We need another word for it. The digital divide — the gap between those with access to modern information and communication technologies and those without — has been recognized since at least the 1990s. Attempts to narrow this gap are usually publicly funded, always operating from scarcity, or small concessions
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wmtc: planned obsolescence, future landfill, and premium-priced durability: in which we buy an expensive new washer
One of the things I hate most about our current world is planned obsolescence. There’s a “wmtc’s greatest hits” long piece unpacking planned obsolescence, as it relates to capitalism and our deteriorating environment: “we work to buy things that are built to die so that we must work to buy more
Continue readingwmtc: follow-up: response from pacific coastal airlines
This is a follow-up post to getting home: horrific customer service from pacific coastal airlines. Tl;dr: Those are the rules. Too bad for you. Next time buy travel insurance. Good afternoon, Laura I wanted to write today to let you know your letters to [company’s principals] were all received and forwarded
Continue readingwmtc: getting home: horrific customer service from pacific coastal airlines
On the way home, I flew from from San Francisco (SFO) to Vancouver (YVR) on United Airlines, then from Vancouver to Port Hardy on Pacific Coastal. Pacific Coastal flies out of a separate terminal, not connected to YVR proper. You need a shuttle or a taxi to get there. This
Continue readingwmtc: most useless and annoying advice ever: it’s cheaper if you make it yourself
I did not make this myself. Ever since moving to Canada, people have been telling me how I could make something myself for less money than I paid for it. Curtains, chair coverings, scarves. Kitchen gadgets. Dog needs. Skin care products. And food of all types. You can make that
Continue readingwmtc: cpmvfsgu days 8 and 9: monday and tuesday on salt spring island; whether or not to leave a negative review for an airbnb
I’ve spent the last two days reading, blogging, scratching, and occasionally eating and sleeping. There were other things to do on Salt Spring Island, but I was too uncomfortable to do anything. It was very nice to have uninterrupted time to read and write. Tomorrow we’ll take an early ferry
Continue readingwmtc: the north island report: what is going on with the price of gas?
I normally don’t complain about prices, and I dislike when other people with privilege do so. But for every rule, there’s at least one exception, and this is it. What the hell is going on with the price of gas?? Gas is always expensive in our area, often a good
Continue readingwmtc: google does it again: recent blogger updates are not user-friendly
Once again, Google has reduced the ease and functionality of Blogger. A while back, the layout of the Blogger dashboard changed. I used to be able to see an overview of all my blogs plus my “following” list on one dashboard page. I found this very useful, and I imagine
Continue readingwmtc: sheraton hotel’s "green choice" is really just precarious work
These days, most hotel rooms contain some sort of green messaging, as companies are expected to show how eco-friendly they are. Usually guests have the option of not having their towels changed daily, which is supposed to yield big energy savings. Last week at the Sheraton Parkway in Toronto, I
Continue readingwmtc: the mysterious case of kars4kids: deceptive advertising for orthodox jewish proselytizing
When I watch baseball, I always watch the “away” feed — the Red Sox broadcast — and almost always choose local radio for the audio feed. (Hooray for MLB streaming on Roku!) And while I always mute the ads between innings, hundreds of ads are stuffed into the broadcast itself, so
Continue readingwmtc: an open letter to loblaw: greed is not good — especially for public relations
Loblaw Companies Limited1 President’s Choice CircleBrampton, Ontario, L6Y 5S5Attention: LCL Customer Relations Centre Dear Loblaw Ltd.: I am a Loblaw customer and I was extremely disappointed by recent public statements made by Loblaw CEO Galen Weston, Jr., regarding the proposed raise of the minimum wage in Ontario. Mr. Weston claimed
Continue readingwmtc: mighty leaf tea: green tea and greenwashing
I recently tried a new brand of tea. I’m always looking for almond tea, which is difficult or impossible to find (more on that below), and noticed Mighty Leaf had an Almond Spice. It’s green tea, and I prefer black, but I thought for the almond, I’d take a chance.
Continue readingwmtc: jordan is the anti-egypt and petra is the anti-giza
From what little we’ve seen of Jordan so far, it is the opposite of Egypt in many respects. I admit we have a small sample size, but in both countries, we have seen the capital city and visited the country’s top tourist attraction. Petra vs the Pyramids at Giza is
Continue readingwmtc: jordan is the anti-egypt and petra is the anti-giza
From what little we’ve seen of Jordan so far, it is the opposite of Egypt in many respects. I admit we have a small sample size, but in both countries, we have seen the capital city and visited the country’s top tourist attraction. Petra vs the Pyramids at Giza is
Continue readingwmtc: pupdate, pressure, and poor customer service
Diego at the beach Three weeks after losing Tala, Diego became violently ill. The usual home approaches didn’t work, but when the trip to the vet didn’t work, I was really worried. Seeing this dog — normally the picture of happiness, with a voracious appetite — so quiet and sad,
Continue readingwmtc: i look forward to the day when no one wears a fitbit anymore
What did people do before Fitbit? Without their adorable little bracelets, how did they get enough exercise? Never mind that, how did they manage to live?? All those lonely, barren years, decade upon decade, people running, swimming, cycling, lifting, walking — without a Fitbit. Can you imagine? It breaks my
Continue readingwmtc: frustrations with technology, or, when upgrades are really downgrades, or, give me back a previous gmail app
I’ve really been enjoying my Nexus 7 tablet. I dislike that tablets have become the norm, and in a perfect world I’d use a desktop, a netbook, and a tablet. But in the real world, my netbook has been phased out, and I’m back to taking notes with pen and
Continue readingwmtc: negative reviews and threats of lawsuits: let’s not give in to corporate bullying
There’s a new bully in town, and he’s not going after fat kids in the school cafeteria. He’s a corporate bully, and he’s gunning for you, his dissatisfied customer. An increasing number of companies are threatening lawsuits against customers who post negative online reviews about their products or services. At
Continue readingwmtc: amazing but true: mlb does the right thing and increases fans’ access to the postseason
The biggest surprise of the 2014 baseball postseason isn’t the absence of both the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. It isn’t the Baltimore Orioles, making the postseason for the first time since 1997, or the Kansas City Royals, playing baseball in October for the first time since
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #16: my least favourite library customers
I must preface this post with a happy disclaimer: I love library customers. I love helping them. I love giving them a good feeling about the library. I value great customer service and I love to provide it. At least 90% of our customers are polite and appreciative. Perhaps another
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