May 2012
2 posts
Ouch
This is the current top review of Mule Radio app:
Reskinned 5by5 App ★☆☆☆☆
by TokuNJT
Like two of the shows you can listen to with this app - “Let’s Make Mistakes” and now “The Talk Show” - it is essentially a re-skinned version of the 5by5 app previously produced by developer Black Pixel for 5by5 before the project was shelved. The app payload even...
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April 2012
8 posts
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[REVIEW] Grouped: How Small Groups of Friends Are... →
Grouped: How Small Groups of Friends Are the Key to Influence on the Social Web by Paul Adams
My rating: ★★★★★
Great little book giving an overview of a wide array of research on social networks and how information passes through them. Though near the end it gets a little too evangelical for permission marketing IMHO, I think it is a great starting point for learning about the social aspects of...
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Getting customers in the enterprise
Today at #LeanCoffeeKL we had a great discussion about how to acquire customers when your target market is the Enterprise, rather than the general public like a more traditional startup. During the discussion I came up with three models that I would like to propose for discussion:
1. Traditional B2C startup: You make your product, and distribute directly to Users, some or all of which are...
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Replacing Flickr
Chad on www.flickr.com
Yahoo’s lack of innovation is one thing, but what really drives me bonkers about Flickr is the terrible video support. Maybe 1 in 10 of my video uploads are successful. I take a lot of short vids on my iPhone and even on my 60D I think they should be viewed within context, alongside the still photos that were taken at the same time. Isn’t that the whole point...
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Family complete #achievementunlocked
This is where it all started. Above is my completed family of four, standing in front of the college dorm where I met my wife in 1999. As we only have a couple days left in Japan, we decided to take a photo. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and it was pouring down, so we weren’t exactly able to pose a bunch and take lots of shots. In fact, we only took one. The result is...
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Paternity Leave Lessons Learned (in Japanese)
Next month an article of mine will be published in an Osaka-based newsletter. The article is based on a blog post from a few years ago: End of paternity leave and a lesson on negative support. It is all in Japanese (edited by my lovely wife), but for those interested, click on the more link below:
父親育児休業の最も大きな学び
コホリック・チャド
...
March 2012
5 posts
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Social Network Audit
After posting my Google+ rant on Google+ I thought more about what kinds of social networking services I use, and how many I have abandoned in the past. I put them all together in the graphic above, separated into three groups (from top to bottom): Currently using (frequency from Left to Right); Infrastructure and Deadpool.
Current
Twitter is my most used network. Tumblr powers my blog. I...
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My Google+ rant on Google+ →
“There’s birth there’s maturity there’s independence...”
– Andy Ihnatko on IA23
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“What if the phone company gave you free unlimited phone calls but they could...”
– Anil Dash in a conversation about How do blogs need to evolve?.
This is such as great analogy for — ahem — certain free Internet services.
February 2012
8 posts
3 tags
LTU in Japan
For the past four months I have been doing periodic interviews with people involved in the tech industry in Vancouver and BC on my podcast Lining Things Up. So far it has been great, and I have learned a lot about local entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in general. The show (usually) is released every second Thursday.
As I am on an extended stay in Japan, I decided to continue doing the main...
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My current podcasts
I often talk about all the podcasts I listen to. I thought I would share them for those that are interested.
You can click on the image to enbiggen it. The app I use is Pocket Casts by Shifty Jelly. You can download my OPML file from here.
I grouped all the shows as follows: 5by5 shows; other tech shows; media and geek shows (I still hold out hope for a return); philosophy;...
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I drink your milkshake: Thoughts on the...
Clayton Christensen and Michael Raynor’s The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth was recommended by Horace Dediu on his show The Critical Path.
On the show Horace often talks about “Jobs to be Done Theory”, or the idea that customers hire a product to do specific job. It is a very useful way of thinking about products and is fleshed out more...
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Warner Bros: You are doing it wrong
The wife got me the Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection boxed (17 discs) set for our anniversary. Yes, well, she got me Lord of the Rings for another anniversary, so it is already well established that she married a total geek. Besides, it is a great present and I hope to enjoy all of the films and books with both of my daughters. I know it is only DVD, but I don’t own a BluRay...
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Observations on the lack of "free" WiFi in Japan
Above is pictured a sign at (one of) my local Starbucks. Free WiFi is a rare thing here in Japan, at least in the form it takes in North America. There is no lack of internet access points here, but they require you to be able to login using either your home internet providers credentials, or your mobile phone provider credentials. A third way to gain access is to pay a monthly fee to a WiFi...
January 2012
7 posts
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Big Day
Click to see all the pics on Flickr
It has been a long 40 hour day.
Today my second daughter Maya was born at 7:24 on 31 Jan 2012 at 3070g and 50.0cm. The birth took about 7 hours. My wife was amazingly brave. No meds, all natural, just like last time. I did the best I could to alleviate the tension with sarcastic humour. That has probably killed some men in the delivery room. My wife is...
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b-mobile fail follow up
Following my post from a few days ago I was advised to contact the b-mobile Help Desk. The result can be capsulated in the following two tweets. I am considering my next move and any potential reaction from b-mobile.
Re: sb1.tumblr.com/post/158687175… @bmobile_jci’s service desk says: Yes, the speed is very slow. Consider switching to another provider. 1/2— Chad Kohalyk (@chadkoh) January...
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Watchmashable:
“Because the biggest producers of content on the Internet are not Google and Yahoo — they’re us – we’re the ones getting policed. The real threat to the enactment of PIPA and SOPA is our ability to share things with one another.”
-Clay Shirky, in his “emergency” TED talk about SOPA and why it would create a “consumption-only Internet.”
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b-mobile fail
I have a had a really tough time in Japan so far. Free WiFi in Kyoto is nearly non-existent. The choppy Shijo network is my only oasis, and it is pretty grimy. Being disconnected from the web tough as someone who is a trying to start a web business, does a podcast on the side, and is trying to keep in touch with everyone in general via Twitter and Flickr.
Thus I was excited when my b-mobile SIM...
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My year in books
In 2011 I challenged myself on Goodreads to read 40 books. I had read 32 in 2010, so I set a stretch goal. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to achieve it. That was understandable considering that I read The Name of the Wind, Wise Man’s Fear and the first 2 and half books from the Song of Ice and Fire series. I should get bonus points considering for those…
Most of the books I read I...
December 2011
5 posts
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Beginning Rails
Well, I have finally completed the Ruby on Rails Tutorial: Learn Rails by Example by Michael Hartl. It was pretty tough for me, and even now I think I only get about 70% of the content. There is no way I am ready to write my own Rails app. But I am no programmer. I know HTML and CSS quite well, have a bit of knowledge about databases and can hack together a JavaScript by leaning heavily on Google....
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Smartphone penetration in Japan: Some numbers
New Straits Times quotes MMRI:
Japan’s smart phone sales — 23.3 million this year — account for 56 per cent of the total mobile phone sales of the year
Yet, TomiAhonen Consulting, based on Ipsos data, ranks Japan’s smartphone penetration at just 14% per capita, tied 33rd with Brazil and Romania in a ranking of 42 countries. They follow that number with a caveat:
...
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A new study finds that atheists are among... →
Possibly a bit of a sensationalist headline, but there is a key take-away in the final graf about battling anti-atheism:
“If you manage to offer credible counteroffers of these stereotypes, this can do a lot to undermine people’s existing prejudice,” he said. “If you realize there are all these atheists you’ve been interacting with all your life and they haven’t raped your children that is...
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November 2011
3 posts
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Old: Impressions of San Francisco
My visit to Silicon Valley last week was great fun. I able to make a pilgrimage to the mothership and visit with some old friends. Best of all I was able to spend time in America, with Americans from all over, which is always an eye-opening experience. As a Canadian, America can be a surprising place to visit simply because of all the subtle differences. America is like a parallel universe,...
October 2011
3 posts
1 tag
Busy week?
Things I have done this week:
mocked up 2 websites
met with a client to clear one of the mocks
edited a 25 min podcast episode
deployed a new website
released a new podcast on iTunes
bought a MacBook Air
bought tickets to Japan
packed up all of my belongings and put them in storage (with the help of 2 great mates)
moved out of my apartment
read 60% of Steve Jobs
worked a full-time job
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Lining Things Up →
My new project: a bi-weekly interview show about creatives and entrepreneurs in Vancouver and greater British Columbia. Just released the first episode.
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September 2011
1 post
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Homeless
About I week ago I mentioned on Twitter that the condo we live in has been sold. The new owner wants to move in as soon as possible, thus we have made an agreement to leave by October 29th.
This decision has forced our hand somewhat.
After considering our options, we have decided to have the baby (which we are tentatively calling “Maya”) in Japan. The baby is due late January. I...
August 2011
5 posts
1 tag
Winter is Coming
Remember back a few months ago when I was in the ER with my wife who had stomach pain?
.bbpBox76165686354907136 {background:url(http://a1.twimg.com/images/themes/theme9/bg.gif) #303244;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px}...
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Lionize your Bookmark Icons with emoji
Using the UTF characters to save real estate in your Bookmarks Bar is an old trick, tried and true. Now, with emoji in Lion, you can spice up your Bookmarks Bar with some colorful characters. See the before/after below:
click to enlarge
It also syncs perfectly to the iPhone as well:
click to enlarge
Call for feedback →
I have an idea for a new venture and am looking for your help.
July 2011
5 posts
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Why don’t women get drag-and-drop?
I have noticed over the past few years that new or novice computer users that fail in certain types of drag-and-drop operations are overwhelmingly female. This is purely anecdotal, and I may be suffering from confirmation bias, but I find this an interesting path of investigation. Hopefully someone out there can draw some light on this topic.
Advanced D&D
Typical drag-and-drop operations...