Does anyone recognize this dog?

This sweet little boy (3-4 month old Shepherd X) was found wandering around Hanson Street and 4th Avenue (Whitehorse, Yukon). He was picked up by your friendly neighbourhood aasmanite at around 2:00pm on Wednesday May 16th. If anyone recognizes him, please leave a comment below or give me a call at (867) 668-5248  x 223.

He has a red colour with white paw prints. He is not micro-chipped and  is very friendly and loves people.

Jon Chonko gives new meaning to the term “Food Porn”. Not sure how it started, but he is the founder, creator and connoisseur of Scanwiches. It all began back in 2009, since then he has documented all of his creations on his website – Scanwiches.

Love his creations, you can get his book or order limited edition fine art prints. Follow Jon on Twitter  or on Facebook.

For your viewing pleasure:

1 – Softened Ramen Noodles, Ham, American Cheese.

2 – The Dagwood.

3 – Grilled Pork and Cha.

4 – Salami, Capocolla, Mortadella, Provolone, Tomato, Cucumber, Banana Peppers, On a Crusty Hero.

5 – The Chorizo Octopus Squeeze: Grilled Chorizo Chunks, Marinated Octopus, Mixed Italian Salad, Sun-Blush Tomatoes, Homemade Aioli, On Ciabatta.

6 – Fresh Turkey, Sprouts, Swiss Cheese, Purple Onions On a Baguette.

The fine people at wacom have developed a great new instrument for all you illustrators and designers. Inkling is the latest tech that bridges the gap between traditional, sketching and digital development by capturing a digital likeness of a pen-on-paper sketch.

The pen is mightier than the sword. Well, mightier than your carbon based pencil that you used to wield. The Inkling pen digitizes anything you can draw. It combines the digital pen with a receiver that clips onto any type of pad meaning you can use normal paper of your digital sketches. What’s the price you ask? You’ll need to dole out at least 2 Sir Robert Borden’s for this little gadget. For my American friends that’s 2 Benjamin’s.

Good things come to those who wait. And wait we shall. Wacom doesn’t plan on releasing these until mid-November. I know I’m Inkling to get my mittens on one of these.

Check out the details on the Wacom website.

Although it may not look like it at the moment, but spring is coming. With spring comes visions of getting outdoors. Fishing and camping sounds perfect. You can forget the tent when you rest your peepers on this baby. I think you could get used to camping and fishing when you get this 1940′s inspired American classic teardrop style camper. It was a symbol of the postwar road culture. This Silver Tear Woodie camper combines that adventurous spirit with extraordinary craftsmanship and styling.

The interior is shockingly roomy, it sports a 3-piece foam mattress that converts to a sofa. Windows and a roof fan offer great air circulation. The rear galley sports a maple counter top, a stainless-steel cooler and a number of cabinets for storage. A freshwater tank and faucet with an electric pump are powered by a 3-stage marine charger. Options like a propane stove and a shower make this the ultimate teardrop style camper.

With it’s tiny footprint that is available in either 4 feet wide by 8 feet long or 5 feet wide by 10 feet long you can haul this baby anywhere. Even a mini-cooper can haul this. Not that you’d ever take a mini-cooper out into the wild.

For more info, take a peek at the Silver Tears Campers Web site.

Since the situation in Attawapiskat has hit the main stream media, there have been many articles written about how the Canadian government is to blame for the situation, and how poorly the Chief and Council have managed their funds. All this rhetoric hasn’t solved the housing problem. Now I don’t need to go into the details of the politics here, I’m nor educated or qualified enough to do so. However,  I know one of the more feasible solutions comes from non other than Mike Holmes himself.

To quote: “Stop building junk on reserves. Solutions lie in the willingness to embrace ideas others may want to dismiss out of hand. Maybe we can make better choices about building materials that may initially be more expensive but last longer and won’t burn or be susceptible to mould. Maybe we can consider buildings not based on a wood frame, such as steel shipping containers converted into comfortable homes.”

“Let’s look at the building technology,” says Holmes, whose ideal First Nations home would be about 1,100 square feet and built with wood and other materials that won’t burn or be susceptible to mould. “I don’t care if you want a box. I don’t care if you want it off the ground. I don’t care if you want a foundation. It’s using all the products that make sense, nothing but mould-free, nothing but zero VOCs [volatile organic compounds]. This is not hard.”

I wanted to feature some of the shipping container concepts. These are very popular in Europe and for very good reason. Affordable, flexible and transportable.

Project Keetwonen, Amsterdam
Here, containers have been used to create 1,000 dorm units for Dutch students, making it the biggest container city in the world. It was launched by Tempo Housing in 2006. Not only does it look hip and provides all the amenities a student could ask for, it also has a rooftop used for rainwater drainage, heat dispersal and insulation of the units below. The award-winning project has received a lot of international attention and is so successful that its planned relocation after 5 years has been postponed until 2016.

Container City, London
Developers Urban Space Management used a flexible, component-based container construction system to build this city in the London Docklands in 2001. The demand was so high for these homes made from 80% recycled materials that by 2002 they had built a second city right next to it. Rather than following the 1 container = 1 unit concept, architect Nicholas Lacey and partners and engineer Buro Happold used component pieces to create adaptable living and work spaces.

One-Container House, USA
This 40-foot one-container model, called Modular Dwelling Unit (MDU) by New York-based design company LOT-EK is colorful, shows a clean design and was built with reused industrial materials. According to the company website, MDUs have been designed for “individuals moving around the globe.” That takes the question if one’s shipment has arrived to a whole new level!

There is even a Victoria, B.C. company, Zigloo that is now building container homes. Designer Keith Dewey built his own home out of eight end-of-life shipping containers. For an excellent Canadian perspective please read the 3-part article “Green and Affordable homes, out of the box” by Monte Paulsen for The Tyee. You can also click here to download a copy of the entire series in PDF.

Let me know your thoughts, I know I’m excited to know that there is an affordable housing solution.

I was just watching TV this evening and saw a pretty funny commercial for a board game–The Logo Board Game. My initial reaction was, that’s very cool. My kids and I would  really be good at that game. Then reality sank it. Jeeze, my kids are all under 10 years of age and probably know a majority of the logos in this game. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not. These commercials are pretty funny, However I think the creators of this game are confusing logos with brands. A logo isn’t a brand and a brand isn’t just about a sweet looking logo. However, it does bring brand awareness to the forefront. Perhaps a more appropriate name should have been–The Brand Awareness Board Game? Or The Brand Recognition Game. Having said that, I think this looks like a fun board game. I have’t seen a lot of reviews on this game yet. I know this game was already released in the UK back in 2009 and seems pretty popular. If you happen to have played this game, please let me know what you think of it. Happy gaming.

The Logo Board Game Commercial – Ford

The Logo Board Game Commercial – Hubba Bubba

When I woke up this morning, all I could think about was how chilly it was in my home. I hit the snooze button several times as I dreaded getting out of bed and having to take a shower in temperatures that hovered around 17C. The furnace doesn’t kick in until later.

As I stare at myself in the mirror I turned on the tap so that I can wet my toothbrush and begin brushing my teeth, I began an internal dialogue about Attawapiskat. No running water, no bathrooms, no heat, lack of housing! I ask myself, What can I do to help our people? I’m only a graphic designer, this problem is much bigger than me. Attawapiskat isn’t the only community that is suffering, but their plight is most dire.

I hop into the shower, ahh… warmth envelops me. I ask myself more questions, there isn’t much time for these families, winter is already upon them. How quickly can we mobilize a response? My heart begins to race, as I think of the grandmothers, grandfathers and the little ones huddled together in cramped quarters – freezing. A sense of urgency and anxiety sets in. Tears well up in my eyes as I pour shampoo on my head. Our people need help!!!

For the next ten minutes, I stand in the shower as more thoughts and ideas race through my mind. At what point did the Chief and Council finally decide to take action, and declare a state of emergency? Will that online petition really motivate the government into action? There is a lot of online chattering occurring on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Charlie Angus — Member of Parliament, Timmins-James Bay wrote an article entitled “What if they declared an Emergency and no one came?” That piece gave the issue a huge boost in publicity, with over 17,000 Facebook shares and 40,000 Likes and counting.

How did our people get to this state? Thoughts of the book, Dances with Dependency by Calvin Helin creep into my mind. Some memorable quotes:

“Money has been liberally thrown at Indian problems with nominal impact”,

“How long are we prepared to leave the plight of Aboriginal children and youth in the unkind hands of the welfare trap? How many more families need to fall as casualties of a fatal “welfare syndrome” — one that is literally stealing the lives and hopes of our future generations? We have to shake off the apathy of what has become an all too comfortable “cloak of welfare” and act to fix the problems now.”

“The tears and broken hearts of thousands of mothers and grandmothers should be enough to convince anyone that we must take action now.”

We are too dependant on the Canadian government. They want us to fail, to disappear into history. The indian problem will finally be solved. Perhaps this is why those bureaucrats in Ottawa drag their feet at the expense of those suffering in the cold. These are deep questions that went way beyond the current housing problem in Attawapiskat.

I turn around and face the shower-head as water droplets tumble out, washing away the soap suds and tears.

As I look down at the drain near my feet. I begin to feel something else well up within me. A sense of determination? A sense of pride. This is yet another battle to be won. If we can mobilize a protest and set-up road blocks within a few days, why can’t we mobilize again? As awareness continues to grow, perhaps a fundraiser is in order? Although it’s a short-term solution every bit counts.

Let’s begin:

There are plenty of very successful aboriginal folks out there. We are talking about writers, reporters, lawyers, business men and women, the bloggers, artists and musicians. Heck, there are non-aboriginal folks that want to support us too!

Perhaps the quickest and most immediate way to help is to hold a few fundraising concerts in support of Attawapiskat.

We can then think about establishing a more long term solution, an organization that receives funding from industry and the private sectors who want to be apart of the solution to the housing problems that plague First Nation’s communities throughout Turtle Island. An Indigenous version of Habitat for Humanity or the Red Cross perhaps.

Heck, we can even produce a Television show based upon the same model as Extreme Home Makeover. Do we have an Indian type character comparable to Ty Pennington? Heck ya! Do we have First Nations’ people in the trades? Heck ya! Do we have the resources to produce a show like that? Heck ya!

You know that TV show with Mike Holmes? Perhaps, we can send in a request to his handlers about producing a few episodes where he goes north and helps some communities — To Make it Right!

I turn around, turn off the water, open the shower door and hop back out. Warm, clean and ready to take on the world. Do you have any possible solutions? Join the conversation.

N.B. as of this post, it’s been reported by APTN that the Red Cross is stepping in to assist those in the Attawapiskat crisis.

Woah Nelly!

This morning on my daily commute, my children and I noticed a new sculpture at the top of two-mile hill. It looked so majestic in the morning light. A wild bronco, rearing up on its hind legs. It had a sense of power and grace to it. As most Yukoners especially those that live in it’s capital know, once you start down two-mile hill, there is no stopping until you reach the bottom. So I had to wait until the end of the day to take a closer look.

This evening my son and I walked to the location and snapped a few photos. I knew this piece of art was great to view from a distance, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that up close it was a feast for the eyes. There are so many elements that make up the form in this sculpture that are inherently “Yukon”. Everything from the drill bit, to the shovels, pick axes, gold rimmed glasses, hockey face mask, chainsaw, cast iron frying pans and the fishing tackle box. Sadly there were no gold nuggets included.

Although there is no description or artist credit near the sculpture, I did manage to find out through a friend that the artist is Daphne Mennell. I’ve also included a video of the installation.

Lately I’ve been searching the web for online tools that will help me better understand my social media reach. I’ve been fairly active on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for the past few weeks. However, I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions.

“Am I truly reaching the people I want to? Is anyone reading my posts? What is my social media presence?” Sometimes, I get the feeling when I write and hit the “publish” button, it all goes out there into the Internet abyss to never be heard from again. “If a tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear it?”

I figure someone must be reading some of the posts, but how many and whom? I needed more data to quell my fears, to validate my faith in social media and to prove that all my hardwork thus far is paying dividends.

First off, I found this exceptional site on all matters regarding social media – The Social Media Examiner is a great resource I highly recommend. I found a few tools, some I’ve started using and others I am interested in.

The very first evaluation tool I started using was Klout. Using your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn data and a complex series of calculations, it determines your overall influence and presents it in a graphic format that is easy to digest. Statistics covered include: Score Analysis, Network Influence, Amplification Probability and True Reach. For a more in-depth definition click here.

In it’s simplest terms, it gives you an overview of your activity and outreach. My Klout score is below (as of July 4th, 2011).

The next tool I just started using today is called My Web Career. It analyzes data from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Quora and web search results to determine your “Career Score.” Unlike Klout, it utilizes data from web search results. I love the “My Data” and “My Network” areas, it presents my data in pie-chart format. Cause everyone loves pie.

You can even drill down deeper into the data and explore various connections by industry, companies you’ve worked for and even your contacts. Think of it as “6 degrees of Kevin Bacon“. Although I haven’t explored all the stats this tool has to offer, I’m pleasantly impressed so far. My Web Career score is below. (as of July 4th, 2011).

The next tool I want to test drive is called Crowdbooster. Crowdbooster determines when your posts will receive the most interaction and have the most influence on your audience and recommends the best times for you to tweet the following day. It sounds exciting!

I can’t wait to start using this one. I’ll be sure to keep you posted. Oh and feel free to let me know what tools you find interesting and are using.

The Spare Room opened in February 2011 and is a modern day gaming parlour and lounge, situated on the mezzanine level of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The Spare Room features two vintage bowling lanes, custom and eclectic furnishings, and textures that convey a handcrafted, timeless feel. They even have bowling oxfords custom-designed for the newly opened lounge by George Esquivel.

It is the joint brainchild of Downtown L.A. cocktail pioneer Aidan Demarest (Seven Grand, The Edison, and First & Hope), Med Abrous (Teddy’s, also at the Hollywood Roosevelt), and Marc Rose. Designed by the Los Angeles-based firm Studio Collective, the interior combines vintage, custom-tailored furnishings that  conjure up an atmosphere of by-gone affluence.

Photos courtesy: Thompson Hotels