Cable internet provider - providing?

i didn't snap... i'm not even that bitter, really, but boy did Shaw drop the ball on this one. Shaw cable internet recently bought local company Monarch Cable. And things got a little rough, bandwidth wise. i figured that, with the change-over, they deserved some grace, so i gave it.
Yesterday i was completely without internet access, it felt like i was back in Nairobi... uggg! After doing everything i know to do, i called their help line (don't you love help line answering machines?). Got ahold of them last nite around 10 pm. i'm told that Shaw has made some major upgrades in my neiborhood (great! i new they'd come around) and that, said upgrades make my (Shaw provided) modem obsolete. That is my only problem, easy enough to fix, i got a new modem this morning from their local office... no charge, no hassle. The issue i have is this: Where was the notification. where was the heads up from Shaw. Shaw, by their own actions made my modem (and i imagine lots of others) obsolete. All i ask for is a advance warning... is that so hard? Respect me as a customer, or i go looking for another provider.
We'll, maybe i am a little bitter, really.

Advertisers missing the mark with men

"Men are far more complex than advertisers give them credit for,". As an advertiser, am i being called out here? First i'll read the article. i'm not at all interested in gender bashing, one way or the other, but if there is something to learn here, i'm all for it. Are you?

Clive Staples and the Silver Chair

It's reading time. i have picked up a small book, one that needs to be read (and comprehended) by tomorrow. (feels like school, all over again). Good thing the book i selected is small, and of the utmost interest. Could use a few more pictures tho.
Clive Staples tale from the Narnia series "The Silver Chair". What's that? you read this as a child? well good on you, i was busy with my G.I.Joes at the time.
i'm far enough along in the book already to get the first 4 questions of this online quiz right, then it breaks down. i need to read some more. (no time to wait for the movie)
Want to buy these books? Go ahead and use the handy Amazon search box to the right, same great prices, i get some dosh too. Special.

Eminent Domain - US Supreme Court

For anyone else who has seen the Castle (as i recently have) this article hits close to home.

Game Seven

Tonight is game seven. The last finals game seven was played in 1994 ( i remember that game well, as does Johny Starks). Tonight tho, i have prior arrangements. i booked this long in advance, never expecting this series to go seven. wow.
"This is about the teams involved, not what history says about the teams" - Popovich

Marketing is

"Marketing is not about trickery or even insincerity. It's about spreading ideas that you believe in, sharing ideas you're passionate about... and doing it with authenticity. Marketing is about treating prospects and customers with respect, and realizing that it's easier to grow the amount of business you do with happy people than it is to find new strangers to accost." - Seth Godin

Home? ndio

i'm back home. tired. back home.
in kiswahili ndio means yes...
sleep time.
Power blogging to resume within due time! it's good to see that the internets isn't broken.

Sawa sawa

Hello friends, we are fine. we are alright. or in kiswahili, we are "sawa sawa".
God has been gracious!
Moments ago we staged our group photo with the Kenyan commishioner(sp?) of
Sport. yeah, we've got connections that go ALL the way to the top. Praise God.
But, this is the first blog post since we left Canada, so let me go back to the
beginning. Amsterdam airport was great, we ate a lot of gouda, a lot of gouda.
Brian and i ate a whole lot of gouda. nice. While we were at the airport, we
found an impromptu fine art museum. i was in my element, the others went back
for more gouda. (we even took some gouda on safari with us!) Piet Mondrian is
one of the most widely known Dutch painters, alongside rembrandt & Van Gogh.
As a pivotal part of the de Stijl movement, the museum exhibited "tableau no 1"
1913 by Piet. Along with a couple others. (remember my recent blog post
regarding the boogie pac-man? Yeah, i was really happy to find Piet.
Maasai Mara was a blessing again, the wealth of pictures and stories will be
flowing as soon as we arrive home. Everyone is healthy, happy, and tired... but
as American Mark was known to say during our January trip, "There will be time
enough to sleep when we are dead"... yeah, morbid, but deep.
Not since Thailand do i recall being this humid and hot in a suit. youzza.
the conference hall is packed... and the vision is being cast in a great and
powerful way. It is so exciting to see and hear of the Kenyan people getting
excited in how they will be influencing thier nation thru sport... all for
Christ.
At one dollar every six minutes for internet connection, i'm done... the
conference has started up again, (Tea time is over, i love their
colonialism's).
Talk soon,
everyone here:
HC, BK, MW, SD & me ja...
/missing you.

Monte Solberg gives, i'm buying

Monte Solberg gives us a great speech transcript.

"I'll bet you a box of Timbits that if you asked Canadians who, day in and day out, is truly emblamatic of what Canada is at its core they would eventually say...the Canadian soldier. They might even say this to their own surprise.: - Monte's blog

i tell you, if Monte publishes a book, i'll buy ten copies as gifts! The man has a gift, aside from the obvious choice, his political gift!
(Ten bonus points for working timbits into the speech... truly Canadian)

Haida Bucks - Island Coffee

Recalled this story to my father over coffee today. It's all true. The legal battle and all. Read about it now!
Haida Bucks... next time you need a coffee.

"HaidaBucks Cafe made the news recently due to our legal struggle with Starbucks®. They're suing us for trademark infringement because, for some reason, they believe you can't tell the difference between our little shop and their huge, mass-marketed company."

Bootstrapping

Not only does Seth use the term bootstrapped... check out this quote:
"Don't grow unless it gives you joy.".
Time to ponder said quote a little bit, ponder that, and get packing for tomorrow!

Speaking of Kenya, dig it!

We leave Wednesday afternoon. After a social drive up to Calgary we will stay at the The Quality Inn Airport, Calgary. Check out that link, look at all the tourist spots that we will NOT have time to visit. And that is in Calgary alone.
i really look forward to seeing Kenya again. As internet access allows, i will be blogging from East Africa.
Don't be suprised if i don't get much blogging in between now and then, really... there is a LOT of final prep to do, a lot! Say a prayer, thanks.

SING ALONG - Were goin to see Lions, Only in Kenya (Forget Norway). Still classic. Can ya believe it.

Bed time reading

Wired Magazine has a great article online... kind of a state-of-the-economy bit "Revenge of the Right Brain" - Daniel Pink
exerpt: "Now that (others) can do left-brain work cheaper, we... must do right-brain work better." / parenthesis mine.

But me, i'll be reading "Inside Kenya, creating Tomorrow" that arrived today after having arranged to receive it from the author, here. Thanks Sandra.

Retro video game & abstact art

i wonder what Billy Mitchell thinks of this? is Billy a purist, and this offends him? or does he, like me, get an absolute kick out of the association created.

Piet Mondrian is one of my favorite abstract artists. Pac-Man, my all time favorite video game, hands down.

what happens if you put both together? You get Pac-Mondrian. Play and play again. Enjoy the boogie!

Who is Adam Gierasch

Better yet, don't answer that. If you don't already know, you probably won't care, i know i don't. i've never met him, never talked to him (that i know) and i've never considered him a friend or co-conspirator. Co-writer? nope, not at all.

He and Jace Anderson are co-writers of what appear to be tacky horror flicks. "All things Zombie" Bahhh. By sheer numbers alone, it appears that they have managed quite a career. At least that is what Google says when i *google* myself. Have you googled yourself?

By entering your own name into the google tool search bar, you will, no doubt, find each and every page that has a name mention to you, or, as illustrated above, that ONE other person who shares your name. Remember that school play you were in as a kid, it's on a website in your hometown. And now, folks read about your childhood before appointments. We view your racy flickr pics as due diligence before we interview you for positions with the company. Are you suprised? did you really think that all those actions and choices you've made were disconnected from your life? like hidden blips? nah, everything you've done in secret gets found... if not Google, then when?

Anonymous library interaction

Went to the local public library yesterday. This wasn't an issue, but given time, it may be. Frankly, i like how clean and smooth this could be as an interaction model. [ Plus, couldn't the library use the interest derived from the deposited amounts as a quasi-fund raiser? - merely an afterthought... think on it]

From the article: " You've seen anonymous cash cards already; you may even have received them before. They're better known as gift cards. Using the same principle, libraries can issue a borrower card that uses cash, rather than personal ID information, as collateral. Here's an example: If a privacy-minded user deposits $20 to get an anonymous library card, she can check out The Terror State without identifying herself. Her account balance is temporarily reduced by $15, and when the library checks the CD back in (in good condition), her balance is restored to its original value."

Thanks Slashdot for the link. News for Nerds, stuff that matters.

Dwight Howard AIA video

"im a teenager, and im about to go from high school straight into the NBA.. its not gonna be easy but i have faith" Dwight Howard

Barcelona to sell shirt off back

Great article at USATODAY regarding FC Barcelona's selling their jersey fronts in a very creative fashion "Beijing 2008". A five year deal for 190 mil. (NBA you listening?). That alone would pay for a couple more max NBA contracts. Or lower tickets maybe LOL.

Financial wisdom for marketing

Who is providing us with financial wisdom for marketing?
Mark Cuban of course. As a follow up to the NBA Ads on Jerseys discussion, Mark gives a full discourse on his blog Maverick site. Thanks again, Mark. You rock!

Medicine Hat - 365 Days of Pictures

"This book is a testament to what makes Medicine Hat a community that others can only dream about." - Garth Vallely, Mayor - Medicine Hat

Huge Kudo's to Dan Engel of Hide Away Studios for his work on making this project happen. This is a wonderful labour of love that beautifully showcases the city's attractions and charm. Dan took over 8000 images before selecting the final 500 images for this coffee book publication. After self-publishing the book, it is now available at a growing number of locations throughout the city. Just in time for 2005 too, great timing.





"i hope that you will enjoy these pages, find them enlightening and possibly gain a new perspective of the community - Lifetime residents and visitors alike" - Dan Engel

Dan has given me the opportunity to assist him in distributing these books throughout the community. Want to see one? Want to own one? How about a box of 20? email me either way!!! Coffee's on me. i like coffee.

Inside Kenya, creating tomorrow

It's late, and i'm off to sleep... but i can't wait for this book to arrive.
"Inside Kenya, creating Tomorrow". i emailed Hawthorne Publishing, and the author Sandra Harper was kind enough to respond to my emails, offering to courier this book to me so that i can read it while we fly to Nairobi on the 9th of June. Which, after glancing at my calendar, is coming up very very quick!

As an aside, "All proceeds from the sales of this book will go to the Scholarship fund of A.C.C.E.S., a non-governmental organization in B.C. which funds Scholarships and Literacy Centers in Kakamega, Kenya."