There's no such thing as free parking! (in downtown Vancouver)

Ok, let't talk parking! With the recent 26% Government parking tax and 12% HST, parking rates in Vancouver are working their way up to be on par with some of the biggest cities in the world, like New York or London. Coin parking in downtown Vancouver averages $1 for 20 minutes and escalates up to $1 for 10 minutes in the business district, while parkades will run you $30 to $40 per day. Monthly parking rates downtown range from $150 to $500 or more as the city becomes more croweded with new residents and businesses.

So while we can all agree that there is no such thing as free parking in downtown Vancouver, there are a few tricks to getting discounted parking in the city. Most hotels offer valet parking and although the posted price is usually very expensive, there are ways to get around it. The valets generally work for a low hourly wage and rely on their tips to pay the bills. The way to do it is to be specific about how long you will be and where you would like your car kept. Most hotels have driveway parking available and this is known as "keeping it up top". For example, if you pull up, and tell the valet you're going to be about an hour or two, hand him a $5 bill, and ask him to keep it up top, they will almost always do this for you if they are not busy. The deal is that the valets would rather you give them a $5 tip than give the city $10 for the coin parking. If you want to park all day, for a hockey game or theatre event, then $20 will usually suffice for this duration of parking. It is almost always going to be cheaper than a parkade or street parking, plus your vehicle is much more secure with the valets keeping an eye on it.

Good luck!

Job Sharing: The Future of Corporate Downsizing

How many times have you heard the expression "job sharing" as of late? Job sharing seems to be the corporations new way of of downsizing, in essence having less people do more work and take on more responsibility at less cost to the company. I know I have seen it in action many times at my workplace. The approach is something like this...

"Hey, Mike! We noticed that you have been doing a great job in your own department, and since Sally left (quit, fired or laid off), it has opened up this great opportunity of learning and growth for you. For you!! How would you like to help out by doing all the work Sally used to do, as well as your own, for no increase in pay? It will look great on your resume, and you can learn so much... it's like having two jobs but only getting paid for one!! Are you in, are you in? It's such a great opportunity for you!!"

Actually, it's a great opportunity for your employer to decrease their labor costs by over $50,000 every time someone in sales or management quits, gets fired or gets laid off. And employers generally give bonuses to upper management for decreasing labor expenses while still running the business effectively, therefore the ones who are really benefiting are not the employee who has been persuaded to do two jobs for the price of one, but the upper management, who get a big bonus and a pat on the back for not replacing a departing employee.

The moral of this story is that as less people are forced to do more work for the same wage, corporations think their bottom line is increasing when all they are really doing is killing morale and making all their employees want to go out and look for new jobs. So next time management asks you if you want to share the responsibilities of two or more jobs for no increase in pay, just say NO!

Free wi-fi, Free music, Free energy?

For reals? It's been said that nothing is really free in this capitalistic society where money is all, up until college, I was to small to play, so I grabbed the mic device, never thought about it twice, if you think this is a game, n*gga, you'd better think twice!

I remember the future. Wise words from the golden era of hip hop. Nothing was free back then. You had to work hard for money, love and respect. And I believe the same still applies today, though most corporations are the ones working hard to make us think we are getting something for free, with a little love and respect when in reality they are getting something with much more value from us.

The feelings, opinions and actions of a consumer will influence another consumer. Every time we think we are getting something for free, the corporation is actually getting low cost advertising or valuable market information. How many times have you received something for free, say a chocolate bar, and told 10 different people about it? We feel so happy to have received this free gift, we are already thinking positively about this chocolate bar company and then we want to share it with all of our friends. Think about that example applying to mp3s, clothing, software, auto dealers, cellular providers, restaurants, sporting events, the list goes on.

It is in our nature to want to share good news, so it's not our fault, that's just how it works - and the corporations have found a way to use it to their advantage. Word-of-mouth is still perceived as the most authentic form of advertising, though the digital and online sharing is expanding it's form, language and distribution coverage.

Worldwide word-of-mouth is today's status quo as the lines blur between mobile phone and personal computer, compounded by the growth of wi-fi and 3g, 4g and 5g networks. It's no wonder that we are now branding ourselves, making our image known to as many people as possible, and in essence, we are all well on our way to becoming our own corporation and to be stuck working for the man.

The Social Network

I know I am sometimes a little behind in these days and times, but I have been on the internet since modems made noises and Spybot searched for a whopping 8000 viruses. I do have have a facebook account that I check every couple days and I still have a myspace account somewhere, but I haven't visited it in months. I have yet to get a twitter account, but I am happy to report that I have seen the movie "The Social Network".

It is a very cool depiction of the birth of facebook, the strained relations between it's founders and the astounding rapid growth of the online social network site. I enjoyed the movies references to key things that play with the emotions of the users, like the relationship status, wall posts and photo comments. The movie was great as it reminded me of how incredible it is for so many people to have so much info about them floating around on the internet.

With the recent announcement of an upcoming facebook ipo, investors are debating the valuation of this dominant online company, with numbers ranging from $25 to $50 billion! Wow. Crazy! I think I'm going to start saving for that ipo and log on to facebook right now!

http://www.thesocialnetwork-movie.com/

Apocalypse When? 2011, 2012 and Beyond...

Ok. So we know the world is deteriorating, and mankind is the main cause. Our over-consumption of everything from food to land to resources has taken it's toll, but is the world really going to end on May 21st, 2011 or October 21st, 2011 or even December 21st, 2012? Who really knows? Can any one human or prophet or book really predict this accurately?

The fact remains that people are claiming to know when, and are dropping bucketloads of quotes and facts to prove it. One post on www.nowpublic.com by user we have 4goten 2 love references numerous biblical quotes and adjusts the timeline for us by translating nearly everything he comes across into exact days, even though another bible quote states that we will not know the day or time of the end of the world.

All of this kind of reminds me of the Millenium, remember last time the world was going to blow up, when 1999 switched over to 2000? Ha HA It looks like we are all still here!! I do, however, remember something about the Mayan calendar, it think it was, that ends in 2012. Like most of these facts, it could be nothing and it could be something. And i mean, with all these mass floods and bird and fish deaths, the world must be trying to tell us something, right?

Third World Innovations

We are rapidly depleting our resources here on Spaceship Earth and are scrambling to introduce sustainability practices throughout the worlds biggest nations in order to preserve the delicate balance between earth and mankind.

In the latest issue of Futurist Magazine, there is an article that suggests we could look to the slums and favelas for new ideas. Their unique situation forces them to innovate, reuse and recycle on a completely different level than North America or Europe. Urbanologists and Community Developers are studying the intricacies of favela life and how the infrastructure and economy works amongst the crime and poverty.

Portable Power

Voltaic Systems makes products that produce and store their own power to run your electronics anywhere. They have some very cool bags and battery packs as well as adapters to power almost any device.

http://www.voltaicsystems.com/

The Nano-Magnetic Spin Battery

AAA, D, CR32, 1.5V, 9V. It seems like we have been using batteries to store energy forever! Everything takes batteries. Containers of chemicals that keep that power all bottled up until we need it. Well there is finally a new energy storage technology that just might replace the common battery, and maybe even the common hard drive. The new magnetic battery can store more power and charge amazingly fast! The "spin battery" is charged by applying a powerful magnetic field to nano-magnets contained in a device called “magnetic tunnel junction”, or MTJ. This technology could one day be used in hybrid or electric cars, medical equipment or off-grid energy applications. Cool stuff, man!

www.greenoptimistic.com

Energy for Free?

Wow, sounds great!! Something from nothing! I can run my car or home or computer on this free energy? Ha HA There are so many ideas involving free energy generation, the most recent being featured on the TV show Dragons Den where a machine was showcased that could turn 18w from an old car battery and output 50,000w instantly! I believe this device has yet to be truly proven but you can check out more info here. I have seen some other devices based on neodymium magnets, and it seems to make sense, but I think I need to do some further investigating. If anyone else has ideas on how to make something from nothing, please let me know!

http://www.fuellesspower.com/

A Pneumatically Propelled Peoplemover !

Aeromovel has created an air powered train for urban applications that is smooth, quiet, efficient and zero emissions. Lightweight, aerodynamic and engine-less trains are mounted on axle-less steel wheels and secured to the track. Sails are then mounted to the bottom of the train. The vehicle is driven by a pneumatic propulsion system which converts electrical power into air flow and transmits thrust directly to the vehicle without gears or intervening electric circuits.

Wouldn't that be cool if we could generate the electricity to run these from solar, hydro or wind? Awesome! Super Efficient and innovative, I dig it!

http://www.aeromovel.com/