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Like to travel? There are tons of lists out there curating the world’s most tech savvy cities. If you’ve been to Seattle or New York, you’ve probably marveled at the blanket of free wifi and the sprawling campuses that house some of the world’s biggest high tech firms and internet leaders – Microsoft, Amazon, Google, etc.  Asia is no slouch either. Anyone who’s been to Tokyo will have been floored by the incredible efficiency of the train system and how the city seamlessly combines ultra-modern innovation and architecture, endless shops packed floor to ceiling with gadgets, games and electronics AND traditional shrines and gardens.

The thing is, despite all those breathless write-ups and images of super high-tech cities of the future, a lot of small centers are still hopping onto the bandwagon. While you can use your cell phone to wirelessly pay for bus fare and taxis in Europe and Asia, in most small towns wireless debit machines are just starting to make an appearance.

And while everyone online is talking about Netflix and streaming video as the future of content delivery, in small and medium sized cities the local Blockbuster is still doing brisk business.

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You’ve probably seen this already. A list of 11 life lessons that they don’t teach kids in school. Normally attributed to Bill Gates, sometimes from a speech he gave at MIT, sometimes to a small group of kids in a California high school. The list is a long standing favourite online and has been forwarded and passed around so many times, its origins have become apocryphal.

Turns out Bill Gates didn’t give this as a speech at a high school or MIT. In fact he never said any of these things. These 11 rules have never even been a speech!

After a little digging, I found out these rules are an excerpt from an op-ed piece by bestselling author Charles Sykes. Originally there were 14 rules, but the last three are usually omitted because rule 11 is particularly punchy. Since 2000, this particular bit of text has been attributed to everyone from Kurt Vonnegut to Atlanta state representative Brooks Coleman. Over the years references have been changed and the salary amounts have increased, but what hasn’t changed is the core of the message.

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Note: This blog post was written by Kathleen, CMAEON’s resident blog editrix and all around comic relief. The advice inside is not to be followed under any circumstances.

Ah…. Christmas. A time to spend time with your loved ones, and remind them of how much their friendship and support means to you. With presents.

Coming right out and saying it now – Christmas shopping sucks. Whether you’re getting everything wrapped by November 1^st, or scrambling at the last minute on Christmas Eve, there is much humming and hawing to do as part of the gift selection process, most of it pointless.

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