Work in Progress

50 people, One Question

Fifty People, One Question: Brooklyn from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

The brainchild of filmmaker and designer duo Benjamin Reece and Nathan Heleine, the project is based on a simple premise that yields surprisingly rich results: Asking people one question and filming their response. 

Read more and see the other videos here.

Lovely.

Here's the idea my Mom thought was worth spreading

  

I know I've posted this talk before but here's the thing: when my Mom, who raised me in Montreal, now emails me in Toronto about how incredible this TED talk is, from Barbados, because someone else emailed it to her, I can't help but post it again (after all, it is an idea worth spreading) and be thankful that we are alive during this amazing time in our history. 

As for the talk itself, it is mind-boggling and what's more, isn't it amazing how lucky all these animals are that God made them exactly like this?!

hundreds of years from now...

Go Wildcats

I admit it: I don't like basketball.

More than that, I don't get it.

In fact, I don't get why anyone likes the game and I am absolutely befuddled as to how anyone can possibly like its players. NBA players have become tattoo-covered thug-wannabes and frankly, the whole attitude is plain distasteful.

I hardly pay attention to college sports, either in Canada or the US, so I don't really follow the NCAA basketball tournament but I was feeling under the weather today so I watched a couple of games and was pleased to see some underdogs get through to the Final Four.

It is kind of interesting (to me anyway) how I choose my favourite teams in sports I do not follow.

My process is quite simple: the fans. If the fans are from a city or region I like, I root for their teams. (This applies to sports for which I do not have an established favourite team)

For example, I have a fondness for all the teams from Boston, except the Bruins, for obvious reasons. I like NY teams, except the Yankees (obviously, GO Sox) & Rangers (asshole of the universe fans) or Knicks (Isiah Thomas... How could anyone root for Isiah ever?)

I hate all teams from Texas. Always root against Texas. 

Any state that can give the world George W. never deserves anything good, ever again.

I almost never root for teams in GOP states, which usually means I am confined to the Northeast, Northwest & California. The lone exception to that rule is I've always had a fondness for the Huskers, going back to Turner Gill & Mike Rozier, so I root for Nebraska. I'm also a notional first mate of the Great Navy of Nebraska so, you know, I kind of have to support the teams.

Anyway, with the Final Four set. I'll be rooting for the obvious choice: Kentucky.

Virginia Commonwealth is a nice story but it's hard to root for a team whose state was part of the Confederacy, let alone was home to its capital. Butler is a nice story but Indianapolis? Nah. Yes, Connecticut is a Northeast team but frankly, they're dull. Besides, until Max-Pac comes back, I'm kind of done with Connecticut.

So, Kentucky it is. Something about that team just, I don't know, does it for me.

I can't figure out precisely why I feel such an attachment to the Wildcats but maybe this random photo of one of their fans might give us a hint and we can figure it out together.

Go Wildcats.

 

so funny, I pissed myself

 

Believe me, you've never seen anyone say that and mean it more than this kid.

here we go again

It looks at this point like a Federal election is inevitable as the opposition parties have kicked up the rhetoric to a level from which it will be difficult to back away. This boring country, full of boring politicians, seems to be gearing up for another boring election campaign:

From the Globe & Mail:

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says his party will move a motion of no confidence on Friday, in spite of Stephen Harper’s warning to the opposition to “step back” from their attempts to defeat the government.

“We believe that the moment has come for Canadians to make a choice here between the responsible, progressive, compassionate choice by the Liberal Party of Canada or the irresponsible and undemocratic path of the Conservative government,” Mr. Ignatieff said Wednesday.

Mr. Ignatieff then listed a series of mini-scandals and controversies that have plagued the Harper government of late. He also criticized the government for spending billions on jets, prisons and corporate tax cuts – and asserted that this government has no respect for Canadians.

NDP Leader Jack Layton said he was prepared to vote against the government on a budget matter on Thursday or the Liberal confidence motion on Friday.

He said he was prepared to talk with the Conservatives about ways to salvage the budget, as proposed by Mr. Harper. But Mr. Layton said the government would have to meet his terms.

“Stephen Harper has had five years to fix what's wrong in Ottawa,” Mr. Layton said, testing his party's new campaign slogan.

Speaking last among his counterparts, Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe immediately agreed to vote in favour of the Liberal no-confidence motion that was read to him by a reporter.

Mr. Duceppe blasted the Conservative budget, including the fact that there is “sweet nothing” in terms of compensation for Quebec’s past harmonization of its sales tax with the federal GST.

“The Conservatives have deliberately turned their back on Quebec,” Mr. Duceppe said.

The Bloc would not be a formal partner in any Liberal-NDP coalition, Mr. Duceppe said, but would be open to discussions with all parties.

“I will listen to everybody. When it’s good for Quebec, I will accept it. Otherwise, I won’t,” he said.

blah, blah, blah... Read the rest here.

I can't remember a time when there was less enthusiam for political leaders in this country. We are being "led" by a collection of the vision-less, bereft of passion beyond feigned indignation. And frankly, it sucks.

TED Talk: Sarah Kay will. blow. you. away.

    

When Sarah Kay gave her talk, it was probably the only 18 minutes I stopped tweeting during the 4 days because it's hard to type with your mouth open.

She managed to bring two thoughts to my mind simultaneously:

I've never been that young and I'll never be that wise.

This is great. Enjoy.

TED talk: Deb Roy on the birth of wow

  

This talk is absolutely fascinating but to me, the highlight comes right at the end. Very sweet moment for a dad and his boy.

On the TED site, the "word" in question was water, as Deb's son's progress is tracked by in-home recordings but to me, the word was wow. Have a look and see whether you agree. 

TED Talk: Anthony Atala prints kidneys. Yes, you read that right. Prints. Kidneys.

 

The most flabbergasting, stunning, WTF?!? talk at this year's TED, without a doubt.

Watch and gawk.

Also, notice how quiet the room is; this is because it's hard to talk when someone has taken your breath away.

One final word: how long before we start to get printer kidney spam?

TED talk: Spine-Tingling from Al Jazeera's Wadah Khanfar

  

As an under-informed person on life in the Middle-East, this talk from this year's TED conference was the first time in my life I can remember someone speaking with an arabic accent inspiring me to this degree.

Wadah Khanfar is the head of Al Jazeera, an organization many people in the west considered to be little more than a mouthpiece for Al Qaeda 7 or 8 years ago. Have a listen and let me know what you think.

If you're like me, Khanfar's talk will leave you feeling hopeful for the people of that region of the world and by extension, the whole world. No area of the world has endured more troubles, more conflict over the past 60 years than the Middle-East but it sounds and feels like meaningful change has come and more is on the way.