A Contrasting Day

Today was my long awaited trip out of Yemen, the first leg on my long journey home. I specifically packed my camera in my carry on lugage because you just never know. When I got to the hotel, I had found that I had taken only pictures, and they really could not show two more contrasting images of the middle east.

Here is the first picture. It was taken on the first airplane ride of the day and is of a typical Yemeni village.


Fast forward a few hours and I am on a bus in Dubai passing the creation of the world's largest building.

How Web 2.0 affects you

I am an admitted internet geek. I use it daily for all things imaginable. Banking, research, shopping, news, communicating, blogging, learning, sharing, etc.

I was very fortunate to be amongst the first wave of commercial internet users in 1995 when I began my studies at the University of Saskatchewan. In the case of the internet, universities were on the leading edge of the information revolution. Back then, the internet as we know it was still in its infancy and was prohibitively expensive to be a dedicated user (the high cost of both personal computers and internet service). However, most university students at that time had free and unlimited access. As a result, I've been lucky enough to have watched the internet grow up.

I poked around to find some reliable statistics on growth of the internet since that time. I had a tough time substantiating the stats, but this is what I found. In 1995, the planet had about 16 million internet users. Today there are about 1.4 billion users. The growth of the internet has occurred at a near exponential pace and has resulted in a relatively quick evolution in how we interact with the internet and what we use it for.

The initial phase of the internet's evolution is commonly known as 'Web 1.0'. This period lasted from 1994-2004. It was characterized by static pages that rarely changed and the lack of interaction through the web by users. It was a one way street with information going from the web to the users but not the other way. From my experience with the early days of the internet, I remember websites being very basic and one-dimensional. Pages did not add content regularly, so users would become bored and move on to something else. As well, Web 1.0 did not promote the idea of users having an online identity. This version of internet ideology lasted as long as it did mainly due to the wow factor of first time internet users (compared to no internet, even such a basic functioning internet was out of this world cool). Eventually, it became a stale format and things needed to change.

Along comes the new model that we see today. This is called 'Web 2.0'. Websites using this new model are including a social element where users generate and distribute content. They are dynamic websites that have the ability to be altered by users for the benefit of other users. The content has become user-driven, not proprietor-driven. Great examples of websites maximizing this concept are Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia, Flickr, Digg, Kijiji and some blog sites where user interaction is necessary for the sites to survive. These sites change every time you open them. In some cases, they change by the second.

With this explanation out of the way, how does this affect you?

The reason for this post is to help bring my blog into Web 2.0 land. While my blog is definitely not static, it doesn't get updated all of that often for a number of reasons. Sometimes, I do not have time or feel like it. More often, I just have nothing interesting to say. Since it gets updated somewhat regularly, it is definitely not of the Web 1.0 variety. However, it does not foster any interaction or collaboration with the people who use it, so it is not yet Web 2.0. I think it is solidly in the middle and I would like to change that.

I've added the ability for users to make comments on posts by clicking on the link at the bottom of each post. I've done this twice before and turned the functionality off shortly after as I was embarrassed to find that no one was interested in commenting on my blog. Now, I know you are out there checking the blog often from the statistics counter I have attached to the page. What I am asking is that when you read something you like or dislike, make a comment. If something I bring up incites a memory, reaction or opinion, make a comment. If you know of a cool website that relates to a post, make a comment. If you want to be a firefighter when you grow up, make a comment. If you have ideas for future posts, make a comment. It can even be anonymous if you wish, although I would love to see who the response is coming from.

Here is the stated contract, I will continue to do my best to keep the blog up, and you will repay my efforts by commenting on anything and everything.

I am leaving the comment function on regardless. I am pleading with you not to let my posts languish uncommented for all of the world to make fun of.

Photos of the Fortnight 1.1

I was having some difficulty in deciding what to portray in this edition of Photos of the Fortnight. That ended yesterday when I got the chance to drive a fire truck. You may recall my fascination with fire trucks from this earlier blog post. I've been bugging the safety guys for the last few weeks to let me take it for a rip. They finally caved and yesterday I got to do just that. What a life.

Fill Me In 1.1

Explain your job in terms anyone can understand.
Tough one. My official job title is Planning & Reporting Supervisor - Field Operations. As a general statement, I am responsible for the budgeting/forecasting/reporting of all costs (a few hundred million dollars worth) made in the exploration and development of several different oil fields in Yemen. I share a staff of 4 Yemeni positions with my rotational partner, Frank. Together, we are also responsible for Yemenizing our position in the next 1-2 years. This means raising the capabilities of our national staff to a level where they can competently take over the function that we currently are responsible for.

Who is your favourite writer?
Lately, it has been Bill Bryson.

Worst injury you've ever had?
Knock on wood, but I haven't had anything terrible happen to me to this point.

One thing that does stick out is coming close to snapping my leg in a skidooing adventure. When we were kids, Dad had this great old skidoo called "The Wild One" of 1969 vintage. This was a tough sled that looked a lot like a bulldog. By the time my brother and I were old enough, the skidoo didn't have a great deal of life left in it, but it was more than capable for horsing around. A favourite was dragging each other behind the skidoo on one of those snow saucers. Being the idiots we are, the idea was to crank the skidoo abruptly in one direction sending the sledder slingshotting at supersonic speeds into or over a snowdrift. We'd typically go through several saucers in a winter. It was really all fun and games until I ended up on losing end of a collision with a wooden post. I remember getting home and tenderly peeling off my winter clothes to find a gaping gash on my left shin. Good times.

What is your favourite gift received?
A few years ago for my birthday, Melissa gave me a customized coffee mug that she created at one of those pottery painting craft shops. This is my favourite gift.

Choose a unique item from your wallet and explain why you carry it around.
Tucked in the back of my wallet are two bills.

The first is a 1973 Canadian dollar bill. When my grandmother died, we were going through some things in the house and my dad came across my grandfather's wallet (he had passed on several years previously). In it was this dollar bill. I've carried it with me since.

The second is a Hong Kong twenty dollar bill. I carry this around for no other reason than I am drawn to the strength of the lion that decorates it. The image is based on one of the famous statues that guard the HSBC Bank headquarters in Hong Kong. The statues are cool, but something about this image impresses me.

Webcam

I just came across a new webcam setup in the Crowsnest Pass. I've been sort of glued to it the last few days, watching home from afar. The view is looking west from Blairmore towards Coleman (where we live) and British Columbia in the distance.

For future reference, I've added an icon on the sidebar.

Fill Me In 1.0

What music are you currently listening to?
Lately, I've been enjoying a lot of the new indie music out there (particularly Canadian stuff). In my very, very unqualifed opinion, the music in the mainstream now is refreshingly different (and much better) from what has been out there over the last 10 years. Maybe it's because I just took a moment to listen to some of it. Artists that I have been particularly drawn to lately are the Great Lake Swimmers, the Killers, Regina Spektor, the Joel Plaskett Emergency, the Weakerthans, the Shins and Arcade Fire. Also, I still can't get enough of Leonard Cohen after all of these years. In fact, he's playing on my ipod as I type this (So long Marianne...).

What recent quote have you heard that stuck with you?
Time is the new money.

Favorite dessert?
When I was a kid, it was my Grandma's lemon merengue pie, hands down. I guess too many years have passed since I've had it because I'd now have to say that nothing beats the baklava we get about once a week here at work. Hand made with the famous local honey of the area in Yemen I live.

First job?
The real first job I had was full-time babysitter of my nephew Dylan when he was 9 months old. When I finished high school, I really was undecided about what path to take so I decided to wait a year before continuing my education. Little did I know that babysitting would be an education (which I hope will serve me well in the near future). My sister Colleen offered me the job of live-in babysitter for the extravagant wage of $2/hr plus room and board. It still might be the best job I ever had. Dyl and I definately had fun.

Favorite possession?
It's gotta be the kayak, (although I am not sure what I would do without my laptop).

Inaugural Photos of the Fortnight 1.0

For the inaugural photo of the fortnight, I've included a picture that makes me laugh whenever I see it. I keep it posted on my office wall to make me smile but also to act as a conversation piece.

Here's the photo.


Here's the story.

In 2005, Melissa and I spent 8-9 days in London, England. In our usual travel style, the trip was very much on the cheap. This wasn't an easy feat considering London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. I am convinced we did it on about as little as possible without crossing the line from tourist to transient.

We walked miles and miles to avoid having to tube it (which ended up being a bonus because London is a very walkable city). Food was amazingly expensive so the only places we ate out at were the Sainsbury's Deli (supermarket chain), the Boots pharmacy and Indian takeout once. We splurged once on a piece of cheesecake from the famous Harrods. Our hotel was centrally located near Buckingham Palace, but really wasn't even a hotel but rather a rundown building full of rundown rooms. Ours was on the 8th floor (no lift), yet the shared bathroom (nothing more than a closet with a toilet) was on the 7th floor. No issues with it though as it was central to everything and it had a reasonable free breakfast.

You'd think that with all of this money we were saving on the essentials, we'd splurge on the attractions. Think again. We spent the week doing every possible free thing there is to do in London, which there a great many and of great quality. We did the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Gallery all for free. Great Museums. We hung out in the parks and checked out some excellent markets and generally enjoyed the history of the city from the sidewalks. Really, it was quite an enjoyable time.

One place we went was the Tate Modern, a gallery of modern art that enjoys a unique location in an old industrial power station on the banks of the Thames. I'm not real big on traditional art galleries, but I am intrigued by the wackiness of modern art. We spent a very interesting afternoon day in the gallery. At the end, I took a quick look through the gift shop. I am not one to normally pick up souvenirs along the way, but made an exception when I spotted the postcard of the stuffed bunny. Visually, it is kind of funny, but it is the simple title of the piece printed on the back that always makes me laugh.

'Bunny with head wound'

New Content Ideas

I have a statistics tracker embedded within this site and am surprised with the readership levels. There are over 100 unique viewers every month coming from several different coutries around the world. To keep those who drop by from time to time, I'm trying to increase the blog's content and make it worth their while. I'm also trying to diversify a bit so that this doesn't turn into a baby blog once the little one joins us in May.

I've come up with a couple of ideas. The first is 'Photos of the Fortnight'. Every two weeks, I will post a picture (or series of pictures) and provide an anecdote explaining the picture. Some will be current and others will be from my the archives. When possible, I'll try to build the photos around a specific theme.

The second is a regular quirky question and answer post. I've scoured the interweb for personality questions. After weeding out the dumb ones, I've landed on about 60 to 70 questions of which I will randomly answer 5 of each week until they run out. Being the geek I am, I actully built a randomizer into a spreadsheet to determine the distribution.

Stay Tuned.

Article "Prayers answered for Riders, Yemen"

Have a read of this article out of today's Leader Post. When I saw the title, I thought I might be implicated somehow.