You cannot win improv. [...] And like improv, you cannot win your life.

Wednesday, 15 May, 2013

Stephen Colbert 2011 Commencement Speech at Northwestern University

Adding this to my long list of Quotes I Love,

“You cannot win improv. [...] And like improv, you cannot win your life.”

I love this bit at the end that contains the above excerpt,

[typed by me] “There are very few rules in improv but one of things I was taught earlier on is that you are not the most important person in the scene. Everybody else is. And if everybody else is more important than you are, you will naturally pay attention to them and serve them. But the good news is you are in the scene too. So hopefully to them, you are the most important person and they will serve you. No one is leading. You’re all following the follower. Serving the servant. You cannot win improv. And life is an improvisation. You’ve no idea what’s going to happen next. And you are mostly just yanking ideas out of your ass as you go along. And like improv, you cannot win your life.”

[more from official transcript] “EVEN WHEN IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE YOU’RE WINNING. I HAVE MY OWN SHOW, Read the rest of this entry »


Ad Chat: Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches (Evolution)

Friday, 19 April, 2013

I hadn’t planned to talk about the new Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches ad campaign but I couldn’t help but chat about it with a few Google+ friends and  bringing up my  love of the 2006 award winning Evolution campaign. Anyway, while Sketches nowhere near as good as Evolution, I like some element of the campaign enough to share it here.

Real Beauty Sketches

Evolution

The Making Of Evolution Of Dove (I just found this “making of”, it looks like a bad copy but I can’t find a better version to use)

(note: cartoonist and television producer of “Producing ParkerStephanie Betts play the “pretty, but ordinary girl” in the ad)

Stephanie Betts‘s Kids Screen Summit bio:

“VP Kids Development, DHX Media Read the rest of this entry »


Calgary ParkPlus multi-million lawsuit and ownership settlement – An exclusive inside look at a “key” piece of evidence

Tuesday, 9 April, 2013

ParkPlus settlement with Dale Fraser, former CPA General Manager

Background of the “key” piece of evidence

Now that Calgary Parking Authority (CPA) has settled the Parkplus parking management system ownership dispute and disclosed some key information (see endnotes), this reporter feels comfortable in sharing an exclusive inside look at one piece of evidence against Mr. Dale Fraser’s ownership claim without risking harm to the city and CPA’s legal case.

This key piece of evidence (you can judge for yourself to see if you agree it is “key” or not) was an August 2008 video interview with Mr. Dale Fraser conducted by this reporter. In the extensive August 2008 interview (where Alderman Dale Hodges was also interviewed), a variety of ParkPlus topics (including patents) were discussed. This video evidence was almost “lost” at one point as it was originally uploaded and stored on the now discontinued Google Video service!

Fortunately, after some help from a Google engineer friend, the August 2008 interview was recovered along with a few hundred uploaded videos. The video interview was useful enough that Calgary Parking Authority licensed it to help its case which is why I’m claiming this as an “exclusive inside look“.

Unlike the parties involved in the legal settlement (Calgary Parking Authority, City of Calgary, Mr. Dale Fraser, and Mr. Allan Bazar), I am an independent reporter and not bound by any confidentiality agreement.

An exclusive inside look at a key piece of evidence

In the August 2008 interview, former Calgary Parking Authority General Manager Mr. Dale Fraser told this reporter,

”Calgary Parking Authority did create the proprietary approach to this new parking system. And we [CPA] do have a patent-pending on this approach at this time.”

During the 30+ minutes interview, at NO point did Mr. Fraser leave this reporter with the impression the pending Canada/US ParkPlus patent was his (or his & Mr. Allan Bazar’s) personal invention or intellectual property. In fact, Mr. Fraser seemed to me quite clear in explaining the system was developed by MTS Allstream with the funds/resources from Calgary Parking Authority.

As suggested in “The Patents” section in the 2008 August report “ParkPlus by Calgary Parking Authority – Reimagining the Wheels“,

US patent is one of the most important ones to apply for, simply because the US is one of the largest markets and it has a reasonably strong patent protection regime.

Here is my 2008 interview video (pay attention to time code ~3:40 to ~3:50).

[Please note that the interview is protected by copyright. License and use requests (including for press and media) are to be submitted via email and will be handled promptly.]

This article is cross-posted by me to examiner.

Endnotes: Although the settlement agreement has confidentiality clauses, the parties agree to disclose the following information (emphasis added) and I quote from the Media Release – ParkPlus Settlement – April 2013,

(1) The Defendants, Dale Fraser, Allan Bazar and 1707626 Alberta Ltd., (now Intelli-Park Corporation) acknowledge that the City of Calgary and CPA are the exclusive owners of the ParkPlus SystemTM and that none of the Defendants has any right, title or interest whatsoever in the ParkPlus SystemTM;
(2) While the ParkPlus SystemTM is valuable and all necessary consideration for settlement is acknowledged, there is no payment by the City of Calgary or CPA of any money whatsoever to any of the Defendants or any other person;
(3) The claims and counterclaims in the action will be wholly discontinued without costs; and
(4) The parties release each other from all claims and counterclaims in the action including any claims relating to the ParkPlus SystemTM or the employment of Dale Fraser and Allan Bazar with the City of Calgary and CPA.


Be curious. Have empathy. Wonder what it is like to be someone else.

Friday, 5 April, 2013

Adding this to my long list of Quotes I Love,

Be curious. Have empathy. Wonder what it is like to be someone else. Make a friend who is not like you.” – Roger Ebert‘s final words from his 1994 PBS 11th Hour speech


Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak & I talk Pentalobe Screws

Thursday, 4 April, 2013

Kempton & Woz - ScrewYouApple clip

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak & I talk Pentalobe Screws

Please contribute to help me ScrewYouApple and spread the words.


Goodbye Roger Ebert (1942-2013)

Thursday, 4 April, 2013

Terrible sad day for movies lovers to hear the news that Roger Ebert is no longer with us. I’ve got the pleasure and honour to met him once in 2000 at the Toronto International Film Festival. He was pleasant, nice, and larger than life. I remember in one screening, a volunteer had no idea who he was and didn’t let him get into the theatre for a screening which got him quite upset. I think they eventually figured out who Ebert was and let him in.

I love how Ebert writes about movies and can bring out things that I miss even though sometimes our tastes are not quite the same.

Goodbye Ebert. I know wherever you are, they will be playing movies you love non-stop.

Roger Ebert dead at 70 after battle with cancer” Apr 4th, 2013, Chicago Sun-Times obituary

EW, “Werner Herzog on Roger Ebert, ‘the good soldier of cinema’ — EXCLUSIVE

I then read these two pieces by Ebert, “A letter to Werner Herzog: In praise of rapturous truth” and “review of Encounters at the End of the World

Apr 5th, 2013 update:

via PBS, “In this 1994 clip, Roger Ebert answered the question: What final message would you leave for future generations?

TorStar, “For Roger Ebert, it was always about the movies: Howell

CBC, “Roger Ebert mourned by world leaders, film industry vets

The Hollywood Reporter, “THR’s Todd McCarthy Remembers Roger Ebert


Happy 57th birthday, “Long Hair”, Leung Kwok-hung!

Wednesday, 27 March, 2013

I want to wish “Long Hair”, Leung Kwok-hung, happy 57th birthday, good health and all the best! Here is my 2005 documentary “Long Hair Revolution” filmed only two months after his election to Legislative Council of Hong Kong. I’m happy to say my first documentary has been added to the federal government “Library and Archives Canada” permanent collection in Ottawa.

Long Hair Revolution 長毛革命 @ national archive of Canada


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