Stuff 2.0

Tonight I attended an event put on by the HTCE called From Web 2.0 to Office 2.0: How the social web will impact our working lives" for the High-Tech Communicators Exchange . It was an interesting event with a lot of good information from two fellows, Troy Angrignon and Eam Jackson, who know quite a bit about Web 2.0 and how it is evolving.

I find the topic fascinating and try to stay on top of the changes and developments, both for work and for my own interest. They discussed something that I was talking to a coworker about the other day. One of the basic tenants of a company using Web 2.0 tools to build their presence on the web is about creating a relationship - and you don't enter into any relationship unless you plan to be completely honest and transparent. I know many people have written that CEOs shouldn't blog - and I have to say I don't agree with that. I think it is great for CEOs to blog because they can increase their profile, increase customers' trust and belief in the company and help them create a conversation with customers, partners and employees. Of course, the CEOs have to willing to talk open and honestly. If a client questions the company, the CEO needs to be willing to listen and discuss rather than just looking for an easy out and hoping they will go away. Ultimately - its a discussion and both sides need to be willing to participate. I really think that transparency is the key word.

HTCE is having another event sometime in May - the 28th I believe to further look into great high tech issues that affect communicators. If you are in that field, you should look them up.

Btw - if you were at the event and missed the video of Blue, I've embedded it for your viewing pleasure. :-)

Voyeurism at its best

A couple of weeks ago a blogpost on ShinyShiny mentioned a new type of chicklit on the web, Holly's Inbox. Rather than being in book form, this is an inbox that you can click through and read all of a London receptionist's emails starting from her first day at a new job in a rather stuffy bank office and continue reading as new emails are added. I'm not usually one for chicklit - but the format intrigued me and now that I've read her first few weeks I'm totally hooked! What will happen with the handsome financial fellow from her office? Is her slutty friend really sleeping with all of the upper management at Holly's old workplace? And what about Trisha, the tough-as-nails receptionist, who has finally allowed herself to defrost and has become a fast friend of Holly's?

I know - it's trash. But sometimes I think its ok to read trash - it's a nice break. :-)

Update: Funniest email yet that I've read on Holly's Inbox
/snip/
You weren't there!!
Can you even imagine, you're an angry guest, your suite isn't the deluxe suite you booked, the tv doesn't work, the windows are jammed shut, the air con is up too high and you ask for the reception manager and he walks out with a set of Bunny ears on?
??
Can you imagine how hard it is to be taken seriously??????
I hate him.
/snip/

Hah! Love it!!!

Friends are welcome...

My parents and I have made reservations at Deerholme Farms on the island for one of the their cooking classes for my birthday. It is a combination of cooking class and multi-course meal cooked by Bill Jones, chef extraordinaire. On September 8th (my birthday!), the menu features tomatoes. Mum and I went last year and it was lots of fun - and we got a chance to meet and chat with the Urban Peasant!

If anyone would like to join us - the more the merrier!!

The menu will be:
Tomato-rama: A celebration of the fruit of love

Confit of tomatoes, olives and basil with grilled sardines
Heirloom tomato soup with Venturi-Shulze balsamic cream
Roasted garlic and tomato risotto
Smoked sablefish (black cod) in a Spanish tomato stew
Goats cheese panna cotta with honeyed tomatoes

Pearl is a mean landlord!!

Super great video for Friday fun!




Thanks, Walter!! (Btw - you look really good for having been acting since the '60s!)

Just one more time, I promise...

I, like scores of others, have been bitten by the mighty Facebook bug. I resisted for a couple of months - reading about it in blogs and magazines and swearing there was no way I was going to sign up to yet another networking website. That was until an old high school friend of mine, Kyle Hendsbee, sent me an invite (he decided to not blog publicly anymore). I joined up in early March and have been hooked ever since. It is fun to connect up with people you know today, but the real magic of it for me is to connect with friends from 15 or 20 years ago. I moved around so much as a kid, it is so cool for me to be able to see what friends from my grade 7 and 8 years are doing now. And to find out that I had (and have) good taste in friends - they are all still really nice, friendly, funny people! (Now I'm seeing if I can find any of my friends from the years I was in the US - anyone know Star Berry or Susan Burnham or Lisa Marini from Turners Falls, MA???)

If you haven't signed up for Facebook yet (don't worry, we'll get you yet), Gemma at ShinyShiny has posted this great post on what is so gosh darned great about it.

And for the little bit of geek in me...


I love this tshirt.

Save the date! April 23

Yup, I'm an avid Heroes watcher - as in PVR every episode, watch while it is recording and re-watch it with my husband later in the week when he is home. Personally, I think it is one of the best shows on television. In case you like it too, I just found this teaser for its return on April 23rd. <Kyenta does a little dance>



And, in case you haven't been able to keep up with the series, three episodes will be showing on April 21 on channel 16 from 8pm to 11pm PDT.

Vaisakhi in Vancouver

Claude and I had a chance to go to Vaisakhi again this year. If you've never been, it is a Sikh harvest festival that involves sharing your prosperity with you neighbours. Basically you go down to the Punjabi Market area in Vancouver and many homes and businesses have tables set up where they give small plates of food (curries, bhajis, sweets, etc.) to passersby for free. It is a lot of fun to see everyone dressed up in their finery and the parade that comes through has martial arts demonstrations, traditional music and lots of happy people.

It was also especially fun this year because it reminded us of our trip. In past years, I would get really frustrated at Vaisakhi because you find that there are no lines for anything. People crowd and push and try to cut in front of you for a small plate of channa curry and a puri. This year I just laughed it off because that is exactly what it is like in India - everyone crowds to get to a place, to get a ticket, to buy a meal, etc. You just have to let go of your preconceptions and go with it - and then it is kind of fun. Just don't let yourself get pushed out!

We've loaded a few photos of yesterday up on Flickr. Take a look if you are interested.

Fresh burritos comin' at ya!


This is a really interesting article on the Alameda-Weehawkan Burrito Tunnel, a little known delivery system for fresh, tasty burritos for New Yorkers. It is great to learn a little more about the history and innovation of America. The tunnel opened in 1933 and was originally intended to speed up mail delivery but was obsolete before the first letter was ever sent. Currently thousands of burritos as hour are travelling through the tunnel to hungry New Yorkers. The article contains some great historical and scientific information as well as some gems relating to recent events:

By the time they reach Cleveland the burritos are fully heated through and traveling uphill at about twice the speed of sound. A series of induction coils spaced through central Pennsylvania repeats the magnetic process in reverse, draining momentum from the burritos and turning it into electrical power (though Weehawken residents still recall the great blackout of 2002, when computers running the braking coils shut down and for four hours burritos traced graceful arcs into the East River, glowing like faint red sparks in the night).

I love the image of the burritos travelling through the air, into the river, making a soft fsst as they hit the water.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Thanks, Claude, for the link.

Kurt Vonnegut is gone

Just wanted to post a note that Kurt Vonnegut passed away last night at the age of 84. You can read all of the details in the New York Times article. I sure many of you have your own remembrances of his books and stories. I know he is one of my favorite authors and will be missed by those who knew him. One of the beautiful things about writers is that they will always live on in their works.


Thanks to Shelf Awareness for keeping me up to date!

Pussycat, Pussycat, where have you been?

There is a white pussycat in London who has taken to catching the bus to his favorite fish 'n chips shop. Really that is all you need from me - just go here and read the story.

Thanks to Dlisted

So f*@#ing proud!

One of my best friends, Alicia, was one of two winners tonight for the Laff Riot Girls Comedy Competition. She went on stage with her usual style and aplomb and killed them! I'm so proud of her. She is an amazing woman and I'm so happy that everyone got a chance to see that.

April 26th is the finals and I highly recommend everyone come out to cheer on our Alicia and see how truly funny she is.

In honour of Easter...

Movie review

Claude and I went to see The Reaping tonight at UBC during a free advance showing. I expected an evening's entertainment but nothing deep or meaningful. I must admit I tend to like movies that deal with Christianity/occultism like The Seventh Sign, etc.
Anyway, to be blunt, The Reaping is terrible. Terribly acted, terribly directed. Not worth seeing at all. The only interesting part (can't even call it a highlight was seeing AnnaSophia Robb in another movie. We saw her recently in Bridge to Terabithia and really enjoyed her in that movie. She is the traditional 'Broadway baby' as my mum calls them - little boys or girls that are typically sweet looking with blue eyes and blond hair - but under the surface she seems to have a spark that is attractive.

Anyway, time for sleeps. Claude is snoring beside me so that means I've probably stayed up too late again.
night.

Usually I'm not a follower of the "caption me"-type blog posts...

but this one I had to mention. Really, who doesn't love a good shot at Ann Coulter???

On a somewhat related note, it seems Fox's answer to Ann Coulter is Rachel Marsden. Those of you who live in Vancouver may remember her name. She was the local SFU swimcoach-/professor-/radiohost­-stalker in the late 90s. I'm so glad the US was able to find a place for one of our Canadian crazies. May they welcome her and keep her as one of their own.

Thanks, Stephen, for the Marsden link!

Awwwww, so cuuuuute!

Ok, I'm not usually the type that swoons over teddy bears and buttercups, but this video is both cute and hilarious. The video is very sweet, but the background audio from the onlookers is just hilarious - everyone is SO overcome by the cuteness of it all.



And in case you are curious as to where this vision of sugary sweetness took place - our very own Vancouver Aquarium!! Yay Vancouver!