I had hoped that this would encourage me to post more frequently so that this blog wouldn’t become a wasteland of automatically generated posts.

That plan backfired.

As you can see that past three weeks have been kinda (humanly)-quiet around here. There’s lots going on in my life, and the various projects that I’m working on are moving full steam ahead, but for some reason I haven’t been able to find the time or ambition to blog about whats going on.

So please forgive me as I neglect this space. I hope to be back soon.

In the meantime, I’m going to turn off those auto-posts – they only make me feel more guilty.

At this point it’s by no means exhaustive; some announcements just aren’t ready for prime time yet. So be sure to check back again soon!

Until then there are a couple of projects that I’d love to draw your attention to.

The first is ChangeCamp London, which is an event that I’ve wanted to do here ever since I heard about it a couple of years ago. I’m ecstatic about the team that is involved, and I’m sure its going to be a great program with definite benefits to the city.

Secondly is the annual PodCamp London that is coming up on May 8th. Be sure to check out the wiki for a list of speakers and sessions. I’m sure regardless of your skill level or interests you’ll find a topic that piques your interest.

And I realised two things;

1. I need to come here more often, there a collection of what might potentially be some interesting shops

2. The area is really a microcosm of London as a whole, spread too thin with abandoned and forgotten sections.

I know many people are working hard to improve the area, and I hope their efforts are rewarded. Since I discovered a store stocking authentic Montreal bagels, I know that I’ll be back in the neighbourhood before too long.

I’m involved in a couple of really fun projects in the City of London, one of which is PodCamp London. PodCamps are free unconferences; the attendees decide what sessions take place. There is no booked keynote speaker, and everyone is encouraged to move about during the day. Conversations and topic discussions spontaneously pop up in the hallways and information is shared in a casual and transparent manner.

Yet the planning of the event is still somewhat traditional. The community isn’t asked to provide input on every detail of the day. There are decisions to be made, and that requires an organizing committee. A group of people, who remain accountable to the attendees, and yet make decisions that will effect them.

That doesn’t mean that PodCamp London isn’t open.  The attendees have a huge say in how the day unfolds. However without a group of people making final decisions the event could never place. I think this illustrates two other important components of openness; transparency and accountability.

As I work on numerous projects, I push for openness. I also understand that I won’t nor should I be involved in every decision. There will always be things that have to remain behind closed doors and sometimes it is necessary to work within existing frameworks that don’t look like they promote any form of openness.

When we push for open concepts, whether it be government, data, or the organizing of conferences, lets make sure that we understand what we want to achieve. Openness is great, it just needs context to be effective.

What do I love about London and why did I choose to stay here?

Unlike other students at UWO, I grew up in the area (northwest of the city), and so I didn’t have “somewhere” else to return to when I finished my degree. Thats really reason number one.

Every since I became in involved in PodCamp London I realized the tremendous potential that their exists within this city. A few people have the ability to effect massive change and to make the whole city better. PodCamp was really just the beginning. The more I interacted with people and started to work together, I began to truly realize the potential this city had.

So, I love London and decided to make it my permanent home because of what it could be, not what it is now. I’m not going to sit back and wait for someone else do decide what it should be; I’m going to be an active participant in the process.