I am a Canuck

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Identity

I am a Canadian, and yet I am an immigrant to this great nation. I grew up in a multicultural family, and moved to Canada, to Toronto, one of the most multicultural cities in the world. My first friends in Canada were Greek, our neighbours were Armenian, my friends in high school were a Scottish heritage Canadian, a German, a Jew with roots in India, a Shiite Muslim from Africa, and a Sunni Muslim born in Canada. If America is known as the melting pot, Canada is the stew.

Canadian pride is a pride in being able to celebrate your own and each other’s heritage. It is about being sorry for the things we got wrong in history, and actually thinking about and working on reconciliation.

Being Canadian means paying over 40% of my paycheque to taxes and benefits, complaining about it, while simultaneously wanting to see more taxes go to healthcare and education. It means we care about our neighbour’s wellbeing, and quite frankly care for our southern neighbor’s wellbeing too.

Our ‘Neighbors’ to the South

I learned the American anthem and the Canadian anthem at the same time, at hockey games.

I watched what the nation to our south watched on TV. As a result of watching American early morning cartoons, I learned from Schoolhouse Rock ‘How a Bill Becomes a Law’ in the US long before I knew anything about Canada’s legal system. I knew the rules to American football before I knew anything about the Canadian version. I was as likely to watch American news as Canadian news because the show I watched before the news was on an American channel.

I know so much more about the US than most Americans will ever knew about Canada. Not because of my interest but because of my exposure: American cartoons, sports, television, movies, and newscasts all told me about the great nation that took care of us and the entire free world.

Changing Tides

We didn’t always agree, but we have always been friends.

Today tariffs will be implemented by a misguided American leader who thinks national isolationist policies will work in a global economy. He will punish his citizens and ours as we retaliate appropriately as an independent nation. The burden of this economic fight will be a wave of high prices and lost jobs sweeping across both nations. People living on or near the poverty line will be drowning in debt. Small business will sink. We are in for some rough seas, and the consequential ripples will be felt for years to come.

A Proud Nation

Insults, like calling Canada the 51st state, do not hurt Canadians, they strengthen us. Bullying us with tariffs does not make us cower but stand up taller. Attacking us does not divide us but emboldens us. We don’t usually focus on nationalism because our identity is about celebrating our differences, but when attacked our resolve is unified. We will find other global neighbours who we will work with. We might not start a fight but we aren’t afraid to finish it.

We are proudly Canadian, we will fight, we will not yield. We will support each other, while simultaneously supporting others in need. And we will prevail, stronger than ever before.

The gift of gifts

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Today is the first day of Birthweek. My wife doesn’t just get a gift on her birthday, she gets a little something every day of the week leading up to her birthday. This isn’t a family practice. My kids and I don’t get it, it’s just birthweek for my wife. It started when we were dating and has been a tradition for almost 30 years.

For me it’s pretty special. My wonderful wife buys almost all the gifts for family events. She even bought a couple gifts for herself for this birthday. But be it Christmas or anyone else’s birthday, she is the one buying a thoughtful gift from both of us.

My job is birthweek. A small card with a few kind words, a scratch and win lottery ticket (I buy 7 a year, just for this week), and a small gift each day, with a nicer gift on her birthday.

You might think it has become a chore after all these years. I will admit the small gifts can be challenging, trying to not overdo it, but also not just get something tacky or frivolous. But there is a gift in being a gift giver. There is the thoughtfulness of trying to get something for someone you know they’ll appreciate. And since my wife does the vast majority of the gift buying, this is my chance.

I don’t remember how it all started, but I’m grateful for my wife’s birthweek.

Design, purpose, and practice

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I was having a coffee with a friend just outside of a Starbucks on a beautiful, sunny morning, when we witnessed a dog owner tie his dog to this post and head into the coffee shop..

“ATTENTION
PET OWNERS
DO NOT LEAVE PETS UNATTENDED”

A few things occurred to me:

  1. The sign (obviously) isn’t going to stop the behavior.
  2. The sign is at the wrong height… it should probably be at the height that the person would tie the dog to the post. (Which would also make tying the dog there more difficult as well as being more likely to be read.)
  3. The sign doesn’t solve the problem. Dogs can’t go into the store, and a pet owner will still leave their dog tied somewhere, so they can quickly grab a coffee.

I don’t know what the solution is? Even if the post wasn’t there, the pet owner could use the tree that’s just a few feet away… but I think it’s funny that the very post with the sign is the most convenient place for dog owners to leave their unattended pet.

I understand that this has potential to cause issues, with strangers (potentially kids) petting the dog, or other dogs passing by with their owners taking issue with the tied up dog. But is there something else that can be done? Is there a way to design a store line up that is dog friendly? Is there a way a dog owner could be queued in a line from outside the store? Could there be a location the tied up and unattached dog is less likely to be an issue?

The purpose of the dog owner is to respect the rules that dogs don’t come into the coffee shop, and so they leave the dog outside momentarily while they grab a coffee. The purpose of the sign is to stop unattended dogs from being a safety issue. This is a common practice with dog owners, and I struggle to think of a time that I’ve seen an unattended dog cause an issue.

So is this just an etiquette thing where owners of dogs that shouldn’t be left alone simply shouldn’t do so, and just forgo the sign? Do we need to have a sign to prevent stupidity? Or is this actually an important enough issue to warrant a sign? If so, what solutions can we come up with?

PS. I think it’s worth mentioning that I don’t own a dog.

In Rome’s Shadow

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I asked Grok3, an AI LLM, what the similarities are between the fall of Rome and what we are seeing happen in the US. This was the response:

Here are six bullet points that draw direct comparisons between the fall of the Roman Empire and the potential fall of the U.S.

1. Leadership Betrayal and Enemy Deals

  • Rome: A general shaking hands with eastern thugs (like Parthia or Scythians) betrayed allies for personal gain, weakening Rome’s unity and trust.
  • U.S.: Trump siding with Russia—berating Zelenskyy on February 28, 2025, and pushing for a peace deal—sells out Ukraine, a key ally, mirroring Rome’s disloyalty and boosting a rival power.

2. Allies Breaking Away

  • Rome: The west (like Gaul) broke free from Rome’s control, rejecting its rule as it weakened.
  • U.S.: The EU steps up to support Ukraine and isolate the U.S. politically and economically after Trump’s actions, acting like provinces ditching a faltering empire.

3. Economic Collapse from Trade Mistakes

  • Rome: Markets crashed and trade stopped as Rome’s taxes and neglect dried up its wealth, leaving farms barren.
  • U.S.: Trump’s tariffs choke trade—hurting markets and raising costs—mirroring Rome’s economic self-sabotage, pushing the U.S. toward isolation and decline.

4. Internal Division and Chaos

  • Rome: Leaders fought each other, splitting the city into thieves versus thieves, paralyzing Rome’s ability to act.
  • U.S.: Political infighting—Congress and Trump’s administration clashing over Russia, Ukraine, and tariffs—echoes Rome’s bickering, stalling any unified response to the crisis.

5. Rivals Gaining Ground

  • Rome: The east (Parthia) grinned as Rome faltered, ready to exploit its shrinking power and borders.
  • U.S.: Russia laughs at America’s diplomatic mess and weakened stance, gaining leverage as the U.S. loses global clout, just like Rome’s enemies circled its decay.

6. Loss of Belief and Influence

  • Rome: Temples rotted and people stopped believing in Rome’s greatness, letting its moral core crumble.
  • U.S.: America’s reputation tanks after the Zelenskyy fiasco, with allies doubting its leadership and soft power fading, akin to Rome’s lost glory.

___

I find the choice of words fascinating: (emphasis mine)

“mirroring Rome’s economic self-sabotage, pushing the U.S. toward isolation and decline”

“America’s reputation tanks after the Zelenskyy fiasco”

I know there are some things that are not comparable. I know that the US still holds economic, political, and military power that the Roman Empire probably lacked when it fell. And I actually want to see the US survive and even thrive, because I think that democracy and world peace are likely both casualties of a fallen US ‘empire’… But the US needs leadership that understands the geopolitical threats it is facing. And that is severely lacking right now.

When the President of the United States calls the Prime Minister of Canada a Governor of the 51st state; When he blames the victims of an invasion for the war they are in; When he literally shares a narcissistic video of a war torn region, renaming the area with his name, and says that the people of Palestine won’t mind being relocated… it doesn’t show diplomacy, it shows ignorance. It would be hyperbole if it wasn’t his own words and deeds.

But the biggest threat to the US lies within. With a growing number of people who are financially worse off than they were even a few months ago; the undermining of government positions that ensure the government runs smoothly; and the dismantling of healthcare and education… with cuts that will have lasting and costly implications… the potential for social unrest is alarming.

The protests will start. The unrest will be violent. The response will escalate the violence.

The worse part of this will be the lack of civility. Peaceful protest is part of democracy. Violent unrest and insurrection are weapons of tyranny. We aren’t going to see democracy and western principles prevail through force and violence. Instead we will just see a once vibrant nation that promised its people a dream and left it in the shadows of ruin.

eXiting Twitter

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Twitter was my social media tool of choice for almost 18 years. It paved the path to amazing learning opportunities, and opened my eyes to the possibilities of being a connected educator. I even wrote a book to help teachers (or any learners) get started on it.

However, it has become a place where I only see extremist views, and sensationalized or exaggerated posts. I no longer see a community, I see a train wreck.

I actually mourn the loss, but I cannot stay any longer. I’ll leave my account open, because I refer to countless prior tweets on my blog and elsewhere. But the tweet where I share this post will be my last tweet.

I’m on LinkedIn.

I’m on Threads.

I’m on BlueSky.

And I still share regularly on my Daily-Ink Facebook page.

What I won’t be doing is sharing on Twitter/X. I don’t want to participate in the Twittersphere any longer. It does not represent what it used to for me, and I’m out… I’m eXiting Twitter.

Family owned businesses

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I’ve worked in the same building for 12 plus years. We have a pizza place that’s a 5 minute walk away that I have gone to for a slice or two of pizza more times than I’d like to admit. The two brothers that own the place are salt of the earth kind of guys.

Yesterday a great kid from my school was there when I was picking up a slice, and I teased him a bit telling one of the brothers to watch out for this one, ‘He’s a troublemaker’. The kid got a little more embarrassed than I thought he would, and so I let him know that the pizza guy and I have known each other since he was in diapers. Ok, maybe that just added to the embarrassment, and might not have been the right approach, but the point was, I knew this guy well enough that we were both in on the joke.

I just love walking into the store and connecting with these guys. We are well past the usual customer relationship and I’d call them friends. We chat about our families, our jobs, and holiday plans… And we have a fun banter, especially when my students are there. Although, that’s rare because I’m usually popping in just before or after our student lunchtime.

Still, what I enjoy is that the pizza place is a family run business that is a an important part of our community. In an era of big box stores and fast food chains, it’s nice to have, and to support, small family run businesses. They enrich our communities and our lives.

The only time in a single timeline

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Sometimes I have to laugh because I feel like I’m living in an absurd simulation. This can’t be real life. I’m going to say 4 words and anyone who reads this, and knows the date I wrote it, will know who I’m talking about. Everyone:

He is an idiot.

When else in history could I say those 4 words, and only those 4 words, and literally everyone will understand who I’m talking about?

If it’s true that there are multiple timelines in the universe then I’m convinced that our timeline is the most satirical and ridiculous, and the brunt of many jokes among the other timelines. It brings me a bit of joy to think that somewhere out there in the multiverse there is a timeline where if I said, ‘He’s an idiot,’ people wouldn’t know who I was talking about… but that’s not the reality we live in. It’s embarrassing, but he’s such an idiot, he isn’t embarrassed, it’s just the rest of (intelligent) humanity.

The double dip

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A few months back I started doing my meditation on my treadmill. It started because I was in a writing slump and my blog post writing was taking too long to write… Not leaving me enough time to do 20-30 minutes of cardio, meditate, and do a full weights workout on one body part before work. So I started to double dip and do my meditation on my treadmill. (Yes, I close my eyes, I hold the handrail and also wear the emergency stop clip… not that I’ve ever needed it.)

I actually find this a great combination. I do a walk with a weighted vest on incline, so holding the rail I’m very stable. I get a really good (Zone 2) workout, it’s not like I’m taking it easy. And I find that with my body busy, I’m better able to focus my mind on the guided meditation. And the bonus is that I’m getting two great things done.

Today I was struggling to write, very distracted, and decided to exercise first. I thought I’d double dip and write while on the exercise bike rather than treadmill, where writing would be awkward. 15 minutes into a 30 minute ride, I realized I wasn’t going to write anything while riding so I put on a 15 minute meditation to get me to the end of my cardio workout.

Five minutes later this post came to mind and I spent the next 10 minutes of my meditation and ride bringing my thoughts back to the meditation and away from writing this in my head. Essentially I made the meditation almost impossible to focus on.

This is the first time in a couple years that I’ve tried to meditate before writing, and I totally remember now why I do them in the order I do them. I can’t meditate knowing that I still have to write. I need the sense of accomplishment of my post to help clear my mind for meditation.

Essentially, I can only double dip in the right order, with a physical and a mental activity, but there is no triple dipping! Nor is there double dipping of two mental activities. I’m the poster boy of ‘there’s no such thing as multitasking’. For me meditation while I’ve got a blog post to write is an invitation to completely ignore meditation, or to inconveniently and ineffectively task swap so that I do neither task well.

Write first, then double dip exercise and meditation. That’s my lesson for the morning.

Tiny improvements

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I’ve been noticing a few improvements in my workouts recently. Last week I benched a weight that I haven’t done since my late 20’’s… half a lifetime ago. I’m doing a push-up challenge with my buddy but keep forgetting to do them, so the days I do end up needing to catch up I have to do a lot more push-ups to reach my goal. I can do sets of 30 now as easily as I used to do sets up 20. I’ve added 8 pounds to my weighted vest that I wear on my treadmill to walk on an incline. And my leg workouts I do now would have left me painfully sore for days! (That said I still feel the pain two days later, leg soreness after workouts is something I’ll never fully escape.)

My point is that I can’t pinpoint a time when this progress happened. It’s not like I woke up one day and added 50 more pounds on the bench press bar. Instead, I’ve been making slow and steady progress. I don’t spend hours in the gym, I just commit to cardio and working one muscle group, often for just 3 sets, sometimes two different exercises for 3 sets… if I can write fast enough in the morning to give me that time.

So, I haven’t really added to my workouts significantly at any point. I’ve had no big jumps in progress. I’ve had plateaus, and times when it seems that I’m just in maintenance mode, but recently the tiny improvements have accumulated and I’m noticing the difference. This has been a really positive aspect of my life in the last few years, something that keeps me in a positive frame of mind. It certainly helps to see my own progress, as slow and incremental as it has been.

It’s all happening so fast

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I subscribe to superhuman.ai, a daily email newsletter. Most days I peruse it for about 3-5 minutes before work, primarily focussing on the ‘Today in AI’ section. It’s fascinating to see how the field of AI is rapidly advancing. On weekends the email shifts topics. Saturday is a robotics special and Sundays are focused on scientific and technological breakthroughs outside of AI.

Here are some videos shared in yesterday’s Superhuman robotics focused update:

Then here are 3 sections from today’s email. Two related to technological advances:

Star Power: France just took a massive lead in the race to near-limitless clean energy. The country’s CEA WEST Tokamak reactor has shattered China’s record, maintaining a hydrogen plasma reaction for 22 minutes and 17 seconds flat. While it’s not commercial-ready yet, it’s a major leap in fusion research and has huge implications for the development of ITER, the world’s largest fusion project, in the south of France. 

Two-way Street: Chinese researchers have built the world’s first two-way brain-computer interface (BCI). Unlike conventional BCIs that just decode brain signals, this system creates a feedback loop where both the brain and the machine learn from each other and improve at working together over time.

And 3 related to health and longevity:

Cancer Counter: Scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering have reported promising results from a small trial that used personalized mRNA vaccines to fight pancreatic cancer. Out of the 16 participants who were administered the vaccine, at least half generated long-lasting cancer-fighting T cells, with early results suggesting fewer recurrences. Researchers estimate these T cells could persist for years, offering hope for a future breakthrough.

Fountain of Youth: Japanese bioengineers claim to have found the ‘rewind’ button for aging. Noticing that older cells were considerably larger in size than younger ones, the scientists discovered that they were packed in a layer of the AP2A1 protein. This led them to conclude that blocking the protein could reverse aging — a potential breakthrough for anti-aging treatments. We’ll believe it when we see it.

Follicle Fix: Research teams around the worldare possibly getting closer to reversing hair loss with a host of innovative new treatments. They’re currently testing a sugar-based gel that could stimulate blood supply to hair follicles, potentially offering a simple, affordable cure for baldness. Also, a new topical gel, PP405, aims to “wake up” dormant hair follicle stem cells, while exosome-based therapies show promise in regrowing hair naturally.

Two years ago, I would have said we were 15-20 years away from intelligent robots living among us, now I think wealthy people will have these in the houses before the end of the year, and they will become even more affordable and mainstream before the end of 2026.

Two years ago I actually believed and shared that my kids would be the first generation to routinely live past 100 years old, barring accidents and rare diagnoses that haven’t yet been cured. Now I can actually conceive of this being true for my generation.

I thought Universal Basic Income was going to be a thing in the 2040’s or 2050’s… Now I look at how intelligent LLM’s are, and how advance robots are, and I wonder how we’ll make it through the 2020’s without needing to financially support both white collar and blue collar workers who are pushed out of jobs by AI and robots.

The speed of innovation is accelerating and right now we are just scratching the surface of AI inspired innovation. What happens when an AI with the equivalent knowledge of 100,000 plus of our most intelligent humans starts to make intuitive connections between entire bodies of knowledge from science, technology, politics, economics, culture, nature, and even art?

In 1985 the movie Back to the Future took us forward to 2015 where there were hovering skate boards. In 40 years rather than 30 we haven’t gotten there yet. But look at the progress in robotics from 2015-2025. This is going to advance exponentially from 2025 to 2030.

If the Back to the Future movie were made today, and the future Marty McFly went to was 2055, I bet the advancements of our imagination would be underwhelming compared to what would actually be possible. While I don’t think we will be there yet with space travel and things like a Mars space station, I think the innovations here on earth will far exceed what we can think of right now.

It’s all happening so fast!