Four years ago, I started down the path of moving from working in IT to doing something I loved. Web design was where my heart was, but I started writing a blog first because I felt there was a better opportunity to earn an income there. I had no design experience. And so I started The Weekly Review That year was amazing. I wrote a lot, met new people online, and eventually, started Fusion Ads [http://fusionads.net/] with Michael Mistretta [http://michaelmistretta.com]. 18 months after publishi…
Since Apple announced that iCloud would bring free email, calendar and contact syncing, I started counting down to when I could cut my ties with Gmail. I don’t trust Google with my data, haven’t for quite some time. I considered a few other options like Fastmail [http://www.fastmail.fm/] and Atmail [http://atmail.com/], but the simplicity that Apple offers in both cost and setup kept me waiting. When it comes to trust, Apple has earned mine, simply because I am the customer, not the commodity.…
I was intrigued when I first heard of Ethical Coffee Chain [http://ethicalcoffee.co/home] (ECC). I was just getting to know the writing and work of Adam King [http://aking.ca/] when Pat Dryburgh mentioned this project based on social entrepreneurship. And hey, it involves coffee … that's enough to pique my interest on its own. Months later, I was glad to see Adam and the team at ECC get this project up and running. And because I believe in what they're doing, I signed up immediately. Why? What…
I love October. Up here, the air is crisp and almost all the leaves have turned. Winter's not here, but it's not far off either. I'm fond of all four seasons, and I especially enjoy the transitions between. In October, the year is coming to a close and with Canadian Thanksgiving, I start to remind myself of how I blessed I am. We recently moved — again. The last few years have been a search, the type of restlessness you feel when your clothes don't fit quite right. We've been looking…
With my morning coffee, there are several criteria that have to be met in order for me to be satisfied. The coffee must be hot. Bold. Fresh, relatively. And last, it must be consistent. This last item relies heavily on the “setup”, or your equipment and environment you use to make your joe. If you listen to the Minimal Mac podcast, Enough, you may have heard me and a few others [http://minimalmac.com/enough/#ep69] discussing our own setups [http://minimalmac.com/enough/#ep70]. I mentioned that…
Starting a podcast teaches you a lot. After 13 episodes, I have a greater appreciation for those have had a lot of podcasting success. There's a lot of time and little details that go into making a good show, in terms of content and quality. Photo by Ben Brooks [http://www.flickr.com/photos/showngo/6080186567/] I have no vision of being the next Dan Benjamin or Leo Laporte, but I do want to give people something enjoyable to listen to. So there is pain every time I edit an episode and hear all…
The last 24 hours have given us a lot of insight into how Steve Jobs, armed with his singular focus and vision, has affected the lives of so many people. Personally, I can speak to how he's affected me. He created the atmosphere and, as many have pointed out, the culture, to create a new type of operating system, one that a designer recently described to me as “design sensitive”. It drew me to the platform. From there he helped me to identify the value in simplicity, that good design is so much…
I really enjoy reading about how other people prepare and drink their coffee. One particular piece that sticks in my mind was Shawn Blanc's write up on how he prepares his coffee with a French Press [http://shawnblanc.net/2010/12/great-french-press-coffee/]. It's just the kind of blog post that I enjoy — a good subject and gained insight into the author's life. On the details, I've always thought it was interesting that he put cinnamon into his coffee. As someone who loves strong coffee and tak…