I write of the post box. I was considering my travel options during an emergency situation at Kent Station Cork this week and as I was pondering logistical issues, my attention was suddenly drawn to the study, green cylindrical post…
My apologies if this sounded like I was challenging Jared Diamond to a wordoff 😉 Michele just pointed me to wonderfully candid article explaining why office workers should appreciate their surroundings and pity the poor fools that consider the coffee…
Eamonn pointed me to press release on a rather jarring new TV channel offering in Germany. Etos TV Mourning Channel is a 24/7 broadcast of video obituaries, short videos of the deceased as well as documentaries on cemeteries and on…
Social Network/ing Week at the University of Toronto kicked off tonight with a fascinating keynote by Cornell’s Jon Kleinberg. ‘The Geography of Social and Information Networks,’ was one of the most fascinating applied mathematical lectures I can say to having…
Bill Turkel posted another great thought piece today on the Importance of Infrastructure. This post is, as his others always are, very erudite, well phrased and provoke one to think. In this case, his framing question seems to be whether…
It’s always amusing and often telling to compare where we are now to where we thought we’d be. Whether through sci-fi novels, advertisements for the house of the future, or in this case prints from an exhibition at the Bibliothèque…
One of the most fascinating stores in Paris and well worth a visit is Colette. The location is prime – along rue Saint-Honoré near the Place du Marche Saint-Honoré. Colette carries a wonderfully eclectic inventory of things amazing. catering to…
There is a great discussion at Bricoleurbanism on the absence of people-scaled spaces in Toronto’s urban streetscape. The discussion takes as a starting point construction hoarding on two sides of the street near Bloor that inadvertently created a humane street…
A great online historical tour of the University of Guelph campus is now available. It doesn’t feature whizzbang flash effects or implement AJAX functionality. Instead, it delivers a smooth and effective tour in a simple and compelling fashion with simple…
I have long wanted to jot down some thoughts about some of my favourite places in Paris. Meaning to eventually present these as an appropriately georeferenced set with appropriate navigation, for now I thought I would add them as simply…
In my research into nineteenth century Canadian drinking habits, I very quickly learned that the temperance folks had a special enmity for the custom of treating. The crusade against this special social practise informed much of the pamphleteering and petitioning…
I have spent the last decade naturally evolving towards a work day that largely takes place in coffee shops. Having written my MA largely at the Second Cup in Guelph and turned to the Starbucks before that to do business…