Where is Internet advertising going ? Look to the UK:
Online advertising is racing ahead in Britain, growing at a roughly 40 percent annual rate, and it is expected to account for as much as 14 percent of overall advertising spending this year, according to media buying agencies.
That is the highest level in the world, and more than double the U.S. percentage.
Our recent panel discussion on Work-Life balance sparked a lot of interesting discussion. This story in the Christian Science Monitor looks at what they call Extreme Jobs…
Although workaholics have always existed, their image has been glamorized. Today’s overachievers are cast as “road warriors and masters of the universe,” says Sylvia Ann Hewlett, president of the Center for Work-Life Policy in New York. Yet despite their impressive financial rewards, those burning this midnight oil face challenges. Warning that their pace is not sustainable, Dr. Hewlett says, “There’s a lot of risk attached. The fallout in private lives is huge.” In addition, women are being left behind because many cannot put in 70-hour weeks.
Cypress Mountain
9am, Dec 3, 2006
From the New York Times via the International Herald Tribune:
I suspect that even some of our more enlightened smokers will be surprised to learn that cigarette smoke is radioactive, and that these odd fears spilling from a poisoned KGB man may be molehills compared to our really big cancer mountains.
Riding the Sunrise Lift, Cypress Mountain.
9am, Dec 1, 2006
The school board here on the North Shore wants to sell ‘surplus land’ in order to find money for capital projects.
One of the pieces of land is the Cleveland Forest, and area that for generations kids at Cleveland Elementary have used as a playground. It’s a magic place for them, and they’re incredulous that the board is even thinking of selling it.
Unfortunately, the board seems intent on moving forward with this, despite an overwhelming public response against the idea.
There’s a long way to go yet in the process, but parents are trying their best to keep drawing attention to the issue.
You can help by commenting on the story at NowPublic – and by visiting and commenting on the ClevelandForest blog.
A museum dedicated to Swedish pop group Abba is to open in Stockholm in 2008, organisers have said.
Outfits and instruments used by the band will be on display along with handwritten song lyrics.
“It is nice someone feels compelled to take on our musical history,” the group said in a statement.
Last week I was on a panel discussion on Work-Life Balance, hosted by New Media BC at the Vancouver Film School.
I managed to stick my Compact Flash recorder in the sound booth and captured the session for a podcast.
The discussion was sponsored by New Media BC in Vancouver and held at the Vancouver Film School.
Work/Life Balance: Empty Promise or Key to Happiness?
Moderators:
W. G. Arndt (“Wil”), creative director and founding principal of mod7.com
Gordon Ross, Vice President and partner, Open Road Communications Ltd
Panelists:
Mark Busse, Partner and Design Director, Industrial Brand Creative
Stephen Beck,Principal, Engine Digital
Ron Bignell, Senior Art Director, Electronic Arts
Lisa Vogt, Managing Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Robert Ouimet, Partner, At Large Media
Jer Thorpe, Freelance Designer
Eric Karjaluoto, Principal, smashLAB
Podcast:
Runs 1:21:43 37 meg download
……….
PS:
A while ago I posted a pie chart of my current work-life-balance.
It takes about 10 minutes to go through your closet and find all the old sweaters and warm clothes you no longer need. How ’bout that sock drawer ? The snow and cold may be pretty, but not if you’re living out there.
Put the stuff in a bag, jump into the SUV and head over to UGM at 616 E. Cordova. You’ll find a lot of very thankful people there.
The Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver urgently needs warm winter coats, boots, and blankets.
Over the weekend, UGM gave away hundreds of blankets and coats, and people will continue to come to UGM for winter clothing while this cold weather lasts. UGM is in desperate need of warm winter coats, boots, and blankets to give out to those in need.
Please drop off your donations to:
616 East Cordova
Vancouver, BC
** Please mark your bags and boxes with “Warm clothing/ blankets”
English Bay – 27 November 2007.
A photo you won’t see in the tourist shots of Vancouver anytime soon.
Picnic anyone ? My North Vancouver backyard.
We usually have to head up to local mountains for this, but it looks like it’s going to be one of those interesting winters in Vancouver…
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 !
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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…
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.
Cypress opens on Thursday !!!!
The Downhill Area will be open on November 16, 2006 from 9 am to 4 pm, with the Easy Rider Quad Chair and the High Speed Eagle Express Quad Chair in operation. We will continue to open more terrain as the snow accumulates. Our Cross Country Area will also be open from 9 am to 4 pm.
I’ll be wearing my pass full-time starting now…
I have my reasons for no longer shopping at Canadian Tire, but their flyers continue to show up at my door.
If this product wasn’t so stupid, it would be funny.
At our house we just call this a stick…
