25Dec 2013 by R&O No Comments
Maestro For A Minute

Maestro For A Minute

Events, Music, People, Silly Stuff
Last week, lucky holiday shoppers at Vancouver’s Oakridge Centre had the chance to ‘conduct’ professional choir Musica Intima Vocal Ensemble in a performance of Handel’s Messiah (in homage to Improv Everywhere’s “Conduct Us"). It's harder than it looks. Especially when the choir actually follows the conductor. Watch the video above and you can't tell me the woman at 2:54 hasn't done this before. And the guy right after her has NEVER conducted a choir in his life. Really. But all good fun and worth a few laughs for shoppers and participants. And those of us that watch the video above. [youtube]6Z4Avnsjpbo[/youtube]
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24Dec 2013 by R&O No Comments
When Price Isn’t an Issue

When Price Isn’t an Issue

Music, Observations, Of Interest, People
Fazioli pianos are arguably the finest pianos in the world, hand made in Italy and priced accordingly. Their model F308 is the largest concert pianoforte in production today at 10' 3" and comes with an equally large base price of $147,000.00. That's the base price. Now add a custom, very high-end case and you're talking about serious dough. Vancouver resident Zhao Zai Chen commissioned architect Ernest Collins and his wife, professional artist/designer Grace Gordon-Collins to design a case for this world-class musical instrument. After all, Collins designed the 19,000 square foot Shaughnessy home (worth $17.5 million when Chen purchased it in 2010) where the piano would reside, so why not design a case for the custom built piano? Duh. Ernest and Grace also designed the cabinet that went in behind…
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23Dec 2013 by R&O No Comments
Are People Awesome?

Are People Awesome?

Of Interest, People
Are people awesome? Most are probably not but there's a few that fit the bill nicely. They're amongst us, they fly above us, skate past us, drive by us and we only appreciate they're awesome for that split second when we realize that they're doing something quite cool. Luckily, someone has taken the time to compile a video that attempts to present a number of awesome people and their feats over the last year. Aptly titled 'People Are Awesome', this may be the best way you spend 10 minutes today. Or this week. Or, sadly, this year. Click the play button and enjoy some awesomeness.
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21Dec 2013 by R&O No Comments
First Lady of The Internet

First Lady of The Internet

Internet, People
Many moons ago, the internet was a barren landscape of computer nerds and curious onlookers. Before the days of Google, Facebook and YouTube, Marg Meikle, CBC's sardonic yet utterly charming 'Answer Lady' on the Vicki Gabereau show, contacted me for some Internet help. If my memory serves me correctly, she wanted to connect to this nerdy new computer network at home, a sometimes challenging and always frustrating endevour at that point in time. She invited me to her very groovy (her words) pad in Kits and we worked on her various computer maladies while she brewed tea and chatted about interesting stuff, all of which I can no longer remember. I helped Marg with her Internet connection (a dialup SLIP connection) that day and she jumped straight in, surfing, posting,…
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