In terms of the entire blogathon effort, I think 13 bloggers raised roughly $20,000 total for their respective charities. Not bad for a weekend’s worth of writing.

Anyways, thanks again to everyone who participated, either by blogging, by commenting, or by donating financially. That money will ultimately end up helping the homeless, either by providing a warm place to sleep, getting someone the medical help they need, or by providing a warm meal from time to time.

While in bed tonight, I started thinking about the day I had today, the people I spent it with, and the events of this past weekend. Like a hiker nearing the end of a long trek, I forced myself to stop and survey the trail from which I’ve come; the moments of exhaustion, the long rainy nights, the hills and the valleys, and the painful blisters that may never fully heal. And while the road has been long, it has been a journey filled with sunsets and sunrises, the scent of fresh mountain air, and nighttime skies where the stars go on forever.

The last two years of my life were incredibly challenging. And yet, despite the many bumps in the road, I have thankfully managed to endure, and to grow. And for that, I owe a great deal to this blog and to many of the wonderful people I have met as a result of it.

This weekend, with all of your help, Rebecca and I raised well over $2000 that will ultimately help the Union Gospel Mission and the homeless in Vancouver. It is a number, I feel, that is rather impressive, given that it was acquired from the comfort of our own homes, and from the pledges of all of you.

Over the last few years this blog has become a rather large part of my life. Not just for the content and the outlet that it provides, but most importantly, for all of you - the discussions we’ve had, the contacts I’ve made, and most importantly, the many friendships that have come as a result of it.

And for all of that, I thank each and everyone of you.

Late last night, over on Rebecca’s “M” blog posting, Matthew Good decided to up the ante a bit. In addition to the autographed CD that some people signed up for on my 37th post yesterday, Matthew is also going to offer a private listening session to hear the demo recordings for his new album, tentatively titled Vancouver.

Matthew Good’s last album, Hospital Music, opened at #1 in Canada and also climbed the US alternative charts to #7 in the United States. Matthew has been on three tours since then, and just made it back to Vancouver a few weeks ago. Since then, he has been putting the finishing touches on the demo tracks for his new album at home.

This is a pretty amazing opportunity Matthew is offering, as the winner will not only get to meet Matthew Good, but will also be one of the first individuals ever to hear the demo recordings before they are recorded in the studio and ultimately released to the public.

The bidding is in the form of an auction over on Rebecca’s blog, with the minimum bid starting at $200. The proceeds for the event will go towards the Union Gospel Mission, and ultimately provide assistance to those in Vancouver who need it most.

Head on over to Rebecca’s site to place your bid.

First, I want to thank the Union Gospel Mission for nearly 70 years of effort with regards to helping others. By comparison, the little that most of us get to do for charity in our daily lives seems rather insignificant. Second, I want to sincerely thank every single person that dropped by and lent some support, either by donating financially, or by supporting the efforts of the bloggers in this city. It seems these days that everyone has their hand out asking for money, so I sincerely appreciate those of you that had the means to give to the cause.

At the end of the day, we are all equal, and we are all inhabitants of this planet. The problems that we have inadvertently created can be solved, but it will take all of us together to extend compassion and understanding towards each other. And while we have brought exposure to our various causes throughout the day, let us not forget that the causes we support will extend well past this weekend, and it is up to all of us to stay the course and lend a hand whenever we can.

For those of you that would still like to donate, I would definitely encourage it. You can continue to pledge for the next few days. I also want to thank Matthew Good for supporting this cause and for donating a personally autographed copy of his latest album, Hospital Music — anyone that donates $10 or more towards the Union Gospel Mission will be eligible to win it.

Thanks everyone. I’ll announce the final results in a few days. Until then.

Last year, our good pal Tony was visiting Vancouver, and we all got to hang out, drink a few beers, and watch the fireworks together. And while we didn’t make it to the fireworks this year, we all sat around and lamented the fact that Tony wasn’t up here again this time of year.

This is my second last entry, and I’ll leave everyone with a photo of the fireworks from last year.

Without a doubt, I’m pretty beat. My supper tonight consisted of peanuts purchased from the little store downstairs. Rebecca and John ordered Greek, but I’ve had so much caffeine that the thought of food basically repulses me at this point. I just poured myself a nice rum and diet coke, a reward for nearly 40 hours of staying awake and blogging. Only two more entries, and Blogathon 2008 will be over, at least for me.

Thanks again to everyone who supported our cause, and spent time today reading our entries. We’re still accepting pledges to the Union Gospel Mission, so head on over and drop a donation if you’re so inclined.

One of the benefits of Skype is that the entire conversation is automatically encrypted. In theory, this should mean that nobody, not even the government, would be able to listen in on your phone calls. However, a recent article speculates that there may be a backdoor in Skype that would allow governments or authorities to listen in.

Now, that may seem paranoid to some people. But you should know in the United States the government has strict rules regarding encrypted calls. The actual rules regarding digital communications in the states are governed by the Communications Assistant For Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). For example, if you setup an encrypted voice over IP call in the United States, you are legally required to somehow store the encryption keys used so that big brother can decrypt your call and listen in.

So with that in mind, the idea of a backdoor in Skype isn’t that far fetched. In fact, it’s likely there is a backdoor there, purposefully to satisfy the requirements for CALEA.

Credit: Tskdesign

The notion that water is a commodity kind of bugs me because I don’t think we can put an actual price on natural resources. Of course, there is the theory of payment for environmental services, but I am not going to go there right now because I am exhausted and my brain has completely shutdown. But if you think about it, one of the most contentious issues in Canada is that of water export and bottled water.

This page aggregates a number of sources on the total volume of bottled water consumption in the world. However, I wanted to do a bit more research and went to the World Health Organization’s site. The whole debate that is happening in Vancouver centers on whether non-bottled water would be safe enough. Here is what I found, on the WHO (the world’s authority on health) website.

In applying the WHO Guidelines to bottled waters, certain factors may be more readily controlled than in piped distribution systems and stricter standards may, therefore, be preferred in order to reduce overall population exposure. This has, for example, been argued for the case of lead. Similarly, when flexibility exists regarding the source of the water, stricter standards for certain naturally-occurring substances of health concern, such as arsenic and fluoride, may be more readily achieved than in piped distribution systems.

Contrary to this, some substances may prove more difficult to manage in bottled than tap water. This is generally because bottled water is stored for longer periods and at higher temperatures than water distributed in piped distribution systems. Control of materials used in containers and closures for bottled waters is, therefore, of special concern.[WHO Website]

If we really were to ban the sale of bottled water, the municipality of Vancouver would (a) have to prove that tap water is safe enough (I don’t think that would be THAT difficult) and (b) get into big trouble with large corporations who make selling bottled water their business (because, really, who wants to lose business?). And trust me, even I wouldn’t want to get into that battle (and I am a combative man).

In India, for example, water becomes more than a natural resource, a political resource and a source of inter-state and inter-regional conflict. Can you imagine what would happen in Canada if we actually put a full price on water? Do you think we should ban bottled water in Vancouver?

Raul’s blog Random Thoughts of a Student of the Environment contains an assortment of stuff, including (of course) analysis of environmental issues

There haven’t been any donations since the last time I blogged about it, which means we’re still sitting at around $550. I’d like to push it as close to $1000 as possible, so if you haven’t donated yet and were meaning to, please head on over to the blogathon page and give a pledge. You actually don’t have to pay now, so you can you pledge an amount and pay when it’s all over. Anyone who pledges more than $10 will be eligible to win an autographed version of Matthew Good’s Hospital Music, which is a pretty nice keepsake to have.

Apparently Rebecca is doing a post about me at 7pm, so head over to her blog and check it out.

Even though the trailer doesn’t really show anything, I’m fairly certain it’s going to be awesome!

• Saturated fat raises LDL (the bad cholesterol), but basically leaves HDL (the good stuff) in tack
• Polyunsaturated fat raises HDL (the good stuff), so it helps you
• Monounsaturated fat typically raises HDL, but sometimes raises LDL, so while it usually is good for you, in excess it can sometimes be bad for you
• Trans fat raises LDL (the bad stuff), and lowers HDL (the good stuff), so it’s basically very, very bad for you

Thankfully California has just announced that they are going to ban trans fats.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the new legislation, which will take effect in 2010, represented a “strong step toward creating a healthier future”.
Violations will incur fines of between $25 (£13) and $1,000 (£502).
Trans-fats are chemically altered vegetable oils, used to give processed foods a longer shelf-life.
Some cities, like New York City, Philadelphia and Seattle, have already banned the fats. Many food makers and restaurant chains have also been experimenting with replacements for oils and foods that contain them.

The cities that are banning trans fats should be commended, since they have serious health effects.

When the iPhone 3G came out a few weeks ago, along with it came the new 2.0 firmware that brought many new features, including the coveted application store. Unfortunately, with the update came a pile of bugs, including problems with the GPS unit, and a completely unresponsive user interface.

The good news is that the new 2.1 firmware is due to be released any day now. Hopefully that will bring a pile of fixes and make the iPhone 3G usable. Right now there are random crashes, and a sluggishness in the UI that makes the device extremely hard to use.

If any of you have had any problems with your device, drop me a comment.

And while the blog entries and those who pen them are obviously to be commended, I think we need to all remember our respective charities, and remember the causes we are all fighting for. While I spent all last night night sitting on my couch writing blog entries, over 1000 people were sleeping outside on a sidewalk somewhere, wondering if someone might steal their belongings in the night, or stressing out wondering where their next meal would come from in the morning.

John F. Kennedy once said that since all the problems in this world are man made, they must, by definition, have solutions obtainable by men as well. So while many of the problems we face seem insurmountable, they are all solvable, and all worth putting in the effort to solve. We are all in this together, and as a collective community have the ability to end homelessness, to end poverty, and to create a future for our children that is worth being a part of.

Also, thanks to a donation by Madeline Lagden, we are now past $500. I also donated $50 as well, and am hoping somehow we can break the $1000 barrier before 10pm tonight. So if you’ve been following along and want to donate, you can do so by following the instructions below.

As I mentioned in my last entry, Matthew Good has also generously donated a signed copy of his last album, Hospital Music, which hit #1 in Canada when it was released last year. Anyone who donates at least $10 is eligible to potentially win it. Also, for anyone that donates $50 or more, you’ll also be eligible for the signed Matthew Good CD, as well as receiving a free 8×12 photo print of your choice from my Vancouver HDR Gallery.

Now’s your chance to contribute to a really great charity, and make a difference in someone else’s life.

Most people in North America probably already know who Matthew Good is. Matthew is a well known writer, political blogger, human rights advocate and one of Canada’s most successful musicians. In the last ten years or so, Matthew has released seven full-length albums, all of which have gone either gold, platinum or double platinum.

Last year, the release of Matthew’s seventh album, Hospital Music, went #1 in Canada, and #7 on the US Alternative charts on iTunes, a record for an independent release in the United States.

Matthew has generously donated a signed copy of his latest album, Hospital Music, to help with the current charity event. Any person that contributes at least $10 to the Union Gospel Mission will be eligible to win the signed copy. After blogathon is over, and all people who pledged have made their donation to the charity, I’ll do a draw and pick who the winner will be.

To give a pledge, please head over to the blogathon donation page and enter your pledge amount. You don’t have to pay today — you’ll receive an email at a later date with your instructions on how to donate to the Union Gospel Mission. After you’ve done that, please leave a comment on this entry so I know which people to put in the draw. If you’ve already pledged more than $10, and wish to be considered, please leave a comment here.

Also, a big thanks to Tyson Elder and dylshi who recently pledged.

The most well known lens is probably the 50mm prime. 50mm refers to the focal length of the lens, and prime refers to the fact that it’s a fixed focal length lens (i.e. not a zoom lens). In photography, the 50mm lens is also called a “standard” lens because it almost exactly matches the field of view of human eye. That is, if you were to look at a scene and then photograph it using a 50mm lens, it would closely match what you saw.

Some people call a 50mm lens boring because it doesn’t really add any impact based on what a typical person would see. That being said, some really great photographers have made a living by only using the 50mm lens.

Anything below a 50mm essentially is known as a wideangle lens. As you go down in focal length, the field of view (what the lens can see) increases drastically. A fairly standard zoom lens is the 28mm, and that’s usually the very far end on most compact camera zooms. Anything below that is somethings called an ultra-wideangle lens. Wideangle lenses are typically known for adding drama to a scene, as often the resulting photos are somewhat distorted.

If you increase the focal length past 50mm, you start to get into an area known as telephoto. Telephoto lenses usually are used for taking portraits and for taking photos of objects that are far away. One feature of telephoto lenses is that they typically compress facial features. For example, larger noses typically look a little smaller using a telephoto, and most of them time they make portraits more appealing. A fairly standard focal length for portraiture is 85mm. Canon’s top of the line 85mm lens runs for around $2500, so you can see it’s a pretty important range.

So, next time you’re playing with your camera, stop and think about what kind of lens you are using, and how it impacts the photo. If you have any questions, drop me a line.

I picked up my first digital camera in 2000. It cost me $1000 at the time, and compared to cameras nowadays, didn’t really take great photos. That being said, it completely changed the landscape of photography for me, since the incremental cost of actually taking a photo went from around $1 down to essentially 0 cents. Given that photowalks no longer cost me any money, I quickly started experimenting with different techniques, figuring out what I liked about photography and what I didn’t like.

Sometime around 2004, I picked up my first digital SLR camera, the Canon EOS 20D. It was quite the departure from the camera I had used before, and immediately changed how I approached photography. Given that one of my first lenses was a 50mm fixed lens, I quickly learned how to move my feet to pull off a shot, and also the importance of properly framing a shot. Over time, I have learned to approach every shot as a unique opportunity to make an impression. Everytime I press the shutter, I basically ask myself “what is it I’m trying to take a photo of here?”

A common mistake most people do in photography is to simply hold up the camera in front of something they want to take a photo of and press the shutter. With that approach, typically you end up with a lot of clutter, or a photo that really doesn’t have any context. If it’s a photo of a person, which aspects are important for you to capture? Is it the model’s hair, or the fact that she’s standing in front of a landmark? Is it the model’s beauty, or the beauty of having a model amongst an certain environment. After you ask yourself those questions, you can then approach how you want to frame the shot. Try to make the framing reflect the purpose of the photo.

The best piece of advice I can give to anyone trying to get into photography is to go out periodically from time to time and force yourself not to use your zoom feature. This will cause you to think long and hard about each shot, and force you to use your imagination to make up for the inflexibility of your lens. After a while, you’ll be able approach shots, even with a zoom lens, in an entirely different way.

• Cullen Jennings

Wow. To say I am completely exhausted at this point would be an understatement. I’ve essentially been awake since yesterday at 9am. That means I’ve been awake for around 30 hours now. Blogathon ends for me at 10pm tonight, which means I still have nearly eight hours left to go. I’m really not entirely sure how I’m going to make it, but hopefully I get my third or fourth wind soon.

I’ve been listening to music rather loudly in my living room, hoping the aural stimulation will somehow keep me awake. Despite pounding back a full 2-litre of diet pepsi today, a coffee, and two energy drinks, I feel like I could just close my eyes and not wake up until tomorrow. I somehow managed to figure out how to pair my new iPhone with my Apple TV, and now I can control the music on my stereo simply by pressing buttons on my iPhone — pretty slick.

I won’t know what the total is for this website until Rebecca lands in Vancouver, which should be shortly. I suspect it’s around $350 now, and I want to thank everyone who has contributed so far. Your donations will undoubtedly help some of the homeless in Vancouver, either by helping them secure shelter, or possibly by giving them a warm meal from time to time.

I have a host of articles that I could potentially write about, but I’m really not sure what people are interesting in at this point. Please drop a comment if there’s any thing you’d like to know more about, and I’ll do some due diligence and try to do a comprehensive post about it.

Thanks.

I encourage everyone to head over to The Tyee and read the original article, but I’ll give a short list here.

• Idea One: Trade Fairs for the Homeless
• Idea Two: Raise the Welfare Rates
• Idea Three: Train Young Workers
• Idea Four: Spread the Love Around
• Idea Five: Buy a Few Hotel
• Idea Six: Give Addicts Time to Heal
• Idea Seven: Bring Governments Together

The details of each item are too involved to list here, but please go over and read the original article. Feel free to discuss what you think about each item below. I particularly think the Trade Fairs is a great idea, as it amounts to a one-stop-shop for the homeless to obtain help and to understand what means are available to assist them.