Intelligent optimism…is there any other kind?

Somebody dumped an old car or tractor in this pond. Every spring, it sprung a new oil slick.


Just one of the things I like about Ode Magazine is that it reminds me that there are optimists in this world and they’re mostly a lot smarter than me. So, I figure, if people smarter than me are optimistic, it’s okay for me to continue my bright and cheerful outlook on life.
I get the magazine, and I also subscribe to the blog by Jurriaan Kamp. You can read his latest here. He talks about the earth’s ability to repair itself, or more accurately, perhaps, to compensate for the immense screwups of the human species.
I remember one time as a teenager, when I was trying to train my father on environmental protection, for example. He and I were hunting and as we walked along, I was likely bemoaning the summary lack of respect for the environment that industry displayed. He was tolerating my rant, as he always did. At one point, he stopped, turned around and said, “Do you realize you’re standing on and old mill site? I think the sawdust pile was right where you’re standing now.” He then pointed out where each of the mill buildings would have been. I was looking down through a fairly thick stand of pine and I could see an old car in the bush. I made my way down to it. It was a mid-20s Star Durant. It had mature trees grown right through it, towering probably 25 metres above the rusted hulk. Dad figured the sawmill had wrapped up in the early 30s. I figure, If I went back there now (that was 40 years ago), there’d be even less left of the Star Durant and the road in to the mill might be so overgrown, I’d never find the site again.
I learned quite a bit about nature’s regenerative abilities that day, not to mention my father.

I hope you’ll read Juriaan Kamp’s blog – it will change your perspective on the Deepwater Horizon and give you some hope to share with the folks suffering in the gulf.

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This post is for NEW READERS ONLY – previous readers SHOULD NOT READ THIS

garden

Garden in the evening sun glare


That title should prompt a WTF? from anyone who’s actually read one of my blogs before. And, I suspect, they’re all still reading, despite the title. So, you’re probably thinking…WTF?

Well, today I dropped by the Phone Booth in Red Deer, where I bought my iPhone(s). That would be the original 3G, which Desiree has and the 3G S I’ve been carrying for a little over a year. Knowing the iPhone 4 is due here Friday morning, I thought I’d check in and see what the availability is. I’ve done quite a bit of research, enough to determine that I think the antenna issue is a non-issue (or at least no more of an issue than it is on a Sony Ericksson – and if it’s as good as a Sony Ericksson, well, Hell, it’s good enough for me).

I’ve been told by a reasonably reliable source that the camera is excellent and that’s pertinent because I pack a DSLR with me to a lot of shoots that really require just a quality point-and-shoot, which apparently, the iPhone 4 is.

So, the strategy is: I’ll get the iPhone 4, Desiree will get my pristine 3G S and the 3G will be kept and unlocked, (and maybe even jailbroken) for use as a traveller, using prepaid plans> Maybe loan it to friends and relatives that are leaving the country and don’t want to suffer Roaming Rape.

So – met with the pleasant man at the Phone Booth who assured me that they would, indeed, have iPhone 4s available Friday morning. He didn’t know what models they’d have (which I expected) and they didn’t take reservations (which I also expected) but if I came by at opening, 8:30 a.m. sharp, there’d be a good chance I could pick up a new iPhone 4.

Then he asked, “Are you already a Rogers subscriber?”, which generated a glimmer of hope – maybe they’d take a pre-order from someone who’s been paying $1,500 a year for a couple years into the Rogers coffers. And as quickly as that glimmer arose, the pleasant man summarily dashed it. Flung it on the floor and stomped on it, actually. “Those iPhone 4s are only for new customers. Existing subscribers will have to wait a few days.”

Nice. Funny how corporate America deals with loyalty. Loan matures? Raise the interest rate. Got a deal on telecomm services? New customers only, screw you guys we’re already ripping off. Want an iPhone fanboi? Piss off, who needs you?

There’s a jillion books that spell out in detail how great customer service delivers prosperity and loyal customers. Over and over, they explain how much less expensive it is to serve an existing customer than develop a new one. Hey, I told you the post was for new readers only….

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You’d think I was really important…

Part of my calendar collection


…not to mention hyper-organized. I’m actually neither (except, possibly, in a very micro way). I got a message today that the new MobileMe Calendar Beta was available and that I could upgrade if I so chose. Well, wouldn’t you know that I’ve been thinking lately I’d like to organize my calendars. I have a bunch: when test-driving Contactizer Pro I set it as my default calendar on my desktop. Of course, my desktop comes with its own perfectly effective calendar: iCal, an integrated calendar, address book, and in theory at least, email program. On my phone, iCal is called Calendar and that’s exactly how I use it.
At work, there’s a calendar as part of Microsoft Outlook, which is accessible with my other devices via Microsoft Exchange.
And, being a Googlian (with a name like Gilgan, how could I not?) I also have Google Calendar.
Uh, that’s just the applications. Within that whack ‘o software I have a list of calendars – Rob Gilgan’s Calendar, CFEE, Chamber, Library Loans, Inbox, Calendar, Home, Davenport Place, Contactizer Pro (x5!),On My iPad and Google Calendar.
Small wonder, then, that I’m so bloody disorganized. Most of my calendars, through the wonders of sync, have the same data. But some are missing a few events. MobileMe, for example, seems to be missing all the events I entered on my iPhone, which seems odd. I’ll have to figure out that riddle before I go on to the next. Now that I’ve been using synced calendars for a couple years, I’m starting to see how the whole thing should be designed. The problem is, I’d like to start with a clean slate – zero calendars, and then add my work, home and clients separately, so they’d all appear, on all devices and maintain their little selves with a minimum of interference from me. It’s that interference, usually, that gets things buggered up.
But, it’s 9:40, time for bed. I’ll have this all in the back of my mind this week and maybe, when I get home from Lethbridge, Sunday, I can have a go at getting the numbers of calendars down to a manageable group, all syncing like they were friends. And I’ll have to resist the urge to add a new calendar every time something new pops up. Now that I think of it, I should base the calendars on the folders in Toodledo, my task organizer….

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Alberta’s yellow rose…

This wasn't made using any smoke or mirrors.

We went for a drive in the country today, to visit a web client and give him a hand with a malconfigured computer. The drive out was incredible – it as a beautiful day and every direction you looked, there as another field of canola in rich, bright yellow bloom.
I left the camera home – after packing it around at Indy in Edmonton yesterday, I’d had enough. But it was just special enough that I might go for a spin tomorrow and shoot off a few frames. There was a young couple making their way into a field off Highway 11A, she scantily clad, he weighed down with a long lens. Hope they got the images they wanted.
Yesterday was a lot of fun. About 30 of us travelled north to tour the Edmonton International Airport, which is undergoing a dramatic billion dollar transformation (designed by Stantec). When completed a couple of years from now, it will be stunning and a pleasure to travel through. We were part of a delegation participating in the Break the Calgary Habit promotional campaign, designed to get central Albertans to fly out of Edmonton when they’re heading off for business or vacation.
The heart of the promotion is a parking incentive – great rates and a system that fits any traveller arriving by car. There’s a valet parking system, a state-of-the-art DIY parking system and a remote checkin, so you can dump your bags in the parking lot and head off to your flight, knowing they’re looked after.
We were wined (marguerita-ed, actually) and dined and brought up to speed on the project by folks from Edmonton International Airports When we were done, we toured the project and saw how the facility has changed over the years and got a glimpse of how cool it will be when it’s finished.
Then we jumped back on our luxury coach (from Prairie Bus Lines in Red Deer) and headed over to another EIA property, the Edmonton Municipal Airport where the Honda Indy is hosted.
We watched two qualifying sessions and saw some of the world’s best (Danica Patrick, Paul Tracy Simona de Silvestro….) work their butts off to qualify for today’s race.

Scott Dixon won today in what was a controversial finish, apparently.

Scott Dixon, qualifying Saturday.

So – great day, thanks EIA!

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Heavier than air

I spent a little over an hour today out at Red Deer Regional Airport. I was there to get a photo of a Boeing 737 that was transporting air cadets in and out of summer cadet camp. Technically, the runway isn’t long enough for 737 service, I understand. (Actually, I don’t understand at all. AFAIK, they’ve been landing 737s here for more than a decade. Since there’s none hanging around, they must be taking off as well).
When I arrived, the Boeing was already there, which was too bad, I had hoped for a photo of it landing.
So, while I waited for it to refuel, reload and taxi away, I watched a remarkable amount of activity. I didn’t count, but a lot of aircraft came and went while I watched. there were four from Skywings doing circuits. It appears the pilots in training were the aforementioned air cadets. I watched as an ambulance pulled out on the tarmac and personnel loaded a patient onto the Alberts Air Ambulance and it flew off.
An Electra water bomber was wheeled down to the far end of the runway, where they were testing it – I had hoped it would fly right by, but it never left the ground. A young pilot arrived in a DA20-A1 Diamond Eclipse, which I later tracked down to the Edmonton Flying Club, so he was doubtless building up hours.
One of the Skywings planes landed, the instructor got out and walked back to the office; the young pilot went off and did circuits solo. I wonder if I was witnessing his first solo flight? A helicopter came in low overhead and,oblivious to all the activity, dropped down onto the tarmac near the 737.
Finally, a boisterous group of cadets filed out and onto the 737 and a few minutes later, it went from being the biggest thing on the ground to a tiny speck in the sky.
Felt like an hour off to me.

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Social media – choking to death on its own spam?

Captured live in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee


I had a pretty disconcerting and dispiriting experience the other day. I’d been invited to join a business professionals group and I received notice of its first discussion. I was eager to see what the group was all about. When I read the initial ‘discussion’ it turned out to be just a piece of promotional copy. It was regurgitating the tired old saw about the virus boogieman and the importance of hiring of this particular firm to make sure you were up to the task of protecting your data from all those threats out there in the wild, wild interwebs.
It could have been written 10 years ago. In fact, it might have been. My first thought was – what a lost opportunity. Had this firm engaged me, delivered some fresh insight about data protection, maybe filled in the gaps on some recent news items, it would have accomplished something very special and important. I’d have read the ‘discussion’ piece with interest and have remembered the firm’s name. It would have gone from the unknown ledger and moved at least toward the realm of KLT, one of the important elements of a successful social media campaign. (That’s Know-Like-Trust; if you get to know someone, there’s a chance to get to trust them, even like them. Then they become a resource you’ll rely on and recommend to others).
So – I commented on the piece. The response was immediate – I was called out as a troll and it inferred that my outing of the transgressor was both negative and viral.
Before I responded to the attack by one of the other group’s members, I did some cursory research: I copied the offending ‘discussion’ and Googled it. Sure enough, the “authors” had lifted it from a company in Houston and pasted it in, changing the links to link to their own firm. Of course, they did the fast and dirty edit, carelessly leaving the Houston reference throughout the piece, not just outing themselves as plagiarists (and shoddy ones at that) but also rendering their copy pretty much senseless.
So, I weighed in with what I thought was a reasonable, polite, but direct response. That’s what makes a productive discussion, in my opinion. Not so for the others. I was dissed by the aforementioned group members. So – the ‘discussion’ was deleted.
I see tonight the same folks are at it again. Same company, different plagiarized message with weak content that could have been made up by pretty much any amateur.
Social media is an excellent tool to advance business interests. It’s a great way to get your talent and resources out in front of potential customers. If they like what they see, which is to say, if they find your contribution useful, you could easily find yourself on their first-call list.
But it has a backside as well – get your name out as a shallow resource, and worse, a source of unrelenting spam and you’ll earn the opportunity to try to rescue your reputation. Social media works for that, too, it’s just a lot more work and a lot more expensive.
Choose your business professionals carefully; they’re not all as wholesome as they’d have you believe at first tweet. And Google their stuff. If they cheat in their marketing, chances are pretty good they’ll cheat on the job and the invoice, too.

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The light at the end

The light at the end

Got a call this morning from Greg at Telus. He was the manager that I spoke with yesterday regarding the acid trip our Telus TV install turned into. He made no excuses, but he did make amends. I’m pleased to announce that rbgilgan@telus.net is now funneling email into my inbox again. The first since June3.
The second digital box will arrive on August 9 and then I can watch TV on my computer again. Or not, which is generally the case outside of hockey season.
And the over-arching grievance, an overcharge that lay hidden in the peculiar language of the phone bill, is to be credited on our next bill. And we’ve come to an agreement on salving the pain from the days of waiting; as they say in the hockey business, terms were not disclosed. Suffice to say, the future is no longer fiendly.
So – now I can move on and find something else to blog about. I’m on it.

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The future is fiendly

The Good Brothers (from left: Larry, Brian, Bruce, with Peter Sisk on bass) performed a fundraiser at Lynda Sando's house last night. This photo has nothing to do with this story

Another ruined day, courtesy of Telus. I bet you thought we’d seen the last of this thread when the high speed turned out to be real, honest-to-goodness high speed. I know that’s what I was wishing for. God knows, I have better things to do than blog about an incompetent telecommunications company.
So – why don’t I just quit my bitching and tell them to come and get their crap and get out of my life and buy my services from someone else? Well, it’s like this: I’m connected to countless web sites, services, accounts, people and businesses through my email address, which I’ve had for more than a decade. Dropping that address means many, many hours of reconfiguring and updating information and I’m really concerned that I’ll miss a couple. That won’t just impact me, but could also impact clients of mine and I wouldn’t know it happened until the damage was done.
Now, I’m going to do a bunch of that anyway. If I’ve learned something from this debacle it’s that these companies aren’t particularly credible. Having myself anchored to one probably isn’t the best idea. At least with rob@gilgan.com, the whole situation is portable, on my terms, more or less. I can move my domain and the mail will just follow me.
So – today’s issue – when they installed the Telus TV, the installer only brought one digital box. Even though when we ordered the service and explained in great hoary detail how we’d be using Telus TV (in the livingroom and in the office) and what equipment specifically would be connected (right down to the model number on the TV tuner for the computer), the guy couldn’t install the second box. No, that would require another order, through, wouldn’t you know it, another ordering queue entirely.
And when this whole peculiar trip began back on the 26th of May, Telus had to release our decade-old email addresses and couldn’t assign them to the account until the installation was complete. Ordering the second digital box (the second time, in my opinion) meant the installation wasn’t complete, which in turn means we continue to have to access our Telus email via Telus webmail – easily the worst implementation of webmail I’ve ever encountered. Oh, Telus? How long you leaving that puppy in beta? But I digress.
We were on the phone from 11 a.m. until 2:45, when we had to leave. The installer was supposed to be here at 10 to install the second digital box. This was a make-up appointment for the appointment they blew off on the 13th. That was a stay-home-all-day-we’ll-get-there-when-we-get-there appointment, but Telus didn’t show. Or call. I mean, they’re a TELEPHONE company. Why couldn’t they call?
So, a disgusted ‘support’ person booked a Saturday 10 a.m. spot – they’d be here for sure.
So – this keeps happening and we’re asking….if Telus will book appointments when they screw up, why don’t they just book appointments all the time and deliver a reasonable level of customer service?
Ya know, the second digital box? Not that important. I won’t likely watch much TV until the fall anyway. But this imbecilic company won’t restore our email addresses, nor deal with the other outstanding issue until the installation is complete. This is their company policy.
The other irony? Nancy, the support person who kept me waiting for two hours on hold today? 31 years with Telus. She’s heard all the horror stories. Starting to see a pattern here.
Anyway – at 4:15 got a call that a manager will call me at 10 tomorrow morning to deal with the escalation of this issue. Think Telus is going to change their bizarre business practices? Me either.
Now, I’ll go take you a nice picture of my yard.

I love how these chairs turned out. I tried to get Des to pose nude in one, but she just gave me *that* look.

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How today changes tomorrow

I had the pleasure, this weekend, of touring the new Penhold Regional Multiplex. I shot this feeble video, to give you a glimpse of what the leadership in Penhold have done to ensure a community and not just a town grows out of the prairie south of Red Deer.

I lived in Penhold, from ’73-’77 and again from ’80 – ’82. There was never really much hope on the horizon in those days. It was difficult to have a business thrive with Red Deer so close by. And with few thriving businesses, Penhold depended largely on residential taxes to maintain infrastructure and forge the future.

The suburbs of Penhold were inevitable; as long as serviced land was cheaper there than 10 km north, there was good reason to develop detached housing. But housing, without community just means people sleep there. They’ll do pretty much everything else, like shop, entertain themselves and involve themselves somewhere else. Where the facilities and people are.

So – the Mulitplex is a gutsy move on a whole bunch of levels. It’s a $21 million investment in the probability that regional partners are going to ‘partner-up’. It casts the Penhold community in a strong direction. I think it’s going to take a few months for this all to sink in, for Penhold’s citizens to truly grasp what they’ve got. This video just gives you a glimpse.

I hope as it sinks in they realize that they have something else that will serve them well into the future, if they take good care of it: community leadership.

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Things about life I learned from a jigsaw puzzle

1. Don’t force a fit. If something is meant to be, it
will come together naturally.

2. When things aren’t going so well, take a break.
Everything will look different when you return.

3. Be sure to look at the big picture. Getting hung up on
the little pieces only leads to frustration.

4. Perseverance pays off. Every important puzzle went
together bit by bit, piece by piece.

5. When one spot stops working, move to another. But be
sure to come back later (see #4).

6. The creator of the puzzle gave you the picture as a
guidebook.

7. Variety is the spice of life. It’s the different colors
and patterns that make the puzzle interesting.

8. Working together with friends and family makes any task
fun.

9. Establish the border first. Boundaries give a sense of
security and order.

10. Don’t be afraid to try different combinations. Some
matches are surprising.

11. Take time often to celebrate your successes (even
little ones).

12. Anything worth doing takes time and effort. A great
puzzle can’t be rushed.

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