Archive for February, 2011

Portland’s doing it. Vancouver too. Edmonton, ya they’re down.

Who wouldn’t be hyped on a bike week, FULL of biking events.

Bikeapalooza is Calgary’s first week long, bike event extravaganza. All citizens and visitors are invited to join by organizing and participating in bike events.

Take a look at what Portland’s doing,

www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2009.php

Calgary’s Bikeapalooza events could range from “Bicycle Tea Dances” to “Bunny Hop Contests” to “Tall Bike Builders Workshops” to “Late Night Neighborhood Cruises” or come check out the Calgary’s premier of “The Bike Heist“, it’s up to you.

I’m thinking I might host a “Bicycle Double Tour”. Dust off your pegs!

Bikeapalooza is penciled in for late June, the 19-26.

Come to the meeting to brainstorm events and post onto the schedule and meet some Bikeapalooza enthusiasts.

The meeting is at BikeBike (1501 17 Avenue Southwest), Thursday February 3rd at 630pm.

More info at the BikeBike blog post and the Bikapalooza facebook page.

You may have heard a lot of talk in the news and media about the CRTC, your local internet provider and usage-based billing (UBB).  It essentially revolves around the move to cap the amount of Internet users can access and charge fees for those that go over. Having lived in an unlimited Internet world, this move is proving very controversial to commoditize the lifeline that Canadians rely on frequently in their daily lives.

For many users, a cap on Internet isn’t a big deal because you won’t likely use up your allotted broadband anyways. But just like your cellphone, there may be those times when you do go over on your Internet as you do your minutes.  Your favorite Torrents provider may not get you your latest movie if he or she can’t afford the Internet to upload it.  You might actually have to sit in front of the TV at a scheduled time to watch your beloved TV shows. And in the words of the Open Media group that is spearheading this cause, usage-based billing “will crush innovative services, Canada’s digital competitiveness, and your wallet.” Strong statement, but UBB is invoking strong emotions out of Internet users across the country.

There are lots of resources to learn more about the issue:

• Usage-based billing FAQs
• Netflix and usage-based billing
• Usage-based billing news round-up

Check out the Open Media petition and decide for yourself how important access to the Internet is for you. Hopefully we can make a difference and keep the Interwebs (relatively) free.