Written Inc.

Standing at the edge

2012-02-23T19:48:00.002-05:00

Feet first
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2011

About this photo: We're sharing curved photos this week as part of our latest Thematic theme. Just click here to get started.

First, disclosure: I own a BlackBerry PlayBook. Bought it just before the Christmas holidays, and I love the thing. I love my wife's iPad, too (shh, don't tell her) but my PB has a certain underdog's charm to it that I just can't ignore (oh, and I wrote this for the Toronto Star. Coolness.) It also has a couple of cameras, and has stepped in rather nicely as a second lens for those times when I just don't want to shlep my DSLR along.

Which is why I mention it in the first place, as I've begun processing the first sets of pictures and I'm rather digging how well this thing works as a camera (see here and here for previous examples of tablet photography) and suspect there's more goodness in store.

This time out, I was getting used to composition with the (relatively) ginormous screen. Whenever I could, I'd walk around with the tablet in my hands and experiment by pointing it anywhere and everywhere. Since my feet were conveniently just below my line of sight, it didn't take long for me to point the thing straight down.

I think the blue-haired lady in the lounge chair under the canopy is still shaking her head at the spectacle.

Your turn: Can feet be happy?

Finger this

2012-02-23T09:51:00.001-05:00

It's been a quiet week on the blog thanks to a convergence of work, life and geekitude.

On the life front, we've been all over the place with the little man. His finger's causing him no shortage of annoyance and pain, but trooper that he is he's found his own way to push through it all. This morning's trip back to the hospital was a good one, with the plastic surgeon and physiotherapists setting him up with a new splint - properly fitted this time - and an exercise regimen.

Work's been delightfully challenging, too, as I've been in and out of studios at all hours of the early morning and late night - which is as I like it. I've also spent ample quality time with my laptop - which is also as I like it. Once I get past the shock of waking up in the middle of the night, the experience of writing quietly in my darkened kitchen, lit only by the soft backlight of the keyboard and screen is something I truly enjoy. It makes me feel like a writer, which I'm guessing is a good thing.

I've got a huge backlog of photos, ideas and writing for the blog, but I just haven't been able to carve out the time this week to do them any justice. So they wait, quietly, while I churn through all the other stuff on my plate. I'm looking forward to the weekend when I can get back to the softer, me stuff. I can't wait to see what everyone's been up to while I've been off on this double-edged tangent of mine.

Life's such a neat trip, isn't it?

On living, now.

2012-02-22T20:01:00.001-05:00

"Death tugs at my ear and says: Live, I am coming."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Media storm - PlayBook, Google's cookies & Anonymous

2012-02-22T06:44:00.001-05:00

There are days when tech news seems to jump into the mainstream, when wherever you look there's another headline on a groundbreaking new product, an offensive piece of geek-infused legislation, a company that's taken a notable turn for the better - or worse. I've just had a couple of days like that, and it's led to some neat coverage and publishing:

Today's Toronto Star has a piece I wrote on the long-awaited software update for Research In Motion's tablet computer. PlayBook 2.0 upgrade gives RIM back its swagger. I chatted with some radio and television folks about it, too, including Global National's Sean O’Shea, CBC The National's Melanie Nagy, and the BBC's British World Service (!)
I spoke with Canada AM's Marci Ien about Google's major privacy faux-pas - the company bypassed the security settings in Apple's Safari browser and collected users' private information despite the fact that they had set their software to block such activity. Worse, Google did the same thing to Internet Explorer users. Video here, and a writeup on CTV's website - by John Size - is here. It includes a bunch of security tips, too.
I was included in a CTV National News report by Parliamentary Affairs Correspondent Richard Madan. The shadowy hacker group Anonymous threatened Public Security Minister Vic Toews in the wake of controversial legislation introduced last week that, if passed, would give law enforcement broad powers to track our online activities. Video is here.

Damn, this is fun.

On life, challenge, and discovery

2012-02-22T00:12:00.001-05:00

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are."
Bernice Johnson Reagon

Thematic Photographic 184 - Curved

2012-02-20T21:02:00.003-05:00

Ride me
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2011

I like bikes. I like riding them to places far enough away from terra firma that I feel like it's an adventure just to get back home. I like to stare at them, in all their mechanical perfection, and wonder how something so simple can be so life-changing. I like to reflect on how much of my own life has been touched by the very basic act of getting on, spinning the crank and letting physics to do the rest.

Yeah, I'm weird like that.

There's an aesthetic to the bicycle - even cheap, old, weather-beaten models like these two - that I can't stop coming back to, a seemingly riotous mixture of straight lines and curves that come together into something that easily converts small amounts of energy into relatively fast forward motion. It's a perfect way to kick off this week's Thematic theme, curves. Won't you come along for the ride?

Your turn: Thematic is a simple thing, really: I post a new theme every Monday. You post a pic with your interpretation of the theme, then pop back here to leave a comment letting everyone know where it is. Visit other participants and spread the photographic joy. Repeat as often as you wish, and feel free to pull in a friend or two. Click here for more background on how Thematic, our weekly photo sharing/learning activity, works. Otherwise, have fun with it. Because that is, after all, why we do this in the first place.

Talking head on a small screen

2012-02-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

Lots of fun happening my crazy world of television this week. And given the chaos of life here in Levyland the past couple of days, I wanted to slow things down a bit and offer up a chance to grab a mug of tea and hang out in front of the telly. Or the computer screen that passes for a telly these days.

Here's a quick summary of some of my more notable TV hits over the past week:

CTV Canada AM. Spoke with Beverly Thomson about Apple's present and future. Yes, it has one. No, it doesn't involve Doug Henning, illusions, or rainbows. (video here)
CTV Power Play. I joined host Don Martin and social media expert Shawna Newberry in a chat about the dust-up that saw Vic Toews, Canada's Public Security Minister, have nasty details on his divorce tossed anonymously all over Twitter. The upshot: All this has big implications for the future of politics. (Video here)
CTV National News. Richard Madan's piece on Bill C-30 - the anti-child porn/law enforcement online access legislation that touched off the Vikileaks kerfuffle - includes a clip. (Video here).
CTV Southwestern Ontario (Kitchener/Waterloo). I spoke briefly with reporter Nadia Matos for her piece on RIM's next PlayBook move. (Video here).

On reflection, it was a heck of a fun few days. Here's to more...

Why do we have 10 fingers? Redundancy.

2012-02-19T00:56:00.002-05:00

So little man had a bit of a bad day. After his pinkie found itself on the wrong end of a playmate's knee, a scintillating evening at the ER confirmed what he'd been telling us all evening: it's broken.

Noah's reaction as soon as the doc delivered the verdict? He high-fived me. With his other hand, mind you. But he was so jazzed that he now had something in common with his older brother and sister that he was willing to overlook the immediate pain in favor of a little longer-term notoriety. He buzzed about how he was going to tell his friends, and bantered with the doctor about how it would all play out on Facebook.

In the overall scheme of things, this isn't earth-shattering. As jarring as an unplanned visit to the hospital can be, this one paled in comparison to the experiences of so many others. It wasn't remotely life-altering, and after a followup visit with the plastic surgeon later this week, it'll slowly evolve into a shrinking memory in his life's rearview. But still, the dad in me wishes I could have done more to prevent it in the first place. We want to protect our kids from everything and anything, yet this time as always, I realized yet again how futile that ideal can be.

Manyana. He survived. And with a great story to share with his friends when he heads back to school next week. And as he takes centre stage in the middle of his gaggle of buddies, I'm left with a delightfully rich set of mental images from this night: of a sweet boy in his pyjamas who calmly and politely answered every question thrown at him, and who managed to charm everyone he met along the way; of a kid who, despite a clearly painful injury, told me as I tucked him into bed that he was glad he got to have this adventure with his dad; of a kid who somehow manages to turn an apparent negative into an obvious positive.

Because that's the kind of kid he is, a perfectly empathetic, good-hearted mirror of my wife, a soul who never fails to make everyone around him feel a little bit better, whose sweetness defines him and makes me wish I could be more like him. And I got to experience this speed bump with him. Lucky me.

Your turn: Your wish for Noah is...?

Too little, too late

2012-02-18T15:38:00.002-05:00

Don't want to sound like a party pooper. But if a fraction of the people pouring their souls out at Whitney Houston's funeral had stepped forward to help her through her drug-fueled descent - instead of buying the tabloids with the screaming headlines or furtively watching her shadow-of-her-former-self performance on a once-forgotten, now-prescient "reality" show - then perhaps we wouldn't be having a funeral today.

I'll humbly suggest it's time to rethink the the cult of celebrity at the core of an industry that seems to exist only to uncover the lurid details of those more famous than the rest of us. I'm not quite sure what the point of knowing about the state of Brangelina's marriage might be, or the reason Oprah's latest weight gain (then loss, then gain again...) has any remote connection to - or benefit for - my relatively anonymous life. But the tone, such as it is, of the celebrity news cycle is a pathetically sad comment on what we've become. If we cared at all, we'd spend less time peeking around corners and gossiping and more time helping those closest to us lead better lives.

Not that this will ever change anything, as it's only a matter of time before we watch celebridom "mourn" another lost-too-soon megastar. We seem to have no capacity to learn.

Happy (green) feet

2012-02-18T08:18:00.000-05:00

Walk with me
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2011

About this photo: Thematic. Pairs. You. Here. Please & thank you.

These are our youngest son's flip flops. Not exactly ideal for long distance walking, working out or climbing a tree, but just perfect for an 11-year-old's vacation where the biggest decision of the day revolves around what to have for breakfast and whether we go to the beach or to the pool. He's a bright, brightly-spirited little guy, the kind of kid who almost glows with happiness from the moment he wakes up. So it was no surprise that he chose this particular color: No need to hide it. Life is good, so may as well wear something that reflects his mood.

He was getting ready to hit the pool when I quickly grabbed this scene. I wondered how long he'd be willing to wear bright-green, Kermit-class shoes before the inevitable conservatism of the later-teen years would kick in. I thought about how adulthood tends to tamp down our exuberance, to the point that an adult wearing flip flips like these would draw raised eyebrows - vs. the smiles that our son attracted that day.

I quietly hoped that regardless of age, he'd keep wearing green anyway. Because what other people think is immaterial. But what he thinks is everything. And if it means he keeps that vibrant spirit of his well into adulthood, then we'll all be better off.

Your turn: How do you hold onto your own childhood?

On light and darkness

2012-02-17T21:17:00.001-05:00

"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present."
Francis Bacon

Destination unknown

2012-02-17T07:57:00.003-05:00

Two ships
London, ON, October 2010

About this photo: We're doing the pair thing all week long. We hope you'll do the same by clicking here.

Most mornings, the first thing I do when I stumble bleary-eyed out of the house is stare at the sky. I don't think there's a defined reason for it: I just think it's a nice way to transition from the closed-in world of the house to the wide-open one that surrounds us. It's another one of my not-a-morning-person coping mechanisms, because if we're being brutally honest I'd prefer to hang around the house a little longer and pat the dog. Like I'm doing now.

My lack of morning acuity notwithstanding, there's always something neat going on in the atmosphere above, and sometimes it's even worth reaching for the camera - always close by - and remembering the moment. On this morning, it was the color that grabbed me first, that deep orange/salmon that only an early morning in a polluted part of the world can produce. But once my cones (or is it rods?) absorbed the otherworldly hue, I got to wondering about the long-gone planes that had left these parallel trails in the sky. Where were they now? Where were they headed? Who was on them and what was their story?

No clue, of course. Which is perhaps as it ought to be. Because in the end not everything needs an answer. And some things deserve to remain open-ended. Because that first-thing-in-the-morning moment, even for a wake-up-hater like me, is a great time to ponder the what-ifs of life.

Your turn: The first thing you do when you get out of the house in the morning is...?

Gary Carter: He'll always be The Kid

2012-02-16T21:05:00.005-05:00

Gary Carter died today. He was 57, and had been diagnosed with brain cancer last May. If you grew up in Montreal, Gary Carter WAS baseball, the catcher of our late, much-missed major league team, the Expos through a large stretch of the 1970s and 80s.

I was probably too young to appreciate the subtleties of what made him great on the field, but I do remember, vividly, the energy he brought to the game. He loved to play, loved the city that embraced him for so many years, loved the people who hung out beside the dugout at Jarry Park and, later, the Olympic Stadium, hoping for a wave, a smile or, if they were lucky, an autograph.

In an age of spoiled athletes who all too often forget where they come from, Mr. Carter remained rooted to the city where he came of age, remained connected to the fans who looked up to him for so long. He was the standard-bearer for how a professional athlete should conduct himself both on and off the field. When he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, he did so as an Expo - so far, the only one. Two weeks before he died, he insisted on attending the season-opener for the college-level team he coached. In so many ways and at every stage of his life, he was the very definition of class.

It's never fair when a life so vital is cut down so soon. You have to wonder about the cruel twists of fate that take the best among us and subject them to a cruelly painful, soul-destroying demise. Years ago, my wife lost her uncle to this insidious disease. He was a strong, vibrant man who we barely recognized by the end, and even today what he went through simply makes no sense. We named our daughter after him, and every time I look at her, I think that maybe the spirit of those we've lost continues to live on in the vibrancy of those who follow in their footsteps. In the unexplainable, we look for signs of hope.

Related links:

Montreal Gazette editorial: The Kid who made Montreal smile
Gazette article by Ian MacDonald: Remembering Expos Hall of Famer Gary Carter
Los Angeles Times obituary: Gary Carter dies at 57; baseball Hall of Famer

On being your own driver

2012-02-16T17:33:00.001-05:00

"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much."
Jim Rohn

I'm slowly coming to the realization that relying on others to pursue your dreams is like asking others to drive your car. Why would they when they're busy enough driving themselves?

Patience and politeness can only take you so far. Eventually, you've got to grab the wheel and point yourself where you want to go. No one else will ever care about your journey as much as you do.

Your turn: How are you driving your own life?

Desperation in the greeting card aisle

2012-02-16T08:13:00.001-05:00

I post this for no other reason than I thought the spectacle of men buying Valentine's Day cards at the very end of Valentine's Day itself was more than a little funny. And just a little bit sad.

Never mind one of them could have bopped me for grabbing this scene with my smartphone's camera. Some things are worth taking the risk.

Your turn: What are you celebrating today? How will you celebrate?

On remembering happiness

2012-02-15T21:56:00.001-05:00

"Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it."
Jacques Prévert

Birds of a feather

2012-02-14T23:44:00.003-05:00

Follow me
London, ON, November 2011

About this photo: Thematic explores pairs this week. You can, too: Just go here.

For as long as I can remember, I've been somewhat critical of Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day and any other manufactured day designed to sell more stuff to folks who neither need nor want it. I'm not opposed to the act of celebrating the people closest to us, of course, but I do have issues when it's commercialized to the point of triviality, and to the point that we lose sight of the need to celebrate outside of these predefined dates.

Hallmark doesn't need to tell me I love my wife and kids on March 3rd. Or May 19th. Or any other day that I'm lucky enough to have with them.

Still, I saw this picture and thought it fit the sentiment of this particular day. Beyond the flowers, the chocolates, and the desperate clump of men who were crowding the card aisle at the pharmacy just a couple of hours ago, today is a reminder that life isn't lived alone. That we're connected to each other - whether we like it or not. I'm sure neither one of these birds will ever be buying a cellophane-wrapped card for each other. But their unspoken partnership (you follow me, and I'll try to make the journey easier for you) somehow speaks to me.

Your turn: Am I being too much of an anti-holiday curmudgeon here?

Thematic Photographic 183 - Pairs

2012-02-13T19:00:00.002-05:00

The Dairy Queens
Delray Beach, FL, December 2011

About this photo: We're kicking off our new Thematic theme, pairs. Scroll down to participate - you know you want to!

I discovered something about myself when we were away: I really like stealth photography. I know I've always had this thing about shooting folks in public, that I've been hesitant, for reasons of privacy, legality and personal safety, to point my lenses at strangers. For reasons I can't quite explain, that's beginning to change.

I brought a tablet along for vacation - a PlayBook, because I'm just that geeky - and realized what an incredibly efficient and unobtrusive camera it can be. We're not at the point yet where the act of holding a tablet up just so is enough to attract attention. So for all most people know, you're reading Really Close To Your Face. If they notice at all. Which these two ladies did not.

They remained immersed in their fascinating world for as long as we were there, never once losing pace with either their ice cream or their discussion. I wondered if this was a regular thing for them - it sure looked that way - and whether or not they ever tried a different venue. I suspected not, as this formica-clad slice of frozen comfort seemed just right for the kind of moment they were having. Dairy Queen is never quite home, but for a few minutes on an otherwise lonely night, it'll do just fine.

Of the thousands of pictures I took while we were away, this ranks among my favorites. There's just something about this moment...

Your turn: I chose the pairs theme because sometimes, things just go better when they've got a partner. There's a certain symmetry associated with being part of a twosome, a sense of balance that the singular sometimes seems to lack. I hope you'll join in: Just take a pic, post it to your blog (or find one you've already posted), leave a comment here letting folks know where to find it, visit other participants and generally enjoy the vibe of it all for the next week. Thematic is all about exploring our photographic potential, and if this is all new to you, click here for more. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to seeing what you've got!

Here at George's Grocery

2012-02-13T06:49:00.002-05:00

Smallville revisited
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2011

About this photo: Thematic explores the nutty world of the grocery store for just a few more hours. Click here to get your retail vision up - or pop back at 7:00 p.m. Eastern (hey, that's tonight!) when we launch our all-new theme, pairs.

Tucked into the back of a commuter rail station is a sliver of history that's almost too easy to miss if you aren't looking closely enough. It's called the South Florida Railway Museum, and I went there with the boys and my father-in-law on one sunny afternoon because boys and trains have always been an ideal combination.

The museum, lovingly built and maintained by teams of dedicated volunteers, grabbed their attention as soon as they got inside. Imagine a bunch of guys who've spent their lives working the rails - and in some cases second or third-generation railway workers - spending their free time building intricate displays in miniature. Their mandate: Tell the story of how trains helped build the south, of how transportation has influenced the lives of those who may have never even set foot on a train.

The kids loved the trains and the intricate settings, of course, and spent an inordinate amount of time observing them from every possible angle. But it was how they listened to these passionate industry veterans that really got me. Everyone had a story, everyone wanted to share it with us, and our sons were only too happy to soak it all in.

We hung around for a good chunk of time, always finding something new to see and discuss. It was the kind of low-key place that turned into a delightful find, the kind of place I hope to return to on our next visit to see how their next set of upgrades turns out. For the museum, like life itself, is a never-ending work-in-progress. I'm guessing the lessons our sons picked up from this visit extended well beyond trains.

Your turn: Have you ever discovered something really neat in a decidedly out-of-the-way place?

On what life owes - or doesn't owe - us

2012-02-12T17:39:00.001-05:00

“Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect.”
Margaret Mitchell

These wise words ring so much more strongly in light of the modern assumption among some young 'uns that the world somehow owes them something. You can see it in the words that some choose to use:

"They should..."
"I deserve..."
"That's not fair..."

Well, here's a news flash: Life owes us nothing. It's up to us to squeeze the most out of our time here. And if life doesn't serve it up on a platter, it's perfectly acceptable for us to go out and seek what we feel we deserve. Active, not passive. No one's fault but our own if we fail to drive our own destiny.

Your turn: How do you get what you want most out of life?

Someone deserves a ticket

2012-02-12T09:43:00.002-05:00

I think I'm feeling a little ornery this week. First the shot of the discarded coffee cup on the floor, and now one of this doofus parked right next to the fire route sign.

Maybe I shop at grocery stores* that attract mindless, self-centred noobs who are too lazy to find a real parking spot or dump their trash in a garbage can. Maybe I subconsciously seek out the selfish among us so I can have a moment of quiet, sanctimonious superiority as I walk by. Maybe our neighbourhoods are destined to be taken over by those who flout anti-idling bylaws, fire zone parking rules, common sense and basic decency, and we should just give up and accept that we'll simply never win.

Either way, I don't know if the guy in the driver seat saw me pull out my BlackBerry and take this admittedly lameoid shot. I'm betting he didn't, as looking out the right-hand side of the car to read signs and look out for the welfare of others seemed anathema to him. I'm sorry I didn't knock on the window before I disappeared into the night. If anything, it would have been a timely reminder to an apparently oblivious soul that life isn't always about him.

Your turn: What's the right way to respond in a case like this?

* It's Thematic's grocery week this week. Click here to dive in.

Whitney Houston Dead at 48

2012-02-11T20:14:00.003-05:00

I know this seems odd, as I typically don't write about anything from the Entertainment Tonight, TMZ or E! side of the planet. Celebrity worship seems to be such a phenomenal waste of time, energy and resources. Yet, when an incredible talent dies way too young, Mary Hart notwithstanding I think it merits pausing and reflecting. What an unbelievable waste of a life.

Meeting the future of journalism

2012-02-11T12:32:00.000-05:00

I meet some really fascinating people in my life as a journalist. They're folks who know what stories need to be told, how they need to be told, and how the results will touch the people who read, hear, view or experience the final result. As I've grown my own career in the space, I've counted myself lucky to cross their paths, as I never fail to learn something from them every time I do.

I was privileged to meet CKCO/CTV Kitchener's Matthew Kang last week over tea to discuss a project, RE4MAT, he's currently building. I do lots of interviews, but rarely do I get to chat with other journalists about the future of the profession, and ways up-and-coming members of the profession can help steer us all toward a brighter future. I got to have that discussion with Matt, and I'm glad I did, because he's up to something that bears watching.

I've long believed that technology, which over the past couple of decades has largely rewritten the rules by which news is gathered, built, distributed and paid for, is more a force for good than anything else. As much as it's apparently damaged so many news organizations - with newspaper advertising in freefall, television stations pulling back broadcast hours and radio networks consolidating themselves into centralized shadows of their formerly-local selves - it's also opened up incredible new opportunities for those willing to open their eyes.

Matt's eyes are wide open, and it was refreshing to shoot the breeze with him on what works, and what could work better if we join forces to influence the right kind of change. He interviewed me for a longer-form piece he's just published online. The company being profiled is an innovative Waterloo region company called BufferBox, and I'm sure he's got a lot more compelling stories in the pipeline. For now, I hope you'll do two things:

Watch the video (link here), as it's a refreshingly innovative way of covering a refreshingly innovative startup. Also add his Re4MAT Tumblr page to your radar, as more is on the way.
Please share a comment below on how initiatives like Matt's make you feel about the future of journalism in the Internet Age.

I'm virtually certain I'll be having more discussions with Matt on where this profession's going, and I'm equally certain I'll come away then, as I did this time, feeling like I'd learned something in the process. As I headed home that night, I couldn't help but think that our profession's future was in pretty good hands.

Your turn: Thoughts?

On evil and responsibility

2012-02-10T20:30:00.001-05:00

"He who does not punish evil, commands it to be done."
Leonardo Da Vinci

Dear world,

Syria.

Thank you,

Carmi

Dead fish society

2012-02-10T08:22:00.001-05:00

I find scenes like this immensely funny, but I'm not entirely sure why. I think it might have something to do with my aversion to eating food that's shaped like the animal it once was. If I see a breaded piece of fish that's in the general shape of a fish, I can't eat it. It's fishsticks or bust for me, baby.

Your turn: Got any food-eating quirks?

One more thing: Head here for more grocery-themed insanity. I can't guarantee that additional fish won't be harmed in the process, however.

On Gilda and the unfairness of life

2012-02-09T20:52:00.000-05:00

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.”
Gilda Radner

One of the lessons we try to teach our kids, time and again, is that life isn't fair. As much as we want to cushion them from the bumps and bruises of life, it gets harder to do that as they grow and expand their sphere of influence. They're tough, smart, sensitive kids, so I know they'll ultimately figure it out. But seeing them slowly emerge from the cocoon of their younger years, where life was infinitely more predictable, isn't always easy.

We want to reach in and fix everything, just like we did when they were a lot smaller. But sometimes, we have to sit back and let it play out as it's meant to. Even if the outcome can't be tied up in a pretty little bow.

I'm guessing it'll make them stronger adults, because they'll be far more in tune with the world around them than they might have been had mommy and daddy swooped in every time a rogue wave rolled over them. I'm guessing this is how they learn to truly live. Perhaps Gilda was right, after all.

Your turn: Was she?

Double-double-drinking

2012-02-09T07:11:00.003-05:00

I've been noticing this kind of thing a lot more often lately, empty coffee cups left wherever their piggish drinkers left them. I'm guessing whoever these boorish shoppers are, they can't be bothered to hold onto their leftovers until they can locate a garbage can or recycling bin. I'm also guessing that their arms, wrists and hands are so crippled by years of remote control button-pressing and smartphone game-playing that the weight of an empty cup could be enough to send them to the emergency room. Poor dears.

So they leave them on grocery store shelves for the inevitable garbage elves to take care of them. Or they simply drop them on the floor - as is apparently the case here - where they end up forlornly rolling around the aisle.

I know it may sound trivial of me, but this is the kind of selfish act that really makes me doubt the future of the human race. If some folks are so wrapped up in themselves that tossing their garbage wherever they wish doesn't prompt a second thought, where else in life are they making similarly self-centred judgment calls? It's such a me-focused way of being and, frankly, it saddens me.

After taking this shot, I managed to find a proper spot to dispose of this absently tossed cup. I never did find whoever did the tossing in the first place, but I'm pretty sure there are plenty more Tim Hortons coffee addicts out there who'll be doing exactly the same thing on my next trip to the grocery store.

Your turn: The first three words that come to mind when you see something like this are...?

One more thing: This photo supports this week's Thematic theme, groceries. Click here to join in the fun.

On leaving something behind

2012-02-07T23:07:00.001-05:00

"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will."
Chuck Palahniuk

So I stay up late and wake up early. And live in the shadows of my laptop's screen. And brainstorm. And pitch. And research. And write. And strive for more. For myself. More importantly, for my family. Fingers on a backlit keyboard, stringing words together while they sleep. Hitting another deadline before they wake up.

Because I can't imagine what it must be like to move through life and not have anything to show for it when I look back. To some, what I create is just a collection of words. To me, it's become life itself.

Your turn: What's your legacy? Why does leaving one matter in the first place?

Thematic Photographic 182 - Groceries

2012-02-06T19:00:00.002-05:00

Putting the carts before the horse
Delray Beach, FL, December 2011

We're returning to our photographic roots, somewhat, with this week's theme, groceries. That's because it wasn't long after I started writing this blog that I thought photography would be a neat addition to the narrative. And not just any photography, but everyday photography, the kind where I'd venture into the bastion of the everyday, the grocery store, and look for ways to make the mundane seem interesting.

Along the way, I adopted terms like fruitography and almost got kicked out of the Wal-Mart. I scared grandmas and annoyed more than my fair share of teenaged stockboys, not to mention one really intimidating-looking fish guy. And all for the love of food. Shooting food (and tomato juice, and water, and Popeye). And sharing it here.

So for the next week, I hope you'll return to the grocery store and bring back your own magical views of this not-always-magical place. Because photography isn't just about the Eiffel Towers, Niagara Falls and Grand Canyons. Because anyone can take a spectacular shot of a spectacular subject. It's turning the ordinary into the memorable that keeps me coming back for more. I hope it does you, as well.

Your turn: Shoot a grocery-themed pic and share it on your blog. Or point to something you've already shared. Leave a comment here letting everyone know where to find it. Visit other participants and bring along a friend. We'll be doing it all week, so try the veal and grab your camera. Or click here if this Thematic thing is new to you. It won't hurt a bit.

The not-quite blue screen of death

2012-02-05T22:30:00.001-05:00

If you've used Windows for any period of time, you've likely become familiar - perhaps intimately so - with its blue screen of death. The BSOD is a sad fact of life for many, a reminder that the operating systems that define our personal and professional computing experiences are incredibly complex beasts with millions of lines of code that occasionally cough up a hairball. And when they do, you either get a BSOD or some similarly cryptic, technologically fatal, scary-to-the-folks-who-just-want-to-get-their-work-done message.

In this particular case, you're looking at my old work laptop. Either the hard drive was failing. Or the drive controller was failing. Or the chunk of the OS that communicates with the storage hardware was having a bad day. Or an internal cable was loose, fraying or fried. Or the Fijian god of motherboard bandwidth decided today was the day to revoke some juju.

Whatever it was, this hangar queen of a machine was soon returned from whence it came, replaced by another, significantly more reliable, Dell. I haven't see this message since. Whatever happened to that slacker dude who did their "Dude, you're getting a Dell" ads, anyway?

Your turn: Your worst computer ever was a...? What made it so lousy?

Surfing for porn at Mickey Ds

2012-02-05T07:37:00.002-05:00

Wireless Bubbeh
Delray Beach, FL, January 2012

About this photo: It's screens week all week long, and you're invited to share your own. Just click here.

You can tell I've been on a bit of a surreptitious-photography jag lately (here), and I'm guessing it'll continue for a bit because strangers can be so gosh darn fascinating. Like this sweet lady who I spotted across a crowded McDonald's restaurant. Wait, it's not a restaurant, but we'll argue that one another day. Back to the story.

I never did get to see what she was up to, but by virtue of the rather cheeky title of this post, I smiled as I imagined her hoovering the nastiest kinds of multimedia content through the free Wi-Fi connection, and all for the price of a medium soft drink - oops, "pop" - that she nursed along for at least 45 minutes.

Regardless of whether or not she's an in-public porn addict, it's still nice to know the technology revolution hasn't passed her by.

Your turn: The coolest place you've ever used free public WiFi is...?

On security. Or the lack thereof.

2012-02-04T10:11:00.003-05:00

"The more you seek security, the less of it you have. But the more you seek opportunity, the more likely it is that you will achieve the security that you desire."
Brian Tracy

Marlboro Man

2012-02-03T07:04:00.001-05:00

Solitary

Delray Beach, FL, December 2011

What does this picture have to do with this week's "screens" theme (more here)? Simultaneously nothing and everything. There isn't a screen in sight here. No laptop, smartphone or tablet. I'm guessing this gentleman is about as likely to tweet his whereabouts as I am to sit down next to him and light up a cigarette.

But as I stared at him from afar, all I could think of was how he needed to be screened for cancer. Yes, I'm just that weird, worrying about other people's health. The scene, in the sickly greenish light of an outdoor strip mall overhang, seemed just a little sad on the surface. For all I know, this guy was enjoying a blessedly quiet few minutes away from his shrew of a wife/girlfriend/mistress.

But none of that mattered as I preset the camera on look-into-your-neighbor-in-the-next-county zoom and got myself into that Zen state that allows low-light, longish exposure shots in low light. I had to shoot fast and still to avoid being picked off. Perhaps he could outrun me. Either way, I didn't want to find out the hard way.

Your turn: What's his story? Why would a scene like this attract your eye?

On mistakes and honor

2012-02-02T21:17:00.004-05:00

“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
George Bernard Shaw

I'm pretty sure I'm making a lot of mistakes these days, judgment calls where I'm bound to cross some line, tick someone off, leave some wreckage in my wake.

But here's the thing: I'm perfectly OK with it. When life swirls around in a tightening vortex that forces you to alternately run like hell and hold on for dear life, you know you won't always have the luxury of time to stand at the fork of a decision and mull over your choices until you're absolutely sure you know which direction is best. Sometimes, all you can do is glance, pick, and run with the current. You'll figure it out eventually.

And even if you don't, you're on one heck of a ride, so who really cares about perfection, anyway.

Your turn: Your biggest mistake ever was...?

The biggest screen of all

2012-02-02T07:55:00.001-05:00

What's the score?
London, ON, October 2010

About this photo: Thematic. Screens. Here.

Scoreboards used to be single-purpose: they displayed the score, maybe the time, and that was about it. Old display technology was typically hard-wired, monochrome - usually some shade of neon or, gasp, made up of a bunch of incandescent light bulbs. None of this gazillion-pixel/LED/HD nonsense that the young whippersnappers talk about these days.

And while you're at it, get off my lawn.

Oops, tangent. Sorry.

These days, an arena or stadium can't do without a Jumbotron or its equivalent, a full-color, full-motion panel that makes your screen at home look like a postage stamp. London's John Labatt Centre is no different, and the scoreboard over centre ice more than holds its own in the multimedia sports space.

So there I was at the London Knights game last Friday with my family when, during a break, the camera swung in our general direction. I'm not sure what overcame me, but when I realized the thing was about to point at me, I thought it would be neat to have a little fun with the fans. Our son, Zach, and I mugged for the camera and made complete doofuses of ourselves, to the point that it stopped panning and stayed locked on us until play resumed.

The television crew covering the game recognized me and tweeted about it, which touched off a friendly storm of tweets flitting back and forth across the arena and beyond. We laughed for the rest of the game, confident that this complete abuse of technology had made others smile, as well. As a bonus, the Knights won in thrilling fashion. Sometimes, life is good, even if you have to make a bit of a fool of yourself in the process.

Your turn: Ever make a big-time spectacle of yourself? Do tell!

On intention and destiny

2012-02-01T21:35:00.000-05:00

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

I've often said that life's a journey. Mine's taken a few interesting twists lately, and I'd be lying if I said I knew where all of this would end up. But I do know me and my family are headed someplace neat, and like the late, very much missed Mr. Adams, I feel perfectly at ease with where I am right now.

Your turn: Where do you need to be?

Near-supersonic networking

2012-02-01T06:20:00.000-05:00

Taking flight
At altitude, December 2011

About this photo: Thematic celebrates screens this week. If you've got a screen-related pic you'd like to share, head here.

The good news: Our flight offered free wi-fi. The bad news: It expired after 30 minutes, at which point I'd be asked to fork over for the privilege of annoying my seatmates with my incessant Internauting.

My workaround? Simple: Collect every wi-fi-enabled device in my bag, and simply sign in anew when each half-hour ran out. By my count, I had five devices - laptop, two tablets, BlackBerry and iPod touch. - which got me 2-and-a-half hours of connected goodness on a three-hour flight.

Now, let's be clear that I am no fan of in-flight connectivity. Up until recently, in-flight aircraft represented the last bastion of near-silence for the over-wired. No pinging texts, no filling inboxes, no online games. Just the blessed peace and quiet associated with forcibly-disconnected flyers reading, napping or, horrors, chatting with each other. I lament the fact that society feels the need to fill every nook and cranny with high-bandwidth connectivity. Sometimes, it would be nice to simply pull the plug for a bit.

But, hypocrite that I apparently am, I was willing to set aside my anti-wireless-at-altitude stance for a chance to email silly pictures of myself to everyone I knew. Because as a one-time thing, it was a heck of a lot of fun. And as I happily skipped from one device to another to slurp up my half-hour snippets of free wireless, I couldn't help but think that, used with care, this could be a neat addition to the human landscape.

Who was I kidding? Between Alec Baldwin playing Words With Friends and the kid across the aisle using his iPad to record obscene-sounding bodily functions, I think we're all doomed.

Your turn: Wi-fi in flight. Good, bad, or indifferent?

On Carl Sagan, curiosity, and the lowly book

2012-01-31T18:54:00.000-05:00

"What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic."
Carl Sagan

Please resist the urge to repeat "billions and billions" in that unforgettable tone of his. What Dr. Sagan brought to the world, aside from a remarkable scientific mind that expanded our view of the universe, was a challenge to everyday folks to look at their own universe with just a little more curiosity.

I miss his voice and I miss his insight. I wonder who else is out there to carry the torch of science for those who never saw themselves as scientists.

Your turn: So, who else is there? I'll start: Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Thematic Photographic 181 - Screens

2012-01-30T19:00:00.001-05:00

Window on the world
7 miles above the planet, December 2011

I'd like to try something a little different with this week's Thematic theme, screens. So much of our daily lives revolve around flat panel televisions, computer monitors, smartphones and tablets, so I thought it would be neat to have a theme that focuses on these miracles of visually-focused electronics.

To me, technology has always been more than a simple gadget discussion. It's about how miraculous new inventions change the way we see and experience the world. I thought the screens that deliver those experiences would be a great place to start. Are you in?

Your turn: Share a photo of a screen, any screen, in any kind of scenario you think best reflects the theme. Post it to your blog, then leave a comment here letting everyone know where to find it. Repeat as often as you wish throughout the week, and be sure to visit other participants to share the joy. Thematic Photographic is our weekly photo-sharing, learning and exploring extravaganza, and we'd love for you to take part. For more background on Thematic, click here.

On remembering to experience the now

2012-01-30T18:17:00.001-05:00

"You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present."
Jan Glidewell

Where the flight attendant almost busts me

2012-01-29T20:32:00.002-05:00

Please take your seats
Somewhere over Ohio, December 2011

About this photo: Thematic. Movement. Here.

I keep coming up with new ways to get myself ejected from the grocery store, asked to leave the mall, and now, kicked off the plane. Thankfully I've only come close, without actually walking the plank. But I figure if I keep at it like I did on this flight, it's only a matter of time. Anything for the picture, right?

What does this have to do with movement? Simple: the camera was moving at nearly 800 km/h when this was taken. So was everything else in the picture. I didn't compose it, per se, as I didn't want to draw any more attention to myself than I already was. So I shot quick glances in all directions to make sure no one was paying too much attention, then quietly dropped my arm down into the aisle and began shooting.

By the time I was done, the drink cart was approaching from the back. And the flight attendant looked none too pleased. Still, she resisted the urge to dump apple juice in my lap. Or lecture me on the security risks of in-flight low-angle guerrilla photography.

It's another one of those click-and-pray shots, and while it won't win any awards (though this one did...more on that soon) it nevertheless brings me back to a moment that makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile, too.

Your turn: How does photography lighten your mood?

Always move forward

2012-01-29T10:17:00.002-05:00

Behold the sign of the horse
Delray Beach, FL, December 2011

About this photo: This week's Thematic theme is "movement". Even though this Mustang is clearly parked, there's a sense of movement in its front fascia that never fails to stop me in my tracks. If you feel the need to move, too, please click here.

Our son is a huge fan of the Ford Mustang. No surprise, as this iconic vehicle has been the object of desire of red-blooded, American boys pretty much forever. Okay, since 1964. Never mind that our son is Canadian. Last I checked, his blood was red. And there's still something about the design, the brand, the way the thing sounds as it cruises on by, that turns his head in ways no Hyundai ever will.

So whenever I see one, I try to take a picture of it. I'm guessing that in the annals of parenthood, anything that gives you an excuse to talk is a good thing. And since I was red-blooded and near-American once upon a time, too, this is an easy thing for the two of us to just fall into.

Your turn: The inanimate objects that connect us. Please discuss.

On meteorology

2012-01-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

"We could all take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism."
Author Unknown

On living vs. existing

2012-01-28T07:16:00.000-05:00

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
Oscar Wilde

It saddens me to think that Mr. Wilde may have been right. How many people around us, after all, are so wrapped up in the mundane details of making it through the average day that they forget to stop every once in a while to realize what a trip this life thing can be? A good shake to the soul might be in order, a reminder that we only see beauty if we first make the effort to do so.

From where I sit, it isn't a glass-half-full-glass-half-empty equation. My glass is half full of water, the other half air. How I choose to perceive it - as a source of life-giving water, an optical-photographic plaything, or anything else - is entirely up to me. Having that choice is priceless, and I'd hate to think I'd ever squander it.

Your turn: How do you spread joy?

Facebook goes public. Someone gets poked.

2012-01-27T17:37:00.000-05:00

It's sorta-official: Facebook might file papers for its long-anticipated initial public offering (IPO) as early as next Wednesday. The "sorta" part is because Facebook hasn't actually announced it. The Wall Street Journal is reporting this, citing an anonymous source. In journalistic parlance, it's "a person familiar with the matter." Which could mean the janitor who cleans Mark Zuckerberg's office, his pool guy, a disgruntled former employee, or his mother who simply wants him to call her more often than he does.

Whoever this "person familiar with the matter" is, he/she has touched off a firestorm of coverage. The big number could fall between a $75 billion and $100 billion valuation, with the company aiming to raise some $10 billion from the offering. This would make it larger than the GDP of some small-ish nations. Or some larger ones with banking, um, issues (Greece, consider yourself poked.) And around the same size as McDonald's (grease?)

Sure, at this point it's all speculation and hearsay. But the Journal's been pretty bang on in the past, and if all this plays out, the monster deal will significantly change the way we view social media. Why? Because the little baby once used to find hot dates on an Ivy League campus is all grown up, and most of us these days are only too happy to immerse our lives in a growing wave of services we once dismissed as trivial.

$100 billion is anything but trivial. And as Google panic-spends its way to parity, it's clear the social media future is Facebook's to lose.

Game on.

Your turn: Facebook...good or evil? Why/why not?

Play. Move. Live.

2012-01-27T06:52:00.001-05:00

Pure joy
Delray Beach, FL, January 2012

About this photo: Thematic explores movement this week, and I hope you'll join us. Click here to get started.

There's something to be said for taking a few steps back so you can watch your kids be themselves. I don't do nearly enough of it during the day-to-day routine that defines our day-to-day lives. Too busy working, grocery shopping, shuttling and worrying to unplug and just enjoy them for who they are. That has to change, because moments like this one on the beach are fleeting.

There's also something to be said for doing instead of just standing on the perimeter looking in. So after I took this picture, I put the camera back into its hermetically sealed bag and dove into the surf with our kids. No pictures or video. Just a vivid memory of an all-too-brief afternoon on the beach when we disconnected from the real world and enjoyed the moment.

Your turn: When's the right time to put the camera down and dive in?

On darkness and light

2012-01-25T20:04:00.001-05:00

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light."
Aristotle Onassis

Mr. Onassis's words resonate especially deeply with me today, and I'm not entirely sure why. As far as I can tell, I'm not surrounded by darkness. I'm riding a pretty fulfilling wave that sees me engaged in work that jazzes me and touches others. My creative voice has never been more vibrant.

Yet I'm keenly aware of how quickly life can turn, how cruelly it can all be taken away, how even when we're bathed with light it behooves us to know where the shadows are, as well. Because life doesn't follow a predictable path, and it probably doesn't hurt to know what we'll need to do if the darkness suddenly descends on us.

Your turn: Keeping the darkness at bay. How?

Vignette - a morning I don't want to forget

2012-01-24T23:33:00.001-05:00

Men must live and create. Live to the point of tears.
Albert Camus

I was up at a ridiculously early hour yesterday. I hadn't slept as much as I simply lay in bed staring at the clock, so worried I'd oversleep that I simply avoided sleep entirely.

The two co-CEOs of Research In Motion had quit the night before. The tech world was buzzing and I had been asked to do an early morning interview with Canada AM. It's CTV's flagship morning show, and as much as I've for the most part gotten used to the whole being-on-TV thing, this is television on another level, the best on-air and production talent you can imagine. I was equally jazzed, humbled and honoured.

I quietly moved through the usual preparation. Shower, clothes on, pat the dog, kiss the sleeping munchkins, juice, read, read, read, then out the door. I've done early-morning interviews before, but this one somehow felt different. As I stepped off the porch, I felt as if I was drinking things in in something beyond HD. The air felt particularly crisp, the darkened landscape almost three-dimensional as my now-wide-open eyes took it all in. It had rained the night before, and the ground was still slick, a chilling wind whipping through the now-bare trees. It was weird, but in a good way...I felt so incredibly alive and in the moment.

On the drive down, I pulled up next to someone at a red light. For some reason, the traffic lights reflecting off the road caught my eye. I wondered if the person in the other car noticed it, too, or wondered how something as simple as a traffic light reflecting off of a wet road can seem worthy of attention at this ungodly hour. I felt like I had a secret, that that driver had no idea I was about to do something blindingly cool before most of the rest of the city would even be awake. I didn't even want to blink, didn't want to miss these few quiet moments of an apparently special day when I was going to kick open a few more doors for me and my still-sleeping family. I wiped away a tear, maybe two, because in an instant I knew that this was what "right" felt like.

It's moments like this that you want to stuff in a bottle forever, when you realize you don't know what you did to deserve it, but you're still glad you did whatever it was. Of course, moments don't work that way, and neither do bottles. But that doesn't mean we can't hope to find a better way to freeze the snippets that matter most.

Before long, I slowly drove up the winding road to the studio on the hilltop. The bright lights shone like beacons in the night, signalling a place I've somehow made my own in recent months, a place where I feel like I can turn pretty much every journalistic dream I've ever had into an amazingly fulfilling reality. We all have places where we excel, and this is one of them for me.

I headed inside and handed myself over to the care of a local producer who knows what I need before I even say I need it, and a faraway director who on mornings like this calmly speaks into my ear and won't ever let me drop the ball. Outside of the focused circle of bright light that surrounded me, the rest of the studio was hushed, dark, serene. I closed my eyes, took a breath, and waited for the countdown to hit zero. I was ready.

Your turn: What does "right" feel like to you?

Thematic Photographic 180 - Movement

2012-01-23T19:00:00.000-05:00

Flared
Delray Beach, FL, January 2012
[Click photo to embiggen]

Quick note: The leadership change at Research In Motion continues to put its stamp on my existence. Click here to see the latest. Or read on for a little photographic diversion. Because when the big news stops, a little camera time is good for the soul.

Photography is an incredible thing. It can freeze virtually anything in its tracks, and in the process allow us to imagine movement when, in fact, there is none. It plays with the mind, brings it places far beyond the screen mere inches from our nose, forces it to ponder what it must have felt liketo be Right There.

It's always a wonder to me that I can stop time with a mere click. I can explain the physics of it, but that doesn't make it any less miraculous.

Your turn: For the next week, Thematic will be sharing movement-themed pictures. Either take one that suggests the theme and then post it, or find one you've already shared online. Leave a comment here letting everyone know where to find it. Visit other participants to share the joy (and accept my apologies for being so slack lately on that last part. Time is not my friend these days. I'll work on that.) And above all, enjoy the process. Because this is all about loving what we do when we grab our cameras and head out who knows where.

Oops, almost forgot: New to Thematic? Click here and all will be explained. Well, almost all.

RIM leaders quit. Future remains uncertain.

2012-01-22T23:21:00.012-05:00

So it's finally official. Research In Motion's co-CEOs and co-chairs Mike Laziridis and Jim Balsillie are stepping down from their posts (press release, WSJ, Globe & Mail, National Post). Current COO Thorsten Heins has been elevated to CEO, while former Royal Bank of Canada Barbara Stymiest becomes RIM's first-ever independent board chair. The now-former leaders will remain as members of the board.

What does it mean? Well, without much new products in the pipeline - new BlackBerry smartphones based on the next-generation BlackBerry 10 aren't due until the second half of this year, and the PlayBook is still languishing in the tablet-market equivalent of oblivion - not much. RIM needs renewal, and the leadership changes are only the first step in this process.

Worse, while I'm sure Mr. Heins is a superbly experienced industry vet - he was most recently RIM's COO, and has been in the telecom space for 30 years, including a stint as CTO at Siemens - he remains a RIM insider. If the company had been truly serious about reinventing itself, it would have looked to someone from either another company or another industry entirely. It's been done before - think Ford and ex-Boeing chief Alan Mullaly - and it could have been leveraged here, too.

I'll have lots to say on this in the days ahead, including a hit with CTV's Canada AM at 7 a.m. Eastern tomorrow (Monday). I'll add links to this entry as they hit the web.

Your turn: Thoughts?

Where I'm writing:

My op-ed in Tuesday's Toronto Star (!) Suggestions for RIM's new CEO as he settles in
My op-ed in the Kitchener-Waterloo Record and the Guelph Mercury (RIM's HQ is in Waterloo, so the KW paper is its hometown paper.) New leaders face new challenges (alternate link here)

My articles for Yahoo! Canada:

Where I've been quoted/interviewed:

I chatted with Beverly Thomson on this morning's CTV Canada AM. Main story link here.
Spoke with CKCO Kitchener's Abigail Bimman via Skype for their 11:30 p.m. newscast.
Havard Gould included my comments in a piece he aired on CBC's The National.
Spoke with Kieron O'Dea for a piece for Global National.
Bantered with CTV News Channel's Jacqueline Milczarek and Dan Matheson.
Appeared on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin.
Spoke with Aaron Rand of Montreal's CJAD, because radio in my old hometown is just that special.
I spoke with the Toronto Star. RIM's Mike Laziridis and Jim Balsillie resign. byline Michael Lewis.

Additional links/resources:

At Research In Motion, a new CEO vows to silence the doomsayers
Bowing to critics and market forces, RIM's co-chiefs step aside
Meet Thorsten - RIM blog post on their new honcho.

Where so many others have walked

2012-01-22T07:30:00.002-05:00

By the day's early light
Pompano Beach, FL, December 2011

About this photo: We continue to explore anything that glows, and we hope you'll consider doing the same. Just click here to join in.

There's a certain sense of peace associated with walking along a quiet beach just after the rising sun has begun to paint the sand. What was cold to the touch just a few minutes ago is suddenly alive with radiated heat, as if a ball of hot gas some 93 million miles away can somehow bring immediate heat to your feet - and by association, your soul. Amazingly, that's exactly what happens as the sun rapidly transforms this place from the murky colors of pre-dawn to something that's decidedly more alive.

It's a change that you can feel as well as see. And as I focus in on the sidelit relief of the sand, I notice the traces of countless unseen souls who've walked here before me, and I get the feeling that I'm not the only one who's been drawn here. I wonder who all these other people are, and whether they felt the same sense of reverence that I'm feeling now. I wonder if they wonder anything at all, or if they're simply content to spend a few quiet minutes here before rejoining the real world as it shakes off the night and prepares for whatever it is that comes next.

I don't know what awaits me as the sun continues its relentless journey toward the top of the sky, but that hardly seems to matter as I slowly turn for home. My wife's probably awake by now. And breakfast awaits. I quietly think to myself that more days should start like this. Maybe...

Your turn: What does your ideal start-to-the-day look like?

How are you changing the world?

2012-01-21T18:43:00.001-05:00

While walking the dog earlier today, I found myself wondering about the whole meaning of life thing. My inbox has had more than a few sad messages from afar this week, reminders that this gift we've all been given is both fleeting and finite. It made me think.

And as my mind wandered back, I was reminded of the late Steve Jobs, and his well-documented desire to leave a dent in the universe. His dent is an obvious one, but what of the rest of us? What are we - individually and collectively - doing to change the world? How are we leaving it a better place than when we first got here? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

On work-life balance

2012-01-20T17:46:00.001-05:00

"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important."
Bertrand Russell

I thought this would be a fine way to end the work week - after all, we all need the occasional reminder to stop taking ourselves so seriously and learn the definition of manyana.

Your turn: How are you planning on ending your week?

A place where nobody goes outside

2012-01-20T06:02:00.003-05:00

Who sits here?
Pompano Beach, FL, December 2011

About this photo: Thematic is glowing this week. You can glow, too, by following your mouse here.

Oversized balconies overlooking the pounding surf as the sun begins its daily climb above the horizon. Not a soul to be seen aside from the occasional runner dodging the last gasp of each wave before it crashes for good against the slick sand. I look up and wonder why more people who stay here don't grab a mug of something comforting and head outside to take in the view. Because I think I'd have a permanent outdoor spot for my own mug of something comforting if I lived in this phenomenal place.

For now, I'll have to be content with the way the early morning light plays on the concrete. The sun really does paint differently down here. Pity no one else is outside to notice.

Your turn: Are you an outside or an inside person?

Is this what an alien invasion looks like?

2012-01-19T07:27:00.003-05:00

Glassblower's delight
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2011
[Please click here for more glow-themed insanity]

You find some really surreal sights in some really surprising places. Any guesses where I found this one?

On playing, aging, and death

2012-01-18T18:01:00.001-05:00

"Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

(I'm guessing this applies to both genders, too.)

Your turn: How do you stay young?

As the end approaches

2012-01-18T06:03:00.001-05:00

Soon to fall
London, ON, October 2011

About this photo: Thematic. Glow. Here.

In a matter of hours, we've gone from delightfully and unseasonably warm to brutally cold, icy and snowy. Twitter's heating up with complaints from the winter-unconverted. As I sit in the predawn house listening to the winds howl just outside my window, I readily admit I wish I could be back on a beach, my toes digging into the warm sand as the rest of me does not a whole lot else.

But wishes are just that. And it'll be a while before I'm warm. So for now I'll content myself with this dying scene of a dying season, of a moment where if I blinked my eyes just so, I could hold onto the last slivers of warmth before this leaf finally fell and the darkness once again took over.

There's beauty in the darkness, too. We just have to look a little harder for it.

Your turn:

Wikipedians hate SOPA, PIPA, and liver

2012-01-17T17:45:00.004-05:00

The Internet is abuzz with buzz over the mass protest against the proposed legislation - the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act - that are currently working their way through the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, respectively. Wikipedia goes dark tomorrow in support of a growing protest designed to get the proposed legislation squashed. Copy-and-paste-addicted high school students everywhere should be suffering withdrawal symptoms by lunchtime.

Supporters of the SOPA and PIPA legislation say something's got to be done to rein in piracy, to give law enforcement the ability to reach beyond national borders and shut down copyright violators who use servers stashed in the Cayman Islands to avoid prosecution. Opponents say these acts, if signed into law, will drape a layer of draconian, Big Brother-ish censorship and centralized control that will destroy the open and collaborative Internet as we know it. A number of high-profile sites, including the English-language arm of Wikipedia, will go dark tomorrow to protest the acts and encourage users to fight them. Still others, like Google, will remain operational, but till add content onto their home pages to help spread the word.

Who's right? Well, everyone is. Copyright owners - like Hollywood studios and record labels all the way down to the suburban-dwelling guy who writes on his MacBook late at night and shoots pictures by day - deserve to not have their stuff surreptitiously ripped off and made available for download by shadowy web services in a shadowy country (on a shadowy planet...) People and organizations who create content deserve fair compensation - profits, salaries, careers, whatever - in exchange for their efforts.

Likewise, content distributors - carriers, web sites like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter and distributors like Internet service providers - deserve to do business over an open, collaborative, creativity-inspiring Internet without fear of being waylaid by an endless wave of lawsuits brought forward by the same litigious doofii who turned the McDonalds drive-through into a never-ending source of cash for ambulance-chasing (and coffee-dropping) lawyers everywhere.

There's got to be a middle ground somewhere that at least keeps some of those involved happy some of the time. There's also got to be recognition that it's a problem that will likely never completely go away, that the cops-and-mouse game of stealing electronic content or otherwise using it inappropriately will never end, that technology will always be a step or two ahead of the legislation designed to control - and make fair - its use. Similarly, the planet deserves a solution that replaces today's ineffective patchwork of national legislation with something that allows law enforcement to prosecute criminals wherever they may be.

But as long as partisan bickering dominates the agenda, it's hard to see any of this improving anytime soon. Which is a pity, because the utopian promises of technology deserve a fair shot at coming true. Like reaching for the stars, we know we'll never quite get there. Indeed, we won't even get close. But just striving for fairness and balance should be enough no matter what side of this issue you may be on.

Your turn: Got any SOPA/PIPA thoughts? Hope you'll share 'em. I'll post links of my own later on.

Related links:

CTV Canada AM. I was on-air with host Marci Ien. Video here.
CTV News Channel. I chatted with Sandie Rinaldo. Video here.
CFRB/Newstalk 1010 Toronto. I'm on-air with John Downs tonight (9:45 ET) and again tomorrow morning just after 7:20 ET. (Live feed here.)
Newstalk Radio, Dublin, Ireland. I'm talking transatlantic - right before tuck-in on my side of the sea is morning in Ireland - with Ivan and Chris from The Breakfast Show. Show page here. Live feed here.

Seriously...this stuff is neat.

Thematic Photographic 179 - Glow

2012-01-16T19:00:00.001-05:00

Daybreak
Pompano Beach, FL, December 27, 2011, 7:12 a.m.

Our new Thematic theme, glow, should be a fun one. If it glows, emits light in some way, or even figuratively suggests the concept, then go ahead and share it. That's it!

This particular shot was taken 12 minutes after this one. At the time, I promised to share more, and I may have some additional perspectives from the beach through the coming week. Let me know if you get sick of them.

In the meantime, I suspect you all know what the Thematic deal is, and what your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be over the next week. If not, click here for details. And have fun with it, because that's what Thematic Photographic is all about.

Your turn: Shoot, share and comment. Repeat. And smile.

The one posed shot of the year

2012-01-16T07:15:00.004-05:00

Sitting still. For now.
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2011

About this photo: This pic wraps up our week-long exploration of the "after dark" theme - here. Our new theme, "glow", launches later today, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

It isn't often that I get them in the same place at the same time. Even more rare is having them do so without some kind of mugging for the camera. Which is no surprise given virtually every picture of me at their ages had me making some kind of funny - or in some cases not-so-funny - face.

I've ruined more pictures than I can count, and am likely the one responsible for my mother's grey hair. So it's somewhat poetic, nay fair, that our children should do the same thing to me. Still, they consented to this one moment of family normalcy when I told them their grandparents would be really, really happy. I also bribed them with chocolate, and am perfectly willing to accept my unparent-of-the-year award in exchange for that moment of photographic/familial desperation.

It's rare that I do the posed photography thing. But every once in a while, it's good for the soul to freeze them in place as a reminder of how you got so lucky to have them in the first place.

Your turn: What do you think happened next?

Where the lights are always on

2012-01-15T19:06:00.004-05:00

White, not green
Toronto, ON, December 2009

About this photo: We're sharing "after dark" photos for another day - new theme launches Monday at 7 p.m. Eastern - so you've still got a snippet of time to share your own. Here's where the fun begins.

I had been in the big city for the day because while most of my work as a journalist is somewhat virtual - television hits done from remote studios, stories emailed to editors, and even pyjama-clad radio interviews phoned in from my driveway and - sometimes you need to be front-and-centre. This particularly clear and cold December day was one of them, with a corporate video shoot that I definitely couldn't do from my home office. Or in my jams.

After the session was done, I had a bit of a walk back to my car. So I slowed my pace down a bit, held my camera in my hand and waited for ideas to present themselves. It didn't take long for this abstract-looking building to grab my attention. I couldn't stop thinking about the psychology of modern living that treats empty, fully-lit office buildings as entirely normal elements of the nighttime sky. Owners claim it's in the interest of security, but it still strikes me as a typically arrogant disconnect from respectful use of often-non-renewable resources.

Still, there's an abstractness to this scene that stopped me in my tracks on the sidewalk. I can rail about eco-unfriendliness until the cows come home, but on this night, it meant getting a shot that wouldn't have otherwise been possible. That would have to be good enough as I tucked my camera back away, buried my near-frozen hands deeply in my pockets and headed for home.

Your turn: Who works here?

Little yellow taxi

2012-01-14T19:33:00.003-05:00

Latka's ride
Delray Beach, FL, January 2012

A little man's toy taxi car. A warm evening out. A long lineup that had us chatting outside for a while. All ingredients for an impromptu shoot.

My cousin suggested I make it look like it's in the road. Not wanting to use an actual road - my wife probably would have had a kanipshen at the sight of me shooting in the middle of traffic - I instead found this relatively well-lit curb in the adjacent parking lot. Before you could stick your thumb out and flag a real cab down, I was contorting myself in between an inconveniently placed stand of prickly bushes to set up the shot, my cous suggesting angles and perspectives.

Other restaurant-goers walked by and stared at the spectacle of a grown man crouched on the ground. I'm sure at least some of them were mildly amused. Or alarmed - I'm not sure. My wife, chatting with the rest of our family, was blissfully unaware, though I suppose I'm pretty busted now, as she reads the blog.

The shot was challenging, as I couldn't use the spontaneous camera-bag-as-tripod trick I had used in our Thematic "after dark" theme launch pic (here). So I was stuck handholding down to a third of a second, which allowed me to once again get in touch with my Zen side.

The results? Well, they made a little guy happy, especially when we returned his toy to him. And in the end, that's all that really matters.

Your turn: Do you attract attention when you're shooting in public?

Local tie-in: The taxi in the shot is a model of a Ford Crown Victoria, which until a couple of months ago was manufactured just up the road from us, at the Ford Talbotville assembly plant. The factory is now shuttered, its former workers trying to stay afloat in an economy that doesn't seem to have as much room for middle-class manufacturing as it once did. I found it neat that our little cousin's favorite toy had such a local connection to us.

On Ghandi's view of conscience

2012-01-14T14:46:00.001-05:00

"The human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still small voice of conscience."
Mahatma Ghandi

They dream in neon

2012-01-13T21:52:00.000-05:00

Light bright
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2011

About this photo: Thematic. After Dark. Here. All are welcome.

Three hungry kids. A roadside, drive-through restaurant that we've driven past hundreds of times but never thought to visit because it seemed so forgettable. A warm evening in a place where we nevertheless wish we could linger a little longer.

As we waited for our food, I pulled out my camera and started exploring the architecture of the place. On the surface, it was a nondescript white concrete building with garish lighting, an exhaust-filled outdoor seating area and a walk-up window staffed by employees who seemed to wish they could be anyplace else. Fluorescent light spilled out the service window and onto the time-worn sidewalk below. A forgettable oasis of cookie-cutter mediocrity in a place that doesn't seem to care one way or the other.

But the details told a different story. A place where light rewrites the nighttime landscape, and where color beats back the sun during the day. And when the two intersect, even this place can offer up the kind of sight that just doesn't happen back home. Because we would have missed this neon light show had we simply let our first impressions guide us elsewhere.

Your turn: The first three words that come to mind when you see this photo are...?

On the (apparent) speed of light

2012-01-13T18:52:00.001-05:00

"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."
Terry Pratchett

On reciprocal happiness

2012-01-12T20:50:00.001-05:00

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

A ghost of a life

2012-01-12T07:47:00.003-05:00

Alone
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2011

About this photo: We're sharing "after dark"-themed pics all week long, and you're most certainly invited. Click here to see what the fuss is all about.

This is probably the worst and saddest photo I took while we were away. Worst because I literally shot it from hip-level, without bothering to meter, check focus or even compose. I practically closed my eyes and squeezed it off because I had no time to do anything else. It was one of those moments where you either shoot quickly, quietly and now, or risk losing the moment forever.

It's the saddest picture because it paints a visual of loneliness that I've always imagined in my mind's eye but could never quite touch. I can't stop thinking about the sound of the key in the door on that dark, shadowy concrete balcony, the stooped posture of the lone woman, the fact that I had seen so many like her in this place that they had all begun to blend together in my mind. I imagined what awaited her on the other side, a quiet prison of blank walls and loneliness. The sadness stayed with me long after I had put the camera away.

The result is grainy and lousy. But I can't stop looking at it or thinking about it. Which is I guess what photography is supposed to do.

Your turn: The saddest photo you ever took was...?

On heroes

2012-01-11T19:59:00.001-05:00

"Without heroes we are all plain people and don't know how far we can go."
Bernard Malamud

Your turn: Who's your hero? Why?

Waiting for the world to wake up

2012-01-10T20:41:00.005-05:00

Barely first light
Pompano Beach, FL, December 27, 2011, 7:00 a.m.
Click photo to enlarge

About this photo: We're exploring the after dark theme this week, and I figure the moments just before sunrise just barely qualify as after dark. Way after dark. What's in your collection? Click here to share it.

As I wandered alone onto the darkened beach in anticipation of sunrise, I was struck by two things:

I'm the only person around insane enough to be out here in the chilling wind as blowing sand threatens to add a new design to my lens filter.
I'd come out here every morning, earlier even, if I lived closer.

If we're being rational - work with me on this one, as you already know rationality isn't my strongest suit - this wasn't the best morning to shoot the sunrise. As I first got outside, I felt like kicking myself when I saw the sky: The clouds pretty much wiped out the building light show and the blowing sand coming in from the south (right-of-frame) limited my available angles.

I worried about destroying my camera in pursuit of lousy pictures, and toyed with heading back inside. But the little angel on my other shoulder reasoned it's not as if I get out here all that often. So I decided to stick it out and see how things evolved.

Initial photographic disappointment notwithstanding, it felt strangely comforting to feel the constant, salt-stained wind in my face as I watched the horizon come alive. The longer I stayed on the slowly brightening sand, the more I realized just how wrong my first impressions were. The winds were blowing the clouds into italicized patterns on the horizon that pulled the eye in and wouldn't let go. Instead of blocking the light, the clouds played games with it. They seemed to partner up seamlessly with the gradually rising sun, painting its rays in ways I would have completely missed had the skies been clear.

I took a lot more pictures after this initial view, and I'll post them soon. For now, though, I wanted to share a moment that seemed to start out like a washout but ended up even more rewarding than I had originally imagined. Sometimes, you just have to give things some time to see where they'll take you. Otherwise, think of what you would have missed.

Your turn: Ever have disappointment turn into something great?

On seeing through the darkness

2012-01-10T18:12:00.001-05:00

"No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible."
George Chakiris

Thematic Photographic 178 - After Dark

2012-01-09T19:00:00.003-05:00

Another one rides the bus
Delray Beach, FL, January 2012

Welcome to our new Thematic theme, After Dark. Despite the fact that photography is all about light, and nighttime doesn't always offer up enough of it to make the craft worthwhile, there's plenty of opportunity to get the shot if you're willing to give it a little extra thought.

For example, this old Volkswagen Bus. We were waiting for our table at a popular local restaurant. This being Florida, we were sitting outside and enjoying weather that was infinitely better than the 43 cm of snow being dumped on our hometown some 2,400 km away. I spied this delightfully well preserved Volks across the street and despite the fact that I had no tripod, figured it was at least worth a try.

I crossed the busy road, dumped my camera bag on the sidewalk and got to work. I used the bag as a makeshift tripod , reasoning with myself that the necessarily low angle would seem more dramatic. I used the remote control to set off the 4-second exposure - I didn't want to go too much longer as I wasn't sure how stable the fabric bag would be as traffic whizzed past. I also wanted to get back before my ever-suffering wife realized I was gone.

In the end, I got the shot, my wife liked it, and we had a lovely time at the restaurant. And I realized just how much fun an after-dark shoot could be. As we explore the theme over the next week, I hope you realize how much fun it can be, too.

Your turn: Take a photo after dark (nighttime works, as does any other way you define "after dark"...have fun with it) and post it to your blog. Leave a comment here letting folks know where to find it. Visit other participants and come back through the week to add to the fun. Thematic Photographic is all about stretching our photographic horizons a little. For more background on how it works, click here.

Where shall I fly today?

2012-01-09T06:42:00.005-05:00

Skimming the waves
Pompano Beach, FL, December 2011
[Click photo to embiggen]

About this photo: We're still sharing favorites from 2011, and you're invited to do the same. Just click here. New theme, After Dark, launches tonight at 7:00 p.m.

Anyone who's hung around here for a bit knows I'm somewhat manic about bird pictures (see here, here and here for previous examples.) I don't really understand why this is so: They just pull my attention skyward whenever I'm around them.

I'm not a real hard-core birdwatcher, though. I wouldn't know a yellow-bellied sapsucker from a Monrovian miniature spotted quail. I've tried reading books on bird-spotting before, but it's always ended up in a fog of combined boredom and frustration. Here's all I know:

They fly.
I can't.
I find that neat.

For the sake of convenience, I usually end up shooting whatever's nearby, which typically ends up being the ubiquitous seagull. Scoff if you must, but damn, they can fly. Chasing them with a lens always teaches me something new about the craft. And it makes me feel good while I'm doing it. Which is kinda the point of this living thing, after all.

Your turn: Where's this bird going? Where would you go if you had the native ability to fly?

What massive looks like

2012-01-08T19:37:00.001-05:00

Give me strength
Quebec City, QC, July 2011

About this photo: This is one of my favorite pictures of the past year. Do you have one? If you do, I hope you'll share it. Click here to start.

Ever notice how if you stand near a really giant piece of engineering you eventually feel its presence in your bones? I can't quite explain why, but large structures created by humans seem to have a gravity all their own.

And so it was with the Quebec Bridge, which I probably could have hung around all day if time and my wife permitted. But she's wise in ways that I'm not. And practical (again, in ways that I'm not.) And our merry family had a museum to tour, animals to meet and experiences to experience. So I zoomed in for a few last grabs before we headed inside.

All these months later, I can still feel it in my bones. Can you?

Where I explain what the hell that was

2012-01-08T17:56:00.000-05:00

Light, water and memory
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2011

Earlier today, I posted this picture and asked you what the hell it was. You're all excellent guessers, and I'm glad you had such a good time with it. Turns out you were all pretty darn close. Here's the deal:

We were sitting poolside watching the kinderlings swim in the mostly darkened pool. Being Canadians in a strange land, they were happy to swim after dark, long after the locals had gone inside and tucked in for the night. It was New Year's Eve, and the Canucks didn't much care that it was nowhere near warm enough to go for a dip. Annals of parenting, no?

As the kids swam, I found myself fidgeting with my camera, concerned about not having something unique to remember this night. I wandered to the other side of the pool and found myself staring at the reflected light - from above and under the water's surface - and thinking how neat it would be to shoot it in the abstract.

The answer hit me pretty quickly: Relatively long exposures - 2 to 4 seconds would do it - combined with sweeping the camera in a constant-speed arc from left to right. I've tried this painting-with-light experiment before, but was never happy with the outcome. Time to change that. So while my wife and our cousins chatted poolside, I started waving my camera around. I'm sure had anyone seen me, they would have called security.

Thankfully they didn't. Thankfully we returned home with as many children as we had when we left. Thankfully I ended up with a neat new set of abstracts to enjoy. And an additional incentive to continue shooting weirdly well into 2012.

Your turn: Do you do oddball things with your camera? Do tell!

What the hell is this?

2012-01-08T10:47:00.002-05:00

On the last day of the year, I found myself feeling a little playful. So I threw the camera settings into pray-this-comes-out mode and went to work.

Anyone want to guess what this is? I'll post the full rundown tonight, but I'm curious what you think. The crazier the better.

On roses, gardens and living

2012-01-07T19:24:00.002-05:00

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon, instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today."
Dale Carnegie

Watching the waves roll in

2012-01-06T23:44:00.002-05:00

Don't get wet
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, December 2011

We've been away for a bit, as the ebb and flow of life over the past year made some quiet time pretty much mandatory for us all. We should be pulling into the driveway right around the time this post hits the blog - the wonders of modern technology.

While we were gone, I sat beside the ocean and stared at it for seemingly endless periods of time. Every once in a while, I'd pick up my camera and take a picture. Or two. Or two hundred. It depended on my mood, which became a lot mellower the more I did this. I also mellowed as I watched our kids recharge their own batteries. They're good souls, so much like my wife that it scares me sometimes. But not too much. Either way, it was good to spend copious amounts of unstructured time with them.

I don't know when we'll be able to do this again. Life's ebb and flow gets less clear the further out you look. But we'll always have moments like this - captured by a lens or our own mind - to refer back to when things seem a little darker than we'd like.

Your turn: How do you recharge?

Deadwood

2012-01-06T07:53:00.005-05:00

Twisted sister
London, ON, March 2011

About this photo: Thematic. Favorites. Here. Just for you. Just because.

I had a few extra minutes before picking our daughter up from a playdate, so I parked the car near a local creek and reached for my camera. The day was miserable - grey and dull, with enough muck on the ground to make the entire photo expedition a questionable thing to do. But I clambered down the embankment anyway because, well, I'm not entirely sure why. If we're being straight-up here, I'm not ever certain why I grab the camera and head out.

I don't necessarily need a reason. It's almost like that Field of Dreams voice that whispers, "If you build it, he will come." Now, let's be clear: I'm not a farmer, I have no hankering to play catch with Shoeless Joe and I don't hear voices. But there's a pull that every photographer I've ever spoken to seems to understand. That feeling you get when you're looking at something, and you just know you need to record it in some way. It's a calling, a gravity, a need. So you listen to it. And you shoot.

And today, this twisted mess of branches was my gravity. It may have been very much dormant, a seemingly lifeless tangle of wood, with no direction and no focus. Yet to me it said one word: Life. The scene was random, imperfect, not always pretty. But still something I needed to remember.

Your turn: What "calls" you?

Tightly woven

2012-01-05T13:11:00.000-05:00

Step on me
London, ON, May 2011

About this photo: We're still sharing favorite pics of the year, and we'd like you to do the same. Click here to get the party started.

This picture exemplifies some of the ridiculousness that drives me. I'm sure no one ever got down on the floor and shot the carpet this closely, and I'm pretty sure no one ever will. I think they're missing out on some serious fun.

I've never viewed photography as a craft of "musts". When I go somewhere, there aren't any pictures that I absolutely must take, or poses that everyone feels compelled to bring back from their travels. So you won't see iconic pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge in my archives. Oh, I DO have pictures of that bridge, but not like any you've ever seen.

Because I'm a little different. I see the world differently. And I use my camera to share that kinda off-base perspective with everyone around me. Sometimes it scares them off. Sometimes it ticks them off. But that's OK with me, because it leaves me more time for the folks who get me, who smile at my weirdness, who shrug with a smile at strangers when I get up on the chair at the restaurant to capture the hanging lamp from just the right angle.

Because the world's a wonderful place. And I'd hate to see the same thing every time I open my eyes.

Your turn: How do you see your world differently?

CES is dead. Pass it on.

2012-01-05T10:31:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks on the writing front, with my latest piece for Yahoo! Canada now live on the Insight blog:

CES ends an era: Are big trade shows headed for extinction?

In the same vein as video killing the radio star, the Internet is making these annual, expensive and disruptive treks to Vegas an increasingly questionable proposition. Sure, it's a heck of a lot of fun, but is it the best way to spend scarce marketing dollars?

The world has changed. Industry trade shows need to change along with it. Or risk disappearing altogether.

Happy reading! More on the way...

Facing a very large planet

2012-01-04T07:28:00.001-05:00

What's out there
Delray Beach, FL, January 2011

About this photo: Thematic. Favorites of the year. Here.

Say hi to our three kids, seen here frolicking at the edge of a calm ocean almost exactly a year ago today. A number of things strike me as I look at this scene, prime among them the fact that they're three relatively young kids at the edge of a very large sea. It reminds me of the very large world that awaits them, and how they'll grow up to meet whatever challenges it throws their way.

I wonder if they'll always look out for each other in the surf as they clearly did on this day, and whether I've done enough as a dad to instill in them enough menschkeit - basically, goodness - to do just that as they grow into the adults they're destined to be.

Your turn: Do you still play in the surf? Or wherever else?

Looking back with Canada AM

2012-01-03T18:15:00.001-05:00

The fun never seems to end these days: I was on-air with CTV's Canada AM this morning to talk about the biggest social media hits and misses of 2011. Anthony Weiner's weiner? Check. A 10-year-old Lady Gaga protege? Got it?

I spoke with Scott Laurie, and as ever, the experience was a highlight. There are days that I still can't believe I get to do this.

Video is here. Happy watching!

Your turn: What - or who - would you add to the social media hit/miss list?

Tempest in a RIM-tinged teacup

2012-01-03T17:29:00.002-05:00

Rumours are swirling that Mike Laziridis and Jim Balsillie, co-CEOs and co-chairs of beleaguered BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, are about to get booted out (Financial Post article, Financial Times piece.) Well, as co-chairs, anyway. It seems they'd remain as co-CEOs, with Barbara Stymiest taking over as RIM's first-ever independent board chair.

Is it too little, too late to save the company? Or is it the first of many necessary steps to turn the tide? Time will tell. And I'll be watching. And probably writing.

In the meantime, RIM slashed prices of the PlayBook tablet to $299 for the 16, 32 and 64 Gb models. Hmm, I wonder which one I'd get! Get 'em while you can. Marketing craziness aside, they're excellent pieces of technology. Disclosure: I bought one (cheap) and love it.

Drawing lines in the sky

2012-01-03T07:06:00.001-05:00

Orbital dance
London, ON, March 2011

The bright streak is a long-exposure shot of the International Space Station flying over my house. The less-bright streak is the Space Shuttle Discovery after she undocked for the last time on her final flight. Like her sister ships Atlantis and Endeavour, she's now being decommissioned in preparation for life as a museum exhibit. Glorious, no?

Yet on this cold night, she was in her element, orbiting at 28,000 km/h in the environment for which she was expressly designed. She was only a dot from where we stood on the sidewalk, but what an amazing dot she was, and what an amazing line she drew across the sky to inspire our kids to shoot for their own stars.

Your turn: What, or who, inspires you? Why?

One more thing: To share your own favorite-photo-of-the-year, click here. It's a Thematic extravaganza, and it runs through next Monday.

A river runs through it

2012-01-02T07:24:00.000-05:00

Meandering
Somewhere over southwestern Ontario, March 2011

About this photo: It's Thematic's "favorites-of-the-year" fest, and you're all invited. Click here.

Sometimes circumstances force you to take a picture rather quickly without taking the time afterward to savor it. You grab it, leave it on your memory card, and move on to whatever else happens to be grabbing for your attention - like, in this case, the flight attendant waving at me to put my stuff away in preparation for landing.

When I finally got around to backing the picture up, I felt more than a little humbled. At first glance, this is a simple late-winter scene of the landscape that surrounds my city. But it isn't really all that simple. It's a reminder of the incredible forces around us that shape our world, and the inspiring artwork of nature that results from processes born millions of years before we existed. If only we take the time to notice.

Your turn: Where does this river lead?

I'm #3!

2012-01-01T18:09:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while, stuff happens that makes me realize I lead a really cool existence. For example, ReadWriteWeb ranked one of my quotes as #3 on a top-10 list for 2011.

Seriously. Cool. Here's the link.

Even cooler: Jason Calcanis was #4. Unreal company.

The little mermaid

2012-01-01T08:32:00.002-05:00

Splash
Delray Beach, FL, January 2011

About this photo: Thematic. Favorite photos of the year. You. Here. Please and thank you.

Quick forewarning that over the next day or two I'll be posting a couple of beach-themed perspectives on the little people who turned us into parents. Why? Because for better or worse they never cease to force me to ponder what the heck I'm supposed to be doing on this planet.

And as much as they complain about my incessant pointing of lenses in their general direction, they eventually relent and let me grab a few megapixels of them being themselves. Because even they seem to sense that this life thing is fleeting, and we can't let moments like these slip unnoticed into the past.

On this sunny afternoon, I'm glad our daughter let me take the camera out. It's been a year since this was taken, and I can already see how much she's changed. She's less little-girl and more young-lady, more forward-looking than back. She's started high school, made new friends, pursued new interests and become more independent than even she suspected she could.

This picture freezes her in a moment before all that change happened. It doesn't stop time, but it does make it easier to accept just how blindingly fast it seems to be moving.

Your turn: How do you use your camera to remember?

The year dawns bright

2011-12-31T22:12:00.003-05:00

Sparkled
Delray Beach, FL, January 2011

About this photo: We're sharing our favorite photos of the year, and we hope you'll do the same. Just click here to get in on the year-end photographic nuttiness.

Part of me feels our nearly-obsessive devotion to date-based events is a little much. Birthdays, anniversaries and holidays put us on high alert to live up to expectations that simply can't be sustained in the real world. Everything's got to be perfect, everyone's got to be on their best behavior and every memory needs to be unblemished.

Reality dictates otherwise, as life is seldom as clear as the Nivea model's porcelain skin might suggest. We can airbrush, PhotoShop and edit until time immemorial, but underneath it all, reality has a crazy way of bleeding through.

Which brings me to this particular scene, shot in the rushed moments after the big ball dropped, when everyone gathered for the obligatory New Year's party represented the perfect kind of togetherness that made Bing Crosby's career what it was. But was it, really? I'll leave that for you to decide, and to ponder whether such perfection is even worth pursuing. I think the planet would be a happier place if everyday imperfection was considered more than good enough.

Your turn: I'm not a resolution kind of person. But I do want to know what you hope the new year brings. To you. To us all. What do you hope for?

Where he becomes part of something

2011-12-31T10:19:00.004-05:00

Togetherness
London, ON, May 2011

It's quite a challenge picking your favorite photos out of the countless moments you've caught over the past year (more here). As I've sifted through my own admittedly virtual pile, I've asked myself what makes a great picture, anyway. Is it technical perfection? A tone or a feel that moves the viewer? A bit of both? Neither?

Truth is there is no one answer. What makes you like something - like pistachio ice cream, Adam Sandler movies or the Kenny Loggins/Michael Bolton Very Special Christmas Album - could very well make your identical twin, if you're lucky enough to have one, violently ill. There's no rhyme or reason to any of this, so we may as well just roll with it. Life's too short to spend overanalyzing.

That said, this one touched me because it marked a transition for our youngest son. I took this picture as his first-ever convention - a three-day event - wound down. Everyone was gathered on the front lawn, singing and speaking, leaders trying their best to leave the little ones with memories that would keep them connected and involved in their community.

I was struck by the way our son left the house a 10-year-0ld boy and came home having made connections he cherishes to this day. He grew during those three days, and no picture sums that up better in my mind than this one. It always stops me in my tracks when it flashes past in a slide show.

Your turn: What makes a picture significant to you?

Dinner is almost served

2011-12-30T20:10:00.001-05:00

Empty. For now.
London, ON, April 2011

Some of my favorite pictures (please see here for more similarly-themed Thematic) from this past year are also the simplest. I've admitted many times that I like simple things, that my overwhelmed-by-life brain often needs to get away from it all by capturing and taking in stripped down, elemental scenes.

This particular photo is an excellent example, as it was taken in that quiet time before we had friends over for dinner, as the house bubbled with adults and kids catching up with each other, and the smells from the kitchen suggested we were in for quite a treat. It was a warm, happy moment, and one picture takes me right back. Powerful stuff, this photography thing.

Your turn: What's going to end up on this plate?

When you realize you voted for the wrong guy

2011-12-30T13:33:00.001-05:00

"Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks."
Doug Larson

I live in a medium-sized burg about a two-hour drive away from the largest city in the country. I've vented plenty of bile about our leadership over the years, but our elected civic officials are seemingly godlike when compared to the folks currently running the show in Toronto.

Mayor Rob Ford, who ran for office on an oft-repeated promise to "stop the gravy train" has turned the city into something of a laughingstock. He's declared war on the Toronto Star, called the cops on one of Canada's top comediennes, been spotted driving (at least twice) with his handset (a no no in our parts) and has been accused of giving the finger to a passing motorist. No one admits ever having voted for the guy, yet there he sits, making a supposedly world class city seem decidedly less so.

The latest: cops being called multiple times to his house to deal with an ongoing series of domestic disputes (story here). I don't want to pile it on at a time when he and his wife, Renata, are clearly dealing with some very serious issues. But I am forced to question whether this kind of leadership is in the citizens' best interests, and whether it might make more sense for him to step aside so he can deal with more important issues, at home, than finding gravy and flipping the bird.

Your turn: Politicians who suck. Please discuss.

Eat a good breakfast

2011-12-29T08:26:00.000-05:00

A good start
Delray Beach, FL, January 2011

About this photo: We're sharing our favorite photos of the year, and you can, too, by clicking here.

I used to be religious about breakfast, with at least a 20- or 30-minute block of time reserved to sit down at the kitchen table with something nominally nutritious. I'd take my time with it as I spread the newspaper out and gradually ease my way into the day.

Times have changed. I get up at different times every morning - sometimes psychotically and unpredictably early depending on deadlines, munchkins' choir schedules and the state of the dog. Oh, and the newspaper these days is impossibly thin, and barely worth reading. Carving out quiet time to eat and read has taken a bit of a back seat, so most mornings I get by with a quickly downed glass of juice and a thermal mug of tea that comes with me wherever I go.

I know that this is bad. Logically, I appreciate how important a good breakfast is to maintaining good health. Realistically, I'm just freakishly time-challenged, so this is the first thing to go.

I'm not one to make resolutions. Still, I know this is something I need to change. Opinions welcome.

Another Toronto Star Op-Ed...

2011-12-28T21:55:00.005-05:00

Exciting times in my writer's world, as the Toronto Star has published my next op-ed piece (first one went live in October - blog entry here, direct link here.)

The latest article is entitled Life of tech companies is nasty, brutish and short, and it examines why things are seemingly worse in this sector than in virtually any other. It's accompanied by a piece of artwork by illustrator Charles Weiss. I think that's kinda neat, too, and am doing a bit of a happy dance at how it's all turned out.

The piece will be in the Thursday print edition of the paper, so if you're in Toronto and come across the dead tree edition, I'll be your pal if you can shoot/scan it and send it my way (carmilevy AT gmail DOT com). Heck, I'll be happy if you don't flame/troll me in the comments section.

Either way, happy reading.

Your turn: What should I write about next?

On dirty art

2011-12-27T22:54:00.002-05:00

"Art washes away from the soul the dirt of everyday life."
Pablo Picasso

I did a neat thing with my wife today: We wandered through a few art galleries. We didn't have much of an agenda beyond spending the day together and reminding ourselves why days like today are so treasured.

Along the way, we learned about artists whose work literally turned our definition of "art" on its ear. And inspired us to return to our own admittedly pedestrian artistic pursuits with a little more vigor. Whoever we are and whatever we do, we've all got an artist's voice. And Picasso's words, which we literally bumped into as we exited the last gallery of the day, couldn't have been better composed or timed.

Your turn: What does art mean to you?

Thematic Photographic 177 - Your Favorites

2011-12-26T19:00:00.001-05:00

There will come soft rains
London, ON, December 2011

I'm going to end the year and start the next one with a familiar theme - a simple request, really, for you all to dig into your archives from the past year and share your favorite pictures. If you loved it, we want to see it.

I realize that some pictures don't necessarily fit into the weekly ebb and flow of themes, so this is our collective chance to share the ones that may not have found the light of day otherwise.

Looking forward to seeing what you've all got!

Your turn: Please share one photo - or many photos - on your blog. Leave a comment here letting folks know where to find it. Visit other participants to share the photographic community goodness. Repeat as often as you wish, and feel free to bring a friend or two along. We'll stick with this particular theme for a little longer than the usual one-week deal, as I think we all have a backlog of favorites to share. Are you game? (Oops, almost forgot: Click here for more background on how Thematic works.)

Learning from your kids

2011-12-26T17:30:00.000-05:00

I learned an important lesson from our kids today: Slow down. I've been burning the candle at both ends for so long that I think I had forgotten how important it can be to turn it all off every once in a while.

While I'm busy zinging from place to place, they're busy growing up, building foundations for whatever comes next. I'd be silly if I missed it because I was too occupied with life. There will always be more work, but there won't always be a little man who wants to play Crazy Eights.

Funny thing is they didn't have to say anything. It was the simplest of epiphanies, actually: We went out for breakfast. And we lingered for a while as the kids ate ice cream and laughed themselves silly. And I looked at my watch and realized time isn't doing me any favours, and we won't have limitless breakfasts like this to squander.

So I consciously enjoyed this one. And I'll enjoy whatever else comes along, even if it means rearranging the calendar a bit to accommodate the so-called real world. Who says what happens in their lives is any less real, anyway?

Your turn: How do you get the most out of the stuff - and the people - who matter most?

On birds, horses and happiness

2011-12-26T09:30:00.001-05:00

"Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."
Dale Carnegie

I grew up surrounded by folks who fretted over what they wore, what they drove, and how others would respond when they first pulled up to the curb and got out. Impressing everyone around them was the goal. Failing to do so was a disaster worthy of movie-of-the-week-like attention. Until, of course, movies of the week fell by the wayside.

Now, I presume, they just drink themselves silly when their Lada Niva Sport merits an indifferent shrug from the prom queen.

But here's the thing: Once everyone scatters from that curbside kill zone in front of the high school reunion - or whatever venue that serves as Judgement Central - you're still wearing whatever you were wearing, still driving whatever you pulled up in. And the prom queen and folks like her who passed judgement on you? They've moved on. Forgotten you exist once again, until the next time you pull up.

And it's up to you to live with the person you are. And until you learn to ignore the prom queens - who I'm betting are more miserable than you've ever imagined - and listen to your own voice instead, that whole happiness and self-contentment thing might remain out of reach.

Besides, the Lada Niva Sport is a seriously great vehicle to have when eight feet of snow lands on your driveway overnight. You could even pick up the prom queen on the way to work.

Your turn: How do you find inner happiness?

Beyond land's end

2011-12-25T13:12:00.002-05:00

Lives over the water
Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2010

You never quite know what you'll end up with when you put your camera into your kid's hands and tell him to go to town. The pictures could end up blurry. The camera itself could end up irreversibly damaged by oompa loompas and beach sand. You could have to explain it all to your wife when you get back home.

But you'll never know if you don't give your munchkin that first opportunity. Like driving, first apartments and first relationships, you kind of have to hold your breath and let go. Of them, obviously, but also of your own parental need to control everything and keep them from experiencing anything remotely close to hurt.

Whatever happens next is up to them. Scary thought for some, I know, but a necessary step all the same. Because they'll never learn about the bumps and falls of life if we don't let go in the first place, don't give them the opportunity to experience it all first-hand, don't let go of the fear of them coming back with a bruise or two.

On this blustery afternoon, we found ourselves walking along a nearly deserted beach. And it just made sense to let our son carry the camera and see what he could see through its lens. In the end, there were no oompa loompas and no sad stories to tell my wife. What you see here is what he saw, a moment on a place that he's been connected to since he was little (here and here), a story of distant strangers all drawn to this place beyond the edge of the earth, for reasons that will forever remain unknown.

He's clearly got a sense of vision that's very much his own.

Your turn: How do you know when to let go?

Yahooligan journalism

2011-12-24T17:38:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while, I like to grab a virtual lasso and corral some of the more notable writing I've done over the last little bit. Looking back at December, I realize it's been a bit of a busy month. I'm lucky enough to be a regular contributor to Yahoo! Canada, where most of my work is published on the Insight blog. If you want perspective on the business news of the day, this is a great place to start. Yes, I'm just a little biased. Sorry.

Here's a rundown of some recently published work:

Your turn: What should I write about next?

Journey to the centre of the universe

2011-12-24T08:12:00.001-05:00

Time out
New York, NY, November 2009

About this photo: Thematic. Strangers. Here.

Let's get this out of the way first: I spelled the word, "centre", like a good Canadian should. There, I feel better. Let's continue.

It's hard to take a picture in Times Square without getting a stray human being caught in your composition. The place teems with people like the underside of a rock is covered with...well, you know. I almost got away with an empty shot on this bright Saturday morning (I wasn't in shul...shhh) until this guy sauntered into the sea of red chairs and plunked himself down.

Looking back at this now-two-year-old shot brings some neat things to mind:

I now write for the organization featured in the billboard just above his head (latest piece here.)
The NASDAQ reflection on the right? I'd been there before in another one of those surreal New York moments.
I waited to meet one of my Budweiser friends. None showed up. Two years later, I'm beginning to doubt I have any friends at Budweiser

Whoever this guy is probably had no idea I was even there. I wonder if his ears are burning right about now.

Your turn: What's he thinking?