Brokentoy

After reading back a few articles I’ve decided to put Brokentoy on hold until I can find more of a voice in my writing. My articles are all substance and no spice, and at some times come across even robotic. Until I can put some pep in my writing step I think I’ll leave it to the professionals.

I suggest reading 43 folders, Frugal For Life, and Get Rich Slowly. All have great info on a lot of tech and financial subjects. If you were a regular thanks for reading and I hope to be back soon.

1. Due to the liquid ban there’s now a Starbucks in every checkpoint area. You certainly sure showed us, terrorists.
2. If you want a non fat latte be prepared to repeat yourself six times.
3. Bit Torrent works in the terminal. But that guy behind you is probably an MPAA spy so don’t try anything sneaky, bub.
4. You’re much more likely to make a new business contact sitting beside somebody and sharing power outlet than at the airport lounge.
5. If you start playing World of Warcraft you will meet at least four people that sign and “wish they thought of that”.
6. On the red eye people prefer to complain how hung over they are instead of using 4 hours to sleep it off.
7. Even in Vegas the most unruly obnoxious people STILL come from Oshawa.

Lesson learned: book ahead. Procrastination isn’t worth a long layover stuck in the only boring building in Las Vegas. It was good to be back in the homeland for a little bit but now duty calls and so does my pillow. Expect some more Working Abroad updates next week.

Technorati Tags: travel, las vegas

I’ve been reading Digg for just about a year now.� I stumbled onto the Podcast scene around episode 10 and it’s been a steady source of tech news, offbeat sites and entertaining videos.� Recently I’ve been taking a more active role in the community by adding stories and trying to add value to the comments.� The results have been a little unsettling.

When I post a comment on a blog I make sure I follow some basic rules of courtesy:

• fully read and understand the post
• acknowledge the authors and previous commenters’ opinions
• check the article the next day and respond to anybody who responds to my comment

In contrast, the majority of commenters I saw on Digg:

• read the article title and go right to the comments
• repeat each other because they don’t read other comments
• rarely respond to criticism of their own comments

It’s rare to see a high rated comment that adds value.� Usually the top comments are stinging one-liners to a beligerant user, a Simpsons quote or “tubes”.� It feels like high school - the class clowns get all the attention and the people there to learn are ignored.� I’ve decided to keep submitting articles but I’ll leave the commenting to somebody else.

Technorati Tags: digg, etiquette

It�s been two years after my classmates and I tossed our graduation caps and headed off to the working world. Our professors told us we were the best and brightest class in the five-year history of our program, and that we were headed to big things. With an up-to-the-minute skill set, a foot in the door with some of the Greater Toronto Area�s top design studios, and a promise to keep in touch and help each other whenever possible, we set out to show the world what we could do.

So, what happened to my 30 or so classmates? (more…)