New mobile provider blows into Canada

WIND, the first new mobile service provider to enter the Canadian market in ten years, launched in Toronto and Calgary in December of 2009 and was expected to provide fresh competition in the Canadian wireless market by offering low-cost plans and services as an alternative to Bell Mobility, Telus and Rogers Wireless which have dominated the Canadian market for decades. Canadians have long complained of high cellphone bills in comparison to much of the world and many consumers were expecting WIND to make a dent in mobile service prices by introducing low rates and forcing competitors to follow suit, but it doesn’t seem like to be the case so far.

The other day I was asked by Brand New to write a critique on an identity for Wind, a new mobile provider in Canada. You can read the full article here.

January 2010

It’s possible to land on your feet

1. I sure hope I land on my feet. Are the chances that slim?
2. Judging by the harness and the type of parachute, it’s most likely a tourist being dragged behind a boat somewhere in the Caribbean.

What are you trying to say, Ryerson?

January 2010

President’s Choice wants you to beef up

Found this awful pun on the President’s Choice website.

“Our hidden charges get porked.”
“Our low mortgage rates butchered your landlord.”
“Let us meat your banking needs.”
“Don’t settle for the wurst interest rates.”

What an odd choice of a line.

January 2010

TTC Collector – quite possibly the best job in the world

There’s a TTC collector at Runnymede St during rush hour who may possibly have the best job in the world.

Solving crosswords with determination and concentration of a Zen master, he leisurely smiles at passersby with astuteness of a lobotomy patient. Is he an undercover agent? Is he staking out a dangerous criminal? What is his purpose? I was curious – will he notice people walking through? Will he check the fare that comes into the cash box? Not likely. The next person walking in threw her fare in the box and the collector kept on going with the crossword. And it wouldn’t be the first time. The volume at the station is low enough for another turnstile to handle, even during rush hour – where is the key to this mystery?

You know what? I am not going to be bitter about it. I don’t want the poor guy to lose his job or get in trouble – I am going to go with the flow and offer myself as a viable candidate for an incredible opportunity such as this. I’m just going to come out and say it – dear councilor Adam Giambrone, can I apply for a job at TTC? I will beat any collector in a crossword-solving competition, thus proving myself worthy of the best job in the world.

And hey, I will even blog and tweet about it! Island Caretaker will have nothing on me.

Drop me a line!

December 2009

Between foul balls

What a creepy headline. I don’t know what makes it even worse – the kid straddling the dad or dad’s seemingly enhanced package. What line of business is this guy in?

November 2009