Personal — Page 26

I don’t talk about

July 13, 2000 by Michael Boyle

work at all in this space. Mostly a question of boundaries, really – I wouldn’t want anyone to mistake my personal ramblings for anything coming from the company (not that it’s a huge threat, but still). But I will say this – the transition from a very small company to a larger company is fascinating to watch, and to be involved in. As someone who’d never worked in an office, per se, before this job, I was always quite disdainful of bureaucracy and structure. Now, though, I’m learning the value in adding such structure, as long as it’s done well. And it’s actually pretty fun, trying to dream up ways of doing things with the creativity and vitality of the old days, but much more efficiently.

I’m very happy to state in public that my co-workers, all 130 of them, are among the smartest, most talented groups of people I’ve known. It’s quite amazing, actually.

The issues Tom raises have been

July 11, 2000 by Michael Boyle

The issues Tom raises have been on the front burner in Quebec for a while now. Essentially, the battle over “gay marriage” is over now in Quebec – it’s fine. There are still some minor battles that are ongoing, but as a principle upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada and as a principle of legislation by the Quebec gov’t, it’s moving towards an inclusive position very quickly. I agree with him, though, that there are other questions, other issues, beyond just “can gays be just like straights?”

Being straight myself (but not narrow), my personal opinion has turned to suggest the removal of any official state sanction of any marriage for anyone. If you want to get married and are religious, or would just like a ceremony – go for it.

But as far as the state is concerned – any couple should be able to sign an affadavit and gain the tax benefits of marriage (where they exist). Roommates, lovers, friends, a older father and his single son taking care of him, whoever. Likewise for other issues – like inheritance, power of attorney, etc. These should be open to any of the myriad of arrangements that people dream up.

Goodness knows hardly anyone in Quebec gets married anymore – it’s mostly common law.

Here’s the new

July 10, 2000 by Michael Boyle

Automatic Media site, complete with press release issued today. There’s also a FAQ, in which it is stated, “Users will find that many of the features they’re accustomed to finding at traditional portals — free email, home page creation, threaded discussion, news filtering, personal ads, etc. — will be integrated into Automatic Media sites in a more intuitive, adaptive way than they’ve encountered elsewhere.” I think they can do it – I hope so, at least.

From Brent’s Inessential.com:

July 7, 2000 by Michael Boyle

An extended riff on punk, the end of rock, and the web, mixed with a personal history and context. A good argument for the weblog form.

Which reminds me….

July 6, 2000 by Michael Boyle

I have to get back to work on the website for Zeke’s Gallery, a little commercial gallery that a friend of mine started just over a year ago. He specializes in first solo exhibitions, which is great cause he displays work by artists who are just starting to make their way in the world – at least as artists who make their living doing art work. Of course, it goes without saying that I’m basically doing the site for free, as is my pattern. As I used to have on an old personal site (and on my CV), “I do websites for worthwhile projects, usually for free.” [Consider this entry here a little self-prodding, self-motivation.]