The fraud of HD (High-definition) radio · Monday September 17, 2007 by colin newell
I have been a radio kind of guy for years. Versus a television kind of guy that is.
My first transistor radio was pressed into my young hands in the mid-sixties. Yes, folks – I am that old. And that is OK.
Within a few years it was not enough that I owned a variety of radios – I was building them too. At 13 years of age, I built a multi-band shortwave radio from a kit.
I do have a fondness for AM Radio however. For those who have forgotten it, AM radio is that muffled old style of radio from 540 to 1600 (now 1700khz) that carried your early rock & roll music (for those of you over 30 [or 40!] that can remember such a thing.)
There was always something comforting about tuning across an old radio dial at night never quite sure what you were going to hear; the swish of static, the heterodyne of mixing stations, the clear channel trans-continental stations that used to be king.
Times have obviously changed. Media has been concentrated and centralized. Regional and local voices have faded… but not entirely. It is as if there are corporate forces at work to take away individuality and freedom… of choice. Just the other morning I was turning across a portion of the dial and I was hearing the same program every 10khz (in radio world, an individual channel)
Coast to coast AM as it is called is a program on a chain of broadcasters (I think owned by Clear Channel). It sounds to me like a faceless and homogeneous drone of, well, nothing of merit.
Fast forward to 2007. For the last couple of years (in the U.S.A.) a corporation called Ibiquity has been pushing High Definition radio – or HD for short. HD AM and HD FM.
High definition AM. Isn’t that a natural oxymoron?
Anyway. Long story short. AM HD is a hybrid of technologies. Standard old analog AM transmitting techniques exist alongside digital sub-carriers. Problem is, the standard channel separation of 10khz on the AM band becomes unworkable with this format. A station running AM-HD on, say, 810 khz generates interference from 790khz to 830khz! In days of old, interference was limited to about 5 to 7 khz from the center channel, not 25khz!
What this means for smaller stations (in the U.S.) is that their reach or range is diminished by co-channel interference.
If you are a Canadian or Mexican border station trying to serve a rural market, your signal could be crushed or diminished by the U.S. based noise makers. Acceptable? I think not.
What to do?
If you are an American who enjoys long distance or rural AM reception and are getting buzzed make sure you write the station and any stations that are getting slammed.
If you are in Canada, send an e-mail to Industry Canada or the CRTC. Trust me, they do listen.
You will hear more from me on this issue.
It is about radio sovereignty. It is about freedom of choice. It is about a free and accessible media. Radio is one of the last free domains of expression that is open to anyone. Do not let a single corporation take that away.
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Eye pollution in Toronto · Thursday August 30, 2007 by colin newell
There is nothing sweeter than the little guys victory over the big guys – people that profit from bending or breaking the law and generally polluting the skies around us.
IllegalSigns.ca is a team of volunteers who fight illegal billboards and that is their blog. Half the billboards in Toronto are illegal – help them bring the vast, unlawful privatization of our public visual environment to an end.
Banana-Fig Bread · Tuesday August 28, 2007 by colin newell
One of the best companions to a good hot cup of coffee is a slice of sweet bread. And one of the best recipes come tried and true from old standards that have been adapted through time. And how I have adapted this recipe was with the addition of fresh locally grown figs my wife brought home one day! Voila! New recipe. The basic banana bread recipe comes from one of my Aussie cook books – my wife has the whole series. Add a comment if you can remember. This simple banana bread (with a twist) is the perfect concoction for nearly black bananas where the fruit flies fear to tread.
In a mixer bowl add:
3 or 4 ripe bananas
1/2 cup melted butter
Cream the two ingredients with your mixer on low.
1 cup brown, white or raw sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
2 eggs, gradually added to running blender
2 – ripe figs. Cut them in halves and squeeze in the fruit.
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 cups of white flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Power mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, eggs, figs and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking sodas and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out dry. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
The figs give a tangy sweetness to the bread that leaves ordinary banana bread in the dust!
Comment [3]
Best coffee is in Victoria B.C. · Friday August 17, 2007 by colin newell
As a semi-professional observer of the Specialty Coffee phenomenon in North America, I meet a lot of very passionate people – I mean, the very best of the very best. And some of that most intense passion is right here in Victoria B.C. Canada.
Buon Amici Cafe owners Derek and Gina Lucas have all the qualities of virtually any randomly selected successful business people: They are intensely passionate about coffee, its origins, the people in the industry and yes, their devoted clientele.
Buon Amici’s Coffee at 110-645 Tyee Rd. is the home to Western Canada’s best barista. Derek has the experience and energy to back up the challenge.
Derek Lucas was one of three Victoria area coffee experts to claim bronze, silver and gold at Wednesday’s Western Regional Barista Competition in Vancouver. Vancouver might have the rep, but the numbers reveal that it’s Victoria that’s ground zero for best of bean in Western Canada.
In past conversations with Derek he has revealed “It is not enough to have a reputation as a good cafe – you need to deliver time and time again without fail” he said, taking out a moment to pour personal latte art at a surprised customers table.
The recent Vancouver event places 12 skilled baristas against each other to claim a trip to Toronto for the Canadian championship. The fact is, barista competitions are now a big deal and they are international. A Vancouver victory is only one step in a growing list of internationalization in coffee World.
Here is the skinny on the competition: Each coffee expert is given 15 minutes to prepare four servings each of espresso, cappuccino and a signature drink for a panel of judges. Competitors are judged on taste, speed, design, creativity and showmanship.
I watched contestant Paul Reimer (of Discovery Coffee) in the weeks leading up to the event. He is a picture of youth, a University of Victoria student in Computer Science Engineering as well as one mature dude with an air of wisdom beyond his years “This is the pinnacle of my career this far – going up against so much talent” Reimer offered as he brought sample after sample of his best drinks for me to taste..
Amongst the best that Victoria has to offer, I could not help but feel that there was a Fifth Element that gave the Victoria crews a distinct edge.
Silver medalist Logan Gray of Discovery Coffee, Victoria gave me a hint, “We work together and play together sharing some of our secrets…” Discovery owner and partner John Riopka offers the following: “You can take the best that HABIT Coffee & Culture, Cafe Fantastico and Buon Amici’s has to offer and find some of that energy here. It is positive and friendly. We can only do better if we cooperate.”
And cooperate they do. Discovery Coffee is part of an amazing program called “Cup of Excellence” — it has international roots in the coffee growing regions and brings fairness and justice to those that toil the hardest in the industry – the farmers.
“(On some level) people like Sam Jones (owner of 2% Jazz espresso bar on Douglas Street) are more partner than competitor… fellow messengers (if you would)” Shane Devereaux infers. Shane manages Habit Coffee and Culture on Pandora avenue and sees opportunity for virtually limitless growth in the city. Sam and Shane as if one person, “Coffee is like wine. No one hesitates spending 7 to 12 dollars on a glass of good wine.” I agree. One day more and more people will be better acquainted with the similarities between fine wine and great coffee.
Habit Coffee and Culture hosts weekly coffee tasting (cupping to be precise) on Tuesday afternoons at 522 Pandora Ave. It is a somewhat more relaxed and informal version of the staid cupping that goes on in the varied brokerages and green coffee clearing houses. Rows of cups are lined up with samples of ground coffee. Ground coffee is splashed with hot water. Coffee is allowed to brew and then tasters are turned loose in the ritual of sniffing, slurping and spitting – a dance only truly understood by the initiated. It’s fun and informative.
In the weeks leading up to the Barista competition, I skulk in the background watching the creme de la creme of Victoria’s coffee scene hone their skills. From time to time I get offered a great drink to express an opinion on. I am always impressed and excited at the level of energy here, the generosity and humility. And so it goes. There is something truly amazing happening in the Victoria coffee market. If you live here, get out and order a drink. If you are visiting, make sure you get in some of the action.
Colin Newell lives in Victoria B.C. Canada and finds himself at Ground Zero of the specialty coffee revolution.
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