Edmonton is a happening place — even the Oilers had a pretty good run this year.

The city is home to many great stories, from the big, high-tech conglomerate to the independent programmer — but you don’t always get to read about them.

“Robust activity in advanced technology sectors mirrors the overall activity in Edmonton — the fastest-growing economy in Canada,” said Lindsay Daniller, vice-president of Corporate Communications for Economic Development Edmonton.

“Advanced technology is the fastest growing sector in Alberta, and there are so many great made-in-Edmonton success stories to tell about high-tech businesses.”

How true. These stories reinforce that anything is possible — especially here. My goal in this weekly column is to keep you informed about what’s happening with Edmonton-area businesses from a technology angle, and to show how technology affects both your business and your daily life.

No, you won’t see articles full of undefined acronyms, excessive model numbers and programming code. Not every story will be of a serious nature.

And while technology can sometimes be hair-raising, my intention is to deliver something that is informative, enjoyable and easy to read, focusing on the Edmonton connection.

Local businessman Brad Grier recognizes how lucky he and his company are to be located in this city.

“We’re based in Old Strathcona — a funky part of town. Most of the employees walk to work,” says Grier, Communications Manager of Bio Ware, a local company whose flagship product Balder’s Gate (game) has sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide and in seven languages.

“Edmonton is a good place for us to be . . . with a low cost of living, and good access to technical people. We draw heavily on the University of Alberta for technical resources.”

My stories won’t always focus on a specific business, but may include current issues, trends or even relevant tips.

For example, a local company which sells candles has put their catalogue out on CD-ROM. This has made it more convenient for their customers, and by doing away with all that extra paper, they’ve saved more than what they paid for the development of the CD.

Other interesting local stories include:

* Livia Stoyke and her team at Redengine helped radio broadcaster CKUA make the transition to the Web. They now have their playlist online and have created methods for additional revenue generation.

* Randy Marsden and Madentec have developed Tracker 2000, a mouse-replacement device which helps quadriplegics use computers;

* The Matichuk brothers at Celcorp have developed B2B solutions using artificial intelligence;

* Wheelthings.com, conceived and created by freelance designer Michael Warf, is an e-commerce site for die-cast car models;

* Robin Mohar of Synthesystems, a small group of twentysomethings in Edmonton, is helping Hollywood actor Alicia Silverstone of Clueless and Batman fame create her online identity.

I’m an information junkie who enjoys writing stories and meeting people. I’ve been in the computer industry for 21 years and involved with the media for 13.

Starting as a junior programmer, I moved on to develop financial systems while at the same time earning my University of Alberta degree in marketing and finance.

After graduation, I became a technology entrepreneur, running two companies simultaneously. I was inspired by Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs, who gave a keynote speech at an entrepreneur conference in 1986 and talked to me for a few minutes afterwards over a beer.

When I’m not writing or researching this column, my company, Parallel 2000, provides services to media, multimedia companies and software developers.

Daniller notes that the number of people employed in IT and media services in the Edmonton region numbers about 16,000 — about the same number working in the hub of our main economic driver, the oil, gas and chemical industry.

If that’s the case, I should have enough material to carry me into the 24th century.

Well, we’re almost there already.

Rod Fraser, president of the University of Alberta, is developing “commercialization capabilities” of nanotechnologies.

Can you say Star Trek?

Regardless, if you hear about a good success story, please drop me a line. But please, no offers for Viagra or tips on how I can make a million — I’m armed with e-mail filters.