Whenever people who dodn’t live here ask how we can stand all those grey days and rain, I just have to pull out a shot like this one.
Late yesterday afternoon while passing through the West End on my way back to the North Shore, I pulled over to grab this shot of English Bay.
Someone seems to have moved Vancouver to the middle of the prairie.
This is the view out my front door at 4:30pm 6 Feb 2008.
We should be swimming in croci.
WTF?
Oh well – just means more riding time on the local mountains. Sweet.
Right along with the ads for Better Abs (talk about targeted advertising), finding Old High School Friends, and the George Bush IQ Challenge – what do I find today ?
I don’t care what anybody says, I think Quatchi is cute (that is Quatchi, isn’t it ?) Besides, I just like saying it:
Quatchi. Quatchi. Quatchi.
Heck, why pay Facebook, they can advertise here for free.
PS:
It would sound good with some of that old school reverb…
Quatchi-eee eee eee . Quatchi-eee ee eeee. Quatchi-ee eeee eeeeeeee
My favourite GPS maker has unveiled its new GPS-touchscreen-phone.
It would be great if they did a ruggedized version for boaters as well…
The nüvifone is an innovative mobile phone that has a wide range of advanced yet easy-to-use features. The all touchscreen device is the first of its kind to integrate premium 3.5G mobile phone capability with an internet browser, data connectivity, personal messaging, and personal navigation functions in one device. When powered on, the 3.5-inch touchscreen display reveals three primary icons — “Call,” “Search,” and “View Map” which allow the user to effortlessly master the nüvifone’s functions.
For the ultimate in safety, the “Where am I?” feature lets users touch the screen at any time to display the exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and gas stations. The nüvifone also helps drivers find their car in an unfamiliar spot or crowded parking lot by automatically marking the position in which it was last removed from the vehicle mount.
More information and screens of the new phone at the Garmin web site.
Sadly, if the Canadian carriers’ snail-like take up of the iPhone is any example, we can probably expect to see the nüvifone roll out here sometime after the Vancouver Olympics. Hopefully I’m wrong.
They take their playlists seriously down south.
An Austin Texas man has been charged with arson after allegedly lighting a community radio station on fire…
Paul Webster Feinstein, 24, has been charged with second-degree felony arson for the Jan. 5 fire that caused $300,000 damage to the studios of 91.7 FM KOOP. He faces from two to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted.
Feinstein told investigators that he was “very unhappy” about the changes to his playlist, said Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Greg Nye. The songs were intended for an Internet broadcast that occurs when the station is off the air.
The story, in Firehouse.com goes on to say that this was the 3rd fire at the station in recent years. The 2 previous had been accidents, but this arson was discovered by a specially trained dog who ‘sniffed out’ the presence of gasoline at the scene.
Microsoft’s 44.6 billion dollar bid to buy Yahoo is obviously big news today.
It’s a reminder of how quickly things can change when the core business in based on bytes, not bricks.
In the case of Flickr, it creates a very interesting situation – we’ll see how it plays out. The issue here isn’t money or size, it’s credibility and image.
Flickr is a photo sharing site, and a darling of the Web 2.0 crowd. There are other, more popular photo sharing sites, but among other things, Flickr provides an open API . And that means people have found lots of creative ways to plug into the Flickr functionality in ways that suits them best. Flickr’s approach has always been making it easy for users to share their photos, and to plug into that sharing framework in any way they want.
Personally, I love Flickr. It’s very good at what it does, it’s free, it was originally built in Vancouver, and it has kept true to its community roots.
A few years ago, Flickr was purchased by Yahoo . If the Microsoft deal goes through, Flickr will be a Microsoft property.
And if there’s one thing about those web 2.0 people – they almost all detest Microsoft,. You could write volumes about why they do.
So what happens now ? Will Flickr fans shun it ? They certainly didn’t when it was purchased by Yahoo – a company that also has its detractors.
Ultimately, the community (one that has uploaded 2 billion photos to Flickr) is in the driver’s seat.
Flickr and other community sites aren’t ‘the town square’.
They’re the people in the square – and they’re free to go where they please.
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Update: Wired.com has an article on rumblings in the Flickr community about the possibility of the MS acquisition. Laughing Squid also covers.
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(cross posted to Robert’s At Large Media blog)
That was fast. After my rant yesterday about The Vancouver Sun’s email newsletter upgrade failing to work with Mac Mail – it’s been fixed.
Amanda Tring at CanWest interactive emailed me yesterday saying it would be fixed – and sure enough – it is.
Nice!
[eds. note: according to an email I got from CanWest, this problem will be resolved with tomorrow’s – Feb 1st – edition]
This is one of those situations where function is definatley more important than form.
I get a daily enewsletter from the Vancouver Sun, and have for a while now.
There are usually a couple of stories I’m interested in, so I’ll follow the links in the newsletter and get the story on their web site, which is of course part of the Canada.com portal.
Yesterday the Sun rolled out a new design for their enewsletter – and for anyone using Mail on a Mac – there’s a bit of a problem. The links don’t work. Clicking on any of the story links just reloads the page, and you never get to the story.
Now, its true, enewsletters are a bit of a nightmare, since how they look and function is totally dependent upon the mail program at the other end. The same is true for web sites, but with mail, there are even more issues than with multiple flavours of web browsers.
Its seems odd though, given this is coming from a newspaper company. Print media in general are Mac shops – or at least heavily weighted with Macs.
Its interesting this slipped by the developer, because the entire function of an email newsletter is to get you to follow the links. No links ? What’s the point ?
Oh well, guess I’ll strike one more ‘traditional media’ company as a source for information – at least for now.
I have to give Sun editor-in-chief Patricia Graham big points. I emailed her, along with the web folk at Canada.com this morning, explaining the issue. She was the first to reply, within an hour, saying it’ll be looked at.
First they brought us the Vancouver/Whistler Olympics, now they want to bring us a 24/7 TV channel about amateur sport.The Canadian Olympic Committee is asking the CRTC to hold a licensing hearing for an English and French digital TV service dedicated to amateur sports of all kinds. From the COC press release:
The Canadian Olympic Committee has long recognized the need for dramatically increased television coverage of Canadian amateur sport on a consistent and regular basis,” said COC Chief Executive Officer Chris Rudge. “These networks would finally bring our athletes into the spotlight and also motivate young people everywhere in Canada to get up out of their seats and engage in sport and a healthy lifestyle.”
The applications were formally submitted by the COC and its partners to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in early December. The proposed national digital television networks would each focus solely on Canadian amateur sport 24 hours a day, seven days a week, allowing Canadians to watch amateur athletes compete in regional, national and international events in both Olympic and non-Olympic sports. read the COC press release
The COC admits that ad revenue alone will not sustain the services, so they want the CRTC, should it even license the services, to make them mandatory carriage. What that means is that the channels would be included in digital TV packages (cable and satellite) which would then give the COC assured subscriber revenue. Channels that are not mandatory ‘must carry’ services rely on subscribers who opt-in and pay extra for the channels. In Canada, the vast majority of those channels are struggling. As a ‘must carry’ the proposed channels ensure a revenue stream – and the COC and it’s partners have already suggested that their cut should be 60 cents per household per month.
The COC’s requirement for the channels to be ‘must carry’ will put them in conflict with more traditional broadcasters and other media companies who would love to get their channels out of the twilight zone and into digital prime time. It’ll be interesting to see how the private sector argues against supporting amateur sport in Canada – but I’m sure they’ll find a way.
The contents of the application will not be made public until the CRTC decides to have a public hearing. Once they do that, they will publicize the application (Gazette) and look for public response. That’s when we’ll see the full application. The COC hopes that will happen this spring, but the timing is entirely dependent upon the CRTC.
The CRTC usually holds a hearing within 55 days of Gazetting, and once they publicize the hearing, other companies interested in making an application for a digital channel will also be able to apply. So, it’s unusual for an applicant to publicize their application prior to Gazetting, usually for fear of giving away too much too soon to potential competitors. Given the nature of this application, it’s doubtful there will be too many others in the same playing field. The COC isn’t just handing out press releases, it has launched a web site for the new channels.
What I want to know is – who will be the Don Cherry of the amateur sport network ?
An open letter to Shaw, Rogers and Telus
Dear Large Telecoms.
I’m very happy that you’re competing with each other for services like land lines, cell phones and television services. This is good for consumers like me.
However, a word of advice.
If you really want to convince me that your services are so much better and cheaper than your competitors, why are you unable to either fax, email or snail mail me a proposal outlining the package of services you are offering and the costs.
You’ve all called me in the last week. Telus, you’ve called me 3 times in 2 weeks.
You are very excited on the phone about the fabulous offers you can provide to lower my monthly bill. You all tell me how marvelous your services are and how responsive your customer service people are.
When you’ve called (uninvited I should point out) I’ve told you all that I’m more than willing to switch from my current providers, particularly if I can get a better deal and one-stop shopping.
Yet, none of you has the ability to send me a simple piece of information outlining what you are offering. I just need something plain and simple – you know – a list? You don’t need to even get it designed or tarted up in any way. Just a simple list of your services and the costs so I can compare one to other.
This is what I do with almost all the services I purchase for my small business. Every vendor I work with is happy to send me a quote for services by fax or email. I don’t think it’s too much to ask – you called me remember?
When I’ve asked you for this, you’ve told me you don’t have that capability. No really, this is what you’ve told me – you apparently don’t have the capability of sending me a fax, email or surface mail letter.
May I remind you that you are a large telecom, providing complex network services on a national scale? And you can’t send an email? Its funny you know, but even the smallest business these days has email or fax. It seems to be very popular. All the kids are doing it.
Oh wait, this is what you actually DO.
I must admit, this inability does make me question how good your follow up services really are.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to switch to another provider. I’m what you call a ripe sales lead.
Here’s why.
The service I get now is pretty crappy. I don’t like talking to a voice recognition computer when I’d like to speak to a customer service rep. And the last time I had trouble with my landline, it took you 10 days to send someone out to fix it. What is this, 1932 ?
So, I’m not exactly thrilled with the services I have now. Should I repeat? I’d be happy to switch.
But.
You may be excited about your new services, but you’re behaving the same old way you always have.
And that just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Robert
(cross posted at www.atlargemedia.com)
Vancouver’s own blogging conference Northern Voice takes place next month.
There’s a lot to like about this conference aside from the moose logo. Like the price.
40 Canadian dollars for one day, or $60 for both. It’ll cost you almost that much to take a cab from downtown to confernce site on the UBC campus.
I’ll be kicking around so come up and say hi.
If you work in an office with a staff lunchroom, you really need to read “Time for a Staffroom Makeover” by Capers Whole Foods nutritionist Victoria Pawlowski.
The foods and beverages stuffed in the refrigerator and falling off side counters often aren’t really foods – they are collections of ingredients with lots of additives, trans fats, simple carbs and sweeteners. They are processed, refined foods loaded with anti-nutrients – chemicals that actually make it harder for your body to absorb nutrient and cause cellular inflammation which is linked to premature aging and disease.
She’s got a lot of good tips on how you can improve things for yourself, and your coworkers.
Meanwhile, the KitKat France has produced an awesome animation about getting the ultimate break from office melt-downs.
It’s a great form of advertising – the animation is high quality and funny. I particularly like the guy who flips pencils between his fingers – I’m pretty sure I worked with him in Calgary.
Maybe he was just having a bad day, but former Vancouver technology sector business guy, Will Pate, is tearing a strip off the Canadian technology sector in his first article for Startup North…
When you meet technology people from Canada, we’re not in a race. We’re watching the race from the sideline. We act like technology entrepreneurship is closer to farming than shark hunting, as if risky business isn’t necessary to make the next Google or Microsoft. We putter around as if slow and steady actually wins races to innovate and grow technology businesses.
Ouch. Last I checked, Will was still working…in the technology sector in Canada.
If you’re a problem solver (say, working in the technology sector in Canada) or an innovative thinker of any sort, have you ever wondered what’s really going on in your brain when you’re, say, problem solving?
Scientific American has a story on research underway that may that shed some light on what’s going on when…the light goes on.
If there’s excessive attention, it somehow creates mental fixation….Your brain is not in a receptive condition….Researchers found that subjects who were aware that they had found a new way to tackle the problem (and so, had consciously restructured their thinking) were less likely to feel as if they’d had eureka moment compared to more clueless candidates.
And to that, I say AHA.
Fin for now.
For years artists and industry observers have been suggesting that the only way the music industry as we know it will survive is to completely reinvent itself.
To date, reinvention hasn’t seemed particularly high on the list for major record labels. Mostly they’ve blamed their problems on their customers – chasing down peer-to-peer music sharers and sending teams of lawyers after music fans.
A report from this year’s MIDEM conference indicates there may be some changes coming. MIDEM is the industry’s largest and most influential trade show – and while it doesn’t get the kind of media attention it used to get in the pre-Consumer Electronics Show era – it’s the place where the most powerful people in the music industry gather to cook deals over cigars and cocktails.
As The Guardian reports, this year’s show is buzzing with the idea of saving the music industry by giving music away…
Now a host of new services, with the backing of major labels, are promising to revolutionise how music is distributed by offering millions of tracks, from much-hyped wannabes to established acts such as U2, for nothing.
Competing for attention at the Midem trade show, the services promise a global jukebox, paying for the free music by attracting advertising. Meanwhile, some acts are queueing up to swap their deals with labels for agreements with big advertisers which would further blur the line between bands and brands.
The move into a free service is a sea change for an industry which spent years fighting through the courts with companies offering free internet downloading and sharing of songs. full story here
This idea isn’t exactly new – almost all of us are using free services on the internet that are funded by advertising in one form or another. But go back a few decades and you’ll fine one of the most successful examples of this model – one that endures today.
It’s called radio.
Not only do record companies let radio stations use their music for free, they have entire teams dedicated to ‘serving’ those radio stations with the latest releases, arranging interviews with their artists, and often offering every type of legal incentive they can think of.
I personally know quite a few people who have massive music collections in their homes, provided gratis to them by the record industry, all in hopes of those same people playing their songs on the radio. These same people have been wined and dined for years, given free tickets to concerts, and flooded with music industry merchandise. I also know many people, recipients of these freebies, who augmented their incomes by selling the stuff to used record stores and other collectors, and aside from a few harsh words, the labels never kicked up a fuss. And why would they ?
By giving radio stations music for free, the music industry gains huge benefits. Their music ges ‘distributed’ over the air, people hear it, want it, and buy CD’s, concert tickets and go to live shows because of it.
What’s worked in one industry for the last 50 years will certainly work in this new industry, assuming the record companies adjust their business model to match what’s possible in this technology era. They’ve been actively fighting it for over ten years – and we all know what that’s accomplished. Now it’s time to get with the program – be brave and creative in doing their jobs – so they can reap the benefits for the next 50 years.
And if they need any help, just give me a call.
Yesterday I had a bit of a rant about the City of North Vancouver’s shortsighted move to remove the heritage designation from a number of shipyard building near Lonsdale Quay.
Now that I’ve slept on it, I’m even more pissed.
In fact, here’s another compelling argument for hanging on to the last our of shipbuilding history:
The Burrard Shipyard site which anchors the Waterfront has already been recognized at the local and national level as a heritage landmark. With the restoration of the Burrard Dry Dock Pier and St. Roch Dock, the City’s Waterfront is being rediscovered by residents and attracts both local and international visitors.
The Waterfront Project aims to connect the local community by creating a sense of place and pride that also celebrates the City’s past, present and future. One consideration for the area includes a Historic Centre, which may become a National Maritime Museum that chronicles the history of North Vancouver and pays tribute to the West Coast’s maritime origins….
The City is committed to preserving and revitalizing its waterfront heritage and rich maritime history.
Who said that ?
The City of North Vancouver on their web site and in numerous other publications.
I’d encourage you to let the City of North Vancouver know how you feel.
You can reach them at Tel: 604-985-7761 Fax: 604-985-9417 Email: info@cnv.org
People who visit us from other countries eventually make two observations:
“Everything here is so new” they say.
Then they say, “What happened to your old buildings?”
The truth of it is, we tear them down.
We obliterate them, and in the process erase forever important historical references.
Generally the key motivation is money. Perhaps occasionally ignorance. But primarily money. Ok, maybe it’s ignorance and money. Two fairly powerful and destructive motivators.
The latest shameful example is the council for the City of North Vancouver.
Years ago the council designating the last remaining shipyard buildings on the North Shore as historical sites so a small piece of our ship building history would be preserved.
This week, council undesignating them as historical sites and in so doing, sealed their fate.
Demolition.
Why?
Money. They want federal money for a Maritime Centre and their budget came up short when it included preserving these marvelous icons of our ship building past.
Everyone wants the Maritime money from the feds, so what to do?
Oh, here’s an idea. Over budget? Ok, just tear down the stuff that’s in the way. That way you don’t have to pay to preserve them.
Our kids and their kids will shake their heads in disbelief 40 years from now.
Unfortunately, I live in the district of North Vancouver so I can’t even do my bit to vote these folks out of office.
All I can do is say Shame On You.
I took the photos in this article a few years ago
There are more including some newer ones in this set at Flickr.
also: See this story at Now Public
The boys and I attended a book signing organized by Kids Books last night in Vancouver. Writer Anthony Horowitz was there to talk to a packed school auditorium.
Ostensibly the occasion was the release of the latest in the Alex Rider series, Snakehead. But this guy’s is brilliant. Instead of a boring presentation and reading, he told the crowd a bit about himself, and then took questions from the crowd for the next 40 minutes.
Anthony talks very fast, and he is very funny. His humour is often self-deprecating, but he clearly loves his job writing and he clearly loves kids.
Here’s what we learned, in no particular order:
It was a great time – thanks to the Kids Books folks for doing it.
Anthony’s web site
Penguin Books web site for Anthony Horowitz (a bit out of date)
The Alex Rider web site
Even if you’re not from around here – and by that I mean Vancouver – you’ve probably heard of Lion’s Gate.
It’s a bridge that connects Vancouver with the North Shore. Lion’s Gate is also the name of a film production and distribution company that originated in Vancouver.
The Lions, to whom the ‘gate’ belongs, are two amazing huge bumps sticking out of our local mountains. Apparently, if seen from just the right angle, they look just like a sleeping lion, though to me, they always looks like, well, two amazing huge bumps sticking out of our local mountains.
Here they are in full sun and fresh snow…
And here’s the context…
While in Richmond, waiting for EB at the Gateway Theatre – I paid a visit to the resident bunnies.
Wow, my pals over at Tom Bihn bags just below the border from us are on the case big time (sorry, pun).
Simply put, Tom Bihn makes the best bags in the world. If you’ve never seen one or had one, you’re missing out on one of life’s major pleasures.
Today, via email, the Bihn gang let us Bihnees know that he’s already set for Steve Job’s new laptop line:
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock or are otherwise pleasantly disconnected from the mass-media, you’ve probably heard about the new Apple laptop, the MacBook Air. Macaholics as we are here at TOM BIHN, we’ve already introduced a new size of our Brain Cell laptop case designed specifically for the MacBook Air.
So all you MacAirHeads – go get ’em. You won’t be sorry.
Tell him Bigsnit sent you. It won’t get you a discount or anything, but it’ll make Tom laugh. A few more details:
The TOM BIHN Brain Cell laptop case has gained a reputation for offering some of the best protection anyone can get for their laptop. Now the Brain Cell is available in a size specifically designed to carry the MacBook Air: Size 6X.
The Brain Cell is designed to clip securely inside a wide variety of TOM BIHN messenger bags, briefcases, and backpacks — bags including the Empire Builder, Super Ego, ID, Ego, and Zephyr.
A full list of the TOM BIHN bags that will accept the Size 6X Brain Cell and thus the MacBook Air can be found here: www.tombihn.com/page/001/CTGY/MACBOOKAIR
