Bad Metaphor 3

I've uploaded the third Bad Metaphor podcast by John and myself today. It's about publicity this time and John and I talk about being famous as well as famous people we've met (or not). It's fun to do a podcast and I'm trying to figure out ways to do it more quickly, but I find I always need time to edit and craft these things. A little secret about the podcast for loyal readers: up to this point we've put up only about half of the podcasts. Some other topics haven't worked out, so we decided not to use them. I think that's a good thing since it's more important to have quality than quantity. I'm following the advice from the Frogbody blog (by Carson McComas) which has a superb list of 20 Ideas for a Great Podcast. tags: badmetaphor, podcast, publicity
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My iPod With Video

I've had my new 30 GB iPod with video for about a month and a half now and I'm a bit surprised at how different it is from the iPod Shuffle that I used previously. The obvious difference comes from having a screen and being able to play video. But what I wasn't expecting was that I'd listen to a lot more music. With the Shuffle I occasionally would use autofill, but most of the time I would have a few albums and favourite tracks and have most of it filled with podcasts. I'd carefully choose the podcasts and would regularly rotate them.
Now I don't have to choose a limited selection with all of my music on the iPod and my podcast subscriptions have grown dramatically. In the early days of podcasting when I didn't have an iPod I would carefully choose 80 minutes of podcasts or music and burn a CD for the drive to Halifax each day. With the Shuffle I'd always have something to listen to, but now with the bigger iPod I have much more than enough to listen to. The increased choice is both good and bad. Sometimes it takes me longer to choose what to listen to, but overall I love have a queue that is always full of something to enjoy.
I'm listening to a lot more music and watching a bit more video, but most of the time with the white earbuds is spent on music. I'm buying more music now (from both iTunes and Bleep), but I'm also listening to a great deal more Creative Commons music as well. My current favourite podcasts now are Vu d'Ici / Seen From Here (music), CC365 - Creative Commons 2006 Calendar (which provides a new CC licensed song every day!), The Revolution (CC licensed music and interviews), Big Shed (audio documentary), KCRW's The Treatment and The Business (two shows about the film and tv industry), 43 Folders (productivity tips), The Ricky Gervais Podcast (comedy) and my newest discovery, Inside the Net (interviews and discussion of new Web trends). On the video side there are only two vidcasts (vodcasts?) that I never miss and they are the daily Rocketboom and the weekly Command-N (that I've helped tape a few segments for) and they both feature tech news. An odd thing is that I prefer watching them on the iPod's small screen better than on the computer screen. Maybe it's because it's more personal and connected to me. The context that media is consumed within is very important and it seems that tiny video on a tiny screen isn't as bad as tiny video on a larger screen. tags: podcasts, ipod, vlog, vidcasts
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Bad Metaphor

I'm very happy to announce the launch of the Bad Metaphor podcast. I've been playing with all of the parts of it for a while and it's time to release it into the world. The process was slow, but there was a lot of learning along the way which was very fun. The podcast means that I have yet another domain, which is at the logically named badmetaphor.com and I'm running that site with the wonderful and powerful blogging system known as Typo on Textpattern's servers. It's cool to be on the cutting edge with things that are changing quickly.
The podcast itself has slowly evolved over the last few months and now it's a collaboration between me and my son, John, who is 9. The final push came during a podcaster meetup in Halifax when I was able to meet and talk with podcasters from the area. Tod Maffin was intrigued by the possibilities of a 9 year old asking questions. That made it click for me so, John and I recorded the podcast and now it's launched.
The earlier inspiration for the podcast came from m-c Turgeon who does the Vu d'Ici / Seen From Here podcast. It made me realize that what's important isn't creating an elaborate production, but to have fun and share your voice. It's taken me back a bit to my earlier days when I was able to host a few radio shows on a college radio station. But now it's a lot more exciting because it's getting easier and easier to share what you create and that's going to change the world. So check out Beginnings and subscribe to follow us on the journey. tags: podcast, badmetaphor
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Favourite Films of 2005

If you write about films, you have to make lists and this is the time of year that you make those lists. 2005 was a pretty good year for films and with my joining of Zip.ca I was able to see many more films than I ever have before and the Atlantic Film Festival allowed me to immerse myself in film, so I have a larger body to choose from. That being said, it was easier to pick out ten films that loved. Here's the list in roughly ascending order:

• King Kong was the last film that I saw in a theatre before the end of the year and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought that I would. I was concerned about the length, but it went by at a good pace. Peter Jackson is a skilled director and manages to balance the story, the stars, the characters and the effects quite well into a story that is entertaining in a cheesy way. While the Lord of the Rings films had many more challenges in terms of the source material, with King Kong, Jackson is able to focus on what is important. A lot of fun and the epitome of how a blockbuster Hollywood film should be done.
• A History of Violence is David Cronenberg's fascinating exploration of violence in a literal and metaphorical sense. Other films explore the ideas on the surface and don't really go very deep and often undermine the point that they seem to be trying to make. With Cronenberg's unique experience exploring violence and horror cinematically, he brings a nuanced approach to the material that many in the audience I saw the film with found frustrating. The film strikes a difficult balance by undermining expectations from the beginning to the end. A challenging film that made me stop and think.
• The Five Obstructions documents a challenge from one filmmaker to another to remaking a film. Both the challenge and the remade films are filled with insights into the process of filmmaking and how people response to constraints in a creative way. It's essential viewing for filmmakers and while I'm not a fan of Lars von Trier, I loved it.
• The Take is Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein's inspirational documentary showing a positive response to globalization. It tells the story of workers in Argentina who manage to control the means of production after the economy collapses. It gives me hope for the future and serves as an example of the power of people working together to change the world.
• The understated and quirky Me and You and Everyone We Know hit me in a strange way. I wanted to see if for a while and it wasn't what I expected. Subtle, moving and odd, it's a unique film that is perfectly balanced as it is constantly skirting near the edge of what is acceptable, but writer / director / actor Miranda July has faith in her characters and she never abuses our faith in her. We see sides of the characters that I don't think I've ever seen explored in such a gentle and innocent way.
• Dear Frankie is built around a simple idea and the relationship between a mother and son. With strong performances from the leads that overcome the contrived premise, we focus on watching what the characters do or not do, instead of convoluted exposition. I was sucked in even as I was seeing what was being set up. Shona Auerbach directed and shot the film in a beautiful way that savoured every pause and moment.
• Alice Wu's feature directorial debut, Saving Face was a very pleasant surprise to me. It was my big surprise of the Atlantic Film Festival in a late night screening that I almost skipped. A character-based romantic comedy with strong leads and clever twists as a young doctor struggles with coming out to her widowed mom, who is facing challenges of her own. I loved it because it was about interesting people in families that weren't perfect.
• Neil Jordan's Breakfast on Pluto hinges on Cillian Murphy's performance which is infused with an irresistable optimism that goes through the entire film. While many dark and difficult things occur, it's a joy to watch a film that deals with political issues without being preachy and tells a story in an unapologetically first-person perspective.
• A Very Long Engagement is a sprawling historical romance that surprised me with the combination of beauty and horror. With Audrey Tatou as the centre of the film, the elaborate romantic comedy presents a series of intricate shots that are painterly in detail. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a master of style and with this film he seems to strike the perfect balance in a world that I loved being immersed in from start to finish.
• In a way, Millions is Danny Boyle's retelling of Trainspotting for kids. A magical, complicated and sweet film that manages to combine children, saints and greed to explore contemporary society, consumerism and spirituality in a way that I loved from the first frame to the last. Boyle's odd sense of humour and great visual sense made it a joy to watch and I've loved it more every time I've seen it. My favourite film of the year.