Fade to Play

Alternate Reality Games (args) and designers of args are becoming more commonplace at digital and social media conferences. Recently Jane McGonigal, an ARG designer on the ilovebees game was the keynote at the SXSW interactive conference and next month 42 Entertainment, the ARG company behind the ilovebees project, will be attending the Vancouver International Digital Festival (VIDFEST).

The Vancouver International Digital Festival is an event for the top creative minds working in digital media. Join visionaries from games and digital entertainment, Web 2.0, interactive design, animation and mobile applications, at this annual ‘must-attend’ in Vancouver, Canada. Get access to international business match-making, ‘big picture’ conference sessions on the latest trends and markets in digital media, a recruiting fair, high-level seminars for creators, designers, and producers, and loads of networking parties.

The festival is organised by New Media BC. Should be good times this year.

What: VIDFEST
When: May 21-24, 2008
Where: Vancouver, Canada

Flickr photo courtesy of kk+

Relevance: Vancouver is a strong environment for digital media and it is expected that key leaders in this industry will be in attendance. Definitely an opportunity to network.

Vancouver is a great place for creative forms of expression to flourish in the areas of mobile technology and social media. I continue to be amazed at the quality of talent here. Tomorrow, Duane Storey will be a speaker at the first WordPress camp at the Network Hub. He will be speaking on mobile blogging because he has just launched the WPTouch iPhone theme in collaboration with Dale Mugford, one of his partners at BraveNewCode. Rebecca Bollwitt provided a fine review regarding her early impressions with screenshots. As well, Duane provides solid information about his theme on his blog.

As I don’t yet have an iPhone (I think I’m the only one if my circle without one), I am using iPhoney, an iPhone web browser simulator for designers to test out the look and feel of the theme on an iPhone. Looking at this theme, is definitely motivating me to get an iPhone. With a little help from Duane and following the well-written instructions, I was able to download the theme, upload it to my WordPress server, and activate it using iPhoney. The screenshots are of my blog on the iPhoney before and after with the WPTouch activated.

My blog without WPTouch

My blog with WPTouch

My blog entry with WPTouch

The theme is already being used by the CBC.

Relevance: Another example of talent within the Vancouver Tech scene.

The next Net Tuesday event is called “Welcome to the Widget Revolution“. According to the Facebook description:

Widgets aren’t just little pieces of portable code. Widgets are about opening up your message to your supporters and the community. Widgets represent a shift towards using online tools, and online thinking, to connect with more people and build deeper relationships with the people you are already connected with.

Vancouver’s 3rd Net Tuesday will explore the stories of nonprofits that are spearheading this revolution as well as demo a new widget platform — Sprout.

Presenters:
Jason Mogus, http://www.Communicopia.com
Scott Nelson, http://www.FearlessCity.ca
Keith Grennan, http://www.sproutbuilder.com

Sponsors
Communicopia
Social Signal
WorkSpace

Activities
5:30pm - Snacks & Networking
6pm Sharp - Presentations

Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Time: 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Location: WorkSpace
Street: 400-21 Water St.
City/Town: Vancouver, BC

Bill MacEwen of Workspace

The host is Sarah Pullman whom I have heard of based on her past connections with Bryght, but I have never actually seen (I’m a little shy so this might give me an opportunity to meet her).

Relevance: What are nonprofits doing in Vancouver and what are their relationships with social media?

Maura Rodgers and Jordan Behan of Strutta

If you want to meet some of the movers and shakers of the Vancouver Tech Scene, you should RSVP and add Launch Party Vancouver 4 (LPV4) to your iCal. I have attended each of the previous three and consider it an excellent opportunity to meet social media people in Vancouver. I expect a top notch event organised once again by the exceptional people at Launch Party Vancouver.

In addition, it will be held at the Republic, one of my favourite clubs in Vancouver (both floors this time).

If you are interested in work in this area or if you are a startup looking for talent, then there will be a career fair earlier in the day (3-5pm) sponsored by Techvibes in partnership with LPV4.

Launch Party Vancouver [pics]
Launch Party Vancouver 2 [post] [pics]
Launch Party Vancouver 3 [post] [pics]

What: Launch Party Vancouver 4
Where: The Republic, 958 Granville St., Vancouver
When: May 21, 2008
Demos: 5:30-9pm (dancing/socialise until close)

Contact: Maura Rodgers maura@strutta.com

Hope to see you there.

Shira Lazar of shiralazar.com

Relevance: Networking is an important part of life.

Dr. Jean Twenge who wrote “Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled-And More Miserable Than Ever Before” is coming to town. I read her book in 2007 and found it to be a fascinating account of what is going on with today’s youth. I have also referenced the book in some of my presentations within Vancouver. You can read some reviews here on the book’s website which also contains a link to her live journal.

She will be a speaker for 45 minutes at an all day Career and Education Fair called Change is Possible.

Her topic is entitled: Generation Me: Managing Young People (& Being Managed).

Dr. Twenge will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the data on how generations differ (based on a sample of 2 million young people) spiced with plenty of pop culture and humor. The generational changes include increases in self-esteem, narcissism, and entitlement and declines in mental health. In other words, today’s young generation really is different. Dr. Twenge will discuss how these changes impact education and the workplace, including the young generation’s expectations for work-life balance and the types of jobs they find most desirable.

Location: Bombay Banquet Hall, Surrey
Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Time: 12:00 - 12:45 pm
You must pre-register online @ www.changeispossible.info

The fair will be held from 11am - 7pm.

Relevance: If you are studying youth or if you are interested in the everyday lives of youth, this talk is for you.

So I got a gift in the mail from Gary Vaynerchuk also known as garyvee or in this case santagaryvee. It is very cool and I want to say thanks to santagaryvee for bringing Christmas early. I will be bringing the thunder Vangroovy style here in Canada.

Relevance: Just another reason why garyvee is awesome and why everyone should pre-order his book and get him back to the Amazon top 100.

In less than a week the first Tazzu WordPress Camp will take place here in Vancouver at the Network Hub. As someone who loves blogging and has been using WordPress since Oct 2006 I am very excited to not only be attending, but to have the good fortune to be a Media Sponsor (thanks to Miss 604 for the fancy logo mashup). Rebecca Bollwitt will also be liveblogging as a Media Sponsor, which is always a sight to watch.

WordPress Bag

On Wed. April the 30th from 5:30 to 8:30pm we are getting together at the Network Hub to share and exchange tips and how-tos on Wordpress and blogging in general.

You can read bios on each of the speakers on the Tazzu blog.

Speakers List

Rebecca Bollwitt: Adding photos [flickr, permissions, links, gallery plugins, badges] to your WordPress blog.
Bruce Byfield: The Joys of Amateur Blogging.
John Chow: How to make money using a WordPress Blog.
Monica Hamburg: Blogging and Social Media.
Jeff Kee: WordPress for total website development.
Greg Andrews: Good Typography in WordPress.
Kulpreet Singh: Using WordPress to create a custom library, catalog, or other mashup-type site.
Duane Storey: WordPress and mobile blogging - i.e. how to read and write from an iPhone

Sign up on Facebook

I will be photographing the event. Should be fun and informative.

List of Sponsors: Culinary Copik Multimedia, BlueFur, RMDStudio, The Network Hub, PeerGlobe, JenTekk Web Solutions and Tazzu.

Keep up the good work Automattic!

update: JenTekk Web Solutions added after being omitted in error.

Relevance: Loving WordPress 2.5. Interested in learning more about blogging and WordPress.

Flickr photo courtesy of sallylondon

On CNN’s page there is an interesting article regarding research in Kenya exploring the social behaviour of zebras. Princeton researchers under a collaborative program called ZebraNet, have attached GPS devices to the necks of Grevy and Plains zebras. A particular emphasis behind the program is to gather data from the Grevy zebras, an endangered species whose numbers have dropped to 2000, as they social network, avoid becoming prey, and interact with others.

As a doctoral student at Duke University, Rubenstein was fascinated with how animals make decisions and why their societies form the way they do. He started studying equids — a family of mammals that includes horses, donkeys, and zebras — because they form associations among strangers.

He has also examined how the Grevy’s zebra social network — and he doesn’t mean Facebook or MySpace — may contribute to its endangerment. Associations between Grevy’s zebras are less close-knit than those of the Plains zebra, whose core societies consist of closed-membership harem-groups and bachelor groups.

In a harem, several females choose to live with one male that protects them against harassment in exchange for sex. Female Grevy’s zebras, on the other hand, don’t stay with one male for long periods of time, meaning they don’t have the benefit of a larger male watching out for them.

Relevance: I have Social Media and Location based Systems interests in relation to their use by humans. What can we learn from the animal kingdom and their social networks that is of relevance to our own everyday lives and research?

I have been a little busy these days so I haven’t been keeping up to date on the Mahalo Daily VLOGIDOL competition for a replacement. However, as I was going though my tweets yesterday morning, I found this one by Lisa Brewster and felt encouraged to act.

I met Lisa at SXSW and I found her personality to be fun and live and I’m really glad that we have remained in touch since then. As I learn more about her, I realise that the ease with which she interacts with people, her motivation to produce high quality work in whatever she is engaged in, and her free spirit, are qualities that a Mahalo Daily host should have.

I am proud to be a part of Lisa Nation.

You can learn more on her Mahalo Page. Good luck Lisa!

Relevance: Why I believe Lisa Brewster should be the Mahalo Daily host.

It was one year ago, that I was shaken to the core as I heard how students in Virgina Tech lost their lives in a tragic and sudden way. As a fellow student here in Canada I felt deeply affected, scared, and a little lost. On this day, we remember.

Sent to VT from UBC last year

Relevance: Sad that students full of life and promise didn’t come home from college that day.

from the Facebook group A tribute to those who passed at the Virginia Tech Shooting