Designing with Empathy Using VR

We are in a very exciting time, as usual, for technology. Virtual reality has risen from the ashes thanks to Oculus’ successful Kickstarter campaign a few years ago (and subsequent acquisition by Facebook), Google Cardboard, Samsung’s GearVR, and HTC & Valve’s Vive. Not to mention augmented reality platforms like Microsoft’s HoloLens, Meta, and LeapMotion. The problem? … Read more

Letter to MPs Jim Flaherty and Bev Shipley

The iPod tax/tariff issue that has reared its ugly head over the past few months, after the federal government introduced a “streamlined” set of tariffs, still isn’t over. I’ll spare you all the details and developments that have arisen since the issue was initially revealed by economist and professor Mike Moffatt, but suffice to say … Read more

The Fallacy of the Cloud

As part of my efforts to formalize much of the IT experience and education I already have, making it easier to present and qualify, I took the opportunity of the recent Christmas/New Year break to start going through Rackspace’s Cloud University (CloudU) curriculum. I actually took the time to read all of the material provided … Read more

Why I Sold Orpheum

Two years ago I founded a web hosting company, Orpheum Hosting Solutions. I set out to build a web hosting company that could compete with the likes of MediaTemple on infrastructure, and HostGator on price. As time went on I added more plans, did a wholesale move from a cloud server infrastructure to big, dedicated … Read more

SQL Server 2012 – Best New Features for Small Business

I recently read through Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012, the book published by Microsoft Press. It’s a rather large book, and going through it I saw a lot of terrific features for medium and large enterprises, especially from a Business Intelligence point of view. However, I also pinpointed some features that I feel will be … Read more