Carl Mercier’s blog

I recently ordered a couple of books from Chapters.ca. They’re a good company who generally deliver their goods quickly. I like to follow my packages online when a tracking number is provided. Since Chapters ships XpressPost through Canada Post, I received a tracking number. Here’s what the tracking information says as of this morning:

And here’s what I just got in the mail (June 4):

How stupid is this!? This is not the first time it happens. In fact, it happens EVERY time I use Canada Post (ship or receive). Their tracking system is always at least 1 week late… and they make you pay extra for that! I think it’s time Canada Post gets its act together.

My buddies in San Francisco just launched one of the craziest website around: Justin.tv. Justin Kan and friends, all ex-Kiko.com founders are behind this.

The idea is simple… Justin has a cam strapped to himself and they broadcast live, 24/7. What’s truly outstanding is the technology behind all this which allows them to be totally mobile. Their Internet-connected PDA allows them to broadcast from pretty much any decent-size city in America. What a great way to let you experience a day in Justin’s exciting life!

I was first informed of their project in September or October. I thought it was a great but crazy idea… no more privacy! I knew Justin was the kind of guy willing enough to do it, and he did.

Congrats on the launch, guys! The site is really impressive. I wish you luck.

As I recently blogged about, I had the pleasure to be part of the Montreal Tech Entrepreneur Breakfast a few weeks ago in Montreal. It was a great event and I only have good things to say about it. However, I was recently lured into going to a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) (aka pyramid scam) presentation by someone who attended the breakfast with the apparent sole intention of collecting as many business cards as possible and try to lure these people in his scam. So far, at least 4 people (including myself) have been caught. Don’t become one of us.

I advice everybody to be extremely careful. I know you’re smart enough not to buy this BS, but you might want to be aware of the situation. It might save you some time, trouble and maybe even money (they’re very convincing!)

Here’s how it went for me… the person in question (of Asian descent, let’s call him Mr. D.) e-mailed me telling me that he was starting a business with his multi-millionaire partner and that they wanted me to join their team. He said that their business was endorsed and backed by a very famous multi-billionaire real estate entrepreneur. He also said that they were visiting him the next weekend to discuss business. That sounded serious and intriguing enough for me and I agreed to meet him (one on one) the following Wednesday at 7pm in Ville St-Laurent. Although he did not want to give me more details over the phone or email, it sounded like an exciting opportunity. When I showed up at the building where “his office” was supposed to be, I noticed a huge room where a MLM presentation was about to happen. I thought to myself… OMG, what kind of fools attend these meetings? Then Mr. D. arrived, and I realized I was going to be one of them…

I should have realized it was a scam earlier, but I didn’t.

I have also been told that his European partner in crime (Mr. H.) has tricked people into attending the same meeting in Ville St-Laurent (held a few times a week I think). They reportedly use different “baits” for everybody. So, if an Asian or European guy wants to meet you in Ville St-Laurent, make sure you know exactly what the meeting is all about if you don’t want to waste your time like we did. It’s a scam, nothing else.