Quick Post: Cool photos from Earth Hour

I came across this link to photos from Earth Hour. The cool thing about these photos is you can click on them to switch between a before and after the lights were turned off. [Boston.com via Digg]

Quick Post: Earth Hour today at 8:30

Just reminding everyone that Earth Hour is today (March 28) at 8:30 PM, so turn off your lights and electronics, and have fun in the dark. Why do Earth Hour? In my opinion, doing Earth Hour is less about results in that specific hour, and more about keeping the environment in mind. There's no way that one person will save the environment, and that's the crux of the problem. A lot of people end up asking, "So what if I don't <insert action here>?" But, it's the small choices between action or inaction that are multiplied across the billions of people in the world, and by time. P.S. If you're interested in this mindset, I highly recommend reading "The Tragedy of the Commons" by Garrett Hardin, or just read the synopsis on Wikipedia.

Food Fridays: Cake Wrecks

I don't bake much though I enjoy baked goods very much. I probably enjoy them too much, which is why I don't bake myself. I do, however, enjoy this cake blog: Cake Wrecks. It shows professional cakes that "go horribly, hilariously wrong". This week, they had a post with Chewbacca cakes that are hilarious. Chewbacca is a character from Star Wars, just in case you didn't know.

Image courtesy of Cake Wrecks.

P.S. I'm going to start planting my seeds this week. If you didn't know what I'm talking about, you can read about my grand adventure in growing.

Technology: I let my inner photo geek out. Hehe.

I don't normally post about gadgets because this isn't a gadget blog. But, what gadget would have me clapping my hands excitedly? I'd like everyone to meet the new Canon EOS Rebel T1i. I'll let my inner photo geek out and explain. This camera will be Canon's new entry-level digital SLR at only $899. But, here's the exciting part, it's like the wee little child between the Canon 50D and 5D Mark II.

Image courtesy of Gizmodo.

Inside the T1i, there is a 50D sensor, which is a big sensor. This means, among other things, better low light photography! Plus, the T1i is taking a cue from the 5D Mark II and will be able to take HD video (720p at 30fps, or 1080p at 20fps to be more precise). To find out more about the T1i, visit Gizmodo.

Media: How to lose friends and alienate countries

The apt statement in this post's title was the title of a YouTube video that caught the attention of many Canadians this past week. Fox News' Red Eye is supposed to be a satirical show, and Fox News has always blurred the line between news and entertainment. Somewhere along the way though, this segment became just plain offensive. To put it in context, this segment aired the same week that four Canadian soldiers lost their lives in Afghanistan. It has received such outrage that it even drew a response from Defence Minister Peter MacKay. "It is crass. It is insensitive and it is, in fact, disgusting given the timing, where Canada is just receiving back four fallen heroes," he said, and requested an apology. (CTV) This was the apology offered by Greg Gutfeld:

"I realize that my words may have been misunderstood. It was not my intent to disrespect the brave men, women and families of the Canadian military, and for that I apologize. Red Eye is a satirical take on the news, in which all topics are addressed in a lighthearted, humorous and ridiculous manner" (CTV)

I feel that this apology is insincere at best. At worse, it defends his show. It'd be like making a joke about 9/11 within months of the event, and saying you just address things in a "lighthearted, humorous, and ridiculous manner". He should at least have the decency to give an apology on air. Just another blow to the shaky credibility of Fox News. P.S. Also, watch a great response by Mark Critch of "This Hour Has 22 Minutes".

Media: "The End" is nigh?

This blog post is based on the CBC's 2006 documentary entitled "The End" that looks at the potential demise of traditional media by the Internet. The reality is sinking in that the traditional media might be crumbling. Newspapers are shutting down. Local news stations are closing. Newsrooms are shrinking. Lots of blame falls on the Internet for its effects on existing models that mainstream media has relied on for years. The shift between different formats of media has always been troubling. Take the fear when television threatened to end the medium of radio as an example. In the end, however, radio adapted and survived. I really like what David Pescovitz of Boing Boing says in "The End of Print", "I don't buy this independent blog, citizen journalism versus the mainstream media by any means." Contrary to the title, it is not "the end" of radio, TV, or print. This is not the end of one medium, and the beginning of another. It's the shift into a new format. Rather than calling it an end, I prefer to think about it as a tipping point. The Internet has grown both in size and influence, and now, we are at the tipping point where traditional media is forced to adapt to this new model. Whether these traditional formats will be recognizable after the shift is different issue. The Internet, however, allows the combination of mainstream sources, like news outlets, and new sources, like blogs. If "the medium is the message", as Marshall McLuhan would say, the message that the rise of Internet is sending is that people want more engagement, and more control over their media. Regardless, quality content from both mainstream and independent, professional and amateur sources can still exist in this new form of media. A warning though, balance must be maintained between progress, and conservative as both traditional mainstream media and new media both have their own advantages. As expected, mainstream media will take longer to adapt to this new style, but eventually will. Advertisers will eventually follow as well, or new models of funding may appear.

Media: CBC cuts announced

On March 18, I posted on the funding situation for the CBC. Due to no new funding, the president of the CBC, Hubert Lacroix, announced today that the CBC will have to cut 800 jobs and sell off $125 million in assets. No specifics on what assets will be sold off. 400 jobs will be lost from CBC, 336 jobs from Radio-Canada, and 70 corporate service positions. CBC television will have more cuts than CBC radio. The plan is to also maintain no ads on CBC radio, and no more American programming on television. The CBC also announced that they will be no closure of regional programming. [jessehirsh, cbcradio via Twitter, and InsideTheCBC.] P.S. To follow news about the CBC on Twitter, search for #cbc or #cbccuts.

Media: Twitter Privacy

For some people, privacy is a big issue on the Internet. For me, the Internet is a public space. People, however, seem to forget what is public, and what is private. Take, for example, Twitter user theconnor who recently got a job at Cisco, and decided to tweet: "Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work". A Cisco employee, timmylevad, saw this and gave a prompt reply: "Who is the hiring manager. I'm sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web."

Image courtesy of The BrandBuilder Blog.

Twitter is a public social network, so anybody can see your tweets unless you choose to protect your updates. A lack of privacy is not a bad thing, but knowing how to control your privacy is important. [via The BrandBuilder Blog]

Media: TED Talk - Jonathan Haidt on teams

In a past blog post, I wrote about how the Internet is not improving social discourse. The post became a hypertext essay for my writing class. You can read the essay here. While researching this essay, I came across this TED talk by Jonathan Haidt, entitled "The real difference between liberals and conservatives". What stood out to me from his talk is when he mentions people grouping into teams. One of my concerns with the Internet is people gravitating towards topics that they are interested in, and opinions that they agree with. Therefore, if the Internet is a tool shaped by us, are we shaping it into a tool that reinforces our team nature? Do you feel like you are exposed to different point of views?

Food Fridays: The Great Food Revolution is jellyfish salad

I stumbled upon a CBC documentary last night called The Great Food Revolution. While I was only able to catch the end of the first episode, and the beginning of the second, I definitely think it's something to watch. To quote the documentary, "The great food revolution is a rich and spicy stew of stories with compelling character." It talks about how we enjoy foods that vary greatly, and are filled with exotic ingredients. I found it interesting to hear about the food industry competing to put products on people's plates. Since I started buying more local food and cooking more, I realize that I'm no longer in the food industry's target market. I don't buy PC products, or Delicissio pizzas. If I want to make something new, there are usually foods at the market that I haven't seen at a grocery store. Another interesting thing that I'd like to point out is in the promo video for the fourth episode. They mention that the future of food could include jellyfish salad. Coming from a Chinese heritage, jellyfish is nothing new. It's just interesting to compare what I see as new and exotic, and what others consider as new. I thought discovering Ambrosia apples was new and exotic even though they were originally cultivated in British Columbia. P.S. The last two episodes of The Great Food Revolution will be airing Thursday March 26 at 8 PM if you're interested.

Quick Post: Save the baby seal (toys)

Maybe I'm a little bit twisted for funding this funny.

"A Halifax bus driver will be suspended with pay while Metro Transit investigates why he jumped out of his bus and used a stick to beat a toy seal being used as a prop by anti-seal hunt protesters." Read the full story.

As a friend, Adam, pointed out, maybe there was a bomb in the toy seal and he was just saving them. P.S. If you like video games, go visit Adam's blog, Z-Targeting.

Media: CBC budget cuts

I've been holding off writing about the CBC's financial problems, perhaps hoping that things will turn out better. But, it would appear that the CBC's board has approved a budget with deep cuts, which could lead to between 600 and 1200 jobs being lost. The reason that many media outlets, including the CBC, are facing financial difficulties is advertising revenue has dried up. But, as Heritage Minister James Moore has repeatedly said, there would be no increase in funding for our national broadcaster. The CBC lies between many dichotomies of mandate, programming, culture, and funding. On one hand, they are mandated to make culture-rich programming, but must compete with populist programming. On the other hand, they have the mandate of a public broadcaster, but are expected to compete with the private broadcasting. Most importantly, they must create programming within a budget that don't receive the money to. To put this in perspective, the CBC receives $34 annually from each citizen. In comparison, the BBC receives $124 per citizen. And yet, people complain when they can't afford to pay ridiculous licensing fee for the Hockey Night in Canada theme. I know that many (especially younger people) say that there is nothing interesting that CBC offers, except for Hockey Night in Canada. But, I'll disagree. Two million CBC podcasts are downloaded every month. I think the problem is advertising CBC programming to target audiences. Perhaps this a grand, overreaching question, but how could the CBC be better for you? P.S. Most of my CBC programming comes through podcasts. I recommend Search Engine, The Hour, and The R3-30. Or, check out the list of CBC podcasts.

Politics: Attacking attack ads

At the beginning of this month, the Conservatives announced that they would be releasing a series of attack ads on Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff. I have yet to see them, but the timing of these attack ads seems inappropriate, and attack ads in general disgust me. But, I know that attack ads work. They take short video clips out of context, and form impressions on opponents. Negative campaigning does not work immediately, but the impressions that are created stick in viewers' minds. Eventually, the ads are forgotten, but the impressions remain. They are good politics because of this. But, I'm sick of just good politics. Good politics does not always mean good for Canada. If parties are too busy looking after their own well-being, how can they look after the well-being of the country? P.S. Enjoy this Rick's Rant by Rick Mercer about attack ads.

Media: What do I call myself?

I had an interesting Twitter conversation this morning with a former co-worker, @katherinegaskin, about what to call ourselves.

Image courtesy of stock.xchng

She graduated from the same UWO program that I am in: Media Theory and Production - Multimedia Design and Production stream. Not only is it hard to explain what the program is, the problem continues as to what what to call ourselves afterward. We learn a variety of design skills that we can apply to a variety of media, for example, web, graphic, print, branding/identity, motion graphic, etc. I've been calling myself a multimedia designer, but she said that it implies that I design Powerpoint slides. I mean, I do design some mean slides, but that's not what I'm limited to doing. I then recommended digital media designer, but even that has certain restrictions. So, designers of multiple medias, what do you call yourselves? P.S. If you are a designer, and haven't checked out Smashing Magazine, I highly recommend it. It's a great resource for inspiration, freebies, and articles.

Food Fridays: What to eat/drink when you're sick.

I was sick this past week. :( Thankfully, a friend, Adele, brought me a can of chicken broth, which I cooked with some veggies (onions, carrots, turnip, and barley) to make a nice delicious soup. Another important thing for me is been drinking water and tea like it's my duty. I try to stick to lighter teas. So, what do you like eating or drinking when you're sick? Do you enjoy the classic chicken noodle soup? Or do you have other comfort foods? P.S. Interested in the food that the Obama's eat? Watch this video from the White House kitchen. Looks like they're advocating local eating.

Technology: Using a car vs. using a computer (Follow Up)

This is a follow up post to Technology: Using a car vs. using a computer. Laws and regulations are a different issue than what I had intended. But, I'll talk about that first. As Charlie mentioned, it's been really difficult to regulate the Internet. I know that Australia is implementing mandatory filtering, but has been met with public outcries of censorship. I do understand that people, like David, do want filtering on the Internet. At the moment, a good service to look into is Open DNS, which can make using the Internet safer. I was, however, looking at the cars and computers as technologies, and the amount of training you are expected to have on them. Before we can drive a car, you are expected to learn to use them, and learn the rules of the road. No such expectation is involved with the computer and the Internet. Both technologies, however, require different sets of skills that need to be taught to us. While there is no physical harm possible on the Internet, there are other forms of harm that can happen, whether it be emotional or financial harm. A classic example of financial harm is people falling for Nigerian 419 scam and losing their life savings, and an example of emotional harm is online bullying. So, while we're expected to learn how to drive safely before we can drive, why is there no expectation to learn how to browse the Internet safely before we go on it? Should there be such an expectation?

Technology: Using a car vs. using a computer

It takes approximately two years before people can drive a car on their own. People are required to take tests to show their proficiency with driving. This is to teach people the skills to use the technology of the car, and improves public safety. It takes nothing to get a computer, and go on the Internet. The computer, however, is a technology that requires a certain set of skills, and there is danger in being on the Internet (identity theft, viruses, phishing, etc). How would you rate your computer/Internet proficiency? Should there be a required proficiency? P.S. Speaking of cars, a sub-$20,000 hybrid car? Yes, please. This will remove the notion that hybrids are too expensive.

Media: The Daily Show's Jon Stewart versus CNBC's Rick Santelli

If you haven't seen this rant by Rick Santelli of CNBC, many called it the "Rant of the Year". Last week, Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, responded with a heavy criticism of the journalistic integrity of CNBC. (If you're watching from Canada, you'll have to watch it from this link.)

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor Joke of the Day

Considering the audience of The Daily Show, this is another crack at the public perception of mainstream journalism's integrity. Instead, we turn to comedians and blogs as filters for trustworthy news. Granted, it is easier to criticise than to create, but this perception should be a major concern for mainstream journalism. Do you think that mainstream Canadian outlets have this some problem with perception of integrity? P.S. I need an angry mob to cheer or boo everything I see.

Food Fridays: I'd kill for that (literally)

I am by no means a vegetarian. I like my steak as much as the next non-vegetarian person. (If you don't eat beef, I mean chicken steak...) But, in a discussion at work, the disconnection of us from our food came up. We forget the: that we make into: originally comes from: Not deliberately. But, we are so used to seeing this: Or, in some cases, all we see is: Even semiotically, society has changed cows into beef, pigs into pork, and chicken becomes poultry. (Fish does remain fish. Exception noted.) We, as a society, have become disconnected from what we eat, and where it comes from. I think it's a problem with the grocery store society, which has the exact selection for the entire year. The perception is that we're no longer purchasing food, but we're purchasing objects, in the same way that we purchase clothes. We pick the colour and style that we want. The difference, though, is that clothes doesn't have seasons. I will go as far as saying that at some point in my life, I'd like to butcher an animal (other than a fish). Not for any pleasure of mine, but to justify to myself that I'm alright with killing an animal for meat. So, as the title of this blog post mentions, would you kill for it (literally)? P.S. I watched The Meatrix, a documentary on the meat industry, on a friend's recommendation. It's interesting, but the implied pig-chicken romance is disturbing. You too can watch the awkward romance here. All images courtesy of stock.xchng.

Media: An anthropological introduction to YouTube

For my blogging class, we watched the following video of Michael Wesch discussing an anthropological view of YouTube: YouTube has become a wonderful Internet phenomena, and an interesting social experiment. Michael Wesh calls it "a celebration of new forms empowerment... It's a celebration of new forms of community and types of community that we've never seen before... It's a celebration of new and unimaginable possibility" (Wesch, 4:56). YouTube is an interesting compilation of videos. On one hand, you can find the most ambivalent videos, like videos of people's cats. But on the other hand, you can find serious videos, like President Obama's weekly presidential address. And every once in a while, you get truly touching videos that make you stop and think, like this one. It juxtaposes serious discussion with ambivalent moments with just plain unusual events with displays of impressive skills. It's a cultural blend of today's society being put on a global stage. I joined the YouTube community on Febrary 13, so I will give some observations from my experience. My first, and so far only, video has been one of me speaking about Omar Khadr and Guantanamo Bay. As Michael Welsch points out, you become a part of "a community through webcams and screens" (Wesch 21:29). Within hours of posting the video, I had my first comment. It clearly, and somewhat firmly, disagreed with my opinion. That was the start of a substantial debate. Within four weeks, I have nine comments between me and three other users. I think it's forming into an important discussion that is not happening at a political level. One of the important factors of YouTube is it simultaneously provides a forum of discussion without anonymity because you put yourself and your image onto the Internet through these videos, but a forum with anonymity by covering your identity, or posting comments. But in the end, on my one video alone, there is social discourse. In the future, I would like to participate more in YouTube because I find that it has a strong, opinionated community. People posts videos as an uncensored forum for discussion, and others are able to respond in a level of identification or anonymity of their choosing. YouTube provides a cross-section of today's society, and provides a platform for large issues and funny distractions. The open possibilities with YouTube are endless.

Internet Special 3: The unseen future, and why limiting it would be bad

The Internet is full of potential Sure, we'll always have funny videos to watch and social network friends to stalk, but the Internet is also causing major changes. I wrote these posts spotlighting the Internet because a lot of issues are coming to a peak within these few months, whether it be the role of traditional media in the Internet landscape, or the role that we play in it. I've always been critical of the Internet because I believe that we can choose to use it beneficially for society. The Internet can empower great ideas that can help people, like Kiva.org, a microcredit website that helps entrepreneurs in developing nations get loans. It can be used to uplift the human spirit, like the Free Hugs Campaign. The Internet can help social discourse, and understanding of one another. Yes, I'm being ideological, but I understand that change will come at a price. Our relationship with government, corporations, and even one another are in flux. Some lament for the things lost in the change caused by the Internet, while I'm hoping that we also look at what we have gained. In a few years, these changes may become less drastic, and at that time, I hope that I won't be writing about the failed potential of the Internet. Let's remember that the Internet is a tool that we can shape and use, and we shouldn't limit ourselves with what is possible with it. I hope you enjoyed my Internet special. I know that not everybody shares the same passion for the Internet, but I know that it's become a part of everybody's life. So, I also hope it provided some insight into some issues that will define the way we use the Internet. P.S. Kevin Kelly does an excellent TED talk about the next 5,000 days of the web. He provides an interesting look at the Internet today, and moving forward.

Internet Special Detour – Commenting

I know that I said this would be a three part special on the Internet, but I found another topic that I would like to bring up: commenting. Commenting is one the primary form of discussion on the Internet. There are other forms, like forums and chat rooms, but most blogs and mainstream news websites use comments. There are three important issues around commenting that I'll talk about:

1. Who is responsible for comments?
2. What value do comments provide?
3. What are good examples of comments?

Who is responsible for comments? A few weeks ago, several First Nations chiefs accused the CBC website of being a forum for hate speech for comments made in regards on a story about First Nations. This brings up the concern that website owners are liable for comments made by other people. I disagree that the CBC is liable because the Internet is an open platform, and often pushes the right to freedom of expression in Canada. Most of the time, users of the Internet have to develop a thick skin because people can become very vocal. There is the belief that the removal of anonymity will solve this, but at the moment, there is no way of enforcing this. Also, anonymity is important because some people might not express their opinions without it. I, however, believe that with a proper commenting system, the community of commenters will be able to correct for inappropriate comments. What value do comments provide? Comments are a part of of the web that changes our relation to news and information. We are no longer passive consumers of news, but are now able to interact with the story, the author and other commentors. I think there is value in comments, especially because of the discourse around the story. The problem with value happens when the good comments are too difficult to find among the bad or not very exciting comments. Once again, a well designed comment system will allow for recommended comments to be highlighted so other people can easily read them. What are good examples of comments? For smaller blogs, like mine, a simple comment system is fine. This is not the case when some websites can get several hundred to over a thousand comments on a specific post. Here are some examples of good Internet comment systems:

1. Digg I know that I have criticized the Digg community in a past post for only supporting perspectives , but Digg has (and needs) a robust comment system.
2. IntenseDebate This comment system is free, offers a wide vareity of options, and can be integrated with different blogging platforms. It was used by President Obama's transition website, www.change.gov.

Conclusion Most Canadian news websites are using inadequate comment system. I recently noticed that the CBC News website updated their comment system. I'm hoping they will add threading soon, and won't make me browse through 5 comments at a time. Comments are an integral part of discussion on the Internet. Websites need to have comment systems that match the amount of comments they have. A well-designed system will allow the community to self-correct, and recommend comments. I hope more websites will put more thought into how comments are used on their website. Final Question When you read blogs and news stories on the Internet, do you actually read comments? When you comment on stories, what do you expect back? P.S. I do read every comment, and will respond to most. That's because I think you're awesome.

Internet Special #2 – Bandwidth usage and network management (aka throttling)

The tubes are clogged! At least, that's what the Internet Service Providers (ISP) tell us. We're also told that this congestion is the reason for the ISP's to throttle our Internet. It's in everybody's best interest to keep "bandwidth hogs" from using up all the bandwidth and slowing the Internet down for everybody else. Most ISP's, at least Bell and Rogers, admit they throttle certain uses of the Internet, for example BitTorrent and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) clients. On the other hand, there are people who argue that the Internet needs to be a neutral platform, where all content is treated equally. This position is known as net neutrality. Let the CRTC decide The CRTC is holding net neutrality hearings this summer, and requested information on the ISP's bandwidth usage and network management techniques be released by February 16 (later pushed until February 23). The ISP's were obviously reluctant to comply. Now that the information is out, we actually see that the total amount of traffic volume did not increase from 2007 to 2008. This, therefore, puts the excuse for network management into question. Find more information on a full report about network management here (PDF). The problem could be that the Internet has turned into direct competition with other services that Bell and Rogers provide, like television. The problem could also be the lack of competition. Lack of competition means lack of improvement The other concern is with the lack of competition is how slow our Internet improves. Even at the highest speed, Canada's two main ISP's, Rogers and Bell, only provide up to 18mbps and 16 mbps, respectively. (You have to take into account that it's only theoretical speed.) These numbers pale in comparison to Japan, the world's leader in Internet speed, where users can get 100mbps for a lower cost. Even if you don't understand what mbps means, you can see how Japan has Internet that is five times as fast as ours. You may ask yourself, why do I care? The Internet is fast enough for what I do now. That's the problem. The ISP's only want the Internet to be fast enough for what consumers think that we can do now. The Internet is continually evolving, and people are constantly finding new and innovative uses for the Internet. The Internet is, therefore, becoming the limiting factor for innovation in Canada, as opposed to inspiring innovation. P.S. Watch this video by by saveournet.ca that explains the fight for net neutrality.