Archive

Write Stuff – Book Demons

Databases aren’t the most poetic things. Their discrete pieces of information, often broken down to minimal parts, are a bit like the individual letters of the alphabet: building blocks waiting to be shaped into useful forms. Now, an entrepreneur is building a database of every person, place, and thing ever mentioned in a novel. But… Read more »

From Where I Sit – Not Spend a Dime

we’re about a month away from the launch of season three of TV’s Storage Wars on A&E. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you are in the minority. This original series is top-rated on the network in the 25-54 demographic. It even has a spinoff, Storage Wars Texas. The premise is simple. When… Read more »

Study Space – Copy Wrong

Copyright and students: the conversation usually revolves around concerns of plagiarism. But there is much, much more at stake. For example, are you aware of how copyright fees affect your learning materials? One common misperception is that electronic materials can be easily distributed for free because they are easy to reproduce. However, students may not… Read more »

Editorial – Guy on the Train

On a recent trip we let the train zip us around downtown, and spent our time people watching instead of fighting traffic. The passengers on board ran the gamut: lawyers and nurses and office workers returning home at the end of the day. Students heading out for some fun. Couples going wherever couples go on… Read more »

A Good Ol’ Boy

Ten years ago I was sitting on the patio of the Bay Street Bistro, having a celebratory lunch with my two daughters. We were marking the completion of another school year. Our lives were about to change. A young woman, her arms embracing a worn cardboard box, stops on the sidewalk and signals to us… Read more »

Health Matters – Naturally Qualified

As interest in alternative health grows, natural health practitioners seem to be springing up everywhere. But how credible is your natural heath provider? Has she attended and passed an accredited course at a reputable school and been licensed for practice by a third-party licensing body (to whom she is still accountable)? Or does he claim… Read more »

From Where I Sit – We Decide

As I write this, we in Alberta are on the eve of a provincial election. For the second time in my memory we are on the cusp of real change. The last time this happened, Peter Lougheed’s upstart Conservatives took Alberta by storm. Over 40 years ago. Since then the Conservatives have governed, and voting… Read more »

Did You Know? – Khan Academy

Need a brush-up in your math skills before heading back to university after a long break? Want some extra tutoring in basic finance or accounting to help cope with the demands of your new job? Lost in your university calculus course? Confused about copyright legislation and SOPA/PIPA? Check out Khan Academy, a free web resource… Read more »