A few years ago those “You know you’re from Canada when…” and “You know you’re from Vancouver when…” lists were forwarded from inbox to inbox and have now settled in nicely as Facebook pages for the masses to read and chuckle to themselves, “hehe, it’s funny because it’s true.” One item that was always on the list for “You know you’re from Vancouver when…” was something like, “…You design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.”
Tonight will be a soggy one, that’s pretty much for certain. So once you bundle up your little vampires, monsters, and Hannah Montanas here are some tips to keep them safe.
Raincoats and garbage bag ponchos will keep them dry but make sure to slap on some reflective tape, some of those blinky light-up shoes, or something else that will still make your children visible in the dark.
Carry a flashlight, have them carry a flashlight (I recommend one of those fun ones where it’s like a Jack-o-Lantern head).
Remember the importance of cross-walks. A lot of vehicles won’t be out tonight (except maybe downtown since it is Friday) but make sure not to walk in the street and be sure to cross at intersections. This does make the most sense if you have an efficient candy-collection route plotted anyway.
Start earlier – maybe even before dinner time since it will probably get dark before 5:00pm today.
“No lights, no candy.” That was always our motto, only visit houses that have their lights on – and beware of any stuffed scarecrows out on the front porch cause there’s probably someone in that costume just waiting to scare the bejesus out of you.
Always go through your child’s candy before you let them eat it. Take out all the unwrapped items (and popcorn kernels that guy just tossed in from his own bowl from by the TV because he forgot to get candy but still wanted to give the kids something anyway). Also stay away from homemade items and fresh fruit. Fruit leather on the other hand mmmm keep that.
Also make sure they can move around in their costumes. There was this one time I went as a big present for Halloween, which basically meant I put myself in a box, cut out arm holes and stuck a bow on my head. Unfortunately the arm holes were on the sides of the box so I couldn’t reach around the front to hold out my candy bag. I think at one point it got stapled to the box but when it got too heavy I was outta luck, but I digress.
The Shaw Pumpkin Patrol will also be on duty in neighbourhoods around the Lower Mainland. Be safe and have fun!
For those staying in tonight, tethered to computers or mobile devices, consider playing along with Trick or Tweet.
Microsoft produced this to address the “I’m a Mac / I’m a PC” ads about a month ago:
Several celebrities are visible throughout the campaign, including company co-founder Bill Gates, Deepak Chopra, and Eva Longoria; Microsoft employees, including Gates, have an @windows.com e-mail address attached to their appearances to emphasize their human connection.
Two shorter ads have also appeared with a similar exploration of the theme where people in various jobs explain how they wear different kinds of suits or are not alone, again tackling what Microsoft perceives as stereotypes of the average Windows user. [Electronista]
… and then Apple responded:
For PC users who are tired of Mac users telling them how much their productivity could be improved with an Apple system (and how your computer won’t crash all the time, and your operating system won’t suck) don’t worry, Apple still only has barely 10% of the marketshare… but they are gaining momentum so the smugness will only continue.
I am currently in a ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel on West Hastings street to hear a talk from the Vancouver Board of Trade about “communicating via social media” in the non-profit sector in a series called Tough Talk for Tender Causes.
If it seems slightly foreign for an entity such as the Board of Trade to be holding such new media event, fear not – today’s panel consists of some familiar faces such as: Michael Allison, Steve Jagger, and John Starkey along with moderator Colleen Coplick.
Michael is up first, with “reasons why I believe you should be learning about social media.” I first met Michael through Twitter although he’s well versed in the realm of traditional PR. He addresses corporate messaging tactics and notes that blasting a news release to bloggers isn’t the way to go, “at best they may ignore you, at worst – they could call you out or flag you as spam.” His three talking points are, “the changing media landscape, reputation management, and culture.” He says that by using social media for these reasons you can become a leader in your field.
Steve is the second speaker and he’ll talk about how his companies use Twitter to, “create new business, find new clients, and keep in touch with existing clients.” He notes about how they are a “virual company” working out of coffee shops and holding their seminars at Ceilis Irish Pub. The challenges they face revolve around communication and this is where Twitter comes in.
With regards to non-profits he mentions a few times when someone mentioned the UGM in a negative way and how the Union Gospel Mission itself is on Twitter and was able to defend their position and also clarify some of the information being discussed.
Steve is actually explaining Twitter very well – probably the best description of the tool I’ve ever heard in terms of informing non-tech non-web people what it does. After each example he says, “send” just to get the point across about how these are short bursts, short messages.
The final speaker is John Starkey who, after looking at his bio, is also involved with DreamBank (something that I have used and promoted this past summer). He notes that social media tool are, “things that should be very considered very seriously,” when it comes to raising funds and awareness for your cause. “These tools do not replace traditional means but they’re a great way to enhance and compliment them.” John also states that you do not need a big budget for a lot of these tools. “Trust, credibility, and a relationship with those that interact with your content,” is paramount. Some of his tips include, “know when to moderate, get your staff involved, create tags, post contests, make things personal, give them a reason to participate.” In other words, be engaging when you’re using social media – that’s the point of it all, really. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
First things first, I was not paid by any company to write this post in any way, shape or form. I did however, attend an info-session with live demos of Toshiba products and have decided to share some thoughts based on my experience there.
Our current TV was generously donated to us by Gus when John first moved to Vancouver about 3 years ago and I have actually been curious about LCD and Plasma TV technology since I live blogged a debate with Amber MacArthur and Leo Laporte over at Future Shop last year.
At the Toshiba event last week, I was given demos of their XDE (eXtended Detail Enhancement) DVD players, which made regular DVDs look nearly High Definition. They had a scene of Iron Man paused and two televisions side-by-side (Toshiba REGZA HD TVs to be precise). With the XDE on a special setting you could tell Robert Downey Jr was wearing a pinstripe suit in the scene, whereas it just looked like a dark coloured suit on the other TV.
Yesterday afternoon I caught sight of a really pretty dress in a music video and I wanted to share the loveliness with Keira so I did a Google Image search for a still image. What I found out was that the artist wearing the dress had red streaks in her hair in that scene that I had never noticed before. I looked up (while the video was still playing) and I could just barely make out the highlights. It was at this point that I realized that maybe we are missing out on details with our old TV (and broken DVD player).
I was also given a demo of the REGZA settings live Gamer Mode and Native Mode that looked pretty impressive – delivering content and detail to the player seconds before other televisions. I don’t play games but I assume this type of feature would be a good thing.
When it comes to television, we actually don’t spend much time watching daily. Usually we’ll collect all of the shows we’re addicted to that season (be it, House, Rescue Me, Deadliest Catch, or our new favourite, Fringe) and we’ll have a big TV night once a week to get caught up on episodes. Combine that with heading into the rainy season (meaning we’ll be having many more movie nights just chilling at home) and I think an TV upgrade is a reasonable enough thought.
If you live in the Vancouver-Burrard or Vancouver-Fairview districts, you should be heading to the polls today (open 8:00am until 8:00pm) to elect your new representative in the Provincial government.
Candidates in Vancouver-Fairview:
Emery, Jodie – British Columbia Marijuana Party
Hanni, Wilf – BC Conservative Party
MacDiarmid, Margaret – BC Liberal Party
McGinn, Jenn – New Democratic Party of B.C.
Sterk, Jane – Green Party of BC
Candidates in Vancouver-Burrard:
Emery, Marc – British Columbia Marijuana Party
Griffiths, Arthur – BC Liberal Party
Herbert, Spencer – New Democratic Party of B.C.
McLeod, Ian – BC Conservative Party
Read, Drina Alicia – Green Party of BC
I conducted a few interviews with Vancouver-Burrard candidates, and although time was too tight to arrange meetings with all, it was very informative experience.
Update: The numbers are in (via News1130) and the NDP took both ridings:
A few years ago those “You know you’re from Canada when…” and “You know you’re from Vancouver when…” lists were forwarded from inbox to inbox and have now settled in nicely as Facebook pages for the masses to read and chuckle to themselves, “hehe, it’s funny because it’s true.” One item that was always on the list for “You know you’re from Vancouver when…” was something like, “…You design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.”
