Behold, the BlogRoll!
Because I'm getting lazy, as well as posting from work/BlackBerry and can't always give you happy links, I've set up a BlogRoll (on the right) which replaces the big list of links that you didn't click anyways. This will be filled with things that strike me as interesting as I see them, which will be rather continually. Check often. Or something. Whatever.  ¶ 5:38 p.m. 0 comments

  We are at the cusp of a very exciting wave.
As I write this first paragraph to kick off my posting, I am sitting on the bus on my way to work. This in itself is not unusual, as the power of the Pencil has offered the same capabilities for the past hundred years, and with even more portability due to the lack of batteries. The difference however, is that from my Blackberry, I can be heard. It is very much possible for what I type here to reach thousands of people within seconds of my thumbs hitting these keys. What I'm getting at is that the way we communicate has changed, and the sooner this is noticed and capitalized on, the better.

Recently on AppleGeeks and publisher eidoMANGA. Seems eidoMANGA had approached AppleGeeks with an offer to publish the comic, but Hawk chose to not take them up. Not one to be deterred, however, eidoMANGA started showing off AppleGeeks stuff at their booth at cons, despite not having Hawk's permission, or even informing him of what they were doing. Last I checked, the fallout is still settling over the whole thing, but one comment that stuck with me over the whole thing was from Matt at Mac Hall:

Publishers: I don't know how you're used to doing business. Maybe creators are so desperate for exposure that you can treat them however you want and they won't complain. That isn't going to fly with webcomics.

We're already bringing the audience to the table. We've spent years doing the promotional things you would normally be doing. Maybe we might need a publisher for the deep pockets or expertise, but applying for a small business loan and calling a printer aren't as tricky as you might imagine.

Get this straight: If we use your services, we are doing you a favour, not the other way around.

To paraphrase Hawk, don't fuck with us.

This eidoMANGA thing irks me in the same way that the RIAA fiascos yank my chain: big corporations freaking out about changing business paradigms. If they would only think in a scope broader than their own money vaults, the benefits to all parties could be increased many times over. Instead, they try to either close off any possible alternative to their current way of doing things. I can't really blame them, since it is the goal of any corporation to make money, and any loss or foreseeable loss is to be avoided. Nothing wrong with that - it's Capitalism at work. It's just that in trying to avoid losses for them, the publishers, record labels and movie studios can incur far greater losses for their "clients" (the content creators) that can only be reflected back onto them. Why can't people just wake up and smell the coffee that is the digital age?

The Internet allows people to spread their voice liberally, like jelly. This is a double-edged sword, since it unfortunately allows all the morons to pipe up (which is another topic altogether - see Gabriel's Unified Theory of Smacktards over at Penny Arcade), but for the most part, the 'net allows information to flow. It's not like it didn't flow before, but before, it flowed like a river - news and culture wound it's way from the artists and newsmakers (like water from a glacial melt) down through the publishing middle-men (who act like dams that control the rate and method of release) and out through the taps to the people (the newspapers, books, albums and galleries). Now, all this information is starting to move in a much different way - like a firehose held by the creator/originator and sprayed out over top of the dam, down onto the populace like rain, there for anyone who chooses to stick a bucket out the window.

One might get the impression that I don't like publishers, or record labels, or news syndicates, or anyone else who provides that middle-person service in moving content from source to recipient. This isn't quite the case - I do realize that in many cases, this service is needed, and I don't have a problem with that. What I don't like is when these middle-men start taking control as if they are the only option. That might have been the case 10 years ago, but not anymore. Creators will, with any luck, soon be the ones to choose which publisher will suit their needs, and not have to beg for the privilege of being distributed by a given firm. This will become the case, because if the artist chooses, they will be able to do everything the publisher does, online. The publishers will soon become not the means of distribution for the content, but media-translators, able to provide the same thing, but in a different form, such as through producing print collections of webcomics for those who want to enjoy them away from the computer. What was once required will now become an option for those so inclined. It will be the people doing the shouting that will call the shots, not the ones holding the megaphone.
  ¶ 9:45 a.m. 0 comments

 

A probably-not-so-glamorous self-portrait. Am I just messing around with Hello? Why, yes. Yes I am.
Posted by Hello  ¶ 8:36 p.m. 0 comments

  BOO!
So yeah, a little change here. Like it? The "new" Blogger.com is actually really cool. Now I can submit my blog postings via e-mail, so combining that with my BlackBerry means I can post from anywhere! Yes, you do need to envision me saying that ala Gary Oldman, replete with bulging eyes and veins.

So while I was but a few hours ago wondering if this thing had a future, I am now excited about Internet publishing again. Hooray! And to make it even more exciting, I am just now realizing the ramifications of being able to send SMS messages via email from said BB. I am SO getting one of these as soon as I can afford it. It is the Ultimate Communication Tool! Now without further ado...

If you happen to be sitting next to a table with money on it, specifically coinage that happens to be stacked neatly, and the person counting said money tells you to not push the table or that person will do something bad to you, don't push the table. If you do happen to shake the table and all the money gets de-stacked, and the person counting the money comes over and kicks you in the ass and you end up with a sore hip the next day, you can't really complain about it. You can, however, pass along the warning such as I am doing now. In my defense, it was so worth it.

I have another conspiracy-style concept. I am certain (meaning I just made this up off the top of my head) that it is possible to engineer a car with ludicrously efficient fuel consumption. The reason that it has not been done yet is that it would cause a large loss to the oil industry, as it would be un-necessary to fill up as often. Therefore, the gas companies are paying off the car companies to create an artificial demand for gas-guzzling SUVs and to keep even the most "fuel efficient" models of cars at a decent level of fuel consumption. The car companies then spend said money on advertising and marketing to convince people that this is all normal and that they do want to buy cars the size of ocean liners that burn gas as though burning gas were going out of style. Think about it. I mean, why else would anyone want to buy such things when they could buy a smaller, faster, safer, more efficient car?

In other news, I have decided that Indian cuisine is pretty darn good. Went out with the rest of the coops (it being Friday and all) to a restaurant called Havali's for their lunch buffet, and hot damn was it tasty! I especially liked the vegetable fritters in a curry sauce, and have decided to find out how to make said dish. And speaking of dishes, the concept of making oatmeal for breakfast is more appealing now that I have received a method for making it by microwave in 2 minutes. Still, 2 minutes is a long time when I'm really hungry and NEED FOOD NOW in the morning. I mean, I'm impatient enough when I wake up to not want to wait for toast to toast, and I'm expected to wait for 2 whole minutes of microwaving? Sure, it's far better than the 10 or so needed to make eggs or something, but still more than about 30 seconds needed for a bowl-of-table-sugar-equivalent. Then again, perhaps I simply need a breakfast-preparation-time-allotment paradigm shift. Yes... that's it...

You have reached a dead end. Please take the non-sequitur to your left.

Deep Purple is an interesting band. Perhaps it is because they changed their band members like most people change hairstyles. While this is fascinating, I do have another theory. They are one of my recent flavors-of-the-month, as they happen to include one of the best instruments ever in their band: the organ. I like synthesizers as much as the next guy, but for some really kickass rocking, you need organs, and only need to listen to Highway Star to find out why. The sheer funkidelikness and the wailing of the pipes just have that certain je-ne-sais-quoi about them, and the keyboard-based nature of the instrument means it not only has great range and dynamics, but can also produce incredibly deep and complex rhythms. Problem is, other than Deep Purple, I am stuck to figure out what other bands include liberal use of the organs. Both Cream and The Doors come to mind, and I will be checking them out soon, and there are a few tracks that Monster Magnet does, but I have heard and already loved those tracks to death and back. Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

I finished Metroid Zero recently on my GBA, and would like to submit the following 25 word review for approval: This is classic Metroid action, or at least while it lasts. Both fun and steeped in nostalgia, but far too easy and short for my tastes. I finished this game in about 4 hours, according to the clock at the end of the game. Yes folks, you read that right. Counting only time logged between save points (so not counting sessions that resulting in death or power-down), the timer read about 3:49 or so. That is barely long enough to qualify as a demo, let alone a full game. What is with gaming these days, when games can clock at 10 hours and be considered of acceptable length? I mean, yes, I did whip through Metroid kind of quickly, but it was also not my fault, as the game is mind-blisteringly easy! Sigh. For my next endeavour, I am thinking of attempting Boktai again. The last time I played this was pre-winter, as it is necessary to have sunshine to play this game, and that is one resource sorely lacking in the cold months. Things are better now, or at least they would be if it were less cloudy, but I can at least believe that the overcastness currently over Ottawa will pass sooner or later (hopefully more the former than the latter), and when that happens, I shall be the best solar powered vampire hunter evar! Or at the very, very least go to EB, trade in the games I currently have and get something like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. I think I just might like that game, but at the same time have my reservations about the fact that it's a strategy game, and a turn-based one at that. Not really my bag, you know? I've always been more of the Mario/Metroid style game when it comes to the GBA, but in that camp we also have Yoshi's Island and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (I loooooove Castlevania!), so there's that as well.

Now would probably be the part where I put some crazy linkage here for your amusement. With that in mind, I present the following:

Death by Squirrels. From Dave Barry's blog. I don't know how he finds them, but he finds the best headlines evar.

Do you like addictive, yet oh-so-cute games? Then go here. If all goes according to plan, you should go Awwwwwwwwww! as though you just saw a kitten kiss a baby bunny when you play the froggie game, or the koala game, or... well any of them really.

(from BoingBoing) Yet another thing I want to play with. Water that isn't wet. The possibilities are endless. Literally.


  ¶ 5:37 p.m. 0 comments

  Moping, but now with more Cow Bell.
Here I sit at work, happily listening to my considered-atrocious-by-some Cake album. For meetings that span a long time, such as the one I was in a few days ago, my company will often pay for food. In these cases, Mega Wraps provides the grub, and I have decided that their veggie sub is pretty darn good. It's a kind of Greek salad in a pita dealie, and I think I am going to try and pirate the recipe for my own twisted ends. The whole vegetarianism thing is going pretty well so far, based on initial assessments of my not-starving-ness. While I am still slightly concerned about the protein thing (I have yet to dig into beans thus far, getting most of my protein through peanut butter and eggs/dairy, but their time will come) since I don't even know if it's really a problem. I have seen studies now that say that the recommendation for protein in the average diet is a myth and that you don't need nearly as much as the Food Guide says you do. So far I have put these studies in the same category of trustworthyness as the Timecube, but I don't quite want to dismiss them entirely, since they are in my favor. Otherwise, I am finding that I miss meat like I miss going out and getting half-wasted every other night, which is to say, not too much. I am sure that when I do have steak again, I will probably melt into a puddle of contentment, but until then, I'm doing pretty good.

And speaking about food and eating, whilst perusing BoingBoing recently, I read this article here about the way we eat nowadays, and how it is completely at odds with the way we are biologically evolved to eat. I thought it was a fantastic read and very thought provoking. One bit that did scare me though, was the revelation that prepared breakfast cereal (ie. what I eat for breakfast every bloody day...) is basically, because of all the processing involved, equivalent to a bowl of sugar. And I'm not talking about the sweetened stuff that I like to eat either - this refers to unsweetened Corn Flakes. I consider myself to eat fairly healthily, but that's still a bit of a shock, considering that cold cereal has been my breakfast since forever. The rest of my diet is good though, I think. Most of the rest of the stuff I eat now is just the food itself - sauteed vegetables over pasta with just a bit of oil, for example. Nice and simple, if maybe slightly plain. I don't mind it though, and this is pretty much just an extension of how I shop for food: I buy food, not packages. Somehow, I can hook my mind around the fact that if I think what I'm buying is raw food, then it's ok to eat. Things like canned food and the odd prep-heavy item (like lasagna) are about as close as I get to pre-packaged stuff. I usually drink things like milk, water, juice and sodium-free club soda (the last one in somewhat copious amounts, since it's basically just water with some CO2). I circumvent most of the brainwashing people receive by not watching TV (although it's not like I'm that much more active or anything, since I spend just as much time on the PC). So while I might be slightly boring (I would say zen, but that's a matter of perspective) I feel that I'm taking some measures to try and live as best I can. Thing is though, am I doing enough? Is anyone?

I probably will sounds like a tin-foil-hat-paranoid-crazy-nutbin wreck here, but I believe we can never be sure about anything when it comes to diet and food-related issues nowadays, since there are so many different factions that want us to think many different things. Consider the following: the Food Guide, with it's happy recommended amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, etc etc etc, lays out a "healthy" way to eat, as recommended by the government. It is going through revision right now to bring it up to date, but will it be more accurate? Will the people representing the agriculture industry really want to risk having their spot at being the food group that gets the most attention? I don't think so, and I'm sure if you look through the books, you'll find no small amount of lobbying from the grains associations to keep their share of the food pie the same. The meat industry, however, will likewise be equally lobbying to get people to eat more proteins. Sure, you could argue that the scientific types that are doing the Guide reworkage will ask for studies that demonstrate why each particular industry is right, but we all know studies can be made to "prove" just about anything, and ideas can sound awfully tasty when lubed up with cash moneys. Also consider (this one was made in the above-mentioned article): the Food Industry maintains that they are doing nothing wrong (which really, they aren't), and that if people were to educate themselves, they can eat healthy too! Problem is, though, that to educate themselves, they must go out and work to do so, whereas to listen to what the Food Industry (and its partner-in-crime Television) has to say, they must simply lie back on the couch and wait. Billions of dollars in research is spent to make sure that pre-processed food is as is the first thing you grab when the munchies strike, and that money isn't all wasted. People almost need to de-"educate" any thinking they already have adopted based on the advertising and such that they receive - something that isn't easy for most.

I don't know... Reading that article was, while really fascinating, somewhat scary. Makes you very distrustful of what we eat and what we think we should eat, and what we really should eat. Not to mention the whole "not getting enough exercise" bits that are alluded to. I do think I should do something about the cereal thing though. The question that remains is, what? The reason I like cereal is that it is a) SUGAR!!! (ironically, the reason I am considering switching) and b) very easy to make in the morning. My alternatives? Oatmeal and an egg is looking to be a fore-runner, due to the fact that is seems to be a preferred choice for bodybuilders. Downsides are that a) I am unsure how to best prepare oatmeal (since it will probably not be the instant variety) and b) I am unsure of how to make good hard-boiled eggs (they are much harder than simply boiling the bejeebus out of the eggs, involving ice-water baths and such). That is easily remedied, however, so I just might end up with a new morning routine soon... We (or rather, I) shall soon see.

From Dave Barry's blog, comes the BEST CAKE EVAR. I want this for my birthday party. Oh yes.

From Boing Boing comes the Seven League Boots. I don't know what they do or how they work, but I want them too.

Also from Boing Boing is the Library Musical. I don't particularly think that I would ever be in something like this, but if I did, it would probably be amusement for all.  ¶ 9:17 p.m. 0 comments

  121 posts. Wow.
Just when I think that the recording industry has done all it could to try and further the destruction of culture, they have to go and one up me. (via Techdirt)

I would really like to have some form of rant about this. A big, angry, verbal tirade about how the big corporations are yet again trying to force every new method of communication or distribution to fit their own tired business model, and the sheer shortsightedness they are showing by neglecting the possible benefits to all parties if they would simply take a hit for the team and agknowledge that the paper tiger they have trumped up to be the biggest threat to music since the last one (which was probably either radio or the cassette recorder, but I'm not sure which) really isn't all they say it is. It ain't happening though. I just can't bring it together, so this somewhat mopey paragraph is all that will be gotten. I think the weather might have something to do with my current melancholy, but that could also just be another excuse.

The FCC Song by Eric Idle. I wholeheartedly approve. Go Eric Idle!! (Not for those with sensitive ears...)

Perhaps this bout of mood uncertainty is brought on by the weekend. The May long weekend is a holiday of some significance, since to a lot of people it's basically the beginning of summer. However, with the exception of some sunshine on a few days, the weekend really was more "depressed spring" than "joyous summer", and more suited to playing online games about superheroes and watching movies than patio-ing it up and going to barbeques. The former, of course, is exactly what the majority of my weekend consisted of, and I am pleased to announce that Shrek 2 is actually a rather good flick. While I wouldn't go so far as to say it was better than the first, it definitely didn't suck, and managed to serve up more of the same stuff that made the first movie good: bashes on pop culture combined with bashes against fairy tales. This time around, rather than the "save the princess from the tower" paradigm, the movie focusses on the "marries Prince Charming and lives happily ever after" bit of it all. Combine that with what is quite possibly some of the best CG animation I've seen in recent memory (Smoke effects! The water!) and you have a quite enjoyable couple of hours. Do be sure to stick around after the credits though, since there is a small bit at the end that will probably have you saying "Awwww...." to yourself, if not to everyone else.

Also re-watched a few nice mind-screw movies, being The Usual Suspects and 12 Monkeys. When it comes to The Usual Suspects, there are two kinds of people: those who have not yet seen the movie, and those who have and want to get others to see it. This is the movie I think of first when I hear the phrase "funky twist ending" (although Arlington Road comes in shortly thereafter). (M. Night Shyamalan is a hack. Well, not really, since I happen to think Unbreakable is one of the best movies about superheroes ever, but that's another matter.) If you haven't the Usual Suspects, go watch it post-haste, and do pay attention. 12 Monkeys on the other hand, is very much an aquired taste. Gilliam can be hard to take at the best of times, and at others, he's just downright bizarre. (Baron Munschausen anyone?) I happen to like bizarre, so this one's good in my books, but boy was it ever weird watching the flick with two women who actually had taken all the drugs Brad Pitt rattles off to Bruce Willis in the psych ward, and knew what they did to you. I also heard possibly the best Eraserhead story ever: Friend of a friend of a friend (no names) takes his new girlfriend to see the movie. She was pregnant at the time.

Yeah, that's it. If you know the movie, that is enough. If not, well, you'll probably have to see Eraserhead to understand. Needless to say, my hand is graciously extended to those who know what's going on to help them pick their jaws up off the floor. (The relationship didn't end well, incidentally. No surprise there.)

I've also come to a couple of conclusions about why my posts probably aren't as interesting as I feel they should be. One, I don't have a particular focus. If my blog were about a particular interest of mine, such as say, the Free Culture movement or Gaming, then I would be posting my thoughts on all the interesting tidbits I see related to whatever interest I would choose. The downside is, of course, that most of what I would post would be readily available elsewhere, since often I don't have much to say myself. The other conclusion I came up with, being Two, is that I don't have kids. Two of the best blogs I read (being Mimi Smartypants and One Good Thing are written by Moms. Therefore, they can talk about their kids, since one can continually have interesting things to talk about when the subject of kids is at hand, even if it's something silly/disgusting like how one's daughter played with Purple Dog or how one's son can produce gravity-defying poops. Not having larvae myself, and being some years away from the merest notion of said, I can only produce speculation that is probably dubious, and would be more effort to think up than interesting to read, I would think.

So how can I fix this? I don't know. I will ruminate and percolate on the matter though, provided I can remember, that is. Otherwise, I'll probably wind up doing something less than productive like reading comics. Speaking of which, that sounds like a rather good idea...  ¶ 9:22 p.m. 0 comments

  I dub thee... Eggberry!
There is someone out there in the wide world of ours named Charmaine Eggberry. That name makes me laugh (and it is genuine, as she works for the same company I do). And speaking of names, whilst reading my feeds today, I came across a new entry to my List of Cool Names: Moses Avalon. Sounds like a total secret agent name, or perhaps a rich billionaire.

So once again, there is not much new in the world of me. Fencing again last night, so much fun there. Almost collapsed a lung in the diner afterwards from laughing, but that's not really anything new. Tends to happen every now and again. Tonight, I look forward to a most entertaining evening playing City of Heroes. Haven't been able to log on for most of this week, due to the whole making things out of duct tape bit, and which I might add, was met to much approval last night, further proving the philistines and cynics who don't think duct tape is a viable fabric wrong.

I have however, been listening to more and more music lately, partly due to my being able to run Winamp on my computer at work, but more due to the fact that I can actually have music on my computer. Right now I've been loading up on some Orbital (despite what the critics say, I happen to like The Altogether) as well as Dream Theater's Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, which in my not-so-humble opinion, is a truly excellent album that represents the prog-metal genre beautifully. Best way I can think of to describe it would be to take equal parts Rush and heavy metal. Mix well, and then toss in some delusions of operatic grandeur to season. Let simmer and then listen. It is wonderful. It seems I'm also starting to listen to punk again, albeit very lightly. So far, I'm pretty much just listening to some of the Bad Religion albums that were foisted on me some time ago, as well as a few others, like Rise Against. I am of the opinion that most punk is crap, and it is, but since there are exceptions to every rule, I listen to those. Oh, and Rush still kicks ass. Yes indeed.

So Andy Kaufman's alive again. How about that? I like the spin Tagline put on it: Jim Carrey should be on the phone with him to secure sequel rights ASAP. He could make a killing! I mean, it would be the secret story of what Andy's been doing for the past 20 years, since apparantly it hasn't been spent, y'know... dead. In all seriousness, while the odds of this being real are probably 50/50, I don't see any reason to disbelieve it yet. I mean, really, what difference does it make? So I will give Mr. Kaufman the benefit of the doubt, and continue to wonder how many people were in on the joke, and how many friends he's just tossed into a tizzy from being dead for nearly a quarter century.

On Operation Possibly Starve Myself: I believe that I have started, as of about Wednesday. I was going to try and use up all of the meat in my apartment, but have decided that that is futile. I mean, the only thing left is some spaghetti sauce, a few beef tortellinis, some canned tuna (which has remained in my closet for months and I have no reason for it not to continue doing so) and some bacon bits (which, although real bacon and not "simulated bacon chips" which contain no real food, have also have sat in my fridge for months now and will continue to do so). Otherwise, as of May 19, I am (somewhat) officially a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. I will purchase no meat, poulty or fish at the supermarket (other than dairy and eggs, that is) and will refrain from ordering said at a restaurant unless there is no other option (ie. everything on the menu is non-veg -- I will not go hungry just to satisfy some silly goal). If I can keep this up for a month, I win. If not, I tried. Wish me luck.
  ¶ 6:30 p.m. 0 comments

  One post, and then I go to bed. Really.
No playing City of Heroes, no chatting with people, just going to bed and maybe reading some comics. That is all.

I'm serious now. No tempting me. I've just spent all night making a bag out of duct tape and I want to go to bed. The colors are kind of wonky (read: BRIGHT!) from the flash, but it is an awesome bag that is infinitely customizable and magnificently covetable. The ladies be all over the duct-bag, they are. Just because certain philistines don't know a good bag made from duct tape if they saw a picture of one doesn't mean a thing.

(from Neil Gaiman's blog) This is a little old now, but no less relevant or interesting. Do go through the whole thing if you decide to take a look, as the best shots are at the end. My favorite quote is:

The most exciting thing about rides in Ghosttown is to hit a red line on my bike's tacho and break this silence with roar of a wounded dinosaur and then to close throttle and listen how all those ghosts cursing 1100cc kawasaki engin.

(from a friend of mine) Holy crap this guy rules. Not even I can make sounds with my mouth like this.

(from Dave Barry's blog) Just plain bizarre. She must be sore or something.

So that's that. Short post, since I don't really have much to say. I will need to devise a new way of putting interesting links up here now that I'm reading my feeds largely at work now. More as it develops. End transmission.  ¶ 8:14 p.m. 0 comments

  Flabbergasted.
Today I learned that this weekend is the May long weekend. Up until now, I suppose on some level I was aware of this, but it didn't really sink in until my manager brought it up this morning in casual conversation.

What happened to the first half of May? Really, where did it go? Next thing I know, it will be June, and after that, August! As much as I dislike the expression "time flies when you're having fun", it just keeps on being true. Argh.

This weekend was better than most. With the exception of about 2 hours and 45 minutes, all my time was well spent. The time that wasn't was spent watching Troy. Now don't get me wrong. It is not the worst movie Hollywood has churned out. In fact, it even does an okay job of interpreting and re-enacting the Iliad. Yes, there are a few blunders, ie. the Trojan war lasted for more than a week, Menelaus doesn't die, the gods are supposedly present and taking active roles, tie-dye blue probably wasn't as in fashion as the movie suggests. By and large, however, there were more hits than misses when it comes to historical accuracy, such as the weapons being made of bronze, the fighters using swords only after breaking their spears, stirrup-less horsemanship, etc. I especially liked the way Achilles was portrayed, as he was just as arrogant and egotistical in the film as I remember him being in the story, but still fanatically obsessed with being remembered. The fact that he was an invulnerable demi-god was addressed not by making him unstoppable with superpowers or anything, but just by having him be a freaking unbelievable fighter (the "Achilles leap" is AWESOME!). Where the movie falters is not with the action or grandeur or battles or scope, but with dialogue, and really any place where that other stuff isn't. Other than the Priam and Achilles scene, which they got pretty much bang on, everything anyone said seemed wooden, stilted, laced with accents that have no place in context, or just plain horrendous, and the volume of it all makes the film seem too long. To top it all off, there was much spent talking about how war should be avoided to save lives and such, which is slightly against the flavour of Greek epic.

In summary: to say that Troy is greek for dreck is a slight overstatement, as is attempting to spoon out ones eyes after leaving the theater. The movie is passable, but in no way stellar, and if viewed, should be seen with commentary from friends.

Fencing was unusually amusing, for a Sunday practise. The phrase "don't antagonize sleeping bears, especially if you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" could not have been more applicable. Needless to say, the comments from the peanut gallery (where I had a front row seat) were liberally layed on thick. We were much amused.

I also managed to address the whole "me being tired" beef I've had for the past few days. Got home from practise yesterday, played some City of Heroes, and at about 7:30 decided that I have had enough and went to bed. Sure, I seemed to wake up almost every two hours for some reason or another, but for the most part, much rest was had, and I should be good to go for the rest of the week.

Now enough about me. Here's some stuff from around the internet I want to offer my opinion on.

(Wired) Old news bit about music. They do have a point. And now, there's even stories going around the news circuit about how RIAA is cooking the books to make their losses of profit seem even more dire than they really are. Makes you wonder what they won't do. I do know that fighting back could be a lot of fun though. Anyone up for this? C'mon... guerilla music activism could be great! I'll understand if there aren't any takers.

(from Harrm) Ouch. Not much more to say on that one... just ouch.

(BoingBoing) Is this broken? Neat little site with some good intentions. Yes indeedy.

So I'm really really hungry right now. I have had a very long day at work (yes, there was another time-gap between the "offer my opinion on" and the links) and really REALLY want to eat my food. Unfortunately it must sit for another few minutes to cool slightly so I don't injure myself grievously whilst eating. Other than the unbelievable gnawing in my gut, I'm just peachy, if a little beat. Like I said, long day. So yeah. Food. G'bye.  ¶ 5:55 p.m. 0 comments

  Public Service Announcement
And by public I mean you readers, what few of you there are. Because I haven't payed my printing fee to my Engineering department, I have been forced to seek other webhosting for images, so my snazzy graphic is now back to being boring old text. Phoo.  ¶ 8:25 p.m. 0 comments

  I'm being bad again.
I'm blogging this at work. I don't think I will post it until I get home, but right now this is at work. See, due to various circumstances, I am currently untasked, which means I get to peruse various documents until I am saturated in documentation like a percolated mass of documentation grounds that were used to make doc-coffee.

I'm well aware that doesn't make a lick of sense, thank you.

So what's new with me? Well, I'm glad you asked. Really I am. Because now I get to think about that and try and give an answer. I could talk about how I have music at work now, since that's kind of cool. Seems that not only did my PC come with Winamp, but also had a bunch of albums from one of the prior students in my job. Not really my cup of tea for tunes, since it was mostly rockish hip-hop like Rage Against The Machine, Aesop Rock, Swollen Members as well as some alt and pop rock like Simple Plan, Coldplay, Blink 182 (yeah, they're so pop), New Found Glory, etc. There was, however, a couple of White Stripes and Strokes albums that I already have an know to be good, and a Orbital dual-album that is pretty kickin' (and I subsequently brought a copy home with me on my MuVo). Also, there was a Dave Matthews disc in the CD drive that I have ripped and am listening to at the moment. I am starting to decide that I like Dave Matthews more and more as I listen. He combines elements of mellowness, jamming and rockage, so it makes for decent calming music. Like aural Crisco it just smooths everything over and lets things slide. The only downside I could put is that during some of his instrumental bits it can sound like the soundtrack for a Zalman King softporn or something, especially when he gets going on the saxaphone, and that tends to throw my mind for a bit of a loop. I also have The Gathering's How To Measure A Planet and some electro-pop fluff that I will be ripping as well. Hooray for having 10GB free on your work machine! Now if only I could remember to bring my decent headphones...

I've also come to the conclusion that I am increasingly a fan of the rock opera genre. Unfortunately, I can't find many of these to listen to. Other than the ones Ayreon has done (Final Experiment, Into The Electric Castle (which is one of his best IMO), Universal Migrator Pts 1 and 2, The Human Equation) and Pink Floyd's The Wall, the only one that I know of that I haven't heard is The Who's Tommy. I suppose I could also count the episode of Clone High where the clones start smoking raisins, since that was a pretty kicking rock opera as well, despite being only 20 minutes long (sans commercials). Still, if anyone knows of more, do let me know, since if you did, you would be my new best friend until another one comes along. Musicals that are very rock-oriented would count too, since while I love the concept of musical theater, I find the showtune style of music that they almost all employ to be completely silly.

So enough about music. Moving on to.... movies! Or at least movie, since there's only one on my mind. Troy comes out this weekend, and I'm kind of looking forward to that one. On the one hand, it will probably be extremely poor from a "staying true to source" perspective, since I'm probably not wrong in saying Wolfgang Petersen probably doesn't have that great a handle on Greek epic, but he can do some decent film work, so I remain optimistic. I was somewhat dismayed in hearing that Sean Bean was cast as Odysseus, since I really don't see him as fitting the role, but he's still a good actor so there is some mote of hope. We shall have to see, and then, if the film disappoints, then judgement will be passed, punishments will be created and enforced, and order will be restored to the universe. Just like Gaz and the Game Slave 2. (Zim reference, in case you just said "Huh??")

Fencing last night was pretty good. Got a few rounds in with various folks, and I think I would not be displeased if I were to end up staying in Ottawa and not able to train in Taekwon-do anymore. Sure, I would miss the board breaking and the flying and leaping and smashing things, but SWORDFIGHTING!!! I am told now though, that I need a style. Seems that my flailing and doing things "my way" doesn't work very well, and having considered the matter somewhat, I'm starting to agree. It would be nice to be able to start a bout with someone and have some idea of how I would direct the duel, rather than simply wing it and take things as they come. Add some preaction to the reaction, so to speak, despite the fact that I happen to like reacting and having the other person attack me. Part of the slack-fu training I undergo as a slackist. (Worship the slack.) So other than the obvious flaws in my swordwork, this might not be a bad goal to put on the list. Just need to decide on a sty!
le now...

As for Project Starve Myself, things are still on track for going veggie. I've almost cleaned out the apartment so that all that's left is a few cans of fish, some beef tortellini and some tomato sauce with sausage in it. As I do that, I also need to figure out how to cook beans, since I will be needing protein at some point. Milk is in, and if milk's in so are eggs, so I do have a fallback, but eating eggs all the time could get tiresome, so I will have to do a bit of research on how to proteinify my food. Also, I just may need to either "borrow" or purchase a suitable casserole, since I am thinking it will be needed.

Now no doubt you've noticed that I've basically abandoned my hopes of updating every day. I do, however, want to start up my links again. To do that, I need to fast-forward time about 6 hours to when I get home.

*ding!*

Amazing how this time travel thing works. Kind of like the Mr. Nile Experiment, only not animated. See, that ding was written at about 12 today, and it is now about 10 at night. I have leveled in City of Heroes and eaten tortellini and rode the bus full of smelly people and many more adventures. Those adventures don't include laundry though. I am rationing my clothes since my laundry room in my building is broken or something (it's closed at any rate) so I am in a bit of a clothes shortage. If by Sunday nothing is available, I might even have to expend energy and go to the laundromat. Poo.

Anyways, I think I have said all that I was going to say, and all that is left is to- Wait a sec! I did want to mention that on my way to work today I saw the people who empty the money out of parking meters. They do exist. I have seen this with my eyes. Yes I have.

(from Dave Barry's blog)Just plain wrong. Why would this be newsworthy? Who bloody knows.

(also from Dave Barry's blog) The Koreans have strange commercials. I think this might even top the Spongmonkeys in Quizno's.

(from Wired) Interesting news post about how CPUs will be marketed. It's encouraging to see product vendors that accept the truth in what they make every now and again.  ¶ 8:07 p.m. 0 comments

  Episode 54: So Very Tired.
Today is looking up so far to be a very bad day. Like most of the days I have that look like they're going to be very bad days, it will probably be quite the opposite, but up until now no evidence of this has presented itself. The evidence for the negative has been rampant though, between my getting less than optimal sleep, having to make a lunch at the last minute and then not having enough time for coffee, plus not having either music nor reading material for the bus. Way to start the day. Grumble.

I guess I haven't been posting as much as I would have liked to, but quite frankly, I've been running out of time. Well, running out during the week at least, as I am still enduring the fallout from adjusting to getting home at 6 instead of 4:20 every day. Weekend slackings can be chalked up to gaming. City of Heroes is digging its claws deeper into me every time I play. The combined result of the two is the constant feeling that I am not doing enough, while still not knowing what to do. Basically, I think I'm going through one of my periodic "freaking out" phases where nothing seems to work properly.

So I suppose you want to know what's been on my mind this past while.

On work: I got a new neighbour on Monday. Student from the U of A, as it turns out. He's a nice guy, but a little clueless, probably because this is his first work term and I don't think the concept of "real world" has quite sunk in yet. Give him time though, and I'm certain he'll be model worker ants like the rest of us. Yesterday, I had one of the most boring training sessions in recent memories, and that includes lectures. It was a mandatory session on intellectual property (which from the get-go I wasn't entirely into, since I consider the term an oxymoron) and as a killer start to kick things off, the lawyer-guy giving the talk asked everyone in the room where they were from, what they were taking and how familiar they were with IP. This took 40 minutes. Fortunately, my group was joining via videoconference, so most of us just heckled and chatted unnoticed.

I've also found that people saying schedule like "shedjule" instead of "skedjule" bothers me. It didn't used to, since my dad does it. But now it does. I don't know why. Just like I don't know why the last 20 minutes of the day crawls by slower than the previous 5 hours. Doesn't mean I can't not like it.

On TV: I am slowly getting caught up on my Trailer Park Boys. I'm up to episode 4 of the new season now, and I must say that number 3 was one of the better episodes ever. For those that don't put episode numbers to the shows, this was the "Samsquantch" monster one, and you know he's real because hey, what person ever moved like that in the history of people?

On Freezepop: Neo-new-wave (newer wave, maybe?) synth-pop group from Boston that sounds kind of like Depeche Mode only not depressing. (It's strange how many good things come from Boston...) They have some of the best pseudonyms I have ever heard. The group is composed of: Liz Enthusiasm, The Other Sean T. Drinkwater and The Duke Of Candied Apples.

On Van Helsing: Went to see this one on Monday, and it is one of the worst/best B-movies of all time. This film has it all: cheesy acting, atrocious dialogue, corny villanry (Dracula is such a goth! Not only is his first name Vladislaus, but he whines and emotes and tries to stay as pretty as possible to no end.) and effects. Oh my, the effects. If I had to compare it to any other film, I would probably go with the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The difference is that where LXG was based on a much better work and tried to live up to that, Van Helsing is obviously Stephen Sommers' cream dream homage to the monster movies of yore (Well, that and his somewhat ineptitude at making films. I liked the Mummy Returns and all, but it wasn't exactly Movie of the Year material). All gripery not-withstanding, VH still has three things going for it: Kate Beckinsale, her boots and her corset. For those who are more into men, Hugh Jackman in a loincloth. Not only that, but this is one of the more awesome movies to watch with a commentary, and by that I mean having cynical friends poke fun at the flick every step of the way, from the fight with Mr. Hyde to the Ewok/Morlock Vampires.

Yub yub.

On weather: It is summer. Rejoice. I like spring as much as the next guy, but much prefer to get all the wet and dirtiness over with and proceed straight on to the heat, sun, shorts and sandals. The only downside is that it's already getting warm enough to make it hard to sleep at night, and this is only going to compound my tiredness even more. Still, I have a fan I can bust out, so hopefully things will still stay manageable.

On Worlds of Warcraft: Yes, I have seen it. The beta rather, and I have this to say. WoW is a very pretty game, and it looks to be immense fun for anyone interested in the MMORPG scene. However, if given the choice between a superhero game now and a possibly-much-better fantasy game 6 months to a year from now, I would probably pick the superhero game. I know this, because that's what happened. If CoH loses its luster by such time as WoW gets released though, I just might be there with the drooling masses to get it. Now I only have one more thing to say, and it is the important bit. It does not matter whether you get the game or not, but one way or another, try as hard as possible to see the dances. They kick so much snack ass as to be off the charts on kickassitude. If you can only see one dance though, you must see the male gnome dance. Close seconds would be the female night elf and the female gnome.

So that's that. That covers pretty much most of what has happened that I would comment on in the past few days. If you were expecting me to post during that time, and I failed to meet your expectations, will I guess you can always suck it up and keep checking my page. Until the next time I have something worthwhile to type.  ¶ 7:35 a.m. 0 comments

  As I burst back to reality with a gasping of air...
I don't remember the last time I played a game for 5-6 hours straight. I really don't remember the last time I played one for 16 hours out of a 28 hour time period. Nevertheless, that is just what I have done. City of Heroes has claimed my soul, and I don't think it's going to be letting go for some time.

I am a MMORPG virgin. That is to say, I have not been previously hooked on Everquest, Anarchy Online, Asheron's Call, Dark Age Of Camelot, or any of those. I did play AC during the beta, but it lost its charm rather rapidly, and I did try the 7 day trial of AO, but it proved not to be interesting enough for my tastes. City of Heroes is different though. It is superheroes, and I am a comic fiend. The combination of these is similar to the combination of chocolate and milk: totally amazing. I don't know why, or how, or whilst, but this game is awesome.

I should amend that. I do know why it rules. It is because it is so simple. See, comic books are not the most deep of reads. The typical book relies on 3 simple things to keep it going: cool characters, engaging dialogue, and the beating of the crap out of the bad guys. You can shuffle those elements around a bit, or even perhaps remove one of them entirely, but as long as you have two, you will have the kickness of ass. CoH has two. The game is basically two games in one: a character generator and the MMORPG part. The first is simply sublime because you can literally make almost any bloody hero you want. Got a hankering for a heavily armed dwarf? Done. Need to play a Hulk knockoff? Right there for ya. Want to have a mandarin hat while wearing a polka-dot suit tux and be known as The Amazing Lampooni? Not a problem. When I say you can make a character and play the entire game without seeing someone that looks like you, I really do mean it. The second part of the game is basically your average MMORPG, but reduced for flavour intensity. In EQ or World of Warcraft, sure you can go out and kill monsters. Player vs. Environment is the largest part of any online game of this type. Difference is, you can get distracted by all the crafting and trading and items and clothing and on and on. Not so in City: you get one appearance and that is it. You get no pockets, and so all you can hold is what is in your head and powers (inspirations/potions and enhancements/weapons mods). Spandex and tight leather just don't lend themselves to holding suits of armour and herbs and components, you know? So when Tycho said a while back that City of Heroes lacks game width (ie. having lots to do) over game depth (ie. doing what it does REALLY REALLY WELL), he was totally right.

I'm rambling now, so I'm going to abruptly change the subject.

I think I'm going to be a vegetarian. I have no moral or biological aversion to eating meat, and I haven't adopted any form of religion, so there's no real reason for me to do this. Still, I think it would be interesting to see if I can go for a month without eating meat. I'm still hammering out the details in my head, but I'm going to be allowing dairy. For me to try and get by without my cereal in the morning would be like asking the sun to just, y'know, not come up tomorrow, m'kay? Following that reasoning, eggs should be in as well, but I'm still not sure. I'll probably not object if they happen to be included in something I order in a restaurant or in something I buy, but I don't think I'll buy them as is. Other than that, I'm just going to play it by ear and ask around. I don't think getting my protein will be an issue, since I'll be relying on beans and nuts and such. Otherwise, I suppose this could be considered as lent or something.

Saddam being interrogated. Funny. This is going to be odd, since I have all but abandoned my link list. Everything is bloody out of date when it comes to news, and I haven't sifted through to find the just-plain-nifty ones yet. I will though. I will.

I am quite happy working at RIM. This job kicks ass, and I think I would not object strongly if I were to end up pursuing a career as a Project Scheduler/Manager. Also, I really dig my BlackBerry. You would be surprised at how pleasing it is to be able to think "I don't need to check my email, for if I had some, I would already know." Also, you would be surprised at how pleasing it is to have a 21" monitor. Like having a digital vista for your eyes to wander, I tell ya. Only downside I can think of is that I do have to work on RIM time, which is 4 minutes fast if you ask the network server, but 8 minutes fast if you ask the phone. The upside to this downside though, is that if you're late for things, nobody cares.

So work is good. Gaming is good. Having a goal to meet, even if it kills me, is good. Fencing tomorrow, so that's good too. One would think that under all this happiness I would explode, right? Not exactly. I did have the thought a while ago that I was turning too normal, but I've since gone crazy enough to discount that. I've also noticed that I seem to live very much in the moment and remain in a state of sort of permashock. This is bad, since I tend to freak out about everything (whether I let this be apparant to others is something else, but trust me, if there's something happening in my life, I've probably freaked about it at one point or another), but also good since I can adopt a Tyler Durden-ish attitude and really let that which does not matter truly slide. Which brings me right back to the whole "I'm getting into a rut in my life, but that's OK since it's a comfy rut with a nice view and Ikea chairs."

Yeah. So.

I think my metabolism really has changed. It's again with the hungry thing I mentioned before. Take today for example. I basically made a full supper-like meal for lunch today (which in itself is odd since I'm not usually the type to eat lunch on weekends when I sleep in, or rather as I sleep in as much as i can sleep in now...) and not 2 hours later I was getting hungry again. Hell, I'm hungry now. I think this is phase two of my body's crazy master plan of making me into a productive member of society. Now that I have to be up at 6-8ish in the morning, every day, whether I like it or not, now the plan is to make me actually work for that time and now I have to be active during that time. Urgh.

(Aside: I'm listening to Lacuna Coil right now, and I'm both in shock at how good their music suddenly is at the moment and pissed off that I can't see them in concert. Now the fact that they sound really slick probably has more to do with my current mood and state of mind, but the fact that I still can't go see them is on account of being in Ontario. Boo.)

To be active though, requires me to be awake, and to that end, I have taken my relationship with coffee to the next level. See, we started dating when I was in school, but she was all reserved and shy and shielded herself with milk and sugar. Once I started working, she warmed up to me and we ditched the neck-to-ankle attire that was the double-double. Once we got her in the much more attractive tank-top and shorts that is the "just a bit of milk, no sugar", we started experimenting in making her brew stronger. The result was rather incredible. Now, I think I'm ready to tie the knot. I bought a coffee grinder, and am now grinding my own beans whilst storing them in the manner to preserve flavour the longest. Am I turning into a total coffee snob? Probably. Do I care? Not in the least. Is this a good time for a non-sequitur? Hells yeah.

In Ottawa, pedestrians do not fear the cars. The cars fear the pedestrians. I was reflecting on the fact that people just walk/run across the road at random with no regard for the oncoming piles of metal that will squish them handily, and I thought to myself that I don't think I would ever want to drive in Ontario. Yes, the drivers in Edmonton are arguably worse, but at least one only worries about other cars there. To have to drive down the road and watch for small, easily breakable peoples cutting me off would be just crazy talk. Crazy, I say, CRAZY!

I remember seeing a Disney movie starring Mickey that aped Jack and the Beanstalk. In it, Mickey/Jack was captured by the giant and dropped into the giant's breast pocket. There, Mickey managed to use the tin of snuff inside to make the giant sneeze and release him. Now, would you ever see a tin of snuff in a Disney animation nowadays? Not a bleeding hope. I just thought I would point that out. Oh the times, they are a changing. Or rather, have changed. I don't know.

I think I'm just about all incoherent now. Time to go. Need. More. City. Heroes. Hurrah!  ¶ 9:07 p.m. 0 comments

  A funny thing happened on the way to Norrath.
Either I am the purchaser of really crappy rollerblade wheels, or I am hideously overpowered with my right toe. Reason I mention this is that the two wheels that have been in the front right position on my blades are both being turned into mush. I'm betting on the former reason, but the latter isn't out of the question. Regardless, here are some thoughts I had while blading or riding the bus recently.

As the bar on the right shows, one of my favorite bands is Nightwish. They just released (or are soon to release, I'm not sure which) a new album, called Once. I really like it, just like I like most of their stuff. The fact that they toss in not only orchestral instruments to their metal, but they have a ridiculously dramatic lead singer that sings pretty damn close to opera music make the Finns cool. (Could also be the keyboards.) Sweet merciful broccoli I like Scandinavian music. The Dutch are pretty freaking rockin' too.

I'm hungry. Well, not now, but at work. Problem with actually working for most of the day is that you are away from the house more and have more constricted access to food. End result is the same: Life force running out! Need food badly! So I'm now packing a far larger lunch. (Although, another thought strikes me just now, is that perhaps my metabolism is increasing or something. Maybe I'm getting mutant powers!)

Calgary beat Detroit. This isn't news to anyone who watches hockey. Still kind of sucks though, since I can't cheer for the Habs, I don't want to cheer for the Leafs, and that leaves Calgary as the only Canuck team in the playoffs now. Why, oh why, could they have paired it such that all the Canadian teams DIDN'T play each other in the first round? Or why couldn't Toronto have just said "You know what, Ottawa? We can't beat Philly. You guys go do it. Make us proud." WHY!? (sniff.)

I have my BlackBerry working now, (was fiddling with settings so that I received my personal email on it) and I love it. Does just about everything my Palm did (except for games, but that's somewhat irrelevant) and it gets my email too. Now, the best way to get a hold of me is to email me. Hands down. My cell phone's also a decent alternative, but I'm now stuck between keeping the Axel F (the one thing Harold Faltermeyer did before fading into obscurity forever... or at least that and the Top Gun soundtrack) that's my ring tone now, or switching to the theme from the Muppet Show. Decisions, decisions.

Go Google "Brett Banfe". Some kid thought he could go for a year without talking, communicating only by email, post and IMs. I wonder if he made it.

I need sleep. Not going to go to bed until after my post, but I have been having a few late nights recently, this one included, and it's all gaming-related (Munchkin is a surprisingly fun game). I don't think this is going to fix itself soon either. Phoo.

I have been negligent in my news-junkieness. Used to be I was hard-pressed to go a day without reading the papers or surfing my RSS feeds. I haven't read a paper in a week and a half now, and it's been 2 days without reading RSS. Freaky. The whole thing is kind of like partying and getting all messed up every other night. It's nice, but the lack thereof doesn't kill me.

I keep getting messages about this stupid Sasser worm on my computer. Every time I scan it though, nothing shows up. Pissing me off to no end.

Wow. Last three paragraphs all started with "I". I should get over myself, eh? And what better way than to just stop talking?  ¶ 9:09 p.m. 0 comments

  Don't cry Tomato Baby...
Cream Dream.

Rather, make that Cream Dream Supreme. That is what working at RIM is like compared to the government. It is so superior it is sick. Not only do I now have a fancy-dancy new toy to play with, that being the BlackBerry, but I get WORK TO DO!!! Real Work! The kind that keeps you busy! What's more, it seems like I will be having far more of it than I can handle!

SQUEE!!!

Also, I think I get free stuff, but I'm not quite sure yet. Otherwise, the only drawbacks are that I have only a half-cube in which to work and I have to ride the bus for an hour to get there. And, of those, the half-cube isn't so bad in comparison to the other students, who are basically set up on desks in the hall. So a jolly Ha Ha to them and a Hooray for my 2.5 walls of semi-privacy! Once I get my BB going to its full potential, I shall be UNSTOPPABLE!!! (Or at least nigh-unstoppable.)

On the way home, however, the escalators in Rideau Center were broken. I do not like it when this happens, and it happens rather often. Having to walk down an escalator is trippy. You still get the impression that it is moving, simply because it's an escalator (or a movator, if you shop at Wal-Mart, since "escalator" must sound French and therefore un-American. I'm serious. They call them movators in Wal-Mart.) and therefore should be moving in some direction, preferably the direction you're going in.

(ASIDE: HOLY FUCK IS THE SASSER WORM PISSING ME THE FUCK OFF! It keeps popping up and telling me it has been detected, and yet I cannot find the offending file, nor can I fix it! Now I have to boot into safe mode, and sweet JEEBUS is that annoying! RRRRAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!!!!!)

(Ahem.)

As I was saying, when the escalators don't do what they're supposed to, but you take them anyway, the end result is not unlike getting to the top of the stairs and thinking there's another step and trying to step on it: heinously unnerving. Yes, it is heinous.

In other crimes, and by crimes, I really mean coincidences, there were a number of strange Internet happenings today. For one, there were a couple of webcomics that had been on hiatus, only to return when I got back from the West. For another, at least 3 of the sites I frequent all updated their layouts. Drastically. It was synchronicious. So far, my list of explanations is that Mars was in Jupiter's shadow, causing a massive influx of cosmic rays to rebound off Uranus and strike the Earth, but so far that's it. One weak idea. Sorry, I guess I'm uncreative right now.

Right. My copy and paste has now gone and buggered itself as well. This calls for action of the highest degree. If you'll excuse me...  ¶ 6:51 p.m. 0 comments

  Rain is good.
It was raining when I got off the plane tonight. A nice, heavy, thick rain. The kind that pushes the want to just grab blankets and pillows and huddle while the windows reverberate the staccato of the drops throughout the house. Too bad I haven't really any decent pillows.

The past couple of days have been fun. As of my last posting, I basically went out and met up with a friend of mine in St. Albert and just hung out, drank beer and chatted. Friday involved more vegging and an excursion out drinking again with more Taekwon-do comrades, and Saturday was the largeish party out at Robin's. She lives out (literally) in the middle of nowhere, which makes for rather good get-togethers. Best part is that on both Friday and Saturday, fire was involved.

I like fire. I'm not ashamed to admit that Fire = Good. This isn't to say I'm a pyro or anything, but one must admit that there is a thrill to be had just staring at things burning. The heat, the light, whatever it is, it's great. Add beer and the mix just gets even better.

Like most events I think I will be attending in the future, this one was heavily documented thanks to my handy-dandy Coolpix. I am not a good photographer, nor do I claim to be even mediocre, so I make up for this by taking as many pictures as I can in the hopes that some of them will be good enough to save for posterity. Once I figure out how I am going to be managing my image-hosting, I will be attempting to put together some online scrapbooky dealies so that I can show off the things I do with people. Until that happens though, you'll just have to take my word for it.

All that aside, now that I'm back "home" in Ottawa, since home is (and will be for a little while more) a rather relative term for me due to my vagrantitudinal tendencies, (If that's not a word, it bloody should be.) I must say it is good to be back in Ottawa. Yes, I miss my cat, and yes, it was nice to be fed properly and regularly, but I'm still having the impression that since I've been on my own these past couple of months, I definitely appreciate the calm and quiet that entails. That, and the only computer I have to fix is my own.

See, I am not so much a computer guru. People think I am, and they always ask me for help with their PC woes, but I am increasingly thinking that I am not. To be a computer guru, one needs to have an intimate knowledge of the PC and its workings, both inside, outside and even upside-down. If there's a problem, they know what can cause it and will go in a fix it. I don't do this. Usually, I have no idea why something doesn't work and the best I can come up with is speculation. I am, however, a power user. The way I thought about it on the plane was like a samurai vs. a swordsmith. I would tentatively guess that a samurai does not know how to make a sword, and while they can keep their sword in very nice condition, if it breaks past a certain point, they need the swordsmith to make it right again. I can use a computer like a samurai or a ninja wields a sword, and I can keep my computer in good condition such that it does not get to the state that my parents' PC was in (BAD.) but once a computer is broken to a certain point, there is not much I can do to reverse its state. Hence, I end up reformatting the hard-drive and reinstalling Windows, just like I did on Saturday with my parents' PC. Yeah, that was fun. The biggest peeve I had with the whole ordeal was not even the work itself, but rather the frustration I felt at the fact that there was so much stuff on that machine that nobody knew what it was for. I like my computers running tight and sleek like a Jag or a Beemer, and this one was like the diesel jalopy that could be tracked for miles from the inky black smoke and exhaust it spewed. It was... horrible. I think I'm going to move on now.

I'll resume with the links tomorrow, as I'm still doing some catch-up and figure-out. I have no breakfast food for tomorrow, so I'm still not sure what's going to be going on tomorrow morning. Lunch options are likewise just as tentative. On the other hand, I do have another job now, so everything's up in the air anyways. What is certain, though, is that I am going to bed in a bit. More tomorrow.  ¶ 7:57 p.m. 0 comments