Metaviews

Campaign School: Adam Vaughan

03/25/2012 2:00 pm

Adam VaughnAdam Vaughan, the Toronto councillor for Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina, will join the next Campaign School to talk about his transition from political journalist to public servant — and how his view on local politics has changed in the process.

Widely recognized from a dozen years of covering City Hall on evening newscasts, Vaughan took a leap at a council seat in 2006, when local politics had barely begun to be placed under the social media microscope.

New and returning students at Campaign School can learn about the highs and lows of being an elected representative of the ward that contains the most familiar — and most diverse — elements of the ever-rising city.

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Play the Impossible: Special Edition — Toronto Videogame Salon

03/29/2012 7:00 pm

Play the ImpossibleGaming has been part of the Hacking Reality series at the Academy of the Impossible since the start of 2012. Minecraft, adventure games and first-person shooters have provided a focus for our monthly Play the Impossible sessions.

For the last Thursday in March, however, we will turn our attention to the people who are currently helping the videogame industry tick in Toronto. Producers and consumers are invited to participate in an accessible discussion about where the business is currently at — and where it looks to be headed in the future.

Those seeking an introduction to this creative segment can learn about recent developments along with those who want to connect with those who are making videogames in our own backyard.

Guests who would like to demonstrate a specific project are invited to request a presenter slot in advance via academy@impossible.ws

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Status Update with Bob Lewis of the Canadian Journalism Foundation

03/22/2012 7:00 pm

CJFBob Lewis, chair of the Canadian Journalism Foundation, will visit the Academy of the Impossible to discuss the changes he has witnessed throughout his four-decade career — which included 25 years at Maclean's magazine — and whether the current state of the industry deserves more optimism than pessimism.

Now at the helm of the non-profit organization dedicated to excellence in journalism, Lewis has the aim of expanding its role in Toronto and beyond, recognizing those who might be more likely to report from a laptop in a coffee shop than a cubicle in a newsroom and more likely to consume through social media than a broadsheet dropped on their doorstep.

Jesse Hirsh will moderate a session that will focus on how all journalism needs a foundation — along with input from any attendee eager to explore the brighter side of the information business.

YouTube School: Journalism

03/18/2012 2:00 pm

YouTube NewsWhen news breaks, chances are that evidence will appear on YouTube before anywhere else, which provides an opportunity to look at how some recent stories originated through user-generated content.

Of course, the platform has also provided some different perspectives on television-based reporting — from historical clips to local bloopers to ideological rebuttals. The next YouTube School will look at a range of examples while considering the role it will play in shaping the future of news.

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Join our Google+ group to participate in the making of each session:
https://plus.google.com/113810566919113105097

Metaviews presents a regular series dedicated to watching, thinking about and contributing to the largest of online video platforms.

Sessions will consist of discussion and screenings of some of the popular viral clips of the moment, some personal favourites of past and future — and discovering buried treasures along the way.

YouTube School will also provide insights into how viewership is accrued, with input from producers who have leveraged its reach, along with inspiration for anyone to do the same. Consider the flavours of social media sharing between the walls of the Academy of the Impossible.

Test the Impossible: Kickstarter

03/15/2012 7:00 pm

KickstarterKickstarter will be in our spotlight for the next Test the Impossible, as we watch and discuss pitches that have sought attention through any crowdfunding platform, including a focus on those in Toronto who are currently looking for backers.

We will take a look at how the concept has evolved and where it might be headed next — and how it has influenced new models of creative entrepreneurship.

While the website recently had is first two million-dollar projects in one day, and expects to bring in $150 million in overall funding this year, some types of Kickstarter projects obviously fare better than others.

Toronto creators who have used Kickstarter (or other similar crowdfunding platforms) — whether or not the projects reached their goal — are encouraged to attend to share their experiences.

Locals who have considered using Kickstarter in the future can get advance insights, too.

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Play the Impossible: First-Person Shooter

03/08/2012 7:00 pm
battlefield.jpg

First-person shooter videogames have been a staple of the medium ever since its earliest days. With the launch of the multiplayer Battlefield 3 last fall, though, the genre has now been extended to social networks.

The next edition of Play the Impossible will include a review of the history of First-Person Shooter — accessible to both gaming newbies and veterans — and how games from a first-person perspective are likely to evolve in the future.

And, like at every Play the Impossible, the conversation about videogames will include a chance to play — either on our screens or one of your own.

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Campaign School: Bill Fox

03/11/2012 2:00 pm

Bill FoxBill Fox, the campaign manager, press secretary and communications director for Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, will step into the Academy of the Impossible for a discussion about what it took to triumph on Parliament Hill in the 1980s — and how things have transformed in Ottawa since that era.

Campaign School has previously played host to MPs Andrew Cash and Carolyn Bennett, along with Toronto Councillor Shelley Carroll, each of whom have shared their varied experiences on the campaign trail and subsequent experiences in office.

Fox, who was a bureau chief for the Toronto Star prior to his stint in the PMO, went on to play a role in public affairs at CN, Bombardier and BCE. Currently a consultant at law firm Stikeman Elliott and partner in children's and family entertainment company Wizard Hat Productions — in addition to an ongoing role in political campaigns — he will be our first guest to share the campaign experience from a Conservative point of view.

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YouTube School: Musical

03/04/2012 2:00 pm
helenruth.jpg

Music videos have been a cornerstone of YouTube from the start — even if it was initially left to VHS archivists to upload their personal collections without permission — and now about 40 per cent of all views on the site are song-driven.

The next edition of YouTube School will romp through a range of music clips, from vintage MTV to webcam karaoke, from Bollywood to K-Pop, and a look at the sort of acts which have been established or revived through popularity through viral viewership. Naturally, we'll play a few requests, too.

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Join our Google+ group to participate in the making of each session:
https://plus.google.com/113810566919113105097

Metaviews presents a regular series dedicated to watching, thinking about and contributing to the largest of online video platforms.

Sessions will consist of discussion and screenings of some of the popular viral clips of the moment, some personal favourites of past and future — and discovering buried treasures along the way.

YouTube School will also provide insights into how viewership is accrued, with input from producers who have leveraged its reach, along with inspiration for anyone to do the same. Consider the flavours of social media sharing between the walls of the Academy of the Impossible.

Campaign School: Shelley Carroll

02/26/2012 2:00 pm

Shelley CarrollShelley Carroll, the Toronto city councillor from Ward 33 whose political career has taken her from school trustee to chair of the Budget Committee to deputy mayor, will visit to talk about her experiences in the arena — including the unprecedented attention paid to activities at City Hall in the past year.

New and returning students to Campaign School can get insights on how Councillor Carroll went from a career in banking to over a decade in the public service, what role social media has played in keeping in touch with constituents and her status as a downtown-boosting representative of a non-downtown riding.

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YouTube School: Contagious

02/19/2012 2:00 pm

Antoine Dobson"Going viral" is the ambition of many who upload clips to YouTube. But how does an otherwise obscure video end up reaching a critical mass? And is there any secret formula to connecting with the greatest number of viewers?

New and returning students at YouTube School will view and discuss a variety of clips that have achieved some degree of popularity — or maybe just deserve to. The session will interest those looking to create something contagious, explore the process of getting attention, or who just like to watch.

Join our Google+ group to participate in the making of each session:
https://plus.google.com/113810566919113105097

Play the Impossible: Minecraft

01/12/2012 7:00 pm

Minecraft Wolf OutpostMetaviews presents the first in a regular series dedicated to playing, talking, and learning about games.

Our first session will focus on Minecraft, an incredibly successful sandbox style game that we've been enjoying and using to build our own environment.

Ken Chase, Jesse Hirsh, and Daniel Joseph will lead a brief discussion about Minecraft that looks at the rise, and development of the game, as well as the many ways in which people have extended it further.

We'll then play Minecraft, on big screens, small screens, and in groups, as we not only talk the talk but play the game!

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Campaign School: Session One

01/15/2012 2:00 pm

Metaviews presents the first of a regular series dedicated to sharing insights into political participation — from running for office, to rallying around a cause, to engaging in punditry through all forms of media.

Sessions will consist of debating, dissecting and discussing best practices, strategies and the necessary steps to succeed in having a voice heard in the political arena.

Campaign School will look at the emerging issues in both government and society, evaluate what it takes for a candidate or issue to click with voters and review lessons learned from recent political history. Whether you have entertained taking a run at public office, or just want to be a more engaged observer, each session will have something different to offer.

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YouTube School: Session One

01/08/2012 2:00 pm
01/08/2012 4:00 pm

Metaviews presents the first of a regular series dedicated to watching, thinking about and contributing to the largest of online video platforms.

Sessions will consist of discussion and screenings of some of the popular viral clips of the moment, some personal favourites of past and future — and discovering buried treasures along the way.

YouTube School will also provide insights into how viewership is accrued, with input from producers who have leveraged its reach, along with inspiration for anyone to do the same. Consider the flavours of social media sharing between the walls of the Academy of the Impossible.

Join our Google+ group to participate in the making of each session:
https://plus.google.com/113810566919113105097

Facebook page for this event

The Revolt of 2012: A Conversation with Rick Salutin

01/05/2012 7:00 pm
01/05/2012 8:30 pm

Rick Salutin will be the first guest in our Impossible Ideas series on January 5 with a conversation focused on the return of social movements and the means by which their message is spread.

With the worldwide political disruptions of the past 12 months being constantly compared to the events of four or more decades earlier, Salutin will share his critical view on the emergence of new social movements and how they compare to decades past.

What role has media and technology played in social movements? If 2011 was a reminder as to how powerful actual bodies in the streets can be, what sort of mobilizing should 2012 bring? Has the way we react to all of these events changed along with the media? Does any of this foreshadow a change to the generally sluggish systems in Canada? How can the political narrative in Canada, and around the world change?

These questions and more will be chewed over in a 90-minute salon hosted by Academy of the Impossible director Jesse Hirsh.

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
—Red Queen, Alice in Wonderland

“Be Realistic:
Demand the Impossible"
—political slogan used by
the Situationists in 1968

“Let's set our sights beyond the abominations of today to divine another possible world.”
—Eduardo Galeano

"Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing."
- Muhammad Ali