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Transportation Investment Corp Website Design and Development RFP

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:07:17 -0800

Website Design and Development Services Introduction

The Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp) is seeking Proposals from qualified Proponents to provide website design and development services for the Port Mann/Highway 1 (PMH1) Improvement Project. The new website will require a content management system (CMS) that can accommodate a more interactive, multi-media website, including social media/web 2.0 technologies, flash, motion graphics, video and RSS feeds.
The CMS tool will use templates that can be updated by staff, and the ability to add new channels as required. The redesign of the website will include rebranding to reflect TI Corp?s visual identity standards, and updates to improve the audience-based navigation to provide a more intuitive site experience for visitors.
The scope of work will also include the development of a customer relations management (CRM) system, including data base management for collecting and storing personal contact information with all required security mandated under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). This CRM tool will allow people to sign up for information on specific areas of the project, tailored to their interest, and will provide TI Corp staff with customer management and interaction tracking and reporting through a ticketing system. As well, TI Corp staff will require the ability to easily email all or selected recipients from within the database system.
The website is being developed in four phases; Phase 1 is complete, and this Request for Proposals (RFP) relates directly to Phase 2 and 3 for the web development, with Phase 4 included as an optional future service, at TI Corp?s sole discretion.

Kim Lang
Procurements and Contracts

Transportation Investment Corporation
Suite 1420 - 1111 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6E 4M3

Phone:

Fax:

Email: klang@ticorp.ca

Final

Solicitation Number:		10-002 Amendment #1

Original Publish Date:		2010/02/11
Publish Date:		2010/02/19
Close Date & Time:		2010/03/04 11:00

Time Zone:		Pacific Time


Approx. Time Left:

All dates are yyyy/mm/dd

Summary Details:

February 19,2010 Question and Answer Series #1 has been added.

The Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp) is seeking Proposals from qualified
Proponents to provide website design and development services for the Port Mann/Highway 1
(PMH1) Improvement Project. The new website will require a content management system (CMS)
that can accommodate a more interactive, multi-media website, including social media/web
2.0 technologies, flash, motion graphics, video and RSS feeds.

Show Me the Money, Tech Village Connect Feb 11th, 2010 register at www.kast.com

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:43:06 -0800

Tech Village Connect Event: Feb 11th, 2010

register at www.kast.com

Got a great website, terrific digital media, a creative idea, or an
innovative product or service?
Want to boost revenues or build a business around it?
Or curious how technology can monetize your business?

Tech Village and the Kootenay Association for Science & Technology (KAST) are bringing industry Guru Rochelle Grayson to the Kootenays!

Join us to learn about news trends and tips to ensure you are making money from your product.
This event will be designed to support technology and innovation companies in the monetization of software/applications as well as a presentation on turning new trends into opportunities. The event keynote Rochelle Grayson will be presenting on proven methods to monetize innovations – in short how to ensure companies make money on their products in today’s market.

Event details:
Location: The New Grand Hotel, Nelson BC
When: Feb.11, 2010 11:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Cost to attendee: $20 includes speakers, workshops, lunch, appetizers , cash bar and networking

Schedule:

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.		Registration and lunch
12:15-12:25 p.m.		Opening remarks
12:30 - 1:00 p.m.		Review of Digi BC and New Media BC
1:00 -2:30 p.m.		Session: "Show me the money" a presentation and workshop on monetization of products using new technology and digital media
2:30 -3:15 p.m.		Workshop on case studies from attendees and action plan development arounf product monetization.
3:15 -3:30 p.m.		Break
3:30 -4:30 p.m.		Rik Logtenberg presents: Using social media as a tool to improve marketing and sales.
4:30 -6:30 p.m.		Networking, appetizers and cash bar. Live music by Selkirk Music students ensemble.

For more info contact the KAST office at info@kast.com or 250-483-5052
Click "Add to Cart" below to register

PRESENTERS

About Rochelle: www.rochelle.ca

I hold an MBA in Finance and Business Strategy from the University of Chicago, as well as Master Certifications in Product Development Management and Business Facilitation. My career has taken me from New York to Chicago to Silicon Valley and most recently to Vancouver, Canada. I have 18 years experience evaluating the strategic, financial, and marketing potential of projects and organizations, and I’ve led and launched several leading-edge initiatives. I like to make sure my projects are lean, mean, moneymaking machines! All this can be summed up in one famous statement by one infamous movie star: Show me the money!
** Rochelle is also acting chair of New Media BC and DigiBC

About Rik www.yellowseed.com

In 1995 Rik started one of Canada's first web design companies. 14 years later he's the owner of Yellowseed, a Nelson based web development and consulting company, with 10 employees and offices in Canada and India. Over the years, Rik was cofounder of MyTravelGuide.com, an Internet travel portal acquired by Priceline.com and Gyos.ca, an online classified system for small cities and towns. Rik specializes in social media and web marketing. He teaches entrepreneurs how to harness the Internet to grow their business. When Rik's not working or rock climbing he's writing about Internet technology, online business, and social media for his blog at yellowseed.com.

Register at www.kast.com

Tech Village Connect Event Feb 11 2010

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:47:37 -0800

Tech Village Connect Event

Feb 11, Grand Hotel, Nelson BC

Join Tech Village for our latest learning and networking event Feb 11. More details will be posted soon

DigiBC (a merger of New Media BC and WINBC) announcement

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:12:55 -0800

On December 1, 2009 the Digital Media and Wireless Association of BC, DigiBC, was officially incorporated and came legally into existence. This follows the previously announced merger of WINBC and New Media BC on October 20, 2009 at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the two memberships where a vote was unanimously passed to create the new entity, DigiBC.

The board of DigiBC will initially have 14 directors, seven from the digital media sector and seven from the wireless sector.

The 14 initial directors appointed to the DigiBC board are as follows:

Chris Landon, VP, Network Services, Telus
Darshan Kaler, Director, Olympic Services & VCEC Operations, Bell Canada
Derek Spratt, CEO, Mobidia
Howard Donaldson, VP, Studio Operations, Disney Interactive
Jim Mutter, Partner, Benson Salloum Watts LLP
Jules Meunier, former President, Wireless Networks, Nortel
Olivier Vincent, President & CEO, Canpages
Par Singh, President, Intellectual Ventures Canada
Paul Lee, Co-founder and General Partner, Vanedge Capital
Pauline Moller, General Manager, Electronic Arts Canada
Rick Griffiths, Partner, Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Robert Forget, Director of Product Management, Vecima Networks
Sandy Fleischer, VP & General Manager, Fjord Interactive Cossette Communications
Warren Franklin, CEO, Rainmaker Entertainment

It is expected that DigiBC will attract other high caliber executives in the weeks to come. Seven special interest groups (SIGs) are also planned for DigiBC covering areas of mobile and wireless, video games, animation and visual effects, Web 2.0 and social media, e-learning, human resources and talent, and capital. Leaders of the industry from Greater Vancouver, Vancouver Island and BC Interior will make sure that the province is well represented in the board.

DigiBC will represent more than 22,000 people in 1,300 companies that generate combined annual revenues of more than $3 billion making it one of the largest industry associations of its kind in BC and Canada.

Michael Bidu, Executive Director of WINBC, said of the appointment of the first directors, "I am very proud of the board we managed to attract for DigiBC moving forward. These directors are the captains of the industry and they will set the strategic direction for our digital media and wireless industry to become a power house in Canada and around the world. The creation of the new organization - just before the 2010 Olympic Games - couldn't have happened at a better time. Stay tuned for more announcements in the weeks to come."

Warren Franklin, Chair of New Media BC, said of the incorporation of DigiBC and the appointment of the new board "The incorporation of DigiBC as a non-profit society is another milestone in a relatively short and very busy time for our industry. The creation of a very balanced board shows our commitment to treat both WINBC and New Media BC as equals and focus on the tremendous growth opportunities due to the fast-paced changes in consumers' demand for content anytime, anywhere and the convergence between content and mobile in Canada and globally for the benefit of DigiBC members."

WINBC and New Media BC have already been working closely on a number of initiatives, most significantly, the 2010 BC Digital Media & Wireless Showcase project, which will have its soft launch today, December 15 under the brand name VX 2010 (Vancouver Experience 2010). Business to business trade and investment opportunities associated with the VX program will be a huge focus for DigiBC in the days leading up to the opening of the Olympic Winter Games in February 2010.

DigiBC (WinBC and New Media BC) job posting

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:31:43 -0800

DigiBC is a new organization formed by the merger of WINBC and New Media BC. DigiBC is looking for an events director.

Position:	Events Director (DigiBC)
Company:	DigiBC - The Digital Media and Wireless Association of BC
Date Posted:	November 20, 2009
City:	Vancouver, BC

Job Description:

Events Director for 2010 BC digital media and wireless initiative and beyond

DigiBC - The Digital Media and Wireless Association of BC is the new industry association created by the merger between WINBC and New Media BC.

Imagine being in charge of events for one of the largest and most exciting industry associations in BC. 1,000 digital media and mobile companies in BC are waiting to hear from you about the events you will create and manage before, during and after the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They also want to hear how you will enhance their grass roots Mobile Monday Vancouver events and stage their next major, international, interactive conference in Vancouver.

Your role is to create experiences that thousands of entrepreneurs, creative directors, world class executives, engineers, software and mobile apps developers, students, and investors from BC and around the world will enjoy so much they will tell others about it. You will be responsible for developing the annual strategy in collaboration with the President of DigiBC and a hand-picked creative team. You will create events that will ultimately turn into new business opportunities and profitable relationships.

The Events Director will create strategies for optimizing each event, and to stage key events that directly support the goal of building relationships within BC's digital media and wireless industry for our members, key stakeholders, partners and media. Another goal is to build revenue revenues for the association. Events include, but are not limited to, annual summits, community events, conferences, sponsorships, tradeshows and special events.

If you are interested, please submit your resume to jobs@winbc.org (and mention "Events Director DigiBC" in the subject line) by November 30.

Key areas of responsibility:

Collaborate with executives, other senior leaders and the board to develop a holistic approach to DigiBC events that supports DigiBC's sales and marketing objectives.

Plan and execute key events from beginning to end, including product development, pricing, planning, optimization, communications, marketing and execution.

Strengthen key industry and trade relationships, and develop and maintain critical relationships with producers and strategic partners.

Oversee the development and execution of the annual event plan.

Negotiate Sponsorship Packages.

Responsible for Events Profit & Loss.

SKILLS:

- Excellent strategic planning and organizational skills

- Exceptional communication skills

- Strengths in strategic business/relationship development and maintenance

- Extensive network and industry relationships

- Ability to set and meet deadlines

- Ability to work within a small organization to communicate plans to sales, marketing and other parts of the organization from the executive level down

- Ability to detail all logistics of an event from venue selection, room set-up, audio visual, food and beverage, and requirements for other team input

- Ability to handle a variety of events ranging from client summits, tradeshows, internal events and negotiate contracts and sponsorship with vendors, associations and suppliers

- Track deadlines and deliverables with MS Excel and other internal tools

- Ability to manage logistics ranging from employee travel, room blocks and arrival/departure list, to web registration creation and management to venue site searches and recommendations to internal customers to compiling of data (Evaluations / post-conference deliverables)

- Reporting and budget management of all expenses and reconciliation of final bills and credit card charges

- Collaborative team approach to planning and execution

QUALIFICATIONS:

- 5+ years event planning experience

- 5+ years within the Events and Conferences Industry

- Vendor management experience

- Team player and employee management experience

- Ability to work under pressure, with tight deadlines and manage a heavy workload

- Exceptional customer service and creativity skills

- Exceptional communications and interpersonal skills written and verbal

- Ability to build and maintain strong relationships

- Thorough knowledge of the meetings and conventions industry

- Strong negotiation skills

- Excellent venue knowledge and through understanding of event locations, logistics and managing an event from conception to completion

- University or college diploma in Entrepreneurship, Professional Sales, Tourism Management (Meetings and Conventions) or equivalent considered a bonus

- Computer skills to include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project Management, and CRM

REQUIREMENTS:

- Entrepreneurial, upbeat and energetic

- Self-motivated, with the ability to work independently with minimal supervision

- Team player with sales mentality, and attention to details

- Strong conceptual skills (ability to see the big picture) with solid business judgment

- Able to handle multiple projects simultaneously with good project management skills

- 20% - 30% travel

- Remuneration based on experience and track record

CONTACT:

- Please send your resume to jobs@winbc.org mentioning in the subject line: "Events Director DigiBC" by no later than Monday, November 30, 2009.

FLICKR CO-FOUNDER STEWART BUTTERFIELD IS KEYNOTE AT FUSION '09

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:31:10 -0700

FLICKR CO-FOUNDER STEWART BUTTERFIELD IS KEYNOTE AT FUSION '09

Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Flickr, reportedly the most popular photo sharing site in the world, will be the Keynote Speaker at the 3rd Fusion Venture Forum 2009*, presented by New Media BC on November 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Butterfield is a firm supporter of Vancouver's Digital Media industry and was part of the original team that grew Flickr from a tiny Vancouver based operation to a worldwide phenomenon. He and his co-founder Catherine Fake sold Flickr to Yahoo reportedly for more than $30 million, barely a year after launching it in February 2004. The original plan had been to create an online game that never quite took off. Flickr remains one of the most noted digital media success stories from this region.

Butterfield will open Fusion '09, the only Venture Forum devoted to Digital Media in Western Canada, by sharing his success story with some 150-200 attendees, mostly Canadian founders with early to growth stage ventures. Twenty of Canada's hottest digital media companies will present their latest ventures to top tier investors from North America, including heavyweights Google Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners and SoftTech VC. Deadline to register for Fusion's Bootcamp and Conference is Oct 20, 2009 at http://www.thefusionforum.com.

Broadband futures uncertain in B.C. for smaller companies as era of government intervention in the Internet sector draws to a close

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:39:27 -0700

Broadband futures uncertain in B.C. for smaller companies as era of government intervention in the Internet sector draws to a close

Curt Cherewayko

Four B.C. companies have joined a campaign that’s petitioning the federal government to reverse a regulatory decision that they allege will allow Telus Corp. (TSX:T) and Bell Canada (TSX:BCE) to shut their smaller competitors out of the broadband market.

The Campaign for Competitive Broadband (CCB) launch is the latest volley in a long-standing battle that pits large Internet service providers (ISPs) such as Telus against junior broadband resellers.

Led by Winnipeg’s MTS Allstream Inc., the CCB wants to reverse an earlier Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decision that removed a requirement for Telus and Bell to provide competitors with access at cost-based rates to their high-speed broadband for businesses.

More than 20 businesses and organizations have joined the CCB, alleging that their market share will disappear if they can’t access Telus’ and Bell’s fastest broadband offerings.

The group says that its customers will logically migrate to Telus and Bell – the sole providers of the high-speed networks for businesses – if the CRTC’s decision takes effect in December.

“If the ruling becomes law and we’re not permitted to sell the same service in terms of speed and other metrics, then eventually we will have to find some other way to profit from the Internet business or exit the business gradually,” said Bill Campbell, president of Vancouver’s Skyway West Business Internet Services.

Skyway and three other B.C. companies – Lightspeed Communications, AEBC Internet Corp. and SmarttNet, – are CCB members.

The battle dates back to the early days of the Internet in Canada, when Telus, Bell and a few other carriers held monopoly positions in the telecommunication industry.

The federal government largely supported the monopolies as necessary to develop new communications networks across Canada.

But in exchange for government support, the carriers were required to sell wholesale broadband to smaller companies at cost-based rates to allow competitors to enter the market. In turn, smaller firms such as Skyway sell the broadband coupled with value-added business services like network management and spam filtering.

In siding with Telus and Bell, the CRTC concluded that the last mile of fibre that makes up the carriers’ business networks isn’t among the essential services that fall under the regulatory regime.

The CRTC defines essential telecom services as those that competitors can’t develop themselves, are required by competitors to provide telecom services in a downstream market and are controlled by a company that, if the service was inaccessible to others, could become a monopoly.

In its decision, the CRTC concluded that Telus’ and Bell’s last-mile fibre network could be duplicated by other service providers.

But Skyway and other carriers disagree.

Campbell said Skyway and other junior ISPs don’t have the money to invest in the network infrastructure – which would include miles of fibre cabling.

“There is practical limitation to our ability to do it as well as a financial limitation because of the scale that we’re talking about,” said Campbell.

Michael Hennessy, Telus’ senior vice-president of regulatory and government affairs, said Telus no longer has the monopoly it held at the dawn of the Internet in Canada.

“Across the country, the cable companies in pretty much every market have more market share and more Internet customers than the legacy telephone companies.”

In B.C. and Alberta, for example, Shaw Communications Inc. (NYSE:SJR) has roughly 1.4 times as many Internet customers as Telus.

At least one group of broadband resellers in B.C. is taking a different approach in attempting to access Telus’ and Bell’s high-speed infrastructure.

In a submission to the CRTC, Open Source Solutions, a consortium of 10 regional Internet service providers (ISP) in B.C., said the CRTC should eliminate mandated access to broadband products.

OSS president Bob Allen told BIV that OSS members would rather negotiate with Telus and Bell – although the OSS wants an arbitration body established to resolve disputes.

“We don’t want more of the same regulatory regime that we’ve experience in the last few years,” said Allen. “We want to move to a negotiated arrangement model with our upstream providers.” •

PRESENT BEFORE GOOGLE AT 3RD FUSION VENTURE FORUM Vancouver Nov 12

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:44:28 -0700

PRESENT BEFORE GOOGLE AT 3RD FUSION VENTURE FORUM

Twenty top Canadian Digital Media companies will present their latest ventures at the Fusion Venture Forum 2009 before Google and other top Silicon Valley investors, the only Western Canadian financing forum dedicated to digital media content and technology. The annual event will showcase early and growth stage companies that are original games, mobile & Web 2.0 and new platforms & applications ventures, on November 12, 2009 at Robson Square in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Register today for the Nov 5th Fusion Entrepreneur Boot Camp and the opportunity to be one of the 20 selected to pitch before top tier investors at the Forum including Google Ventures, Google Inc and SoftTech VC, one of the most active Angels in the Digital Media Space. If you have a new digital media venture seeking financing, please sign up early, as places are limited.

Fusion '09 www.thefusionforum.com, organized by New Media BC, is designed to bring Canada's hottest digital media ventures to the attention of local and international investors, provide valuable insights into key issues in the industry and become a premium networking opportunity for digital media investors and entrepreneurs alike. For more information, go to www.thefusionforum.com or contact Fusion'09's Director Christine Lim-Labossiere at fusion@newmediabc.com

US Media Fiirm buys Vancouver based Now Public (est $25 mill)

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:26:23 -0700

Vancouver-based NowPublic, a citizen journalism website that boasts of contributing reporters in 160 countries around the world, has been bought by U.S. media firm Examiner.com.

The acquisition was announced Tuesday by NowPublic co-founder Leonard Brody and Examiner.com chief executive officer Rick Blair. Financial terms were not disclosed but business website PaidContent.org reported the value of the deal at about $25-million.

“We launched in April 2008 in about five cities in the United States and we're in 109 markets here now with about 17 million readers,” Blair said in an interview.

“NowPublic, on the other hand, is a worldwide company with a super technology base and some visionary leaders, so I think what that means is we'll be able to take advantage of their technology.”

Both companies will continue to operate their websites independently, but Brody said combining NowPublic's tools and audience with Examiner.com's established local content generators is win-win.

“The NowPublic focus has always been on providing individuals, whether they are amateurs or professional journalists, the tools they need to quickly and easily contribute their perspectives on the issues of the day and the topics that interest them and their community,” Brody said.

“We are enabling Examiner.com, which has already seen incredible success, to further succeed in providing a site that attracts experts as contributors, passionate readers and the advertisers that want to reach them.”

Examiner.com, a division of the Clarity Digital Group, is owned by The Anschutz Company, a Denver-based investment firm with assets in media, live sports and entertainment, hospitality, film production and exhibition, wind energy, as well as ranching and oil and gas exploration.

Examiner.com's 15,000 citizen journalists, or “examiners,” already tackle community issues in dozens of U.S. markets. Blair said the company's hyperlocal content is changing perceptions about the profitability of such ventures.

“Examiner.com is rapidly becoming the solution to the hyperlocal puzzle,” he said, adding that the acquisition will allow Examiner.com to distribute 3,000 to 4,000 stories every day.

Among the technologies Examiner.com will adopt from NowPublic are its real-time mechanisms for scanning online conversations, which also allow for real-time advertisements, and enhanced publishing platforms.

Examiner.com will also recruit reporters from NowPublic to increase both its Canadian and international presence.

“In the early days of the company, when we were first starting, when Hurricane Katrina had hit Louisiana, we had more people on the ground in the affected areas than Reuters had reporters worldwide,” said Brody.

“What was interesting was not the quantity of the number, it was the kind of things they were reporting about. It was really the human side of what was happening, not about the shock and awe.”

Brody said citizen journalism sites like NowPublic were responsible for reuniting hundreds of families who had been separated.

More recently, he said, NowPublic's scanning of online conversations turned up an unusual amount of chatter in Guatemala.

“As we dug down deeper and connected with people at the scene we realized there was a coup happening in Guatemala City and we ended up reporting it hours before anybody else picked it up,” Brody said.

Website project opportunity

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:18:35 -0700

Hello Tech Villagers,

Here is a small website job that is looking for someone to help them out on a small budget to get something functional and pretty.

The Rossland Mountain Film fest board of directors wants to either A) spruce up their existing website at www.rosslandfilmfest.com or B) build a whole new site

A CMS system would likely work best here so they can reguarly update info on the site. The basic info needed is an easy to read functional schedule of events, ideally with thos events linked to more info on that particular event. They'd love to as a "want to have" more photos and videos. They'd love to be able host video trailers on the site if possible or have the option to embed youtube videos on the site.

For more information on the project contact Jessica Haist at jessica_haist@hotmail.com

Webmaster / Desktop Support Analyst - RDKB

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:24:37 -0700

The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) Information Services program is hiring a permanent part time Webmaster / Desktop Support Analyst to manage the RDKB public and Intranet Websites and provide Tier 1 support for desktop clients across the enterprise.
The successful candidate will:
Possess a 2-year technical diploma in Computer Information Systems, Multimedia or Business Administration or have equivalent technical experience with Web design and Windows operating systems Possess an operational knowledge of HTML, Web scripting languages and client / server architecture Be familiar with Windows operating systems Be able to gather effective desktop troubleshooting information from a variety of sources Possess a valid B.C. Drivers License Possess excellent organizational skills and ability to set priorities and meet deadlines Be able to work under pressure and exercise sound decision making ability under limited supervision Have good oral and written communication skills
This position is 20 flexible hours per week, $25 / hour, eligible for the full benefit package and there is a possibility for full time hours for the remainder of 2009.
If you are ready to join the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary team, please submit a covering letter and resume by Friday July 24, 2009 to:
Dale Green, Manager of Information Systems
Regional District of Kootenay Boundary
202 – 843 Rossland Avenue
Trail, B.C. V1R 4S8 or,
Fax: (250)368-3990 or,
dgreen@rdkb.com
We thank all those that express interest but only those invited for an interview will be contacted.
The Regional District is accepting applications for a:
Webmaster / Desktop Support Analyst (Permanent/Part time

The hazy future of Web typography

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:47:25 -0700

Current technology can break Web type free from the Georgia/Verdana prison, but getting all the stakeholders—Web designers, type designers, font vendors, and browser vendors—to agree on a standard may be a bigger challenge than the technology.

By Chris Foresman | Last updated July 6, 2009 9:55 AM CT

Web design has certainly come a long way since the first HTML files were published, and Cascading Style Sheets have given designers lots of freedom to specify typefaces, sizes, and styles for text. But most type on the Web is still limited to the 10 common "Web fonts" commissioned and distributed by Microsoft in the late 90s. Web designers and developers have done their best to work within these constraints, and even developed clever workarounds using images, Flash, and/or JavaScript.

A number of solutions have been proposed which would let developers use their preferred fonts directly, but getting everyone involved on the same page, so to speak, has revealed a morass of competing needs. Web designers want to be able to design websites using just the right typefaces—something that they can do with relative ease when working in print and other non-Web media. Browser vendors want to implement widely adopted standards so webpages render as well in one browser as they do in another. Type designers and font foundries want to make sure their font files aren't trivially easy to download, especially since fonts are already often pirated.

Current tools

Web designers have over a decade of experience using CSS to specify what fonts should be used when displaying a webpage. While a designer can specify any font by name, there's no guarantee that the viewer has that particular font installed. Thankfully, CSS allows designers to specify fallback fonts, and the browser will essentially go through the list specified in the stylesheet until a match is found among the installed fonts. CSS even allows a generic fallback such as "serif" or "fixed-width," and the browser will use whatever fonts are specified in its preferences for each of these generic classes.

Microsoft also decided to help by creating a set of fonts that it hoped would be widely distributed with operating systems. Known as the core "Web fonts," these are included with Windows and Mac OS X, and they are freely downloadable for Linux. These typefaces were specifically designed for screen use, and have since become the most commonly used type on the Web.

The collection includes 10 typefaces: the popular Verdana and Georgia, reworked versions of Times and Courier, Trebuchet MS, Andale Mono, Impact, the Helvetica-esque Arial (the default for Ars text), the Webdings dingbat font, and the generally-reviled Comic Sans. While the collection is certainly serviceable—especially Verdana and Georgia—it doesn't leave a whole lot of room for creativity and variety.

Designers can specify other fonts if the target audience can be reasonably expected to have those fonts installed. For instance, a blog about using Adobe Creative Suite software might reasonably assume that readers have Myriad Pro installed, since it comes with most Adobe design software. A Mac-centric website might specify Lucida Grande, Zapfino, or Helvetica, since those fonts are included with Mac OS X. As long as fallback fonts are defined, the page can be displayed on any computer, though it may lose some of the flair that the designer intended.

Designers have also developed a number of workarounds that allow them to design with whatever fonts they want. The simplest is to simply convert the type into static graphics—though that method can quickly eat up bandwidth, and prevents the type from being scaled. Another involves converting type into small Flash files in a method known as sIFR.

These methods share some drawbacks, however. Usability can be compromised, especially for those that rely on screen reading software. Users that either can't or don't have Flash installed won't be able to view all of the content as intended. As a result, the use of these methods is generally limited to headlines and banners, while the bulk of the text uses one of the common Web fonts.

More recently, a method known as Cufón text replacement has been implemented. This uses only HTML and JavaScript, displays type in whatever font a designer desires, and is still accessible to those with visual impairments. It works with most browsers, but it does require fonts to be converted to a special format, and the JavaScript is more complex than simply specifying a typeface. The rendering is also much slower than that of the browser's built-in text handling.

Latest method: @font-face

The most flexible method would be a way for a designer to link to a specific font file, have the browser download it once, and then use it as needed. The great thing is that this capacity already exists: the @font-face rule. This was originally part of the CSS2 spec, and Internet Explorer and Netscape initially supported it. However, both browsers used differing, proprietary font formats, so it was not widely adopted, and ended up being dropped from CSS2.1.

The @font-face rule is still a part of the expanded type specifications for CSS3, and Safari and Firefox have recently added support for @font-face use with standard TrueType and OpenType fonts. It's relatively trivial for designers to take advantage of @font-face—all that's needed is to host the font file on a Web server and add a link to it in a style sheet. Two Tokyo-based designers were commissioned to design a webpage that shows off Firefox 3.5's support for the feature, but you can also see @font-face in action for yourself if you have a recent version of Safari or the latest beta of Opera.

Unfortunately, there are two problems with @font-face. The first is that support for standard font formats isn't included in Internet Explorer, which still command a large percentage of the desktop browser market. Second, fonts are software, and software generally comes with licenses. While some fonts are freely licensed for Web use (the free Larabie Fonts or the Open Font Library), many font distributors expressly forbid putting fonts on a Web server. Mozilla had to license the fonts used in its @font-face example specifically for that page alone.

Can't we all just get along?

So, type designers and font foundries don't want their fonts ripped off, browser vendors want a single standard, and designers want to be able to use whatever font best suits the design at hand. So far there isn't one clear solution that reconciles these competing desires.

One proposal involves standardizing Microsoft's EOT format, though you can be sure none of the browser vendors except for Microsoft are too keen on that idea. Another solution from The Font Bureau's David Berlow amounts to including a table of permissions within the metadata of a font file that could control their use on the Web. Font vendor Ascender has even proposed creating yet another format specifically for fonts to be used on the Web.

The latest idea is from a company called Small Batch, which has developed a tool called TypeKit. TypeKit relies on fonts that it hosts itself, and designers use the fonts by adding some JavaScript to their code. It's designed to abstract all the hard stuff away from the developer, and even uses Cufón or sIFR as fallbacks for browsers that don't support @font-face. Small Batch is working with foundries to develop a Web-specific license for the fonts it hosts, and the company has recently secured a round of funding from venture capital firms and several new media luminaries.

So far these solutions have generated a lot of debate, but very little consensus. Designers aren't really keen on new font formats. Adding support for @font-face using standard TTF and OTF fonts is appealing to browser vendors, since they can simply tie into an OS's built-in font handling. And type designers and font foundries are left worrying that their creative work will end up being given away. (Although anyone who would go through the trouble of finding a font file in a browser's cache or pulling the URL out of a CSS file isn't likely the sort to care much for a font's EULA in the first place.) TypeKit seems to show the most promise, but designers might not want to rely on a third party's servers to make sure the fonts they specified actually display for an end user.

You can be sure designers will continue to push the envelope by using @font-face for browsers that support it and other solutions like Cufón for those that don't. Until there is one solution that everyone can agree on—whatever it is—expect to still see lots of Verdana, Georgia, and Arial on the Web. For now, it seems, we're just left with the promise of better, more varied typography.

from Ars Technica

DIGITAL SPRINGBOARD: CALL FOR ENTRIES Emerging Digital Media companies are invited to submit their company profiles and proposals

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:44:00 -0700

DIGITAL SPRINGBOARD: CALL FOR ENTRIES

Emerging Digital Media companies are invited to submit their company profiles and proposals for the DIGITAL SPRINGBOARD, an advisory service and mentorship program being administered by New Media BC and supported by the National Research Council - IRAP.

If you are an emerging Canadian digital media company looking for a mentor to help you navigate a technical or business related challenge, please submit your proposal to Christine Lim-Labossiere, New Media BC's Manager, Industry Development and International Partnerships at Christine@newmediabc.com by July 28, 2009.

Your proposal should include:

1. Company profile including track record and key staff (maximum 1 page),
2. Company business goals/current Projects in development (maximum 1 page),
3. Specific challenges/difficulties currently faced by company in development process or project that you require Mentorship guidance on. Please specify if it is a technical or business problem and the quantifiable targets and deliverables to be completed within a minimum period of 4 months (maximum 1 page),
4. Show reel or sample of work, if relevant (send to New Media BC, #102-577 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T 1E1 Attention: DIGITAL SPRINGBOARD).

The DIGITAL SPRINGBOARD allows at least 6 selected companies to be matched with veteran experts in the digital media industry who will act as Mentors and provide an advisory service to these companies for a minimum period of 4 months and help them achieve their specific business/technical goals.

Eligible companies include those engaged in interactive entertainment (games), interactive design and marketing, digital animation/film and mobile content. Mentors will be identified based on the specific business goals and technical targets and will guide the companies through the challenges they are facing in their early stage of development.

The Canadian Digital Media Network

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:14:45 -0700

Canada’s opportunity in the digital economy lies in exercising our strengths across the full digital media continuum: strong technology and tools, rich content, and a satisfying user experience. The Canadian Digital Media Network is Canada’s largest concentration of business-driven digital media research, technology development, and digital commercialization expertise. We use digital media tools, technology and applications to advance multiple industries – entertainment, health care, education, financial services, and advanced manufacturing.

The Canadian Digital Media Network is anchored at the outset by two complementary open concept hubs — the tool makers in Waterloo Region, and the tool users in Stratford, Ontario.

The Network features open concept hubs in downtown Kitchener and Stratford
• The Waterloo Region hub is a ‘club house’ where established companies, entrepreneurs, and researchers converge to share knowledge, activities, tools and expertise based on the model of Communitech – Waterloo Region’s innovation hub http://www.communitech.ca
• The Stratford hub is a prestigious Canadian institute that challenges students, researchers, practitioners and policy makers to envision and create the future of digital media. http://stratfordinstitute.uwaterloo.ca

Network features

Physical Space
• Open concept hubs in downtown Kitchener and Stratford
• A ‘club house’ where established companies, entrepreneurs, and researchers converge to share knowledge, activities, tools and expertise
• Strategic partner labs, tools, applications and infrastructure
• Subsidized leasable office space for start-ups and entrepreneurs in close proximity to the tools and services they need
• Collaboration space for meetings, conferences, public forums

Programs
• Commercialization acceleration services based on the Communitech model, including entrepreneurs-in-residence, business coaching, business plan evaluation, connections to sources of capital and strategic partner programs
• Outreach events to engage the broader community
• Access to financing
• Project management and IP strategy support

Tools, Technology and Applications
• Labs with partner tools & development platforms available for start-up access
• Versatile 2D and 3D immersive environment – a re-configurable projection and display environment that can serve companies from a number of different industry verticals.
• Full Audio-Visual production studios
• Complete array of scalable sensors, cameras, and media capture equipment
• Virtual Hospital Environment
• Access to supercomputing facilities through the University of Waterloo

Connectivity
• Connectivity with other digital media hubs – regional, provincial, national and global – to build network breadth and depth
• Virtual space expands connectivity via a corporate social networking infrastructure connecting all hubs.

http://www.cdmn.ca

Banff New Media Institute (BNMI) digital media research

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:13:03 -0700

The Banff New Media Institute (BNMI) has become a centre for digital media research and development in Alberta, across Canada, and around the world. BNMI has created a dynamic, collaborative environment for such research by fostering partnerships between:

    * academic research institutes
    * educators
    * industry and government stakeholders
    * members of the arts community

Digital media research and new media projects at BNMI are carried out in the following three Advanced Research Technology (ART) labs:

    * collaborative systems
    * mobile media
    * visualization

Aside from providing venues and resources for digital media research and development, the ART labs also facilitate post-doctoral training opportunities, applied research, and new media co-productions.
http://www.banffcentre.ca/bnmi/about.asp

Diva in a Bluetooth Dress

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:12:25 -0700

Diva in a Bluetooth Dress
Reuters

Russia's Maria Sharapova poses for the media as she promotes a new clothing collection at a Liberty boutique in London June 17, 2009.

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova presented a prototype dress to reporters that is designed to light up when the wearer's mobile telephone rings.

British fashion student Georgie Davies dreamed up the knee-length short-sleeved white dress as part of a school project with mobile phone-maker Sony Ericsson to figure out ways of incorporating new technology into fashion.

Davies said the dress is designed to eventually be connected to the wearer's phone by Bluetooth wireless technology, so she can be alerted to a call even in noisiest of places.

"When you're in a pub or a bar, you can never, ever hear your phone," 20-year-old Davies told Reuters on Wednesday.One shoulder of the dress down to the hip is embellished with translucent white scales that move and light up.Sharapova showed off the dress to a gaggle of photographers and a crowd of passers-by from the window of a luxury department store in central London.

(Reporting by Catherine Bosley; Editing by Paul Casciato) Read More...

Artisan chocolate makers get techie

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:11:09 -0700

Artisan chocolate makers get techie
by Dara Kerr

What does former space shuttle technologist Timothy Childs have in common with Wired magazine co-founder Louis Rossetto? Chocolate.

The two have linked up to make chocolate that both foodies and techies can appreciate. "Tcho means where technology meets chocolate," says Childs, the company's chocolate guru, referring to the company's name.
A few years ago, before they were partners, Rossetto ran into Childs at an event in Berkeley, Calif. "He told me he was making chocolate," says Rossetto. "That was such a departure because I had known him as a video technologist."

Childs gave Rossetto a box of his chocolate, and Rossetto says it was the best chocolate he'd ever had. "So, I started buying chocolate from him like he was my own private dealer," Rossetto says. So enthralled with the chocolate, Rossetto told Childs that if he ever got serious, to let him know because he'd like to invest. Well, Childs got serious.

Now, four years later, they own a 20,000 square-foot factory on Pier 17 in San Francisco. Although Tcho officially launched in 2007, the new factory just started operating this month. What makes this chocolate factory special is the tech background that both Childs and Rossetto bring to the chocolate making process.
Read the rest here http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10267643-76.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0

Summer Workshops and Bootcamps

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:09:48 -0700

Join UBC Continuing Studies for the summer with our new selection of one-day workshops, summer one-week bootcamps and three week intensive.
Find more information at http://www.tech.ubc.ca/mmsummer/index.html

Workshops:
Introduction to Audio and Video Podcasting, June 6
Build a Website with WordPress, June 13
GarageBand and Soundtrack Pro Basics, June 20
Flash with Motion Graphics: Interactive Videos, June 27

Three-Day Boot Camp
.NET for Web Developers July 27 - 29

One-Week Bootcamps:
Adobe InDesign, June 8 - 12
Dreamweaver, June 15 - 19
Flash, June 22 - 26

Three-Week Web Design Intensive, July 6 - 24.

Banff Mountain Grants Pogram - new media projects?

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:06:19 -0700

The Banff Mountain Grants Program supports projects that communicate the stories of mountain landscapes as places of ecological, inspirational, and cultural value, and that celebrate the spirit of adventure. The program’s focus on the communication of mountain stories is unique in the world.

Individuals from any country may apply for grants up to $5000 (Canadian dollars) to fund projects that creatively interpret the environment, natural history, human heritage, arts, philosophy, lifestyle, and/or adventure, in and of the mountains. Preference will be given to past entrants and participants in Mountain Culture and Environment competitions and programs.

Projects must include a communications component (such as film, literature, photography) that brings the project before a public audience.

Job Posting: Selkirk College Web Developer

Thu, 28 May 2009 08:21:25 -0700

WEB DEVELOPER

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 in CASTLEGAR

    COMP 29 EMPLOYEE GROUP: PPWC CLOSING DATE IS JUNE 15, 2009

The Web Developer is responsible for developing and maintaining web databases, web programming, and website styles and templates. This position also maintains web standards and enforces privacy policy .

The qualifications include the successful completion of a 2 year Diploma in a Web Development-related discipline such as Computer Information Systems or Multi-media Production and Design and a minimum 5-6 years related experience in W3C standards-based, database driven web environment.

Required skills and abilities include:

·         Excellent working knowledge of and commitment to Web Best Practices including: W3C Standards for HTML/XHTML/XML, Cascading Stylesheets, Web Accessibility Initiative/Section 508 Accessibility/Canadian “Common Look and Feel for Internet” Guidelines.

·         Excellent working knowledge and demonstrated ability to program in the following languages and databases: MSSQL/MySQL; Classic ASP/VBScript and PHP.

·         Comfortable in Javascript and Asynchronous Javascript and XML.

·         Excellent understanding of PHP and the ability to write lean, elegant and quick-loading code in both PHP and markup.

·         Ability to test modern browsers such as Internet Explorer, Gecko-based browsers, WebKit-based browsers and KTML-based browsers.

·         Demonstrated design skills working with Photoshop and InDesign.

·         Current knowledge of Content Management Systems and their functions and features.

·         Strong familiarity with principles of web design, layout, colour theory and typography.

·         Familiarity with other web technologies such as Flash, CFML, Ruby/Rails is an asset.

·         Familiarity with social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr.

·         Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

·         Excellent customer service skills.

·         Excellent attention to detail.

·         Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

The salary is pay grade 11 -- $27.80 per hour –- as per the PPWC Collective Agreement.

This is a six-month full-time temporary position commencing as soon as possible. The appointment may be extended pending funding availability.

Selkirk College appreciates the interest of all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Applications for this PPWC position, along with supporting documentation (resume & work references), should be submitted by the closing date to the Human Resources Office, preferably by e-mail to postings@selkirk.ca

http://selkirk.ca/about/departments/hr/postings/jobs/name-16144-en.php

POPVOX Awards - Enter now!

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:43:07 -0700

POPVOX AWARDS 2009 - Enter Now!

Submit. Vote. Win!

Talent deserves recognition.

And what's better than the voice of the people to provide that recognition? New Media BC's 2009 PopVox Awards are here - honouring the best of BC's Digital Media Industry!

The rules are simple and submissions are FREE. The sooner you enter, the more votes you can get! Deadline to enter is April 30th and winners will be celebrated at the PopVox Awards Party on May 13th during Vancouver Digital Week.

Submit your project or nominate a peer (or yourself!), tell everyone to vote for you and then win. It really is that easy.

www.popvoxawards.com

Tech Village Annual General Meeting Thursday April 9, 2009 Best Western, Nelson BC Vintage Room

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:29:17 -0700

Tech Village

Annual General Meeting

Thursday April 9, 2009

Best Western, Nelson BC

Vintage Room

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Call to Order

Tech Village Year in Review - Jason Taylo, Chair

Adoption of Agenda

Adoption of Previous Minutes

Financial Statements

Election of Directors

Adjournment

TELEFILM CANADA | New Media Outreach Tour

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:54:37 -0700

TELEFILM CANADA | New Media Outreach Tour

Monica Moore, the Interim National New Media Executive – English Market from the Western Regional office of Telefilm Canada will be taking pitch meetings with interactive digital cultural content producers in Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver who are interested in applying to the Canada New Media Fund (CNMF).

Vancouver: Wednesday, April 1st to Friday, April 3rd | 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Telefilm Canada, 609 Granville Street, Suite 410

Edmonton: Monday, April 6th | 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
School of Applied Media & Information Technology (NAIT), 11762 - 106 Street

Calgary: Tuesday, April 7th & Wednesday April 8th | 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Calgary Technologies Inc. (CTI), 3553 - 31 Street NW

Winnipeg: Thursday, April 9th | 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Fortune Cat Games Studio, 201- 62 Albert Street

To arrange a meeting simply:

Review the Funds and Programs on our website at telefilm.gc.ca.
- Particularly our recently issued industry advisory regarding the Canada New Media Fund (CNMF)
E-mail a one-page pitch or project proposal to Julianne Lockhart at lockhaj@telefilm.gc.ca.
A Telefilm representative will contact you to confirm your meeting time and location.
All meetings will be 45 minutes in length.

We look forward to meeting with you!

Very Best,
Earl Hong Tai
Regional Director, Business Development
Telefilm Canada, Western Region

Connected - A Tech Village event for the Digital Media Community

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:06:48 -0800

Connected - A Digtial Media Community Event

To register conact Michelle at KAST – 250-483-5052 or e-mail michelle@kast.com

Presented by Tech Village and KAST, the premiere resource for the West Kootenay tech sector, Connected is a new event series designed to bring together the West Kootenay Digital Media sector. With Collaboration, Communication, Networking and Knowledge Sharing at its core Connected brings industry professionals together in an interactive, informative event designed to inspire each other through each other’s experiences. Four keynote speakers will present their stories focusing on their area of expertise sharing how they succeeded, what’s new in their world in an innovative two way dialogue forum designed to share ideas, inspiration and making connections with other industry pros.

Featured Speakers -

Daryl Anselmo–Propaganda Games–Vancouver–Success Story–Interactive Art
Propoganda is part of one of the world’s largest entertainment companies and a world-class game development studio in downtown Vancouver. As a “Center of Creative Excellence” for Disney Interactive Studios – an affiliate of the Walt Disney Company – Propaganda make action. adventure titles with gripping storylines, stunning visuals and innovative game play.

With a keen eye for style, Daryl manages visual excellence for Propaganda titles. Daryl has more than a decade of interactive art development experience, most recently as an art director at Electronic Arts Canada. At Electronic Arts, Daryl worked on the NBA Live franchise and art directed the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Def Jam: Fight for New York, Def Jam Vendetta and NBA Street.

Amber Hayes – Adventure Engine –Rossland - How to Finance a Tech Project
Adventure Engine is an award-winning international online travel technology company specializing in adventure and experiential travel based out of Rossland,BC. Throughout it’s start-up phase Adventure Engine gained a vast knowledge into how to finance a technology based start-up company through multiple grant and lending sources and will be sharing their knowledge at the event.

Andy and Chris–Funktion Design & Media–Nelson–Startup Story–Innovative Web Projects

Funktion Design & Media is a small, yet powerful web & media development firm located in Nelson, BC Canada. Recognized as a leader in dynamic development and custom business tools, Funktion serves a roster of diverse and innovative clients throughout our region and North America.

Phillipe Filitatreault–New Media BC–Vancouver–How New Media BC can Grow Your Business New Media BC works strategically to promote and grow BC's digital media companies. Through networking, mentoring, training, business matchmaking and marketing, New Media BC supports a vibrant community of over 1,100 digital content businesses. NMBC offers research, professional development, and marketing services to industry stakeholders and provides a voice and community for our dynamic and thriving sectors. Phillipe will be speaking on the various programs and initiatives New Media provides to the Digital Arts and New Media sector to help grow and promote the sector in our province

Fee - $10 general; $5 for Selkirk College or high school students

Big Fish Games Vancouver Studio Debuts First Game

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:15:57 -0800

Big Fish Games’ Vancouver Studio Debuts First Game
Monday, February 23, 2009

Vancouver, BC, February 23, 2009--(T-Net)--Big Fish Games™, a leading online destination for games and interactive entertainment, announced today the release of Unwell Mel, a puzzle game and the first title to come out of Big Fish Games’ recently opened Vancouver, B.C. studio. The Vancouver team – including artists and developers – allows Big Fish Games to more effectively expand its genre expertise without sacrificing the depth, quality and creativity that is the hallmark of Big Fish Games.

“Like all the games that we concept, develop and release, Unwell Mel is an original in its genre. It’s a creative twist on match-three games,” said Pat Wylie, vice president of Big Fish Games Studios. “I’m excited about our Vancouver team; their talent strengthens Studios, and as we grow the team we can ensure the continued production of great games.”

“Unwell Mel is a fast-paced, matching game that charges the player with the diagnosis and treatment of the very unfortunate Mel,” commented Jake Birkett, game designer at Big Fish Games Studios. “We’ve paired the game’s match-three mechanic with an assortment of themed power-ups that give the player a variety of fun and creative ways to cure Mel’s aliments.”

Unwell Mel is available exclusively at http://www.bigfishgames.com . The trial version can be downloaded for free; the full version of the game is available for $19.99 (U.S.).

About Big Fish Games

Big Fish Games is the world’s leading online destination for games and interactive entertainment. Based in Seattle, Washington, Big Fish Games offers “A New Game Every Day™.” Big Fish Games works with more than 500 game developers and distributes over 1 million games per day to consumers worldwide. Big Fish Games Studios develops and publishes some of the industry’s leading brands including Mystery Case Files®, Hidden Expedition®, Azada™ and Fairway Solitaire™. For more information, please visit: http://www.bigfishgames.com.

Spoonbender & The Factory Business After Business free networking session

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:34:56 -0800

You are invited to a Business After Business social & networking event at Spoonbender & The Factory.

Time : Tuesday, February 24, 2009 – 5 PM

KAST & the Nelson Chamber of Commerce present Business After Business featuring SpoonBender.

Tuesday Feb 24, 2009 from 5-7pm
301 Vernon Street, Nelson BC

Please RSVP to info@kast.com 250-483-5052

The Factory: Community Cooperative Artist Studios and Galleries

A business model based on working together. David Russell explains how The Factory came to be.

"Things started with us working together to create low overhead. This was great, and we had a few meetings about the space and needed to decide on a few things like name, logo, guidelines, mission, etc. Quickly we realized we had to create a Board to help with guidance and the decision making. We had to decide what to do with this large space, connecting all the studios. It was decided that this Large Gallery space was also to be used for the community. Since then we have hosted numerous community events, such as classes and workshops, dance, fashion shows, fundraisers, art openings, public meetings and even potlucks and movie nights. We charge a fee, which basically covers basic costs and offers the artist who rent studios a discount. So the community knows they are supporting the artist when they schedule events with The Factory. We hope to keep the theatre at an affordable community price as well."

The factory hosts a Main Gallery surrounded with 6 Studios,the Backdoor Gallery(aka Backdoory) with 2 Studios, 8 more studios and a Gallery restoring a 100 year old basement.

The logo is a big belt driven mixer from the original Jam Factory that was in the building, it is on display, as a center piece in the new studio gallery, and an added touch of Nelsons Heritage Building Plaque, bolted to the center, a huge piece, 6 feet, weighs a ton.

The newest addition is theActory seating 80-160, large stage, backstage and an entrance from Jam Factory Lane.

Future Planned Expansion’s for 2009:
-Largest Gallery Between Vancouver and Calgary, 2500-3500sq feet .located below the Current Gallery and 6 studios.(heritage space, still has the old drive shafts full belt driven equipment.
-4000sq feet of Sound Recording Studios and Multi-Media Facilities, Located below the Large Gallery.
-Art Supply Shop, for specialty needs.
-Craft area, for more industrial arts such as woodwork, clay, glassblowing.
-Community Garden.
-Artist Financial Services such as group medical plans and business admin(so arts can focus on art)
-Educational Facilities for on-going classes workshops and possibly structured programs.

If you are interested in volunteering or have general enquires, please email: info@spoonbender.ca

“an exciting project…I had a dream to unite local artist to take on larger contracts which require something more than the current Mom and Pop arts and skills. To attract this new trend of outsourcing from larger city centers, you need a team of talent who knows each other’s skills and can work together. This was incorporated into the second year of my business plan. Spoonbender studios was created with the support of Nelsons Community Futures Program. As a Technical Director I see peoples skills as potential and pieces of a puzzle. My business, SpoonBender Studios (spendbender.ca) is now divided as 3: The Factory(Artist United), Raster3D(eDrawings, 3D scanning, PlotPlans, Arch and Garden PreViz, Volume Calculations etc), and SpoonBender Studios(Creativity! What I went to school for 3D animation 3D modeling and rendering),” says Russell.

In the next month watch for these web pages :
Factorystudios.ca, theactory.com, spoonbender.ca, raster3d.com

For more information contact David Russell AKA Rasa, Technical Director at SpoonBenderStudios Located at theFactory Nelson BC
250-505-1870 info@spoonbender.ca

The Game Industry Report from Vancouver Film School

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:13:54 -0800

With world economies in turmoil, what’s the outlook for the video game industry?

That’s the question we asked when VFS started compiling The Game Industry: Now & in the Future, a report on the state of the game industry which also features the results of our VFS Game Design Graduate Survey, covering job satisfaction, earnings, and more.

The report finds that game designers and industry observers remain extremely optimistic about the game industry’s long-term health. And we learn that 84% of our Game Design grads are currently employed in the game industry, and 93% enjoy their jobs, among many other findings - encouraging news!

Go to http://www.vfs.com/blog/2009/02/10/the-game-industry-a-report/ to dowload the report

The Game Industry Report form Vancouver Film School

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:52:57 -0800

With world economies in turmoil, what’s the outlook for the video game industry?

Go to http://www.vfs.com/blog/2009/02/10/the-game-industry-a-report/ to dowload the report

Tech Village member opportunities in Apples booming App Store online marketplace

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:47:12 -0800

Locals hoping to hit the application jackpot through Apple’s booming App Store online marketplace

Apple’s trend-setting App Store is luring software developers from B.C. and around the world with the prospect of creating the next big – and moneymaking – iPhone application.

Turning the application-development model on its head, Apple allows companies and independent developers of nearly any skill level to post applications in the App Store for free.

Apple collects 30% of sales from downloads, while an application’s creator collects the difference – a ratio that can offer a lucrative return for the developers of the most popular applications.

Vancouver’s Sillysoft Games launched its Lux DLX in the App Store on December 19. Since then, the video game, which is similar to the board game Risk, has been downloaded more than 25,000 times. At $7.99 per download, Sillysoft has generated roughly $140,000 in a month from sales of Lux DLX.

The five-year-old company focused its development efforts on video games for PCs before Dustin Sacks, the company’s founder, discovered that Apple was launching its App Store last July.

“I’m tempted to not make anymore desktop games and just do iPhone games,” said Sacks.

Sales of Lux DLX have already paid for its development costs, which were primarily wages for programmers and developers. The game has also boosted sales of Lux DLX’s PC version.

To promote the game, Sillysoft released a free version last October. Since then, the free Lux DLX has been downloaded more than a million times.

Developers can buy the iPhone’s software development kit, which is needed to develop iPhone applications, for $100. That price, according to Sacks, pales in comparison to the thousands of dollars that other video game and application development kits are sold for.

With 15,000 iPhone applications available today, seven months after the App Store launched, the challenge for developers is creating an iPhone application that stands out in the crowd.

“It’s possible that in a year or two it will be flooded with apps and they’ll all drop their prices and nobody will be making any money,” said Sacks. “It’s also possible that … there are going to be some [applications] that can hold a price point and make a lot of money.”

He added that because the iPhone platform is so accessible, many applications are very primitive and inferior.

The iPhone has its own proprietary platform. That eliminates the need for porting, which makes an application compatible across different platforms.

Because industry fragmentation has created thousands of different phones, porting has become a major issue for programmers.

“If you’re looking at getting your game out on 500 different handsets, at least half of your budget is being spent on porting into every iteration of the handset in that platform,” said Sarah Thompson, a business development executive at Iugo Mobile Entertainment.

The Vancouver company began developing video games in 2003 on platforms like Java ME and Brew MP, which are widely used on many cellphones and on some smart phones.

Since the App Store launched, Iugo has released five video games for the iPhone and has two more in development. Thompson wouldn’t disclose how many times Iugo’s games have been downloaded from the App Store, but noted that the company has shifted its focus solely to developing iPhone games.

In doing so, Iugo no longer has to partner with game publishers like EA Mobile Games and THQ Wireless. As well, the company doesn’t have to build relationships with phone carriers, which is a major feat for any junior company.

“The carriers are very restrictive, very controlling and typically they only deal with the big guys,” said Thomson.

On January 20, Vancouver’s 3rdWhale.com launched its free iPhone application, which uses the iPhone’s global positioning system, or GPS, to help users find green businesses. The company hopes to drive revenue by selling advertising space and premium listings on the green business directory.

Boyd Cohen, 3rdWhale’s founder, noted that while the iPhone’s popularity is growing, it still represents only a fraction of the mobile phone market. “If you’re just building an iPhone app and you’re only relevant to iPhone users … then you have a very small market.”

Iugo and 3rdWhale are exploring developing applications for mobile phone application stores that BlackBerry and Google are launching in response to the App Store’s success. •

Business in Vancouver January 27-February 2, 2009; issue 1005

Facebook is now pulling in nearly twice as many visitors as My Space

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:26:56 -0800

Facebook is now pulling in nearly twice as many unique visitors worldwide as News Corp.-owned competitor Myspace, according to new statistics from ComScore.

(click to enlarge)

Roughly 222 million people around the world visited Facebook in December versus 125 million people for MySpace. (CNET’s Caroline McCarthy notes that Facebook pegs its active user count at about 150 million.)

The statistics come just two weeks after ComScore statistics indicated that MySpace was still bigger in the U.S., measured by pageviews and time spent on the site.

On a worldwide scale, though, Facebook edges out Myspace, according to the new figures.

If there’s one thing to note, though, it’s that Myspace has had the jump on Facebook with regard to revenue. Ever since News Corp. invested in the site a few years ago, it has been able to monetize its audience much better than Facebook does, plain and simple.

Facebook’s challenge, of course, is to take advantage of its larger (probably still more affluent) audience, from which it has collected an incredible amount of information from. That information — including surfing habits, thanks to Facebook Connect — could help Facebook get a better sense of its audience.

www.community.techvillage.com Blogs

Transportation Investment Corp Website Design and Development RFP

Show Me the Money, Tech Village Connect Feb 11th, 2010 register at www.kast.com

Tech Village Connect Event Feb 11 2010

DigiBC (a merger of New Media BC and WINBC) announcement

DigiBC (WinBC and New Media BC) job posting

FLICKR CO-FOUNDER STEWART BUTTERFIELD IS KEYNOTE AT FUSION '09

FLICKR CO-FOUNDER STEWART BUTTERFIELD IS KEYNOTE AT FUSION '09

Broadband futures uncertain in B.C. for smaller companies as era of government intervention in the Internet sector draws to a close

PRESENT BEFORE GOOGLE AT 3RD FUSION VENTURE FORUM Vancouver Nov 12

PRESENT BEFORE GOOGLE AT 3RD FUSION VENTURE FORUM

US Media Fiirm buys Vancouver based Now Public (est $25 mill)

Website project opportunity

Webmaster / Desktop Support Analyst - RDKB

The hazy future of Web typography

Current tools

Latest method: @font-face

Can't we all just get along?

DIGITAL SPRINGBOARD: CALL FOR ENTRIES Emerging Digital Media companies are invited to submit their company profiles and proposals

DIGITAL SPRINGBOARD: CALL FOR ENTRIES

The Canadian Digital Media Network

Banff New Media Institute (BNMI) digital media research

Diva in a Bluetooth Dress

Artisan chocolate makers get techie

Summer Workshops and Bootcamps

Banff Mountain Grants Pogram - new media projects?

Job Posting: Selkirk College Web Developer

POPVOX Awards - Enter now!

POPVOX AWARDS 2009 - Enter Now!

Tech Village Annual General Meeting Thursday April 9, 2009 Best Western, Nelson BC Vintage Room

TELEFILM CANADA | New Media Outreach Tour

Connected - A Tech Village event for the Digital Media Community

Big Fish Games Vancouver Studio Debuts First Game

Spoonbender & The Factory Business After Business free networking session

The Factory: Community Cooperative Artist Studios and Galleries

The Game Industry Report from Vancouver Film School

The Game Industry Report form Vancouver Film School

Tech Village member opportunities in Apples booming App Store online marketplace

Facebook is now pulling in nearly twice as many visitors as My Space

Big Fish Games Vancouver Studio Debuts First Game

Tech Village member opportunities in Apples booming App Store online marketplace