Gels Saby Demoing at DemoCamp Victoria

While at An Event Apart SF, I went to look up something on the Victoria Better Web Posse’s site, and was saddened to find that it’s offline, “Address Not Found”. I’ve emailed Gels Saby hoping to find out the status, but haven’t heard back from her yet.

Joan McIlmoyl Cleghorn on the Victoria Linux User Group (VLUG) wrote

As I understand it from someone who was a member of Web Posse, it has folded. OTOH, WEAV amalgamated with Big Blue & Cousins about a year and a half ago. Currently, a former WEAV member is running a Web Tools Special Interest Group monthly.

If this is the case, this is a big bummer. I found the Better Web Posse to have a refreshing design focus lacking from WEAV before it and Big Blue & Cousins still today. The Better Web Posse brought together many talented designers, developers and other workers of the web.

It seemed like Gels and a few other people did a lot of work to bring the posse together. Thank you!

Victoria is one of the stops on the book tour. Get your copy of the fresh minted book signed by Christian Lander at Chapters on August 10th, 2:00 p.m. He’ll be in Vancouver a couple of days later.

I was a little surprised that Christian was coming to Victoria until I thought about it. Victoria is the most homogeneous city of it’s size I’ve ever been to, so I’m sure it is a great stop to visit with fans and to do research. Whenever I travel and return to Victoria I think, “Dang Victoria is white!”

I’m really looking forward to meeting Christian. SWPL started as a blog on WordPress.com at the beginning of this year and over night became an internet phenomenon. We got in touch and he joined our WordPress.com VIP program. I’ve enjoyed helping host his blog.

I’ll be there getting my copy signed.

Bounty Up is a service to collect online donations for a project, like the wildly successful MyFreeImplants.com, but for the rest of us — I wish I was kiddin’ about that site’s success. The tagline on BountyUp is “Ask for what you want, let the crowd pay for it.” Like the tagline, I’m being tongue in cheek, BountyUp has actually been used for a lot of wonderful projects.

It’s awesome to see an article about BountyUp’s service in the Times Colonist. The TC is Vancouver Island’s only widely distributed paper and is owned by CanWest Global Communications.

There is at least a couple of egregious errors in Tom Mcmillan’s article. The first “crowd-surfing” being comical, the second “millions” being a reminder of BountyUp’s potential.

The article also shares some of the wonderful details of the BountyUp story so far including:

• “… donations to fund projects for Oak Bay science students, North Carolina choirs and Middle East social activists.”
• “Starting out, I really wanted to change the world,” McKenty said.

I think I was among the first Joshua shared the idea with, and the passion to change the world was an important part of the equation from the beginning. He has done a great job applying his Web 2.0 expertise on this service, while continuing to work on other projects.

Hopefully, this article reflects momentum for the service, and BountyUp will have much deserved success!

Julia and I haven’t attended her yogo classes for the last many months. I had forgotten how much I get out of her philosophy.

During the course she mentioned Mark Gungor’s Men’s Brain Women’s Brain:

I hadn’t heard of this video. It’s hilarious! It’s clear Mark has some insights into having a better marriage, “laugh your way to a better marriage” his site says.

The box theory of men’s brains resonated with me, and I have a particularly bad case of it. It relates to my expertise and career in software problem identification, analysis, and resolution. And a clear symptom is my repulsion when an email or forum discussion has multiple topics in it, or when the discussion travels onto a different issue.

Of course, I grin and bear it, because most of life doesn’t suit the clean, discrete presentation as a bug report. Life is dynamic and messy, but still my boxes definitely don’t touch. Julia you’re so generous in your love for me!

Although, having an amazing experience with Flock this position with Genologics sounds like a natural next step in his career. He is working as an integrated member of a small development team on life sciences research solutions developed using Java and Oracle DB. It is a very technical role and his responsibilities include unit and integration testing.

Congratulations Jacky and Genologics!

Three weeks ago, Julia and I had a busy week working with our banker Carla Lo of TD Canada Trust, insuring our soon-to-be-ours property also with TD, collecting our coins, and handing the coins over to our property lawyer Eric Kerr of Johns, Southward.

Then Saturday May 5th, we received the keys from our realtor Lynn Couvelier of Tony Joe & Associates – RE/MAX Camosun.

We spent some of the day trying to track down the colors of the inside of the house; No luck finding a source or match for this discontinued Martha Stewart paint without samples. In the end we decided that we will paint; enough touch ups were needed and we wanted to go with a lighter, brighter ambiance.

The amazing cleaner Ann Wilson and her associate came and cleaned the whole house top to bottom, removing five years of dog and filth.

Friends are busy too: Mark Jaquith marries Sarah in Florida. (They are also recent first time home owners).

Sunday, May 6th, move part 2, thank you: Landon Cunningham (brother) Ryan Emperingham (cousin), Kenny Doskotch (cousin), Jeremy Watts, Chris Reid, Chris Robb, Andrew D’estrube, Dylan (brother), Donna Cunningham (mother), Lois Budd (mother), and everyone else who offered to help! The moms provided a tasty lunch and I provided the Lucky. Like move part 1, this move was done quickly and without injury. We slept at Mystic Place that night.

Monday, May 7th, I work from Mystic House (with Landon working in the next room). At our house, Julia receives our long awaited new Sleep Country bed. No more bruises on Julia from the springs nor her being caught in my gravity. First sleep at home!

It is our anniversary! We get away from the unpacking with a tasty meal at Cafe Brio

Tuesday, May 8th, post our basement suite on Victoria craigslist. Surprised by the quantity and the quality of the applicants.

Wednesday, May 9th, still working from Mystic House. New Sears’ fridge delivered on time) — retired the noise maker.

Meet our basement suite “top applicant” at Timmies to get to know her better and ensure that we like her and she likes us. Decide that she is the one. Pam becomes our tenant.

Thursday, May 9th, Shaw internet connected first thing in the morning — very nice installation guy had a cancellation and called me. Walk with Ment.

Friday, walk with Ment. Pam comes over and signs the paper work.

Saturday and Sunday, paint all weekend with the awesome help of Landon and Donna! Front hall, 2 coats in the living room and dining room, and one coat on the stairs to the basement. One coat on the dining room cabinet.

Monday, May 14th, old fridge is picked up by BC Hydro. Another coat for the basement floor by Julia and I. Another coat on the dining room cabinet.

Tuesday, extra tasty dinner at Korean Garden — Arnold was working the sushi bar. Move things back into the basement, reconnect washer and dryer.

Wedesday, second coat on the stair case. Putting covers back on sockets and light switches. Julia continues on the dining room cabinets and silicon caulking was needed a lot in the living room.

Thursday, move things back into the basement. Reclaiming the kitchen.

Friday, during the day my mom Lois helped me make a lasagna for Julia and I to enjoy that night. I also mowed Lois’ front lawn. Excellent dinner with Julia and some Thrifty Food desserts to celebrate her birthday privately.

Saturday through Monday, at Forbidden Plateau cabin with Julia, Chris, and Becky. Enjoying tasty eats and drinks, folk and eights records, board games, a short hike and cloudless night sky free of light polution.

On Saturday it was Julia’s birthday! The time away was fantastic.

Monday, May 21, Bernie, Ali, Cassidy, Carrie, Carissa come over for cheese, crackers, cookies and chocolate to wish Julia a happy birthday.