January 2009
Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit

January 2009
WordCamp Whistler
(Now on Twitter)

February 2009
Northern Voice
(Preceded one day before by WordCamp (for) Education Vancouver)

April, 2009
Get Connected Vancouver eConference
(Formerly Massive Technology Show)

May, 2009
WordCamp BC (British Columbia) *Coming Soon*
(Now on Twitter)

May, 2009
Vancouver Digital Week

September 2009
CMOS Emerging Technologies

If you have more, please add them in the comments and I’ll post them up!

So as many people experienced during the crazy snow storms of the Christmas holidays, airlines in Canada are not equipped for severe weather conditions. I have spoken with some people on this issue and all have said that if modern airline equipment cannot handle the freezing temperatures of extreme weather, and if due to the poor economic times the airlines cannot afford to upgrade their equipment, the least they could do is instill the value of good customer service in their employees and professional policies. However, this message does not seem to be reaching Air Canada.

The most recent example of this was tonight, with my little sister coming home to Vancouver on an Air Canada flight from Calgary set to arrive at YVR by 5:50pm. The plane was diverted (I guess?) to Victoria due to the weather conditions. Now that much is understandable - stuff happens. However, updates to the condition of the flight were only posted about five minutes before the posted arrival time. So if the flight was delayed to 6:50, at 6:45pm the flight would be further delayed to 7:45pm. So conceivably many people would have come to the airport for 6:50 and be stuck until 7:50, at which point the flight was further delayed. Eventually the flight was delayed again and arrived at YVR at 10:45pm. Of course, as is normal for ill-equipped airlines during this weather, the luggage compartments required de-icing and despite the passengers coming off the plane at 11pm, the luggage did not come off the plane until much later. Now, these technical topics are not so relevant as the issue of what happened on the plane.

I posted on Twitter:

My sister’s flight was grounded for FIVE HOURS & apparently Air Canada did not offer them ANYTHING to eat or drink. I’ll have to make sure. about 3 hours ago from web

Responses:

	megsmitley @kulpreetsingh Typical! How awful. Hope she’s arrived safely. 3 minutes ago from web
	ValerieMacLean @kulpreetsingh No need to check, not when it’s Air Canada. about 2 hours ago from web
	kabutar @kulpreetsingh I’ve heard of this happening before with AC (with variations i.e. food & drink ran out since deplaning wasn’t allowed etc) about 3 hours ago from twhirl
	erikmagraken @kulpreetsingh Air Canada or Westjet? I’ve heard some stories of AC being woefully prepared for this winter weather. about 3 hours ago from web

When I asked my sister basically she said that they gave the passengers water and pretzels over those five hours. Perhaps the airline was also not equipped for these types of emergencies, but you’d have to imagine with Air Canada running so many flights day in and day out across the world, they’d have some experience with delays and how to keep customers happy. I’m not sure if it was just a shortage of real food on the plane, or if it’s Air Canada’s policy to just keep their passengers at basic sustenance level for as long as the delay lasts, without considering spending more money on real food. Admittedly, this is a mild issue compared to some of the travel nightmares caused to entire families by Air Canada in other instances.

Obviously we “baby” our little sister so I was a little frustrated for her, and posted on Twitter:

If WestJet was the larger carrier, would it have as poor, negligent treatment of customers as Air Canada? about 1 hour ago from web

People responded:

	rmdstudio @kulpreetsingh I think we need one or two more air carries so the competition would have driven them to improve their services. about 1 hour ago from TwitterFox
	jeffkee @kulpreetsingh So my answer is no, even the dominating company can still put the values into the actions of their employees. about 1 hour ago from web
	jeffkee @kulpreetsingh A corporations policy and education of its employees to feel ownership of the company is important based on my corporate exp. about 1 hour ago from web
	PureEminences @kulpreetsingh If Canada had more than one major airline about 1 hour ago from web
	raincoaster @kulpreetsingh No. Service is its edge. My dad used to work for Canadian, and they were proud of their service. Air Canada has ALWAYS sucked about 1 hour ago from Power Twitter
	kabutar @kulpreetsingh (2) that no deplaning allowed incident was actually due to Transport Canada safety regulations I believe about 1 hour ago from twhirl
	kabutar @kulpreetsingh I’m not sure, really - on one side WJ built themselves on service, on the other they’re also bound by regulations, like (1) about 1 hour ago from twhirl

It was interesting to get feedback on Twitter about this topic but I wonder how many others have discussed their frustrations about Air Canada on Twitter. If Air Canada is the target of customer complaints in general, the same is being reflected on social media as well.

Replies to my post on Twitter (and blog comments below):

	erin337 @kulpreetsingh You might have an easier time asking who has NOT had a problem with Air Canada. 3 minutes ago from web
	buzzbishop @kulpreetsingh fly westjet. That’s what you can do about it. 4 minutes ago from twitterrific
	duanestorey @kulpreetsingh yup.. but they don’t care.. http://tinyurl.com/4bugqe 11 minutes ago from web
	mluu1179 @kulpreetsingh i’ll have to be flying back to Vancouver shortly too. I’m not looking forward to it b/c of the snow about 5 hours ago from TweetDeck
	jeffkee @kulpreetsingh Yeah I always felt AC was a bit off.. Prefer Westjet for sure. about 10 hours ago from web
	raincoaster @kulpreetsingh Good one! They have it coming, but don’t care. about 10 hours ago from Power Twitter

Last week I had the opportunity to go to the warehouse for the Richmond Food Bank to drop off our company NewspaperDirect’s collections for our first annual holiday food drive. We had about eight boxes of various types of food. When I drove into the warehouse I was shocked to see that there were dozens of large crates covered with what must have been several thousands of different types of food items. I guess I didn’t really expect that there was as much demand for the Food Bank’s services in Richmond.

At the warehouse I met Rick Younie who works with the Food Bank and he informed me that although people perceive Richmond to be less affected by poverty, they get visits from as many as 150 families a week. I was very happy to also see some of their volunteers and it just reaffirmed my appreciation for the work done by the Food Banks.

If you haven’t had a chance yet, please get out to your local Food Bank or any convenient drop-off location and share some non-perishable food items for those less fortunate. Rick mentioned that infant formula and powdered milk are two items that are a little more expensive but also more in need - the requirements for donations may vary across food banks so it’s best to check with your local food bank.

Just for those who don’t understand why an Iraqi journalist would throw shoes in protest of US President George W. Bush’s last visit to Iraq yesterday (video), here’s a short explanation:

Shoes are worn on your feet, they are low and they gather the most dirt from the ground. Being hit with shoes is like being admonished or denounced as the “lowest of the low” and is commonly reserved as a punishment for despicable criminals. It is worse than a pie in the face or any other common Western protest insult. My dad who was raised in Indian culture and is not too fond of Mr. Bush, watched the clip of shoes being thrown at him at least four times today and laughed out loud every time. The bottom of one’s shoes has dirt and the person receiving the shoe is considered low and dirty in their conduct.

Some funny comments from the blogosphere:

“lol yeah he was like “BY GOLLY! A man just hurled his footwear at me! This is a matter most peculiar! But why? Why would someone do such a thing? What might his cause be? I don’t know. I am just as baffled as you are, Madam Reporter! What’s that you say? He’s screaming about dogs, widows and children? MY GOD! This man is on crack! Away with him to the dungeons.”
MuslimMatters.org

“Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar” - Sigmund Freud. Likewise, sometimes a shoe is just a shoe. Don’t overanalyse it, the guy didn’t like Dubya, or what he was saying, and threw what came to hand first. (the secret service will, as a result of this, insist that everyone remove their shoes before being allowed to attend a press conference. (we’ve seen this absurdity at airports already)”
Crikey.com

So I’ve finally installed WordPress 2.7 here on this blog and I’m loving some of the features.

I think all those who contributed to the UI deserve credit for the improvements. That said, there are still some useability issues which could be fixed with minor tweaks. For example, in the Posts, Links and Pages screens, although the “Add New” button appears in the left-hand menu, it does not appear in the actual screen on the right which would just make things quicker and easier.

I’d like to give a shout out to one person who I think developed one of the most import recent plugins, WordPress Automatic Upgrade. Made by Keith Dsouza, the plugin was retired in September when Keith got notice that WordPress would integrated the automatic upgrade feature in 2.7, which was a good decision on Automattic’s part but kudos to Keith for the original concept.

One thing that we still don’t see, which I think is a big void, is the ability to add custom meta data to the Links. If you can customize your posts so that you can add various types of custom data, why not to your links? With custom fields in your link edit screen, you could provide your blog/website readers with more information about people, organizations or websites in your blogroll, such as their email address, physical address (for businesses and charities), twitter ID and other social network and social bookmarking ID’s. This would allow you to take your blogroll to the level of a community directory. There is a temporary workaround for this which I’ll post about later.

Another thing - the option to make a post “stick” to the front page is great, but being able to define a date until which is sticks would be icing on the cake.

[This post will stay at the top until January 1st]

Please donate to your Local Food Banks in BC
Read the rest of this entry »

The much anticipated WordPress 2.7 is out!

• Matt’s Blog Post on WordPress.org
• Direct Download (zip)
• Bloggers React (Technorati)
• Bloggers React (Google)

I didn’t mind the other layout from a visual perspective. This one saves a lot of vertical space however.

From a functional perspective there are a lot more great features:
- You can quickly post a draft directly from the dashboard.
- You can also completely customize the display on the dashboard and only see the boxes you want to see.
- You can batch edit posts, so if you want to change a certain word or phrase in all posts it’ll be easy.
- You can also customize the Write / Edit post page so that it only has the boxes you want and need, in the places you want them.
- You can reply to comments directly from the admin area rather than going to the post
- Once you turn the option on, you can also use keyboard shortcuts to moderate your comments (simple as A for Accept, S for Spam, D for Delete, R for Reply, Q for Edit).
- You can make posts “stick” to the top of your home page
- and many more features.

The Buzz:

Hey everyone,

It is International Human Rights Day, and the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On this day in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted this declaration in Paris, France, containing 30 articles expressing the rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled. You can read the declaration itself below (click to jump there).

Many countries over the last 60 years have upheld these rights in some way or another. All countries have also at some point broken their commitment to this declaration and infringed on the rights of human beings under false pretenses. There are thousands of political prisoners, and millions of people have died just in the last few years in countries from West Africa to East Asia. And even in countries that claim to be more advanced on human rights issues like USA, Canada, and UK, there are many appalling cases of outright oppression of human rights by the establishment. We should all make a commitment to this declaration and try to ensure that all human beings in all countries around the world, regardless of whether or not they originally signed on to it, should have these rights.

Many people assume that this declaration and even the concept of “human rights” is focused on the rights of political prisoners, but this is a misconception. Whereas political prisoners are an important segment of the population deserving attention to free them from oppression, the declaration touches on rights relating to personal security, education, employment, equality of opportunity, political views, protest, due process and presumption of innocent in criminal cases, freedom of religion, and freedom from oppression or discrimination based on caste, creed, race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, gender, etc. and many other issues.

There is a movement happening right now to have this declaration printed in our passports. Please click below for more information and to support the efforts.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

English version

Preamble

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, therefore,

The General Assembly,

Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11

1. Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
2. No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14

1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
2. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15

1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16

1. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
2. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
3. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17

1. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
2. No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21

1. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in his country.
3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23

1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25

1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26

1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27

1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29

1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
3. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Today I took the bus home from work. It was not a big trip. I didn’t have any bus tickets or change for the bus, so I had to walk for 10-15 minutes. Then I bought some bus tickets and walked to another store to get some grocery. Then I caught the bus. All the while I really had to go to the bathroom. And I was hungry. I got off the first bus and relieved myself at the bathroom at Tim Horton’s. Then I waited out in the freezing, biting cold, rainy, windy street for the next bus. Caught that bus, then got off at my stop and walked home. Total journey was about 1 hour.

Typing this is physically difficult because my fingers are numb. The entire way I was feeling cold, uncomfortable, hungry - oh and did I mention I had two large grocery bags and a laptop bag too? I cannot imagine if I felt like this in just one hour how people must feel to spend the entire night out in the cold. Many people who are newly homeless must feel so embarrassed having to use public or restaurant bathrooms, and trying to find food and shelter - it is probably very frustrating and humiliating. We really need to do something about the lack of affordable housing and mental healthcare in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside. I admit I am probably spoiled and weak so maybe this had an exaggerated effect on me but I was literally thinking while standing out in the cold waiting for my second bus that people should be handing out flyers here that say “Feeling Cold? Uncomfortable? Imagine Being Homeless.”

An interesting little blurb in the Sun Sentinel newspaper today. It explains how Facebook can be approached by families / parents. (Broward Country, Florida)