Lifestyle

9 Podcasts for 2009

TinyURL'd

Although these all like to the iTunes Store, they shouldn’t be hard at all to find them on other Podcasting services by entering the same name.

Scene Unseen

Scene Unseen Movie Reviews is a new podcast that offers a unique spin on the movie review process.  The catch?  Every week one of our reviews sees a new release… the other does not.  Also featured - “Letterboxing” banter, DVD picks and special guest appearances from professionals in the film industry.

Stop Podcasting Yourself

Vancouver’s top comedy podcast?  Hosted by Graham Clark and Dave Shmka, with weekly guests.  Hilarious weekly guests?  Yup.

EPIC FU

EPIC FU is what happens when tech and culture get it on.  It’s your weekly geek-out to the coolest art, tech, and music from the online and offline world.  Subscribe to get a fresh new episode each week!

Mars Hill Church: Mark Driscoll -

Mars Hill Church in Seattle lives, breathes and is generally OCD about Jesus.  Pastor Mark Driscoll is the lead preaching pastor for Mars Hill and regularly distribures video content via this channel, including sermons, event teaching and the occasional one-off video created for our internet audience.  You can find more content like this by visiting our web site at www.marshillchurch.org

DL.TV

By Tech Fans, For Tech Fan!  Product reviews, tech tips, viewer questions, gaming and great guests, all brought to you by Robert Heron and the DL.TV crew.  We go live every Thursday, then we encode and make available for download.

Diggnation

Diggnation is a weekly tech/ web culture show based on the top digg.com social bookmarking news stories.

Totally Rad Show

The Totally Rad Show is the summer blockbuster of geek news shows.  Every week, hosts Alex Albrecht, Dan Trachtenberg and Jeff Cannata rip into the world of movies, video games, tv, comics, and more and pull out what’s rad.

Tekzilla

Embrace digital technology.  Join the Tekzilla cew and make your tech work better for you.  Or you can go live in the woods with an axe.  Every Saturday, Patrick Norton and Veronica Belont deliver product reviews, computer help, tech tips on everything from Ipod to camcorders, HD to the Internet, plus do it yourself projects.

The Hour with George Stroumboulopolous

Want a different look at the news?  Watch to The Hour.  The Hour isnt your average newscast, its more lik hanging out with someone whos really interested in the world.  The Hour - a current affairs show hosted by George Stroumnoulopoulos.  Watch new video clipos every weekday.

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Swap the TweetDeck’s!

TinyURL'd

There are very many Twitter applications out these days, the Twitter API is, undoubtedly, one of the major reasons for its popularity.  And believe you me, there is a crap load of popularity!  TweetDeck is one of the larger of Twitter apps, aeshetically, at least.  But I like that, as a late user of Twitterific (and Twhirl, and Spaz, and Google Desktop, and Digsby), I did not feel as centralized. TweetDeck is an Adobe Air application, its layout is a series of very useful columns that can be moved around horizontally; All Friends, Group, Replies, Direct Messages, Search, Favorites, TwitScoop and 12seconds. As well as a vertically expanding Tweet section with a very nice TwitPic integration and a TinyURL-esque service as well… with more than enough URL shrinkers to your service.

I find it to be a very clean layout and for me, someone with a second monitor, it is very nice to have it maximized all the time.  As a recent adopter of TwitPic , I found the integration fantastic, as well as how simple it is to follow your own conversations in the Replies column.  But more than anything, I love the use of the TwitScoop column; as a blogger (talented or non) it is a fast way to see what the general Twitosphere is currently interested in.

And the great part about this all is that, by the time you read this there will be a new one out, just as damn good.

Adobe AIR (Mac/ PC), TweetDeck (Mac/ PC)

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Saturday, December 27th, 2008 Apple, Arts & Culture, Gadgets, Internet, Software, Twitter 3 Comments

The Modern Blogosphere and the Specialization of Media

TinyURL'd

In ways that traditional print media was never able to, new media has used blogging and online communication to encourage journalists and other independent writers. This international digital phenomenon has given the reader choice as to what information they flood their minds with, as barriers have been torn down between nations. And besides being told news from an international basis, communication has become a most necessary aspect of modern independent journalism, giving both sides of the conversation insight on audiences interests, while also keeping journalistic motive with less a hindrance on creativity.

At the turn of the century, the newspaper was created in attempt to combat an informational ‘space bias’. When British colonies first found home in Canadian provinces (western especially) the entire extent of information, the world of those settlers did literally exist within a few dozen acres. In the late 18th and early 19th century, with the industrial revolution, worlds grew exponentially. Cities were situated around the, then new, Canadian Railway system, wherein the industries were within a convenient distance of its workers homes.

With the Railway, came communication between the workers that travelled, first vocally and then in written prose. That being said, the type of communication differed municipally and federally and paper was just that much easier to ship. With availability constraints such as these, there was never much choice and back then, there was never much knowledge of choice; worlds had expanded dramatically, but in comparison to the modern day information, it was still extremely limited. Receiving outdated updates on provinces on either side of you was, in retrospect, nothing but a glimpse of the upcoming global neighborhood soon to be catapulted a vast by technological advancements.

The year between the creation of the World Wide Web (circa December 25, 1990) by Time Berners-Lee and the Internet-age of lately has been often likened to the years the CPR was developed (1881-1885). With information in such an expanding and transportable form and especially with technologies like that of RSS (Real Simple Syndication) the collection has become even simpler. Opinions are made and sold internationally, wherein Journalistic integrity would writers against a code of conduct designed not to offend anyone, and that is where technology shows its most poignant, yet controversial affect on the world of independent journalism. There are legions of intelligent, rebellious and respectively entrenched writers all around the world.

In August 23, 2005, the United States of America was hit, especially New Orleans, with the record breaking and tragic assault by hurricane Katrina, reaping an excess of $80 billion US dollars in damages. One of the most criticized and a controversial subject about Katrina was the infamously horrible governmental response, taking at least 1-2 days to help anyone.

Three years later, China was hit by the nineteenth deadliest earthquake in human history; the Wenchuan Earthquake. Before Katrina received any help, there was a myriad of ‘on-site’ reporters covering the story. Likewise, Wenchuan had even more passionate coverage, but not from representatives of some major news conglomerations; homes that had Internet connection sent the world’s largest assembly of independent journalists of all time.

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Friday, November 14th, 2008 Arts & Culture, Internet, Politics No Comments

Sex still sells - even if it would break her in half

TinyURL'd

‘Dove’s “campaign for Real Beauty”-which proudly features “real” women of different shapes and sizes-has attracted international attention and scores several major advertising rewards to boot.  But it turns out it may not sell that much product.  A new study has concluded that traditional ads featuring rail-thin models had it right all along: yes, they make women feel worse about themselves, but such ads are still more likely to convince women to buy.’

Lunau, Kate.  "Study finds real women don't sell." (2008 August).  24 hours, p. 34.

If I properly voiced by initial response to this article, it would sound like every-one’s favorite British detective was constipated.  But is that not expected?

Even the most mentally defunct thins in the media are, well, intelligently placed.  An example would be those annoying phishing e-mails.  As retarded and pointless and retarded as we all see them, they get enough of a response to merit their reproduction.  As is the case, it seems, for the talentless boy/girl/transgendered bubble-gum-pop bands - they do make money.

So, as much as mothers disagree, and fathers and sons pretend to disagree about the scantly clad, rail-thin models, they are still working.  Back in the day when this amount of sexuality was seen as whoreific, they sold with these pseudo-plus size models.  But, over years, the skin:clothing ratio steadily grew further apart, marketing anyone’s saw the monetary gain over this.  The irony is that the less clothing a woman is wearing, the more you wish to buy.

That being said, I very much am a fan of Dove’s campaign, especially considering the risks.  The gist of Capitalism is making more money, no?  So besides the fact that I (attempt) to follow this Conservativeve mindset, I also give them mad props for going against what may be the most profitable.

So have Dove’s curvy models hurt its bottom line?  The company doesn’t think so.

“We’ve achieved a healthy growth since the campaign launched in 2005,” says Dove Canada’s Alison Leung.  She adds that Dove has the No. 1 body wash and bar in the county, and won’t be abandoning its “real woman” position any time soon.

I am not sure where they would stand if their profits were otherwise, but I also find it unfair to judge a company on something of that nature.  As even a man, with a pervy nether-region, I applaud Dove for this campaign.

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Thursday, August 21st, 2008 Local News No Comments

In a galaxy far, far away, they stoppped at one trilogy, maybe two…

TinyURL'd

Earlier today, AOTS had Steve Sansweet, “head of fan relations for Lucasfilm” on their The Loop segment.  They spoke of galaxies, and how they are so damn far away.  Also, the future of the Star Wars franchise.  Hopefully, the future is going to be better than the last few years…

Star Wars Episode II
ended with the start of the Clone wars. Palpatine issued ‘Order 6′ and the clones turned on the Jedi.

Wherein Episode III started with the end of the Clone wars. Judging by the complete lack of character development/ the complete lack of character in Christiansen, you would be surprised to know the movies were actually 3 years apart.

Tomorrow releases the Clone Wars movie, originally a cartoon series that was actually edited to fit a feature film.  Clone Wars was, originally to the tenth degree, a drawn cartoon series, short lived, unfortunately.  When Lucas had seen the first screening of the new series, he had to watch it in a theater, and saw promise. The series will continue in the fall. But the part I was not aware of is… well, they are doing another trilogy. In between III and IV.

So theoretically, this movie and series (same animation, same everything) will explain the gap between II and III, but what are we missing in the ~17 years between III and IV?

Also, what will they call them? Star Wars Episode III.25, III.5 and III.75?

The only thing I can find between the good trilogy and the bad trilogy is Obi-Wan.  Although powerful, Obi-Wan was a pretty crummy Jedi, even at the end of Episode III.  As much a non-political fellow I am, I have a thing for that side of the Star Wars politics.  I just find it more interesting when the apparent brutal campaigns actually involved beheadings.  Although I have not read the myriad of Star Wars novella, my friends have, and the massive infinate expanse of Star Wars is bound to inspire some good stories.

In ending, I admit myself one of those kids who will, no matter the rating, see any Star Wars movie released.  I am part of the population that lets Lucas afford to do whatever he wants.

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Friday, August 15th, 2008 Arts & Culture, Movies, Television No Comments

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