In the Quest for Canadian On-Line Retailers

While sniffing out interesting canadian to add to North of the 49th, I came across the London Drugs site. It's fantastic.  It's got options. It's Canadian. It completely rocks, with an easy design and interface, the online selection is better than most I've seen.  And for those of us who are east of Manitoba, London Drugs isn't really drugs, it's a WHOLE lot more.


Technorati Tags: Canadian online retail, London Drugs

Like a Kid in a Camera Store

The call finaly came this week - the go ahead to replace all the camera gear that was stolen in Cancun. Finally. After almost 2 months, I was going to be all decked out, and everything was going to be right with the world. The trip to Henry’s was magical. Just like christmas. Yes, some things simply had to be upgraded.  That’s just the way these things work. And my favourite Henry’s superhero took care of me.

“Now Julie, we’ve got to change some of these things around. You’ve got to trust me, I want ti fix this for you.” Holy cow, can it get any better than this, I thought? We added, removed, upgraded and swapped. She wouldn’t let me get a red camera bag, it didn’t have a good history, and people had complained about it before. I’ve got a sexy black one now. My wee point and shoot digicam - upgraded. One lens, swapped out. It was the best hour ever.


And now - the sun is out, the snow has the faintest sparkle. And I’m ready. Again.




Technorati Tags: camera, Canon, Henry’s

Wireless Number Portability Pushes New Bell Incentives

Interesting news today out of the Globe and Mail - Bell is finally doing something interesting in terms of stemming what could be some significant churn when wireless number portability turns up next week. For $10/month you can call any bell number, wireless or wireline, and it doesn't eat your monthly mobility minutes. I like it.

globeandmail.com: Bell upstages wireless competition with new plan

Bell Canada, confronting intense competition from cable-TV companies and other rising entrants in the phone business, is offering a new rate plan allowing Bell Mobility clients unlimited local calls to and from other Bell mobile and fixed-line phones.The so-called Bell to Bell plan, starting at $10 a month, lets users conduct as many local calls between Bell numbers as they want at any time of day without using airtime minutes in their rate plans.

Technorati Tags: Bell, Wireless number portability

In the Market for a New Set of Wheels

The wiz and I are die hard lease-take-over people. After being burned more times than we can count on purchases and repairs and silliness, we have become fans of sites such as releaseme.ca and leasebusters.

These 2 Canadian sites are fantastic for pairing up folks who need to get out of a lease with folks who want to get into a lease, with less contract, less upfront cost... you get the picture.  We've re-leased an Xterra, a Jetta and a Pathfinder. Because the vehicles have low mileage, we haven't had to do more than an oil change and a tire rotation during the term of the new lease. It's perfect. And it keeps us from being committed to a vehicle for a long time.  Cars are becoming more and more disposable (akin to the iPod, I suppose), and unless you are getting a Volvo, their aftermarket resale value leaves little to be desired.

We are on our 3rd vehicle, and are looking for the 4th. It's perfect. Let someone else pay a down payment on a leased vehicle, and then decide 16 months later that they don't want it any more, and we prance in. The lease on our 2004 Jetta is up in another month. The trick is all in paying attention and being focused. For the past month we've been looking, but not with any sort of consistency. Now, with  only 3 weeks left, we have to be dedicated, disciplined and QUICK.

It's like a automobile taste test, with no extra calories.

powered by performancing firefox

Making the Browser Migration: Flock to Firefox

I never thought I’d do it… switch away from Flock…. but for some insane reason, it’s eating all the memory on my Dell work-laptop. To the tune of over 200,000 bits of memory. Really really. It was so painful yesterday I had to convince a co-worker not to hang up on me in Netmeeting. I could feel his pain.

And now, it’s the rather annoying exodus of bookmarks and add-ons and settings that need to make the trek to Firefox as well.
I already miss my little Flock bits. But I can’t take the appetite it has any longer for my memory.

To the Flock Gods: Please fix the memory leaks!!!


Technorati Tags: Flock Memory Leak, firefox

Am I too Old for Facebook?

It’s a slightly embarassing question, all things considered. Now that I’ve got a Facebook profile, I am understanding the interesting implications of the service. It’s easy, it’s adictive, it’s geared for 20-30 somethings who are social creatures.
It’s all point and click and click some more. I can change my status to “At a Party”. In fact, I might leave my status set to “At a Party”. ;-)

I’d l love to see the mobile version of this. I’d like to be able to map parties, and the people in my network, to see if we are all close to a party, or if there are a bunch of us in one spot.

I like that the privacy options are all customizable, and that people can’t become your friends without some sort of knowledge about you. And even then, you can opt out.  I was surprised that facebook was able to check my gmail contacts and add the people who were in my contacts to my friends list, pending their approvals, of course.  It’s goof proof and fast and intuitive.

Still, the question begs an answer - am I too old for facebook?


Facebook | Julie Kivell

Technorati Tags: Facebook

Suburban Sun

Suburban Sun
Originally uploaded by julebule.

Funny, the difference in 24 hours.
PS I need bigger trees in my backyard.
That looks like an awful lot of houses.

Suburban Snow

Suburban Snow
Originally uploaded by julebule.

Oh the winter horrors. :-)
It's increasingly difficult to get anywhere from up here. Perhaps that is part of the sub-conscious attractiveness of "up here".
Still, the snow is significant, if not bothersome.

PS - see the hockey net in the yard next door? Now that is neat.

Have You Hugged Your "Referrers" Today?

A quick scan of my referrer log today revealed that a good 50% of my referrer traffic in a week comes from The Good Blogs.

HUG


A snappy, two-hander handful in the past week has come from The Zero Boss.

HUG

Kudos to www.a-rain-of-frogs.com - the referrers from you are a testament to your smart followers ;-) In 2 days, you have added some serious traffic value.

Have you hugged your referrers today?


Technorati Tags: Referrers, The Zero Boss, The Good Blogs, A Rain of Frogs

Happy Birthday Gwennie

sepia gwen
Originally uploaded by julebule.

it’s not everyday a 50-something mum gets a birthday card on a blog. :-) Who would have thought?

Love you!

Where Were You in 1992?

I was up to my eyebrows in usenet, willingly going to the library at the U of G early to get caught up on emails, and skipping classes to create my own world in a MUD (multi-user dimension).  It was awesome. It was pre-windows.  It was the raw internet that no one knew about.  It was in a time when a PC was out of the financial realm of most folks…

Alec Saunders points out that the new “Say Everything” generation is really just a cyclical arc, that the tools and activities that youth today are involved in are really just updated tools from the ‘90’s.  He has *so* hit the nail on the head. It’s not new. 

In 1992, I had a Lynx created web page. And wow, it had most of the details that my site does now about me, perhaps even more. And chat!?!? Spending hours in a MUD does tend to make you pale, but I’ve created friendships that still exist to this day. And no, I’m only a pseudo-geek.

I too read The New York Times article on the Say Everything Generation….. It’s not a phenomenon, it’s not particulary avante garde or cuttingedge.  It’s finally the rest of the world getting caught up with whatwe were initially doing 15 years ago.  How embarassing would that befor one of the 15 year old Facebook groupies, thinking they are new andwild and unique? ;-) Heh.

The “Say Everything Generation”? Old hat… — Alec Saunders .LOG

The ”Say Everything” generation is a 20 year arc, finally reaching its peak. It didn’t start yesterday.

Technorati Tags: Alec Saunders, Say Everything, Lynx, Usenet, MUD

Thinking of Summer

Thinking of Summer
Originally uploaded by julebule.

Too cold to do much more than dream of summer.
Thinking of sand, water, sunsets and long shadows.

Here's to warmer seasons.

Why Do I Blog?

To my surprise and chagrin, I've been meme-ed! Thanks to Adrian over at A Rain of Frogs, I've been tagged with the "Why do I Blog Meme.

It's a good question, and a hard one to answer.
I think it all started in 2000, when I realized an ex was reading the analog diaries stuffed in my bedside table. For shame.
That episode begat the LiveJournal Era.
From there, it seemed to escalate.  Before I knew it, there were half a dozen different Live Journals, all created with various audiences and topics in mind.  This was back in the day when LiveJournal was the only game in town. That lasted a few years, until I realized that I could grow up a little.

Why Blog?
The Wiz often asks me that exact question.  For me, it's about building relationships and having conversations.  Learning, sharing the learning and hopefully having it lead where I least expect it.  I've been writing since I could write. I'm one of those oddies who've have a written history forever.  This is significant, as my long term memory is for shite. My blog keeps track of the topics I'm thinking about, what I'm working on and what I'm interested in.  Without it, I wouldn't have an anchor for my thoughts.  Take that as you will.

Blogging reminds me that everything is public, and personal privacy is just a few mouse clicks from being lost. When you can be approached at a conference with a question of "Are you jules@jules.ca" - you realize that your backyard is incredibly huge, and that there are many people in it :-)

Jules.ca is technical (mostly), and is my public persona, in all its odd and oddly interesting glory.
North of the 49th is curious - and fills a void in the Canadian Blogosphere. Plus, it also allows me to keep track of the goodies I find on the 'net. If someone else gets value, that's just gravy. It's still just in its infancy. I watch it grow daily.

So - why do YOU blog?




Technorati Tags: Why do I Blog Meme, Adrian

Plagued By Work Dreams

Two blissful, non-working days. Heaven. Plagued by working dreams each night. Hellish.  Is it possible that there are more than just the standard side effects of working 12 hour days? The dreams are so real that I can sit up in bed and wonder if I should be checking my email, that I’m missing out on some deadline, some response that needs attention. Something.

They aren’t bad dreams, but then again, any dream about work - on the weekend, can’t possibly be good, can it? 

How to French Kiss - Valentine's Day Appropriate

Happy Valentine’s Day to all, wiki style. After you brush up on the kissing, don’t forget to also check out How Not to be an Obsessive Girlfriend. You never know.


How to French Kiss - WikiHow

You have seen it done often in the movies and probably on the street in darkened corners. The French kiss is a timeless and passionate gesture of romantic affection. Whether you live in Paris, France or Paris, Texas, you can learn how to kiss like the French do without an embarrassing faux pas!

Technorati Tags: Valentine’s Day, French Kissing

Opening a Can of Freaking Worms

:-)
Bless The Zero Boss’s heart, and his wicked tongue. I had no idea of the can of worms I would be opening with my commentary on profanity in the blogosphere. The soap is on me…

My intent was to highlight the use of profanity in *popping* attention, not so much of a moral discusssion on the declining state of the internet.  But this is good too…

That being said - The Zero Boss has some very interesting comments as well ;-) Although I think they may have missed the point as well.

Folks: nothing is forgotten, nothing is lost, everything can come back and bite you in the ass when you least expect it. Nasty blogs and the postings within them will follow you around long past their best before date. No one is anonymous any more. ‘Nuff said.



Technorati Tags: profanity, swearing, The Zero Boss

Blog Swearing

I’m noticing a proliferation of potty mouths on the internet lately. Swearing, that is. Sure, it’s eyecatching in your RSS reader, but once the novelty has worn off, what have you got left?


The jury is out for me still - I think I can count on one hand how many times i’ve dropped a doozy, I’d like to save those biggies for really big deals.  For the shock effect, you know?  I’ve got a feeling that if my blog voice adopted the language of a drunken sailor, no amount of profanity would make people interested… ;-) Not to mention the fact that your blog history will follow you around like a wee puppy for the rest of your life. I suppose that is fine - if you indeed are a drunken sailor….

What say you? Is swearing acceptable in blog-land?


Technorati Tags: blogs, swearing

North of the 49th Brings Canadian Content

One of my 2007 goals was to create a new media vehicle, be it a blog or some such related bit of digitali, that would be ouside of my standard interests. While reviewing some of the blog award winners in both Canada and the US yesterday, it occured to me that there really isn’t a great Canadian Blog bringing Canadian yummy goodness to the population.

And on that premise, North of the 49th was created… Bringing Canadian treats and tickles to Canadians and the rest of the world.
I agree, it could be a challenge, what with the limited Canadian retail presence.  No one said that creating greatness was going to be easy. That being said, it’s a little bit retail, a little bit culture, and a whole lotta Canadiana.



Technorati Tags: North of the 49th, Canadian Retail

Canadian Vs US Blog Awards

Curious - the difference between the Canadian and US Blog award nominees/winners.

The Canadian flavour - brought to you by myblahg.com features a majority of blogs i’ve never heard of before. Is this an indication of my limitiations?  Or an indication that Canadian blogs are just below the radar?  I was hoping to come across some of the excellent Canadian blogs I read:

• Darren Barefoot
• Matthew Ingram
• Photojunkie
• My Name is kate
  

But no - the only recognizable blog nominee was Rick Mercer, and despite his plugs each week on the Rick Mercer Report, the majority of the content that he’s got is simple regurgitation of his weekly rant.

On the US blog side, I recognize and read a good 40% of the blogs that are mentioned. It’s important to note that these blogs are not just US blogs, but from all over the world.

Go ahead - take a look at each blog awards site. You be the judge.
I’m not sure what a comparison suggests, perhaps it’s simply a process and procedural problem for how blogs are validated and chosen? Perhaps the Canadian version is still working out the kinks in the selection/voting process?
I was hoping to discover real Canadian talent…. only to find…. yeesh.

Aberta, Illegal Gambling and Data Centres?

I’ve been following the developments of Alexander Internet Technologies, and their recent press release of launching the construction of a new data centre in Alberta. Why? Because data centre space is a hot topic right now, not to mention a hot commodity in Canada.  There used to be a time when you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting an empty data centre; alas, those days are long gone, and the fight for data centre space could turn ugly at any moment.

And it’s with this market fluxuation that I’ve been keeping an eye on Alexander Internet Technologies.  A girl never knows when she’s going to need a few extra thousand square feet of raised floor.

Apparently, Alexander Internet Tech is creating a new data centre space in hopes of luring off shore gambling websites to Alberta. Hmmm, interesting business model, considering that the only organizations who can legally run ANY form of gambling are ones registered or licenced by the government, or OWNED by the government.

But their casino-licensing scheme has a successful and legally questionable model in Quebec.

That province’s Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake is one of the world’slargest hosts for online gambling sites. It has operated the KahnawakeGaming Commission since 1996.Loto-Quebec and Quebec’s attorney general have in the past said thatonline gambling based in Kahnawake is illegal. But charges have neverbeen laid.

I am certainly not going to suggest that native Canadians aren’t governed by the same laws that the rest of Canada is governed by. I wouldn’t even imply that they think they are legally free to move outside the laws, and the canadian government is spineless enough to let it continue?

Nah, that would be just nutty.

Regardless, if you need a few thousand feet of data centre space in Alberta, you know where you can get it ;-)
Alta. gaming authority probing native band’s online gambling scheme

“Internet gaming, unless it’s conducted by the province or licensed by the (AGLC), is illegal.”Preparing to accommodate western Canada’s first online gambling operations, Alexander is building a 2,300-square-metre data centre on its territory, which will host the gambling websites’ computer servers.

Technorati Tags: Alexander Internet Technologies, Data Center, Canadian Governent