Calling all animation students, artists, industry members, and enthusiasts! The Spark Computer Graphics Society presents SPARK Animation 2014, a conference and film festival celebrating creativity, inspiration and innovation in animation around the world.
What: SPARK Animation 2014 October 22 – 26 at the Vancity Theatre
Where: Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour in Vancouver
When: October 22nd to October 26th, 2014
Win Tickets
Miss604 is proud to sponsor “Mothers of a Medium” featuring 16 titles from around the world. This showcase is a mix of classic and computer animation and includes 3 films by Canadian directors as well as titles from Iran, Brazil and The State of Palestine. Mothers of a Medium takes place Thursday, October 23, 2014 at 9:00pm at the Vancity Theatre featuring:
Beluga · 2:07 · United States
Bus Story · 10:51 · Canada
Under the Bed · 2:58 · United States
Food · 3:32 · China
No Fish Where to Go · 12:28 · Canada
The Tree · 5:05 · Iran
Black Tape · 3:00 · Palestine, State of
Guida · 11:18 · Brazil
Man On the Chair · 6:55 · France
Marcescent · 5:25 · Taiwan
This Too Shall Pass · 3:55 · Italy
Humanexus · 10:25 · United States
Indigo · 9:00 · Canada
Fat & Skinny · 8:41 · Poland
Gerascophobia · 4:15 · United Kingdom
The Elephant & the Bicycle · 9:00 · France
I have a pair of tickets to give away to Mothers of a Medium, here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
For more information about SPARK Animation films, conference events, and the job fair, follow along on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter with the tag #SPARK2014. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00pm on Tuesday, October 21, 2014.
Update The winner is Logan!
Restaurants dim the lights, serve up deals for Candlelight Dinner
In the mood for romance? How about a candlelight dinner with a great message?
BC Hydro Power Smart’s most delicious initiative of the year – the Candlelight Dinner – is back on Wednesday, October 22, 2014.
Over 64 restaurants in seven communities across BC – including 34 in Vancouver – will be turning down the lights and serving dinner by candlelight as a way to showcase their commitment to energy conservation.
Power Smart works with local community and business associations each year to recruit restaurants and bring the Candlelight Dinner to select cities and communities. Now in its sixth year, the event aims to raise awareness of the simple things you can do every day in your home and at work to conserve energy.
Free appys and desserts, 2-for-1 entrees available
Participating restaurants will be extending exclusive offers or discounts for the event, which may include a complimentary appetizer, 2-for-1 entrees, free dessert or a featured menu item.
See a full list of participating restaurants. Reservations are recommended. Contact the restaurant directly to book your spot.
Find more deals and fun in Offtober
Follow @PowerSmartBC on Twitter for great energy-saving tips, deals and the opportunity to win daily prizes throughout the month we’re calling Offtober.
Spread the word and share your photos from the event using hashtag #pscandlelight.
The mission of my trip to the Okanagan in early October was to taste, sip, and experience a bounty from the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society and its members but along the way I discovered a few more points of interest worth exploring the next time you’re in the area. One of said attractions is the SS Sicamous, parked at 1099 Lakeshore Drive West in Penticton, which is the largest surviving stern wheeler in British Columbia:
SS Sicamous in Penticton
100 years ago, before there were any highways in the region, the SS Sicamous transported passengers and cargo to remote communities along Okanagan Lake. It was originally assembled in Vernon after arriving on the Canadian Pacific Railway on 18 separate rail cars and it first set sail in 1914.
1932: SS Sicamous at the dock. Archives# CVA 447-2686. Photo by Walter E. Frost
The luxurious vessel would depart from Penticton before the crack of dawn, sailing the length of the lake and making 14 regular stops before reaching its northern terminus at Okanagan Landing (Vernon). Stops were also made if signal fires were lit along the lake and the boat could pull up almost anywhere nose-first, then back out with the power of its paddlewheel.
After 22 years in service it was retired and tied up to rest at Okanagan Landing Ship Yards. In the 1950s it was home to the Penticton Museum and throughout the decades it fell in and out of condition, underwent renovations, repairs, and modifications.
Today the ship is operated by the SS Sicamous Marine Heritage Society, with help from the City of Penticton, and it is one of the last surviving vessels from its era of travel throughout the distant corners of the British Empire.
On board you’ll find displays, a miniature Kettle Valley railway, and event rental space throughout. In fact they already have 14 weddings booked for 2015. The museum is filled stories about travel through the inland waterways of BC and the rooms are beautifully restored. Not only that but the outer decks provide lovely views of the lake and the Penticton waterfront.
The SS Sicamous is open Thursdays through to Sundays, from 10:00am to 5:00pm, and closes occasionally for private events and weddings. Family admission is $18, and children 6 and under are free. Check the website for accurate/applicable rates and hours, and follow along on Facebook and Twitter for the latest visitor info.
Last week I was on a trip to the Okanagan where I snapped colourful landscape photos of views and vineyards as far as the eye could see. To my surprise, none has garnered as much attention as a photo of a manhole cover I took upon my return to Vancouver. Locals, as I have come to learn over the years, appreciate three things that made this photo a success: Coast Salish art, autumn in Vancouver, and finding art in unexpected places.
There are thousands of these creatively designed cast-iron covers all across the city and thanks to the Ironclad Art project, new contributions are added to the mix.
The particular cover that I captured was designed by master carver Susan Point, who has created a variety of public and fine art works including several at Vancouver International Airport such as Cedar Connection and the Salish Welcome posts in the international arrivals area.
This photo was taken in Coal Harbour but there is another manhole cover at First and Commercial designed by Susan Point and her daughter Kelly Cannell, and another similar cover in the Olympic Village. You can view a full gallery of these designs and others submitted to the Ironclad Art project online.
Sometimes we’re so busy looking up in Vancouver, at the mountains, rain clouds, and construction cranes building up our City of Glass that we tend to miss some of the beauty that’s right under our feet.
This fall you can support KidSport, getting children active in organized sports, when you visit participating Triple O’s locations. Until October 24th, donations made at any of the 32 participating Triple O’s locations will support registration fees for children in BC.
KidSport BC is Triple O’s charity of choice and over the past four years they’ve helped raise nearly $93,000, so all kids can play! Funds raised October 6th to October 24th will help kids with financial barriers experience the benefits of sport participation by covering the registration fees for a sport season of their choice.
- KidSport believes that ALL children should be given the opportunity to experience the positive benefits of organized sport.
- Since 1993 KidSport Canada has given half a million kids the chance to play sports through KidSport grants.
- Last year in BC, 6700 kids played a season of sport thanks to KidSport assistance.
- For approximately every $200 raised, one child in a local BC community gets a chance to play sports for the year.
- Each KidSport chapter across the Province gives back to kids in their local communities.
- All of the money raised at our participating Triple O’s restaurants will go back to KidSport BC and kids in their local communities!
On the very last day of the campaign, Friday, October 24, 2014, Triple O’s will celebrate “KidSport Day” by donating $1 from every combo sold back to KidSport. You can also donate online anytime.
To promote this partnership and support KidSport, Triple O’s has also offered up a $50 gift card for a lucky Miss604 reader. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment with a sport or playtime activity that you loved as a child (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow Triple O’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information about this campaign. I will draw one gift card winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, October 24, 2014.
Update The winner is Tim!
