Kickstarter (and Indiegogo) is one of my favourite websites. I’ve had the honour (and excitement!) of funding a number of projects. I’ve funded everything from the Pebble Time to Neil Young’s Pono music player. However, there is one project that I was really excited to fund: Markhor.
The story of Markhor goes something like this: a group of Pakistani entrepreneurs wanted to design and craft local shoes. They turned to Kickstarter to raise funds so that they would be able to raise enough money to source local materials and hire local designers and shoemakers to make shoes. You can visit Markhor for the longer version.
Well, my shoes came! And I’m so excited to show them to you. And wear them!
I was down at the New Amsterdam
staring at this yellow-haired girl
Mr. Jones strikes up a conversation
with this black-haired flamenco dancer
She dances while his father plays guitar
She’s suddenly beautiful
We all want something beautiful
I wish I was beautiful
So come dance this silence down through the morning
Cut up, Maria! Show me some of them Spanish dances
Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones
Believe in me
Help me believe in anything
I want to be someone who believes
Mr. Jones and me tell each other fairy tales
Stare at the beautiful women
“She’s looking at you. Ah, no, no, she’s looking at me.”
Smiling in the bright lights
Coming through in stereo
When everybody loves you, you can never be lonely
I will paint my picture
Paint myself in blue and red and black and gray
All of the beautiful colors are very very meaningful
Gray is my favorite color
I felt so symbolic yesterday
If I knew Picasso
I would buy myself a gray guitar and play
When everybody loves me, I will never be lonely
I want to be a lion
Everybody wants to pass as cats
We all want to be big big stars, but we got different
reasons for that
Believe in me because I don’t believe in anything
and I want to be someone to believe
Mr. Jones and me stumbling through the barrio
Yeah we stare at the beautiful women
“She’s perfect for you, Man, there’s got to be
somebody for me.”
I want to be Bob Dylan
Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more
funky
When everybody loves you, son, that’s just about as
funky as you can be
Mr. Jones and me staring at the video
when I look at the television, I want to see me staring
right back at me
We all want to be big stars, but we don’t know why
and we don’t know how
But when everybody loves me, I’m going to be just
about as happy as I can be
My friends at Microsoft Canada loaned me a Windows 8 Nokia Lumia 1020 for my recent trip to Spain and Morocco. For me, this device has the best phone camera in the market.
More importantly, it has always-on GPS. As a Canadian, I feel screwed by our carriers not giving us an affordable way to stay connected, through our mobile phone, with the internet and social media. While in Spain and Morocco I relied heavily on WiFi (pronounced “wee-fee” in many places). But the Lumia’s built-in GPS helped us navigate throughout Spain and Morocco.
Thank you Microsoft Canada for the device. NOTE: I was not paid by Microsoft nor are they a client of mine. Neither am I a professional photographer. The photos I take are for my own personal and family use.
Here are some photos I took with the 41 MP camera:
In May 2015 our family went to Paris, Spain and Marrakech. We were given by Panasonic Canada a Lumix DMC-TS5 to enable us to capture memories of our trip. I would like to thank them for their generosity and kindness. Panasonic did not pay me nor are they a client of mine at work. NOTE: I am NOT a professional photographer. All of my photos are for my enjoyment and my family’s.
Here are a few photos from our trip. All photos here are courtesy of the Lumix DMC-TS5.
I don’t know if PitchTalks creator, Kevin Kennedy, know this or not but this monthly event has quickly become the must attend event for sports fans (not just baseball) across the Greater Toronto Area. For me, it’s the highlight of my month.
Scott Crawford is the Director of Operations for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Mary’s, Ontario. Alexis Brudnicki is the lead writer for the Canadian Baseball Network and former statistician for the Toronto Blue Jays.
If you're missing #PitchTalks, you're missing insane stories from women's baseball world championships! It involves bullets. And hurricanes.
Ashley Stephenson (a full-time teacher) has been a member of the Canadian women’s baseball team since 2004 and has already participated in five world championships. Autumn Mills (a full-time policewoman) has been with the team since 2005, primarily as a pitcher.
Last week saw Kerry Morrison, of endloop, visit the Welcome! studios at Girth Radio.
Kerry was born in the Yukon, grew up mostly in Edmonton and moved to Vancouver in 1994. Most recently he’s lived in Italy ( Rome & Florence), Mexico and Montreal. Today, Kerry calls Toronto home.
During this episode we chat about:
Growing up in the Yukon and Edmonton.
His dad buying a Macintosh and then falling in love with technology.
The importance of traveling.
Why make the move from Vancouver to Toronto?
Why Kerry identifies as an Apple fan
And why Father John Misty is his favourite musical artist
Last night I was invited to visit Twitter Canada’s new Toronto office: #nestwarming. It’s a great space on King Street West just east of trendy Liberty Village. and about a 45 minute walk from my office.
Brendan Canning or alt-rock band Broken Social Scene was spinning the tunes at #nestwarming
Oh Sara!
After capsizing last weekend during #PaddleTheDon I’m back on the saddle/paddle/canoe.
This past weekend I was invited to participate in the annual Manulife Paddle The Don event in Toronto.
At the heart of Canada’s largest urban region is the Don River. Once a year, Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) provides a unique opportunity for people to paddle the Don River from Ernest Thompson Seton Park to the mouth at the Keating Channel.
Manulife Paddle the Don is all about having fun, enjoying nature, and celebrating the Don River watershed. The trip also provides a time for reflection on all the benefits we derive from the natural environment – air, water, resources, recreation, and spiritual renewal – that are integral to the health and function of the city and the surrounding region.
It was a beautiful day to celebrate the natural wonder and environment that is the Don River and it’s surrounding parks.
I also had the opportunity to chat with Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne.
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to listen in on a conversation with entrepreneur and investor (and co-creator of The Next 36) Reza Satchu. Mr Satchu was invited by the Ismaili youth to a “coffee lounge” conversation with other leaders in the community.
The following are some notes and thoughts from the event:
Satchu asked the crowd, “Why do you want to be an entrepreneur?” There were a number of interesting answers. However, Satchu proposed that the main reason why one should want to be an entrepreneur (and a successful one) is to “make an impact.”
Satchu defined entrepreneurship as the “Relentless pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled.”
Why don’t most people not start a business? The never ending quest for perfect information. Paralysis of analysis OR I got an idea but I have no money or experience.
Bezos started Amazon and Dell started computer direct sales. Both in the face of fierce competition and no experience.
Satchu was turned down 150 times before his business got funding.
On the only reason why an MBA at Harvard was valuable: Exposure to leaders shows what is possible.
Goal of Next 36 in Canada is to hurdle cost and scale. To be truly productive is to have far more innovation and productivity.
Canada has a highly educated labour force, Canadians work hard but productivity is 72% of the USA.
We need businesses that are far right tail of businesses. Creating value for entire ecosystem.
Satchu went into business for himself because his father chose the path earlier.
People want to have as much impact as possible.
Secret of success: Seeking positions of discomfort or creating positions of discomfort
Concept of expectations: What do I expect of myself? Have large goals.
Another secret of success: Willing to fail. We learn through failure
Have mentors and people who will root for you and want to take credit for success
I asked Reza Satchu about the upcoming general election in Canada and what he thought a new government should be doing to foster innovation and success:
Canada should do as much as possible to incentivize the Immigration of talent
Incentives for private capital to invest in Canada
Pick places around the world where Canada can have power and influence
However, should Canada have a national strategy on innovation?
