Dear Parent or Guardian, We are reaching out today, on this perfectly viable communication method known as email, to let you know you have to download and install yet another app so t… Read More

They say Necessity is the mother of invention. (We don’t know who the father is yet, because Necessity is keeping quiet until she can launch a paternity suit.) “They” a… Read More

Time once again for five interesting, potentially actionable, shareable things. Plus a bonus 6th thing. Let’s dig in! Clam… solar panels? Apparently, giant sparkly cl… Read More

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, people used to spend a lot of time doing phone pranks. Someone, usually a kid with too much time on his hands, would call random numbers an… Read More

The hockey playoff season is winding down where I live, and so this week I present: the myths associated with hockey and spectator sports in general. These are based on the notes I took… Read More

We interrupt our regularly scheduled post for a quick announcement: I’ve just launched a Kickstarter! The project is for my upcoming book Let’s Fix This: Cleaner Living in a… Read More

I think we’re overdue for a new edition of five interesting things: stuff you might find intriguing, share worthy, and/or actionable. So, let’s get to it: Please stop beli… Read More

Ah, the high school career fair. Not the place for the faint of heart or the weak of soul. For those of you who haven’t had the misfortune to be invited to one, let me explain… Read More

I don’t think I will ever fully understand the reading public. When I wrote a column that discussed cloning in a positive way, I expected feedback. After all, it’s a contr… Read More

Let me begin this week’s piece by stating for the record: I am a dog person. Nothing personal, feline fanciers. It’s just that I grew up with dogs. Aside from a relativel… Read More

It’s been fashionable for a while to claim that agriculture is one of our biggest mistakes. Jared Diamond has claimed this, and so has Yuval Harari. I’ve never been fond of t… Read More

This week, it’s time to set aside the frivolity and deal with a very serious topic. I’m going to discuss what has become the scourge of the early 21st century. Billions of do… Read More

I have decided: when I am finally able to take over the world and become Really Nice Dictator in Charge of Everything, I shall abolish the month of February. Why, you ask? I thought y… Read More

Well hello there. Time again for five interesting things: stuff you might find intriguing, share worthy, and/or actionable. Or even just cool. Hand to mouth no more? – There… Read More

Perhaps there’s something in the air. Maybe it’s the media hype. Or it might be the pressure of societal expectations. Whatever it is, this season always seems to bring out t… Read More

I’m a science fiction and fantasy fan (as well as an SFF author), and so I follow some social media accounts that talk about books, TV shows, and movies in both genres. A movie deb… Read More

Time for my periodic round up of things I’ve found interesting, actionable, or helpful. If you like this and my other blog posts, please forward this to friends and ask them to… Read More

Every time I’m in a department store, I become keenly aware of just how much stuff we churn out every day. You see it on the pallets plonked down in the middle of the wide aisle… Read More

The scene: The North American International Auto Show. The players: your favourite intrepid reporter, microphone in hand, and an auto worker, dressed in greasy coveralls. CC: Hello ladies… Read More

Hey! It’s time again for five things I find interesting, unusual and potentially actionable! A reminder that if you like my blog posts, you can forward them to friends and fam… Read More

Just what, exactly, is the evolutionary purpose of the common cold? Or the ‘flu?  I asked myself that last month, because of course, I had a cold. Well, actually, what I sa… Read More

Hey! It’s time again for five things I find interesting, unusual and potentially actionable! A reminder that if you like my blog posts, you can forward them to friends and fam and… Read More

So, there I was, flopped on the couch after a long day at work, playing TV roulette. I came across a strange television show which featured abnormal looking creatures wearing bizarre outfits… Read More

Okay, that settles it. I have decided: given a choice, I would rather be rich than famous. Why is that you ask? Well, I was going through the check-out at the grocery store last week, pat… Read More

In this space not too long ago, I mentioned once that dogs were too clever by half. I was mistaken. I should have said that they are too human. If you’ll recall, my two pets…… Read More

Five things I think are interesting or actionable. Enjoy! Many sad returns. Americans who did their shopping online sent back $800B+ worth of goods in 2022! That’s … ins… Read More

Some time ago, a friend of mine had a go at me about movies. We were watching TV, you see, and a commercial came on to advertise the late night movie. It was some old black and white flic… Read More

Or, why ‘libs’ don’t hate cars, actually Any post on social media that dares to offer the slightest criticism of North America’s car-centric culture brings… Read More

I saw a Tweet the other day that made me sad for a number of reasons. It went something like “the current generation believes that nothing good is ever going to happen again.” I… Read More

It’s time once again for my round up of things that you might find: interesting, actionable, or inspirational. Maybe all three! Seed Vault – You may have heard of the “D… Read More

Imagine, if you will, the following scene at a municipal council meeting in the UK: Councillor 1: Traffic along this, this, and this road is bloody awful. Councillor 2: Well, this city… Read More

It’s really easy to be discouraged by the state of the world. Social media is a doomscroll, the news is, by design, almost entirely negative, and everyone seems on edge. Not to men… Read More

Anyone who tells you that business cards aren’t a thing anymore because they’re not cool, is fibbing. Many people have given up using business cards because they just aren’… Read More

In previous posts, we talked about personal transportation (aka cars), and we’ve also discussed how to do better with lawns and gardens. But what about the rest of the stuff if your ga… Read More

So, in case you haven’t had the brain space to pay attention, artificial intelligence has burst on to the scene in a big way in the last six months. First, with AI art, which some… Read More

It’s time for February FIT. A short round up of things I’ve found that are: potentially actionable, inspiring, thought-provoking. Hey – if you enjoy my blog posts, please s… Read More

It occurs to me that it’s probably a good thing that dogs don’t live as long as humans. Dogs are just too clever by half.  I know this because I have been owned dogs most… Read More

Promoters and developers spend thousands of dollars every year trying to bring tourists to their cities. In bigger places, mega-events like Lollapalooza, or the CNE are the attractions. In s… Read More

As much as I’ve tried to escape it, laundry remains an inescapable part of life. In this section, we’re going to look at ways to make laundry lower impact. Eco-Friendly Deterg… Read More

Welcome to the January 2023 version of FIT. It’s a short round up of things I’ve found that are: potentially actionable, inspiring, thought-provoking. Hey – if you enjoy my… Read More

It’s well known that big cities have lots of problems. They tend to be overcrowded, dirty, noisy, and just basically nasty to live in. The problems seem intractable. People are gene… Read More

The kitchen is arguably the centre of your home. It’s the modern day hearth; it’s where we ‘break bread.’ Let’s see where we can reduce our impact and save a lo… Read More

Municipalities are having a tough time of these days, no doubt about it. Being the lowest on the governmental totem pole as they are, they get to bear the brunt of all those wonderful initia… Read More

It’s time for the November 2022 edition of 5 Interesting Things. It’s a short round up of things I’ve found that are: potentially actionable, inspiring, thought-provoki… Read More

When we talk about cars — and transportation in general — we have to recognize that the benefits they offer are real, and that the solutions proffered by some environmentalists a… Read More

Drive through any city, and you’ll see suburban houses with neat and tidy gardens out front, probably a decent number of tree-lined streets, and maybe some veggie plots. All looks pret… Read More

The lawn as we know it is a fairly recent invention. You can find its origins in the manicured estates of the European aristocracy. Devoting acres of land to high maintenance grass was a way… Read More

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.Jane Goodall In an earlier section, we talked about how about 100 companies are respons… Read More

As long as politics is the shadow of big business, the attenuation of the shadow will not change the substance.― John Dewey Whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist or an… Read More

According to a study, an estimated 275 million animals die in Britain every year. Was urban sprawl responsible for this carnage? Pollution? Sport hunters? No, researchers have pointed the… Read More