blogTO | Posts by Jerrold

Stereoscope by Blinkenlights: Extended

Jerrold — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:17:00 PDT

It was certainly one of the crowd favourites at last weekend's Nuit Blanche 2008 in Toronto. Enthusiastic crowds gathered at City Hall and used their cell phones to play classic arcade games like Pong on the building's facades.

There's good news for those who didn't have a chance to see the awesome interactive light display. Stereoscope by German artists Blinkenlights will continue to blink away tonight, until 7am on Sunday morning.

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Toronto Maple Leafs Superfan or Official Car?

Jerrold — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:21:15 PDT

I spotted this PT Cruiser today, custom painted and decked out in Toronto Maple Leafs logos. I couldn't tell if the car is that of a seriously committed superfan, or it's an official team promotional effort.

"The passion that unites us all" (LOL) is written across the back of the car, and "Go Leafs Go" graces the front roof spoiler. But the bobbleheads and babies hoisting the Stanley Cup that sit on the dashboard take the cake.

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Morning Brew: October 10th, 2008

Jerrold — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:30:00 PDT

Photo: "big dreams" by gp0256, member of the blogTO Flickr pool. ~ See it bigger ~.

What's happening in the GTA:

Unknown vandals have been trying to mess with the upcoming federal election by harassing Liberal supporters with phone calls, property destruction, and by cutting their car brake lines. Now it's being reported that Liberal candidates homes have been targeted. Somebody please catch the culprit so we can take turns tar and feathering him/her/them on our way to voting stations next Tuesday.

Last night the Leafs managed to kick off the season by beating the reigning Stanley Cup champs in Detroit. But the bigger story was the announcement of the finalists in the CBC's new Hockey Night in Canada theme. A 13-year old from Toronto has made the cut. Go Robert Go!

The only thing worse than seeing your baby's stroller hit by a car is being accused of being at fault for a car hitting your baby's stroller. This will end up being one serious lesson learned regardless of the outcome in her trial. The child suffered very minor injuries.

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MTV gets Fucked Up... Again

Jerrold — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:08:19 PDT

When inviting local punk band Fucked Up back to MTV Live, they had to have suspected that something out of the ordinary might happen.

The first time they were on the show back in January of 2007, overzealous fans ended up ripping apart parts of the stage, moshing, and causing a couple of thousand dollars worth of damage.

Tonight, the band was back. Sound check went alright, but when they went live, they kinda... um... trashed the bathroom.

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Morning Brew: October 9th, 2008

Jerrold — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:35:35 PDT

Photo: "Time to haul ass." by cl-s, member of the blogTO Flickr pool. ~ See it bigger ~.

What's happening in the GTA:

Say goodbye to fresh, local peaches and cream cobs, and say hello to frozen nibblets shipped in from Timbuktu. Urban sprawl is quickly depleting arable farm lands surrounding Canada's largest city, at a time when people are aiming to eat more local. You know what they say about hindsight...

A report by a think tank (that largely opposes our involvement in Afghanistan) claims that the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan will cost the federal government $28billion by 2011 - a heck of a lot more that what Harper's Conservatives have estimated. Another report comes in at $22billion. Will this be money well spent during a looming global recession?

Listeria is proving to be one resilient microorganism at Maple Leaf's Toronto plant. Ongoing screening has found that 4 of 5000 products tested positive for Listeria. None of the affected product was shipped. The news comes shortly after we learned that the CFIA sat on their hands with lips sealed for several days before going public on the first major outbreak.

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"Drugged Driving" Charges Laid in Toronto

Jerrold — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:57:32 PDT

According to an article published just minutes ago on CP24, Toronto Police have laid the first ever charges for "drugged driving" under new laws that were brought into place in July.

It's not certain at this point what drug was found to be causing impairment, but police Sgt. Tim Burrows has told reporters that some tests have been sent off to lab for analysis.

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Morning Brew: October 8th, 2008

Jerrold — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:35:50 PDT

Photo: "Eye Wide Shut..." by chewie2008~, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA:

Police in Brampton have no right to pull you over and ask you to pay for your crime in cash, on the spot. Real cops tried this on me once in Manila, but if this happens in the GTA, you've gotta ask yourself if the guy asking for money is actually a police officer. Chances are, he isn't.

The tanning industry (I'm talking about people paying to get fake-sunned, not animal hides being prepped in Acton) is an odd one to begin with. Now it's coming under government scrutiny because so many salons aren't playing by the rules designed to keep it safe.

The Daily Bread Food Bank's fall food drive is not going very well, and drastic shortages of donations are a cause for concern. Perhaps with the looming economic meltdown, people are starting to worry more and more about themselves than those in far more dire need?

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Nuit Blanche 2008 - Video Epilogue by Dear Toronto

Jerrold — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:56:26 PDT

I've seen all 25 videos created by the vloggers at Dear Toronto, and this one, by far, deserves top kudos. Whether you were out for Nuit Blanche 2008 or you missed it, this video is worth watching.

That was $17 well spent, eh guys? :)

Tracking Toronto Traffic on the iPhone

Jerrold — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:43:48 PDT

I drive often enough on highways in Toronto to know that sitting in bumper-to-bumper situations (on the eastbound Gardiner Expressway, at the Humber, at 6pm on a Tuesday evening) can get the better of you.

I distract myself from the fact that the illuminated road sign ahead says "GARDINER MOVING VERY SLOW SOUTH KINGSWAY TO BEYOND DUFFERIN" (on a good day the word VERY is not included in the message). I ask myself questions that I never remember to follow through on, like "how does that sign know where and when there's congestion?"

Upon doing a little digging, I discovered that it's not just helicopters observing from overhead, and cameras scanning the road from utility poles. We also have sensors buried beneath the pavement that detect vehicle movement patterns and automatically report conditions back to the City and the public via road signs and the web and, if you feel that ten buckaroos is worth it, to your iPhone.

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Morning Brew: October 7th, 2008

Jerrold — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:30:44 PDT

Photo: "fastlane" by tomms, member of the blogTO Flickr pool. ~ See it bigger ~.

What's happening in the GTA:

It's a classic case of they said and the police said different. Did Toronto police mistake a physically and mentally handicapped man for his brother? Was entering his bedroom and beating and tasering him more than once excessive? The courts will have to decide.

More than half of the hundreds of homeless people surveyed in Toronto suffer from traumatic brain injuries. This raises some important questions, for sure. Is brain injury be a risk factor for becoming homeless? Can the risk be reduced if detected and treated early?

The story is thin on details so far, but someone out there is a wannabe gangster, who actually pulled the "two slugs" routine by shooting the victim in both legs at a Mississauga bar. Not sure if the slugs took out the knee caps.

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Taking the Subway Home... Literally

Jerrold — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:47:33 PDT

One drunken night in the early '90s, when I was a rebellious teenager riding the subway, I decided to steal and take home one of the TTC subway route maps that hung unmounted and backlit above the subway doors. It wasn't clear what motivated me, but I'm guessing that my actions were a result of my desire to feel the rush of theft... and in some twisted way, declare my closet transit geek status. I wanted a piece of the subway experience to live on in perpetuity in my bedroom at home.

Fast forward to 2008. Now you don't have to steal to take a piece of the subway home.

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In Photos: Nuit Blanche 2008

Jerrold — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:39:49 PDT

Some absolutely stunning Nuit Blanche photos from the 2008 installment in Toronto have been trickling into the blogTO Flickr Pool yesterday and today.

In the one taken by Ryan Coleman above, we see a Nuit Blanche'r looking up at part of Yoko Ono's "Imagine Peace" exhibit in Liberty Village.

And there are lots more to see...

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Morning Brew: October 6th, 2008

Jerrold — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:21:25 PDT

Photo: "Matrix" by aka dito, member of the blogTO Flickr pool. ~ See it bigger ~

What's happening in the GTA:

As many as 25 homes with signs expressing support for the Liberal party reported serious vandalism and potentially deadly sabotage. Did we wake up in Toronto this morning, or are we in Baghdad? Cutting the car brake lines of people supporting different political views is not something that should happen in a civilized democracy.

Nuit Blanche 2008 was a huge success, drawing a million people onto the streets of the city for an all-night contemporary art experience. It's a shame that we don't have a contemporary transit system or a more logical road closure plan to accommodate the crowds. Again this year many people are complaining about the difficulties getting around, and in a terrible accident, one woman even ended up pinned under a streetcar at Spadina and College.

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Nuit Blanche 2008 - Quixotic (video)

Jerrold — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:16:39 PDT

At 5am this morning, and nearing the end of the 2008 Nuit Blanche experience, Dear Toronto captured this visually stunning "phantasmagoric roaming ritual" performance of Quixotic on King St. East in Zone B.

I would have loved to have seen it in person, but I was all walked out and ready to crash after an enjoyable time exploring the many excellent curated works in Liberty Village.

I'm left wondering what other works in Zone B I should have seen, and wishing I had been able to see it all!

Morning Brew: October 3rd, 2008

Jerrold — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:26:40 PDT

Photo: "window washing @ Yonge/Finch" by Phil Marion, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Friday October 3rd, 2008:

Who's tired this morning? I am. And I suspect many of you are too, after watching both the Canadian leaders and the US Vice Presidential candidates debate last night.

Highlights of the ~~four-on-one brawl~~ Canadian leaders' debate: Dion promised "more fun for Canada", Layton wants to know if the Conservative platform is being hidden "underneath the sweater", May was feisty and finger-pointing and using the word "fraud", Harper's son is "learning to play the guitar" (i.e. he's an "artist"), and at one point Duceppe looked like he was going to jump over the table if Harper wouldn't say "reimbursable". And it was moderated by a familiar character. 9/10

In the ~~Nascar race south of the border~~ US VP debate, Biden was on and, for the most part, Palin was able to avoid crashing and burning (and giving Tina Fey direct quotes to use on Saturday). 7/10

The proposed arts centre at the base of the forthcoming "L Tower" at Yonge & Front has been axed due to lack of funding from the provincial and federal governments. What will we get instead? Retail space, a food court, a fountain, and condos. Sigh.

Disgusting crack pipes will be replaced by comparatively pleasant doggy doo. That's the change that developers, councilors, and residents hope the new off-leash dog area at Allan Gardens will bring about.

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