A Little Yelp Goes A Long Way: A Silicon Success Story
Metro News Canada, March 2013. Download PDF here.
An interview with Product Manager at Yelp and University of Toronto graduate, Brad Menezes, about developing hard skills, learning outside of the classroom, and the importance of failure.
Dropped and Made in Laos
Makeshift Magazine, July 2012. Purchase the magazine here.
The Secret War in Laos saw more than 250 million bombs dropped on the country from 1964 to 1973, making it the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. Thirty percent of these bombs did not detonate and continue to threaten the lives of many Laotians today. But among the refuse of unexploded bombs, Laotian artisans put the metal to good use, creating bracelets to sell in the international markets.
Networked Creators and Networked Information (Chapters 8 & 9)
Networked: The New Operating System with Barry Wellman & Lee Rainie, May 2012. Purchase the book here.
An in-depth analysis of the changing media landscape in the age of digitalization. In Networked Information, we uncover how information takes on new life when it is computerized as it is much more easily produced, reproduced, remixed and disseminated. These changes have affected networked individuals, making it necessary to develop new skills to manage the wealth of information available--both institutional and interpersonal. Networked Creators examines the blurring boundaries between producers and consumers in the networked world.
The Business of Better: Working for the World
Metro News Canada, May 2012. Download the PDF here.
Full version featured on TalentEgg.ca
There has been a shift in recent years away from the single bottom line of profit towards a triple bottom line. Think of it as the Three Ps: people, planet, and profit. This is the realm of social innovation where innovators and entrepreneurs use novel ideas to solve pressing social issues like health care, poverty, homelessness, crime, and food security.
Travel Meets Travail
Metro News Canada, April 2012. Read the article here.
Full version featured on TalentEgg.ca.
After traveling to 30 cities, nine countries and three continents in one year, I write of the deep connection between travel and work. Traveling, for all its splendor, also entails hardship. And these hardships bring out skills, qualities and lessons that’ll prove to be invaluable in the workforce.
Bringing the United Nations to the 21st Century
in Peace Magazine, January 2012. Download the PDF here.
A critical review of A. Walter Dorn’s Keeping Watch: Monitoring, Technology, & Innovation in UN Peace Operations.
Media that Matters: Translating Rights into Reality
Peace Magazine, October 2011. Download the PDF here.
Awareness is the first and most necessary step in ending human rights abuses. I discuss the role of the media, with a special focus on the work of international NGO Journalists for Human Rights, in a vibrant democracy that does not tolerate arbitrary abuse. With their ability to reach millions of people, whether through print, radio, television, or now in our increasingly digital world, the Internet, the media can highlight the gap between every individual’s guaranteed human rights and what they experience in reality.
Egypt: The First Internet Revolt?
Peace Magazine with Jolin Zhuo and Barry Wellman, July 2011. Download the PDF here.
An analysis of the way in which information and communication technologies facilitated the January 2011 Egyptian revolt that saw the overthrow of former President Mubarak. We argue that mobile pones, Facebook, et al. provided a means of modernity, reduced alienation, and helped both internal and external connectivity. We also discuss the role of informal networks, formal groups, and elite acquiescence in the success of the revolts.