Electric Sky
50 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago -Stories of the human condition.
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Episodes
Close Your Eyes
November 10, 2019 05:01 - 34 minutes - 32 MBClose Your Eyes examines the impact of sound, in a variety of forms, in our lives. I encourage you to listen to this entire program with your eyes closed.
Social choirs and singing as an act of survival
January 27, 2019 19:34 - 9 minutes - 9.07 MB613 Casual Choir leaders Lee Hayes and Rob Cosh, and well over 75 singers who braved a frigid January evening in Ottawa, make the case for singing as an act of survival.
Jeffrey Lee Campbell and his locker room presence
December 01, 2018 20:47 - 10 minutes - 5 MBFor most aspiring rock stars, the prize is recording and touring, and having a loading dock to receive the mountains of cash being delivered to your home.
Cliff Harris and Democracy 3, the game you can’t beat
December 02, 2016 00:18 - 10 minutes - 9.5 MBDemocracy is a political simulation game you can't win. It's engaging and fun, and it reminds us that each political decision is like a flap of a butterfly's wings.
Interview with Shawn MacDonell
December 01, 2012 14:55 - 10 minutes - 9.44 MBShawn MacDonell ignored his guidance counsellor who was pointing high school students like sheep toward computer science degrees. Instead, he developed a program to teach children how to read. With baseballs.
The Arrested Development Documentary Project
December 01, 2010 11:18 - 10 minutes - 9.95 MBNeil and Jeff followed their passion, curiosity and creativity to create a documentary about their favourite television show.
Interview with Marian van der Zon
June 13, 2010 22:00 - 9.15 MBI grew up with a romantic view of radio pirates; ordinary people using public airwaves to build communities from locations offshore, from basement studios and from mobile transmitters in the backs of vans.
Surviving and thriving with Andrea Ross
May 02, 2010 22:53 - 10 minutes - 9.26 MBI’ve often heard people say they’re fighting or they’ve beaten cancer. It was a shift in my thinking when, after being diagnosed with breast cancer, my wife talked about healing and being a survivor. Six months, three surgeries and six rounds of chemotherapy later, I understand. Show ID and intro Interview with Andrea Ross You […]
Interview with Dewitt Jones
August 24, 2009 14:34 - 9.17 MBOne of my favourite lessons taught by Dewitt Jones is to study your tools and how to use them so you can capture the extraordinary no matter which tool happens to be in your hand at the time. Â Dewitt knows this well. Â His extraordinary photographs have graced pages and covers of National Geographic magazine for […]
Interview with Hugh Brewster
August 17, 2009 01:45 - 9.59 MBA new all-ages book by historian and author, Hugh Brewster, explores the valour and determination of the Canadian forces as one problem after another stacked against them for the raid on German forces at Dieppe. Â His book includes details on the planning and execution of the raid, as well as the incredible stories of survival […]
The Leadership Summit 2009: Leaders and Followers
August 10, 2009 01:55 - 9.15 MBWe tend to be myopic when we face challenges — it’s much more comfortable to focus inwards. Leaders are no exception. So, when leaders talk about thinking out of the box, they should be first in line. This concept has been embraced by Bill Hybels who founded The Leadership Summit fifteen years ago.  While the […]
Bye, bye amazon.com
April 13, 2009 03:45In response to Amazon’s decision (something they’ve called a “glitch†in their swift and misguided damage control campaign) to remove books about gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transsexual lifestyles from their ranking system (both adult and children’s literature), I have joined a growing number of people who have removed all of the links to books and […]
Commentary on the Remembrance Day episode
August 11, 2008 04:26I’ve published commentary on the Remembrance Day episode on my blog site, markblevis.com. In the commentrary I talk being fearless in gathering ‘streeters’, scraping ceremonial coverage from the radio, getting permission to use music by Bryan Adams and The Duhks, and making audio elements fit together tightly like an elaborate puzzle. Relevant links: The Remembrance […]
Commentary on episodes
August 07, 2008 16:06During the month of August, I will be recording commentary on a small selection of my own podcast productions that are near and dear to me for any of many reasons. These recordings will be published on my blog site, markblevis.com. The first of my Producer’s Commentary series was published earlier this week. If you […]
Stay tuned – Electric Sky will be back
May 04, 2008 21:02In order to make time available for some personal projects, I have decided to put Electric Sky on hiatus. The site (including a recent wave of new shows) and RSS feed will remain online and fully functional. Stay tuned. Electric Sky will be back!
Stephen Gritt on Art Restoration and Conservation
April 28, 2008 02:01 - 9.51 MBIt’s amazing who you can meet in a park during your child’s soccer game. I was introduced to Stephen Gritt on one such occasion last summer by someone who knew that Stephen would make a great guest for Electric Sky. They were right. Show ID and intro Interview with Stephen Grit National Gallery of Canada […]
Jennifer Barnaby and Cakes for a Cause
April 22, 2008 02:52 - 9.16 MBDuring the annual Great Glebe Garage Sale (a huge community garage sale in Ottawa), my family stumbed on Jennifer Barnaby, a Cordon Bleu Chef who was serving baked goods she’d made while her husband, Jim, brewed up espresso and handled the transactions. Every single cent collected from the sales went directly to charity. They didn’t […]
Brad Blanton and Radical Honesty
April 13, 2008 21:00 - 9.55 MBI’ve wanted to produce a documentary on honesty for almost three years. In preparation, I gathered some street audio on honesty and dishonesty, definitions of the ideas and self-analysis (unfortunately, I seem to have misplaced some of this audio). I also conducted an incredibly insightful interview with Brad Blanton whose book Radical Honesty: How to […]
Bracelets of Hope
April 06, 2008 23:00 - 9.06 MBWhile in Perth, ON last August, I learned about Bracelets of Hope, an initiative to raise the money necessary to build a medical clinic for a Village of Hope in Harare, Zimbabwe — all by selling handmade bracelets. Even more impressive is that the initiative was dreamed up by a ten-year-old. I met with Carrie-Anne […]
Whale Watching on the Jolly Breeze
January 20, 2008 11:00 - 9.08 MBOur family vacation in August 2007 was a two-week, unplugged, extravaganza down the Fundy side of New Brunswick. The camping was fantastic and we were able to witness the awesome vertical tides of the Bay of Fundy. The highlight of our trip was a whale watching expedition on the Jolly Breeze, a tall ship based […]
Sir Ken Robinson on Creativity and Education (part 2 of 2)
October 07, 2007 23:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBSir Ken Robinson explains 'back to basics', offers ways in which parents can help foster creativity in their children, and outlines his ideal school.
Sir Ken Robinson on Creativity and Education (part 1 of 2)
October 01, 2007 01:30 - 9 minutes - 8.58 MBSir Ken Robinson's book "Out of Our Minds" offers an in-depth analysis of education systems and the role of creativity as part of our development.
Promo: Recovery Program Documentary
July 12, 2007 17:09 - 2.29 MBIn March 2006, I took a day off of work to spent time with the residents of Harvest House, a recovery program based in Ottawa. It was an incredibly educational and emotional day. I am currently producing a thirty-minute documentary based on my experiences that day. The program will be available at Electric Sky later […]
Relaxed release schedule for summer 2007
July 03, 2007 20:59You may have already noticed that I haven’t been releasing shows regularly for the last few months. I needed to forgive myself the weekly production schedule during a particularly busy spring. I plan to produce a few shows over the summer on no particular release schedule and will be back into regular production in September. […]
Michael Kositsin and his amazing honey bees
June 12, 2007 01:07 - 9.38 MBOttawa Valley Honey is one of the popular attractions at the Ottawa Farmers’ Market. Children and adults flock to this booth to study the section of beehive that is always a part of the display. I had the opportunity to interview Michael Kositsin, one of the beekeepers, about his amazing honey bees. Show ID and […]
William Hawkins and connecting with people
June 04, 2007 00:11 - 8.97 MBIn the same way that many people figured Wayne Gretzky would always play hockey, I cannot imagine a time when William Hawkins, Bill, will no longer be driving his cab. And driving a cab is only one of the many lives he has led. Bill was part of the Ottawa music scene that centered around […]
Tod Maffin made me do it
April 30, 2007 03:06 - 7.36 MBI released my very first Podcast on April 29, 2005. Tod Maffin made me do it. That is to say, I heard him talk about podcasting during a technology segment on CBC Radio. That, combined with Brent Bambury’s announcement that he was leaving CBC Ottawa resulted in the launch of Electric Sky. Electric Sky led […]
Alex Overwijk and the perfect freehand circle
April 08, 2007 22:43 - 9.13 MBIn many respects, Alex Overwijk reminds me of my own high school math teachers – passionate, a good sense of humour and a unexpected skill that everyone knows them for. Alex is an unlikely celebrity for a viral YouTube video of him drawing a perfect freehand circle. Show ID and Intro Interview with Alex Overwijk […]
Scrabble Tournament for Multiple Sclerosis
March 27, 2007 03:18 - 9 MBSince 2002, Pam Hunter has been organizing annual Scrabble tournaments to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. I dropped in on this year’s event and learned that, like baseball, Scrabble is rich with strategy and language including speed games, board-vision, heavy tiles and “box scores”. Show ID and Intro Interviews with participants and event organizer, Pam […]
Episode delay
March 26, 2007 00:44This week’s episode of Electric Sky is heavy on the editing and production side. As a result, I will be publishing this week’s episode in the evening of Monday, March 26. Thank you for your patience.
Jeannie Hunter and the World Voices Choir
March 19, 2007 03:42 - 9.14 MBQuite by chance, my family and I learned about the CD release party for The World Voices Choir, an event that took place just over a month ago. We made it a family event — that includes our two daughters ages five and seven. It was an amazing and inspirational experience, and it raised money […]
June Creelman on creating museum exhibits
February 12, 2007 03:30 - 9.15 MBOn a recent visit to the Canadian Museum of Nature, we were polled for our opinions on a proposed exhibit on water. A display of four concepts were on display for public comment. I had never considered how museum exhibits were conceived, planned and pulled together. Show ID and Intro Interview with June Creelman of […]
Thomas Wartenberg and Philosophy for Children
February 05, 2007 05:00 - 9.14 MBThomas Wartenberg has created an entire program for his philosophy class at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The program teaches his students how to facilitate a philosophical discussion with grade 1 through 5 students using picture books. The results are amazing. Show ID and Intro Interview with Thomas Wartenberg Philosophy for Children The […]
Canadian Coast Guard Commissioner George Da Pont
January 22, 2007 02:17 - 8.95 MBFor no apparent reason, I have always assumed that any coast guard operation was a military outfit. It turns out I was wrong. To learn more, I sat down with the Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, Mr. George Da Pont. Show ID and Intro Interview with Commissioner George Da Pont Search and Rescue Ice […]
Electric Sky is returning from holidays
January 18, 2007 23:33A two-week break has turned into a one month break. Electric Sky will be returning from holidays this weekend. Thanks for your patience!
Happy Holidays
December 18, 2006 02:24 - 2.53 MBThis is an unusual episode of Electric Sky in which I cut loose with my other Rogic Conglomerites to bring you a festive song. Thank you very much for being a part of the Electric Sky audience. All the best to you and yours for a happy, healthy and safe holiday season – no matter […]
Server and feed problems
December 10, 2006 00:48I had some pretty severe server problems yesterday – Friday, December 8 – which resulted in all sorts of problems, most of which were resolved around 5amET today. As a result, most of my sites were down, and my feeds went crazy for a while. My apologies for the inconvenience! Mark
Stephen Hardiman on storytelling as a business tool
December 05, 2006 01:28 - 9.14 MBDuring a recent conversation about social media, my friend, Stephen Hardiman, started to talk about storytelling as a business tool. It was one of those times when I cut people off and tell them to save it for when the tape is rolling. Since Stephen has a radio background – he hosted Expert Radio, a […]
Experiencing a Shuttle Launch
November 27, 2006 03:01 - 9.15 MBAs a gift for his fiftieth birthday, Suzanne Roy-Seguin helped her husband, Yves Seguin, realize his dream of experiencing the launch of a Space Shuttle. I spoke with them about how they experienced this incredible event given that Yves is blind and Suzanne is legally blind – both from Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). Show ID […]
Tell Me About Honesty
November 20, 2006 01:39 - 2.43 MBI’m finally putting some energy back into creating a documentary on honesty and I need your help – this after a year-and-a-half of threatening to do so. I’m looking for email and audio comments that will be used anonymously on my program. I’m looking for you to provide any of the following information: What is […]
Sheree Fitch and The Theology of Nonsense
November 13, 2006 02:43 - 6.63 MBSheree Fitch is the author of more than twenty children’s picture and poetry books, a young adult book called Gravesavers, and several plays. During a conversation with Sheree for Just One More Book (another Podcast I produce with my wife, Andrea), Sheree introduced an idea she has called The Theology of Nonsense. I had to […]
Electric Sky goes to Afganistan
November 10, 2006 20:12Thanks to Jill Pyle for alerting me to this… Canada AM ran a piece this morning about the ‘Red Fridays’ organizers having created some scrapbooks to document rallies they organized and inspired, and media coverage they attracted. The scrapbooks have been sent to Canadian troops in Afganistan. During the segment, CTV split the screen to […]
Model Railroading
October 29, 2006 23:00 - 9.3 MBI attended the Railfair 2006 at Algonquin College in Ottawa. The setups were incredibly elaborate and the exhibitors were more than happy to talk about their hobbies. Show ID and Intro Interview with Neil Hutton of Cumberland Third Rail Railfair 2006 video on YouTube How to subscribe to Electric Sky – it’s free.
Thomas Grande on Qui Tam
October 09, 2006 01:16 - 9.03 MBSometimes a chance meeting can take place when you grab the wrong airport shuttle. That’s exactly what happened to me when I arrived in San Francisco this past June. I shared a shuttle with Thomas Grande and his wife. Mr. Grande practices Qui Tam law and he gave me a brief education before we arrived […]
ES2 is moving
October 06, 2006 16:35Some time ago, I figured out how to use the category-casting feature of the PodPress plugin. It was the perfect motivator for me to create a second, category-based feed for Electric Sky. I called that feed ES2 and used it as a way to share outtakes and behind the scenes talk about Electric Sky. Things […]
Ashley LaFave
October 02, 2006 03:26 - 9.07 MBThere’s a certain irony with the timing of this episode. Nevertheless, I am amazed by Ashley’s passion for, and commitment to, her rabbits. Show ID and intro Interview with Ashley LaFave of the Spencerville Hillside Rabbitry How to subscribe to Electric Sky – it’s free.
Red Fridays
September 25, 2006 06:32 - 7.58 MBIt’s a simple idea: wear red on Fridays to show support for the troops and families of the Canadian military. It’s not about politics or ideology. It’s about people. It’s called Red Fridays and it was organized by Karen Boire and Lisa Miller. Show ID and Intro Interview with Karen Boire and Lisa Miller Married […]
Transcripts available
September 19, 2006 16:30I am gradually rolling out transcripts of all of my Electric Sky Podcasts. I am launching this new feature today with the release of the transcript for my interview with Stewart Copeland. I will add transcripts to the existing show notes for each episode. Once the transcript is added, you can access the transcripts by […]
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
September 17, 2006 23:00 - 8.74 MBHis Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is touring the world as part of the celebration of the Art of Living Foundation's twenty-fifth anniversary. I spoke with him during his stop in Ottawa.
The rebuilding begins
September 07, 2006 15:39Thank you to everyone for your kind words, good wishes, and offers of help. My family and I have been touched by the generosity and concern. I have begun replacing what was stolen and hope to be back in production in a week or so. I have also started to identify some of the recordings […]