Now, this is scary. Not only is Big Brother here, but he's bigger, badder, and better than ever... Check this out...
New Scientist Tech - Technology - Pentagon sets its sights on social networking websites
Which means that CSIS, CIA, etc. may be watching you as you read this blog!!!
Friday, June 09, 2006
Sympatico / MSN : News : CTV.ca: Spring 2006 warmest since records began in 1948
Augh. More good news.
I know that our spring was the warmest it has been in a long time, but I didn't know that the Spring of 2006 in Canada is the warmest since records began in 1948...
When asked by the opposition parties why the current Canadian government what it was going to do to curb greenhouse gas emission, Prime Minister Harper replied: "I don't think the alarmism necessarily helps a serious debate."
No. Five record high yearly averages in the past 10 years is not alarmist - it's a trend. Oh, and an average increase of 3 to 5 degrees C this spring over previous years' seasonal averages is nothing to be alarmed about, is it?
This government seriously needs to talk to some climate scientists, but no, Conservative politicians know so much more than they do...
I know that our spring was the warmest it has been in a long time, but I didn't know that the Spring of 2006 in Canada is the warmest since records began in 1948...
When asked by the opposition parties why the current Canadian government what it was going to do to curb greenhouse gas emission, Prime Minister Harper replied: "I don't think the alarmism necessarily helps a serious debate."
No. Five record high yearly averages in the past 10 years is not alarmist - it's a trend. Oh, and an average increase of 3 to 5 degrees C this spring over previous years' seasonal averages is nothing to be alarmed about, is it?
This government seriously needs to talk to some climate scientists, but no, Conservative politicians know so much more than they do...
Friday, May 19, 2006
Da Vinci Code ... much ado about nothing
GAD. I just have to vent.
I CANNOT BELIEVE all the people being taken in by this Da Vinci Code hype.
First: The book sucks. Big time. I was frankly underwhelmed by Dan Brown's book. My take on it: Mediocre writing, re-laundered materials, a stereotypic love-interest, and much exotic or contraversial material (e.g., Opus Dei, albinos, the Louvre, etc.) just made my eyes glaze over. I say re-laundered, since the content dealt with in Brown's book has been known for years - Baigent and Lee were the first to put together this particular conspiracy theory together (see the BBC story for more info) The only thing that pulled in my interest was the little puzzles sprinkled through the book. I would have to score the book a 5.5 out of 10, it was that bad, IM-not-so-HO.
Second, Tom Hanks makes a movie out of it. Hello, Tom, what were you thinking?? I can't believe he was taken in by this trash. Tom, read some better books, for crying out loud! Try reading Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, if you want an original take on a conspiracy novel. (Now, that is an excellent novel that will never be made into a movie, because half the joy / challenge is in taking delight in his prose.)
Gah. How sad.
I CANNOT BELIEVE all the people being taken in by this Da Vinci Code hype.
First: The book sucks. Big time. I was frankly underwhelmed by Dan Brown's book. My take on it: Mediocre writing, re-laundered materials, a stereotypic love-interest, and much exotic or contraversial material (e.g., Opus Dei, albinos, the Louvre, etc.) just made my eyes glaze over. I say re-laundered, since the content dealt with in Brown's book has been known for years - Baigent and Lee were the first to put together this particular conspiracy theory together (see the BBC story for more info) The only thing that pulled in my interest was the little puzzles sprinkled through the book. I would have to score the book a 5.5 out of 10, it was that bad, IM-not-so-HO.
Second, Tom Hanks makes a movie out of it. Hello, Tom, what were you thinking?? I can't believe he was taken in by this trash. Tom, read some better books, for crying out loud! Try reading Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, if you want an original take on a conspiracy novel. (Now, that is an excellent novel that will never be made into a movie, because half the joy / challenge is in taking delight in his prose.)
Gah. How sad.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Long time since last blog...
Wow.
It's been a while (like almost a year) since I last posted. So much has happened since then...
To make a very long story short, I took on a temporary position as a program officer where I work. The job is satisfying, and I'm amazed at how I can stay "on top" of the workload...which might indicate that I'm being under-utilized, but at this point, I'm not complaining. My ego is still hurting from the bruising from last year, and I'm still trying to let go of all the expectations I had for myself in building a career... this sounds like self-absorbed bull****, but it isn't, it's just a kind of awareness and acceptance of what is becoming a new "order" for me. (Gawd, I hate it when words fail me!) So I try to live beyond my illusions (my career...hah!) and am concentrating on the here-and-now.
Speaking of here-and-now, I had a wonderful time working with (on?) the Ottawa Regional Science Fair 2006. A truly fantastic event, well-organized and some wonderfully committed people: Paula, James, Steve, etc. It is really an honor to work with these people.
Another group of people which I hold just as dearly is my group of CWar brethren. I would never have thought that I could have had a relationship with a group of guys playing a game (of all things), but that is about the only way I can describe it: a relationship. After two years of gaming and chatting with Pi, Savageone, Snowdog, Dubber, Wolfie, and the other CWar bruthas, I have a sense of knowing them, if only for their sense of humor, fair play and spontaneity. No doubt someone will (or is doing) research the idea of on-line relationships. I've done my share of analyzing, and I'm more sure now that it exists and no doubt exist elsewhere. Savageone has organized a LAN party that will take place in Indianapolis in June and I'll be going there for 3 days. I'm excited, a little scared, and plenty nervous about finally meeting the real people behind the virtual characters... You can be sure that I'll blog this when the time comes!
That's all for now...
It's been a while (like almost a year) since I last posted. So much has happened since then...
To make a very long story short, I took on a temporary position as a program officer where I work. The job is satisfying, and I'm amazed at how I can stay "on top" of the workload...which might indicate that I'm being under-utilized, but at this point, I'm not complaining. My ego is still hurting from the bruising from last year, and I'm still trying to let go of all the expectations I had for myself in building a career... this sounds like self-absorbed bull****, but it isn't, it's just a kind of awareness and acceptance of what is becoming a new "order" for me. (Gawd, I hate it when words fail me!) So I try to live beyond my illusions (my career...hah!) and am concentrating on the here-and-now.
Speaking of here-and-now, I had a wonderful time working with (on?) the Ottawa Regional Science Fair 2006. A truly fantastic event, well-organized and some wonderfully committed people: Paula, James, Steve, etc. It is really an honor to work with these people.
Another group of people which I hold just as dearly is my group of CWar brethren. I would never have thought that I could have had a relationship with a group of guys playing a game (of all things), but that is about the only way I can describe it: a relationship. After two years of gaming and chatting with Pi, Savageone, Snowdog, Dubber, Wolfie, and the other CWar bruthas, I have a sense of knowing them, if only for their sense of humor, fair play and spontaneity. No doubt someone will (or is doing) research the idea of on-line relationships. I've done my share of analyzing, and I'm more sure now that it exists and no doubt exist elsewhere. Savageone has organized a LAN party that will take place in Indianapolis in June and I'll be going there for 3 days. I'm excited, a little scared, and plenty nervous about finally meeting the real people behind the virtual characters... You can be sure that I'll blog this when the time comes!
That's all for now...
Friday, May 20, 2005
Of kids and basketball shoes....
My kids amaze me. Here’s the story…
Colin got himself a pair of very stylish Kelly green “Dada Triple Double” basketball shoes that he bought off the web. (Check Amazon.com and do a search on “Dada Triple Double” under “Sports and Outdoors.”) Not expensive, but as Colin put it, he’s probably the only kid in Nepean that has shoes like that… ;-)
On the other hand, Marc has been exploring the counter-culture. He got a subscription to Adbusters, and looked at buying some Blackspot sneakers . Marc would almost certainly be the only kid in Nepean to have shoes like that, but for a different reason…
Talk about going from one extreme to the other! I can’t wait for what happens next.
Oh, and by the way, feel free to comment on my posts. (I know who you are!)
Colin got himself a pair of very stylish Kelly green “Dada Triple Double” basketball shoes that he bought off the web. (Check Amazon.com and do a search on “Dada Triple Double” under “Sports and Outdoors.”) Not expensive, but as Colin put it, he’s probably the only kid in Nepean that has shoes like that… ;-)
On the other hand, Marc has been exploring the counter-culture. He got a subscription to Adbusters, and looked at buying some Blackspot sneakers . Marc would almost certainly be the only kid in Nepean to have shoes like that, but for a different reason…
Talk about going from one extreme to the other! I can’t wait for what happens next.
Oh, and by the way, feel free to comment on my posts. (I know who you are!)
Monday, May 16, 2005
One difference between Canada and the United States
Another article which got my dander up: The American government takes another step to increase research funding. Here's an excerpt:
"Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) has sent a letter to President George Bush asking him 'to develop the necessary consensus that will ensure America will remain the world’s leader in innovation' by a 'tripling [of] the innovation budget - federal basic research and development - over the next decade.' Wolf is the chairman of the newly-formed House Science, State, Justice and Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. "
Argh. Would we see a bill like that coming from one of our federal MPs? Never in a million years.
"Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) has sent a letter to President George Bush asking him 'to develop the necessary consensus that will ensure America will remain the world’s leader in innovation' by a 'tripling [of] the innovation budget - federal basic research and development - over the next decade.' Wolf is the chairman of the newly-formed House Science, State, Justice and Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. "
Argh. Would we see a bill like that coming from one of our federal MPs? Never in a million years.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
The long tail
I came across an interesting article in the on-line edition of Wired Magazine, entitled “The Long Tail,” by Chris Anderson. He writes: “Forget squeezing millions from a few megahits at the top of the charts. The future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end of the bitstream.” Read it and be enlightened; it’s a great article.
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