‘Great v ik “Twas going to write "© about tax-effective “investments — last- minute year-end ideas, " planning a good start _: for the new year, that “sort of thing. But then I went to have a car key cut. And that unlocked a value far more important than saving tax or investing successfully. A few weeks ago our 7 tech wrap. ‘NORTH Vancouver- .. “based -BrainTech Inc.” has signed'a product. marketing agreement | ‘with North Vancouver- BUSINESS trusty Nissan lost its cool and tried its engine. The auto association had it towed to a nearby repair shop where it sat, motionless and looking as forlorn as I felt. I might be manic about money, but I’m clueless about cars and other things mechanical. I felt vulnerable and on the defensive when a ~ mechanic stuck his head out from under the hood and said: “It doesn’t look good.” But the repair shop owner was helpful. He offered a competitive rate to tow the car almost 100 km to our own mechanic, although that meant he'd get no benefit from the repair work. We picked up a rental car, still mulling over the choices. Did we spend a few thousand to put in a used engine, a introduce e-CRM_ Internet _¢ support for the manufacturing . industry. - BrainTech has developed machine vision technology for . the. manufacturing . industry. The company is moving into Internet based service and support for. industrial. manu- facturing systems by using * Sideware’s e-CRM suite. and _ Bluetooth wireless devices. . - BrainTech Inc. :was estab- » lished in. 1994.0). . ~. » Sideware is a'developer of «: _ customer service solutions for - - e-businesses. Sideware’s prod- “uct is known as Dr. Bean soft- ware: For additional informa- few more thousand for a reconditioned engine or far more thousands to replace the car? I was still feeling uncom- fortable because I really did- n’t know enough about cars to make a completely informed decision. So when I went to get a duplicate key cut as a spare for the rental car and the hardware store chap couldn’t find a matching blank, I was- n’t my usual tolerant self. I became even more impatient when the key he did cut was such a tight fit I " was afraid of breaking off the key in the door or ignition when I tried to turn it. My irritation grew as he spent more time looking for a blank thar wasn’t there. But ic all came back into focus when he said: “Here, tion on Sideware. go to . eee . Last) month, ~ North Vancouver-based GanyMede Systems Inc.'s InfoSurfer soft- ware product was picked by Windows Magazine online as _ “Best of Breed.” InfoSurfer allows company employees to locate and view . corporate information in ‘the * same manner as ‘one -might . search for information on the “Internet. GanyMede terms its approach “data surfing.” . . oo, GanyMede’s “Amott. said’ the : product. is _receiving strong interest from. Dennis ue in generous acis just take the kev. You are only getting it as a backup. You might nor even need it and it would be good enough in an emergency.” The key was worth only a few dollars. But it was the thought that counted. Around this time of year, spare some time for generous thoughts and gestures. In the balance sheet of life, they make up the only bottom line that really counts. Mike Grenby is a columnist and independent personal financial adviser; he'll answer questions in this column as space allows but cannot reply personally. Contact him at P.O. Box 50029, South Slope R.P.O., Burnaby, B.C. V5 5G3; send ~—semail . to mike@grenby.com and see pre- vious columns at . local investors. The company anticipates searching for new premises on the North Shore and recruit- ing new staff this January. GanyMede is looking. for _local companies and individu- ~:- als interested in beta. testing this new product. The compa-. ; ny is particularly interested in ‘connecting with companies: that are using either Oracle or: Microsoft SQL Server: data- bases.” GanyMede. will give © away software to all testers. Go to the GanyMede Web “site at! www.infosurfer.net: or: -: all 987-4377.05- ie Pape (= Michael Becher: ~ o to create less waste - Ae this heliday season = “1. Give She ptt of experionce rather than things. -+ tickets to theatre productions, cross-country ski. lessons and aromatherapy massage certificates *.. "ave all great ideas that don't create waste. »° 2, Support BC's small farmers by buying local, “organically grown produce and foodstuffs for you ~ holiday entertaining (it's better for al of ust). "3, Find altematives to disposable wrapping paper by presenting your gilts in reusable wrap “such as funky fabric bags, towels, or burlap. board box: s