Just like last week’s episode of Dot Com Pho, Stephen Fung decided to take over the directorial duties for this week’s gathering of Vietnamese noodle enthusiasts. While I was able to obtain my NEXUS pass, the week hasn’t been quite as favorable for one Danny Chang.
Adding a little more artistic value to this week’s production, Stephen Fung decided to take advantage of slow-motion capture for a very special moment for Danny. It was definitely an epic fail, but it was so epic is such an epic kind of way too.
Also this week is the return of The Lab with Leo (Chiang) where he highlights a product that was once quite functional, but after $20 worth of modifications, it too becomes an epic failure. Just like Danny Chang.
By this time next week, many from the Dot Com Pho crew will be in Taipei for the Computex Trade Show. As such, it will only be appropriate that we hold the first ever Dot Com Taiwanese Beef Noodle from there, making our weekly lunches just that much more international! I wonder how John Chow and Stephen Fung will work out who gets to direct the first Dot Com Taiwan…
Also, a quick reminder that the BEST COMMENT CONTEST ENDS TONIGHT (Sunday 11:59pm PST). I’m thinking this post could be your best opportunity to win. Check out the original post for full contest details.
Since we were already downtown for the Vancouver International Game Summit, Stephen Fung and I decided to take a quick jaunt over to the Art Gallery.
It was there that they were holding an opening day reception welcoming both guests from VIGS and folks there for VidFest. Unfortunately, there was no open bar (you had to pay for drink tickets). We did, however, get to watch one crazy demonstration.
The Mondo Spider, according to the official website, de-invents the wheel. This “ridable mechanical walking machine” was inspired by Vancouver Junkyard Wars. Designed by some UBC Engineering alumni, the Mondo Spider is a giant mechanical spider of enormous proportions, weighing in at about 1,500 pounds. It was originally created as a Burning Man 2006 funded art installation.
This gigantic metal spider has to be seen to be believed. Check out the video below that better explains a tweet that I put out the other day. The Mondo Spider won’t outrun a Nissan GT-R, but it could stomp all over it. If you look carefully, you can see Mostly Lisa in the background.
In trying to achieve a healthy life-work balance, many people seem to believe that they can only do this on their own. They think that they have to make personal changes to how they run their lives and how they divide their time between work-related activities and pleasure activities. The concept of having to achieve life-work balance on your own is terribly ironic, because one of the major goals in trying to achieve this balance in the first place is so that you can spend more time with your friends and family.
Human beings are social animals. Even if you make your living online, working alone in front of a computer for most hours of the day, you still need the real world and you still need human interaction. In this way, there is nothing wrong with enlisting the help of your loved ones to keep you in check. Trying to find complete balance in your life can be a very heavy burden and it’s not one that you need to tackle on your own.
Freelance writers and other online entrepreneurs can work anywhere they have an Internet connection and they can work at just about any hour of the day. While this appears to provide a certain level of freedom, it also provides for a very slippery slope toward suffering from burnout. You don’t want to burn out.
Myself, I’m glad that I have a significant other to keep me in check. She’s there to spur me on when I don’t feel particularly motivated to work. At the same time, she’s also there to remind me that it’s perfectly acceptable to take well-deserved breaks. She tells me that I can choose not to work on evening and weekends. If it wasn’t for her, my freelance business would not be where it is today and I wouldn’t be nearly as balanced (scary thought). John Chow echoes this sentiment with his Internet success.
You don’t have to choose between success and happiness. And you don’t have to go it alone either. Who keeps you balanced? Who keeps you in check?
On Wednesday, I made my way over to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Downtown Vancouver to attend the second annual Vancouver International Game Summit. This video game conference provides global perspectives on developing games for the next generation of consoles and features presentations from many of the leaders in the industry.
We all know that video game developers are getting increasingly influential and it certainly helps that I have been passionate about video games for as long as I can remember. The Vancouver International Game Summit (VIGS) provided a different perspective for me, because they approached it from the developer’s point of view, rather than from the gamer’s point of view.
In between Rock Band sessions with Stephen Fung, we attended a session hosted by Propaganda Games, the Vancouver development studio behind the recently released Turok game. In the session, they described a recent event that they held at the company wherein employees had to completely develop a game in less than five days. You are assigned your team members — there were about 7-8 people per team — on Monday morning and the completed game must be ready by early Friday afternoon.
This is one crazy timeline! They had to come up with a unique concept, create the artwork, and engineer the game from scratch in under a week. It just goes to show you how much talent is in the video game industry. Among the mini-games developed were a fighting game that involved the Rock Band drum set, a Viking adventure controlled by the pitch of your voice, and a game where you roam a retirement home as the Grim Reaper. Hilariously awesome stuff.
The reason why I was not able to attend Dot Com Pho last Saturday was because I was being interviewed by Canadian and American customs officers as part of my application to the NEXUS program. If you travel frequently between Canada and the United States, I recommend that you take a look at this program, because it will allow you to bypass those lengthy lineups at the border.
As a public service, I’ve decided to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about NEXUS and how the “trusted traveler” program works. Let’s just say that a five-minute wait at a border crossing — like at the Peace Arch which connects Blaine, Washington with Surrey, British Columbia — is substantially more pleasant than the two or three hour waits that are typical on long weekends.
1. What is the NEXUS Program?
According to the official website, “NEXUS is designed to expedite the border clearance process for low-risk, pre-approved travellers into Canada and the United States.” This means that the border guards and customs officers don’t need to grill you as you cross the border, because you’ve already been pre-approved. As a NEXUS member, you are still bound to the same laws. This means that you are under the same restrictions for bringing back fruits and vegetables, tobacco products, illegal aliens, and so on. NEXUS is a joint program between the governments of Canada and the United States.
2. Who is Eligible for NEXUS?
Generally speaking, if you are a Canadian or American citizen without a criminal record, you should have little trouble getting approved for the NEXUS program. Permanent residents of either country are also eligible. Check out this page for a little more information. You cannot be a terrorist.
3. What is the Application Process?
The easiest way to apply is through GOES (Global Online Enrollment System), a service provided by the US Department of Homeland Security. There is an online application form that you will need to fill out. This application form will ask you for your passport information, mailing address, phone number, employment history, and other personal data. After you submit your NEXUS application through GOES, you wait about a month or two for the approval process to go through. You will not receive an email when you receive initial approval, so you will need to log into GOES periodically to check on the status of your application.
When you see that your application has passed the first stage of approval, the GOES system will tell you that you need to book an appointment time. There are NEXUS offices in many major cities and airports, so just find the one nearest you. They have an online booking system for appointments, but I also learned that there are walk-ins for many of these locations as well. For the interview, you will want to bring your passport, the approval letter, and any other supporting documentation you may need. This could be a birth certificate, driver’s license, and a utility bill to prove your current address.
4. What Should I Expect at the Interview?
The interview, which takes about 30 to 45 minutes, is basically just to confirm what you have already stated in the application. The questions will vary a little, but you will be questioned by both a Canadian and an American officer. They may ask why you want to join NEXUS, confirm your employment information, and ask with whom you travel most frequently. I told them that I may be travelling more often for work-related purposes (like going to CES) and I also shop in the States from time to time. The officer will take your digital fingerprints at this time and, if you are at an airport, you can opt to have your irises scanned as well.
5. What Are the Advantages to Being a NEXUS Trusted Traveler?
Naturally, the biggest advantage to joining NEXUS is that you will be able to cross between Canada and the United States much more quickly than if you were not a NEXUS trusted traveler. In general, it will also mean that you will not be grilled as harshly as the general population and this is because you have been pre-screened and pre-approved.
6. What Are the Cons to Being a NEXUS Trusted Traveler?
Some people may not be comfortable with having both the Canadian and American governments having so much information on them. The “big brother” phenomenon is in full play with NEXUS, because they’ll have your employment history, your fingerprints, and (optionally) your iris scan. The other disadvantage is if you are found breaking any immigration or customs laws, for example, not only do you have to revoke your NEXUS membership, but you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The punishment will likely be worse than if the same crime was committed by a non-NEXUS member.
7. Do NEXUS Members Pay Taxes and Duty?
Yes. Holders of a NEXUS card are not exempt from all the laws surrounding duties and taxes. In fact, at the end of the interview process described above, you will be handed a booklet of forms. One of these forms (the Canadian version is called the Travellers Declaration Card or TDC for short) must be filed out each time you return to your home country. On this form, you will state the value of goods being brought back, broken down into the various categories. There’s one category for clothing and footwear, another for electronics, and so on. It also asks where the majority of goods were made and how long you were out of the country.
And herein lies another disadvantage to the NEXUS program. Upon returning to your home country and handing this form over, any duties and taxes that you must pay are automatically charged to the credit card that they will have on file. This is automatic. By contrast, when you take a regular lane at the border crossing, the customs officer has a certain level of discretion as to whether he wants to pull you over to pay your duties or not. This is not the case with NEXUS. That said, you still have the option of using the regular lane upon your return if you’d like; it just means you have to line up like everyone else.
8. How Much Does It Cost to Join NEXUS?
If you go through GOES, there is a non-refundable application fee of $50. This is payable in either Canadian or US funds. The application fee includes the price of the NEXUS card itself, which is valid for five years from the date of issue. There is no discount for renewals and replacement cards cost $25.
9. What Happens When I Travel by Air or Sea?
The NEXUS card itself is largely used for land crossings, but you can also use it to bypass lineups at the airport as well. For this, you will need to have your iris scan on file, which can be done at any of the NEXUS offices located in an airport. Note that not all airports will have a NEXUS line that is separate from the regular line. If you choose to take the NEXUS line at an airport, filling out the Travellers Declaration Card (TDC) mentioned earlier is optional. If you do fill one out, duties and taxes are charged automatically to your credit card. If you don’t, then any duties and taxes will have to be paid before leaving the customs area.
10. When Do I Get My NEXUS Card?
The NEXUS card is issued immediately after the conclusion of your interview. The card is printed on the spot and it contains your information, a photograph, and an RFID tag. The card cannot be used for the first 24 hours of issue, however.
More Questions about NEXUS?
If you have any further questions about the NEXUS program, you can use the comment form below and I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. You can also check the Wikipedia page for more information, as well as the official website. Happy travels!
As we get closer to the summer, many of us may be preparing for vacation in all kinds of exotic locations. Part of the reason why we take holidays in the first place is to find a place to just relax. At the same time, you want to spend your money carefully. Saving a dollar is much the same as earning an extra dollar.
For this week’s edition of What’s Up Wednesdays, let’s have a look at a few posts that will help you save, help you relax, and help you get excited about something that just might be coming next month.
Damien Riley has just completed the third entry in his series on How to Relax, reminding us to maintain a passive attitude. Sometimes, it’s better to just say, “Oh well” and get over it.
Glenn Wolsey has devised a five-step program to lead a more relaxing freelance lifestyle. Do you have clients breathing down your neck and deadlines looming in the nearby horizon? Take these tips and learn to relax.
Derek Semmler of The Man Page wants to be taken out for the ball game, taken out ot the crowd. The thing is that he’s not talking about major league baseball. Instead, he has five reasons to hit the minor leagues instead. Wanna save a few bucks?
Free Money Finance is talking about the thing that is on everyone’s mind. Fuel prices are hitting all time highs, but don’t be fooled into believing gas saving myths. Filling up in the morning does you no good!
John Biehler isn’t so interested in relaxing and saving money. He just wants the latest toy, making several 3G iPhone predictions. While I agree that Rogers will be grabbing the 3G iPhone (they’ve essentially confirmed it already), I’m not so sure that it’ll come with what I consider a “decent” data plan. I hope I’m wrong about the latter.
