This week marks the Waste Reduction Week in Canada (from October 19th to the 25th). You may not recall last year’s civic strike (one of many policy and political mistakes) but in case you do, I am hoping this little visual reminder will help remind you of how awful the city looked.
Credit: Rebelcan
As I mentioned a while ago, we live in a rather affluent (and wasteful) society. We buy coffee to go, and then proceed to dump the paper cup in the trash can. We buy disposable diapers and then proceed to wrap them in double plastic bags, because “eeewww it’s poop”. We drive three blocks to buy groceries. And the list goes on.
Waste Reduction Week Canada helps remind us of the many ways in which we can reduce our ecological footprint by minimizing waste. If you need a refresher, I wrote a short post on solid waste management that will give you some useful reading material.
The website of Waste Reduction Week Canada offers some really neat factoids (some of which you may or may not know). As a scholar of environmental studies who happens to have worked for many years in solid/liquid/hazardous waste management, I actually do know that landfill sites account for about 38% of Canada’s total methane emissions (according to Environment Canada).
If you need some suggestions on how to reduce the amount of waste you generate, feel free to drop me a comment, send me an email or send me a tweet.
There are a few songs out there that I feel are the backdrop to my life. In many ways, I often visualize my life as a movie, and these songs are an integral component of the soundtrack. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but gives you an idea…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odAd5_vI5uI&hl=en&fs=1]
“On a High” by Duncan Sheik
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUcnDbU3fQo&hl=en&fs=1]
“Brother Down” by Sam Roberts
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6c3emqC6aw&hl=en&fs=1]
“Low Rider” by War
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=310OO8XpOF0&hl=en&fs=1]
“Walk Into The Sun” by Dirty Vegas
Even though technically I’m not a media sponsor (though I might offer to be one) I thought I’d spread the news about Media Democracy Day, which takes place on Saturday. Several of my Vancouver colleagues and friends will be speaking, including
– Robert Scales from Raincity Studios
– Kate Milberry
– Michael Tippett, from NowPublic
So, it’s kind of important that I attend. Particularly since I now do social media, and I’ve always had a long-standing interest in democracy.
Here is the full programme for your perusal.
Ok, so I know that I’ve complained about academia left, right and center to anybody who will lend me his or her ears. I know that I am an academic. I am guilty as charged of being disappointed in the realpolitik of academia. But the truth is, I am always happy when I do some good academic work. It’s part of me, it’s what I’ve been trained to do for many years. And whether I like it or not, it’s what has put food on my table for a large portion of my career (I started doing research as a project assistant even before I finished my undergraduate).
So I got the news that the panel I organized for a conference in 2009 has been accepted. This particular conference aggregates everybody who studies Latin America in the world. As a result, it is a pretty damn big congress. But the great news is, because I’ve kept my academic connections and I haven’t burned any bridges with anyone in this field of research, I can do a lot of networking and maybe job interviews for academic positions on site!
I had written a post about how good I felt this beginning of the week and I scheduled it to publish tomorrow, so it may actually sound slightly counter-intuitive when you read my blog from top to bottom, but the main point is – I’ve got a 100% success rate with the organizers of this conference. Every year I’ve organized a panel, it’s been accepted.
We now resume our regular programming …
I know that I had promised a professor who is a really good friend of mine that I wouldn’t review Zipang Sushi to ensure that the place didn’t get even more crowded (lately, I’ve been lucky to find out that people have started to flock to the places I’ve recommended for dinner or brunch, when I come for a return visit, and I am slightly afraid this will be the case with Zipang – but at the same time, it’s crowded already, so I guess I am just going to add a bit more crowding to the system, hehe)
Some people may argue that this is technically Riley Park/Little Mountain. We arrived at 5.20pm on a Saturday evening and the place was packed already. We had a garden fruit sushi roll and a California roll (we weren’t all that hungry, but it was more than plenty for the both of us). The rolls are very flavorful and as somebody mentioned, real works of art (I would’ve taken photos, but I was out and about shopping with my very good friend AF, so I didn’t have a camera with me).
Specialty rolls are slightly more expensive ($6.75-8.75) but very much worth it. The rest of the rolls are priced reasonably (like the majority of Vancouver sushi restaurants, around $3.00). Admittedly, the service can be quite slow (and if you’re hungry, that’s not a good idea) but the sushi is simply amazing.
I would definitely come back, but (a) I’ll make sure I’m hungrier so I can try more types of sushi (b) will bring a camera with me and (c) will arrive exactly at 5:00pm to ensure I’m not waiting forever! Closes on Mondays, just so that you know.
Last Friday I had a chance to go back to Splitz (my favorite burger joint in Vancouver, located at Main and 26th) with K and L, two of my best (and longest-known) friends in Vancouver. We were reminiscing about a lot of stuff, particularly the fact that, no matter how many people have come in and out of our lives, we three have managed to stay friends for over a decade. Good times indeed. That night was the first one that I felt alive and well again.
When we finished our burgers (which are consistently amazing), we managed to sit down and talk with one of the owners for a short while. She was explaining that Splitz was in the process of getting a liquor license. I would think this would be good, particularly for those of you who like a beer with your burger. They said they’d have the license by Tuesday or Wednesday, which is great. So, head over and have a burger and a beer! (and if you drink, drink responsibly!)
While I still have a few blog posts to write (I’ve drafted them), I haven’t had time to complete any of them. Why? Well, you’ll see… this weekend, the fact that I’m feeling healthier gave me an opportunity to spend time with friends (bloggers AND civilians) and this made me realize that sometimes, it’s nice to just … live life to the fullest (and THEN blog about it). I’m going to take a little bit of a break of the offline life, without pushing myself to write THAT many blog posts a day/a week. So, yeah, you’ll know about my exploits. You’ll hear of the new restaurants I tried, the parties I attended. But that’ll be in due time … I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Mine was outstanding. My health is getting better and I have a really good feeling about the coming week. I feel so alive!
October 19th, 2008 in
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Last week when I met with Robert Ballantyne, I told him that in a way, I had begun to get involved in social media to understand the creation of online social networks. Several people have mentioned that I’m a good networker and that I’m good at bringing people together. Heck, I’ve even introduced bloggers to each other who (in theory) *should* know each other in real life!
I was telling Robert that, in the process of understanding these new public spaces (the Internet) I had actually fallen prey to the phenomenon I was interested in studying. That is, instead of being an analyst of bloggers, blogs and Web 2.0/social media folks, I became one with them.
The fact is, I don’t have any interest in studying these networks in a formal way. Of course, I am puzzled by the online behavior of people. I always will be, but I don’t want to spend time attached to this research topic. There are better people out there (danah boyd, Michael Geist and Fred Stutzman and even friends of mine study this stuff – Karen Quinn Fung, Kate Milberry).
If I had it my way and somebody paid me (and someone else put me up to speed on the literature) I would probably go to the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. But truth be told, (a) I don’t have the time to get up to speed on the literature, (b) I would probably prefer to be invited to the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies – At Harvard too, and (c) even more related to my field, the Center for International Development or the Belfer Center for International Affairs, also at Harvard University.
Just dreaming out loud, that’s all… 🙂
I pride myself in always being grateful for my friends, my family, my health and my achievements. I know and recognize that my future is bright. However, like any other normal human being, sometimes I feel as though I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders.
Why do I do that? I guess because I have always had trust in my ability to cope with everything. Lots of social commitments. Lots of work commitments. Different circles of friends, different academic arenas, different family commitments. And there is, of course, me.
So, a couple of nights ago I tweeted about my frustrations with some parts of the current state of affairs (specifically, with problems with the neighbours, etc.) And low and behold, I got answers. And a chance to discuss and vent my frustrations. And good advice. This reminds me of the fact that yes, indeed… there is always a morning after (or a tomorrow, “siempre hay un manana” in Spanish). To those of you who listened to my (rather unusual and not very frequent) complaints, thank you, thank you so much.
After having had a really crazy couple of weeks, trying to get healthier but at the same time, trying to honor commitments and social engagements and work stuff, last night was probably the first night I felt really human again. Even though I went to bed really late (2 am), I woke up at 9am perfectly well rested (of course, I slept with ear plugs just to be on the safe side re: noisy upstairs neighbours). I opened my window and noticed that the sun is shining. I am sure it’s going to be a crisp and cold day, but it is going to be a beautiful day. I hope you enjoy your weekend!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omFdpnSu57U&hl=en&fs=1]
October 18th, 2008 in
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Recently, online discussions on Apple’s recent logo fight with a Victoria-based school have brought one element back to my attention – branding and uniqueness. The foundation for Apple’s fight is that the Victoria school logo is not unique enough to be undistinguishable from Apple’s very distinct and trademarked apple. So, that made me reflect – what makes a blogger/PR person/tekkie/writer/social media maven unique? For that matter, what makes US unique, each one of us?
Recently, people have asked me “what do you blog about” with certain frequency, and I usually respond “my blog is about my life in Vancouver, or if you wish, Vancouver seen through my eyes“. I do write about my research, about restaurants, about technology, about environment. True. But I also write about the things I do here, hanging out with my friends, having brunch at The Nice Cafe, strolling in Stanley Park, etc. My blog IS hyperlocal and sort of Vancouver-Lower-Mainland-centric in many ways, but I write about this region from my perspective and seen through my eyes.
However, I’m not sure that’s my brand. So I now extend the question to you.
a) Do you think about your own brand? and
b) If so, what would be your brand? Or what makes you unique?
I recognize that these are really tough questions to answer (unless of course you’re in a job interview!) but I think these are questions worth reflecting on. At least, I do ask them myself – what makes Raul unique? What is Raul’s brand?
Are social media or marketing the only arenas where branding is relevant?
I am still sick, so I may not actually show up at Ideas on Tap (I may or may not, depending on how I feel). But one thing is sure – lots of Vancouver techie/PR enthusiasts will, so you should attend! Below are the details of the event
October 16th, 2008 in
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My friend Phaedra spins house music, my friend Trevor seems to enjoy house music (from what I saw in one of his Flickr photos) but for some reason I never seem to hear from any other of my friends anything about deep house (although I think Nomade Moderne would enjoy it and so would Lotus Effect) . So I figured I’d show you the kind of tunes I am most likely to enjoy. This is an old one (e.g. I’ve enjoyed this one for a while now, but I don’t think I had had a chance to post a YouTube video. I do love Black Science Orchestra’s deep house, and “New Jersey Deep” is the one I enjoy the most. Fourteen years and this tune is still rockin’ in London!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5vsHHrgniI&hl=en&fs=1]
Feel free to add your comments, e.g. if you like it, or not, or whatever 😉
By now, I think everyone knows that Canada has a (now relatively stronger) minority Conservative government. Despite the abismal voter turnout (40% of Canadians who are eligible to vote chose not to) the Conservative party gained MP seats and the Liberals lost them. Once the dust settles, my biggest question to the new Conservative government remains. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT POVERTY ALLEVIATION?
I mean, let’s be honest. With regards to homelessness and poverty, a tendency to pass the buck seems common… “it’s not MY responsibility, it’s the responsibility of the other level of government“. Since today is Blog Action Day and the focus is on poverty, will the new Conservative government say that their platform is actually working towards economic recovery or will they say that it’s going to alleviate poverty? Because, really, what progress have we achieved in regards to a national homelessness policy and/or a national poverty alleviation strategy? I’m curious to hear…
October 15th, 2008 in
Homeless Action Week,
homelessness,
politics,
public policy issues,
random thoughts | tags:
BAD08,
Blog Action Day '08,
Canadian politics,
homelessness,
poverty,
public policy issues,
Vancouver |
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The past few days have been really rough for me, as I’ve been sick and working non-stop to try and finish a project. As a result, my health has deteriorated and my ability and willingness to focus on anything has been severely reduced as well. I don’t *want* to think about anything for the next, say, three months! I’m just mentally and physically exhausted.
Credit: dtes.people
But the fact that I’m one of several participants in Blog Action Day ’08 (focus on Poverty) made me force myself to think about how can we really measure progress in poverty alleviation.
The fact that over 11,000 blogs are contributing in different ways (writing blog posts, contributing photos, organizing contests, publishing podcasts) is amazing. But, does this mean that we have achieved anything in regards to poverty? Will X number of people be less poor tomorrow than today?
Don’t misunderstand my post, please. I am not saying that what we are doing (because I know for a fact that several of my Twitter friends are contributing posts) is not relevant. It is! The thing is, the next step after raising awareness I think is to take action.
My question to you, my dear readers, is – what action do you think we need to take, at the personal level, to combat poverty?
I leave you with a thought that I read somewhere (I wish I remembered the actual source). Somebody was telling Mother Teresa that she was spoiling the poor people by giving them free stuff (food, clothes, etc.) She answered back “well, at least I’m spoiling the poor. The rest of the world is spoiling the rich“.
It seems like this week all the pieces are coming together. There are over 9,000 blogs who will be contributing with blog posts, podcasts, photographs, and other forms of media to the Blog Action Day, this week is Homelessness Action Week, and The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is on Friday, October 17th – when my friends at the helm of Giant Ant Media (Jay Grandin and Leah Nelson) are throwing a fundraiser cocktail party (Jay jokingly called it AfricaCamp!) in partnership with The Urban Project.
Where: Lola’s Bar(2291 West Broadway)
When: October 17th, 2008
Why: Because it’s a very cool cause.
Additional incentive – If you make it before 9.00pm your $ 10 ticket also gets you a free drink.
I understand that Leah and Jay are going to be there starting at 8 PM to sell the tickets. So, head over there and contribute to a worthy project that is focused on empowering poor youth in communities in Africa.
I know for a fact that today is NetTuesday (social media for social change) and tomorrow night is Green Drinks (which I’m going to miss because I have a course at 7pm). Thursday is Ideas on Tap and that’s about as far as I can recall.
Obviously today is Canada’s Election Day and I would like to encourage all my Canadian readers to vote. Every single one of them counts.
Right now I feel physically very ill. Couldn’t sleep well at all, still feel as though I have a cold, and my legs are aching. I think this is also the result from having been under so much stress the past few days, not getting enough sleep and having a really bad eating schedule. But I hope that with this being over, I’ll be ready to just take on my life again.
If you don’t see me at any of these events, I am sure you’ll see me at others 😉
October 14th, 2008 in
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It’s Thanksgiving Day in Canada (October 13th, 2008), and I’m very thankful for:
– My health.
– My family, brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews, my Dad and my Mom, my cousins, my uncles and aunts, and extended family.
– My friends, both online and off line.
– The opportunities I’ve received throughout the years for personal and professional growth.
– Living in Canada. I love this country and I think it loves me back.
– Having still a deep connection with Mexico. Because I owe Mexico a lot.
– My successes, and my failures. Because I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’ve relished in my triumphs.
– Having had the opportunity to fall in love. Despite the fact that I have also been heartbroken, I know exactly what love feels like, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.
– Calling Vancouver my home. I absolutely love this city, despite its horrendous weather and sometimes difficult people (not everybody, of course – just a few).
I am thankful because I am alive, and because every day I live to the fullest. I do what I can, with what I have, wherever I am. Happy Thanksgiving!
Credit: JMilles
Yes I know I tweet. A lot. With over 9,000 tweets since April 2008, I have no clue how I have managed to actually maintain my followers. You are too kind! At any rate, while I was in Mexico I started thinking about following some people there but then I unfollowed them as I figured that I wouldn’t be staying for long and thus it was kind of pointless.
Through my tweeting, I’ve discovered that I now have followers not only from Canada, but also from the US, United Kingdom, Mexico, and that’s kind of neat to me. Because I sincerely think that Twitter should trascend domestic frontiers.
I know that I shouldn’t care about my stats but since I was asked to provide some metrics of traffic, I did a quick Alexa search and found out that about 30% of my traffic comes from the US. Nice! To be quite frank, I didn’t even think anybody read my blog in the US (seeing as the vast majority of my writing is fairly hyper-local, e.g. Vancouver). But I’m glad people do, and I’m glad I am able to provide some content that can have wider appeal.
Credit: justj000lie
On a semi-related tangent, I also have to say that I’m glad that Elizabeth May (leader of the Green Party and candidate to Prime Minister of Canada) is interacting with her followers on Twitter (@elizabethmay). I was very impressed with the way she conducted herself during the debates, and I have several very close friends of mine who are friends with her (or at least know her very well).
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had a chance to talk about this topic with Kerry Anne, Arieanna and Lorraine. I’ve also talked about this at length with many other friends from the blogosphere, but more recently with the previously mentioned friends of mine.
You would think that, being in social media, bloggers would be VERY social. Some of us are (at least, I admit that I am!) but some are not all that much. I am an extrovert by nature, I get a lot of energy from hanging out with people. But not all bloggers/PR/tech people are like me.
For me, hanging out with people from the blogosphere is now kind of second nature. There are a few people online that I haven’t met in person yet, although Twitter and our respective blogs, and email do keep us in touch and thus I feel as though I’ve grown to know them (to cite a few examples — Mel, Barbara, Tania, Paul Hillsdon or Dan).
However, it is indeed rare that I don’t *know* some of the people whom I’ve befriended through my blog (in person, that is). I was going through my blogroll very briefly and noticed that, really, only very few of those people I haven’t met in real life (IRL).
I like to think that social media has given me an outlet to socialize, and while sometimes I do enjoy taking off my “blogger” hat and just hang out, have a beer, or go for a walk, have a coffee, or simply just enjoy birthday parties with my blogosphere friends, I have to recognize that it was through my blog that I met them, and for that, I’m very appreciative and grateful.
This may be a totally inane question so feel free to skip if you’re pressed for time or can’t entertain the thought of asking somewhat strange questions. So, I am all about saving energy and money, don’t get me wrong. But why would people turn the heat completely off at night? Isn’t it kind of counter-intuitive? For example, let’s say it’s 3 oC outside (as it is right now here in Vancouver). Chances are your house/apartment/basement suite is not going to get as incredibly cold, but it may get quite nippy. Wouldn’t you want to sleep in a warmer, more comfortable environment? Thus, wouldn’t you want to *at least* keep some sort of temperature control?
However, the vast majority of people I’ve talked to say that they turn off the heat at night. I can understand that yeah, we use blankets and all, but not *all* the body is covered (the face isn’t, at least in my case!). And if you snore or breathe with your mouth at some point (as we all sometimes doo), you’re going to get VERY cold air inside. Which may or may not be good, but …
And, on top of everything… what if you have to go to the bathroom or something, in the middle of the night (thus abandoning the comfort of your warm bed)? Shouldn’t the temperature be, at least, somewhat high-ish? E.g. shouldn’t we lower the dial of our heaters during the day (when the temperature outside is higher) and increase it at night (when it’s lower?) – provided, of course, that the insulation is not so good, because well, if it is good, then you don’t actually need to heat your house/apartment/basement suite so much (as it loses less heat).
Just wondering…
October 11th, 2008 in
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I am well known for having a really hard time asking for help. I’m usually the one who helps everyone, the one that will always be there for his friends, family, loved ones. However, very seldom do I ever ask for help. In the past few days, I’ve been offered (and asked for) help, and I just want to say thanks. I am really appreciative of you all. You know who you are.
October 10th, 2008 in
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Ultra-quickie post as I’m on a strict deadline. Once upon a time, I moved to Canada and discover that the national sport here is hockey. Admittedly, I’m not a die-hard fan of the sport, but I have grown to appreciate it. I had a chance to capture very few short glimpses of the most recent game, the Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames (Canucks won 6-0).
Luc Bourdon was honoured, the tribute was very heartwarming and I enjoyed the very little that I could catch. I often listen to The Crazy Canucks podcast and as I have told Rebecca, it’s been very educational.
I really think that in my Canadianization, I’m going to start having to go crazy about hockey. Lucky for me, I’ve got lots of friends both on the blogging/PR/tech community and my offline friends who love hockey, so I’ve got myself covered. Congrats to the Canucks on a well-deserved win!
My friends Ash Sanieyan and Rastin Mehr have new offices! Their brand spanking new digs are located in Yaletown. I have a deep appreciation for both Rastin and Ash both as software developers, social media gurus and friends, as they’ve shared with me numerous events (including my liveblog of Vancouver Joomla! Day).
Photo credit: RMD Studio
Rastin also helped me with some Facebook organization of SteakCamp, and we all had a chance to hang out when they organized the first WordCamp Vancouver.
Rastin Mehr Design Studio Inc. & Associates is an Internet Software (Web Application) Development company in the beautiful Yaletown district of Vancouver, BC, Canada specialized in developing Custom Content Management and Social Media Solutions using Joomla , WordPress, Drupal , and Ruby on Rails frameworks [RMD Studio About Page].
All the best and I’ll have to drop by for some coffee sometime soon! Their new offices are located at 109-1108 Homer Street (in the heart of Yaletown). Which means, there is a possibility for doing sushi or Mexican food for lunch/dinner sometime!
I know that I had promised to do less events and stuff, but I really want to attend this one, and I’m hoping that by then, one of my biggest projects will be over and thus I’ll have time to participate. Rebecca (Sixty4Media) provided me with some background on what Ideas on Tap is, and quite honestly, I don’t think I should miss it, since I am now part of Vancouver’s tech community (or so I’ve heard!)
ideasONTAP became a mecca for startups and on the third Thursday of each month hundreds of tech entrepreneurs gathered to network and compete in the elevator pitch contest – 60 seconds standing on a milk crate trying to convince the crowd that theirs was the best company concept. Those were the days. With the dot-bust, ideasONTAP went in to hibernation. But no good idea ever dies.[Ideas on Tap]
This should be a very fun event, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve already registered, and should let you know that registration is free 🙂
I seem to have heard this concept in passing (Web 3.0) but I am not exactly sure where I did. Most of my non-geeky friends who now identify me with the Vancouver tech community (something I’m proud of, but most definitely not worthy of the title of geek yet!) have asked me what I understand by Web 2.0 and whether there is such thing as Web 3.0. I’ve answered that I’m not 100% sure, but that I’d ask my friends.
I’ve heard several elements that are supposed to be part of Web 3.0. Unfortunately, I’d lie if I said I do remember exactly who said it but some people have mentioned that perhaps the future of Web 2.0 lies with video (vlogging). Some others have implied that we should look at mobile web 2.0 (e.g. everyone jump on their iPhones or equivalent now). If Web 2.0 was all about dynamic interaction between user and content generator, then maybe Web 3.0 adds a third dimension (mobility).
Obviously, we all go at some point to the Wikipedia page, so the entry for Web 3.0 does mention stuff about mobile web, etc. The question I have now is — what do YOU think or understand by the idea of Web 3.0?
