SCS2114 - Some Reading To Do On Your Way Out the Door

Technorati's State of the Blogosphere 2010: who bloggers are, how bloggers do it, and how much they make. Don't miss previous years' editions.

"The News About the Internet," the New York Review of Books' definitive look at how—at least as of summer, 2009—media and blogs interact and overlap.

"Cut This Story!" from the usually much wordier Atlantic. "One reason seekers of news are abandoning print newspapers for the Internet has nothing directly to do with technology. It’s that newspaper articles are too long."

"How Blogs are Becoming More Like Newspapers," from Gawker, one of the best blogs out there—and one that's been not undeservedly accused of being one of those parasites that David Simon is quoted slagging in the New York Review of Books article.

"What Exactly Is a Blog?" After an angry, confused email from a retired editor ("I still do not understand [blogs]. Nor do I like them"), The New York Times' public editor solicits The New York Times' managing editor to quickly defend how their paper uses blogs and blogging.

"Clay Shirky: 'Paywall will underperform – the numbers don't add up,'" in The Guardian. One of the best thinkers about the internet thinks about the future of the internet and those in the media trying to take advantage of it.

And if you haven't yet, the Gene Weingarten Washington Post column and Ryerson Review of Journalism article, previously linked to here, are must-reads if you're interested in how the internet affects (or ruins, as it were) writing.

How To Start Making A Custom Google Map

By popular demand—by which I mean Louise suggested I do this, and I remember Matt nodding in agreement—here's a step-by-step look at how to make your own Google Map and add a location to it. (There's a lot more you can do with Google Maps than what I outline here, like making custom shapes and backgrounds and borders around things or along roads, but this should help you get started.)

1. Go to Google Maps, click the "My Maps" link, and then click "Create new map."

2. Give your map a title and set it to "Unlisted"; if your map is Unlisted, you can still embed in and send people links to it.

3. Search for a location as you otherwise would in Google Maps. I'll find College and McCaul, since that's where we have class.

4. When Google Maps finds the location you wanted it to and places the marker on the map, click that marker, which'll bring up a pop-up that looks like this:

5. Click "Save to..." and save it to your new map.

6. A little bit of text with a yellow background will come up on the top of the page confirming the save. If you want to add more locations to your map now, repeat steps 4–5; if you want to start editing those locations' descriptions and icons, click "View map."

7. When you do, you'll be spirited away to the map's individual page—which should have a list of the locations along the left side of the page, with a map alongside it. You should be able to see the location you just added on the map itself. (If you aren't seeing the markers on the map, try refreshing the page, or switch to a different browser; I've always had trouble using Google Maps in Firefox, for some reason, but Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari browsers both work great.) Click the "edit" button.

8. If you click either the links in the sidebar, or the markers on the map, a little pop-up will appear in which you can edit the location's name, description, or icon. Spend some time playing around with what you're able to do here.

9. When you're finished, hit the "Save" button on the left-hand sidebar.

10. Then, click the "Link" link in the top-right corner of the page. That'll bring up the link for your map, if you want to share it with someone or your readers, or—better yet—give you the HTML code you'd need to copy and paste elsewhere to have the map display wherever you want.

11. If you want to see how the map will look when you embed it in a page, click "Customize and preview embedded map." That'll bring up a separate page; if you click the "Custom" button, you can input your own height and width as you want.

...and here's our map, set to 350 pixels wide, and 350 pixels tall:

SCS2114 - Your Blogs

West Annex News (Louise)
The Comm. Officer (Sharlene)
52 Hoods (Matt)
The Year of Chris (Christine)
Little White Duck (Bonnie)
Adventures in Tealand (Rita)
Living the Charmed Life (Mary Jane)
Octagon Ontario (Andrew)

Last updated on Monday, November 22, at 2:11 p.m.

SCS2114 - November 22

For next class, November 22, you should:

• Create your own blog; the instructions for how to get started are here. If you have time, try adding SiteMeter to it, too.
• Write one regular-length post for your blog before the end of Saturday, November 20. As usual, bring nine copies of that post to next class so we can pick it apart mercilessly.
• Email me with a link to your blog, also by the end of the night on November 20—I'll be writing a short post for the class blog that will link to everyone's.
• Check the class blog some time on Sunday or Monday, and follow the links to everyone else's blog; those'll be what you'll want to be reading regularly from now on.

Mary Jane Demo Post - Images

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Photo by wickenden.

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Duis sed dictum ipsum. Maecenas cursus eros vitae lacus iaculis eget porttitor leo feugiat. Pellentesque eu molestie mi. Maecenas et massa vitae ligula vehicula vestibulum at ac eros. Cras sed adipiscing magna. Vivamus mauris justo, consequat ac posuere a, pretium at sem. In non velit vitae nulla tincidunt blandit quis blandit dolor. Etiam sollicitudin dui sed eros pellentesque id lacinia risus tincidunt. Nam aliquet, ipsum sit amet feugiat condimentum, mi lorem semper felis, ut vestibulum velit metus non risus. Vivamus nunc eros, feugiat non pretium sollicitudin, tristique eleifend est. Nam sollicitudin ligula blandit magna molestie lobortis. Integer ac mauris ipsum, ut tempor eros. Morbi molestie ornare venenatis. Ut vitae nunc justo, quis dapibus augue. Morbi venenatis sollicitudin magna non adipiscing. Mauris at libero purus. Integer felis velit, suscipit at blandit nec, pulvinar sed leo. Ut varius dui ac lorem aliquet convallis. Maecenas rhoncus dictum ullamcorper.

Integer metus purus, auctor eget suscipit eget, aliquam sit amet libero. Mauris vitae aliquam velit. Praesent posuere nibh vitae quam fermentum mollis. Phasellus condimentum sodales justo, et fringilla ante consequat et. Donec quis erat in mauris aliquet fringilla vel eget nulla. Proin quis nunc lectus. Sed lobortis consectetur odio eu blandit. Aenean nec leo vel augue placerat tincidunt quis a libero. Pellentesque dolor velit, feugiat id convallis sagittis, molestie quis turpis. Praesent in augue sed odio eleifend scelerisque. Nulla facilisi. Suspendisse nunc eros, malesuada posuere ornare ac, tincidunt a neque. Curabitur at metus ut tellus gravida rhoncus at at odio. Cras vel ligula id libero accumsan tempor. Nulla tincidunt consequat lacus.

Fusce vel ligula eget augue porta semper sed consectetur urna. Pellentesque quis urna purus, sit amet congue nibh. Sed massa erat, volutpat sed elementum nec, molestie et augue. Duis imperdiet sodales metus. Quisque urna lectus, placerat vitae pulvinar et, mattis in orci. Aenean molestie imperdiet laoreet. Nullam porta, felis eu accumsan consequat, sem neque luctus nulla, nec bibendum dolor ante tincidunt odio. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Curabitur tincidunt tempor arcu non lobortis. Morbi dictum, tellus at gravida varius, ante nibh suscipit tortor, eget porta mauris nisl vitae tortor. Etiam eu erat ligula, sit amet laoreet erat. Cras magna mauris, varius vitae interdum ut, elementum vulputate purus. Fusce justo neque, dignissim dapibus rutrum eu, dignissim et nibh. Nunc euismod ligula eu justo egestas eu commodo metus dignissim. Nulla sit amet magna mauris, sed ornare velit. Nam pharetra, risus ut aliquet lobortis, quam erat rhoncus mauris, sed gravida nunc ante vitae nulla. Aliquam gravida neque ac turpis scelerisque dapibus. Phasellus dictum orci sem, in condimentum ante. Suspendisse nibh lorem, adipiscing lacinia suscipit et, dictum sit amet ante.

Google Maps - Test

Here's a map:


View Blogging Class - Test Map in a larger map

YouTube Test - Tina Fey

Tina Fey won the Mark Twain Prize for comedy writing yesterday. Here is a video of her answering PBS viewers' questions:



For more on Tina Fey, check out her Wikipedia page.

This text is bold.

How to Create Your Own Blog in Blogger

Yep, it's time.

Creating your own blog on Blogger is, thankfully, pretty easy. Start by logging in from the home page, but this time click "Create a Blog" in the top right corner of the page that usually lists our class blog.

Pick your blog's title, and its URL. You can change both later, but it's best to stick with something once you've started posting.

 

And then pick a template for its layout.

That's it. You should get taken to the same interface you've used to post articles to the class blog, but I'd recommend browsing "Settings" and "Layout" right away to get a sense of what options are available. (For instance, in the "Settings" tab, under "Comments," you can choose to disable comments if you want to; in the "Layout" tab you can fine-tune just that.)

Adding a SiteMeter counter (to track traffic on your blog) is pretty easy, too, and it's worth doing right away. 

First you have to create a free account on SiteMeter. At the end of signing up, it'll give you a page with a bunch of HTML code. To add that code into your blog, click the "Layout" tab in Blogger...

Then click "Add a Gadget" wherever on the page you want to put the tiny SiteMeter button. The very foot of the page is probably a good idea.

There'll be a small pop-up window with a huge list of things you can add to the blog. There's plenty there that's worth exploring, but for now, select the "HTML/JavaScript" option,

And copy the code from SiteMeter into Blogger's window:

(The procedure is much the same if you'd rather use the more full-featured but also more complicated Google Analytics, which you can sign up for here. Unlike SiteMeter, a Google Analytics employee needs to approve your blog before you can start using it to track traffic, so you may want to have a few articles up before trying to add it.)

Setting up an AdSense account is even more easy. Just click the "Monetize" tab in Blogger...

And select where you'd like to put ads. (Remember, the bigger the ads are and the more places you put them, the more pennies you stand to make, though that'll mean they're also more obtrusive.)

Click the "Next" button and you'll be set; at any time after that, you can always see how much your site is earning by returning to the "Monetize" tab; alternatively, you can log in to AdSense's home page.

Happy blogging!

Test Blog Post with YouTube & Google Maps embedded

SCS2114 - November 15

For next class, bring with you an idea of what your own blog's scope will be. You don't have to write anything, or set anything up, before then: we're going to spend the class workshopping those ideas, and I'll show you how to get started creating a blog from them. (If you haven't written four things for the class group blog yet, though, you definitely should be writing this week, and have that taken care of before the weekend.)

Teen Anal Nightmare 2 Ends Terribly

http://bit.ly/cMooNS

What Not to Teach

The following is a list of traits that, as parents, you probably don’t want to see in your kids. Unfortunately, if something isn’t done with the education system, these may be the characteristics that dominate life as we know it.

This list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it indicative of all levels or boards of education. Still, it is disturbingly prevalent, wouldn’t you say?

Irresponsibility

“But sir, I couldn’t work on it this weekend! It was my birthday!”

Enter the completion contract. Kids can negotiate when they will be able to hand in their assignment past the due date. Here’s one way to encourage kids to ignore deadlines and the consequences of not meeting them. Consequences? What consequences?! Hand in your work whenever you feel like it, kids. There’s no rush.

Lack of Resourcefulness

“But how am I supposed to remember that? We studied it last semester!”

We don’t blame you for not remembering the material from last semester! After all, your only goal was to memorize just enough to get a good mark, not to actually understand and retain the information! I mean, we’ll just spoon-feed you the material again this year!

Lack of Resiliency

“How could I not pass the course? I handed everything in.”

Well, if the kid handed everything in, then of course he/she should pass! I mean, that’s the way it happens in elementary school, right? We don’t want to damage their delicate self-esteem, do we? All in favour of passing kids who aren’t fit to move on, say I...

Entitlement

“I didn’t skip; my parents signed me out.”

Isn’t it nice when you can ‘legitimately’ miss school because your parents say so? Why leave the the job to the professionals? Now with more power shifted from teachers to parents, you can do all the things that you should be doing during your spare time (like going to dentist appointments and visiting family) during school time. It’s brilliant!

Ill-preparedness
“I can’t understand this! Why am I so dumb?!”

Now, now, kids. Don’t blame yourself for not being able to cope with the work of higher grades. It’s not your fault that you were pushed through elementary school, even when you clearly weren’t grasping the concepts. Failing in elementary school would have harmed your self-esteem. Failing in high school is a reality check. Chin up, kid. There’s always starting up your own lemonade stand...

Yerba Mate ... the new Red Bull?

First time I tried an energy drink was at this year's Nuit Blanche. They were giving the stuff away for free! It was AMP energy drink, not the famous Red Bull, you know the one that "gives you wings" .

As I walked along Queen Street West late that night, I gave it a try. One sip of this sugary, medicinal tasting, lemony brew and I was already starting to feel the brain fog lift... wow...

Next sip I start to feel my body start to shake, umm, wait a minute ... is it supposed to do this ... this fast?

My symptoms included heart palpitations, quicken breath and a bad case of the jitters. It felt a little scary, I had to stop. What am I doing to my body I thought. Aren't there healthier ways to get a boost of energy and stay awake?

Just as I was about to cross Dovercourt Road, the answer came in the form of a little cafe called El Almacen. Oh, it's that yerba mate cafe that had opened earlier this year.

I remembered reading about this place in a blogto review . I had meant to go check it out...

As a Certified Tea Sommelier, it is not just "Tea" (camellia sinensis) that we studied, but all infusions including tisanes or herbals too. We had learned about this South American herb, yerba mate, only briefly.

It would be a few weeks later that I got the chance to actually visit the cafe. I went with another certified tea sommelier, we both had yerba mate in form of lattes. It was very refreshing (not the strong earthy, astringent and pungent taste I knew from class) and yes, it did give me a boost. But without the jitters.

This is a very interesting product, I must come back and try it again I thought. But alas, it would have to be after my trip to Vancouver that I get the chance to return and examine this yerba mate more closely...

When I arrived at the cafe today, there were quite a few tables filled with people. Nice to see for a new cafe, good sign.

I examined their menu and decided to have the yerba mate served in the traditional gourd.

A thermos of hot water comes with your order. It comes with the gourd, a silver straw and little jars of sugar and yerba mate leaves. This allows you to adjust the strength of the mate yourself.

The empanada ... you have to order it separately.


Sugar and yerba mate leaves.


Add 4-5 teaspoons of leaves into the gourd, I was told by the co-owner, Elsa.

If you like sweet, this is the time to add some sugar. Add hot water till it almost reaches the top, gently add the straw, sip and enjoy...

Drink to the bottom. Add more water. Do not stir the straw or even the filter at the bottom of that silver straw will not be able to help you - from having to spit out leaves for a long time to come...





It was very strong tasting. Roasted and herb like flavours. Abit of astringent and bitter - this first steeping. But I was starting to feel a buzz... but this buzz was a calm kind of buzz. I felt alert but not jittery.

I kept refilling with more water... with each refill, it tasted better, more mellow. It's a bit of an acquired taste.

It give a nice boost of energy without the shakes (like you may get with energy drinks or coffee). Plus it's supposed to have some minerals and antioxidants too, I heard.

I felt alert and calm at the same time. And drinking it from the gourd was fun!

If you're looking for a fun way to give yourself a bit of a boost, maybe give yerba mate a try?

Not sure if it will give you wings though...

(All photos taken by Rita Fong)

2012: The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Cup, party rages on

The world may indeed be coming to an end, as the unthinkable has happened: the Toronto Maple Leafs have won the Stanley Cup. 45 years of pent-up frustration and disappointment have been replaced by an eruption of joy and celebration. It's been three days since the beloved Leafs won it all, and with signs showing that the party isn't slowing down, Torontonians are acting like it may never happen again.

And who can blame them? Leafs fans have stayed loyal to their team through decades of mediocrity and mismanagement. They witnessed failed season after failed season, and yet continued to make any Leafs game the hottest (and most expensive) ticket in town. In other words, they've earned their day in the sun. So it shouldn't be surprising that after the final game, Toronto became one big party. But no one could have guessed just how big and how long that party has become.

The city has essentially ground to a halt. It seems that more people are partying than working. One fan I talked to actually quit her job so she could continue to enjoy the festivities. "No chance was I going to miss out on this. Look around you, this is too much fun," said the fan.

Every bar in Toronto is packed with people thinking the same thing. Bars and restaurants are overwhelmed, to say the least. "We can't keep up. We don't have enough staff to meet the demand. But everyone has been understanding. People are too happy to complain," noted one bar owner downtown.

And apparently people are too happy to commit crimes as well. The Toronto Police Department is reporting record lows in crime during and since the cup run. This in spite of the fact that alcohol consumption has been so high during that stretch.

This is just a part of the long list of side effects Toronto's first major championship since 1993 has caused.

Hotels have been sold out for days full of Maple Leafs expats and others just looking to join in the fun. Finding a flight to Toronto has been like trying to get to Mecca during Ramadan, proving that this city's true religion is hockey. The LCBO and The Beer Store are shattering former sales records. Tattoo parlours are overrun with fans getting a blue maple leaf permanently stamped on their body. It won't be clear just how massive the positive economic impact of Toronto winning the Cup will be until the party's over.

The benefits are even spilling into the political realm. Having publicly jumped on the bandwagon a few weeks ago, the mayor is benefitting from the big win. Having failed to deliver on some of his campaign promises, Rob Ford's approval rating was in the dumps. Now just days after the victory, these numbers have jumped 25%. With Ford proposing to name some streets after the players and suggesting a public holiday to mark the Cup win, he will likely continue to benefit from the Leafs' triumph.

Ford may have been elected to end the party at city hall, but surely he'll be happy to let this train keep rolling. With 45 years to make up for, it looks like this party will do just that.

Madonna Can Have Her Manolo Blahniks

My shoes will be special in their own way

I’m not one of those shoe fanatics who spends all her money on Christian Louboutin sling-backs or Prada pumps. Nor am I of the same opinion as Madonna, who said, “Manolos are better than sex.” But I love a beautifully crafted shoe. Someday I am going to indulge in a pair of custom-made shoes. I don't know if this purchase should be a reward for a difficult achievement or a simple, celebratory splurge. What I do know is that I have narrowed the list of potential personal shoemakers to three finalists:

Parisian Shoemaker

I don’t have a name for this cordonnier, whose atelier is crammed into a side street of the fascinating Le Marais district of Paris. Wandering these lanes on a recent trip, I peered through the shop window at teetering towers of leather and suede, and a jumble of shoes and boots in every style.

Inside, I glanced up to see the most remarkable thing – a hand-painted ceiling fresco of Adam, Eve and the serpent, transfixed by an exquisite orange leather sling-back with a black patent toe cap and kitten heels.

I will never forget that shop, and I believe that the most magical shoes could be made in a place of such whimsy and charm.

James Taylor

While traipsing through the charming Marylebone neighborhood of London last December, I spotted a sign for the shoemaker James Taylor and Sons. I love the heartfelt music of the same-named singer-songwriter, and my research tells me that this shoemaker is equally talented in his art. I imagine his shoes will put a song in my heart!

Daniel Day Lewis

This handsome Irish actor is the third contender to become my personal shoemaker. There is a bit of a controversy about whether he actually gave up acting for a time to study shoemaking in Italy… But he will remain on my shortlist until further notice.

Who will be the lucky purveyor? What style will prevail? Will it be London, Paris or Dublin? Is it more fun to dream about the possibility than to actually have the shoes made? Stay tuned!

Giant panda Moi Moi, Rob Ford deny affair; Lady Gaga still celibate and Keanu still sad

Did celebrity giant panda Moi Moi ask Mayor-elect Rob Ford to sweeten the deal to bring her to Toronto?

Photo credit: danmex.org

Spokesmen for giant panda Moi Moi and Toronto's mayor-elect Rob Ford have jointly denied rumours that a promised tryst between the panda and the soon-to-be mayor sealed the deal to get the ursine superstar to the Toronto Zoo for a promised five year stint.

But a source close to Moi Moi, speaking on condition of anonymity, shared that "under zoo conditions, male pandas have proven unenthusiastic about mating. Not only does this place the species in danger of extinction, but it's frustrating for a healthy young females like Moi Moi. She's a star; she's at the peak of her powers. Maybe Lady Gaga is okay with celibacy, but Moi Moi is not."

Unlike Moi Moi, Lady Gaga prefers celibacy.

Photo credit: Serious Entertainment

Insiders cite many qualities Moi Moi and Ford share. Both try to limit their social interactions to their immediate family group, have large round faces, experience a low metabolic rates, live a sedentary lifestyle, and have been described as living fossils. And a Chinese source adds that "having been named after former Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman, Moi Moi has a natural affinity for wealthy businessmen who masquerade as populist everymen."

Toronto Mayor-elect Rob Ford remains mum about his role in persuading superstar giant panda Moi Moi to Toronto.

Photo credit: Me & My Toronto

The latest scandal is widely believed to be yet another blow to Ford's oft-times rocky marriage. Wife Renata Ford deflected all media queries. "Ask Gino-boy" she said, referring to Ward 7 Councilor and Toronto Panda AcquisitionTask Force chair Georgio Mammoliti.

Meanwhile, rumours swirl that Rob Ford's gain was Canadian actor Keanu Reeves' loss. Without admitting the affair, the downcast actor released a statement through his publicist saying only that "I wish Moi-Moi all the best for the future; she's a very special lady."

Sad Keanu: the recent recipient of a Dear John letter from fellow celebrity Moi Moi?

Photo credit: liveforfilms.com

Serenity in the Heart of Toronto

A Photo Tour of the Toronto Music Garden

Photos by Sharlene Fernandes

I came across the Toronto Music Garden one day while walking around on my lunch break. I needed a break from all the hustle and bustle going on at work and in and around my building. Everywhere I looked I could see construction, cars, trucks, and hordes of people smoking, talking, rushing about. Working right on Front Street across from the Metro Convention centre does not exactly afford a person the time for quite reflection. What did I expect? It's downtown Toronto.

Lucky for me I stumbled across the Toronto Music Garden - a place of solitude and tranquility amidst the downtown chaos. This garden is a unique piece of work; each section of the garden's design is inspired by a different piece of music by Bach. I believe this garden was originally slated to be created in Chicago, but ended up in dear old Toronto. Aren't we special! Well, we certainly are, considering that internationally reknowned cellist Yo Yo Ma was the brains behind the design in collaboration with landscape designer Julie Messservy.

Below is a map of the layout of the garden spanning three acres of land in downtown Toronto. Personally, I'm amazed (and oh so grateful) that the land didn't become the construction site for new waterfront condos!

From the map, you can see that the Music Garden consists of distinct areas, named after the various types of dances described by the music from Bach's Suite No. 1 in G Major for unaccompanied cello, BWV 1007.

The Prelude

Inspiration: The music and the physical design describes a flowing river, lined with rocks along the water's edge.

Features: Long, curvy paths, strewn with rocks and plants along the edges.

The Allemande

Inspiration: The music represents an ancient German dance.

Features: A swirling path leads to this elevated area with large, beautiful boulders; the area is bordered by tall grasses that are meant to rustle in the breeze in tune with the music's rhythm; these grasses are punctuated by gorgeous dawn redwoods, which were previously thought to be an extinct species of tree.

The Courante

Inspiration: The music represents an Italian and French dance.

Features: To enter the area, you have to pass through tall grasses that line the swirling path on either side. During the summer, this area is also filled with vibrant flowers. The path itself is a pale red stone, which sets it apart from the rest of the paths in the garden.

Features of The Courante, continued: At the top of the grassy paths, lies a representation of a Maypole, which is a large wooden pole that people dance around with ribbons during European festivals.

The Sarabande

Inspirartion: The music represents an ancient Spancish dance.

Features: Consists of a little area that serves as a stage for poetry readings. The poet usually sits on the stone depicted here, which contains a pool of water that trickles down the side of the pool and really adds to the tranquility of the place. The area is bordered by large boulders, which serve as the seats for the audience of the poetry readings.

In the summer, The Sarabande is usually closed off from view by the dense vegetation that lines the winding stone path into this quiet little corner. This makes the poetry readings all the more intimate and profound.

The Menuett
Inspiration: The music represents a contemporary French dance from Bach's time.
Features: This amazing iron structure, called The Music Pavillion was created by architectural blacksmith Tom Tollefson. It serves as a stage for concerts and other performances.

Just beyond the Music Pavillion is a stretch of grass and trees, lined with beautifully-crafted, curved benches where people can sit and enjoy the music.


The Gigue
Inspiration: The music represents an English dance, the jig.
Features: Another stage for concerts exists under this majestic weeping willow tree in the form of large stones. In front of this stage are wide, curved steps that sweep across the entire grassy space and form the area where audience members can bring along their folding chairs and watch many-a-free concerts during the summer. To the south, the breeze flows off the water over the audience, and adds to the grace of the performances.


The Toronto Music Garden is the perfect place to get a little piece of mind and experience nature in all its natural beauty, even in the midst of downtown Toronto.

SCS2114 - $$$ and Traffic - November 1

Today, we talked about how to make money and get traffic online. If you want to think about either more, I encourage you to:

• Read “Gene Weingarten column mentions Lady Gaga,” from the Washington Post, and "Pissed Off," from the Ryerson Review of Journalism. (You may need to register to view the latter.) Both offer ways to think about the same topic: how the demands of the internet have changed writing, and headling writing especially.
• Look at your favourite magazine, and compare the percentage of ads to editorial content in the print edition of it, and see how that does or doesn't correlate with the percentage of screen space that ads take up on its website.
• Play around with Indigo's Affiliates page, and look to see what, if any, affiliate programs your favourite shopping sites have, and what they offer to the people who sign up for them.

For next week, your assignment is to write something that would be popular. As usual, please post it to the class blog before the end of Saturday, November 6.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happeningness

Like many Toronto neighbourhoods, when you're in Liberty Village, you know it. It has a distinct look and feel that vanishes as soon as you step outside its borders.

Most of Liberty Village is made up of old brick buildings that once housed factories that produced goods ranging from carpets to billiard tables. Since then, these buildings have been converted for other use. Seen here are the Irwin Toy Factory lofts located in the centre of the village.

But Liberty Village is far more than just a residential neighbourhood. It's also full of companies looking to take advantage of these creative spaces. Even tucked away down alleyways like this, you'll find century old sites now occupied by marketing agencies, art and design firms and various other businesses.

And there is plenty of retail to serve residents and workers alike. There is an impressive Metro grocery store, an LCBO and two banks in the heart of the village. But there are also several smaller shops scattered throughout, like those located along the sides of this covered outdoor walkway.

Aside from the character of its buildings, one of Liberty Village's strongest features is its location. It offers close proximity to the waterfront, Gardiner Expressway and Exhibition GO Station. It's also just a short cab or streetcar to the downtown core and walking distance from the thriving Queen West and Ossington areas.

But area residents don't have to leave their own hood to have a good time. Within the village, there are a number of bars and restaurants just steps away from home. One local favourite is School Cafe and Bakery, where the clocks are all stuck at 3:30 to ensure that school's out, forever.

Close by is the charming Liberty Bistro, which offers live music on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for those of us who just can't wait for the end of the week.

And then there is the Brazen Head. A popular hangout for TFC fans that always seems to be busy.

A fairly recent addition to the neighbourhood is the series of high rise condominiums that have sprung up in the past few years. Fortunately, these towers are mostly confined to the eastern end of Liberty Village and the area far from resembles the condoland seen closer to the lake.

At least for now. Construction cranes are still aplenty in the area and we've seen how hard it can be for developers to resist cramming these things into every nook and cranny. The neighbourhood is still growing and relatively young. Only time will tell if Liberty Village will stay true to its current charm and mixed use nature. But so far, I like what I see.