Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

Just this past Wednesday, after a month or so of trying to coordinate a suitable time for both of us to meet, I was able to get into the city and visit a friend and check out what he is really busy working on.

My friend, Colin, has been working in the field of computer technology — mainly by helping to make various software applications, largely internet related, accessible — for years now. In fact, that is precisely why and how we met, over an entire decade ago! He was involved, as a student, with the folks who set me up with the means to use my first computer. University of Toronto’s ATRC (who are now at OCAD University as the Inclusive Design Research Centre).

It was the ATRC who outfitted me with the original gear I used to interact with a computer. Keep in mind, that was a time when I was differently abled, well differently abled than I am now, at least. Where my interactions were entirely facilitated through a head switch and an on screen keyboard. Much like I’ve written here before — well not so much the onscreen keyboard aspect, I’d rather foolishly forgotten, but I was delightfully reminded during said visit…

Continue reading Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

Tè Tremblé

The title of today’s post means “the earth trembles” in Creole. One of Haiti’s two official languages — the other language being French. I’ve chosen that title along with the subject of today’s post as an ever so small gesture of solidarity with the Haitian people. For those unaware, there has to be one or two of you out there, and cares that today marks the one year anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake that merely furthered, but exponentially worsened, the destruction, misery and hardship a bunch of nations, Canada most definitely included, has unleashed on Haiti.

No matter how desperate things may seem and are on the ground in Haiti, I guess the least — as in the very least — I could do is let the world know I’m thinking about them and trying to get others to do the same?

Continue reading Tè Tremblé

For Christie’s sake

Just this past week I was involved in quite a personally significant conversation with a friend. In a very round about way we arrived at talking about our respective childhood’s and each of our schooling career’s — if a half-assed, uninterested effort qualifies as a “career,” then I had a glorious one! When she informed me of her experiences during high school being bullied.

In a directly related aside, also this week, I received a mailing from ZCommunications, detailing ZMagazine’s January’s 2011 issue containing Michael Bronski’s piece Glee and Queer Bullying.

It’s precisely what everyone, “Gleek’s” particularly, really should take a few moments to read and truly think about…

Continue reading For Christie’s sake

Turn that noise down!

I was going to review the year that is quickly coming to an end, in my typical cynical tone, but add a personal and somewhat optimistic touch at the end. Then I read Chris Hedges piece, 2011: A Brave New Dystopia, and suddenly everything that happened in 2010 seems quite inconsequential to what is more than likely to be waiting in 2011 and beyond.

Which, I think, says much more than it’s share. 2010 has been quite the year — The AlJazeera Top 10 does a relatively sufficient job rounding out the year, so I’ll urge all those interested to check it out. But it’s people like Mr. Hedges that can and continue to give the world in which we live a frightening context. A context we all must understand if we ever want to halt it.

Everything else has had it’s volume turned down since reading that…