Published inAsparagus Magazine·Apr 30, 2021Car-Free ParentingA father of two shares the secrets to cargo-biking with kids. — As an on-again-off-again cyclist, I’ve always had a grudging admiration for those people who choose to ride everywhere, all of the time. I know people on Vancouver’s North Shore who ride to and from work — up to 25 kilometres away — every day, and even more that ride for…Lifestyle6 min readLifestyle6 min read
Published inAsparagus Magazine·Nov 4, 2020Get to Know the Global Scheme that Promotes Green BuildingKnow Logo helps you navigate today’s greenwashed marketplace, one logo at a time. Next up: LEED. — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), is a comprehensive and complex certification program for green building. Developed in the 1990s by the non-profit US Green Building Council (USGBC), it now guides sustainable construction in more than 160 countries. …Environment6 min readEnvironment6 min read
Nov 3, 2020Why the COVID secrecy in British Columbia?We need to know what’s happening in our community. Regardless of what’s happening on the global COVID front there’s really only one thing that people want to know: what’s happening near me. What is the risk if I’m shopping, or riding the bus, or sending my kids to school? The…Bcs2 min readBcs2 min read
Aug 18, 2020Letter Writing in 2020 — it is possible!Whether because of COVID, or just techno-fatigue after two decades of email, Facebook, and Twitter, or because of the overwhelming sense that we’re all becoming too disconnected from each other, I decided to return to writing letters. Paper, pen, envelope, stamps, letters. Such a simple technology, and so tangible and…4 min read4 min read
Jul 13, 2020Why I still avoid Apple productsFor several years now I’ve used nothing but Mint Linux on my computers. The journey to that point was long and winding, but included a Timex Sinclair, a Commodore 64 that did yeoman service, and a series of white box DOS, then Windows PCs, from 3.1 onwards. With WordPerfect 5.1. …Mint3 min readMint3 min read
Published inAsparagus Magazine·Apr 30, 2020Forget Toilet Paper, We Bought a BidetPandemic-induced shortages inspired our family to go paperless in the bathroom, and we’re not alone. — Three weeks into the coronavirus crisis, we were down to our last roll of toilet paper. My British-born wife Susan said, “We’re not going to see paper in the stores. Let’s buy a bidet.” I guess I must have made a face, because her next comment was, “You are so…Lifestyle4 min readLifestyle4 min read
Mar 22, 2020How I Remain Sane During the CoronavirusHow I am surviving #coronavirus and #COVIDー19. 1) I ignore ANYTHING from a politician. They are not experts, are sometimes idiots, frequently lie, and seldom say anything clear and coherent. 2) I ignore any “expert”who lacks actual credentials in epidemiology or medicine, or for whom my spidey-sense says “nut-job.” 3)…Covid-192 min readCovid-192 min read
Feb 28, 2020Rapport d’étapeSometime in the next year we’re planning a move from Vancouver BC to France. This story is crossposted from our blog documenting that move Échapper de North Vancouver. It is now the end of February and Britain is diving headlong into Brexit. It’s still anyone’s guess just what that will…3 min read3 min read
Nov 21, 2019A Town Council That’s For the BirdsThe District of North Vancouver (DNV) is nestled against the mountains that are the backdrop of the Lower Mainland. …Politics3 min readPolitics3 min read
Sep 27, 2019Arabian Nights Were the Straw That Broke the Camel’s BackWhy I won’t be voting in this election. Justin Trudeau’s 2001 “brownface” photos won’t change the outcome of this election. Too many of the voting population have joined either the Liberal or Conservative camps, and “campaigning” has already turned into an endless stream of insults, dubious promises, and personal attacks…Politics3 min readPolitics3 min read
