Ensight - Jeremy Wright
A Personal Blog
Help Save a Guy, Help Save a Puppy, Help Save a Mo(ustache)
Oct 5th
This is not a prostate gland:
Not a Prostate Gland
That’s because every picture I could find of a prostate gland was disgusting. So for today’s discussion, imagine the above suuuuper cute puppy is, in fact, a prostate gland. Now, you wouldn’t want this prostate gland to die now would you? That’d be sad.
Now imagine how sad it’d be if every guy you loved had a puppy this cute attached to him, and if their puppy got really sick and died they would die too. Now we have not just dying puppies, but cute puppies and beloved dudes dying at the same time!
About Movember
From the site:
Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st clean-shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month. The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for prostate cancer. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.
A non prostate courtesy of #thecrush
Why I’m Helping
Besides a deep love for all puppies (mine in particular), the reality is that men’s health causes sometimes don’t get enough attention. That’s nobody’s fault, but given my puppy could one day get sick, as could the puppies attached to my two kids, I figure it’s my duty to do what I can. Even if “what I can” means “making a fool of myself”…
Cause… Erm, this boy can’t grow facial hair. Even to save my puppy.
But I’m doing it anyways. I’m growing a Mo (moustache), or my attempt at one, and taking on public ridicule cause it’s the right thing to do, it’s fun and, hell, it’s for charity so even the public mockery will be pretty low key.
And you can too!
Want to Help?
I’m helping run the digital program for Movember Toronto. And we’re mobilizing. Now. There are lots of real world events we’ll be supporting across towns. Numerous challenges to organize across the digital space, and a whole whack of silly, sexy and odd pictures of Toronto Mo’s to take, post and promote.
It is our goal to raise $1MM in Toronto for prostate research. And to do that, we need every Mo Bro and Mo Sister (girls that either love healthy puppies or love guys that have healthy puppies) to mobilize.
For now, we’re creating teams to spearhead awareness, fundraising, laughter and maybe a puppy flashmob (I’m quasi serious) across the Greater Toronto Area. So if you love puppies or dudes or just want to see way more Mos next month, here’s what you can do:
- Suggest a new team
- Suggest someone for an existing team
- Suggest a sponsor or partner
- Suggest an event
- VOLUNTEER for an of the above
- Choose a team you’d like to lead or co-lead (see below)
The MovemberTO Teams
Here’s my brainstorm (names subject to change), along with Melissa Smich and Michael Nus who are Co-Captains and spreading the word:
- AgencyMosTO: Work at an agency? Which agency will have the best Mo? Which one will raise the most puppy-saving money? Which one will produce the oddest puppy-sized replica of yours truly?
- GenYYZMos: Part of the younger generation? Just cause your puppy is young, doesn’t mean it can’t be awesome. Step up and show how much you love puppies, and sexy guys in Mos!
- StartupMosTO: Startups rawk at doing a tonne with very little. The startup community here in Toronto rawks… so let’s show the world what we can do when we put our minds to it! Besides, we don’t want those AgencyMos raising more money, do we?!
- BrownMosTO: Okay, I’m brown. I know you can’t tell, but it’s true (well half brown). So I want to see my community mobilized. Besides, few people on the planet grow better body hair than the brown man! (present company sadly excluded).
- Others? Let me know your thoughts! What communities should we reach out to? The gay community? Musicians? Artists? Hipsters? Suburbanites? Baby boomers? People named who’s first name is Dave?
The Wrap-Up
Puppies are cute. Prostates are not. Proof:
A cute puppy. Not a cute prostate.
Save a puppy. Email me (jeremy@netmobs.com) or call (416 726 3602) to get involved. Or just leave a comment here. Tweet it. Spread it on Facebook. Let’s mobilize Toronto for the good of all cute guys, all cute puppies and all (un)cute prostates.
How to Participate
And Follow @MovemberTO (yes it’s still being turned on, one step at a time!) on Twitter for more updates!
Go to Movember.com and Register. Join the MovemberTO team.
My Top 10 Weight Loss Secrets
Oct 4th
In March of 2008 I weighed 265 pounds. I was fat. Obese even. And on the verge of a heart attack. Thanks to my doctor’s advice I made changes, tried lots of things and now, 30 months later, I’m at nearly 195 pounds. I’m not done yet, but losing 70 pounds means people want to know what works. So here are my tips, based on years of figuring out the lifestyle that works for me.
Today
30 months after I started this journey, I weighed in at 197.5 pounds this morning. My body fat is under 20% (from 55%). I’m wearing 36 jeans, size Medium shirts, and I’m thinner than I’ve been since I was a teenager.
And since I’ve been putting my journey on Twitter, people have started to ask for tips and such. My responses are generally glib, but I’ve decided to post this to help a little bit, since I know when I was starting my journey that glib responses didn’t help.
My Top 10 Tips for Losing Weight
- My biggest tip: Change a habit every month, something small: small changes add up. Cut fast food one month, stop eating after 8pm another month, split portions into two meals another month, drink more water another month. Small changes matter.
- Eat early, don’t eat late: the earlier you eat, the sooner your metabolic whatever kicks in. The earlier you stop eating, the longer your body spends processing the day’s food and then your body fat during sleep.
- Sleep properly: when you sleep, you burn fat. So get that 8 hours. It’s good for you and for your weight.
- Don’t drink beer: yeah, uh, this should be pretty obvious. I do vodka, which is all sugar, but it’s less calories and carbs and all that useless crap your body doesn’t need. Also beer means consuming way too much liquid late in the evening, which is just silly in the first place.
- Have an active support system: weight loss as a private journey is bound and determined to fail. I’ve blogged, used services and used Twitter. Twitter worked for me, find out what works for you.
- Celebrate your victories: I couldn’t have lost 70 pounds if I’d set out to lose 70 pounds. Set targets that are achievable (10-20 pounds per target) and then celebrate those victories. My friends and family, via Twitter, celebrated too.
- Have multiple motivations: don’t just make it about weight loss. Track your waist size, take measurements, really track anything you can cause that number on the scale isn’t the only thing changing. Take pictures to show how stuff looks even if it isn’t changing on the scale.
- Eating better is easier than exercising more.
- Walk more. I listen to music and walk for an hour or two, checking email, making notes to myself and generally chilling. Relaxation in general is good for you, so kill two (or in my case 5) birds with one stone. Yoga might be better for you. Do something that combines relaxation with exercise without requiring a huge commitment (like 3x per week at the gym, which is hard to sustain).
- More meals, smaller meals: eat more often, but less, and stop eating when you’re full.
Ultimately losing weight is a lifestyle change. It’s not a diet (though those help sometimes). It’s not an exercise regime (though having more muscle mass means burning more calories). It’s not a number. I’ve found a lifestyle that works for me. It won’t work for you. So alot of the above is geared towards helping you find that lifestyle.
There will be plateaus. There will be weight gains. And it’s definitely a long term proposition (it’s easy to see the 70 pounds of weight loss as a big number, but it’s over thirty months… if you have more than 25 pounds to lose, half a pound a week on average allows you to have some ups and downs without stressing out).
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing: you can do it. It will be hard. But with the right support system, a flexible plan and a focus on the long term it is more than possible for you to lose any amount of weight.
BNOTIONS Is Hiring Kickass Devs (Jr & Snr)
Jul 20th
I recently (like yesterday) started a new gig, and as part of that we’re building out our already fantastic tech team. The official job descriptiony thingy is below, but if you have questions, grab me on Twitter (@jeremywright) or Skype (jeremy_wright)!
And, yes, I’ll have more info on the move, what it means, what we’re building as time goes on. For now, too much work to pause and blog (which is such a good thing). It is good to be back in the startup world!
BNOTIONS Hiring Junior and Senior Devs
BNOTIONS is a programming and development fraternity. We build the tools, technology, platforms, services and applications for agencies, clients and startups. We are always hiring talented developers as we are always growing and because there are occasionally casualties during our weekly live-streamed talent show, Harth Night Lite.
If you’re the kind of developer that scoffs at inefficient code, believes proper config files can be poetry and have made at least one saint tear up at your PHP or Ruby (or whatever!) then we should talk. Or battle. We could battle to the pain.
So what is life at BNOTIONS like? It’s like Shredder’s Lair from TMNT. Only with slightly fewer skateboards, slightly more monitors and roughly the same number of mutant turtles (of indeterminate age). We work hard, play harder and skype random links all.day.long.
WHAT’S OUR NOTION (GET IT? HAR HAR HAR) OF A GREAT DEV? - You gotz the kommunication skillz - You can focus on great code, with efficiency - You don’t need someone to manage your every minute (but wouldn’t mind a mentor) - You want to be part of a team that gives a damn - You don’t mind being a bit crazy
THE SKILLS WE B (SO FUNNY) LOOKING FOR - Total domination of the LAMP stack - Server-Side language skills (Ruby, PHP, Java, Python etc) - Mobile know-how an asset (iPhone, Android, Mobile Web, etc) - Familiarity with toolkits (JQuery, AMFPHP, etc) - Deep bromance with OSS products (WordPress, Kohana, Rails, etc) - A perversion for APIs (Twitter, Facebook, Google Maps, etc)
GETTING TO THE TOP OF OUR LIST - You get the social media thing - Flexibility - No ego, outside of knowing you’re the best developer you know (don’t worry, we’re all the best we know too!) - Based in Toronto or Kelowna (or willing to relocate)
INTERESTED?
Drop us a line and tell us why you give a damn, and why we should give a damn about you to alex@bnotions.ca, jeremy@bnotions.ca or jack@bnotions.ca!
What the iPad iAin't
Jan 28th
So the iPad is out. Yay. I mean, no, really, this is my excited face. You can tell because my eyes are open.
Seriously, though, I had very low expectations for the iPad. Mostly because, well, I figured it’d just end up being a larger iPhone and an eBook reader all in one. And none of that sounded exciting. But part of me, a small part, was actually hoping that when Steve-O said it was the most important thing he’d evar done (remember this is the guy who invented moving to a different state to jump the donor list) that it’d actually, y’know, matter.
Now I’m hopeful that the iPad will a) get a new name but b) more importantly will pull an iPhone and be rawking by it’s 3rd iteration (cue Microsoft jokes).
However, right now? It barely even meets my expectations. Let’s review what Steve-O promised… that the iPad would be better than either an iPhone or a laptop at:
The iPad iAin't Better...
Browsing: While I’m no Flash fan (though I see it’s place, especially for educational and rich media stuff), not having Flash available in a browser is flat out bad for browsers. Sorry, but even if you think Flash is evil, ask yourself: if Microsoft had come out with an OS that didn’t support Flash would you be happy? I think not. WIN: Laptop.
Email: The physical keyboard is nice. But how is it better at email than a laptop? Sorry, poorer typing, less UI control? WIN: Laptop.
Photos: I’ll actually give this to the iPad. Everything about this is sexy. WIN: iPad.
Video: In what world is the iPad better at video? Cause it has fullscreen and you can carry it on your lap? But it doesnt’ have widescreen. And doesnt’ allow non-Youtube web-based video… and doesnt’ have decent external speakers. Or the ability to plug in decent USB headphones or… anything. WIN: Laptop.
Music: Music should be one of two things: highly portable, or high quality. The iPad is neither. Nevermind that Flash-based music services (like many podcast plugins for wordpress) simply won’t work. What’s the use-case for a larger iPod Touch that plays the same thing as the iPod touch, but where I can’t listen to the music while doing something else? Maybe if it was waterproof I could use it in the bath, but besides that… I got nuthin’. WIN: Laptop/iPhone.
Games: Games, like music, should be one of two things: highly portable or high quality. The iPad does neither. What it does do, which is interesting, is introduce true multi-touch gaming. This’ll bear watching. For now, though? WIN: Laptop/iPhone.
eBooks: Yeah, eBooks. Let’s give the iPad props. It is drop dead gorgeous for newspaper/magazine reading. I can totally see sitting on the couch reading the latest issue of Drop or something. Sexy. But books? Erm, no, I refuse to strain my eyes that way while reading for 6 hours (plus, can’t imagine how I’d prop this up while laying sideways in a readable fashion?). Props for beauty, but this is not an eReader, nevermind one for eBooks (Steve-O’s word). Nevermind that my Kindle? I leave it in my backpack loaded with books. If I don’t see it for 3 months, but then find myself on a plane? Pull it out and read. That’ll never happen with the iPad. WIN: KINDLE.
Fundamentally, I can’t really figure out a solid use-case for the iPad, outside of the ability to watch TV on a smaller and more portable screen… No multitasking. No USB. No video out. No phone calls. No Flash. No camera. No use.
Hell, even Hitler hates it:
Back Into the Game
Jan 18th
Till I Collapse by Enimem
Until the roof The roof comes off Until my legs give out from underneath me
I will not fall, I will stand tall, Feels like no one could beat me.
Nearly 6 months ago (in 9 days), I announced that I was leaving b5media, a company where I was the CEO and one of 4 founders, along with 3 other amazing individuals. I then proceeded to take roughly 6 months of quieter time to work on me, sort through stuff and figure out what I wanted personally and professionally. Note: I highly recommend doing this if you haven’t recently (it’s a central part of a talk I’m giving with @geekmommy at South by South West).
As I came out of my hardcore “Workcation”, and a month post the transition, I wrote this post detailing some of my thoughts and whatnot. Looking back on the post, the thing that stood out (besides my #madwritingskillz) was my thoughts on what I wanted to do:
- Figure out what makes you smile, and do more of that
- Figure out what makes you stress, and do less of that
- Don’t be afraid to fail (I used to live by this, but sometime in the last year I lost it)
- Sleep
- Friends and family matter
More smiling.
Less stress.
More passion.
More sleep.
More involvement.
What I Wanted
Basically I wanted a job where I could be great, be part of a team, have real work/life balance (cause I’d be more inspired that way) and make a difference in the company and for our clients.
I’ve seen a lot of job opportunities over the last 6 months. Many of them were amazing, and I felt silly turning them down, but something about each just didn’t feel with my fundamental needs to make a difference, be part of a great team and learn/grow.
Over the last few months, one opportunity has consistently excited me. I could never quite put my finger on “why” until a good and wise friend basically pointed out that if I was still interested even though it wasn’t the best pay, the best title, etc, then I must either be crazy or I must actually give a damn. I really did. And giving a damn about your “job” is actually pretty cool when you get right down to it.
She’s a smart cookie that one. Even if she does say “insurance” and “ambulance” wrong.
So, I talked to the company, we worked out details, and … well, today is Day 1.
What I Got
Today I’ve joined the Thornley Fallis / 76design team. The titles don’t matter. The details don’t matter. What matters is:
- The team is Blue Angel incredible. From people I knew rawked like Dave, Michael, Terry and Joe to people I’ve gotten to know very recently that are also incredible like Sarah, Shawn, Jenn, Keelan and Leisha… to people that I haven’t met yet cause I’ve only been here 6 hours… who are also, I’m completely confident, rawkstars.
- We’re doing fab work for some incredibly interesting clients. I’m not sure what the kosherness is on naming them, so I’ll just say that our clients are high end companies we’re doing leading edge work for, as well as folk you may never hear of where we’re able to grow and redefine their business. It’s just flat out cool.
- I get to learn. Let’s face it, doing new stuff is 3 parts scary and 105 parts just wicked exciting. Doing it in an industry you’ve only worked with tangentially (even if you’ve won gobs of awards and spoken at events in said industry) is even cooler. Getting to learn about marketing, branding and PR from some of the coolest and most knowledgeable people in Canada (if not the entire industry)? Teh hawtness.
This is my first time in a “job” in, like, 6 years. It’s my first time with a “real” desk and an office, well, evar. It’s my first time taking on a senior role in a company I didn’t start, or where I didn’t work my way up through the ranks. But more important than that, it’s my first time working in such a dynamic environment where the team, clients and work are all nsync (see what I did there? #boybandaddict).
Today is Day 1. It was a great day (and it’s nowhere near done). I’m hopped up on something better than redbull: energy and excitement. They should bottle this shit.
PS: HUGE thanks to @jpetersen for helping me fix blog issues to get this up! Total great guy! Here’s his details in case you ever need help ;-)
