Alex Bowyer // A British thirtysomething living in Montréal, Canada, with interests in people & society, technology, science fiction, films, travel and getting the best out of life.
Can also be found blogging at alexbowyer.blogspot.com and tweeting as @alexbfree.
I think the strongest message of last night's Challenge Your World event was this excellent short video by Sebastian Baptista from Uruguay. A simple idea, powerfully conveyed. Technology is not the answer to every problem.
I recently received the attached email (names blurred out to protect those concerned)
In it, I am told I can get a free licence for a product if I add a link to my blog.While it's nice that somebody thinks my blog has a value, this is definitely not the way to get me to endorse a product.And you may be able to increase the likelihood of me writing about it with some reward - if we're already at step 4 - ie I've decided I like it and am open to sharing my experience.
But the reward has to be of value. A license for something I've not used is not a reward. And this email gives me no incentive to care about the product.
I'm a keen swimmer. But that doesn't mean the same thing in North America as it does in the UK, or even to everyone back home, so I better explain - I love to go to the swimming pool, cruise up and down at my own pace and let my mind wander. If I'm feeling particularly indulgant I might even relax in the jacuzzi (spa/hottub) or steam room afterwards. I'm not a competitive swimmer and have no interest in lap times or personal bests. For me, it's a pleasant thing to do that has the happy side effect of giving me some regular exercise.
Which is why it's really sad that I haven't been swimming in Montréal since I moved here 9 months ago. The thing is, in Canada, it's not so easy to just "go swimming". In the UK, the normal way to go swimming is to turn up at a public pool, at pretty much any time you like (save for a few swimming classes or women only sessions when it is not available), pay a few pounds admission, and go swimming. In Canada, it doesn't work like that. Almost every pool (including the numerous "public" pools provided by the city), require memberships fees - usually around $50 (£30) a month, plus a similar joining fee, after which you can have general access at most hours. If you want to keep yourself "unaligned" to any particular pool, then you can come during the pool's "public" hours.. Typically 1-3 hours each day are assigned as open to all (all Montréal residents that is). And during that time it's free to swim. The catch? These "free" hours are not particularly convenient. At the downtown YMCA where we went today, the free hours are 2.30pm-4pm and 8.30pm-10pm. ie no use at all if you want to swim (a) before work, (b) at lunchtime or (c) after work. Canada, your swimming system sucks!To read some more about my first swim in Canada you can read the full post here.
Now this is just mean...
Wouldn't you like to see this sort of thinking applied to social policy? (from the same people as the piano subway steps)
Almost every piece of TV, movie, news or documentary footage you see has been edited to try and make a particular point. This video illustrates quite convincingly the power of editing and why you should hesitate to form judgements unless you're watching live unedited footage.
Man I hate it when they confiscate water at the airport - it's so arbitrary and random. Winds me up every time. Especially when I forget and I have to throw it away, so I buy a bottle on the other side - and it's identical! Grr - angry just thinking about it.
Which is why I love this cartoon! :-)
This is well worth a watch, stick with it for the "demo" at the end - it's a reinvention of windows-based desktops using up to ten fingers as distinct control points instead of one mouse pointer. Unfortunately it's only a concept - but technically very possible.
This is Hyperland, a BBC2 documentary with Douglas Adams, Tom Baker, Ted Nelson and others, broadcast in 1990 - that's before the World Wide Web, before DVDs, before digital TV, before the Internet as we know it.
What's quite remarkable is the amount that it gets right:
All in all, well worth 50 minutes of your time if you are interested in changes in technology and media and their effect on society.
I found this today on Russell Davies' blog.
