Michael Gravel Edmonton Writer

Link Archive

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Just Enough to Start · Another fantastic post / talk from Merlin Mann on the subject of just starting a project. I love this guy and his attitude. Seriously. The guy’s an optimistic realist.

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The Libertarian Party of Canada · I must confess that I have a Libertarian streak in me. Their policies and philosophy make the most sense to me on paper. I’m not sure about real-world practice of Libertarianism, especially when it comes to health care. Maybe I’m a “lowercase-L” Libertarian. I could never commit to any political party, but the Libertarian movement is interesting to me.

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The Lancaster Gate · This is a website promoting a new condo development in Edmonton. That’s nothing special in itself, but check it out. What’s with the British / London Underground theme?

Crikey! That’s a low price for a new flat!

Huh? It’s so out there and out of character for this city that I have to wonder if it’s a spoof of some kind. Bizarre.

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The Vendor Client Relationship · Ah, this one is so funny because it’s so damn true. Funny how those little client dodges don’t make sense out of the context of creative work.

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Springsteen’s Walk In Music · Nice (and expansive) list of music that Bruce plays over the PA before his shows. Plenty of Dylan on there, which is no real surprise. Others that jumped out at me: Nightswimming by REM; Lebanon, Tennesee by Ron Sexsmith; 99 to Life by Social Distortion. A long, fascinating list, and one that I enjoyed for the insight it offers.

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Some Thoughts on the Anthology · Smart, eloquent piece on the difference between reading on the page and on the screen.

If the novel is the vinyl record, the anthology is the mixtape—it defies escape into any particular work in exchange for seeing the whole of something bigger. The meaning is in the collection—in the composition of distractions—not in any kind of singular reading experience.

Great thoughts here, and the final paragraph had me slamming my fists to the table and shouting “yes!”.

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Texts from Last Night · Hilarious site featuring text messages sent from unknown persons in various states of inebriation or regret (thus the site title). It’s all anonymous and it’s quite fascinating. Very adult, NSFW. Updated several times a day. Be sure to grab the RSS feed.

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Cars R Us · Fantastic slideshow from Design Observer. With the era of the car waning (maybe – no evidence of that here in E-Town), this slideshow tells a poignant story of car culture and our lives in motion.

These images probe a space that has been relatively undocumented: the private/public space of the car in motion, one of the most intensely personal public spaces in our modern landscape. We can all recall moments of exhilaration, pathos, fear, sex and death experienced in the interior of our cars — the place where we often have our most meaningful conversations, our most catastrophic arguments, and our deepest insights.

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Edmonton Police Crime Mapping Site · Super awesome new site from the Edmonton Police Service. You can check your neighbourhood for recent crimes. It uses the Google Maps interface, a real bonus. I hope that this tool goes a ways to inspire people to do their best to avoid crime, i.e. lock your vehicle, keep valuables out of sight, be careful at night, be observant. My wishlist: RSS feed per neighbourhood, and text notifications of recent crimes (unlikely as that may be…something like that might have to come from citizens). Mack Male has a good writeup of the tool.

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New LRT Stations up and Running · MasterMaq has a nice roundup of this past weekend’s ETS festivities. Two new stations were opened – Belgravia / McKernan and South Campus. Complete with video of the trips between the stations.

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Moose on the Loose in Edmonton · This explains everything! I saw this moose in the valley last night and was flabbergasted. You see deer all the time down there but never a moose. Glad to know it was taken care of peacefully.

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City of Edmonton Budget Shortfall · Seems many are up in arms about the proposed parking rates for LRT park and ride lots. Huh? Seems to me that paying for parking is part and parcel of owning a vehicle. Yeah, it sucks that it was free and now it isn’t, but these fees simply bring us up to speed with the rest of North America.

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Taken in the Wrong Spirit · Interesting article by Tom Flynn on how atheists and other “non-spiritualists” are (maybe) handled at medical care facilities. It’s kind of frightening, actually.

Eventually, it clicked: these seasoned nurse managers were talking about patients whom the nurses believed they must not touch, comfort, or support in any human way—out of respect for the worldviews of patients who disdain ordinary human contact because they’re not spiritual.

Say what?

An interesting read that raises many questions about spiritual care and sickness. My experiences with Pastoral care have been excellent.

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MacFayden Gets a Book Deal · My good friend and colleague Laurie MacFayden is one the ten authors chosen for the “Dektet” round of publication from Frontenac House! Awesome! Hella congrats to you, Laurie!

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Edmonton Transit and Google Maps · Old news, but ETS has finally got down with the Google Maps. Super-easy to navigate and a fantastic resource for all Edmonton Transit riders.

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