The Last Hunt: The future of books?

My next project as an author will certainly be an eBook! In the Globe, Simon Houpt told us about this new form of interactive production by the NFB: The Last Hunt. It made we wonder if this it the future of books?

Not long to watch and a perfect activity for a short coffee break, The Last Hunt takes more after books than films, presented as a gorgeous animated photo album, with music in the background. You're not told the story, you have to read it. As you scroll down, some images in the text get animated. (The photos are by photographer Montreal-based Alexi Hobbs accompanying his grandfather to his cabin.)

I don't know how much it costs to produce such an "eBook" but I could see it changing the way we read books in the very near future.

Fun fact: When you google "the last hunt", the first website that pops up has nothing poetic about it! It is a bargain website, featuring a polar bear's head with the tag line "Hurry up before they disappear!".

Take it outside, especially in the winter

Another of the 15 easy to follow resolutions suggested by experts in the Globe, yesterday: Go for a noontime walk outside, especially in the winter.

"Why? You get at least five times as much light as the brightest office (even on dark, stormy days). You get exercise (well, at least some activity). And you avoid the big lunches (or at least have less time to eat). All of which helps your mood, memory and weight.", says Raymond Lam, professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia and director of the Mood Disorders Centre, UBC Hospital. (One of the experts also talk about a revolutionary "new" treatment I quote in this other post...)

My TOP-3 walks for winter days in Toronto Urban Strolls 1

Stroll 10   BELTLINE Backyards Stroll 
No distractions! No slushy sidewalks.

Stroll 15   CABBAGETOWN Nooks & Crannies Stroll
The small historic houses with great landscaping look great under a canopy of snow.

Stroll 27   WARD'S ISLAND Dreamy Stroll
The Rectory Café is a great reward after a (quite solitary) winter walk in the residential area of Toronto Islands, left alone to hibernate.

My TOP-3 walks for winter days in Toronto Urban Strolls 2

Stroll 1   BLOOR WEST Cool Stroll 

Fun murals, cool second-hand stores to explore thoroughly plus the play-all-day games at café Snakes and Lattes

Stroll 3   PATH Underground Stroll

Ok, this is actually an indoor walk but I make you peek at the surface from times to times admire the public art.

Stroll 12   THE BEACH Soothing Stroll

For the blue and grey hues of the beach under the winter sun (especially early in the morning)... and the honey balls at Athens Pastries Café, the new café by the formerly Boardwalk Pub (entirely revamped into the chic Boardwalk Place). 

Go ahead, pick one (resolution)

This morning in the Globe, they asked 15 health and fitness experts the following question: "What is one thing Canadians can do to be healthier this year?" One of them talked about a "new" treatment.

"There is a superexpensive new drug coming out. It reduces heart disease by 60%, cancer by 27%, Alzheimer by 50% and arthritis by 47%. It is now our best treatment for fatigue and low back pain. It cures a third of erectile dysfunction, and cuts anxiety and depression by 48%. People even lose weight on that stuff... OK, it's not new or expensive or even a pill. It's walking. If I had to pick one, I'd say movement is the best medicine.", says Mike Evans (staff physician at St. Michael's Hospital, associate professor of family medicine and public health at the University of Toronto).

Who knew! 
(Full article here)
Read this post about my favourite walks for winter days in my two walking guides
Toronto Urban Strolls 1 & 2.