From Student to Success – Fashion Community Helps Launch Local Grad

What does it take to make it in Vancouver’s fashion industry? Determination, money, design skills and a lot of support. There are hundreds of fashion graduates entering the industry each year, vying for their chance – Portobello West and fellow sponsors are helping one talented grad by putting everything they need on a silver platter.

The Portobello West Graduate Award will provide one outstanding fashion student with the means to launch their line. They will receive over $15,000 in prizes, including one year at Portobello West fashion and art market, a website, a professional photo shoot by Co.lektiv Images, five months of PR support from The Honey Mustard Fashion and Media Services, a Fashion High membership, a full page ad in The Block Magazine, and a one year membership including a $250 starter kit of eco-friendly fabrics from SYKA Textiles.

You’ve only got one month left to apply so click on to read the rest of this press release! Read the rest of this entry »

Those of you familiar with my posts have a vague idea of my aversion to science. For those not yet in the loop, allow me to explain: I suck at science, which is why I support great events like the PMC-Sierra Science Fair Fun Run. On Sunday, May 25th at 9 am, runners of all ages will be winding their way around beautiful False Creek all in the name of BC’s young scientists. Since its creation eight years ago, the run has raised over $300,000 for the Dr. Michael Smith Endowment Fund, giving schools the opportunity to develop and maintain stellar Science Fair programs. The number of participants has more than doubled since its inception and you can join in at the starting line outside TELUS World of Science. Not only do you get out for a good run to raise young minds, you also get a sweet t-shirt and the chance to win some great prizes. But the best part? Free admission to Science World from 11 am to 6 pm! There’s more, so click on! Read the rest of this entry »

As we reported way back in April, the so-called “hack” of Canadian music station MuchMusic by a mask wearing dork is nothing but a bad ad campaign for a new contest the station is running.

On their new Phind the Phreak site, they proudly proclaim:

First, we want to assure our viewing public that the MMVAs have not been hacked. Nor is this a virus campaign. All employees have received a clean bill of health. We are just hip to the Interweb.

Right. Because using words like “hip” and “Interweb” with a capital i show that you are at the very leading edge of modern youth culture. Or at least it did back in 1972.

This must be the most ill conceived advertising campaign in modern history. For one, it backfired almost immediately as our posting about how it had to be an ad campaign got more views and a higher Google ranking than the actual phreak615 blog. And from all the flack people have been shooting out in comments on this blog and many others, it’s pretty clear that the viewing public find the campaign both annoying, insulting and stupid at the same time. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone actually enters the contest.

Considering that the Dabbler team and our many commenters pretty much solved the riddle before it was even announced, I think it would only be fair that the prizes are handed to us. But that would be admitting that their half-assed scheme really was a bad idea and that they have lost touch with their own target audience.

Sorry MuchMusic. I am most unimpressed. Next time, how about hiring someone who actually knows and understands modern youth culture, not to mention the Interweb?

Morbid as it may seem, we all have to come to grips with our mortality and talk about that which is inevitable. Nobody wants to sit down and draw out plans to implement in the event of a death or incapacitation, but not to do so would cause unnecessary stress and avoidable complications to the loved ones that are left to sort things out. If anything, planning for your own eventuality is the the most compassionate gift you can give to the family that survives you.

Those going on retirement are most likely the ones that are taking this issue most seriously, but you’d be shocked to know that according to statistics from the American Centers for Disease Control, young men aged 15 to 24 have three times as many deaths as do women in the same age group and in the 20 to 29 age group. I definitely think designating a surrogate when you’re barely out of high school is a little extreme, but it does show you that you shouldn’t wait too long to make some very important long-term decisions.

I love statistics and I just received an ABA (American Bar Association)-commissioned poll with findings showing that more than twice as many Americans talk about planning for health care emergencies than take action. With us Canadians generally sharing a similar way of life, I wouldn’t expect our own numbers to deviate too much from these results so click on to read the full press release from the ABA. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you experiencing feelings of jealousy when a co-worker or friend returns from vacation? Hmmm…then I’m afraid you’ve got a bad case of vacation envy, a direct result of a pervasive condition now known as Vacation Deprivation.

North Americans are prone to workaholism as they continue in their never-ending pursuit of happiness – that is, the ever increasing acquisition and consumption of goods and services. We should be looking to Europe though, to find a better balance in our lives. People over there (and of course I’m generalizing) take the time to enjoy what they already have…and it works too! Companies are as good as the workers that back them up so happy workers mean profits. And what’s the best gift you can give an employee? More vacation time! According to Mad Morten, a minimum of three weeks paid vacation is mandatory (yes by law people) for every Norwegian worker, regardless of seniority. I tell ya, I’d certainly be more willing to take on that extra project with this kind of incentive.

But it’s not always just about having enough vacation time. I used to dread planning a holiday because my company wouldn’t spring for a temp in my absence so that even when I was supposed to enjoy my time off, I’d be stressing about the mounting work that awaited me. That is perhaps why according to this year’s Vacation Deprivation survey, nearly one third of British Columbians are not taking all of their vacation time.

Click on for more of the Ipsos-Reid findings and find out how we can keep this condition from spreading (management make note!) Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a mother, this weekend is definitely one to spend lazying about just letting your family pamper you. But as you already know, a mother’s work is never done and this weekend is no exception. As a parent, your #1 priority is to ensure a better future for your children, and that includes a cleaner future, which can’t be realized if the government doesn’t start doing things differently. Though your elected officials may not pay heed to one person’s voice, numbers speak volumes – especially when those numbers can’t even recite the alphabet!

This weekend, over 465 events in 43 U.S. states – and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico (make note fellow Canadians!) – have been organized as part of a Mother’s Day call to action by 1Sky, a campaign dedicated to ensuring bold federal legislation on climate change as soon as possible. Communities nationwide will host events during Mother’s Day weekend to create murals that convey their vision of climate change consequences and the urgent need for bold congressional solutions. These murals will then be delivered to the relevant congressional representatives from each mother’s district.

Sometimes, those in power fail to see the big picture. This weekend, paint it in bold colours!

Click here to find an event near you and if there isn’t one, click here to organize one in your own neighbourhood.

BBC News – Day in Pictures: Hungarian Puli sheep dog, “Fee,” jumps over a hurdle during a preview for a pedigree dog show in Dortmund, Germany.

The Puli is a medium-small breed of Hungarian dog known for its long, corded coat. The tight curls of the coat, similar to dreadlocks, make it virtually waterproof. Pulik are very intelligent, have excellent agility, and are obedient enough to train for athletic competition. They are also fabulous herding dogs.

You might have seen the movie Who Killed the Electric Car? It tells the story of how General Motors scrapped a pilot project for an all-electric car called the EV1 for no apparent reason. But what few people know is that there was a second, even more successful electric car on the market that fell victim to the same cruel fate. Its name was Think. It was made by a small Norwegian company and then bought by Ford Motors, only to be destroyed in spite of huge demand both in the U.S. and Europe. But now, with a little help from Google, Al Gore and Porsche, Think is rising from the ashes and set to take centre stage in the fight against gas guzzlers and smog spewing behemoths on four wheels. Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE: Big shocking surprise. It’s a contest!

Last Sunday I posted an article about the so-called “hacking” of Canadian music station MuchMusic. In it I explained why the claims of this being a hack are questionable because it would be next to impossible to actually hack a modern broadcasting station, especially the national broadcast. I suggested that this was not a hack but a marketing scheme for some new show or service from the station.

The article has generated a huge response (197 comments and counting) and has sparked a huge online chase for Phreak615 and the real reasons behind these clips. In the last couple of days several blogs have been launched by the participants of the chase and the story is taking on mythic proportions.

Thursday I contacted MuchMusic directly to get an official response to the alleged hacks. If this really was an incursion in their programming, they would have to have an official response as it would be a severe breach of broadcast regulations and their broadcasting license. This morning I got this response:

Hi Morten,

I was forwarded your message.
I’m just in a series of meetings right now.
I don’t have an answer for you at the moment but I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.

Best,
GRAHAM (last name deleted by me)
Communications Manager
Music & Youth Services, CTV Inc.

I am looking forward to hearing from Graham again shortly to see what he has to say about all this. Right now it seems like he’s stalling. We’ll see. I also called MuchMusic directly to get an official response. I was forwarded to a machine and I’m still waiting for a reply from the person I was forwarded to.

The case took a very strange turn last night: Since the original post went up, it was the first link when you searched for “phreak615″ on Google. Then yesterday, the article completely vanished from Google’s index. Even if you search for the exact article title, you’ll only find one or two reference links to it. The same goes for Digg and Technorati. It’s as if someone actually went in and deleted the article from the index. I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it before. Yet another mystery I guess.

If you don’t want to read the incredibly long comments thread and just want to know what this is all about, here’s a short summary: Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE: Big shocking surprise. It’s a contest!

UPDATE: Mr. Phreak615 has published a post where he describes how he is hacking MuchMusic. In condensed form, it reads like this: “I work at MuchMusic where I have access to the servers. I hooked up a wireless router to said servers, inserted a simple script and now I can upload random content to the servers from anywhere in the vicinity with a laptop computer.” If this is true, we are looking at an inside job (just as I indicated) where someone is using a loophole in the server infrastructure to insert content. This is in no way a “hack” but simply an exploit of the trust the company gives to its employees. Anyone who works at a TV station and has basic understanding of media servers and a complete lack of morals, can duplicate this stunt. And anyone who does it will get caught, will lose their job and will more than likely be prosecuted. Unfortunately, this stunt will only give large corporations yet another reason to distrust their employees. I’m most unimpressed.

Vegging out after a long weekend, I’m watching Video On Trial on MuchMusic when all of a sudden the signal gets distorted and this guy in a weird mask, cowboy hat and goggles pops into the frame and holds up a poster saying “Phreak615.com.”

“What the…someone hacked MuchMusic?” I thought, so I checked out the website (which is little more than a blog). Here, Phreak615, a self-proclaimed “pop culture activist” posts his achievements and links to other similar stunts like the “SkullPhone” electronic billboard hacks down in the States (which turned out to be paid ads for a new service).

Now, normally I wouldn’t write about stuff like this, but since I can see this becoming a huge thing on the web very quickly, I gotta tell you why I think this is an elaborate hoax, or at the very least an inside job. Read the rest of this entry »