CASIE STEWART
THIS IS MY LIFE • BLOG EST. 2005
Tech

Latest Obsession: Octobuddy!

Latest Obsession: Octobuddy!

This thing from Amazon is my latest obsession, Octobuddy! It’s amazing for taking selfies when you don’t have a photog around (which is almost always lol). All the photos in this post were taken with my new lil’ guy! The name has over 38M views on TikTok while the brand account only has 662 followers. Influencers everywhere have been posting about Octobuddy and I had to get one. It’s a little silicone sticker with multiple suction cups that attaches to the back of your phone and sticks to shiny surfaces (mirror, window, etc). It’s great for hands-free selfies/videos and is around $20 CAD on Amazon. ORDER ONE AND JOIN THE CLUB.

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Tech

Collision Conf 2023

Collision Conf 2023

Next week, Toronto’s biggest tech conference is back! Collision Conf is like the ‘Olympics of Tech’ and brings together people and companies redefining the tech industry. Nelson and I were there each day last year and it was so much fun (see blog post here!). We even filmed a couple of Cast of Creators episodes in the glass podcast booth. Including one with Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace! Trending Topics to Watch I chatted with the Collision Conf team this week to see what sessions and topics are trending: There are some big-name speakers (see here) and I’m looking forward to hearing from Geoffery Hinton, the founder of artificial intelligence. Early registration is open this weekend at the Union Station UP Express platform and then onsite at Beanfiend Centre from Monday to Thursday. I’m planning to get my badge this weekend to avoid the chaos. I’ll be at the opening party on Monday night and then at the conference each day. I look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new people. My experience last year was so great I left feeling excited, inspired, and with a few new friends! If you’ll be there LMK, download Hvr to leave a comment on my blog!

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Tech

Hvr: Where Browsing Meets Social

Hvr: Where Browsing Meets Social

Right before the pandemic hit, Sean and I spent a weekend hanging out with my good friend Talia and her husband Nelson. I’d met Nelson briefly in passing but we’d never really chatted. Once we got to talking, he shared what he was working on and we bonded over our thoughts about the web, publishing, and social. Nelson grew up in the publishing business as his family were co-owners of the Toronto Star. He and his brother Henry were building an app called Hvr that blends the features of browsing and social, bringing engagement back to websites. One of the first things he said was “We’re making browsing fun again” and from that moment, I was on board. As a long-time creator and publisher to the web, I’d never seen something so exciting! Since 2005 my blog has been my home base on the internet. As social media emerged in 2010, conversations moved to platforms like Facebook and Twitter, taking engagement with them and away from websites. Today, when I hit publish on a blog post, then copy-paste the URL from a browser to a social platform, people will talk about it there. This gives engagement to huge platforms but doesn’t do much for me as a creator or for my website. Fast forward to 2022, the web is changing, social media is just rented space, the best thing you can do as a creator is have a place you own online, a website. Introducing Hvr, Where Browsing Meets Social For the past year, I’ve been working closely with the Hvr team to develop the app by sharing my experience on the web and contributing to everything from design to copy and marketing. We’re changing the browsing experience by making it easy to follow your favourite sites, discover new content,…

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2021 TORONTO

Day 488: I Went to the Mall

Day 488: I Went to the Mall

After a month I was finally able to visit an Apple Store, I went to the mall! I had a return and would you believe I couldn’t do an exchange by phone or mail, I had to wait until restrictions changed and I could visit a store in person. Made a shopping appt on Monday night on the website and only waited about 2 min once I got there. I had great service and laughed quite a bit with the employee who helped me. I was legit so excited I put on a dress, jewellery, touched up my hair & makeup, made an event of it. Had dinner at Saku Sushi on the patio while I waited for sean to finish work. Michelle came and joined me and it turned into a double date when her bf & Sean arrived. The food there is so good, highly recommend it, and they always have nice cold Sapporo. I got a gold iPhone 12 Pro and am very excited to play with the camera. Ages since I’ve had a new phone! I got Apple Care but I’m not taking this precious thing out of the house until I have a case. Ordered a tempered glass screen protector and mirror case. ?

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LIFE ONLINE

Day 348: Clubhouse Prom 2021

Day 348: Clubhouse Prom 2021

I attended the first-ever Clubhouse Prom and it was so much fun. Your girl even won Offical Clubhouse Prom Queen 2021! The prom was hosted by Club F_ck It, the official home of Clubhouse’s longest-running party show. I’d joined the party a few times and was so happy to be included in the prom gang! You might be thinking, isn’t Clubhouse an audio-only app? Yes, you are correct. I don’t really know how to explain it, but Clubhouse Prom was a real event, part performance art, drama, improv, and comedy. It was such a memorable experience. Virtual events have become our reality these days. As we’ve seen with Clubhouse, audio is emerging as a seriously cool way to connect. On Wednesday before, there was a ‘Promposals’ room where people asked each other to prom. Before the night started, all the girls joined a room while getting ready. Before leaving to go to the actual event, we changed our profile images to hot pink Hummer limos. That way, we’d all show up in limos and reveal our outfits one by one. It took some time to coordinate the couples and order of guests on stage but the Mods did an amazing job. I loved getting fully dressed up in an outfit with hair and makeup, it’s been so long! It was recommended that everyone dress up and change their profile photo to their look of the night. I picked up some drinks earlier in the day and was ready to party! Prom dates had the same photo for most of the night, then changed them again to share stories about snacks, drinks, accessories, or just about anything else. At one point the room was at 1,200 people but it was a revolving door of Clubhouse users popping in and out from…

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Tech TORONTO

Review: iRobot Braava jet m6 Robot Mop

Review: iRobot Braava jet m6 Robot Mop

I don’t have an actual pet but when our little robot is cleaning the office floor and docking near my desk, I feel some kinda love. For the last few weeks, I’ve been testing out the new Braava jet m6 Robot Mop. This latest innovation from iRobot is a smart mop that cleans your floors, charges itself, maps your space, and keeps you updated on what it’s doing through the iRobot HOME app. Cleaning The Braava jet m6 Robot Mop definitely does a good job of cleaning floors. The last few weeks have had a lot of messy shoes, drink spills, and holiday snacks so we gave it a good test. It’s easy to use and able to get in close quarters like around desks & close to walls. One of my fav features is that it’s small enough to get under the edge of the kitchen cabinets where it can get pretty messy. Wifi + iRobot HOME App The app is pretty great and sends push notifications when a job is completed or the device needs your attention. iRobot uses Imprint Smart Mapping technology, mapping your space, creating a digital document in the app of where it’s been or it needs to clean. You can also pause and resume the cleaning job at any time. If you have a Roomba sweeping device, you can sync both so that once the Roomba is done cleaning dust & dirt, it can signal the Braava jet to start mopping the floor. You can also set the cleaning time within the app so it gets to work while you’re out for the day, sleeping, or at work. We have ours set to clean at 10am, 3 nights a week when the office is free of humans. Other things to Note It’s pretty quiet,…

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Fashion END BULLYING

LOVE GIVES FREEDOM | Telus x Nonie Collab to End Bullying

LOVE GIVES FREEDOM | Telus x Nonie Collab to End Bullying

This year at NYFW, Canadian designer Nonie launched the LOVE GIVES FREEDOM shirt in partnership with Telus, where all proceeds go to the Telus Friendly Future Foundation to help End Bullying. Over 1 MILLION Canadian kids are affected by cyberbullying EACH MONTH. I’m proud to work with Telus because they’re so much more than a tech company. Through the Friendly Future Foundation, they’re educating students about online safety, providing resources, and helping parents navigate the digital space our kids are growing up in. This week is National Bullying Awareness & Prevention Week but our efforts to End Bullying are year-round. We can all work together to make the internet a kinder, friendlier place. Learn more about the collab and sign the Telus digital pledge to end bullying here. We’re in this together! Spread some kindness my friends! ? 

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Tech TORONTO, ON

A DNA Test and One for Gut Health

A DNA Test and One for Gut Health

Last year I explored taking probiotics and started earning about gut health. It really opened me up to know more about my body, what foods are best and expanded my knowledge of microbiomes. A couple of weeks ago I got an email to try out a gut health test from Atlas Biomed. Obvs I was 100% down. They also sent a DNA Test which I had Sean do because I did one a few years ago. Side note, since I did my DNA test, we’ve been very interested to find out Sean’s DNA results and what percentage of neanderthal DNA he has. This is because when I did my test, we found I had a larger percentage of neanderthal DNA than the average human. He’s been bugging me about and calling me ‘Cave Casie’ since lol. Atlas Biomed launched in Canada this past summer and offers DNA & Gut Health testing in order to help people in heath & wellness. They’re the first company to offer both test directly to the public. Read more about their launch here. “Our mission is to deliver knowledge directly to consumers to help them live longer, healthier lives and we’re excited to be able to bring our products to health-conscious Canadians.” Atlas Biomed CEO Sergey Musienko The Gut Health Test Learn how microbes protect you from disease Understand how diet affects gut bacteria Optimize microbe’s vitamin synthesis Dietary fiber breakdown and butyrate synthesis Personalized food recommendations Probiotics and beneficial bacteria report The DNA Test Disease risks influenced by genes and lifestyle Carrier status, child risk for hereditary diseases Impact on vitamins, nutrients and food intolerances Athletic predisposition to performance and injury DNA ancestry, origins, and Neanderthal genes Unique personal traits determined by genes It takes a couple of weeks to get the results so I will be anxiously awaiting…

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Tech TORONTO, ON

WE DAY 2019 w/ Telus + Google Nest Hub Giveaway

WE DAY 2019 w/ Telus + Google Nest Hub Giveaway

Last week Em & I went to #WeDayToronto and had a great time with @Telus and 20,000 other kids! Huge thank you to the Telus team for making this magical day happen. Scroll down for a giveaway I’m hosting in partnership with Telus on Instagram! We saw Scott Helman, Nav Bhatia (aka The Raptors Superfan) and heard messages from Bianca Andreescu, Rupi Kaur and so many others. On our backstage tour, we walked past the Raptors winning trophy! I think it’s really important for kids to see other young people who are making a difference in the world. As a kid I was very involved in my community volunteering, governing youth issues alongside city council, and being a leader as Miss Teen Cambridge. I wanted to take Emily to be inspired by young leaders making a difference in their schools, communities, and the world. She’s almost 12 and I see her making new friends, being online, texting, growing up. I want her to feel empowered to make positive change, to stand up for herself and others. Video Recap of WeDay Toronto View this post on Instagram A post shared by CASIE ☀️?✌? (@casiestewart) on Sep 24, 2019 at 5:48am PDT I’m proud to be part of the Telus team and all they’re doing to help communities across Canada including their efforts to End Bullying. Since 2007, TELUS & team have provided more than $26 million in support of the @wemovement, including #WEDay, #WESchools, and engaging youth to #EndBullying. ??? ENTER THE TELUS GIVEAWAY FOR A GOOGLE NEST HUB Share in a comment on how you can #EndBullying, or tips you have for me to share w/ Emily. ?????: Google Nest Hub (value $169 CAD)?????: You must be following @casiestewart & @telus on Instagram to win. Contest closes Friday, Sept. 27th 12pm. Not affiliated w Instagram. Canada only, sorry!??

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LIFE TORONTO

Happiness & Social Media/Life Balance

Happiness & Social Media/Life Balance

That’s a wrap on #TIFF19 for me! This week I’m working on a Vitamix commercial w/ 1188 doing props & set styling. I love it! Over the past couple of years, I’ve been all about JOMO vs FOMO (see this post). The joy of missing out is something I’ve come to love, I think it comes with age and experience. This is the first TIFF, I didn’t go partying, stay out late, or drink alcohol. I put my happiness and health first, yay adulting!  Finding Balance: The Telus Happiness Workshop This summer I spent a week in Vancouver for the Telus Creator Summit with the #Telus_Partner team from across Canada. It was 4 action-packed days of volunteering, adventure, food, drinks, and learning about the many sides of Telus business. I had heaps of fun and made new friends but by the last day, I was totally exhausted. Telus anticipated this and used it as an opportunity to bring us together for a Happiness Workshop. We put down our phones, learned about disconnecting, and finished with yoga, meditation, and lunch. Not something you would expect from a telecom giant but that just goes to show how Telus is different. During the workshop, something amazing happened… The whole group of bloggers, YouTubers, and content creators started talking about how much social media stresses them out. The pressure to create, stay positive, be healthy, have a clean house, great photos, have good engagement, make money, collect the money, have good relationships, be a good parent, be a good partner, AND remain sane while living this crazy internet life. IT WAS SO REFRESHING. It felt like a weight was lifted knowing we all have similar feelings about social media anxiety, it connected us. The Telus Happiness Workshop was developed with input from expert psychologists…

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