Monday, June 17, 2013
2013 Clean Air Commute
From now until June 23 (this coming Saturday), take some method of transportation other than driving to your workplace for the chance to win prizes! As a devoted transit-goer, the 21st annual Clean Air Commute sounds great to me. Canadians only.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
I'm on Gaia Insights
Their website now features me. I am now someone who can give Gen Y-related opinions.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
The 10 Paradoxes of Creative People
Great post by Sheri Leblanc on creativity. I can definitely identify, pretty much all around.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
May's Book: O.P.E.N. Routine
O.P.E.N. Routine by Christopher Craft
Marketing (2013 - 105 pp.)
In O.P.E.N. Routine, Christopher Craft looks at his four elements of personal branding (Opportunity, Passion, Education, and Networking) in an easily readable, engaging little book. While the book does not cover much in the way of new ground, it sums up a lot of the current branding wisdom well, and also adds a lot of Craft's personal touches. (The Atlanta Falcons references are welcome to this football fan, for example.)
My favourite part of O.P.E.N. Routine is that it constantly forces the reader to look inward. What use is reading about personal branding if you aren't thinking about your own personal brand, after all? The six-part question on page 50, near the start of the "Passion" section, is one I answered in about two seconds, with the same answer for all six questions:
"1. What will keep you working through your body's desire to sleep?
2. What would you do every day without monetary compensation?
3. What activity makes you not care about your comfort zone?
4. What doesn't feel like work?
5. What feels right?
6. What's the one thing that makes you feel like nothing else matters?"
Quick, try to guess what I said. Similarly, there's an exercise at the end of the introduction imploring the reader to write a short essay and then email it to Chris. I did so and found it to be a fun exercise.
The "Networking" section can be underwhelming, although perhaps that should be credited to my pre-existing human resources training. Social media platforms are so new that any advice on how to navigate LinkedIn, Twitter and their ilk can only be preliminary no matter who is offering it. I knew most of what was in this section, more so than the others, although again, O.P.E.N. Routine is a pocket guide, not an atlas. Overall, it's a good read and a good way to spend a lazy day thinking without labouring.
Ease of Reading: 10
Educational Content: 5
Marketing (2013 - 105 pp.)
In O.P.E.N. Routine, Christopher Craft looks at his four elements of personal branding (Opportunity, Passion, Education, and Networking) in an easily readable, engaging little book. While the book does not cover much in the way of new ground, it sums up a lot of the current branding wisdom well, and also adds a lot of Craft's personal touches. (The Atlanta Falcons references are welcome to this football fan, for example.)
My favourite part of O.P.E.N. Routine is that it constantly forces the reader to look inward. What use is reading about personal branding if you aren't thinking about your own personal brand, after all? The six-part question on page 50, near the start of the "Passion" section, is one I answered in about two seconds, with the same answer for all six questions:
"1. What will keep you working through your body's desire to sleep?
2. What would you do every day without monetary compensation?
3. What activity makes you not care about your comfort zone?
4. What doesn't feel like work?
5. What feels right?
6. What's the one thing that makes you feel like nothing else matters?"
Quick, try to guess what I said. Similarly, there's an exercise at the end of the introduction imploring the reader to write a short essay and then email it to Chris. I did so and found it to be a fun exercise.
The "Networking" section can be underwhelming, although perhaps that should be credited to my pre-existing human resources training. Social media platforms are so new that any advice on how to navigate LinkedIn, Twitter and their ilk can only be preliminary no matter who is offering it. I knew most of what was in this section, more so than the others, although again, O.P.E.N. Routine is a pocket guide, not an atlas. Overall, it's a good read and a good way to spend a lazy day thinking without labouring.
Ease of Reading: 10
Educational Content: 5
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
San Jose State's Philosophy Department on MOOCs
A worthy read that discusses the very real pitfalls of one of higher education's fastest booming trends. I agree wholeheartedly with pretty much all of it. One of the greatest experiences of my life has been getting to know my professors on a personal level.
My Ever-Increasing Yet Still a Little Obscure Web Presence
LinkedIn
Twitter
Rateyourmusic
About.me
Smashwords
"The White Apple" on Barnes & Noble - iTunes - Kobo
"I Drank the Toxic Cocktail" on Barnes & Noble - iTunes - Kobo
Me with my school team at the 2012 International Negotation Competition in Montreal
Me with a bunch of other students Maclean's on Campus (the moot court picture - I'm in the back)
RealGM Author Archive - a particularly in-depth feature article
Billfold Contributor Page
...and, of course, this blog.
Rateyourmusic
About.me
Smashwords
"The White Apple" on Barnes & Noble - iTunes - Kobo
"I Drank the Toxic Cocktail" on Barnes & Noble - iTunes - Kobo
Me with my school team at the 2012 International Negotation Competition in Montreal
Me with a bunch of other students Maclean's on Campus (the moot court picture - I'm in the back)
RealGM Author Archive - a particularly in-depth feature article
Billfold Contributor Page
...and, of course, this blog.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
"April"'s Book: The Professionals
I'm finally almost caught up. It feels good.
---
The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen
Thriller (2012 - 370 pp.)
This is Owen Laukkanen's first book, or at least first to be published on any kind of wide scale. It is about four university graduates who, unable to find jobs in this horrendous market, resort to kidnapping. The premise is great, as are Laukkanen's kidnappers, headed by (of course) one with a master's in English, Arthur Pender. His girlfriend and partner in crime, Marie McAllister, holds a history degree. As someone with a degree in history and English, I can attest to its being far from useless, but the satirical value alone deserves a smile.
Laukkanen's character development, foreshadowing, and grasp of American geography are among the defining features of the book. Each of his kidnappers share a multitude of experiences, something I think really binds the Millennial generation. Each event, from a kidnapping to which state's plates are on a given stolen car, builds toward the book's shocking climax that will not be divulged here. The book has virtually no falling action whatsoever, which does not present a problem. The plane and car chases across the United States are really well done, especially considering the Canadian-ness of the author (Canadian-ness and a certain affinity for the United States being traits I also possess). Some of the characters' flight patterns feel ill-conceived but that can be chalked up to the urgency they face rather than any authorial fault.
The few flaws are of the suspension of disbelief variety. How does a character who is genuinely shocked at the sight of a gun suddenly become such an adept street fighter less than a week later? How do some characters persist for days with gaping gunshot wounds, while others crumple and die in seconds? These and similar questions are perhaps best left unanswered. They do not take away from the enjoyment of the book, though, and are nowhere near as egregious as similar flaws found in the average James Bond movie. (Moonraker, of course, being in its own category altogether.)
As someone whose favourite character is Arthur Pender by a mile, and who found the kidnappers by far the most compelling characters (among the best scenes in the book are when their underlying motives and tensions surface), it is disappointing the next book will be about a police team I found uninspiring. Agents Stevens and Windermere play roughly the role Sandra Bullock's character does in Murder by Numbers. As much as I enjoyed The Professionals, I am unsure as to how excited I am to read Laukkanen's next book. Four university graduates, each with his or her own fun personality, turning to kidnapping, is a gripping story. A mismatched cop team... I suppose we will see.
Ease of Reading: 9
Educational Content: 2
---
The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen
Thriller (2012 - 370 pp.)
This is Owen Laukkanen's first book, or at least first to be published on any kind of wide scale. It is about four university graduates who, unable to find jobs in this horrendous market, resort to kidnapping. The premise is great, as are Laukkanen's kidnappers, headed by (of course) one with a master's in English, Arthur Pender. His girlfriend and partner in crime, Marie McAllister, holds a history degree. As someone with a degree in history and English, I can attest to its being far from useless, but the satirical value alone deserves a smile.
Laukkanen's character development, foreshadowing, and grasp of American geography are among the defining features of the book. Each of his kidnappers share a multitude of experiences, something I think really binds the Millennial generation. Each event, from a kidnapping to which state's plates are on a given stolen car, builds toward the book's shocking climax that will not be divulged here. The book has virtually no falling action whatsoever, which does not present a problem. The plane and car chases across the United States are really well done, especially considering the Canadian-ness of the author (Canadian-ness and a certain affinity for the United States being traits I also possess). Some of the characters' flight patterns feel ill-conceived but that can be chalked up to the urgency they face rather than any authorial fault.
The few flaws are of the suspension of disbelief variety. How does a character who is genuinely shocked at the sight of a gun suddenly become such an adept street fighter less than a week later? How do some characters persist for days with gaping gunshot wounds, while others crumple and die in seconds? These and similar questions are perhaps best left unanswered. They do not take away from the enjoyment of the book, though, and are nowhere near as egregious as similar flaws found in the average James Bond movie. (Moonraker, of course, being in its own category altogether.)
As someone whose favourite character is Arthur Pender by a mile, and who found the kidnappers by far the most compelling characters (among the best scenes in the book are when their underlying motives and tensions surface), it is disappointing the next book will be about a police team I found uninspiring. Agents Stevens and Windermere play roughly the role Sandra Bullock's character does in Murder by Numbers. As much as I enjoyed The Professionals, I am unsure as to how excited I am to read Laukkanen's next book. Four university graduates, each with his or her own fun personality, turning to kidnapping, is a gripping story. A mismatched cop team... I suppose we will see.
Ease of Reading: 9
Educational Content: 2
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