As with many other online trends, I’m a little late to the table on this one, but here goes…

Last month, I noticed that my friend Ben had posted his ‘My5Books’ to Twitter. He challenged me to do the same, and in typical fashion, I thought about it way too much and ended up posting nothing. I actually stared at my bookshelf for a solid 15 minutes that evening. But when it came time to condense that down to 140 characters, I believe I ended up making a sandwich and watching NCIS instead. Sometimes this whole ‘life of the mind’ thing is easily mistaken for ‘laziness’…

So after a few weeks, I thought I’d return to this challenge, and post a lengthy blog entry. I’m not particularly good at following instructions.  Read More

As I continue to head toward the full de-activation of one online account, I find myself suddenly having to ‘defend’ my use of another. With recent changes to its privacy policies, Google has somehow begun to flirt with ‘evil’, according to numerous online onlookers.

This post isn’t intended to praise everything Google does. Rather, I want to share some of the thinking that’s gone into (and continues to inform) my decisions with respect to social networking platforms. Privacy is, indeed, one of my major concerns. And I still think Google is the safer bet in the long run. Read More

Ok, so I’m no doctor, but…

Why would anyone listen to medical advice from Don Cherry?

Seriously… the man is a professional idiot, and a part-time racist.

You wouldn’t take healthcare advice from this man, would you?  … Then why would you take it from any other random individual you encounter?

This story caught my attention because I’ve been engaged in this ‘discussion’ with a number of people lately. (I don’t want any of you to take particular offense to this, please… I really have been discussing this a lot lately, with many people. This ain’t about you.)

In a nutshell, the debate comes down to:

Western Medicine is a Sham  vs.  Anecdotal Evidence is Basically Irrelevant.

Take a wild guess which side I’m on! Read More

Ok, ok, so I’m posting content on a day when thousands of websites are going ‘dark’ in protest of bad laws in the works…

But seriously: I get about 5 hits a day. Asking my web designer to add fancy graphics to my site would just annoy him, and wouldn’t affect anyone else in any way…

For the 5 of you who read this site… I don’t need to tell you about SOPA/PIPA. (Say it quickly enough and it sounds delicious…)

Many other sites have covered this story for months, and many other sites have written up eloquent summaries of the issues involved. The Oatmeal even drew pictures of koalas and goats to make their point.

My own take on the various protests and actions happening around the web today has less to do with SOPA/PIPA itself, and more to do with my growing doubts about anything that claims to ‘raise awareness’ of an issue.  Read More

Jamie’s 2012 Media Resolutions: Read More

After an extended absence from this site, I’m back for a year-end post of my favourite (musical) things in 2011.

This is NOT a ‘best of 2011’ list. Rather, I thought I’d share a handful of songs and albums that really stood out for me. Also, this is a chance to post some links and videos that many friends and family have yet to see, what with my recent ‘Facebook abstinence’ policy…

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So – how’s your dissertation coming along?

Oh sweet zombie jesus, did they really just ask me that? Am I supposed to give a polite, 30-second reply, or do they want an actual truthful response?

At the risk of slipping into the role of the ‘suffering grad student’, I want to briefly address the social awkwardness of this question. If you have grad students in your life, please never ask them how their dissertation is coming along. It’s a terrible thing to ask, as it reminds your friend or loved one that they are slowly throwing away the best years of their life.

You may as well ask someone how their coma is ‘treating them’, or how that bitter break-up and custody battle are ‘coming along’. Read More

(Sort of) breaking one of my self-imposed rules for this blog.

I am trying NOT to use this site as a dumping ground for YouTube clips and funny websites about cats, raptors, or Ryan Gosling. It would be far too easy to simply post about pop culture stuff I LIKE at any given moment. (That said, doing so would finally allow me to deactivate my Facebook account… hmmm… tempting…)

I’ll make a minor exception this week, in order to rave about the new Tom Waits album, Bad As Me.

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Earlier this week I found myself in my natural habitat – a Starbucks. Say what you will about their coffee (mediocre at best), they have free wi-fi and comfy chairs. I wrote much of my MA thesis at the North Burnaby Starbucks in Kensington Square, and I am on track to repeat with my doctoral dissertation.

I add a hint of variety to my weekly routine by working at hipster-infested indie coffee shops too, where the coffee is better, the music louder, and the chairs far less suited to prolonged sitting. It was in the pretentious little coffee shops in Toronto that I began to recognize a particular kind of behaviour (apologies to my good friend who helped crystallize these thoughts… you know who you are…). In certain types of coffee shops, I am now on the lookout for grad students performing the role of The Suffering Grad Student. It’s a brilliant bit of acting, and I encourage you to observe it when you can.

At my usual Starbucks this week, I sat next to two of the finest specimens of The Suffering Grad Student I have ever seen. Their performances were breathtaking. And infuriating. And deeply worrying.
… shit… do I REALLY look like that to other people?
… and if so… how have I NOT been punched in the throat by a complete stranger? Read More

 ”seems to me I remember every single fucking thing I know…”  *

No, I’m not going to write about Facebook’s new design changes and how they are the worst thing to ever happen to anyone in the history of everything.
Facebook wants to be your scrapbook, and that’s their decision. I’m sure plenty of people look forward to cataloguing the entirety of their existence online, and they will gladly use the site that changes its interface on a monthly basis. I wish these people the best of luck.

What interests me about the new Timeline feature is that it illustrates a growing trend in Internet activity – a move towards longevity and permanence. Read More