Columns

Primal Numbers – Tattoo You

Tattoos have come a long way in popular culture. From their image as the disreputable domain of bikers and hoodlums, they’re now worn proudly by people of all ages and occupations. But while consumers know enough to look for health inspections and clean needles before getting that hummingbird on their ankle, there probably aren’t many… Read more »

From Where I Sit – Revert to Routine

Most of us gravitate to the familiar. We stick with a favourite route to work or the store. If we find a doctor, hairdresser, shoe shop, or dentist we like we keep going back until they miss a diagnosis, take too much off the top, sell us stilettos, or yank out the wrong tooth. Most… Read more »

Music Review – Liam Corcoran

Composer: Liam Corcoran EP: ROM-DROM Sometimes the best music is creating using the most basic sounds and elements. The simplicity of poetic lyrics, gentle piano, and folk-inspired guitar and drums used together often creates music that is incredibly relaxing and laid back. ROM-DROM is a mini-album that uses these feelings to bring to life some… Read more »

The Mindful Bard – Overqualifieder

Book: Overqualifieder Author: Joey Comeau “Also worth noting: b) every one of these letters was actually sent to a company, and not one of them ever replied. It breaks my heart.” – Joey Comeau Almost as soul-crushing as a real job is the process of looking for a real job, which is why Overqualifieder and… Read more »

Fly on the Wall – Lost and Found in the Moment

Snorkeling in clear and bright Okanagan Lake the other day allowed me to ponder future course opportunities and dream up esoteric ?Fly On the Wall? Topics. Just as I began to suppose that I’d see no fish on this swim, a huge carp glided into my peripheral vision. Had it been watching me and decided… Read more »

Dear Barb – Talkie Movie Issues

Dear Barb: My girlfriend and I went to the movie theatre last week and she hasn’t spoken to me since. While the movie was playing she kept talking to me. I tried to ignore her and watch the movie, but she kept on talking. She always does this when we go to the movies and… Read more »

The Writer’s Toolbox – I Have a Spellchecker

“Eye halve a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea…” You’ve seen the humorous poem before, and you get it; spellcheckers are the misfits of the editing world. They miss homophones. They mix up words. Their understanding of grammar is downright laughable. But they’re not entirely useless?and if you write them off, you could… Read more »

Primal Numbers – Fast Talking Toys

Whether your doll of choice was a Barbie or a G.I. Joe, chances are that you talked to it. And you probably wished it could talk to you?for real, not just when you pulled a string. Now, Internet-connected toys really can talk to kids, thanks to speech recognition software. It’s easy to see how that… Read more »

In Conversation with Director, Erik Poppe, Part II

Norwegian Erik Poppe started his career as a photojournalist, covering war zones all over the world before turning to cinematography. Many elements in his latest feature, A Thousand Times Good Night, the story of a photojournalist torn between career and family, are autobiographical (he admits that some lines in the movie came from his own… Read more »