Society of Professional Journalists Multimedia Panel

I'm presenting on a panel sponsored by the SPJ tomorrow. The topic is Multimedia, 5:30pm in Old Main 234. The other panelists are Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon from the Statesman and Dustin Coleman from 210SA. I'll be covering some general trends regarding multimedia skills and careers, then the pros will take over. Here's my presentation:

http://www.cindyroyal.com/present/mult_journ_spj.ppt

A Very Musical Thanksgiving

One of the great things about living in Austin is the amount of terrific live music any night of the week. On the one hand, you have undiscovered local talent playing at a coffee shop...
That's my neighbor, Brent Adair, playing at Flipnotics at the Triangle in Central Austin. He's a singer/songwriter with a very fresh sound and good rapport with his audience. Check him out at www.brentadair.com and listen to his new tracks on www.sonicbids.com/brentadair.

On the other hand, you have a platinum-selling band playing for local fans at a legendary venue...
Miles Zuniga, Tony Scalzo, and Joey Shuffield of Fastball have been playing some shows recently, showcasing old hits and new material. They had a mega hit in the late 90's with The Way. The talented songwriters Zuniga & Scalzo share vocal responsibilities, and have enjoyed frequent comparisons with Lennon/McCartney for their pop hooks, unique harmonies, and chemistry. They still deliver a tight rock-and-roll show, and the crowd at the Continental Club in South Austin these past few Wednesdays has responded enthusiastically to seeing their old friends making music together again.

North Van

It continues to rain in Vancouver, but I was determined to get out and see a little more of the city than what I was able to reach by foot. My hotel is very close to the Waterfront, and that is were you can catch the Seabus over to North Vancouver. At the Lonsdale Station across Burrard Inlet, there is a cute little indoor market with food and shops. So, that was a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon. This is a view of Downtown Vancouver from the other side. As you can see, the weather is lovely.

The Seabus Ferry. Good thing it's covered.

Lonsdale Quay Market from the outside....

...and the inside.

OK, I'm ready to go home now!!!

Downtown Vancouver

I got out of the conference at 5pm on Saturday, and wanted to use the daylight to use a little exploring. The downtown area is very accessible, easy to get around. But, it is still pretty cold and a bit rainy. The forecast improves after I leave. I explored the Waterfront area and then walked back down Robson Street, which is a big shopping district, very active on a Saturday evening.

One of the things I noticed right away upon arrival in Vancouver was that people were very nice and polite, also friendly, but not in a creepy way. It reminded me a lot of how Austinites are. I chalked it up to this being Canada and all. But, I passed a newstand yesterday, and the top story was about how Vancouver was named Canada's 2nd most polite city. So, I guess they are even considered extra polite among Canadian's. I found this article online that explains that it is a Reader's Digest survey. The #1 city is Moncton, New Brunswick, and according to the article "locals say simply asking for directions can get you invited over to a total stranger's house for tea."

Here are some photos from my afternoon walk. Today, I plan to take a Ferry across Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver (North Van, as they call it) to go to a market on Lonsdale Quay (pronounced "kee").

View from Waterfront across Burrard Inlet.


Downtown buildings. The Waterfront area has a lot of residential development.

This upside-down house is a sculpture featured on the Vancouver Sculpture Biennale. It is the "Device to Root Out Evil" by Dennis Oppenheimer. More can be found at http://www.vancouverbiennale.com/sculptures_page.php?sculptureID=17