The Life of Guy

GuyQuotes>Cowboys

2011-09-29T10:50:00.002-04:00

"The things that get you fired for when you're young are the same things you win lifetime achievement awards for when you're older."

- Francis Ford Coppola

See You in September - Dal Video

2011-08-12T11:54:00.004-04:00

This little video won't make any sense to anyone that didn't go to university in Halifax, Nova Scotia but my friends from Dal will smile. Nice to see my alma mater has not changed one bit since I graduated a decade ago.

Some quick pics from Samir's and Julie's wedding

2011-07-11T21:18:00.007-04:00

A beautiful and totally unorthodox ceremony in an old fermenting cellar in Toronto's Distillery District. A mini-INSEAD reunion since both bride and groom are alums from different years. A great DJ and waaaay too many shots of whiskey.

Saranac 2011

2011-06-28T21:08:00.002-04:00

Had our annual boys' fishing trip to the Adirondacks this weekend. We managed to avoid the predicted thunderstorms and have a very pleasant and characteristically relaxing weekend at our favorite campsite.

The Paleo Proof

2011-04-16T15:52:00.010-04:00

A seven-week experiment proved to me that a "Paleo" or "Slow Carb" diet works. My bloodwork revealed a considerable improvement across several important biomarkers. Here is the story...

It couldn't have been a very fun March for anyone who shared a meal with me. My colleagues grumbled about the complexity of my lunch orders, my dining companions fretted over restaurant choices. My girlfriend had to hear me explain and extoll my diet so often that I had to find new words to describe it because she would get so triggered at the word "paleo".

But for all the complications, I think it was worth it. I saw a very noticeable improvement in a short period of time, enough to convince me that this way of eating actually does work.

What I Did

My diet was essentially the "Slow Carb" diet as described by Tim Ferriss on his blog and in The Four Hour Body which to me is a modified version of Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution Diet. The "paleo" diet, was introduced to me by good friends across the river in Brooklyn, and popularized in New York by John Durant and Melissa McEwen in this NY Times article. The idea is that our bodies have not evolved as fast as our food has and frankly cannot tolerate a lot of the food common in today's Western diet: way too many grains, bad fats, and so on. The hormonal response and digestive-irritation of these foods leads to obesity and a plethora of inflammation and autoimmune-related diseases from diabetes to cardiovascular diseases to IBS to hormone-dependent cancers. Too much to get into here, but worth reading the book for the real scoop. Instead, Wolf (and his mentor Professor Loren Cordain) focuses on the pre-agriculture diet of our paleolithic, hunter gatherer ancestors: lean meats, fish, healthy oils with the right Omega 3:6 profile, fruits and vegetables and avoid grains and bad fats like the plague.

After reading the Four Hour Body, I realized I could improve up on this slightly via the Slow Carb diet by removing starchy vegetables like potatoes, adding cooked beans and lentils (which do not seem to irritate my digestive tract), and having an entire cheat day (instead of just one cheat meal per week). The legumes help me feel fuller longer and the cheat day has enormous psychological benefits for me.

So essentially here is what I was doing for six weeks:

Diet (except for my one cheat day):
- No grains of any kind
- No dairy
- Wherever possible: organic/kosher/grass-fed meats and healthy oils (e.g., macadamia nut)
- No more than two glasses of wine a day
- No potatoes or starchy tubers

Supplements:
I also included a fish oil supplement (1 tsp of Ascenta Health's NutraSea HP twice daily) and as my initial bloodwork had indicated a Vitamin D deficiency, 1000mg of Vitamin D twice daily.

Exercise:
My workouts were consistent with my pre-experiment period, and consisted of three workouts per week: one P90X strength workout, 1 HIIT cardio workout (typically 20 - 40 minutes of tabatas intervals on a treadmill) and one other random workout class at my gym (sometimes just yoga).

The Results

In the spirit of quantified self, I tracked my bloodwork carefully and the results really speak for themselves, as there was a moderate to strong improvement across every health marker I tracked. For each metric, I've shown the my result on Feb 22 and my results roughly seven weeks later on April 11 as well as the % improvement.

Total Cholesterol
Per Robb Wolf: "A measure of several blood lipid fractions that are in part proteins used to shuttle fats and cholesterol around the body."

HDL Cholesterol
The form of lipoprotein that considered the "good cholesterol" as they help "scrub" cholesterol from our arteries and veins and transport it back to the liver for processing. Typically lower HDL levels have been linked to CVD.

LDL Cholesterol
This is the "bad" cholesterol. It's hard to get into a real discussion here without looking also at the particle size, which is beyond the scope of this post. We'll park that topic for another day.

Triglycerides
This is a measurement of circulating blood fats.

Glycated Hemoglobin (Hb1Ac or "A1c")
Per Robb Wolf: "Ths is a measure of how much sugar is sticking to your red blood cells...If your A1c level is above 5, you have big problems brewing. Your likelihood of CVD, cancer, and all the problems associated with elevated insulin levels [like diabetes] is greatly elevated."

C-Reactive Protein
This is a measure of systemic inflammation.

My Next Steps
Despite these positive results, there were two disappointments:

Body Fat
The first was that I only lost 1.2% body fat during this period - much less than I expected from this diet. I attribute my poor results due to weaker compliance which I estimate at about 80%. I travel a fair bit and had a few slip-ups due to lack of airport food options and one particularly indulgent weekend back in Montreal. For the next six weeks I'm going to try to plan better around these obstacles, and aim for 90%+ compliance to see how that affects things. I'm also introducing a PAGG supplement stack.

Vitamin D
My Vitamin D levels are still below general medical guidelines, due in no small part to the fact that I'm a Canadian software exec living in New York City - and it is (still) winter. To address this I'm going to triple my Vitamin D dosage and switch from pills to liquid D3 as Tim suggests.

But overall I am very pleased with the results. Robb Wolf's book convinced me of the science behind this way of eating, and the Four Hour Body helped me tweak it a bit. I will continue to eat this way along with the modifications above and track all of these biomarkers and my bodyfat closely. I will share results and findings as I go along.

4HHH

2011-03-31T02:31:00.002-04:00

Loving that Timmy Ferriss is finally copying my 'do. I really hope his next book is the Four Hour Head of Hair. (P.S. Props to Chino Loco for snapping this pic at sxsw)

Two Words: Cheat Day

2011-03-13T19:11:00.001-04:00

Cannot wait for my next one:

The Power of Discipline

2011-02-26T16:48:00.002-04:00

One thing I always admired about people in my parents generation was the discipline that they demonstrated - especially the many of them that attended a Catholic school at some point in their lives (which seemed to be many of them). While certainly not without problems, the Jesuits seemed to do a fantastic job of teaching its pupils the rewards of discipline. (I often wondered if Stanford does the same thing, since I know a lot of alumni whose disciplined approach to life I admire, but I realized I probably have the causality wrong and that the discipline was needed just to get into Stanford).

At any rate, I've had a chance to reflect lately on how disciplined I am in my own life. At work and home, I've took a cold, hard look at how little discipline I've applied lately. It an attempt to be agile and accommodating, I've chosen spontaneity and flexibility over a more structured and disciplined approach. At least in the last little while.

And in the short-term, I think it worked. I think I managed to get my stock price up. But what does this mean for the long term viability of PGuy Inc.? I've been wrestling with this lately and realized that a measure of discipline is needed across all elements of my life so that I can ensure progress in all of them. Living life reactively doesn't work for me. Not that I'm going completely to the other side, because that is definitely not my style either. But a balance is needed. And that balance is what I'm trying to figure out.

One small step I made is with respect to chow. And it has been remarkably successful. I have been getting increasingly disciplined about what I allow myself to eat. In order to deal with the frequent cravings I have for foods that are on that list, I mentally bookmark them. Once a week (usually Saturday) I permit myself a cheat day. I can eat whatever I want...all day long. Every truffle fry, slice of pizza or peanut butter cup that might have tormented me during the week, can now get annihilated.

And it works. It works because my brain loves the idea of bookmarking it. It loves the idea of waiting a few days to indulge. It feels good because it's making a small investment, while still ultimately getting the pleasure. So I really don't mind ignoring the temptation in the moment and replacing it with something healthy. And here is the brilliant part: when cheat day comes around (today is Saturday, by the way), I don't even feel like cheating. Ultimately, I will, because it's too easy not to. But the interesting thing is I rarely tackle the bookmarks. Instead, they get tossed out and I go for whatever tempts me in the moment. For whatever reason, this has worked well for me. It's a small bit of discipline that goes a long way towards one of my bigger objectives of total health. This short-term delayed gratification is a powerful discipline tool for me.

I am in the process of building or overhauling systems for all the other areas of my life. The 5-year strategic plan has been written. Now I'm in regular meetings with accounting to get the right systems and controls in place. Stay tuned.

Pics from SF (January 2011)

2011-02-19T14:30:00.001-04:00

Best of SF

Talking Torch

2011-02-19T13:46:00.002-04:00

I have had my BlackBerry Torch for six months, and frankly failed huge on my promise to blog a review of it. Partly due to work distractions and partly due to lack of inspiration. Let me explain:

The BlackBerry Torch came out six months ago but is about 2 years old. Or at least that's how it feels relative to the market. Now for a BlackBerry, it was a MAJOR improvement. If you focus your comparison on the Torch relative to its predecessors you can't help be feel excited.

But relative to the iPhone and Android options, it feels me three.

The good news is this, The device is solid. It feels good, and has the reliability of a standard enterprise device. There's none of iPhone's ubiquitous screen cracks and dropped calls. I'd compare it to an Android, but I can't, because I've admittedly limited hand time with any. But everything works as it should. Nothing holds me back. I can pound out emails in record time. I can navigate quickly thanks to the touch screen. I know my calendar is accurate and accessible.

What is misses is the wow. Or the pow. There was nothing on the Torch that I wanted to show off. Nothing new to make the device sticky. Nothing particularly sexy or fun - for me anyway.

But, it puts RIM back in the game, which is perhaps most important. RIM now has a platform they can iterate on. I still believe that these guys can do amazing things. They have relationships with carriers and CIO's that Android and iPhone don't have and that's a competitive advantage. The question is can they innovate on this platform at record pace while they're (rightly) racing to enter the ring of the other battle they're a contender for: tablets? Are they hungry enough to double down on both to stop their hemorrhaging smartphone market share? And can they get the marketing right?

I don't know the answers to these questions. I know the my Torch works and is reliable. Despite the digs from Google/Apple fanboys, I don't feel like a dinosaur, since BB does everything they do and everything I need. I'm not a seventeen year old girl so I'll skip the iPhone. And I'm not taking a chance with a new interface until there's a clear leader in the Android space.

I am excited to see what the Playbook does. This is a place where RIM's core competencies can shine. I love the name and I love the hardware. Let's see if it complements my Torch in the way I think it will. It is possible that RIM will optimize the notebook-handheld-tablet triad for me giving me the right experience on each, with enterprise-grade reliability, and abstract out all the management and sharing. That could lead to a big productivity boost.

Let's see what happens...

Spring Cleaning

2011-02-19T13:36:00.003-04:00

I'm pleased to say that the springlike weather in New York yesterday inspired me to do some major spring cleaning. Coupled with a surge in energy and passion for all aspects of my life, I actually stayed in last night and tore my to do list a new a-hole.

This blog is undergoing some changes. It's a work in progress, but I'd say we're one or two iterations from it's new form.

Now to just carve out some time for new content...

My postlady's been busy...

2011-01-09T20:49:00.005-04:00

The day I left

The day I got back

IBM Predicts that Our Cellphone Will be Our New BFF

2011-01-09T13:49:00.004-04:00

I agree with the following. In fact, my BlackBerry does everything listed below. Tracking my preferences, suggesting places to go, monitoring my progress (gym visits, expenses, account balances, frequent flier miles, etc.) Currently most of it happens via disparate apps or different databases in the cloud. For me, the next real gain is convergence: standardization and integration across these individual apps that will show me a dashboard of my life instead of requiring me to remember to check each one. One-stop-shops are key.

Excerpted from Parag and Ayesha Khanna* on The Big Think:

Did you ever wonder why so many celebrities end up having affairs with their personal trainers? In some ways, it’s not a surprise. When you’re very busy, you spend regular time with very few people, and they become your trusted friend. Or as good friends are now called: BFF – best friend forever. A BFF is someone who knows everything about you (your tastes, your history, your desires), who forgives all your mistakes and pushes you to achieve all your goals, who helps you plan vacations and parties, and is always there when you need her.

IBM predicts that your new BFF will be your cell phone. Mobiles will become so smart that they will become your personal assistants – storing all your preferences, reminding you to go to the gym, finding you great restaurants, keeping track of your doctor’s appointments, warning you if you are near your credit card limit – the list goes on. For example, “When you turn on your phone in a city you are visiting, it automatically provides you with local entertainment options, activities, and dining options that match your preferences, and then make reservations and purchases tickets for you – like a personal concierge.”

* Parag Khanna is one of my favorite authors. He wrote "The Second World: How Global Powers are Redefining Competition in the Twenty-First Century" which is a contender for the best book I've ever read.

Things I Learned in My Thirty-Fifth Year

2010-12-20T21:11:00.003-04:00

1. That I have to interact differently with different people. I think at some point in my teens I developed enough empathy/emotional intelligence to tailor the tone and body language of conversations. But I'm realizing this year that in social situations, I actually have to also tailor the message, much like I would in business settings. People are so different, and no amount of rapport or connection can pave the way for every message. I'm happy to have discovered this and think it is a beautiful thing. I love how everybody is different, and I love how life does not stop handing me these challenges and opportunities to learn, grow, develop, screw up, and start over.

2. What OPP means. (To avoid confusion, I am talking about Naughty by Nature here peeps, not the Ontario fuzz.) Now obviously I decoded the acronym when the track first dropped for me in gymnasium of Bicentennial Junior High School in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. But I never actually realized what that expression was referring to. Like the cheat-on aspect. I made the connection literally a few months ago, driving from Austin Bergstrom Airport to the Westin @ The Domain when the track came on Sirius Nineties on Nine. It was like I just solved the Da Vinci code. Cannot believe what a wee-todd I was for the last couple decades. Now that the song makes sense, it's even better. Like Rumpshaker.

My Birthday Gift

2010-12-20T17:45:00.002-04:00

OK, back to buying Akon's wardrobe from this video, starting with the violet-lined leather jacket.

Birthday Bumping

2010-12-20T17:31:00.002-04:00

When choosing my birsday gift, remember two things... I like my beats fast and...

My bromance with Akon continues...

My long lost baby sister...

My Life in Predictive Analytics

2010-12-13T16:02:00.003-04:00

The real reason this blog has suffered over the last couple years is my day job. The explanation is two fold:

1. We've been growing exceptionally fast and my role has kept me working long hours and traveling to the tune of almost 200K miles a year - domestic. Servicing our amazing customers has cut hard into my leisure time as nearly everyone in my life from Kara to my mom will attest.

2. What we're doing is largely unbloggable. Most of my work with customers is obviously confidential.

However, we have recently overhauled our website www.lattice-engines.com and it includes a blog that does offer some of the more newsworthy tidbits from our space.

We improve B2B sales and marketing, and provide software solutions such as our flagship sales intelligence product - salesPRISM. We also have a B2B Marketing product called playMAKER that helps marketers drive more effective campaigns.

The growth hasn't stopped, and we're busier than ever, but I thought I'd take this opportunity to direct people to our site and blog until I find a few spare cycles to invest in overhauling this blog.

For folks that are looking for information on INSEAD, this should give them an idea as to what sort of post-MBA opportunities there are, since this was my third gig out of b-school, after a short VC stint and a year trying to capitalize data center player Bastionhost.

Anyway, look for a fresh coat of paint here soon, but in the meantime, please pop by Lattice Engines to see what we're up to.

While we're on awesome youtube shiznit

2010-12-02T01:45:00.002-04:00

ALSO props to DSchein

This makes me really smile

2010-12-02T01:43:00.003-04:00

Nice one DSchein + London, ON.

Colonial Cocktails

2010-11-10T18:12:00.003-04:00

A few days into my stint in Singapore in the Spring of 2006, while at the birthplace of the Sling in the Raffles Hotel Long Bar, I realized I have a colony-fetish (insert obvious me-being-Canadian joke here).

I've not worked through this fascination in my mind or with my non-existent therapist, but it is still here. The history is what I loved most about being in Montego Bay a year ago and what I've been gravitating to in books and films lately.

I'm excited that a crap bar across the street from me has been repurposed as a French Colonial bar with drinks inspired and segmented by France's colonial outposts. I'm gonna have to go check out 1534 after the gym ce soir.

I have literary ADD

2010-11-08T21:01:00.004-04:00

I totally have ADD. I realized this morning that I am reading 8 books at the same time. And I have a bedside table of two dozen books that have been on deck anywhere from 5 years ago to 2 weeks ago.

No wonder I feel like I'm getting nothing done. It's decided, I'm not starting any more books until I finish these.

In case you're really curious, here are the books:

Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else
Just Watch Me - The Life of Pierre Trudeau Vol. 2.
The McKinsey Engagement
The Second World
Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love
The Fountainhead
Super Crunchers: Why Thinking by the Numbers is the New Way to Be Smart
Predictably Irrational

This blog is dying...

2010-11-08T20:52:00.003-04:00

The blog format is just too bulky. I've been so busy helping grow our company over the last two years that I've had very little time to put together thoughtful or at least fun posts. I feel guilty about it. I don't even know if anybody is reading this at all anymore. I can punch out tweets on my BlackBerry so my mom knows I'm alive, but that's about it. Man, I feel guilty.

Most of my blogging friends on the sidebar have stopped blogging altogether so I don't feel that guilty. Things are changing.

I think this blog needs to be overhauled. The design is lame and ancient. I might has well have an animated gif of a spinning globe. And it needs to be reframed for this stage of my life - i.e., away from the b-school adventures, and onto less frequent, but hopefully more meaningful content. Updated photos. Etc.

I'm working on it. It'll take some time. I'll probably move platforms and URL's. I'll migrate the content, sort it and label it, rebrand it, and push it back out there and see if anybody likes it. Maybe I'll use tumblr. I don't know. Let's see what happens.

I've got some posts on-deck. Annu, I owe you a post on The Torch. It's coming. I promise.

Give me a few more months. I'll do it.

What I'm Bumping This Weekend

2010-10-01T08:21:00.003-04:00

It's a nasty Friday in NYC. I'm wet and wheezy but ready to tackle all the stuff on my plate.

Here's what's helping me get through it:

Nelly - Just a Dream

Taio Cruz & Ke$ha

Far East Movement

Oh yeah. I be bloggin' again.

Here comes the new BlackBerry...

2010-08-03T01:11:00.002-04:00

The latest headline in the UAE vs. BlackBerry debacle actually made bells go off in my head when I saw it:

"RIM says will not compromise BlackBerry security, despite upcoming UAE ban on services"

I did not realize it when the story first broke, but I just realized that this is some serious PR. The above headline basically says "Don't forget, RIM is the gold standard in security."

And now, I realize what they're up to. They are launching various campaigns for each of BlackBerry's unique selling points. This UAE PR campaign is all about security. Toronto and NY are peppered in ads promoting the BlackBerry messenger. There was a recent "leak" about how superior their new browser is vs. both iPhone and Android. And it goes on.

They are clever. All of these seemingly unconnected reinforcements of their advantages, culminating in the big release tomorrow in NYC (today if you're on the East Coast) of their new 9800 slider device - their late entrant to the next gen smartphone race. Here's a nice editorial preview.

Looking forward to it.

Need help from RIM

2010-07-15T17:31:00.002-04:00

Can somebody please send me a pre-release BlackBerry Bold/Curve/Torch/Magnum 9800?

I cannot wait any longer...

WTF

2010-06-29T09:49:00.000-04:00

Why didn't I see this placard lastnight?!? Now I know why the room was $59. Clarion at SFO, see ya never!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T so please excuse brevity and any typos.

Personal Cloud Device

2010-06-25T10:15:00.001-04:00

I want one of these.

And then I want somebody to create auto back-up software for it.

To My Dad

2010-06-20T16:24:00.005-04:00

My dad is a top notch guy. He's given me a lot over my 34 years: When I was a kid, he built me a fort in our shed, taught me to ride a bike and was my number one catching partner when I lived and breathed nothing but baseball. When I was older, I counted on his morale support and his help on anything, from fixing my finances to fixing my car (which was a hand-me-down from his mother).

Only a month ago I needed to do some basic renovations to my apartment. Being the least handy person in the world, I only had to pick up the phone and he was on a flight to New York with his tools in his suitcase. That's just the kind of guy he is.

It wasn't all work, and we got to do some touristy things and see the Yankees play the White Sox on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

On this Father's Day I want to wish my dad all the best and thank him for being the best dad anyone could ask for. And since he also happened to have a birthday yesterday, I will also raise a birthday toast to him. Happy Birthday Dad! I hope you're having a sensation weekend and will see you soon!

Saranac 2010

2010-06-19T10:53:00.006-04:00

A couple weeks ago we had our annual boys camping trip to the Adirondacks. Despite some last minute flaking by members of the crew, we had a spectacular weekend as always.

Great meals around the campfire and wine-laden sing-songing. The weather held and fish were caught.

Already looking forward to the next one. Perhaps we'll do a fall trip this year like in the olden days.

Good times in Nashua

2010-06-02T23:10:00.000-04:00

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T so please excuse brevity and any typos.

Starving Cancer With Food

2010-05-23T21:16:00.001-04:00

Watch this video:

The Battle for the Smart Phone Market

2010-05-12T15:38:00.003-04:00

It certainly interesting to be a spectator as the "big three" battle it out for world domination.

iPhone continues to make the most noise, with their announcement that the new OS will support multitasking (the biggest pain point, so I hear) and the leak of the new device with an even better screen, front-facing webcam, camera flash, etc.

But as my buddy Sanj puts it: "iPhones are for students and gossip girls." It is hard to take them seriously. I mean, my buddy who does marketing for Cirque du Soleil has an iPhone and is embarrassed about it. I've blogged about this before, but how can you expect someone to take you seriously when you whip out an iPhone in a meeting? I don't, but it happens more and more. Both my CEO and President have one (we're a data analytics/business intelligence company!) as do many of clients (who are director competitors to Apple). It doesn't make it feel any less awkward, though.

The NKOTB are phones driven by Google's Android platform and their ringleader is really the Nexus One. I've personally found the interface to be more intuitive than the iPhone's and it feels more like a productivity device than a toy. And its sales eclipsed iPhone in Q1. For me, this is the one to watch.

Which leaves us with Research in Motion. While most people have written them off as down for the count, or rightly ridiculed the video teaser of their new GUI at WES (it feels like a day late and a dollar short, no?) - as I've said before - it is still Blackberry's game to lose. They have a stranglehold on the enterprise market, which is going to hugely influence those of us (and we are many) that refuse to carry more than one device. And they have core competency in handset design, push email, E2E security that are huge assets. They know how to do those things right. And, more importantly, they have *deep* carrier relations and know how to piggyback the wireless network to our advantage (think free BlackBerry messenger and the enterprise server benefits).

Which leaves me wondering, just what they are going to unveil. We've all been speculating about their new product codenamed Magnum, that has been in the works for a year. We know it is a combination of touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard and we know the new OS has an improved GUI. But what else do they have up their sleeve? Are they going to solve the app problem somehow? And more importantly, are they going to unveil some new tricks that leverage those intellectual assets I mentioned and improve the overall experience by giving me a backdoor to the cloud or at least my network/system? Something faster than the normal path to the web? Their new Mobile Voice System (MVS) is the sort of thing I'm talking about...but I'm talking about something pivotal like this for the *consumer*, not enterprise subscribers.

The bottom line is if they do something disruptive like this, I think we're set for an exciting race. If they just give us a mixed QWERTY/touchscreen with a marginally improved GUI then I fear it will be the beginning of the end for our friends in Waterloo...

In any case, we'll know a lot more very soon. The new iPhone is expected in June, so I expect the new Berry to be unveiled in the next sixty days.

Good luck to all. Let's have a nice clean fight.

We're in Miami b%*tch

2010-05-07T15:08:00.004-04:00

It was a bachelor party for my boy Dr. Saraiya, so don't expect any real details or pics.

Nine awesome chaps in a big house in South Beach.
Lounging by the pool, tossing a football around on the beach, go-karting were all part of the weekend.
A few requisite meals at News Cafe on Ocean Drive.
Killer dinners at Meat Market and BLT Steak.
Some world-class clubbing at both SET and Liv as well as classic poolside partying at Delano.
The weekend blew by, but was exactly what each of us needed.

What Have I Been Up To?

2010-05-07T15:04:00.001-04:00

I'm glad you ask. Not blogging, that much is clear. To be honest, I'm having a hard time figuring it out. I'm on a pleasant Virgin America flight from San Francisco to New York right now, catching up on a few things, reviewing the last few weeks, and planning the next few.

Apart from my usual existence between home in Manhattan, clients in wonderful Austin, TX and my sweetheart in Calgary, AB, I suppose I've had a few cool weekends...like a bachelor party in Miami a couple weekends ago, a visit from my dad last weekend.

Let me post some pics...

Obama rolls through my hood...

2010-04-22T11:56:00.003-04:00

On his way to give his speech on Wall Street reform at Cooper Union...

GuyQuotes>Uncomfortable Questions

2010-04-17T12:28:00.001-04:00

"Success can be measured in the number of uncomfortable conversations you're willing to have."

- Tim Ferriss

Funny

2010-04-10T11:39:00.001-04:00

Looking for new people to follow on Twitter

2010-04-02T21:21:00.004-04:00

I clearly don't follow enough people on Twitter. Let me explain why:

I follow 24 people.
Of them, half don't tweet and I can clearly stop following them.
Of the remaining 12 semi-active tweeters, there about 5 active ones.
And those five actives ones tweet all the time about stuff that really is not intended for me:

VikPanda often has things that make me laugh, or interest me, once I get past his rep by rep, calorie by calorie full Suunto readout of his thrice-daily workouts. Or his wretched foursquare updates.

fredwilson is usually just plugging his blog. Or updating everyone on the score/plays of the game he is watching (hint: if I cared, I'd be watching the game). Ditto on foursquare nonsense.

mgingras also has some good stuff, once I also get by his workout summary, his Tungle bragging, and the work he's doing (hint: it would have got done faster if you didn't tweet about it).

activefree's tweets are continually full of @ and # gibberish so that I haven't a clue what he's talking about and assume he's having a conversation with an array of peeps I don't know, in a language I don't know about things I know nothing about.

jlscribbles is also good most of the time, but a lot of them are tagged #dtla which I assume means downtown LA and couldn't be less obscure to my empty NYC-Austin corridor existence

Scrolling through the pages of my twitter feed, it is all stuff from these guys. And I actually have to avoid going to twitter now, so that I don't get annoyed with myself for reading all this stuff that wasn't for me and feels like a monumental waste of time (as logging onto facebook usually proves to be).

Now, before anybody calls me out, allow me to be the first to criticize my own twitterstream. I'm relatively new, and basically trying to make up for lagging blog posts with the microblogging platform that is twitter. I don't think I have the content or the cadence optimized yet, but I do think I'm well within the bounds of twitter etiquette and more than open to any suggestions from the twittersphere on content, frequency, style or form.

In the meantime, I'm being patient. And I'm going to troll for people to follow, to help balance out and add color to my twitter. Hopefully, it won't end up a channel full of noise like facebook is for me and I actually will get some real value.

But until that point, having thoroughly tried twitter for half a year now. I gotta say: I just don't get it.

GuyQuotes>Being an Artist

2010-04-01T23:25:00.002-04:00

"Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient."

- Seth Godin

Where I spent the weekend....

2010-03-23T15:41:00.004-04:00

Restos

2010-03-16T00:41:00.003-04:00

At my breakfast meeting at Balthazar's I realized they serve the same potatoes as at Schiller's Liquor Bar - which I love. Yes, I know they're both run by Keith McNally. But now I don't have to walk as far for the best brunch tats in town.

And now I'm stoked for this week's soft opening of Pulino's...also in my hood. Looks to be a Schiller's style pizzeria.

Speaking of cute new restaurants in my neighborhood I want to check out: http://www.tartinery.com/

The strong loonie is killing me

2010-03-15T13:52:00.003-04:00

Dear Bank of Canada: Could you please put the loonie back in the toilet? This near parity with the greenback is killing my entertainment budget due to the extra $400/month it's costing me to service my student loan debts. Not cool.

Meatheading

2010-03-15T12:56:00.002-04:00

I now fully understand the term "meathead". Of course I've used it many times in reference to bouncers and the like who have entertained and annoyed me with their cognitive shortfalls.

But now, I think I've experienced my own dose of meatheadedness. Had a particularly gruelling weight training on Saturday. Am still paying the price, with minimal mobility, sore joints, and achy muscles. But there is also a cerebral effect. In that I actually feel like a meathead. I feel dumb. Unable to concentrate. Slow. Inarticulate. Quite simply, today I am a meathead.

And it's not the first time I've felt this way. Throughout the years, any time I embarked on a new workout program, the first few days after an intense new exercise, I would be slow for a few days. Varying degrees of meatheadedness to be sure, but dumb all the same.

I would love to hear from some medical experts on the subject? Is my body busy pumping blood to repair my inflamed muscles at the expense of my grey matter? Were there toxins released during the exercise that are clouding my brain? What's up?

All I know is I'm going to stick to cardio in the days leading up to important meetings. At least until I ripped enough that I can distract people from my stupidity by going sans chemise in the boardroom.

Breadging

2010-03-15T12:47:00.003-04:00

First, a disclaimer: I very seldom eat at Subway. In fact, I've eaten there exactly twice since 2005.

That said, coming off a weekend of overpriced meals, I felt compelled to be thrifty at lunch today and when I saw a sub-$5 buffalo chicken sandwich advertised I pulled the trigger.

That is when I learned a new Subway technique. The guy in front of me had the sandwich artist tear the surplus bread away. He literally used his gloved fingers to scrape a ditch in the middle of each slice: a technique I dubbed "breadging".

I made sure to thank my fellow patron at Subway for the gift of breadging. This guy has single-handedly dialed down my carb load by about 30% and saved me from an afternoon of insulin-induced drowsiness and Nich Lachey carbface.

I hope my Subway fans - particularly one regular CFA-studying reader - enjoy this post. The one that keeps on giving.

Check out my friends pitch Loud Sauce

2010-03-11T18:30:00.003-04:00

I love this venture. Check out my buddy Colin and his wife talk about their platform for crowdfunding media for social projects:

Wemedia Founders, LoudSauce interview from KnightCenter on Vimeo.

I Really Like Porter

2010-03-09T17:49:00.004-04:00

I'd flown Toronto-based Porter Airlines thrice before and liked them. Some of the things I liked about the first three times:

1. I sat in the back near the galley and the flight attendant (female, thanks for asking) kept filling up my wine glass. It's always free, but this was free and attentive.

2. It's a low-cost airline, so depending on when you fly, you can get a pretty good deal between the handful of cities they serve (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, New York, Boston and a few others).

3. They fly in and out of Toronto Island, which is a one minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto as opposed to a 30 minute cab ride out to Pearson Airport in Mississauga.

4. They have a nice, comfortable lounge in Toronto.

But do be perfectly honest, I hadn't really paid super close attention to them.

But this past week, I flew them for a client meeting I had on Friday and discovered a few more things that I like about them:

5. Because they're so young (like 4 years old) they've hired a fresh set of young, eager, and attractive flight attendants. A welcome treat when you're faced with some of the crabby old flight attendants on other carriers that except for their union would've been taken out of service ages ago.

6. The planes - a fleet of Bombardier's ultra-quiet Q400 turboprops - are new and comfortable.

7. The flight attendants' uniforms are a throwback to the 60's style of jetsetting (or what my media exposure of that era has led me to perceive it as).

During my quick 60 minute flight from EWR to YTZ I thumbed through the in-flight magazine which I really enjoyed. And something dawned on me. The digest style of the magazine was familiar. As was the writing. The articles. The photography. The animations. The layout. Maybe even the typeface. Even the brand of the airline and the uniforms seemed familiar now.

I know this style.

Tyler Brûlé.

I flipped to the front and confirmed him as Creative Director and his branding/design company (Winkcreative) behind the magazine and probably the rest of the airline as well.

He strikes again. I'm not sure if it's envy or just admiration. Probably a bit of both, but I think I'll be flying Porter more now. You should too.

(And if you need a ninth reason, my flight was $80 each way, taxes and fees included).

Stuff I'm Not Into

2010-03-08T20:54:00.002-04:00

A small sample of my current grievances:

1. How everybody's got brussel sprouts and bacon on the menu
OK. I love them too. Believe me, I do. Sorella in NYC does them right. L'Unita in Toronto, not so much (too buttery).

But let's have some originality people. How can every resto have brussel sprouts and panceta on the menu this winter?

Hair on Men
Yes, I am probably biased 'cause I'm bald. But after giving it a good, long think, I can only remember three chaps in recent history who I actually could say had good hair. One was a celebrity and the other two recently had all their hair cut off. Yes, I think men's hair is looking awful these days. Lifeless, greasy, no style. Super short is the way forward. Watch for it.

Yawning w/o Covering Your Mouth
Are you a farmer? Or do you have something for me to see in your mid-esophagus? If no, please do not unhinge your jaw in public and belt out a big ol' yawn. It's rude. Cover your mouth.

Glasses of Wine That Cost More Than I Would Pay For a Bottle
Why am I getting charged $14 - $20 for a good glass of wine these days? Even in places like Calgary and Toronto. Excluding tax and tip this is a solid 30%+ more than I would pay for a entire bottle unless it was a special occasion. There are plenty of wines that I enjoy, a notch above table wine. Where did all these restaurants and wine bars get the idea to price these bottles by the glass? There's a behavioural science concept that marketers use called "choice to welfare mapping". Basically it asks me, as a consumer, "What am I getting for this?". I understand that for a lot of other purchases, this mapping is complicated. With a cocktail, for example, I'm uncertain as to my ultimate experience with each choice on the menu. How do these ingredients combine? What are these exotic ingredients I've never heard of? How strong is it? What about the funny name?

With wine, it's a lot simpler. I know wines I like. I know regions I like. If you're a decent enough place that I've decided to grace your barstool with my presence, I'm sure you've put some thought into the drinkability of your entire cellar. They all pass the test. So it's like picking an ice cream flavor for me. Sure, there will be some variation, but the mapping in my brain is pretty accurate.

I know what I'm experiencing. I also, happen to know, the market value of a decent bottle of Syrah from a certain year. And I know it is not more than what you're charging me for a glass of it.

Yes wine is in. Yes, some people are dumb and will pay anything. Yes, sometimes I DO want to pay a premium for a wine that's truly exotic. And, yes, we're all paying for the walnut floors and general design aesthetics of the space you're letting me enjoy the wine in. But this ain't gonna last. I'm onto you. Let's dial down the mean per glass price a few notches, and I'll be happy. And I'll keep coming back.

Spring in NY

2010-03-06T15:18:00.000-04:00

What a gorgeous day! Just got back from Toronto and the throngs are loitering outside of Gitane. It's going to be a great day!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T so please excuse brevity and any typos.

Team Canada for the Gold!!!

2010-02-28T18:56:00.000-04:00

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T so please excuse brevity and any typos.

This is really funny

2010-02-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

http://pleasefireme.com/

Hilton HHonors Haiti Relief: Fail

2010-02-03T15:08:00.002-04:00

Remember when, impassioned, I donated all my HHonors points to the Red Cross Haiti Relief fund?

Well, by Monday, I still had not received a confirmation email, so I emailed them again. No reply.

That evening I called HHonors, and they told me that nobody was working over the weekend but they were certain they'd be processing my request momentarily.

A week later, still no response, and the points not-debited from my account.

I emailed HHonors, customer support, and received this reply 48 hours later:

---
We appreciate your generosity in supporting the mission of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
We are working diligently to get all requests processed as quickly as possible. Please be advised you will receive a confirmation of your redemption via email within 15 days after their initial e-mail is received.
Thank you again for your generosity and support.
---

15 days?!? More than two weeks? How is that going to help the people of Haiti?!? This is time-sensitive.

Well, we're at 12 days from my original mail now. And I'm hugely unimpressed.

Unhappy Hipsters

2010-02-01T13:34:00.002-04:00

This is actually rather amusing. Captions added to photos from Dwell magazine that take a playful jab at the potential melancholy and despair of the subjects.

Unhappy Hipsters.

Pics from Thievery Corporation in DC

2010-01-25T18:45:00.005-04:00

S'ak pasé

2010-01-25T12:17:00.001-04:00

Ways to help

2010-01-22T23:16:00.002-04:00

www.helphaitinow.org

Preorder iTunes album.

Donate airmiles or hotel points.

Have a BlackBerry? Proceeds from this app are all going to Red Cross in Haiti.

We must help the people of Haiti

2010-01-22T22:41:00.002-04:00

I have a special place in my heart for Haitian people. It might be because of all the Montreal cab drivers I've tried speaking creole to ("s'ak pase?"). It might be Lesley Lokko's Bitter Chocolate that I read, or the fact I left that island hours before the tragedy stuck.

I was on the treadmill at the hotel gym in DC tonight watching the telethon, getting fairly emotional, when this email came in from my mom:

---
We all need to help. We gave tonight through UNICEF (major fundraiser
in Canada and US) You have a real appreciation for the people of Jamaica and
the DR.....next door neighbors to the Haitians.

Just thought I'd jog your memory.....you already know when you help someone
even in the smallest way......it's the greatest feeling.

Luv
Mom
---

The emotions that had been bubbling just below the surface broke through when I read this, and I cried. Though I donated to UNICEF the other night during Larry King's special, I came back to my room and donated all of my Hilton HHonors points to the Red Cross Fund that Hilton is putting on. Then I pre-ordered the Hope for Haiti album on iTunes.

I'm watching Bono, Jay-Z and Bono blaze now. I feel better but my thoughts and prayers remain with the Haitian people as they fight for their lives. I encourage you, with all of my heart, to do the same. And donate whatever you can.

Trainin'

2010-01-22T15:39:00.000-04:00

On the Acela from Boston to DC. Love 1 class 'cause of pours like this...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T so please excuse brevity and any typos.

DR - Randoms

2010-01-21T19:17:00.001-04:00

DR - Golfing

2010-01-21T19:15:00.005-04:00

Up early on Sunday to play 18 hotels with Don Daniel at the best course I've ever had the honor of playing.

DR - Playa Grande

2010-01-21T19:14:00.003-04:00

DR - Gazebo Fun

2010-01-21T19:12:00.002-04:00

Pike Place Market in Seattle

2010-01-21T19:11:00.001-04:00

Some pics from Guy 34 at Morris East

2010-01-21T19:10:00.005-04:00

Though Halifax was ravaged by the blizzard, a bunch of great people made it out!

Is this my first post in 2010?

2010-01-21T18:50:00.002-04:00

Yes, I think it is. I've had my "Christmas Message" in various stages of draft, but haven't had time to wrap it up. But I'm long overdue for a posting.

The holidays were hectic. Christmas with family in Halifax. Clear across the country for New Year's in Vancouver. A day in Seattle en route to the Dominican Republic. Left right before the horrific quake on the other side of the island. Spent a week at home in NYC. Dipped down to Austin. Am in Boston today and tomorrow and heading to DC for the weekend to see Thievery Corporation.

I've got a bunch of cool photos from over the holidays. Let me post some of them as a distraction.

iPhone's Challenge

2009-12-21T14:17:00.002-04:00

Doesn't matter who you hate (Rogers, Verizon, ATT) it's still funny

2009-12-18T17:18:00.002-04:00

http://consumerist.com/2006/12/solve-this-math-problem-verizon.html

I wish I would've done that for Rogers back in the day. Although ATT hasn't been shy to stick me with a couple $1200 bills this year, I'm always able to talk them into a more sane region - usually half.

Thanks to Balser. My closet math nerd amigo.

Oh BlackBerry. Please do something...soon...

2009-12-15T16:46:00.002-04:00

It is times like this I want to smash my BlackBerry into a million pieces: dining alone. The fact that BlackBerry has no reasonable web browser and there about a total of six useful applications available for a BlackBerry, means I need to pull out my Precision mobile workstation in order to access any content worthwhile.

Now, I'm not willing to jump to an iPhone that quick, as this is still primarily a voice device and I'm not willing to accept regular dropped calls and the such. But how long I can hold out, especially with the Droid contenders on the scene.

Am I the only person who sees how threatened RIM's position is?

In the early part of this century, I remember RIM celebrating 1 millions subscribers, which they've grown up to almost 30M. That took them between 10 and 25 years (depending on what you consider their start date to be).

The iPhone has got up to almost 7M subscribers in only 2 years. And have about two orders of magnitude more apps.

And for those who just can't stomach an iPhone for whatever reason, have a real new alternative in the Droid family.

I still think the game is RIM's to lose but they've got a gaping wound that is hemorrhaging blood by the second. They have to solve the app problem. Partner with MS. Partner with Google. Do something! Your enterprise base is not going to support you forever, because eventually the other two will start attacking you there too.

Consider this my call to action, Waterloo. Get on it.

GuyWatches>Mujeres Infieles (Unfaithful Women)

2009-12-13T16:26:00.002-04:00

Looking for something to watch late one night about a week ago, I browsed the streaming titles on Netflix and came across the Chilean export. I can't name another film I've ever seen from Chile, so I have to say I was impressed. The story of five (I think) women in different stages of infidelity, I thought this was both sexy and sophisticated and kept my attention until the end. I thought it was a fresh treatment of an otherwise tired and painful topic.

A fabulous article on Icelandic Fishermen as Bankers

2009-12-09T15:48:00.002-04:00

This is one of the most entertaining magazine articles I've ever read. It is a must read if you:

- are Icelandic
- or Nordic
- or Atlantic Canadian
- or an investment banker
- or a fisherman
- or like Bjork
- or hate Bjork
- or like Sigur Ros
- or just want to laugh

Read this Vanity Fair article now

Thanks to DSchein for leaving it on my to-read pile.

I distinctly remember the hype of the now-defunct Icelandic banks setting up offices in Atlantic Canada. I remembered wondering what the need is for Iceland's new-found financial acumen and being skeptical of its existence.

This article shows me everything about the story I didn't know including a lot about Iceland, a place I've never been, but am still very curious to visit.

When I see regional development agencies trying to rebrand their geography, I usually cringe, because you're talking about a culture and a society, not an enterprise. You cannot change the skills and motivations of a population as easy as a company. It takes centuries to tweak a culture, and it doesn't always work the way you want. You may have a macro-economy ripe for the picking, an ecosystem all set up, but at the end of the day it is all about the people. Icelandic men aren't made for banking. Turks weren't born for filmmaking (sorry). Nova Scotians don't really do tech. It's a lesson I learned the hard way.

First snowfall in NYC

2009-12-06T05:07:00.001-04:00

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T so please excuse brevity and any typos.

Pics from Mo Bay

2009-11-29T20:26:00.001-04:00

Montego Bay

GuyQuotes>Quality of Living

2009-11-28T15:52:00.001-04:00

"Living well is the best revenge."

- George Herbert

What I woke up to every morning in Jamaica last weekend...

2009-11-25T22:41:00.000-04:00

The Last Days of Lehman Bros.

2009-11-24T10:06:00.005-04:00

I just saw this clip and now am dying to see the whole film. Next stop: Netflix.

(Thanks to Rick for passing this along)

I need a photographer

2009-11-16T20:29:00.002-04:00

For 4 on-location commercial portraits in Austin, Nashville and Oklahoma City this week.

Can anyone help?

The 19 Blogs Inc. Thinks We Should Read

2009-11-14T18:27:00.003-04:00

I guess the good news is I already follow 4 of them (Fred Wilson, Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin and Mark Cuban) occasionally follow the goings-on of two (Charlene Li and Howard Linzon). Am pleased to have found at least one new-to-me blog I'm adding to the RSS feed: Penelope Trunk.

A great set of rules for business travelers

2009-11-14T18:17:00.002-04:00

I agree with everything Penelope Trunk says here. The only thing that never occurred to me was the value of elite status. With the amount of travel I do (since you're asking, that's an average of 3 flights per week for 14 months and counting) I do make an effort to book on the best flight in terms of convenience (time) and price. As a result, I have *some* status on all the major carriers. But I do not yet have ultra elite multi-platinum status with any of them (my number one airline - JetBlue - while giving me lots of free flights, does not offer any elite status).

That said, I'm on the cusp with a lot of them: Continental, Delta, American, United, and US Air. Time to bunker down and give one of them a lot of love. The question though, is who is going to be?

I've got a lot of jet-setting friends who read this blog, so I'm curious to see your opinions. Take it away...

Things I am hating right now

2009-11-10T00:08:00.003-04:00

1. American Airlines. They closed their check-in 70 minutes before my flight and had zero staff outside of security (they were all at the gate). As a result of no online or kiosk boarding passes available and no staff, I missed my flight and had to book on another carrier for a total of $1600 one-way from Calgary to Oklahoma City (through Denver).

2. Men with long hair. A dude on my flight released and shook-out his ponytail in front of me and I almost retched from the stench of his unwashed nest. That is the follicular equivalent of taking a dump on the jet bridge.

3. The fact that my beloved Sonicare toothbrush keeps randomly turning on and off.

4. When housekeeping don't reset hotel room clock radios and they go off in the middle of the night.

Is Microsoft going to buy BlackBerry?

2009-11-03T14:49:00.001-04:00

First I heard of this speculation, but it *kinda* makes sense.

Sunday Night

2009-11-02T12:47:00.004-04:00

Have you ever shown up at a party and felt like an outsider? Well, this was me last night when I arrive at the birthday parties for two sibling restaurants in my neighborhood. Double Crown - a hawker-food inspired tribute to British colonialism in the Far East turned 1. It's older brother Public, one of my favorites (as anybody who has visited me likely knows), turned 6. Both have great food, though I much prefer Public, and both are amazing spaces designed by AvroKO (who you'll notice also did midtown's Quality Meats).

Anyway, as a regular at Public, I got invited. And upon arriving, realized that I was a party that I had no connection to the other party goers (most of whom were more closely linked to the projects and seemed to know each other). But the music was phenomenal and the open bar of killer drinks leveled the playing field.

The throwdown started at Double Crown, and then after a skit whereby costumed waitstaff enacted a battle between a local warriors and British colonial explorer for the affections of three local women, they started a procession to Public for the second phase of the party.

At 10:30pm about 100 of us filed down Elizabeth Street from Bleecker to Prince, as people played instruments and waitstaff served more appetizers and strategically-placed kiosks on the street.

Inside Public the party was done up even better. The Edison light bulbs were all red (how do they do that Glennie?), there were DJ's and silhouetted dancers and I gotta say, it's been a while since I've seen people have such a good time on a Sunday night. I reckon there was a heavy dose of bar staff in the crowd. A few celebs too, as I saw Julia Stiles with some regular dude she's dating and also the famous artist Chuck Close.

I've been to some over-the-top parties, some in Paris spring to mind, the Cirque du Soleil NY launch back in the spring, and even a cottage party in the Laurentian Mountains a few weeks ago. But this one takes the cake. One of the party insiders said that they try to outdo themselves each year. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Scenes from Nolita

2009-11-01T20:11:00.003-04:00

GuyQuotes>Decline of America's Advantage

2009-11-01T17:33:00.002-04:00

"More people will graduate in the United States in 2006 with sport-exercise degrees than electrical-engineering degrees. So, if we want to be the massage capital of the world, we're well on our way."

- Jeffrey Immelt
CEO, General Electric

Enjoying Tyler Brûlé Again

2009-11-01T13:05:00.002-04:00

My buddy Sam Sniderman was visiting from London two weeks ago, and over a boozy brunch at Freeman's we were swapping media suggestions to an early eighties soundtrack with The Cure in heavily rotation (much to both our delight).

Sam mentioned to me how much he enjoyed the weekly writings of Tyler Brûlé in the FT, which I had noticed a month ago when thumbing through OMERS' copy at Douglas' one Sunday in Toronto. I hadn't realized it was a regular column.

So I dug in to FT.com and started catching up, and have to agree with Sam. Tyler is a fellow Canadian and the founder of my beloved Wallpaper magazine. He had sold it to Time a while back and went on to a bunch of other things and I lost track of him while I waiting patiently for Wallpaper to work through the transition.

His writing has the same flavor that drew me to Wallpaper over a decade ago: A balance of over-the-top snobbery and self-deprecating modesty. Clever writing about an aspirational world that you don't feel guilty about understanding or craving.

Tyler's Fast Lane column is part of my regular RSS feed now. I encourage you to check him out. You can start with this week's nostalgic look at the ritual of the Saturday night trip to video store.

Things you need to stop tweeting about

2009-10-26T12:51:00.003-04:00

10 Things You Need to Stop Tweeting About. I particularly agree with #1 and #5.

If I could also add a couple more of my own:

#11 - Your progress on @foursquare
(What is this? Like real-world D&D/SimCity?!?)

#12 - A play-by-play of the sporting event you're at/watching
(If I cared, I'd be watching it too.)

Mac v. PC

2009-10-21T14:15:00.002-04:00

This is absolutely awesome.

Thanks to Annu for sending it my way and giving me a huge mid-afternoon laugh.

For real this time: Simplify your scheduling

2009-10-21T12:02:00.004-04:00

I gave a shout out to the people over at Tungle about 2.5 years ago when they launched their baby.

As with any beta product, it had its teething issues. I had some early successes with it, but also had some issues with it that prohibited me from using it consistently and getting real efficiency from it. So I stopped using it.

Earlier this year, faced with trying to coordinate bi-coastal teams of overly distracted people, with no common calendar app or platform, and an aggressive project schedule, I decided to try 'er again.

This time it was a huge success. My colleagues, of varied tech-savvy, all with executive-ADD, and ex-McK analytical skills, loved it. For our internal project, it worked like a charm, and let us book meetings without the usual 3 - 10 emails back and forth.

We continue to use Tungle in a small group internally. The next step we're hoping for is an enterprise-wide version - with our own branding and style - that will allow us to leverage Tungle externally with our clients. As we're a professional services outfit, this is where we spend all our time. Having Tungle handle this for us will be nirvana, in my opinion.

Marc and the gang and Tungle have come a long way and they should be proud. And I'm even more stoked for the future.

Check it out. I think you'll dig it.

The tough times continue in NYC

2009-10-19T13:40:00.002-04:00

I'm working out of my office in the Financial District (FiDi) of Manhattan this week for a change. I typically only work here a few days a month but when I do, I favor a few special lunch joints. Well today, it took me almost an 40 minutes to find some reasonable chow, dttf that two of them had shut down! Bread & Olive - which made the best falafel lunch platter and Zen Palate - which made the best shredded veggie plate, are both closed. Not cool.

Thinking more about the iPhone

2009-10-18T19:32:00.003-04:00

Lately I've been seeing more and more cool apps for the iPhone. Apps for budgeting/expenses, for list management/productivity, and a multitude of other things I'm into. So many apps in fact, that I started to seriously consider *trying* an iPhone.

Then I saw this ad:

On second thought, never mind. This points out all the flaws in addition to the crappy phone functionality that Sanj pointed out in an earlier discussion on this subject, and the fact that it just doesn't come across as a serious business device.

All that said, I have to wonder what BlackBerry has up their sleeve. It is their game to lose, and those smart guys in Waterloo have had plenty of time to come up with a way of fueling app development for their devices (other than their "App Store" which provided the portal but not the content).

The future is all about the apps and if RIM doesn't make some radical moves, they will be left in the dust.

I, for one, am not ruling them out. They've got the money and the smarts to pull this off.

I'm so sorry this wasn't my idea

2009-10-18T02:33:00.002-04:00

Props to Ingo for passing this my way.

GuyWatches>Paris

2009-10-13T13:23:00.010-04:00

A similar theme centered around a lonely young dancer with a failing heart and the interplaying stories of people around him in Paris. Again, while the "6 independent stories all turn out to be interconnected" angle is overworked these days, this one was somehow fresh. The intersection was tangential at best as each character explored their own heart ailments. Fantastically acted by some of France's best actors, this too was a lot of fun to watch despite the slightly somber theme. The central character though, was the city itself which was shown from all of its breathtaking angles. Paris is so often touted in the springtime, that one forgets just how beautiful it is in the fall and winter, when this story takes place. If nothing else, it reminded me why I think Paris is the best city in the world.

GuyWatches>One Week

2009-10-13T13:21:00.002-04:00

This flick invoked every last sense of patriotism and nostalgia in my body. Set to a fresh soundtrack of Canadian artists (including at least two cameos), lit by beautiful scenery, this is the story of a young teacher played by Joshua Jackson. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, he reevaluates his life, and hits the road on a motorbike in search of adventure and self-exploration. While that particular theme could have easily gotten tired fast, it was freshly executed and played with you nicely without getting too heavy. Despite the morbid subject matter, it was engaging and lively and an absolute pleasure to watch. And it yanked on my Canuck heartstrings incessantly. Probably the best body of work I've seen Joshua Jackson in, so I must commend him for his performance.

Some great flicks

2009-10-13T13:20:00.000-04:00

Tucked away in KJ's cozy 60's bungalow in Calgary SW avoiding the sub-zero temperatures, I managed to have a very relaxing Thanksgiving weekend. Part of this meant watching a couple of fantastic movies that actually had a common thread. Each was the story of someone facing their mortality and each skillfully leveraged their surrounding geography to tell that story (one used Canada, the other the city of Paris). It's not often I randomly pick two winners in one night, but this weekend proved an exception.

Things I Don't Understand About the US #412

2009-10-10T21:22:00.002-04:00

Your health care system.

Not only is the current - clearly dysfunctional - system a complete mystery to me, but so is the widespread opposition to socialized health care, made so public in the Town Hall meetings a few months ago.

I have been a US resident for just over a year and a half. Fortunately I have not had to see a doctor yet (am lucky enough that I have doctor friends to write me prescriptions where necessary) but booking a dentist appointment for the first time was a lot more complicated that I would have expected. It took the several calls with the receptionist to identify the details of my plan and then another few days for her to confirm that my insurer would cover their services.

I'm certain I will have to go through similar complexities when I want to see a physician. Then there are all the complications of doctors who are "out of network" and services that aren't covered and "co-pays" and a bunch of other bizarre concepts.

But the complexity is not what my real problem is with the US health care system (since I'm sure I'll figure it all out soon enough). My problem is with the cost, and by extension the uninsured.

America pays more on health care per person each year than any other nation in the world (see this great article in this month's Men's Health that informed a lot of my thinking on this matter) and there are still 46 million people uninsured. To put that into perspective that is the entire population of South Africa. Or 1.4 times the population of Canada.

There are all these people who are not covered. People who are avoiding the emergency room because it is so expensive. Nobody I have talked to feels they are getting the quality of care they would like. And doctors - of which I know quite a few - feel that they're both underpaid and hugely inefficient.

So why are people so opposed to socialized medicine?

Argument #1 is the price tag. Well, some new small taxes on those that are profiting from products that contribute to America's main health problems (obesity, heart disease, cancer, etc.) are a great start. The proposed tax on soda is perfect. Extend that to foods that don't meet a certain health profile and you're getting closer. Then increase the existing tax on tobacco. And to double the government's funds and make doubly sure people understand the cause-effect of their lifestyles and bear a proportional burden, let's introduce a fit credit (notice I didn't say "fat tax") on citizens. Just a little kicker for taking care of yourself, and not overloading our hospitals and clinics.

Argument #2 is that they don't want to put the decision in the hands of the government. Who has ever said that would be the case? The notion of "government screeners" is completely fabricated and would never happen (I've never seen one). And besides, whose hand is your health care in now? A big profit-mongering insurance company. The entire thing is preposterous.

You count on the government to make sure your food is safe, terrorists don't board your planes and trains, and your water is clean. You count on the government to supply vaccines and programs the second a new virus appears on the scene. Why can't they play a more active role in (re)structuring and funding health care? I'm sure they'll do a better job of managing your health care bills than the insurance agents.

With an ageing population needing more and better health care, and the increasingly unhealthy lifestyles of the young, this problem is going to get worse and worse.

The system needs to get reengineered now. The insurance companies will hate it, but once all the current inefficiencies are worked out, it won't be so bad. They can adapt. Every other industry has had to do it at one time or another. Old doctors will also hate it, because they'll have to conform to an entirely new system and it will be painful and costly for lots of them. But eventually everything will work itself out and the new system will be better. The new system will also have problems, maybe some like the ones we have in Canada (long wait times to see doctors, etc.) but thanks to capitalism and the free market that makes the USA wonderful, these too will be overcome with time.

I wish Obama and the American people the best of luck. I'm rooting for you.

Back in Kensington, Calgary

2009-10-10T19:29:00.003-04:00

The logo for Pulcinella shows the legendary puppet holding a wooden peel (which we assume he will be using to unload a fresh pizza from a masonry oven). It is fitting that it looks like a joker, because that is what the guys working the oven were.

I really like the space, but the pizza was disappointing: sweaty cheese and a completely undercooked center crust.

The irony of the experience, is that the waiter told me that they are the only "ANP certified" or "Authentic Napoletana Pizza" which I highly doubt is the case.

It should come as no surprise to readers that the best wood-fired oven pizzas I've had were at Morris East in Halifax and at Tuscany on Bowen Island, BC.

Nashville delivers

2009-10-08T23:03:00.000-04:00

My fifteenth visit to Nashville and I've finally had the chance to venture out for a proper meal. Googline "olives" took me to Cafe Margot which is a delightful bistro in the East End. The chef, Margot herself, had just returned from a trip to Nova Scotia with her partner and joined me upon hearing my heritage.

Though my eyes lingered on the dish with preserved lemon (one of my favorite ingredients) I opted for the snapper with chickpea and spinach stew.

I will be back.
PS. The olives were very Morris East, marinated in chunks of fennel with preserved lemon, garlic and rosemary (my herb of choice.)
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T so please excuse brevity and any typos.

Winter in Montreal

2009-10-01T12:14:00.003-04:00

From 30 degrees at lunch in Austin yesterday to 7 degrees at lunch today in Montreal.

Je suis not amused.

Really?

2009-09-27T17:47:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe this is for real.

I had to stop watching after 2 minutes.

More on taking on Microsoft...

2009-09-27T16:38:00.002-04:00

Like a month ago, I posted about the court injunction that prohibited Microsoft from selling further copies of Word.

(Ironically, literally days after this post, I was at a private party at Toronto's Spoke Club thrown by Microsoft for their #1 reseller in Canada...one of my clients.)

Well, the battle against Microsoft continues, and it seems like Loudon and i4i are winning:

A fun article in ROB Magazine.

Pon de replay

2009-09-24T20:33:00.000-04:00

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T so please excuse brevity and any typos.

The new book Lepage & I are publishing

2009-09-24T09:32:00.001-04:00