I’m kidding. Mack’s no robot. In fact, he’s one of the smartest and nicest people I’ve met in this city.

My first encounter with Mack was at DemoCamp 3, I believe. He was the young dude taking photos of everyone and assisting Cam Linke and Kevin Swan with the event. He looked like any other geek. When I eventually found my way onto Twitter, I realized that in the ever-growing Edmonton online community, Mack is a key influencer. A Big Deal™, if you will.

Mack and I have become friends over the last few years, as our paths cross fairly often due to several shared passions. It made sense to have him on the show. It’s taken us too long to get him into the studio.

So, Scott and I present to you the Mack Male episode, where we discuss his views on the Open Data movement, social media, blogging and even what life up north was like. If you enjoy it or not, leave a comment and let us know!

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EDMONTON JOURNAL STILL SPONSORS THE UNKNOWN STUDIO
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It’s true! After so much joking and tongue-in-cheek referrals to Edmonton’s newspaper of record on our show, the Edmonton Journal decided to put their money where our mouths are, by sponsoring the Unknown Studio this month!

We’re helping EJ to promote their Blackberry mobile launcher. You can check it out by clicking here on your Blackberry browser. If you have any comments about the mobile launcher or the Journal’s mobile site, let us know and we’ll pass it along!

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Click here to download the latest episode of the Unknown Studio.

The Unknown Studio is a proud member of the League of Extraordinary Media.

Thanks to Dave Cournoyer for allowing us to use one of his photos for this post.

Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture

Cynical ex-Boy Adventurer

Star Of: An animated television series, currently in it’s fourth season.
First Appearance: Venture Bros. pilot episode “The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay”
Likes: Women, money, “Diet Pills”
Dislikes: Adventure, Dr. Jonas Venture Sr., the Monarch
Bio: An idealistic boy-adventurer who’s grown up to be a narcissistic failure of a super scientist, father and human being.

1. The Economy

At the heart of most of Dr. Venture’s hair-brained science schemes is a very strong desire for money. Specifically, the desire for money that is earned with as little actual work as possible.

You’d expect that would give him a fairly liberal view of the economy, and you’d be totally wrong.

Dr. Venture is somewhat miserly, and very fiscally conservative. He cuts corners where he can, looks for cheap labour to reduce his overhead, and seeks out alternate ways to bring in more income (yard sale, taking on a boarder.) Heck, most of his “inventions” are just repackaged versions of his dad’s old stuff.

2. Human Rights

Remember that cheap labour I mentioned a moment ago? Yeah, Dr. Venture has no compunctions hiring illegal foreign workers that he can pay a slave’s wage to. To do dangerous mad-science work.

Oh, and that time he played God and brought a dead man back to life? Or how about the holographic chamber powered by the heart of a forsaken child?

Pictured: Forsaken Heart

This may be a by-product of being surrounded by danger and violence but Dr. Venture doesn’t put much value on other people (hell, he barely puts value on the lives of his own sons.) For Dr. Venture, life is cheap.

3. Family Values

Dr. Venture actually has a very traditional view of the family unit, with a very 50’s or 60’s sensibility. He wants his boys to grow up to be proper men and he tries to instill respect and good values into them.

On occasions we’ve seen him scold his sons for bad manners, giving him backtalk and for disrespect toward women. He’s also tried to be there for them – sometimes, usually awkwardly – to talk to them about girls, or sex, or drugs (specifically to warn them to stay away from all of them.) He’s even shown remorse over various physical and social difficulties his boys have faced.

In fact, it’s fairly clear that Dr. Venture wants Hank and Dean to grow up to be the men he isn’t. He doesn’t want to fail them the way his father failed him.

He’s… not doing so well…

4. National Defense

Dr. Venture is a super-scientist like his father before him. And like his father before him, he’s mainly a defense contractor. He’s invented fighting robots, a means of bringing the dead back to life to serve as soldiers, even a walking eye!

Walking Eye, people!

Living a life of constant peril, Dr. Venture also lives in a veritable fortress at the Venture compound. With an arch-enemy constantly gunning after him, as well as the various dangers associated with super -science, he understands the need for personal safety, and he takes it very seriously.

Very seriously indeed.

In practice, Dr. Venture believes in the “shock and awe” style of combat. Start with an unbelievable show of force in an effort to totally thwart the opposition, and if that doesn’t work… cowering in fear is a good second option.

Verdict:

Personal failings aside, Dr. Venture is a man who has a strong belief in traditional values, doesn’t like spending unnecessarily, believes the best defense is a strong offense, and would prefer it if he could go about his business with as little oversight or limitation as possible. There’s really no debate over which ballot he’d put his little “x” in.

If you have an idea for a fictional victim for The Character Assassin, e-mail Scott, or send him a tweet with your suggestion.

Seeing is believing

Today, I got a call from my optometrist. I ignored the call, because I already knew I had my appointment tomorrow. When I listened to my messages later, I found out it was from his secretary, saying all of his appointments have been canceled due to him passing away last night. FML

You’re a selfish git, did you know that? Oh, sure your life is hard. You need to have your eyes checked. Meanwhile, the guy who normally checks your eyes has checked so many eyes in his lifetime that it appears to have killed him.

Here’s some perspective for you: you can get a referral, and a new eye doctor. Stop feeling bad because you were inconvenienced by a missed appointment. Someone died and it wasn’t you. Your life is fine.

Friendly fire

Today, I found out my little sister is a pyromaniac. She set my bed on fire. FML

A band called Midnight Oil once asked, “How do we dance when our earth is turning? How do we sleep when our beds are burning?” The answer is, you don’t.

When your bed’s burning, you sort out who did it (your little sister), then you call the authorities (the police) and a mental health professional (a child psychologist) and you nip that shit in the bud before little Molly starts torching more important bits of property… like the television or Playstation 3.

Get some ball(s)

Today, I watched Cast Away with my girlfriend after not seeing it for a year. I forgot how sad it was when Wilson “dies” at the end. I cried. My girlfriend told me to man up. FML

As someone who cries at every movie — Up, Forrest Gump, Showgirls (but only because I was forced to watch it) — I can only conclude that your girlfriend is a huge jerk. And that you, like me, are a huge pussy.

And that’s cool. Some girls like a sensitive man. While others, like your girlfriend, finds it to be a complete and utter turnoff. And to be fair, you were crying about a volleyball that a crazy man painted a face on.

So yeah, your life is effed. Accept it, move on, and keep the tissue nearby.

In this latest installment of our ongoing Watch This feature — in which Adam and I give you a rundown on shows or movies you absolutely must see — we run-down the dial on the television and give you our picks for some of the greatest cartoons…

For grown-ups.

So put the kids to bed, pull up a bowl of popcorn, and lets take a look at what you won’t see on Treehouse.

Scott’s comments will be in Zoidberg Red, and Adam’s will be in Zorak Green.

Futurama (1999)

“Futurama” is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest cartoons ever made.

Basically, it’s the story of Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from the year 1999 who is accidentally (or is he?) frozen, and awakens 1000 years in the future. He ends up becoming a delivery boy for “Planet Express”, a company operated by his great-great-great-great-grandnephew to fund his mad science, alongside an amoral robot and a cyclops.

Still with me?

The show is by “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, and I can honestly say it’s a vast improvement on it’s longer-lasting (too-long lasting) counterpart. Groening clearly took the lessons learned from “The Simpsons’” growing pains and applied them from the very inception of “Futurama”.

First lesson: stories surrounding the amazing cast of characters. The staff of Planet Express are all fully realized. From the core trio of Fry, Bender and Leela all the way to series darkhorse Dr. Zoidberg, everyone gets a chance to steal the spotlight from time to time.

Second lesson: The writing. “Futurama” is one of the few series I can think of that can make me laugh one instant, then get misty the next. Standout episodes such as Luck of the Fryrish, The Sting and Jurassic Bark are absolutely worth seeking out.

And lets not even get started on the hypnotoad! ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!

The first time I watched Futurama, I was not onboard. It took me a good long while to appreciate what Matt Groening was trying to do: create a viable cartoon series that was completely separate from the mishigoss of the Simpsons (which I would argue is in many ways also an adult cartoon). The format — Pigs in Space on earth in a cartoon created by Matt Groening — allowed the characters to be more quirky in their quirkiness, more strange in their strangeness, and ultimately, in a really weird way, more believable in their unbelievableness.

I mean, who can’t relate to Fry — being frozen in some weird device only to wake up his own father (in at least one episode)?

This is an underrated show, and consequently, an often-cancelled one. It should be on your list of things to watch.

The Venture Bros. (2003)

Oh, Adult Swim… Is there anything you can’t do? I would suggest that the answer is no.

I was leery of this series when a colleague from work first suggested I spend some time with it, but the highly gay subtext of Hank and Dean, paired with the hyper-sexualized Brock Sampson makes this not only a must-see adult cartoon, but a must-laugh romp through the annals of late-70s, early-80s cartoon homages.

Easily my favourite character, Brock is by far the funniest, most over-the-top bit of cartoonery you’re likely to see this side of the Flintstones meet the Jetsons. Seriously, if you haven’t watched this show yet, go out and buy all available seasons and prepare to laugh your ass off…

I AM THE MONARCH.

A brilliant pastiche of the entire genre of serialized adventure. “Venture Bros.” draws much of it’s main inspiration from “Johnny Quest” but crams a ton of nostalgic pop-culture into each of it’s episodes.

Much like “Futurama” above, the primary selling point for “Venture Bros.” is less the plot (which is amazingly tight for a largely episodic series) and more the characters. The series is deceptively not about the titular Hank and Dean Venture, but about their father, Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture.

Dr. Venture is a former child adventurer, in the vein of “Johnny Quest” – but the trauma of those days of adventure have left him a cynical, bitter man, surrounded by failure. On a daily basis he has to deal with his two developmentally stunted boys, his father’s towering legacy, his necromancer tenant, and his butterfly themed arch-nemesis. Then throw in assassins, henchmen, walking eyes, super heroes, David Bowie and Brock fucking Samson. It’s a brilliant show, and it’s absolutely a must-see.

Standout episodes include Dia de Los Dangerous!, Twenty Years to Midnight and iViva Los Muertos!

Clone High (2002)

I was torn here between two great shows that aired at roughly the same time and only lasted a single season. One of them was “Undergrads”. The other was “Clone High”. I like both… but “Clone High” wins in a fight every time.

The theme song pretty adequately sums up the show’s premise. Way, way back in the 1980’s, secret government employees dug up famous guys and ladies and made amusing genetic copies. Now the clones are sexy teens, and they’re going to make it if they try.

It’s basically a bizarre parody of the high-school sitcom, with the addition of mad science. And the stars are Abe Lincoln, Gandhi, Cleopatra, JFK and Joan of Arc.

The madcap humour, the hilarious characters and the “B” plots starring Principal Skudworth made this show. And it’s a damn shame it’s not still on the air.

No. It’s a crime against mankind that this show is not still on the air.

If you only see three episodes of “Clone High” ever, I highly recommend Episode Two: Election Blue-Galoo, Makeover, Makeover, Makeover: The Makeover Episode and Snowflake Day: A Very Special Holiday Episode.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Clone High, having only watched a handful of episodes. I defer to Scott on this matter, but suggest that Harvey Birdman is sadly absent from this list.

Harvey Birdman didn’t end up on this list, Adam, because of our next entry.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1994)

Hey Scott! … Are you getting enough oxygen?

Space Ghost Coast to Coast is easily my favourite cartoon of all time. Oh sure, it’s hilarious if you’re one of those pot-smoking gadabouts, but it’s also a hilariously brilliant indictment of the talk-show format. So allow me to spend a bit of time expound on my boy TV’s Tad Ghostal for you.

Tad was a hero. And then he was a talkshow, and he became self-obsessed — like all talk-show hosts. Even ones of super-popular, Edmonton-related pocasts. Having ensnared his enemies Moltar and Zorak and forced them to work as his producer and his band leader respectively, his guests are typically subjected to a barrage of questions… about Space Ghost himself. Few f these questions actually make sense.

“Would you like some of my sex? With me?”

The result is a pattern of interviews where the guests are typically confused and the content is always funny. And the best part is that you don’t even have to be stoned to see the humour in it!

Adam insisted we include Space Ghost on this list. Insisted. And the truth is… it really deserves to be.

Besides being damned funny, “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” is also the precursor to virtually every other Adult Swim cartoon. If it isn’t a direct spin-off (like “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”, “The Brak Show” and the impossibly funny “Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law”), it’s at least inspired by the wacky, risqué humour that Space Ghost introduce back in 1994!

So thank you, Space Ghost, for ushering in a renaissance of cartoons specifically geared toward a more “grown-up” crowd.

As Adam mentioned above, this is the funniest, most nonsensical late night talk show you’ll ever watch. Episodes that make me laugh out loud to this very day include Piledriver, Batmantis and Snatch.

]]> http://theunknownstudio.ca/2010/03/watch-this-grown-up-cartoons/feed/ 2 http://theunknownstudio.ca/2010/03/dawson-bridge-watch-the-impact/ http://theunknownstudio.ca/2010/03/dawson-bridge-watch-the-impact/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:49:55 +0000 Adam Rozenhart http://theunknownstudio.ca/?p=1960 It’s no secret that the Dawson Bridge needed a major facelift (see actual photo of bridge before renovations began below). And while most residents of Riverdale (and Forest Heights, on the east side of the North Saskatchewan River) have taken the inconvenience in stride, the negative impact of the bridge closure on others is palpable.

Not so for local software development manager Sean Ouimet, however. Sean’s lived in Riverdale for about six and a half months and during the summertime, he uses the Dawson Bridge often. The Unknown Studio spoke with Sean over email to sort out how the bridge closure has negatively impacted his life… if at all.

Actual photo of the Dawson bridge. We swear. Just ignore the mountains in the background

The Unknown Studio: First of all, do you typically use public transit, or do you drive?

Sean Ouimet: Public transit primarily.

TUS: In a typical week, how often did you use the Dawson Bridge?

SO: I mostly used to cross the Dawson Bridge for the odd lunch run. Some of my guests preferred to come and visit me via that route though they’ve since adjusted to using the Highlevel Bridge. In the season(s?) of non-winter I’ve often enjoyed biking or walking across the bridge quite often in the last few years, even before living in the area myself.

TUS: How has the Dawson Bridge closure affected your routine?

SO: Having the #1 bus not running through Riverdale every 15 minutes has changed how I plan my outings a little bit. The updated frequency of the 308 does help, but quite often it seems just that little bit out of sync with a connecting bus/LRT downtown resulting in a 20-25 minute wait for the next round. Instead I’ll often take the #2 (to or from Riverdale) as a backup, which is just a quick 5-7 minute walk from my home to the top of the stairs that are just east of Alex Taylor Road.

TUS: Have you witnessed a lot of drivers coming down Rowland Road, then U-turning because they didn’t see the signs?

SO: I did notice quite a few U-turners for quite a while after the bridge closed… though I’m usually not in a position to actually see the end-of-the-bridge all that much day-to-day. Perhaps we should organize a regular neighbourhood social event that consists of lawn chairs setup near the end of the bridge? I bet we could have a lot of fun waving a friendly smile to people as they begin to turn their cars around.

TUS: On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you to have the Dawson re-open? (you can decide which part of the scale denotes most excitement)

SO: I’ll go with a 7 out of 10 and not just because this is question number 7. While I’d love to have the the bridge open once the snow melts (to help ensure I burn off some extra winter weight,) it doesn’t overly impact my life on a day-to-day basis. Sure there are some minor inconveniences to my routine with the bridge being shut down, but life is far to short to fret about such things for long.

Next time…

Next month, we’ll have more photos of the bridge renovation progress, and we might even talk to the city about their vision for a new bridge. I’m hoping this vision involves lasers and octopi.

However, as people become more aware of the impact of their purchasing choices, some have moved to make more prudent, low-impact buys, whether they need a new pair of shoes or want to buy a box of chocolates.

That’s where Ethical Ocean comes in. Spawned from a discussion during a road trip in 2007 and launched at the beginning of February, Ethical Ocean equips consumers with the tools they need to make ethical buying choices. Think of it as the eCommerce solution to the green, fair trade and organic movements.

The Unknown Studio had a chance to speak with Tony Hancock, one of the minds behind Ethical Ocean over email last week. Originally from Calgary, the 24-year-old mechanical engineer was sent to Malawi in 2007 to work with smallholder farmers for four months. It was there under the heat of the African sun that Tony made the connection between North American buying habits and its impact on people on the other side of the planet.

“So many products we enjoy on a daily basis come from all over the world… Where the things you buy come from, and how they were made really does matter, and really does affect many people in the chain.”

Like many startups, Ethical Ocean came from an idea that would help improve the lives of its founders. Faced with a dearth of smart choices for consumer products, the founding group got together and asked what kind of ethical products they’d like to have access to but couldn’t easily find online — they created a set if categories that their products might fit into: eco-friendly, fair trade, organic, people-friendly, animal-friendly, and social change. You can even shop by your desired category.

“Since then we have tried to broaden the spectrum of products we offer, and vendors are now approaching us themselves,” Tony explains. “We have adopted an ‘open source’ approach to the types of products and vendors allowed on the website. We filter the obvious, but ultimately leave it up to the buyer to vote and comment on the ethics of everything on the site. This is important in a field where ‘right’ is not always as written in black and white (or green for that matter).”

Discussion is key to the Ethical Ocean business model. The site invites vendors and consumers to share their thoughts on different products by way of site and product comments.

“A strong community surrounding discussion on ethics is essential for buyers and sellers alike. I can honestly say the things I’ve learned personally about certain subjects like ethically sourced coffee or T-shirts along the way have been eye opening and empowering,” Tony says. “We believe strongly in community moderated content, and our biggest influence on discussions will be to plant the seeds for a fair and equitable discussion space.”

With so much information out there to help consumers make smart and ethical choices, it’s easy to get down on yourself if not everything you buy is 100 per cent organic, animal-friendly or otherwise ethical. Tony believes that moving toward ethical buying is a process one continually works at, seeking out ever-changing information and making choices aimed at benefitting people and the planet.

And in spite of dire warnings of the impeding collapse of our ecosystem or of humankind, Tony takes a fighter’s attitude to the doomsaying.

“I really think it’s irrelevant whether we are ’screwed’ or not, whether we are able to change our ways in time or not,” he says. “I’d rather ‘go down swinging’, so to speak. Do I think there will be serious consequences if we continue to live the way we are currently living? Absolutely. Do I think we can turn things around? Yes.

“We have our work cut out for us, but I continue to be an optimist.”

And if Ethical Ocean can help buoy other ethical purchasing websites or offline properties, Tony feels it’s been worth it.

Besides, ethical choices or not, he has big dreams. In 15 years, Tony sees himself “on a beach in the Polynesian islands (which have not been flooded by rising seas) sipping a mojito (made with fair trade sugar of course).”

• Become a fan of Ethical Ocean on Facebook
• Follow Ethical Ocean on Twitter
• Check out the Ethical Ocean on Flickr

Or it’s just a style choice.

Either way: dumb.

And either way, we have this week’s installment of FML Friday. Something for you to read over lunch. And then choke on your sandwich. FYL.

Down the pooper

Today, I got stuck in my apartment’s garbage chute. FML

Scant on the details, huh? I wonder what you mean, exactly. Did you try to climb into your apartment’s garbage chute and get stuck about half way down? Did you catch your sleeve on the opening when depositing garbage? Either way, you’re an awful storyteller, and you just haven’t engaged with the reader.

Next time try this: “Today, I’m boring and a terrible writer. FML.”

SMS drama

Today, at 1am, the girl of my dreams that I’ve been trying for over three years to date, finally asked me out via SMS. Too bad I was asleep at the time. She now thinks I’ve rejected her, and will no longer speak to me. FML

So, you were interested in dating a lunatic who thinks it’s kosher to ask someone out OVER SMS after most human beings in the same timezone have gone to bed. And you believe now that your life is effed because you, like most people, require sleep and aren’t chained to your mobile 24/7.

Listen, buddy, I get it. She’s the girl of your dreams. But ask yourself this: would the girl of your dreams try to interrupt your sleep with some half-hearted late-night text message that said, “Letz go steddy LOLZ!!1eleven,” and then get pissed off when you fail to immediately reply? I doubt it.

The girl of your dreams likely uses her mobile to decode numeric keypads as the two of you wander around the nation solving mysteries and catching bad guys. At least, that’s what the girl of my dreams does, right Rachel?

My girlfriend, the plumber

Today, my boyfriend called me over, all just to unclog his toilet. It was clogged because he put my phone in it while he was taking a dump to see if it would actually flush. FML

I’m not even sure how to put this, except that my faucet is leaking. Can you come over and fix it? I’ll be your boyfriend (right Rachel?)

It’s been a while – too long, really – since I’ve put finger-to-key and typed up a new entry for the blog. I have no one to blame (other than BioWare), and can only say that I will try and make sure we don’t have too many long stretches like this past one.

I have a few things on the go, such as a new entry for The Character Assassin and another Watch This! feature, but today I wanted to do something quick and light to remind you that yes, I do, in fact, still contribute.

I’d like to introduce you to the girl I took out for a spin the other day.

This is Blue.

Or at least a car that looks exactly like her.

She’s my sexy ride. A sleek, four door 2008 Pontiac G6. And she’s a dirty, dirty girl.

Or at least, she was. The warm winter weather has taken it’s toll and she has been filthy for… well months really. I kept putting off washing her because it was too cold, or too wet.

Well no more. I rolled her out of the garage and gave her the vehicular equivalent of a spa-day. Full oil-change (synthetic – nothing but the best for my girl), air filter replaced, fluids checked and topped off, tire pressure gauged… and a soothing drive through the car wash.

Where am I going with this?

If you’re like me, your car is your link to the rest of the world. Blue gets me places. She’s what gets me to work on time, makes sure I’m prompt for my appointments, and gives me the ability to quickly travel six blocks to the nearest 7-Eleven.

She’s more than just my car – she’s my freedom.

I am ashamed to admit that it took me forever to get my driver’s license. I was in my twenties when I finally got up the nerve to do it. Oh, I’d had my learners for some time… I just never took the next step.

Part of it was intimidation. I was actually a little afraid to get behind the wheel and hit the road. It wasn’t the car that scared me, or my lack of ability… it was other drivers I was worried about. I have no control over how other people drive – and I didn’t trust that they would drive responsibly.

But the other part – the main part – was that I’d always gotten by just fine. I didn’t need my license because whenever I had to get somewhere, there was an alternative. Taking a cab or a bus, getting a lift from a friend or a family member… I didn’t think I needed my own car.

I was wrong.

When I finally went and did it… the whole world opened up. Suddenly I could go out, wherever I wanted, at my whim. I was no longer beholden to bus routes or the timetables of others. I experienced that true freedom for the first time.

If you are like I was, hesitant to get your license because you don’t think you need it – you’re wrong too.

You might not know it yet, but you’ve limited yourself in a fundamental way. Sure, for most cosmopolitan city-folk, there are options that will get to you all the places you need to go. But the face remain that there are places in this city where it’s hard to get if you don’t have a car. Moreover, what if you need to get into St. Albert? Or Leduc? Or Calgary? Tomorrow?

Blue gives me the ability to do that. She gives me the power to, at 3 in the morning, say “I feel like getting donuts. In Red Deer.” And away I go.

The least I can do is tune her up, and keep her clean.

So, yeah. That’s the point I’m driving at: get your car an oil change and a wash.

Next Time: Super Mario Bros.

From my perspective, it started with the Reboot Albert discussion, manned by progressive conservatives like Ken Chapman and Chris LaBossiere. Variously disenfranchised with Alberta’s current political mix — particularly in light of Bill 44 — these guys formed part of the movement towards a post-partisan dialogue, founded on the agreement that the party system is far more than simply imperfect: it’s broken, and doesn’t engage citizens anymore.

So they sought to open a dialogue with like-minded progressives. Big “C” Conservatives would have you believe this is nothing more than a bunch of liberals getting together to whinge about politics in Alberta. They’re wrongfully dismissive of something that I believe will become a significant political movement.

That last phrase — “significant political movement” — is why I’ve decided that I will go to Reboot Alberta 2.0 this weekend (26–28 Feb) in Kananaskis.

I’m going into the event with zero expectations of an outcome. I’m trying to keep my mind open to discussion from every corner of the province, from people whose views I do and do not share. And the reason for this is simple: I’m tired of the rhetoric, I’m tired of the naysaying, I’m tired of being one of the people who feels roughed into this arbitrary political construct that doesn’t work for me anymore — that maybe never worked for me.

And I look at it this way: either I can sit idly by and let these discussions take place without me, I can scoff and criticize and speculate about the successes or failures of this new movement. Or I can get off the pot, get over myself, and find a way to contribute to the future of politics in Alberta.

That’s the choice I’ve made. And I’m excited about it.

If you’ve ever listened to our show for any reasonable period of time (say, about 5 minutes), you’ll likely have discovered that Scott and I thoroughly enjoy movies. From the most complicated and grueling bit of German Expressionism to the comedic stylings of Lloyd and Harry, we are like the obsessed fanboys of the medium of film. And with the 82nd Annual Academy Awards coming to a television set near you on Sunday March 7, we thought we’d share our thoughts, feelings and indulges with our listening public.

But we couldn’t do it alone. So we brought in David Berry, Vue Weekly arts writer and local freelance journalist.

In our Oscar episode, we’ll share our predictions, opinions (both informed and uninformed) and thoughts on the movies of 2009 that made the greatest impact. And we’ll even complain that Star Trek wasn’t nominated for Best Picture. Remember: fanboys.

Join us for the hilarity, the mystique, and the beeping out of swears! And be sure and share your thoughts in the comments as well.

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EDMONTON JOURNAL SPONSORS THE UNKNOWN STUDIO
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It’s true! After so much joking and tongue-in-cheek referrals to Edmonton’s newspaper of record on our show, the Edmonton Journal decided to put their money where our mouths are, by sponsoring the Unknown Studio for the month of February, and maybe even beyond. Particularly once they hear this show!

We’re helping EJ to promote their recently released Blackberry mobile launcher. You can check it out by clicking here on your Blackberry browser. If you have any comments about the mobile launcher or the Journal’s mobile site, let us know and we’ll pass it along!

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Download the MP3 of the Unknown Studio’s 18th episode