Multiple Personality Blogging Disorder

I’m growing, expanding and taking up a bigger footprint now in cyberspace. Diversification, that’s the way of the future ;-) That, and growth by acquisition of course.
Coming soon…… Floobergeist Fotography.

Blog with A Midlife Crisis

No, not my midlife crisis... my blog's midlife crisis.
You see, it's trying to come to grips with a new direction, and it's still pouting, i'm afraid. A new direction - less telecom focused, more everything else focused.

And you know how it goes, as soon as you can't do something, that's all you really want to do. Evil, vicious circle.

Alas - we will bounce back. Patience ;-)

Facebook: The End of Class Reunions?

Chances are if you graduated from high school at any time of the 90's, you are now on Facebook, connecting with all your teenage angst again. Could the advancement of Facebook also result in the demise of the high school reunion? Is there a need to see your high school facebook friends in one place after 20 years?  Will high school reunions simply become a dreary coffee date for the people of your graduation class who *aren't* on facebook?

Wow. There are only about 4 people from high school who I still am waiting to join facebook. Hurry, or I've got to go to the reunion!

;-)

Every Day They Call for Rain

And yet, every other day (I’m on a stage 1 Water Alert), I find myself at the end of the day, watering those shrinking bits of green in my yard, wondering if perhaps my neighbourhood is averse to precipitation somehow.

Still there are yards on my street who have completed the dertification process, laying brown and crispy next to their lusher neighbours, and I wonder, could there become a bylaw that says that you are not ALLOWED to let your front lawn die because it hasn’t rained?  Would it have killed you to do a *little* watering? If only to keep a shred of life in your yard?

Aiee.

The Evolution of Photography

When i was little, the camera was pulled out “for special occasions”.  And ONLY then. The camera was one of those complicated jobs that was entirely manual, and of course, only 1 person really kind of, sort of knew how it worked. It likely was passed down from a grandparent somewhere along the way and had more miles on it than a pack mule.

Film was expensive, developing was expensive, and when a roll was finally finished, it wasn’t uncommon to get it developed and have a whole year’s worth of “special occasions”. It was treat. Granted, much of what was developed was blurry, but that didn’t stop you from pasting it into an album anyways!

Today, no reason is required to snap off a few hundred photos.  Everyone’s life is completely documented, special occasion or no occasion. Hard drives are bursting with 17 angles of the roller coaster at Canada’s Wonderland, and another 15 photos of everyone eating funnel cakes. Are we over burdened with photos?  Will I ever get through the 3 gigs of pictures that are safely stored and backed up on various hardware vaults? What will future generations think when they discover a plethora of mediocrity that has been saved forever? Are we adding any value?

With the explosion of personal photography, a few good things have also developed along the way - Panoramio allows you to upload and share photos of places you’ve been, and then it turns around and maps the world according to the photos that have been submitted. Talk about taking vacation planning to a new level. Sure - there are a few similar sites popping up, making use of the massive amount of photos that are available of the planet, but if you’ve got some worthy shots, you also want to take a look at istockphoto.com, perhaps the most interesting application for actually making money from the 317 pictures you have from last weekend’s Ontario Place adventures.  At istockphoto.com, you can upload those shots that have the most commercial viability, and chances are, someone will buy it from you. You can limit how many times you want to licence an image, and group images together for ease of findability.  No more needing to sift through outdated clip art!So - if you’re going to take 455 photos this weekend, go ahead, make some extra cash as well.  You’re going to need it - I see aother hard drive upgrade in your future.

Technorati Tags: cameras, special occasions

2nd Canadian Long Weekend - Same Stupid Suburban Fireworks

A tiny, naive part of me secretly hoped that the recent Canada Day long weekend would bring a different type of serenity to the neighbourhood. Alas, the same suburban idiots continue to think it’s cool to impress their drooling offspring by lighting off fireworks just feet from their neighbour’s homes.  When you need a license these days to do everything from drive a boat to own a pet, when will the Canadian (or even Ontario) government realize that fireworks are decidedly NOT for the great unwashed masses?

If I can’t have a controlled *fire* in my backyard, why can people go freely to the closest 7-11 and buy the means to take down my street?  Did you know that fireworks were banned in Canada in the early 1970’s? Whaaaat happened?

[end rant]


Technorati Tags: fireworks ontario

Searching for Webkinz Cracks - The Easy Way Out

Funny - the number one search query that's leading folks here is "webkinz cracks".... all because of an article I posted about "Webkinz being like Crack for Kids"....

It still certainly is. And no, I still don't have any cracks. Play the games. Do the educational bits and earn your Kinzcash the hard way, babies.

In the real world, there isn't a crack for making a good salary.


Technorati Tags: webkinz cracks

Waiting for the Printer

I finally broke down and did it. Bought a new printer to cover for my laziness of not having analog copies of some of the better photos I've taken in the past while.  The old HP I had (bless it's soul) needs a break, as it's spent the better part of the year stuck in contract printing hell, and has now been relegated to the *text printer*....

A note from Canada Post this morning suggests that my new, inky friend will likely show up today. Fingers crossed, as it's also traveling with friends - 2 new memory cards and a camera remote control. Nothing says geeky like getting excited over memory.

The Dog Days of Summer

Between the chaos in the Canadian Telecom industry, the temperatures in the greater Toronto area, and an overabundance of work related projects, I think I've got to apologize for my lack of conversation.

I'm out of floobergeist.
With that being said, I'm heading to the cottage tonight to hopefully recharge and refresh.

A Side Effect of the Flat World

Aside from reducing barriers, increasing reach and generally creating a bit of a level playing field, the new flattening of the world is also introducing problems that we may never have expected to be exposed to before. An increase in supply chain transparency is revealing the seedy underbelly of global “differences” in quality standards.

Finding toothpaste that isn’t intended for consumption in Canada, or toothpaste that doesn’t meet the Canadian health standards makes for nervous brushing.

The issue came to light after a consumer noticed his tube of Colgate was missing French labelling, contained spelling errors and was labelled as being manufactured in South Africa.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a nationwide alert last week after similar tubes - some of which were found to contain a cheap glycerin substitute called diethylene glycol - were discovered in four states.

Colgate has said it does not sell 100 millilitre tubes of toothpaste in the United States, nor does it import toothpaste into the U.S. from South Africa.

Funny - Colgate claims that they don’t import toothpaste into the US from South Africa. This statement could be taken a few ways - they import toothpaste (for US consumption) from other places; and that the South African toothpaste is destined for places other than the US.

All of this begs the question of differing health standards in different countries, and how the flatting of the world, at some point, needs to include the harmonization of some of the basic standards, if only to reduce the risk of illness or injury when products are erroneously imported and exported. Shouldn’t the folks in the rest of the world have the same quality of toothpaste that we enjoy in Canada? Cheap glycerine substitute? No thanks.


Technorati Tags: toothpaste recall, the flattening of the world, Colgate

CBC's Foray Into Facebook

CBC has begun an interesting experiment, using Facebook as a medium to reach hundred of thousands of Canadians. They've create the Great Canadian WishList
 - allowing folks to create wishes or vote for wishes that resonate with them. Now, politically charged with different camps canvassing for *wish support*, the Great Canadian Wishlist is now polarizing and dividing folks in traditional ways, resulting in some VERY heated discussions.

Go and take a look at what's at the top of the wish list. I think you will be un-nerved and a little surprised.


Technorati Tags: Facebook, CBC, The Great Canadian Wishlist

Walmart Canada Online Presence

I stumbled onto the Walmart Canada site through Redflag Deals,
who was listed on Maple Leaf 2.0. The first thing I check out on sites like this is if they’ve got a wee shopping cart icon. In my excitement, I confused a *shopping list* icon with a cart ;-(

My first thought was… “holy cats, don’t get too excited, there’s no way Walmart could have an online store and me not know about it”… and sure enough - it wasn’t a store, just a huge “flier” disguised as a store. I can make a *shopping list*… yippee.

I like the product at Walmart.
I can NEVER go to Walmart. Hence - no spend from Jules.
The crowds, the incessant wait in line because they’ve only got 2 cash registers going, the silly people in the store stopping in the middle of the aisles. It’s an exercise in frustration. I am happy to pay more at other stores, simply to not have to deal with the pain and the wait.

I bet I’m not the only one who avoids Walmart like the plague, just for those reasons alone.

With the uber-sophisticated supply chain, warehousing and impressive IT groups, you would think that opening a true online store would be the next logical step for Walmart - and they could capture the potential customers who can’t/won’t go into their brick and mortar stores. Alas. Not yet. Here’s to hoping.


Technorati Tags: Walmart Canada

In a Zen State of Stress

It’s curious - that you can move beyond stress, into a Zen state of calm, above the pressure. Is it just me? Have I found *stress nirvana*? I am at peace with my stress, and am using it as a sword to cut through the chaos.


Technorati Tags: stress, zen

Writer's Slump - Writer's Cramp?

It's not really a block, per se. It's more of a slump. A lull.  A bit of a quiet period. In a life where quiet periods are fought for with rigour, having one when you actually *want* to do something is a little ironic, don't you think?

I could be writing about the upcoming Canadian Telecom Summit; where all the cool kids are going to be next week, or the upcoming NXT Comm Tradeshow in Chicago, or how I missed MESH '07 because I was *this far* from contract signing.

I could be exploring the differences between E*Trade and TD's On-line Trading Application. I could be bonding with Last.fm, since it looks like it's going to be the last player standing for streaming music.

I could be figuring out if Joost is really all that and a bag of chips.

Pfft. No time. Real life doesn't have a slump in it - if anything - it's busier than ever.


Technorati Tags: last.fm, mesh '07, Canadian Telecom Summit, NXT Comm, Joost, ETrade, TD Canada trust,

Call Me at Low Tide

...those were my final instructions. I've been working for the past 6 months on something pretty complex. We are down to shipping contracts back and forth. The sweat has paid off.

I just got off the phone with my sales magician, who is leaving to take his kids camping. It's up to me to get signatures. His parting words - if anything falls apart, call me at low tide. The only time i get cell phone reception is out on a rock, that is only accessible when the tide is out.
......
Um. I'm from Ontario. The closest I get to tide is what's in my laundry room. Hello? Can you hear me now? :-)


Technorati Tags: low tide

Salon.com Does Advertising Right

I slid into salon.com this morning to check out the reviews of Michael Moore’s new film, Sicko. It premiered at Cannes this week. As an aside, I am a full-on, card carrying Michael Moore fan.  Sicko is about the insanity that is the American Health Care System.

Back to the story… salon.com gave me the first few paragraphs of the review, and if I wanted to read more, I just had to watch a quick snippet of video from their advertisers.  Normally, with newspaper/journal/magazine type stories, you can read a few paragraphs, and if you want more, you’ve got to subscribe/pay/donate offspring to get to the goods of the story.  Not so with salon.com. It was awesome.  I actually watched the ad - it was Robert Redford talking about environmental bits.

Why don’t more content based sites do this?  Holy cow - captive audience, easy to do, and certainly easy for the audience.  Too  many times I’ve been turned away in frustration over having to jump through 7 hoops to get to the article I wanted to read. One of the worst offenders? ITWorldCanada. No kidding.


Technorati Tags: Salon.com, Sicko, Michael Moore, Web Advertising

Canadian Telecom Summit - Here I Come

After 10 years in the industry, this is finally my year to go to the Canadian Telecom Summit. To be fair, it’s only been in the past 6 years that I’ve been aware of it, and yet denied access, for various and sundry reasons. Primarily budget ;-)
But this year - the gates are open.  I’m going to be able to see people that I’ve only read about. Learn things I’ve only heard whisperings about. Andrea Messineo, from AT&T is going to be good. I’ve heard Pierre Blouin (MTS) speak a few times… passionately, I might add. It will be good to hear John A McDonald as well.

But I’m really looking forward to the up-and-comers: Virgin Mobile’s Andrew Black and John Maduri from Barrett Xplore. (I wish that the guy from Amp’d Mobile Canada was going to be there, but beggars cannot be choosers)  Word on the street is that Janet Yale, the EVP of Corporate Affairs for TELUS is a firecracker, and I can’t wait to see her take on the other Regulatory folks in an exclusive panel.

But this year - the world is my oyster. The Canadian Telecom Summit… followed closely by NXT Comm. It’s going to be a busy June :-)

GST Conferences :: Home Page for The 2007 Canadian Telecom Summit

Technorati Tags: Canadian telecom Summit, Toronto

A New Lens in the Family

I broke down yesterday and picked up a new lens. A fast lens, a pretty lens.
A Canon EF 50MM 1.4. She’s pretty. And after a day of messing around, I couldn’t be more pleased.  It’s my first fixed lens, my first with a wicked, huge aperture. And I am back learning more techniques and tricks again. The funny bit?  I was going to go overboard with the Canon 50 MM 1.2 lens.
I still might, but not until I get the 1.4 under control. There are a few things that are going to make the 1.4 a challenge.  It’s the slowest focusing lens I’ve ever had. So slow, there are times that I switched to manual focus, just so that I could take the damn shot while the sun was still shining. :-)

Calling for rain today, so I may have to convince the wiz that i need him to help me practice indoor :-)

Technorati Tags: Canon 50MM, Canon lens

Webkinz - Crack for Kids

After all the hooplah around Webkinz, I broke down and gave it a go. I am the proud parent of Jeremiah the Bullfrog. I wanted to see what the uber-cool kids web 2.0 application was like. I signed up, I entered my secret Webkinz activation code that came with Jeremiah, I was up and running.

With Webkinz, in theory, it’s all about learning and playing games.  Skills improvements, hand-eye co-ordination, and trivia. Aha. Not so fast. It’s about buying virtual crap for your pet. It’s about making enough Kinz Cash to get a waterbed, a bowl of Swamp stew, and an addition for your house. Play games and get cash, find stuff and get cash. Answer questions correctly, or win a contest and get more cash.  It’s a race to make 2500 “kinzcash” bucks a week to support your virtual pet and your very real shopping fetish.

And get this - the more webkinz you adopt (at $12 a pop), the more things you can buy, and the more “perks” you get. But don’t forget - your activation code is only good for 12 months, after which, if you still want to play, you’ve got to “renew” your adoption. 

To add further to the addiction, if you don’t play every day, you pet becomes depressed, starves and (likely) will end up dying.  I have yet to test this theory, it seems a tad excessive.  Kids are finding it easier to coerce their parents into taking care of their “kinz” while on vacation or camp. (I shudder at the Tamagotchi death tolls of 2005).  No parent wants to be responsible for the death of a pet, virtual or otherwise.

Webkinz is a vicious circle. Kids with a dozen or more adopted pets.  Purchased only so they can get more virtual goods on-line. I say again, it’s a vicious circle. Webkins encourages multiple pet adoptions by creating an “exclusive” area for those kids with a basketful of pets.  On your 10th adoption, the keys to the kingdom open, and you become one if the Webkins upper-crust with fancier virtual “accessories”, and improved options for shopping. I’ve got my heart set on a few of the “exclusive” items, but I’ll be damned if I buy 9 more webkinz for the “privilege” of having a circus themed room.
Parents: don’t be fooled. Don’t fall for it.  Go ahead and get your kid ONE of the damned, evil plushies, but don’t you dare fall for the “I need more Webkinz” pleading.  It will likely lead you on the path to ruin.
Buyer beware.

PS - Even Webinz recommends only 20 minutes a day of usage. Hmmm…. responsible of them ;-)


Technorati Tags: Webkinz

5 Things that Can Happen in 4 Years

1. Separations and Divorces.
   
2. Cohabitating with Love.
3. Upgrading Jobs.
4. Buying a house in the country.
5. Becoming a pseudo step-mum and an authentic aunt.

Not in any chronological order, of course. It's been a busy 4 years. Not to mention all the learning, laughing and drama associated with all 5 events.
4 years down, 44 more to go.


Technorati Tags: floobergeist