Canada

We don't have real free movement of goods between Canada and the USA because the process (at least 15 minutes, probably more plus crossing the border which involved a 1.5 hour wait today) to pay GST and PST and duty takes too long when a consumer imports something into Canada from the USA. Why not streamline it? It's almost as if we don't want to have real free trade!

BTW the above form is the one that was used when I paid my GST and PST for the Bug from Bug Labs which was shipped to Blaine, Washington and imported by me into Canada today. More on the Bug later

I'd really like to go to BarCamp TDot and the Mesh Conference in Toronto since I could slip in a visit to my brother and his family as well as learn lots and meet some very smart people from the rest of Canada (since most of the people I know in Web 2.0 are on the West Coast of North America) who get things done in the Web 2.0 space.

BarCamp TDot is more my style (and the organizers think :-) I am coming because I sort of suggested it in my CanadaCamp post) so I am trying to see if I can find a way for me to go to BarCAmp TDot (and money permitting the Mesh Conference) that makes sense to my family and Bryght.

While I love "normal" conferences (and Gnomedex is definitely one of the best and hopefully I will be there this year again as well!), I personally get more out of unconferences like Northern Voice Moosecamp and BarCamp Amsterdam (to gratuitously name drop the unconferences I have helped organize).

Net net as they say, Mesh has lots of great people so I am sure it will turn out great regardless of what myself and Boris pontificate online about it :-) !