I’m now writing for Beyond Robson on a semi-regular basis. It’s Vancouver culture, life, and events, so check it out if you’re so inclined.

Or to get my readership up, whatever.

As I begin the long, drawn out, and completely ineffectual period of stress that will precede the start of my MA this September, I found this while hitchhiking across the web: 

The Feynman Problem Solving Algorithm: 

1) Write down the problem. 

2) Think very hard. 

3) Write down the solution.

This has perhaps saved me from two years of expensive schooling and immense poverty.   

If you didn’t know already, South Vancouver is in the middle of a vicious crime wave!

Link here.

 Now, I don’t mean to be insensitive, but I think there is a crucial – almost vital – part of these muggings, that ties them all together:

“Vancouver police are warning residents in south Vancouver about a spate of violent muggings of people walking home alone late at night.”

Really? You were mugged walking alone late at night? As far as I know, that seems to be the most popular place that muggings happen – it’s almost cliché. I mean if you don’t want to get mugged – and I would assume that most don’t – wouldn’t you try to avoid walking home alone late at night?

I’m sure there are plenty of people who do this on a common basis without any regard to their safety. I’m sure their reasons are good ones, like going to work a night shift or going to hook up with your fuck-buddy. Seriously though, it seems like there is some common sense lacking in this equation.

 Here’s a simple tip to avoid – most, not all – muggings. Don’t walk home alone at night.

Problem solved.

I’m not too happy with DHL Express right now.Currently, they have my new macbook pro battery, which my poor battery-less laptop desperately needs to survive my addiction to the hybrid sport of couch/web surfing. Yet, for some reason they just won’t give it to me. Actually, that’s not true. They will let me pick it up. Unfortunately, they won’t let me do that until they’ve tried to deliver it to me again – even after I told them that I wouldn’t be there. 

What is wrong with this picture? It seems ludicrous that they have to send a delivery driver all the way to my apartment again to attempt to deliver a package to a person who has said they won’t be there. They get to waste paper, fuel, and money, along with some opportunity cost to do something that is meaningless – I mean, I already told them I wasn’t going to be home! Why can’t they just ship it right to the depot so I can go pick it up tomorrow? Wouldn’t that save them money?

I’m not a huge fan of shipping companies to start with, but DHL’s system of dealing with customers that are not going to be home is crazy.   At least Fed Ex lets me drive all the way to their depot anytime I like to pick up my pornography important packages. DHL’s system is an important lesson in how inefficiency and convoluted rule-systems can often hamper and constrain your business, deter future customers, and get rid of the customers you already have.When a customer is trying to save your opportunity cost, you should probably let them.

As Malcolm Gladwell’s infamous book “The Tipping Point” demonstrates, small, often innocuous changes can create great trends; it happens in every potential facet of our social lives be it entertainment, fashion, politics, et cetera. In my own life, however, I’ve rarely been privy to such an event.

But no more.

I have not only witnessed the start of a trend, but I may have also been a prominent player in it’s creation.

On some small occasion many weeks ago, when I visited the office washroom facilities I noticed sitting at my feet the financial section of the Globe and Mail – and as such, picked it up and began to read. As weeks went on I was witness to this event on very rare occasions, but I would always enjoy reading the financial section that some gentleman had left behind.

And so it began that I started taking my own daily newspaper to the washroom with me, and henceforth leaving it for someone else to read. It was simply a free daily paper that was stacked at the entrance to the office building – not some great piece of literature, or even a national newspaper.

Yet, it sparked something quite remarkable. It seems that by constantly leaving a newspaper in the washroom everyday, I’ve given authority to the entire operation. When I go down the hall for my usual bathroom trips, I am now ankle deep in newspapers and I am quite certain that once I glanced a foreign-language publication. I am now able to read everything from travel to auto to entertainment. Remarkable!

So to the gentleman that brought that first newspaper? Shit on fine Sir, Shit on.

A google image search of “drunk” comes up with this. Granted, it’s on the second page, after all the nude photos. 

This link from the CBC discusses the drinking age in America, and how particular States are thinking of lowering it.

I’ve always been a considerable supporter of lowering the drinking age, both in America and here in Canada. If you can drive a car, I feel you should be able to drink. While that certainly raises many questions – most pertaining to drinking and driving or ‘over-drinking’ – I believe that these are issues of education rather than legislation.

If anything, the current laws (North America wide) contribute to unhealthy binge-drinking, over-drinking, and the use of fake identification. While simply lowering the drinking age won’t fix these problems, it would certainly be a good start.

 Feel free to disagree with me in the comments section.

Here’s an interesting article detailing how the B.C. government along with local health authorities will not release facts regarding quality of care in B.C. hospitals.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=89da9cf2-a765-4f06-b823-8d24dd11cb55

From the article: “You can get information on the Internet to compare quality of restaurants and hotels but not publicly funded hospitals in B.C.,” 

You mean some people would rather go to a good hospital rather than a shitty one? Phsaw! says the B.C. government, poor care for everyone! And transparency? Forget about it!

 So much for informed choice, eh?

 ’Till next time.

If there’s anything that San Francisco has contributed to the 21st century, it is hippies with incredible leg strength. 

Reborn from the ashes, yadda yadda.

Renovations are necessary. They are a given in the simple life of any structure that at some point, they will be renovated. Granted, a structure may be demolished, paving a way for a new structure full of new materials and ideas, housing people or things completely opposite of what it held before. But more often than naught, they are simply renovated, adding bits and pieces on to what already exists – be it a wall frame, a door mount, or the outer façade that gives the building it’s outward aesthetic or identity.Likewise, we renovate ourselves. We add little bits here and there, remove unattractive pieces (or try to) and attempt to cover up all the things that have grown a little worn and tired over the years. As well, we continually seek to renovate our knowledge (or try to) and seek new ideas and ideologies to try to look at the world with different perspectives – simply, renovations of the mind.And just like buildings, when the structure is cracked and it’s too costly to repair the supporting beams we can build a new structure – we can have children. These are our new structures full of new ideas with possibly completely opposing views or beliefs and functions – just like buildings. Sometimes they function in the exact way that we thought would be their intended use. Or other times they turn out not so well built and need costly renovations to repair them.As I type this I’m currently in the midst of my own home renovations and like all renovations seem to go, it is proceeding not quite as expected. There are delays upon delays and frustrations upon frustrations. I’m sure that I’ve sighed in utter despair more often than is necessary for what we often think is so simple a procedure.Whether it is a renovation of your floor or walls, or a renovation of your soul it is important to remember that renovations take time. They often run over-budget and quite rarely – if ever – get finished on time. While we often would like to start over with something new, suited exactly to our tastes, our budgets (both real and spiritual) can often not afford to start from scratch. So we simply add on to what we have, knowing that we’re creating a change for the better.And that at the very least, besides all the other imperfections and cracks, all the old paint and light fixtures, we have a good strong base to start with. One that will hopefully last until the next time we decide to renovate or demolish it and start over.Until next time.