I like to give back. Be it a young entrepreneur, school or an established non for profit. Sometimes I give capital, other times I build crazy software.
I donated my time to build an XPrize iPhone app to be used at the XPrize Visioneering meeting. The zillionaires of the world use it to choose the next XPrize — the Qualcomm Tricorder $10M prize, a contest to create, effectively, a Star Trek tricorder.
It was a very complex bit of software with over 80 videos for various prize ideas.
Soon after the iPad launched, I headed up an effort at the Vancouver Elsie Roy elementary school to bring iPads into the classroom. My donation was matched by the community — resulting in 30 iPads for the school, the first in British Columbia. It made front-page news.
My intention was to create a bit of competition between schools. Not only did it bring the latest technology into the hands of students, it started a wave of iPad adoption in the Fraser Valley. Last time I checked, there were well over 100 iPads in Elsie Roy and many schools followed suit.
LifeSpan BC is a non-profit group that promotes various life-extension approaches and technologies — specifically focused on life-extension strategies, and advocating on behalf of persons whose access to potentially life-saving technologies is being unfairly limited.
I was their initial financial supporter, serve on the board, and fulfill the role of treasurer.
I joined Alcor Cryonics back in 2009. My son is also signed up. That means one day, when we pass on, our remains will be frozen and not buried. We will be effectively frozen in time.
I donate to their cause, offer my time when I can, and I also serve on the board of advisors.
One year I decided to help take Singularity University into the mobile space. I wrote them an iPhone app which covered various aspects of the school — schedule, curriculum, and faculty.
When presented to the Graduate Studies Program in 2010, it was given a standing ovation. :)
