It’s not a surprise to anyone who has talked to me about my research that I write a lot both on my research site and on this blog about water. Only 3% of the world’s water supply is freshwater (the rest is salt water). I am keenly aware of the fact that the vast majority of my research focus has been on wastewater management and on groundwater governance.
As I have mentioned before, while I am interested in issues of privatization and commodification of water, I am gaining an interest in encouraging drinking water from the tap. One of the biggest issues that I see (and I communicated this to Metro Vancouver, particularly in regards to the Tap Water Pledge) is that we need more drinking water fountains (and in good condition) in Vancouver if we want to encourage behavioral changes in society!
I had a chance to walk around the West End and with the heat (I think we got up to the 30 oC mark this weekend) I found myself really thirsty. JT and I are fans of bringing our own water bottles but we thought we were going just for a short walk so we didn’t bring them.
As we walked past Jervis and Burnaby we noticed a water fountain, and I proceeded to make a quick pit stop to quench my thirst. I found the water well-tasting, and I immediately thought about the issue of availability of water fountains. I had already had a quick chat with Greg Valou about the fact but I plan to bring the issue up again to the folks who work on the Tap Water Pledge at Metro Vancouver. Availability of water fountains and water quality (including taste) are very relevant issues that need to be looked at.
This will be a really interesting research project and I am really looking forward to working on understanding the complexities of encouraging more people in Vancouver to consume water from the tap and ditch bottled water.
For those of us who commute by bus/Skytrain, this debate is slightly a little bit more than a moot point. I adore walking, and I have absolutely no problem with a dedicated biking lane on the Burrard Bridge. Will the lane encourage motorists to switch modes of transportation? What is really the change in behavior that the dedicated lane is attempting to encourage? More cyclists commuting from Kitsilano to Downtown Vancouver because now they will feel less threatened by the cars? More people taking the bus in order to avoid congestion during rush hour? I am REALLY interested in hearing from my readers as to what they perceive is the intended goal of the Burrard Bridge dedicated bike lane (trial begins July 13th, 2009). Lots of my fellow bloggers have written about it (including Stephen Rees, trusted friend of mine and an authority in transportation policy), but as a researcher who investigates environmental policy and who hasn’t had the opportunity to study transportation policy as much, I am definitely most curious as to what societal perceptions of this trial are (for an overview of the City of Vancouver’s view on the bike lane, click on this link). As usual, have at it on the comments section.
A few weeks back, my friends Minna Van and Christy Nguyen from Urban Bella Marketing Group invited me to the launch of a new alcoholic spirit, Thai Mekhong Whiskey. Busy as we all are (Minna is also the organizer of Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup and I’m the organizer of VBM), we found ourselves both having to juggle multiple events. This launch took place at Sanafir, one of the Glowbal Restaurant Group’s most famous locations. Several other local bloggers and twitterers were invited, and while I couldn’t attend all of the event, I was impressed with the organization and the liquor itself (I had a chance to grab a couple of drinks while I was there).
The two drinks I sampled were the Sabai Sabai (which I soon learned was considered the Mekhong signature cocktail) as well as the Typhoon. While both drinks are refreshing, I found one of them (the Typhoon) tasted somewhat spicy (a flavor that not everybody is used to). The great thing is that I love sweet drinks and the flavor of both of these is pretty darn sweet. Overall, I really enjoyed the event and I wish I had had more time to stay for the whole event, but as I said, I was shuffling with the Meetup of Meetups. I’ll definitely be at the next Mekhong event if I score an invite!
I had heard about Irashai Grill before as they had been kind enough to invite me to a media launch a few weeks back. Unfortunately, that night I was also organizing the panel on social media etiquette for the Vancouver Bloggers Meetupand I was unable to make it. I’d been curious to know more about Irashai. So when Danielle told me that she had invited Matt (Vancouver Slop), Degan (Ethnic Eats) and myself for an intimate dinner and to get to know the cuisine of Irashai Grill, I was 100% delighted.
Credit: Degan Beley
I would have come to Irashai myself anyways because I have always had a soft spot for mom-and-pop owned small businesses, and I had heard about the history of Irashai, but Danielle’s invite was a great bonus. We started with some cocktails. I had a Mango Cosmo and Degan had a Litchi Whisky Sour. Our first dish, a Japanese sea scallop (hotate) carpaccio with citrus dressing, cracked black pepper and kiwi was delicate and fresh. We continued with some red tuna tataki with mayo and dark miso sauce. I am not crazy about lobster but when we were offered a platter of lobster tail, shiitake mushroom and shiso leaf tempura served with lime and smoked sea salt, I couldn’t stop myself. The smoked sea salt gave this dish a great flavor.
Credit: Degan Beley
I was wondering if I would be able to eat more, but when they brought the Alaska crab leg roll (Alaska King Crab, mango, and masago deep fried and served with lemon mayo) I couldn’t say no. I was quite impressed with the summer roll (prawn tempura, masago, and cucumber with a topping of spicy tuna and avocado and drizzled with spicy mayo and sweet soya sauce). We continued with a black eel roll, combining the flavors of mango, avocado and cucumber and topped with avocado and eel tempura.
Credit: Degan Beley
Finally, I thought we had closed with a White Slope Roll which has crab and avocado topped with chopped scallop and spicy sauce. But the staff at Irashai were so kind with us that they made a set of umeboshi maki (which you can see pictured) just because I *love* umeboshi. For those of you who may be wondering what the heck is ume or umeboshi, the Wikipedia entry is located here. For a Mexican, the translation would be “chamoy“. Pickled fruits like these are an absolute delicacy for those of us whose palates are trained to appreciate them. Dessert was a Macha Crème Brule that is to-die-for.
Overall, as I had mentioned to Danielle, I have no qualms recommending Irashai, not because they invited us for dinner, but because I think the sushi is fantastic. I don’t think the staff created specific dishes *just* for us, and everyone I have talked to, including my friends Rebecca Bollwitt and Jen Stoddart have absolutely loved Irashai. I would strongly recommend to swing by, particularly if you are actually downtown. Hopefully you’ll have the same good time as I did.
Disclosure: We were invited by Irashai, but I indicated that I retained editorial control on the review, so everything I say here I stand by
Everyone who knows me knows that I’m an absolute adoring fan of Vancouver-born, Los Angeles-based actor Ryan Reynolds. I think he is a really great guy and a fantastic actor (particularly comic). I had the pleasure of watching his performance as Deadpool in the latest X-Men: Wolverine movie, and I can’t wait to see him become dual personalities Hal Jordan/Green Lantern! What do you think of this casting decision? I personally prefer this one to his wife (Scarlett Johansson) becoming The Black Widow (but in case you didn’t know, she’s been cast as Natasha Romanova, but I’m not 100% behind this decision).
I’ve been going through about 60 pages of archived blog posts, but found that one of the most popular posts I’ve ever had (in terms of comments, more than actual traffic) is my post on your favorite restaurant in Vancouver. I’m expanding the blog post here so… tell me, which is your favorite restaurant? Lower Mainland, Vancouver, US, anywhere. Let me know!
So I learned about the fact that today, a flashmob attempting to created the “Largest Water Fight” happened in Vancouver at Stanley Park. I have spent the last 13 years of my life working to reduce both the amount of water wasted as well as to increase the quality of water in every single region of the world that I have lived in and undertaken research on. So it’s hard for me to be comfortable with, be happy with or even remotely support a a flashmob that engages in a waste of the vital liquid. I know that I’ll be criticized for (in turn) criticizing a fun activity like this. After all, well, it’s summer in Vancouver, it’s hot, “we have lots of water here in Canada (this is, by the way, a complete myth, as anybody who has looked at my work on water stress and water scarcity will attest). Sure, conserving water might not seem like it’s going to do anything for people who already are experiencing water scarcity. But witnessing people engaging in irresponsible behaviours and wasteful practices towards water are exactly the kinds of things that irk me. As I suggested on Twitter, instead of doing a flashmob to waste water against each other, how about a flashmob to raise funds towards water wells? In the interest of giving everyone a voice, chime here in the comments. I might be offline for a while so if your comment is not approved yet, don’t think I’ve blocked it, it will appear eventually!
I have no clue exactly why I have been so incredibly nostalgic, but the truth is that when I feel that way I prefer to let the emotions and feelings flow. I remember this song with such fond memories, tears are flowing from my eyes as I write this. The song “Over and Over” by Wilson Phillips was the backdrop to the first kiss I ever received from whom I still continue to think is and probably will be the love of my life. I’ve been in love more than once but I still remember this kiss like it was yesterday. The video shown here is a tribute (using Manga animation) but it is in no way associated with the song. I hope you like it as much as I do.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to an appreciation event of Canadian Paralympic athletes which was held in downtown Vancouver (on one of the nicest rooftops I’ve been to while I’ve lived here). The event brought together a number of media outlets and bloggers (Gus and Beth were there too). The fact that Beth and Gus were there made the event twice as special. It’s hard to look at these world-class athletes and NOT be in awe. Their competitiveness and fierce outlook on life is what has taken them where they are right now.
Credit: Beth Snow
We were also very fortunate to have a small chat with Sonia Gaudet, a wheelchair curling Paralympian, about her training. Observing these amazing athletes I realized how much people whine about the current state of affairs. Yes, we are in a recession. Yes, things aren’t looking up. But these athletes are making not only the best of their condition, they are NOT letting the fact that they acquired a disability get in the way of their athletic performance. I also would like to note that this was my very first time meeting such fine athletes and I am very proud (even if I’m not a born-Canadian) to have such talented individuals represent the country I call home now. Their individual stories are extremely powerful and incredibly empowering. Thank you, and let’s celebrate together International Paralympic Day!
Last year, Fresh Start Recycling was one of the businesses who sponsored my Blogathon 2008 efforts for the BC Cancer Foundation and I’ve decided to use the same model for the 2009 process .
Therefore, if any company wants me to write a full blog post about their business during Blogathon 2009, I will be setting specific amounts ($50, $100, $200) to be donated to the BC Cancer Foundation. Please follow this link to my donation page if you wish to support my efforts.
Also, please contact me if you want to discuss donation amounts and the possibility of having me write a sponsored post for your business. Remember that all of this is for charity (i.e. I don’t get paid for the blog posts, I am just fundraising for the charity of my choice, in this case, the BC Cancer Foundation).
Twitter is one of those amazing things that brings you closer to people that you would have probably not met otherwise. Robert Ballantyne lives on Bowen Island (i.e. we don’t live in the same city). However, we both have similar interests (policy, governance, negotiation) and Robert has been an amazing source of advice both at the personal level and at the professional level.
Robert is an incredibly smart man with a kind heart, who is genuinely interested in the growth of people around him, and I’ve grown to become good friends with him. To your health I raise a glass of soda pop as I have sworn off alcohol for a while, my dear Robert. May you enjoy your birthday with your family and friends, and hope to see you in Vancouver sometime soon.
About a year or so ago, I attended an event organized by Redwerks on a rooftop. There, I said to Lorraine Murphy (aka Raincoaster) “hi Lorraine, so good to see you!” and hugged her warmly. She probably thought I was out to lunch because really we hadn’t hung out that much, but I have always been this way – open to new friendships.
Lorraine (the skookumchuk of Raincoaster Media, goddess of WordPress.com, owner of the WP.com forums – if not by definition, definitely by right) has become one of my best friends, someone with whom I equally share a good meal, a beer, or simply a walk around the neighbourhood.
Lorraine once was able to get me out of a rut (the worst I had suffered since having my heart broken in 2004) just by talking to me on GTalk (and I’ll always be grateful for that). She is the supreme teacher for Troll Management 101 and while she is not here to celebrate her birthday, I am celebrating it by doing exactly what she likes best – linking to her (because, who in our tech world doesn’t like a linkie). So, happy birthday Lorraine, may you continue to whack trolls in such a gracious and sweet manner 🙂
Poor Zidane. Such a great player, now infamous for head-butting another soccer player. I sometimes wonder if people realize that his skills are far more relevant than the controversy, as indicated by the Wikipedia entry:
By scoring a 7th minute penalty in the final, Zidane became only the fourth player in World Cup history to score in two different finals, along with Pelé, Paul Breitner, and Vavá, in addition to being tied for first place with Vavá, Pelé and Geoff Hurst with three World Cup final goals apiece.
If you are a fan of soccer or just want to see Zidane, he will be playing on Sunday July 12th, at the Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, and the proceeds of this charity event will benefit UNICEF and other charities. I’ve scored 4 tickets that I want to give away to my readers, so drop a comment on this post and I’ll draw a winner tomorrow morning at 11:00am. Also, please state your preference for whether you’d be willing and able to go alone (that way, more people can attend this great game!). If you don’t win tickets you can always buy them online.
Well, given my heritage (and given that my favorite food is, indeed, Mexican) here is a little Blogthings quiz for you.
You Are a Burrito
You life large, and you’re happiest when you’re the center of attention.
You are popular and appealing. You are charming and naturally flirtatious.
You are a trendsetter. You’re always trying something new, and you never get stuck in a rut.
You are open minded and adventurous. You love to mix seemingly random elements together.
Before everybody stops the presses and thinks I’ve basically won a million dollars, no, I’m NOT pregnant. That’s simply, biologically impossible (so far, despite the movie “Junior” with the Governator). I just simply got to thinking a lot about pregnancies and parenthood because of events that have happened this year. Several of my good friends from the blogging community are pregnant.
Credit: hanna8ball
Kerry is due any day soon. Arieanna is about mid-way through her pregnancy (if I’m not mistaken she’s due in October), and I just recently found out that Karen is also expecting (about 3 months, I am guessing – need to re-check her blog post). Outside the social media/blogging/tech community, my friend CS is also due any time soon, my friend DLB just informed me that she’s due in October (she let me know a bit late, I would think!) and my friend MA (who wrote the post Mom, PhD for me last year – she does blog but we became friends before she started blogging) is also pregnant.
All of this (as well as the fact that I’m good friends with many sets of parents both of whom are immersed in the tech community, like Rob Cottingham and Alex Samuel from Social Signal, Mandy and David Gratton from Work at Play, Jordan Behan and Alex Lee Behan to mention just a few) made me think a lot and reflect about the changes that parenthood brings on to people’s lives. At this point, of the 5 boys my parents had, I’m the only one who is single and child-less. I’m the best uncle you can get and I adore babies and little kids (as long as they’re not stomping on my ceiling at 6 am).
But I have changed my approach to parenthood. I’m no longer bent on the idea of being a parent (as I was about a year ago). Last year I said:
Disclosure time – 97% (and by that, I mean 97%) of my friends in Mexico are married with children. Three of my closest friends are still single but the vast majority are married with children. So, whenever I am invited out to parties, the registration fee is bringing a child with me. I am SO not kidding. At one of the latest parties I went to when I was in Mexico last, NOBODY except me had anything less than 2 kids. No kidding. Yay, THIS is my scene (NOT!)
I am single by choice, and I am child-less by choice too (technically speaking, it’d be easier for me to have a child if I were a woman should I chose to do so simply by biological design – given that for better or worse, I came with male equipment, thank you very much, and I love it the way it is and wherever it is located, that solution is simply not there). I have this inner desire to be a father because I do admire my parents (I firmly believe both of them played a great role in my upbringing). I admire my brothers as parents. It’d be nice to be a Dad. It would be lovely.
But this year, I say … “wow, what a great responsibility. Um, I’ll think about that some time later“. I also can see the changes in people’s lives. No more “let’s hang out at 5 meetups a week, go for beers, go crazy, etc.” – and I get a bit nostalgic. But then again, from what I hear, parenthood (regardless of whether you’re a single mom or a single dad or a coupled partner) is fantastic. So, in the spirit of the nostalgia that I’ve been feeling, here’s a toast to my friends who are fathers, mothers, or fathers-to-be and mothers-to-be. And also a celebration to us who have decided NOT to have children too. I promise I’ll try to be a good uncle to my nieces and nephews that are coming to this world in the next few weeks and months.
hummingbird604: RT @RobCottingham: If you’re pitching, it’s worth saying your URL more than once… esp if an unintuitive one. Just a friendly hint. #dcv7
6:22
hummingbird604: The voting process at #dcv7 is well underway. You only get ONE vote, so think wisely 🙂
6:22
hummingbird604: Time to mingle at #dcv7 (network, sorry!)
6:38
Raul: For some reason the tweets aren’t being incorporated so I’m just going to liveblog it.
ANAHITA SOCIAL ENGINE Rastin Mehr Arash Sanayean
6:39
hummingbird604: Annoyed at @coveritlive for not incorporating the Twitter stream for #dcv7
6:39
Raul: We need to reduce the cost of experimenting by developing a platform that is
Raul: We need a reusable container that provided all the basic characteristics common amongst all the social websites – this container is called a Social Engine.
6:41
RobCottingham: Ha!! RT @todmaffin: Wow! You sure replied quick! Thanks for the DM! I’m looking forward to your tweets too! This is so exciting! 🙂
6:42
Raul: We named the project after persian Goddes of Water (Anahita) – Goddess of Water, Wisdom, Fertility and Love
6:42
FierceKitty: @RobCottingham @hummingbird604 it’s cute. you are the only two people who are using the #dcv7 hashtag. *giggles*
6:43
RobCottingham: Anahita is the Persian goddess of water, wisdom, fertility and love. Water symbolizes knowledge. “And, she’s hot.” #dcv7
6:43
hummingbird604: RT @RobCottingham: Now hearing about Anahita: a social engine, built on Joomla – modular, scalable, extensible, open-source #dcv7
6:44
Raul: Anahita Social Engine (TM) provides – Profiles – Social graphing – Activity Feed – Messaging – Organic privacy management – Ability to run social applications – Subcontainers – APIs for privacy, folksonomy, commenting and social applications.
6:45
Raul: The focus is not to be a Facebook clone. Facebook is one of the social networks. This was a social platform.
6:47
kk: many/most of the projects being demo’d tonight at democamp Vancouver 7 are built in Ruby on Rails. #dcv7
6:47
hummingbird604: I’ve incorporated both the #democamp and #dcv7 hashtags into my live-stream – hat tips and thanks to @RobCottingham for livetweets!
6:47
Raul: The big picture of Anahita Social Engine (TM)
Joomla! is the shell/template engine. The Nooku Framework on top. Then the Anahita Social Engine goes on top. The bubbles are the social apps. And install them (iPhone apps, social web projects)
6:48
johnbiehler: @kk yeah I thought I was at a Rails meetup 😉 #dcv7
6:48
Raul: Anahita is fully customizable. You can rewrite even the data structure.
6:49
Raul: Lead Follow, Mutual Social Graphing
6:49
rightantler: At democamp #dcv7 lots of energy – very refreshing
6:49
kk: it looks like there about 100+ geeks, nerds, and wannabes here at democamp Vancouver tonight at @workspace http://bit.ly/3yIx8 #dcv07
6:51
Raul: Anahita Social Applications
– Are installed as joomla component. In the future we’d like to deliver smoe of them via the web. – Can have multiple gadgets on the user profiles – They can publish stories, notifications and requests on behalf ot the user.
All of that can be localized to the viewers, preferred language setting.
6:51
RobCottingham: @johnbiehler Maybe the Joomla on Rails meetup? #dcv7
6:52
Raul: Some scalability examples
– Distributed memory caching system
– Storage visualization
6:53
Raul: Container & sub-container – Social Engine is the main container – Groups
What we have accomplished
An open source platform that is – Modular – Customizable – Scalable – Extendible
6:54
cognoscento: Will we end up with too many “places to go” in the future social web? #dcv7
6:54
cognoscento: I don’t want a facebook-like monolith but I also don’t want a separate place for every group/community I might belong to. #dcv7
6:54
Raul: Early access to the source code is available via the Partner’s Program $ 500 USD per year
6:55
RobCottingham: Anahita code will be released publicly in next three months. #joomla #democamp
6:55
bmann: Cool – #anahita has implemented storage virtualization, so you can move from local to cloud storage as you scale #dcv7
hummingbird604: RT @johnbiehler: I want an anti-social platform…oh right, that’s WoW. #dcv7
6:59
hummingbird604: It’s @apeatling’s turn to speak about #buddypress at #dcv7
7:00
Raul:
7:01
hummingbird604: It took a while for @coveritlive to incorporate the twitter stream, but it’s working with both hashtags #dcv7 and #democamp
7:02
Raul: Andy Peatling BuddyPress
It’s not going to be a particularly technical presentation, it’s just an overview and how it might help you.
Answer basic questions – what is BuddyPress and how should I use BuddyPress for a site that I am either starting or expanding again.
7:02
Raul: WordPress Multi User (WPMU) – install it once – multi-blog platform. It’s a series of plugins that adds a social layer. It becomes a social networking platform.
7:02
socialsignal: Enthusiastic crowd response to Anahita pitch. Next up..? #democamp
7:02
socialsignal: @apeatling is introducing BuddyPress. I’ve been intrigued by this for a while. #democamp
7:03
Raul: – Profiles – Activity streams – Blog tracking – Friend connections – Comment wires – Content groups – Discussion forums – Private messages – Status updates – Photo albums
7:04
bmann: @jasonmclaren nope – bad powerpoint and sales pitches are forbidden #dcv7
7:04
socialsignal: BuddyPress runs on WordPress MU and adds a social layer – “a whopping great big plugin” #democamp
7:04
Raul: Why? Build passionate users around a specific niche.
7:05
Raul: There’s no horizontal interaction. You use BuddyPress to enable the users to interact and really contribute and become part of the site.
7:05
kk: gettin a demo of BuddyPress from @apeatling. cool social networking product that runs on top of WordPress Multi-User #dcv07 #democamp
7:05
Raul: 9 Niches
– Sports teams – Niche communities – Universities – Newspapers – Companies or products – High schools – Intranets – Blogging networks
gresco: democamp Vancouver next to @kk @maurar @gregeh @bmann and @sonsryan and @jaypiddy.
7:08
bmann: #dcv7 @apeatling “buddypress is for any niche that has passionate users”
7:08
socialsignal: #democamp @apeatling recommends it for niche communities. GigaOm Pro runs on it. (!!)
7:08
kk: @johnpoz democamp is a ‘unconference’ in the tradition of BarCamp. we get together & show each other our projects/demos/pitches #dcv7
7:09
hummingbird604: Why would you use BuddyPress over other options? #dcv7 – power/stability, open source, community #WordPress
7:09
nep: RT @bmann: #dcv7 @apeatling “buddypress is for any niche that has passionate users” [social network tools]
7:11
Raul: If you want to make a change, you are not bound by any specific terms of service.
7:11
moneycoach: @amsiebee the creator of buddypress is on deck at democamp vancouver – see my prev tweet to see the live tweet stream
7:11
socialsignal: @peatling had me at “WordPress” #democamp
7:11
Raul: Custom Branding
By using a platform you can download and use on your servers, you can tailor the features the way you like. Integrate it nicely with your existing site.
7:12
Raul: Existing Plugins
A lot of the existing plugins work inside BuddyPress.
7:12
socialsignal: Why build your own social ntwk? BYOTOS: “Bring Your Own Terms Of Service” #democamp
7:13
Raul: The back end of things works really well. Having a huge array of plugins allows you to create specific features .
7:13
hummingbird604: @Zoeyjane I have the Twitter stream running on my site, along with some liveblogging http://bit.ly/3yIx8 #dcv7 #democamp
7:14
Raul: University Intranet
Profiles Activity streams Blog tracking Comment wires Content groups – LDAP login plugin – More Privacy plugin – Group blogs plugin
7:15
Raul: BuddyPress 1.0.2 it’s going to change fairly frequently
Auto Upgrades 🙂
7:16
hummingbird604: Upgrade #BuddyPress with just one click thanks to Auto Upgrade Plugin <3 <3 love #WordPress #dcv7 #democamp
7:18
socialsignal: Http://testbp.org is your destination for BuddyPress sanbox fun #democamp
socialsignal: RT @kk pretty funny watchin @rtanglao record video of #democamp Vancouver on both his Nokia N97 & Nokia N82 simultaneously. #dcv7 #geek
7:20
hummingbird604: RT @kk pretty funny watchin @rtanglao record video of #democamp Vancouver on both his Nokia N97 & Nokia N82 simultaneously. #dcv7 #geek
7:20
socialsignal: Also bbpress 1.0 came out yesterday, offering forums (integration is still rocky) #democamp
7:21
hummingbird604: University of Calgary is running an installation of #BuddyPress #dcv7 #democamp
7:22
louderthan10: @mezzoblue That’s pretty good. I think we get about 99%… maybe 98% the one time I brought my wife to democamp. Still paying for that one.
7:22
socialsignal: Really cool to see extensions of existing platforms – a lot to be said for standing on shoulders of giants #democamp
7:23
hummingbird604: Yay! @kk will be presenting! #democamp #dcv7
7:26
[Comment From Cinci Csere] Is there a live stream that I could watch?
hummingbird604: RT @kk: demo’ing @ democamp. #dcv7 #democamp – Kris is demonstrating how he uses NetVibes dashboarding tool
7:34
Raul: – Facebook widget – MySpace widgets.
7:35
Raul: In the Vanity Feats (Media monitoring tab)
– Certain tags, URLs, Delicious links, etc. – Photos with Flickr tag.
7:35
jaypiddy: If you want to follow along @hummingbird604 is liveblogging the democamp. #democamp
7:36
Raul: Anything that produces an RSS feed you can stick here.
7:37
Raul: He searches to Technorati, etc. Things sneak through different sites.
You can see how does Kris do this monitoring thing
7:37
staciebee: RT @hummingbird604: RT @kk: demo’ing @ democamp. #dcv7 #democamp – Kris is demonstrating how he uses NetVibes dashboarding tool // I like it
7:40
hummingbird604: Great job showcasing the NetVibes self-constructed dashboard @kk!!! #dcv7 #democamp
7:41
jasonmclaren: Watching @kk do an actual demo at #democamp — his netvibes dashboard looks pretty cool. “The new media literacy.” #dcv07
7:41
Raul: Zak Greant Mark
LEX PUBLICA Open sourcing the law
Legal entries on legal – 790 million Sex – 750 million
7:42
Raul: Big companies can’t afford lawyers somehow. Lawyers can’t afford themselves either. Opening up legal information for everyone.
The first practical element
Contract templates – free, plain English!
7:43
Raul: Contracts will have supporting guides to help you use them correctly. Example – a non-disclosure agreement. You visit LexPublica and find lists of the common terms.
7:44
Raul: You can choose when you want to handle a contract yourself and when you want to go to a lawyer.
7:44
Raul: Lex Publica is a large endeavour. Will require a huge community. It sounds daunting, but there are working on it.
7:44
socialsignal: And now LexPublica – I’m pumped about this one #democamp
7:44
hummingbird604: OMG. Awesomesauce @zakgreant is going to present Lex Publica #dcv7 #democamp
7:44
idleglory: interesting utilization of netvibes + rss for self-media profiling by @kk #dc07 #democamp
7:44
hummingbird604: My parents are both lawyers. They’d be in love with LexPublica! #dcv7 #democamp
7:45
Raul: The business model
There’s a commercial element to Lex Publica.
7:45
Raul: 8.15×14 will provide services built around Lex Publica and will be interactive.
7:45
socialsignal: Not just legal docs: context too. And in plain language. A global legal commons. #democamp
7:45
Raul: Imagine an online space where you can manage your contract negotiations, your dealings with your lawyer. Think something similar to BaseCamp for contract management.
7:46
socialsignal: Business model: 8-1/2×14 is a commercial entity w offerings around LexPublica using open APIs #democamp
7:48
hummingbird604: (1) what specific problems people have in accessing the law and legal help (2) give us feedback #dcv7 #democamp
7:48
socialsignal: Manage workflow for negotiations: “Basecamp for legal” #democamp
kk: @idleglory you can use the tools i demo’d to track companies, projects, people, areas of interest, tags, etc. #dcv7 #democamp
7:51
Raul: Principles
– User generated content – Open data, open source – Collaborative, wiki – Cognitive surplus: people want to participate – Make it fun, easy and valuable to participate – Free access – Elements of social networking – Wealth in networks (crowdsourcing) – The more you contribute, the more you benefit
7:54
gresco: Lex Publica at http://lexpubli.ca offering non-legalese downloadable legal forms by subscription and otherwise. #dcv07 #democamp
7:54
sonsryan: RT @kk: dudes from LexPublica are awesome & their ideas re: free & open source legal contracts rule,but pre-product is 2 early to demo!#dcv7
It’s been a while since we’ve had no-brainer, no-thinking, purely-for-fun blog posts, so here it is – are you addicted to Twitter? I thought I’d get a 100% but I think I lost points because I don’t have an iPhone.
In the social media world, when I’m hanging out with my friends, at social events, and even here on my blog I’m pretty self-mocking. I joke about the fact that I’m self-absorbed, etc. But in the professional context (and by professional I mean both social media and environmental/public policy but more importantly in the fields I do research/teaching/consulting) I like to present a public face that is much less free-spirited and more business-like. So I created a fan page for my professional activities (primarily my research/teaching/consulting in environment and public policy). I did not create a Fan Page for Hummingbird604 because well, I think I’ve got this blog and why would I want to create a FB fan page for the social media side?
Lately, there has been a rush to get at least 100 fans on our Facebook fan pages so that we can get a so-called vanity URL (a simplified, short-name version of our page). I plead guilty to having promoted my fan page relentlessly and I apologize if I flooded your FB or Twitter streams. As I was writing this blog post, I wondered who might have deleted their Facebook fan page and it turns out that Chris Brogan (very well known in the social media world) did. He summarized his response as “Because it’s not about me“.
So why do you have a professional Facebook fan page? you might ask… Primarily to serve two functions.
1.- Reach out to a community that I normally wouldn’t through other means. Not everybody reads my research blog. And I don’t write that frequently on that one (I want to make sure to have good, well-thought-out blog posts there).
2.- Share some interesting links without overwhelming people. I know that I sometimes re-tweet a lot of stuff and I prefer to just share a few environmentally-focused articles, primarily those that are associated with my own fields of research.
3.- As an experiment in a new field. I have hated Facebook FOREVER and now that I’m on it, and appreciating some (a few, because really not every feature is good) of its characteristics, I wanted to experiment having a fan page.
So, that should explain to you why I’ve been bombarding you with tweets and messages about becoming a fan of my Facebook page. Should you decide to become a fan, I’ll try to keep it interesting! And, if you’re already a fan – THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I strongly believe that Robert Palmer was a genius, someone who was taken from us way too early. I absolutely adored a number of his tunes, from “Addicted to Love” to “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology Song)”. One of the beauties of being on social networking sites that link across platforms is that the people I follow both on Twitter and on Blip.fm have great musical tastes. At some point I think it was Jules who blipped “I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On”, the song that originally was sung by Cherrelle (R&B singer). Quite frankly, I prefer Palmer’s version. If I go out dancing with my friends in the near future, I will request that this song be in the play list! Enjoy the video courtesy of YouTube providers.
Facebook is creepy. Admittedly, I’ve only been on it for a short period of time, and I’ll admit to its usefulness when it comes to creating professional presences (for businesses and services). For example, for my professional activities as a researcher, teacher/educator/instructor and consultant, I’ve created my own Facebook fan page. I had kept Facebook mostly for friends of mine, family and a number of colleagues from the social media world, academic world and so on, but I’ve slowly been adding more colleagues and friends (and even fans) to Facebook, but it keeps freaking me out when I find really strange suggestions, including people I’ve e-mailed once or twice (ever). I came across an article on MSNBC about this, you can read it and see how it relates. The fact that Facebook stored information from my email addressbook really upsets me, but at this point in time, can I really get away with NOT being on Facebook, considering how much social media work I do at this point in time? Do you feel creeped out by the suggestions provided by Facebook? I quote part of the article below.
This phenomenon is fairly unsettling for many users who’ve noticed in recent weeks that Facebook’s once laughably obscure friend suggestions are suddenly downright inappropriate. [Facebook: ‘Why not give your ex another shot?’]
As usual, have your say on the comments section – do you use Facebook’s suggestions for new friends? Are you worried about your privacy settings?
So, fine… I’ll admit that I’ve been suckered by the allure of the social media, blogging and tech worlds. I’m certifiably, a tech geek by all measures (maybe not a full-blown geek, but at least, a Geek-of-the-Week in the kind words of Stephen Hui, Tech Editor of The Georgia Straight).
Kris Krug and Matt Mullenweg at SxSWi (Credit: Roland Tanglao)
I’ve fallen in love with the community, with creating content in a CMS like WordPress, with the world of Blogger Meetups and Tweetups, with the Camps of all kinds, shapes and forms (DemoCamp, BarCamp, Mental Health Camp), and most importantly, with the amazing folks who are my peers in this community. Thus, I’ve decided… I’m going to try and go to South by Southwest Interactive 2010 (SxSWi). Previously, I’ve been invited to cover SxSWi as media (even though in the end, it didn’t work out that way). This time, I am thinking I’m going to try and pitch one or two sessions. I know that some of the people I respect a lot in the social media world presented at SxSWi 2008, and I also know that many of my friends will want to go the coming year. I am wondering what exactly should I pitch. I am in talks with some other colleagues to pitch a session (you know who you are), but if you were in my position (and knowing my work in social media), what kind of session would YOU pitch to SxSWi? Do you plan to attend (I know Kris is planning to attend)? What suggestions do you have for someone like me who has never been? Thanks!
I’m not usually one to whine or complain, but this gloomy Monday reminded me that my mother is not going to be coming to Vancouver for the summer. Usually (for the longest time, while I’ve lived in Vancouver) my Mom comes up North for a month or so (depending on how much time she spends with my other brother who lives in Canada too). I have grown used to not having my Dad visit me in Canada (or anywhere else in the world where I’ve lived) because he really doesn’t like to travel. That’s why I come down to Mexico at least once a year, to make sure to spend some time with my Dad. But my Mom and I definitely have the travel bug and we have travelled together to several countries, and she likes to come to visit us (my brother and I) with relative frequency (at least once a year). Sadly, last year, her sister passed away from a long fight with cancer (and thus I spent a substantial part of the summer down in Mexico) and this year, Mom has decided to visit her two sons who live in the United States. I think it’s all fair, since well, Mom has spent a number of summers up here, but I was really looking forward to introducing my Mom to the Vancouver tech/social media/blogging community. I guess that’ll have to wait until next year!
Those of you who were on Twitter early on Saturday realized that I just had this frantic desire to start cleaning up my apartment. I felt that it was a necessary step in the process of launching my summer projects. I am a Virgo and by nature, I tend to be obsessively clean. But the past few weeks were so hectic I neglected my apartment so bad it was really embarrassing (for some people, the level of cleanliness of my apartment would be acceptable, but for me it wasn’t). So I decided to start with cleaning my bathroom (ALL of it – bathtub, toilet, sink, toiletries cabinet, supplies cabinet), then followed by the pantry and cupboards (threw a lot of stuff that was never going to be used), swept floors, washed all dishes, cleaned up stove, fridge, washed floors, etc. So, right now my living room, bathroom, kitchen and dining room are all in optimal condition (and I thus feel comfortable enough to invite people over to my very small, tight and cramped apartment). But fear not, because I did also have some fun along the way. I’ll give more details about my weekend later in the week, as right now I’m exhausted and I’m supposed to be asleep already.
HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND?
I am always delighted when I watch movies that depict university politics, and even more when said motion picture is filmed at the actual university where I’ve taught and where I did my Masters and PhD (The University of British Columbia, UBC). Had I known about this movie the last time I taught Environmental Policy and Politics at UBC, I would have assigned it as required for viewing 🙂
The movie is, as you can imagine, showcases an outstanding climate researcher who is studying lightnings. The main character is a woman (actress Joanna Pacula), which is actually pretty awesome. She predicts that a lightning storm is going to take place in a pacific northwest town (most of the movie is set in the fictitious Pacific Northwest University, but in reality, it’s UBC, mainly the Chemistry building and then Main Library, now the Irving K. Barber Centre).
I really liked the movie however cheesy, simply because it’s such a great display of locations in Vancouver, and particularly, my alma mater (UBC). If you have a chance to rent it, it’s on DVD (there are two releases, 2003 and 2005, not sure why).
I have been so busy that I’ve neglected cleaning my apartment the way I normally do. This is something that has made me loathe coming home (or even staying home). Today, I washed dishes (ALL of them), cleaned the pantry, the cupboards, washed the bathroom (ALL of it, including the bath tub), swept the living room, cleaned the floor and I’m in the process of washing the floors too. I want to be done in time to do some socializing, but as I was cleaning up, I found The Blogging Sword, the torch that Isabella Mori (dear friend and former Organizer of Vancouver Bloggers Meetup) gave me a year and a bit ago that I became the organizer of VBM. I couldn’t help but be reduced to tears. I had NEVER thought I’d be THIS immersed in the Vancouver tech/social media/PR/blogging community. I NEVER thought I’d be the organizer of VBM. I NEVER thought I’d co-organize a social media and mental health conference (Mental Health Camp, with Isabella indeed). I NEVER thought I’d be profiled as Geek of the Week in The Georgia Straight. I am doing a lot of apartment cleaning, but I am also cleansing my soul, and in that process, I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me in reaching the point that I’ve reached. I am incredibly grateful. Indeed, as the phrase goes “you complete me”
I am also transparent in disclosing that drinking water has just recently become more of an interest of mine given that I am about to undertake a research project on public perceptions of drinking water in the Lower Mainland area (Vancouver and surrounding municipalities).
I had a chance to walk around the West End and with the heat (I think we got up to the 30 oC mark this weekend) I found myself really thirsty. JT and I are fans of bringing our own water bottles but we thought we were going just for a short walk so we didn’t bring them.
