Okay so it’s not really an IQ test, it’s more like trivia… and I LIVE for trivia. The CBC has had two editions of “Test the Nation” thus far and they’ve been pretty successful. I’ve played along from home and online and learned a bit about myself each time. This installment will be, “Test the Nation: Trivia”, focusing on the 21st Century World.
In early December my fellow Metroblogging author Ryan announced that he’d be going to Toronto for the next installment of Test the Nation. Very cool, I knew he’d do bloggers proud. This morning through the magic of Twitter I also found out that local blogger and radio personality, Buzz is also on the bloggers team.
Well in my inbox this morning was a lovely note from someone at the CBC asking me to apply, which I did, and now I’ve been accepted and will be flown to Toronto in a few weeks. I’m going to Toronto for a weekend to play a big huge nationally televised trivia game on a team with other bloggers Awesome.
The show will be LIVE on January 20, 2008. The teams set to compete in studio are Bloggers vs Flight Crew vs Backpackers vs Cab Drivers vs Celebrity Lookalikes vs Chefs. I know they’re secretly bringing me in as a celebrity lookalike… jk.
The only REALLY bad thing about this is that it’s the same day as the Skate for a Cure that I’ve been raising funds for and we also have a Vancouver Blogger team. I’m wondering if I can transfer my account to John so he can be the skater? I don’t regret raising money for childhood cancer research, not one bit – but missing out on skating at GM Place is pretty heartbreaking. Who knows, they will probably do the fundraiser again next year so I’ll be sure to try again.
At any rate, wish us luck and also leave me a comment if you’re another blogger who will be on the team. I’ll of course be blogging the journey across the country and as much as I can about the experience.
To prepare, I encourage my teammates to try out the “Mental Gym” which has question in the same category that we’ll be given. So far I’ll only share my “Mental Gym Test #4” results that were 90%… as for the others… I need a little more work.
Update: There’s a Facebook Group that has some neat photos up of the set and what the actual broadcast will look like.
UPDATE: Here’s a list of all those on the Bloggers Team Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Welcome to the second installment of “A Vancouver Girl’s Guide to the iPhone“. The other morning I set out on a trusty #19 bus from downtown to Metrotown on a quest to find a case for my iPhone. Why didn’t I take the Skytrain? I had some time to kill and the direct bus 40 minutes straight up Kingsway is actually a very nice alternate route.
Upon arriving at the Crystal Mall [Google Map] I immediately felt like a hamster in some sort of maze experiment. The Crystal is one funky place.
Signs in multiple languages and smells of fresh cut flowers mixed with dried herbs and filleted salmon filled the air as I meandered through the circular passages to find a directory.
“Electronics” in the yellow zone – bingo! I headed over to that spoke in the wheel to find only one shop open. I peeked in and asked if they sold iPhone cases, which they didn’t but i was instructed to head over to J&K, which just happened to be closed that day. I wandered around the “Electronics” zone a little while longer and doubled back to where I started only to find Sim Star. For $10 I got a clear protector for my screen and a white silicone case.
NOTE: When purchasing a case make sure it’s specifically for the iPhone – not for the iPod Touch – otherwise it won’t have a hole on the back for the camera.
Unfortunately I didn’t have many more options as the other shops were closed for the day and I simply couldn’t wait to come back after the holidays. Otherwise I would have preferred a pink or blue silicone cover, but white will do for now. At least with the screen and body covered I won’t handle it as gingerly as before, and will actually put it up to my ear when I’m on the phone. However, I’m still a bit cautious and haven’t tried wearing diamond earrings cause those might scratch the glass. You know, if I had a pair of diamond earrings.
Cross posted from The Crazy Canucks website, our latest episode is now available for your listening pleasure.
So it’s been a while since the last episode. Big deal, wanna fight about it? And truth be told, the end of the year got really hectic for us to all link up and get a new one recorded. We tried a few times, but the real world kept getting in the way, not to mention a string of Canucks games. We love our podcast, but recording during the games? Not unless you’re buying the beer…. [Read More]
The Crazy Canucks Episode #54 – listen now, view the show notes, and subscribe. Run time 50:33.
Last February Tod Maffin’s photo outranked one of me in a bikini on my Flickr photo stream. This year, he was nominated as one of Wired’s “Sexiest Geeks of 2007“.
Welcome to the third annual Wired News Sexiest Geeks contest! Every year, we nominate the smartest, sexiest and most Wired men and women of the year… …Remember, geeks are not just computer nerds. They’re dedicated to the point of being obsessed, so smart they scare you, and hot in a possibly undefinable way. We know you know what we mean. [Wired]
Luckily, someone found me worthy (and geeky enough) to nominate me as well, which is pretty freakin’ cool.
As an erstwhile and once again Vancouver resident, Rebecca Bollwitt studiously documents the goings-on of the city’s burgeoning metropolitan and digerati scenes. As a result she’s developed quite a following among the local geek crowd, and bloggers in general. Her smart and sassy writing style combined with her penchant for wearing way-too small geek shirts makes Miss604 a must-read, and her honest-to-god technology credentials give her the chops to go a few rounds with the best of ’em. [Wired]
If I would have known I would have posted that photo of me in a g-string and a bra sitting on a zebra-printed bed. Oh wait, that’s already been done by the G4 chick. Regardless, I think the fact that folks think I’m a smart and computer-savvy cookie means more than anything.
If you feel like voting for me (or Tod), click the links above. I have no idea if there’s even anything to be won, but the incoming link love is pretty great now I need some new geeky message t-shirts eh.
Update: Apparently voting is still open and I’m in still in the Top 25, fun!
As a part of the happyfrog Testing Team I’ve had some cash at my disposal to go ahead and spend at local businesses or on local products. I came across a super neat handbag in a magazine a few days ago and although the bags aren’t handmade in BC (they’re from NYC) the store in which you can purchase them is 100% locally owned and eco-friendly so I’m hoping my listing on happyfrog is justified.
I took the 19 Metrotown bus over to Burnaby the other day (a great alternative to bus/skytrain connections) and on the way back I hopped off at Main and Kingsway. After meeting up with John, we skipped down to Lark, which is at 2235 Main Street. They didn’t have the Beck(y) Sk8bags out on display so I had to inquire about them. The sales girl was very helpful and emerged from the back room with an armful of styles, including the square tote, two clutches and about a dozen iPod cases.
Now the iPod cases are pretty clunky – seeing as how all these bags are made from recycled skateboards, so the Lark staff suggested they be used as a camera case and showed us how their Canon Powershot fit perfectly into the satin-laced pocket of the holder. I tried it out on my iPhone and decided that a leather case with satin on the inside and a wood plank on the outside would be pretty safe for whichever electronic device I wanted to store inside.
I’m actually pretty sure anything would withstand being dropped in this case. I was pretty much sold on the items before I waked in the door but after a couple of handy suggestions I sealed the deal and bought a nifty holder. Why not go with the clutch ($135)? I usually have too many things to carry and a purse with a strap is my best friend. The square tote would have been perfect but with a hefty price tag (more than the clutch), it just wasn’t in my budget.
I understand that I did end up spending a heck of a lot on a simple device holder but this is pretty much what the happyfrog assignment was designed to do. Get me out of the house spending dough on enviro-cool items at local retailers or salons and reporting back about how you can look up even more places on the happyfrog directory.
I’ll be creating a listing on happyfrog for Lark since they have locally designed merchandise, like handmade scarves from an organic alpaca farm but also environmentally-conscious doo-dads like the PO-ZU biodegradable slippers:
They come in boxes made of coconut and natural latex which is also used for the cushion inside the sole. With the box comes a packet of seeds which can be planted in the winter in your home and then in the summer you can take the whole box and plant it in your garden and it will biodegrade. [Lark’s blog]
Lark is located at 2315 Main Street, online at Lark8thAve.com and now on happyfrog under Fashion& Beauty.
