Tired of having their local wi-fi network hijacked by bloggers in the audience, Apple has decided to offer a live streaming video feed of their next press conference, set for Wednesday, September 1st at 10 AM PST, 1 PM EST. Apple has traditionally supplied a complimentary wireless internet hotspot at their announcements so attending press can keep in contact with their editors and producers, but within the past year that connection has fallen to abuse as bloggers began to use it for their own video feeds, causing a great deal of interference during Apple's iPhone 4 event. Apple says everyone is free to tune in at their website, as long as you have a Mac with the Safari web browser, an iPod Touch or iPhone running iOS 3.0 or higher, or an iPad. If you don't have access to any of these options, I'll be in the audience posting details to my Twitter account which you can follow along to here.  [More]

For those who are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of email that comes in, Google is releasing a new feature called Priority Inbox that will automatically identify your most important email and separate it from the rest of the flow for easy review. Google explains that their software has already been analyzing each piece of email sent to an account, simply to search for spam as well as other factors, and so they've added additional ranking computation and new indicators/metrics to assess the importance of an email by noticing patterns in the way you open and reply to some emails over others. Additionally you'll be able to help the system by using plus and minus buttons to help mark messages for their important to help the system learn over time. Google staff who have been testing out the feature report that they have spent 6% less time going through their email, 13% less time reading unimportant mail. As with all new features this one is rolling out slowly, some will have it right away, others will get it later. If you're not interested in using the priority inbox, don't worry it's an optional feature. [More]

There's a downside to calling your company Zombie Liquorice. "Everyone expects you to have sweets" says Louisa, who runs the booth for the Toronto-based T-Shirt company formed by "Jason & Jeff". Day-glo undead sink there fingers deep into spaghetti entrails that streak through the air like party streamers. It's as if Iron Maiden made an album for skateboarders or the living dead rose up to create their own graffiti-inspired street art. Louisa tells me the intense zombiewear has a very creative following on Facebook where fans [More]

One of my favourite sections at Fan Expo Canada is Artist Alley. Here you'll find imagineers and crafty curators, professional envisoners and pop purveyors, artists both modest and confident, curiosities both friendly and affordable. A poster, a pin-up, a button, or magnet, it's a must-visit if you're looking for an original keepsake, especially from local artists, in this case far too talented than that term usually means. Here are three that snatched me in passing on my first day. [More]

If you're a self-published graphic novelist looking for recognition at a large event like Fan Expo Canada, a sure fire way to find it is to put together your own cosplay creation. I may not know the name of every character walking the halls or sifting through vendor bins, but I've seen them all before in one context or another. Not the case with the rather imposing fellow wearing a gas mask and leaning up against a pillar, away from the main action. With binocular eyes and a body hidden in dark, military garb I'd like to think that if I'd seen him before, I'd have remembered it. [More]

If there's element of Fan Expo Canada that never fails to leave me astonished its the breadth of creativity on display by the Cosplay attendees who deliver new creations every year. To dismiss it as merely dressing up is a disservice, to try to understand it as merely wearing a costume just as clumsy. Many of these individuals display an extraordinary sense of craft, not just in the details or the way they work out how to make cloth of fantasy function practically, but often it's just the way they can take a cartoon character and prove their traits can be linked to a real human, and it works. Allow me to introduce to you the wonderful people I've met just within the first few hours of the first day of Fan Expo Canada 2010. [More]

More than 50,000 attendees are expected at this year's Fan Expo in Toronto, a unique and expressive convention celebrating the many different factions of fandom, from those in deep with comic book heros and science fiction voyages, to purveyors of horrific nightmares and anime dramas amongst so many other singular interests. This year there are over 600 exhibits, but, as always its the major booths that grab the crowds on day one. More than just the promise of a free shirt or a pamphlet, this year's major brands enticed fans to enclose themselves into some rather novel compartments. [More]

Well the moment has finally arrived. YouTube has managed to collect enough feature films on its network to launch an entire section devoted to movies. While the online network has yet to sign a deal with any of the major studios, they've found partnerships with enough independent players to fill up a modest catalog of Bollywood titles, documentaries, low-budget horror, and copyright free classics including a number of Jackie Chan action films. With the rising popularity of streaming and on-demand services, it's enough to show the industry that YouTube could become a player in that field, the technology's there, even if the business model may not be yet. While the selection may be a bit, erm, suspicious, the free catalog does include classics like Animal Farm, Carnival Of Souls, Fists of Fury, and a few entries from The Film Crew of MST3K fame.

This week brings a rather novel prison in Escape From The Ladies Room. Trapped inside a public restroom you must search the stalls, the sinks, and the mirrors for hidden items and clues to discover a way out. The situation's a funny one, but it's a rather perfect scenario when you think of all the different areas a restroom has for hiding things, from the baby change table to hand dryers and toilet roll dispensers. A bathroom can definitely supply a number of useful tools, you just have to be creative in how you use them. Thankfully, there isn't a line of people waiting outside to get in. Good luck.