Sparkplug

Further to my posting of the other day, Facebookies can breath a little easier.  Facebook has made a significant change in the way that Beacon will announce your on line purchases. (more…)

Wired features a weird story today about a South Korean who authorities believe was killed by his cellphone battery exploding.  While this was unusual enough to catch my eye I was disturbed to see that the phone in question was an LG.  (more…)

I, like many other of you out there, have a Facebook page.  I am not certain why, I guess it has to do with this entire open source, social networking thing. 

Facebook, like this blog, has led friends and acquaintances back to me, like a beacon.  Which brings me to Facebook Beacon.  Simply put, Facebook Beacon is an intrusion into your privacy that notes when you make online purchases and notifies your fellow Facebookies.  (more…)

We had a great time at the Parade on Sunday.  Every year it just gets better and better and this year had to be the best of all (that is until next year).

The day started early for my brother Will and I when we got up at four in the morning to drive to the warehouse to drive the truck down with the rest of the parade.  (more…)

Last night we tucked right into the five large pallets of Mini Oreos but decided that eating them all wasn’t a viable option.  Our unpacking crew was especially energetic and managed to not only unpack and prepare all of the Oreos but also packed all of the candy and cookies in our truck. (more…)

About 8:00 last night I was starting to think so.  We had just finished four days of unpacking counter displays of packages of Cadbury Mini Eggs and dumping them loose back into boxes.  As you can see from yesterday’s posting this is one hell of a lot of Mini Eggs for the clowns to toss out to the crowd this Sunday. (more…)

I have been busy dealing with the 250,000 or so packages of candy that we are feverishly emptying out of counter packs and into our float for Sunday.  Cadbury and Kraft have both donated literally tons of treats for the celebrity clowns to toss to the crowds and it is a formidable task to process it all and get it packed in boxes ready to move down to the route on Sunday morning. (more…)

I love a good parade and fortunately, Toronto has the best.  Our annual Santa Claus Parade. 

My memories of the parade are some of the earliest I have.  I remember seeing the parade for the first time on our neighbour’s black and white television (which was a unique household appliance at the time).

The parade became the unofficial start of my Christmas season, along with fighting with my brothers over who got first crack at the newly arrived Eaton’s catalogue.  Much blood and hot chocolate was spilled in those days. (more…)

As you fans of the Daily Show and Late Night with David Letterman have seen by now, the Writer’s Guild of America has gone on strike.  This, in a nutshell, will mean no new episodes of many popular television programs in the foreseeable future. (more…)

This is my 100th posting to the blog. 

When I started the blog late last year I had some idea of what I would be doing with it, but as any bit of pond scum can tell you, it evolved.

I wanted Sparkplug to reflect a new trend in communications - interactive, open source - where everyone would have a say in the content and direction.  (more…)

I had to do a presentation on e learning a couple of weeks ago.  Not a big deal, just a brief history of the technology and some pros and cons.  I have done so many similar presentations over the years I could likely do it in my sleep.

And that’s a dangerous thing.  That is the road down which lies suckdom. (more…)

We live in an age of deluxe DVD box sets that seem to cover all kinds of ephemera.  Do we really need a Special Director’s Cut of anything?  Or a disc of extras that runs longer than the film itself?  Or multiple commentaries from the Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Stars, Special Effects Geeks, Critics, Make up Department, Continuity Person and Grip? (more…)