There's nothing quite like getting on a bus in a strange city where you don't recognize the streets and you're uncertain of your destination. If you've got an inkling to undertake such a journey, I would highly recommend Victoria as the city to do it in. Why? Well, I never in my life would've expected to encounter such friendly ridership. It took me a a few stops to figure out that just about every second rider was stopping to thank the bus driver as they exited the bus - not from the front, but the back exit, which meant they had to call out across the distance of the bus to express their gratitude. Victorians might take this kind of behaviour to be run of the mill, but coming from Ontario, it seems highly out of the ordinary. Well mannered people riding public transit? That's just plain weird...and very welcome.
I rode the bus down to the Fernwood neighbourhood of Victoria to check out the Rock 'n' Roll Christmas market at Logan's pub. Market at 5pm, music at 9pm, $5 cover in support of an emergency youth shelter program. The market offerings were an interesting mix of Christmas arts and crafts more on naughty as opposed to nice side: life sized rock guitar cake raffle (yum!), hand knit bordello accessories, scull and cross bones holiday cards, and roller skate cookies baked by the 'Eves of Destruction', Victoria's premier roller derby league. I purchased some cards and managed to cross a few names off my Christmas shopping list.
I think I'm liking Victoria so far...
Friday, December 05, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
I used to stop into a record store on my way home from highschool to pick up free posters for my bedroom wall
Two weeks ago, I probably wouldn't have had time to sit and blog. Life has certainly slowed down a bit since moving to Victoria. Days in Ontario spent juggling work, family engagements, committee responsibilities, live concerts and social events have dissipated into life in Victoria which at the moment is mostly comprised of getting settled in at the new job, exploring the city, tying up loose ends in London (a bit of a pain in the butt from the other side of the country), a toned down social life, and lots and lots of online music.
My favourite online radio station
A collegue from King's turned me onto SOMA FM about four years ago and it has continued to be my favourite online radio station ever since. "What's not to love about 14 unique channels of listener-supported, commercial-free, underground/alternative radio broadcasting from San Francisco." If memory serves me correctly, he was a fan of their Drone Zone and Groove Salad channels (two of their most popular offerings). I myself LOVE their Indy Pop Rocks channel. Up until recently, Indy Pop Rocks was the best source of new Canadian music. The broadcast served as my introduction to many of the Canadian bands currently in heavy rotation on my iPod including Great Lakes Swimmers, City and Colour and Mother Mother. By the way, I noticed SOMA is also offering two Christmas channels at the moment. If you work in a environment that necessitates the playing of Christmas music at this time of year, I'd say this would be the way to go. They are also in the midst of a fundraising drive. I've already sent in my cheque.
My new second favourite online radio station
CBC Radio 3, you're a solid number 2 in my books! A friend invited me to an Ontario chapter Audio Engineering Society event a few months back given by Peter Cook, Recording Engineer/Producer for CBC Radio 2 who was put in charge of the restructuring of the station along with the launch of CBC Radio 3. Having heard all the complaints about the changes from friends in the midst of getting their music degrees it was interesting to hear him speak about the situation that lead to such a drastic upheaval of their old practices (namely the lack of new listnership amongst younger age groups). What I appreciate most about the process they went through was that they put an old audiophile of the analogue persuation in charge. Nice! The quality of their recorded concerts cannot be beat and their broadcast sounds equally at home playing over my high quality stereo speakers as it does through my laptop speakers. The station turned me onto Chad VanGaalen and Holy Fuck. My only complaint is that it's a bit overdone. I love the web 2.0 functionality when I'm in the mood for it, but sometimes I just want to listen to music - but not always to the same kind of music. Give me choices!
My new record collection
With all our stuff still back in Ontario I experienced a bit of a panic when the flash drive containing all my music was accidentally erased this week. Thankfully a colleague turned me onto favtape.com. The site touts itself as being the easiest way to play music online, and when it works, I'd say they're probably right. More straightforward than predecessors Pandora (which is still not available in Canada) and the now defunct Muxtape, it's as simple as typing an artist into the search and pressing enter. The audio files are pulled from YouTube so the quality is a bit uneven and there are some amature covers thrown into most search results, but all in all it's a pretty enjoyable experience.
Whatever station or service I listen to, each with their own benefits and limitations, I'm these days pretty pleased with the quality of the musical talent that's out there. I spend more money than I ever have on music. Thank GOD the internnet saved the music industry from the glossy, overproduced and talentless corporate controlled purgatory it was sinking into.
My favourite online radio station
A collegue from King's turned me onto SOMA FM about four years ago and it has continued to be my favourite online radio station ever since. "What's not to love about 14 unique channels of listener-supported, commercial-free, underground/alternative radio broadcasting from San Francisco." If memory serves me correctly, he was a fan of their Drone Zone and Groove Salad channels (two of their most popular offerings). I myself LOVE their Indy Pop Rocks channel. Up until recently, Indy Pop Rocks was the best source of new Canadian music. The broadcast served as my introduction to many of the Canadian bands currently in heavy rotation on my iPod including Great Lakes Swimmers, City and Colour and Mother Mother. By the way, I noticed SOMA is also offering two Christmas channels at the moment. If you work in a environment that necessitates the playing of Christmas music at this time of year, I'd say this would be the way to go. They are also in the midst of a fundraising drive. I've already sent in my cheque.
My new second favourite online radio station
CBC Radio 3, you're a solid number 2 in my books! A friend invited me to an Ontario chapter Audio Engineering Society event a few months back given by Peter Cook, Recording Engineer/Producer for CBC Radio 2 who was put in charge of the restructuring of the station along with the launch of CBC Radio 3. Having heard all the complaints about the changes from friends in the midst of getting their music degrees it was interesting to hear him speak about the situation that lead to such a drastic upheaval of their old practices (namely the lack of new listnership amongst younger age groups). What I appreciate most about the process they went through was that they put an old audiophile of the analogue persuation in charge. Nice! The quality of their recorded concerts cannot be beat and their broadcast sounds equally at home playing over my high quality stereo speakers as it does through my laptop speakers. The station turned me onto Chad VanGaalen and Holy Fuck. My only complaint is that it's a bit overdone. I love the web 2.0 functionality when I'm in the mood for it, but sometimes I just want to listen to music - but not always to the same kind of music. Give me choices!
My new record collection
With all our stuff still back in Ontario I experienced a bit of a panic when the flash drive containing all my music was accidentally erased this week. Thankfully a colleague turned me onto favtape.com. The site touts itself as being the easiest way to play music online, and when it works, I'd say they're probably right. More straightforward than predecessors Pandora (which is still not available in Canada) and the now defunct Muxtape, it's as simple as typing an artist into the search and pressing enter. The audio files are pulled from YouTube so the quality is a bit uneven and there are some amature covers thrown into most search results, but all in all it's a pretty enjoyable experience.
Whatever station or service I listen to, each with their own benefits and limitations, I'm these days pretty pleased with the quality of the musical talent that's out there. I spend more money than I ever have on music. Thank GOD the internnet saved the music industry from the glossy, overproduced and talentless corporate controlled purgatory it was sinking into.
Monday, November 24, 2008
First Encounters - Part ll
Top 5 most memorable first encounters with a city or town:
#5 - Victoria, BC, 2008
I don't expect I'll encounter too many experiences like this in my life time. Selling most of our belongings and bidding a fond farewell to a comfy home, job and good friends to move to the other side of the country and start again had the makings of a memorable experience even before leaving the other London. We'll see how this one plays out. For the time being, a little over a week after arriving in Victoria, I find myself waking up in the morning and wondering how I got here...and why it hasn't started snowing yet...
#4 - Rocky Harbour, NFLD, 2003
I'd heard many people say that Newfoundland is the most beautiful place in the world. That arriving there is "just like coming home". Well, I've heard lots of people say similar things about lots of places. It's all relative. Right? I thought so too, until we visited Newfoundland in 2003. It really is the most beautiful place in the world and Gros Morne National Park is the most beautiful part of the province. Unbelievable.
#3 - La Paz, Bolivia, 2008
I expect anyone who's ever flown into La Paz from sea level will know why I've included it on this list. The flight from Miami is an over-nighter that lands at sunrise amidst unbelievable views of the Andes, the red-brown rocky terrain of the Alta Plano and the endless third world sprawl of El Alto. If the beauty of the landscape, the culture shock or the jet lag aren't enough to consititue a memorable experience, the sudden transition to 4,000 metres above sea level will seal the deal. Getting into a cab at the airport with a driver who couldn't understand our Spanish or speak English was kind of fun, too.
It took about two days for us to get used to breathing the thin air. When a Brazilian girl we met on Isla del Sol heard that we had flown directly into La Paz she looked at us in disbelief and quipped, "Are you crazy?" Crazy? Perhaps. In the right place? Definitely. Bolivia is the most amazing country I've ever visited. Hands down!
#2 - London, England, 1994
Without a doubt, April 5, 1994 was the worst day of my life. It's the day that I finally came to understand the meaning of the saying "kicked when you're already down". It's the day the guy I'd become engaged to in a cafe near the Eiffel Tower two days before told me he wouldn't be going to England and I decided to go on anyway realizing too late that he didn't mean he wanted us to part ways - just that he didn't want to go to England. The day I left Paris on a train bound for London, England with about $100 Swiss Francs a maxed out credit card and too much pride to ask my parents to wire me money to get back home to Canada. The day I travelled in the same train compartment with the Smiths from upstate New York who had brought along the bottle of "French wine" from their hotel room fridge that had a twist off cap. After the wine, Mrs. Smith delivered a four hour running commentary of the view out the window as we rode through the French country side while her husband snored beside her. The day I rode a jet-foil for the first time across the Channel and got seasick for the first time. The day the Immigration Officer at Dover almost turned me away at the boarder for having less than the minimum monetary requirement for entering the UK (I don't know if it's still like this but at the time, travellers entering the UK were required to prove that they possesed the equivalent of $5000 USD). The day the friend who came to pick me up at the train station in London, gave me a big hug and told me, "I heard the news."
I thought to myself, how could he possibly have heard? I hadn't even told anyone I'd become engaged. "The news?"
"Yes, Kurt Cobain died this morning. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
#1 - Victoria, BC, 1990
Driving across the country from London, Ontario to Victoria, BC on the Trans-Canada at 17 years old in a '67 Volvo is most likely the coolest thing I'll ever do.
#5 - Victoria, BC, 2008
I don't expect I'll encounter too many experiences like this in my life time. Selling most of our belongings and bidding a fond farewell to a comfy home, job and good friends to move to the other side of the country and start again had the makings of a memorable experience even before leaving the other London. We'll see how this one plays out. For the time being, a little over a week after arriving in Victoria, I find myself waking up in the morning and wondering how I got here...and why it hasn't started snowing yet...
#4 - Rocky Harbour, NFLD, 2003
I'd heard many people say that Newfoundland is the most beautiful place in the world. That arriving there is "just like coming home". Well, I've heard lots of people say similar things about lots of places. It's all relative. Right? I thought so too, until we visited Newfoundland in 2003. It really is the most beautiful place in the world and Gros Morne National Park is the most beautiful part of the province. Unbelievable.
#3 - La Paz, Bolivia, 2008
I expect anyone who's ever flown into La Paz from sea level will know why I've included it on this list. The flight from Miami is an over-nighter that lands at sunrise amidst unbelievable views of the Andes, the red-brown rocky terrain of the Alta Plano and the endless third world sprawl of El Alto. If the beauty of the landscape, the culture shock or the jet lag aren't enough to consititue a memorable experience, the sudden transition to 4,000 metres above sea level will seal the deal. Getting into a cab at the airport with a driver who couldn't understand our Spanish or speak English was kind of fun, too.
It took about two days for us to get used to breathing the thin air. When a Brazilian girl we met on Isla del Sol heard that we had flown directly into La Paz she looked at us in disbelief and quipped, "Are you crazy?" Crazy? Perhaps. In the right place? Definitely. Bolivia is the most amazing country I've ever visited. Hands down!
#2 - London, England, 1994
Without a doubt, April 5, 1994 was the worst day of my life. It's the day that I finally came to understand the meaning of the saying "kicked when you're already down". It's the day the guy I'd become engaged to in a cafe near the Eiffel Tower two days before told me he wouldn't be going to England and I decided to go on anyway realizing too late that he didn't mean he wanted us to part ways - just that he didn't want to go to England. The day I left Paris on a train bound for London, England with about $100 Swiss Francs a maxed out credit card and too much pride to ask my parents to wire me money to get back home to Canada. The day I travelled in the same train compartment with the Smiths from upstate New York who had brought along the bottle of "French wine" from their hotel room fridge that had a twist off cap. After the wine, Mrs. Smith delivered a four hour running commentary of the view out the window as we rode through the French country side while her husband snored beside her. The day I rode a jet-foil for the first time across the Channel and got seasick for the first time. The day the Immigration Officer at Dover almost turned me away at the boarder for having less than the minimum monetary requirement for entering the UK (I don't know if it's still like this but at the time, travellers entering the UK were required to prove that they possesed the equivalent of $5000 USD). The day the friend who came to pick me up at the train station in London, gave me a big hug and told me, "I heard the news."
I thought to myself, how could he possibly have heard? I hadn't even told anyone I'd become engaged. "The news?"
"Yes, Kurt Cobain died this morning. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
#1 - Victoria, BC, 1990
Driving across the country from London, Ontario to Victoria, BC on the Trans-Canada at 17 years old in a '67 Volvo is most likely the coolest thing I'll ever do.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
First Encounters
Having spent a full week in Victoria I felt it was high time I take in the double-decker bus tour that departs twice daily from the Empress Hotel located on the banks of the city's picturesque inner harbour. I expected it would be a good opportunity to get acquainted with my new home city in a compact amount of time. I also realized that, as a resident of Victoria, the window of opportunity in which it would be excusable for me to partake in such an activity might soon close.
Though I'm not completely convinced it was worth the price tag, the one and a half hour tour did provide in-depth knowlege of the architectural merit of some of Victoria's landmark buildings, historic knowledge of the city's more notable neighbourhoods and stunning views of the area's numerous bays. That said, for others in a similar situation I would suggest forgoing the tour in favour of a walk around the downtown area (including Beacon Hill park) and a visit to Craigdarroch Castle.
Over priced bus tour aside, the experience of moving to Victoria has, so far, been a pretty postive one. As cities go, it would be hard not to like it - it's a pretty town, with better infrastructure than similarly sized cities, friendly, laid back inhabitants, and an agreeable climate. I know there are those that complain about the rain, and perhaps I might come to join in the lament eventually, but having come from the snowbelt region of Ontario, I say the weather in Victoria is a bit better than fair to middling. I'd take the drizzle over ice pelets and half frozen muddy puddles any day.
Though I'm not completely convinced it was worth the price tag, the one and a half hour tour did provide in-depth knowlege of the architectural merit of some of Victoria's landmark buildings, historic knowledge of the city's more notable neighbourhoods and stunning views of the area's numerous bays. That said, for others in a similar situation I would suggest forgoing the tour in favour of a walk around the downtown area (including Beacon Hill park) and a visit to Craigdarroch Castle.
Over priced bus tour aside, the experience of moving to Victoria has, so far, been a pretty postive one. As cities go, it would be hard not to like it - it's a pretty town, with better infrastructure than similarly sized cities, friendly, laid back inhabitants, and an agreeable climate. I know there are those that complain about the rain, and perhaps I might come to join in the lament eventually, but having come from the snowbelt region of Ontario, I say the weather in Victoria is a bit better than fair to middling. I'd take the drizzle over ice pelets and half frozen muddy puddles any day.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A Summer Song
Well, it's not quite summer, but considering London had a snow day today, I'd say it's relatively close. The weather today was a beautiful sunny 10 degrees. I don't know how long it'll last, but it's a welcome alternative to snow, however brief. My colleagues were lamenting at the cold weather. I walked home for lunch and found it was almost too warm for a jacket.
The list of places I've been told I must visit is getting quite long. Here's the list so far:
Butchart Gardens
Sally Buns
Mount Douglas
Tofino and Ucluelet
Hermann's Jazz Club
Wells Books
Salt Springs
lobby of The Empress
Beacon Hill Park
Micro Brewery tour
Chinatown
etc, etc, etc
And then there are the things B and I have been planning to do for years which include The Pacific Trail the Juan de Fuca and a kayak trip to the Gwaii Haanas. So much to do!
As for the rest, I've been spending the last few days getting settled in at work and am looking forward to getting down to business with some projects tomorrow. I'm hoping I'll have some pictures of the campus, which is beautiful, to share soon.
'Til next time!
The list of places I've been told I must visit is getting quite long. Here's the list so far:
Butchart Gardens
Sally Buns
Mount Douglas
Tofino and Ucluelet
Hermann's Jazz Club
Wells Books
Salt Springs
lobby of The Empress
Beacon Hill Park
Micro Brewery tour
Chinatown
etc, etc, etc
And then there are the things B and I have been planning to do for years which include The Pacific Trail the Juan de Fuca and a kayak trip to the Gwaii Haanas. So much to do!
As for the rest, I've been spending the last few days getting settled in at work and am looking forward to getting down to business with some projects tomorrow. I'm hoping I'll have some pictures of the campus, which is beautiful, to share soon.
'Til next time!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Other London to Victoria, BC
Who'd have thought that you could change planes so many times between Ontario and BC? I'm guessing it's probably not a record, but the flight to Victoria entailed changing planes in both Winnipeg (-4 and snowing) and Calgary (a balmy +4).
The Sutherlands gave me a warm welcome to my new base city upon my arrival at the airport. It was unfortunate I arrived after nightfall as I would've liked to have taken in the sights on the drive into town. I did get a good view of the White Spot where we stopped so I could grab a late dinner. The White Spot!
After spending the last few weeks engulfed in the bittersweet melancholy of clearing house and saying good-bye to good friends and family if feels good to finally be here. I'll spend the day unpacking and exploring. Tomorrow I start in my new position at UVic. So many new things!
The Sutherlands gave me a warm welcome to my new base city upon my arrival at the airport. It was unfortunate I arrived after nightfall as I would've liked to have taken in the sights on the drive into town. I did get a good view of the White Spot where we stopped so I could grab a late dinner. The White Spot!
After spending the last few weeks engulfed in the bittersweet melancholy of clearing house and saying good-bye to good friends and family if feels good to finally be here. I'll spend the day unpacking and exploring. Tomorrow I start in my new position at UVic. So many new things!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
SIGGRAPH 2008, Day 5, August 15, 2008 & Venice Beach, August 16
Spent the last day of SIGGRAPH taking in what we could of the sites we had missed. The atmosphere at the conference centre was pretty low-key as the majority of the attendees (I heard one of the conference staff mentioning that there were 20,0000 attendees this year) were packing up and heading home. Finally got a chance to take in the new tech demos. I remembered this was my favourite part of the SIGGRAPH 2006 conference in Boston and had really been looking forward to taking them in. The display area was a bit smaller, but didn't disappoint. Highlights included a dual projector table top, interactive display screen and stop-motion mechanical sculptures (see pics and video posted on Facebook). We also managed to take in the final screening of the animation festival, which was fantastic, and the SIGGRAPH studio. Most of the demonstrations were shutting down, but we got to get a close up look at the work created by some of the artists and developers whose presentations we had taken in earlier on in the week and Cara got to check out some new pens and tablets that were being demo-ed.
It was a little sad to say good-bye to SIGGRAPH 2008. Though it seemed to be a bit smaller (or maybe it was just that the conference centre was bigger?) than the Boston conference, there seemed to be a wider variety of presentations offered. Some themes I noticed being repeatedly mentioned included open source, mapping interfaces, the impact of mobile devices and the melding of technology with more 'human' processes.
We left the conference centre in the early afternoon and took the metro to Hollywood and Highland, which was saturated in hectic and disorienting tourist madness. Cara and I dutifully walked the Walk of Fame, snapped shots of footprints and impersonators outside Graumann's Chinese Theatre and hiked down to Sunset Boulevard for a quick peek before hightailing it back to the hotel.
Today (Saturday) was a much better site-seeing experience. Melissa and Andre took us down to Venice Beach where Cara and Andre surfed. We walked the boardwalk for a couple of hours which was every bit the circus sideshow we expected (wonderful). Then we went to the Pacific Pier at Santa Monica Beach and checked out Jeff Ho's surf shop. Afterwards we went back to Venice Beach for dinner at a Cuban restaurant. All in all, a terrific time.
Pics posted on Facebook:
SIGGRAPH album
Venice Beach
It was a little sad to say good-bye to SIGGRAPH 2008. Though it seemed to be a bit smaller (or maybe it was just that the conference centre was bigger?) than the Boston conference, there seemed to be a wider variety of presentations offered. Some themes I noticed being repeatedly mentioned included open source, mapping interfaces, the impact of mobile devices and the melding of technology with more 'human' processes.
We left the conference centre in the early afternoon and took the metro to Hollywood and Highland, which was saturated in hectic and disorienting tourist madness. Cara and I dutifully walked the Walk of Fame, snapped shots of footprints and impersonators outside Graumann's Chinese Theatre and hiked down to Sunset Boulevard for a quick peek before hightailing it back to the hotel.
Today (Saturday) was a much better site-seeing experience. Melissa and Andre took us down to Venice Beach where Cara and Andre surfed. We walked the boardwalk for a couple of hours which was every bit the circus sideshow we expected (wonderful). Then we went to the Pacific Pier at Santa Monica Beach and checked out Jeff Ho's surf shop. Afterwards we went back to Venice Beach for dinner at a Cuban restaurant. All in all, a terrific time.
Pics posted on Facebook:
SIGGRAPH album
Venice Beach
Thursday, August 14, 2008
SIGGRAPH 2008, Day 3 & 4, August 13-14, 2008
Well, yesterday was so busy, I didn't even get a chance to post an entry. Crazy! I woke up early yesterday to attend a two hour course on "Spacial Grammars" which opened my mind to the realization that there's more to design than just balancing elements in a frame.
Afterwards Cara and I finished off the rest of the exhibition floor and had some lunch before taking in a three hour class on Computational Journalism. The class discussed, changes in journalism connected to Web and other electronic media including visualization and journalism (graphic representation of interactive graphs and statistics, interactive presentation graphics), policy and process changes, and user generated content. The presenters included representatives from the University of California, the LA Times, Current.com and Wired Magazine. The session focused on many issues associated with the use of new technologies in journalism including, benefits, techniques, resource problems, etc. I took far too many notes to post (sorry!).
After the journalism class, Cara and I dragged ourselves back to the hotel grabbed a quick sushi dinner, returned to the hotel and pretty much collapsed in our beds.
This morning, we woke up and took in a two hour panel discussion titled, "Design and Computation: Craftsmanship". The presenters were mainly artists and designers and architects who spoke about the works they produce (unbelievably beautiful), their use of technology in producing these works, and their thoughts about how their creative process relates to the idea of craftsmanship.
We grabbed some lunch around noon and took in a bit more of the Art and Design Galleries.
This afternoon (at this moment, in fact), I'm attending another three hour panel discussion. This one's titled, "Know Your Legal Rights: A Legal Primer for Software Developers, Artists and Content Creators". The panel is comprised of four lawyers who specialize in patent and copyright for electronically produced media. I've not taking notes as they have given everyone a handy booklet that includes all the presentations and related handouts.
After this presentation ends, we'll high-tail it back to the hotel and get ready for the reception tonight. It's being held at Dodger Stadium (Dodgers vs Mets). Should be fun. I'll post some pics on Facebook.
Whew! Tomorrow's the last day. It's a little sad to realize SIGGRAPH 2008 is wrapping up, but also a bit of a relief. The pace has been hectic and I need a break!
Afterwards Cara and I finished off the rest of the exhibition floor and had some lunch before taking in a three hour class on Computational Journalism. The class discussed, changes in journalism connected to Web and other electronic media including visualization and journalism (graphic representation of interactive graphs and statistics, interactive presentation graphics), policy and process changes, and user generated content. The presenters included representatives from the University of California, the LA Times, Current.com and Wired Magazine. The session focused on many issues associated with the use of new technologies in journalism including, benefits, techniques, resource problems, etc. I took far too many notes to post (sorry!).
After the journalism class, Cara and I dragged ourselves back to the hotel grabbed a quick sushi dinner, returned to the hotel and pretty much collapsed in our beds.
This morning, we woke up and took in a two hour panel discussion titled, "Design and Computation: Craftsmanship". The presenters were mainly artists and designers and architects who spoke about the works they produce (unbelievably beautiful), their use of technology in producing these works, and their thoughts about how their creative process relates to the idea of craftsmanship.
We grabbed some lunch around noon and took in a bit more of the Art and Design Galleries.
This afternoon (at this moment, in fact), I'm attending another three hour panel discussion. This one's titled, "Know Your Legal Rights: A Legal Primer for Software Developers, Artists and Content Creators". The panel is comprised of four lawyers who specialize in patent and copyright for electronically produced media. I've not taking notes as they have given everyone a handy booklet that includes all the presentations and related handouts.
After this presentation ends, we'll high-tail it back to the hotel and get ready for the reception tonight. It's being held at Dodger Stadium (Dodgers vs Mets). Should be fun. I'll post some pics on Facebook.
Whew! Tomorrow's the last day. It's a little sad to realize SIGGRAPH 2008 is wrapping up, but also a bit of a relief. The pace has been hectic and I need a break!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
SIGGRAPH 2008, Day 2, August 12, 2008
Another full day at SIGGRAPH! Cara and I attended a 2 hour class this morning on 3D and 2D animation. The instructor, Andrew Glasner, who has chaired the research presentations comittee at SIGGRAPH in the past, took the group through the process of creating a 3D animation film.
Afterwards we met up with my cousin Chris, who is attending the conference as an exhibitor and spent a couple of hours exploring the exhibition floor. I've posted pics on Facebook.
In the afternoon we took in an amazing panel discussion titled, "As the World Turns: Debating and Examing Online Digital Earth Technologies. The presenters included Theresa-Marie Rhyne of North Carolina State University who has been involved in a Google Earth virtual campus project at NCU; Dean Johnson from Western Michigan University who spoke about X3D ( geospacial mapping application) and the development of web standards surrounding geospacial applications; Adam Hill who explained NASA's World Wind Java an opensource application and opensource dataset component, and Michael Jones representing Google Earth who's portion of the discussion was titled, "The Power of the Geo-web".
After the Digital Earth Technologies panel presentation we went back to the hotel and Baasje's cousin Melissa picked us up and took us to "The Groves" (where segements of "The Hills" are often shot) for dinner and some shopping. We finally ate at Chipotle's, which Cara has been itching to do since we got here. Fun times!
Afterwards we met up with my cousin Chris, who is attending the conference as an exhibitor and spent a couple of hours exploring the exhibition floor. I've posted pics on Facebook.
In the afternoon we took in an amazing panel discussion titled, "As the World Turns: Debating and Examing Online Digital Earth Technologies. The presenters included Theresa-Marie Rhyne of North Carolina State University who has been involved in a Google Earth virtual campus project at NCU; Dean Johnson from Western Michigan University who spoke about X3D ( geospacial mapping application) and the development of web standards surrounding geospacial applications; Adam Hill who explained NASA's World Wind Java an opensource application and opensource dataset component, and Michael Jones representing Google Earth who's portion of the discussion was titled, "The Power of the Geo-web".
After the Digital Earth Technologies panel presentation we went back to the hotel and Baasje's cousin Melissa picked us up and took us to "The Groves" (where segements of "The Hills" are often shot) for dinner and some shopping. We finally ate at Chipotle's, which Cara has been itching to do since we got here. Fun times!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
SIGGRAPH 2008, Day 1, August 11, 2008
Well it's only day one, but we've done so much already that it feels like it's day twenty. It's a good sign.
Our flight was delayed yesterday so we didn't make it to LA in time for the Sunday pre-check in. Which meant we had to brave the line-ups today (which thankfully weren't too long) this morning.
Once we'd finished checking in we hit the Art and Design Galleries, which are fabulous this year. My favourite piece was called the "Dream Pillow" - an actual pillow that is touch sensitive and, depending on how it is touched (how much pressure, how quickly or slowly) displays a visual representation of a series of dream images. Beautiful. I posted a few pics on Facebook and would've posted more, but the volunteers were pretty tight about keeping an eye out for cameras...
After viewing about a quarter of the Art and Design Galleries (we'll take in more later on in the week). We got into line with about a thousand other conference attendees to enter one of the halls to watch the keynote speech and awards.
The key note this year was given by Ed Catmull, president of Disney and Pixar. Here are the notes I took while he was speaking (sorry they're so choppy).
“The story is the most important thing” – original idea behind success, abstract summary of methodology, became popular/adopted by others, original meaning became lost
Explanation of meaning:
What’s most important, great ideas or great people? – Great people – Pixar's development team switched from coming up with ideas to just putting together teams of people who work well together after it was determined that ideas were better generated by a cohesive production team.
Pixar's "post mortems", evaluation session held with the team upon a project's completion – success depends on ability for all team members to be honest (not deferring to others out of respect, not being polite). For this session to be productive, equal authority must be given to all team members. Not a pat on the back session for mangers to recognize employees' achievements.
How to create a healthy community / how to build trust:
Stronger as part of a larger community, participate, give back – not holding back ideas/resources and keeping them within the organization
Early identification of problems, authority given to all members to “stop the production line”, as a manager, not to have to hear about things before a meeting
Dealing with crisis – as a “creative team” every project being tackled has never been done before, therefore you should not be able to perceive the outcome (e.g. a successful outcome). If you do know the outcome, then it is not creative.
The goal is not to create success but to create pathways for dealing effectively with crisis when it happens.
After the keynote, we spent some time exploring the conference area and getting oriented. Tomorrow's a big day - we hope to take in quite a few events and spend some time on the exhibition floor. Later on in the evening Cara and I be meeting up with Baasje's cousin, Melissa who will be taking us out for an authentic California dining experience (our suggestion). Should be a good day. But first I need to grab some sleep in a big way...'night!
Our flight was delayed yesterday so we didn't make it to LA in time for the Sunday pre-check in. Which meant we had to brave the line-ups today (which thankfully weren't too long) this morning.
Once we'd finished checking in we hit the Art and Design Galleries, which are fabulous this year. My favourite piece was called the "Dream Pillow" - an actual pillow that is touch sensitive and, depending on how it is touched (how much pressure, how quickly or slowly) displays a visual representation of a series of dream images. Beautiful. I posted a few pics on Facebook and would've posted more, but the volunteers were pretty tight about keeping an eye out for cameras...
After viewing about a quarter of the Art and Design Galleries (we'll take in more later on in the week). We got into line with about a thousand other conference attendees to enter one of the halls to watch the keynote speech and awards.
The key note this year was given by Ed Catmull, president of Disney and Pixar. Here are the notes I took while he was speaking (sorry they're so choppy).
“The story is the most important thing” – original idea behind success, abstract summary of methodology, became popular/adopted by others, original meaning became lost
Explanation of meaning:
What’s most important, great ideas or great people? – Great people – Pixar's development team switched from coming up with ideas to just putting together teams of people who work well together after it was determined that ideas were better generated by a cohesive production team.
Pixar's "post mortems", evaluation session held with the team upon a project's completion – success depends on ability for all team members to be honest (not deferring to others out of respect, not being polite). For this session to be productive, equal authority must be given to all team members. Not a pat on the back session for mangers to recognize employees' achievements.
How to create a healthy community / how to build trust:
Stronger as part of a larger community, participate, give back – not holding back ideas/resources and keeping them within the organization
Early identification of problems, authority given to all members to “stop the production line”, as a manager, not to have to hear about things before a meeting
Dealing with crisis – as a “creative team” every project being tackled has never been done before, therefore you should not be able to perceive the outcome (e.g. a successful outcome). If you do know the outcome, then it is not creative.
The goal is not to create success but to create pathways for dealing effectively with crisis when it happens.
After the keynote, we spent some time exploring the conference area and getting oriented. Tomorrow's a big day - we hope to take in quite a few events and spend some time on the exhibition floor. Later on in the evening Cara and I be meeting up with Baasje's cousin, Melissa who will be taking us out for an authentic California dining experience (our suggestion). Should be a good day. But first I need to grab some sleep in a big way...'night!
Friday, May 23, 2008
May 23, 2008 - La Paz
Baasje and I are taking a break in La Paz before having to start the journey home. We spent the morning taking in the Folkloric and National Art museums and plan to spend the last of our Bolivianos in the mercado this afternoon. Everything seems so inexpensive, I think I may have a hard time restraining myself. How do you say no to a beautiful hand woven alpaca scarf for $5US, or a huge one-of-a-kind hand woven wall hanging made of naturally dyed wools for $28, or a cozy pair of hand knit alpaca leg warmers for $3, etc., etc.?
In some ways it feels like we´ve been here for months and in others ways the time has just flown by. Between the altitude sickness, polluted city streets, severe sun burns, freezing cold nights in the dessert, and accomodiations with limited facilities, I´ve viewed the most unbelievably beautiful landscapes, encountered experiences that will stay with me forever and met wonderful people who, beyond the hardships they endure in their day-to-day lives, manage to be the most gracious and welcoming hosts. Gracias, Bolvia!
In some ways it feels like we´ve been here for months and in others ways the time has just flown by. Between the altitude sickness, polluted city streets, severe sun burns, freezing cold nights in the dessert, and accomodiations with limited facilities, I´ve viewed the most unbelievably beautiful landscapes, encountered experiences that will stay with me forever and met wonderful people who, beyond the hardships they endure in their day-to-day lives, manage to be the most gracious and welcoming hosts. Gracias, Bolvia!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
May 19, 20, 21 - Salar de Uyuni and National Reserve Eduardo Avaroa by Landrover
Day 1
Depart from Uyuni
Colchani
Isla Pescado
Overnight in San Juan
Day 2
Depart from San Juan
Ollague Volcano
Canapa, Chiar Kota, Hedionda, Ramaditas
Desert and Arbol de Piedra
Laguna Colarada
Overnight near Laguna Colarada
Day 3
Depart from Laguna Colarada
Sol de Manana (geysers)
Hot Springs
The Valley of Dali
Laguna Verde
Valley of Rocks
Return to Uyuni
We´ve just returned to Uyuni after spending three days touring the Southern Altiplano (3 days travel, 2 nights accomodation and all meals included, cost $95US). The scenery was out of this world and every day seemed completely different from the last. On Sunday it was the endless white expanse of the Salar and the giant catus plants of Isla del Pascado. On Monday we visited an active volcano and three lagunas and entered the red desert landscape that most people associate with Bolivia. Today the geothermic pools and erradic rock formations we visited made it feel like we´d travelled to Mars.
There were seven of us in the landrover - Max and Viviana from Italy, Jess and Jane from Britain, Baasje and I, and our driver, Juan, who had a very dry sense of humour and was a half decent cook to boot. We had a fine time experiencing the rustic charms of back country accomodiation in Bolivia - last night sleeping all together in one room in a pensione near Laguna Colarado without heat and only very basic toilet facilities was particarly special.
Our overnight bus back to La Paz will be leaving in a few minutes, so I´ve got to wrap it up here. I´ll post pics once we reach the city - after I take a long hot shower. Ciao for now!
Depart from Uyuni
Colchani
Isla Pescado
Overnight in San Juan
Day 2
Depart from San Juan
Ollague Volcano
Canapa, Chiar Kota, Hedionda, Ramaditas
Desert and Arbol de Piedra
Laguna Colarada
Overnight near Laguna Colarada
Day 3
Depart from Laguna Colarada
Sol de Manana (geysers)
Hot Springs
The Valley of Dali
Laguna Verde
Valley of Rocks
Return to Uyuni
We´ve just returned to Uyuni after spending three days touring the Southern Altiplano (3 days travel, 2 nights accomodation and all meals included, cost $95US). The scenery was out of this world and every day seemed completely different from the last. On Sunday it was the endless white expanse of the Salar and the giant catus plants of Isla del Pascado. On Monday we visited an active volcano and three lagunas and entered the red desert landscape that most people associate with Bolivia. Today the geothermic pools and erradic rock formations we visited made it feel like we´d travelled to Mars.
There were seven of us in the landrover - Max and Viviana from Italy, Jess and Jane from Britain, Baasje and I, and our driver, Juan, who had a very dry sense of humour and was a half decent cook to boot. We had a fine time experiencing the rustic charms of back country accomodiation in Bolivia - last night sleeping all together in one room in a pensione near Laguna Colarado without heat and only very basic toilet facilities was particarly special.
Our overnight bus back to La Paz will be leaving in a few minutes, so I´ve got to wrap it up here. I´ll post pics once we reach the city - after I take a long hot shower. Ciao for now!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
May 16 to 19, La Paz - Sucre - Potosi - Uyuni
After four days of travel we´ve finally come accross a reliable internet connection, in Uyuni of all places - a tiny stop-over town on the Southern Altiplano. We´re taking a short break here before heading out on a three day land rover tour across the Salar de Uyuni (the world´s highest salt flat lake).
The day after we returned to La Paz from Copacabana we flew to Sucre, a relaxed town with a University feel and lots of beautiful Colonial architecture. We spent the night in a converted colonial manion in the main square and took a taxi to Potosi the next day (2 hour taxi ride, 35 Bolivianos per person, or $5US)
We spent a day in Potosi visiting the mercados. Nearby Cerro Rico mountain once produced enough silver and tin to finance the colonial Spanish empire. Now that the mine has been just about stripped, the town is a strange isolated outpost with streets filled with what was once beautiful architecture.
We took a public night bus to Uyuni (loud and interesting) and are now waiting to go on a tour of the Salt Flats. We´ve heard quite a bit about interesting landscapes and wildlife from other travellers and are looking forward to experiencing the trip first hand.
Now that we´re a bit further off the beaten track we´re finding the language barrier is a bit more of an obstacle but the Bolivians we come across are always patient in assisting us with stumbling through whatever it is we want to say. Perhaps we may become passably competant in Spanish after all...
The day after we returned to La Paz from Copacabana we flew to Sucre, a relaxed town with a University feel and lots of beautiful Colonial architecture. We spent the night in a converted colonial manion in the main square and took a taxi to Potosi the next day (2 hour taxi ride, 35 Bolivianos per person, or $5US)
We spent a day in Potosi visiting the mercados. Nearby Cerro Rico mountain once produced enough silver and tin to finance the colonial Spanish empire. Now that the mine has been just about stripped, the town is a strange isolated outpost with streets filled with what was once beautiful architecture.
We took a public night bus to Uyuni (loud and interesting) and are now waiting to go on a tour of the Salt Flats. We´ve heard quite a bit about interesting landscapes and wildlife from other travellers and are looking forward to experiencing the trip first hand.
Now that we´re a bit further off the beaten track we´re finding the language barrier is a bit more of an obstacle but the Bolivians we come across are always patient in assisting us with stumbling through whatever it is we want to say. Perhaps we may become passably competant in Spanish after all...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
May 14, 2008 - Yumani to Challampa
The hike across Isla del Sol from Yumani to Challampa was too beautiful for words. Honest. Okay I´m also too worn out after two days of hiking to write up a blog entry. I´ll post pics on Facebook...
May 13, 2008 - La Paz to Isla del Sol
Ate a quick breakfast and caught the bus to Copacabana at 7:30am. We met two Aussies on the bus, Ben and Bret from Sydney who are trying to 'do' six countries in six months before travelling to the UK to look for work and one British woman who has been travelling through SA doing volunteer work for the past few months. Ah, how sweet the song of the open road...
Our guide, Abraham took us a restaurant for a big meal as soon as we arrived in Copacabana. We had the set 'menu' - Bolivian soup, Lake Titicaca trout and bananas and chocolate for desert. After lunch we set out on an pre-Inca trail leading from Copacabana to Yampupata (28 km). HIking the foothills of the Andes for four hours can be summed up in one word, 'breathless' - as in breath-takingly beautiful and as in hiking up and down hills at 4,000 metres above sea level literally takes your breath away.
Our reward was coming to the end of the trail at a pre-Incan stone village with a terrific view of Isla del Luna. We toured the village and the local school with a few Bolivians Abraham was familiar with and their donkeys.
We took a private boat to Isla del Sol at sunset and gasped through one last climb to our cabana. Accomodations and food are superb.
Tomorrow is my birthday. We plan to hike across the island (21 km). It{s looking like the weather will be beautiful and Abraham has promised we'll take it easy on the hills...
3 Days, 2 Nights Copacabana
- Bus and ferry to Copacabana
- Guided pre-Inca trail hike
- Private boat to Isla del Sol (45 minutes)
- 2 nights deluxe accomodation at an eco-lodge
- Hiking tour across Isla del Sol
- Private boat returning to the eco-lodge
- Private boat to Inca ruins and return to Copacabana (1 hour)
- Bus and ferry return to La Paz
- All meals and snacks
- Private guide/translator
$253/per person (we decided to splurge in celebration of my birthday)
Our guide, Abraham took us a restaurant for a big meal as soon as we arrived in Copacabana. We had the set 'menu' - Bolivian soup, Lake Titicaca trout and bananas and chocolate for desert. After lunch we set out on an pre-Inca trail leading from Copacabana to Yampupata (28 km). HIking the foothills of the Andes for four hours can be summed up in one word, 'breathless' - as in breath-takingly beautiful and as in hiking up and down hills at 4,000 metres above sea level literally takes your breath away.
Our reward was coming to the end of the trail at a pre-Incan stone village with a terrific view of Isla del Luna. We toured the village and the local school with a few Bolivians Abraham was familiar with and their donkeys.
We took a private boat to Isla del Sol at sunset and gasped through one last climb to our cabana. Accomodations and food are superb.
Tomorrow is my birthday. We plan to hike across the island (21 km). It{s looking like the weather will be beautiful and Abraham has promised we'll take it easy on the hills...
3 Days, 2 Nights Copacabana
- Bus and ferry to Copacabana
- Guided pre-Inca trail hike
- Private boat to Isla del Sol (45 minutes)
- 2 nights deluxe accomodation at an eco-lodge
- Hiking tour across Isla del Sol
- Private boat returning to the eco-lodge
- Private boat to Inca ruins and return to Copacabana (1 hour)
- Bus and ferry return to La Paz
- All meals and snacks
- Private guide/translator
$253/per person (we decided to splurge in celebration of my birthday)
Monday, May 12, 2008
La Paz, Bolivia - May 12, 2008
Well, it only took about a day, a dozen asprin and a bag or two of pretzels to finally start pulling out of the altitude sickness haze.
Baasje and I got up today and walked down the main prado to a tourist agency recommended in the Rough Guide. We made arrangements for Copacabana - which we splurged a little on, on account of it being the spot where we´ll be celebrating my birthday - and Sucre, Potosi, Uyuni and the Salar. The flight to Sucre, the three day tour of the Salar including accomodation, tranportation and food and a ´tourist bus´ back to La Paz cost about $150.
We walked back down towards our hostel (Hostal Naira) and had lunch at a place called 100% Natural (sandwhich, papas fritas, fresh squeezed juice and tea for 44 Bolivianos, or about $6US).
After lunch we checked out the witchcraft mercado. The endless stalls, filled with everything from musical instruments to dried llama fetuses were, linked by arched doorways leading into beautiful central courtyards. The Cholo women who tend the stalls wear boler hats, huge skirs and bright shalls. I´ve posted a pic on Facebook. I´ll post more when I get back, but the internet connection is unbelievably slow. It takes about .5 hour to upload 3 pics! (I see what you were talking about, Cara!)
We also took in the Coca museum - too much information to post on the blog, but I will post some pics.
Baasje´s out buying a toque and checking our flight time. When he gets back we´ll go for dinner and then hit the hay early - we´ll be leaving for Copacabana at 7am tomorrow morning.
I´ll check in again when we reach the next place with internet access...
Baasje and I got up today and walked down the main prado to a tourist agency recommended in the Rough Guide. We made arrangements for Copacabana - which we splurged a little on, on account of it being the spot where we´ll be celebrating my birthday - and Sucre, Potosi, Uyuni and the Salar. The flight to Sucre, the three day tour of the Salar including accomodation, tranportation and food and a ´tourist bus´ back to La Paz cost about $150.
We walked back down towards our hostel (Hostal Naira) and had lunch at a place called 100% Natural (sandwhich, papas fritas, fresh squeezed juice and tea for 44 Bolivianos, or about $6US).
After lunch we checked out the witchcraft mercado. The endless stalls, filled with everything from musical instruments to dried llama fetuses were, linked by arched doorways leading into beautiful central courtyards. The Cholo women who tend the stalls wear boler hats, huge skirs and bright shalls. I´ve posted a pic on Facebook. I´ll post more when I get back, but the internet connection is unbelievably slow. It takes about .5 hour to upload 3 pics! (I see what you were talking about, Cara!)
We also took in the Coca museum - too much information to post on the blog, but I will post some pics.
Baasje´s out buying a toque and checking our flight time. When he gets back we´ll go for dinner and then hit the hay early - we´ll be leaving for Copacabana at 7am tomorrow morning.
I´ll check in again when we reach the next place with internet access...
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