that canadian girl

Latest adventures…

  • A world full of knee jerks

    I won’t be blowing you away with this observation, but the world has gone bonkers. Completely, utterly bonkers. Beyond political correctness, I think the world’s cojones have well and truly decided to retract all the way inside the body, and given up altogether.

    What makes me say that? Three stories in the past week have shown me how remarkably PC-minded we can be.

    First, this morning, YouTube announced on its blog that mature content and profanity will be more heavily moderated. In order words, a quick cuss word can cause your video to disappear into oblivion. Now, as Robert Llewellyn points out this morning in his Llewtube video, I’ll be happy to see less mature content crop up randomly when I’m looking for videos of kittens. But profanity? Who sets the blacklist of what swear words are inappropriate? If religious America gets its word in, we’ll have to say “Oh sh…ugar!” as we do in front of 3 year olds? To the best of my knowledge, 3 year olds shouldn’t be left to their own devices when navigating the web.

    Second story. Last week, Channel 4 decided to take the entire 4mations site down, after it got cold feet following what’s now been dubbed as “Sachsgate” – otherwise known as Brand & Ross behaving like idiots on air. (For the non-UK folks, two radio hosts made a few immature and somewhat inappropriate “I screwed your granddaughter!” calls to a guest, Andrew Sachs. He’s best known for his role as Manuel in Fawlty Towers back in the 70’s. The story snowballed from two complaints when the show was aired to nearly half a million complaints in the week that followed.)

    For a project that intended to push the boundaries of creativity, I’m amazed that a pixelated gimp mask and some cartoon boobies were grounds for taking the entire site down. Clearly, a moment of panic because of some slightly bizarre content. And you know what, that’s one of the great things about the weird and wonderful world of the Internet. There’s weird material being added all the time that forces us to re-evaluate where we stand.

    Finally, in the real physical world, the Terrorism Act is becoming a real pain in the proverbial. A 15 year old schoolboy was arrested near Wimbledon for taking photos of the stadium on his mobile phone. He said he was working on his GCSE project, and shoo’ed away from the site. This kind of situation was repeated time and time again.

    Before anyone jumps at my throat, I by no means condone humour in bad taste or lewd content on the web. But you wouldn’t chuck out an entire bushel of apples for a single bruised one, right? So why stop everyone else from having fun because of a few bad apples?

    My issue here is with the knee-jerk reaction we seem to have towards everything these days. Rather than to get a screwdriver to fix the one slightly loose screw, we just get the sledgehammer out and annihilate the whole lot!

    I’m not suggesting sticking your fingers in your ears going “La la la I can’t hear you!” when you face a problem, but the reaction should be proportional to the problem. So put the sledgehammer away, will you?

  • Future of Mobile 2008 Round-up

    The past few weeks have been very spotty in terms of blogging, with so much of my time being focused on getting stuck in to new projects and flirting with a few more potential ones.

    Yesterday, however, was an insightful (and social) day for me, spent at Future of Mobile in London. Future of Mobile is in its second year, organised by the great team at Carsonified. I did a dreadful job of tweeting or blogging the event, being far too busy buzzing around chatting to new people, but many others did a stellar job of documenting what turned out to be a very interesting day.


    During my presentation at FOM, photo by Rudy de Waele

    The very lovely Tom Hume (who’s excellent presentation teased us all with colourful macaroons right before lunch) posted his review of the event earlier today. Helen Keegan, fellow blogger and geek gal, shocked the crowd with her “There is no future to mobile” (your faces were all priceless when she stated that), James Whatley was (as usual) the most energetic body in the room and – at the risk of potentially getting an ass-kicking for saying this – the younger share of the speakers did a rather stellar job at keeping the audience awake and interested.

    I was asked for the slides to my 6 minutes presentation on Why Community Matters throughout the day, so as promised, here they are. (And thanks to Carsonified for being mad enough to let me loose on stage)

    Why Community Matters

    View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: futureofmobile fom)

    In summary, I think we all agreed that we’re looking at a fragmented, young and constantly evolving industry and there’s a whole lot of work to do in order to get to a stage where normobs can really make the most of the technology that’s racing ahead, in terms of accessibility, simplicity, pricing and education. But without a challenge, what fun would it be!?

    Some more coverage of the event:

  • Making your own homemade liqueurs

    One of my latest posts was about reducing your consumption and making Christmas cards, and this one’s about making fruit liqueurs. I can hear my mom laughing from here, thinking I’m turning into Suzie Homemaker. But don’t panic, I’m still the same old me. I’m just… trying to be resourceful these days!

    Last year, in September, we went for a long Autumn walk locally to pick up berries. We came home with a nice harvest of sloe berries, crabapples, rosehips and a handful of tasty little apples. There were also wild blackberries but I ate those on the way home…

    I had my heart set on making homemade liqueurs for the first time, and was curious to see whether they’d be as good (or better?) than the ones we buy in shops. It’s only once the fruit and sugar was dropped in the large glass jars and that I’d clipped the lids shut that it sank in – I’d have to wait many months before finding out whether they were any good.

    Now, a year later, I’m thrilled with my homemade liqueurs crop and can’t wait to give them away in beautiful little bottles as Christmas presents. And the best part of it? It was really easy to do!

    Making your own fruit liqueurs

    You will need:

    • Fruit or flavourings
    • Base liquors
    • Sugar or simple syrup
    • Large, clean glass jars

    Choosing the fruits or flavourings

    First, pick or buy fruits you’d like to use to make your liqueurs. Berries, plums, peaches, apples work very well, but if you’re feeling creative, try herbs, vanilla, espresso coffee beans or even chilli peppers.

    Clean the fruits or flavourings to get rid of any grit or residue that will be unwelcome to the liqueur.

    • For apples and peaches, cut the fruit in pieces, removing the core or pit.
    • For berries like sloes or blueberries, put them in the freezer for a few hours. This will cause the fruit’s skin to burst open, letting out more flavour once it is steeping in the liquor of your choice.
    • For rosehips, top and tail them and slice them in two.
    • For herbs, vanilla and chilli peppers, they can be left whole, as they’ll look prettier in the glass jar. However, if you intend to strain the flavourings out before giving them away, it’s possible to cut them into pieces to allow them to steep quicker.

    Choosing the base liquor

    You may want to experiment with the base liquor to use, but vodka and gin are the most popular ones. Vodka adds very little flavour to the mix, giving the fruit the whole spotlight.

    Others, like gin, are the staple alcohol to use with sloes to make the traditional sloe gin.

    Preparing the mix

    Once your fruit or flavouring is clean, chopped or partially frozen as necessary, it’s time to mix it up!

    First, clean your glass jars in very hot water or put through a hot dishwasher cycle. Any residue could add unwelcome bacteria to the mix and ruin your liqueur.

    Then put the fruit and sugar in equal parts in the jar. The rule of thumb for berries and apples is one part fruit, one part sugar to 3 parts base liquor. Of course, this will vary depending on the flavour and ripeness of the fruit you’re using, and the flavour you want to achieve.

    Caring for the liqueurs while they steep

    Keep the jars in a dark, cool cupboard. For the first few weeks, you will need to shake the jars every 2-3 days to ensure the sugar is completely dissolved.

    From there onwards, it’s a waiting game. After 2-3 weeks, the base liquor will have changed colour and be sweetened by the fruit. With chilli peppers, now is a good time to begin tasting the liquor to test the flavour.

    With berries, 3-4 months will give a rich flavour, but I’ve waited as long as a year to bottle some of them.

    Bottling the liqueurs

    If you’re intending to drink them yourself, the liqueur can stay in its original glass jar along with the fruit or flavouring. If you want to give them away as gifts, filter the contents out using a muslin cloth, coffee filter or strainer.

    You can buy decorative glass bottles or reuse wine bottles and decorate them with a homemade label.

    Using the steeped fruit

    If you’re feeling brave, you can use the steeped fruit in a recipe like a trifle, but be careful, the fruit will be flavoured by the alcohol and be quite strong. As my friend Simon says, “you’ll need to have the constitution of a goat” to ingest the steeped fruit without using it in a recipe.

    Enjoying your homemade berry liqueurs

    Drink the liqueurs straight, on ice or drizzle over fruits or ice cream. Substitute your own fruit liqueurs when recipes call for similar liqueurs when making cocktails. Most of all, enjoy the fruits of your labour!

    Resources

  • Valleyrag's Boutin says blogging is dead, I say good riddance!

    Desperate as ever to get a rise out of bloggers, Paul Boutin, of Valleywag fame (or shame, your choice), has been writing in Wired’s Entertainment section that “Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004”.

    He says “Thinking about launching your own blog? Here’s some friendly advice: Don’t. And if you’ve already got one, pull the plug.” Boutin’s argument is so flawed, when he mentions Jason Calacanis’ decision to stop blogging last summer and refers to Technorati as though it’s the sole reason for a blog’s existence.

    Hello? McFly!? Being a Top 100 Technorati blog isn’t the be all and end all of blogging. Thousands of bloggers make a living from their trade, directly or indirectly, and it’ll take more than one bitter blogger to stop them from writing about their passion.

    Millions of bloggers, big and small, write for completely non-financial reasons. It can help someone find focus, in the way a personal diary may have done a few years ago. Some find like-minded people to discuss hobbies, habits and interests with, from GTD to crocheting.

    Others have found the longest lasting value of a blog; indirect revenue. Advertising is a fickle friend when revenue from your blog is dependent on traffic. A bumpy ride on the Googlecoaster and revenue can be eclipsed quicker than you can say “Google AdSense”. So the indirect revenue can be a longer-lasting, slow-burn solution, whether it’s in selling homemade jams and liqueurs after having detailed on your blog how you make them, in selling your band’s music where you’ve been actively blogging about the evolution of rock in the modern day or, like myself, providing services that are in line with the knowledge you’ve been sharing on your blog.

    In this instance, blogging is about reputation building, finding a community that feels like home.

    Technorati’s algorithm and Boutin’s thinking are both relics from blogging’s first life. Now, like a snake shedding its skin, we are seeing blogs evolve into something more organic. They’re more three-dimensional, showing people’s Flickr photos, their tweets in the sidebar and contain a link to their Dopplr profiles outlining their next few trips. But in all reality, they still are the home and heart of many passionate bloggers, money-earning or not.

  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Using arts & crafts to abide by the 3 R's

    For a number of reasons, recently, I’ve made an effort to think about my consumption habits a bit more lately. Becoming my own boss has encouraged me to become a bit more frugal with my spending. By putting a recycling box in my office, I’ve realised how much paperwork I either piled up in folders unnecessarily or threw out without thinking.

    Christmas Card by Paperminiskirt on EtsyThat was recycling tackled, but clearing out some cupboards and boxes made me realise just how many birthday, Christmas, house move, anniversary and other cards we accumulate.

    So this is my call to friends and family to reuse, or let me reuse, old cards this Christmas. If you live nearby, I’ll happily take them off your hands. If you’re further away, drop me a line. I want to try to give magazines, cards, photos and material a new life, however it ends up being used. It also hopefully means I can avoid buying tacky cards, pre-filled with a meaningless Hallmark holiday greetings and write the cards myself. (Oh boy, I’m going to be annoyed I said this when I run out of time and ideas for the cards three days before Xmas…)

    There are so many feel-good reasons to reuse stuff wherever possible. It’s less stuff to throw away, and occasionally, there’s the sentimental value of reusing something that otherwise would have had a short-lived lifespan. So that’s the “Reuse” element (sort of) ticked off.

    And then there’s the “Reduce” factor. Well, I’ve curbed my buying-of-random-stuff to an extent, but developing an addiction to crafts means that while I’m buying less expensive gadgets, I’m spending on new crafts material like a Cuttlebug and a bunch of embossing goodies. (As an aside, there’s a definite trend in arts & crafts websites being utterly horrible and unusable. I would love to help them make their sites fun to use, and as good looking as the products they sell!)

    So I’m not doing well at reducing the amount of stuff I own, but soon, I’ll write about someone who was more successful at not buying stuff (for a whole year!) than I was.

    [Card on the right not by me, but by Paperminiskirt on Etsy.com, one of the best sites for cute handmade stuff. Like eBay for hippies and artists.]

  • Doing all the things I want to do

    In the past few months, I’ve been blogging less. However, I’ve not been writing less. And I certainly haven’t been thinking less.

    I’ve been furiously scribbling at every opportunity I get, with ideas wrestling around my brain at three in the morning like they’re having a round of Rock’em Sock’em keeping me awake. (Or maybe I’m just hearing the cats battling outside the bedroom door)

    So what have I been writing about if it’s not been bloggable? Well, it isn’t like the diary I wrote when I was 14, filled with embarrassing teenager stories I wouldn’t want anyone to read. Nothing like that. Pretty much every word is an idea of something I’d like to achieve in the next few years.

    My life has changed so unspeakably much since I moved to the UK on that warm December (well, warm to my Canadian then-standards. Like a good Britanicised girl, I’d now say that it’s rather nippy and complain about the chill) where I’d only completed half of my University degree before skipping over to the UK for a bit of culture. (A degree which I proudly went home to complete in the couple of years that followed, I might add, however difficult a long-distance relationship it made for)

    Not to sound overly self-promoting – something certainly frowned upon in the country of humour by self-deprecation – but I’m really rather proud of what I’ve managed since then.

    Try doing the same. Look back a year, two years, five or ten. Think of what you’ve achieved since then. Hopefully, it’ll give you the perspective to see how much you’ve grown, changed, evolved. And hopefully for the better.

    In a few days or weeks, I’ll hopefully post a reasonably thorough list of what I want to succeed at. I’d probably need more than a lifetime to complete everything on it but, having been surrounded by some very inspirational figures recently, I tell myself there’s nothing wrong with aiming high. Not to set myself for failure, but to give me something to strive for and something to get up for in the morning.

    It’ll probably bore you to death, but blogging it allows me to put these ideas somewhere public, and give me something to refer to further down the line when I wonder if I’ve ticked any of them off the list.

    What goals would you set yourself as things you’d like to achieve? Not lame new years eve resolutions you drop by mid-January, but real stuff you want to kick ass at or tell your grandchildren about one day.

  • A new year, a new beginning & a new challenge

    It’s been radio silence on that canadian girl for the past few weeks, but certainly not because I haven’t had anything to say. These past few weeks have been some of the most eventful ones of my life, in fact.

    Just over a month ago, I officially became my own boss, kicking my social media consulting work up a notch. Then, during our week-long holiday to Menorca, I turned 27, realising I’m a year older – and hopefully wiser.

    At the beginning of 2008, my themeword was exploration and it couldn’t be any more relevant today.

    I wanted to explore my own abilities, and chose to organise SocialMediaCamp London, a one-day BarCamp event covering topics surrounding blogs, podcasts, lifecasting, community, using new media cleverly, marketing ethics, social networks now and in the future. The event was this past weekend, and I have to admit, I’m unspeakably happy about it. I’m thrilled with how the day went, I’m proud of the level of participation from the attendees and I’m excited about the opportunities for future events.

    So ahead of me lie many new challenges, but you know what? I can’t wait to bite into them over the next few months.

  • The BarCamp Virgin's Guide: Making the most of your first BarCamp

    What is a BarCamp?

    Wikipedia’s description is “BarCamp is an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants — often focusing on early-stage web applications, and related open source technologies, social protocols, and open data formats.”

    Got your head around that one? Yeah, it’s a bit dry. This post should demystify a little what happens at a BarCamp event, and what you can get out of spending your weekend with geeks rather than chilling out at home.

    Totally different to regular conferences, BarCamps are more open and less structured. This means, when you arrive, you’re likely to see this kind of grid, where you can jot down what you’d like to talk about. It’s an opportunity for people from all backgrounds and all skill levels to have a go at sharing some knowledge.

    Sounds scary? It’s not essential that you present in front of a group using a Powerpoint presentation and a laser pointer while wearing a suit. In fact, suits are definitely not recommended.

    Where do I find out about events like this?

    Check out the BarCamp homepage for events in your area, look out on Upcoming.org or ask fellow Twitter users for suggestions.

    Keep a close eye on registrations since tickets tend to go quickly, with gatherings ranging from twenty to hundreds, depending on how brave the organisers are and how large the venue is.

    How can I prepare?

    • Have a think about the general theme of the event & associated topics that interest you: Could you talk about any experiences you’ve had, questions you’ve answered by either successfully completing a project or, if you’re brave, through a failure you’ve gone through.
    • Look at the list of attendees, which should be public… Anyone you’re burning to meet and get to know? The day will fly by so be sure to go say hi at the first opportunity!
    • Have an open mind: Join a session on a topic you know nothing about, play a game of Werewolf with new friends or start a conversation with the next stranger you meet.
    • Arrive on time: Come early if you want/can help with registration and setup, but don’t show up too late or you might miss on some of the social activity and goodies.

    Tackling your first presentation

    Presentation slots are generally 30-40 minutes, so you don’t need to do a doctorate thesis. It’s definitely not all about monologuing in front of the group for the full half-hour, it’s about sharing your experiences, asking others to pitch in with ideas or just leading a useful conversation.

    • Present something simple that people with less experience, who are new to the industry might be interested in.
    • Not sure what level of knowledge others will have? Present something completely wild and silly (“how to make the perfect margarita” was a hit at a past BarCamp I hear)
    • Nervous about being in front of people? Do a shared presentation with someone who complements your skills well. You’ll have someone to lean on when you’re not sure what to say next, and it’s more fun together.

    But I’m not a spotlight kind of guy/gal…

    Still getting cold feet? You can still help in a number of ways. The organisers are volunteers and (generally) have only two hands each. So if you’re not too keen on doing a presentation, why not lend a hand with registration, coffee breaks, cleaning up or setting up the A/V system?

    One of the best bits of a BarCamp is the memories you take home with you. But if you’re like me and you have the memory of a goldfish, the key is to capture the event in some way. So why not offer to blog or record the event on video or in photos? If you’re a podcaster, create a VoxPop clip with the participants.

    What do I need to pack?

    Wherever possible, you’ll be able to stay on-site overnight for the BarCamp. You’ll find yourself staying up late chatting, coding or playing games. If that’s the case, you’ll need some of the following:

    • Laptop if you want to blog or take notes during the event. Don’t forget your charger (and adaptor if the event is abroad!) and your screen adaptor if you need to plug into a projector.
    • Business cards: Moo cards come highly recommended. Make sure you have somewhere safe to store the cards you’re given.
    • Scribble notebook & pen: You might not want to have your laptop out at all times, so pen and paper is essential.
    • Power strip: If you can, bring a power bar to plug into the much-coveted few outlets. It’ll allow more people to benefit from power during the day.
    • Video/photo camera: Immortalise the day in video and photos. Be sure to upload your content and tag it with the event’s hashtags (eg. #smclondon08 for SocialMediaCamp London 2008) and put a Creative Commons friendly copyright.
    • Money: Some events provide food, thanks to the sponsors, but others don’t, so come prepared to go buy lunch somewhere nearby.
    • Materials: Bring your presentation or demo (if you have one) on a USB stick or CD.
    • If the BarCamp is an overnight one, you’ll probably want to pack a sleeping bag and pillow.

    What some BarCamp veterans say…

    Tara ‘missrogue’ Hunt, Citizen Agency co-founder, public speaker & blogger, says:

    “Personally? BarCamp was an exciting idea for me, but at first I was afraid to stand up and talk… just wanted to observe and have one on one conversations… maybe ask a few questions from the audience. After a while, though, I decided to take the leap and put myself on the speaking schedule.

    I’m glad I did, because it started my career! I went from speaking at BarCamps… Really getting my chops wet and practicing my skills. I got stronger and stronger as a speaker. One day I was approached by a conference organizer who asked me to give a workshop on my ideas. Next thing I know, I’m speaking all over the world and have WAY more professional confidence than I’ve ever had. That all started with BarCamp. It gave me the opportunity to really push myself into the next level.

    Mel Kirk, social media gal extraordinaire says:

    My first experience of a barcamp was during SXSW and was BarCamp Austin… Totally awesome! We heard some people chatting about it and decided to drop in… I still have my pass and lanyard as it was one of my highlights. They had this awesome T-shirt station where you could buy a t-shirt and then have a number of different designs printed onto it. I didn’t have enough cash to buy one but I really wish that I had, they were gorgeous.

    There was a whole buzz about the place – it was in a really cool bar – totally laid back and relaxed and I met some amazing people that I would never have otherwise have met. Because it was a lot more laid back than a normal conference-type set up, people feel more relaxed to ask the presenters questions which leads to much more of a conversation type feel rather than content being pushed to the audience.

    I’d recommend a BarCamp to anyone – it’s filled with amazing talented people willing to share and discuss their knowledge… where else can you get something like that?

    Nik Butler aka Loudmouthman says

    “don’t let anyone convince you they are not the werewolf”

    Got BarCamp stories to share? Suggestions for new attendees? Leave a comment below!

  • My Omni and me

    A few weeks ago, Andrew and I wanted to get a couple of beanbags so that we could slouch right in front of the TV to play Lego Indiana Jones (which was a rocking game, btw!). We ended up ordering a couple of pear shaped brown leatherette bean bags.

    But by some most bizarre coincidence, two days later, via fellow blogger Tom, Andrew from Sumo Lounge offered to send me a monster-sized Sumo Omni beanbag. It was delivered to the office, leaving most of my work colleagues puzzled when I shoved this big blue bag into the back of my tiny car. (we usually carpool with a friend, but that day, he walked home…)

    So this is what it’s like these days in the Pepperrell lounge. A husband, two cats, and a big momma of a mmmm… cozy beanbag.

  • Safety Goat needs saving!

    Kat from Safety Goat is a London-based designer, she sent us a really awesome little silicon moulded goat, equipped with safety vest. I’ve yet to meet Kat (@kassy4), but she’s a fellow Ottawa-ian (as she says), which is rare in the UK. Plus, anyone who creates wacky little creatures and hand-paints them has just got to be very cool!

    Thanks Kat!

    [Note: Sorry my iPhone insisted on focusing on everything but the goat, but I’ve got a new camera on order arriving soon which will take far better little snapshots.]
    [Note 2: “Everything but the Goat” Awesome band name.]