So, the TTZ Media’s Affiliate/Referral banner ad system is going live tonight after I put the new theme up which was designed by Nate Whitehill. If you don’t already know, the TTZMedia.com’s ad engine system has been the largest project on my plate for the last several months.

It’s been quite a challenging journey to come to this point, and has been very time consuming but also very rewarding as well. It’s been a pleasure working with John Chow, and I am sure it will continue to be so!

Please sign up for the TTZMedia Affiliate system, and you can start earning CPC earnings from your website as well as referral commission as well!

Also part of the enticement is the two 22″ LCD monitors being given out as a prize if you sign up with the TTZ Media Affiliate program! This contest is hosted by John Chow(Teaching you how to make money online) and Bluefur Web Hosting (Providing Quality Web Hosting Services in Canada). There are many other ways to win, so please check out John Chow’s original contest page!

To be able to sign up for the TTZMedia Affiliate system, you must meet the following requirements :

• You must have your own self-hosted site. No blogspot, myspace, wordpress.com hosted websites will be allowed. Self-hosted wordpress blogs are OK.
• Your website, obviously, must not contain any pornography, discriminative content, or any other content that is commonly perceived as not-universally-acceptable.
• It must be a good site. If it’s a crap website with nothing on it we won’t even bother.

And don’t even think about click frauding us - we’re not stupid, so please don’t even try!

So today I noticed something very interesting, and here’s the screencap of it.

That’s right, the Google.com site had “iGoogle” instead of “Google” on it. Also, I realized the URL always forwards from google.com or google.ca to google.com/ig and google.ca/ig!!!

Is this one of their their playful gestures to fool around with the header image like they do with holidays and special events etc.?

Or is this some kind of a hint towards a more “friendly and cooperative” relationship between Apple and Google? Or has i+anything become a common word with no copyright infringements?

Does anybody know anything about this?

The Sey-To-Sky highway, which is the prettier name for Hwy-99 that runs through British Columbia to connect Vancouver to  Whistler (with Squamish, Britannia Beach, Porteau Cove, Lion’s Bay, Horseshoe Bay on the way) is becoming the next big strip of development. As many of you may be aware, the 2010 Winter Olympic games are being held in Whistler BC, and the transportation/accomodation infrastructure between Vancouver and Whistler is going through major developments.

The Sea-to-Sky Highway, which was considered a rather dangerous and difficult highway due to the fact that it’s too windy and has only 1 lane each way, is now becoming 2 lanes in most sectors (if not all), and the skytrain lines are being added within the city to resolve the traffic between Richmond and Vancouver, as well as in the Tri-Cities. The cheap accomodations which generally provided eyesores (the buildings and the people who occupied it both) are now being ripped apart and replaced with nicer buildings that suit the beauty of Vancouver. And no, I’m not sympathetic enough to worry about the drug-addicted near-homeless or employment-insurance milking losers who live in those “single occupancy hotels”.

Anyhow back on topic. The developments along the Sea-to-Sky Highway corridors are the next big thing for investors, as the real estate value as well as the community size of the regions are expected to grow even more.  There are already some projects that are confirmed which provide thousands of new homes, and I personally know of a plan that is underway to develop something really big. Can’t disclose the details here, but I’m just hinting - keep your eyes open. If you want to diversify your real estate investments and not concentrate too much on the city (although personally I would invest in the city still), this is a great chance to split your eggs into different baskets.

I call this the extension of the West Coast. LA and SF was the big thing at first. Now we have Seattle, and then there’s Vancouver which already has climbed its way up to being the 13th best city in the world to live in. The beautiful West Coast of North America continues to extend northbound towards Whistler and Squamish, and what used to be considered a rural tourist attraction with limited industry will soon become a diversified area with its own industrial infrastructure, enough permanent population (half of Whistler’s population are transient population at this point, but that will change), and the accessibility from Vancouver.

Exciting, isn’t it?

Today I’d like to disucss the trend that continues to shape the living dynamics of the upper-class citizens of the 1st world countries, and that is a movement that Mr. Ford started way back when. He invented the assembly line, and his concept was simple - get each guy to do only a certain part of the job, become really good at it, and as a collective, the finished product will be made. It was a revolution in terms of increasing productivity and achieving a higher level of efficiency, as well as a greater degree of quality (at least, this applies for manufactured goods - I’d still prefer a hand-made mahogany acoustic guitar over a factory-pressed guitar that sells for less than $500).

“The Assembly Line” - a concept that revolutionized the manufacturing world which brought greater profits to the companies and cheaper goods for the consumers, is still evolving throughout civilization, in places you never would have thought about. In fact, it is a market dynamic that was created thousands of years ago (at least to some degree) and has been affecting human life every since - and the spread and grasp of the concept is what is growing stronger every day.

What the hell am I rambling on about? Well, think about this. There was a time and age when each family self-supplied. They would farm a small patch of land, hunt some, and also the women made their own clothes in their own home. As society evolved, they developed the concept of currencies, so that a common trade value can be established for different items. You have a few guys in the town that farms all year to provide the grain, and then there’s the other few households who ranch. And down the old dirt road there’s the blacksmith making the tools for the farmers and ranchers, next to the stitching shop where they weave fabric and make clothing.

Without realizing it, the “Assembly Line” has been a concept growing within mankind’s culture all along. Henry Ford applied it in a much more specific and targeted way, so that one guy stamps the wheels on while the other guy sets the pistons in the engine block. Now, this is going to a whole different step.

The most significant difference in the economic production model between a 1st world country and a 3rd world country is the size of the 3rd (and 4th) sector of industry. According to some economic theory I learned a long time ago, here’s how the industrial sectors divide.

1. 1st level - Primary material and goods. This includes farming, mining, ranching, etc.
2. 2nd level - Manufacturing. Based on what was harvested/grown/collected from the 1st level industries, this sector makes the goods and sells it. Manufacturing of computers, furniture, etc. falls in this category.
3. 3rd level - Service Industry. This sector provides purely the service, instead of the actual manufacturing, etc. Logistics, hair dressers, teachers, entertainers, retail (although with a blurry line with the 2nd level industry) falls under this category.
4. 4th level - IT (information technology). This is often argued to be part of the 3rd level industry, and it is sort of true. But I like to segregate them because I value the IT industry as a very unique and valuable asset of our industrial world, and the operating dynamics are quite different from the 3rd level. But, I guess, for the sake of this article, it can be in 1 category. Not a big deal.

The 3rd and 2nd world countries largely rely on level 1 and level 2 industries. And then when you get to the 1st world countries, it’s reliancy on level 1&2 of industry declines while the weight of the 3rd level industry weighs in a lot more.

The 1st world countries are the ones who reap the benefit of cheap costs provided by the 3rd world countries who support the 1st&2nd level of industrial production and with the extra disposable income we are able to generate even more services. By having more, we are able to spend more. Kids in Africa barely have food, yet we have more than enough food, and what money we have left is spent on watching movies, eating snacks, and drinking.

Back to the “Assembly Line” topic - the 1st world country, especially the richer ones, are out-sourcing so many more parts of their lives. I, for one, don’t clean my own bathroom - it’s too much time wasted for me, and I can afford to pay somebody to do it. I’d rather spend more time on work, or have more quality time with my friends or on my own. Some rich people can’t even be bothered to cook for themselves. They either eat out, or they have a personal chef (my roommate is a personal chef for some of these people). They also have people doing their everyday housework including laundry and what not. They can’t even be bothered to drive themselves, so they hire drivers.  They don’t want to try to work out on their own, so to feel more motivated, they just dish off that part to a personal trainer. They don’t want to clean their own cars, so they put it through the car wash centre and pay the price for it.

The richer you are, the bigger your assembly line gets, and the more services you will use. The richer society has such a dense 3rd level industry sector, and according to statistics and economists, that trend is expected to grow.

Watch for an influx in the growth of agencies that help with what was considered a personal task. Housecleaning, cooking, dog walking (I know a professional dog-walker in Yaletown - one of the richest neighbourhoods in Canada), driving, laundry, etc. These sectors will grow to a tremendous degree, and the growth has only begun.

Also, apply this to the business sector. More and more companies are going for the lean mean slim business model of outsourcing a lot of their own services. Hiring employees is outsourced to Apple One, Monster, Workopolis, etc. Marketing and surveys are handed out to consulting firms. Design, web, and printing arrangement as well as database work is given to me. Many companies, especially those that are smaller in scale (and SMEs are on the rise) find it more cost-efficient and sensible to outsource many aspects of business instead of having in-house staffing.

The Assembly Line is still growing and developing, and it keeps on changing the scope of our world.

I’ve been reading this book titled “The Wal Mart Effect” by Charles Fishman. It’s a book that discusses the tremendous ripple that Wal Mart has to the people of this continent, people abroad, the stock market, suppliers, other retailers, and the consumer perspective of what retail purchase should be like. I’m not too far into the book yet, but the statistics are simple awe-striking, and there’s no doubt that Wal Mart is shaping the retail scope of this side of the world to a great degree.

“In less than 4 months, Walmart exceeds the annual sale volume of its closest competitor! . . . within 10 years, they had 888 supercenters. That’s an average of 7 new stores a month for 10 years in a row.”

Wal-Mart is unique in the sense that it more or less has no competition - yes, there are other mega-retail stores such as Target, Costco, and other grocery store chains such as Safeway, Walgreen, etc., but the figures are astronomical. The runner-up to Walmart’s sales will still have an yearly sale volume that is equivalent to what Walmart makes before St. Patty’s day. In less than 4 months, Walmart exceeds the annual sale volume of its closest competitor! Also, the viral growth rate of Wal Mart is another shock. At the end of 1990, Wal Mart had only 10 supercenters across America. In 2000, within 10 years, they had 888 supercenters. That’s an average of 7 new stores a month for 10 years in a row.

“My mother was very excited about the new Wal Mart that opened up down the streets. Soon, it became our central shopping destination. It was where my parents bought me my first Nintendo console!!! . . . I realize the Wal-Mart effect that descended upon our family.”

I remember 1991~1993, when I livced in the small town of Columbia, Missouri (yes, who would have thought? I used to live in the USA, in a rather hick-town. Compare that to Yaletown, Vancouver). My mother was very excited about the new Wal Mart that opened up down the streets. Soon, it became our central shopping destination. It was where my parents bought me my first Nintendo console!!! The old-school console that had Super Mario 1 & 3, Duck Hunt, etc. I still have the machine and it works, surprisingly. It’s where we purchased our bikes. It’s where we purchased our toaster, heater, fan, etc. At the time I was a 6 year old boy who had no concept of reading these signs, but now that I read this book and recall those days, I realize the Wal-Mart effect that descended upon our family - foreigners in the middle of the USA in a town with a very very small population - in fact, still less than 100,000!!!

On the other hand, Vancouver hasn’t quite been affected by the Wal Mart craze. This is from a meager point of view from a consumer and a citizen of this city, but it really hasn’t. There are, I believe, 2 Wal Marts in the Greater Vancouver region. In Vancouver itself, there are none. There’s 1 in North Vancouver, and another in Surrey. Maybe there’s a 3rd one near the Tri Cities or even further East, but I’m not sure. In any case. I haven’t been to a Wal Mart in over a year now. Seriously. I came close once - my friend needed something as we drove by, but they were closed at 10PM.

The greatest allure of Wal Mart is the prices. Secondly, is the diversity of the goods they have in their huge stores. Wal Mart has often been criticized for their overly low prices. Critics argue that the employees are underpaid, and they hurt the smaller local businesses. Essentially, a Wal Mart comes sweeping in, takes down the smaller retailers, and then amalgamates the employees as their own at lower wages - that’s the argument at least.

Since Vancouver does not have much of a prominent presence of Wal Mart, I will just tie in other larger/low-priced stores into the same category as Wal Mart and treat them as one. There are a few of those around here. Coscto, The Canadian SuperStore, and Wal Mart are the ones we have around here. And then there are the generic grocery stores and what not that are higher in price compared to these superstores such as Safeway, Marketplace IGA, etc.

Now, back to the argument - does Wal Mart hurt local businesses? I guess it depends on the city. In a lot of cities where the average income is very low, and the cities are very well condensed, I can see everybody flocking towards Wal Mart. It’s close by, your main priority is saving $$$ - why the hell not? But Vancouver has a bit of a different demographic I guess. I just don’t see the Wal Mart effect being so strong in a city like Vancouver, and here is why.

1. Is the extra drive worth the savings?Vancouver has bad traffic, it’s a given. There’s no way in hell I am crossing the Lions Gate Bridge to get stuff from Wal Mart when I can get them all within downtown. Even if the prices are higher, I will not put myself through that. I go to Costco sometimes, only because it’s only 3 blocks away, and when I’m getting laundry detergent or anything else I can buy bulk.
2. How fast can you shop?The truth about these superstores is that it’s very hard to find things, and also, it’s time consuming to go through everything. I personally find it overwhelmingly complicated to shop at any of these stores unless I’m guided by somebody who knows better!
3. How specialized are the staff, and the array of products?I’d rather go to Futureshop or Best Buy for electronics, because they have a more knowledgeable staff, and they have a larger array of the right stuff. Especially when it comes to buying an LCD TV or a monitor, I cannot stand the cheaper/lower quality brands. I will not buy a Proview brand TV, for example, because it’s $300 cheaper. I’d rather get a Samsung or a JVC. Also, when I choose electronics, I need a large array of options. “Does this have HDMI? How many S-Video inputs does it have? What’s the contrast ratio?” I could never be satisfied buying a TV from Costco, regardless of how cheap they are.

Of course, these opinions are coming from me, and I cannot say it represents theopinion of the generic public, but I have a hunch that there are many people like me. Depending on what you perceive as valuable to you, you will have different preferences. And Vancouver is not a low-income city with a thick condensation of population. The thick condensation stops downtown, more or less.

Even then, the downtown crowd falls into roughly 3 crowds.

• Rich, so don’t give a damn about driving an extra distance for cheaper everyday goods. (Yaletown, Coal Harbour, mainly)
• Young, hip and cool - either don’t care enough to try to save money by driving out, or don’t even have cars - they live downtown so they can walk everywhere. (West End, mainly)
• Homeless - they can’t buy anything anyhow other than hits of Heroine after pan-handling all day. (the streets, or shelters, mainly)

Note that downtown Vancouver rent is too expensive for a Wal Mart anyhow - Wal Mart is meticulous at cost-analysis and saving in order to preserve the low prices. There is a Costco, but that’s still on the outskirts of downtown, you need to drive there.

“Vancouver seems to be free of the Wal-Mart Effect. It’s just another store.”

So, from any perceivable angle, Wal Marts in Vancouver cannot dominate in the sense of the “Wall Mart Effect” - it’s merely another store, just like the Superstore, Home Depot, or anything else. They do OK - they make a profit. But I haven’t seen signs of struggle from the other smaller retail chain sectors. In the States, Toys ‘R Us has been sold off after Wal Mart started selling more toys, and other smaller grocery chains in cities have been closing all over the place after losing customers to Wal Mart. But that’s not the case in Vancouver.

Based on what the consumers find valuable, as well as the geographic limitations, Vancouver seems to be free of the Wal-Mart Effect.

It’s just another store.