Tag: Design Build Share

Today is the July 1 Canada Day holiday where I live. Picking up from my post of last year, I’ll again celebrate Canadian achievements based on the design/build/share theme of this blog. This year I’ve focused entirely on those things here in Waterloo region.

Design: Sure, the Apple iPhone gets all the media attention these days, but Research in Motion created the market with its iconic BlackBerry more than a decade ago. Much of the design work is still done right here in Waterloo, in any of the many buildings that the company occupies.

Build: Speaking of mobile connectivity, tech behemoth Google relies upon a talented Waterloo team to build many of the cutting-edge HTML5-based Google Mobile applications (among other things). One of the reasons I enjoy my iPhone is that the mobile Safari web browser gives me access to these great apps.

Share: One of the things that I value (and write about often on this blog) here in Waterloo is the supportive technology community. DemoCampGuelph (@brydon), StartupCampWaterloo (@jrodgers, @sbwoodside), StartupDrinksWaterloo (@confusement) are just three events that I look forward to attending. All are organized by dedicated people who see value in building community and who generously share their time to make it happen. Thanks, all of you!

Today is the July 1 Canada Day holiday where I live. In a departure from the bulk of my posts, I’ll celebrate, in a small way, Canadian achievements based on the design/build/share theme of this blog.

Design: Not only did Canadians at de Havilland Canada design the DHC-2 Beaver, they also built hundreds of examples of it for use around the world. It’s arguably the greatest bush plane ever, and even has the distinction of appearing on a 1999 commemorative Canadian 25-cent piece. That’s distinct from the beaver that appears on our 5-cent piece!

Build: We build a lot of things, and do it well. One that’s close to home for me is the Toyota Corolla. Yes, it’s a Japanese car, but thousands of them have been assembled just down the road from Waterloo, in Toyota’s Cambridge plant, and the build quality is outstanding. Corollas are built to last; my family’s is 12 years old and still going strong.

Share: The Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics here in Waterloo exists because Mike Lazaridis, co-founder and co-CEO of RIM (makers of the Blackberry), decided that he wanted to share his wealth by funding basic research. He supplied a large seed in the form of $100 million. The result, with a lot of help from others, of course, is a world-class research facility. It’s not the only example of his sharing, but it’s one from which I get direct benefit as a result of living here in Waterloo.