Quick plugs for two Canadian bloggy/Web 2.0/drinking-the-Koolaid events:
- Word Power – Finding Your Blog’s Unique Voice is a 4-day workshop run by Alex Samuel and Rob Cottingham up at Hollyhock in May. Sounds kind of like a west coast Blogs ‘n’ Dogs. Rob and Alex are smart people, so if you’re looking to get clueful on all things bloggy, this would be a good way to do it. I’ve never been to Hollyhock, but it sounds fabulous. I’m planning on begging, borrowing or, er, stealing my way there for Web of Change this fall.
- The Mesh Conference is YAW2C (yet another Web 2.0 conference), and (I believe) the first of its kind in Toronto. They have a very impressive list of speakers, and an equally impressive price point. In truth, Canada probably needs a conference like this–it’s the business-focused cousin of Northern Voice. That said, I think I’ll probably stick with Gnomedex. It’s closer, and the devil I know. That is, assuming it’s not sold out yet–I must get around to registering.
- Bonus link: Cruises scare me, but you might dig the Blogonomics Business Blogging Conference Cruise (or BBBCC, if you like) leaving from points south this October.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
Why do cruises scare you?
Cruises scare me for a few reasons:
a) They imply a lot of social interaction with strangers.
b) Choosing a cruise strikes me as a very uncreative way to travel.
c) The conventional demographic of a cruise is senior citizens.
d) There’s always a heavy emphasis on the food, which reportedly is usually via buffet and shoddy. This doesn’t scare me so much as just doesn’t interest me at all.
e) Most importantly, you’re stuck on a boat for extended periods of time, with no option to get off (save for excursions). I couldn’t even hack a dinner cruise I did with a company about 5 years ago.