Toronto man goes viral for creating animated stick man using running routes on Strava app
A Toronto accountant, Duncan McCabe, has captured global attention after spending months running through the streets of the city to create a flip animation featuring a dancing stick man. Using the route-tracking app Strava, McCabe’s project seamlessly combined his love for running and video editing, leading to a viral sensation. The creative video has amassed 25 million views on X (formerly Twitter) and over nine million views on TikTok.
Captioning the video as “Strava art animation through the streets of Toronto! This took me 121 runs from January to October 2024,” McCabe meticulously mapped out each run to bring his stick man to life. Inspired by Strava artists Lenny Maughan from San Francisco and Mike Scott from Toronto—who famously used GPS routes to create unique drawings—McCabe set out to make his own mark with a nod to his favorite song.
"For six months, I had a line across the stick man's head for animation. The hat-tip was a creative touch and a tribute to the song," McCabe shared in an interview with Canada Running. He also emphasized the difficulty of keeping the stick figure consistent, saying, “My stick man had to be the same size in each frame. I spent 10 months planning the project.”
Since going viral, McCabe has received widespread praise from both the running community and social media fans, who marveled at his dedication and the execution of his unique idea. Comments flooded in, calling it “one of the most impressive things" they had seen. One user said, “The amount of effort and planning that goes into this is insane,” while another hailed it as "the greatest running-related post" ever.
This isn’t the first time McCabe has created large-scale running art. Last year, he completed an animation featuring animals like dinosaurs, giraffes, whales, and sharks, running a total of 700 kilometers through Toronto's streets.
In a similar vein of using GPS for art, a UK runner, Terry Rosoman, made headlines earlier this month by drawing a giant penis across South Wales to raise awareness and funds for men's mental health. Covering 120 kilometers in 24 hours, Rosoman cheekily mentioned his intention of becoming the top Google search saying “Am I doing this to secure my name as the first result on Google when someone searches "world's largest c**k and balls"? Absolutely. However, I also have a far nobler cause in mind.”
I’ve seen a lot of the Toronto running community, but this guy wins. pic.twitter.com/il9LBXyiSD
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) November 21, 2024
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SKM urges CM Siddaramaiah to press Centre on MSP law, loan waiver
Bengaluru (PTI): The SKM on Thursday urged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to press the Centre to fulfill what it termed the "most important demands of farmers".
It flagged issues ranging from a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) to a farm loan waiver and a climate compensation policy.
A delegation led by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha convener Jagjit Singh Dallewal and co-convener Kurubara Shanta Kumar called on Siddaramaiah at his office and held a meeting with him.
They later submitted a memorandum to him, which the CMO shared with the media.
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In the memorandum, the Morcha raised concerns over agrarian distress and called for immediate policy interventions at the national level.
The farmers’ body claimed, "We, the farmers of India, would like to inform you that the agricultural sector has been neglected by consecutive governments for a long time, forcing more than 400,000 farmers to die by suicide."
It added, "The agricultural sector is the backbone of India’s economic development."
It further pointed out that even during the Covid-19 pandemic, when most sectors were shut, agriculture continued to grow at a rate of 3.6 per cent.
Urging the CM to intervene with the union government, the organisation wrote, "We would like to request you to press the Central Government to fulfill the following demands to improve the agricultural sector and secure the future of farmers."
Among its key demands, the Morcha called for the enactment of a law guaranteeing MSP for all crops and full procurement from all farmers.
Citing a past recommendation, it noted that to protect farmers’ interests, statutory provisions should be made to ensure that any transactions between farmers and buyers related to crop purchases do not fall below the MSP declared by the government.
The SKM also demanded the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission’s formula, under which the MSP should be fixed at 1.5 times the cost of production incurred by farmers.
It further sought a complete waiver of farm loans, the re-enactment of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act provisions ensuring farmers’ consent and enhanced compensation, and a higher Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of at least Rs 600 per quintal for sugarcane with time-bound payments.
On climate-related distress, the Morcha said the government must compensate farmers for losses due to increasing droughts and floods and undertake comprehensive reforms of the crop insurance scheme to make it more farmer-friendly.
It also demanded fair compensation for land affected by high-tension transmission lines and insisted that no provisions concerning farmers in the Seed Bill and the Electricity Amendment Bill be implemented without broad consent.
