In September 2000, Theo Dombrowski handed me a book with a yellow and black cover and told me, “trust me, you’ll like this.” That book was Midaq Alley, and not only was Theo right, it was my first of many experiences with Naguib Mahfouz’s writing in the past six years.

Naguib Mahfouz passed away yesterday at the age of 94. Most people I know didn’t even hear of his death, and those that had were unfazed. I don’t blame them: despite his popularity after winning the Nobel Prize and establishing himself as the Arab world’s most prominent contemporary writer, Mahfouz was hardly a household name like Dan Brown or Margaret Atwood here in North America. A shame that he wasn’t, because in the past six years I have had the opportunity to experience a raw, human look at Egyptian life through Mahfouz’s novels and short stories, which has not only been entertaining, but uplifting.

Perhaps the reason I enjoy Naguib Mahfouz’s literary works so much is because they are florid in the linguistic sense but simple and accessible when it comes to plot. He not only chronicles the ordinary stories of the ordinary man extremely well, but he makes this ordinary, everyday life feel stimulating and often provocative. I am sad that my Arabic skills are so minimal that I did not have the opportunity to read his works in their original language, but even in translation his flair for the description of the mundane is evident.

Naguib Mahfouz has quickly risen to the ranks of my favorite authors, and he will truly be missed by his family, friends, and the crowds of readers that have connected with him and his stories. Mahfouz explored the afterlife in his most recent work, The Seventh Heaven, so here’s to hoping that the afterlife treats him with the dignity and prestige that he so rightly deserves.

I recently applied for a job in Europe to do some content work for a new website, since a good chunk of my online expertise comes in content creation. I guess my CV was good enough to get me shortlisted in the first round, because I had a phone interview last week that was certainly eye-opening.

Of course, one of the major selling points on my CV when I apply to a web job is my blog: having a weblog that is widely read and relatively topical shows my ease with content management systems, demonstrates my experience in audience-targeted writing and content delivery, and gives a good sense of who I am and what I enjoy as well. One of my previous employers actually recruited me through my blog, and another stated that my weblog was one of the major reasons she decided to hire me. Needless to say, Wholesome Goodness has been a pretty good marketing tool so far.

Until now. As I was speaking to the recruiter for this new content-related position, she said that one of the main problems that the institution had with my application was my weblog. Not because they were afraid of me blogging about work (I never write about the details of my employment here on this site), but because they didn’t feel that someone that had a weblog could fit into the quasi-conservative atmosphere of the institution.

Which made me wonder: are there a lot of institutions that still think this way? That blogging is a tool for teenagers to tell their friends about what they wore that day? Obviously, the weblog world has come a long way from that point. Most major companies have some kind of blog in order to interact with their users, and many noted web celebrities have both personal and corporate blogs.

The Wikipedia entry on Corporate Blog is a great read, and also links to many other major players in the corporate blog world. Even the New York Times extolled the virtues of corporate blogging three years ago. Hugh Macleod describes the virtues of blogging in the business world: in essence, “markets are conversations.”

This is not to say I’m encouraging this particular institution I applied to to start a blog. Not at all. I can fully understand why there may be limitations and reservations to release sensitive information to the public. However, I am encouraging this same institution to stop being scared of bloggers: a person that blogs usually has a good handle over the needs and attitudes of his or her readers, which is important in any content-related position, blog or not.

I am writing this post at a Lettieri on Front Street, sipping my coffee while I browse the internet for free on my Macbook. Yes, I just said free wireless internet. So while every Starbucks and Second Cup in the city have all signed deals with companies that charge exorbitant amounts of money for web access, and while Toronto Hydro talks the big talk about making all of Toronto a hotspot, Wireless Toronto has been making the internet available for the people, all for free.

Torontoist has a wonderful post on Wireless Toronto’s modus operandi, so I won’t repeat it all here, but in essence, WT is an all-volunteer group that gets local businesses to set up wireless routers for the enjoyment of the public. Users don’t pay a cent, and WT manages the registration and connection process. Wireless Toronto already has several locations across the GTA, and is actively searching for more.

This is such a wonderful service that I’d be willing to pay the $50/year network registration for one business that can convince me that offering free wireless will be of true value to their local community. And that’s on my “still trying to pay off student loans while not having a real job” salary. Once I get decently stable employment, I’d extend that offer to more than one business. Let’s hope Wireless Toronto grows to eventually cover the whole city, and truly make the internet accessible.