Investigating infoviz

Posted on April 10, 2011 by gabe

One of the things I’ve long wanted to spend more time diving into is data visualization. There’ve been an increasing number of great examples online, and I’m interested because it’s a powerful way to convey complex situations, it combines visual design and data, because I hoped my general aptitude for technology would make it easy for me to produce amazing stuff easily, and because I figured that it’d be a comparatively uncommon skill that could give me a leg up come job hunting season. (This was validated by at least one person I’d love to work for.) Continue reading →

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A socialX primer

Posted on April 6, 2011 by gabe

I’ve spent the past few months earnestly trying to wrap my head around the set of approaches and practices that I’ve (perhaps crudely) lumped together as “socialX.” In the interest of allowing myself to stop intentionally struggling with terminology, I post here what I’ve found; my understandings as they stand. (Apologies to those to whom this seems elementary and/or nit-picky. I don’t self-identify as an academic, but what I share with them is a keenness towards specificity.)

My motivation for arguably being nit-picky here is rooted in two things: 1) a deep respect for the earnest project of making the world a better place; and 2) a concern that the haphazard or unthoughtful application of some of these labels could result in people taking advantage of them to less-than-altruistic ends, and further, could result in a widespread cynicism towards the earnest project of making the world a better place, if people associate the terminology with the opportunists.

Nothing here is new; my intent has simply been to try to ensure that I’m clear on what these terms mean. By sharing this I figure that I may help others who are new to the field. Continue reading →

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Some socialX resources

Posted on April 3, 2011 by gabe

[I may update this post occasionally with new stuff that seems relevant.]

Doing this work has felt very much like drinking from the proverbial firehose. I’ve cut back dramatically on the sources I check regularly, as I’ve refined my area of interest, developed preferences, and have had a reduced tolerance for (and increasing ability to recognize) noise. Here are some of them: Continue reading →

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Investigating “socialX”

Posted on March 23, 2011 by gabe

Within my studies, I’ve chosen to put a particular focus on social innovation. Both because I’m interested in doing “good,” and because I felt embarrassed for not being confidently able to define the term, despite having been around it for so long. (Specifically in the context of the Centre for Social Innovation, where I’ve been a tenant/member — in one form or another — for six years.)

I’m no longer embarrassed, but I’m still not confident. The term’s used in different ways by different people, and others use other terms to describe possibly-similar things. (social entrepreneurship, social finance, etc.) So for my own convenience, I’ve started calling my scope of interest, “socialX.” Continue reading →

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I make (cool and) nerdy stuff

Posted on March 22, 2011 by gabe

In grad school, I don’t make things. Papers and presentations aren’t tangible enough for me to consider them “things” in the way that I mean. So I’ve been looking for opportunities to make stuff. Food, music and lamps is where I’ve put most of that.

Last summer we (Wireless Toronto) ran into some annoying problems with the ISP we were using for the wifi at St. Lawrence Market. The Rogers “Portable Internet” (pseudo-WiMax) service was expensive and slow, but had been magnificently simple and reliable. It stopped being so when Rogers started indiscriminantly disabling the service because they had detected malware attacks originating from our connection. I explained that it was a public hotspot, and that there’s no way for me to control that, but they patiently repeated that this is their policy. I was tempted, but didn’t try, to explain that if their network admins are clever enough to detect malware attacks, they’re also clever enough to block them. (Maybe that feature is offered when you subscribe to their $15/month anti-virus service?)

So this created an opportunity for me to try something out that I’d been thinking about for a while. (“Opportunity” meaning “sudden, unexpected need”.) I’d used the OneZone network a few times now and again, and had also observed that the signal strength at St. Lawrence Market was pretty strong. I wanted to see if I could use the OneZone network (which was, notoriously, called the fastest wifi network in North America) as backhaul. Continue reading →

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Stress, research, fear

Posted on March 20, 2011 by gabe

I’m having difficulty managing myself lately. I have a bunch of projects on-the-go, and I’m feeling overwhelmed.

However, I’d promised myself to seek a more sustainable lifestyle. Relatively-speaking, I’ve been partially successful in this: I’m going to the gym normally two or three times a week, there are some weeks when I eat at home more often than I eat out, I’ve lost a few pounds, I feel good.

The trigger for me going to grad school was crossing the line, stress-wise, with work. I decided that I needed a change and a break. Ambition is once again getting the better of me, and the stress has crept back. Continue reading →

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