One of my favourite jobs these days is researching and writing a monthly report for a client on trends in information design. I like it for several reasons. One, it forces me to spend time each week listening to and reading about what the thought leaders have to say. They are frequently witty as well as provocative, inducing stimulating debate among their peers. And two, it takes me back to my journalism days, but more on the op-ed side because I have the latitude to select what I think is useful to the client and can even comment where appropriate.
The third reason I like it is that the research has led me to some really interesting (sometimes irrelevant, but still entertaining) places on the net. Most of my sources are RSS feeds or podcasts; that means they come to me in an easy to consume package that is fairly quick to scan. Neither technology even existed in general use a couple of years ago. I'm amazed at that.
For instance, today I discovered that British History Online has just posted all the ordinance survey maps for UK counties. These are very detailed maps, hand drawn right down to the farm field, dating from the 19th century and thus very useful for genealogy sleuthing. I recently discovered that one of my ancestors is from a small village in Sussex. With some digging, I'll be able to pinpoint his birthplace on a map that was made before I was born, that is now available free to anyone, anywhere, with a basic computer. Information design in the 19th century delighting me in the 21st. -- how amazing is that!?

Posted by lynda at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My elusive daughter has finally come through with some pictures of birds she is helping to care for at the Toronto Zoo. These are a bataleur eagle, a turkey vulture and a saker falcon. I'll leave it to the reader to sort out which is which.

Posted by lynda at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A few days ago I encountered a foreign object in a container of yogurt. I thought at the time that I should report it, but almost passed on the idea because it seemed too much trouble. Finally, I went to the manufacturer's website, not optimistic that it would be helpful. Boy, was I wrong. Their contact form was lengthy and a bit annoying, but ultimately it worked and I felt I had done my duty. Not more than three hours later, I had a phone call expressing concern and asking if they could pick up the offending item. By the next morning, it was in the hands of a charming person -- a poster girl for low-fat yogurt herself -- and I was promised a cheque for my trouble. The money really doesn't matter; I presume it's to reimburse me the cost of the yogurt. What's more the point is that I really do believe they'll analyze the thing and try to figure out how it got into the food. It was sharp and about an inch long, so it really could have hurt a child. I know they are just meeting Canada's food service requirements, but it was done efficiently and with personal care. That's how customer service should work. And I will continue to buy the brand.

Posted by lynda at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I got my birth certificate in the mail this week. I needed the long form version for Claire to use with her application for a British passport. Seeing the details of my birthplace (already known to me) inspired me to find it on the Internet, so this afternoon I called my mom on Skype and together we found the street where we lived and the street where I was actually born on Google Maps. Naturally, the street names led her to some reminiscing, so we virtually cycled around Colliers Wood and up the street she used to ride to visit my great grandmother, my grandmother and my great aunt, all in south west London. Thanks, Google!

When my Uncle Roy was here a few days ago, we talked about the cottage where my sister was born, in Keswick just north of Toronto. It was still there when he looked for it not long ago, so maybe I could find it with a little help. There are a couple of other places I want to revisit, at least virtually, as my roots quest continues. One is William Craig Drive in Toronto, where we lived when I was just starting school. The other is Acton, where I spent about five significant years as a child. I've been there a few times since but didn't recognize much. It's the kind of place that has boomed recently so a lot of the old bits have been torn down. My visual memories of it are very strong, so maybe if I go with an address to start with, I might find some bones.

Are you wondering why I bother? It's to validate my past, to acknowledge that it was real, not perfect, sure, but entirely worth celebrating because of all the people in it, many of them gone now. While I'm still here, it's my history, and that's reason enough for me.

Posted by lynda at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)