He makes a heck of a computer. But he also gets life. Set aside 15 minutes and prepare to be inspired by Apple CEO Steve Jobs:
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Belizean musician Andy Palacio 1960-2008
Belizean musician Andy Palacio died Saturday. It comes as a huge shock. The giant voice of a tiny nation, he was literally at the top of his career.
Ivan Duran, head of Stonetree Records, posted the following note Sunday on the label's website:
We are heartbroken to report that Andy Palacio passed away on January 19th at 9pm Belize time. The cause of death was a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions. After having been waylaid in Mobile, Alabama while en route to emergency care in Chicago, Andy had been brought back to a hospital in Belize last night so that he could die in his homeland.
Words can't express the sorrow we feel at the loss of such a tremendous person, artist and friend.
A more formal press release is copied below. Please pass this information on to the countless people around the world who have been impacted by Andy's music and message. Feel free to post this announcement to your email lists or blogs, as we want to make sure that everyone who knows Andy or his music are aware of what has happened.
In the Garifuna culture the death of a loved one is an opportunity to celebrate their memory and rejoice in having been blessed to have had them in your life. We feel so fortunate to have known this incredible individual and we mourn the loss of truly great man.
In an interview conducted last July, Andy was asked how he wanted to be remembered when he died. He replied, "As a proud Garifuna...someone who instills pride in Garifuna and raises their self-esteem. To me, that's the most important thing." This was already the case while he was alive, and we're certain it will only be more true in the future.
Sincerely,
Ivan Duran
The official press release is HERE. Videos from Andy's incredible album Watina are below. Andy's MySpace page, loaded with music, is HERE.
Friday, January 18, 2008
from the "thinking about Andy" dept.
Bad news from Belize: Andy Palacio is suffering from life threatening health problems. More on that to come. But in the meantime... think positive thoughts and watch the magic.
from the "kicking norse pass" dept.
Norway? No kidding!
Check out this scene that didn't make it into Sicko:
Check out this scene that didn't make it into Sicko:
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
from the "conjunction junction" dept.
I've been back in Canada for more than a month now and it still surprises me how the 11 months I just spent in Ghana seems like a dream.
Life has become so normal -- just like it was before I went to Ghana -- that I sometimes wonder if I ever actually left. Pinch.
One of the things that helps to remind me of the not-at-all distant past are words of the current (and final) crop of JHR folks in Ghana. I read their blogs daily, hoping for new tidbits, new pictures, new stories to refresh my memory of what a crazy experience Ghana was. I now live vicariously through them. Our roles have flipped.
One thing that I find amazing is the differences in storytelling.
Some of the blogs paint the picture as it really is: Gritty. Depressing. Hard. Rewarding. Eye-opening. A sometimes difficult challenge peppered with amazing moments. In other words: Real life.
Others skip over the bad and portray a land of lollipops and daffodils (or, more accurately, a land of banku and vanilla orchids). Perhaps this view comes from our ingrained fear of offending someone? The dreaded beast of political correctness rearing it's head even in personal writings?
But, I suppose it's similar to Western media, in that you need to hear a variety of voices to get the full story.
It is now though their words that I remember (and miss) the experiences I had. It scares me to think that I am on the cusp of full-time work back in a newsroom. Am I giving up my freedom? Am I selling out?
No, I tell myself, I'm heading back to the grind in order to pay for the next big adventure. After all, travelling isn't free.
Part of me wishes I was back in Takoradi, standing in the blistering noon-day sun, arguing the proper fare to town with a belligerent taxi driver. Yes, it was a pain in the ass. But it sure was different.
And the end of a sweaty day, I would sit on my roof, beer in hand, looking out over my adopted home -- feeling so lucky to be in the midst of such a life changing experience. I miss that.
Cheers!
Life has become so normal -- just like it was before I went to Ghana -- that I sometimes wonder if I ever actually left. Pinch.
One of the things that helps to remind me of the not-at-all distant past are words of the current (and final) crop of JHR folks in Ghana. I read their blogs daily, hoping for new tidbits, new pictures, new stories to refresh my memory of what a crazy experience Ghana was. I now live vicariously through them. Our roles have flipped.
One thing that I find amazing is the differences in storytelling.
Some of the blogs paint the picture as it really is: Gritty. Depressing. Hard. Rewarding. Eye-opening. A sometimes difficult challenge peppered with amazing moments. In other words: Real life.
Others skip over the bad and portray a land of lollipops and daffodils (or, more accurately, a land of banku and vanilla orchids). Perhaps this view comes from our ingrained fear of offending someone? The dreaded beast of political correctness rearing it's head even in personal writings?
But, I suppose it's similar to Western media, in that you need to hear a variety of voices to get the full story.
It is now though their words that I remember (and miss) the experiences I had. It scares me to think that I am on the cusp of full-time work back in a newsroom. Am I giving up my freedom? Am I selling out?
No, I tell myself, I'm heading back to the grind in order to pay for the next big adventure. After all, travelling isn't free.
Part of me wishes I was back in Takoradi, standing in the blistering noon-day sun, arguing the proper fare to town with a belligerent taxi driver. Yes, it was a pain in the ass. But it sure was different.
And the end of a sweaty day, I would sit on my roof, beer in hand, looking out over my adopted home -- feeling so lucky to be in the midst of such a life changing experience. I miss that.
Cheers!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
from the "think different" dept.
Sure, it's nothing more than a marketing tool for a computer company... but it's a heck of a spot, Brownie:
Friday, January 11, 2008
from the "FedExcellent" dept.
FedEx came through.
After the troubles mentioned in my earlier post, I called FedEx to get things straightened out.
The woman at the call centre was very pleasant and I remained calm. She took my contact info and said someone would call.
About an hour later, a local FedEx person rang. She apologized and said that they would deliver the package containing my new laptop between 5 and 7 p.m.
Around 6:30 a driver showed in his own car. He lives in the area and the customer service woman had him drop off my package on the way home. Amazing.
Now that's customer service. Make a mistake, make up for it. Kudos.
The odd thing: no one really knew why the original driver blew the delivery. CSR woman figured he was new and didn't know his route. Hmmm.
Anyway, all is good and I have a new MacBook.
Last night I loaded Windows on it so it boots in both OS X and XP. Perfect!
More to come...
Cheers!
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