A
Archivistower
Guest
2006 "Predict the Year" Award Ceremony
Welcome to the first ever UrbanToronto "Predict the Year" awards [Applause]. Tonight's event is hosted by the famous indexer and photographer, responsible for the fabulous TOBuilt website, and to be featured this weekend on Dave LeBlanc's show on CFRB: Archivistower. [Applause lasting several minutes].
"Thank you so much. It means a great deal to me to be here this evening with all of you people. What a great looking crowd! Well, when we look back on the year that was, who could have predicted it? Well, of course, in many of its essentials, many of you did predict it quite well, and tonight we'll see just who knew the most, earliest.
Before we start the rankings, we'll just remind our viewers of the inital questions opened to UrbanToronto participants on January 5, 2006, and responded to until the thread died two days later.
[Bring up interesting sequential graphics with coordinated music, showing the five questions]
Our categories are:
1) Project you might thing would start construction in 2006, but which never gets underway.
2) Project that surprisingly begins construction prematurely in 2006, when you thought it would take longer.
3) Biggest completely new announced building (where? what?).
4) Best completed building of the year.
5) Biggest transportation announcement of the year.
The "Predict the Year" awards are graded as follows: every one of the five answers gets a value assigned of “1†if it panned out, and a “0†if it did not. This score was then multiplied by the chutzpa factor, which is the daringness of the prediction. Chutzpas can be from 1 to 3. In the event of a tie, our panel of judge has assigned one or the other in order, based on the overall tenor of the answers.
Now it's time to reveal the results of our ranking. Tonight we've decided to rank all nine competitors, and we're going to start at the bottom of the pile, and work our way towards the winner.
9th Place: Papamanjr (1 point)
1.        Trump never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Festival tower starts prematurely = 0
3.        Biggest announcement is 58 Storey Tower for Toronto Star on Torch Site = 0
4.        Best completed is RoCP = 0
5.        Transportation announcement is something about Gardiner = 0
We very much appreciated the idea and precision of a 58 storey tower where the Torch now sits, unfortunately, however, the Torch remains in place, dirtier and abandoned, but still present. Still, well done Papamanjr! [Applause]
8th Place: Antiloop33rpm (2 points)
1.        Trump never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Sapphire starts prematurely = 0
3.        Biggest announcement is 80 Storey at Union Station tracks = 0
4.        Best completed is Spire = 0
5.        Transportation announcement is "nothing" = 1 X 1 = 1
Again, a daring new announcement prediction, but how surprising is it, really that a truncated Sapphire remains a crayon drawing in December? Still, a good effort Antiloop. [Applause].
7th Place: EnviroTO (3 points)
1.        Film Festival never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Cadillac Fairview Tower starts prematurely = 1 X 2 = 2
3.        Biggest announcement is a building in Fort York Neighbourhood = 0
4.        Best completed is Montage = 0
5.        Transportation announcement is Fort York right of way = 0
Predicting what has become the RBC centre was fairly daring, but indicating the Montage will complete when it's still a couple of vertical strips of concrete seems an easy way to lose a point. Still, thanks for the effort Enviro! [Applause]
6th Place: building babel (4 points)
1.        Festival Centre never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Ritz Hotel starts prematurely = 1 X 2 = 2
3.        Biggest announcement is AquariOntario = 0
4.        Best completed is Four Seasons Centre = 1
5.        Transportation announcement is five new express routes from Scarborough = 0
The judge really appreciated the humour of the transportation announcement, and the daringness of the Ritz announcement, but it wasn't quite enough to put this contender over the top. He also lost a few points for his blatent theft of the aquarium concept. Still, good try babel [Applause].
5th Place: fiendishlibrarian (4 points)
1.        Trump never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Ritz/Cadillac Fairview starts prematurely = 1 X 2 = 2
3.        Biggest announcement is a new law school at U of T = 0
4.        Best completed is RoCP = 0
5.        Transportation announcement is funding for Spadina = 1 X 1 = 1
fiendish's replies were generally accurate, and strangely, it was the miscue of predicting that RoCP would be the best completed that put him into the middle of the pack, rather than out front. Good prediction skills, fiendish, but buy yourself some taste for 2007! [Applause].
4th Place: interchange42 (4 points)
1.        Uptown condo never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Festival Centre starts prematurely = 0
3.        Biggest announcement is Ontaraquario = 0
4.        Best completed is Gardiner Museum = 2
5.        Transportation announcement is GTTA with teeth = 1 X 1 = 1
interchange's middle of the pack ranking probably reflects his pecuniary and cultural interest in the Festival Centre, that so many accurately predicted would not start in this year. Better luck for 2007! [Applause]
3rd Place: mark simpson (5 points)
1.        Trump never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        West Donlands starts prematurely = 1 X 2 = 2
3.        Biggest announcement is 3 Towers beside bus station = 0
4.        Best completed is Hudson = 1
5.        Transportation announcement is re-start of St. Clair ROW = 1 X 1 = 1
I think our panel was a bit surprised by this entry, we would have though mark was a contender for a first place finish, and yet the bus station parking lot sits empty still. Better luck next year, mark. [Applause].
2nd Place: CanadianNational (5 points)
1. Union station platform gets underway = 1 X 2 = 2
2. Ritz-Carlton + Office starts prematurely = 1 X 2 = 2
3. Biggest announcement is 3 Towers between ACC / SkyDome = 0
4. Best completed is Pharmacy = 1
5. Replacement of Gardiner = 0
What's interesting about CN's responses is that he got two fairly difficult predictions quite well, then went on to suggest a decision would actually be made about the Gardiner. Tough luck, CN, but close you were. [Applause].
And finally, the 2006 Winner of the UrbanToronto Predict the Year Award is none other than:
WINNER: gbelan (8 points)
1.        Festival Centre never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        ba office tower starts prematurely = 1 X 3 = 3
3.        Biggest announcement is tall building at Yonge + Gerrard = 1 X 3 = 3
4.        Best completed is Spire = 0
5.        Transportation announcement is subway extension to York = 1 X 1 = 1
gbelan was both brave and specific in his predictions, and came closest to the central event of the year, which was the sudden rise of Toronto's office market this year. However, it is his uncannily accurate foretelling of the 75 storey RoCP3, that gave him the Chutzpas that put him well out of the pack of competitors. Congratulations, gbelan. [Big Applause].
We'd like to thank our MC and panel of judge, Archivistower. We'll see you next year.
Welcome to the first ever UrbanToronto "Predict the Year" awards [Applause]. Tonight's event is hosted by the famous indexer and photographer, responsible for the fabulous TOBuilt website, and to be featured this weekend on Dave LeBlanc's show on CFRB: Archivistower. [Applause lasting several minutes].
"Thank you so much. It means a great deal to me to be here this evening with all of you people. What a great looking crowd! Well, when we look back on the year that was, who could have predicted it? Well, of course, in many of its essentials, many of you did predict it quite well, and tonight we'll see just who knew the most, earliest.
Before we start the rankings, we'll just remind our viewers of the inital questions opened to UrbanToronto participants on January 5, 2006, and responded to until the thread died two days later.
[Bring up interesting sequential graphics with coordinated music, showing the five questions]
Our categories are:
1) Project you might thing would start construction in 2006, but which never gets underway.
2) Project that surprisingly begins construction prematurely in 2006, when you thought it would take longer.
3) Biggest completely new announced building (where? what?).
4) Best completed building of the year.
5) Biggest transportation announcement of the year.
The "Predict the Year" awards are graded as follows: every one of the five answers gets a value assigned of “1†if it panned out, and a “0†if it did not. This score was then multiplied by the chutzpa factor, which is the daringness of the prediction. Chutzpas can be from 1 to 3. In the event of a tie, our panel of judge has assigned one or the other in order, based on the overall tenor of the answers.
Now it's time to reveal the results of our ranking. Tonight we've decided to rank all nine competitors, and we're going to start at the bottom of the pile, and work our way towards the winner.
9th Place: Papamanjr (1 point)
1.        Trump never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Festival tower starts prematurely = 0
3.        Biggest announcement is 58 Storey Tower for Toronto Star on Torch Site = 0
4.        Best completed is RoCP = 0
5.        Transportation announcement is something about Gardiner = 0
We very much appreciated the idea and precision of a 58 storey tower where the Torch now sits, unfortunately, however, the Torch remains in place, dirtier and abandoned, but still present. Still, well done Papamanjr! [Applause]
8th Place: Antiloop33rpm (2 points)
1.        Trump never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Sapphire starts prematurely = 0
3.        Biggest announcement is 80 Storey at Union Station tracks = 0
4.        Best completed is Spire = 0
5.        Transportation announcement is "nothing" = 1 X 1 = 1
Again, a daring new announcement prediction, but how surprising is it, really that a truncated Sapphire remains a crayon drawing in December? Still, a good effort Antiloop. [Applause].
7th Place: EnviroTO (3 points)
1.        Film Festival never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Cadillac Fairview Tower starts prematurely = 1 X 2 = 2
3.        Biggest announcement is a building in Fort York Neighbourhood = 0
4.        Best completed is Montage = 0
5.        Transportation announcement is Fort York right of way = 0
Predicting what has become the RBC centre was fairly daring, but indicating the Montage will complete when it's still a couple of vertical strips of concrete seems an easy way to lose a point. Still, thanks for the effort Enviro! [Applause]
6th Place: building babel (4 points)
1.        Festival Centre never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Ritz Hotel starts prematurely = 1 X 2 = 2
3.        Biggest announcement is AquariOntario = 0
4.        Best completed is Four Seasons Centre = 1
5.        Transportation announcement is five new express routes from Scarborough = 0
The judge really appreciated the humour of the transportation announcement, and the daringness of the Ritz announcement, but it wasn't quite enough to put this contender over the top. He also lost a few points for his blatent theft of the aquarium concept. Still, good try babel [Applause].
5th Place: fiendishlibrarian (4 points)
1.        Trump never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Ritz/Cadillac Fairview starts prematurely = 1 X 2 = 2
3.        Biggest announcement is a new law school at U of T = 0
4.        Best completed is RoCP = 0
5.        Transportation announcement is funding for Spadina = 1 X 1 = 1
fiendish's replies were generally accurate, and strangely, it was the miscue of predicting that RoCP would be the best completed that put him into the middle of the pack, rather than out front. Good prediction skills, fiendish, but buy yourself some taste for 2007! [Applause].
4th Place: interchange42 (4 points)
1.        Uptown condo never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        Festival Centre starts prematurely = 0
3.        Biggest announcement is Ontaraquario = 0
4.        Best completed is Gardiner Museum = 2
5.        Transportation announcement is GTTA with teeth = 1 X 1 = 1
interchange's middle of the pack ranking probably reflects his pecuniary and cultural interest in the Festival Centre, that so many accurately predicted would not start in this year. Better luck for 2007! [Applause]
3rd Place: mark simpson (5 points)
1.        Trump never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        West Donlands starts prematurely = 1 X 2 = 2
3.        Biggest announcement is 3 Towers beside bus station = 0
4.        Best completed is Hudson = 1
5.        Transportation announcement is re-start of St. Clair ROW = 1 X 1 = 1
I think our panel was a bit surprised by this entry, we would have though mark was a contender for a first place finish, and yet the bus station parking lot sits empty still. Better luck next year, mark. [Applause].
2nd Place: CanadianNational (5 points)
1. Union station platform gets underway = 1 X 2 = 2
2. Ritz-Carlton + Office starts prematurely = 1 X 2 = 2
3. Biggest announcement is 3 Towers between ACC / SkyDome = 0
4. Best completed is Pharmacy = 1
5. Replacement of Gardiner = 0
What's interesting about CN's responses is that he got two fairly difficult predictions quite well, then went on to suggest a decision would actually be made about the Gardiner. Tough luck, CN, but close you were. [Applause].
And finally, the 2006 Winner of the UrbanToronto Predict the Year Award is none other than:
WINNER: gbelan (8 points)
1.        Festival Centre never gets underway = 1 X 1 = 1
2.        ba office tower starts prematurely = 1 X 3 = 3
3.        Biggest announcement is tall building at Yonge + Gerrard = 1 X 3 = 3
4.        Best completed is Spire = 0
5.        Transportation announcement is subway extension to York = 1 X 1 = 1
gbelan was both brave and specific in his predictions, and came closest to the central event of the year, which was the sudden rise of Toronto's office market this year. However, it is his uncannily accurate foretelling of the 75 storey RoCP3, that gave him the Chutzpas that put him well out of the pack of competitors. Congratulations, gbelan. [Big Applause].
We'd like to thank our MC and panel of judge, Archivistower. We'll see you next year.
