Robert Bateman was my inspiration when I was a little kid, his artwork drove me to become a better artist. This drive followed me through life and into my business philosophy. Mr. Bateman lives on Salt Spring Island not far from me in Victoria. When I saw this in the Times Columnist this morning I just wanted to help him spread his message about destroying the beautiful environment we live in here in British Columbia.

Posted in Personal | 1 Comment »

Ok so something has been bugging me for ages so I figured I would write about it. I drive a modified Honda civic that is a little on the loud side with the performance exhaust etc. I know what your thinking “OMG one of those, delinquent tuner kids who street race and cause accidents” Hey don’t sweat it I’m used to it. I get the looks all the time when I am driving to work or picking up groceries and even dropping my daughter off at school. You know EVERYONE who is into cars and modifying cars is an adolescent gang member out to do no good or is street racing.

Guess what to all you id10ts that cant look past my car and see that I am a 32 year old adult who is a contributing member of the business community who happens to be married with 2 little girls. When you stand on the side or the road or sit in your plain old everyday vehicle and stare me down as I drive by I would like you to know that both me and my 8 year old daughter sitting in her seat in the back on her way to school is laughing at your “Funny Face”.

Hey I like cars I like customizing things, my computers are all custom, my R/C models are custom, and when I was a kid I put cards in my bike spokes to get that “exhaust sound”. Guess it all started there. I like difference and being creative guess thats why I am this business. So before you wreck your face trying to stare me down because my car is loud and customized, stop and think that maybe it might be a mid 30’s Father of two that just happens to like custom cars. Get over yourself and move on with your day. On the other hand it does give myself and my family something to laugh about on our way to where we are going.

Oh and as for the street racing thing, I’m not a street racer and I laugh my ass of when the same people that stared me down while sitting a light, floor it when it turns green like they have something to prove in their stock leased economy car. Don’t worry I wasn’t looking to get in your lane, there is no need to take off like a bat out of hell trying to block me. Finally for the record if I was as irresponsible as you and floored it off the light you would see nothing but my tail end and if I really NEEDED to be in that lane in front of you I would. But I’ll let you waste your gas and get the speeding ticket. My family and I will yet again cruise pass you laughing all the way. HA HA HA….

Posted in Personal, Rants&Thoughts | No Comments »

Ok well this topic has been flogged to death over the years but man it bugs me how bureaucracy gets in the way of common sense all the time.

For years now I have been saying why doesn’t the Music and Film industry say to hell with it we can’t fight piracy and just offer the ISP’s a deal $5/Month charged to each client and it all goes to the industry and then make downloading music and video legal. Instead of spending countless millions of trying to pass laws and shut down torrent, ftp, and other files sharing sites why not just cut a deal with the ISP’s. Well now such a deal is in the works and I for one am all for it. $5/Mon to have access to all the music I want DONE DEAL! and you never have to worry about getting busted for downloading music. Now if the movie and television industry would just get on the bandwagon we would have some great internet freedoms and everyone is compensated.

To the people that say well I don’t download music, why should I have to pay $5 per month extra for my internet. Well let me ask you this: Have you ever downloaded a picture you found on the internet and used it in a picture frame, for a wallpaper, distributed it to a friend? Well thats EXACTLY the same thing and downloading music. The unfortunate thing in this scenario is that the artist that created that image will never be compensated for his/her work. It has happened to me and I know how the artist feels. I caught a company using my images from my website to sell their DVD of tutorials no doubt stolen from the internet also. I could not even get the company to respond to me and E-Bay did nothing about the copyright infringement. Taking it legal was not worth it so I chalked it up to the risks involved in displaying my work on the web.

The problem with the music and film industry is they refuse to embrace the future and be creative in dealing with the availability of distribution on the net they choose to fight it because they have the money to do so. To these industries I say EMBRACE the future save your money and put it into making a better product so that people will be more likely to go and see it in the theater and then buy the DVD.

I own a rather large STORE BOUGHT DVD collection because I like to contribute to the industry in the hope that they will start making higher quality products. I am not advocating piracy, but I can totally understand where the advocates of free distribution are coming from. But seriously folks waging wars no matter how small they are is futile and no body wins in the end. Sit down! Drop the EGO’s! and work it out for crying out loud.

Well that is my 2 cents on this topic don’t even get me started on the software racket my bang account is still reeling from the 3K i just spend on new software for the company. Maybe a later post

Posted in Personal, Rants&Thoughts, Why & How | No Comments »

The  other day, someone at a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had  been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a  rhetorical question.

“Why didn’t we  have a drug problem when you and I were growing  up?”

I replied, I had a  drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was  drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and  community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my  ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I  disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak  with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn’t put forth  my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the  kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a  profanity.

I was drug out to  pull weeds in mom’s garden and flowerbeds and cocklebur’s out of dad’s  fields.

I was drug to the  homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one  to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood; and, if my  mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she  would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are  still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think.  They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today’s children had  this kind of drug problem,The world would be a better place.

THANK GOODNESS  FOR THE PARENTS WHO DRUGGED US.

Posted in Humour/Jokes, Personal, Rants&Thoughts | 1 Comment »