CentreCity

Buy a Piece of Old Science Centre History

If there's a science buff on your holiday shopping list, here's a chance to wow them.

The former Telus World of Science (in our Centre City) is gearing up for an auction this coming Sunday, November 16, 2011. You'll find antique telescopes, audio and visual equipment, children's furniture, artwork and much more. A public viewing of the items is being held tomorrow, Friday, November 18th but the actual auction event will take place on Sunday at the old Telus World of Science Building (#701, 11 St. SW).

To read more about auction items, visit calgary.ca or reidsauction.com.

  (photo by kootenayvolcano)

On the subject of the old TELUS Science Centre - while the old tennants have moved out - any ideas on who you would like to see move in to the Centre City building? It's a fun idea to think about. Share your thoughts in our comments!

Telus Spark Grand Opening

The Calgary Science Centre was a long-standing favourite for kids (and grown up kids) alike to get their science on here in the Centre City. And as the story of great success often goes, it outgrew its space and now, the centre is gearing up for its official opening to the public on the weekend in its shiny new location (220 St. George's Drive NE - just north of the Calgary Zoo). It is a little outside our CC parameters now but we're hugely proud to call them neighbors and can't wait to see how Calgarians take it all in.

The $160 million centre has a new name - Telus Spark - and the attention grabbing name is just the start. The space is now a sprawling 153, 000 square feet. And with that huge new location, comes new ideas and approaches to bringing even more science and fun into children's and adults' lives. There's even a science cafe, adult only nights, an HD digital dome theatre, an open studio...we could go on and on. Why not take a little time right now to check out the interactive floor plan by clicking here and then also take a tour through the rest of Telus Spark's website.

Lastly, check out these great photos we took a few weeks ago when we were treated to a tour of the space:

                                                                        

                                     Finishing up the panelling in the Atrium.

 

                                                 The Creative Kids Museum.

                                    

                                                 Energy & Innovation gallery.                                    

                                    The Being Human gallery.
                                    

                                              

  DOME theatre (scheduled for 2012 completion).

                                    

                                   The Presentation Theatre - two theatres!                                     

                                    Cool classrooms!

                                  
                                    The main atrium looking towards the giant wall of windows.

                                     

                                     The Feature Gallery.
                                    

All the best to our Centre City neighbour! Let us know what you think of the new space. Do you plan on attending the big opening weekend? Leave us a comment!

 

High-Fives for Being Fifth Most Livable City!

(photo by Stephenccwu)

We've always heard talk from folks all over who think Calgary is a pretty amazing city in which to live...and now it's being confirmed: turns out we're the fifth greatest city in the world to live and we're proud of it!

The Economist Intelligence Unit says we ranked fifth out of 140 cities in their livability survey this year. We're in good company with Toronto (4th) and Vancouver (3rd) just ahead of us; Vienna takes 2nd place and Melbourne takes first. 

Great news for us all. Let's pat each other on the back because after all, it takes great people to make a great city. What do you think is our secret to being such a livable city? We'd love to hear your thoughts so leave a comment when you have a moment. 

To read the full breakdown of the livability rankings, click here. For GlobalTV's news report, click here. 

Take a Journey Back in Time: Titanic Artifact Exhibition

A significant part of history is now on display for Calgarians young and old to take in at the Telus World of Science. 

The Titanic Artifact Exhibition focusses on the human stories connected to the tragedy of the sinking of what was the world's largest ship in 1912. 

The Telus World of Science, located in our Centre City, has on display 290 artifacts from the Titanic. This exhibit actually guides you on a chronological path from the building of the ship, to boarding it, life on the ship, and then its sinking. Some of the amazing artifact recovery efforts are highlighted in this exhibit as well.  

So, if you're looking for something to do while it's particularly chilly and snowy in the Centre City, set aside some time to check out this display at the Telus World of Science. The Titanic Artifact Exhibition is on now through June 27th. 

To get the full details, click here. 

Here are some of the photos from the exhibit the World of Science so kindly sent our way:  

 

 
 

Brain Powered

We always thought Calgary was a pretty smart city but this brings using your noggin to a whole new level. Read about Portugal's plans to design the first city with a brain.

What do you think about this? Could it work for us here?  

 

(photo from GoodIs.com)

TEDxYYC = Greatness Abounds in Calgary

TED^XYYC

If you're familiar with TED.com, then you have probably already rejoiced -- shouted from the rooftops several times over about the news that Calgary is hosting its own independent TED event.  

The TED mission is to spread ideas.  So we now have this amazing chance as Calgarians to step up to the mic and show the world just how progressive, creative and thoughtful we really are.  

One could spend days - weeks - watching the 450+ videos collected from the various TED talks that have been hosted around the world over the past two decades.  If you're not familiar with these videos, please treat yourself to an evening viewing (at LEAST an evening).  You can watch Malcolm Gladwell talk about spaghetti sauce, Johnny Lee show off his ingenious Wii "hacks", Pranav Mistry on the idea of a sixth sense, Eva Vertes on the future of medicine, Richard St. John sharing his 8 secrets of success and, well, hundreds more mind-bending, informative lectures.  

TED^xYYC is slated to run in Calgary on February 26th, 2010.  Event organizers are now looking for input on who, from our city, should be on that lecture roster.  Calgary is indeed a place rich with innovative thought, creative spirit and we arguably have enough drive and determination in just the centre city alone to fuel an entire continent.   

So let's get a dialogue going.  Who do you want to hear from at this year's TED^xYYC?  We want you to share your ideas and nominations for environmental warriors, musical geniuses, energy trailblazers, animal ambassadors, creative masterminds, technology gurus, medical marvels and physical heroes (did I leave anyone out? if so, let's hear about it from you!).  The goal of TED^xYYC is to bring together the youthful minds of Calgary - to hear from those who will be our leaders - people who will be instrumental in building a future Calgary.  Remember, if you know just the right person to nominate, please also submit your idea to the TED^xYYC website.

Pssst....I can hear you still scratching your head about that spaghetti sauce lecture...so here it is just to get you in the mood.

For more TED^xYYC information, follow the organizers on Twitter and you can find them on Facebook here.

World's Greenest City?

You may have already heard about this - Vancouver's Mayor introducing a plan to make his city the world's greenest by 2020. It's ambitious. Is it achievable? Check out some of the details here in this Vancouver Sun article by Gerry Bellett.  
The Vancouver Sun

Downtown Clowns

Every morning this week, I've walked past these guys...

 

This clowning trio have been parked right in front of City Hall, decked out in a different costume each day. At first, I had no idea who they were or what they were doing. Turns out they were out entertaining passers-by in an attempt to draw attention to WorldSkills 2009.

It's too bad today is the clown's last day. I've enjoyed their smiling faces and silly antics. And I'm sure they've put a grin on more than one person's face!

What to Expect at WorldSkills

For any of you heading down to WorldSkills - or even thinking about it - take a look at this Spectator's Guide to the competition.

WorldSkills 2009 Spectator's Guide

Lots to do!

WorldSkills Inspiration

With Calgary's Centre City at the heart of the WorldSkills 2009 competition, it has us thinking about how improvements in technology can change our world.

Here's one example that comes from a Portland development. It's showcasing the first small-scale urban turbines being installed in the United States. The four rooftop turbines are expected to generate  around one-percent of the 22 storey building's electrical needs.  While this electrical output may not seem significant - the project demonstrates the desire these developers have to aspireto a higher standard, just like the one thousand WorldSkills competitors down at Stampede Park.

Photo Credit: Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian

Full stories on this innovation can be read here:  

BizJournalPortland

CleanskiesPortland

OregonLive.com

Graham