If you are interested in what's happening our lives, check out Flickr LIVE! This is an ever expanding set of photos that I take with my Nokia 7610 cameraphone that is posted immediately to Flickr with a 6-10 minute delay. For power users, there is also a Flickr LIVE! RSS feed.

The photos are low res (640x480), crude and pixelated but there's something about the real time nature of it that I like. I like the ability to give people an almost real-time glimpse into my life of the things *I* choose to expose them to.

Eventually, Simon (the developer of the software) will release the code for free! All you will need to have your own Flickr Live photo stream is a free Flickr account and a Series 60 Nokia mobile phone (e.g. 6600, 7610, etc.). and mobile Internet access (e.g. in Canada: GPRS from Fido or Rogers or 1xRTT from Bell).

If you need more technical details, check out my post about this on rolandtanglao.com.

For whatever reason whether it's environmental or something else, I really believe cancer is the 'western plague' especially on our women in Western Europe, Canada and the United States. I have no direct experience with cancer in my family but I have known three women who have died of cancer in the last five years. All were full time mothers with two jobs: parenting and a full time job outside the home. All were great people universally respected by their colleagues and loved by their families. All of them didn't smoke and led healthy lifestyles and were fit. All left behind children.

I don't cry much but when the last two died, I really couldn't help it, I cried at their funerals. Cancer sucks.

So when I heard Adam's moving announcement on the Daily Source Code, I felt like somebody had knocked the wind out of me. I know it won't help too much, but I am beaming positive thoughts towards Julie (whom I've never met but will hopefully at BloggerCon) and Adam today .

From Julie Leung: Seedlings & Sprouts: Connecting...and crying...:

QUOTE

Adam described how his mom has been diagnosed with lung cancer. My brother was diagnosed with cancer almost exactly five years ago today. I had forgotten the date, but as I listened to Adam, the memories returned immediately to mind. I still remember the phone call from my mom, telling me the news. I screamed loud, a scream of pain, a scream of denial, anger and sorrow. NO!

I'm so sorry for Adam's mother and his family. As I listened to the rest of the podcast, I tried to do my duties at my desk and balance my checkbook but it was hard to pay attention to the numbers and push away the tears.

UNQUOTE

Today is Thanksgiving in Canada, a time for thanks.

The things that I am thankful for in my life are my family (Barb and our six month old son, Simon) and my work (Bryght).

It's funny how things turn out. There seem to be three interconnected threads in my life:

First, I wouldn't be in Vancouver unless: a) I hadn't learned to snowboard in Austria at Lech when I lived in Germany b) I hadn't wanted to go to a place with mountains to snowboard c) Audi hadn't hired me (thanks) to work at the Nortel lab in Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver

Second, I wouldn't have met Barb without: a) about 1995, Simon, my friend in London, introducing me to Duke Ellington and Lindy Hop through Christian Batchelor's book which lead to me b) becoming a huge jazz and swing fan which which led me to c) wanting to learn Lindy Hop in 2000 so bad that I actively searched for people so that our fledgling Lindy Hop class in Vancouver would actually run which is d) where I met Barb

Third, there's this thing called the Internet :-) which a) led me to scripting.com b) which led me to using Frontier 4.2.3 for my first website which c) led me to my first Manila site, dreadnet, in 1999 which d) led me to start VanEats in 2000 e) which was noticed by the Vancouver based funders of Bryght and through a long chain of circumstances led to the launch of StreamLine and Bryght

I am not religious but there definitely is something to be said for: a) you make your own luck in life and b) everything happens for a reason

And for that I am thankful!

Judging from my limited experience with both :-), both are equally difficult!

From Jerry Yang, Closing Session at Web 2.0 (Jeremy Zawodny's blog):

QUOTE

Jerry had a baby recently. Having a baby is harder than running a startup.

UNQUOTE

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Vancouver, we highly recommend Gene Johnson (604-263-1144, genejohnson@dexterrealty.com) of Dexter. He helped us to sell our condo in Kits and buy our new townhouse in East Van. Gene went above and beyond the call of duty for us many times and earned his full service commission several times over. This is the second time Gene has been my agent. In 1999, he helped me buy the condo in Kits. Needless to say, we will call upon him for any future property/real estate needs! Thanks again, Gene!