Ok - so I'm finally getting around to posting the other site I was talking about in my last blog posting. Does that make sense? Anyway, the other site that I felt was worth checking out was http://www.trick17stopmotion.com/. Essentially, it's a stop motion film contest to be held in a couple weeks in Vancouver. The cool thing about stop motion is that with a camera, some software (which they provide as part of the entrance package) and a little creativity, pretty much anyone can create a stop motion film. For those of you who are interested in trying your hand at it there are tutorials and a number of stop motion films on You Tube to get you started/inspired. Haven't got a clue what I'm talking about? You should check out the following two stop motion films. The first is the recent Sony Bravia commercial which apparently was the largest-scale stop motion film ever made, and the second is a cool (or at least I think it's cool) stop motion film I came across on you tube as well.
Happy creating!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
A few things of note...
So in my web travels, I've come across a few things that I think are worth more than just a passing glance.
The first is Frank Warren's PostSecret Blog - www.postsecret.blogspot.com. (side note: I can't get the links function working on my Mac, if you've got tips - please let me know) Anyway, PostSecret was started in November 2004 as an art installation. Warren left some 3,000 printed postcards at art galleries, subway stations and libraries, inviting people to share a secret with him and mail it back. It has since become a weekly blog in which 20 or so postcards are posted every Sunday. He's also published 4 books of the postcards, with the most recent one being released this week. Anyone can send in a secret anonymously on a 4x6 postcard, the only restrictions are that the secret must be truthful and not have been spoken before. The stories range from people admitting to affairs or criminal acts to people professing their hopes and dreams. I'm not sure what it is that I find so appealing about this concept... maybe it's that you get a glimpse at the most intimate details about someone, or maybe it's that sense of freedom you get when you can let go of that secret? The video promo for the book is neat too - everyone's got a secret... why not create a postcard and set it free?
The second thing that I've come across that I think is neat is the website www.kiva.org. It is a site that allows you to lend to an entrepreneur in a developing country to empower them to get themselves out of poverty. Basically they act as a facilitator, partnering with different support organizations internationally. When you are repaid, you can either withdraw the funds or lend them again. Kiva was recently awarded a World Summit Award in the E-Business Category. There is a similar site for schools in the US called Donors Choose www.donorschoose.org. I haven't seen any postings for Canada yet, but with friends who are teachers, I can attest that the need exists there too.
There was something else I was going to highlight on here, but at the moment it escapes me what it was... Oh well, it'll give me something to blog about next time I guess.
The first is Frank Warren's PostSecret Blog - www.postsecret.blogspot.com. (side note: I can't get the links function working on my Mac, if you've got tips - please let me know) Anyway, PostSecret was started in November 2004 as an art installation. Warren left some 3,000 printed postcards at art galleries, subway stations and libraries, inviting people to share a secret with him and mail it back. It has since become a weekly blog in which 20 or so postcards are posted every Sunday. He's also published 4 books of the postcards, with the most recent one being released this week. Anyone can send in a secret anonymously on a 4x6 postcard, the only restrictions are that the secret must be truthful and not have been spoken before. The stories range from people admitting to affairs or criminal acts to people professing their hopes and dreams. I'm not sure what it is that I find so appealing about this concept... maybe it's that you get a glimpse at the most intimate details about someone, or maybe it's that sense of freedom you get when you can let go of that secret? The video promo for the book is neat too - everyone's got a secret... why not create a postcard and set it free?
The second thing that I've come across that I think is neat is the website www.kiva.org. It is a site that allows you to lend to an entrepreneur in a developing country to empower them to get themselves out of poverty. Basically they act as a facilitator, partnering with different support organizations internationally. When you are repaid, you can either withdraw the funds or lend them again. Kiva was recently awarded a World Summit Award in the E-Business Category. There is a similar site for schools in the US called Donors Choose www.donorschoose.org. I haven't seen any postings for Canada yet, but with friends who are teachers, I can attest that the need exists there too.
There was something else I was going to highlight on here, but at the moment it escapes me what it was... Oh well, it'll give me something to blog about next time I guess.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Thanksgiving!
This weekend my cousin Melissa and her boyfriend Rhys came to Nelson to indulge in some Thanksgiving Festivities. Coming from Australia it was Rhys' first Thanksgiving. I think he'll agree with me that any holiday that celebrates good food and good company rates high on the scale! We were treated to an amazing feast at Lisa and Andrew's that everyone joined forces to create. The menu included apple squash soup, roasted beet and pear salad, romano potatoes, sausage stuffing and of course a huge organic bird (which was large enough that everyone got leftovers for sandwiches). Top it all off with Carey's pumpkin cheesecake and a couple bottles of wine and it's a wonder anyone could move. To our credit, a few of us worked off dinner by hiking up to Pulpit Rock the next day.
Sitting around the table with family and friends that night made me realise how thankful I am for all that I have. My health, my family, a good job, an amazing network of talented friends and overall a sense of balance and happiness. I have want for nothing really. Hopefully you all experienced that this weekend as well. How fortunate we are.
Sitting around the table with family and friends that night made me realise how thankful I am for all that I have. My health, my family, a good job, an amazing network of talented friends and overall a sense of balance and happiness. I have want for nothing really. Hopefully you all experienced that this weekend as well. How fortunate we are.
Friday, October 5, 2007
35 years!
35 years... that's roughly 12,775 days or 306,000 hours and that's how many years my dad has been working with his company. Pretty remarkable when you consider that 45% of Canadians will have 3-5 different careers in their lifetimes. I know that I fit into that category already, having made several career transitions. I think my dad's generation is more linear in their work lives (school, work, play) whereas my generation tends to be more cyclical in the way we do things. School, play (that first trip everyone takes after university) , work, play some more (sabatical anyone?), maybe go back to school (there's that career change), work and then play again when we retire.
Save-On-Foods, or Overwaitea as it is also known (http://www.overwaitea.com/aboutus/history.htm for the full story on the name), has been a part of my life pretty much since the day I was born. I can remember being one of the most popular kids when my pre-school class visited the bakery and my dad pulled out a tray of monster-sized chocolate chip cookies. Summer holidays meant waving to Overwaitea truckers and occasionally talking to them on the CB radio and of course dad's transfer is what moved us to the prairies of Alberta when the company expanded.
It was pretty cool to see the effort that Save-On put into recognizing their employees and it's obvious that their employees value it as well with several people receiving 15, 20 and 25 year awards. Naturally job satisfaction factors in there somewhere as well. My dad was one of four to get a 35 year service award and there were three employees who were recognized for 40 years of service. Congrats to everyone - and Dad, we're so proud of you!
Save-On-Foods, or Overwaitea as it is also known (http://www.overwaitea.com/aboutus/history.htm for the full story on the name), has been a part of my life pretty much since the day I was born. I can remember being one of the most popular kids when my pre-school class visited the bakery and my dad pulled out a tray of monster-sized chocolate chip cookies. Summer holidays meant waving to Overwaitea truckers and occasionally talking to them on the CB radio and of course dad's transfer is what moved us to the prairies of Alberta when the company expanded.
It was pretty cool to see the effort that Save-On put into recognizing their employees and it's obvious that their employees value it as well with several people receiving 15, 20 and 25 year awards. Naturally job satisfaction factors in there somewhere as well. My dad was one of four to get a 35 year service award and there were three employees who were recognized for 40 years of service. Congrats to everyone - and Dad, we're so proud of you!
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