If you’re going to San Diego

You’re gonna meet some gentle Pandas there!

Sure, I may have mangled up Scott McKenzie‘s lyrics; but, I was recently in San Diego, and had a chance to see some pretty cool things – including the ever-so-famous Pandas at the Zoo!

I thought I would share some notes on some of the attractions that I had a chance to see in case anyone else is heading down and wondering what to do:

1) USS Midway Aircraft Carrier

If you have ever wonders what it’s like inside an Aircraft Carrier?  If so, this museum is for you!

As part of your ticket price (about $18), you can take a self-guided tour.  They will give you a headset and device to listen to blurbs on each section as you walk around.  It may not sound very interesting from reading this; but, the self-guided tour is very well done.

As you walk around the ship, you punch in the number associated with the area you are in and it will play an audio clip about the area.  Many sections also include “bonus” audio from people who actually served on the USS Midway, which is what makes the tour so great.

Inside, they have the ship sectioned off so that you see all of the key areas without getting lost.  Keep in mind that these are pretty tight places, so there were a few times that I had to wait for others to finish taking pictures before I could get by.  Although the ship was packed with people, there were many times when I was all alone in large hallways or room, so don’t worry about it being too crazy.

On the flight deck, there are a wide variety of planes and helicopters from many different decades.  There was also some former sailors giving presentations on how the flight deck worked, which was incredibly detailed and interesting!  For an added bonus, get their early so that you can get up to see the island!  Be sure to set aside about four hours to see everything.

Additional Links:

• Check out their office website.
• Read all about the USS Midway on Wikipedia
• Look it up on Google Maps

2) The San Diego Zoo

Sure, it’s a pretty famous Zoo; but, you will understand why once you visit!

I did a bit of research before heading to the Zoo.  Basically, if you want to see the Pandas and avoid the PANDAmonium, then you need to get there early.  The Zoo opens at 9am; but, you can go earlier and get your ticket before it opens.

If you are staying downtown, avoid taxi’s by taking the #7 bus to and from the Zoo (that stops all along Broadway) for $2.25.  I believe it stops every 10-15 minutes.

I picked up a day pass, it was pretty pricey (around $38); but, it does get you into the zoo and includes unlimited use of Guided Bus Tour, Express Bus, Skyfari Aerial tram.

The cafe will also be open early, and it will be full of both tourists waiting and staff (who you can ask any remaining questions).  When you the entire  room empty in a flash, you know the Zoo is open!

I quickly headed directly to the Pandas – and I was the only person there (besides a Zoo worker).  I had the whole place to myself, and it was pretty cool to see.  Later in the day the lineups to briefly see them had hundreds of people in it!  Remember to look up as those Pandas can get pretty far up into the trees.

I also headed up to see the Polar Bears (which will get quite busy later in the day as well).  I had the chance to watch them with only three other people there.  Again, go early and avoid the crowds.  The best part?  I watched one Polar Bar smash into the glass trying to attack a small kid.

Remember how I said my ticket came with a Bus Tour?  I’d recommend skipping it.  You can’t see much from the bus and there will be a large lineup to get on – even early in the day.  Also prepare for an abundance of terrible animal puns/jokes.

One thing you should not skip is the Skyfari Aerial tram – it’s very impressive.  It will carry you across the entire Zoo, although you really can’t see any animals.  You can see a great view of the Zoo though.  As a tip, if there is a big lineup at the bottom (by the entrance), skip it and get on at the end by the Polar Bears – the lineups there were very small.

The other mode of transportation, the Express Bus, was nowhere to be found.  I guess that you need to stand at the “bus stops” and wait for it; but, there was never one around when I was near the stops.  This might be handy for getting to some of the areas if you are traveling with kids; but, I found that I could walk from one area to the next just as fast.

The map of the Zoo is very intimidating; but, it’s all walkable in about 4-5 hours, although I never stopped to look at the birds.

Additional Links:

• Check out their official website
• Get Directions to the Zoo

3) Segway Tours

I somehow came across the website for Another Side Of San Diego Tours, which contains some pretty crazy stuff on it – including flying planes, helicopters – and much more outside my pay range; but, there are some affordable things in there for the rest of us.

The Segway Tours really stood out for me – especially since I was exhausted from walking around the Zoo all day!  They are not that cheap (about $85 + tip); but, given the amount you see (and the fact you get to drive around in a SEGWAY), it’s worth it.

Be sure to give them a call and make a reservation – certain times can get busy.  Their office is located downtown in the Gaslamp District, so it’s pretty accessible.

Luckily for me, I was the only person in the group, so that meant I was getting a personal guided tour of San Diego – and we were able to cover a great deal more because we were not constantly stopping to take pictures!

I should also note that is really only takes about 15 minutes to get very comfortable with the Segways.  The only trouble I had while on it was climbing steep hills (which are few and far behind).  Overall, it’s like I’ve been driving one around for years – it’s very natural.

We covered much of the Gaslamp District (including checking out their baseball arena), Seaport Village, all along their harbour, up through Little Italy, all over Balboa Park, then back down through the Gaslamp District.

The guide was stopping all over to give some history on each area we were in – including haunted houses, San Diego’s only alley, and much more.

Overall, this was something I wish I had done first because it gives you a great overview of the city – and you can then pick out different areas/attractions that you would like to go back and see in more detail later!

I can’t recommend this enough, I will definitely be looking for Segway tours the next time I visit a large city!

Additional Links:

• Check out their website
• Look it up on Google Maps
• Learn more about Segways

How about you, have you been to San Diego? Anything you have seen that should be on the list?

I was included in an article in today’s Telegraph-Journal, check it out below, and let me know what you think!

Canada’s workplaces should be prepared to provide meaningful work to its next generation of leaders, who could be eyeing high-level positions within a few years, generation Y researcher Carolin Rekar Munro says.

More so than previous generations, Canadians born between 1981 and 2000 are generally ambitious to take on leadership roles in organizations, the management professor at Victoria-based Royal Roads University says.

The cohort wants to be engaged in their work and won’t wait around for employers that can’t give them meaningful things to do, says Rekar Munro, who spent the last two years conducting a country-wide study of Gen Y’s attitude toward work.

“This is going to be a group that is very values driven,” she says. “We’re going to see a very strong focus on work learning and work balance.”

Where gen X – which she defines as born between 1965 and 1980 – put a strong emphasis on having free time to have a life, gen Y wants to add continued learning, but not necessarily to the benefit of their current employers, Rekar Munro says.

“It’s for their own personal development so that they have a strong sense of their skills so they’ve got mobility from job to job and career to career,” she says.

Rekar Munro says The Conference Board of Canada’s 2006 prediction of an accelerated retirement rate in 2012 would only be slightly affected by ailing retirement funds.

“We’re going to see 30 per cent of baby boomers reach 65, that’s 6.6 million Canadians,” she says. “By 2016 we’re going to be looking at a shortage of about one million workers.”

This means organizations are going to need the new younger workers, she says.

Research has generally shown gen Y to spend two to five years in one workplace, but Rekar Munro says they now consider one year a long-term commitment.

“There’s research that shows they can size up an organization within two to three weeks and have a pretty good idea if they want to stay any longer,” she says.

Shawn Peterson, 25, agrees his generation doesn’t want to waste much time in a job they don’t like.

“I’m really expecting to be at a company that gives out a lot of opportunities and will really go the extra mile to conform to the way I want to work and the things I want to do,” the Saint John resident says. “If they don’t do that I’m not too likely to wait around for that to happen.”

Though Peterson has been fortunate his employer, T4G Ltd., has continued to provide him with new experiences and challenges for the last five years, he has seen friends and other peers bounce around from job to job.

“I don’t think my generation would have as much loyalty as my parents’ generation would have,” he says.

“My parents would have been fine doing the same thing for say five years before moving up the chain. But we want more variety and we want to take things on early on.”

When engaged, Peterson says gen-Yers will want to stick around and work hard.

“If you are working on something that you personally can get behind or believe in you will go the extra mile regardless,” he says.

Rekar Munro says gen-Yers really want a boundary-less work environment and don’t want to be micromanaged, and most importantly they want an answer to the big question: Why is this important work to be done for the organization?

“We’re not doing a good job in organizations answering the ‘But why?’ question,” she says. “This is a group that really needs a high degree of feedback and immediate feedback.”

Gen-Yers are attracted to fast-track promotions and to some degree the money, but also perks such as flexible work hours and having fun, Rekar Munro says.

“Organizations need to create training and succession programs that attract gen Y,” she says. “If they can do that I think we’re going to be ahead of the game.”

Well, it’s almost been a year since I created Propertize, an application that screen-scrapes the existing government website to make is easier to compare your property assessment to the rest of the street, and it seems that a lot of people have been asking about it lately!  If you are wondering why I did this, then just try using the existing government application – the user interface is terrible!

Just click the image below to check it out:

As always, send along any feedback!

Check it out, I made it into a T4G press release!

Shawn Peterson, 24, one of only a dozen to get prestigious annual nod

SAINT JOHN, October 5, 2009 – T4G Limited, a leading national provider of project-based technology services, is delighted to announce that one of its developers is officially a “rising star” in New Brunswick.

Rising Stars is an annual provincial award recognizing 12 young knowledge industry workers in companies and organizations throughout New Brunswick. Winners must distinguish themselves by the quality of their work and positive impact in both the community and the information and communications technology (ICT) industry. The awards were announced at a gala dinner in Moncton on October 1 (www.risingstars.ca).

“It was a thrill and a surprise to win this,” says Shawn Peterson, 24, who was hired at T4G’s Saint John operation four years ago after completing a co-operative work program as part of ICT training at New Brunswick Community College. “I could never have won this if not for working at T4G, a company that brings out the best in employees through encouragement, mentoring and always offering challenging projects.”

While Shawn”s job title is developer, his skill set now includes analysis, project management, team leadership and quality assurance due to his drive and initiative to understand all aspects of IT consulting over his first four years with T4G.

“I knew within the first hour of working with Shawn that he had an outstanding work ethic and maturity level beyond his years,” says Karen Colpitts, the T4G Project Manager in Saint John who nominated Shawn for the award. “Shawn is also active in charitable and other community work. He has all the qualities and inherent skills to excel in the IT industry or any other industry for that matter.”

Shawn is the chair of FUSION Saint John Inc., a networking group for active, civic-minded Saint John residents with a clear vision of the city’s future as a great place to live, work and play. He is also a government affairs committee member of the Saint John Board of Trade.

Like many T4G employees, he is also active in Future Focus Foundation, T4G’s registered charity that raises money for organizations that help children succeed.

Sponsored by New Brunswick’s ICT industry, Rising Stars is more than an award. It is also a year-long mentorship and networking program for accomplished and emerging technology leaders with the goal to ultimately enhance and strengthen the provinces leading IT sector.

About T4G Limited

T4G is a national, project-based, full-service professional services company founded in 1996 that delivers IT consulting services through a federation of operating business units. These business units service such areas as User Interface Design, Software and Application Development, Infrastructure, Networking and Security, Business Analytics and Reporting, and Content and Data Transformation. We believe in The Intelligent Application of Technology™ where less can be more, where innovation leads to opportunity, and where a culture of commitment always strives to exceed customers’ expectations.

For more information: www.t4g.com

Media Contacts

Cathy Simpson
Director, Marketing and Public Affairs
T4G Limited
cathy.simpson@t4g.com
506-632-2522

Bob Brehl
abc2 communications
bob@abc2.ca
416-994-1470

Well, I thought I would turn to the internet to help track down the kids who egged my car this morning.

It occurred on St. Catherine Street (behind Russell Street) on the East Side.  Two kids up in the bushes hit my back window, then at least one other vehicle behind me.

I called the police to file a report, and while waiting for them to arrive, the kids actually walked right by my Jeep.

So I started taking some pictures on my cell phone to help track them down.

Here they are:

Any idea on their names or address?  One man who works nearby recognized both as neighbourhood kids.

Let me know so I can pass it on to the police!

I was listening to Shift on CBC Radio earlier this week, and they had an interesting segment with their chef, Helen Buck.

She was there talking about a recipe for cooking a cake in the microwave – and then they made it – live on the radio.

For anyone who is curious, here is the recipe:

• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
• small splash of vanilla extract
• 1 large microwave safe coffee mug

1. Add dry ingredients to mug, mix well.
2. Add the egg and miss thoroughly.
3. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
4. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
5. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
6. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!
7. Allow to cool a little and tip out on to plate if desired.
8. EAT ! – this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous)

Why is it the most dangerous cake recipe in the world….because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time, day or night!

In my last post, I talked about an idea that I am working on for T4G’s GeekFest 2009.

Today, I have more details (and a functional website) to share with you.

The idea is called TouristForADay.com.

Is is an online tourism planning solution – basically, you create an itinerary of activities, print it off, and enjoy your trip.

Creating your Itinerary

Creating your itinerary starts with searching for activities.  You simply enter a few parameters such as where you are going, your interests, and your budget, and it will generate an itinerary of activities for you.

You will have the ability to customize it by removing activities you are not interested in and selecting other ones you do want.  At the end of the process, you have a list of activities to enjoy on your trip.

Print the Itinerary

The itinerary can be saved and accessed anywhere on any device (including mobile phones and devices).

The itinerary can also be printed off to take on your trip.  The printed copy can be folder into a brochure (which is easy to carry around in your pocket).  It will include details on each activity in your itinerary.  It can also be folded out to show a personalized map with directions to each activity.

Enjoying your Trip

Once you have all of this information, you are ready to go out and enjoy your trip! When you get back, you will be able to return to the website to rate and comment on the activities that you experienced. Your feedback will then show up for others when they are building their itineraries – helping others pick the best activities!

Sneak “Geek” Peek

So there you have it – your very own sneak peek at what I will be demoing at GeekFest in Toronto next week.

I also have a working copy for anyone to check out ahead of the event – simply visit TouristForADay.com!

I haven’t been posting as much as I used to; but, I have a good reason – I’ve been too busy working on these things:

GeekFest 2009

I’ll be heading to Toronto, on April 1st, to participate in T4G’s GeekFest 2009.

Last year, I presented on the Facebook Application that I created to track support for political parties.

This year, I am building a Tourism Application that makes it easy to get a list of things to do for a given city!  I will be releasing more details leading up to the event.

For the geeky, the application will be built using:  ASP.NET MVC, WCF, jQuery, and more!

Update - I have recently posted new information on this application.

Propertize

I’ve also been working on an application to make it easier to view (and compare) property assessments for a given street. I’m now calling it Propertize.

The current government website is just awful for viewing more then one property.

So, I emailed SNB to ask for an alternate way to get at this data (maybe a web service?); but, I only received the following response: “You are right. This is the only way to assess the information.”

This left me with only one option – screen scraping their pages!

I’ve been adding features as they are requested, and I am willing to add more.  Contact me if you have any ideas or requests!

I have been wanting to promote a few local blogs that I read each week.  Since I have been too busy to blog myself, I decided that tonight was a good night to start!

Around Saint John

Lots of great pictures and information on various projects going on in Saint John.

Lamespotting

This is a Fredericton area blog that I would highly recommend reading. The articles are well written and often quite funny.

The Independent

Another great Fredericton based blog. Lots of variety in topics – from politics and the weather to energy prices!

Urban Plans for Saint John and Beyond

This is THE blog for development information in Saint John. Plus lots of details on things you walk by everyday and never notice!

After launching my blog, back in April 2007, I’ve been wanting to update the theme.

Tonight, I made the update!

The new theme is a modified version of Devart, which I had been working on for the past several weeks.

It offered me a chance to understand the inner workings of themes in WordPress and to modify it to meet my needs.

What do you think?  Send me your thoughts!