I went to Startup Winnipeg Weekend which ran from Friday evening to Sunday evening.
After attending the first Startup Winnipeg, and getting reamed out by the judges, I was a little older and wiser about boiling down 54 frantic hours of work to vet and present an idea in five minutes to judges who are just as ferocious as the investors on Dragons Den.
The team I was on worked well together and I was on the business model side of things trying to make sure the presentation was top notch, and while we didn't make it into the top three, the app idea our team presented is still worth pursuing and who knows where it will go.
In some respects the educational and networking potential of Startup Winnipeg is more important to me then winning any of the top three prizes aside from bragging rights.
Oh, a couple of groups really did get reamed out this time still.
The next Startup Winnipeg might be happening in April.
Time to think of some new biz ideas!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Negotiations ...
Here is my rendition of talks between the NHL players and owners:
Players Union: Give us more of the revenue.
Owners: No.
Players Union: I guess will talk next week then.
Owners: Sure.
End of Act I
Players Union: Give us more of the revenue.
Owners: No.
Players Union: I guess will talk next week then.
Owners: Sure.
End of Act I
Friday, October 5, 2012
Flying Cars Part Deux
I was playing Mass Effect 2 which takes place a couple hundred years from now or so and flying cars are everywhere and much to my horror in relation to my last blog post, flying cars get shot at and nearly crash land!
I realized though that there is a way around the problem of policing the sky.
So, let's say there's a check stop in the sky where police are checking for drunk drivers, or pilots.
If someone freaks out and decides to b-line it any direction because it's the open sky we are talking about, the only way to prevent that is if there is a system in place that keeps the vehicle on the same 'path' and does not allow any deviation.
This would mean that the driver would actually have limited control, and rightly so, because we don't need maniacs doing donuts in the sky and flying cars falling out of the sky in random spots.
Imagine the infrastructure required for that kind of air way system.
In the movie Minority Report, vehicles are extremely slender and go up and down buildings and can be taken over by the police.
Perhaps that scenario is more realistic as a junction between cars on the road and cars in the air.
That's enough for this rant.
I realized though that there is a way around the problem of policing the sky.
So, let's say there's a check stop in the sky where police are checking for drunk drivers, or pilots.
If someone freaks out and decides to b-line it any direction because it's the open sky we are talking about, the only way to prevent that is if there is a system in place that keeps the vehicle on the same 'path' and does not allow any deviation.
This would mean that the driver would actually have limited control, and rightly so, because we don't need maniacs doing donuts in the sky and flying cars falling out of the sky in random spots.
Imagine the infrastructure required for that kind of air way system.
In the movie Minority Report, vehicles are extremely slender and go up and down buildings and can be taken over by the police.
Perhaps that scenario is more realistic as a junction between cars on the road and cars in the air.
That's enough for this rant.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
What's that in the sky? A flying car!
I realized driving home today that it would be so cool to be able to push a big red button and see my car sprout wings and cold fusion powered rockets to propel me home ...
Then I realized everyone else would want the same thing as me and the sheer logistics of flying cars sobers you up real quick.
It is a chore to manage traffic on the ground, just imagine all the cars on the road flying.
How do you police the air?
Not to mention that gravity makes things fall ... fast.
The flying car has been featured in movies like Bladerunner and the Fifth Element, and I read years ago that the flying car had been tested and works.
Perhaps I shouldn't be so cynical, but I think that the movies is the only place we will be seeing mass use of flying cars until technology has really advanced, road rage doesn't convert into air road rage, and the internal combustion engine finally goes the way of the dinosaur on a large scale, no pun intended.
That's all this for rant.
Then I realized everyone else would want the same thing as me and the sheer logistics of flying cars sobers you up real quick.
It is a chore to manage traffic on the ground, just imagine all the cars on the road flying.
How do you police the air?
Not to mention that gravity makes things fall ... fast.
The flying car has been featured in movies like Bladerunner and the Fifth Element, and I read years ago that the flying car had been tested and works.
Perhaps I shouldn't be so cynical, but I think that the movies is the only place we will be seeing mass use of flying cars until technology has really advanced, road rage doesn't convert into air road rage, and the internal combustion engine finally goes the way of the dinosaur on a large scale, no pun intended.
That's all this for rant.
Monday, October 1, 2012
NHL Lockout in Canada
I've started ranting and raving about imposing term limits on municipal, provincial, and federal politicians of up to eight years like in the US.
It is interesting to note that the eight year mark was not some studied and statistically agreed upon number for someone to be president in the US, but that the first US president, George Washington, stepped down after eight years because he didn't want to hold onto the highest position of authority any longer than that.
I digress to say that it is time for Gary Bettman to step down as commissioner of the NHL.
Come on, three work stoppages in the last what, 15 years?
And this last one is befuddling to me.
The NHL is a billion dollar plus a year industry.
The NHLPA wants a bigger cut of that billion plus dollars.
If Sydney Crosby has a multi year contract worth over a $100 million, it would seem that the players are the greedy culprits again, since the last bone of contention was the players association resisting the league imposing a salary cap.
Well, Sydney Crosby's blockbuster contract is the exception and not the rule player salary wise, and yet for the casual fan like me, I can't wrap my head around a couple of things.
1. Why do the players want/need more money?
2. Why do the owners want/need to hold onto their current cut of revenues?
From my perspective, all I see is two sides who aren't in dire financial straits wanting more money then they could individually need for two lifetimes.
It has nothing to do with stability, safety, or fairness.
Sure there have been other strikes and lockouts in other professional leagues from basketball to football, but the NHL seems plagued by playground territorialisim.
That's enough ranting for now ...
It is interesting to note that the eight year mark was not some studied and statistically agreed upon number for someone to be president in the US, but that the first US president, George Washington, stepped down after eight years because he didn't want to hold onto the highest position of authority any longer than that.
I digress to say that it is time for Gary Bettman to step down as commissioner of the NHL.
Come on, three work stoppages in the last what, 15 years?
And this last one is befuddling to me.
The NHL is a billion dollar plus a year industry.
The NHLPA wants a bigger cut of that billion plus dollars.
If Sydney Crosby has a multi year contract worth over a $100 million, it would seem that the players are the greedy culprits again, since the last bone of contention was the players association resisting the league imposing a salary cap.
Well, Sydney Crosby's blockbuster contract is the exception and not the rule player salary wise, and yet for the casual fan like me, I can't wrap my head around a couple of things.
1. Why do the players want/need more money?
2. Why do the owners want/need to hold onto their current cut of revenues?
From my perspective, all I see is two sides who aren't in dire financial straits wanting more money then they could individually need for two lifetimes.
It has nothing to do with stability, safety, or fairness.
Sure there have been other strikes and lockouts in other professional leagues from basketball to football, but the NHL seems plagued by playground territorialisim.
That's enough ranting for now ...
Monday, September 17, 2012
Precious Little Life
A heart wrenching story out of Calgary deals with the neglect of a two year old so extreme it left the child brain dead, and an Alberta judge ruling that the child should be taken off of life support.
It seems the legal wrangling has gotten more press than the unfortunate abuse of a child.
As a father, my soul weeps when I hear of children, particularly of babies and toddlers being abused and neglected.
The Phoenix Sinclair inquiry, which is on hiatus because of legal doings reverberates with me much like this recent incident of child abuse and neglect, and all I can think about is why would you treat your child like that?
After my first child was born, I remember seeing a poster in the hall of the hospital that read "I cry for lot's of reasons, but never to make you angry".
Every parent has their patience tested, and depending on the child, who knows how frequently you have to put your hands in your pockets and count to ten.
Clearly the parents in the cases of abuse that I have mentioned have more than just patience issues.
Family background, poverty, racism, addiction, and the abusers having been abused are probably common themes to these sad stories.
The state has no right to come into your home and take your child away until their is a problem.
With that in mind, let's tackle the themes I've mentioned for they are the harbinger of the tragic stories of child neglect and abuse.
It seems the legal wrangling has gotten more press than the unfortunate abuse of a child.
As a father, my soul weeps when I hear of children, particularly of babies and toddlers being abused and neglected.
The Phoenix Sinclair inquiry, which is on hiatus because of legal doings reverberates with me much like this recent incident of child abuse and neglect, and all I can think about is why would you treat your child like that?
After my first child was born, I remember seeing a poster in the hall of the hospital that read "I cry for lot's of reasons, but never to make you angry".
Every parent has their patience tested, and depending on the child, who knows how frequently you have to put your hands in your pockets and count to ten.
Clearly the parents in the cases of abuse that I have mentioned have more than just patience issues.
Family background, poverty, racism, addiction, and the abusers having been abused are probably common themes to these sad stories.
The state has no right to come into your home and take your child away until their is a problem.
With that in mind, let's tackle the themes I've mentioned for they are the harbinger of the tragic stories of child neglect and abuse.
Don't want to pay for your gas?
We are addicted to oil.
It dictates so much of our way of life that even I am oblivious 90% of the time to it.
Every now and again though, the oblivious veil lifts and the stark truth about oil surfaces.
Usually it's an oil spill, but this time it's a gas station attendant being hit and dragged by the driver of an SUV who didn't want to pay for a $112 worth of gas.
Incidents of people taking off instead of paying for gas rise in correlation with an increase in the price of gas, which is not surprising.
What is surprising in a recent tragic story coming out of Ontario, is that the management at this particular Shell station holds employees responsible for customers who do not pay for their gas.
I would like to know what measures management has in place to offset such incidents from occurring?
Oh, you don't have such measures in place.
If someone comes in to rob the gas station at gun point, I'm sure employees are told not to try and be Steven Segal, and Kung Fu the robber.
You give the robber the cash and then call the police.
So why should a gas station attendant, who is often being paid minimum wage, risk their life if someone is determined to drive away without paying for gas, which is robbery and the vehicle a potential weapon much like a gun?
Something is wrong if an employer puts their product and/or service before the safety of employees.
I think the federal government needs to step in and pass legislation making pay before you pump mandatory.
Don't worry, the oil industry can afford it, and we are not about to give up our vehicles.
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