Publications
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
6 questions about the impact of social media on think tanks
Can think tanks make a difference? That is the question framing a one-day conference at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), where I was part of a social media panel chaired by CBC's Peter Mansbridge. My fellow panelists were Chad Gaffield of...
Make Peace with Always-On Access
The park ranger who helped us pick out a campsite didn’t know he was giving assistance to the enemy. He…
Lessons for online dating from offline marriage
Readers of this blog know that I am fascinated with online dating, probably the way that women who got married in the 50s were fascinated by the birth control pill. Like the pill, online dating has enabled a revolution in romantic and sexual behaviour, one that those...
8 ways iPhones and iPads affect family discipline
There's nothing like the beginning of a school year to illuminate gaps in your family's, um....discipline. After a couple of rocky weeks inspired us to take a closer look at our family's rhythms and regimes, I found myself noting the central role that iPhones and...
A visual glossary of Drupal field types
This post originally appeared on simcentre.ca. We are currently working with Affinity Bridge on a collaborative research project that has us deeply involved in the process of developing a website on the Drupal content management system (CMS) -- the same CMS that the...
The post-reading generation talks about the future of books
This post originally appeared on SIMCentre.ca. Today I got to be a (tweeting) fly on the wall in Jonathan Aitken's ebook design class. Somewhat to my amusement, Jonathan began by explaining how old people like us used to read in linear way, where you flip through...
How will computer use affect the way people are wired?
I just finished taking the Future of the Internet survey that is run by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project and Elon University's Imagining the Internet Center. One of the questions asked about the impact of technology use on the kids and...
Social media for political scientists: monitoring with iGoogle, Google Reader and Hootsuite
Troubleshooting calendar syncing with Google Calendar, iCal, MobileMe and BusySync
A couple of nights ago I spent an hour cleaning up what I initially alleged to be a problem with Google's calendaring servers, but which closer examination revealed to be a case of user error. And I must reluctantly admit that user was me: in my infinite enthusiasm...
4 ways your computer can help you to protect your time
Feel like email and social media are stealing your time? Great news: your communications technologies can give time back, too. I'm not talking about productivity boosters or clever ways of getting even more work done in even less time. I'm talking about protecting...
The Harvard Business Review
6 questions about the impact of social media on think tanks
Can think tanks make a difference? That is the question framing a one-day conference at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), where I was part of a social media panel chaired by CBC's Peter Mansbridge. My fellow panelists were Chad Gaffield of...
Make Peace with Always-On Access
The park ranger who helped us pick out a campsite didn’t know he was giving assistance to the enemy. He…
Lessons for online dating from offline marriage
Readers of this blog know that I am fascinated with online dating, probably the way that women who got married in the 50s were fascinated by the birth control pill. Like the pill, online dating has enabled a revolution in romantic and sexual behaviour, one that those...
8 ways iPhones and iPads affect family discipline
There's nothing like the beginning of a school year to illuminate gaps in your family's, um....discipline. After a couple of rocky weeks inspired us to take a closer look at our family's rhythms and regimes, I found myself noting the central role that iPhones and...
A visual glossary of Drupal field types
This post originally appeared on simcentre.ca. We are currently working with Affinity Bridge on a collaborative research project that has us deeply involved in the process of developing a website on the Drupal content management system (CMS) -- the same CMS that the...
The post-reading generation talks about the future of books
This post originally appeared on SIMCentre.ca. Today I got to be a (tweeting) fly on the wall in Jonathan Aitken's ebook design class. Somewhat to my amusement, Jonathan began by explaining how old people like us used to read in linear way, where you flip through...
How will computer use affect the way people are wired?
I just finished taking the Future of the Internet survey that is run by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project and Elon University's Imagining the Internet Center. One of the questions asked about the impact of technology use on the kids and...
Social media for political scientists: monitoring with iGoogle, Google Reader and Hootsuite
Troubleshooting calendar syncing with Google Calendar, iCal, MobileMe and BusySync
A couple of nights ago I spent an hour cleaning up what I initially alleged to be a problem with Google's calendaring servers, but which closer examination revealed to be a case of user error. And I must reluctantly admit that user was me: in my infinite enthusiasm...
4 ways your computer can help you to protect your time
Feel like email and social media are stealing your time? Great news: your communications technologies can give time back, too. I'm not talking about productivity boosters or clever ways of getting even more work done in even less time. I'm talking about protecting...
OneZero
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?...
Video: 10 reasons to stop apologizing for your online life
It's time to stop apologizing for your life online. That was the central message of my talk at TEDx Victoria in November, now on YouTube. From valuing your online attention to taking your online creativity seriously as real art, I argue that we can only unlock the...
Excel template: 7 steps to achieving your goals
Do you have trouble making good on your New Year's resolutions? Do you have a hard time staying focused on your most important work? Do you simply get overwhelmed by all the tasks on your plate, and worry about how to get them all done? When I'm trying to stay on...
Social media gives information workers the experience of materiality
Today's practice: If you haven't created something lately, try creating something online. At our all-university kick-off meeting for Emily Carr's spring semester, President Ron Burnett talked about the university's work in terms of materiality; in terms of the work,...
How self-reliance hurts online community
Today's practice: The next time you spend more than 15 minutes struggling with a tech challenge, stop trying to solve it yourself and ask someone for help. When our home media server froze as we were trying to watch a mother-daughter show tonight, I swung into...
JSTOR DAILY
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?...
Video: 10 reasons to stop apologizing for your online life
It's time to stop apologizing for your life online. That was the central message of my talk at TEDx Victoria in November, now on YouTube. From valuing your online attention to taking your online creativity seriously as real art, I argue that we can only unlock the...
Excel template: 7 steps to achieving your goals
Do you have trouble making good on your New Year's resolutions? Do you have a hard time staying focused on your most important work? Do you simply get overwhelmed by all the tasks on your plate, and worry about how to get them all done? When I'm trying to stay on...
Social media gives information workers the experience of materiality
Today's practice: If you haven't created something lately, try creating something online. At our all-university kick-off meeting for Emily Carr's spring semester, President Ron Burnett talked about the university's work in terms of materiality; in terms of the work,...
How self-reliance hurts online community
Today's practice: The next time you spend more than 15 minutes struggling with a tech challenge, stop trying to solve it yourself and ask someone for help. When our home media server froze as we were trying to watch a mother-daughter show tonight, I swung into...
THE VERGE
5 Ways the Web Can Help You Celebrate Dad
Technology expert Alexandra Samuel shares five ways the web can help you celebrate dad this Father’s Day.
Living Low-Tech – Go Online and Get Crafty
Just because you live a high-tech life doesn’t mean you can’t go low-tech with great results. Alexandra Samuel shares a few places you can go online to get crafty.
Opinion: Should you care about Pinterest? | Macworld
Like Twitter is a new media newspaper, Pinterest is a new media glossy magazine. “Pinterest is the next step in the evolution of women’s magazines,” said Alexandra Samuel, Director of the Social and Interactive Media Centre at Emily Carr University. Women’s magazines...
Thank Your Mom: She Taught You How To Tech
In this post for The Atlantic, I argue that worrying about kids who choose to live online is as misplaced as worrying about seniors who choose to live offline.