Journey through the past

Hello once again, all...! It seems this afternoon I have a little time to myself, so - having thought things through while on my morning walkabout, I've decided to shift gear somewhat and take you on a journey through the past:

Tah-dah! Yes, it's my old demo reel from the far-flung year 2000! It's funny now, seeing this old demo from so long ago: there are several sequences included here (the high-contrast, black-and-white clips) that were actually part of a project where viewers would use a pair of special glasses that would break up the white signal into the full spectrum of colour... and also extend the image into people's peripheral vision to further the sense of motion. Some of these clips were later recycled into the opening title sequence for the North American version of the TV series, "Queer As Folk" (which can be seen here).

For a bit of added fun, I edited in some audio clips from the films "Withnail & I" and "It Came From Hollywood". Oh, and apologies to anyone trying to view this from Germany - apparently the audio track ("Scream in Blue", by Midnight Oil) ran afoul of the German authorities at some point or other a few years back - but just so you don't feel left out, I'll include a short stop-motion PSA I worked on last summer with the kids at Artheart in Toronto:

It was a simple enough premise - using vintage Micronaut toys (from my very own collection), a pile of Lego bricks, a rickety old camera (and some even more rickety old lights and tripods), we put together a Public Service Announcement illustrating the perils of street racing. The kids worked hard, we all had fun, and in the end they were quite happy seeing the fruits of their labour. It might be a little "rough-around-the-edges" as videos go, but from my point of view it was a triumph... especially insofar as this marked the first time any of those children had tried their hands at animation!

Can You Spot That QR Code Guy?

Taken by Peter Jones, February 2012.

Well, I know I'm always asking people to send in any photos they may have snapped of me while walking about town, but today I thought I'd post one taken by Peter Jones during Lisa Horvath's SMWTO presentation last month. If there'd been any more people in the frame I might've been tempted to turn it into a "Where's Waldo?"-style contest!

Thanks once again to all my faithful readers for helping make this blog an ongoing success. It's always a treat to see that people are indeed reading the posts (and on occasion, following through to my Twitter feed). I've met one or two very interesting people in the last 24 hours, both on the streets of Toronto and online, so I'm feeling fairly optimistic about where this campaign of mine is heading... and I hope to have more to report on those encounters in the near future.

For Stalking the Job, this John Currie - That QR Code Guy - signing off. And remember folks... I'll see you around!

Crashing the Party at Social Media Week Toronto

Yes faithful readers, once again Stalking the Job crashed an event at SMWTO. And although I tried doing so as inconspicuously as possible... the speaker, Lisa Horvat of Strategic Storytellers drew my presence to everyone's attention as I crept in to stand at the back of the room. Not that I could blame her; it's not every day that a man rather conspicuously wearing a giant QR code walks into a presentation. If I hadn't been wearing my trademark shades I might've betrayed a rather sheepish look in my eyes...

But, a great presentation from Lisa Horvat. As I listened to her speak, I realized that in my own way - perhaps even inadvertently - what I've been doing with this blog, with the QR code sandwich board, and with my funny lil' web-comic has been to tell a story. My story. And it's a story that continues to unfold. Each new day brings me a wealth of anecdotes to mine, allows me the opportunity to connect with people, to inform and to be informed. And of course, walking around downtown every day has improved the strength in my legs (and the sandwich board has done wonders for my posture). But this is a story with a difference. It's a story that I'm living, in realtime... and of course, I'm hoping it has a happy ending.

I say "hoping", but that's perhaps a little disingenuous. Instead of simply "hoping", what I'm really doing is seizing the bull by the horns with as much grit and determination as I can manage. And that's why I've been gate-crashing events at SMWTO this week - because sitting on my duff at home isn't going to raise my visibility. Endlessly jumping through hoops online to hopefully get a wink & a nod from prospective employers hasn't worked. So what has been working? Being there... being seen. Being on-hand to talk with people about just what the Hell I'm up to. Can this translate to gainful employment? Can I make my message of determination, initiative and the will to succeed penetrate through to a prospective employer? Well, I could say "I hope so" - but instead I'll choose to say, "I know I can".

Everybody takes photos of me when I'm not looking...

So here's to happy endings - and as ever folks, I'll see you around.