Terence C. Gannon

The Arrow

January 23rd, 2019  |  24 mins 20 secs

aviation, canada, essay, history, military

The path not taken sixty-six years ago has a nation still wondering what might have been.

Fat Kid with a Cello

January 9th, 2019  |  16 mins 22 secs

Why you should probably make your child play a musical instrument.

Legalization

December 17th, 2018  |  16 mins 57 secs

I really hope this isn't the one thing for which Canada is known.

X-15

November 21st, 2018  |  22 mins 43 secs

aviation, history, science, space, space exploration

Inspired by its feature role in ‘First Man’, a closer look at the first aircraft to fly into space.

Dad Was a Traveller

October 11th, 2018  |  21 mins 52 secs

Some say you spend your entire life preparing for the inevitable moment when you have to speak at your father’s memorial service. Given that lifetime of preparation, I hope you’ll indulge me — grant me the luxury of a little of your time — as I take you on a ride through Dad’s life as seen from the perspective of his younger son.

The Third Third

April 30th, 2018  |  16 mins

career advice, life lessons, nonfiction, retirement

A conversation over breakfast about long-lived parents triggers some thoughts on a new life plan.

Plus 15

March 8th, 2018  |  22 mins 55 secs

calgary, canada, cold climate, plus 15, urban planning

In 1970 the city of Calgary, Alberta embarked on an ambitious plan to interconnect all of its downtown buildings into one integrated network using walkways elevated 15 feet above the street. The Plus 15, as it’s called, has shuttled downtown workers around the core for nearly 50 years to their considerable delight. It’s success, however, has been at the expense of the streetscape below. Some thoughts on the past, present and future of this ambitious project.

Gutenberg on Broadway

February 13th, 2018  |  17 mins 27 secs

change, ibm, memories, podcast, technology

I am grateful for the observation perch I had for the arrival of the most recent generation of the Information Age. I’m also grateful to have felt, first hand, the shockwave and the seismic tremor of its arrival, and to be smart enough to know what it was.

Listening to Diana Krall in Nizhnevartovsk

January 20th, 2018  |  14 mins 8 secs

homesickness, life lessons, podcast, russia, travel

In this episode, host Terence C. Gannon recounts his time as an accidental tourist in Western Siberia in 1998. It was a time and a place so far away, and so strange, he learned something about what connects us all to home.

The Future of Warfare is Lighter Than Air

January 11th, 2018  |  16 mins 15 secs

airships, history, memories, technology, travel, world war ii

Both in the 1970s, and then again starting in the 1990s through to present, trips to the Oregon Coast have featured the magnificent airship hangars at Tillamook. This past summer's trip triggered a cascade of memories of what was, and what might have been.

Mexico City, 1969

December 21st, 2017  |  16 mins

family, life lessons, memories, roadtrip, travel

As my parents enter their late eighties and approach life with delicacy and deliberation, I am reminded of a time when they seemingly threw caution and good sense to the wind and took their young family on an epic road trip. They knew what they were doing: creating a vivid past for a then distant future.

Grand Designs

December 7th, 2017  |  12 mins 31 secs

architecture, design, home improvement, pop culture, television

The shear number of home improvement shows on television — heck, there are entire networks dedicated to them — you would think it would be difficult to make out any signal coming through all that noise. For 17 seasons, however, Britain's Channel 4 has been cranking out Grand Designs hosted by Kevin McCloud—a home improvement show truly worthy of your time.

At Work in the Garden of Good and Evil

November 23rd, 2017  |  12 mins 57 secs

climate change, environment, essay, oil & gas

Having left oil & gas after 25 years, you might think I was either a passionate advocate for the industry—or maybe a rabid foe. Turns out that neither is true. While our quality of life is sustained but cheap and plentiful energy, I'm not blind to the its faults. The opponents of oil & gas have valid, compelling arguments, along with a few faults of their own.

Rosetta Stone

November 9th, 2017  |  19 mins 58 secs

careers, language, life lessons, memories, travel

A journey from ancient Egypt to modern day as an exploration of language, understanding and a better way for us to communicate with each other.

The Tyranny of a Happy Accident

October 26th, 2017  |  9 mins 29 secs

career advice, career change, careers, life lessons, self improvement

You would think that success early in a career is a gift and a stepping stone to the big time. For me, however, it turned out to be a curse. Reflections on a career, candidly, that was not all it should have been.

Artificial Ignorance

October 12th, 2017  |  17 mins 12 secs

artificial intelligence, future, machine learning, society, tech

The artificial intelligence (AI) genie is out of the bottle and there is no turning back. Like other earth shattering technologies have been introduced over millenia, there has been the inevitable, well-intended discussion about using each only for good and not evil. However, we have a virtually unblemished record of never getting that to work in practice.