Help us with the greatest birthday present ever
We don’t know if you know this, but our pals, Scott and Adam, over at The Unknown Studio, are HUGE Star Trek fans.
HUGE.
Like, they will have important and interesting guests on their show and spend precious podcast seconds, minutes even, talking about Star Trek. They love it that much.
So, they’re celebrating one year of podcasting in our fair city and we here at the edmontonian wanted to buy them something for their birthday. But what could we get them? What could say that we’re good friends and we pay attention when they talk?
Something Star Trek, of course.
But not just anything. No. Something awesome. Something great.
A live phone call from Marina Sirtis, the actress who starred as Counselor Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation (Adam’s favourite of the Treks) for seven years.
That’s why we’re asking you to help us out, Edmonton. Chip in a few bucks by clicking that PayPal button below and help us buy a fantastic present for two of the city’s biggest Star Trek fans. We’ll get Ms. Sirtis to call Scott and Adam at a big birthday party, later this summer.
Donate to the Unknown Studio Star Trek phone call fund now, donate often! (We’ll be sure to write your name in the birthday card.)
If we don’t make it to $300 we’ll just get them a Happy Birthday greeting from Mr. Belding.
Edmonton Summer Headlines
Summer!
Mikey Maybe raps faster than my shutter speed.
Oh, man, have we been waiting for this. We had that long winter (though not really the coldest or the snowiest) which included a tease of spring taken away so rudely in late May with snow (snow!). But Mother Nature can’t touch us now.
Sure, she could pour rain on us like she is southern Alberta, and it could get way too hot and dry for too long and that would be uncomfortable, or it could be humid, but this is not a time to complain.
We had a fantastic weekend, weather-wise, festival season is rolling along, and we are now officially entering summer. Enjoy it, Edmonton, we know how short and sweet it is.
No stage can contain the awesomeness of an Old Ugly show.
Oh, and speaking of fantastic weekend, we checked out the Old Ugly show, Saturday night at The Hydeaway. (I feel like I’ve mentioned this before…) You can see photos of Mikey Maybe killing it on the mic in these here Headlines. I’m not usually a hip hop fan but Old Ugly, via The Joe, Mikey Maybe, et al., is really opening my ears.
By the way, wish our buddies, Scott and Adam, a happy first birthday, over at The Unknown Studio. We think they’re swell, and really add something to the Edmonton media, and non-media, landscape. Happy Birthday, Unknown Studio!
from the Edmonton Journal:
Tears, smiles bid Edmonton’s Parkdale school adieu (Enjoy the suburbs, Edmonton Public School Board.)
These young, bright minds are the shape of Edmonton to come
Harbinger of truth sees hope for future (It’s National Aboriginal Day.)
Is province liable for foster mom’s live-in partner?
Lucy lonely in zoo, let her, Edmonton protesters urge (Isn’t Lucy the elephant part of the Valley Zoo’s new arctic exhibit?)
‘Alberta driving the heart of the economy,’ Ignatieff says
When legislature ThunderDome crumbles, election may loom (The dome is being fixed. Do the governing Tories feel their chances getting a facelift too?)
The Syncrude death duck trial is expecting to have a verdict Friday. The Journal has a three-day series looking at what happened up there to kill all the ducks. But are tailings ponds just the cheap and easy way out?
from the Edmonton Sun:
Mother of bus-driver stomper apologizes to victim
Edmonton police chief remains in hospital
A little blunt honesty might be a good thing (Still talking about Canadian TV shows that are awful. And you helped fund.)
from Metro Edmonton:
Adding some life to LRT station (We need retail space at LRT stations.)
from The Canadian Press:
Victoria Stafford’s dad kicks off fundraising bike journey on Father’s Day (Victoria Stafford is the Woodstock, Ontario girl abducted and killed last year. Rodney Stafford rode from Ontario to Jasper – a favourite holiday of Victoria’s – last year. This year he’s starting here.)
from 630CHED/iNews880:
Green festivals take over downtown Edmonton (I took in Bikeology and Park(ed) too, they were fun.)
Homeless for the Night sets a new fundraising record for YESS
from CBC Edmonton:
Northern Alberta wheat farmers optimistic
from CTV Edmonton:
Bikers take noise test before fines kick in
from Global Edmonton:
Deadly explosion rocks north Edmonton (Sunday afternoon was nothing normal for residents of one north Edmonton neighbourhood. And some jumped into action.)
And while we’re enjoying sunny, hot weather in Edmonton the southern portions of Alberta are being drenched in rain and floods are a real threat to people.
What a year
This was the first photo I used in a post. We're all about the nostalgia.
As I mentioned in the Headlines today, we’re 1.
(Notable people we share birthdays with: The Unknown Studio, sort of…Edmonton reporter Simon Ostler…Queen of the Cougars, Courtney Cox…K-9 star Jim Belushi…Neil Patrick Harris, freakin’ NPH…Ice Cube…Waylon Jennings…and Helen Hunt…not bad company at all.)
We had to go back and check when we actually posted for the first time last year, since it’s been a long year. It’s been a lot of blogging, but, as with most things, life also gets in the way. So I mean it when I say the edmontonian has had a long year. Heck, I was really blown away when looking through our old stories. It was lots of “We did that? We talked about that already?”
I like hearing the guys at The Unknown Studio joke in their podcasts that Scott never thought they’d see one year, and Adam gets to gloat. (They’re also turning one!) I feel the same way, sometimes.
the edmontonian is a blog. But it’s just a website. It’s a news aggregator. But it’s also a content creator. It’s an online magazine. It’s about Edmonton. It’s a conversation. It’s just a blog. It’s a place where anyone can share their stories, whether in an actual post or photos or just in the comments.
I think I’ve seen, in the last year, how titles and jurisdictions and mediums matter less. I really don’t think it matters if you’re putting out stories of Edmonton on TV, newspapers, radio, online, in magazines, in photos or videos. People want information, they want discussion, they want to solve problems and celebrate victories. Personally, I feel the Internet can do a combination of that better than traditional mediums (if only for interaction and constant updating) but as long as newsrooms and blogs and people telling stories are after truth I think it’s all good.
Truth being stories about this place we live in, good and bad. Truth being facts not plainly stated or available, sometimes only revealed through digging of crusading reporters. Truth being that we’re all in this, so we better find some common ground and try to solve problems, be for something and not against everything.
And truth being that we’ll talk about stuff like broken doors and mall openings because it’s fun and funny, not because we think it will attract eyeballs.
And I like to think this is all part of a wider connection of blogs, podcasts and passionate Edmontontians that are changing, not just how the city approaches things, but also, the way people get their news.
There you go. Edmonton’s got a world-class online, and tech, community. That’s how you become a great place to live, you do it without trying.
Don't go shopping for glasses with Sally. She'll just take photos of you to make you look like a perv.
It’s been a wild year. I can’t believe we’re still here, and I’m glad we are. I can’t believe people readily write for us and team up with us. I’m blown away when people talk about us, or thank us for talking about their blog or their issues.
It’s humbling. And it’s not something I always got, or recognized, when working in daily news. This little blog has changed my life.
Thanks for sticking with us for one year. We hope to be thanking you again in 365 days.
What the bleep is going on?
I’ll tell you what’s going on!
Right after I tell you what I’ll be up to this weekend.
I’ll be at MediaCamp Edmonton tomorrow. It should be a good time.
Being a “camp” it’s going to be one of those un-conference thingys. That’s where the participants (me and 200 of my friends) pitch OUR ideas. There are no set sessions, no planned speakers. We will dictate what the day is about.
So, if the day is terrible it’s our own fault.
It’s about collaboration, basically. The room will be full of traditional media (newspaper, radio and TV folks, my old peeps), new media (bloggers, podcasters, online journalists, my new peeps) public and media relations (the corporate, organizational, and government “spin-doctors” and storytellers) and developers (people who know what the heck is actually inside our computers and how to use that to create new software, new forms of storytelling, new things).
It’s a free event, so if you fall into any of those categories you can come on down to the Shaw Conference Centre tomorrow.
By working together, for at least one day, we should be able to figure out some new ways to tell stories, new ways to use the Internet, mobile technologies, emerging tech, new software, and each other, to build better communities. My definition of a better community, here, is one that knows more about itself, more about what’s going on and how it all works
I’m also hoping to talk my way into some of that sweet Journal moola The Unknown Studio guys are always flashing around town.
You can follow our shenanigans through the Twitter hashtag #yegmediacamp. You should also be able to search”yegmediacamp” after Saturday, to find blog posts, photos and videos of what we talked about.
The Edmonton Journal will also be streaming the opening panel, live at 10am.
But, enough about me. Let’s talk about what you could get up to this weekend. (Unless you’re also going to MediaCamp. Then, you should come over and say “Hi.”)
Tanner Gordon is playing, and releasing a CD, tonight at NAIT’s Shaw Theatre.
You could always see a movie.
The Edmonton Symphony for kids has “Mozart, Boy Genius.”
The City of Edmonton has a couple of events. The Muttart Conservatory is holding its annual bedding plant sale. That should get you in the spring mood. And the Valley Zoo is celebrating mothers.
By the way, it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday.
The Edmonton Rush continue their first-ever playoff run. They’re in Washington for the National Lacrosse League Western Final. Follow the action at the Rush or NLL website.
Now, this feels a little light. Let’s see if ShareEdmonton can’t help us out.
Ah yes, before the big event next week you can help #YegHelp with a few bucks tonight. CityTV’s Ryan Jespersen (ask him about fantasy hockey) and his wife, Capital FM’s Kari Skelton will be doing the guest bartender thing over at Lux. Drop some money into the tip jar to help Royal Le Page’s Shelter Foundation. I went last year, but tonight I’ll be hanging with newsy and PR friends.
There’s the Women + Health Conference at the Radisson south.
The Twitter crowd will be singing Saturday night. Singing!
Sunday sees an important, and kind of cool, event at the Shaw. It’s Homeless Connect 4. This is when homeless people can get connected (see what I did there?) to services available. Plus, they can get a haircut and really simple stuff we would take for granted.
See ya!
If it’s good enough for Spock, it’s good enough for Guru Digital Arts College
This weekend, nerds from across Alberta, Canada and the world will be descending on our neighbours to the south for the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. (I know, I know. What is this, the Calgarytonian? But bear with me, there’s a local element to this, I swear.)
One of the nerds making the trek south is Owen Brierley, Executive Director of Edmonton’s Guru Digital Arts College (GDAC).
Owen Brierley
Now, you may be familiar with Guru for a couple of reasons; Owen and many of the instructors are very active on Twitter, Owen and our friend Mack Male teamed up to co-host last month’s Gala Guru/Twestival party, and Guru has recently signed on as a sponsor for both the upcoming MediaCamp, and our buddies (and fellow League of Extraordinary Media members) at the Unknown Studio.
“The thing that we’ve always wanted to see is Guru as a hub for activity of some kind,” Owen explains. “For things that are related to the digital world.”
Anyway, since GDAC is clearly an evil empire looking to further its reach on these here INTERNETS, Owen is taking the Guru show on the road with a booth at this weekend’s Comic Expo in Calgary. It’s a bit of a brassy move, since there aren’t a ton of schools (art or otherwise) on the exhibitor list. This is Guru’s first year at the Expo and Owen says it came about unexpectedly.
“It was through recommendations actually,” he says. “Friends of mine were like ‘You should be here. This is amazing!’”
“Based on that, we looked into it, and we saw that Leonard Nimoy was going to be there and you know… if Spock’s going to be there, then we’ve got to be there.”
Guru Digital Arts College teaches a six month diploma program in Digital Media Production; they’re also about to launch their first ever Interaction Design and Game Level Development Diploma.
“We’ve consciously put effort into making this small-classroom, short, intense program as valuable as we can make it,” says Owen.
“It’s connecting with this alternative audience that isn’t your standard post-secondary learner.”
If you want to follow Owen’s Comic Expo antics this weekend, check out Guru’s twitter feed. And if you’re on foursquare, stop by the school here in Edmonton and check out Owen’s challenge – you might get a free coffee out of the deal.
(Full disclosure alert: Yep, Guru is part sponsor of MediaCamp, an event that Jeff is involved in organizing. Yep, Guru is sponsoring our friends’ podcast. And yep, I am currently a student at Guru Digital Arts College. So I clearly have a pro-Guru bias – but I was not induced to write about the school. Except in the sense that I’m locked in Owen’s basement. And he won’t let me out until this is posted. Send help immediately.)
Oh what a night!
This is the #YegSwap debrief and recap. So, if you were there (thanks for coming) let me know if I forget to mention something, please tell us your own thoughts about the night, and let me know if there are blog posts/photos/video out there I haven’t linked to. Also, tell us if you still love your new stuff or if you’ve already got swapper’s remorse.
Also, before I forget, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you to our volunteers (We love you!), our musicians, The ARTery (which we need to talk about more at a future date), and thanks from me to the other organizers.
I want it all! (Photo: Mack D. Male)
I’m going to say, even though it was said a bunch of times (including when Scott and Adam introduced our final act of the night, The Joe), that the 1st annual #YegSwap was a success.
This was an event put on by The League of Extraordinary Media, which (right now) includes this blog, the podcasts The Unknown Studio and User Created Content, and TrueBritl.com, a blog by iNews880′s Twitter star, Brittney Le Blanc. To quickly sum up what The League is all about: our blogs and podcasts have joined forces to take our Edmonton-related musings into the real world. Mayhaps there will be cross-posting of content too. Hey, we’ve got to compete with the “real” media, you know.
the edmontonian‘s co-founder, Sally, and Brittney thought a swap meet would be a good time. That this idea came about after an afternoon of home shopping channel viewing is somehow relevant.
I was, of course, on board right away. Not only could it be fun, it could be a way to join together some of Edmonton’s online “newsrooms.” And pay homage to a local community cable show so enjoyed by myself in my Toronto days.
We were fortunate enough to land some amazing musical talent for the night. I do not know where a lineup like this will be heard for a mere $2. (more…)
It’s the weekend so let your hair down
Oh, and I don't want to brag or anything, but you should probably put this little baby in your calendar right now. I'll see you there in 2 weeks.
Let your hair down? What?! Who event talks like that?
I’ll try and up my hipster-era lingo throughout the rest of this post.
You can haz events.
Actually there are a few cool things going down this weekend in the Y-E-G.
First things first, let’s dig into the ShareEdmonton goody bag and see what we pull out.
Ooh…an Oilers game. Do people still go to those? For fun?
ShareEdmonton’s got a lot of Edmonton Public Library events, and I keep seeing this one, about gaming for teens. It’s cool that the library isn’t just about books anymore, and kids have a place to go do something fun instead of joining a gang.
You don’t hve much time left to RSVP for the Open City Workshop, but it’s a neat idea bringing developers, city staff and other people together to talk about what kinds of government information should be open and available, and what could be done with it (like build an iPhone app, or write an in-depth news story).
MacEwan University is hosting an open house, Saturday. Just don’t ask them about the pool.
If you want to drive out to Elk Island National Park there’s a Star Party. Take in the night sky without all of the city’s light pollution.
Then, you’ve got Pre/Post, The Consonance and The Madhatters playing Saturday night at the Pawnshop.
A band you might have heard of is playing the Shaw Conference Centre Sunday.
Or perhaps you want to check out the Newfoundland Screech Comedy from the Rock Tour, at the Kingsway Ramada? Yeah, I thought you might.
Help a fellow citizen, a public servant
(Reprinted with permission from Adam at The Unknown Studio.)
I’m sure many Edmontonians heard and were disgusted by the vicious, unprovoked attack on a City bus driver this week. According to passenger accounts, someone boarded the bus, got miffed that the driver wouldn’t allow him to ride unless he paid, and even when passengers fronted this guy the change to ride, he started punching the driver, dragging him off the bus and mercilessly beating him.
When I heard this story, I felt sick to my stomach. Of course it was a random act of violence. That’s what made it so terrifying.
Thankfully, as City Councilor Don Iveson pointed out in a recent tweet, the alleged perpetrator was apprehended:
“An ETS bus operator was assaulted very seriously this morning. Police caught the guy. Assholes beware, buses have cameras http://is.gd/5bMXA“
But now an Edmonton-area family has to worry about a father and brother who did nothing but his job. I asked the City of Edmonton on Twitter if there was somewhere people could donate money to help the family out. Hey, it’s the season of giving, and I don’t know about you but if my dad were in a condition like that I would be so grateful to have the community rally behind me and help out.
That’s what it means to be part of a society. Helping others.
The City responded this afternoon:
“Trust fund has been established @ River City Credit Union (any branch) for ppl who wish to donate to driver Tom Bregg’s recovery.”
I know it’s not a whole pile of cash, but I’m going to be donating $50 to this fund, and hopefully Tom Bregg’s family will have one or two less things to worry about this holiday season.
I challenge each and everyone of you readers out there to throw some money toward the Bregg family as well. Pledge your donation in the comments, and get to any River City Credit Union branch and donate to the fund.
And stay safe out there, everyone.
Things that Give me Nightmares, Vol. 3
[Previously on THINGS THAT GIVE ME NIGHTMARES: Giant Disembodied Fashion Monster Legs at Southgate)
On Saturday, Samsonow and I were invited to be a part of the Unknown Studio podcast. It was lots of fun and left me in an excellent mood, which made it all the more distressing to arrive home and see this nightmare wagon parked in front of the house:
AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Clearly, I thought, this can only mean one thing: the juggalos have finally come for me.
But I don't wanna be a juggalo 4 life...?
And so I stayed up all night, waiting to have my door kicked in and to be dragged off to juggalopalooza, or juggalocamp, or whatever they call their AGMs. Just me and my boyz hitting the road (and by hitting the road, I mean abducting me and throwing me in the back of the R van with a bag over my head to weep in terror as Insane Clown Posse plays at top volume).
Anyway, this didn’t transpire. Instead, I watched Superbad twice in a row on Showcase, and then passed out around 6 a.m., eventually waking safe on the couch to chirping birds and an episode of the 700 Club. When I peeked outside, the nightmare van was gone. The juggalos had moved on, and I had lived to see another day.
Except that I came home today and saw this:
The juggalos have assigned parking?!!
…THE JUGGALOS HAVE ASSIGNED PARKING?!
…THE JUGGALOS HAVE ASSIGNED PARKING!!
Oh God, get out of the house! GET OUT OF THE H…
***a loud thump. the line goes quiet. in the background, the faint sound of ICP’s ‘Hall of Illusions’ can be heard.***
END SCENE.
We are now Unknown
Once or twice around here we’ve probably dropped the name of a locally produced podcast called “The Unknown Studio.”
Today’s note is all about Sally and I being guests on the latest episode of the show.
We had a great conversation about media, news, Edmonton, community and a bunch of other stuff I can’t remember. We also had a great time, since the hosts (Adam and Scott) have razor sharp wit and always ask good questions.
Final edit notwithstanding, we also talked about websites such as the edmontonian and podcasts like The Unknown Studio and the place they’re finding in the media realm. We discussed the fact they are welcomed as media or news ventures but the people behind the venture need to recognize the responsibility that comes with that.
Enough of me boring you, head over to The Unknown Studio website to listen to the show. While you’re there, I’d recommend listening to their earlier programs – all worth your time. You can also have The Unknown Studio update directly to your iPod since it’s on iTunes.
Unknown hosts Scott (at the computer) Adam (with the beard) and guest Sally prepare for podcast glory.
What a busy weekend you have
There will be martinis.
Ah, the weekend. Our brief taste of freedom each week. Let’s enjoy it, Edmonton.
How about you get your thoughts provoked over at the Global Visions Film Festival? I believe it’s Canada’s longest-running documentary film festival.
The first Saturday of the month means time for the Handmade Mafia to provide you with awesome goods.
The Yardbird Jazz Festival kicks off tonight. Sweet.
Over at the TransAlta Arts Barns, the Night of Artists takes over for the weekend.
The Barns close out the weekend with a Yogathon for Charity.
Perhaps you’re feeling a bit peckish. Well, you can head over to the Shaw Conference Centre for the Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival.
The Likwid Lounge is hosting a veritable smorgasbord of aweseome Saturday, with a fundraiser show for a new independent record label. The lineup includes The Joe, A.O.K., Zebra Pulse and Audio/Rocketry.
As mentioned in the headlines this morning, Farmfair International IS ON.
The Alberta Ballet kicks off its Edmonton season with Romeo and Juliet.
The Edmonton Classical Guitar Society has “Between Two Continents on Eight Guitars,” or G8.
Maybe you’d like to see what Grant MacEwan University has to offer. There’s an app for that.
You can always see what Edmonton’s ChangeCampers are doing to change things around here.
If you’re a fabulous lady 50 or older there’s the “Fabulous at 50 Experience and Martini Party” (as noted in the sign above).
Perhaps you want to get rocked gently, by Andy Kim at the Century Casino?
With Remembrance Day coming up the Cosmopolitan Music Society presents “Lest We Forget: A Musical Tribute” at the Winspear Centre.
Finally, Said the Whale plays Brixx tonight.
And while it’s not exactly a weekend event, in the new week you’ll be able to listen to/download the new podcast from The Unknown Studio, with guests me and Sally. I shower the Unknown Studio boys with love until they blindside us with their 60 Minutes-style questioning.
The Great Unknown
I don’t want to make this seem like the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I think there’s an Edmonton podcast you should check out.
It’s called The Unknown Studio and it’s good.
Hosted by Edmontonians Adam Rozenhart and Scott C. Bourgeois, it’s an informative and entertaining hour. (The boys are also on Facebook.)
The podcast comes out every two weeks and has already amassed an array of topics.
On the Edmonton side, they’ve talked about bugs and insects in the city (this podcast is definitely worth listening to), the Fringe, the Oilers, the growing city and planning issues, and the latest installment hits up the Pure Speculation Science Fiction Festival, happening this weekend.
They’ve also touched upon topics that have little to do with Edmonton, aside from the hosts and guests residing in our fair city. But that still makes it a good percentage local.
Plus, it’s funny. Have I mentioned that? It is.
The Unknown Studio is a great example of how topics that might not seem interesting (say, bugs) can end up being a compelling hour of listening because the hosts ask questions you would ask, the guests are real people and you can actually learn stuff while being entertained. It’s actual infotainment. Without water-skiing squirrels.
And you can be lazy like me and just subscribe to the podcast in iTunes so you get it automatically. Hilarious and informative podcast every two weeks? Yes, please!
(Bias note: We have been invited on the show. But I was listening to the podcast before they asked to go steady.)
Ask more questions
While that headline could be taken in a philosophical manner, it shouldn’t be.
Nope. We’ve just added a handy “click here for e-mails when there’s a new comment,” kind of thing to our posts. Now you can comment, click to be notified of any other comments, and really be part of a conversation.
Plus, it’s really nice to be notified by e-mail of comments on something you’ve commented on because you can be lazy and not have to check back.
But I know you check back here. Like 10 times a day. Right?
RIGHT?!
Ahem. Thanks for being part of the Edmonton conversation.
I believe this image shows what I'm talking about.
—–
Hey, while I’ve got you here, let me be the first to officially invite you to the 1st birthday of the edmontonian and The Unknown Studio. It’s going to be Monday, August 23.
So don’t go balls-out crazy the last weekend of the Fringe. You’ll nee energy to party with us. And eat cake.
Don’t forget to help us pay for the greatest birthday gift of all. And if you come to the party you’ll get to see the gift as it happens.
Jul 26, 2010 | Categories: Letter(s) from the Editor(s) | Tags: birthday, comments, conversation, unknown studio | 1 Comment »