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Is home where the heart is?

Posted by Alex on 11 Jan, 2012 in Lifenotes, Relationships | 3 comments

Well, here we are two weeks into 2012. 2012! A date that sounds so incredibly futuristic I am surprised I am not writing this by talking to my computer or travelling to work in an electric self-driving car. Although of course these things are almost possible now.

Anyway, as one of my New Year’s resolutions, I am going to try once again to do a series of regular informal journal-type posts every couple of weeks. This time, not so much about relationships, more just about my life as I try and figure out a new direction. 2012 will be a year of triangulation I think, as I adjust my heading and set course towards a new future, whatever that might be.

It’s been an odd start to the year. My 2012 Canadian work visa, applied for in early November, has not yet been issued by Quebec, and so having returned to the UK for Christmas, I am now unable to return to Canada. I expect it to be processed and to get back to Montreal some time before the end of January, but in the meantime, I have had to build myself a sort of temporary life here in the UK for a few (who knows how many) weeks.

Why intelligent agents could free us from information overload

Posted by Alex on 7 Nov, 2011 in Articles, Technology & Society | 2 comments

The launch of the iPhone 4S with Siri, the first large-scale consumer “intelligent agent” technology marks the beginning of a new form of computer interface – computers we can talk to, and ask what we want. Of course, there is a long way to go, but it is clear this is a new paradigm.

I’ll be writing more about Siri and its potential in future posts, but this seems a good time to publish the following essay, which I wrote a year ago for the forthcoming e-book “The future we deserve” being curated by Vinay Gupta. All the short essays for the book explain a point of view about what we (humanity) deserve in order to build a better future for ourselves.

Separation Journal #3: A new chapter begins

Posted by Alex on 2 Oct, 2011 in Lifenotes, Relationships | 2 comments

This is the third in a series of personal journal entries. If you don’t know me well you may wish to skip this and visit some of the other categories such as Technology & Society, Travel or Canada.

As one chapter ends a new one begins, full of possibility.

Well, another month has gone by. And what a month. I never quite hit that two-weekly cycle… but this time there was good reason. Things were happening, relationships were changing, and sometimes life doesn’t fit into convenient two week chunks. This was the month where my life got back on track. So, where to begin?

I think the catalyst for everything that’s happened was my trip to the UK a couple of weeks ago.

Why is it still so difficult to send files?

Posted by Alex on 14 Sep, 2011 in My Stream | 0 comments

From the always brilliant xkcd.com

Maybe we should just do away with files all together… ;-)

Separation Journal #2: Becalmed

Posted by Alex on 31 Aug, 2011 in Lifenotes, Movie Reviews, Relationships | 4 comments

This is the second in a continuing series of personal journal entries. If you don’t know me well you may wish to skip this and visit some of the other categories such as Technology & Society, Travel or Canada.

Steve Carell as Cal in the movie Crazy Stupid Love

Well, looks like I didn’t manage to keep to my two-week blogging schedule. I did start something two weeks ago, but it was getting long, and life got busy and I didn’t finish it. Still, here I am now, and four weeks is better than seven. I will try and keep it at two weeks next time.

Lately, people ask me how I’m doing and I say half-jokingly “Fine.. apart from separating from my wife”. But that doesn’t really describe how I feel. If I had to sum up how I’ve felt most of this month, in one word, I would say “calm”.

In my day-to-day life, I am happy.