"Digital minimalism is a philosophy that helps you question what digital communication tools (and behaviors surrounding these tools) add the most value to your life. It is motivated by the belief that intentionally and aggressively clearing away low-value digital noise, and optimizing your use of the tools that really matter, can significantly improve your life."
– Cal Newport
Elbows up, fellow Canuck readers! Between avoiding Amazon, American strawberries, and travel south of the border, why not check out some new Canadian titles? I recently enjoyed three very different ones released this year by women authors, two of whom are from Vancouver! You don’t have to be a fellow Canadian, though, to enjoy these…
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“I’ve always wanted to see the endemic birds of the Ethiopian Highlands,” announced the Maple Bear CEO. “Hasn’t everybody?” I snorted. A shoe was about to drop. It always did. “You want to visit cousin Anita in Israel after the UAE,” he began, “but there are no air links.” “Uh huh…” “Turns out we can…
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Have you looked in a mirror lately? We hear that expression a lot these days. It asks someone to reflect on their own behavior before critizing others. Most people, though, are no longer interested in that kind of microscopic self-scrutiny. Instead, they look at their phones. Tech devices are the modern go-to tools for self-awareness. Notifications flashing across a screen provide instant love from virtual…
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Annual Maple Bear conventions in Brazil meant birthday celebrations in South American destinations every May 23rd. Tango show in Buenos Aires. Check. Panama Canal. Check. Machu Picchu. Check. Cartagena, Colombia. Check. Finally, it was time for the Iguazu waterfalls on the Brazil side. The breathtaking UNESCO Heritage site is a wonder of the world, straddling the…
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“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Like Tom and Daisy Buchanan, famous literary characters…
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I’ve never been known to shy away from outrage. Pick a subject, any subject, and I can probably work myself into a lather over it. Once, I was even asked if I was outraged over the birth of quintuplets at a hospital in Ottawa. It happened on Morningside, a popular 1980’s radio program in my country. Once…
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