Sign language
Did you know I speak sign language? It's true! And here's the proof.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
eBay update
I was on my computer to watch the end of the auction. Questions had been posed by people who had obviously not read the auction write-up, and had a negative ebay rating. And I was getting bids from people who had less than 3 rating points. As the auction grew near its close, I was afraid I'd be dealing with newbies who had no intention of consumating the deal. Then, with a couple of minutes to go, I received a slightly higher bid from someone with a credible rating. Even though I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the bid, there was still time for this buyer to get sniped.
Fortunately for me, that didn't happen, and I was happy to see an experienced ebayer win the auction. However, my mood changed when I got the email from ebay informing me of the win, and realized that the winning bidder was NOT a local resident. My listing had made it clear that the TV had to be picked up in person. It turns out that the winning bidder, while living several hundred kilometres away, was raised here, and still has family in the city. They will be making a trip next week to pick up the set. In the meantime, full payment has already been received.
All's well that ends well.
I was on my computer to watch the end of the auction. Questions had been posed by people who had obviously not read the auction write-up, and had a negative ebay rating. And I was getting bids from people who had less than 3 rating points. As the auction grew near its close, I was afraid I'd be dealing with newbies who had no intention of consumating the deal. Then, with a couple of minutes to go, I received a slightly higher bid from someone with a credible rating. Even though I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the bid, there was still time for this buyer to get sniped.
Fortunately for me, that didn't happen, and I was happy to see an experienced ebayer win the auction. However, my mood changed when I got the email from ebay informing me of the win, and realized that the winning bidder was NOT a local resident. My listing had made it clear that the TV had to be picked up in person. It turns out that the winning bidder, while living several hundred kilometres away, was raised here, and still has family in the city. They will be making a trip next week to pick up the set. In the meantime, full payment has already been received.
All's well that ends well.
Monday, March 20, 2006
TV or not TV
A bit more than a week ago, my wife and I visited Future Shop and looked at HDTV sets. We've been teasing ourselves for years, but always managed to resist the temptation. The closest we ever came to taking the plunge was a year ago, when we saw the new Samsung HDTV on the built-in pedestal, and were ready to take the plunge. The only factor holding me back at that time was the possibility of losing my job. That job loss actually happened, so we were glad we didn't buy the set.
Anyway, during the trip last week, we saw a gorgeous set, a floor model, and were offered a deal we just couldn't refuse. So we didn't ... refuse, I mean. The new set came home this past Tuesday, and by Saturday afternoon, the living room had been completely arranged to incorporate the new set.
The old set, meanwhile, had been placed on ebay on Tuesday, and yesterday, the auction ended. Now, we're just waiting for the successful bidder to respond to our emails / invoice. Once the old big-screen TV is cleared out of our kitchen (where else could we put it), all will be well with the universe.
A bit more than a week ago, my wife and I visited Future Shop and looked at HDTV sets. We've been teasing ourselves for years, but always managed to resist the temptation. The closest we ever came to taking the plunge was a year ago, when we saw the new Samsung HDTV on the built-in pedestal, and were ready to take the plunge. The only factor holding me back at that time was the possibility of losing my job. That job loss actually happened, so we were glad we didn't buy the set.
Anyway, during the trip last week, we saw a gorgeous set, a floor model, and were offered a deal we just couldn't refuse. So we didn't ... refuse, I mean. The new set came home this past Tuesday, and by Saturday afternoon, the living room had been completely arranged to incorporate the new set.
The old set, meanwhile, had been placed on ebay on Tuesday, and yesterday, the auction ended. Now, we're just waiting for the successful bidder to respond to our emails / invoice. Once the old big-screen TV is cleared out of our kitchen (where else could we put it), all will be well with the universe.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Whew, sure glad we cleared that up!
Sometimes, luck is more important than skill. Last week, I read some news I wanted to blog about, but forgot. This morning, I remembered and decided to blog anyway. So excuse me if this sounds like the "laugh a week after the punchline".
The U.S. has been involved in several armed conflicts since the time of my birth, and one conflict (WW II) just prior to my birth. I believe that the U.S. and its allies came very close to losing WW II, and that it was only luck - a few missteps by the Axis forces, that swayed the results. That, and an intelligence coup that put the decoder for the Enigma machine into Allied hands.
The Enigma machine, a cypher generator built by the Nazis, was way ahead of its time. With it, secret military messages could pass over open channels without any possibility of them being broken by the enemy. The "base" codes for the machine were changed frequently, so even if you were told what a given message meant, that did not help you decode any other messages. In fact, there were three messages from 1942 known to exist, encoded with Enigma, that had NEVER been decoded.
Using the power of distributed computing - volunteers around the world that allowed the power of their personal computers to be harnessed to solve a single problem - one of those messages was finally decoded. At first, I thought sarcastically - gee, it only took 63 years to break the code - that's not very secure. Then I realized it only took a month to accomplish, once the decoding project started.
You need to understand just how difficult this problem actually was to solve. The enigma machine had a whole bunch of dials on it. Each dial had several positions. And the code generated by the enigma machine was different for every combination of those dials and switches. Any one of the switches could be on or off (that's two choices per switch). And the dials had so many combinations, that to express that number in English, it would be "10", followed by 145 zeros. So, to analyze all possible Enigma codes, you'd need to multiply "2 x 2 x 2 x 2 ...." over 100 billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion times.
The Nazis thought that was an impossible task. Today's computers can do the job in under a month - which brings me to the point of all this preamble... today's encryption methods have been freely placed into the hands of the average citizen, and the average criminal. Today's encryption methods make the Nazi code seem like child's play. Messages encrypted with today's methods cannot be broken for a period of time that is longer than the length of time the universe has been in existence (if you happen to believe in the scientific explanations of the current age of the universe).
The intellectual dilemma I face is one of mathematics vs. morality. Should we stop innovation in the area of cryptography because it gives powers to criminals that - without an intelligence coup - renders law enforcement officials unable to cope with the technological problem; or should we view every innovation as a step in the right direction, and take the attitude that NO CODE is unbreakable, and perhaps 50 years from now, someone else will be writing about how it only took a month to decrypt "unbreakable" messages from the early 21st century.
OK, I've got to stop before I give myself a headache!
Sometimes, luck is more important than skill. Last week, I read some news I wanted to blog about, but forgot. This morning, I remembered and decided to blog anyway. So excuse me if this sounds like the "laugh a week after the punchline".
The U.S. has been involved in several armed conflicts since the time of my birth, and one conflict (WW II) just prior to my birth. I believe that the U.S. and its allies came very close to losing WW II, and that it was only luck - a few missteps by the Axis forces, that swayed the results. That, and an intelligence coup that put the decoder for the Enigma machine into Allied hands.
The Enigma machine, a cypher generator built by the Nazis, was way ahead of its time. With it, secret military messages could pass over open channels without any possibility of them being broken by the enemy. The "base" codes for the machine were changed frequently, so even if you were told what a given message meant, that did not help you decode any other messages. In fact, there were three messages from 1942 known to exist, encoded with Enigma, that had NEVER been decoded.
Using the power of distributed computing - volunteers around the world that allowed the power of their personal computers to be harnessed to solve a single problem - one of those messages was finally decoded. At first, I thought sarcastically - gee, it only took 63 years to break the code - that's not very secure. Then I realized it only took a month to accomplish, once the decoding project started.
You need to understand just how difficult this problem actually was to solve. The enigma machine had a whole bunch of dials on it. Each dial had several positions. And the code generated by the enigma machine was different for every combination of those dials and switches. Any one of the switches could be on or off (that's two choices per switch). And the dials had so many combinations, that to express that number in English, it would be "10", followed by 145 zeros. So, to analyze all possible Enigma codes, you'd need to multiply "2 x 2 x 2 x 2 ...." over 100 billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion billion times.
The Nazis thought that was an impossible task. Today's computers can do the job in under a month - which brings me to the point of all this preamble... today's encryption methods have been freely placed into the hands of the average citizen, and the average criminal. Today's encryption methods make the Nazi code seem like child's play. Messages encrypted with today's methods cannot be broken for a period of time that is longer than the length of time the universe has been in existence (if you happen to believe in the scientific explanations of the current age of the universe).
The intellectual dilemma I face is one of mathematics vs. morality. Should we stop innovation in the area of cryptography because it gives powers to criminals that - without an intelligence coup - renders law enforcement officials unable to cope with the technological problem; or should we view every innovation as a step in the right direction, and take the attitude that NO CODE is unbreakable, and perhaps 50 years from now, someone else will be writing about how it only took a month to decrypt "unbreakable" messages from the early 21st century.
OK, I've got to stop before I give myself a headache!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Cool gift!
My wife got me a couple of polo shirts for Valentine's Day. In the box, there was a mock-up of an embroidered "Safe & Secure Computing" phrase, done in a nice script. I finally took the shirts in to be embroidered, then decided I'd rather have my logo, instead of the script.
I got the shirts back on Tuesday. Here's a photo of the logo, as embroidered onto my white polo shirt. I also have a black shirt with the same logo (although the phone number on the black shirt is embroidered in white thread).
My wife got me a couple of polo shirts for Valentine's Day. In the box, there was a mock-up of an embroidered "Safe & Secure Computing" phrase, done in a nice script. I finally took the shirts in to be embroidered, then decided I'd rather have my logo, instead of the script.
I got the shirts back on Tuesday. Here's a photo of the logo, as embroidered onto my white polo shirt. I also have a black shirt with the same logo (although the phone number on the black shirt is embroidered in white thread).
Thursday, March 02, 2006
An update
February ended with a flurry of activity - a saving grace because the month in general was slow vis-a-vis service calls. I did have an opportunity to work on marketing material, which, if I may say, really rocks! I've produced a number of unique flyers - with a central theme but geared to specific audiences. And I've prepared artwork for insertion into a local magazine. I'm looking forward to the response from that ad, although it won't be appearing until the April issue. My luck that February-March was a double-month issue, and the insertion deadline had passed by the time I had even been prepared to think about placing an ad.
A fellow "classmate" of mine opened up a café in downtown Windsor. It's called the Pause Café. Last night, I was called there to remove a very serious set of viruses, spyware, and other weirdnesses from two computers. He was set to open his doors today, but needed the computers for bookkeeping and recipe management. I finished working on his computers around 10:30PM, but then decided to set up his brand new Business High-Speed DSL connection, and once that was done, I downloaded security patches for one of the computers. There were 57 patches, not including Windows XP SP2 (which was not yet on his computer). By the time the downloads and installations were complete, it was around 3:30AM.
Those last five hours were not part of my contract, and I didn't ask for payment. But today, I visited his restaurant, and was treated to a three course lunch that was to die for!!! I started out with a salad (cucumber, red onion, greens, and a secret dressing). It was delicious, and filling in its own right. The next course was a deep bowl of home made chicken soup. I've never had soup from a bowl this large... it was probably about a litre of soup. Stocked with vegetables, fresh pasta, and chicken so fresh, I think I saw some twitching in the bowl. It was accompanied by fresh-baked bread for dipping. Finally, I finished with the third course: a salmon-salad sandwich, made from baked salmon and other ingredients I can't recall, served on multi-grain bread. It was different from any salmon-salad sandwich I'd ever had before, but thoroughly delicious.
If anyone happens to be downtown during breakfast or lunch hour, don't forget to drop by. You'll love the food and the ambience. The address is:
Pause Café
74 Chatham West
(519) 255-7288
February ended with a flurry of activity - a saving grace because the month in general was slow vis-a-vis service calls. I did have an opportunity to work on marketing material, which, if I may say, really rocks! I've produced a number of unique flyers - with a central theme but geared to specific audiences. And I've prepared artwork for insertion into a local magazine. I'm looking forward to the response from that ad, although it won't be appearing until the April issue. My luck that February-March was a double-month issue, and the insertion deadline had passed by the time I had even been prepared to think about placing an ad.
A fellow "classmate" of mine opened up a café in downtown Windsor. It's called the Pause Café. Last night, I was called there to remove a very serious set of viruses, spyware, and other weirdnesses from two computers. He was set to open his doors today, but needed the computers for bookkeeping and recipe management. I finished working on his computers around 10:30PM, but then decided to set up his brand new Business High-Speed DSL connection, and once that was done, I downloaded security patches for one of the computers. There were 57 patches, not including Windows XP SP2 (which was not yet on his computer). By the time the downloads and installations were complete, it was around 3:30AM.
Those last five hours were not part of my contract, and I didn't ask for payment. But today, I visited his restaurant, and was treated to a three course lunch that was to die for!!! I started out with a salad (cucumber, red onion, greens, and a secret dressing). It was delicious, and filling in its own right. The next course was a deep bowl of home made chicken soup. I've never had soup from a bowl this large... it was probably about a litre of soup. Stocked with vegetables, fresh pasta, and chicken so fresh, I think I saw some twitching in the bowl. It was accompanied by fresh-baked bread for dipping. Finally, I finished with the third course: a salmon-salad sandwich, made from baked salmon and other ingredients I can't recall, served on multi-grain bread. It was different from any salmon-salad sandwich I'd ever had before, but thoroughly delicious.
If anyone happens to be downtown during breakfast or lunch hour, don't forget to drop by. You'll love the food and the ambience. The address is:
Pause Café
74 Chatham West
(519) 255-7288
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Happy anniversary
It's not quite the right day (February 26, 2002 is the exact date), but in case I forget, it has been four years since I started this blog.
As I read some of the older posts, I can see a transition in my life, my attitudes towards people and things, and my relationships with various people maturing. That's a good thing, since I was even more selfish and unreasonable then than I am now. But at least I'm working on it.
I wish the good days would come back to my memory as easily as the bad, but I guess that's the nature of things. The blog has witnessed the loss of two jobs, the birth of two grandchildren, the death of my father, and most recently, the launch of a new career. There's lots to read in those archives, and I'll have to take some time to go over them more carefully.
I had never kept a diary in my life before starting this blog, so it's kind of neat that I've kept it up for this long. There have been times when I've gone quite a while between posts, but there hasn't been a time when I seriously considered stopping. Well, that's enough tripping down memory lane. We now return you to the present.
It's not quite the right day (February 26, 2002 is the exact date), but in case I forget, it has been four years since I started this blog.
As I read some of the older posts, I can see a transition in my life, my attitudes towards people and things, and my relationships with various people maturing. That's a good thing, since I was even more selfish and unreasonable then than I am now. But at least I'm working on it.
I wish the good days would come back to my memory as easily as the bad, but I guess that's the nature of things. The blog has witnessed the loss of two jobs, the birth of two grandchildren, the death of my father, and most recently, the launch of a new career. There's lots to read in those archives, and I'll have to take some time to go over them more carefully.
I had never kept a diary in my life before starting this blog, so it's kind of neat that I've kept it up for this long. There have been times when I've gone quite a while between posts, but there hasn't been a time when I seriously considered stopping. Well, that's enough tripping down memory lane. We now return you to the present.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Doh!
So, I ordered business cards back on February 3rd. The company told me the design and printing would take a week, and that would be followed by the United States Postal Service getting their mitts on it, with a promise to have it delivered within 42 BUSINESS DAYS. That's 8-1/2 WEEKS for shipping. I asked the printer what their actual experiences have been, and they were non-commital. That's fair, seeing as they're not the ones doing the shipping.
Anyway, the printing price was so awesomely low, I went for the deal. Sure enough, on February 10th, I received an email from the printers telling me that the cards had been printed and delivered to the USPS on February 9th. I began to wait. Meanwhile, I'm trying to promote my business, and with no business cards, it's really hard to meet people and make a good first impression. So last Friday, I decided to look locally for deals on temporary cards... just a low-volume run that would tide me over for the next 7+ weeks. I decided to take a "proof" picture that I had received from the original printer, and use that to create some cards locally. I had no idea how good this screen-captured image would be, but decided I simply couldn't wait.
Low volume business card printing (two sided, full colour) doesn't come cheap. It was going to cost me as much to print 100 cards locally, as it cost to print 1000 over the net. I placed the order, put down a 50% deposit, and took the plunge. On Monday, the local printer called to have me come in and look over the proof. IT WAS MAGNIFICENT! The colour flew off the page, and it was 100 times better than I expected it would be. I was told the cards would be ready Wednesday.
So, this morning at 10:30AM, the Canada Post truck pulls up, and I take delivery of my 1000 cards from the U.S. These cards look as good or BETTER than the proof I viewed yesterday. Right now, I just feel like Homer Simpson... with 1100 perfect business cards. Here, I've purposely corrupted the image and resaved at quite low resolution - but trust me, the real cards look great!
So, I ordered business cards back on February 3rd. The company told me the design and printing would take a week, and that would be followed by the United States Postal Service getting their mitts on it, with a promise to have it delivered within 42 BUSINESS DAYS. That's 8-1/2 WEEKS for shipping. I asked the printer what their actual experiences have been, and they were non-commital. That's fair, seeing as they're not the ones doing the shipping.
Anyway, the printing price was so awesomely low, I went for the deal. Sure enough, on February 10th, I received an email from the printers telling me that the cards had been printed and delivered to the USPS on February 9th. I began to wait. Meanwhile, I'm trying to promote my business, and with no business cards, it's really hard to meet people and make a good first impression. So last Friday, I decided to look locally for deals on temporary cards... just a low-volume run that would tide me over for the next 7+ weeks. I decided to take a "proof" picture that I had received from the original printer, and use that to create some cards locally. I had no idea how good this screen-captured image would be, but decided I simply couldn't wait.
Low volume business card printing (two sided, full colour) doesn't come cheap. It was going to cost me as much to print 100 cards locally, as it cost to print 1000 over the net. I placed the order, put down a 50% deposit, and took the plunge. On Monday, the local printer called to have me come in and look over the proof. IT WAS MAGNIFICENT! The colour flew off the page, and it was 100 times better than I expected it would be. I was told the cards would be ready Wednesday.
So, this morning at 10:30AM, the Canada Post truck pulls up, and I take delivery of my 1000 cards from the U.S. These cards look as good or BETTER than the proof I viewed yesterday. Right now, I just feel like Homer Simpson... with 1100 perfect business cards. Here, I've purposely corrupted the image and resaved at quite low resolution - but trust me, the real cards look great!
Saturday, February 18, 2006
That's freaky!
I have lots of interests, all related to computers. For those who've been following along, I have been experimenting with a site dedicated to predicting the results of Major League Baseball games. In addition, I've had a fascination going back almost 25 years to create a unique matchmaking service. Being more a dreamer than a doer, most of my dreams/plans have gone unfulfilled. Lately, however, I've been more focused and am actually doing something about these things.
With respect to the matchmaking service, I've been scouring the internet for appropriate personality inventory systems - the idea being that certain personalities gel well with other personalities. When I find these kinds of sites, I generally take their test to see what my personality is like.
So today, I came across one and took the test. Here is an excerpt from the report - the VERY FIRST PARAGRAPH of the report (the emphasis is mine):
I kid you not! I guess my newest endeavour is well-conceived!
I have lots of interests, all related to computers. For those who've been following along, I have been experimenting with a site dedicated to predicting the results of Major League Baseball games. In addition, I've had a fascination going back almost 25 years to create a unique matchmaking service. Being more a dreamer than a doer, most of my dreams/plans have gone unfulfilled. Lately, however, I've been more focused and am actually doing something about these things.
With respect to the matchmaking service, I've been scouring the internet for appropriate personality inventory systems - the idea being that certain personalities gel well with other personalities. When I find these kinds of sites, I generally take their test to see what my personality is like.
So today, I came across one and took the test. Here is an excerpt from the report - the VERY FIRST PARAGRAPH of the report (the emphasis is mine):
| "The primary desire of the Protector Guardian is to be of service to others, but here “service” means not so much furnishing others with the necessities of life (the Provider’s concern), as guarding others against life’s pitfalls and perils, that is, seeing to their safety and security." |
Friday, February 17, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Website update
It's getting bigger and bigger. Since my first site was posted, I've added a couple of tabs, and the information is now quite usable (I also have a PDF file with my "grand opening" promotion - though that's not what I called it). Now that I have flyers, and a copy of the artwork from my original online business card site (so I can print a temporary batch of cards while waiting for the real thing to be delivered), I might be able to get this puppy off the ground. Wish me luck!
Oh yeah, on a related note, you'll never guess what my sweetie did for Valentine's Day. She bought me (soon-to-be) monogrammed shirts with the business name stitched on! Wasn't that special?
It's getting bigger and bigger. Since my first site was posted, I've added a couple of tabs, and the information is now quite usable (I also have a PDF file with my "grand opening" promotion - though that's not what I called it). Now that I have flyers, and a copy of the artwork from my original online business card site (so I can print a temporary batch of cards while waiting for the real thing to be delivered), I might be able to get this puppy off the ground. Wish me luck!
Oh yeah, on a related note, you'll never guess what my sweetie did for Valentine's Day. She bought me (soon-to-be) monogrammed shirts with the business name stitched on! Wasn't that special?
Thursday, February 09, 2006
One more day
That's all I've got left in my four-week long training course. I've learned a lot of useful stuff about starting and running my own business. And I've learned that despite all the training and positive reinforcement, I'm not alone in feeling like the first three months are going to be absolute hell. None of us know how closely we'll be expected to meet our initial revenue projections - projections made without a shred of knowledge as to how to set reasonable expectations. One thing is sure... regardless of whether I survive the three-month review, my commitment to this new path is absolute. I will continue down this path regardless of what anyone else says. Whether or not I can meet my three-month revenue projection, I have absolutely no doubt that LONG-TERM my business idea will be successful.
The website I've thrown together will improve with time, and grow in scope, but for now, here it is: Safe and Secure Computing
That's all I've got left in my four-week long training course. I've learned a lot of useful stuff about starting and running my own business. And I've learned that despite all the training and positive reinforcement, I'm not alone in feeling like the first three months are going to be absolute hell. None of us know how closely we'll be expected to meet our initial revenue projections - projections made without a shred of knowledge as to how to set reasonable expectations. One thing is sure... regardless of whether I survive the three-month review, my commitment to this new path is absolute. I will continue down this path regardless of what anyone else says. Whether or not I can meet my three-month revenue projection, I have absolutely no doubt that LONG-TERM my business idea will be successful.
The website I've thrown together will improve with time, and grow in scope, but for now, here it is: Safe and Secure Computing
Friday, February 03, 2006
Superbowl XL and Sin City
It's surreal around here. We're located just across the river from Detroit, Michigan - home of Superbowl XL. My hometown of Windsor has always had a reputation as a "place to party". The Casino built in this city was the first in Ontario, and was probably the final straw that broke the camel's back when Detroit city council, after countless failed attempts to get public approval for casinos, realized they needed to build some to stop the flow of American gamblers to our fair Canadian city.
We have lots of licensed massage parlours, where, for a fee, you can basically get anything you want - completely legally, by the way, as long as you are properly registered and licensed by the city. And the strip clubs in this city rival anything you've ever seen in Las Vegas. Oh yeah, since Canada has excellent trade relations with Cuba, Windsor is also home to many cigar parlours - catering to the American crowd that crosses the one-mile-long bridge (or tunnel) that links our two countries.
Still, with all that Windsor has ALWAYS offered to our guests from America, the media somehow got locked into this "Sin City" moniker in relation to the Superbowl. Our reaction has probably been a bit mixed. While nobody wants their city to be referred to as "Sin City" (except maybe cities in Nevada), the tourism business in this town has gone absolutely bonkers these past few days. The local papers carry stories of the many rumours circulating about people such as Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, and Jessica Alba - some or all of whom may be somewhere in our city.
Blue-collar town Detroit, meanwhile, seems to have aligned itself with like-minded Pittsburgh; with many on-air radio personalities openly supporting the Steelers. At least here in Windsor, our local papers are trying to provide equal and balanced coverage.
But back to the surreal atmosphere... each year for the July fireworks, we have several hundred thousand viewers camped out on both banks of the Detroit River to watch the show. A good portion of the crowd take their places on the Windsor side of the border, where the legal drinking age is lower, the Canadian dollar is (still) worth less than the American dollar, and there is virtually no crime. That crowd is gathered for only one day. The crowds around here lately have been building for the past week - to the point where the number of out-of-town license plates is rivaling the number of local plates.
I'll actually be a bit sad to see the city go back to its own, normal, obscurity after Sunday's game. Still, for those fleeting moments when some football viewers get to see Canada "up close", and seem so surprised when they find we talk the same language, dress like they do, and even have temperatures above the freezing point in the middle of winter, I get to smile a wide, proud smile in the knowledge that each one of us Windsorites did our part to welcome the world.
It's surreal around here. We're located just across the river from Detroit, Michigan - home of Superbowl XL. My hometown of Windsor has always had a reputation as a "place to party". The Casino built in this city was the first in Ontario, and was probably the final straw that broke the camel's back when Detroit city council, after countless failed attempts to get public approval for casinos, realized they needed to build some to stop the flow of American gamblers to our fair Canadian city.
We have lots of licensed massage parlours, where, for a fee, you can basically get anything you want - completely legally, by the way, as long as you are properly registered and licensed by the city. And the strip clubs in this city rival anything you've ever seen in Las Vegas. Oh yeah, since Canada has excellent trade relations with Cuba, Windsor is also home to many cigar parlours - catering to the American crowd that crosses the one-mile-long bridge (or tunnel) that links our two countries.
Still, with all that Windsor has ALWAYS offered to our guests from America, the media somehow got locked into this "Sin City" moniker in relation to the Superbowl. Our reaction has probably been a bit mixed. While nobody wants their city to be referred to as "Sin City" (except maybe cities in Nevada), the tourism business in this town has gone absolutely bonkers these past few days. The local papers carry stories of the many rumours circulating about people such as Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, and Jessica Alba - some or all of whom may be somewhere in our city.
Blue-collar town Detroit, meanwhile, seems to have aligned itself with like-minded Pittsburgh; with many on-air radio personalities openly supporting the Steelers. At least here in Windsor, our local papers are trying to provide equal and balanced coverage.
But back to the surreal atmosphere... each year for the July fireworks, we have several hundred thousand viewers camped out on both banks of the Detroit River to watch the show. A good portion of the crowd take their places on the Windsor side of the border, where the legal drinking age is lower, the Canadian dollar is (still) worth less than the American dollar, and there is virtually no crime. That crowd is gathered for only one day. The crowds around here lately have been building for the past week - to the point where the number of out-of-town license plates is rivaling the number of local plates.
I'll actually be a bit sad to see the city go back to its own, normal, obscurity after Sunday's game. Still, for those fleeting moments when some football viewers get to see Canada "up close", and seem so surprised when they find we talk the same language, dress like they do, and even have temperatures above the freezing point in the middle of winter, I get to smile a wide, proud smile in the knowledge that each one of us Windsorites did our part to welcome the world.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Sick stuff
Not for the weak of heart... see what happens when a PETA member is duped into doing a work stint at a lab that does animal testing. It's sick stuff!
Not for the weak of heart... see what happens when a PETA member is duped into doing a work stint at a lab that does animal testing. It's sick stuff!
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Corporate car
My new small business needs to be advertised. Ever since the smart car was released by Mercedes Benz, I've loved its geek chic look, and its undeniably low cost of ownership. So, I was very impressed when I saw this...
If I needed another reason to consider this as my next vehicle, that definitely was the deciding factor!
My new small business needs to be advertised. Ever since the smart car was released by Mercedes Benz, I've loved its geek chic look, and its undeniably low cost of ownership. So, I was very impressed when I saw this...
If I needed another reason to consider this as my next vehicle, that definitely was the deciding factor!
Friday, January 27, 2006
Week 2 finished - things heating up
The classes have been invaluable. Things I thought I had to do to be successful may not be needed. Simple things I hadn't considered might be critical. I've seen a lawyer, an accountant, a marketing guru, a business coach, and a graphic designer. All have lots of tips they're prepared to share - completely free of charge - because I'm part of this program. I can't imagine how much this could have helped me the first time I started a business... but that's ancient history.
I'm working on setting up my accounting system, creating ideas for marketing proposals, business card designs, web site text, and promoting strategic alliances as part of the preparation work for a concerted introductory campaign. I'm also trying to put together a press release that I'm hoping the local media will pick up on. I'll keep you all posted.
The classes have been invaluable. Things I thought I had to do to be successful may not be needed. Simple things I hadn't considered might be critical. I've seen a lawyer, an accountant, a marketing guru, a business coach, and a graphic designer. All have lots of tips they're prepared to share - completely free of charge - because I'm part of this program. I can't imagine how much this could have helped me the first time I started a business... but that's ancient history.
I'm working on setting up my accounting system, creating ideas for marketing proposals, business card designs, web site text, and promoting strategic alliances as part of the preparation work for a concerted introductory campaign. I'm also trying to put together a press release that I'm hoping the local media will pick up on. I'll keep you all posted.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Week 1 completed - three more to go
I'm chomping at the bit. They're telling us not to print business cards yet, since we get free use of a professional graphic designer at the end of the second week of training. The question now seems to be "What do I give to my business contacts?".
I've had a modest number of service requests this week - all coming without the benefit of advertising. Some of my friends know that I'm now in business, and I've been getting gigs from that group. Thanks, guys!
I'm chomping at the bit. They're telling us not to print business cards yet, since we get free use of a professional graphic designer at the end of the second week of training. The question now seems to be "What do I give to my business contacts?".
I've had a modest number of service requests this week - all coming without the benefit of advertising. Some of my friends know that I'm now in business, and I've been getting gigs from that group. Thanks, guys!
Monday, January 16, 2006
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Employment update
Turns out that second interview didn't go well. I knew it had gone strangely, but I found out Monday that I hadn't gotten the job. In a way, that was a relief, because that last minute job potential had been distracting me from creating a business proposal to put before the Self-Employment Assistance program. The Canadian government provides the opportunity for unemployed people to seek self-employment, and the government is sometimes willing to extend unemployment benefits; providing you can put forth a business proposal that makes sense.
During the first week in January, I had attended a three-day course to learn how to prepare a business plan. Normally, when the government puts on this course, it runs from Monday through Wednesday, then you have an entire day to work on the plan before attending a question-period appointment. Because of the New Year falling on a weekend, the first Monday in January was a statutory holiday. The course was presented from Tuesday through Thursday, with no extra preparation day before the Friday question period. And it was during this period that I was also attending the job interview.
Anyway, I worked through the weekend on the proposal and presented it to my advisor on Tuesday. I was told that a decision would be made on Thursday, but was also informed that my conservative sales projections might work against me during the Thursday meeting.
About 1/2 hour ago, I got word that my proposal had been conditionally accepted. The program will monitor me closely to see whether I am achieving my revenue targets, and if not, they could still decide to withdraw their support after a three month trial period. But for the moment, the decision has been made to fund my efforts, and I'll be starting a four-week preparation seminar next Monday.
Here we go!
Turns out that second interview didn't go well. I knew it had gone strangely, but I found out Monday that I hadn't gotten the job. In a way, that was a relief, because that last minute job potential had been distracting me from creating a business proposal to put before the Self-Employment Assistance program. The Canadian government provides the opportunity for unemployed people to seek self-employment, and the government is sometimes willing to extend unemployment benefits; providing you can put forth a business proposal that makes sense.
During the first week in January, I had attended a three-day course to learn how to prepare a business plan. Normally, when the government puts on this course, it runs from Monday through Wednesday, then you have an entire day to work on the plan before attending a question-period appointment. Because of the New Year falling on a weekend, the first Monday in January was a statutory holiday. The course was presented from Tuesday through Thursday, with no extra preparation day before the Friday question period. And it was during this period that I was also attending the job interview.
Anyway, I worked through the weekend on the proposal and presented it to my advisor on Tuesday. I was told that a decision would be made on Thursday, but was also informed that my conservative sales projections might work against me during the Thursday meeting.
About 1/2 hour ago, I got word that my proposal had been conditionally accepted. The program will monitor me closely to see whether I am achieving my revenue targets, and if not, they could still decide to withdraw their support after a three month trial period. But for the moment, the decision has been made to fund my efforts, and I'll be starting a four-week preparation seminar next Monday.
Here we go!