Jonesie
JONESIE: What you can learn by pushing past barriers
I parked on a cul-de-sac, and had a look around. Sirens in the background, dark plumes of smoke overhead, the smell of fire in my nose. I figured I was past the police barrier, now on First Nations land, and was uncertain about my possibilities. I waved at someone not far away and soon I...
JONESIE: When it comes to fire, how do you fix stupid?
Oh, what I wanted to do to this guy. Waiting at a light in traffic, I watched him, waited to see if he’d do it and he didn’t disappoint. Smoke billowing out the windows of his SUV, he took one last drag of his cigarillo and casually dropped it, still smoking to the street. It...
JONESIE: The irony and comedy of the anti-spam law
A few years ago, I was lured by the Call of Duty to create an Xbox Live account where I could pay for the privilege of knifing, shooting or blowing up live avatars from around the world through this video game. I used my credit card and bought a one year membership on my birthday...
JONESIE: New perspective from the seat of a pickup truck
I can already feel the transformation, the metamorphosis nearly complete. I’ve been in larval stage for years, making my way in this big, crazy world, unaware of my own potential with nothing but a sense something better awaited me if only I could shed this tight, tiny cocoon and spread my wings and drive. That’s...
JONESIE: Bring on the World Cup, just not the games
I’m trying with this World Cup soccer, er, football thing, really I’m trying. I only care because I have a few English friends and this seems somehow important to them. Or, well, it was important to them. And because, well, the same way the world ignores soccer when Canadians play it on ice with sticks...
JONESIE: I bet no one’s thought of this before
Lock and load, baby: Dad’s got a new weapon. And I needed one. I’ve been shooting blanks for months, firing away at the kids, aiming for wisdom and evidently missing the mark. I needed some new ammunition, something to make them pay attention. Because I have the answer to that age-old question: If a man...
JONESIE: What this strike is about, what it isn’t, and what it should be
What about the strike? What do you think about the strike? Do you support the strike? Or do you not support the strike? Oh man, here we go again, everyone losing their minds. I have a simple answer to the whole thing: I feel the same about this strike as I did the one before...
JONESIE: The answer is more difficult than it appears and it appears impossible
It’s easier to stay with an abusive partner.
JONESIE: What I want Apple to do next
This is part prediction, part wish. First, a confession: I’m a tech junkie and the worst kind because I know not how it works. I care even less. I appreciate the knowledge and those who know that, er, knowledge. But if the tech isn't simple enough to work for me without having to know it—I...
JONESIE: Sometimes I should just shut up
My neighbour’s a good guy. Usually I only see him over the fence. He works many nights and most weekends on his yard, often with his family tending fruit trees, scaling ladders, moving dirt and rock. I’m usually wearing painting shorts, Crocs and a wife-beater and I wave at them from Dandelion Alley secretly hating...
JONESIE: Why no one’s bringing back the fanny pack—for men
It’s not fair that I am still wearing this stupid jacket.
JONESIE: Time to move on from this old house
I suppose it’s a natural evolution but it sure doesn’t feel that way. As families grow, old bits slough off and we have to say good-bye with a For Sale sign. We are moving from our little house, our home for the last 15 years. And since that damn sign went up out front, I’ve...
JONESIE: The trouble with apologies
So yes, I was grumpy. Fine, I admit it. I’d already spent 15 hours of a badly-needed weekend behind the wheel. So there’s that. And my trip was to Calgary and back so needn't say more, right? But so what, big deal. “This isn’t a 'purple truck,'” my wife said. “And it’s not a truck,...
JONESIE: Sorting fragile secrets one email at a time
Sorry, Mrs. Lee, I’m not returning your email. Nice try, but you know darn well I didn’t place an order with your shipping company. I won’t be hiring programmers from India, either. No, I don’t need your SEO. I don’t care if he's a Nigerian prince, I am not giving you access to my bank...
JONESIE: Just because you can say it, doesn’t mean you should
I must be getting old because I think I’m feeling nostalgic for old rules in the news publishing business. Doesn’t sound like me. Old newspaper rules that make no sense today must fade out, change or die. Publish a submitted news release? For some, sure, why not? Space isn’t a problem and re-writing press releases...