gdp's Comments

Macleans.ca : No way to run a recession

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 01:28:38 +0000

Considering in most of the country the fall is time to button up construction projects for the winter, if it's not happening now, it's not happening this year! Imminent decisions - the municipalities will be lucky to come up with the matching funds! This is not the way to dig a country out of a recession, the creation of long lasting jobs is much more important than these shot in the arm boosts. A global recession of this nature requires relocalization as a solution.

Spark | CBC Radio : Your job before the internet?

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 00:30:05 +0000

I'm a city engineer, and finding reference material for pipeflows or other calculations would have been in 1000's of pages of textbooks, now with resources such as Google Books, websites or professional forums, the answer is just minutes away, even out in the field on a web-enabled smartphone. Communications and revisions of designs happens rapidly in real time, photos of technical issues can be sent to consultants or authorities from cell phones. Overall things have sped up, which is generally productive, but it has it's downside with the need to make decisions without as much time to ponder and research. I think it makes it easier to make decisions, but these decisions happen more rapidly.

UrbanWorkbench : Small City Airports

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:19:01 +0000

Agreed, however, the locations mentioned probably have much higher population densities to support air travel. BC was still the \\\"wild west\\\" long after many other areas of the continent were tamed.

UrbanWorkbench : Small City Airports

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:41:56 +0000

Adam thanks for your comments - stranded assets is going to be the theme of the future in this heavily suburban landscape. Small airports are no exception. (I will get onto the questionnaire as well!)

UrbanWorkbench : Feel Good and Save the Planet

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:17:58 +0000

I think it means saving the planet despite our own stupidity.

UrbanWorkbench : Disbelief

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:22:24 +0000

@WC - Denial is rampant. Doing our best is just part of the equation - the whole structure of our society is so overwhelmingly energy dependent, and the government has itself tied in knots over the stimulus package, or in BC's case - the election. Peak Oil and Climate Change are on a collision course with our corporate inaction, can we head it off with a last minute flurry of concern?

UrbanWorkbench : Castlegar Planning for the Future

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:01:35 +0000

From the City of Castlegar's Website. here are the details of tonight's meeting... As the first step, the City will host a community workshop to establish a vision for sustainability and a series of goals. These meetings, the first in a series of consultation sessions over the next year, will provide the foundation for the Sustainable OCP and Infrastructure Strategy. SUSTAINABLE OCP COMMUNITY WORKSHOP Thursday, April 16, 2009 - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Community Forum - 445-13th Avenue, The workshop will begin with a review of the 2006 Resident Survey and the 2007 Community Assessment, followed by a short presentation about the principles of community sustainability.

UrbanWorkbench : Happy Easter

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:46:27 +0000

Square foot gardening is a great idea for gardeners of all abilities, particularly those who have felt overwhelmed by the scale of things - it keeps it simple and manageable, and the rewards are fresh veggies, what could be better! And it is fun! We held off planting in the beds that are ready cause the weather forecast looked like some cold nights - just a little too cold for the row covers to protect the germination process. However,, the weather seems to be heading on a warming trend now, so we may get the seeds in tomorrow or Monday. I still have some row cover hoops to make up too!

UrbanWorkbench : Happy Easter

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:39:44 +0000

The joys of living in Rossland!

UrbanWorkbench : Are Green Buildings Worth It?

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 23:26:57 +0000

The NYT typically does pretty solid reporting, and they are quoting a building codes analyst for the National Association of Home Builders. Thanks for your comment though, it is definitely a matter of conjecture as to whether there are payoffs in carbon footprint, energy and dollar savings for these new and often fancy buildings.

UrbanWorkbench : High Unemployment and Farming

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 16:56:32 +0000

@EmJ - Denial is certainly the flavour of the day in North America. Stories such as the one I quoted show just how far removed from reality most of society is, the communities we live in are not set up to provide the work or services required to function without significant external inputs, whether demand for products, or supply of products from outside.

UrbanWorkbench : Saul Griffith on Future Energy

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 04:57:01 +0000

350ppm must be totally unrealistic with any alternative energy options, (that's my take on why the 450ppm model was used as the example). The act of producing all the parts needed to fuel our "age of oil lifestyle" will in itself consume more fossil fuels than predicted in any of the models - increasing the CO2 ppm even more. Again and again, I'm convinced that an Energy Descent is the only meaningful response to the combined problems. Whether the descent is forced upon us due to even further inaction or not is another question yet to be answered.

UrbanWorkbench : Saul Griffith on Future Energy

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 04:13:26 +0000

If you are in the mood for more Saul Griffith - check out his 2009 TEDTalk on Super Kites for energy generation - http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/492

UrbanWorkbench : SeeClickFix for Rossland

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 18:05:11 +0000

Thanks Ben, I'll let you know when it's up on the site.

UrbanWorkbench : SeeClickFix for Rossland

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 14:27:17 +0000

Hey! WC, See the comment below for an example of a neighbourhood reporting a drug house through SeeClickFix.

UrbanWorkbench : Castlegar News Editorial on the Proposed Abattoir

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:06:08 +0000

sorry about the "T" Castlegar!

UrbanWorkbench : Castlegar News Editorial on the Proposed Abattoir

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:02:55 +0000

[polldaddy 1496572 http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1496572/ polldaddy]

UrbanWorkbench : Canada's Sub-Prime Situation and Peak Oil

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:19:31 +0000

I'm interested in whether people are struggling with their own mortgage crisis at this stage. [polldaddy 1483955 http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1483955/ polldaddy]

UrbanWorkbench : Ski Resort Stormwater Treatment - Heavenly

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:59:27 +0000

Hey Jason, The MX name is easy, you can do this yourself form the control panel, but the CNAME for google apps has been a challenge that I haven't had resolved, I did email support and ask for their help on it, and they did change a bunch of CNAMEs (mail. docs. sites. calendar. etc) but it didn't work out - might have been something I did wrong, you could ask the support guys if they've made it work. Other than that, I've had no problems with their service or support. Try the code "GCR" when you order to get $40 off. (It worked when I tried it). If you do go with them, I'd appreciate you using the link above as I get a kick back at no cost to you.

UrbanWorkbench : Economic Realities for Communities

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:28:08 +0000

I did spend about 15 minutes doing the online survey, my answers were similar for many of the questions, but nothing like drumming it in!