New Year’s resolutions
consume less
make more
make time
focus on what’s important
tackle new challenges
learn a new skill
teach a young dog new tricks
launch a new product
stay solvent
get rich (why not?)
visit a new country
win a sailing race
drive a dog sled
relearn an old language (even if it’s javascript)
read less reddit (starting tomorrow I mean)
eat food, not too much, mostly plants
gain weight
keep blogging
don’t taunt a happy fun ball
have patience with those who walk more slower than me
be humble
be generous
try to make people smile
moar?
photo credit: simonk
Conferences to watch in 2009
Lift, the amazing European (and now Global) tech conference isn’t really a tech conference at all it’s really an inspiration conference. Think a TED talks meets Barcamp meets a cirque du soleil production. Hard core techies beware though, Lift is a lot more abstract, design and human-oriented than you may be used to. Nonetheless, highly recommended. Unfortunately, though I haven’t missed a single Lift in Switzerland since the first one, this is likely to be the first year I don’t make it =( I would love, to see some of my Canadian friends represent however. Can you make it? 25-27 Feb 2009 Geneva. EDIT: if you are a Canadian who is thinking of buying a Lift ticket this year you should really give me a ping first.
I had the pleasure of being invited down to Ecomm last year by Lee Dryburgh the organizer. Ecomm is about what comes next in telecom (think disruption, wireless, telco2.0, from carrier business strategy to homebrew cell phone hackery) is a hell of a show with a nearly-preposterous amount of content crammed into just a few days. If this is your industry, you should be there, you may need an extra baggage allotment to carry-on your grossly overstuffed brain on flight home. San Francisco.
SXSW Interactive. Lastly SXSW, M and I are planning to be there for this one Mid-March. I have yet to go attend this famous “woodstock” of US tech (un)conferences. Given the current meldown 2.0 will still likely be in full swing (if not even swingier), should be an extra wonderfully weird time to be there.
New 2008 indie punk-ass xmas mix is up!
It’s back! My (in)famous indie punk-ass Christmas mix for 2008. This is the 3rd year running and last year’s mix nearly blew out a year’s worth of bandwidth allocation, but here we go again. Because sometimes ordinary Christmas Carols just won’t do.
This year’s mix is an update from last year with some of your old favourites and a couple new 2008 tracks mixed in. First of the additions we have the new Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Christmas song as well as a nice Barenaked Ladies version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. But then if the BNL isn’t quite high enough on your punk-ass o’meter I’ve balanced that off with Oh Come All Ye Faithful by … wait for it … Twisted Sister — OH GOD YES.
| 01 | Stars | Fairytale Of New York |
| 02 | Barenaked Ladies | God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen |
| 03 | Sufjan Stevens | Get Behind Me, Santa! |
| 04 | Ramones | Merry Christmas |
| 05 | No doubt | Oi to the World |
| 06 | sex pistols | 12 days of christmas punk |
| 07 | the vandals | A gun for christmas |
| 08 | Eels | everything s gonna be cool this christmas |
| 09 | Twisted Sister | Oh Come All Ye Faithful |
| 10 | The Raveonettes | The Christmas Song |
| 11 | the knife | Reindeer |
| 12 | bright eyes | little drummer boy |
| 13 | Saturday Looks Good To Me | Christmas Blues |
| 14 | Rufus Wainwright | Spotlight on Christmas |
| 15 | Casiotone for the painfully alone | cold white christmas |
| 16 | Sufjan Stevens | O Holy Night |
| 17 | Aimee Mann | God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen |
| 18 | The pippettes | white christmas |
| 19 | the go team | the ice storm |
| 20 | Pogues | Fairytale Of New York |
| 21 | Yeah yeah yeahs | all i want for christmas |
| 22 | Tom Waits (bonus track) | Silent Night A Christmas Card from a hooker in St Paul |
Grab the big giant zip file (93MB) here, download, import the included playlist file to itunes (or whatever your music program) to get all the songs in the right order and burn to CD and or listen away. Should *just* fit on an 80min CDR.
enjoy!
UPDATE: 7am Dec 22. Well that didn’t take long, bandwidth exceeded on server #1, give me an hour or two to set up some more bandwidth. BTW. Anyone else got a mirror they would like to lend for a few days?
UPDATE2: 2:14pm Dec 22 Alright you rapacious revelers found a new mirror for the file. go at it.
Meanwhile tonight’s project: learn how to make and host a torrent (any tips?)
UPDATE3: 9:35am Dec23 That twisted sister rendition? The internets have just informed me that there is a video… 
:)
The future is here, it’s just not evenly distributed yet
I love that little inventions like the internets were invented nearly 30 years ago and yet we’re still figuring out, and still will continue to figure out wonderful things to do with them.
The distribution is here, the future just isn’t evenly invented yet
If the future is distribution, are we here yet?
The future is like a series of tubes
The distribution is the future
The medium is the message
Just incidentally, here was one more wonderful and inspiring thing we discovered that you can do internet, just earlier this week. link link link
Also, because you should know, this link is awesome (if you don’t value the rest of your afternoon): Timeline of inventions I’m don’t know how that’s related.
#hohoto the tech event of the season
description via leila:
HoHoTo
That’s the Toronto Technology Party we are planning! In Toronto, on Tuesday December 16. Of course this is a last minute thing, but we are used to it; we bring you DemoCamp, Mesh and all sorts of Toronto geek gatherings so we are used to putting our heads together and getting things done.
We need you to get the word out to everyone in the software/technology space in Toronto as we would love to see everyone before the year end. The number of tickets for the party is limited so getting your ticket is a must - ’cause begging ain’t gonna to get you in the door.
When: Tuesday December 16, 2008 starting at 19:00
Where: The ModClub
Who: Geeks! and everyone else.
You are all welcome to join us. All proceeds from the party will go to supporting the Toronto Daily Food Bank. More details to come your way in the very near future but don’t let that stop you from getting your ticket(s) now.
In the first 24hrs we’ve sold 100 tickets and raised over $1000 dollars. keep it going!
Official website (which I swear didn’t even exist yesterday, amazing): hohoto.ca
Thomas Purves
is an Entrepreneur and futurist for hire, lives in the great city of Toronto.