What We Do When It Rains In Vancouver
November 25, 2006
Cypress Mountain was a total delight this morning. The sun was shining on the drive up, but the cloud moved in pretty quickly.
For the last few seasons I’ve only shot a few pics on the mountain. I don’t like taking my D70 into the snow and screen caps from my small video camera aren’t good.
Solution: on a recommendation from a guy at named Elias at London Drugs in West Van, I bought a Pentax Optio W20. The camera doesn’t look like much and I certainly wouldn’t have picked it out of a lineup, so I’m happy Elias was on the ball. It’s a waterproof point and shoot digital camera, and I’m thrilled with it.
It’s small and light, I just tuck it into the pocket of my jacket, the lense doesn’t extend out of the body even on zoom, and the controls are recessed in such a way that it is impossible to turn the camera on accidentally (like when I fall, which is often).
Its a bit slow to react, but for the job at hand, it’s pretty much perfect. These were all shot in idiot proof mode - auto everything - and it handled the bright snow really well.
I may not look like it, but I’m super happy with my new piece of snowboarding gear !
BBC to Pay Citizen Reporters
November 20, 2006
via Steve Rubel’s Micropersuasion:
Hear hear. The BBC is now going to pay for citizen journalist reports, the Editor’s Weblog reports. The BBC’s staff has been authorized to pay for cell phone footage and/or digital images. Before you send in that photo or the accident you saw on the highway, note that they caution they are going to be very selective.
Podcast Influenced Radio Ad Creative
November 20, 2006
I’ve been hearing a lot of the SellOffVacacations.com ads on News 1130. They’re done in the style of Ricky Gervais’ podcasts - a rip on the riffs between Ricky and Stephen Merchant.
They’re bad of course, but it struck me as a sign of podcasting’s power that it has started influencing ad campaigns.
Work Life Balance - A Discussion
November 19, 2006
I’ll be part of a group discussion Thursday in Vancouver at VFS- presented by New Media BC and mod7:
Join us for a round-table discussion with top-notch service professionals from Vancouver as we dive into what “balance” means, share personal experiences, and explore the many sides of this issue. Whether you’re a design student, an employee struggling to balance a career and a family, or a seasoned pro, this is a critical issue for all new media professionals working within today’s highly competitive market.
Registration is at 4:30, with the discussion running from 5-7pm. Details here. Thanks to Wil at mod7 for the invite and organizing this one.
Eat Their Young
November 18, 2006
Exit with class. From the Globe & Mail:
In another change in CBC Television’s senior management, the regional director for CBC-TV in British Columbia, Rae Hull, is leaving the broadcaster. Speaking to staff Wednesday, Hull said, “sometimes you pick the moment, sometimes the moment picks you.”
Hard of Herring
November 18, 2006
I have no idea what this means, but apparently it’s a big deal.
From today’s CKNW e-mail update, this is what I call news…
A Fitting Tribute
November 16, 2006
There was a wonderful article about my friend and mentor Susan in the Globe on Wednesday:
On the journey from producer to senior management, Ms. Englebert touched people profoundly and possessed a gift for spotting and nurturing new talent that changed the course of many lives. She was that rare thing: a manager respected and loved in equal measure.