CBC @ ROFLcon: Interviewing the internet
May 3rd
This weekend, the viral web will come together in meatspace for ROFLcon 3: The world’s first (and best) internet culture conference.
Scumbag Steve will be there. Antoine Dodson will be there. Chuck Testa, Kelly, and Nyan cat(‘s creator) will be there. Y’all know how much I love Nyan cat, right?
And, just like a pesky pink NastyGal banner ad I’ll be there too chasing around the Internet people with my microphone.
Thazzright, I’m shipping driving up to Boston Cambridge (again.)
You can find my coverage from ROLFcon 2 here, here, here and here. Please ignore the gratuitous amountof extinct words like “epic” and “awesomesauce” *shudder*. It was 2010. Give me a break.
As dope as 2010 was, I’m thinking that this year will be even better. Not only will I be hosting a live chat for work tomorrow afternoon (4 p.m., BE THERE) I’ve lined up interviews with so many good people for the LOLvlog and Ceebeecee. Send me your questions! Please!
Who’d have thunk I’d ever give Scumbag Steve my phone number?
I hope he brings his hat. I hope I don’t get starstruck. Last year, I did pretty well in that department… until I met moot. Why do I even care? Why am I so attracted to this dude?
I was so nervous, and I never get nervous.
Anyway, I’ve got to go pick up a really noice dress for the fashiony thing tonight. Please join me tomorrow for a CBC Community live chat about internet culture at 4 p.m. EST. and check back here for my interviews as I post them. It’ll be like an Internet’s greatest hits compilation… in real life. Like this:
That piece is from a guy called Joebot‘s art show devoted entire to memes. It’s taking place on Friday at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles, so if you can’t make it to ROFLcon get thee to LaLa land… or at the very list, pour yourself a glass of milk and hang out with Reddit for a few hours.
Nothing finer on a Saturday night.
I’m sorry for offending you. Here, have a chair.
*looks around*
Scumbag Lauren gives you an ironic chair. Steals it (and your money).
Pearls & Crossbones, Vintage Barbie and TFI25
May 3rd
Bonjeezy, friends!
For this edition of Would You Rock it Wednesday, I’ll be focusing exclusively on things that I’ve worn over the past couple of days because it’s myyyyy blog and Iiiiii can do that.
I can do whatever I wauwnt <- like spell 'want' this way.
Item 1: The vintage Barbie letterman jacket.
Please don’t mind the hat. I was wearing it ironically to mess with Sean. It worked.
You may remember this bad boy from a CosmoTV blog post I did about thrift store shopping this summer.
I don’t know if this can actually count as a letterman jacket because there aren’t any letters on it, but it’s in the style of one with those brushed leather sleeves and boiled wool body so I dared to go there anyway. I dared to call it what it may not technically be.
I’m feeling zany like that today. BRING IT, CORRECTORPUSS!
Item number 2: Skull & Crossbones sweater avec pearl(y) necklace.
Pairing this boy’s sweater ($4.99 on sale at the Joe Fresh in Chatham, Ontario thank you very much) with a crisp, white, increasingly mandatory button up wasn’t sufficient enough to make it work- appropriate. I still looked a bit hard.
Being that it still isn’t warm enough to soften up anything with a frothy feminine skirt, I tossed on some costume baubles and whipped my hair into a ballerina bun.
Mission accomplished? I’d like to think so. Not a single compliment on it in meatspace but the look got ones of likes on Instagram so, yeah. Next time I wear this I’ll carry around a Valencia filter and be the belle of the streetcar.
Item number 3: Light wing duck. (Let’s get dangerous.)
I can’t help but flap my arms up and down when I’m speed walking between places inside the Ceeb. The building I work in, if you’ve never seen it, is really, really big. It can take me 1000 full minutes to get from my station to to the caffeine distributor (not even exaggerating) so I’ve gots to get creative with the way I travel.
Me.
WYRI Fin.
Tomorrow night, something actually befitting of a “fashion” tag goes down at the ROM: TFI25, A celebration to honour the 25th anniversary of the Toronto Fashion Incubator.
Because I’m on the social media committee for this event (committee! hehe, like highschool) I’ll be there with bells on. Fingers crossed bells are cool by tomorrow.
I’ll only be able to stop in for a few hours (We’re leaving for Boston very very early Friday morning) but I didn’t want to miss this event. I really admire the TFI gang and everything the institute does for Canadian fashion. You can learn more about their work here.
Most people will be wearing Canadian. Really fancy Canadian. I don’t think my little boy Joe Fresh skull sweater will cut it. Black tie optional can only be stretched so far.
I can’t wait to see who wins the Suzanne Rogers Award for Most Promising New Label (+ $25,000) tomorrow, but what’s got me most excited is the Barbie fashion show. Maybe I can wear the letterman jacket over my old prom dress?
Nizzle, ZONKING. Night night!
Instagramarama, Met Con Blue and Srirarcha lollipops. Also, Willie.
May 2nd
HIII EVERYBODY!
Shhhhhh. I’m blogging now.
Purrhaps if my iPhone stopped buzzing, I’d be able to get some of the stuff I’m being buzzed about done. I’m a BUSINESS man not a business-man. Ugh, that’s a lie. I’m neither of those things.
I’m just a busy creative who hates crunching numbers and making plans and coordinating schedules and booking dentist appointments and remembering to pull my Optimum card out of my wallet when I go to buy my weekly skid of Life brand diet cola from the mascara & Benadryl store.
Can normal people have account managers for their lives? To organize things?
I just Googled it. Apparently some people DO have managers. They’re called “Justin Bieber” and “Taylor Swift.”
OH YEAH, Biebs? Well I had dozens of managers when I worked at McDonald’s in Grade 10. They hated me and I got written up for wearing nailpolish on the regular. Good times.
Not my fingernails. I freaking wish they were.
Inneehoo, all venting aside it’s been a busy busy couple of days, and things are ramping up fast what with ROFLcon and TFI25 and an ADVENTURE RACE I’m training for. More on that later 
Here are a few snaps from the past couple days. For the play-by-play, you know where to turn… but honestly, don’t.
You’ve got better things to do than waste your precious time wrapped up in the minutae of some other human’s life. We all do.
P.S. Sriracha lolipops exist.
Do. not. want.
More bloggage tomorrow. More everything. Bring it on looniverse.
Get ready for it…
Apr 30th
Protest toque, #CAJ2012 and the Caturday Linksplosion
Apr 28th
I said brrrr, it’s cold in here. I said there must be some carbon in the atmosphere! I said ohheeohheeohhh – Frick, frick, frick.
I’m not taking this toque off until spring starts acting a little bit more like SPRING. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again (which is what I’m doing right now): Canada is the best country in the world, minus the weather.
Winter, I’m over you.
HAPPY CATURDAY though!
I woke up this morning to find Groundskeeper Willie staring at me all intense-like. He had managed, somehow, to rip my suuuuuper long-lasting helium heart (Sean gave it to me on Valentine’s day and it’s STILL floating!) down from a high shelf and just sat that there with it for a very long time. Quiet. Freaky.
It’s been a busy week between work and the gym and prepping for ROFLcon and… watching TV with Sean. I moderated a panel yesterday on “Twitter Tips & Tricks for journalists” at the Canadian Association of Journalists conference.
Collected wisdom and some neat tricks: The twitter panel at #caj2012 twitter.com/PaulBerton/sta…
— Paul Berton (@PaulBerton) April 27, 2012
Sarah, William and Ron shared a wealth of information about how Twitter can be used in the newsroom and out on the field for journalistic purposes. I was actually pretty blown away by some of the things I saw (Uh, hi William’s self-built Twitter RSS-pulling Google spreadsheet.)
Ron Nurwisah from Huffington Post Canada made his presentation notes available online and you can view the entire panel’s live-blog here. I highly recommend that you do.
Actually, you’ll learn a ton just creeping the conference’s hashtag. So many smart people and interesting sessions around.
Not to be all me-me-me-milennial, because I’m pretty much less impressive than every other person on the speaker page, but this is my blog so HEY HEY LOOK AT MY BIO I AM SO COOL AND PROFESSIONAL LOOK LOOK:
*ahem*
Moving on.
Here’s the Caturday linksplosion for April 18, 2011:
- The “F*ck-It list” gets this guy into the Cannes Young Lions Academy with less than a month to spare. Nicely done.
- How CISPA would affect you (like, if you’re American)
- Carlton Banks flashmob sets world record (I wrote this one. My job is the best. Carlton Banks is the best.)
- This little boy is the best Carlton dancer ever, mostly because he’s soooo cute:
- You can buy canned air from Paris now. Meh.
- Good read: Our “white people problems” problem: Why it’s time to stop using “white” as a pejorative
- This poster changes the song you’re listening to when you throw something at it, which is dope if you don’t have a remote control and / or like to throw things.
- The first 4,000,000 digits of pi visualized.
- Why cats are better than dogs, according to the Internet.
- 80-year-old Twitter user on mission for 80,000 followers
- Autocorrect thinks it’s soooo funny. I nearly threw my iPhone at a fire hydrant for this.
- Depressing “We are Young” parody makes my 30 year old friends cry.
- Hilarious “I’m 24″ video makes my 24-year-old friends cry (and me laugh.)
- This article about 9 Ways Twentysomethings Screw Up Their Lives would make me cry if I could feel things inside anymore. It’s terribly depressing but also kind of kick-your-butt-into-gearish.
The brain caps off its last growth spurt during our 20s, but that doesn’t mean twentysomethings ought to wait around for their brains to grow up. Our 20s are wiring us to be the adults we will be. So step away from the videogames and pick up a book. These are use-it-or-lose years when neurons that fire together wire together. Whatever you want to change about yourself, now is the time to change it.
Right?
Finally, THIS:
Have a great Saturday night! I’ll be spending mine editing a video and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning… so much cleaning. Film crew in my house tomorrow. Mess must be removed / hidden. You know how it is.
Who plays Simpsons musical numbers on a freaking OCARINA? That chick. The coolest chick ever.
NIZZLE, OUT!
Just Go Right.
Apr 27th
Don’t stop. Don’t give up. Don’t use a cheat code and don’t you dare press pause. Not even when your mom calls you for dinner for the third time. Not even if you’re having tacos. NOT EVEN IF YOU’RE HAVING CHOCO TACOS.
Sometimes, it’ll get hard. You’ll face obstacles and challenges and stupid suns that swoop down from the sky and try to kill you sometimes. But you can’t turn back because you have no other choice unless you’re willing to die.
Go right, homie. Just keep on going right. Believe you me, all frustrations aside, when you finally get to your goal you’ll be sad the adventure is over.
Sorry. The music swell in that video got me all emotiony and metaphorizcal-like. That, and the many, many memories of pixelated death that came rushing back into my brain. Freaking Ghosts N Goblins. If you know anybody who’s actually beat that game, send them my way for a handshake and a chocolate taco.
WTH is a Chocotaco though, for real? I saw it when I Google Imagesed “funny taco.” It looks disgusting.
If your mother actually feeds you Chocotacos for dinner, call Children’s Aid. Unless, of course, you’re 35. If you’re 35 and your mother feeds you Chocotacos, HUG HER RIGHT NOW.
I wish my mom still made dinner for me. Is it so much to ask that she drives 4 hours to stir-fry my tofu? I’ve got to MICROWAVE it MYSELF… LIKE AN ANIMAL!
I’m calling Children’s Aid on myself.
Nizzle, OUT!
High, High, High-Waisted Pants: Would you rock ‘em?
Apr 26th
I like a nice neo-Urkel trouser just as much as the next cat who lives within walking distance of American Apparel, but these… like, are these even pants? What is this?
Ah, yes a jumpsuit. Of course. A Viktor & Rolf jumpsuit that retails for the low, low price of $1,495.00.
Pro tip: you can totally buy one on sale at ShopBop right now for merely the cost of an all inclusive 5-day vacation in Costa Rica.
She looks angry with that red face. I think she paid full price.
If you haven’t already guessed, I wouldn’t rock these puppies. Not even if I could afford them. I don’t like a pant that I can tuck my bra into.
I’d wear these “look of disapproval” glasses for sure though… For photos… If they were free.
I love them to death, but don’t think many people outside of the internet would get it, ya know?
I would DEFINITELY rock these faux pump high tops, and want to very much:
They’re by Be&D and cost approximately $128.00 — or would, if they weren’t completely sold out *Grumble Grumble*
They also come in GUN.
NIZZLE, OUT!
High school fashions from 1969 x SXSW Street Snaps
Apr 25th
Behold, my dear homies: it-girl chic, circa 1969…
Seriously. You’re not looking at a photo I took in Trinity Bellwoods Park (or wherever the hipsters hang out in your ‘hood) last month (or whenever it was last warm enough to go outside without a parka on in your ‘hood).
These are real photos of real teenagers taken by Arthur Shatz for Life Magazine 43 years ago.
If they were high school seniors at the time, these gals are approximately 60 years old now.
I hate mortality.
What I don’t hate are vintage fashion trends (is that an oxymoron?), particularly those from the late 60s and early 70s. If my mom wasn’t 9 at time, I would totally blast her for not saving everything she owned in that year for me.
Festival season is prime time for hippie-wear, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. You read Refinery29 right? You should. That’s not even a plug, just honest-to-goodness advice.
I’d love to intersperse these stunning, could-almost-past-for-contemporary images with some of the hippp street style photos I took at Coachella, but I didn’t take any hippp vintagephotos at Coachella because I didn’t GO to Coachella this year (or any other year, ever, but that’s beside the point. SHADDUP!)
So, instead of contrasting these images against photos from a festival that is like, SO two weeks ago, I’ll use some photos from a festival that was actually two MONTHS ago.
Can you spot which photos are from 1969 and which are from SXSW 2012? CAN YOU SPOT A SHATZ FROM AN O’NIZZLE?
(LIFE images via Miss Moss)
And now, to leave you with a little bit of true contemporary blogger girl fashion, Black Milk x Jeffrey Campbell (I KNOW!) x LASER CATS (I KNOWWWW!!!!):
And also, a photo of my little brother’s cat hanging out with Tiger Woods. NBD. Mini’s got mad game.
Sweet Brown gets autotuned and I dream of Jeannie(‘s ponytail)
Apr 23rd
If you liked Backin’ up, Backin’ up, Backin up (and who didn’t? WHO DIDN’T?!) you’re going to looooove the Sweet Brown remix:
Is that not a really, really good song? Even out of context, the soulful mix is dope. And the video? Well…
‘Nuff said. And if you don’t know who Sweet Brown is, watch the original viral video here:
Anyhoo, Antoine Dodson Sweet Brown is totally famous for another 15 seconds thanks to that remix, and I’ve got a new morning hype-track for another day or so (I’ve already been jamming to this for 10 so… ya know.)
Speaking of news memes though, did you know that Antoine Dodson is going to be at ROFLcon this year? Well OBBBBVIOUSLY he is. Everybody is. Including ME, WEEEEEE!
I’m going to run and tell that homeboy how much Canada loves him if I get a chance. Maybe Sweet Brown will come too. That would be gravy.
I put some purple in my hair this evening. With chalk.
It’s faint and only in the bangs. I’m going to go nuts with some turquoise later this week, but only on the ends, a la Kate Bosworth:
You know what’s fun on a Sunday night? Watching cheesy Raven-Symoné movies and teasing the heck out of your hair.
BIG PONYTAIL!
Oh oh oh, hold up now – what is THIS? I started watching this “Jane By Design” show on Netflix and I’m madly in love, not even 10 minutes in. HI BILLY:
Google tells me his real name is Nick Roux and that he’s a total Disney kid. Blergh. This gen’s Chad Michael Murray circa One Tree Hill season 1. *sigh*
Hehe, Oh Chad! Stop!
I’ve got to go to bed now…
PS – In case you were wondering, Sweet Brown finally got her cold pop! Awwww…
Caturday night LINKSPLOSION
Apr 22nd
Happy weekend, homies!
I made a pledge to stay in this evening and rest up for tomorrow. Lots planned, big Sunday, and I don’t want to sleep until forever o’clock tomorrow because I was out until forever o’clock tonight ya know?
So, in an attempt to KEEP MYSELF INSIDE I put a hairmask on my head. An all-night-long hairmask.
I feel positively regal…
Is it weird that I’m stil tempted to head out looking like a shiny muffin?
I won’t though, because I’m going to watch THIS right meow instead:
CatCam, the movie is only 16 minutes long. It screened at SXSW while I was there but I didn’t even find out until after I got home.
Some feline journalist I am.
The film, a documentary, is about a man who fashioned a tiny little camera-collar for his cat to wear. The footage is predictably adorable and hilarious. I haven’t even seen it yet, but I already know this to be true.
Have you ever wanted to see the world through a cat’s eye view? DO IT and then come back here for a little bit of L-L-L-Linksplosionage:
- Photographer Jason Lee takes incredibly creative photos of his two little daughters, and this week they went viral (with good reason.)
- Friday morning, a TV news station in Hamilton accidentally broadcast 3 minutes of porn. Oops! / bwahahaha.
- There is a disease in the U.K. that turns cats into “living robots” or something.
- Granny’s got game is a documentary film about women in their 70s playing basketball that NEEDS TO BE MADE.
- Remember double-clicking on things? Your kids won’t.
- This Llama laughs at a cow and it’s pretty cute.
- LGBTQ kids talk to their 40-year-old selves in this tear-jerking Youtube video. Nicely done.
- 125 gifs that are soooooo perfecccctly tripppppy (in honour of 4/20 day yesterday)
- Suge Knight doesn’t understand what a hologram is.
- 20 awkward dance moves at Coachella — but we’re all over Coachella by now, aren’t we?
- Bill Plympton tackles the Simpsons couch gag. And it is good.
- Canadian grocery store brand Joe Fresh gets another step cooler with Miami Vice themed lookbook video by Ellen Von Unwerth.
- Your mom made a music video (and it’s really bad. I’m sorry.)
- The Prototype 2 trailer is awesome and I want to play this game. RIGHT NOW!
And finally, here are 3 gloriously lulzy minutes of dirty newscast bloopers:
I laughed out loud several times while watching that before realizing that I could very well end up in one of those reels someday. Then I stopped laughing because KARMA.
Fingers crossed if I do end up as a reporter-meme, it’s for something like this and not, ya know… “The airline recently started serving Penis on domestic flights.”
Good man.
Nizzle, OUT!
