Goodbye, Critical Mass
Hey Critical Mass! I’m sorry I didn’t say “goodbye” properly. You know, the traditional email that goes around to cmassother, usually followed with the “we’ll be in the Ship starting at 5 …
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Critical Mass
131 posts tagged with this topic.
O Canada, my home and native land
For anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while, you know two things: I currently live in Costa Rica. I’m Canadian. One of those things is about to change. Almost a year and 2/3 ago, I caught a rumour about Critical …
The Failure of Offshoring
A couple of years ago, I engaged in my first offshore experience, when we hooked up with a small company out of Argentina to develop and deliver some additions to a website, including the addition of a simple CMS. It had …
Repetition breeds complacency
Last night, I was feeling a little reflective. (That sometimes happens after I’ve had a glass of wine. Or three.) It was dark, the lights out, and everyone else already in bed. I stood on my second-floor balcony …
9 years ... and counting
Today marks yet another notch on the belt of my career. Today, I’ve been at Critical Mass (or within the Critical Mass family, anyway) for nine years. It’s weird. Very weird. I’m actually having trouble comprehending …
No guarantees on going back
I hate to say it, but I saw this coming. When I signed the contract that put me down here in Costa Rica, there was a part of me that was yelling: “But what about when we come back?” Well, Jason just answered …
I swear I'm going to kill my vendors
I don’t care what the excuse is, the reality is that I’m not getting service I expect from a vendor. I’ve been told that it’s just something I have to adapt to. That it’s the way things are done. That it’s a cultural …
My evolving job
When it was first proposed that I would come to Costa Rica and start up a new office, there were a lot of questions about how all this would be done. Starting a new office means running without the infrastructure that …
Finally got my box!
Way back in June — the 13th, to be specific (I guess that should have been a first sign, eh?) — I packed up a whack of things on my desk to bring down to Costa Rica. TeamMG (Mary and Morgan) arranged for this to be …
RIP, Sean Lineham
Today, I arrived back in Costa Rica with my family in tow. Little did I know that my “other” family — my friends and colleagues back in Calgary, were facing quite the tragedy. I found out no sooner than I …
Where I've been for the last few days
I’m in Panama. Been here since Tuesday afternoon. Been really, really busy. So far, the biggest problem I’ve had here (aside from the aforementioned busy-ness and subsequent inability to talk to my family), is that I’ve …
Setting up the office
Getting everything going here is a bit of a challenge. There’s a lot to do, and we’re starting from scratch. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. There’s currently four people down here working on all this, and only one of them is …
Lastday. Gemini 13s. Year of the Company 2008. Carousel begins.
I’ve been with Critical Mass (Canada) for 8 years. Eight years, two months, and 9 days. Today is my last day. Sorta. On Sunday, I leave for Costa Rica. Although I am working for another company, I’m still technically …
One last lunch with the team
For all intents and purposes, I’m off the Rolex team. I’m still on their resource sheet, but the reality is that I haven’t done sqwat with the Rolex account for over a couple of weeks now. It’s all been transferred to …
Costa Rican Interviews, Day 1
A tropical depression in the north of the country has created our weather woes of the last few days, and a heck of a downpour this morning. Following our usual breakfast run, Joaquin arrived to pick the three of us up at …
It's the end of the world as we know it...
…and I feel, well, okay. Maybe not necessarily “fine”. Critical Mass has done a bit of a reorganisation. I emphasise “a bit”. Mostly because this is not the radical shifts we’ve seen in the …
The beginning of the end?
Allard pulled me aside this afternoon. Big changes are coming. It’s not the first time we’ve seen big changes at Critical Mass. We’ve seen them before, as they’ve needed to take place. They’ve usually been for the better …
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No, I'm not going to be working on a beach
It’s funny the number of people who now ask me if they can come with us to Costa Rica. They congratulate me and make it sound like it’s going to be fun, sand, and cervesa all the time. News flash, folks — we ain’t …
I'm leaving Critical Mass
I’ve been at Critical Mass for 8 years, 1 month, and 5 days. That’s a long time to be a one place. I never thought I’d be here that long. Two years, max, and I’d move on. (Heck, I was originally supposed to go with Chris …
What have you done with Spock's brain?
One of the hard parts about leaving any group is passing your legacy off to someone else. It doesn’t matter if it’s a short-term thing (e.g. vacation) or a long-term thing (e.g. leaving the company). It still has to …
Things to do before moving
Moving within a city is a snap. It’s a lot of work, yes, but logistically it’s not a big deal. You disconnect some services, sign them up at a new location, move your phone numbers, arrange your mail, and then move your …
Thundercats are go!
The contract is signed. It’s as official as it gets until my feet stand on Costa Rican soil. Most everything was already 99% assured, but until my name appeared on a legal document, there were still a whack of questions. …
Letting the toucan out of the coffee sack
Finally, after many, many weeks of discussion (and far more email than I’d care to think about), it’s semi-official. (Hey, it’s better than “still in the works”.) The fact that I’m moving to Costa Rica has …
I hate going on vacation
I get four weeks of vacation a year. It’s not a lot, especially now that I have a family that I want to spend lots of time with. But you make do with what you have, right? My problem isn’t so much the lack of time I have …
CMMYs 2008 (in review)
Last night was our annual awards show: the CMMYs. I have no idea what the last “MY” stand for, if anything at all. I know it’s meant to sound like the “Emmys”, just without all the pomp and …
Tech Summit, Day 2
Day 2 got off to a lousy start. I was sick. Nastily so. At first, I thought it was a hangover (I might have had — perhaps — one beer too many last night). But I realised very quickly that this was not, in fact, a …
Tech Summit, Day 1
Tech Summits are dicey things. Sort of like trying to catch a greased pig. You can see it, you can describe it, but it’s a pain to pin down and hold still. It has a life of its own and just as soon as you get your head …
In Chicago
Well, I’m back in Chicago again. Currently in the “Missile Command” meeting room (all the meeting rooms here are named after video games). We’re staying at the Hard Rock Hotel (pretty much right across the …
Do you know the way to San Jose?
I love challenge. I love adventure. And I love to travel. If you’ve been reading this blog, you already know that. Critical Mass is giving me an opportunity to do all three. It’s going to shake up my life a lot (not to …
Timetracker is dead!
Critical Mass is a service company. We don’t produce anything physical that we can sell — it’s all time. We build websites, yes, but it’s the time it takes us to make them that counts. Shortly before I started at …
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2008 Predictions - History Repeating
This was originally posted at http://experiencematters.criticalmass.com/. The site is no longer active. The word is about, there’s something evolving Whatever may come, the world keeps revolving They say the next big …
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I Was Benno
Yesterday, I had a truly moving experience. I watched a movie. Not just any movie, but an experimental film created by a friend. A movie with a message (unlike much of the shlock that comes out of Hollywood). The message …
Pwned
This morning, the Blue Business Unit (aka the Mercedes-Benz USA team) decided to prank the Gold Business Unit (aka the Rolex team). Toilet paper — hundreds of rolls — over everything. Silly string. Blue streamers. And …
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Examples of Online Shopping Experience
This was originally posted at http://experiencematters.criticalmass.com. The site is no longer active. We’ve been talking a lot about ideas. But ideas don’t always translate well without examples. Thankfully, the …
Time moves more slowly at an agency
Everyone comments on time moving so fast. The older you get, the faster it goes. Now that I have a child, everyone tells me that before I know it, they’ll be graduating high school and I won’t know what hit me. Right …
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Is Microsoft's Popfly an easy out?
This was originally posted at http://experiencematters.criticalmass.com. The site is no longer active. Microsoft was a little late to the internet game, that much isn’t new. In 1993, Bill Gates said “we’re not …
The iPhone is obsolete
This was originally posted at http://experiencematters.criticalmass.com/2007/09/13/the-iphone-is-obsolete/. The site is no longer active. Unless you’ve been living in the middle of Mongolia for the last six months, you …
Experience Matters
We’ve been in the interactive marketing industry now for over 11 years. We’ve been there, we’ve done that, we’ve seen … well, maybe not all of it, but we’ve seen a lot. A lot of it is not great (ranges from okay …
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Critical Mass Summer Event 2007, Day 3
There are parties, and there are parties. Then there’s a Critical Mass party. There’s usually a recovery period afterwards, too. This party started with the ever-popular Town Hall. We’ve done a variety of versions of …
Critical Mass Summer Event 2007, Day 2
It’s Town Hall week (but you already know that), and that means another installment of BeerCamp. We don’t do these nearly as frequently as we should, but they’re always a welcome addition to our regular cycle of meetings …
Critical Mass Summer Event 2007, Day 1
It’s that time of the year again — the annual Critical Mass Summer Event. Unlike last year’s events, this year we’ve had to take a slightly different approach. Frankly, we’ve officially become too big to ship everyone …
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Yoshirolla Kilomantra mayhem
Okay, I know, I’m probably doing something I said I wouldn’t be doing. But I have to admit, this is already pretty cool. When I put out my first post a couple of days ago, I shot to the top of a list of one for …
Yoshirolla Kilomantra
We’re running a contest here at Critical Mass, to see who can rank the highest for our chosen keywords: Yoshirolla kilomantra. Since I’m a judge, I’m not going to compete heavily. I’m just going to set a bar that I …
Flying the Zip Line at Canada Olympic Park
Team building is one of the important things you have to do when you have a group of significant size. Especially when they’re of different specializations and tend not to intermingle regularly. That is what brought us …
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A wake for Rich
Tonight was the wake for Rich. It was a chance for those who knew him to get together and remember the life he led, to share in his memory, and spend one last time collectively in his presence. How do you say goodbye to …
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Fare thee well, Rich
A few months ago, friend and colleague Rich contracted large cell lymphoma, a rather nasty form of cancer. There was a massive upwelling of support from the company and its staff (especially those of us who knew Rich …
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Critical Mass does Spiderman
One of the biggest movies of this year will likely be Spiderman 3. Obviously, that’s hard to know for sure, but we’ll know by December. Anyhoo, the Critical Mass Social Club is now in full swing, and one of the first …
Bon Voyage Jim and Mia
I remember when Jim and Mia started with Critical Mass. Mia was an import, from our sister/spin-off company Large Medium in Stockholm, Sweden. Back then we were doing exchanges with Large Medium as a form of …
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Updates to the Rolex Website
Almost since we launched the new Rolex.com website back at the end January, we’ve been working on more updates. First off are four additional languages with which to learn all there is about Rolex: Spanish, Japanese, …
Go Rich, Go!
About a week ago, I learned that one of my colleagues, Rich, had been diagnosed with large-cell lymphoma. That’s a tough thing to hear about a friend of yours, someone you’ve worked with for years and know quite well. I …
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Au revoir, Aaron
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I hate it when good people leave. Aaron Glenn started with Critical Mass a couple of years ago. (Admittedly, I can’t remember exactly when he started — that’s how long he’s …
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Critical Mass CMMYs 2007
Hangovers will rule far and wide this morning across three cities. I suspect we might not see most of Toronto online today. Last night was the first-ever Tri-City CMMY Post Awards Bash. Or something like that. In the …
The new Rolex website is live
Over a year ago, we started on a brave new project: bring a whole new experience to the Rolex brand. It’s been a tough year. Countless designs. Several prototypes. A lot of lost sleep. (Not to mention some martial …
The Return of Rivetgirl
I first met Tamara, really, at the Kelowna getaway back in 2000. As I recall, she did Tiffany at the karaoke night (which created a mosh pit). At the time, Tamara was in Critical Mass’ Production team, a group who …
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Bonus from Hell
I’ve put in a lot of work this year. A tonne of it. Among a few things, I’ve been/done: Technology Director Gold BU (and all the various tasks that go along with the position) Intranet Tech lead / Consultant / Support …
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The Critical Mass New York Extravaganza 2006
Wow. I’ve seen some pretty swanky parties, but this one definitely ranks high up there. And as more of a stunner, it was a Critical Mass party, too! Okay, clarification needed. Critical Mass’ parties tend to be like …
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Gone in a Flash
Yeah, I know — you’ve heard it before, and you’re gonna hear it again. I hate seeing good people leave. Can’t say I blame Scott Morgan, though. He did get a sweet deal. Especially for a Flash guy. It’s not every day that …
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Shrinking the world through video conferencing
I’ve used video conferencing before. It was a novelty. Nothing fancy. There, but didn’t think much of it. Until today. Critical Mass recently got a Polycom video conferencing unit in the Calgary office. (There are …
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Review and reflection on my job
One of the things Critical Mass introduced years ago was performance management. I was glad to see it come. Radical Entertainment had it when I worked there, and I lamented the lack of such evaluation when I came to …
Je quitte Paris!
The flight left Charles du Gaulle at 11:30. That meant, of course, that I had to be there in sufficient time to check in, get through security, find the flight, and so forth. Thankfully, I’d gone through the trouble last …
Je suis en Paris, Jour Cinq!
I ate at the hotel this morning. Not a bad little place, really. And it meant I could sleep in a wee bit. Four hours of sleep just isn’t enough. But I brought that on myself. I was a bit late arriving at Eurosites — …
Je suis en Paris, Jour Quatre!
It’s official, I am a shmuck. I’m a unilingual moron. But more on that later… I’ve been getting up at 7:30 to account for the lateness we’ve been having, but also to ensure I’ve got enough rest to not tire during …
Je suis en Paris, Jour Trois!
No crepes for me this morning. As I’m beginning to discover, the French don’t consider crepes a breakfast thing. At least at the shops near the hotel. But hunger knows no bounds and I was forced to hunt out an …
Je suis en Paris, Jour Deux!
Despite wating up at 4:30 thinking it was daylight (in reality, only the hotel’s light outside my window), I slept pretty well. That didn’t mean that I’d totally licked jet lag — I ended up needing a nap in the …
Je suis en Paris!
I’m beginning to understand why people hate business trips. You can’t pack what you want (you have to pack for meetings with clients) and you don’t travel necessarily when you want. But at least the locations can be …
The Great Critical Mass Shuffle
Not quite five and a half years ago, Critical Mass moved into our current building. It was a monumental exercise that required a lot of forethought, planning, and organization. When we moved into the then-new building, …
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Dennis has left the building
I remember a young whipper-snapper starting at Critical Mass nigh-six years ago. Another newbie, Angie, had mentioned that she’d brought his stuff out from Winnepeg. Not that I was far off from being a newbie myself — it …
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Rudy's heading off for greener pastures
James on Monday. Rudy on Friday. I can’t make any “Rudy Tuesday” jokes on this one, I’m afraid. Rudy was only the second Web Developer that we hired after moving into our current building (I can’t say …
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Google at the CCAT Dinner
Google is the power in the internet right now. Issues with censorship aside (and their suddenly lacklustre results in the stock market — the revaluation is long overdue), Google still remains the top search engine and …
Jaemo's farewell
Another one bites the dust. I hate it when friends leave, even if it’s just to go to another company in the city. And with James’ departure, it hits a little more. Not just because I saw a lot of my older self in him, …
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The day after the CMMYs
Critical Mass works hard. We know that from all the various nervous ticks we’ve developed over the years from working too hard. So you can imagine that when we play, we make up for the difference. There are two annual …
In praise of my Critical Mass bag
[This entry originally posted on How To Get Lost: In praise of my Critical Mass bag.] Some companies, those that want to be “fun” companies, sometimes give their staff things like shirts, bags, water jugs, …
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On five years at Critical Mass
Five years ago, I walked in the doors of Critical Mass, having basically no idea what I was about to get myself into. At the time, I wasn’t planning on being at Critical Mass that long. Chris and I had planned on going …
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How to get a web development job at Critical Mass
For the last two nights, Critical Mass has run what are effectively recruiting job fairs over at the Roundup Centre. They’re weird things. We’d done them before when we were recruiting for a planned move to Toronto …
New York Meetings - Heading Home
Yesterday was tough. We did a lot of talking. We didn’t leave the building until we were done. The three of us, Lark, and Jim went for dinner at some steak house. Despite having been out with the client before, I felt …
New York Meetings - Touring New York
My first Valentines day with Alex, and I have to be 3,500 kilometres from her. It could be worse. I could be in Kanata. First thing: Room change. Last night’s room was one Mark and I had booked. Tonight’s is on the …
New York Meetings - Outbound
Leaving Alex this morning wasn’t easy. Given the events of the last couple of days, I would have preferred to stay in bed with her. But business calls, and I’m off to New York (though Newark) for business meetings with …
Mercedes-Benz meetings, going home
Despite having the room to myself, I was really groggy when I got up this morning. I know it wasn’t a result of last night, though, as I didn’t feel any worse for wear. I showered, packed, and checked out (using the …
Mercedes-Benz meetings, team building
Allard and I hit the restaurant in the main atrium for breakfast, joined shortly thereafter by Christian and a very tired-looking Jules. Powdered eggs aren’t exactly the breakfast of champions. Jules has been up late …
Mercedes-Benz meetings, Calgary to Chicago
I hate waking up before 6:00. There’s just something fundamentally wrong with it. Today, though, it was necessary. Today, I fly to Chicago. Was ready for my 6:30 pickup. Allard was collecting me for the trip to the …
Mercedes team building
We had 2005 planning meetings this week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. They can be quite painful, if for no reason other than for going over projects all day. It really wears on the brain, and the body. Well, my …
Thelton McMillan leaves Critical Mass
A couple of weeks ago, we received a note in our inboxes that Thelton McMillan, the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) had left Critical Mass. Needless to say, this had come as a bit of a shock to the staff, who …
Mercedes-Benz Ride and Drive
There’s something about driving like a maniac that makes for an interesting afternoon. I’ve been working on the Mercedes-Benz USA account for over four years now. In all that time, the closest I’ve ever come to a Benz …
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Luke leaves Critical Mass
Today, My Favourite Giant left Critical Mass. And we are lessened by his departure. Luke Puxley started at Critical Mass not quite two years ago. He was a daunting figure, mostly due to his sheer size. Luke is not a …
I'm being headhunted
I’m being headhunted. Not the cannibalistic type, of course. This is the “executive recruiter” type. This is a result of having my website, and having my resume available through my website. The recruiter is …
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Critical Mass Summer Town Hall and Kananaskis Cowpunch
It’s 23:00 Sunday night, and this is the first time in four days that I’ve had a chance to be alone with my computer. Not that I’m necessarily complaining, I might add. The last four days have been a mad combination of …
The Red Mile
There’s just something inherently wrong with watching Stanley Cup hockey while sweating because it’s so warm. The season needs to be shorter. Or there need to be fewer teams, especially in places where you can’t …
So long, Jude!
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain, Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders. For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool By making his world a little colder. — “Hey Jude”, The …
On Critical Mass losing Mercedes-Benz USA
There are some rumours I understand. And there are others that I do not. There are some that I begin. But this is one I want to end. For years — literally, years — there is a rumour that’s been floating around Calgary …
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Foul things on the Good Ship Critical Mass
There are time when I really wonder who the hell is steering the Good Ship Critical Mass. ‘Cuz right now, we’re headed for a really big iceberg. All of last year, we went through a long process of Performance Management. …
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Yoga classes at the office
Psst! Hey, wanna hear something shocking? I’m taking yoga. Relax, I haven’t grown my hair out and gone hippy (well, the hair has grown out, but only because I haven’t had it cut in a month and a half), nor have I become …
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Fond Farewell, Mr. Fullerton
It seems that Critical Mass is losing too many good people within a very short period of time. First, it was a round of layoffs nearly three weeks ago. Now it’s a series of resignations. Among them is Arthur. Arthur came …
The Amazing Freeze
I hereby lodge as much a formal complaint to the final outcome of last night’s team building event as one can without a process by which to handle it. So I’m throwing it out on the Internet for all to see. But more on …
Layoffs at Critical Mass
It’s tough to say good-bye to friends who leave from your company. It’s even harder when they get laid off. Yesterday, Critical Mass experienced an adjustment. I don’t know what was the root cause of this adjustment, but …
The 2004 Critical Mass New Year Party
Every year, Critical Mass holds its annual holiday party. For the first two years of my employ, they were Christmas parties; the two since then have both been New Year parties. I assume this is because scheduling things …
Practical Jokes Around the Office - Wrapping a Desk
There is an Old Klingon proverb that says: “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” It is very cold in December. (Well, when we’re not chinooking, anyway.) Several months ago, I fell victim to an attack. Not a …
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2003 planning meeting wrap party
There were green alligators, and long necked geese, Some humpty-back camels and some chimpanzees, Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as your born, The loveliest of all was the Unicorn. — “The …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train - Reunion
This weekend, I visited southern Ontario. Even though I’ve only just left, it almost feels like I was never even there. A few weeks back, Critical Mass announced (to the employees) that it was in the process of pitching …
A friend gets a job with Critical Mass
Critical Mass is growing. We’re preparing for a (hoped) massive expansion, but also have organic growth to contend with. This is what led Critical Mass to have to hire a new Project Analyst. And luckily for me, it’s my …
Winning Critical Mass Valuable Person award
Once in a while, someone notices you. Sometimes it’s just a pretty woman walking down the street. Sometimes it’s a friend you haven’t seen in a long time. And once in a while, it’s your entire company. This year, …
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Friends - Visiting and moving away
Last weekend was the first weekend in a while where a) I wasn’t busy with work or family, and b) wasn’t trying to paint the house. (No, I’m not done painting. I’m just sick of it.) So I opted to relax a little bit. It …
Aunt Brenda's birthday and my hatred of Microsoft Word
The weekend past was the August long weekend. Well, it was the long weekend for most people. For me, it was one of three things: painting the house, spending time with family, or being at work. Four things, if you count …
Critical Mass Reckless Summer Reunion
There are certainly worse ways to spend Friday the 13th. There are certainly more healthy ones. But when Critical Mass decides to throw a party for its employees, you can be sure of two things: There will be a lot of …
Promotion to Manager ... uh oh!
It seems that good things do happen to those who wait. Surprisingly enough, that also applies to me. You may recall some weeks ago, I lamented Critical Mass’ ability to see the need to promote from within. It wasn’t so …
Middle Management
I found out today that I’ve become middle management. I’ve become my own arch-nemesis. Critical Mass has (almost) finished its massive organizational effort. It’s not really a reorganization, per se, but it is a process …
The Hell of my job
Not that I’m complaining. This week had been a stressful and depressing one. First off was the Technology department meeting for Critical Mass. The company’s been going through a structural overhaul. It’s not the first …
Test driving a Mini
Like most people who work the ol’ 9-5 grind, my weekend started just as the whistle blew Friday afternoon. It was time to get my nose off the grindstone and into something far more pleasant. A beer. Not that I want to …
Critical Mass 5th Anniversary Surprise Party
There are parties. Then there’s a Critical Mass party. Five years ago yesterday (4 July 1997), Critical Mass launched its first ever website, MBUSA.com. That first launch wasn’t perfect, but it started a business …
The 2001 Critical Mass Christmas Party
Coming into work on a Friday with a hangover is one of the worst feelings. Well, coming in on a Monday is probably worse, now that I think about it. Last night was Critical Mass’ annual Christmas party. This year, we …
Revenge is Sweet
When the temperature falls to -21 degrees with the wind chill, and the sky dumps 15 centimetres of snow on the ground, that’s when a young man’s fancy turns to… Revenge. Some months ago, Chris’ and my collective …
The Critical Mass Summer Social 2001
If there’s one thing Critical Mass knows how to do, it’s getting its employees horribly, horribly drunk. Last year, this was courtesy of the Download Overload in Westbank. However, owing to financial downturns in the …
Cooking Dinner for the Homeless at the Mustard Seed
Although it’s been a very long time since I was a scout, I still try to do good deeds. Last night, nine dedicated CMassers did a good deed. Owing to employee pressure, Critical Mass started doing charity work some months …
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First ever layoffs from Critical Mass
When I first started work here at Critical Mass, I compared it to Radical, my previous company. I noted how the size was similar, how the age distribution was similar, how the energy was similar. Now I can add one more …
Saying Good-bye to Good Friends
Life is abdunant with difficult experiences. Some come from education, some from your job, some from a close relationship with a potential life partner. But there are few experiences that are as hard as saying goodbye to …
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Getting a Critical Mass Reality Check
Different company. Different industry. Same problems. The age of people staying with companies for decades is an idea I think my generation (and those succeeding) will have a hard time grasping. With the hi-tech sector …
Moving into Critical Mass' New Building
It’s been a weird week. Imagine trying to do “business as usual” knowing full well that in a week you’d be working out of a new office. That’s pretty much what last week was like. Critical Mass is big. As of …
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Critical Mass Town Hall
Things have been pretty quiet since the summer — not a lot of activity, not a heck of a lot to report. But this is a habit I’ve gotta keep up, if for nothing else so that I’ll be in practice if/when this Japan thing pans …
Download Overload, the Critical Mass Kelowna Getaway in Westbank
This is a hard-working company. And Ted (our founder and corporate Chairman) knows it. To “thank” us for all the grief he puts us through, he closes (more or less) the office for two days, packs us off to …
A Whitewater Rafting Adventure on the Kicking Horse River
It all started when I received an email during my stay in Cincinnati. (This was a couple of weeks ago, obviously.) It was entitled “Kicking Horse Blazing Paddles”. It was a call for those interested in …
Live from Cincinnati, Getting Home Again
Be it ever so humble … and a little messy … there’s no place like home. I missed yesterday’s log. Oops. Basically, the testing went well — the changes I made held and so far, things are looking good. That …
Live from Cincinnati, Making Headway!
Today was a good day. Finally. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of finally overcoming a problem that’s kept you up a night, sent you to perhaps the dullest city in mid-eastern America, had you eating mediocre food …
Live from Cincinnati, Surviving Memorial Day
I hate this city. And Memorial Day. The two of them combined? Well, let me tell you… I figured I’d stay in today and get some work done. Fine, no problem. Or so I thought. I got up later than I’d planned (probably …
Live from Cincinnati, Working for the Weekend
Ugh. It never fails. I get a long weekend, I get lousy weather. I had hoped to go to the Cincinnati Museum today, but the weather kept me indoors. Okay, that sounds like a really stupid statement — if I’m going to a …
A Little Cincinnati History
Another day, another hotel. Owing to some strange reason, there seem to be a lot of people coming to Cincinnati. Can’t really figure out why. The Omni was completely booked for today when my room was booked on Tuesday. …
Trapped in Cincinnati!
I’m trapped. Metaphorically speaking, that is. Today, I effectively did nothing. I spent the day trying to solve problems, but not really accomplishing anything. I started off with a conference call with Critical Mass …
Live from Cincinnati, Working at the Client, Seeing a Movie
My alarm went off early this morning. I rose somewhat slowly (I hadn’t quite adjusted to the time zone), but eventually found my way into the shower. That woke me up enough to get dressed, shave, and prepare my notes for …
Live from Cincinnati
It’s been a long day. It all started about a week ago. One of our clients, whom I’m afraid I cannot mention, had a problem with the website we developed for them. Actually, it wasn’t the client so much as it was our …
Softball Tournament in Calgary
This weekend saw the first league tournament of the season. Frankly, I couldn’t quite figure out why we had a tournament so early in the year (we’ve had TWO regular season games so far, both on the same day). But I …
My First Softball Game with Critical Mass
“The goats are being sucked.” Many of you will stare at the screen and wonder what the heck that means. Others of you will nod in recognition. For the benefit of those who have no idea what that quote means, …
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Kicking Back in Calgary
If it were possible to work like a dog, my name would be Rover. Bow wow. I’m working on the latest and greatest version of a website we’re doing for one of our Fortune 500 clients. There are nine people on the team: …
My First Entry from Critical Mass
It is said that the best things come to those who wait. I can safely say that I’ve got good things coming. It’s been a month since my somewhat dramatic departure from Vancouver and I entered into obscurity. It’s high …