AHA MEDIA was invited to go and film at the http://www.FightHst.com Rally on Saturday, Sept 18, 2009 at Canada Place. An estimated 5,000 people showed up to support the cause!
Speaker included
Tom Shields – M.C. (Former Mayor of Osoyoos)
Bill Vander Zalm – Host (Former BC Premier)
Carole James – Leader of the Official Opposition
Bill Tieleman – No BC HST Facebook Creator / 24 Hours columnist.
Below is a photo of April Smith of AHA MEDIA with Ellen Woodsworth, Deputy Mayor of Vancouver who gave a rousing speech!
Please see http://www.FightHST.com for videos and photos of the rally!
Here’s an interview I did with Pack where he finally reveals the story behind his name. He also talks about why he hates rappers so much.
There’s also footage of him recording a feature he’s doing for my artist John “Poizun” Regan for his album “Sorry I’m Late” — which also features Joell Ortiz, 88-Keys, Royce da 5′9″, Ill Bill, Juganot, Amanda Diva and production by J. Cardim, Frequency, YZ, and Dub B. There’s also a pretty big named feature on it that I can’t say yet because it’s not official. But shouts to Pack for coming through to do the record!!
Rio de Janeiro, início de agosto, 2009. na Assembléia Geral da União Astronômica Internacional (UAI GA, na sigla em Inglês), a comunidade científica estava em polvorosa. Entre astrônomos, engenheiros, estudantes, cientistas do primeiro escalão da pesquisa mundial e representantes dos mais diversos países, uma enorme confluência de línguas e culturas, numa verdadeira celebração da ciência mundial. Neste ambiente entusiasmante, conversei com um dos nomes mais respeitados da Astronomia brasileira, o prof. João Steiner. Entre os vários cargos que já exerceu, Steiner foi secretário de Coordenação das Unidades de Pesquisa do Ministério de Ciência e Tecnologia, presidente da Sociedade Astronômica Brasileira, vice-presidente do consórcio internacional Gemini e diretor do Instituto de Estudos Avançados (IEA) da USP, e é conhecido no Brasil e na cena mundial por ocupar a presidência no Conselho Diretor do Consórcio do Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) Telescope, cargo a que foi eleito e que envolve esforços em conjunto do Chile, EUA e Brasil para a construção de um telescópio para ser operado nos Andes chilenos.
Conversamos um pouco sobre a assembléia da UAI no Rio de Janeiro e a Astronomia no Brasil.
Como foi a escolha do Rio de Janeiro para se fazer a GA deste ano?
Isso é uma história curiosa, porque é algo muito disputado. E mais ainda porque essa reunião só ocorre uma vez a cada três anos. Veja bem: nos últimos 30 anos só aconteceram 10 reuniões em 10 países diferentes. E nunca houve no Brasil. Então nós decidimos concorrer, e a concorrência foi dura, porque concorremos com a China, Canadá e Estados Unidos (era pra ser no Havaí). E a China veio com muita força. Então, para a agente ter alguma chance de convencer essa reunião a ser feita no Brasil, tínhamos o Rio de Janeiro, porque o Rio tem um poder de atração diferencial, porque todo estrangeiro tem um checklist de “lugares a visitar na vida” com o Rio de Janeiro na rota. Então, é relativamente fácil convencer um estrangeiro a vir num congresso científico no Brasil, desde que seja no Rio de Janeiro. Porque é uma cidade diferente, tem muitos atrativos, a praia, da paisagem… então foi por essa razão que nós, astrônomos brasileiros, numa reunião da Sociedade Astronômica, escolhemos o Rio de Janeiro para concorrer, e graças a isso nós ganhamos da China e dos outros países.
O fato de esta GA ter sido feita no Brasil este ano tem ajudado a atrair os olhares e chamar mais a atenção para a Astronomia que é feita aqui?
Eu diria o seguinte: na verdade, a astronomia brasileira tem tido bastante apoio do governo federal, bastante apoio dos governos estaduais – pelo menos no estado de São Paulo, não é? - e nós não podemos nos queixar por falta de apoio. Então, eu não diria que aumentou o apoio, porque ele já existia. O que acontece – e isso sim foi um diferencial – foi o seguinte: coincidiu também de esse ano ser o Ano Internacional da Astronomia (AIA). E isso sim foi um diferencial muito grande, porque deu muita visibilidade para a Astronomia. Então, juntou-se o AIA com (a reunião da) União Astronômica Internacional, e isso sim reforçou uma certa sinergia para essas coisas todas, e deu uma visibilidade muito boa nos meios de comunicação, na imprensa, junto à opinião pública e uma certa repercussão também junto ao governo.
Então o retorno não foi necessariamente em termos financeiros, mas principalmente em valor agregado, com mais gente interessada…
Isso, mais gente… e eu acho que o diferencial foi muito mais para a sociedade do que com relação ao governo.
E isso teve algum impacto na pesquisa científica no Brasil de alguma forma?
Eu diria o seguinte, eu diria o contrário: talvez a razão mais importante porque a reunião é aqui é porque isso é um reconhecimento da comunidade internacional de que existe uma ciência sólida sendo feita no Brasil. É um reconhecimento disso. E a gente pode confirmar isso com o número de astrônomos brasileiros que estão participando com trabalhos. Eu até tenho esse dado em algum lugar por aqui, e me parece que é da ordem dos 300, bom, 360 astrônomos brasileiros inscritos no congresso. O que é um número muito alto, considerando que no Brasil existem hoje, contando pesquisadores com doutorado e alunos do mestrado e doutorado que trabalham em tempo integral em Astronomia são 500, 508. E é muito. Em 1970, eram dois, três. Agora são 500. 508. é um crescimento extraordinário, não é? E muito recente. Eu sou uma das pessoas mais velhas – como você pode ver, sou muito jovem, totalmente jovem, né? (risos) – na área. Eu fiz doutorado em 1979. Fui o quarto doutorado na USP na área de Astronomia. Então isso, do ponto de vista da história da ciência, é algo muito recente.
E então, o que se faz em Astronomia hoje no Brasil? Quem são os nossos maiores parceiros em cooperação científica internacionalmente?
Nós temos muita cooperação com os Estados Unidos e com a Europa (…) só que os nossos projetos, os nossos grandes telescópios (somos parceiros nos projetos Gemini e Soar, que são dois grandes telescópios), ficam um no Havaí e um no Chile. São telescópios fantásticos, entre os melhores do mundo, e nós somos sócios. O Soar, por exemplo (cuja construção é liderada pelo prof. Steiner) é uma parceria com os estados Unidos, que conta com três instituições americanas. Nós temos 34% das ações. E no Gemini são seis países, sendo que o principal também são os Estados Unidos. Então sob o ponto de vista de iniciativas estratégicas e grandes equipamentos nesses projetos, o grande parceiro são os Estados Unidos. Mas do ponto de vista de cooperação científica, nós temos um pé nos Estados Unidos e outro na Europa.
A few weeks back I talked about Crazy Egg’s Confetti as a great analytics tool for data visualization and thought it worth some follow up. Amee over at Crazy Egg came through with the inside scope on Crazy Egg 2.0 as well as some insights on data visualization. To the left is the new drop down menu – some nice new options.
PMT – How have you seen the need for data visualization change/evolve in recent years?
CE - Because of the vast amount of data out there, it can be hard for companies to comprehend the data. Visualizations that provide an insight about users and more importantly actionable data, make it easier for companies to understand their data.
Similar to what some analytics companies are doing now, I think over the next few years companies are going to concentrate and create more useful visuals and not just pretty ones.
PMT – How do data visualization tools fit with typical analytics platforms like Omniture? What’s the best way to create synergy between the two?
CE – Well, they help you understand the data in a different way. Some people are visual while others prefer crunching numbers. I think analytics companies are going to have to meet the needs of both type of users.
PMT – What’s new with the upcoming Confetti release?
CE – The best way to create a synergy is through deep integration. This way the user experience is seamless.
Crazy Egg 2.0:
• Completely rewritten from the ground up
• Improved stability, performance, and reliability throughout the whole system
• Reports are always available
• Reports load much quicker
• Improved tracking reliability
• Improved tracking accuracy
• Added many more dimensions of data to Confetti and Overlay, including custom user variables
• Higher-resolution heatmaps
• New snapshot creation UI
• Ability to fine-tune URL matching URLs for snapshots
• Ability to edit running tests
• Improved screenshots (better font rendering)
• Improved error handling and messaging
• Better tools for our users to diagnose potential installation/configuration issues
Coming soon…
• Regular expressions for URL matching rules
• Ability to handle template tracking
• Ability to track login-protected pages
• Export to CSV
• Downloadable Heatmaps
• IP Address blocking (existing 1.0 feature)
• Ability to track custom elements
To brush up on your analytics, pick up a copy of Web Analytics: An Hour a Day
Thomas Greanias is the New York Times bestselling author of Raising Atlantis, The Atlantis Prophecy and The Atlantis Revelation. Also, his eBooks are No.1 on Amazon worldwide and his Audiobooks on iTunes are No.1 worldwide. He is one of the leading authors of adventure novels. When you read one of his novels, you can’t put it down. You are pulled into a vortex of mystery and intrigue.
The mystery of Atlantis appeals to many. A lot wonder if it really existed; perhaps even buried far below an ocean. Maybe someone will find Atlantis someday, but until then, we can read and enjoy the puzzle surrounding it.
I was ecstatic when Thomas agreed to an interview. I feel honored and privileged.
What is your process of researching for your novels?
A mix of intuition and connecting the dots. There are so many mind-blowing “factoids” floating out there in our overloaded information age dying for some perspective. I end up looking at the trends behind those facts, past and present, and extrapolate what the future might hold, where we might be heading.
What drove you to pen the Atlantis novels?
The failure of my screenplay Chain of Command —my “big buck spec script,” according to Daily Variety —to get produced back in the late 1990s. It was about a female secretary of education who becomes the president after a nuclear attack takes out Washington and the first 15 guys in line. Columbia made the similar “Air Force One” with Harrison Ford instead. Since then, every actress considered for my script eventually played a female president, vice president or first lady in a movie or TV series: Glenn Close (Air Force One),Sigourney Weaver (Dave), Geena Davis (Commander in Chief) and Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica). What’s funny is that over the years at Hollywood parties I get comments from some people about how much they loved my movie. They think they’ve seen it, but it was never made. So instead of waiting for Hollywood, I wrote Raising Atlantis.
You have been a correspondent for national security issues; has this experience given you a lot of knowledge for your novels?
The Atlantis Prophecy would not have been possible were it not for my first-hand tunnel-crawling and associated experiences in Washington, D.C., years ago. I knew I was going to write a novel about it someday, but I didn’t know it would come out after Raising Atlantis as The Atlantis Prophecy.
I am a big fan of Clive Cussler, who has given you high praise. How does it feel to have other bestselling authors,especially of your genre, give you great acclaim?
Flattered and undeserving.
When did you begin writing stories? What or who has been your biggest inspiration?
Preschool. Leo Tolstoy is my biggest inspiration. War and Peace humbles you as a writer with both its vast scale and personal intimacy. And his later short works like Father Sergius and Hadji Murad are practically religious experiences in themselves. But I think it was John Jay Osborn’s novel The Paper Chase, based on his first year of law school at Harvard, that got me started. I loved the idea that we could take the raw experiences of our lives and turn them into stories that inspire others.
What do you do besides writing your next novel; any fun hobbies, any crazy collections?
I do a lot of fun things with my wife and two boys, and I’m fortunate enough to have some of the most interesting friends around. I seem to go back and forth between the sand and snow.
Can you tell us about your new novel that will be coming out?
THE PROMISED WAR is about an Israeli counter-terrorism agent named Sam Deker who gets blown back to 1410 BC and the ancient Israelite army’s history-changing invasion of the Promised Land.
Can you tell us more about the contest that you have been doing for readers?
*You can see the two finalists yourself on YouTube. Just type in Atlantis Revelation.
What advice can you give to struggling writers?
Remember that writing is both a craft and a business. You’ll always struggle with the craft, whether you’re unpublished or Leo Tolstoy (who didn’t believe the novel was even an art form when he penned War and Peace). And the business is changing before our eyes. Editors are spending less time reading manuscripts and more time trolling the Web to see who has an eBook, blog or other form of proof-of-concept that seems to be working. So work your craft, but get your work out there as soon as you can, too.
*Thomas Greanias had a contest called The Atlantis Revelation Movie Trailer Mashup for a chance to win and watch the trailer on CBS. You can see the entries here:
Mashup Entries
Learn more about Thomas Greanias on his website:
http://www.thomasgreanias.com/index_loaded.html
On his website,you will also find where to order his books,eBooks and Audiobooks.
An epic interview with the drummer for the Chili Peppers and Chickenfoot (not to mention his own solo project) He’s witty, engaging, and generous with his time. Hear the whole 22 minutes (including a shout out to Waukesha and The Pfister) here.
Chad Smith (extended interview…bonus content)
Chad Smith: Red Hot Chili Peppers Chickenfoot
Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatballs
-Adam Perry, a CC guest blogger, writes for Boulder Weekly, Denver Westword and his own blog Beautiful Buzz
Hello to Pittsburgh from Boulder, CO! Seeing Girl Talk — probably the best Pittsburgh act since Don Cab and certainly the most popular since Rusted Root — the other night at Red Rocks was pretty special for a Pittsburgh native like me, especially when one of his co-horts came out in a basketball jersey with the Steelers logo on it.
Girl Talk is a controversial music star, making a career of stealing snippets of famous songs and dancing in the crowd while his hybrid creations boom out of professional sound-systems, but one thing is certain: Greg Gillis is really an amazing story: a white kid from Bridgeville who is now an international sensation, selling out big venues and headlining festivals not as a musician, not as a DJ, but as a computer mash-up wunderkind. I recently got to interview Gillis for part of a Boulder Weekly cover story on the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks and thought I’d share the unabridged interview on this, my older brother’s rising Pittsburgh arts blog. Hope you enjoy!
Adam Perry: I went to high school in Bethel Park, PA and have since lived in San Francisco, Boulder and Santa Fe. What’s it like in Pittsburgh now? I’ve heard there seems to be an art and music scene popping up there – do you feel like that’s true, and if so…do you feel like you’re a part of it?
Girl Talk (Greg Gillis): Awesome! I went to Chartiers Valley! CV Colts baby. Pittsburgh rules. The Steelers won the Super Bowl. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup. We’ve had an unstoppable year. There’s always been a healthy art and music scene here. I started to go to local shows around 1996, and I’ve been exposed to a lot of great shit. Back then, I was into Operation Re-Information, the 1985, Don Cabellero, and a bunch of others. I was able to start a band where we basically just smashed stuff and threw fireworks at the audience, and people embraced it to a certain degree. It was a great place to grow up musically. And it’s still going strong today with local acts: Grand Buffet, Wiz Khalifa, Centipede E’est, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Modey Lemon, and so on. I’m friends with many of those people, and I play shows with them. Everyone is connected to some degree.
AP: Did you grow up listening to hip-hop, or just lots of different stuff? I’m curious as to how a kid from Bridgeville ends up on bills with people like the GZA.
Girl Talk: I grew up listening to hip hop and lots of other stuff. I got into hip hop initially, from Kriss Kross to Public Enemy. My mind was melted by Nirvana a couple years later and then I followed up with more underground material. Who wasn’t jamming “36 Chambers” when it came out?
AP: Do you play lots of instruments, or do you focus on being a DJ? I’m wondering if your mind now works in a different way while listening to music – are you ever able to just enjoy a single song, or are you just picking out what you might be able to co-opt?
Girl Talk: I don’t play anything other than a computer. I’ve never really considered myself a DJ. If I played the drums, I imagine that I would possibly focus on the drums when listening to Led Zeppelin, but that wouldn’t me I couldn’t enjoy it too. So when I’m listening to pop music, things are always jumping out at me to sample, but it doesn’t take away from the music.
AP: Monolith is a big festival at arguably the best outdoor venue in the United States – some say the world – but do you prefer playing in packed clubs? What are some good outdoor concert experiences you’ve had so far?
Girl Talk: I’ve had a summer full of festivals; it’s definitely different than the club experience, but I don’t think you can compare the two. Just an entirely different thing. I think both have benefits and setbacks. I grew up playing smaller venues, naturally, so that’s where the project will always be grounded. But I love doing the large outdoor thing. It’s refreshing. I saw Lil’ Wayne this summer in Pittsburgh outdoors, and that was a great outdoor concert experience. He nailed it. There were some great homemade T-shirts there.
AP: The last time you headlined in Boulder, a bunch of my friends from out of town were all excited to see you at the Fox and then left early because the overflow crowd of obnoxious C.U. frat guys surprised and annoyed them. How have you seen your audience evolving recently, as you gain more mainstream attention?
GT: Sure, I love it. I love the audience expanding. As you gain popularity, it’s going to become a more diverse collection of people. I don’t want there to be any rules as to what you’re supposed to look or act like to be at the show. If people are uncomfortable, then great.
