iDIY – iCan and uCan too – Getting Stuff Done Yourself

Once upon a time, in the days of university when I was going to school, and playing in a rock band, and booking shows, and doing some fanzines and graphics work, I bumped into a friend of a friend. We exchanged laughs and email addresses. His email address was unforgettable. It was “ican@ucant.com”. I had a good chuckle over that one.

I was just thinking about that because I was recalling a moment in class the other day when the instructor was describing some aspect of corporate workplaces, and she remarked that filing trademarks was work for lawyers / specialists, and something “we don’t do.” I didn’t hesitate to speak up. I replied that I had traveled to Ottawa once and filed 3 trademarks. Strangely, without seeming to really hear me, she said something like “That’s nice” and continued talking.

This kind of thinking is everywhere. It’s as prevalent today as anytime before. We are convinced that we should bow to experts and that DIY is a home decorating concept invented by Home Depot. Another instructor laughed and said “Don’t waste your time,” when asked if a class magazine project required an accompanying article. The importance of writing skills and text in the age of databases, web 2.0 and other text-based information technologies makes her remark laughable (and narrowly ignorant).

This is the day and age when all workers in all industries need to have a firm grasp of multiple skills. And there’s plenty of software and Internet resources that are easily learned. It is commonly remarked that you can do a lot with a picture if you only know 10% of Photoshop. I believe that’s true. and I believe that iCan and uCan too.