Happy 144th birthday, Canada! Let’s celebrate by taking a quick tour of the blogosphere for some good reading.

John Biehler spent last weekend at Vancouver Mini Maker Faire 2011. This gathering of DIY enthusiasts features a marketplace, carnival atmosphere, and more. While there, he checks out a ridable walking spider, laser-cutting demos, and a self-made 3D printer. You are limited only by your imagination and your drive to finish what you start.

Bob Buskirk has always had trouble falling asleep every night, oftentimes wasting up to two hours rolling around in bed. That’s why he has started out a plan to hack his sleep for a better night’s rest. This includes having a pre-bed snack, taking a cold shower, and giving himself some relaxation time before bed.

Tanya Desrosiers gives us another weight loss update. She’s been working hard at this endeavor and is reaping some serious rewards. In fact, since she started on this journey in December, she’s lost an impressive 35 pounds! She says that she has about 10-15 pounds to go. I know she can do it!

James Chartrand is taking a different approach to life, agreeing with Kevin O’Leary of Dragons’ Den: “Money rules my life, and I’m okay with it.” If you want to make a lot of money and you think that having all this money will make you happy, then you have to be okay with that kind of perspective and you have to go about it without feeling guilty along the way.

Derek Semmler finishes off this week’s collection with a fantastic announcement: he has published a book. Available in digital format through Amazon Kindle, his book offers “45 ways to be the dad that your kids need.” This is just in time for the summer when the kids are out of school and need their parents more than ever!