Journals of Doc Surge

Jan 15

Rooting for a Republic of Bloggers

January 15, 2015 by Chris Billows in Trade (Blogging) 0 comments tags: Blogging, Introduction, Republic of Bloggers, Virtuous Discourse

Dear Chris Bateman, I am reaching out to you about your post “A Republic of Bloggers“, which I found to be a refreshing take on a medium that has become far too associated with content marketing and search engine optimization. I am putting forward my intention to join you in your venture. What I found so appealing in your concept is the invitation to engage in a exchange of ideas, thoughts, and perspectives in a format that requires a greater effort and thus the possibility of greater reward. To exchange letters via our blogs is to engage in a practice that is becoming less and less attractive in a time where people prefer to be entertained by the latest tweet or feed. But we do not need to be popular to be meaningful, and perhaps it shall become the mantle for the Republic to do that which need not be popular. It only takes two to have a conversation, so perhaps with enough examples from a few of us, we can gather others to our Republic to expand our company. So I would like to engage with you to discuss some parameters for such an experiment. You mention that the […]

Jan 14

Trapped in the Social Media Realm

January 14, 2015 by Chris Billows in Trade (Blogging) 0 comments tags: Blogging, Introduction, Personal Resolve

So I have been very remiss to update my Doc Surge blog for the past year mostly because of Twitter. I have been engaging in discussions and the odd argument with others. I have found this both invigorating and discouraging. There is some really excellent people to follow and interact with, but there is also lots of anti-social behavior that is very off-putting. It has all been very distracting and while I will continue to use Twitter to be exposed to new ideas, I am going to go back to blogging and working on my websites and games. Twitter and other social media realms (they all have their own distinct culture) can be a wonderful method to connect with others. I also believe that it can used to help promote your business interests. But the fact is that it creates the illusion of working. You can social network but you still need to work on your own stuff. Which is why I am going to shift back to blogging on my various sites and start revving up for a soft launch of Promaginy’s latest offering – Heropath.

Jan 31

Winnipeg Jets Fighting Records 2011-13

January 31, 2014 by Chris Billows in Think (Hockey) 0 comments tags: Hockey Fights

Fighting is a part of hockey. At its worst it can be a hyped circus where mercanaries on skates beat the snot out of each other. At its best it can be a energizing moment where the players and crowd experienced a heightened sense of us vs them. The reality is that fighting is a reaction to intimidation and intimidation has been a part of sports, and hockey in particular for decades. Wayne Gretzky who was rarely a fighter and the greatest ambassador of hockey called it right on TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YjHN1BDrbs&t=2m37s So this is why you see below you the collective fighting records of the Jets since their return to Winnipeg in 2011-12, courtesy of HockeyFights.com. Fighting is not appealing to everyone, but those who like it really like it. Rank Player Fight 2011-12 2012-13 Total Win% Main Page Totals W L D W L D 1 Chris Thorburn 20 6 4 1 3 4 2 52.50% 2 Mark Stuart 9 1 4 1 0 2 1 22.22% 3 Tanner Glass 7 1 6 0 – – – 14.29% 4 Andrew Ladd 4 2 0 0 0 2 0 50.00% 5 Evander Kane 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 […]

Jan 10

Winnipeg Jets & Farm Team Collective Performance 2011-2013

January 10, 2014 by Chris Billows in Think (Hockey) 0 comments tags: Jets Farm Team, Jets Improvement, Minor League Stats

The professional hockey world shifted a bit when Atlanta Thrashers relocated to become the Winnipeg Jets. Not only did the NHL get affected, but so did the minor league affiliations which needed to be reestablished. Atlanta had affiliations with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL and the Gwinnett Glaidiators of the ECHL. Those were ended in the summer of 2011 when Winnipeg established a new affiliation hierarchy by forming a new team in St. John’s and establishing an agreement with a new ECHL team, the Colorado Eagles. The purpose of this post is to track how the three teams have risen and fallen along side each other to see if there is any pattern. 2011-12 Regular Season Team G W L OTL P Win % GF GA Division Finish Season Change Colorado Eagles (ECHL) 72 38 28 6 82 52.78% 250 252 2nd, Mountain -7.83 pp * ↓ St-Johns IceCaps (AHL) 76 43 25 8 94 56.58% 240 216 1st, Atlantic — ** Winnipeg Jets (NHL) 82 37 35 10 84 45.12% 225 246 4th, Southeast +3.66 pp *** ↑ * same team from CHL, but considered to be an expansion franchise for the ECHL. For […]

Dec 19

Social Network Marketing for IP

December 19, 2013 by Chris Billows in Trade 0 comments tags: Blogging, Boot-Strapping, Branding

Where We Are At I am sure I am not alone with the struggle about when does an IP (intellectual property) or product you are going to release need its own Twitter account? Its own Facebook Page? Google+ Page? The reality is that the internet has become more complicated. It used to be that all you needed to do is throw up a website and submit your domain address to the Search Engines. Now the internet is starting to carve itself into silos. No longer is your web browser the only way to use content now that the world wide web is being carved up by iOS Apps, Android Apps and now by closed networks in the form of Facebook and various other services. Each of the social networks appears to have a niche to appeal to. Facebook is by its initial nature is a place to share personal stories, profiles, and pictures. Twitter is really about following the news makers. Its one-way communication is vibrant though where it really shines is the moments of punctuated dynamic conversations with the hashtag (#) aligning diverse interests. Because of immense volume of tweets, it is really easy for your message to get […]

Nov 21

Winnipeg Jets & Atlanta Thrasher Franchise Player Leaders 1999-2013

November 21, 2013 by Chris Billows in Think (Hockey) 0 comments tags: Atlanta Thrashers Relocation, Jets Goalie Stats

The Jets are entering into their third season in Winnipeg after the franchise spending eleven seasons in Atlanta as the Thrashers. So it is not surprising to see that the Franchise Leaders for Skaters and Goalies are made up of mostly former Atlanta players. Below are Franchise leaders from 1999 to 2013 according to points, games, plus/minus, penalty minutes, wins, save percentage, and shut outs. Scater Franchise Leaders by Points Player Cur. Pos From To GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW GT OT Shots 1 Ilya Kovalchuk R 2001-2002 2009-2010 594 328 287 615 -84 429 115 3 40 1 9 2,178 2 Vyacheslav Kozlov L 2002-2003 2009-2010 537 145 271 416 -38 312 51 1 20 0 4 1,211 3 Marian Hossa CHI R 2005-2006 2007-2008 222 108 140 248 21 146 39 12 16 0 3 910 4 Bryan Little WPG C 2007-2008 2012-2013 404 99 128 227 -5 125 27 2 15 0 2 817 5 Tobias Enstrom WPG D 2007-2008 2012-2013 402 36 183 219 -8 224 17 1 4 0 0 528 6 Marc Savard BOS C 2002-2003 2005-2006 184 63 133 196 -12 262 26 2 11 1 5 472 7 […]

Nov 21

Emotions Are Not A Compass

November 21, 2013 by Chris Billows in Spirit 0 comments tags: Components of Human Nature, Human Condition

Emotions are powerful experiences. They can have the subtle feeling of a gentle breeze or the violence and power of a hurricane. And its no coincidence that my analogies are references to weather. I see emotions being the equivalent to an internal weather system. They change and can be fleeting. Its for this reason I see emotions having an important role in one’s life, but should never be used to guide you. Emotions cannot guide, they are not a compass. They are more like a temperature gauge. So whatever emotions you experience you need to remember to 1) not take them too seriously since they will change like the weather, and 2) never use them as a compass but instead use your intelligence and wisdom.

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