4 minutes and 19 seconds that changed a lifetime

I was in the library today, looking at the books they put on display – always a different sampling of interesting titles – and I came across one about someone I originally saw on YouTube. Currently 19 years of age, his name is Jason McElwain (also known as J-Mac), a highly-functioning autistic young man whose passion for basketball led to an amazing display of focus and perseverence. You see, Jason was not a player on this basketball team, but rather a student manager. His coach gave him a uniform for the last home game of the season, and consequently of Jason’s high school career, and he entered with 4 minutes and 19 seconds left in the game. To say that this then-17 year old lit up the gym is a gross understatement.

Jason scored 20 points (his first attempt an airball, his second attempt a missed layup), hitting 7 of 13 that night – 6 of them 3-pointers. You can see his performance for yourself on YouTube by searching his full name, his nickname or even just the word basketball (on the third page of results). He was, and continues to be, an inspiration for everyone who has ever thought “I can’t do it”. As a result of his inspirational and touching demonstration, Jason has had an eventful couple of years.

Highlights

February 16, 2006: THE game that changed his life
March 14, 2006: Met the President of The United States
April 25, 2006: Appeared as a guest on Oprah’s show
April 26, 2006: Met “Magic” Johnson, one of the greatest basketball players ever
July 12, 2006: Won an ESPY Award [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPY_Awards] in the “Best Sports Moment” category
Earlier this year: “The Game of My Life: A True Story Of Challenge, Triumph, and Growing Up Autistic”

Now, I don’t know about you but I think those are some pretty amazing achievements for a teen who – 5 months prior – had never played in a Senior Varsity game.

Frugal Dad also has a great post with some inspirational links, over at his blog. I highly suggest reading his entry and also checking out the links he’s offered. He mentions Randy Pausch (a super motivating speaker), Matt (of “Where Is Matt” Internet fame) and Derek Redmond (a sprinter who touched viewers in his 1992 Olympic performance). Each of them manages to do something that makes you believe in the tenacity of the human spirit.

What can YOU take from this? Well, for starters it shows that at any point in someone’s life amazing things can happen, despite what others say or think. Jason considered himself a regular kid like all his classmates, and pretty much overnight his story touched people all across the country and eventually all over the world. Jason is the kind of person we all want to see succeed, and when something positive comes his way it makes us feel good. If things in your life aren’t the way you’d like them to be, refer to these stories to help uplift you. You never know when you might just walk into the 4 minutes and 19 seconds that change you forever!

Moving into residence or an apartment usually means that “avid composters” lose their motivation to put organic waste in what my family calls “the slop bucket”.

In Toronto and surrounding area, the green bin program allows residents to put their compost at the side of the street, much like garbage or recycling. The bin can even take things like used paper towels, paper plates and diapers. Since its introduction in 2005, the program has seen, on average, each participating household divert 200 kg of organics from the landfill annually.

Unfortunately, the program is not available for apartment (or college and university residence) habitants. The city doesn’t know how effective the program would be in multi-unit buildings.

Although, a friend of mine recently moved into a Toronto apartment and the landlords have set up a green bin system for residents of the building. My friend is a very active “green binner” and couldn’t be happier… I’m not too sure whether her neighbours are as eager as she is, though.

So what can students do to encourage composting in their newfound homes? Well, you can be like the students at McGill University who want to implement university-wide composting. They hope to divert almost all compost materials produced by students and staff from the landfill. They’ve started by gathering organic waste from select locations across the campus and are working towards making their project more comprehensive, including creating services for those who live off-campus. The program is offered a little or no cost to students, which is always an incentive.

Students could also consider vermicomposting. It’s composting with worms and it doesn’t take up too much room. It’s also a relatively cheap system. But with the strict pet rules that most residences have, would worms be allowed in your room?

Michel also showed me several ideas for the keen “wannabe-apartment-composter”. There are several pay-options for patio-owners including what I think is the fastest compost machine ever… Plus Edition Indoor Composter:

Compost is ready every 2 weeks, and the best thing is you can add food waste any time, any day. Waste items are processed continuously, mixed every 4 hours.

And over at eHow, they tell you how to make your own composter. If it’s done properly, it won’t be too messy and can be an inexpensive, green project.

Does anyone have a good cheap and effective composting idea? What do you do with all your organic waste in your residence or on campus?

Its early morning in Vancouver and as summer is now over the rain has returned. The rain makes my commute and everything else that I do seem so much more tedious. Whenever this is the case I feel my dreaded “car envy” return.

I begin to imagine what a life with a car would be like. I imagine how nice it would be to just hop in my car and head to the mountains or the beach without any worries. I imagine other poor students envying me! Once I have daydreamed enough I usually hope online and start looking for cars and estimating how much it would actually cost me to own and run a car in Vancouver. The result is a rude awakening from my dream and a quick cure to my “car envy”.

The ironic thing is that I have some money saved up so buying the car would be the easiest part. The hard part of course would be running my baby and the added monthly cost that would cripple my budget. Right now with full time school and three jobs I am living an extremely busy, but comfortable life. I can pretty much buy everything that I need and a lot of things I want. Buying a car would pretty much end all of that. Although there are plenty of sites where you can find great deals on used cars like kijiji.com and craigslist.com once again the issue of maintenance comes up as the biggest concern.

Lets imagine that I decided to buy a Mazda 3 and now I have had my Mazda 3 for a month or so and these are the costs that have now been added to my monthly budget:

Apx $260 month insurance
Apx $250 gas every month
Apx $20 month extra costs every month (air fresheners and cleaning supplies)
Apx $400 dollars a school year in parking
Apx $60 drive through fast food

Currently, I have a one hour commute to school each way and I pretty much only walk and use transit for my transportation. Currently the cost of transit for me every month comes out to:

Apx $0

Can you see now why over and over again when I think about buying a car I come to the same conclusion. If I get a car I will have maybe a 15 min shorter commute and I wont be able to do any work on my commute because I will be driving. Right now because all students at UBC get the Upass I don’t have to pay anything for transit and although it does suck walking in the rain sometimes I can use my extra money every month to look stylish when I’m drenched.

Although “car envy” is definitely something that I do suffer from and if I did win the lottery today I would surely ditch the “loser cruiser” (car drivers nickname for the sky-train) and drive some huge luxury SUV, I still think that transit works for me. Transit is cheap, fashionable, eco-friendly and is becoming more an more dependable. So if you are coveting your friends automobiles, get over it and try to realize how much sense taking the bus really makes.

And other high school reunion-related questions

As I sit in the backseat listening to some home-grown (Cheticamp, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) country music, I can’t help but look back at the weekend that has just passed. You see, it was my 10-year high school reunion, and with this momentous event comes a mixed bag of emotions, thoughts and questions. It’s fairly safe to assume that many of you have yet to reach the age of reunion, so allow me to give you a sneak peek, as you live vicariously through my experience. Hang on. The ride may be as bumpy as the Cape Breton roads that are currently destroying my penmanship.

Some of the typical worries that accompany reunions include, but are not limited to:

• Am I successful?
• Am I where I thought I would be?
• Will I look better than my former classmates? (don’t worry, Henry, you will)
• Have any of us changed drastically?
• How many people will show up?
• Will I be the only bachelor without a house, family, car or money? (but WITH a cat)

For the purpose of this entry, I’m going to focus on the first question (as tempting as the last one is to delve into). Everyone’s definition of success varies, right? By some standards being in a position where a person would ask question #5 would mean a resounding NO to question #1. When examining whether you’re successful, it helps to know whose definition you’re using. Are you asking if OTHERS will think you’re a success or are you the one determining it? By others’ standards I might be the farthest thing from successful, and based on where I thought I’d be by now (10 years ago, when I envisioned this day) I might be inclined to agree. Something about listening to My Girl, as sung by my friend and her British rockstar boyfriend, makes a guy yearn a little. Oh universe, why’d you make me go to my reunion as a bachelor? I kid; it wasn’t the depressing situation you might think.

Success is one of those hard-to-actually-define concepts, like justice, freedom, or talent (a quick listen to the radio will prove my point about that last one). But seriously, it’s tricky to evaluate whether you’re successful, overall. Many of us have achieved our high school goals and others among us have gone off the beaten path altogether, forging ahead on our own journey of personal exploration. Make a list of some of the things you’re most proud of and see how many of them are unique to YOU. Maybe you haven’t done some of the things your former classmates have, but it’s entirely possible you’ve done plenty that they haven’t. And they might even be a little envious.

I may not have the house, car, family or money but I’ve tried spoken word, beatboxing, stand-up comedy (all on stage, including Yuk Yuk’s), received a scholarship to create a short black-and-white silent film (that was then featured on CBC Radio 3’s website) and now I blog for a national bank using words, videos and comics to reach out to all of you. The point is, we’ve all done things that contribute to our “success”. If you haven’t achieved certain goals (whether they’re yours or someone else’s) by your 10-year reunion, it in no way means you NEVER will. I never aimed to become a blogger in high school (in fact they didn’t really exist). Right place, right time. We don’t all work on the same success schedule, and new goals will present themselves. Something about the bickering of my friend and her beau in the front seats makes me perfectly happy to be single. OK, it was playful, but bickering nonetheless alright? And yes, I’m trying to justify my bachelor status. And the 50lbs I’ve gained since graduating from high school IS intentional! *gulp*

Since Michaëlle Jean dissolved parliament on September 7th, Ottawa has been gearing up for an election. On October 14th, Canadians (of age) will have the opportunity to exercise their political rights in the federal election of our 40th Canadian Parliament.

Although you may be living away from home and might not be following the political parties’ every move (I am certainly guilty of this), I encourage students to take a look at the political platforms that the main parties are presenting so that you can make an educated decision at the voting booth this month.

But before you make your way to the booth, some of you might be wondering if, how, when or where to vote… so here’s some information I’ve collected from the Elections Canada website about your voting rights.

Am I eligible to vote?

If you’re wondering whether you’re eligible to vote in this campaign, here are the criteria that must be satisfied. You can vote in this election if:

• You are a Canadian citizen
• You are at least 18 years old on October, 14th 2008
• You can prove your identity and address

When can I vote?

The following, are dates during which you can vote in this election:

• At an advance poll established for your polling division, on October 3rd, 4th or 6th.
• Using a special ballot, by mail or at your local Elections Canada office
• On election day, October 14th.

How do I register?

• If you’re not already registered to vote, you can do so up to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at the local Elections Canada office, OR
• You can register in person on election day, if you prove your identity and address.

Living away from home?

Check out this link to see which documents are required in order to register to vote in your current electoral district!

What is my electoral district?

You can find out which electoral district you live in by clicking here.

Hopefully, this covers some of the basic questions you might have had about your participation in this month’s election!

For any additional questions and a list of FAQs, please consult the Elections Canada website!

Having people on both sides of the counter can help

So it's good to understand your customers; This, I agree with. Full and proper understanding of the people you're serving involves a lot more than demographics and statistics and yes/no purchase decisions. Not that those are unmistakable observations, but I think one would accept them as being fairly cornerstone.

It's all about the little nuances when it comes to properly serving people; if you've ever worked in a sales position, you know what I mean – being able calibrate people's interest in a purchase and act accordingly to those little things that go left unsaid; things like body language and tone speaks volumes.

It's tough to see what isn't said when an endless expansive space lies between you and them. I don't know why e-commerce has been made void of all human interaction, with live customers interacting with – code? (unless, and I stress from experience, it's a matter or damage control "oh, you're right that's not what you ordered")

Those little nuances are the make or break, and if you can't react properly, then your toast.

With hoards of students running businesses online, what can they do in order to better gauge those little customer nuances; when to pounce, offer a discount, put on the hard sell, back off or not approach the customer at all (not everyone is worth your time)?

There are some big leaps in helping online entrepreneurs better serve (and understand their customers) in the online space. Live salespeople is one new one, but not too extraordinary. There are some other really interesting tools, which I find a bit more impressive.

One is chat analyzers that detect that which is not said, taking into a consideration a huge variety of factors that simpletons (i.e. non-robots) like you and I just don't grasp. What's more is that these puppies actually learn over time.

If a customer arrives at your online jewelery store from an affluent area, then they'll take the live online sales-person's precedence over the window shopper from another, less-affluent geographical region.

Is it worth it? Absolutely, when you're dealing with large numbers of customers. Not to mention that I think a program like this would really compliment an entrepreneur's decision to serve a niche market. So be proactive. Hire a live salesperson! Anyone know companies that specialize in this?

What if you can't afford this, you aren't dealing with high customer traffic and it's just not reasonable to set something up like this?

...and hope to pass on to you

In 2006, the latest installment of the Rocky series came out. I made jokes about it (in addition to Sly’s newest Rambo offering) but the other day I found Rocky Balboa at the library and decided to give it a shot. I wasn’t paying for it, after all, so what did I really have to lose? This is not a review of the movie, but rather a look at one specific quote of Rocky’s. For those who’ve seen it, you’ll no doubt remember:

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that!

It may sound laughable when reading it, but Stallone is actually pretty good in this flick. He says this to his son as he has been confronted about his decision to fight again. I think these words are applicable to everyone, but they are especially relevant to students and the twenty-something crowd. I would dare say that most of you have found yourself in undesirable positions. You’re unhappy. You deserve better. You can’t get a break. Enter Rocky, stage left.

It really is amazing what a person can achieve when they apply themselves. Some superstars are born; they just have undeniable raw talent. They work at it and succeed. Others have the world handed to them, and experience privileged lives. Then there are those regular, everyday, normal people who go after their goals and capitalize on their own skills and the right opportunities.

It’s like Rocky says. Life WILL beat you down. Everyone has obstacles, problems and set-backs. What will determine your success is your desire to get back up and move forward. Things have changed drastically from when our parents were our age. You’ve probably heard people talk about the quarter-life crisis (if not, I’ll likely write about it soon) or how 30 is the new 20 (another potential blog topic). It’s not easy now, and it probably never will be. The world is undergoing immense shifts. Can you take those hits and keep moving forward, towards your goals and aspirations?

Sylvester Stallone himself (nevermind his character) was about 60 years old when he filmed Rocky Balboa. Sure, he could have left the Rocky franchise alone and accepted that his acting career was pretty much done. I mean, the guy was voted “Worst Actor of the Century” by the Razzie Awards in 2000. That’s gotta hurt a little. But he took the hits and kept moving forward. Now, a relatively unknown (albeit awesome) Canadian blogger has written about him on a bank-related website.

Hey Mr. Stallone, what does redemption taste like?

As you look into the small, dark eyes of a short, brown-haired, five-inch, two-week-old puppy, it’s hard not to think, “I want one of those.”

I know, because I’ve recently thought that.

A close friend of mine had similar thoughts, too. In fact, it was a visit to see her new puppy that had me contemplating the idea the other day.

My friend is a fellow recent-grad, so she’s making a little bit of cash and she has more time to take care of a pet. But I know that many students think about getting a pet while at school, too.

In this post, I’m by no means am I saying it’s impossible to own a pet and be a student, I’m merely saying that the decision should not be a light one.

The True Cost of Owning a Pet

It’s difficult to determine how much money your pet is going to cost you over its lifetime. Really, many characteristics are genetic, so it’s luck of the draw for you. Exercise, food, and healthcare are all up to you—and in those categories, often the best quality will have you reaching deeper into your pockets.

At petwellbeingblog.com, the author says that her sister’s dog costs at least 10% - 15% per paycheque. The blog also gives an estimate for the cost of cats and dogs over their lifetime:

Cats generally live longer than dogs, therefore, although it is cheaper to feed a cat than a dog, in the long term you're looking at a $2,000 difference between raising a cat and a dog. The average cost of raising a dog, based on the average income of both Canadians and Americans is $8,000 over the dog's lifetime and $10,000 for a cat's.

On canadianliving.com, they estimate that a medium-sized dog will put you out about $1,071 per year.

I know that the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is, well, American, but they have a great tool that compares various types and sizes of animals—not just dogs. With the American and Canadian dollar being relatively similar in value, this interactive comparison chart may be very useful.

Money Well Spent?

At dailybrilliance.com, it’s suggested that you look at what you could have safely invested your money in—instead of a pet—over a 14 year term. While some of the numbers suggested are questionable, I think it’s an interesting idea. If your dog lives to be 14 years old and you’re spending the average $1,071 as suggested by Canadian Living, you’re looking at a potential lost investment of $14, 994 that could have grown in something like an RRSP. Of course, a dog is much more than just an “investment”—it can be a lifetime companion—I’m just reinforcing the idea that owning an animal is a big decision.

My friend has decided to get the dog… and she couldn’t be more excited. And I’m happy for her. I think she’ll make a great dog owner—she’s already bought lots of items for what will no doubt be one of the luckiest dogs around. It’s important to remember, though, that any animal needs a lot of attention and, while it may be a good choice for one person, it’s definitely not the right choice for everyone.

Now… what category do I fall under?

Currently in Vancouver, BC fashion week is happening and everyone seems to be talking about it. Luckily I have a friend who runs a modeling agency called MUUM productions who cast me in one of the shows. So, last night was my first fashion show in quite a while and I thought it might be of interest to share what the whole experience entailed.

The show that I was going to be involved in was an exposition of two designers who use Italian materials for their clothes and it was to be presented to the Italian chamber of commerce gala dinner. I arrived at two as told and spent about an hour waiting for all the models to get signed in and organized. Once almost everyone had arrived it was time to start the fittings. We proceeded into the dressing rooms where male and female models were dressing and undressing on command with a “hurry up!” here and there.

What basically happens at the fitting is that the clothes which the designer has made are given to specific models to wear and those will be their outfits for the show. The problem is of course that the designer is couture and so its not like there is a jacket in every size or pants in every size. In the end what happens is whatever fits, each model gets and hopefully it matches well together. At one point I was given a horrible boring black jacket for one of my final pieces and I tried to express that I thought something else might be more exciting for the finale. The reply to my simple request was “You have no opinion. You are a walking coat hanger!”. That is when I decided just to sit down and look pretty (luckily later the designer changed my outfit).

After all of that it was on to hair and makeup. The make up part went fine and since men don’t need a lot for shows it was fast. The only awkward part was when the makeup artist asked me “so, do they usually do your ears for shows? Because, I don’t do ears”. Once my makeup was done I headed down to KABOOM! hair salon to have my hair done for the show. What they were doing for most of the men was a slicked back look because we were wearing mainly Italian leather for the show. In short, I was not happy with the fact that they slicked my hair back and forward and made me look like an english school boy. I tried to remind myself that I have no opinion.

Once all of that was done things started to get really crazy as we had a dress rehearsal where our walks were severely critiqued and our facial expressions too. Luckily, I avoided much criticism which was encouraging. I was however told to look less “angry”. It was a lot of fun practicing and watching the others “work it” on the catwalk. I wouldn't say that its difficult but it is certainly harder then it looks. Then came the actual show and nerves were high all around. We got into our first outfits, had hair stylists, makeup artists and fashion designers hovering around us and maintaining us right up until we went on stage. The show did have some “complicated” choreography in which two other guys and me go up on stage then I, who was in the middle, strut down to the end, pose, and then as I return the two of them strut to the end passing me. Thankfully we nailed it and as I was walking down the runway with flashes in my face and amazing music blasting I suddenly realized how much fun I was having.

After the show, which went without any major issues, the models, designers and assistants went to an after party and danced the night away, while networking of course. Fashion truly is an industry and I think that is probably the biggest thing I learned this week. All the glamour and ease that the fashion industry often exudes is actually about hard work and money. The hardest part of the whole industry is that you are working and waiting for hours and you make friends with other models, designers and assistants because they are amazing people and then you go to parties and meet more but in the end it is all still work and those who succeed in the industry are absolutely clear about that. With BC fashion week ending tomorrow I will be anxiously looking forward to Vancouver fashion week in November where I plan to once again walk and have no opinion.

An article I read this week, has me once again questioning the value-add worth of social networking site Facebook, in society.

Now, Facebook has been discussed previously on this blog. This certainly isn’t the first time that I’ve suspected Facebook to have been given more than due credit for its social networking capabilities, but this article shows just how far-reaching Facebook really is.

Facebook-stalking or ‘creeping’ is nothing new to the avid user. By now, I’m sure you’ve successfully stalked a ton of people on Facebook: people you go to school with, old friends you’ve lost touch with, people you work with, that cute guy from class… of course you have. And while, in any other context this level of stalking would be deserving of a restraining order, granting semi-strangers access to personal information seems to be half of Facebook’s purpose. You’ve probably also heard that many employers have been using Facebook as an alternative way of screening you, too.

I don’t really have too much of a problem with potential employers jumping on Facebook to conduct social background checks. There are privacy settings that can be adjusted to filter the information readily available to unknown facebook-ers. And really, it’s a risk-taker who readily posts pictures or videos of themselves that could jeopardize a job prospect. People have even lost their jobs over Facebook!

My suggestion: during job hunting (at least), take down or un-tag any incriminating pictures and tighten-up your privacy settings so as not to expose any information you wouldn’t readily reveal during an interview. You can be sure that potential employers will make good use of this social profiling tool to determine whether or not you are the type of person they’d want working for them. Be sure that, if you’re in the job market, your Facebook profile reflects the professional ‘brand’ you’re going for.

This might be old news to you. What I really wanted to get at in this entry is the ease in which total strangers can pull up an overwhelming amount of personal information about you on the web. The author of the article mentioned above boasts being able to construct an extensive biography of a 17-year-old girl he has never met. Address, cell phone number, map to her work, even information about her boyfriend and pictures of her and her friends in a hot tub came up in his search in which he used nothing more than public sites such as Facebook, Google Maps and Canada411.com. Effectively illustrating the fine art of the ‘creep’, the author cautions online social networkers to the amount of information that is readily available for any stranger’s perusal.

If you’re at all concerned about how much of your personal life is out there on the web, do what you can to control how much of your personal life appears on social networking sites and blogs. Take a look at your privacy settings, take down some of those pictures from last weekend’s kegger, re-think that embarrassing blog entry about your latest romance and clean up your online image! Then again, if you’re looking to improve your e-stalking capabilities, check out Stalkerati and Internet Address Book. Sites like these are a creeper’s best friend!

Happy surfing!

At the rate that camera technology is changing, it makes little sense for someone on a student budget to go out and buy a camera when one with better resolution, lens quality and more convenient footage acquisition is almost always lurking six months around the corner. The large video camera manufacturers are almost constantly engaged in a game of one-upmanship to provide better cameras and better price points for a range of amateur and pro-level users alike. There are a variety of pros and cons on whether you should buy or rent a camera, but it all boils down to your individual needs.

WHY BUY?

Knowledge is Power

Owning your own camera allows you to have it with you at all times, which allows you to learn the ins and outs of the camera and its features. When you’re renting, the clock (and the meter) are running, which makes most people rely on the camera’s default settings. Having the time to customize your own settings can allow you to create unique looks that could help your picture stand out.

Time is of The Essence

If you’re doing work for other people, having your own camera can allow you to function as your own business, which is good if someone who is hiring you on short notice. It’s a nuisance when you have to call rental houses to see if their equipment is available and often clients that are bogged down by their own time constraints don’t want to wait around while you figure out where you are going to get your camera from.

Mo’ Money

Renting out your camera or yourself as a freelancer is a good way to pay off money spent on buying the camera. While you can also negotiate a price for your services that will cover your rental cost and ensure that you make some money for yourself, be realistic. Clients are also privy to how much a camera will cost to rent and they might rent it themselves and find their own cameraman to do the work for free. It’s good to be reasonable, especially if you’re just starting out. Sometimes the experience and the chance to show your stuff can lead to more (paid) work down the road.

Write it Off!

Cameras can be declared as an expense if you are a registered business. I’m not sure if the same applies to rentals (if anyone knows this, please let me know!) If you’re leasing the equipment, those payments can also be claimed as business expenses.

WHY RENT?

Times WILL get Tough

The nature of freelance work and personal projects can mean lots of down time. A friend of mine who makes corporate videos has been out of work for stretches as long as four months! Also, finding or writing a story and developing it can take some serious time and usually the poor camera is just sitting there waiting to be used. Renting on a per-project basis is often a good idea especially if you don’t have some sort of plan or reserve of cash to cover your bills when times get tough and the projects are trickling in.

Cameras don’t suffer Broken Hearts

Renting is like being single. You can walk in to a rental store and not feel committed to any one particular camera. In fact, many rental houses will let you sit in with a camera, provided that it is not rented out, so that you can play around with it and get to know it while asking the all-important questions of the professional staff that are at hand. Oh, and luckily cameras don’t suffer from broken hearts.

The Right Tool for the Right Job

Different projects often require different tools. Cameras are no exception. Some of them have exceptional low-light performance, while others may be better at capturing slow-motion. Video is also rife with a myriad of video codecs, so it pays to do your research to see if the codec that your camera shoots in won’t choke your video editing program’s CPU.

YouTube It!

There are a load of tutorials and footage tests posted on YouTube as well. All you have to do is type in the name of the camera and you’re sure to find shots using the camera you’re curious about in a variety of shooting conditions.

At this point, it makes more sense for me to rent than buy, but I’m also a bit impatient. I like just grabbing the camera and going out and shooting whatever suddenly occurs to me. Also, rental houses usually ask for pretty substantial security deposits if you’re renting their equipment, which can often be a third of the cost of the camera itself!

Most student credit cards don’t have the monstrous limits to support the deposit required of certain high-end cameras, which limits them from accessing the good stuff. Thankfully, most rental houses offer student discounts, which help ease the pain. As a solution, you can get a parent to us their card for the security deposit and usually the rental house will allow you the student rate. I’ve done this on many occasions, which has allowed me to make some good quality stuff. Now if only I could get MY limit down…

The other day in class we were discussing the trend towards social enterprise (i.e. business doing 'good') and the notion that business, big and small, are recognizing the role they play in changing the world (or call it what you will)

I'm not here to comment on the merits, motives and outcomes of socially driven business (I could go on forever - and perhaps I will later) but my professor made an interesting comment that I couldn't help but notice.

"You guys are going to be the ones that make the difference, not me"

I didn't make a big deal of it, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how loaded a comment like that is.

While I concur that perhaps we do have the power (and it is up to us to make the difference) I sometimes question if that's the general sentiment of many business leaders today. Is it hopeless up there; easy to pass off to us?

Then I got to thinking, "what does making a difference" really entail? I see lots of companies trying to make a difference (say, by lowering emissions and donating funds to different causes - all of which are absolutely noble) but I wonder if there isn't more that needs to be considered. Are business leaders still moving in the "wrong" direction, only at a slower pace? Does there need to be a fundamental shift in the way that we (the ones to make the difference) perceive and act within the context of business?

A good friend of mine (and an esteemed economist, might I add!) said, "Nathan, don't be too optimistic. Be opportunistic, and go where needs exist"

There's a big conversation going on about the role of entrepreneurs in the social movement; a shift from the mutual exclusivity of for-profit and not-for profit. I do think our generation is capable of bringing about change, but it's difficult if you're in a workplace that isn't your own. In that sense it's partially contingent on today's business leader's willingness to foster a culture where change can take place.

Then again, you can just start up your own business and foster your own culture of change.