iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 18/09/2026

Making the most of soccer practice and a glorious September.

Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 18/06/2026

Seen a lot of soccer matches at BC Place over the years. Today feels different. Not long now… Allez les rouges! 🇨🇦⚽️ #CanMNT

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 02/06/2026

Blog from @snowded.bsky.social on what theory of change models afford [in the Jenny Davis sense of request / demand / allow / encourage / discourage / refuse and for whom in what circumstances]. What do our other representations foreclose in exchange for convenience? thecynefin.co/toc-1-3-fore...

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 22/04/2026

Excited for half a second when I saw this. Then realized it wasn't about Sloan. And that's too bad. May your Wednesday morning be filled with the other Chris: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIRn...

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 17/04/2026

Cory Doctorow with a banger of an opening keynote at DemocracyXChange conference - appreciate the livestream for those of us on the other side of 🇨🇦

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 16/04/2026

Watching with the UCL IIPP Notify case webinar with @eaves.ca and friends with my 🍿 this morning... "How to finance it?" Can't wait for them to dig in.

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 24/02/2026

For my service design and delivery friends in govt… this paragraph caught my attn. Even with co-design and participatory methods, is the rhetoric of “easy” and “effortless” govt services undermining the more active forms of democracy Peter is advocating for, creating passive consumer publics?

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 19/02/2026

File under: The Things You See Tendered via Public Procurement... It's not all Salesforce licenses, road resurfacing, and office supplies, you know...

RFP for face painting services at the World Cup

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 29/01/2026

Auspicious start to the day, as I noticed someone with a copy of Adam Greenfield's Radical Technologies at my morning coffee stop. Amazing how one book can very quickly lead to a nice exchange and some more reading recommendations about shared concerns.

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 22/01/2026

This checks out. Last time I heard the term used as frequently was when I interviewed Noam Chomsky in the mid 1990's for my university newspaper (true story).

Uh, what is this heggie-money stuff, exactly?

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 12/12/2025

Been a soaker in Vancouver these past couple of weeks. My favourite sign at Trout Lake, swallowed up by the water this morning.

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 28/11/2025

...The last item is obviously important. Considering that most projects do not work out as planned, it would be helpful if they proceeded in a way that allowed revision and learning, that is, in small reversible steps." From the 1989 Massey Lectures, The Real World of Technology (and my 1990 book).

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 22/11/2025

On affordances and technomoral choices. From @shannonvallor.bsky.social in Technology and the Virtues

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 21/11/2025

I ❤️ libraries. Especially when they host such smart, witty, and engaging conversations like the one today with @vassb.bsky.social and Cory Doctorow. Big thanks to Jorge at VPL and everyone else for making this happen. #proudformerVPLtrustee www.crowdcast.io/c/0wzs9iu1q225

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 21/11/2025

What a treat to have this panel happen today at UBC. So many topics, so little time. Chapeau @carolmliao.bsky.social @mysdick.bsky.social @profwhw.bsky.social @profhvdv.bsky.social @naomiaklein.bsky.social and the Centre for Climate Justice for making these conversations happen.

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 09/11/2025

Random: I have in my possession an original yellow and blue costume from said Rainbow War production. Last worn 10 years ago at Halloween.

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 05/11/2025

First panel at the CSA Policy Pathways conference with @kaylietiessen.bsky.social @armineyalnizyan.bsky.social and host @spaikin.bsky.social — strong provocations and challenges from a great keynote talk by Armine about the care economy.

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 03/11/2025

Four cheers for @h2cents.bsky.social @honeygolightly.bsky.social @hillaryh.bsky.social and Stephanie and their encouragement about pattern finding and sharing #fwd50

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 03/11/2025

Okay bsky gov digital folks - who’s here? #fwd50

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 01/11/2025

Calling time at 8:51pm, with 151 kids — a great turnout considering the very soggy start!

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 01/11/2025

The sloth and the owl have welcomed 51 kids and counting over here on Woodland Drive in East Van…

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 01/11/2025

A soggy evening but we are open for another #treatcount2025… be safe and stay warm everyone!

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 18/10/2025

Just finished @shannonvallor.bsky.social’s book, The AI Mirror. Deeply appreciative of the thought and care that went into this book. Left reflecting upon one of many challenges posed: how might we “reclaim technology as a human-wielded instrument of care, responsibility, and service”?

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 17/10/2025

While Portland isn’t what it seems, nor is my East Van street this afternoon. Honestly, can you pick a worse place to film than an active bike route?

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 16/10/2025

I recently repaired my 17 year old Ortlieb cycling panniers with some new straps. In a context of so many disposable consumer goods, these nylon straps, fastex clips and screws brought me so much joy. We need more care in design, materials and repair. Well done Ortlieb.

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 16/10/2025

From earlier this week, a brilliant bit of writing (and truth) about the upcoming Fifa World Cup via the Guardian. That’s a zinger of a paragraph. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 02/10/2025

What a treat to have Kate Tarling @kateldn.bsky.social visit us in Vancouver last week. A real pleasure hosting her at @oxd.bsky.social and for a great presentation on service organizations at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Catch her keynote tomorrow at CanUX in Ottawa 🇨🇦

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 26/07/2025

To explore or exploit, and other good questions covered in the pages of The Explorer’s Gene. Saw Alex Hutchinson speak in June in Vancouver about his latest book. Enjoyable summer reading.

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 20/06/2025

Really excited to see the work of the Emily Carr Health Design Lab over the past year with Caylee Raber and her researchers (20 RA’s) and health ecosystem partners.

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 30/05/2025

Love watching the Giro in the Aosta Valley today. Wonderful memories of riding those roads in 2019. Andiamo!

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 27/05/2025

Last time a monarch opened parliament was 1977. Finishes with a clear message: "As the anthem reminds us, the True North is indeed strong and free." Have yet to see a Mike Myers elbows-up gesture, but there's still time...

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 23/05/2025

Stein's identification of the use of efficiency as most often meaning "cost-effective" or "lowest cost" without defining what an effective [service, program, government] means (because that's hard) leaves us simply with "spend less" or "expensive is bad". This was @eaves.ca's closing point...

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 23/05/2025

On the heels of a great webinar with @hillaryh.bsky.social @eaves.ca and Dorothy Eng this week, grabbed this 2001 gem off the shelf for a slow read last night... page 6 sets things up well...

Picture of a book cover showing street signs. The book is the Cult of Efficiency by Janice Gross Stein

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 18/05/2025

Indeed! Reminded of Dom’s heroic quest to get our NeXT up and running again. Though this MacPlus was quite a bit more obscure and more work. Lovely detective story. 🤓

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 25/04/2025

Sun’s out, roof is open. Let’s go ‘Caps. #whitecapsfc

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 17/04/2025

Great night for women’s soccer for Vancouver as a city and for Canada as a country. 🇨🇦⚽️ #VanRiseFC

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 18/03/2025

From On Freedom… “I just listened to what he said.”

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 18/03/2025

Read @timothysnyder.bsky.social’s short and powerful On Tyranny recently, now reading On Freedom. He asks us to be kind to our language, believe in truth, be calm when the unthinkable arrives. His weekend essay articulates the unthinkable — do read and consider it: open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 15/03/2025

Lovely afternoon at Emily Carr University, cup full from chats with talented, thoughtful designers.

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Gordon Ross 🇨🇦 @gordonr.ca · 14/02/2025

Amidst hard times for governments, it was heartening to have @oxd.bsky.social partner with The School of Good Services and help bring @loudowne.bsky.social and @rufflemuffin.bsky.social to Victoria to deliver service design training, talk connected public services, and feel hopeful this week.

service design is 10% design, 90% creating the conditions for service design to happen

The School of Good Services, in partnership with OXD

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