A Refreshing New Look for a TTC Station May 9, 2008

On my way to work this morning, I noticed something dramatically different but pleasantly suprising. Museum station had work done, in that reconstructive surgery, face lift kind of way.

The pillars on the platform had been covered up with hieroglyphs, First Nation house posts and Doric columns, representative of the Royal Ontario Museum above the station.

The updated design was much needed for the station, which like many TTC stations in the city look like “the same design scheme as a public bathroom,” Councillor Joe Mihevc, a TTC commissioner said in a recent National Post article.

This is the first of many station transformations. The TTC plans to spend $275 million on modernizing many of their 69 stations. My fingers are crossed in hopes that the city will stick to their promise. I have visited many international metropolitan cities with public transit systems and Toronto’s could use some updating. Many of the stations are drab and have similar colour schemes and layouts, therefore I think a fresh coat of paint and twenty-first century design should be a priority.

Which stations should get a make-over first? What would they look like? Here are my suggestions. The stations should be a reflection of the areas in the city they are located in. For instance:

Osgoode station - Since it is the closest subway station to trendy Queen St. W., it could use a few colourful murals painted by local artists and maybe some art installations, like in Circa nightclub.

Wellesley station - Only one block from the biggest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community in the city, could have the pride colours splashed across the walls.

Pape station - This station is already on the top of the TTC’s list of major station renovations, but while they are at it they could decorate the subway platform with portraits of people representative of Greek Town. For instance, there could be pictures of people sitting down at a sidewalk cafe, buying bread from the bakery or friends mingling on the sidewalk.

Union Station - College station is now longer the place for Maple Leafs fans to exit and enter the TTC from, but the portraits of old hockey players still adorn the station’s walls. The new Maple Leaf Gardens is now the Air Canada Centre and Union station is now what College station used to be, so shouldn’t we spruce up the place with photos of old and new sports heroes, maybe even display some banners or trophies?

It should be interesting to see how different the TTC will look in a few years when some of these renovation plans are complete. Until then we will have to settle for pastel bathroom colours.

Second Chance for a Second Life April 22, 2008

Cyberspace is an amazing concept. On the inernet, we can pay bills, get answers to questions instantaneously and communicate with people on the other side of the world. The invention of the internet has also lead to the invention of virutal worlds and online games.

Unlike regular console games which are controlled by a limited number of players at one time. MMOG’s or Massively Multiplayer Online Games can handle hundreds of thousands of players simultaneously and therefore must be played on the internet. 

Games like World of Warcraft, Everquest and Second Life have become increasingly popular in the last few years. The reason for their mass appeal? These games are virtual worlds where players can make new identities, interact in real time with other players from around the world and live out their wildest fantasies. 

The problem is however, that because these games require the players to spend a lot of time in these virtual worlds, gamers can become addicted and neglect priorities in the real world like their jobs, their families and friends and even their hygiene and diet.

The movie Second Skin directed and produced by brothers, Juan Carlos Piñeiro Escoriaza and Victor M. Piñeiro III premiered last night at the HotDocs International Film Festival in Toronto. The film explores the subject of online games and the consequences of playing these games. In the film, we are introduced to a number of people, all with fascinating stories. The Ft. Wayne Boys are the first group of friends we meet in the film. They live together, work together and game together for up to 40 hours a week. Another couple we meet in the film are Heather and Kevin who have met each other in the virtual world and meet for the first time in person during the film. Another subject who we meet is Dan, who shares with the audience his struggle with gaming addiction, which he compares to that of alcohol, drugs or gambling. The subjects may live in different parts of the country and have different stories to tell but they are all connected through their love of virtual gaming.

I think it’s fascinating how anyone can become so involved in the game. Maybe that’s my bias though, I am not a huge fan of video games so I don’t see their appeal, but I understand how some people may like it. Maybe a person who works in a mundane 9-5 job would be attracted to having another life in a different world? Or if you have ever wanted to become someone you’re not, then the games allow you to create your alter-ego. Maybe you have always wanted to be a warrior or princess and this is your chance to explore what it would be like to live that way.

Second Skin has a second screening on Wed. April 23 at the Isabel Bader theatre. For more information visit www.hotdocs.ca

Discovering the Alternative April 11, 2008

photo courtesy of www.torontostreetfashion.com

According to Wikipedia and http://alternative-fashion.com, alternative fashion means “fashion on the fringe” or influenced by a subculture i.e. punk or goth. Last night at [FAT] or Alternative Fashion Week at the Distillery District, there was plenty of artistry and not too many practical pieces of clothing.

In my quest to pinpoint the term “alternative” I referred back to my Alternative Media class in University. Although alternative media and fashion are two completely different concepts I was hoping to draw some pararells in order to grasp what I was watching.

I was trying to understand how alternative it was to the mainstream L’oReal Fashion Week in Toronto. Are the clothes the only thing alternative about the event? Or is the whole event in general supposedly alternative? Besides the significantly smaller venue and press coverage, many of the same LFW-goers were in attendance, so to me [FAT] seems like L’oReal Fashion Week’s younger, more rebellious cousin.

Despite a significantly smaller crowd, I ran into my fashion-forward friend Sonja, who was sporting a watch-inspired necklace. Not to be outdone was a new friend I met who was participating in the show.

The shows were a mix of choreographed dancing, singing and of course strutting down the runway. Only in its first year, [FAT] has already garnered a lot of attention among the fashion elite in the city, thanks to new social media outlets like Facebook and Canadian fashion blogs. Even Fashion Television was there to capture the work of new and experienced artisans.

[FAT] runs till April 11 at the Distillery District. For more information visit www.alternativefashionweek.com

 

It’s Official! WordCamp is Coming To Toronto April 7, 2008

Inspired by our visit to Dallas for WordCamp, my boss and I have decided to start planning a WordCamp: Toronto! The two-day conference will be held at Centennial College’s Progress campus from October 4 to 5 and will bring out some of the biggest bloggers from around Toronto.
Planning is in the early stages but we have received some interest from people around North America who would be interested in attending and speaking at the event. More information will be available in the next few weeks.

To get more information about the event and to register visit the website:
http://ccsai.ca/wordcamptoronto/

Dallas to Pass the Torch to Toronto? March 31, 2008

I’m back in Toronto after spending the last few days at WordCamp Dallas.  I have to say that the conference was much more informative than I expected. I found the presenters and the tips they gave to be very intuitive and now I can better apply what I learned to my own blog. When speaking with the organizers and other participants at WordCamp, I mentioned that my company would be interested in hosting a WordCamp: Toronto. I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback from the other participants, which made me even more excited to get started on this project. I will start putting the word out and in a few months there very well could be a WordCamp in T.O. 

Becoming Geek Savvy: WordCamp So Far March 30, 2008

WordCamp Dallas is off to a good start. Already I have learned how to be more influential, how to keep track of who is reading my blog, better podcasting and webcasting techniques and met interesting people from around the U.S. The conference began with a seminar from WordPress creator and blogging rock star, Matt Mullenweg. I was told he is only 23 years-old but has already accomplished so much. I was excited to learn about all the great things the soon to be unveiled WordPress 2.5 can do. This new version is not only faster and more efficient but will have mobile blogging abilities, have more room for additional plug ins, have a blogging directory of other users and will be more podcast-friendly. Lunch included authentic Texas food like brisket, sausage, sweet tea and corn bread, all very delicious might I add. After lunch, we attended a few more seminars, which included very useful tips from successful bloggers and podcasters. I can’t wait to attend day two tomorrow. For now we are off to the Irish pub in Frisco, more updates to follow.

WordCamp Dallas: Day One March 29, 2008

I’ve arrived in Dallas, despite almost missing the flight and taking a few wrong turns on the highway to get to the hotel. 

WordCamp officially kicks off tomorrow morning at around 9:00 a.m. in Frisco, about 30 minutes outside of Dallas. I’m excited to meet the other participants in the morning, since we missed the meet and greet at the nearby Dave and Busters tonight.

 

Tomorrow’s first session starts off with an introduction from the creator of WordPress, which should be interesting. I will have more to report from WordCamp later on in the day tomorrow, until then goodnight from Dallas. 

A Little Goes A Long Way March 27, 2008

This Saturday millions of people from around the world are going to turn off their lights, shut down their computers and start conserving energy. This will only be for one hour but at the very least we will be saving on our electricity bills and raising awareness about the important subject of climate change.

Some people who have chosen not to participate are against the idea of turning off their lights but think about when the power does really go out and we do not have any of the luxuries we take for granted. This Saturday may be a mock black out but it will teach us a lesson in conserving energy and show us how much we do rely on electricity, so we shouldn’t be wasting it.

Watch this video on Earth Hour.

Only 5 Days Till WordCamp Dallas March 24, 2008

There is less than a week to go before I fly down to Texas to soak up everything I can learn about business blogging. The two-day conference is organized by the developers of this very site. If I manage to attend all the seminars, I will absorb a lot of useful information about how to be a better blogger and incorporate it into my work.

My boss who is travelling with me, decided it would be a good idea to host a WordCamp in Toronto, so another reason for going is to see how such an event is organized.

If we find WordCamp Dallas to be beneficial then look for a WordCamp Toronto near the end of summer ‘08.

http://dallas.wordcamp.org/

Even with Mounting Student Debt Students Should Consider Putting Money Into the Tax-Free Savings Account March 19, 2008

As the Communications Coordinator at my work, part of my job is to promote initiatives to students that will be beneficial to them. When the Federal government announced the Tax-Free Savings Account, I thought about what a great opportunity it would be for young people to put money aside now in order to save for bigger purchases later in life.

The problem in promoting this idea to students is many are more concerned with short-term priorities like paying off student loans. My suggestion to students is to invest even $50 or $100 of your monthly income into the TFSA when it opens in January ‘09. By putting money into the account now, you are earning money from doing absolutely nothing. It may be hard to conceptualize saving money when you are swimming in pools of debt but in five to ten years you will have more money to pay off student loans if you invest it now.

For more information about the TFSA visit this site http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/budget2008/pdf/tax-free-savings-account.pdf