May 2012
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“If the Occupiers ever figured out that these industries’ various regulatory, tax...”
– Interesting idea from Jack Mintz at Financial Post about better angling the Occupy movement to constructive ideas that will actually gain support from average Canadians.
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Was the Avengers really that good? A dissenting...
Image from this website.
I’ve heard everyone from film critics to common movie fans state their unfettered love of The Avengers. The movie has a 93% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and has been praised for everything including its dialog, pacing, visual effects and casting.
But was it really that good? Consider this a dissenting opinion.
The movie was overall enjoyable, but in...
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April 2012
12 posts
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Ottawa's Fall Down Gallery About More Than... →
I had a great time talking to Robbie Lariviere for this article. We talked in the basement at Fall Down Gallery, near the corner of Bank St. and Somerset St. West.
It’s the sort of place where the community matters as much as the location and the products. They host events on a regular basis and they’re celebrating their first anniversary along with dance studio Flavor Factory...
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Doing both this summer.
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White Guilt & Groupon
White people agree (and others concur): Indian food is fantastic.
So when the Groupon for $30 worth of Indian food for $15 comes up, any white man with half a tongue will gladly jump on that deal. I certainly did.
But knowing the mathematics of Groupon makes them… let’s just say ackward to use.
I waltz into the shop with a hidden, golden secret. They seat me - still unknowing -...
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“Clever things make people feel stupid, and unexpected things make them feel...”
– Futurama
(Inspiration for my next career.)
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An Ode To My Flip Phone
You, my dependable flip phone, never let me down.
The pictures you take are unrecognizable. It would take 30 seconds to type a three-word text message. And, flip phone, I love you.
I see people stuck in the rat race of cell-phone upgrades. And you have stayed by my side (literally) through it all.
While Rogers or Bell has asked/demanded that many people upgrade their phones, I have been able...
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Burnout
I’m not growing up, I’m just burning out.
March 2012
12 posts
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What I presume Game Of Thrones is like
I have never seen Game Of Thrones, but I do have a twitter account. From tidbits of commentary and off-the-cuff remarks, I have created a scene that might appear in the show based on my random encounters with fans of the program. Am I close?
Messenger of Landholdion: Greetings, King of Regionalia! My King sends his tidings in this time of war.
King of Regionalia: Your King is a fool! His...
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Data Puking, Killer Master Ninjas, & “The Big O” →
Social media is not based on faith anymore. You shouldn’t do social because you have faith it will be benefit your company. You should do social because it delivers economic value to your business. And the only way to discover whether it does or not is by looking at the data and drawing conclusions from it.
Damn straight.
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“The impulse to perfection cannot exist where the definition of perfection is the...”
– Raymond Chandler (1945)
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Thoughts on the conversion funnel from #WmWott
Glenn Schmelzle presented a good introduction to the online conversion funnel last night at Web Marketing Wednesday in Ottawa.
It’s a pretty simple structure on the surface:
Attract people to your website using great content distributed through the proper medium;
Convert these people after they arrive on your site.
There are different models, and there are always two factors you can...
February 2012
13 posts
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“The idea that the nation’s culture can be shaped by mandating the nationality of...”
– Marni Soupcoff: The trouble with CanCon regulations | Full Comment | National Post
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Being a great role player →
Nick Collison is what many people (unfortunately) call a ‘role’ player in the NBA - meaning that he’s not one of the top scoring options on his team. He doesn’t get much glory, and chances are that there are guys on his team that make five times more money than he does.
He talks a bit about why he still tries to improve his game and how he feels gratified about working for...
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Raising Houston Music Prices Good Business, Bad PR
Two words: dynamic pricing. Those could be magic words in the media business these days.
When you walk into Wal-Mart and see the DVD released last week, you’ll pay $28 for it. In two weeks, $21; in 3 months, $14. That’s just cashing in on demand - it’s the most common practice in the retail world.
But we don’t live in the DVD world any more, we now live in the digital...
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Netflix original series will change the course of...
I’m left wondering why folks aren’t in the streets raving about the TV breakthrough that occurred just yesterday: Netflix released its first original series.
You’re right. It sounds kind of dull. AMC has their own series, so does HBO - for that matter, so do ABC and NBC and CBC.
So why is this a breakthrough? Because my TV only has one cord connecting it to the wall: the...
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“I was going to make fun of Nickelback, but then I decided to just move on with...”
– Ben Myers (me)
January 2012
17 posts
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“I will solve your problem, and you will pay me. […] You can use what I...”
– Paul Rand
Words for designers and freelancers to live by.
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Four-Word Column: NHL All-Star Media Day
Let’s watch them talk.