January 6th, 2009, 7 Comments »
When I lived in Yaletown, I would frequently see sweater-clad chihuahuas being walked by their Lululemon-clad owners. If it wasn’t the dog days (sorry) of August, these poor beasts would often be shuddering and shivering with the cold (and, no doubt, the threat posed by larger dogs and humans).
As such, it’s always seemed a little cruel to own a chihuahua in Canada. They are, after all, Mexican, and not built for the cold. If your dog frequently needs a sweater to go outside, maybe it’s not well-matched to the climate in which you live.
While in Panama, I happened to see a very content-looking chihuahua, and it sparked an idea.
Julie and I decided we should open a chihuahua reserve somewhere in Central America. We’d stalk the wintry streets of Canadian cities for shivering, be-sweatered chihuahuas. We’d mace the owner, snatch the dog and bring it south to the sunny, humid climes of Ecuador or Panama. There it could romp and breed, sans doggy clothing, with its liberated brethren as it was always meant to. We even devised a bad URL: www.sweaterfreechihuahuas.com.
Alas, the usual problem arose:
1. Liberate dogs
2. ?
3. Profit!
Getting venture capital for this operation shouldn’t be a problem, should it? Maybe Bootup Labs can help accelerate my dog-snatching start-up?
Photo by ‘SeraphimC
7 Comments »
December 4th, 2008, No Comments »
I’ve been meaning to mention two local sites that I recently discovered:
- VancouverBC.com is a kind of portal site run by the guys who publish Vancouver View magazine (which I used to write for about four years ago). It’s focused, I gather, on locals–most of the other Vancouver portals seem to target tourists. There’s a schwack of blogs on the site, as well as a smorgasbord of event listings and other stuff you’d expect. The Vancouver hyper-local web is a competitive place (compared to sleepy, old-school Victoria), so it’ll be interesting to see how this one fairs.
- The Big Wild is an environmental outreach site run by Mountain Equipment Co-op (disclosure: for whom I’ve done a bit of consulting, though not on this site). It’s an advocacy site, with causes to support, green event listings, news and a way to turn your wilderness adventure into a pledge drive.
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November 25th, 2008, 6 Comments »
There’s been plenty of talk lately about how social media creators will fit in with the 2010 Olympics. Dave Olson wrote an open letter to VANOC Media Relations and Press Operations:
In brief, we’d like to have a conversation about how to allow fans and amateur media makers to document their Olympic experience while keeping out of the way of the IOC IP lawyers…
We are aware of your obligations to media rights holders and are seeking to provide an entirely different sort of coverage than the accredited media provide. We are not looking to cover events per se but are instead interested in covering the cultural stories, athletes’ families’ stories, and stories from fans who saved and traveled from around the world for this experience.
That led to an article in the Vancouver Sun, and a response from a VANOC spokesperson.
This feels like a good place to start. As Dave says, social media types aren’t expecting all-access passes to the gold medal hockey games. He’s right to point out that there’s a big hole to fill in the media coverage for such an event. I was thinking about it, and drew this little Venn diagram:
The CTVs and CBCs are going to have the major, breaking news covered. It’s all that green space–that’s where social media creators can live. Through various channels, I’m seeing several ways forward for benefits for both parties. Social media creators get some tools, resources and access to help with their citizen journalism efforts, and VANOC enjoys a whole new layer of news coverage. Such a partnership would also highlight Vancouver’s place as a global for new media, citizen journalism and the like.
6 Comments »
November 14th, 2008, 1 Comment »
I confess near-complete apathy towards local politics. I voted in Vancouver once or twice, but it was from a position of near naivete. My interest in politics declines as it becomes more local. People try to convince me that local politics is where my vote counts most. That may be true, but I care a lot more about, say, saving the Great Bear Rainforest (more on this next week) or our troops in Afghanistan than a sewage treatment plant for Victoria.
Both issues matter, but one matters a lot less in my worldview.
In any case, tomorrow I’m getting out to vote in my local election. That’s because our personal trainer, Nick Baker, is running for city council. He’s a thoughtful guy, and makes sense on the issues that seem to matter to Victorians:
I applaud the efforts made by the city to handle the homelessness problem, but it feels like too little, too late. The emphasis on homelessness, while definitely an important issue, neglects or even directs blame to the wrong people for the mess our downtown has become. Drug use and addictions need more aggressive tactics to rid our streets of the drugs and crime. by focusing on providing safe detox centers with ongoing rehabilitation, we can save lives and money.
Debating strategies for combating drug addiction has also made working out slightly less miserable.
Nick’s also got a Facebook page.
On the Vancouver Front
I spent some time trying to identify the major differences between Peter Ladner and Gregor Robertson, the two leading candidates in the Vancouver mayoral race. I’ve met Mr. Ladner, and he seemed like a savvy, straight-up guy (and apparently a former editor of Monday Magazine). He gave me a straight, non-politcal answer to a question I asked about (of all things) landfills. A bunch of my peers advocate strongly for Mr. Robertson.
Looking at their platforms, I’m having a hard time picking between them. I don’t have a vote in Vancouver, so happily it’s academic.
Who are you voting for, wherever you live (assuming, you know, that you live in BC)?
1 Comment »
October 20th, 2008, 6 Comments »
To his office mates’ potential dismay, Travis recently set off on a search for the best burrito in Vancouver. He wrote four blog posts on the subject.
I’ve been told by more than one Latin American (or, uh, Latin American-Canadian) that Vancouver has a shameful paucity of good Mexican food. I’m ambivalent about food of all ethnicities, but I applaud Travis’s efforts nonetheless. Here’s an excerpt:
Well, like La Casita, they don’t do pork burritos here—which I found all the more irritating because they did pork tacos. Just scoop it into a different tortilla, would you? No, they would not deviate from the menu—though I don’t dock them friendliness points, because they were wonderful throughout the meal.
I should mention that Travis lived in Los Angeles for a while, so he might know more about Mexican food than the average Canadian.
6 Comments »
September 23rd, 2008, 1 Comment »
This weekend is the third annual version of the now legendary Vancouver BarCamp. There will be over 300 people this time around, and we’re taking over Granville Island with three different venues. The long term forecast looks okay, but it’s too soon to tell, weather-wise.
I wanted to post a quick run-down of the BarCamp stuff that I’m involved in. Descriptions are lifted from the BarCamp topics list:
- How to Be a Laptop Bedouin or ‘Hobo 2.0′ - Julie and Darren are going to start a conversation about living where your work isn’t, and what tools and techniques you need to live in Africa and work in Yaletown.
- ShortTermOlympicVancouver2010RentalsForBigBucks.com - Todd and Darren want to lead a talk about building a short-term apartment rental site for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The conversation will cover feasibility of the idea, requirements, business model and so forth. If participants think it’s a good idea, we’ll form an ad hoc group to build the site.
- Don’t forget the post-BarCamp hockey pool at the Backstage Lounge. We’re going to try to occupy their big back room, and there’s dinner to be had if you’re feeling peckish. We’ve got 9 or 10 participants thus far, and we’ve got space for 15. You’re welcome to join even if you’re not coming for BarCamp.
1 Comment »
September 10th, 2008, 3 Comments »
Via Upcoming, I read about the SkyTrain Security unconference being organized by Karen Fung. From the very informative About page:
Between now and the unconference, we would like this website to host conversations on this topic. Part of it is just even learning about what questions to ask, and which questions are most important in making changes, big or small, to the existing system.
What comes out of the unconference will be brought forward to a future meeting with SkyTrain and TransLink. That’s about as much as we know right now, as the team is still working on the finer details, but we will keep you all updated on the blog.
They’re in the planning stages. I like Roland’s idea of running the unconference in a SkyTrain car as it moves around Vancouver.
I wouldn’t rank SkyTrain security as a bearing issue in need of my attention, but I’m happy that others are thinking about it in an open and relatively transparent way.
3 Comments »
August 18th, 2008, 18 Comments »
Today Rebecca wrote a blog post and ran a poll about the breastfeeding controversy and subsequent protest at Vancouver’s downtown H&M store. I was reading through the comments associated with the blog post. Matt wrote (I added the link):
Also, Manuela Valle, the lady who got all this started here? Is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Women’s Studies and Gender Relations, so I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to think she might have a vested interest in this story becoming as big as possible.
I read several articles about this event (I was trying to catch up), and never read this fact. Doing some Google News searches, I could only find one mainstream media story which specifically referenced her area of study.
This would matter less if she were a quantum physicist, but Ms. Valle’s scholarly interests merit mention. I don’t mean to insinuate any kind of malfeasance on her part, or suggest that she was in the wrong. Nor do I wish to ascribe any particular agenda to her (besides lactivism–what a fun word). I do, however, think her background is relevant to the story.
Did the media (and the blogosphere) botch this one?
18 Comments »
August 4th, 2008, 2 Comments »
I’m organizing a little field trip this Wednesday night for a media preview of a Vancouver store opening. It’s the sort of store that would appeal to the geekily-inclined, and it’s got a couple of exciting wrinkles. I’ve invited some local bloggers, but we’ve got spots free for a couple more.
If that sounds appealing, send me an email and I can provide all the details.
I apologize for being obtuse, but I’d prefer not to disclose the details publicly, lest I scoop all of the journalists and bloggers in attendance.
UPDATE: I think I need to cut things off there. Thanks for your interest.
2 Comments »
May 6th, 2008, 3 Comments »
Just a quick, boring-ass post to cover where I’m going to be in May. This post will come in handy when I’m wandering around Vancouver, tie over my shoulder, laptop in hand, trying to figure out where I’m supposed to be talking. All of these sessions are, blessedly, in Vancouver.
3 Comments »
