Publications
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Anticipating the virtual wedding
Today's Globe & Mail features a story about the "iPad bridesmaid": the woman who attended her friend's wedding via iPad. Since Renee Armstrong couldn't make it the wedding in person, a groomsman carried an iPad to which she was connected via FaceTime (Apple's...
Respecting the billable hour
Can I have $500? One of the interesting things about being a consultant or entrepreneur is that people ask you for that kind of money all the time. I was reminded of this recently while catching up with a friend who (unlike me) is still involved in the daily work of...
An online cure for an unsustainable model of leadership
Jack Layton's death has me thinking back over many years of NDP activism, going back to the very first campaign I ever worked on: Dan Heap's 1984 election campaign, when one of the most tireless presences in the committee room was that of Dan's young constituency...
The 6th tech-inspired kid failure: autotunitis
Last week I wrote about 5 tech-related kid failures. I somehow managed to leave out the one that is currently the biggest source of irritation in our house: autotunitis. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the disorder, autotunitis is a vocal condition afflicting...
4 great ways to use Evernote with Skitch today — plus 14 new possibilities
You know how happy you feel when you find out that two of your good friends have hooked up and are now a couple? That's how I felt yesterday when I heard that note-taking and information management powerhouse Evernote had acquired screen capture and image uploader...
10 essential iPad and iPhone apps for your next road trip
Packing list: 11 tech accessories for your web-enabled road trip
5 surprising facts about my OS Lion install
Last night I finally installed OS X Lion. What makes this surprising: I waited three whole weeks from the time of release! A new record of personal restraint in holding off from the pain and suffering of early adoption. The tipping point for me to finally make time...
10 ways to save on roaming charges when traveling with your smartphone
Don’t blow the savings from your budget-conscious vacation on a whopping cell phone bill. These 10 tips will help keep your voice and data costs under control.
10 ways to save on hotels using your smartphone or tablet
The Harvard Business Review
Anticipating the virtual wedding
Today's Globe & Mail features a story about the "iPad bridesmaid": the woman who attended her friend's wedding via iPad. Since Renee Armstrong couldn't make it the wedding in person, a groomsman carried an iPad to which she was connected via FaceTime (Apple's...
Respecting the billable hour
Can I have $500? One of the interesting things about being a consultant or entrepreneur is that people ask you for that kind of money all the time. I was reminded of this recently while catching up with a friend who (unlike me) is still involved in the daily work of...
An online cure for an unsustainable model of leadership
Jack Layton's death has me thinking back over many years of NDP activism, going back to the very first campaign I ever worked on: Dan Heap's 1984 election campaign, when one of the most tireless presences in the committee room was that of Dan's young constituency...
The 6th tech-inspired kid failure: autotunitis
Last week I wrote about 5 tech-related kid failures. I somehow managed to leave out the one that is currently the biggest source of irritation in our house: autotunitis. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the disorder, autotunitis is a vocal condition afflicting...
4 great ways to use Evernote with Skitch today — plus 14 new possibilities
You know how happy you feel when you find out that two of your good friends have hooked up and are now a couple? That's how I felt yesterday when I heard that note-taking and information management powerhouse Evernote had acquired screen capture and image uploader...
10 essential iPad and iPhone apps for your next road trip
Packing list: 11 tech accessories for your web-enabled road trip
5 surprising facts about my OS Lion install
Last night I finally installed OS X Lion. What makes this surprising: I waited three whole weeks from the time of release! A new record of personal restraint in holding off from the pain and suffering of early adoption. The tipping point for me to finally make time...
10 ways to save on roaming charges when traveling with your smartphone
Don’t blow the savings from your budget-conscious vacation on a whopping cell phone bill. These 10 tips will help keep your voice and data costs under control.
10 ways to save on hotels using your smartphone or tablet
OneZero
Your online relationships: Top posts of 2011
Working with social media: top 11 posts of 2011
What the Internet did for you in 2011
My year-end post for the Harvard Business Review asked the question, What did the Internet do for you this year? In that post, I wrote: Appreciating the moments when our online work and lives just click tells us that all this time we spend online is not a compulsion,...
My 11 most popular blog posts of 2011
29 free or cheap online collaboration software tools for you and your team
Under "fire, pants on", please file my blog post of not two weeks ago, claiming to have seen the light on how to choose online collaboration tools so that you accommodate the least-geeky member of your team. As a philosophy, that lasted for 10 whole days, but as a...
Writing about Motherhood Online
[O]n the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog, which liberates you to be a bitch. Not a bitch to others -- ...online mothers' groups are quick to sanction hostility -- but the impatient, imperfect bitch of a mom uses jarred babyfood, disposable diapers and a TV-as...
6 crucial police guidelines for stopping social media vigilantes
Yesterday, Vancouver was treated to the first court appearances by alleged participants in the 2011 Stanley Cup Riots. It was a snapshot of one of the most profound and valuable institutions in our society: a system of justice to which we have collectively delegated...
10 geek gifts for this holiday season
The holiday season sends many of us into the aisles of Best Buy or the Apple Store. We might wander…
JSTOR DAILY
Your online relationships: Top posts of 2011
Working with social media: top 11 posts of 2011
What the Internet did for you in 2011
My year-end post for the Harvard Business Review asked the question, What did the Internet do for you this year? In that post, I wrote: Appreciating the moments when our online work and lives just click tells us that all this time we spend online is not a compulsion,...
My 11 most popular blog posts of 2011
29 free or cheap online collaboration software tools for you and your team
Under "fire, pants on", please file my blog post of not two weeks ago, claiming to have seen the light on how to choose online collaboration tools so that you accommodate the least-geeky member of your team. As a philosophy, that lasted for 10 whole days, but as a...
Writing about Motherhood Online
[O]n the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog, which liberates you to be a bitch. Not a bitch to others -- ...online mothers' groups are quick to sanction hostility -- but the impatient, imperfect bitch of a mom uses jarred babyfood, disposable diapers and a TV-as...
6 crucial police guidelines for stopping social media vigilantes
Yesterday, Vancouver was treated to the first court appearances by alleged participants in the 2011 Stanley Cup Riots. It was a snapshot of one of the most profound and valuable institutions in our society: a system of justice to which we have collectively delegated...
10 geek gifts for this holiday season
The holiday season sends many of us into the aisles of Best Buy or the Apple Store. We might wander…
THE VERGE
6 Ways to Prioritize Your Online Friendships
Tech expert Alexandra Samuel shares her six strategies for maintain friendships, both online and off.
How the Internet made me a better mother
Unlike some full-time working mothers, I’ve never fantasized about staying home with my kids. And yet here I am: close to a full-time working mother in terms of how I spend my hours, but nothing like a full-time working mother in terms of how I spend my days. The most surprising part: I’ve never been happier.
How kids create security risks — and business opportunities
In today’s Wall Street Journal, I outline the security risks posed by the hacker in your house: the child or teen who may be “borrowing” your credit card to make online purchases, downloading viruses or inadvertently open vulnerabilities in your network. That story...
A family Minecraft policy
Minecraft has become a global phenomenon because kids love playing it, and parents and educators praise the way it fuels creativity and learning. But we've held off on introducing it to our household because we're concerned about the compulsive behaviour and conflict...