In late 2007 I wrote an article about the 11 Best Geek Board Games which has consistently been among the most visited pieces of writing I’ve ever done (averaging more than 75 people per day for 3 years). In re-reading that article the other day I decided that I needed to do an update with games I’ve come to love since then. I’m not sure how to classify these other than as “great”. Are they replacements for some on that list? Are they honourable mentions? Or are they simply an extension, taking my original list to 14? I can’t decide, so you be the judge.
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Being green isn’t all about carbon reduction and organic food. It’s a state of mind. One that respects the Earth and all of the animals and people on it.
Our family’s green initiatives center on these ideals:
- We are part of the environment. How we treat the Earth starts with how we treat ourselves and each other.
- Greener, more sustainable living is a lifestyle, not a destination or a race.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is an order-of-operations, not a list of equivalent choices. Reduce first, then reuse what you can and recycle only as a last resort.
- Locally grown food is preferable to organically grown food from the other side of the Earth, especially when it’s not frozen. Distance really does matter.
- Small changes add up over time.
- As a species, we should conserve the finite resources of the Earth, even if it turns out we’re not causing climate change (we are!). Animals still need homes, we still need to breathe and we still want a blue sky not a grey one.
- Spiders and bugs deserve to live too. Don’t squish them. They help our food grow.
- Inspire others by example and share what you learn, but don’t preach at them or indulge in a superior attitude.
- Learn to avoid instant gratification. Often we don’t really need that shiny new thing. It’ll just collect dust.
- Invest in high quality purchases. It’s better (and often cheaper) to buy one good item than multiple breakable/disposable items.
- Technology and commerce aren’t inherently evil but waste is. Minimize waste, not technology.
Have some bullets of your own? Share them below, we love to learn.
Dear Members of Parliament:
We must remember that the primary purpose of copyright law is provide a monetary incentive for artists to contribute to our society, and not to enrich foreign media conglomerates. We must also remember that locks only keep out honest people and that thieves and pirates will find a way to break them and steal in the absence of punishment.
We must create and reform copyright laws so that they prosecute and punish those that participate in the thievery and piracy rather than preventing honest citizens from enjoying rightfully purchased media.
When I purchase a CD I expect it to play in my computer, on my stereo and I expect to be able to import it into my phone or mobile audio device. I do NOT expect that I need to purchase that content three separate times for three separate devices. Please protect that possibility on my behalf.
Last week brought the news that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has ordered the Honourable James Moore, Conservative Minister of Heritage & Official Languages, to proceed in drafting a copyright reform bill that is likely to include strong anti-circumvention clauses and an inflexible approach to fair dealing exceptions. As a Canadian citizen and an entrepreneur in our strong technology sector, I must make clear my view that these types of laws fail to benefit the end users of technology, and Canadian industry as a whole.
In particular, anti-circumvention laws styled after those of the United States’ 1998 Digital Millenium Copyright Act serve only to reduce consumer choice while failing to prevent digital piracy in any capacity whatsoever.
Taken to their fullest extent, anti-circumvention laws prevent consumers from watching legitimately purchased films on their computers and from listening to personally owned music on their mobile devices. They encourage a marketplace that limits consumer choice and promotes vendor lock-in; a market that licenses media to consumers instead of selling it. This situation often results in the loss of personal property when DRM servers that consumers rely on to enjoy their media are inevitably shut down for economical reasons.
We are both Canadian right? If so, why do the proposed changes sound so pro-American and un-Canadian?
Thank you for your time,
Cameron Turner
A Concerned Canadian Citizen
TO: The Honourable Tony Clement – Minister Of Industry, Science & Technology
TO: The Honourable James Moore – Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
TO: The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
CC: The Honourable Michael Ignatieff
CC: Marc Garneau – Official Opposition Critic For Industry, Science & Technology
CC: Pablo Rodriguez – Official Critic For Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
CC: Charlie Angus – NDP Digital Affairs Critic
CC: Peter Braid – MP Kitchener-Waterloo
