There’s a really cool new site called ‘Search for Haiti.org‘.

What’s great about it is that every time you search using this site all the proceeds go to Haiti. The site is powered by my favourite search engine, Google, so you don’t have to compromise on quality of results either.

I think this is a fantastic concept. I’m happy to do what I can to help the poor people of Haiti and this sure is an easy way to help. I also agreed to do the illustration for this site because I thought it was a worthwhile effort.

Check it out and make it your default search engine to help people in Haiti!

Such philosophical street art … makes you stop and think about what this person is getting at.

I can think of several interpretations. If I were to choose one, I would say:
Be so passionate about what you choose to do that you can’t hear the people across the way saying it’s not possible.

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The weekend before last we were out at the Roncesvalles Street fest selling t-shirts and promoting the new website we’re working on called 5 Blocks Out. It was a great couple of days. We met a lot of lovely people and sold a bunch of t-shirts.

We have now launched our 5 Blocks Out Blog. It will have some content similar to Mukodu and other content chronicling the development of the site. If you have enjoyed reading this blog you will likely enjoy our project 5BlocksOut.com and following the blog. Currently 5BlocksOut.com is in the early stages of development – but already a great deal of fun. So whether you are interested in hearing about early stage start-ups, adventures in the City or how to get the most out of the site, the blog should have something for you.

Send me a line if you would like to learn more. Or check out the new blog as it gains momentum.

Have a great week!

One of the reasons I love living in Toronto at this particular time is the growing energy going into making the city a truly great place to live. There’s an increasing interest amongst everyday citizens in civic issues: topics like housing, transit, streetscapes, art, outdoor life, pollution, and economic vitality are fast becoming part of everyone’s sphere of interest.[1] And just as importantly, there’s an increasing willingness and capacity to change things. Unlike many other cities I’ve visited, Toronto is a place where you can actually change the way the city works, and accomplish it in your lifetime. It’s a huge reason to live here.

If this line of thinking resonates with you, and you’ve been seeking ways to get more engaged within the city, there is a program you need to know about: The City of Toronto is launching the “Urban Fellows Program“, an initiative aimed at attracting new high caliber professionals to the Toronto Public Service.

As I understand it, it’s one half boot-camp, one half incubator for smart people who want to make the city better. Participants get “an intensive introduction to the governance, operations and administration of Canada’s largest city through a combination of full-time work experience and participation in a series of seminars, tours and workshops.”

The program is one year long, with two six-month rotations in city positions. They’re seeking Masters – and Ph.D.-level experience, although that doesn’t seem to be an absolute requirement… I read it as, “we want whip-smart, well-educated people who are fired up about making the city better”. There are a limited number of positions. And it’s paid: the salary is almost $62K, some serious cash.

I love this concept, and I hope they net some really great thinkers. Applications are due May 30, and the first cohort starts this September. Please help spread the word.

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This post is also cross-posted on MyOwnPirateRadio.

[1] I readily admit to being biased by the people I surround myself with.

Check out this luxury streetcar stop. What a delight: sitting in style in a wind-shaded area awaiting your transportation into the city.

I promised a few weeks back to join Katrin on the Mukodu Blog. This is my first Mukodu post, co-authored with Katrin, and cross-posted on MyOwnPirateRadio. Sorry, no pictures.

People have been asking what we’re up to with Mukodu. While we can’t talk in detail yet on the specifics of what we’re doing, we are ready to share with you our vision, our motivation, and the company culture we intend to build.

Over the past ten years Katrin and I have lived in two countries, three different cities, and five different homes. We’ve also had the good fortune of travelling broadly. In doing so, we’ve recognized a common challenge: more and more people live in and move between urban areas, where they seek new opportunities, new friendships, and increased quality of life. Yet newcomers often don’t know where to begin, or how to get connected in a city, despite being surrounded by people. At the same time, "old-timers" often get so caught up in the routine of daily life — working, commuting, connecting with friends and family — that they fall out of touch with the changes going on around them, and with the people and resources right outside their front doors. It’s a great irony: despite living in populous, thriving, dynamic cities, we are so often disconnected. Thus the inspiration for the Mukodu blog, and for our first product, 5 Blocks Out.

5 Blocks Out is about connecting people with local life and culture. If you’re new to an area and trying to figure out which neighbourhood to call home, 5 Blocks Out will help you. If you want to learn what’s happening in the nooks and crannies of the city around you, 5 Blocks Out will keep you informed and up to date. If you want to hear what real people like you have to say about local places, events, and issues, 5 Blocks Out will help you to tap into urban word of mouth. And if you’re interested in helping others find “nearby good stuff”, thereby supporting local communities (yay!) and reducing environmental footprint (yay!), 5 Blocks Out plans to help you there too. 

Why work on a challenge like this? Because we love the places we’ve lived, and the friendships we’ve made there, and we want more of the same for everyone. We believe cities whose people engage in neighbourhood life, local culture, and civic discourse have unlimited potential as places to live. We believe healthy connections between people within neighbourhoods are essential. We believe the collective voice and wisdom of a city’s inhabitants is more interesting and, indeed, more personally relevant, than the voice of popular media. And so we’re setting out to create a community powered by the people, for the people, with the goal of making cities great places to live.

Mukodu is just getting going: for roughly the past year it’s been Katrin and myself, working together in true startup fashion: 25 hour days, 8 days a week, 1 to 2 minor miracles per day. We’re learning how to bootstrap a business on a shoestring, design and build products together, and leap tall buildings in a single bound. We’ve spent a great deal of time analyzing, debating strategy, and thinking through minute design and implementation details. We’ve learned a lot, and built the beginnings of something we think you’ll love. It’s been thrilling, and terrifying, and the most fun we’ve ever had "working". We count ourselves very fortunate to be doing something we’re passionate about, day in and day out. We owe huge thanks to all of you who have supported us thus far.

Mukodu is also growing, and we’re looking forward to growing further. We’ve recently had a great boost with part-time help from Katy, Aaron, and Troy. We’re plugged in to a wonderful community and office space at the Centre for Social Innovation. And we’re starting to bring on some trusted advisors to kick the tires on our product and provide more guidance as we near public release.

While we aren’t in a position to hire people yet, we soon hope to be. We’ll need help: in particular, more software engineering and operations talent to build and run a kick-ass software service; advisors and board members to guide us; and angels to help prime the pump. We’re looking for these folks, starting now. We want people who share our values, passion, and hunger to change the world. We want people who are smart, scrappy, and get things done. We want people with creativity and a love for data analysis and problem-solving. We want people who understand that "going live on the web" is just the beginning; we must also have the humility to continually seek feedback and iteratively build something that actually works for customers and solves their needs. We want people who can handle the uncertainty and risk inherent in a startup environment, and whose instinctive response to a challenge is, "Can do!". If that sounds like you, or someone you know, let’s talk. 

We’re excited. We are getting great feedback. And with your help, we will make a real change.

Fire it up!

Osh and Katrin

Hello readers. I have two exciting announcements to make today.

First, Osh, my partner in crime, is going to join me in writing on the Mukodu Blog. He normally blogs over at MyOwnPirateRadio.com, covering, shall we say, “geekier” topics. Moving forward Osh will be contributing to Mukodu, and occasionally cross-posting both here and on his personal blog. You’ll see his first post in short order.

Second, as some of you know, Osh and I are collaborating on putting together a web startup under the “Mukodu” umbrella. We want to build on the core idea I’ve been exploring here: discovering local “good stuff” by tapping into the knowledge of your friends and neighours. So… [drum roll]… moving forward, we will be blogging about our brand new startup — Mukodu Inc. — and the projects we’re working on together.

We’re calling our first project “5 Blocks Out”. The web site is currently under development, and all going well, we’ll begin opening it up for public trial later this summer. If you’d like an invitation to participate in the Beta release, drop us your email at www.5BlocksOut.com and we’ll let you know when we’re ready to go.

Stay tuned for more!

Technorati Tags: handmade, homemade, Toronto

Saving Grace is an old favourite place for lunch/brunch on Dundas near Trinity Bellwoods Park. The delicious food is homemade, and the menu is always changing. It feels as though you are at your grandmother’s house eating food made with love. This is a true neighbourhood cafe, with quaint, unpretentious decor and the food served on vintage dishes. The outside looks a little run down, but that’s OK… it keeps certain types of people out, and since there are only about 8 tables, that’s a good thing.

Technorati Tags: brunch, homemade, Dundas Street , cozy, Toronto

The city is under a beautiful snow attack.
Again… but even better.

Technorati Tags:
streets, Toronto

Walking around outside today I noticed a few houses have hung ornaments on the trees growing in their front yards.  I think it’s a brilliant idea as you are able to admire them all day rather than having to wait till after dusk. 

This is a nice alternative to having a tree in your house… why go to all that trouble when you can just decorate a growing and thriving tree in your yard? 

Have you seen this phenomenon? Gigantic Santa in a snow globe. I don’t quite get it… but perhaps I’m not the target audience.

Although for this one I feel I probably am the target audience.  SC seems to be sponsored by Harley, very funny indeed.

Happy Holidays!  May you have a festive, humorous , fun-filled celebration.