Archive for December, 2007

Monday, December 31st, 2007

From Baghdad to Kabul in a year

by Warren

Not exactly “a year in Provence,” is it? Documentarian Julian Sher spent a year making films for the CBC, and in the process got to experience war both in Iraq and Afghanistan. What he saw in both places left him less than optimistic for further progress.

Friday, December 28th, 2007

Brainy Youtube channels

by Warren

Sounds like a contradiction in terms, since the average Youtube video’s comment section is an ode to idiocy and barely-related ramblings, but the good people at openculture.com have compiled a list of the brainiest channels on a website known primarily for videos of pooping cats and man/animal love.

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

Radio Free Skaro #64 – Podcast of the Damned

by Warren

Radio Free Skaro returns after a small holiday break with our thoughts on “Voyage of the Damned,” this year’s Xmas special, as well as our usual roundup of the latest Who news and various other sundry matters. Thrill to Warren’s new “Doctor Who in your Pocket” noisemaker! Cheer as Warren and Steven chastise the Third Guy for not attending a curry dinner featuring many luminaries of the classic series! Grit your teeth as we chew up over an hour of your time and bandwidth with our off-color meanderings! (feed, web, direct download)

Tuesday, December 25th, 2007

Will the writer’s strike change Hollywood?

by Warren

That’s the contention of the Globe and Mail’s Matthew Ingram, who says the Hollywood writer’s strike might actually be an indication of the start of a migration tot he Web, upending the traditional content creation business. I’d be perfectly happy to see that happen, as it raises the bar for what we’ll see online. Having said that, Silicon Valley technologists (the perceived saviors of the content business) often tend to see the world through a very tech-centric lens and assume the Internet is the answer to everything, so we’ll have to see how this situation plays out over the next decade.

Monday, December 24th, 2007

The East Van Podcast: Episode 3

by Warren

Local DJ Isaac Terpstra (AKA DJ Pandemonium) is the subject of the latest East Van Podcast. Isaac puts on both Sin City and Sanctuary, two nights that bring out East Van’s creatures of the night on a regular basis. Special thanks to Blue Pencil Productions for letting us use their footage from Sanctuary/Sin City.

Monday, December 24th, 2007

Anatomy of an Internet troll

by Warren

The Wall Street Journal has a great article and video up about an Internet troll (someone who makes a point of putting up negative and inflammatory comments on websites) who makes it his mission to attack Hilary Clinton’s run for the presidency. Though politics is a magnet for this kind of online shenaniganery, trolls have been around since the days of Usenet, and they won’t disappear as long as there are blowhards with access to the Internet. But it is interesting to put a face and a life next to the alphanumeric ranting.

Sunday, December 23rd, 2007

Apple rumours start to boil over before Macworld

by Warren

This January I’ll be going to Macworld for the first time ever, and I’ll finally get to see Uncle Steve’s medicine show in person. Macworld is traditionally when the biggest announcement of the year comes from Apple, though how they’ll top last year’s iPhone roll-out, I have no idea. However, that hasn’t stopped mad internet speculation from frothing up in in anticipation of new Apple goodies. The top contender is a sub-notebook, or possibly a tablet, built around the same technology as the iPhone. We’ll see…now that I’m doing a lot of video work, I’m more interested in upgrades to the Mac Pro than anything else.

Also, keep an eye on Techvibes while I’m at Macworld, because I’ll be blogging for them throughout the week.

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007

Francis Ford Coppola on film, his fortune and independence from Hollywood

by Warren

Francis Ford Coppola recently emerged from a long sabbatical from the director’s chair to create “Youth Without Youth“, a film he made entirely with his own money and which, incidentally, is pretty terrible. Much better than the film itself is this article in Vanity Fair, which details how Coppola is pursuing his artistic vision with a $500 million cushion created by his vineyard, cigar business and other savvy financial moves.

Monday, December 17th, 2007

Urban Mixer TV

by Warren

I’m shooting and editing a weekly video podcast for Urban Mixer, a Vancouver/Calgary social community site that showcases events around town and holds its own regular soirees. Check out the video at the Urban Mixer blog or down below:

Monday, December 17th, 2007

Striking writers look to bypass studios with media startups

by Warren

Looks like the striking Hollywood writers are clueing into the fact that they don’t really need the studio system to make media. The LA Times chronicles several writers who are turning to venture capitalists rather than going back to the studio trough cap in hand, as per usual.

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