insights on technology » human interest http://www.elwinwitzke.com My thoughts on technology, business, culture, family and anything else that seems interesting. Brought to you from Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:18:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Get out of your cubicle http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/get-out-of-your-cubicle/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/get-out-of-your-cubicle/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:20:41 +0000 Elwin Witzke http://www.elwinwitzke.com/?p=689 I love design and architecture.

Many of us spend most of our working hours in offices that were designed in the 1970′s.  But we don’t need to. Check out officesnapshots.com and laze away a while checking out the digs of all your favourite companies. The tech companies, advertising firms, innovation groups and every stripe in-between.

Dream and enjoy.  And don’t forget to check out the nutrition stations, meeting rooms and fun spaces.

One of the really, on the edge ones, is the offices of Selgas Cano in Madrid.

Offices of Selga Cano - Officesnapshots.com

Offices of Selgas Cano - Officesnapshots.com

So how does your office rate?

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/get-out-of-your-cubicle/feed/ 0 Inn At The Quay http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/inn-at-the-quay/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/inn-at-the-quay/#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:44:59 +0000 Elwin Witzke http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/inn-at-the-quay/

Inn At The Quay, originally uploaded by Elwin Witzke.

I really like the architecture of this hotel built right on the Fraser River in New Westminster, B.C.

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/inn-at-the-quay/feed/ 0 Peaceful on Deer Lake http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/peaceful-on-deer-lake/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/peaceful-on-deer-lake/#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:29:26 +0000 Elwin Witzke http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/peaceful-on-deer-lake/

Peaceful on Deer Lake, originally uploaded by Elwin Witzke.

While taking a stroll around Deer Lake we saw a number of people enjoying this quiet jewel in the middle of Burnaby. It’s a beautiful place to come an spend an hour in a busy day.

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2009/06/peaceful-on-deer-lake/feed/ 0 Oops! http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/12/oops/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/12/oops/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:41:36 +0000 Elwin Witzke http://www.elwinwitzke.com/?p=410 The recent snowfall in Vancouver brought out the best in us. My son and others in our neighbourhood help our RCMP when they got stuck on our street.

snow_police1

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/12/oops/feed/ 0 Condition critical in the Congo http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/12/condition-critical-in-the-congo/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/12/condition-critical-in-the-congo/#comments Sat, 27 Dec 2008 05:42:22 +0000 Elwin Witzke http://www.elwinwitzke.com/?p=324 The war and terror has been ongoing in Africa for many years. Something must be done now. One of the horrible areas is the Democratic Republic of Congo.

FYI: This area is very close to the children’s villages being built and run by Watoto.ca. Our daughter Tanya is working for the Watoto Canadian office and is responsible for coordinating volunteer trips to Uganda.

Refugee camp in DRC

Refugee camp in DRC

Child who grew up in refugee camp

Child who grew up in refugee camp

Child soldiers

Child soldiers

Condition: Critical

Condition: Critical

DRC and Uganda

DRC and Uganda

This short video below highlights the plight of the people caught in this horrible situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Condition Critical is a short film that brings us the voices of those who are living there every day. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – Doctors without Borders has been working in the DRC since 1992.

Source: Condition Critical

The website with more information and updates is http://www.condition-critical.org/

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/12/condition-critical-in-the-congo/feed/ 0 How to write a love song http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/10/how-to-write-a-love-song/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/10/how-to-write-a-love-song/#comments Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:26:13 +0000 Elwin Witzke http://witzke.wordpress.com/?p=167 Although it’s not Valentine’s right now, this little video is good reminder at any time. Its also catchy.

From: Mahalo Daily

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/10/how-to-write-a-love-song/feed/ 0 Walk along “El Camino Del Rey” http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/10/walk-along-el-camino-del-rey/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/10/walk-along-el-camino-del-rey/#comments Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:18:07 +0000 Elwin Witzke http://witzke.wordpress.com/?p=199 If you want to hold your breath for a while, take a walk along the the “El Camino Del Rey” in Spain. Don’t forget to look where your feet are walking.

Some more information at Wikipedia.

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/10/walk-along-el-camino-del-rey/feed/ 0 The Glass Harpist http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/05/the-glass-harpist/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/05/the-glass-harpist/#comments Mon, 19 May 2008 19:27:09 +0000 Elwin Witzke http://witzke.wordpress.com/?p=165 This sounds so beautiful. For those of us who have a hard time playing any instrument, this is amazing.

From: Rocketboom

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2008/05/the-glass-harpist/feed/ 0 More cell phones than people http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2007/12/more-cell-phones-than-people/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2007/12/more-cell-phones-than-people/#comments Sat, 22 Dec 2007 01:08:29 +0000 admin http://witzke.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/more-cell-phones-than-people/ It seems that everyone has a mobile phone. Stores are selling new cell phones to people who already have one. It is no surprise then that in many countries, there are more cell phones than people.

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2007/12/more-cell-phones-than-people/feed/ 0 Distribution of Income http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/12/distribution-of-income/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/12/distribution-of-income/#comments Fri, 15 Dec 2006 06:48:12 +0000 admin http://witzke.wordpress.com/2006/12/14/distribution-of-income/ We have all heard it before – North American’s and European’s are the wealthiest in the world. Just how wealthy are you in comparison to 6+ billion people on this earth? The Global Rich List shows you just how skewed the distribution of income has become. Enter your income and you’ll see how you rate. Try $50,000, $20,000, $8,000. This is a real eye opener. It should make us realize that we in North America live in untold abundance.

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/12/distribution-of-income/feed/ 0 More than 15% of people carry two wireless phones http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/11/more-than-15-of-people-carry-two-wireless-phones/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/11/more-than-15-of-people-carry-two-wireless-phones/#comments Sun, 26 Nov 2006 20:20:33 +0000 admin http://witzke.wordpress.com/2006/11/26/more-than-15-of-people-carry-two-wireless-phones/ Some stats in from In-Stat says that more than 15% of people carry two wireless phones. There are many reasons for this, but the likely one is separating your business from personal life.

ZDNet also reports that many still carry two devices that could be merged:

  • 80% of camera phone users also carry a digital camera  
  • 75% of smartphone users also carry a PDA
  • 50% of users of multimedia phones also carry their MP3 player

From this one can deduce two important facts. First devices designed for a special purpose still are the preferred choice. Second, the hype about smartphones taking over the PDA has not yet turned users into converts.

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/11/more-than-15-of-people-carry-two-wireless-phones/feed/ 0 Nata Village http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/10/nata-village/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/10/nata-village/#comments Sun, 29 Oct 2006 06:31:43 +0000 admin http://witzke.wordpress.com/2006/10/28/nata-village/ It has been over six months since I first heard about Nata Village. A vlog by world traveller and producer Jon Rawlison on Rocketboom first gave me notice about this village in Botswana that is struggling with AIDS. Jon setup a blog that allowed the AIDS education and prevention efforts in this small village to reach the global community. The Internet can be used for good and bad. This is one of many examples of good.

The blog has regular updates and photos from the village. Donations for the work in Nata can also be made on the site.

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/10/nata-village/feed/ 0 Teens say E-mail is for old people http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/10/teens-say-e-mail-is-for-old-people/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/10/teens-say-e-mail-is-for-old-people/#comments Fri, 27 Oct 2006 02:38:53 +0000 admin http://witzke.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/teens-say-e-mail-is-for-old-people/ Businesses need to adapt the new communication tools that are available today. Email is still the primary method to communicate with their customers, but change is constant.

Arstechnica is reporting that teens prefer using real-time and community communication tool rather than email. Teens say e-mail is for old people. This shift is slow but needs to be watched.

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/10/teens-say-e-mail-is-for-old-people/feed/ 0 Open the door – but only so much http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/06/open-the-door-but-only-so-much/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/06/open-the-door-but-only-so-much/#comments Wed, 14 Jun 2006 05:39:00 +0000 admin http://witzke.wordpress.com/2006/06/13/open-the-door-but-only-so-much/ auto_door.jpg
Gizmodo reports on a door that only opens just enough space to let a person through. Sensors determine how to far to open each section of the door.

This could be useful to stop bugs from getting into a rooom and reduce heat loss.

But a bigger benefit could be to prevent bystanders from peeking into a room when the door is opened.

]]> http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/06/open-the-door-but-only-so-much/feed/ 0 Nice wheels! http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/05/nice-wheels/ http://www.elwinwitzke.com/2006/05/nice-wheels/#comments Wed, 31 May 2006 02:30:41 +0000 admin http://witzke.wordpress.com/2006/05/30/nice-wheels/ While we were visiting in Victoria, we spent a nice Sunday afternoon at a car show in Victoria. Check out some pictures.

Victoria 014

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