So here we are with another edition of Pictures from the Pool, where this time, I feature a couple of neat fast shutter speed photos from the seemingly endless BR Flickr Group. Coincidentally, both feature people riding things, and both (completely unintentionally) are taken near my old 'hood of East Van.

So I'm sad to report that Jon and Sean have both been simultaneously obliterated by asteroids. Shame. Most of you may be sad (some I'm certain are celebratory), but Morning Brew must continue! So I guess this will be my inaugural Brew, booyah. Some big shoes to fill. Seeing as how I now have the supreme power of the interconnected network of tubes in my shiny new Kits digs, it's time to get crackin' son.

Speaking of my new pad, it's amazing that I was able to find a place to rent among the throngs of other renters on the market, without encountering any notorious Craiglist scammers. Now, all I need to worry about are these folks. (Thanks to Darryl for that last link. Let's just hope your 360 overheats on them at least. Plus, last laugh's on them when those HD-DVDs depreciate like a rock!)

It's been a while since we last featured picks from the plethora of superlative photos available in our Beyond Robson Flickr Pool. So let's go with a couple complementary pictures that have been taken in an area that used to be under water.

On the left is a exquisite shot titled "An Intro to Spring", taken by BR Flickr Pool member kennylouie. Being a huge fan of cityscape shots that balance the available luminance of the sky and city lights, I can safely say that kennylouie's nailed it in this wonderful example of perfect timing. Reflections, clouds, colours and shapes are all themes in this unique capture of Vancouver's world-famous skyline. Kenny uses a Canon 20D and has quite the collection of beautiful high dynamic range (HDR) photographs.

And over on the right side is a photograph deftly shot by bluechameleon named "silhouettes on main street". The black and white emphasizes the fantastic composition and framing of both the humans waiting in the station and the birds resting on the tree. Also note the excellent juxtaposition between the geometric lines of the girders and the haphazardly pointed tree branches. Keep in mind, she shot this and many others with a simple Canon A640, proving it's not what you have, but how you use it.

The talent I've seen in this pool seems absolutely limitless. Keep them coming people! Thanks again to all the members of the BR Flickr pool - we'll try our best to keep these photo posts going. In the meantime, if you haven't done so already, visit Ami's Flickr game!

Zach Condon, the baby faced bandleader of Beirut, untucked his rotary valve trumpet from under his arm during the sold out show this past Thursday at the Commodore Ballroom. Our casual maestro deftly conducted his players with a flick of the wrist here and a sideways wave of the hand there. Between songs, Condon would huddle with his band mates while the crowd deliriously applauded each tight picture-perfect performance.

Whatever strategy was spoken in the huddles, it was absolutely sound. The Eastern European vibe came through in unbreakable fashion along with Beirut's genuinely happy aura. Take your pick, the musical arsenal was large: accordion, violin, ukulele, mandolin, clarinet, baritone sax, French horn, trumpet, drums and the kitchen sink. Beirut immediately jump started the crowd with "Nantes" from their latest LP, The Flying Club Cup. Condon crooned gracefully while his troop energetically pumped out the mini-orchestral glee. There were about eight members in all that night, but they milled around with bursting liveliness that didn't lend well to counting.

If you build it, they will come.

That's precisely the theory that many active opponents of the Gateway Project are putting forth to warn BC residents of the impending failure of the proposed $3 billion road expansion plan if it goes through. They prophesize that the additional road capacity will simply become congested soon after completion due to new commuters being attracted to the shiny new pavement. At a time where gas prices are the topic of choice at a water cooler near you, this issue and many others relating to our transportation infrastructure have all become paramount to Vancouverites as of late.

Recent SFU Communications grad Ryan Longoz has chosen to tackle this controversial topic and has tied it in nicely with a little bit of economics 101 in a compact nine-minute video. Instead of putting the blame for traffic congestion squarely on the government and (get ready for the "c"-word) corporations, he goes a step further, and essentially points the finger at every single one of us iPod-using, gas-guzzling, fashion-wearing consumers. He mentions that "we are all complicit, because we are all complacent" (my favourite quote from the clip) when referring to our transportation and consumption habits.

I have a confession to make.

I secretly long to be a student at Emily Carr.

And although I love my job as a happily-employed engineer, there are times where my creativity lacks a certain outlet. I mean, just think about it, instead of performing complex Fourier transforms and utilizing Bernoulli's equation in ways I couldn't care less about, I could have been making great profound art or designing the next big sustainable thing-a-majigger at a fantastic institution. Many of my friends, who have attended or are attending the newly-minted university have always done such cool and funky shit.

Attending Saturday's Emily Carr Undergrad Exhibition definitely reaffirmed these beliefs of mine. To say it was an overcrowded zoo would be a serious understatement - it was uber-busy. But that was just indicative of how popular this yearly show has become. The $3 wine and beer made it all the better too... From a sock ball a gynecologist could only love, to massive sized sugar cubes (I confirmed that it was indeed sucrose) strategically placed in a symbolic pattern, to a sod patch complete with boxing gloves - it was all there.