larry borsato

Unpredictable. Unfocused. Just like life.

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Entries Tagged as 'Uncategorized'

RIM: Shooting themselves in the foot.

August 31st, 2010 · 1 Comment

My new startup is well on its way. igotihav now has a website, a Facebook app, and an iPhone app. You’ll be hearing more about it now that I have time to blog more.
Apple took a while to approve the app. While I was waiting I completed most of the Android version. It’s in test [...]

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Why are textbooks still $200?

August 3rd, 2010 · No Comments

Scott McNealy puts it very succinctly:
“Ten plus 10 has been 20 for a long time”
Textbooks are a multi-billion dollar market, for information that really doesn’t change. The internet and the world of open-source are forcing publishers to realize that things are changing though:
The nonprofit Curriki fits into an ever-expanding list of organizations that seek to [...]

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Congress shall make no law…

July 29th, 2010 · No Comments

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is as follows:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
It [...]

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Kids need a break too.

June 15th, 2010 · No Comments

Canadians are all work and no play:
Sit-down family dinners are rare in the Grunling home. Myles, 16, and Colin, 14, play soccer on teams coached by their father. Crystal Grunling and her husband, Manfred, work full-time jobs, and the boys, in Grades 11 and 8, attend different schools.
“We’re running every night of the week,” [...]

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When technology stops being technology.

June 8th, 2010 · 1 Comment

Via Seth Godin:
I saw a two-year old kid (in diapers, in a stroller), using an iPod Touch today. Not just looking at it, but browsing menus and interacting. This is a revolution, guys.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The iPad is often written off, but when I saw it announced I believed [...]

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Doing more of less.

June 3rd, 2010 · No Comments

Today’s Financial Post suggests that AT&T’s move to drop their unlimited data plan may boost RIM because customers realize they can to more with less bandwidth:
The benefit for Waterloo-based Research In Motion, who makes the Blackberry, could be in current iPhone users realizing they can get more out of RIM’s device.

“Now, as RIM is [...]

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Competition is a fact of life. Deal with it.

June 1st, 2010 · 2 Comments

It’s unfortunate that everyone can’t be the winner in any particular sporting event, but you can’t make things better by punishing those that do win:
In yet another nod to the protection of fledging self-esteem, an Ottawa children’s soccer league has introduced a rule that says any team that wins a game by more than five [...]

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Give us more money.

May 28th, 2010 · No Comments

From today’s National Post, Canada’s mayors are calling for a ‘new partnership’:
Canada’s big city mayors are calling for "a new partnership" between all levels of government, so municipalities don’t have to continuously ask for more funding to deliver services and meet infrastructure needs.
As the article notes, this is just code for a more one-sided [...]

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Why do property assessments always go up?

May 26th, 2010 · No Comments

Apparently Canadian homes are overvalued, according to today’s Financial Post:
A new report from one of the country’s major banks says house prices in Canada are sitting 14% over their "fair" value.
Strangely, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) has nothing about this on their website. That might suggest that their assessments are incorrect, and municipalities would [...]

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Patriotism versus Nationalism.

March 8th, 2010 · No Comments

From a letter to the editor from Brian Timmins in today’s National Post comes these excellent definitions:
Patriotism: Patriotism is an expression of love for one’s country as it is, a truthful appraisal, maybe loud and garish but not demeaning to others, and most of all never founded on ignorance.
Nationalism: Nationalism turns true patriot love [...]

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