My latest article for the Catalyst blog is all about how brands are using their packaging in fun and innovative ways. Packaging? Yup. You know, the stuff that holds the other stuff we bought.
You can read about how brands are thinking ON the outside of the box here.
Toronto is baseball crazy at the moment with the Toronto Blue Jays doing well in the American League East this year. So far. However, baseball is not the sole domain of North America. It’s huge in Asia. Specifically, Taiwan.
I was in Taipei earlier this spring and got the chance to go to a baseball game between the Elephants and Monkeys. As my son would say, “Go Primates!”
The game was pretty good. However, it was the atmosphere that I enjoyed the most. No one is drunk although they serve beer. It’s a family atmosphere even though the crowd is split between the rival teams. And the crowd is generally very well behaved even though the entire stadium is singing, clapping and cheering throughout the game. It’s amazing!
Here are some photos inside and outside the stadium.
I had a chance to meet the founding team of GestureLogic in late May at a We Are Wearables event at MaRS in Toronto. They are a fantastic team from Ottawa (not just a place for public employees it seems!) that is looking to change the way people exercise. They’re new product is called LEO. And very soon they will be launching an IndieGoGo campaign.
Keep your eyes peeled here to stay up to date on their fundraising campaign.
To read my interview with the founder of GestureLogic and the inspiration behind LEO click here.
“the everything store” by Brad Stone is a very in-depth analysis of the beginning of the Amazon story. And, of course, the main actor in this story is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The story begins in the East Coast with Bezos working for an investment house. Starting here, Stone takes us on a journey inside Bezos entrepreneurial mind throughout the humble beginnings of Amazon as it grew into the behemoth that it is today.
I’ve read Accidental Billionaires as well as Hatching Twitter. I’ve even read the Steve Jobs book. “the everything store” is different. This is no soap opera story; although many former employees might tell you that they felt they were in one when they worked there.
Stone’s book is a serious business look at what makes Bezos tick and what makes Amazon as feared by competitors while being admired by entrepreneurs; both at the same time.
On Sunday I spent the afternoon like many Torontonians did: at a barbeque. However, this particular barbeque was interesting. Toronto Mayoral candidate Olivia Chow was the guest of honour. My friend (who also happens to be the dad of two of my other friends – META!) was hosting an afternoon barbeque in support of Madam Chow.
She was dressed in a simple, yet elegant, yellow summer dress. She didn’t talk too long but did promise to bring respect and vision to City Hall. What struck me most was that Madam Chow didn’t speak like a populist. She didn’t promise to spend money nor stop spending money. She actually talked about building a city where people could get to work on time; a city that was clean and where the air was breathable; a city that cared for it’s young and elderly; a city that we could be proud to call home no matter if we lived in north Etobicoke or near the bluffs in Scarborough.
And, I think, that’s the type of city and leader Torontonians want: a city builder. I don’t want someone to cut services. I don’t want a Mayor who feels they need to fight to get things done. I want a Mayor who wants to build a city: a place where we can be safe to live, work and play.
If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time or even if you scroll through the posts over the years, you will find that I have written about so many things. And most of the time, nothing in particular.
I’ve blogged about real estate, banking, social media, books and much more. I’ve even used this space to re-blog other blogs in the WordPress community. I also re-post articles that I’ve written in other spaces such as Catalyst (where I work) and itbusiness.
Recently, I’ve been itching to write about so much more: theatre I watch, places I visit, politics, music, and even podcasts I listen to. So I figured I’d rename the blog. The url is not changing – karimkanji.com (or karimkanji.wordpress.com). But I thought the title should.
So allow me to introduce you to “observations from just inside scarborough”. I live in Scarborough. Or, I should say, just inside Scarborough. Fred Patterson – co-host of The Humble and Fred Show – once asked me where I live. I replied, “Just inside Scarborough.” Why? You’d have to live just inside Scarborough to understand.
Well, that’s enough rambling.
Hope you enjoy the show!
I am a huge fan of Arcade Fire. They make amazing music, their concerts are kick ass, and they are also one of the most innovative bands around.
I recently wrote a piece on their unique and interactive videos on the Catalyst Blog called Video Saved the Radio Stars. I hope you enjoy the read.
Weekend in Stratford in pictures via Google+
The latest We Are Wearables MeetUp was held at the end of last month. Among other interesting start-ups and projects, the event featured Toronto-based Bionym and their product, Nymi. Personally, I am a huge fan of wearables.
Click HERE for my article that I wrote for itbusiness.
Ever wonder how Spider-Man developed the technology to shoot webs? Wonder no more. The following Wired.com post explains everything you need to know about Spider-Man’s webs.
The Physics of Spider-Man’s Webs -> http://ow.ly/wkuMA