Sunday, October 31, 2010

Milestone

Some news over on Pedaling PEI... 5000 km (~= 3100 miles) for the year! That is some serious pedaling.

Congrats!

CC

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Election Signage

Check out some of the signs around town!



I have posted these to Facebook, where only my friends can see them. I figure since they are public, I can also post here for those not on FB.

I am avoiding overt text on here so that Google won't index the words. In this way, things stay relatively anonymous.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

First Pick

Alrighty, I'm back from the Big Trip and the London thing is off, so it is time to start planning some stuff. Keen readers know that I have some big plans for my return.

I've made my first pick. I saw a recent CBC news item that the PEI Association for Newcomers needed volunteers. They need people to help newcomers (to PEI, and to Canada) discover PEI. Often there are language barriers.

Count me in. I'm not exactly sure why but this flipped the right buttons for sign-up. I like the diversity aspect and also the fact that I have been from away for so long that I need to discover things as well. I meet with them early next week.

Next up: websites. I've whittled one idea down to a true sweetspot, and will start that soon. I need a web domain and a 'brand'. I have some in mind and may run them past readers via email / in person.

CC

Monday, October 18, 2010

Saint Louis

I'm back from a great trip. This was up there with Paris and Hawaii as one of the alltime greats. This is a bit surprising, as I'm so familiar with Saint Louis, but my friends and colleagues, the energy, and the weather really won me over.

It was 70 F = 22 C and sunny for the entire trip. I wore only sandals (quite a gamble).

Though I couldn't see everyone, I caught up with a few disparate groups (including my old client site, the microbiology folks, and the Dinner Club gang). Every lunch and dinner was an event. In a way, it was a lot like my Christmas vacations of yore.

A major bonus was a partial stay with BryGuy and zee Librarian. Great to see them and everyone else!

As the week went on, I shifted into conference mode, a major reason for the trip. It was terrific. The energy was palpable. I must have chatted with 40 different people from my old employers. Even better, the speakers were great. People are raving about it on Twitter.

For those in Saint Louis, the conference was centered at The Pageant (and some other venues). I've seen Ani Difranco, Joe Satriani, and Eric Johnson there. I have now seen Guy Steele and Douglas Crockford there too (they are just as huge, within computer science). It was very neat and I'm telling you: StL's stock as a tech center is going way up due to this conference.

It is good to be back! It is a bit chilly here but I'll be happy to get back into my routine.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

It is a bit of a weird dream: I have moved back home and yet am in Saint Louis for the first (Canadian) Thanksgiving. The good news is that my Christmas travels will consist of driving anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes.

In the US, Thanksgiving is on par with Christmas in terms of being a major holiday. That isn't true in Canada, so I chose to travel to attend a conference.

It has only been 4 months so it feels very natural to be back! 80+ F and sunny today!

CC

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Open Government

I find the notion of Open Government to be intriguing. The idea is not to produce more data by the government, but to shed light on existing data, to present it in modern and innovative ways. A bonus is turning governance into an efficient feedback loop where citizens produce their own data, influencing decisions.

This article in MacLean's describes a modest project in Vancouver regarding trash pickup days. It may seem like a humble thing, but the technology and the idea is not. Note the dozen of other projects that are starting up.

In related news, I am going to Saint Louis in a week to visit friends and attend a conference. One of the sessions at the conference is on Open Government.

In even more related news, my father recently announced his candidacy for mayor in our town. I was hoping to link to something online, but despite the press, I can't find anything online. My sister and I did post to Facebook, with enthusiastic responses from friends and family.

I just realized today. If Dad were to win, could I help with technical solutions to Open Government, starting in the small town? A new mayor and a tech visionary awaiting a mission: that might be interesting.

CC