We're thinking about....


by Alexandra Samuel

For the first time in a year, I’ve lost myself in a book. It’s Barbara Kingsolver’s latest, The Lacuna– a marvellous historical novel that centers on a Mexican-American who becomes cook and secretary to Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky. I’ve disappeared into the world of mid-century revolutionaries and artists, surfacing into my own life with that lingering distraction that comes from having half of my head, and even more of my heart, ensnared in a fictional world.

by Alexandra Samuel

If you want to sharpen or deepen your use of social media, try going to art school.

That’s the big takeaway from my first months here at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. I can’t say I’m “going to” art school — my role heading up the new Social + Interactive Media Centre has so far kept me out of the classroom, though I’m dying to audit everything from the course on art since 1945 to the Continuing Studies class in Arduino.

by Maria Lantin

It feels like Christmas eve pretty much every night now.  Every day there is something to look forward to.  Last night was the game, tonight was preview night at CODE Live 1.  Tomorrow is Opening Night for CODE Live.   And it goes on.  I picked up more tickets today:  for a choral evening at St-Andrews, and for the Cirque Eloize.

by Maria Lantin

I was on a panel about innovation today.  Alex asked me to be on the panel yesterday after someone else cancelled.  I was a bit panicky at the idea of speaking about innovation because the word has been so overused that I can barely get a grasp on it.  It seems to be a word we use when we mean "something new that will make me lots of money" when really it should be more like "something new that makes life better for a lot of people".  Either way, it's simplistic and trite to add it onto practically every company and product and high-up person out there.

by Maria Lantin

I saw the movie The Hurt Locker last night.  I'm not sure what I think about it.  I experienced a kind of boredom and confusion throughout, like it wasn't fitting into any trope I was expecting except maybe a video game.  No soundtrack makes it deadpan.  Camera manipulation is slightly reminiscent of a home movie.  No story arc aside from the guy who's afraid to die and indirectly involves an unprepared officer in a dangerous situation.  The thread is a macho bomb diffuser who can't get enough. 

by Maria Lantin

Just got back from the fourth installment of Paul Wong's 5 Projects.  This time it was at the MountainView cemetery.  For some reason before I went there I had visions of Halloween with spooky soundtracks and disturbing images.  It wasn't that at all.  Turns out Paul has a fascination with death in a way that I can relate to.  There were 16 works in total, each really interesting.  Some highlights:

by Maria Lantin

I attended a talk by Bruce Alexander today.  He's a professor of psychology at SFU, and recently wrote a book called The Globalisation of Addiction.