Weekly Photo Challenge (Catch Up): Broken

Another Catch Up. The theme is “broken”. I didn’t want to just take pictures of objects so I got a bit creative.

this one is fairly self explanatory.

A familiar sight in Toronto. Construction. Usually means something is broken

Weekly Photo Challenge (Catch Up): Waiting

Here’s an extra photo challenge post using a theme posted before I actually started the challenge.

Nothing says “Waiting” like rush hour traffic on the DVP.

Do you wait when the big red had says so?

And of course, waiting for the bus.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Simple

What is a simple photo? To me a simple photo is a photo you take to remember something. No special effects, or arty attempts to make it look good. To me a simple picture is like a memory. It’s not perfect but it still makes you happy, or brings back memories. The most common type of “simple” pictures are family photos. When you have a party and pose for a group shot. Or another type of simple photo is taken when you meet someone important or special like a celebrity.

This was taken when I got to meet Russell Peters at a DVD signing in Mississauga. In terms of how well it was taken, or the lighting, or exposure, or any of that stuff, it isn’t a good picture. But it is simple.

People from toronto will probably get this one. It’s a picture of the new “Toronto Rocket” that is clearly being used for training purposes. Someone wrote “gravy” in the dirt on the window above the sign and I snapped a pic. In case you don’t know, the current mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, used the phrase “Stop the Gravy Train” during his election campaign.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Peaceful

WordPress is having a weekly photo challenge. Each Friday they give a topic and you take a couple of pictures that relate to that theme and add a small post before the next friday. For this first week I’m going to dig into my archives of pictures I’ve taken and find a couple of appropriate photos.

Taken at the Newmindspace Pillow Fight. Some people decided to have a nap.

I had the opportunity to attend an event and build some snow lanterns in Dufferin Grove park.

Social Media Unites to Feed The Hungry With #HoHoTO

Image by Matthew Burpee via Flickr

In 2008 some twitter friends decided to do something about people who couldn’t afford to eat. Through social media connections HoHoTO was created, and was a big success.

HoHoTO is a big party held each year in december to raise money and collect food donations for the Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank so people who can’t afford a Christmas (or any other holiday) dinner, can have one. Each year millions of people go to the Daily Bread Food Bank and HoHoTO is a great way for you to help out… and attend a great holiday party.

So get tweeting, blogging and networking, donate if you can, or find some other way to help out. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #HoHoTO. Lets make the world suck a little less.

What Makes A Good Horror Movie?

Halloween is just around the corner (it literally is, go look) and that means its time to dust off all the scary movies and hide behind the couch while you try to watch them. But not all horror movies are really scary. A really scary movie is one you can barely watch and then later makes you leave the lights on when you go to bed.

What makes a movie like this?

Many newer mainstream horror movies aren’t like this. They lack that lingering horror that many classic movies have. It is the unknown that makes you scared. When there is an evil murderer on the loose (which seems to be a classic horror plot) it is more scary if the murderer is a tall shadow that hides around corners then if he (or she) is seen in full from the beginning (in a mask, or occasionally you actually know who the murderer is). This is because only your mind knows what makes you scared. If you see the murderer then your mind knows what is happening. If you only see a shadow or get the suggestion that there is something hiding around the corner then your mind creates something which is scarier to you then anything that can be created by something else.

Let this be a lesson to movie writers, only you can truly scare yourself, there is always an initial fright but true horror lasts longer then the movie.

Movie Remakes: Good or Bad?

Are remakes of classic movies better then the originals? In a word, no.

Of all the remakes I’ve seen I haven’t found one better then the original. They might be better visually but there aren’t any where the story is better. Mainly because the story is the same. Also because they aren’t true remakes. The new ones might have the same name and might resemble the old movie but they aren’t the same. Wether the person who updates the script changes scenes or modernizes movies, they just can’t compare. Too much changes. All we’re getting is new movies.

Then there are the people who think they know something about the classic movie because they saw the remake and then talk about scenes that weren’t in the old version. Ask anyone who knows anything about movies. They’ll probably agree with me.

Remakes can be good movies. But they aren’t better then the original.

What do you think?

Social Media I Just Don’t Get

On the Internet today there are countless types of social media. There’s twitter (my favorite), facebook, google+, YouTube, news site commenting and of course, blogging. I have tried all of the above. All but one I have been able to use properly and do relatively well in. That one is blogging.

Blogging is the one form of social media I have just never managed to get the hang of. I write and write but get about a month or two in to it and then just stop. Don’t know why. Perhaps it’s because all the others don’t require much thought or time. Twitter is only 140 characters which is a thought with perhaps a picture or link. Blogging on the other hand requires more than a couple of seconds thought. It needs an idea and then you have to expand on it slightly. Then add a picture and links.

I guess I’m just a bit too fast paced for blogging but I’ll try my best. Let’s do this.

Magic and A Few Laughs

I found a few clips from various Penn & Teller magic shows on YouTube a few days ago. Then I found some full episodes from a show they did in England called “The Unpleasant World of Penn & Teller”. They are good for that gory magic that Penn & Teller are known for and if you are going to watch “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” a new show thats in production. I suggest you check them out.

Look in the related videos for more episodes.

The Future of Hard Copy Media

Image via Wikipedia

First Blockbuster went broke and closed, and now this.

Struggling British entertainment retailer HMV has sold its 121-store Canadian unit to Hilco UK, raising 2 million pounds ($3.2 million) to cut debt and help the firm stay in business.

The move by the 90-year-old firm to sell the Canadian business comes days after HMV’s shareholders backed the 53-million-pounds disposal of its Waterstone’s book chain to Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut.

Earlier this month HMV, which has issued four profit warnings this year, secured its immediate future with a 220 million pounds refinancing deal that will effectively involve the British taxpayer taking a stake in the group.

“The board has fully explored the options available to it for HMV Canada, and believes that a sale to Hilco is the correct decision for the business at this time, whilst reducing the operating leverage in the continuing group,” said Chief Executive Simon Fox.

“The group is focusing on clear and tightly defined plans for transforming HMV into a broad-based entertainment business.”

(Article from Reuters)

I’m hoping this doesn’t mean that HMV is closing too. Although I do watch the occasional movie and tv show online, I still prefer having a hard copy and I usually buy them from HMV. Although things are looking up with the line about “transforming HMV into a broad-based entertainment business”. I’m guessing that means adding new products and services.