 2015, I spent most of the time on the product market fit (PMF) process, trying to (in)validate a business idea. This week at Founders C...

Center for Social Impact opening May 1st

March 31, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

A shared office space tentatively called ‘Center for Social Impact’ is opening May 1st next to Habit in Chinatown. A great opportunity for home desk folks to...

Want something delivered right meow?

November 21, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Life, like business, often comes down to the line between time and money. Next time you're feeling time constrained or especially lazy, consider Right Meow B...

Open Data Society of British Columbia

May 29, 2012 | 1 minute read

The current premier of British Columbia has committed to supporting the concept of Open Data by creating DataBC. Never before have British Columbians had acc...

Innovation month in Victoria

January 30, 2012 | 2 minute read

I declare February as Innovation Month. If you've had a really good idea for years you've been sitting on, or just had an epiphany now, there is no better ti...

Victoria co-working space

December 07, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Over the years, we've seen several co-working spaces come and go. We've not seen a model yet that we thought would survive, even from the beginning. Over 2 y...

Shared co-working space

June 02, 2011 | 1 minute read

A group of us from the Victoria - Ideas meetings have been talking for some time about getting a shared co-working space in Victoria. It is intended for thos...

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Victoria

A few more Facebook groups and pages

January 03, 2019 | 1 minute read

If you're still on Facebook, the first thing to keep in mind is that anything you write there -- including every profile you click on, every keystroke you ty...

Bratzer v. Victoria Police Department (No. 3).

April 22, 2016 | 2 minute read

My friend David Bratzer has closed the page in a long journey against the Victoria Police Department for exercising his right to discuss his political belief...

Ultra Modern Condo For Sale Downtown Victoria

July 27, 2015 | 2 minute read

I have a one bedroom condo for sale downtown Victoria priced at $239,999 $220,000. They say location is important in choosing real estate, this location is p...

Government liquor stores (LDB) in British Columbia

February 13, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map of government liquor stores in British Columbia was originally posted to victoria.intoxicant.ca on May 18, 2012. After publishing a list of wineries...

Map of cheap meals in British Columbia

January 23, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

Enjoy my map of cheap meals in British Columbia! If you know of anywhere in British Columbia you can get a proper meal for $5 or less, please contact me and ...

You lose your rights under the Mental Health Act

November 27, 2013 | 2 minute read

I just read this article in Focus magazine [PDF] which is the source of what nightmares are made of. Apparently in Canada, you lose your rights if being arre...

Job Jar is looking for alpha testers

June 06, 2013 | 1 minute read

In the software development lifecycle, the alpha stage is when you have your minimal viable product (MVP) and are ready for testing. This means things will l...

Thinking and succeeding as a Modern Business

March 26, 2013 | 2 minute read

I often consult one-on-one with entrepreneurs, but recently I had the opportunity to speak to a room full of leaders in non-profit and social enterprise.  Di...

Creatively United Mobile Phone Photo-Art Show!

April 23, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Last week-end I had the opportunity to have 3 of my photos shown at the first annual Creatively United Mobile Phone Photo-art show.   The photos had to...

Can you afford to give up a few vegetables?

February 20, 2012 | 1 minute read

Thanks to Victoria city councilor Lisa Helps, I was made aware of a Victoria citizen who has made a request for vegetables. I can't imagine making such a...

It’s snowing!

January 17, 2012 | 1 minute read

It's fairly rare that it snows in Victoria, perhaps a bi-annual event. Right now it's really coming down here downtown, and it started last night. Around...

Evening to inspire - Seat auction

September 26, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm going to auction off one seat to the amazing Evening to Inspire event on October 7th. While the tickets are selling for $175/person, I will provide one t...

My first art exhibit: The Community Experience

August 10, 2011 | 1 minute read

I’m excited (and nervous!) to announce my first ever art exhibit. The running title is “The Community Experience”, which is a combination of sharing experie...

Parking Day - Victoria

May 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Last September I caught wind that there was going to a Parking day in Victoria, BC; so I applied for a parking spot and my application was accepted. As you m...

The sharing of ideas

April 25, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

While ideas meetings started in Victoria over three years ago, and IdeaWave 2 years ago, there are now a bunch of other community based idea sharing groups i...

What do you do that is interesting?

March 19, 2011 | 1 minute read

Since watching Christopher Bowers 2010 IdeaWave talk, I've tried to stop saying the standard hello/how are you if it's more than in passing, hoping to get so...

The weather; you can’t win them all!

February 25, 2011 | 1 minute read

When I came up with the idea for the IdeaWave conference last February, I randomly picked July 10&11th 2010 to run the first one. It turned out to be a ...

File -> Print -> Laser

February 06, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Turns out that is one of the options you have when participating in Victoria's Makerspace. I drove out today to the AGM, where it was also an open house and ...

A sneak peak into Victoria’s secrets

January 30, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

This post will only be useful if you're in Victoria, and on Facebook, but I have created a Facebook group called "Victoria's secrets". Not related to the lin...

Isn’t blaming the weapon a little premature?

January 19, 2011 | 1 minute read

I just read the Victoria Police Department's press release regarding the attempted murder of Cst. Lane Douglas-Hunt yesterday. It makes me angry, frustrated,...

Announcing the Victoria Pop Choir

January 12, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Nils Skalin is launching a Victoria Pop Choir. He says anyone can join, no matter what level of experience you have. He's created a Facebook group for those ...

Victoria Deals

December 27, 2010 | less than 1 minute read

Boxing day might be over, but everyone likes a deal. Earlier this year the creation of Groupon got a lot of hype. And when I say a lot here, I mean a huge v...

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Lesson

Buying Bitcoin In Canada

April 30, 2023 | 4 minute read

A few years ago I wrote about how you can buy bitcoin, and the landscape changes quickly, but as I’m still asked regularly, I’ve decided to update the detail...

Happy World Password Day

May 05, 2022 | 1 minute read

I’ve been asked fairly often, for decades, what I recommend for a password manager. For as long as I can remember, the quick answer is KeePass.

Buying Bitcoin Or Ethereum

September 11, 2020 | 5 minute read

The last few months have been insane in the cryptocurrency market, like no other financial market I’m aware of in history. There have been altcoins making +1...

Hidden Rules Among Class

August 01, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

Today I saw an image on the internet that really resonated:

Canadian Tax Tips

November 28, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

Where do you recommend one go for Canadian tax tips? I'll post three here: The Canadian Tax Sherpa Deductions, Credits, and Expenses Report on Federal Tax ...

Getting your ham radio licence in Canada

February 18, 2019 | 1 minute read

If you’re interested in getting your amateur (ham) radio licence in Canada, you can start with Industry Canada’s website. I would start on the radio exam gen...

Marie Kondo has helped me Spark Joy

January 18, 2019 | 4 minute read

A dear friend lent me Marie Kondo's "the life changing magic of tidying up" last year, and I had it sitting around for months until the last few days of the ...

Merry Xmas

December 24, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

For years, I've said Merry Xmas, to the ire of many Christians in my life. This year, I present: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas which explains how Χριστό...

Join Vancouver’s newest busking band.

October 25, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Did you know the Vancouver public library rents instruments? While checking out their renovated top two floors and rooftop patio, I decided to challenge myse...

Interactive Tutorials

October 14, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

While you can learn anything you want for free online these days, or in person, some people learn best with interactive tutorials. For those people, I've pro...

Finding Purpose

September 25, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Yesterday I had the pleasure of catching up with my friend Kerry, a Tibetan Buddhist Nun. This was an impromptu video where I pressed record, asked for a one...

What’s your best advice for someone about to…

September 13, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

What's your best advice for someone about to go on a hiring spree? (no recruiters mentioning their firms please -- I don't intend on using recruiters current...

Phone scammers pretending to be CRA

March 06, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

In Canada, there is a popular phone scam where the caller will pretend to be the Customs and Revenue Agency (CRA -- Canada's version of the IRS). A few thing...

What do you practice?

February 17, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53cqxEOuHNI A great reminder from Prem Rawat via young Ali Sherazi. On top of critically thinking about which mental states w...

Free credit score and reports for Canadians

February 15, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

I just came across this free credit score and report service, called BorrowWell.com. They appear to respect your privacy (other than running several privacy ...

Teaching children to critically think

May 09, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I was recently with a loved one who has children. One of their children asked me if Santa Claus was real. I didn't want to lie, as it's not my child, so I qu...

What can you teach in 30 minutes?

December 29, 2016 | 1 minute read

Welcome to the thirty minute club! In order to join, you have to agree to teach something on Google Hangouts for 30 minutes. You don't have to be the best at...

Financially Investing in Yourself 101

October 19, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

This applies to those new to financial investing for retirement in Canada. These are the recommendations I usually make, so I'm summarizing here. Pay down ...

Free university

September 21, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

I've written years ago about free online university courses, there's no limit today on what you can learn other than what time you're willing to put into it....

Summary of the Product Market Fit Process

November 12, 2015 | 6 minute read

For the first half of 2015, I spent most of the time on the product market fit (PMF) process, trying to (in)validate a business idea. This week at Founders C...

Installing owncloud and pydio on Debian 8

June 28, 2015 | 4 minute read

Update: I was asked for a list of Canadian hosting providers where one can try the steps below, so I created this list of Canadian VPS providers. If you want...

Makerspace classes

December 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Makerspace is offering classes now in various subjects. They are quite popular, and most of them sell out, so sign up today for any that interest you! As of ...

Ready to make your first interactive art display?

July 18, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

No matter what your background, this is your chance to learn the art side and the technical side of creating an interactive media exhibit! MediaNet is offeri...

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Hack

Recycling Tracker

January 19, 2020 | 1 minute read

We recently published the the minutes from Monday’s ideas Vancouver meetup which included a conversation around tracking where our recycling goes. There seem...

Debugging internet issues

October 12, 2017 | 1 minute read

If you're on osx, if you have something like brew.sh, install mtr. Once you have mtr installed, you can test your internet connection with any computer on th...

first steps on osx after security – install brew

October 12, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

If it's your first time on osx, or just setting up a new machine, or doing a re-install, there are a few things I install by default. Before you start the so...

Renaming crypto(currency) to dmoney

June 19, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

This growing use of “crypto” to mean “crypto currency” is not going to end well for either cryptography or digital currency. — matt blaze (@mattblaze) June ...

Project: DIY OpenEEG/OpenBCI

October 30, 2015 | 2 minute read

Several years ago my friend Derek (of Biospace.ca) loaned me his Zeo Sleep Manager and I blogged the experience. You put on the headband at night, and it wou...

Learn to hack

December 26, 2014 | 2 minute read

If I told you it was free, would you want to learn to hack? I'm interested in offering a free course on how to hack to those who sign up over the next week. ...

Vancouver community spaces

August 05, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

I've decided to start a list of Vancouver community spaces for creative thinkers, as I couldn't find a good one myself. Hackerspace/Makerspace Vancouver Hac...

Hacking sub $10 gadgets

October 18, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Even the most frugal of us now have the opportunity to hack, with the increase in sub $10 gadgets. I wrote a few weeks ago about the TI MSP430 for $4.30. Her...

Hackathon at an AT&T Long Line Bunker

October 10, 2012 | 2 minute read

Are you interested in an in-person visit to a +11,000 sq ft cold-war era AT&T Long Line bunker with +200 foot high communications tower? W...

TI MSP430

September 12, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Hey Ardunio hacking friends, have you heard of the Texas Instruments 16-Bit Ultra-Low Power MSP430™ Microcontrollers? They're only $4.30! Capacitiv...

Making a crokinole board

September 11, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

I've decided to try and build my own crokinole board. Here's a review of a few commercial boards. I've found a few links for my reference: Hilins...

Profile: Mitch Altman, hacker.

June 29, 2012 | 1 minute read

I had the opportunity to meet Mitch Altman in Tokyo a few years ago, at the Tokyo hackerspace. Mitch is a rare breed; he's got world class level of smart...

Put a man in space? pfffht!

December 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

My friend Nick Farr and team have recently started Copenhagen Suborbitals which plan on launching a human into space. I'm lucky to know a lot of really talen...

Your social network

December 09, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

As people are justifiably upset with the privacy issues around Facebook, and several friends have left that network altogether recently, I've been wondering ...

Defining your websites in LinkedIn

July 15, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I noticed that by default when you enter your websites into LinkedIn, they usually say "Company website" or "Personal Website" without more details. This is ...

DIY DNA testing

July 12, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Do-it-yourself DNA testing is now possible with the OpenPCR kits which are only $512! Check out OpenPCR.org for the full details. "It is essential for most w...

Have the drugs kicked in yet?

July 09, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I've used one of my favourite optical illusions as my twitter profile background images. Nothing is actually moving in this image (click the image to see it ...

Microscope mod for your smartphone

June 26, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

With a $5 microscope and illuminator from Amazon.com, you can attach it to the case of your smartphone and take microscopic pictures! https://www.youtube.com...

File -> Print -> Laser

February 06, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Turns out that is one of the options you have when participating in Victoria's Makerspace. I drove out today to the AGM, where it was also an open house and ...

OpenTransitDB is now live

January 25, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Last week-end I was a part of the OpenDataBC hackathon. This is where a group of people interested in using open data (data that was previously confidential,...

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Politics

Open Banking Coming To Canada

November 23, 2023 | 1 minute read

Canada is getting something new called “Consumer Driven Banking,” which is also known as “Open Banking.” This means that big banks will have to let you use n...

Creative Shirt

January 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

You’ve found me and my new creative shirt! We’re likely at SXSW or nostrica.com together!

Open And Decentralized Online Voting

January 06, 2023 | 3 minute read

I’ve been thinking about online voting for over a decade, first from doing security audits on them, and realizing how deficient they are in structure and sec...

Recycling Tracker

January 19, 2020 | 1 minute read

We recently published the the minutes from Monday’s ideas Vancouver meetup which included a conversation around tracking where our recycling goes. There seem...

Are you checking in to Standing Rock today?

October 31, 2016 | 2 minute read

[caption id="attachment_878" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Surveillance Culture around Standing Rock #NoDAPL[/caption] </p> There are a lot of peopl...

Are all employment opportunities good?

May 03, 2014 | 1 minute read

A friend posted the following on Facebook, leading me to ask the question, are all employment opportunities good? Kinder Morgan in its submission to the Nati...

You lose your rights under the Mental Health Act

November 27, 2013 | 2 minute read

I just read this article in Focus magazine [PDF] which is the source of what nightmares are made of. Apparently in Canada, you lose your rights if being arre...

Electoral Reform

April 10, 2013 | 2 minute read

Dear Elections BC; As we're about to head into another voting period in British Columbia, I wonder how long it will be until we see electoral reform. Since I...

Get out and vote!

November 16, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I just completed a short rant to a few friends on Facebook who were claiming inaction to voting is an action, or they were pleading ignorance to even knowing...

What media matters?

November 08, 2011 | 3 minute read

I recently had the opportunity to meet Bill Weaver, host of a popular annual retreat called Media That Matters. I know several people who have attended, from...

Squashing science

July 27, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

As I'm reading Euclid's Window, it talks a lot about how throughout history, religion based oppressors have tried to silence science.  I can't imagine a worl...

The Canadian election issues that matter to me

April 24, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm sending this to all registered political parties I can find in Canada. email kris at ideawave.ca with your party's perspective on any/all of these issues...

Does your vote count?

April 23, 2011 | 1 minute read

There are a lot of reasons to not be happy with the current political system, as I've mentioned, I  believe that electoral reform should be the main concern ...

The corruption pyramid in Egypt

January 28, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

The vast majority of the internet was shut off in Egypt yesterday. (graph). Wikileaks has responded with a bunch of Egypt related cables. A cablesearch.org s...

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Networking

Accessible Family Friendly Online Games

January 10, 2021 | less than 1 minute read

With all of us at home, last March as soon as the pandemic was announced I launched ab8.ca with the intent on providing you a space to be online without foll...

Adding Comments

December 24, 2020 | 1 minute read

In a previous life I would add comments using an open source system, and keep them inclusive and unmoderated, as I’ve always supported free speech. Unfortuna...

Do Work Get Equity

December 17, 2020 | 1 minute read

Working just for money doesn’t retain workers, and working just for money isn’t satisfying.

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

Budget Coffee

November 26, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

This is the launch of "Budget Coffee" like founders coffee, where we meet 2x a month, and discuss budget things. As we'll all have different techniques, it w...

A few more Facebook groups and pages

January 03, 2019 | 1 minute read

If you're still on Facebook, the first thing to keep in mind is that anything you write there -- including every profile you click on, every keystroke you ty...

What Keeps You Content? - Data Driven Wellness

March 10, 2017 | 3 minute read

What Keeps You Content? [meetup.com] Attendees Kris Leo Ivan Trevor Tyler Zee Jennifer Scott Harondel John Bill What keeps you content Kaggle (Google boug...

What can you teach in 30 minutes?

December 29, 2016 | 1 minute read

Welcome to the thirty minute club! In order to join, you have to agree to teach something on Google Hangouts for 30 minutes. You don't have to be the best at...

Project: DIY OpenEEG/OpenBCI

October 30, 2015 | 2 minute read

Several years ago my friend Derek (of Biospace.ca) loaned me his Zeo Sleep Manager and I blogged the experience. You put on the headband at night, and it wou...

Creative Vancouver meetups

May 25, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

If you're new to Vancouver, you might be looking for some creative Vancouver meetups. It could be to meet other interesting people, entrepreneurs, hackers, o...

Ideas - Vancouver meeting May 14th

May 13, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This month, you're invited to join us at 18:00 at Matchstick Coffee (Chinatown - Vancouver) to discuss amongst other things: bio-tech: life with CRISPR-Cas9...

Vancouver Sales Event Meetup

February 21, 2015 | 1 minute read

Last night I got to attend my first Vancouver Sales Event Meetup run by my friend Erin Dalzell and hosted at Spacelist. I tried to write down as many URLs as...

Did you check snopes?

February 17, 2015 | 3 minute read

When I read articles, forwards or shares I know aren't true, sometimes I reply, sometimes I  just delete them. I see the same emails getting forwarded around...

ASC in Vancouver

November 03, 2014 | 1 minute read

UPDATE! As we're still receiving $50 entries from people wanting to be awesomites, we're moving the event to January 28th, 2015. The call for submissions is ...

Project - Help someone out

October 24, 2013 | 2 minute read

This post is about my latest project idea - Help someone out. Version 0.2 - Oct 24th 10:08am EST. Check back regularly, as I'll be updating this post based o...

How can I help your business?

July 16, 2013 | 1 minute read

How can I help your business? I'm offering an initial 60 minute video consult over the next 2 weeks, please contact me to setup an appointment. All I ask fro...

Looking for cheap flights?

July 11, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

If you frequently travel, that likely means you also frequently try to find the best flight deals. I often use Matrix, or Hipmunk when looking for cheap flig...

Remote work suggestions?

June 22, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

As I'm heavy in startup mode, and have been travelling since March, I'm spending a lot more than I'm bringing in. As such, I'm looking for re...

Your social network

December 09, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

As people are justifiably upset with the privacy issues around Facebook, and several friends have left that network altogether recently, I've been wondering ...

Social Innovation in British Columbia

November 25, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm fortunate to have been chosen as one of the top 500 social innovators in British Columbia, and have been invited to participate in the discussion around ...

Evening to inspire - Seat auction

September 26, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I'm going to auction off one seat to the amazing Evening to Inspire event on October 7th. While the tickets are selling for $175/person, I will provide one t...

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Science

Hunting For Clear Skies

January 22, 2024 | less than 1 minute read

If you’re looking to the skies, you’ll want to make sure there are clear skies, and you’ll also want to verify that you’re in an area with as little light po...

Neowise

July 14, 2020 | 2 minute read

It’s time to look to the sky as we’re blessed with NEOWISE

Astrology

April 24, 2020 | 1 minute read

I was asked again yesterday if I believe in astrology, and I said no, as a science based person I believe in astronomy. I got the go-to response of “Don’t yo...

Regenerative wearables

December 04, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

I'm exploring how we might make a fabric or wearable item that is regenerative. In the ideal, if it was left in a field, maybe it would grow. For example Is...

Himalayan Bath Salt Lamps and Essential Oils

January 15, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

One of the feedback I got from the podcast on sleep was to consider Himalayan Bath Salts, and Essential oils. According to Snopes, Himalayan Bath Salt Lamps ...

Finding a non-US path of Totality

August 09, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

For those that don't want to, or can't, touch US soil at all (most of the world right now, it seems), what do you recommend for seeing the eclipse on the 21...

Teaching children to critically think

May 09, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I was recently with a loved one who has children. One of their children asked me if Santa Claus was real. I didn't want to lie, as it's not my child, so I qu...

Emotional Intelligence - Data Driven Wellness

January 13, 2017 | 1 minute read

Last night Vancouver's Data Driven Wellness meetup met on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. These are my notes, mostly books and URLs that were mentioned ...

The “432 Hz vs. 440 Hz” conspiracy theory

October 24, 2016 | 1 minute read

There's currently a post on HackerNews called The “432 Hz vs. 440 Hz” conspiracy theory. It links to an article by Jakub Marian that starts to break down why...

Nobody lives past thirty

August 24, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

  I saw this cartoon today, "Something's just not right -- our air is clean, our water is pure, we all get plenty of exercise, everything we eat is org...

Project: DIY OpenEEG/OpenBCI

October 30, 2015 | 2 minute read

Several years ago my friend Derek (of Biospace.ca) loaned me his Zeo Sleep Manager and I blogged the experience. You put on the headband at night, and it wou...

The Open Source Future

March 30, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

I've been thinking and discussing a lot about the open source future, and am considering an 8 episode podcast trial. It's currently planned to be 2 parts per...

Biospace, and the DIYBIO movement

January 15, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

Derek Jacoby and I made a TEDGlobal video, if only for a picture (3:49 in the video). This video is from the TED talk by Ellen Jorgensen of Genspace fame tal...

Profile: Mitch Altman, hacker.

June 29, 2012 | 1 minute read

I had the opportunity to meet Mitch Altman in Tokyo a few years ago, at the Tokyo hackerspace. Mitch is a rare breed; he's got world class level of smart...

Hitting the mental gym

January 05, 2012 | 1 minute read

As I walked down to Ideas Victoria tonight, I walked by at least 3 gyms, each busier than I've ever seen them, and I generally walk by them every week at the...

Put a man in space? pfffht!

December 31, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

My friend Nick Farr and team have recently started Copenhagen Suborbitals which plan on launching a human into space. I'm lucky to know a lot of really talen...

How well do you sleep?

December 30, 2011 | 2 minute read

I've been curious for a while about my sleeping habits, as an entrepreneur on my own schedule, I don't use an alarm clock unless I have to. As a result, my s...

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Art

Shading practice

August 18, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

This was drawn without a model, under the direction of my favourite shading artist, introducing me to shading.

#fivetenfriday

March 12, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

My first entry for #fivetenfriday was experimenting with the GIMP. I don’t normally edit my photographs except for cropping. It was a lot of fun testing the ...

Remote Tea Cup

March 09, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

This was taken from another room with a smart phone controlling a remote zoom.

Umbrellas and Bottles

March 08, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

I went to an opening at an art gallery in an alley, only to later discover I had accidentally went to a different opening and a different gallery in the same...

Freckle Constellation

January 05, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

When I look up into the stars, I look for the constellation of your freckles

Dove Spy Pen

April 07, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

[caption id="attachment_624" align="aligncenter" width="755"] Dove Spy Pen[/caption] Image is one modified polygon. Created using Inkscape.

Mathematically Simple Thoughts

April 06, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

[caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="395"] Mathematically Simple Thoughts[/caption]   Image is one modified polygon. Created using In...

Biospace, and the DIYBIO movement

January 15, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

Derek Jacoby and I made a TEDGlobal video, if only for a picture (3:49 in the video). This video is from the TED talk by Ellen Jorgensen of Genspace fame tal...

Making a crokinole board

September 11, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

I've decided to try and build my own crokinole board. Here's a review of a few commercial boards. I've found a few links for my reference: Hilins...

Profile: Mitch Altman, hacker.

June 29, 2012 | 1 minute read

I had the opportunity to meet Mitch Altman in Tokyo a few years ago, at the Tokyo hackerspace. Mitch is a rare breed; he's got world class level of smart...

Creatively United Mobile Phone Photo-Art Show!

April 23, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Last week-end I had the opportunity to have 3 of my photos shown at the first annual Creatively United Mobile Phone Photo-art show.   The photos had to...

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startups

Open Banking Coming To Canada

November 23, 2023 | 1 minute read

Canada is getting something new called “Consumer Driven Banking,” which is also known as “Open Banking.” This means that big banks will have to let you use n...

3 Ai Tools Everyone Should Try

October 31, 2023 | 2 minute read

Most people have tried, or at least heard of ChatGPT from OpenAI, and there are a lot of rapid advancements to AI every day. In this post I’ll highlight thre...

Opportunities In Ai

May 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

Here are the two exciting areas of opportunity I am working on in AI

Customer Discovery

February 07, 2023 | 10 minute read

Customer Discovery – Prioritizing your Ideas

Creative Shirt

January 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

You’ve found me and my new creative shirt! We’re likely at SXSW or nostrica.com together!

Open And Decentralized Online Voting

January 06, 2023 | 3 minute read

I’ve been thinking about online voting for over a decade, first from doing security audits on them, and realizing how deficient they are in structure and sec...

Do Work Get Equity

December 17, 2020 | 1 minute read

Working just for money doesn’t retain workers, and working just for money isn’t satisfying.

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

What type of entrepreneur are you?

December 05, 2019 | 5 minute read

To me, there seems to be three types of entrepreneurs -- inventors, innovators, and iterators. Because we don't distinguish between these very distinct types...

Personal Information data is a liability

July 09, 2019 | 3 minute read

Most businesses are still in the mindset that they should collect data for big data sake -- some day it'll be valuable. More unscrupulous businesses sell or ...

Open source self-hosted small business tools

January 28, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

I'll start by listing some of the tools that most if not all of my businesses use: Nextcloud -- Not only is this a dropbox replacement for file management, i...

What’s your best advice for someone about to…

September 13, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

What's your best advice for someone about to go on a hiring spree? (no recruiters mentioning their firms please -- I don't intend on using recruiters current...

Entrepreneurial See-Saw

January 02, 2016 | 2 minute read

There is a see-saw in which most entrepreneurs seem to identify themselves. At one end, is passion. At the other end, is financial success. The odds of these...

Summary of the Product Market Fit Process

November 12, 2015 | 6 minute read

For the first half of 2015, I spent most of the time on the product market fit (PMF) process, trying to (in)validate a business idea. This week at Founders C...

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Transparency

Adding Comments

December 24, 2020 | 1 minute read

In a previous life I would add comments using an open source system, and keep them inclusive and unmoderated, as I’ve always supported free speech. Unfortuna...

Recycling Tracker

January 19, 2020 | 1 minute read

We recently published the the minutes from Monday’s ideas Vancouver meetup which included a conversation around tracking where our recycling goes. There seem...

Teaching children to critically think

May 09, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I was recently with a loved one who has children. One of their children asked me if Santa Claus was real. I didn't want to lie, as it's not my child, so I qu...

Dark Information Sharing

November 25, 2015 | 2 minute read

Here are a few links I mentioned regarding the Dark side of Information Sharing last night at Nik Badminton's sold out Dark Futures conference. These are pub...

What good is your roll of change?

December 21, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Not much, according to London Drugs. I had the misunderstanding that change had to be accepted, up to certain maximums that it's not excessive. In Canada thi...

Truth or Dare?

November 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I asked "Truth or Dare?" on Facebook and Twitter yesterday. I've received over 50 comments between the two, so it seems like people want to play. I see there...

What media matters?

November 08, 2011 | 3 minute read

I recently had the opportunity to meet Bill Weaver, host of a popular annual retreat called Media That Matters. I know several people who have attended, from...

Christmas comes from a mushroom?

November 01, 2011 | 2 minute read

I have a few friends who are serious mushroom pickers on Vancouver island, who are very busy, as this is the season. I've been spoiled, I must have eaten a d...

Squashing science

July 27, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

As I'm reading Euclid's Window, it talks a lot about how throughout history, religion based oppressors have tried to silence science.  I can't imagine a worl...

The corruption pyramid in Egypt

January 28, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

The vast majority of the internet was shut off in Egypt yesterday. (graph). Wikileaks has responded with a bunch of Egypt related cables. A cablesearch.org s...

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DIY

Buying Bitcoin In Canada

April 30, 2023 | 4 minute read

A few years ago I wrote about how you can buy bitcoin, and the landscape changes quickly, but as I’m still asked regularly, I’ve decided to update the detail...

Buying Bitcoin Or Ethereum

September 11, 2020 | 5 minute read

The last few months have been insane in the cryptocurrency market, like no other financial market I’m aware of in history. There have been altcoins making +1...

Hidden Rules Among Class

August 01, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

Today I saw an image on the internet that really resonated:

Recycling Tracker

January 19, 2020 | 1 minute read

We recently published the the minutes from Monday’s ideas Vancouver meetup which included a conversation around tracking where our recycling goes. There seem...

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

A Free One Day In-Kind Website

November 09, 2019 | 1 minute read

As you may know, about 8 years ago I started One Day Website for my friends who either don't want to figure out how to register a domain, setup web hosting, ...

Project: DIY OpenEEG/OpenBCI

October 30, 2015 | 2 minute read

Several years ago my friend Derek (of Biospace.ca) loaned me his Zeo Sleep Manager and I blogged the experience. You put on the headband at night, and it wou...

Vancouver community spaces

August 05, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

I've decided to start a list of Vancouver community spaces for creative thinkers, as I couldn't find a good one myself. Hackerspace/Makerspace Vancouver Hac...

Biospace, and the DIYBIO movement

January 15, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

Derek Jacoby and I made a TEDGlobal video, if only for a picture (3:49 in the video). This video is from the TED talk by Ellen Jorgensen of Genspace fame tal...

Hacking sub $10 gadgets

October 18, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Even the most frugal of us now have the opportunity to hack, with the increase in sub $10 gadgets. I wrote a few weeks ago about the TI MSP430 for $4.30. Her...

TI MSP430

September 12, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Hey Ardunio hacking friends, have you heard of the Texas Instruments 16-Bit Ultra-Low Power MSP430™ Microcontrollers? They're only $4.30! Capacitiv...

Making a crokinole board

September 11, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

I've decided to try and build my own crokinole board. Here's a review of a few commercial boards. I've found a few links for my reference: Hilins...

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Announcement

Adding Comments

December 24, 2020 | 1 minute read

In a previous life I would add comments using an open source system, and keep them inclusive and unmoderated, as I’ve always supported free speech. Unfortuna...

Transitioning from Wordpress to Jekyll

January 19, 2020 | 2 minute read

After many years of Wordpress, I’ve decided to transition the website from One Day Website’s Wordpress to Jekyll. There were a few main reasons for the tran...

Budget Coffee

November 26, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

This is the launch of "Budget Coffee" like founders coffee, where we meet 2x a month, and discuss budget things. As we'll all have different techniques, it w...

A Free One Day In-Kind Website

November 09, 2019 | 1 minute read

As you may know, about 8 years ago I started One Day Website for my friends who either don't want to figure out how to register a domain, setup web hosting, ...

Thoughts on Initiative Q

October 26, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

I responded to an influencer I know who is sharing links to Initiative Q. He's an NDPer, so I empathize. Seriously though, he's a math genius whom I respect,...

Carfentanil found in Vancouver region

October 19, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Here in Vancouver, specifically in the downtown eastside (DTES), on average two people are dying from an overdose per day, because of fentanyl. Fentanyl is r...

Conscious Canada

September 06, 2016 | 1 minute read

At the Ideas - Vancouver meetup tonight, we were discussing how many businesses there are that should be boycotted, and even if they are, as one voice, there...

Center for Social Impact opening May 1st

March 31, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

A shared office space tentatively called ‘Center for Social Impact’ is opening May 1st next to Habit in Chinatown. A great opportunity for home desk folks to...

Open Data Society of British Columbia

May 29, 2012 | 1 minute read

The current premier of British Columbia has committed to supporting the concept of Open Data by creating DataBC. Never before have British Columbians had acc...

Libation calendar

October 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I've started a Victoria libation calendar. If you're aware of events around beverages that are fermented ot distilled in Victoria, contact me for edit access...

Ready to make your first interactive art display?

July 18, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

No matter what your background, this is your chance to learn the art side and the technical side of creating an interactive media exhibit! MediaNet is offeri...

Welcome

May 17, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

My name is Kris Constable, and I've been asked by a few people to start a blog on all of the things that happen around me, so here it is! I'm located in Vict...

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Relationships

Whos Missing From The Table

November 08, 2022 | 2 minute read

When I hear of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives in the work place, it’s often used in a quota context, and that’s never sat well with me. I...

Accessible Family Friendly Online Games

January 10, 2021 | less than 1 minute read

With all of us at home, last March as soon as the pandemic was announced I launched ab8.ca with the intent on providing you a space to be online without foll...

Great Minds Talk About Ideas

November 10, 2019 | 4 minute read

There's a famous quote: Great Minds Discuss Ideas; Average Minds Discuss Events; Small Minds Discuss People This quote is often attributed to Eleanor Roosev...

Marie Kondo has helped me Spark Joy

January 18, 2019 | 4 minute read

A dear friend lent me Marie Kondo's "the life changing magic of tidying up" last year, and I had it sitting around for months until the last few days of the ...

Facebook Debates

September 21, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

For those who think they're good at debating, I challenge you to sign up for my 24 hour debate challenge. If you agree, I will partner you with someone else ...

Understanding Co-dependence

March 15, 2018 | 1 minute read

I'd heard the term codependence many times before, and usually associated it with romantic relationships. A friend of mine mentioned she recently read a book...

Teaching children to critically think

May 09, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I was recently with a loved one who has children. One of their children asked me if Santa Claus was real. I didn't want to lie, as it's not my child, so I qu...

Emotional Intelligence - Data Driven Wellness

January 13, 2017 | 1 minute read

Last night Vancouver's Data Driven Wellness meetup met on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. These are my notes, mostly books and URLs that were mentioned ...

Love

October 06, 2016 | 2 minute read

My thoughts on love. This will likely be updated as I feel I have new insights, as this is always evolving. I was reminded after reading a recent tweet by my...

The 30-day Silence Breakup Model

January 02, 2016 | 2 minute read

It is only when you break up from a romantic relationship, do you really evaluate what really mattered, and what didn't. As a result, if there seems to be a ...

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Bitcoin

Bitcoin Custodial Wallets Are Fine

November 24, 2023 | 1 minute read

I propose the bitcoin/cryptocurrency industry refer to cold storage as your self-bank, as that is a more relevant equivalent to fiat, whereas a wallet can be...

Buying Bitcoin In Canada

April 30, 2023 | 4 minute read

A few years ago I wrote about how you can buy bitcoin, and the landscape changes quickly, but as I’m still asked regularly, I’ve decided to update the detail...

Assessing Your Level As A Bitcoin Enthusiast

April 15, 2023 | 4 minute read

In order to determine where you stand as a Bitcoin enthusiast, I have devised a self-assessment tool. You are welcome to share your level after reading or le...

Bitcoin exchanges in Canada

August 08, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

This is not an endorsement, but a running list of Canadian cryptocurrency exchanges. There are other exchanges like Coinbase and Kraken that serve Canadians,...

Personal Information data is a liability

July 09, 2019 | 3 minute read

Most businesses are still in the mindset that they should collect data for big data sake -- some day it'll be valuable. More unscrupulous businesses sell or ...

Trading Pairs

December 30, 2017 | 3 minute read

UPDATED April 2019 to replace quadrigacx with coinsquare in the example. As I touched on in the last article, a trading pair is what you want to trade to and...

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Privacy

Open Banking Coming To Canada

November 23, 2023 | 1 minute read

Canada is getting something new called “Consumer Driven Banking,” which is also known as “Open Banking.” This means that big banks will have to let you use n...

Creative Shirt

January 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

You’ve found me and my new creative shirt! We’re likely at SXSW or nostrica.com together!

Open And Decentralized Online Voting

January 06, 2023 | 3 minute read

I’ve been thinking about online voting for over a decade, first from doing security audits on them, and realizing how deficient they are in structure and sec...

The Global Economic Future

April 23, 2020 | 4 minute read

There is currently an opportunity to explore a different global economic future than we’ve had until now. I welcome you to spend some time on what that futur...

Replacing Google

January 02, 2020 | 3 minute read

For years I've not used most of Google's services, but today as I read an article from Google's former head of International Relations, I was reminded to wri...

Privacy centric browser setup

July 16, 2019 | 1 minute read

I'm often asked for tech tool recommendations that I use, that are privacy & security minded. If you ever have such a question, don't hesitate, I love to...

Personal Information data is a liability

July 09, 2019 | 3 minute read

Most businesses are still in the mindset that they should collect data for big data sake -- some day it'll be valuable. More unscrupulous businesses sell or ...

Thoughts on Initiative Q

October 26, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

I responded to an influencer I know who is sharing links to Initiative Q. He's an NDPer, so I empathize. Seriously though, he's a math genius whom I respect,...

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Map

Bc Big Tree Map

December 04, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

I had the chance to attend Creative Mornings/Vancouver chapter this morning, where Amanda Lewis spoke on the topic of Biophilia, specifically about her pursu...

Free university

September 21, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

I've written years ago about free online university courses, there's no limit today on what you can learn other than what time you're willing to put into it....

Government liquor stores (LDB) in British Columbia

February 13, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map of government liquor stores in British Columbia was originally posted to victoria.intoxicant.ca on May 18, 2012. After publishing a list of wineries...

Wineries in British Columbia

February 11, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map of wineries in British Columbia was originally posted to 250life.ca on Oct 10, 2011, and is one of the first uses of the B.C. Open Government Licens...

Private Liquor Stores in British Columbia

February 11, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map I created of private liquor stores was originally posted to 250life.ca on Sept 8, 2011 and was one of the first uses of British Columbia's Open Gove...

Vancouver Vending Machine Circuit

February 07, 2015 | 1 minute read

If you're looking for something unusual to do while in Vancouver, consider a photography challenge - each of the unique machines found in the Vancouver vendi...

Where to buy hop rhizomes in Canada

January 25, 2015 | 1 minute read

There appear to be only 6 places to buy hop rhizomes in Canada, if you know of any more, please let me know and I'll update the map. This will likely only be...

Map of cheap meals in British Columbia

January 23, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

Enjoy my map of cheap meals in British Columbia! If you know of anywhere in British Columbia you can get a proper meal for $5 or less, please contact me and ...

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Travel

Hunting For Clear Skies

January 22, 2024 | less than 1 minute read

If you’re looking to the skies, you’ll want to make sure there are clear skies, and you’ll also want to verify that you’re in an area with as little light po...

Finding a non-US path of Totality

August 09, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

For those that don't want to, or can't, touch US soil at all (most of the world right now, it seems), what do you recommend for seeing the eclipse on the 21...

Free university

September 21, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

I've written years ago about free online university courses, there's no limit today on what you can learn other than what time you're willing to put into it....

Vancouver Vending Machine Circuit

February 07, 2015 | 1 minute read

If you're looking for something unusual to do while in Vancouver, consider a photography challenge - each of the unique machines found in the Vancouver vendi...

looking for a place to stay for two months

January 03, 2013 | less than 1 minute read

Someone wants to rent my condo short-term, so I'm looking for a place to stay for two months. Priorities, in order of importance (but not required): Broadba...

Remote work suggestions?

June 22, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

As I'm heavy in startup mode, and have been travelling since March, I'm spending a lot more than I'm bringing in. As such, I'm looking for re...

Chipmunk

May 25, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

While visiting my cottage this year for the first time in years, I had a chipmunk stare at me at squeak for at least 10 minutes. I managed to get a minute of...

Double fish

July 03, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I was fishing this morning with a couple friends just off Mayne island, when I caught a small fish. While reeling it, it felt like I hit a snag. It wasn't fi...

Korea

November 23, 2010 | 1 minute read

I spent the last week in Suwon and Seoul, here are a few items I felt worthy of note: * English is rare * The bus system is not in English except at main sta...

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Funny

Join Vancouver’s newest busking band.

October 25, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Did you know the Vancouver public library rents instruments? While checking out their renovated top two floors and rooftop patio, I decided to challenge myse...

Giving without expectations

July 12, 2017 | 1 minute read

I was co-working in the social, ground floor area of my building when I noticed a man in a wheelchair going through the alley with a sweater dragging behind ...

Nobody lives past thirty

August 24, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

  I saw this cartoon today, "Something's just not right -- our air is clean, our water is pure, we all get plenty of exercise, everything we eat is org...

Make up a new word, or reuse a known one

July 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

After hearing Stephen Fry talk about language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY I decided we should today try to make up a new word, or reuse an o...

Relax with Sonic

July 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_YYL_TQpus

Parking Day - Victoria

May 10, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Last September I caught wind that there was going to a Parking day in Victoria, BC; so I applied for a parking spot and my application was accepted. As you m...

The weather; you can’t win them all!

February 25, 2011 | 1 minute read

When I came up with the idea for the IdeaWave conference last February, I randomly picked July 10&11th 2010 to run the first one. It turned out to be a ...

What do you do when no one is looking?

January 16, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Reddit pointed to this imgur image entitled "My wife made her wear this as punishment": and it made me recall some of the not-so-socially-acceptable thing...

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Audio

Getting your ham radio licence in Canada

February 18, 2019 | 1 minute read

If you’re interested in getting your amateur (ham) radio licence in Canada, you can start with Industry Canada’s website. I would start on the radio exam gen...

Project: DIY OpenEEG/OpenBCI

October 30, 2015 | 2 minute read

Several years ago my friend Derek (of Biospace.ca) loaned me his Zeo Sleep Manager and I blogged the experience. You put on the headband at night, and it wou...

The Open Source Future

March 30, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

I've been thinking and discussing a lot about the open source future, and am considering an 8 episode podcast trial. It's currently planned to be 2 parts per...

Is morse code still alive?

November 07, 2011 | 1 minute read

I read an article in yesterday's Vancouver sun that is calling for the death knell of morse code, known by those in the amateur (ham) radio community as cont...

My first art exhibit: The Community Experience

August 10, 2011 | 1 minute read

I’m excited (and nervous!) to announce my first ever art exhibit. The running title is “The Community Experience”, which is a combination of sharing experie...

@cqwww

August 08, 2011 | 2 minute read

I'm often asked what in the world "cqwww" means, and why I would have picked that for my twitter handle. I've been an amateur (ham) radio operator since arou...

Missing Vishnu Veil

June 06, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

This is my favourite loop I've created thus far. If you put it on loop, you can (and I have) listened to it for hours. Let me know what you think! </embed...

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Cryptocurrency

The Global Economic Future

April 23, 2020 | 4 minute read

There is currently an opportunity to explore a different global economic future than we’ve had until now. I welcome you to spend some time on what that futur...

Trading Pairs

December 30, 2017 | 3 minute read

UPDATED April 2019 to replace quadrigacx with coinsquare in the example. As I touched on in the last article, a trading pair is what you want to trade to and...

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Culture

Whos Missing From The Table

November 08, 2022 | 2 minute read

When I hear of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives in the work place, it’s often used in a quota context, and that’s never sat well with me. I...

The Global Economic Future

April 23, 2020 | 4 minute read

There is currently an opportunity to explore a different global economic future than we’ve had until now. I welcome you to spend some time on what that futur...

Happy Solstice and Self-Care Week!

December 27, 2019 | 2 minute read

For a couple of years, there was a lot of propaganda about the war on Christmas, that still resonates with me. It makes me wonder about anyone who made such ...

Ideas Guy

December 10, 2019 | 2 minute read

For over a decade I've been identified as "the ideas guy". This is mostly from founding ideasmeetings.org, which I ran for about 7 years in Victoria, BC, and...

Great Minds Talk About Ideas

November 10, 2019 | 4 minute read

There's a famous quote: Great Minds Discuss Ideas; Average Minds Discuss Events; Small Minds Discuss People This quote is often attributed to Eleanor Roosev...

Redefining nerds & geeks

August 25, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

I think we need a new term for nerds. Nerds & geeks are still derogatory terms, even if said tongue-in-cheek and using them justifies people not learning...

Marie Kondo has helped me Spark Joy

January 18, 2019 | 4 minute read

A dear friend lent me Marie Kondo's "the life changing magic of tidying up" last year, and I had it sitting around for months until the last few days of the ...

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Photo

Remote Tea Cup

March 09, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

This was taken from another room with a smart phone controlling a remote zoom.

Creatively United Mobile Phone Photo-Art Show!

April 23, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Last week-end I had the opportunity to have 3 of my photos shown at the first annual Creatively United Mobile Phone Photo-art show.   The photos had to...

Sunsets in Victoria

February 03, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

We have some amazing sunsets, tonight was one of the best this year!  

Rule of thirds and the golden ratio

January 30, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

As the LCD light on my digital point and shoot camera has died,  a replacement LCD is over $100. I'm debating if I'm better off buying a new cam...

Sooke Potholes

January 22, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Sooke Potholes, a photo by kriscons on Flickr.  

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Project

Join Vancouver’s newest busking band.

October 25, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Did you know the Vancouver public library rents instruments? While checking out their renovated top two floors and rooftop patio, I decided to challenge myse...

Support things that last a lifetime

November 14, 2014 | 1 minute read

When I need to buy a new product, I often research it in depth, to ensure I'm getting the best value for my money. For years my friends have been asking me w...

Fruits and vegetables in Vancouver

September 16, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

I was wondering where to buy my fruits and vegetables in Vancouver, and I realize knowing where is cheaper at any given time is a problem that is still not s...

Project - Help someone out

October 24, 2013 | 2 minute read

This post is about my latest project idea - Help someone out. Version 0.2 - Oct 24th 10:08am EST. Check back regularly, as I'll be updating this post based o...

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Research

Hunting For Clear Skies

January 22, 2024 | less than 1 minute read

If you’re looking to the skies, you’ll want to make sure there are clear skies, and you’ll also want to verify that you’re in an area with as little light po...

Carfentanil found in Vancouver region

October 19, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Here in Vancouver, specifically in the downtown eastside (DTES), on average two people are dying from an overdose per day, because of fentanyl. Fentanyl is r...

Free alternatives to sign documents

March 26, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

If you have to sign documents once in a while, are trying to save on printing paper, and are looking for a free alternative to DocuSign, here are a few you s...

Himalayan Bath Salt Lamps and Essential Oils

January 15, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

One of the feedback I got from the podcast on sleep was to consider Himalayan Bath Salts, and Essential oils. According to Snopes, Himalayan Bath Salt Lamps ...

Teaching children to critically think

May 09, 2017 | less than 1 minute read

I was recently with a loved one who has children. One of their children asked me if Santa Claus was real. I didn't want to lie, as it's not my child, so I qu...

The best pen

March 02, 2016 | less than 1 minute read

There are so many important things to solve in the world. It's 3:00am and I'm researching the best pen.  According to penaddict.com, the top 5 micro ink gel...

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Startups

2022 Bitcoin And Nft Updates

March 02, 2022 | 8 minute read

It’s been over a year since my last article, so I figure it’s time for an update. This post is an intended provide a professional update for those interested.

Finding Problems

July 15, 2020 | 3 minute read

Most startups fail, and there are many reasons for that. The biggest one is due to failing on product / market fit (PMF). The current trend in entrepreneursh...

Preparing for your first client

February 25, 2020 | 4 minute read

Those who have repeatable businesses success often attribute their success to repeatable processes. The intention of this article is to ask the questions nee...

Measuring impact over time

February 21, 2020 | 2 minute read

One of the biggest trends in investment right now is the notion of “impact investing”. Impact means different things to different people, but in terms of soc...

De-risking yourself for pre-seed

February 20, 2020 | 4 minute read

There are a couple of important decisions an entrepreneur should make before crossing the chasm from idea to implementation one should ask, namely what type ...

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Media

If only there was a United Way to contact them…

November 09, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

For three years I've heard an advertisement by the United Way on the radio in Victoria, BC. It claims that they help one in every three people in Victoria. T...

What media matters?

November 08, 2011 | 3 minute read

I recently had the opportunity to meet Bill Weaver, host of a popular annual retreat called Media That Matters. I know several people who have attended, from...

From press release to newspaper article

March 28, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

I read a press release on a tragic story earlier today from the Saanich police on a sexual assault that happened this week-end. A few hours later I came acro...

Are you ready for live radio?

February 23, 2011 | 1 minute read

I've done several radio interviews now, first with the campaign to save the Canadian Pacific Lawn Bowling Club in 2008, and the last few years mostly for pr...

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Podcast

Finding Purpose

September 25, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Yesterday I had the pleasure of catching up with my friend Kerry, a Tibetan Buddhist Nun. This was an impromptu video where I pressed record, asked for a one...

Starting a podcast with Tamsin Smith

January 08, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

I caught up with my friend Tamsin Smith after she spent a few weeks in Mexico, and we were talking about cleansing our mental palate, as well as starting a p...

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Beer

Private Liquor Stores in British Columbia

February 11, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map I created of private liquor stores was originally posted to 250life.ca on Sept 8, 2011 and was one of the first uses of British Columbia's Open Gove...

Where to buy hop rhizomes in Canada

January 25, 2015 | 1 minute read

There appear to be only 6 places to buy hop rhizomes in Canada, if you know of any more, please let me know and I'll update the map. This will likely only be...

Don’t let the sun skunk your next beer

March 07, 2011 | 1 minute read

Ultraviolet (UV) light is the enemy of beer. The more UV a bottle will block, the less likely your beer is to go skunky, otherwise known as light struck fla...

Homebrew Korea: ‘Brew Your Best’ Fest

November 18, 2010 | less than 1 minute read

If you're in Seoul, Korea this week-end, stop by the Homebrew Korea's Brew Your Best Fest! For only 25,000won it's an all you can eat and drink event! I've b...

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Productivity killer

What would you do for $5?

August 18, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Could you build a list of things you'd do for $5? If so, check out FIVERR, but warning, I spent over 2 hours going through this site my first time. It's amaz...

Make up a new word, or reuse a known one

July 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

After hearing Stephen Fry talk about language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY I decided we should today try to make up a new word, or reuse an o...

Relax with Sonic

July 08, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_YYL_TQpus

Flash based beat box

July 06, 2011 | less than 1 minute read

Just in case you were being productive today, I encourage you to turn your audio on, and give this a try, it's a flash based beatbox machine.

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Food & Drink

Want something delivered right meow?

November 21, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Life, like business, often comes down to the line between time and money. Next time you're feeling time constrained or especially lazy, consider Right Meow B...

Black Tie Dinner III

November 05, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Exactly one year since the last one, it's time for Black Tie Dinner III! If you've never heard about black tie dinner, click here. This time we're taking ove...

What produce is in season?

April 07, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

Thanks to a conversation with Janice M and Maryanne C, a couple of Victoria's food experts and friends, I was pointed to a list of all of the fresh produce t...

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Video

Finding Purpose

September 25, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Yesterday I had the pleasure of catching up with my friend Kerry, a Tibetan Buddhist Nun. This was an impromptu video where I pressed record, asked for a one...

Failure is a learning opportunity

July 30, 2014 | 1 minute read

I spend a lot of time in startups, and most startups fail. Those that live more standard and stable careers might not see it, but failure isn't a negative to...

Chipmunk

May 25, 2012 | less than 1 minute read

While visiting my cottage this year for the first time in years, I had a chipmunk stare at me at squeak for at least 10 minutes. I managed to get a minute of...

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Non-profit

Center for Social Impact opening May 1st

March 31, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

A shared office space tentatively called ‘Center for Social Impact’ is opening May 1st next to Habit in Chinatown. A great opportunity for home desk folks to...

The Pathway Project

May 17, 2011 | 1 minute read

As I've been on both sides of the interview desk, I had the opportunity today to work with Jen and Randy last week who are doing amazing work at The Pathway...

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For Sale

Schitt’s Creek closets going on sale for charity

October 02, 2019 | less than 1 minute read

If you watched Schitt's Creek, this Thursday they have 800 items going up for auction from the "closets of the Rose family". (Givenchy, Balenciaga, Alexande...

Ultra Modern Condo For Sale Downtown Victoria

July 27, 2015 | 2 minute read

I have a one bedroom condo for sale downtown Victoria priced at $239,999 $220,000. They say location is important in choosing real estate, this location is p...

CPR Partners desk for sale

July 27, 2014 | less than 1 minute read

I'm selling my (Canadian Pacific Railway) CPR Partners desk. It's the nicest desk I've ever owned, I refinished it myself. It is from pre-World War I (approx...

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Alcohol

Life without alcohol

January 04, 2016 | 4 minute read

I just read the Chicago Tribune article on What I learned by not drinking for 2 years, and a lot of it hit home, having just hit the 1 year mark myself of li...

Government liquor stores (LDB) in British Columbia

February 13, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map of government liquor stores in British Columbia was originally posted to victoria.intoxicant.ca on May 18, 2012. After publishing a list of wineries...

Wineries in British Columbia

February 11, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

This map of wineries in British Columbia was originally posted to 250life.ca on Oct 10, 2011, and is one of the first uses of the B.C. Open Government Licens...

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AI

3 Ai Tools Everyone Should Try

October 31, 2023 | 2 minute read

Most people have tried, or at least heard of ChatGPT from OpenAI, and there are a lot of rapid advancements to AI every day. In this post I’ll highlight thre...

Opportunities In Ai

May 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

Here are the two exciting areas of opportunity I am working on in AI

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Poetry

Language (poem)

March 04, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

I'm writing this poem in English. It is what I was raised to speak. I'm lucky and privileged, as I was raised to speak the business language accepted on eart...

Progressive Poetry Technology (Poem)

March 04, 2015 | less than 1 minute read

You can buy a motorized vehicle, for the price of the device I am typing this on. It's a lot more advanced than the poets of yesterday, who would use old tec...

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InfoSec

I’m looking for smart phone recommendations

April 17, 2018 | 1 minute read

I'm not a fan of planned obsolescence, so I want a phone that will last. I currently have a Nexus 5, which is ~5 years old. Why I still like it: There are a ...

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Collaborative Sunday Story Time

Collaborative Sunday Story Time - Oct 28, 2018

October 28, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Add one sentence to the story as a comment:</p> "Choosing not to deeply understand the perspective of the other person, is choosing an ocellus over tru...

Collaborative Sunday Story Time

October 14, 2018 | less than 1 minute read

Add one sentence to the story as a comment, to continue the story. Once the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) realized they couldn't compete w...

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TechTip

Plastic Free from Amazon

January 19, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

Open your Amazon account Select ‘Help’ from the main selection bar Select ‘Contact Us’ under ’Need more help?’ Start a Chat Request all future ord...

Website Creation

January 19, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

For 8 years I’ve run One Day Website which does domainname registration, Wordpress install and setup, and hosting for a year, for $299. This fills the niche ...

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Voting

Creative Shirt

January 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

You’ve found me and my new creative shirt! We’re likely at SXSW or nostrica.com together!

Open And Decentralized Online Voting

January 06, 2023 | 3 minute read

I’ve been thinking about online voting for over a decade, first from doing security audits on them, and realizing how deficient they are in structure and sec...

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LLM

3 Ai Tools Everyone Should Try

October 31, 2023 | 2 minute read

Most people have tried, or at least heard of ChatGPT from OpenAI, and there are a lot of rapid advancements to AI every day. In this post I’ll highlight thre...

Opportunities In Ai

May 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

Here are the two exciting areas of opportunity I am working on in AI

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privacy

3 Ai Tools Everyone Should Try

October 31, 2023 | 2 minute read

Most people have tried, or at least heard of ChatGPT from OpenAI, and there are a lot of rapid advancements to AI every day. In this post I’ll highlight thre...

Opportunities In Ai

May 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

Here are the two exciting areas of opportunity I am working on in AI

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Profile

Profile: Mitch Altman, hacker.

June 29, 2012 | 1 minute read

I had the opportunity to meet Mitch Altman in Tokyo a few years ago, at the Tokyo hackerspace. Mitch is a rare breed; he's got world class level of smart...

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Peterborough

Project - Help someone out

October 24, 2013 | 2 minute read

This post is about my latest project idea - Help someone out. Version 0.2 - Oct 24th 10:08am EST. Check back regularly, as I'll be updating this post based o...

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Cocktail

Life without alcohol

January 04, 2016 | 4 minute read

I just read the Chicago Tribune article on What I learned by not drinking for 2 years, and a lot of it hit home, having just hit the 1 year mark myself of li...

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Deal

A Free One Day In-Kind Website

November 09, 2019 | 1 minute read

As you may know, about 8 years ago I started One Day Website for my friends who either don't want to figure out how to register a domain, setup web hosting, ...

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Astronomy

The Lunar Occultation of Mars

February 18, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

At approximately 3:38 Pacific Time (Vancouver) Mars will disappear behind the moon, reappearing at 4:49:18 a.m. This is known in astronomy as the lunar occul...

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BC

Bc Big Tree Map

December 04, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

I had the chance to attend Creative Mornings/Vancouver chapter this morning, where Amanda Lewis spoke on the topic of Biophilia, specifically about her pursu...

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MarketResearch

What Would You Pay 3000 For

December 27, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

There are a lot of things that can make our lives and organizations better, but I’m looking to understand the really big ones.

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BizDev

What Would You Pay 3000 For

December 27, 2020 | less than 1 minute read

There are a lot of things that can make our lives and organizations better, but I’m looking to understand the really big ones.

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transparency

Impact Investment Economy

December 31, 2020 | 4 minute read

I started the year by talking about impact investing, and I thought it was a great subject to end off this year, where we’ve all been forced to reflect upon ...

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investing

Impact Investment Economy

December 31, 2020 | 4 minute read

I started the year by talking about impact investing, and I thought it was a great subject to end off this year, where we’ve all been forced to reflect upon ...

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Security

Creative Shirt

January 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

You’ve found me and my new creative shirt! We’re likely at SXSW or nostrica.com together!

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nostr

Creative Shirt

January 31, 2023 | 1 minute read

You’ve found me and my new creative shirt! We’re likely at SXSW or nostrica.com together!

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GPT

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AutoGPT

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Entrepreneur

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