Rumour has it this 18-year-old Lohan-in-training was given $1 MILLION on her birthday from daddy dearest to do with it what she will. Shopping spree? New wheels? Jewellery? Maybe a few investments? Of course not…why not record a song and make a fab music video? Rojo caliente, meaning “red hot” in Spanish, is supposed to be her statement of individuality–based on having a head of unique red hair. For sure, no better way to leave a mark on the world than flood the already flooded music market with F-grade content.
“Children starving in the streets….that’s rojo caliente. Flash my bling, as I ride on by….that’s rojo caliente. Coulda fed a million peeps….that’s rojo caliente. Instead I have, this killer vid…that’s rojo caliente.”
Web writing. Web errors. For this particular copy-editor-in-training, it can sometimes drive me nuts. But being completely different from print, where an error made is an error stayed, the web can be quickly edited if a mistake is found. It is clearly a different medium than print, and thus requires a different process for editing and proof-reading. The development of a better editing process for web writing would benefit the internet as a whole–give it more credibility and staying power.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT.
Anyone remember this speech?
I came across this speech again a little while ago, while traveling in the car and listening to old high school CDs (a great past time if you want to stroll down memory lane). 8 years later, I love it, and appreciate it even more. Especially the sunscreen.
But if I had to come out with one, and only one, original piece of advice for the coming generation it would be…
Give generously. Even just keeping a dollar always in your pocket for that person in greater need, on the street, in a store, where ever. It’s good for the soul. Better than fasting. Better than cleansing. Better than soup. It can make a world of difference.
When I began this term in the Book and Magazine Program, I was completey of the mindset that any web component of a magazine was merely a nice little gimmick–more or less unnecessary in the larger scheme of things.
However, as I spent more time in the computer lab, listening to talk and examining samples of various tools on the net, I began to see my assumptions were based in ignorance. The web based portion of the magazines were a great way to view the magazine as a whole–both print and web–with articles, blogs, links and more that spoke volumes about the philosophy of the publication, perhaps even more than the print, because of how it talks directly to the reader and involves them as a user. The publication online may give their readers the benefit of the doubt, assuming they are already web-savy, and not include explanations of social bookmarking, RSS Feeds, or make their navigation more complicated than a standard organization. Or, they may take the reader by the hand and lead them through the website, with plenty of quick links, multiple search points, key words and clearly marked, separate sections (like the Toronto Life website)
But nothing made the importance of the web component more clear, than when my magazine editing group had to research a specfic magazine. We chose Faze magazine, because it was one the class would be less familiar with–a unique blend teen pop-culture with an emphasis on the real issues they face everyday. Refreshing right down to the hip editor Lorraine YipHoi (now Zander). Their website looked okay in the beginning, but after trying to email several of the contacts stated on the site with no response and calling the office number listed to discover it was no longer in existence–confusion and panic set in. Why would a magazine not update its website when it was so clearly a source for people to learn about the magazine and be drawn into it? And what were we going to do for our presentation when we needed primary sources???
Not only were the contacts incorrect, but the press information, media coverage, and invitations to the readers for their input were all outdated. We ended up having to go to other websites for indirect references, and contacts through other people. But our efforts were necessary to pass the assignment. What would keep a reader/potential advertiser/interested future employee searching other sites for information that should have been directly on their own site?
Eventually, I was able to make contact with the president of the company (who was Charm himself), and he told me that they were launching a whole new website within the next month, so the situation will soon be resolved. But how many people will be lost from their readership in the mean time? It was sad to think about–because the magazine has such amazing potential.
However, the situation did make me realize, even on a basic level, how important the web is to the magazine as a whole: for bringing readers in, and for keeping them. People, ESPECIALLY teens, want instant information–nothing much past the initial google search–that will show them what they are looking for.
Hopefully this new website that is going to revealed soon will be the Web 2.0 kind of place where a teen and pre-teen can feel at home….even if it has to incorporate Facebook.
Facebook. It’s a noun, it’s a verb, it’s annoying.
However, most people, between the ages of 12 and 50 have found themselves completely addicted to the social networking tool, without even knowing why. Most don’t go more than a day without logging on to check something out, whether it is the news feed (AKA gossip channel), pictures (AKA a tabloid of average people) or to answer the question, “What are you doing right now?” (AKA voyeurism to an extreme).
And I am not going to pretend that I’m exempt from the above descriptions. Guilty as charged. But recent investigations into user rights and privacy policies, as well as a general wearing down of the humdrum, not so interactive or intellectually stimulating content, that has me taking a tentative step backwards.
Beyond the fading fad of facebook’s tool is that fact that reports are coming out about those who have had contact with administrative people behind facebook–and it hasn’t been friendly. People are mad about the treatment they have received for doing, in their opinion, nothing more than using the social network, just like everyone else. Complaints include everything from the organization simply shutting down user’s accounts without notice, to banning from the network, to threatened legal action. So, is facebook trying to clean up things because users have abused the system or is facebook over-stepping its boundaries, trampling on the rights of some users in order to set an example so others fall in line?
Mrvnmouse has posted a blog on his website, blaming the fact that facebook no longer restricts their users to those registered under a specific university email address, which it originally used in order to have people register. The argument is that university students have the kind of maturity that wouldn’t allow them to flood the network with useless junk, fake names etc. He poses that facebook is going down in flames, and we need to see another networking rising up that restricts people who can register.
Yes…university students sit in classrooms, write essays, have to produce their own “work ethic” and self-discipline in order to graduate–affirmative. But mature? Having just exited that domain, I am not sure mature is the all-encompassing word I would choose to describe them. When I was woken up at 3 or 4am by my fellow “mature” academic students peeing on the side of my house…I reserve the right to suggest university does not equal maturity.
So, aside from such a debate of maturity in academics vs. an extended high school phase, is it the fault of the users, flooding the system or what have you, like the aforementioned blogger suggests?
Think what you will I suppose, but with the premise of Web 2.0 being that the users are just as important, if not more, than those who are behind all the computer code because it is about INTERACTION (which is not one-sided, like here’s a program a just use it, according to OUR rules), I would suggest that facebook is the one abusing its clients by not opening up the possibilities of its program to include an emphasis on the user.
So, is solution a new social networking tool? Twitter? LinkedIn? Something yet to be created?
Look out facebook…it’s on the way, and you may be forced get into ship shape or to faceBOOK it out of here.
Simple how-to advice for a successful meeting of the minds—and of the tastebuds!—over dinner.
“Arriving via the subway, that smoothly and harmoniously squeals and moans its way underneath the city streets, I take my first step into the hallway that leads directly into a shopper’s paradise. I am promptly reminded to hurry up with a friendly shove from one of my unknown traveling companions. I smile my best Torontonian beam at them and hasten my steps, following the well known path marked the “Eaton’s Centre”; I move en masse with the crowd, in the classic tidal wave style, towards the other heavy traffic of the mall. If the stores are playing music, I cannot hear it—the throngs of people yelling at one another overpower any thoughts of my own, and I am left with a lovely ringing in my ears that will stay long after I have departed. I close my eyes and breathe in a deep whiff of Hollister—the employees there have the courtesy of sending their scent out into the multitudes, just so we can always find our way back. Ahh…this is home. A place to feel welcomed by the faces of salespeople who ignore us, the labels that brand us, and the food that sits under heat lamps all day to wait for us.
So, maybe the whole mall experience isn’t all we make it out to be. Located just two subway stops away from my downtown apartment, the Eaton’s Centre, with its many flaws, is still the haven I flock to for most of my shopping necessities. As a result, when the opportunity to hosting my very first—and very elegant, I assure you—dinner party came my way, in order to prepare my apartment and myself I decided to journey a little farther east than my regular haunts for a taste of something different. Something, perhaps, uniquely Toronto to show my guests. A little taste of the Danforth…”
If you are planning your first party, in need of some basic how-to tips, or just searching for ways to spice up your gatherings, consider the Danforth’s unique shops, markets and boutiques as a starting point to a great night for you and your guests.
But before you brave the city streets for your party essentials, remember that the number key to a successful dinner party is planning ahead. William Sonoma’s Dinner Parties, a recommended guide for great entertaining, suggests that you consider the following before your shopping trip begins:
The Occasion or Theme (affecting everything from decor, to food selection)
When and Where (which will also help you decide what outfit to wear)
Guest List and Invitations (decide on email, phone or formal letter invitations)
Dinner Party Style (i.e. formal/informal, buffet style etc.)
One of the most important elements of an enjoyable evening with your guests is to get people talking! If not everyone knows one another, or even if they do, a great way to help the social mixing is to provide everyone upon arrival with a before dinner drink and a common appetizer that they can share (and rave about!).
A simple recipe that goes with most light appetizers is an equal parts blend of melon puree (cantaloupe is the best for colour, but canary and honey dew work as well) and a dry champagne. Try not to pre-mix this drink ahead of time, but once guests start coming in, pour the two parts together in a glass for them. A bubbly drink for a bubbly crowd!
A great appetizer that is both vegetarian (so as to accommodate everyone) and absolutely delicious is a traditional spinach and artichoke dip. It can be served with your choice of baked pita bread or tortilla chips.
*recipe care of Harvest Eating with Keith Snow
Ingredients
1 pkg. of frozen spinach
1 can of artichoke hearts (in water, not oil)
½ cup sour cream
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 pkg. of cream cheese
1 cup freshly grated old white cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste.
(for organic products, please check out The Big Carrot, located at 348 Danforth Avenue)
This recipe is simple, but it will impress—just watch the video!
Another simple task that can seriously impress your guests is a well organized table. Place settings can vary, based on whether your occasion is formal or informal. The best advice is to start on the outside of each setting and work your way in, based on the order of the courses. Or, just follow a diagram.
The last, but certainly NOT least bit of advice concerns the all-important, all-encompassing, sometimes all-confusing, choice of wine. Many people like to keep it simple and serve white with fish and chicken, red with beef and pork. While this is helpful, given the complex nature of this type of alcohol, it might be better to consider matching the characteristics of the food you are serving with a particular wine. Most of the sales people at liquor stores should be trained to help you pick one out, if you have a general idea of what you are looking for.
And don’t forget to have fun! Don’t stress out too much about the preparations—no one expects you to be perfect. It’s about providing your friends and guests with the atmosphere that will allow them to open up and have a great time, along with some great food and drink.
Have a tried and tested recipe for dinner parties? Post your favourite entertaining recipe here!
Related Sites:
These websites are also great ways to expand your repertoire in the business of entertaining dinner guests.
Keep your eyes pealed in the next couple of weeks for some very interesting, and otherwise unorthodox advertising. If you have been browsing casually on the subway in the past few days, you may have discovered these seemingly anti-pharmaceutical ads for a product called “Obay” (a play on “obey”, in case you didn’t catch that).
You can see some examples of the different ads at the following website.
I saw them on the subway earlier this week, and took some pictures after realizing what it was. I thought it had to be a one time thing, like someone reproduced a banner of ad-quality and posted it themselves on that particular train. Then I saw it on the side of a bus in Hamilton…and at bus stop in Waterloo. Apparently they are popping up all over Ontario and Montreal, but no one can figure out who is funding them. Information has leaked out though that within the next two weeks, a whole new campaign will be launched on the public transit sites and should bring some clarification to the issue.
In the mean time, the ads are still pretty hilarious.
Public transporation is an avenue by which so many of us travel, and yet, there seems to be something about the service that brings out the strange in people. Is it a result of the change in air pressure, being down so low, underneath the city or some other phenomenon of the masses that means folks just don’t seem to be acting normal?
Everyone has there strange subway stories it seems, and after moving to Toronto in September, and encountering the everyday subway ride, I am no different. In October, I saw a man wearing normal clothing and a full zorro mask get arrested on one of the trains. In December, a man stood behind me (and I mean directly behind me, his coat touching my own) on a fairly deserted stop in the Danforth area and keep nudging me, gesturing with two fingers to his mouth that he wanted a cigarette (at least, I hope that’s what the gesture was….eww….now I am reliving a whole different world of strange). And just this week, I was walking to the stairs when I heard a shrill shriek behind me, and when I turned around, there was a woman standing frozen, unmoving, in the middle of the stop with a winter toque rolled down over her entire face. Shaking my head in confusion, I proceeded up the stairs, only to pass a young girl who had piercings through (what would have been) the cute, little dimples on either side of her cheeks.
Is it just me, or are things on the subway only getting stranger?
Great Dane 
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