Publications
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Does social media have to make you happy?
At Simply Zesty, Lauren Fisher asks a provocative question: why happiness? Her point is that social media is frequently challenged for its (purportedly) negative impact on happiness: What’s also strange, is the idea that social media in some way owes us happiness,...
How to find a great domain name (or Twitter handle)
For the National Geographic Assignment Blog: The Great Online Migration
In any migration, there are those who go ahead to settle the wilds, and those who linger to ensure that nothing gets left behind. While each of us now makes a different choice about how much of our lives to live online, those differences should not be turned into an...
Web Fuelled Business masters the physical logistics of going virtual
The entrepreneurs who participated in the Web Fuelled Business program this week are pushing past the limits of physical location. They are bricks-and-mortar shops that are using the web to attract local customers who would never find them on the street; they are...
Should my blog be on my web site or a separate site?
Tailor your voice to each place you use social media
"I make leather armour." That's a sentence I never expected to hear in this lifetime. In fact, until about 4:30 yesterday afternoon, I didn't know what leather armour was. I din't know that leather armour existed. Leather armor, it turns out, is what you wear if you...
How to stop wasting time on technology challenges
Today's practice: The next time you dive into a time-consuming tech challenge, stop to ask: what would a normal person do? Saturday morning I woke up at 4 a.m. in preparation for my flight to London -- and accompanying time zone readjustment -- later that day. I...
Updating Canada’s Election Act so you can tweet the results
Today the Canadian government announced its intention to table legislation that will bring Canada's Elections Act into the 21st century. Tim Uppal, the junior minister for democratic reform, tweeted today to share the news. That's right: next election night, Canadians...
Protect your intention span from the distractions of social media
Tonight I coined the term "intention span" to refer to the amount of time that passes between intending to work on something and actually starting work. Intention span: The amount of time that passes between intending to work on something and actually starting to work...
Blockbuster reminds us to make way for the new
Ever since it was announced that Blockbuster would close its remaining stores, I've wondered what would happen at the corner of Broadway and Blenheim. A wifi-wielding coffee shop? A wildly out-of-place H&M? An all-you-can-eat, gluten- and sugar-free cake buffet?...
The Harvard Business Review
Does social media have to make you happy?
At Simply Zesty, Lauren Fisher asks a provocative question: why happiness? Her point is that social media is frequently challenged for its (purportedly) negative impact on happiness: What’s also strange, is the idea that social media in some way owes us happiness,...
How to find a great domain name (or Twitter handle)
For the National Geographic Assignment Blog: The Great Online Migration
In any migration, there are those who go ahead to settle the wilds, and those who linger to ensure that nothing gets left behind. While each of us now makes a different choice about how much of our lives to live online, those differences should not be turned into an...
Web Fuelled Business masters the physical logistics of going virtual
The entrepreneurs who participated in the Web Fuelled Business program this week are pushing past the limits of physical location. They are bricks-and-mortar shops that are using the web to attract local customers who would never find them on the street; they are...
Should my blog be on my web site or a separate site?
Tailor your voice to each place you use social media
"I make leather armour." That's a sentence I never expected to hear in this lifetime. In fact, until about 4:30 yesterday afternoon, I didn't know what leather armour was. I din't know that leather armour existed. Leather armor, it turns out, is what you wear if you...
How to stop wasting time on technology challenges
Today's practice: The next time you dive into a time-consuming tech challenge, stop to ask: what would a normal person do? Saturday morning I woke up at 4 a.m. in preparation for my flight to London -- and accompanying time zone readjustment -- later that day. I...
Updating Canada’s Election Act so you can tweet the results
Today the Canadian government announced its intention to table legislation that will bring Canada's Elections Act into the 21st century. Tim Uppal, the junior minister for democratic reform, tweeted today to share the news. That's right: next election night, Canadians...
Protect your intention span from the distractions of social media
Tonight I coined the term "intention span" to refer to the amount of time that passes between intending to work on something and actually starting work. Intention span: The amount of time that passes between intending to work on something and actually starting to work...
Blockbuster reminds us to make way for the new
Ever since it was announced that Blockbuster would close its remaining stores, I've wondered what would happen at the corner of Broadway and Blenheim. A wifi-wielding coffee shop? A wildly out-of-place H&M? An all-you-can-eat, gluten- and sugar-free cake buffet?...
OneZero
8 hot ways Evernote can spice up your sex life
"For doing your taxes". "For shopping and to-do lists". "For home improvement projects". These are three of the very practical suggestions the Evernote blog has to offer as part of their 8 great ways couples can use Evernote shared notebooks blog post, which I just...
Magic browser plugin for retroactive logins across open tabs
App: Running late
Imagining an app that lets your friends or colleagues know when you’re running late.
Genius grants for inspired groups of collaborators
It would be fantastic if some creative foundation endowed a fellowship program that identified talent clusters: groups of tightly collaborative peers, likely in a single place,but possibly applicable to groups that have very tight, web-supported distance collaboration
Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had this site or hashtag?
Wouldn’t it be awesome if there were a site that invited people to complete the sentence, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if….” ?
Hanger card: How to have sex in the shower
Healthcare organizations distribute shower hanger cards that prompt women to do breast self-exams. The same approach could provide handy tips on how to have sex in the shower.
Talk back to Vancouver’s rain on Twitter
Tired of Vancouver’s eternal rain? Talk back to @YVRrain, a Twitter account for Vancouver’s rain clouds.
Unstoppable Timer: mobile app wanted
A timer/clock/stopwatch that disables sleep when active, so I don’t have to turn off my iphone’s auto-lock feature when using my iphone to keep track of time while giving a talk. [EOM]
JSTOR DAILY
8 hot ways Evernote can spice up your sex life
"For doing your taxes". "For shopping and to-do lists". "For home improvement projects". These are three of the very practical suggestions the Evernote blog has to offer as part of their 8 great ways couples can use Evernote shared notebooks blog post, which I just...
Magic browser plugin for retroactive logins across open tabs
App: Running late
Imagining an app that lets your friends or colleagues know when you’re running late.
Genius grants for inspired groups of collaborators
It would be fantastic if some creative foundation endowed a fellowship program that identified talent clusters: groups of tightly collaborative peers, likely in a single place,but possibly applicable to groups that have very tight, web-supported distance collaboration
Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had this site or hashtag?
Wouldn’t it be awesome if there were a site that invited people to complete the sentence, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if….” ?
Hanger card: How to have sex in the shower
Healthcare organizations distribute shower hanger cards that prompt women to do breast self-exams. The same approach could provide handy tips on how to have sex in the shower.
Talk back to Vancouver’s rain on Twitter
Tired of Vancouver’s eternal rain? Talk back to @YVRrain, a Twitter account for Vancouver’s rain clouds.
Unstoppable Timer: mobile app wanted
A timer/clock/stopwatch that disables sleep when active, so I don’t have to turn off my iphone’s auto-lock feature when using my iphone to keep track of time while giving a talk. [EOM]
THE VERGE
How people feel about sharing a name online
Thanks to the Internet, more and more of us have digital doubles: people who share our name, and may often be confused with us. I try to keep track of all the other people out there named "Alexandra Samuel", and yet I also feel vaguely uncomfortable with the fact that...
TV for every occasion: shows for family viewing, multitasking and more
The problem with the golden age of TV is that with so many choices, it’s hard to know what to watch. This guide and cheat sheet helps you choose the right shows for four different occasions: dedicated viewing, multitasking, working out and family viewing.
Where to find the best shows
Where to find my favorite shows via streaming or download.
How to tone down your tech
If you’re looking for a little online sanity, there are better options than a digital fast. My first post for the Headspace blog shares five great alternatives.