2011 was a rough year, and I’ve not really recovered yet. But here are the numbers, such as they are.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 13,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
A few weeks back I sent the CRTC a message telling them what I think of their ruling to allow Bell Canada to force Usage-based Billing on the customers of its competition. Not long after that Tony Clement came out and told the CRTC just what he thought about it too – and they “agreed” to a review.
Well, that review is now. Just yesterday I recieved this email:
Hello
Thank you for taking the time to contact the CRTC to express your concerns regarding the billing practices of wholesale Internet services. In light of the concerns expressed by Canadians regarding this issue, the Commission has decided to review its own decision.
We therefore invite you to participate in the review by submitting your comments at https://services.crtc.gc.ca/pub/Intervention/Submission-Soumission.aspx?lang=e&EventNo=2011-77&EventType=Notice#Step0. Comments must be received prior to April 29, 2011. Note that all information you provide as part of this public process, including any personal information, becomes part of a publicly accessible file and will be posted on the Commission’s website. We also include links to the CRTC news release http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2011/r110208.htm as well as Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2011-77 http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-77.htm for your information.
Yours truly,
Suzanne Papineau
CRTC Client Services1-877-249-2782 /télécopieur/facsimile 819-994-0218
Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes / Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission / Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
Gouvernement du Canada / Government of Canada
On the surface this seems good – the CRTC appears to be willing to hear what regular Canadians think about the issue.
But wait a minute… didn’t I already tell them what I think? That is, after all, the whole reason they sent me the email in the first place.
I guess all the complaints that were sent in weeks ago don’t count now, because they were sent before the review processes was started.
So… send in your complaints again! Don’t let the CRTC ignore your voice just because you were willing to speak up early. And if you didn’t complain before, make sure you do now! Before 29 April!
Seems like in Ottawa the only people who get Family Day off are the bus drivers…
I know exactly one person who doesn’t have to work today. And on my way to work this morning, all the regular people were about waiting for the bus.
Yet, somehow OC Transpo gets away with having limited service?
… because she has long forgotten the “thought” that counted at Christmas.
This word is just awful. I know what crampons are, and why one would use them. I’m sure they come in very handy (footy?). But there is absolutely no excuse for the name. Call them “boot spikes”, call them “mountain feet”, call them “spikey-so-I-can-get-up-the-mountain-without-dying-things”.
I don’t care what you call them.
Just don’t call them crampons!
In 2009, the CRTC ruled that Globalive could not operate in the Canadian wireless industry because it has an Egyptian company as a majority stakeholder. The government, in a rare moment of sanity, overturned the ruling – effectively allowing Globalive to start up a new Wireless company: Wind Mobile. Since then, roughly 250,000 people have become Wind Mobile customers – myself included.
But today a federal court ruled that the government was wrong to overturn the CRTC decision. This means that, unless Globalive wins an appeal, 250,000 people will have to look for another wireless provider.
I am not a lawyer, and I am not qualified to speak to the legal issues regarding the court’s ruling. But I do know one thing: the court doesn’t just make rulings on it’s own – someone has to bring it a complain. In this case, the issue was brought to the federal court by Public Mobile, a rival in the Wireless market.
Let me be the first to give a nice big sarcastic thank you to Public Mobile! And let me just say: I promise, no matter how desperate I am for cell phone service, Public Mobile, I will NEVER be one of your customers.
A recent decision by the CRTC has mandated that ISPs institute usage based billing by 1 March 2011.
This is bad. Very bad.
If you don’t understand why, then go to the link above and read Digital Home‘s explanation of the decision – they have it explained at least as well as I could, if not better.
When you are done reading and you are furious – and you will be furious – you are going to want to know what you can do about it. The truth is, getting something like this turned around is hard. Government agencies, the CRTC especially, don’t like taking criticism and they really don’t like admitting they were wrong.
But there are some things you can do, and our friends at Digital Home have a perfect list:
If Canadians really want to stop UBB, the time is now. Instead of complaining on blogs or signing petitions, do the proper thing. Phone, mail and email your MP. Here is the link which lists all 305 Members of Parliament. Click on your MP and you will find a phone number and an email address. Send them an email to complain and when you’re done, email James Moore, Minister of Heritage Canada ( Moore.J@parl.gc.ca ) , email the Minister of Industry Tony Clement ( minister.industry@ic.gc.ca ) and contact Stephen Harper your prime minister at ( Harper.S@parl.gc.ca ).
When you are done that, goto this link and make a complaint online to the CRTC.
Do it. If you have doubts about what you should include in your letters, check out Digital Home’s article Usage Based Internet Billing: What can you do? for help – it’s definitely worthwhile.
We can stop this. But not if we just sit by and watch it happen.
UPDATE:
This guy has the right idea – but he needs your support! Make sure that your MP knows what is going on!
I try not to discuss issues of “culture” too much – mostly because my thoughts aren’t politically correct – but once in a while something happens that really can’t be ignored. This time, it’s Gilles Duceppe’s threat to topple the government unless Quebec is a $5-billion package. Yes – straight-up blackmail.
That’s $ 5,000,000,000.00 he wants to be spent solely on Quebec, or the Bloc will attempt to bring down Harper’s minority.
As far as I am concerned, Mr. Duceppe is welcome to force an election. I would like the opportunity for the rest of Canada to show him exactly what we think of his threats.
If one more person asks me what New Year’s resolutions I made this year, I’m going to lose it.
Let’s be clear – I don’t make resolutions. Not this year, not last year, not next year. Never.
On the surface, resolutions seem like a nice idea. You identify the things in your life that you are not happy with, and resolve to change them. Maybe you want to lose weight, or spend more time with your spouse / children. Maybe you want to be more open-minded or less stressed. These are certainly worthy goals for any life.
But what makes you think that you are more likely to follow through with them, just because you ‘resolved’ to at the beginning of another arbitrary new year?
If you don’t like how much you weigh, then you have probably been thinking about it for a while. In fact, you probably think about it every day. And yet you’ve done nothing about it? And now you think that you’ll actually have the will-power to change, just because the year has changed?
Psh! It won’t happen.
Don’t make resolutions – make changes!
If I don’t like some aspect of my life, I don’t wait for symbolic things to line up before doing something about them.
Here’s my 5 step process to enjoying life:
That’s it! Just make a decision about what you’ll gain vs. the amount of effort it will take, and then do it. If you follow the process and discover that you are not willing to accept the hassle required to really change something, then just move on to something else.
Making resolutions isn’t the same as making changes – resolutions are just one more way to procrastinate. I’m all for procrastination – I won’t hold it against you. Just don’t pretend like you are actually accomplishing anything.
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, because at the end of the year I have nothing to resolve. I fixed all of my problems as soon as they came up.
In 2011, the only things that I will fix are things that become a problem in 2011.
I really, really don’t like Christmas. I hate it.
In fact, I hate it at least as much as this guy – though I suppose he wins just for having the presence of mind to dedicate a blog to his hatred.
But you know what is awesome? This website -> Ten Reasons Why I Hate Christmas
Now, I know what you are thinking: “Bah, only ten reasons? That’s nothing.” Well, I agree. But the website isn’t awesome because of it’s content – oh no. It’s awesome because:
That is what you call staying power!
Bah humbug to all!
Antisocial Thoughts 
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