RyanTaylor.Me

Sacrificing a vote. / Or / Social media streaking in front of the self righteous.

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:39:00 -0500

So I did the unthinkable.

I did something no one admits to: I didn’t even make an attempt to vote in a recent by election in Toronto Center. Actually, I consciously chose to not exercise my democratic right as a citizen to cast a vote for any of the given candidate. Then I admitted to it.

The response was, well, swift. A barrage of Twitter voices rained down public condemnation. Words like “disgusting”, “outrage”, “sad”, “unpatriotic”, etc. flooded in. I was all alone, defending my action to some of the most vocal proponents of voter malaise and of course partisan happy clappers. At the same time I was also receiving email, IM’s, and direct messages from others admitting they’d done the same. I was now a confessional for the quiet majority. And if 23% was indeed voter turnout then this sustained intellectual guilt offensive isn’t working friends.

Let’s be clear about something, I am an engaged citizen, but apathetic. And judging by the honest and direct response(s) I received, others are to.

So let me re-introduce the elephant in the room and ask that we start a new conversation without militant foamers ranting about what my/our patriotic rights are and are not. Because this apathy is infectious and volatile. My action may have gotten up the nose of a few people, but I can now openly engage a very large group of citizens in this dialogue without an agenda. (The spoiled ballot argument is a different conversation).

The worst part of my decision was not in ‘renouncing’ my voice, but the knowledge that my community would (initially) be disappointed: Meegs, Ian ,Mark ,Shawn - the people who have inspired and made citizen engagement exciting for me w/o any partisan colours. And the reason why I cared enough to write this post.

So why did so many of us (the majority) not vote in the Toronto Center by election? (Past results: http://www.elections.on.ca/en-CA/Tools/PastResults.htm) I have no idea. But I do know that the cure to our voter apathy is in citizen/community self-organization and engagement (like my experience with those mentioned previously) — not personal brands, lawn signs or buttons.

As citizens we need to speak to each other and identify our collective priorities and solutions rather than continue be lazy (yes lazy) and have a few (strong) voices influence polices and platforms. It is here that that we will feel our voice again giving our votes purpose. Because if “they” still don’t listen, then new leaders will emerge from the community to run as strong independent alternatives who better reflect the community mandate, rather than continue our great Canadian tradition of flogging solutions, shoe horned into tired political brands.

I’ll see you at ~~GevilCamp~~ ChangeCamp, flask in tow.
I’ve set up a confessional, what do you think? Results will be shared at ChangeCamp http://rypple.com/ryantaylor/vote

The end of desktop Twitter clients? MonkeyFly+Intersect+Chrome

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:39:02 -0500

As twitter becomes more a of a communications platform for many of us rather than just a curious social network, those precious APi limits will really begin to influence who we do business, support or socialize with in the web.

Example: Business Sales/Support case: User has a ‘challenge’ with product or service. If the APi limit is exceeded/delaying communications on either side the issue can become fragmented, frustrated and lose context. Those conversations are taken “offline” out of the public forum and into email. Real time search is a reality now, and the more customer service organisations perform in the open web the more trusted and respected they become.

As a small business owner I’ve looked for a solution which fit our workflow that anyone could pick up without too great of a learning curve. I’ve played with Tweetdeck, Seesmic, Destroy Twitter (etc) moving on to Hootsuite, Brizzly only to find myself overwhelmed and using the web based Twitter site and Tweetie2 (on my iPhone) almost exclusively. Now using Twitter’s current web interface is admittedly weak on usability. The multi search and list(s) functionality, not to mention features such as Facebook integration of the free apps provide users with exceptional dashboards for managing the social web. But the sites they serve up (wisely) control access through limits. They are also limited to their development resources and in Seesmics case relentless updates, where with Chrome (or FireFox if they can clean up their act) you can mash up the best apps to customize your experience. And with tabs you have unlimited control using native sites not 3rd party solutions.

So how do we get real time results without sacrificing usability or system resources? My suggestion is: Monkeyfly + Google Chrome. [Also works (slower) with Firefox http://monkeyfly.egoing.net/ ].

I would also suggest adding Intersect to maximize your experience. Simply: ”Intersect is a Google Chrome extension that lets you see users who mutually follow you and another user on Twitter”

Hope you find these solutions helpful!

Cheers,

@ryantaylor

A Christmas letter to my Daughter

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:36:00 -0500

Your world can change with a few words. A few simple sounds, and all of time can stand still for a brief moment. Changing everything. We often measure ourselves against these moments; who will we choose to be, what will we choose to do? Joseph Campbell refers to this as the ‘monomyth’; “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”

Destiny’s entwined, this journey has three heroes. Two scared parents thrown quickly into a Hell no one should ever experience, unprepared, and asked to choose life or death of their child. And an infant who, for now, floats unaware in relative solitude hearing only murmurs from the outside world. It is for her the greatest challenges await. But it is her who will bestow the greatest gifts on her fellow man.

As the bells ring out in the cold from St. Peters signaling Christmas Day, I’m reminded that our journey is far from over. As we leave the stage and prepare for act two, we pray. The scene is set for you my heroine.

Etsuko, without a word you fundamentally changed the way we see and accept the world. For that I will be eternally grateful. But the world you are entering will need more of that, be great, because the gift your mother and I returned with for the world was you.

Your loving Father.

Toronto to Niagara Falls : A $5 Social Hack of Casino Transit

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:31:00 -0500

Boot strapping has become a way of life since starting my company, with every little expense needing justification you need to keep your eyes open for any opportunity to save up for your next pint. The Christmas season represents increased pressure on the pocket book with even transportation costs doubling as Asaka and I roll in tandem.

So how do you save on hard costs such as these? For us it’s simple. You gamble.

An average trip from Toronto to Niagara Falls one way on the Go Train is: $18 Single rider, Via Rail Economy Single $37.80, Car rental *almost impossible this time of season. So next to car pooling your best bet is Casino transit! Yeh, they have their own transit system run by Safeway tours. The cost? $5 each way (used to be free).

Here are their pick-up locations: http://www.safewaytours.net/casinobus.html College & Pape Stations being the most convenient.

So how do you get to take advantage of this deal? Well there is only one catch; you need to obtain a ‘Players Advantage Card’ from Fallsview Casino in person. Which means one trip at full pop, but when there simply visit the Players Advantage desk, show your ID, get the free card. Once registered it never expires. *It’s $25 w/o a card but if you go in and register they reimburse you $20 (Need to verify this)

Et Viola! Guilt free travel at the expense of the Casino. Now imagine if ZipCar was available!

Merry Christmas! Welcome to Niagara Falls!

Formation. A Personal Exploration Project or The Masters I Never Did.

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:47:00 -0400

I’ve never been much of a structured academic, in College I spent 2 semesters in isolation exploring & teaching myself CAD/CAM and basic hydraulic die forming techniques. The application of both the theory and practical provided me with a lousy graduation show, 2 bulging sketch books of failures and mathematical tolerances, a few samples in acrylic and copper, questions, and a burning desire to finish what I started.

I actually used those ~~failed~~ samples in my interview with Central St. Martins for my Masters application. The Dean of applied arts said: “Your concepts, sketch books, and designs are incredible but the finished product doesn’t match your research, are you a theorist?”That sorta hurt, and I wasn’t sure at the time how to reply because she called me out. Deep down I knew exactly what she was saying. Though I was accepted (but couldn’t afford to go) she took me to school right there; I realized that greatness is forged through practice and application the idea is the first step.

I’m lucky to be opening my atelier on August 1st and with it I want to pick up where I left off focusing on design innovation. ‘Formation’ is as much a personal research project as an exploration of design, a quick look at previous posts on this blog (and twitter) should illustrate my personal war with theory w/o the practice.

Formation

The ‘hacker’ movement represents a counter culture that I feel a deep connection with. DIY everything, evolving, mashing, & communicating. I f you listen closely there is a low drone under all the high pitched Twitter meme noise from: Hack Labs , information architects like Matthew Milan , change agents like Mark Kuzniki , Futurists like THMVMNT , Mad Scientists like Ricky & Matt , and more.

That drone is the sound of production, people producing. No other time in history have we had the opportunity to predict and tackle future problems or simply prevent them armed with aesthetics & design. That exiting fact is the ‘Formation’.

Start-up: What does object design look like when it’s very existence is forged from change, interaction, & future application?

# As a small group exercise @ftjco will host a ‘solder camp” a #BYOS(older) event where we explore simple sensors, soldering techniques, application & design.

Essential to any Formation is Volume. In this case it’s a community seduced back from the cutting edge for a few hours of playing Dr. Frankenstein with crude electronics (and beer).

Forming, back to basics:

A challenge for most of the forms I produced was the material limitation of the dies themselves. Because the school limited the materials on the mills to waxes and plastics I had to source a dense resin. I settled on a product called ‘Butter Board’, a decent material to machine single cut no roughing passes needed. It actually held up pretty well in the hydraulic press forming .5mm (annealed) copper sheet without deformation. Thermal forming acrylic produced a result which was predicted: Complete die failure. The heat and pressure lead to cracking and deformation. The Devcon ‘Plastic Steel’ (dies) produced much the same results despite being enclosed in a heavy gauge steel ring. Objects often needed to be ‘organic’ in form, faceting or texture was rarely transfered.

This has lead me to explore both the sustainability of both the formed material and die (uses). Waste is the greatest problem with this form of prototyping/production and should be designed out of the process.

I felt a logical move away from plastics is glass production; an abundant, resusable, alternative material. And with it the classic inspirational design and production techniques of Lalique. The challenge with his methods is the cost of the moulds, we lose the ability to quickly prototype modify and scale. Enter graphite, machinable graphite used in the EDM process to be exact. It’s density make it excellent for texture & detail, it’s thermal properties would handle the heat of molten silica, and it’s strength make it a good candidate for the forming of metals.

Sounds good eh? Not quite. Graphite is MESSY and requires a serious vacuum system to protect the mill from being clogged with particles which are a lubricant in one direction, diamond hard in the other. So my search begins for a resource.

Begin Formation.

Replies welcome to @ryantaylor on Twitter convo tag #formation

What I'm not, is what I am.

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 04:53:00 -0400

What I’m not, is what I am.
My (New) Personal Twitter Guide

I’m not a blogger, I’m not a web designer, I’m not a programmer, I’m not a PR person, I’m not a journalist, I’m not a ‘blogger’, I’m not a consultant, I’m not in marketing, I’m not a community facilitator, I’m not a public speaker, I’m not a connector, I’m not a leader, I’m not a follower, I’m not a project manager, I’m not a product manager, I’m not a manager, & I’m not a theorist.

In light of this revelation here are my new rules for myself using Twitter:

A. Avoid becoming a ‘Scene Tourist’, as a designer I hate them because they’ve never designed anything but they have all the bloody answers because they read Monocle.
So I need to stop forcing ideas and pulling levers where they need/want not be pulled, unless I have some practical knowledge that can be shared.
This could also be called the PDF (personal douchebag filter) as much as you wanna be a part of something hold your breathe, let the pros handle it.

B. Quality of observation: I’m not a writer, never have been. My grammar and spelling are atrocious but I think I have some good ideas rolling around in my head. Unlike @shawnmicallef
who really is the master of the moment in 140 characters, I need to give myself more time to digest things, distill and respond intelligently rather than with my usual pants down thrust away approach. If that means a longer post on my tumblr blog and a reduction in Twitter posts so be it (I’m sure my facebook friends will appreciate it most).

C. Stop caring what others think. Probably my biggest weakness - just throwing it out there because I’ll be more aware of it and care less (reverse psychology on myself). There is lotsa talk of rogue/rockstar business people out there but most play it safe/boring and I run the risk of taking feedback from these people. Actions speak, ideas are dreams. Pretty sure if we listened to the crowd when planning #hohoto it wouldn’t have happened like it did.

D. Personal Brand. Yeh right. Any chance of me rounding out my edges would really betray myself and those who have supported me up till now, personal brands are BS. I pledge to be myself more and censor less.

E. Post less shit, more about things I’m doing and I’m in LOVE with. Social/Ethical/Green Entrepreneurship, Opensource &/+ Luxury Product Design/Manufacture, Experiments, Arts, My company @ftjco , Jewellery/Gemmology, Music, (Charitable) Events & the odd drunk tweet about the #mife.

So Hai again Twitter let’s try this again shall we?
<3 @RyanTaylor

523 Parliament Reno FTJ: ftjco ftj Samples from UrbanProduct.ca...

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:12:28 -0400

523 Parliament Reno FTJ: ftjco ftj Samples from UrbanProduct.ca DUNE tile custom made for @ftjco

523 Parliament Reno FTJ: ftjco ftj Samples from UrbanProduct.ca...

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:11:48 -0400

523 Parliament Reno FTJ: ftjco ftj Samples from UrbanProduct.ca DUNE tile custom made for @ftjco

523 Parliament Reno FTJ: ftjco ftj Samples from UrbanProduct.ca...

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:11:37 -0400

523 Parliament Reno FTJ: ftjco ftj Samples from UrbanProduct.ca DUNE tile custom made for @ftjco

Tay vs. Tay

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:58:00 -0500

Tay vs. Tay

#changecamp ‘shame engine’ development concept...

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:27:10 -0500

#changecamp ‘shame engine’ development concept doodle: Posted via email from taylor’s posterous

NYE 2008/2009 @ The Mod Club Toronto.

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:28:00 -0500

NYE 2008/2009 @ The Mod Club Toronto.

NYE 2008/2009 Kiss with Asaka Yamashita <3

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:01:00 -0500

NYE 2008/2009 Kiss with Asaka Yamashita <3

@remarkk #changegovca / changecamp.ca Genesis presentation @...

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:56:00 -0500

@remarkk #changegovca / changecamp.ca Genesis presentation @ #thmvmnt

#changegovca Beyond The Event Breakout

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:40:04 -0500

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From Evernote: mbv wall of sound

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:41:00 -0500

—

My Bloody Valentine ‘Wall of Sound’ iPhone recording from Kool Haus show in Toronto ‘08.

mbv wall of sound

by ryan_taylor

www.evernote.com | Remember everything. | Sign up for free
Download now or listen on posterous 070c3bb13b1658d49760238a5db5a92f.wav (96 KB)

Beers, crayons, glue & craft paper @Daniel_Taylor & I making mums Xmas card

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:20:05 -0500

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#arts&crafts #thmvmnt

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:30:00 -0500

***UPDATE we have a meet-up Feb 27 time TBA please RSVP here: http://bit.ly/SekG***

I’ve had the pleasure over the past few months to meet some truly amazing people outside of my work and social realms. I made a real effort this year to get out and engage Toronto in an attempt to be inspired, and it did not disappoint. I did everything from present at sustainability camp, helped plan #hohoto, took part in a #convo, sacrificed my lamb for #tsTO, & woke up early one Saturday to join #thmvmnt. Seems like a lot for a guy working to get his own start-up off the ground, and it was/is to be honest. I have come to believe from these experiences that there is an exiting new spirit in the city that makes everything feel magical and that anything is possible. Even during these black economic times I honestly see opportunities like light peeking through cracks in the established order of things, ready to be exploited for positive change.

My whole life I always wondered what my parents experienced in the 60’s when there was so much momentum challenging the establishment and changing the way people thought. Now I believe I know, because it feels like it’s happening now. Those who are in the know, are those of us sitting on the cutting edge of communications. Communications that allow people with common agendas to come together and coordinate faster and more efficiently than ever before to create that change. One by one people outside ‘the bubble’ are discovering this stream of consciousness, and that’s where the power lies. Our new hyper-connected world offers discovery and empowerment more than anything else, and in it people are free to express, learn, expand, and think.

Now it’s also very easy to get caught up in these new ideas and forget yourself in the orgy of intellectual stimulation, and happy clappers, which is why I’m stepping back for a moment to see where I fit best. One of the realizations I’ve had is that I’m different from many of the people I’ve met and I’m starting to find much comfort in that. My (new) friend Mark Kuznicki (who I respect much) said to me in chat after a recent event “you’re a great little instigator” (I might say “sh*t disturber”) which I think sums me up with one addition, I’m also a doer. After post-secondary school, I worked in fortune 500 companies and then moved on to formal trades training and an apprenticeship which has given me a unique set of skills that has also hardened me to ‘talkers’, PR spin, marketing etc. Some might say I’m a bit anti-social-media and in some ways I am because it seems to breed complacency in many, while supporting antagonism in others under the veil of “conversation” and “feedback”. But to quote my mentor and master goldsmith Karl “The world is balanced without exception” & “It’s only with your doing that you can change the things you believe in”. With those truths I accept that I must focus on the positive opportunities this new world gives and strive to produce results despite minor distractions or my own ego.

Since this is my personal blog, official home to bad grammar, and archive of ideas I thought that brief backgrounder on me would help those of you who read this feel a bit more comfortable with who I am and where my mind is. Which brings us to my idea the ‘Arts & Crafts #mvmnt’. Out of all the ideas to pop up recently I enjoy #thmvmnt the most (a) because it attracted the most creative ‘doers’ and (b) it sparked an electric open conversation. The challenge for me however was finding my fit while not stepping on toes (an A-B-Type-Scorpio-Male-personality thing) many in attendance had their own agendas and ideas myself included dragging some recent projects with me when they should’ve been parked at the door. What I discovered after meditating on the core #mvmnt concept(s) was that an entirely new yet related network of craftspeople and artisans would not only fit the model it could create that ‘you got my peanut butter in my chocolate!’ moment. By bridging creative people from web design, illustration , publishing, coding etc. avec builders, fine artists, makers and bakers it would open up opportunity’s for unique collaboration, learning and support.

Where my idea defers slightly from the #thmvmnt: I see the education of the public as important if not more so than peer to peer education. The artisinal tribe would not (in general) be dealing with commercial clients and therefore a more open and public event showcasing skills and wares to rival “One of a kind” would be needed. Note: peer to peer seminars with public attendance is an interesting mash-up, as well reviving the idea of interdisciplinary exploration and peer mentorship outside of formal institutions.

Ideas from #tsTO also fit into this idea, freeing up affordable space locally for makers as well as project start-ups may add an interesting feature to the local community providing a model for other cities to also mix their seemingly unrelated disciplines. Bring online ideas like #svc + start-ups like Community Lend and you start to see an organic infrastructure take form.

So what are my plans for (get ready for my new hash tag!) #arts&crafts ?

- 1st I want to continue to participate in the talks regarding #thmvmnt structure http://themovement.info/wiki/project:member_structure with the blessing of the group and founders understanding that my intentions are with #arts&crafts

-*Fail Refine Forge*

- Fail: Open this idea to connected community members representing fashion, fine art, food, and craft to discuss and build the idea. ie. How can the ideas of #tsTO space and #arts&crafts benefit others and tie into #thmvmnt. Are my ideas wrong, does this fit?

- Refine: Meet-up and enjoy a face to face conversation, #thmvmnt is publishing a book could we produce a show? Could a public show/seminars generate income? Create action plan

- Forge: Do it.

- Fail: & repeat.

This post will go out to a few in the hope that it finds the people passionate about both their work and community. Please feel free to post using the #arts&crafts hash tag on twitter, reply to me direct on twitter @ryantaylor (w. hash tag) or leave a comment below.

Video

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:10:03 -0500

#thmvmnt Shedule notice the word 'action' a great day so far

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:54:49 -0500

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