Edmonton Photo of the Week

This is the first in what is hopefully a weekly post showcasing some of Edmonton's great photographers and photographs. There is a surprisingly large photographic community here, providing a unique and personal view of the city.

Here we have Silver Skate Festival - Abstract, from Flickr user Nelson-77, who kindly allowed me to feature his image. It was taken at Hawrelak Park during the Silver Skate Festival (as you likely guessed) and depicts plywood rope stands. I think this is an excellent photo for a few reasons:

Running Around

A quick note: To your left is an iPhone displaying the home screen from my new favourite app, Get Running ($1.99). This app is based on the same concept as Couch to 5K and I'm sure several other apps, in which a human voice coaches you gradually from short interval training to the ultimate peak of physical achievement - being able to run five kilometres without stopping.

Paul Futureshop, Esq.

Every time I go to purchase a significant piece of consumer electronics, I assume it's going to be a battle. No I don't want the extended warranty. No I don't want undercoating on my Blu-Ray player. No I don't want you to come back to my place and "plug it in" for me. Which is why, during my recent search for a new television, I was delighted to meet Paul, a TV salesman at the Downtown Edmonton Futureshop.

Art Gallery of Alberta

I should probably wait to write more posts until this site is indexed by Google.

But I'm not gonna.

The Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA, or, if you like, a-GAH) opened on January 31, 2010, after much pomp, hatred, circumstance, criticism, ado, and vitriol spilling out of the local press. It's a waste of money. It's an eyesore. It's an affront to the uneducated and people who live in the suburbs. Maybe it's all of those things. I don't care. The AGA is the only world class thing in Edmonton. I don't use the word thing because I can't think of a better word; my intention is to be that general. West Edmonton Mall is not world class. The Edmonton Oilers are not world class. No food or manufacturing or people are world class. Nothing here is world class. Except for the AGA.

The First Post

I don't know if I've ever read the first post of a blog before, never mind written one. Usually by the time most of us get to a blog, it's already been reviewed by Jian Ghomeshi and the author has a book deal and we've got to pick up the thread and wonder where it's been; it's like buying an $80 pair of vintage pants: you know they were probably $2 at a thrift store six months ago, and maybe worn by a homeless guy before that, but you don't have time to look into it. You pull them on and get on with your life.