Slow TV

Norwegian TV discovered that 2 million Norwegians were willing to watch the train ride from Bergen to Oslo in real time. I did it both ways in person and didn't find it particularly interesting (although I was with a Floridian who got to see snow for the first time, in July no less). I did watch part of the "show" on Youtube, and did find it relatively interesting (helps that we are at the front of the train, a view you wouldn't normally have as a passenger).

In that same sense, perhaps you'd be willing to watch some Australians do laundry in Hawaii. Although these Australians are easy on the eyes and ears and have some really beautiful high definition video of some pretty epic scenery, I can't quite pinpoint what is so compelling about their travel vlog series. They are both 24 years old, so perhaps it is the wholesome voyeurism of their millennial lifestyle and interests. Their "coffee" at Starbucks has soy and they are willing to walk two hours to Whole Foods because "Walmart was horrible" (for fresh food). I only know Whole Foods from Southpark, so perhaps simply seing the real-world version is what I found captivating.

As you can see here, in one year, they do manage to see more of the world than either you or me. They both went to university for 5 years and worked in Perth (the Fort McMurray of Australia), so presumably they had some cash. And indeed, they aren't hosteling or camping. Full private kitchens are part of their travels. Also, they have a website, and I guess they were able to scam some free tickets to tours here and there.

Start the 365 video playlist from the beginning (one a day) as they leave Australia. Soon they will be in Hawaii, then the Rockies, Europe and Africa. Watch in HD.

It is amateurish, self-absorbed and mostly uninteresting. And yet very watchable. Slow TV at it's best. Even better than the Norwegian train ride. :-)

Disclaimer: I love to travel (50 countries and counting), and have got a bit of the travel bug. But you can't leave the Moncton area in July (because the ocean is really warm and this is the month everybody comes to visit).  

 

Beacon Hill Has One Exit

As you may know. Fort McMurray, in Wood Buffalo, Alberta,  has one road connecting it to the rest of the world (Highway 63 until the intersection with highway 881). Beacon Hill has one road out of the subdivision.

That's not good. If you only have one road out of your neighborhood, move!

 The videos below were taken Tuesday May 3rd, 2016. Most of the homes you see were burnt to the ground. I called the videos epic when there were118 views. There are now over 800,000 and I've seen the videos on CTV, CBC, NBC, CNN and the BBC. And now you can watch them here. You really should watch them in full screen (the bigger, the better), in 1080P. These are embedded and linked, not copies, so apologies if the poster has taken them down.

My blog is usually quite political, but remember that many families in Fort McMurray lost their homes (quite likely, including the poster of the videos).

Videos contain foul language.

Beacon Hill, Fort McMurray, Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Canada


Fort McMurray Fire 1 of 6 Front Dash Cam


Fort McMurray Fire 2 of 6 Fire Dash Cam



Here are the links for the other 4 videos of the epic Beacon Hill escape. See if you can spot the deers almost causing an accident in videos 3 and 4.

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Fort McMurray Fire 3 of 6 Front Dash Cam

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Fort McMurray Fire 4 of 6 Rear Dash Cam

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Fort McMurray Fire 5 of 6 Front Dash Cam

-Fort McMurray Fire 6 of 6 Rear Dash Cam

Remember, if you only have one road out of your neighborhood, move!

My income is way, way below the Canadian median wage. Yet I give hundreds of dollars to the Red Cross every year. It feels good to help (it is about 25% tax deductible, so don't be cheap).