No moustache, no money? IBD research needs funds, too
It took months before we realized something was going wrong with my teenage son, and by that time he had lost 10 percent of his body weight. Another four months went by before he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and treatment began. (Although it seemed like a...
Is anything ‘stunning’ when everything is?
These aren’t just mediocre little shacks for sale! Here’s how 15 homes highlighted in a local newspaper’s real estate section are described by the agents representing them: stunning (five cases) beautiful (two) awesome exceptional exclusive gleaming...
Friday fun, video version
It’s Friday. Time for some Friday fun! Today we’re not looking at wordplay, for a change, but creative communications captured on video. Here’s a human Rube Goldberg creation (a concept captured in the old Mouse Trap game). Funny! And the work that...
Estimates and proposals and RFPs, oh my
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is like a mirage in the desert, or a dreamed-of lottery win, or simply a “Recipe for Pain,” says Ilise Benun, founder of Marketing Mentor. At the November 7 meeting of IABC/Toronto’s Professional Independent...
Alertbox reinforces value of e-newsletters
Web usability expert Jakob Nielsen is a big fan of email newsletters, which he says can “create much more of a bond between user and company than a website can.” The bad news is that the bond can be affected by usability problems like making it complicated...
Scare yourself to learn and grow
One of my neighbours used to create increasingly elaborate scenes on his front lawn at Halloween: The figure of Dracula rested in a coffin; actually the neighbour’s son, he came to life and rose as children shrieked and ran past. The blade of a guillotine,...
The last dispatch from the dorm (probably!)
My two-year degree program ended in mid-July, but that chapter came to a true end with a one-minute or so walk across the stage at the Royal Theatre in Victoria, B.C. for convocation on Tuesday. My classmates and I don’t actually have our BA in Professional...
8 lessons for freelancers from a perfectionist kitchen contractor
Having a contractor who was a perfectionist made a huge difference to the kitchen renovation that recently wrapped up at my house. I know, it seems crazy. Aiming for perfection can be a roadblock to ever actually finishing anything. But don’t we all want someone...