The Unknown Studio

Episode the Nineteenth: Open Data, Open City, Open Minds

Adam Rozenhart — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:32:47 +0000

Many people in Edmonton know the name “Mack Male“. A young Edmontonian, one of the champions of the Open Data movement, local software developer and blogger, and social media maven, Mack has [perhaps inadvertently] asserted himself as what I’ve come to refer to as Edmonton’s prodigal digital son. “Prodigal” because he is a prodigious individual who once moved away to the Territories, but ultimately returned to the City of Champions. “Digital” because he exists nowhere but on the internets, and anyone who does meet Mack in person should know they’re interacting with an advanced robot.

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.

Episode the Eighteenth: Wherefore art thou, Golden Statue?

Adam Rozenhart — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:32:41 +0000

It’s that time of year again, everyone. The time when Hollywood is abuzz… With gossip, wild speculation, and a genetically sperior African killer bee. Yes, it’s Oscar time, thirties of listeners.

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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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

Episode the Seventeenth: Sexytime Valentine’s Show

Adam Rozenhart — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:46:32 +0000

For our Valentine’s Day episode, we decided to do something a little different. Rather than try and think of ways to provide people with advice on gifts or things to do, we thought we’d talk about one of the big things that may (or may not be) on people’s minds this V-Day: sex. And in order to do that, we spoke with Brenda Kerber, owner of Edmonton’s Traveling Tickle Trunk about sex toys, sexual health, the people’s attitudes and openness toward sexuality in general.

Brenda showed Scott and I some of the terrible, poorly made sex toys there are on the market. And they’re terrifyingly shabby. She also showed us some spectacular products that are top of the line (and some of them more resemble something you’d see Apple design than a sex toy manufacturer).

Brenda also shared her thoughts on North America’s attitude toward sex, and some of the more puzzling aspects of sex education, particularly in Alberta.

Finally, for listeners of the Unknown Studio who download and listen to the episode, you’ll hear a very special offer from Brenda to you for Valentine’s day… But you have to download the episode and listen through for details and take advantage of it before Valentine’s Day.

Check out our Flickr group for some photos of the sex toys Brenda showed us, and be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section!

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EDMONTON JOURNAL SPONSORS THE UNKNOWN STUDIO
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Episode the Sixteenth: Foreign Journalism

Adam Rozenhart — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:59:51 +0000

In keeping with our seemingly recent theme of covering different aspects of the journalistic profession, Scott and I played host to iNews880.com news reporter Jeremy Lye. Jeremy, originally from Australia, spent some of his professional life covering corruption and drugs wars taking place in Central America, particularly places like Honduras and Guatemala. We wanted to know Jeremy’s perspective on what it’s like to work in foreign places, where you might not know the language and customs so well.

Jeremy shared some of his scary moments with us, and some of his thoughts on why he would place himself in those situations, and now his perception of traveling to dangerous places has changed now that he’s a dad (though he definitely gave us the impression that once his kids grow up, he’s right back on the foreign journalism train). Then we also talk about how Australians don’t drink Fosters, and how awesome the snow is here (seriously, Jeremy loves the snow).

Give the episode a listen, and share your thoughts in the comments section or give us a review on the iTunes music store!

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EDMONTON JOURNAL SPONSORS THE UNKNOWN STUDIO
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Episode the Fifteenth: Journalists Invade Edmonton

Adam Rozenhart — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:57:59 +0000

Well, Happy New Year to our twenties of listeners. Scott and I enjoyed our break, but we were both also very eager to get back into the swing of things…

In our fifteenth episode, we sit down with Gateway Editor-in-Chief Mike Kendrick and Canadian University Press President Rob Fishbook to discuss the upcoming National Journalism Conference being hosted in Edmonton by the Gateway and Canadian University Press (CUP) this coming weekend. This event sees hundreds of student journalists descend on the city for a weekend AGM and professional development conference. The line-up of speakers giving talks at this year’s conference (affectionately called “Nash” by salty old-school CUPpies like myself) includes such luminaries as Jan Wong, Adrienne Arsenault… and Scott and myself, if you can believe it.

We also discuss the changing media of student journalism and some of the interesting content and technological challenges that CUP is helping its members tackle — we even get a bit of a sneak peak at CUP’s soon-to-be-launched proprietary content management system for member papers.

Finally, and you’ll never believe this, I got to work in a Star Trek reference. All in all a great show and a terrific start to the New Year.

Episode the Fourteenth: an Unknown Studio kinda Christmas

Adam Rozenhart — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:32:36 +0000

I know you’ve been waiting for this. It’s like a new Christmas tradition! Instead of going to church or opening presents, you can all gather ’round the old iTunes box and listen to that there podcast what’s hosted by those sweet, sensitive young men, Mr Scott C Bourgeois and Mr Adam Rozenhart.

Scott and I decided to make our first Christmas episode a little bit different — so we told the guest we’d had booked to go fly a sleigh. Rather than interview someone, we have a “conversation” with each other. We discuss our families’ Christmas traditions and the Christmas films we enjoy; we share stories from some of our listeners who had some nightmarish Mall Santa experiences (actually, that would be a great name for a Christmas Band: the Mall Santa Experience™); and we even exchange gifts, almost live, right there on the air!

So while you’re wrapping gifts, chugging some nog, or sobbing quietly to yourself, why not give us a listen? If you had a podcast, we’d listen to yours!

And from both Scott and his lovely finacée Anita, and from myself and my beautiful girlfriend Rachel: Merry Christmas to everyone! Enjoy the time off, enjoy the food, and enjoy each other!

Episode the Thirteenth: the future of newspapers

Adam Rozenhart — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:27:04 +0000

I don’t know if you’ve heard about this, but newspapers are basically effed. They can’t continue to sell ads and print their product while other “media” are starting to move their content increasingly online. The printed paper will likely die with the last baby boomer (sorry Mum and Dad, but I read my news on the computer or on my phone).

So Scott and I decided to find out exactly how effed newspapers are, and what they’re doing to mitigate their, um, effedness. Thankfully, before we set out on our quest, Karen Unland, the Edmonton Journal’s online editor contacted us and suggested it would be a good topic for the show.

We agreed.

In our thirteenth episode (woooo! dun, dun, DUN) we try to sort out what direction news media is moving in and what some of the models could be for continuing to run “newspapers” online, while paying people to, you know, provide news and analysis.

Listen, learn and love, friends! Would love your feedback in the comments and on iTunes as well!

You can listen to the podcast:

Using the player below;
By right-clicking on this link and saving the file to your computer; or
By subscribing on iTunes.

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-a1f194f91f9a42e3cb0d45355e905dfe}

Episode the Twelfth: Edmonton – The Next Generation

Adam Rozenhart — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:27:12 +0000

Cary Williams, one of Avenue's Top 40 Under 40 (from avenueedmonton.com)

Scott and I think we know a thing or two about what might make Edmonton a destination city for that next generation of citizens — the people who will inherit the glorious and gross parts of our fair city. But nowhere near as much as co-chair of Edmonton Next Gen Cary Williams does.

I first met Cary back at University. He was a strapping young go-getter eager to make a splash in the world of business. Like, a belly-flop splash. Particularly in the Asian world of business. Through school exchanges and his first (?) post-post-secondary job, Cary spent a lot of time in Asia, thinking he might make his life there. In fact, in a recent issue of Avenue Magazine Cary said, “I spent 10 years trying to figure out how I’d never live in Edmonton [...]”

He then goes on to say something about dressing like a cheerleader. But he can do that, because he’s one of the Top 40 Under 40.

In spite of Cary’s proclivities toward mini-skirts — indeed because of it — Scott and I sat down with him to sort out why he decided to make Edmonton his home, and why he’s now one of the City of Champion’s biggest, uh, champions. We also discuss the city’s bid for the 2017 expo and what good things it might do (or fail to do) for Edmonton. Then I spanked him across the brain with a thoroughly enjoyable Fast 15.

You can listen to the podcast:

Using the player below;
By right-clicking on this link and saving the file to your computer; or
By subscribing on iTunes.

Episode the Eleventh: On hyperlocal websites and how they fit into local media

Adam Rozenhart — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:20:53 +0000

Since June 2009, Edmonton has had the benefit of a great local resource to information on just about anything you can think of — from festivals to concerts to art shows to political issues and discussions, TheEdmontonian.com launched with a mind to try and bring topics of interest to citizens in a conversational, interesting way.

Jeff Samsonow and Sally Poulsen are the website’s creators. They’re the kind of people who, when you meet them for the first time, you’ll probably think to yourself that you’d really like to be friends with them, and that the best way to do that is to have them over for dinner, and oh I wonder if they’d like a course involving butternut squash. Both Jeff and Sally are hyper-intelligent individuals with media backgrounds who decided to try and enrich the place they’ve chosen to live. They both also have killer senses of humour. That’s where TheEdmontonian.com comes in.

Scott and I sat down with Jeff and Sally to talk about why they started the website, some of the challenges they’ve had to deal with since its inception (hilariously enough, it launch in the same month as the Unknown Studio. So, we’re like internet brethren), and where they hope the website goes. We had a blast talking with Jeff and Sally, and I’m hoping they’ll come to subsequent recordings of the show, since Scott and I are always looking for great conversation, and more content for our blooper reel.

Other things we learned about Jeff and Sally: Jeff must screen movies for Sally before she watches them in case they’re too scary or upsetting; they met in Winnipeg, though neither one of them is from there; they both have razor-sharp wits.

Episode the Tenth: Edmonton Hauntings and Scary Stories

Adam Rozenhart — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:18:21 +0000

Scott and I recorded our tenth episode with writer and journalist Marliss Weber, the second woman we’ve ever had on the show. She would also prove the scariest.

We spent about an hour in the studio talking about hauntings in Edmonton, and boy-howdy, are there ever a lot. We barely started to scratch the surface. And although the three of us agreed that we didn’t believe in ghosts, Marliss’ stories were no less chilling.

We talk a little about the science of spookiness, and then get straight into some of the first- and second-hand tales of fear we’ve experienced or heard. This is an episode not for the very curious, nor for the faint of heart.

Whatever you believe, Happy Halloween to all! If you’re interested in all things spooky in Edmonton this week, check out dEdmonton for Halloween events of all shapes and sizes.

Special thanks to Marliss for joining us on the show, and to listener Daryl Hooke for providing us with a chilling ghost story.