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The world's smallest desert is in Canada

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Re: The world's smallest desert is in Canada

#51
post #8

If we're talking "deserts" in the sense that there is a bunch of sand and some dunes, then I'd hazard that the Desert of Maine[0] wins this contest at 600 acres smaller (.16km^2 in total) than the Carcross desert (2.6km^2 in total). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_of_Maine

Unlike the Carcross, this one receives too much rain to be classified as a semi-arid desert.

My comment was tongue-in-cheek that the Carcross isn't a desert either, and the article claiming it was the "world's smallest desert" was wrong in both size and the erroneous statement that it is a desert.

>The dry climate and strong winds in the 260-hectare area make it feel like a real desert, but the Carcross Desert is actually a series of sand dunes (which technically have too much moisture to be classified as a desert).[0]

[0]https://web.archive.org/web/20090612184355/http://www.canadi...

Re: The world's smallest desert is in Canada

#52
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drink - the toe? For those of us thousands of kilometers away, can you explain what strange and probably amazing Canadian tradition this is, please?

An alcoholic drink with the toe of some famous dead person in it. You don't eat/drink the toe - you give it back after you are done with the drink. Google "Sourtoe Cocktail" for more info (or maybe don't :)

Thanks for the reply... I googled. Amazing tradition. Not sure I'd like to participate ;)

Re: The world's smallest desert is in Canada

#53
post #36
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where are you at, if you don't mind my asking? I'm in Sitka, and I'm always curious to see people from the far northwest on HN. I did the Klondike relay a few times in the mid 2000s, and I really miss getting up that way. I hope to do that race again in the next few years, and to spend more time in the Yukon.

What do you do in Sitka? I've thought and still think about moving up to northern BC (Prince Rupert/Terrace) or the Yukon, but I can't square it with the lack of tech work up there...

You're speaking my language now. That's the dream right there. However Canada's tech market has me planted in Toronto for now.

There are some increasingly northerly-creeping companies, though. While it may not be the preferred field or quite far enough north, the work of Hinterland Games has struck me as well polished and carries a distinctly Canadian flavour:

http://www.thelongdark.com/

And apparently they're hiring... my girlfriend's mom lives out in Comox which is right down the road... now I'm thinking...

https://hinterlandgames.com/career-opportunities

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comox,_British_Columbia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtenay,_British_Columbia

Re: The world's smallest desert is in Canada

#54

The Athabasca sand dunes are also visually interesting http://photojourneys.ca/2017/12/31/exploring-saskatchewans-a...

I had no idea this existed! A reason to visit Saskatchewan!

Here's another fun one, and I think created due to human activity:

Cheltenham Badlands, Ontario

https://www.google.com/search?q=Cheltenham+Badlands&client=f...

Re: The world's smallest desert is in Canada

#55
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you do in Sitka? I've thought and still think about moving up to northern BC (Prince Rupert/Terrace) or the Yukon, but I can't square it with the lack of tech work up there...

You're speaking my language now. That's the dream right there. However Canada's tech market has me planted in Toronto for now. There are some increasingly northerly-creeping companies, though. While it may not be the preferred field or quite far enough north, the work of Hinterland Games has struck me as well polished and carries a distinctly Canadian flavour: http://www.thelongdark.com/ And apparently they're hiring…

I'm too late to edit:

but it looks like Hinterland Studio has moved to Vancouver. They were located in Cumberland previously which is located in Comox Valley. Damned shame. Maybe they had a hard time convincing talent to move to that area... but it would have been pretty damned near ideal for me!

They have a two year old video extolling the virtues of the area: https://youtu.be/ft_Ar0QDjSc

I'm kind of disappointed they moved

Re: The world's smallest desert is in Canada

#56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're speaking my language now. That's the dream right there. However Canada's tech market has me planted in Toronto for now. There are some increasingly northerly-creeping companies, though. While it may not be the preferred field or quite far enough north, the work of Hinterland Games has struck me as well polished and carries a distinctly Canadian flavour: http://www.thelongdark.com/ And apparently they're hiring…

I'm too late to edit: but it looks like Hinterland Studio has moved to Vancouver. They were located in Cumberland previously which is located in Comox Valley. Damned shame. Maybe they had a hard time convincing talent to move to that area... but it would have been pretty damned near ideal for me! They have a two year old video extolling the virtues of the area: https://youtu.be/ft_Ar0QDjSc I'm kind of disappointed th…

Ugh, what a bummer. For me personally, I'm not young or crazy enough to work in games professionally...but I love the island (especially up-island) and would love to see its tech scene develop - and every little bit of momentum helps, so that's a blow.

There is a decent amount of stuff going in the south island, even up to Nanaimo. Tech is actually Victoria's largest industry! https://www.viatec.ca/

(by the way - it's probably at least a couple years off and might just be a pipe dream, but nevertheless I've been dreaming of some kind of hardware startup either near Nanaimo or Terrace. I took a peek at your website and saw that that might be up your alley...so if that's something you'd like to chat about feel free to drop me a line at unfactorablepolynomial at gmail)

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