View from Howe Sound Brewing

Every Wednesday, I share five fun reads from around the web. This week, we play the tourist, save some money, shift our perspective, test our patience and rejig the group conversation.

Having been born and raised in the Vancouver area, I’ve come to take the natural beauty of British Columbia for granted. Rebecca Bollwitt reminds me of a majestic location less than an hour north of Vancouver. It’s called The Chief and it’s a popular destination for many sightseers and hikers. Unlike the Grouse Grind, though, you will have to not only hike your way up the granite monolith, but you’ll also have to hike your way back down. I’ve been told the view is very much worth the effort.

My local provider recently increased my monthly rate by about another $10, so the article by Jason couldn’t be more timely. He writes about how you can save some cash on your cable and Internet bill. It pays to shop around with the competitors. You can also save some money by bundling your services or, sadly, downgrading your Internet. I think I enjoy my 50Mbps service a little too much, as the next tier down is a mere 25Mbps.

I’ve become a big fan of Gavin Aung Than. He’s the guy behind Zen Pencils, a site that shares “cartoon quotes from inspirational folks.” One of the more recent posts highlights a powerful message from Jiddu Krishnamurti, a philosopher and writer from India. We are reminded of what happens when we compare ourselves to others. All you are doing is destroying yourself, devaluing your self-worth against an unfair yardstick. Your journey must start with understanding yourself instead.

Three years ago, I received a Tassimo brewbot. It very much simplified the morning coffee routine, but it’s not getting much use these days. By contrast, Tris Hussey and his wife love their Nespresso (I tried it in France and thought it was pretty great too), but his customer service experience with Nespresso has left a lot to be desired. From wrong colors to unfortunate miscommunications, the situation went from bad to worse. The good news is that Tris has been treated well since his post went up.

And finally, we have Darren Barefoot. He’s a veteran of the professional conference, but more and more, he’s decided that conference panels are awful. One or two panelists end up dominating the conversation and the participants are oftentimes underprepared for the discussion. There is hope, though, as Darren offers some advice on how these panels can be improved. Moderators need to be prepared, they need to set expectations, and they need to tell a story while eschewing their own opinions.