Author Archive for duncan

Richard Branson puts his life in my friend’s hands

Published
by
duncan
on March 17, 2007
in Uncategorized
. 2 Comments

A few days ago, my friend Tom Comet from Circus Orange produced a stunt for Virgin Mobile that saw Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire owner of Virgin, suspended in a prison cell 50 feet above Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto. They exploded the cell, opening the walls, and Branson climbed down successfully making his “escape.”

What’s all the fuss about? Well, in case you hadn’t heard, Canada is now only the second country in the world to feature full phone number portability. Which means that you can switch wireless companies, turn your home number into a wireless number or your wireless number into a landline. All of which should reduce prices and put features and innovation on the rise… I’m hoping that finally I will be able to get a true unlimited data service from a wireless provider that won’t cost a small fortune.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

More photos here.

Cognitive overload is like not enough RAM

Published
by
duncan
on March 15, 2007
in Quotable
. 0 Comments

The mechanics of cognitive overload are similar to the problem of insufficient RAM. - John Lorinc in The Walrus

march 23 mars

Published
by
duncan
on March 14, 2007
in Electronic Music, En français, Events and Montreal
. 15 Comments

[Français ci-bas]

On March 23rd, I’ll be celebrating my 35th birthday. Since it’s a big one in my books and 2007 is shaping up to be a milestone year for me, I decided to do something special. So… I reserved the SAT for a party with friends, clients, acquaintances and readers of my blog! RSVP with your full name and the number of people coming with you (your friends are my friends!) by leaving a comment below or via email. Hope to see you there!

Here’s the deets:

Friday, March 23 from 9 pm - 3 am
@ The SAT, 1195 Blvd St-Laurent
$10 cover includes a drink

DJs
21:00 - 23:00 Slim Jim (Laïka)
23:00 - 01:00 Ernesto Ferreyra (Mutek)
01:00 - 03:00 Baya (Archipel) & Olivié

VJs (on six screens!)
Clandestine (Bureau officiel / Mutek)
Cinétik (Epsilonlab)

In the meantime, you can download a mix from Baya here.

- + - + - + -

Ce 23 mars, je fête mes 35 ans. Comme c’est un chiffre qui me semble important et que cette année s’annonce comme une année marquante pour moi, j’ai décidé d’en faire un événement. Bref, j’ai réservé la SAT pour une soirée en compagnie d’ami(e)s, client(e)s, connaissances et lecteurs et lectrices de mon blogue ! RSVP en laissant vos noms complets et le nombre de personnes qui vous accompagne [vos ami(e)s sont mes ami(e)s !], soit en laissant un commentaire ci-bas, soit par courriel. En espérant vous y voir !

Voici les détails :

Vendredi 23 mars de 21h à 03h
@ La SAT, 1195 Blvd St-Laurent
L’entrée de 10 $ inclut un verre

DJs
21:00 - 23:00 Slim Jim (Laïka)
23:00 - 01:00 Ernesto (Mutek)
01:00 - 03:00 Baya (Archipel) & Olivié

VJs (sur six écrans !)
Clandestine (Bureau officiel / Mutek)
Cinétik (Epsilonlab)

En attendant la soirée, vous pouvez télécharger un mix de Baya ici.

On a collision course with the Big One?

Published
by
duncan
on February 3, 2007
in British Columbia, Gloom and Travel
. 1 Comment

Hello from Terminal 1 at Pearson airport in Toronto. I’m heading west to BC. First stop, Nelson.

I was somewhat alarmed to read on the front page of the Globe and Mail this a.m. that there is a distinct risk of a major earthquake near Victoria in the next week. We’re talking 9 on the Richter scale… The timing did not surprise me: I have a knack for picking destinations at unusually unfavorable times. I was en route to NYC on September 11, 2001. The day I arrived in London in July 2005, the entire city was shut down because of a second (failed, thankfully) terrorist bombing attempt.

For the sake of my many friends and family in BC’s Lower Mainland, I trust that the Earth will remain calm. On the other hand, we all know that the Big One is coming. It’s just a question of when…

Start me up

Published
by
duncan
on January 25, 2007
in Geekery and Work
. 5 Comments

I’m attending a tech startup conference in Quebec City Friday and Saturday this week. The event is presented in partnership with the new Canadian affiliate of Garage Technology Ventures, whose managing director, Guy Kawasaki, will be making a presentation. His book, The Art of the Start, was one of the more important things I read in the last couple of years, in terms of thought-provoking advice to would-be entrepreneurs and “anyone starting anything.”

Seeing Kawasaki in person, however interesting it may be, is not my sole motivation for attending however. When I was in Silicon Valley earlier this month, I was approached by a group of engineers and technologists. I agreed to collaborate with them on a very exciting venture about which I will have to be vague for the time being. My responsibility is brand development. So here I am, hoping to learn from the presentations and make some connections that will be useful later on down the road…

NOTE: You can download the first chapter of the Art of the Start for free here.

Time to travel

Published
by
duncan
on January 23, 2007
in Travel
. 1 Comment

2007 seems destined to be a year of travel. Don’t get me wrong: I love Montreal. But I always seems to appreciate a place more when I give myself the opportunity to miss it a little.

I was already planning on heading west to see family and friends in British Columbia (where I grew up) and Seattle. So when Air Canada announced a 2-month unlimited travel flight pass in North America, I needed little convincing. I was a somewhat skeptical at first, but seat availability has not been a problem.

First stop: San Francisco and area for a week earlier this month. More on that later.

The year that began with a bang

Published
by
duncan
on January 14, 2007
in Navel-Gazing
. 4 Comments

Hey folks, I hope the new year is treating you well so far. I can’t complain, but it’s been quite a wild ride so far, and we’re only two weeks into it… For me, 2007 is the year that started with a bang.

If you’re thinking champagne corks, you’re only partly right. I did enjoy a little Veuve Clicquot on the 31st after a very tasty dinner at Luce’s place. Then I headed across town to a private loft party put on by some friends. Round about 3, some of us decided to head to another party where Eloi Brunelle, Pheek and Mossa were playing. Failing to find a taxi, we came back to the loft. That’s when things got weird.

Seems that, hearing the music from the street, some random people had infiltrated the party. One of those people thought I was picking a fight with a friend of mine (which is laughable for anyone who knows me) but we were just horsing around. Anyhow, this guy shoved me violently, I went flying back and landed on a concrete floor, on which I seriously banged the back of my head. I didn’t pass out, so no-one thought anything more of it, but the rest of the evening is a confused blur. The next day, it was confirmed that I had a concussion. In some ways, having a concussion is like temporary madness. Symptoms include erratic and aggressive behaviour, anxiety, confusion, slurred speech, etc. So that would explain things if you saw me that night and thought I was acting weird or super-drunk.

But things get stranger still. I suppose the guy could have killed me perhaps, but he just may have saved my life — 20 years from now. After I developed increasingly intense migraines 36 hours following the incident, I was admitted to the hospital and had my head scanned (CT) the following morning. Fortunately, they found nothing serious. But they did find something else that is “benign” now but could, if left undetected, cause me problems 20 years from now. Maybe, maybe not. But now that I know about it, it’s much less of an issue — and maybe not an issue at all. So I am strangely grateful to the guy who pushed me, whoever he is.

All of which goes to show you that there is a reason for everything; we just have to understand what it is. This year, I hope we all learn to spot the silver lining in any clouds that come our way.

Rechercher Victor Pellerin

Published
by
duncan
on December 13, 2006
in Cinema, En français and Montreal
. 0 Comments

Originally posted on Vu d’ici (English below)
Billet publié d’abord sur Vu d’ici.

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Si l’envie d’aller voir un film vous prend ce soir ou demain, profitez-en pour voir Rechercher Victor Pellerin pendant qu’il est encore à l’affiche à Ex-Centris. Le seul film québécois présenté en compétition officielle au 35ème Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal, il a reçu une mention spéciale du jury et des critiques élogieuses. Mélant habilement les genres du documentaire et de la fiction pour offrir une réflexion originale sur le vrai et le faux, le cinéaste Sophie Deraspe nous livre un premier long-métrage fort intriguant.

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If you’re in the mood for a film tonight or tomorrow, head over to Ex-Centris and take in Missing Victor Pellerin while it’s still showing on the big screen. The only Quebecois film in official competition at the 35th edition of Montreal’s Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, the film received a Jury’s Special Mention and praise from critics. An artful fusion of documentary and fiction, filmmaker Sophie Deraspe’s feature-length film debut offers an intriguing reflection on truth and its counterpart, invention.

Paperbag 02 @ Madame Edgar

Published
by
duncan
on December 5, 2006
in Art, Events, Montreal and Shopping
. 0 Comments

Originally posted on Vu d’ici (English below)
Billet publié d’abord sur Vu d’ici.

*

Paperbag 02 - Exposition

Ce soir, c’est la 2e édition de Paperbag, l’expo de designs faits sur des sacs en papier brun. Il y a un encan silencieux des sacs qui se poursuivra sur le web une semaine durant. L’expo se termine le 23 décembre.

Tristement, c’est le dernier expo chez Madame Edgar, car la madame tire le rideau sur le magasin afin de mieux se concentrer sur sa fabrique d’objets en arrière-plan. Alors, plus de pignon sur rue, mais toujours des papeteries, des figurines, des objets maison, et le stimulant paperjam virtuel.

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Tonight is the the 2nd edition of Paperbag, an art show of designs made on brown paper bags. There’s a silent auction that will continue on the Web for a week. The show itself ends December 23rd.

Sadly, it’s the last showing at Madame Edgar, because madame has decided to shutter up the storefront in favour of focusing all energies on producing a variety of designer objects. So while the boutique may be closing, we can look forward to more stationery, designer toys and objects, and the always interesting paperjam online magazine.

One blog is good. Two blogs are…

Published
by
duncan
on December 4, 2006
in Blogging and Navel-Gazing
. 0 Comments
  1. Better.
  2. A sign of addiction.
  3. A serious distraction.
  4. An entertaining introduction to juggling.
  5. A chance to compare Movable Type to Wordpress.
  6. Not that much additional effort, really.
  7. All of the above.

I think the correct answer is #7, with the added clarification for #3 that it’s a welcome distraction and blogging is a serious pursuit (but never stuffy). Whatever the case may be, I’m guest blogging once or twice a week at Vu d’ici, Marie-Chantale Turgeon’s blog.

I haven’t yet decided if I’ll be systematically cross-posting; not sure whether I particularly like the practice. Perhaps only when it makes sense to do so.