Horn, Dara. (2013). A Guide for the Perplexed. W. W. Norton & Company; New York. Before I wrote this review, I resisted reading other people’s interpretations of A Guide for the Perplexed – though I would encourage the reader to make use of additional information sources. I admit that I was myself perplexed at points throughout…
Tag: technology
Blog Anniversary: 200 Posts!
As I sit down to write my 200th blog post on this platform, I find myself taking a moment to pause and evaluate my progress, as well as consider the future. This blog began on August 27th, 2013 at 15:39 with a brief overview of some thought-provoking websites. Shortly thereafter, I failed the physical exam…
The Rebellion of the (Technological) Tools
Last week, I took my fortuitously large tax return and upgraded from my out-of-date Blackberry Bold to a Samsung Galaxy S4. The tagline for this Samsung phone is, literally, the “Life Companion”, with the text on the website reading as follows: “as a real life companion, the new Samsung Galaxy S4 helps bring us closer…
An Addendum to “Hiking and Cycling Problems in Kitchener, Ontario”
Back in the very early days of this blog, I wrote an article outlining my concerns with the hiking and cycling infrastructure in Kitchener-Waterloo (read the full post here). My perspective did generate some negative feedback from my readership; the gist of my concerns being the unsafe conditions caused by multiple roadways dividing up the…
New Year, New Job Search Strategies
This morning, the Globe and Mail released an overview of the latest unemployment figures from Statistics Canada – data which should not come as a surprise to anyone who was watching the job boards in December 2013: “The Canadian economy unexpectedly shed 45,900 jobs in December, the steepest decline in nine months, led by a…
I’m so #Social and the #Holiday #Break
First off, I’d like to wish everyone safe travels, happy holidays, and a wonderful New Year! This will be my final post until 2014, and I’ve taken a silent vow to try and avoid Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and all my other social media outlets as well. (Though I’ll still be checking email on a daily…
Libraries – They’ve Got What You Need!
Yesterday I had some free time on my hands and decided to wander into the main branch of the Kitchener Public Library (KPL) in downtown Kitchener. Though I had to navigate my way past a massive amount of construction work – the building is undergoing a substantial renovation and expansion project – it was worth…
Viewpoint: The Value of Certifications
In today’s earlier post, I discussed the problems with certifications – they’re expensive, they are offered by a multitude of privately-owned companies, and they are required for jobs on top of an expensive university education. I was rightfully corrected by one of my wonderful readers on the importance of certifications; certifications are undoubtedly a useful…
Money for Nothing and Your Chicks for Free
This morning, one of the first tweets that I noticed was an interview from CTV’s Canada AM on the jobs available to new graduates. The interview was with Tara Talbot, vice-president of human resources at Workopolis. Tara suggests that the “top 5 hot jobs” are (note that these are the top jobs that – dramatic…
Viewpoint: Social Media as Valuable Tool
Yesterday I wrote a Viewpoint blog article that outlined some of my criticisms towards social media and technology in general. I suggested that social media and technology can control your life life if you’re unaware of its influence over you, mostly due to the presence of the sensation-seeking “monkey mind”. The path to enlightenment when…
Viewpoint: Social Media as Problematic Life Addiction
A Word on “Viewpoints” Since everyone’s blogs can be overly negative or overly positive at times, given the context and emotional situation of the author, it is important to keep in mind that one person’s voice is just that – it is likely they are ignoring certain variables, filtering the information in specific ways, and…
Why Blog?
For the past several days, I have had people asking me “why bother blogging?”. It’s an important question; and one to which I would like to respond with the counter-query: why do anything pro-bono in life? Why volunteer? Why hold open a door for someone? The reasons are multitudinous and mostly internally-motivated: 1) it makes…
Maria Legault 