‘Articles’ Category

  1. SXSW 2018

    March 16, 2018 by Tessa Bousfield

    Things that drive themselves, lightsabers, robots (and robot lightsabers), cool art and the impact they’re all having on us, are all things that stuck out to Dan Gunn at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

    Each year the festival starts off with “Interactive” (tech), moves into film and then into music (Which wraps up this weekend). With downtown Austin having an unlimited amount of conference space within walking distance, the entire city is filled with lanyard-wearing techies shuffling from session to session and taking in the city’s local live music.

    There were sessions, keynotes and experiences for just about every interest area and people from every corner of the world – which was obvious at the giant tradeshow that marked the countries by aisle. Japan covered a lot of ground with all their gadgets, software, holograms and even an app called “Lingering Voices” that can capture voices in the environment and display them as AR in the form of bubbly letters. Mexico also had a large presence and one startup was trying to get an electric robot hand kit into every school for students to be inspired at an early age.

    A few other items that caught attention at the tradeshow were the SmartBlock office cubes that could be rolled into different positions very easily, and a giant Dancing “Kuka” Robot with human-like movements.

    Dan was also drawn to the Mercedes Lounge that had very unique electric car designs, driverless cars and even a giant van with no windows, doors or a driver… but it did have a giant drone on the top of it to deliver parcels right to your doorstep… NBD.

    Smart Car even had a Smart House you could walk in and explore. It was larger than a tiny house and contained all the latest technology.

    What was arguably the most impactful of all was art combined with technology. Like the story of LA artist Teek Mach who uses Tiltbrush to create incredible VR art. She recently teamed up with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and “painted” while listening to them in the same room. She created a painting in real time based solely on how the music made her feel. The end result was a piece of art that captured a piece of music in it’s entirety, that you could step right into and walk around in. Now that’s something else! (Click here for the video). You might just see this type of tech incorporating itself into live shows every where one day…

    Listen below as Dan Gunn details the experience on the Zone at 91.3fm’s morning show!

    Category Articles | Tags: | No Comments

  2. The Origins of Christmas

    December 8, 2017 by Tessa Bousfield

    Have you ever wondered how Christmas came to be the holiday it is today?

    Spoiler Alert: Santa isn’t real (he was created by poets and artists), and Christmas isn’t even Jesus’s birthday.

    BEFORE CHRISTMAS

    It all started with the Pagans’ celebration of the winter solstice (before Christ). They brought boughs of holly and trees inside as a sign of life and the intent of protecting it, and wood logs were burned to encourage good spirits in the new year. Sound familiar?

    Christianity came along in the third century and wanted to be separate from Paganism. Instead of a winter solstice celebration on Dec 21st, they put on a Nativity Feast on Dec 25th and started getting everyone on board with THEIR dinner party… This was then considered Jesus’ birthday, even though the Bible doesn’t actually state so. In fact, many believe his birthday to be in April based on where the constellations were positioned in the sky.

    Also worth noting is “Yuletide,” a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht. It later underwent Christianized reformulation resulting in the term “Christmastide”.

    THE SHAPING OF CHRISTMAS

    So, Christians continued with some of the Pagan traditions like bringing a tree into the home. What was different was they added apples to the tree to symbolize Adam and Eve… those apples eventually took the shape of our modern ornaments.

    The traditional Christmas we see today really didn’t start until the 1840s when Prince Albert, Queen Victoria and their children were painted around a traditional Christmas tree. All of a sudden, everyone had to be a part of it.

    THE BIRTH OF SANTA

    “My Hat’s Off to The Pause That Refreshes” — 1931. The magical transformation of the Coca-Cola Santa happened in 1931.

    Santa was depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to a spooky-looking elf. He has donned a bishop’s robe and a Norse huntsman’s animal skin. In fact, when Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harper’s Weekly in 1862, Santa was a small elf-like figure who supported the Union. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the colour of his coat from tan to the red he’s known for today. Much of Santa’s original colourful image also stemmed from the Dutch “Sinterklaas”.

    “Santa” by Thomas Nast

    The Coca-Cola Company began its Christmas advertising in the 1920s with shopping-related ads in magazines like The Saturday Evening Post. The first Santa ads used a strict-looking Claus, in the vein of Thomas Nast.

    In 1930, artist Fred Mizen painted a department-store Santa in a crowd drinking a bottle of Coke. The ad featured the world’s largest soda fountain, which was located in the department store Famous Barr Co. in St. Louis, Mo. Mizen’s painting was used in print ads that Christmas season, appearing in The Saturday Evening Post in December 1930.

    In 1931 the company began placing Coca-Cola ads in popular magazines. Archie Lee, the D’Arcy Advertising Agency executive working with The Coca-Cola Company, wanted the campaign to show a wholesome Santa who was both realistic and symbolic. So Coca-Cola commissioned Michigan-born illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus — showing Santa himself, not a man dressed as Santa.

    For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (commonly called “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”). Moore’s description of St. Nick led to an image of a warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human Santa. (And even though it’s often said that Santa wears a red coat because red is the color of Coca-Cola, Santa appeared in a red coat before Sundblom painted him.)

    Sundblom’s Santa debuted in 1931 in Coke ads in The Saturday Evening Post and appeared regularly in that magazine, as well as in Ladies Home Journal, National Geographic, The New Yorker and others.

    In the end, it’s definitely OK to question where our traditions come from, because more often than not, they’re a blend of many varieties, with a very long, interesting history!

    ~Merry Christmas~

    Category Articles | Tags: | No Comments

  3. All the Sammiches

    December 1, 2017 by Tessa Bousfield

    One thing Victoria is known for is the countless amount of restaurants every direction you turn. We’ve heard for years that only San Francisco surpasses Victoria for the most restaurants per capita in North America. We’re not entirely sure that’s true, but we’ll keep saying it.

    Going for lunch, as a result, can sometimes be overwhelming with the endless options. Well, here’s a list of the best Sandwiches in town to make your life a little easier (Also listen below as Dan, Dylan & Jason get passionate about their sandwich game – it’s pretty entertaining).

    • Broughton Street Deli
      • 648 Broughton St
        • Their classic clubhouse is a popular item, and their Black Forest Ham can be addictive.
    • Chorizo & Co
      • 807 Fort St
        • The “Bocata” Breakfast Bun is spoken of like it’s a magical creature, and for good reason. It consists of: a Brioche Bun, soft fried egg, crispy chorizo salami, manchego cheese and pimentón aioli.
    • Frankie’s Modern Diner
      • 910 Government St
        • Order their grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup – you’ll thank us. But the question is… to dunk, or not to dunk?
    • Glen’s Fabulous Sandwiches
      • The Bay Centre food court
        • The sandwich artists at this spot are PRO. You’ll have a mouth-watering, overloaded sandwich in your hand in less than 2 minutes.
    • Red Barn Market
      • Any location (Cadboro Bay doesn’t make sandwiches on site however)
        • Get it on bread, grilled on focaccia, throw some peppers on there – do whatever you want, but for Pete’s sake, get some Red Barn bacon on there or it’s just not a sandwich.
    • Salt + Pepper Fox (Grab & Go)
      • 569 Johnson St
        • Belly grumbling while doing all that shopping? This grab & go location is perfectly situated to cure your hunger pains.
    • Sammich Cafe
      • 1150 Douglas St
        • Any place that has a “Shia La Beef” sandwich on their menu is worth going to.

     

    Category Articles | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Pâté & Rocky Horror?

    September 29, 2017 by Tessa Bousfield

    Today we’re starting off with Chicken & Liver Pâté doughnuts and capping off with a dose of the best Halloween entertainment in the city.

    Last Sunday Brewery and the Beast took place at Phillips Backyard. Thousands of hungry and thirsty ticket holders showed up to taste incredible food creations and thirst-quenching beer and wine. The selections of food were outstanding and the Game of Thrones style goat-on-a-spike from Yalla was nothing but impressive. One particular item, however, was being talked about in every group of conversation…

    Yonni’s Pâté doughnuts – Yup, a doughy, honey drizzled doughnut filled with chicken and liver pâté. At first you want to instantly refuse – but the combo is actually quite delicious! Who would’ve thought?! Make sure you buy your tickets to this event next spring as soon as they go on sale – you don’t want to miss it again!

    Halloween is right around the corner and for those of you who are into dressing up are going to a show, now is the time you’re tracking down the best events. Let us save you some time.

    • Rocky Horror Picture Show • Oct 18-29
      Atomic Vaudeville is putting on the Rocky Horror Picture Show once again, this time at the Metro Studio Theatre. Local “Jimbo” is in charge of costumes (which will no doubt stun audiences), and “Britt” of Atomique Vaudeville is directing the show – something she is a pro at. Buy your tickets now as this WILL sell out!
    • Atomic Vaudeville Halloween Cabaret • Oct 20-31
      For one of Atomic Vaudeville’s more classic shows of randomness, check out their cabaret at the Victoria Event’s Centre. We can’t really describe this one, so here’s what they say:”Picture if you will: You’ve carved your jack-o-lantern for All Hallows’ Eve and decided on a costume, when suddenly you see something from the corner of your eye; a flash of terror, an uneasy cackle, a dance-off from beyond the grave. You try to make sense of it all, but something seems… off… your mind races, your palms are sweaty, your breath is shallow, your pupils – dilated. Was that scary clown a sloth?”

    Listen below as Dan Gunn describes all of this and more on the Zone at 91.3fm’s morning show…

    Category Articles | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

Older Entries