Pop Culture Victim
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
So that snag? Yeah, I hit it.
Turns out that Knoppix ain't so good at installing programs, so I have yet to see how City of Heroes runs under Linux. Boo-urns. No matter - it is only a temporary setback.
More immediate, however, is Spider-man 2. Go see it. Go see it now. If you have a love for anything Spider-man or anything Sam Raimi has done, go see it at least once. It is not only a wholly superlative film in its own merit, very finely encapsulating almost everything that makes Spider-man appealing, but it is also textured and layered like a Where's Waldo book with references to the Marvel Universe and Sam Raimi's film career all over the place. I love both.
Just go see the freaking movie already!
¶ 10:37 p.m. 0 comments
Turns out that Knoppix ain't so good at installing programs, so I have yet to see how City of Heroes runs under Linux. Boo-urns. No matter - it is only a temporary setback.
More immediate, however, is Spider-man 2. Go see it. Go see it now. If you have a love for anything Spider-man or anything Sam Raimi has done, go see it at least once. It is not only a wholly superlative film in its own merit, very finely encapsulating almost everything that makes Spider-man appealing, but it is also textured and layered like a Where's Waldo book with references to the Marvel Universe and Sam Raimi's film career all over the place. I love both.
Just go see the freaking movie already!
¶ 10:37 p.m. 0 comments
I never said it was your fault... I just said you were getting the blame.
Now then.
I'd like to send everyone over to an item I just saw on Boing Boing. Something about the Great Mighty POTUS* being interviewed by a journalist and having some "difficulty" answering her questions. I haven't listened to the interview since I am at work and don't have RealPlayer (or it's equivalent - I don't have RealPlayer at home either, but I have the codecs and can view them), so I will refrain from commenting further.
* I have decided that this is one of my preferred ways of referring** to the President of the United States.
** Preferred and referred seem to be based from the same root word of "ferring". Is that even a word? How do you fer? Or have I I already ferred and not known it?***
*** I also think I like footnotes. Recursive ones are even better.
What fun people can have when their bosses are pop culture newbies.
Humourous posting about a silly new gizmo.
Get Fuzzy is good today.
I would so watch this show.
Duuuuuuuuuuude. I want one.
Sometimes, I just love my country. We have judges that have a clue.
Right.
I have heard a couple of good new albums in the past couple of days and wish to comment on them. First up is The Gathering's latest studio release Souvenirs. Now you might have heard that The Gathering are a metal band. This is no longer the case. I don't know what exactly they play, but it isn't heavy metal. This is not a bad thing. Basically, ever since Anneke Van Giersbergen joined the band, they have evolved substantially. On every album they have gotten further and further away from being a "heavy metal band", and Souvenirs plants them firmly outside that genre. The general sound of the album is essentially the next step from If_Then_Else - more ethereal, more focussed around Ms. Van Giersbergen's* voice. The result is somewhat difficult to describe - too heavy for pop, yet too light for metal. Kudos to the band for developing a style that is utterly their own, albeit at the risk of alienating fans that might not like the way they've developed. (It really is radically different compared to what they were doing a couple of albums ago.)
* An experiment in writing style - not assuming familiarity with one's subjects. It bugs me when telemarketers start calling at suppertime and address you like you're their friend of several years. I don't know if this will stick or not, but I'm giving it a go for this entry at least.
Secondly, and ironically the one that I'm writing first, is Avril Lavigne's new album, Under My Skin. I should note up front that there is a caveat to what follows, as I'm writing based on the first 9 tracks of this disc and not the whole thing*. That being said, Ms. Lavigne** has put together a pretty decent second album, and considering that "the second album" has arguably the highest chance of being horrible, I'm rather impressed. The album isn't perfect, but it really shows some of the potential that Ms. Lavigne has, especially in some tracks like Forgotten, which is one of my favorites on the record. To be sure, Under My Skin is a progression from Let Go - it has moved on in some areas, but still sounds very similar to her last stuff. I think the biggest thing holding this album back is the fact that Ms. Lavigne still sounds like Top 40 radio - probably the result of being pressured by the major label she's under so that she can sell more records, but that's pure speculation on my part. If she could maybe go off in a more progressive direction though, with some standout instrumentation to back up her already-pretty-good singing, she could be part of an incredible music project. Regardless, if you liked Let Go, then you'll probably like Under My Skin.
* I couldn't fit both Souvenirs and Under My Skin on my MuVo at once. Pity, that.
I also recently got a copy of Transmissions From The Satellite Heart, by the Flaming Lips, but I don't have a copy with me, and I prefer to have the album playing while I write about it. So I will move on to other things, most predominantly of which, being the bug.
The bug is itching. I knew this time would come, but I didn't think it would be for a while yet. No, I am feeling the silly compulsion to install Linux again. My bout with Gentoo was a failure, but I am thinking of jumping back into the ring with Mandrake again. I installed it before, it went quite smoothly and I can do it again. The tricksy bit this time will be Cedega and getting City of Heroes running. Sorry, getting too far ahead - I'll back up. Transgaming recently released the newly-dubbed Cedega, previously known as WineX 4.0. This means it plays Windows games on Linux. Transgaming says in the press release that MMOGs work, of which City of Heroes is listed at the forefront, along with Worlds of Warcraft. This got me very intrigued, since City of Heroes would be forefront in my reasons not to use Linux on a regular basis. Most if not all of my other apps have analogues in *nix, but not my games. So that was when the bug was planted. Last night, however, I got together with some peeps to watch the Battlestar Galactica pilot movie*. Before the movie started though, our host was playing Worlds of Warcraft on Linux. This is significant not because the game isn't released yet, but because it was being run on Linux with Cedega, on a computer slightly less powerful than mine own, and it ran better than City of Heroes runs on my system with Windows. The bug that was planted suddenly activated and started making my brain itch. IT MUST BE MINE! My plan of action is therefore to 1) get Cedega going in Knoppix and attempt to install City of Heroes. If this works (and works well enough), then I shall 2) procure a new hard drive. I needed one anyways. On this new drive, I will 3) install Mandrake 10.0 Download Edition, since I am cheap and don't want to pay for the bundles they have. Once turnover is complete, there will be a time where I will lament Windows and keep it around, before 4) wiping my NTFS drive and revelling in having all those gigs available for music and movies and such. Whether or not things will go according to plan remains to be seen. (Ah, who am I kidding? They never do.)
* It's really not bad. They address some of the science issues that plague some other sci-fi series (like zero-G physics, non-networked ship means everything has wires, lots of throwbacks, innovative FTL travel), while at the same time offering a decent plot, cool villains (new Cylons are quite sweet), nods to the last series (or so I'm told) and some rather nice eye-candy (Starbuck, the "hottie" Cylon model). I wouldn't object to watching this one if it becomes a series.
¶ 2:10 p.m. 0 comments
Now then.
I'd like to send everyone over to an item I just saw on Boing Boing. Something about the Great Mighty POTUS* being interviewed by a journalist and having some "difficulty" answering her questions. I haven't listened to the interview since I am at work and don't have RealPlayer (or it's equivalent - I don't have RealPlayer at home either, but I have the codecs and can view them), so I will refrain from commenting further.
* I have decided that this is one of my preferred ways of referring** to the President of the United States.
** Preferred and referred seem to be based from the same root word of "ferring". Is that even a word? How do you fer? Or have I I already ferred and not known it?***
*** I also think I like footnotes. Recursive ones are even better.
What fun people can have when their bosses are pop culture newbies.
Humourous posting about a silly new gizmo.
Get Fuzzy is good today.
I would so watch this show.
Duuuuuuuuuuude. I want one.
Sometimes, I just love my country. We have judges that have a clue.
Right.
I have heard a couple of good new albums in the past couple of days and wish to comment on them. First up is The Gathering's latest studio release Souvenirs. Now you might have heard that The Gathering are a metal band. This is no longer the case. I don't know what exactly they play, but it isn't heavy metal. This is not a bad thing. Basically, ever since Anneke Van Giersbergen joined the band, they have evolved substantially. On every album they have gotten further and further away from being a "heavy metal band", and Souvenirs plants them firmly outside that genre. The general sound of the album is essentially the next step from If_Then_Else - more ethereal, more focussed around Ms. Van Giersbergen's* voice. The result is somewhat difficult to describe - too heavy for pop, yet too light for metal. Kudos to the band for developing a style that is utterly their own, albeit at the risk of alienating fans that might not like the way they've developed. (It really is radically different compared to what they were doing a couple of albums ago.)
* An experiment in writing style - not assuming familiarity with one's subjects. It bugs me when telemarketers start calling at suppertime and address you like you're their friend of several years. I don't know if this will stick or not, but I'm giving it a go for this entry at least.
Secondly, and ironically the one that I'm writing first, is Avril Lavigne's new album, Under My Skin. I should note up front that there is a caveat to what follows, as I'm writing based on the first 9 tracks of this disc and not the whole thing*. That being said, Ms. Lavigne** has put together a pretty decent second album, and considering that "the second album" has arguably the highest chance of being horrible, I'm rather impressed. The album isn't perfect, but it really shows some of the potential that Ms. Lavigne has, especially in some tracks like Forgotten, which is one of my favorites on the record. To be sure, Under My Skin is a progression from Let Go - it has moved on in some areas, but still sounds very similar to her last stuff. I think the biggest thing holding this album back is the fact that Ms. Lavigne still sounds like Top 40 radio - probably the result of being pressured by the major label she's under so that she can sell more records, but that's pure speculation on my part. If she could maybe go off in a more progressive direction though, with some standout instrumentation to back up her already-pretty-good singing, she could be part of an incredible music project. Regardless, if you liked Let Go, then you'll probably like Under My Skin.
* I couldn't fit both Souvenirs and Under My Skin on my MuVo at once. Pity, that.
I also recently got a copy of Transmissions From The Satellite Heart, by the Flaming Lips, but I don't have a copy with me, and I prefer to have the album playing while I write about it. So I will move on to other things, most predominantly of which, being the bug.
The bug is itching. I knew this time would come, but I didn't think it would be for a while yet. No, I am feeling the silly compulsion to install Linux again. My bout with Gentoo was a failure, but I am thinking of jumping back into the ring with Mandrake again. I installed it before, it went quite smoothly and I can do it again. The tricksy bit this time will be Cedega and getting City of Heroes running. Sorry, getting too far ahead - I'll back up. Transgaming recently released the newly-dubbed Cedega, previously known as WineX 4.0. This means it plays Windows games on Linux. Transgaming says in the press release that MMOGs work, of which City of Heroes is listed at the forefront, along with Worlds of Warcraft. This got me very intrigued, since City of Heroes would be forefront in my reasons not to use Linux on a regular basis. Most if not all of my other apps have analogues in *nix, but not my games. So that was when the bug was planted. Last night, however, I got together with some peeps to watch the Battlestar Galactica pilot movie*. Before the movie started though, our host was playing Worlds of Warcraft on Linux. This is significant not because the game isn't released yet, but because it was being run on Linux with Cedega, on a computer slightly less powerful than mine own, and it ran better than City of Heroes runs on my system with Windows. The bug that was planted suddenly activated and started making my brain itch. IT MUST BE MINE! My plan of action is therefore to 1) get Cedega going in Knoppix and attempt to install City of Heroes. If this works (and works well enough), then I shall 2) procure a new hard drive. I needed one anyways. On this new drive, I will 3) install Mandrake 10.0 Download Edition, since I am cheap and don't want to pay for the bundles they have. Once turnover is complete, there will be a time where I will lament Windows and keep it around, before 4) wiping my NTFS drive and revelling in having all those gigs available for music and movies and such. Whether or not things will go according to plan remains to be seen. (Ah, who am I kidding? They never do.)
* It's really not bad. They address some of the science issues that plague some other sci-fi series (like zero-G physics, non-networked ship means everything has wires, lots of throwbacks, innovative FTL travel), while at the same time offering a decent plot, cool villains (new Cylons are quite sweet), nods to the last series (or so I'm told) and some rather nice eye-candy (Starbuck, the "hottie" Cylon model). I wouldn't object to watching this one if it becomes a series.
¶ 2:10 p.m. 0 comments
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
I have an idea...
I had an idea for a program today. It is an ID3 tag manager. I'm sure those exist already, so I shall be more specific and explain further. I have a lot of MP3s. Some of them have... less then optimal tagging and filenames, and that makes it frustrating to organize my music collection. I want a program that can help me fix that. Here's what I'm looking for:
1 - It must be open-source. This will let the program grow the fastest on the most platforms, as well as let it develop into a more robust app. Well, that, and it'll be free, which always helps.
2 - It must be able to manage a media library. I point to a root directory, and it will search from there and return a filesystem that shows all the music in the root and all subdirectories. It should be able to see MP3s, WMVs, OGGs, and any other music file you should care to want. Playlists should also be able to be created and managed with this program.
3 - It must be able to translate filenames into ID3 tags. This means you would select a directory, and it will open a table form with all the files' tag info as it stands. You can then tell it what all the tag fields are, with ability to set something for a whole column easily. The program should also be able to guess what the tag info should be, based on the filenames. You could help it along by offering the format the files are in (ie. Artist - Track Title, or Album - Artist - Track Number, for example). Case correction would also be nice. (For those that aren't aware, SnackAmp does this one pretty decently, and could be taken a look at as a reference.)
4 - Conversely, given the tag info, the program should be able to rename filenames and directories appropriately, so that you don't have a well-tagged set of files named Audiotrack-01.mp3, Audiotrack-02.mp3, etc.
5 - If you give the program a set of MP3s in a given order, the app should also be able to treat that playlist as if it were a CD and refer to CDDB to get the album information. You could then apply all this as the ID3 tag info and the filenames if desired.
6 - This should be able to plug in to Winamp and other media programs that can have 3rd party applications tie in to them.
7 - It should be well documented, easy to use, intuitive and pretty. You would think all that's obvious, but you'd be surprised.
I think that about covers it. If you know if such a program exists, please let me know. Conversely, if you just like to code and think you could make this puppy, I would be most grateful. I'm sure a lot of other people would be too.
¶ 11:30 a.m. 0 comments
I had an idea for a program today. It is an ID3 tag manager. I'm sure those exist already, so I shall be more specific and explain further. I have a lot of MP3s. Some of them have... less then optimal tagging and filenames, and that makes it frustrating to organize my music collection. I want a program that can help me fix that. Here's what I'm looking for:
1 - It must be open-source. This will let the program grow the fastest on the most platforms, as well as let it develop into a more robust app. Well, that, and it'll be free, which always helps.
2 - It must be able to manage a media library. I point to a root directory, and it will search from there and return a filesystem that shows all the music in the root and all subdirectories. It should be able to see MP3s, WMVs, OGGs, and any other music file you should care to want. Playlists should also be able to be created and managed with this program.
3 - It must be able to translate filenames into ID3 tags. This means you would select a directory, and it will open a table form with all the files' tag info as it stands. You can then tell it what all the tag fields are, with ability to set something for a whole column easily. The program should also be able to guess what the tag info should be, based on the filenames. You could help it along by offering the format the files are in (ie. Artist - Track Title, or Album - Artist - Track Number, for example). Case correction would also be nice. (For those that aren't aware, SnackAmp does this one pretty decently, and could be taken a look at as a reference.)
4 - Conversely, given the tag info, the program should be able to rename filenames and directories appropriately, so that you don't have a well-tagged set of files named Audiotrack-01.mp3, Audiotrack-02.mp3, etc.
5 - If you give the program a set of MP3s in a given order, the app should also be able to treat that playlist as if it were a CD and refer to CDDB to get the album information. You could then apply all this as the ID3 tag info and the filenames if desired.
6 - This should be able to plug in to Winamp and other media programs that can have 3rd party applications tie in to them.
7 - It should be well documented, easy to use, intuitive and pretty. You would think all that's obvious, but you'd be surprised.
I think that about covers it. If you know if such a program exists, please let me know. Conversely, if you just like to code and think you could make this puppy, I would be most grateful. I'm sure a lot of other people would be too.
¶ 11:30 a.m. 0 comments
Monday, June 28, 2004
Across the bus from me...
...is a man wearing a beanie. You know: red, yellow and blue with a propeller. An honest-to-God propeller. I don't think I have ever seen anyone wear one of those in public before. How unusual.
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 3:41 p.m. 0 comments
...is a man wearing a beanie. You know: red, yellow and blue with a propeller. An honest-to-God propeller. I don't think I have ever seen anyone wear one of those in public before. How unusual.
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 3:41 p.m. 0 comments
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Today does be a slowish day.
For that reason, I will deliberate on... stuff. That's happened. Somewhat recently. (It seems like it's been much longer since my last post than it really has...)
For one, I have discovered a reason that I might want to buy music: convenience. On a whim, but really while looking for rollerblade wheels (much harder to find than one would think), I wandered into HMV just to see if they had any albums that I wanted. Turns out, they had a surprising number of discs that were it not for a few reasons, I would have happily swooped up and carted home. Compare that to the hunting and searching for torrent files and the subsequent waiting and remembering to leave the client running and then fretting about sluggish performance on my PC because of BT being such a bandwidth hog. Yes, it's free, but that doesn't mean it's not also a bit of a hassle. Plus, I would be guaranteed of having a good rip when I pull the tracks off of the disc, since I'd be doing it myself. The good bits peter out there, however, because that's exactly one of the problems. I don't listen to music from CDs directly (or at least, I do it so rarely as to say that I don't). The first thing I would do after opening the disc would be slap it in my PC and rip it, while perhaps ogling the liner notes before they get banished to the closet. As a result, I find it really hard to slap down money for what is basically a disposable medium - sure, the liner notes are pretty, but I can do without, and the CD is a nifty hard copy of the album, but the odds of me losing the rip I make are slim. Plus, nowadays the labels are going to such lengths to make CDs rip-proof with stupid DRMs that they make them next to useless (ie. I could very likely end up running into such difficulty ripping that I just download the album like I would have if I had not bought it). Toss on my beefs with the recording industry, and any conveniency or ethics benefits I would get from purchasing my music are somewhat quashed, and I shall continue my wait for blanket licensing before buying music again.
(That, and I was able to find my albums much more easily via Overnet, albeit it will go much, much slower.)
For two, I have been steadily increasing my meat intake over the past couple of days. From having some really good burgers (they were easily one-third pounders!) Tuesday to the Quizno's yesterday, and the promise of more murdery goodness tonight, my protein needs are making themselves fulfilled with a vengeance. I have also firmly ensconced the goal of the meatwich on the horizon. A co-worker came up with the idea after deciding that his sandwich didn't have enough meat in it (although this was a sandwich from a place called The Butchery, where the meat:bun ratio is along the lines of 1:1). The solution proposed was to do away with the bun entirely, and use a nice long, thin slice of meat to contain the meat and sauces (and maybe even some lettuce for texture). Something like pancetta, but less fatty/greasy/sausagey? The whole thing would be done up into a roll and eaten like a fajita or wrap. Sounds like mighty good eating to me.
For three, I have been shopping! Well, I only got one thing, but it still involved hitting a retail establishment, which means shopping in my book. As my sunglasses were left to their unknown and probably somewhat dull fate at the cottage, I went and purchased a new pair. Because these ones will probably be just as abused as the last, I only spent about 20 bucks on them, but they don't look horrible and perform their function satisfactorily. It was a tie between the typical black sunglasses look and the amber-ish aviator style driving glasses, but I think good taste took the day with the standard black. I didn't think the driving ones looked too badly, but I also think that most people wouldn't have agreed. I will also be going shopping again tonight, but this time for a birthday present for my mom. Unfortunately, she is nigh-impossible to buy for, and presents me with a dilemma every year around this time. I have a plan to resurrect a mistake on my dad's part from many, many years ago (very much pre-me, as this occurred when my parents were still dating) (also, this was not entirely my idea, as I only heard the story from my aunt on Sunday), but otherwise I still haven't the foggiest idea what to get her. The problem is largely that her tastes and mine operate on entirely different wavelengths, resulting in almost all of my choices being rejected, and I fear that this will only be slightly addressed with my wandering a mall or plaza aimlessly, hoping that something jump out and scream "She wants one of me! Buy! Buy!" and that I can ignore all the things sidling up to me and saying "You know, while you're here, you might as well purchase one of me... Being here and all, you know." (whilst simultaneously my psyche yells "IT MUST BE MINE!!")
So yeah. I think 3 things is the extent of just about everything that's happened to me that I feel like sharing. Indeed. Yes. Right.
¶ 11:10 a.m. 0 comments
For that reason, I will deliberate on... stuff. That's happened. Somewhat recently. (It seems like it's been much longer since my last post than it really has...)
For one, I have discovered a reason that I might want to buy music: convenience. On a whim, but really while looking for rollerblade wheels (much harder to find than one would think), I wandered into HMV just to see if they had any albums that I wanted. Turns out, they had a surprising number of discs that were it not for a few reasons, I would have happily swooped up and carted home. Compare that to the hunting and searching for torrent files and the subsequent waiting and remembering to leave the client running and then fretting about sluggish performance on my PC because of BT being such a bandwidth hog. Yes, it's free, but that doesn't mean it's not also a bit of a hassle. Plus, I would be guaranteed of having a good rip when I pull the tracks off of the disc, since I'd be doing it myself. The good bits peter out there, however, because that's exactly one of the problems. I don't listen to music from CDs directly (or at least, I do it so rarely as to say that I don't). The first thing I would do after opening the disc would be slap it in my PC and rip it, while perhaps ogling the liner notes before they get banished to the closet. As a result, I find it really hard to slap down money for what is basically a disposable medium - sure, the liner notes are pretty, but I can do without, and the CD is a nifty hard copy of the album, but the odds of me losing the rip I make are slim. Plus, nowadays the labels are going to such lengths to make CDs rip-proof with stupid DRMs that they make them next to useless (ie. I could very likely end up running into such difficulty ripping that I just download the album like I would have if I had not bought it). Toss on my beefs with the recording industry, and any conveniency or ethics benefits I would get from purchasing my music are somewhat quashed, and I shall continue my wait for blanket licensing before buying music again.
(That, and I was able to find my albums much more easily via Overnet, albeit it will go much, much slower.)
For two, I have been steadily increasing my meat intake over the past couple of days. From having some really good burgers (they were easily one-third pounders!) Tuesday to the Quizno's yesterday, and the promise of more murdery goodness tonight, my protein needs are making themselves fulfilled with a vengeance. I have also firmly ensconced the goal of the meatwich on the horizon. A co-worker came up with the idea after deciding that his sandwich didn't have enough meat in it (although this was a sandwich from a place called The Butchery, where the meat:bun ratio is along the lines of 1:1). The solution proposed was to do away with the bun entirely, and use a nice long, thin slice of meat to contain the meat and sauces (and maybe even some lettuce for texture). Something like pancetta, but less fatty/greasy/sausagey? The whole thing would be done up into a roll and eaten like a fajita or wrap. Sounds like mighty good eating to me.
For three, I have been shopping! Well, I only got one thing, but it still involved hitting a retail establishment, which means shopping in my book. As my sunglasses were left to their unknown and probably somewhat dull fate at the cottage, I went and purchased a new pair. Because these ones will probably be just as abused as the last, I only spent about 20 bucks on them, but they don't look horrible and perform their function satisfactorily. It was a tie between the typical black sunglasses look and the amber-ish aviator style driving glasses, but I think good taste took the day with the standard black. I didn't think the driving ones looked too badly, but I also think that most people wouldn't have agreed. I will also be going shopping again tonight, but this time for a birthday present for my mom. Unfortunately, she is nigh-impossible to buy for, and presents me with a dilemma every year around this time. I have a plan to resurrect a mistake on my dad's part from many, many years ago (very much pre-me, as this occurred when my parents were still dating) (also, this was not entirely my idea, as I only heard the story from my aunt on Sunday), but otherwise I still haven't the foggiest idea what to get her. The problem is largely that her tastes and mine operate on entirely different wavelengths, resulting in almost all of my choices being rejected, and I fear that this will only be slightly addressed with my wandering a mall or plaza aimlessly, hoping that something jump out and scream "She wants one of me! Buy! Buy!" and that I can ignore all the things sidling up to me and saying "You know, while you're here, you might as well purchase one of me... Being here and all, you know." (whilst simultaneously my psyche yells "IT MUST BE MINE!!")
So yeah. I think 3 things is the extent of just about everything that's happened to me that I feel like sharing. Indeed. Yes. Right.
¶ 11:10 a.m. 0 comments
Monday, June 21, 2004
IT BURNS! The goggles, they do nothing!
At least, I would assume goggles would do nothing if I wore them, which I don't. They're not really much of a defense against allergies, which it seems that I'm suffering through now. My symptoms are nothing major - it's not like I'll be incapacitated if I don't take my meds or anything - but they are significant enough to be irritating. Specifically the itchy eyes. I can deal with sneezing and having my nose be a solid mass of mucous, but the fact that it feels like scratching the inside of my eyeballs would help just gets to me. Fortunately, following the credo of Better Living Through Chemistry, I have drugs that help.
So there hasn't been that much activity here recently, which is probably a result of my not having that much to say in recent days. In fact, one of the only things of note is that it's over. I was at my aunt's for dinner last night, and I had ribs. They were very good ribs, but they were ribs nonetheless, and as such my brief stint with vegetarianism is also over. Grand tally? 30 days, which is basically a month and since a month was my goal, I deem the experiment to be a success.
What were my results you say? Well, I can't give anything quantitative (which would give my old biology teacher fits) so I'll just do my usual pouring of thoughts on to the screen. In the first, there's nothing really wrong with wanting to only eat vegetables. I didn't really find that I missed meat, and it was definitely easier to cook vegan dishes, since I didn't have to worry in the slightest about whether or not my food was undercooked. In the second, I did get the impression that it was cheaper, since for an equal amount of money spent on meat versus vegetables, I could get at least twice the meals out of the veggies. When I did eat out, I ended up spending much less on food than I did before. In the third, I didn't notice any real health differences, but I wasn't on this diet long enough to notice any real change from not having as many proteins. I suspect that were I to continue it for longer, the lack of real protein would probably become apparant.
So to summarize, vegetarianism is not a bad thing. However, I would not want to adopt it as a lifestyle without know what I was doing. My net reaction therefore, somewhat predictably, is that of neutrality/apathy.
Moving right along, the vote is coming. At least in my country. I am as of yet undecided as to who I am voting for, but thanks to a particularly inspiring speech by a friend, I am not going to give in to apathy. Prior to then, I wasn't initally going to vote, partly due to laziness, partly due to a couple of facts. One, I didn't support any of the parties running. I still don't. Two, I didn't particularly support the system in general. I still think it's broken, but I have come to the conclusion that like it or not, this is the system we have, and it's not changing anytime soon. However, and this is where said speech came in, I have found that I dislike one party in particular much more than I dislike the others, and if my voting helps that the Tories don't make into power, then that's what I'll do. I can also at least have a decent retort ready when I bitch about the government and someone tries to throw the "if you didn't vote, you can't complain" argument in my face. My decision now rests on whether to vote for the Grits or the New Democrats. On the one hand, I could throw my support for the reign of the Liberals that we all know and love. On the other, the NDP has some good points on their platform that I like, but I distrust Layton. I will have to try and give the matter some pondering.
And now, back to work, I suppose.
¶ 3:32 p.m. 0 comments
At least, I would assume goggles would do nothing if I wore them, which I don't. They're not really much of a defense against allergies, which it seems that I'm suffering through now. My symptoms are nothing major - it's not like I'll be incapacitated if I don't take my meds or anything - but they are significant enough to be irritating. Specifically the itchy eyes. I can deal with sneezing and having my nose be a solid mass of mucous, but the fact that it feels like scratching the inside of my eyeballs would help just gets to me. Fortunately, following the credo of Better Living Through Chemistry, I have drugs that help.
So there hasn't been that much activity here recently, which is probably a result of my not having that much to say in recent days. In fact, one of the only things of note is that it's over. I was at my aunt's for dinner last night, and I had ribs. They were very good ribs, but they were ribs nonetheless, and as such my brief stint with vegetarianism is also over. Grand tally? 30 days, which is basically a month and since a month was my goal, I deem the experiment to be a success.
What were my results you say? Well, I can't give anything quantitative (which would give my old biology teacher fits) so I'll just do my usual pouring of thoughts on to the screen. In the first, there's nothing really wrong with wanting to only eat vegetables. I didn't really find that I missed meat, and it was definitely easier to cook vegan dishes, since I didn't have to worry in the slightest about whether or not my food was undercooked. In the second, I did get the impression that it was cheaper, since for an equal amount of money spent on meat versus vegetables, I could get at least twice the meals out of the veggies. When I did eat out, I ended up spending much less on food than I did before. In the third, I didn't notice any real health differences, but I wasn't on this diet long enough to notice any real change from not having as many proteins. I suspect that were I to continue it for longer, the lack of real protein would probably become apparant.
So to summarize, vegetarianism is not a bad thing. However, I would not want to adopt it as a lifestyle without know what I was doing. My net reaction therefore, somewhat predictably, is that of neutrality/apathy.
Moving right along, the vote is coming. At least in my country. I am as of yet undecided as to who I am voting for, but thanks to a particularly inspiring speech by a friend, I am not going to give in to apathy. Prior to then, I wasn't initally going to vote, partly due to laziness, partly due to a couple of facts. One, I didn't support any of the parties running. I still don't. Two, I didn't particularly support the system in general. I still think it's broken, but I have come to the conclusion that like it or not, this is the system we have, and it's not changing anytime soon. However, and this is where said speech came in, I have found that I dislike one party in particular much more than I dislike the others, and if my voting helps that the Tories don't make into power, then that's what I'll do. I can also at least have a decent retort ready when I bitch about the government and someone tries to throw the "if you didn't vote, you can't complain" argument in my face. My decision now rests on whether to vote for the Grits or the New Democrats. On the one hand, I could throw my support for the reign of the Liberals that we all know and love. On the other, the NDP has some good points on their platform that I like, but I distrust Layton. I will have to try and give the matter some pondering.
And now, back to work, I suppose.
¶ 3:32 p.m. 0 comments
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
The Chronicles of Riddick
Waiting for the bus after seeing it, I present the following review:
There's enough style here to cover three planets, just not enough substance for any depth. Riddick is kickass, but his chronicles could use some work.
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 7:48 p.m. 0 comments
Waiting for the bus after seeing it, I present the following review:
There's enough style here to cover three planets, just not enough substance for any depth. Riddick is kickass, but his chronicles could use some work.
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 7:48 p.m. 0 comments
Schroedinger's Laundry and Other Stories
I went to see Super Size Me last night. It is a very good movie, and I'll talk about it in a bit, but I want to back up to just before I saw the movie. While waiting in line with the friends I am seeing it with, the following conversational train of thought comes rolling out of our collective brains, all whistling and steaming with engineering-type cerebretion. (If it's not a word, it is one now!)
It is noted that I live not a block away in an apartment building. Because my apartment is located on the ground floor across from the mailboxes, it is deemed to be the ultimate in Slack Apartments. I then mention that although my apartment is in a prime slack location, my laundry facilities are on the top floor (the seventh) and therefore not conductive to Slack. Now having the laundry on the top floor of the building is kind of odd, but we decide that it doesn't much matter from the perspective of someone doing laundry, since because of the elevator, the distance is basically the same from all floors. However, it was pointed out to me that by going to the top floor, you would have more potential energy, and therefore--
"Stop!" I said. (Probably some of you are asking me to do the same...) "Physics is not meant to be applied to such daily tasks as laundry!"
See, the whole idea is based on the experiment in probability by Schroedinger in which he proposed the following:
take a box that totally shields its contents from observation, put inside a cat and a radioactive isotope, and seal up the box. Since you cannot observe what is happening, the probabilities that the cat is alive or dead are equal. Well, more or less. I am not an expert at quantum mechanics and have surely paraphrased the experiment horribly, but I think you get the idea. The gist is that the act of observing a (quantum) experiment may affect the experiment itself.
Now, once rolling, the concept of physics in relation to cleaning one's socks just can't be stopped, and we come to Schroedinger's Laundry. Once you dump your clothes in and close the lid, and viewing this from a quantum physics perspective, does it not follow that now they are now every color at once, just as the Cat is both alive and dead at the same instant? And following that further, does it not follow that every article of clothing could then become a left sock (as well as a right sock) simultaneously? So therefore, depending on what time you open the laundry machine, you could very well have a different number of socks than when you started (call this opening it at a "wrong time"). To correct an imbalance, you would have to be able to create an opposite wrong time that has the same imbalance, but on the other foot. It's all very theoretical, of course, and feel free to correct me if I mutilate something past the point of recognition. Otherwise, I suppose that's the lowdown on the situation between quantum physics and laundry. Be careful opening up the washing machine next time.
Once we were in the theater, not much more happened (other than my introduction to a particularly tasty Nanaimo bar) and the movie started. Super Size Me is a really good flick. Morgan Spurlock manages to make a very entertaining, very informative, very eye-opening look at the fast food industry and the way food has evolved in America. His main focus is on McDonald's of course, but the whole film is quite good. I thought the bit about the stomach surgery was a little too much though. Especially good are the art pieces used, as they are quite disturbing, but in a good way. I think.
The movie got me thinking, not about McDonald's or about fast food, but about lobbyists and capitalism. I mean, here we have this food industry, represented in Washington by lobbyist people whose sole job is to do whatever they can to ensure that their clients' business is not hampered by the government. One can only imagine what kinds of plying and wheedling that goes on there and who knows how much money is spent. I'm sure it's no different in Canada, just on a smaller scale perhaps. It's kind of depressing when you think about it. What we're seeing now is the results of what happens when you have these astronomically successful corporations that can spend absolutely scads and scads of money purely on the goal of making even larger scads of money, all while staying just on the right side of legal. Hence, you have marketing that is very very heavily directed towards children (to the point where it borders on brainwashing), food that affects your body in very addicting ways, and a team of crack lawyers that can defend what they do every step of the way. I'm not saying that they're responsible (we, the consumer, are as much at fault for letting them be the way they are) but rather that they aren't doing anything morally wrong. At least in the eyes of the System.
The same logic can be applied to the copyfight in that you have these huge organizations that represent the major record labels (although that may depend on your definition of represent...) and happen to be making money at the moment. They are fighting as hard as they can against anything that could challenge that situation. Downside is, in the copyfight we aren't talking about people's health. It is hard to take care of yourself when there are billions and billions and BILLIONS of dollars being poured into efforts to make you do otherwise. Against the bankrolls of the world's largest companies, the government can't help either. In short, the System is broken.
Unfortunately, there really isn't a solution. Sure, we could always give that Communism thing a go, but last time I checked, it wasn't really doing that well either. The thing is, that as broken as everything is, it's still what we've adopted, and since everything is still A-OK with the majority and in the spirit of democracy (which I do think to be the best way to govern, at least in theory), I have no choice but to respect that and go with the flow. Pay my taxes, vote in elections, not cause trouble. In short, be a decent citizen. Besides, it's not all bad, right?
Right?
¶ 1:33 p.m. 0 comments
I went to see Super Size Me last night. It is a very good movie, and I'll talk about it in a bit, but I want to back up to just before I saw the movie. While waiting in line with the friends I am seeing it with, the following conversational train of thought comes rolling out of our collective brains, all whistling and steaming with engineering-type cerebretion. (If it's not a word, it is one now!)
It is noted that I live not a block away in an apartment building. Because my apartment is located on the ground floor across from the mailboxes, it is deemed to be the ultimate in Slack Apartments. I then mention that although my apartment is in a prime slack location, my laundry facilities are on the top floor (the seventh) and therefore not conductive to Slack. Now having the laundry on the top floor of the building is kind of odd, but we decide that it doesn't much matter from the perspective of someone doing laundry, since because of the elevator, the distance is basically the same from all floors. However, it was pointed out to me that by going to the top floor, you would have more potential energy, and therefore--
"Stop!" I said. (Probably some of you are asking me to do the same...) "Physics is not meant to be applied to such daily tasks as laundry!"
See, the whole idea is based on the experiment in probability by Schroedinger in which he proposed the following:
take a box that totally shields its contents from observation, put inside a cat and a radioactive isotope, and seal up the box. Since you cannot observe what is happening, the probabilities that the cat is alive or dead are equal. Well, more or less. I am not an expert at quantum mechanics and have surely paraphrased the experiment horribly, but I think you get the idea. The gist is that the act of observing a (quantum) experiment may affect the experiment itself.
Now, once rolling, the concept of physics in relation to cleaning one's socks just can't be stopped, and we come to Schroedinger's Laundry. Once you dump your clothes in and close the lid, and viewing this from a quantum physics perspective, does it not follow that now they are now every color at once, just as the Cat is both alive and dead at the same instant? And following that further, does it not follow that every article of clothing could then become a left sock (as well as a right sock) simultaneously? So therefore, depending on what time you open the laundry machine, you could very well have a different number of socks than when you started (call this opening it at a "wrong time"). To correct an imbalance, you would have to be able to create an opposite wrong time that has the same imbalance, but on the other foot. It's all very theoretical, of course, and feel free to correct me if I mutilate something past the point of recognition. Otherwise, I suppose that's the lowdown on the situation between quantum physics and laundry. Be careful opening up the washing machine next time.
Once we were in the theater, not much more happened (other than my introduction to a particularly tasty Nanaimo bar) and the movie started. Super Size Me is a really good flick. Morgan Spurlock manages to make a very entertaining, very informative, very eye-opening look at the fast food industry and the way food has evolved in America. His main focus is on McDonald's of course, but the whole film is quite good. I thought the bit about the stomach surgery was a little too much though. Especially good are the art pieces used, as they are quite disturbing, but in a good way. I think.
The movie got me thinking, not about McDonald's or about fast food, but about lobbyists and capitalism. I mean, here we have this food industry, represented in Washington by lobbyist people whose sole job is to do whatever they can to ensure that their clients' business is not hampered by the government. One can only imagine what kinds of plying and wheedling that goes on there and who knows how much money is spent. I'm sure it's no different in Canada, just on a smaller scale perhaps. It's kind of depressing when you think about it. What we're seeing now is the results of what happens when you have these astronomically successful corporations that can spend absolutely scads and scads of money purely on the goal of making even larger scads of money, all while staying just on the right side of legal. Hence, you have marketing that is very very heavily directed towards children (to the point where it borders on brainwashing), food that affects your body in very addicting ways, and a team of crack lawyers that can defend what they do every step of the way. I'm not saying that they're responsible (we, the consumer, are as much at fault for letting them be the way they are) but rather that they aren't doing anything morally wrong. At least in the eyes of the System.
The same logic can be applied to the copyfight in that you have these huge organizations that represent the major record labels (although that may depend on your definition of represent...) and happen to be making money at the moment. They are fighting as hard as they can against anything that could challenge that situation. Downside is, in the copyfight we aren't talking about people's health. It is hard to take care of yourself when there are billions and billions and BILLIONS of dollars being poured into efforts to make you do otherwise. Against the bankrolls of the world's largest companies, the government can't help either. In short, the System is broken.
Unfortunately, there really isn't a solution. Sure, we could always give that Communism thing a go, but last time I checked, it wasn't really doing that well either. The thing is, that as broken as everything is, it's still what we've adopted, and since everything is still A-OK with the majority and in the spirit of democracy (which I do think to be the best way to govern, at least in theory), I have no choice but to respect that and go with the flow. Pay my taxes, vote in elections, not cause trouble. In short, be a decent citizen. Besides, it's not all bad, right?
Right?
¶ 1:33 p.m. 0 comments
Monday, June 14, 2004
Shibby!!!
At least, that's how I think you spell it... It's the word the Dudes say in Dude, Where's My Car? I happen to really like that movie, and I'll probably like the one coming about about the two guys that go to White Castle. (I forget the real title, but it has Doogie Howser in it!) But that's neither here nor there.
Had a great weekend out cottaging. As it turns out, Settlers of Catan is a really fun game, especially with the expansion for 5-6 players. Full power to the Sheep Press! (For those who don't know, which is probably most, due to strange interpretations of resource trading in the game, the Sheep Press is what you use to make just about everything out of sheep. You'd be surprised how versatile they are, able to form everything from edible wheat to building material grade lumber, to bricks and even stone!) Other than a few mishaps (the least of which being I lost my sunglasses, but since they only cost me about 25 bucks and were on the verge of self-destruction, I am not too broken up about it) there was good food, comfy accomodations, great weather and wacky antics for all. Would do it again in a heartbeat, and even faster if it was instead of work!
Just when I had gotten all pumped up about posting pictures here using Hello!, Blogger goes and does it again: audio blogging. Now they have a tool at Audioblogger.com that lets me phone in and record my post. It then encodes it as an mp3 and posts it here. Is that not the Cat's Pajamas or what? Man, I love Blogger. Now (in my not-so-humble opinion) all they need to do is include the Friends and threaded comments that LiveJournal has and it would be one of the best blogging sites period. I mean, you have cool themes, post-by-email, post-by-phone, image hosting and 3rd party site capability, all with an easy to use interface, all for free, and with the additions I mentioned, it would add a more cohesive user community and improved feedback that I just might implement here. How do they do this? It violates the laws of economics in a manner similar to crepes violating the laws of physics in that you can eat them indefinitely and not get full! (I don't know how much sense that made, but I think my excitement is clear.)
Anyways, I'm now reconsidering this Blogroll thing, in that I keep forgetting to update it. And yet, I still want to share a bunch of the nifty sites that I see with y'all. Fortunately, Bloglines, the site I use to aggregate my RSS feeds and waste a bunch of time daily also has blogroll hosting, so I might just give them a try. In the meantime, just go take a look at what's there now, since it might disappear in a few days.
¶ 3:09 p.m. 0 comments
At least, that's how I think you spell it... It's the word the Dudes say in Dude, Where's My Car? I happen to really like that movie, and I'll probably like the one coming about about the two guys that go to White Castle. (I forget the real title, but it has Doogie Howser in it!) But that's neither here nor there.
Had a great weekend out cottaging. As it turns out, Settlers of Catan is a really fun game, especially with the expansion for 5-6 players. Full power to the Sheep Press! (For those who don't know, which is probably most, due to strange interpretations of resource trading in the game, the Sheep Press is what you use to make just about everything out of sheep. You'd be surprised how versatile they are, able to form everything from edible wheat to building material grade lumber, to bricks and even stone!) Other than a few mishaps (the least of which being I lost my sunglasses, but since they only cost me about 25 bucks and were on the verge of self-destruction, I am not too broken up about it) there was good food, comfy accomodations, great weather and wacky antics for all. Would do it again in a heartbeat, and even faster if it was instead of work!
Just when I had gotten all pumped up about posting pictures here using Hello!, Blogger goes and does it again: audio blogging. Now they have a tool at Audioblogger.com that lets me phone in and record my post. It then encodes it as an mp3 and posts it here. Is that not the Cat's Pajamas or what? Man, I love Blogger. Now (in my not-so-humble opinion) all they need to do is include the Friends and threaded comments that LiveJournal has and it would be one of the best blogging sites period. I mean, you have cool themes, post-by-email, post-by-phone, image hosting and 3rd party site capability, all with an easy to use interface, all for free, and with the additions I mentioned, it would add a more cohesive user community and improved feedback that I just might implement here. How do they do this? It violates the laws of economics in a manner similar to crepes violating the laws of physics in that you can eat them indefinitely and not get full! (I don't know how much sense that made, but I think my excitement is clear.)
Anyways, I'm now reconsidering this Blogroll thing, in that I keep forgetting to update it. And yet, I still want to share a bunch of the nifty sites that I see with y'all. Fortunately, Bloglines, the site I use to aggregate my RSS feeds and waste a bunch of time daily also has blogroll hosting, so I might just give them a try. In the meantime, just go take a look at what's there now, since it might disappear in a few days.
¶ 3:09 p.m. 0 comments
Friday, June 11, 2004
Are you pondering what I am pondering?
I'm in one of those In-Between Times. You know, where you're without anything to do right at this moment, but at any second you could receive a crucial piece of feedback or have to go to a meeting and like that, you're back to working productively. In the meantime, however, things are happening, but all around you. To other people. It's like the eye of the work hurricane that is perpertually sweeping the office.
So what have I been up to? I have been in the midst of a bit of a music renaissance, in that I have had my interest in a number of different bands sparked and I am right now listening to a whole schwack of new rock. The "new" album I have listened to most recently would be The Doors self-titled first album. It's pretty solid stuff, but I didn't expect that they were as organ-driven as they are. The guitar is almost inaudible alongside the wailing keyboard. Deep Purple is still rather big in my playlist, and for a couple of days couldn't go five minutes without getting "Lazy" from Machine Head in my head. I'm also delving into more stoner metal, waiting for the latest Monster Magnet album, Monolithic Baby, to arrive as well as checking out some Queens of the Stone Age and some Fu Manchu. Only group in that genre that I want to hear more of, but don't think I'll be able to, is Sleep. And Galactic Cowboys, actually, so make that two groups. Sleep is a very low-profile band, but their album Jerusalem is apparantly one solid 60-minute long song about weed, whereas Galactic Cowboys just sounds kind of funky and worth a listen. Too bad they're obscure enough to be difficult to find though...
There has been a glut of prog metal in my playlists as well, mostly comprised of Dream Theater at the moment. I think I've expounded my thoughts on them before, so I'll keep it short and say that Train of Thought, their latest album is pretty awesome. I don't know really why I like progressive metal so much, but it just kind of has me slightly hooked. I think it has to do with the way it weaves together the ambitious grandeur of art rock with the broad, deep soundscapes of orchestral music, all while not ignoring the subtle, nuanced way that heavy metal caresses your ears like a thrown brick caresses a window. I would liken it to an auditory form of either pie crust or a Pan-galactic Gargle Blaster, but I haven't decided which yet. Probably pie crust. At least it has a chance of being full of tasty apple
I have also been watching a fair bit of Samurai Jack, as I received the first season of the show a week or two ago. Basically, the show is the best elements of the movies that Genndy Tartakovsky (its creator) watched as a kid. Conan the Barbarian. Star Wars. Seven Samurai. Blade Runner. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. All the best elements of cyberpunk, samurai epic, western, space opera, all funnelled into a cartoon about a samurai who is thrown into a future ruled by his nemesis, Aku. This show simply oozes style out of every pore, from the artistic style (ala Dexter's Lab) to the direction to the voices. The show is basically a heroic epic, while still being accessible to just about darn near everybody. Highly recommended to all.
Trailer Park Boys wrapped up it's 4th season not too long ago, and I saw the season finale this week. My verdict? Best season yet. I mean, does it get better than the Samsquantch monster? Or Ricky facing off with Leahy, hitting him up for smokes when Leahy is pointing a loaded gun at his face? Or Conky? ... Scratch that. Conky takes it. Plus, the end of the season is a pretty big doozy and looks to open up season five (should there be one...) quite nicely. Looking forward to it, to say the least.
Other than watching TV and listening to music though, (and other than working, of course) not too much is new with me. I am looking forward to the weekend, as I am heading out to cottage-country with some folk, so that looks to be a lot of fun. I am doubtful of my receiving BlackBerry service though, so there will probably be no posting. Somehow, I'm sure y'all will survive.
¶ 2:19 p.m. 0 comments
I'm in one of those In-Between Times. You know, where you're without anything to do right at this moment, but at any second you could receive a crucial piece of feedback or have to go to a meeting and like that, you're back to working productively. In the meantime, however, things are happening, but all around you. To other people. It's like the eye of the work hurricane that is perpertually sweeping the office.
So what have I been up to? I have been in the midst of a bit of a music renaissance, in that I have had my interest in a number of different bands sparked and I am right now listening to a whole schwack of new rock. The "new" album I have listened to most recently would be The Doors self-titled first album. It's pretty solid stuff, but I didn't expect that they were as organ-driven as they are. The guitar is almost inaudible alongside the wailing keyboard. Deep Purple is still rather big in my playlist, and for a couple of days couldn't go five minutes without getting "Lazy" from Machine Head in my head. I'm also delving into more stoner metal, waiting for the latest Monster Magnet album, Monolithic Baby, to arrive as well as checking out some Queens of the Stone Age and some Fu Manchu. Only group in that genre that I want to hear more of, but don't think I'll be able to, is Sleep. And Galactic Cowboys, actually, so make that two groups. Sleep is a very low-profile band, but their album Jerusalem is apparantly one solid 60-minute long song about weed, whereas Galactic Cowboys just sounds kind of funky and worth a listen. Too bad they're obscure enough to be difficult to find though...
There has been a glut of prog metal in my playlists as well, mostly comprised of Dream Theater at the moment. I think I've expounded my thoughts on them before, so I'll keep it short and say that Train of Thought, their latest album is pretty awesome. I don't know really why I like progressive metal so much, but it just kind of has me slightly hooked. I think it has to do with the way it weaves together the ambitious grandeur of art rock with the broad, deep soundscapes of orchestral music, all while not ignoring the subtle, nuanced way that heavy metal caresses your ears like a thrown brick caresses a window. I would liken it to an auditory form of either pie crust or a Pan-galactic Gargle Blaster, but I haven't decided which yet. Probably pie crust. At least it has a chance of being full of tasty apple
I have also been watching a fair bit of Samurai Jack, as I received the first season of the show a week or two ago. Basically, the show is the best elements of the movies that Genndy Tartakovsky (its creator) watched as a kid. Conan the Barbarian. Star Wars. Seven Samurai. Blade Runner. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. All the best elements of cyberpunk, samurai epic, western, space opera, all funnelled into a cartoon about a samurai who is thrown into a future ruled by his nemesis, Aku. This show simply oozes style out of every pore, from the artistic style (ala Dexter's Lab) to the direction to the voices. The show is basically a heroic epic, while still being accessible to just about darn near everybody. Highly recommended to all.
Trailer Park Boys wrapped up it's 4th season not too long ago, and I saw the season finale this week. My verdict? Best season yet. I mean, does it get better than the Samsquantch monster? Or Ricky facing off with Leahy, hitting him up for smokes when Leahy is pointing a loaded gun at his face? Or Conky? ... Scratch that. Conky takes it. Plus, the end of the season is a pretty big doozy and looks to open up season five (should there be one...) quite nicely. Looking forward to it, to say the least.
Other than watching TV and listening to music though, (and other than working, of course) not too much is new with me. I am looking forward to the weekend, as I am heading out to cottage-country with some folk, so that looks to be a lot of fun. I am doubtful of my receiving BlackBerry service though, so there will probably be no posting. Somehow, I'm sure y'all will survive.
¶ 2:19 p.m. 0 comments
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Et voila!
A few pictures from my trip. Note that I did not say interesting pictures. These are just a few things that caught my eye over 2 days. I do have others, but I have yet to install the panorama-stitcher software to glue them together into amazing vistas. I'll post those when I get them. The rest of the shots are mainly of buildings, as I felt I would seem rude snapping pictures of the rest of the performer-types I saw (3-Recorder Guy, Improv Drum Guy, Harp Guy, Harp Chick, the Dance Troupe) without buying the albums they were selling or at least giving money or something. (I did pay Marco and Pierre-Luc, the performers I did get pics of. They were quite good.)
So yeah. Go look. ¶ 7:41 p.m. 0 comments
A few pictures from my trip. Note that I did not say interesting pictures. These are just a few things that caught my eye over 2 days. I do have others, but I have yet to install the panorama-stitcher software to glue them together into amazing vistas. I'll post those when I get them. The rest of the shots are mainly of buildings, as I felt I would seem rude snapping pictures of the rest of the performer-types I saw (3-Recorder Guy, Improv Drum Guy, Harp Guy, Harp Chick, the Dance Troupe) without buying the albums they were selling or at least giving money or something. (I did pay Marco and Pierre-Luc, the performers I did get pics of. They were quite good.)
So yeah. Go look. ¶ 7:41 p.m. 0 comments
La Maison Hantee: Some kind of dinner theater establishment. I must see their show. The place looked that cool.
¶ 7:40 p.m. 0 comments
The results of one of Quebec City's community projects. I thought the muralled overpass supports were pretty neat. Cities should do more stuff like this.
¶ 7:39 p.m. 0 comments
The "stage" under the overpass. There were signs about ending deportation or something, but beats me who they were protesting against. Only ones there were more folk like these guys.
¶ 7:38 p.m. 0 comments
Two diabolos at once. If only I could find these things to purchase... (sigh)
¶ 7:37 p.m. 0 comments
See, when you're a street performer, nobody gives you a hard time for climbing statues and throwing things from them.
¶ 7:36 p.m. 0 comments
When the harsh light of the Cold Star is in the sky, beware of the Shug-Niggurath'othgoth which will ambush you from rooftops as you make for your car.
¶ 7:33 p.m. 0 comments
The church has a neon sign. A NEON SIGN! Directly across from strip clubs with neon signs!
¶ 7:32 p.m. 0 comments
Monday, June 07, 2004
Chalk one up for Eastern drivers
I am waiting for my bus, and a firetruck goes by, sirens blaring and horn blasting. You would have to be dead not to notice it coming. Of the twenty-odd drivers at the intersection I am waiting at, one almost moves to clear the way for the firetruck. Otherwise, everyone just ignores it. True, there was a turning lane open that the emergency vehicle went through, but that is SO not the point. I don't remember if Western drivers are as bad, but jeebus, this level of apathy gets to even me.
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¶ 3:43 p.m. 0 comments
I am waiting for my bus, and a firetruck goes by, sirens blaring and horn blasting. You would have to be dead not to notice it coming. Of the twenty-odd drivers at the intersection I am waiting at, one almost moves to clear the way for the firetruck. Otherwise, everyone just ignores it. True, there was a turning lane open that the emergency vehicle went through, but that is SO not the point. I don't remember if Western drivers are as bad, but jeebus, this level of apathy gets to even me.
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 3:43 p.m. 0 comments
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Saturday, pt 3
One of the things I happen to love about the summer are street performers. They're basically some of the descendants of circus acrobats and ultimately jesters, and quite frankly, I really wish I could do what they do. Sure, I can juggle, but where I do basic three-ball, they do two-man 6-club. On unicycles. One of which is 6 feet tall. Yeah. What's more, the guys I saw were able to harness the crazy power of the diabolo, which is just crazy-cool.
"Fuck la mode" -- a t-shirt prominently displayed in an old Quebec window
Quebec City is rather quiet. Outside of the old city, there really wasn't much of anything, and everything seemed rather ghost townish. From what I've seen, the emphasis here when it comes to nightlife is less toward the subterranean bass pits that form the majority of the Montreal clubs, and more toward trattoria-style restaurant/bars. Essentially my kind of places. However, lacking the comrades to visit them with, I shall wait until my next visit here.
One other thing of note was the concert I noticed underneath an overpass. Seemed to be a benefit or an aid concert or something, but seemed to be very amateur. Didn't stay to watch, but I heard them still going as I headed for my room a few hours later.
Because my sandals cause me no end of discomfort sometimes, and this weekend is one of those times, by the end of the day today my feet were screaming at me. Toss in some shoulder pain from lugging around my bag all day, and I was ready to collapse just after sundown. So I am now in my hotel watching the hockey game (or at least the 3rd period) and quite ready to pass out as soon as it's over.
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¶ 9:15 p.m. 0 comments
One of the things I happen to love about the summer are street performers. They're basically some of the descendants of circus acrobats and ultimately jesters, and quite frankly, I really wish I could do what they do. Sure, I can juggle, but where I do basic three-ball, they do two-man 6-club. On unicycles. One of which is 6 feet tall. Yeah. What's more, the guys I saw were able to harness the crazy power of the diabolo, which is just crazy-cool.
"Fuck la mode" -- a t-shirt prominently displayed in an old Quebec window
Quebec City is rather quiet. Outside of the old city, there really wasn't much of anything, and everything seemed rather ghost townish. From what I've seen, the emphasis here when it comes to nightlife is less toward the subterranean bass pits that form the majority of the Montreal clubs, and more toward trattoria-style restaurant/bars. Essentially my kind of places. However, lacking the comrades to visit them with, I shall wait until my next visit here.
One other thing of note was the concert I noticed underneath an overpass. Seemed to be a benefit or an aid concert or something, but seemed to be very amateur. Didn't stay to watch, but I heard them still going as I headed for my room a few hours later.
Because my sandals cause me no end of discomfort sometimes, and this weekend is one of those times, by the end of the day today my feet were screaming at me. Toss in some shoulder pain from lugging around my bag all day, and I was ready to collapse just after sundown. So I am now in my hotel watching the hockey game (or at least the 3rd period) and quite ready to pass out as soon as it's over.
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 9:15 p.m. 0 comments
Saturday, pt 2
On the train to Quebec City:
Well, first of all, the train I am on now is far spiffier than the onei took to get to Montreal. This one is far more "VIA Rail like" than the previous, which is to say that it is much more the sort of thing I think of when I think of this sort of thing. I spent the rest of the morning wandering around, seeing the city, and am now off to do more of the same. Hurrah!
The countryside of interior Quebec is much more like the prairies I am used to. The only significant differences are that it is more green, and there are these rather large hills dotting the landscape. For some reason the locals refer to them as mountains, but that's just silly since we all know that mountains are huge affairs with pointed tops and snowcaps and such.
Quebec City:
I happen to really like crepes. Therefore it is fortunate that I came across a creperie during my visit here. (La Petit Chateau, for the curious.)
Quebec City is very much not like Montreal. For one, it is far older, which lends it a very European feel to it. The buildings are very close together and have the effect of looming over the streets. The architecture further amplifies this, as everything is very tall and pointy. I have also discovered that the Chateau Frontenac is MASSIVE. Seriously, I didn't think that it would be as huge as it is. Its closest compare would be the Chateau Lake Louise, but I am not sure that even that comes close in possessing the same gravity, as it is in turn dwarfed by the mountains.
The Plains of Abraham were also pretty cool. I mean, how often does one see a city with cannons? (Excepting of course, those that already live in or nearby cities that have cannons.) The fact that the Plains were also a battleground only sweetens the deal.
Continued
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¶ 7:44 p.m. 0 comments
On the train to Quebec City:
Well, first of all, the train I am on now is far spiffier than the onei took to get to Montreal. This one is far more "VIA Rail like" than the previous, which is to say that it is much more the sort of thing I think of when I think of this sort of thing. I spent the rest of the morning wandering around, seeing the city, and am now off to do more of the same. Hurrah!
The countryside of interior Quebec is much more like the prairies I am used to. The only significant differences are that it is more green, and there are these rather large hills dotting the landscape. For some reason the locals refer to them as mountains, but that's just silly since we all know that mountains are huge affairs with pointed tops and snowcaps and such.
Quebec City:
I happen to really like crepes. Therefore it is fortunate that I came across a creperie during my visit here. (La Petit Chateau, for the curious.)
Quebec City is very much not like Montreal. For one, it is far older, which lends it a very European feel to it. The buildings are very close together and have the effect of looming over the streets. The architecture further amplifies this, as everything is very tall and pointy. I have also discovered that the Chateau Frontenac is MASSIVE. Seriously, I didn't think that it would be as huge as it is. Its closest compare would be the Chateau Lake Louise, but I am not sure that even that comes close in possessing the same gravity, as it is in turn dwarfed by the mountains.
The Plains of Abraham were also pretty cool. I mean, how often does one see a city with cannons? (Excepting of course, those that already live in or nearby cities that have cannons.) The fact that the Plains were also a battleground only sweetens the deal.
Continued
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¶ 7:44 p.m. 0 comments
Saturday
Montreal, last night, post-posting:
I rode the Metro! I must confess that it was my first time riding a subway, and it was awesome! Just sitting in the tunnel, there's this predominant WHUD that is reminiscent of the bass you hear outside loud clubs. Then, when the train arrives, it comes screaming into the station, just like the ghost train from Ghostbusters! Tres cool.
I love June. Just walking around last night, being comfortable sans jacket was awesome. I ended up checking into a Days Inn just west of downtown (at 150 a night! Yikes!) and just kind of collapsed.
Montreal, this morning:
Traffic lights in Montreal are odd. For one, they don't span over the street, and for another, they rarely have pedestrian crossing lights. Odd thing to bring up, I know, but that's what popped into my head while checking out today.
I am currently at a sidewalk cafe-type place called Mangia on Peel and Maisonneuve. Very good fruit salad, and they brew a tasty cup of coffee. I have just come from on top of the mountain (Mount Royal, for those unaware) and I must say that it is supremely neat to be in a city that has a forested mountain in its backyard.
Now, I believe that I shall be off to take more pictures of... stuff. And things.
Later this morning:
I just saw a man playing 3 recorders at once. One was in his mouth, and one was in each nostril. I must add that he was making some pretty cool music.
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 12:42 p.m. 0 comments
Montreal, last night, post-posting:
I rode the Metro! I must confess that it was my first time riding a subway, and it was awesome! Just sitting in the tunnel, there's this predominant WHUD that is reminiscent of the bass you hear outside loud clubs. Then, when the train arrives, it comes screaming into the station, just like the ghost train from Ghostbusters! Tres cool.
I love June. Just walking around last night, being comfortable sans jacket was awesome. I ended up checking into a Days Inn just west of downtown (at 150 a night! Yikes!) and just kind of collapsed.
Montreal, this morning:
Traffic lights in Montreal are odd. For one, they don't span over the street, and for another, they rarely have pedestrian crossing lights. Odd thing to bring up, I know, but that's what popped into my head while checking out today.
I am currently at a sidewalk cafe-type place called Mangia on Peel and Maisonneuve. Very good fruit salad, and they brew a tasty cup of coffee. I have just come from on top of the mountain (Mount Royal, for those unaware) and I must say that it is supremely neat to be in a city that has a forested mountain in its backyard.
Now, I believe that I shall be off to take more pictures of... stuff. And things.
Later this morning:
I just saw a man playing 3 recorders at once. One was in his mouth, and one was in each nostril. I must add that he was making some pretty cool music.
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¶ 12:42 p.m. 0 comments
Friday, June 04, 2004
P.S.
I highly recommend the Piazzatta at St. Catherine and Amherst. Great veggie pizza, and it's square! How cool is that?
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 8:59 p.m. 0 comments
I highly recommend the Piazzatta at St. Catherine and Amherst. Great veggie pizza, and it's square! How cool is that?
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 8:59 p.m. 0 comments
Friday
While on the train:
- I am used to travelling (at least by land) through the prairies and mountains. Compared to those, the Ontario/Quebec countryside is very deciduous, meaning not yellow and flat, nor green/gray and mountainy - just slightly hilly, very green, and overall very friendly, inviting and pleasant. I find travelling by train to be less executive than flying, but moreso than driving. I think I quite like it.
- There is a group of women at the back of the car I am in. Occasionally they start whooping and shrieking and carrying on. I haven't a clue why, but it is likely involved with Montreal somehow. (Or they could all be batty. One can never tell, you know.)
In Montreal:
I have basically been wandering St. Catherines street, with small detours off occasionally. To sum up, Montreal is probably the most urban city I have been in in recent memory. Its closest competitor would probably be Toronto, but I have only seen most of the TO from the 401 or other majorish thoroughfare.
Montreal is very interesting to wander through. I was surprised at how bilingual it is; far more so than Ottawa, as Ottawa is only really bilingual from a top-down perspective (that is to say from the government's POV). Furthermore, Montreal is also the only city I have been in where the strip clubs are a) on every block, and b) advertised to an astounding level, including promises of full-touch danses and replete with neon lights.
I am currently writing in a neat little pizza place, awaiting my food, and now pondering my next two problems. In the first, where I am going to spend the night, and in the second, how I am going to allot time to get back to the train station. I have much to see while I am here, and an unknown amount of time to see it in.
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 7:58 p.m. 0 comments
While on the train:
- I am used to travelling (at least by land) through the prairies and mountains. Compared to those, the Ontario/Quebec countryside is very deciduous, meaning not yellow and flat, nor green/gray and mountainy - just slightly hilly, very green, and overall very friendly, inviting and pleasant. I find travelling by train to be less executive than flying, but moreso than driving. I think I quite like it.
- There is a group of women at the back of the car I am in. Occasionally they start whooping and shrieking and carrying on. I haven't a clue why, but it is likely involved with Montreal somehow. (Or they could all be batty. One can never tell, you know.)
In Montreal:
I have basically been wandering St. Catherines street, with small detours off occasionally. To sum up, Montreal is probably the most urban city I have been in in recent memory. Its closest competitor would probably be Toronto, but I have only seen most of the TO from the 401 or other majorish thoroughfare.
Montreal is very interesting to wander through. I was surprised at how bilingual it is; far more so than Ottawa, as Ottawa is only really bilingual from a top-down perspective (that is to say from the government's POV). Furthermore, Montreal is also the only city I have been in where the strip clubs are a) on every block, and b) advertised to an astounding level, including promises of full-touch danses and replete with neon lights.
I am currently writing in a neat little pizza place, awaiting my food, and now pondering my next two problems. In the first, where I am going to spend the night, and in the second, how I am going to allot time to get back to the train station. I have much to see while I am here, and an unknown amount of time to see it in.
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 7:58 p.m. 0 comments
Off like a herd of turtles.
I am off on a wondrous and magical adventure to...
Quebec. I will be leaving work in about 20 minutes, then leaving on the train not too long after that. Never been on a train before, so it will be an experience to be sure. I have my camera, so I will try to take pictures and perhaps even post some up here for those interested. I will also be making updates from my BlackBerry, so there's that as well. Isn't technology great?
Still, I have yet to figure out what I will be doing. Yes, I could just go bar-hopping in downtown Montreal and QC, but the thing is that I'm really not a bar person. I don't particularly like the dark, smoky, loud, oppressive atmosphere, and furthermore, I'm not really a go-out-and-meet-people type. If I do go out, it's with friends to socialize, and to that end, I like my get-togethers in places where you can actually see and hear the people you're with. (For example, the diner is a great example of such a place. Patios are another.) Essentially what I'm getting at is that I would be clueless and misplaced when dropped in a bar on my own. If I were just looking to find an easy Montreal babe and hook up for the weekend, it would be another story, but that's not my goal. Just looking for a good time. We'll have to see what happens.
In another, unrelated note, I am going to be signing up for the City Chase, and that looks like loads of fun. I will expound more as the event, y'know, happens.
¶ 2:26 p.m. 0 comments
I am off on a wondrous and magical adventure to...
Quebec. I will be leaving work in about 20 minutes, then leaving on the train not too long after that. Never been on a train before, so it will be an experience to be sure. I have my camera, so I will try to take pictures and perhaps even post some up here for those interested. I will also be making updates from my BlackBerry, so there's that as well. Isn't technology great?
Still, I have yet to figure out what I will be doing. Yes, I could just go bar-hopping in downtown Montreal and QC, but the thing is that I'm really not a bar person. I don't particularly like the dark, smoky, loud, oppressive atmosphere, and furthermore, I'm not really a go-out-and-meet-people type. If I do go out, it's with friends to socialize, and to that end, I like my get-togethers in places where you can actually see and hear the people you're with. (For example, the diner is a great example of such a place. Patios are another.) Essentially what I'm getting at is that I would be clueless and misplaced when dropped in a bar on my own. If I were just looking to find an easy Montreal babe and hook up for the weekend, it would be another story, but that's not my goal. Just looking for a good time. We'll have to see what happens.
In another, unrelated note, I am going to be signing up for the City Chase, and that looks like loads of fun. I will expound more as the event, y'know, happens.
¶ 2:26 p.m. 0 comments
Thursday, June 03, 2004
It has just occurred to me
Walking down the street to fencing, with a sword in hand and a hat bearing the Soviet hammer and sickler, jamming to obscure heavy metal, I probably look like a rather crazy son of a bitch.
Cool.
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¶ 5:01 p.m. 0 comments
Walking down the street to fencing, with a sword in hand and a hat bearing the Soviet hammer and sickler, jamming to obscure heavy metal, I probably look like a rather crazy son of a bitch.
Cool.
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
¶ 5:01 p.m. 0 comments
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
A joke character I whipped up in City of Heroes. Read his ID card here. If you don't get it, then you probably just don't play enough video games...
Posted by Hello ¶ 6:54 p.m. 0 comments
A very Me-centric post coming up.
Note about the Blogroll: If you keep your cursor over the link for a second, some of them have some comments by me that will pop up. Just in case you wanted my two cents about what you would maybe be about to click.
Things are good.
By things, I of course mean recent events in the Realm of Me, and also meaning stuff in general. I received a package from Amazon yesterday containing the Invader Zim Vol 1 and Samurai Jack Season 1 DVDs as well as Top Ten Book 2. This is significant mainly because of the cumulative ass-kicking-ness of the sum of each item. Invader Zim is easily one of the better cartoons that has been put on the airwaves, tragically short-lived as it was due to marketing towards the wrong crowd. Samurai Jack on the other hand, which I started watching for the first time yesterday, is just uber. This is easily one of the best cartoon series I have seen, and it is all because of style. Everything about it just oozes style. I mean, the first episode has a total of barely 8 minutes of dialogue! It is AWESOME!!!
Top Ten is a special case. For one, it is penned by the unimitable Alan Moore. For another, it is the first thing I thought of when I started playing City of Heroes. Basically the idea is that back just before World War 2, science-heroes and aliens and robots and other such types started cropping up, and as they grew in population, Neopolis was created. It's basically a giant city where all the said super-people and otherwise abnormal folk live. Given that a city filled to the brim with superheroes, aliens, mad scientists, gods, robots and trans-dimensional pan-galactic beings live would be nigh-impossible for a normal police force to keep the peace in, a deal was struck with another dimension called Grand Central to have a precinct set up. This is Precinct 10 aka Top Ten, and basically holds the protagonists of the comic. End result? One part traditional superhero comic, one part satire on said traditional superhero comic, one part NYPD Blue-esque drama on day-to-day cop life, and one part "Where's Waldo?". I toss that last one only because nearly every bloody panel in the series has some in-joke to other comics or cartoons, whether it's a neo-cubist painting of the Fantastic Four on Lt. Colby's wall, to a cameo of Astro Boy flying in the background of a panel, or a re-enactment of the Arrival of Galactus done by Atom-Cats and Ultra-Mice (mice and kitties with super-powers). Oh yes, I am much a fan of Top Ten.
Cool new stuff to play with aside, I am looking forward to a most eventful weekend. Seems a friend of my parents had a free VIA Rail ticket, so I get to go to Quebec for a couple of days! I leave Friday afternoon for Montreal, and then continue to Quebec City the next day. I haven't a clue what I will be doing while I'm there, other than wandering around being a tourist, but if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to shout them out at me. The ones I have received so far amount to checking out Crescent St. and/or St Catherines St., and also to wander around "old" Montreal in the morning. For Quebec City, wandering around the "old" area there, (particularly the Chateau Frontenac, which is always a staple of trips to QC,) and also the street entertainment on the boardwalk by the St. Laurent.
To put this in gaming terms, how should I best gain some solo XP in the Montreal and Quebec City zones? (It's not exactly like I can just go beat up MOBs or anything...)
¶ 12:30 p.m. 0 comments
Note about the Blogroll: If you keep your cursor over the link for a second, some of them have some comments by me that will pop up. Just in case you wanted my two cents about what you would maybe be about to click.
Things are good.
By things, I of course mean recent events in the Realm of Me, and also meaning stuff in general. I received a package from Amazon yesterday containing the Invader Zim Vol 1 and Samurai Jack Season 1 DVDs as well as Top Ten Book 2. This is significant mainly because of the cumulative ass-kicking-ness of the sum of each item. Invader Zim is easily one of the better cartoons that has been put on the airwaves, tragically short-lived as it was due to marketing towards the wrong crowd. Samurai Jack on the other hand, which I started watching for the first time yesterday, is just uber. This is easily one of the best cartoon series I have seen, and it is all because of style. Everything about it just oozes style. I mean, the first episode has a total of barely 8 minutes of dialogue! It is AWESOME!!!
Top Ten is a special case. For one, it is penned by the unimitable Alan Moore. For another, it is the first thing I thought of when I started playing City of Heroes. Basically the idea is that back just before World War 2, science-heroes and aliens and robots and other such types started cropping up, and as they grew in population, Neopolis was created. It's basically a giant city where all the said super-people and otherwise abnormal folk live. Given that a city filled to the brim with superheroes, aliens, mad scientists, gods, robots and trans-dimensional pan-galactic beings live would be nigh-impossible for a normal police force to keep the peace in, a deal was struck with another dimension called Grand Central to have a precinct set up. This is Precinct 10 aka Top Ten, and basically holds the protagonists of the comic. End result? One part traditional superhero comic, one part satire on said traditional superhero comic, one part NYPD Blue-esque drama on day-to-day cop life, and one part "Where's Waldo?". I toss that last one only because nearly every bloody panel in the series has some in-joke to other comics or cartoons, whether it's a neo-cubist painting of the Fantastic Four on Lt. Colby's wall, to a cameo of Astro Boy flying in the background of a panel, or a re-enactment of the Arrival of Galactus done by Atom-Cats and Ultra-Mice (mice and kitties with super-powers). Oh yes, I am much a fan of Top Ten.
Cool new stuff to play with aside, I am looking forward to a most eventful weekend. Seems a friend of my parents had a free VIA Rail ticket, so I get to go to Quebec for a couple of days! I leave Friday afternoon for Montreal, and then continue to Quebec City the next day. I haven't a clue what I will be doing while I'm there, other than wandering around being a tourist, but if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to shout them out at me. The ones I have received so far amount to checking out Crescent St. and/or St Catherines St., and also to wander around "old" Montreal in the morning. For Quebec City, wandering around the "old" area there, (particularly the Chateau Frontenac, which is always a staple of trips to QC,) and also the street entertainment on the boardwalk by the St. Laurent.
To put this in gaming terms, how should I best gain some solo XP in the Montreal and Quebec City zones? (It's not exactly like I can just go beat up MOBs or anything...)
¶ 12:30 p.m. 0 comments
They did that when??
I am always amazed when I read science books. Take the Asimov one I am reading presently: The Planet That Wasn't. It is basically a collection of his essays that appeared in publications on a variety of topics, but in each one he goes into roughly the same level of detail in his explanations of things. This usually entails talking about the major discoverers of scientific innovations that had a profound impact on the world, and I am always struck by the dates cited.
Newton's discovery of the visible spectrum was published in 1704. Neptune was discovered using mathematics and the Universal Law of Gravity in 1843. Spectroscopy was developed in the 1850s. All this just seems incredulous to me. I mean, we think we're advanced, right? We consider ourselves to have moved beyond the technological and intellectual levels of 150 years ago. And yet, here we are, in the 21st century. We know all about what our predecessors do and can search for knowledge far better than they could. Still, I have the impression that we haven't done nearly anything close to that noteworthy. Where are our discoveries that will lay out the road map for imaginings of the future?
It can't be that there isn't anything to discover. The Universe is too big, too deep, too rich with stuff for that. The level of cosms is simply mind-boggling - no matter how far you go, there's always another level. I mean, if you start here at the person level, you can go back out through the cities, regions, nations, planets, systems, sectors and galaxies, but still you end up at more galaxies, and even theorized galaxies of galaxies, and bigger still ad infinitum! Conversely, we go down to the microscopic, through the cellular, to molecules and atoms and neutrons to quarks and even smaller still to fermions and such. Who knows if there is anything smaller still?
No, there is still much left to discover, so why do I feel we haven't scratched the surface of it? I suppose it could be because I'm learning all this in hindsight. Time seems so much more compressed when viewed in retrospective, so maybe what we're doing now is not unlike what they did then. Maybe this is normal, or perhaps it is simply the fact that this is all still new to me, and if I crunch the information some more it will all settle and fall into place.
The other thing that strikes me is that maybe we just aren't told. You must admit that scientific discoveries aren't exactly breaking news these days. Nobody cares, and because nobody wants to know, we aren't told. The media makes big money on giving us what we want, since that keeps us coming back for more, and money is made. I don't want to suggest there is a conspiracy or anything that is keeping knowledge from us (although I'm sure I could whip one up for you if you asked...) but it still makes you wonder.
Perhaps it is the scale that these discoveries are to be made at. Newton was able to play with glass. Can we no longer do the same? Must we move to grander (or more miniscule) scales with which to find new things to figure out? With the way the world works these days, is it a question of funding? When one needs millions of dollars to simply investigate the possibility of learning something new, it's no wonder that these epiphanies are few and far between.
Or maybe it is the social situation. Maybe we are just too self-centered to try and explore the big picture, too busy trying to get the next paycheque or promotion, or worrying about the movie times next Friday. Somewhat disheartening to consider, but still worth considering.
I'm going to stop now before I start getting depressed. Was something to think about. Nothing more.
¶ 12:36 a.m. 0 comments
I am always amazed when I read science books. Take the Asimov one I am reading presently: The Planet That Wasn't. It is basically a collection of his essays that appeared in publications on a variety of topics, but in each one he goes into roughly the same level of detail in his explanations of things. This usually entails talking about the major discoverers of scientific innovations that had a profound impact on the world, and I am always struck by the dates cited.
Newton's discovery of the visible spectrum was published in 1704. Neptune was discovered using mathematics and the Universal Law of Gravity in 1843. Spectroscopy was developed in the 1850s. All this just seems incredulous to me. I mean, we think we're advanced, right? We consider ourselves to have moved beyond the technological and intellectual levels of 150 years ago. And yet, here we are, in the 21st century. We know all about what our predecessors do and can search for knowledge far better than they could. Still, I have the impression that we haven't done nearly anything close to that noteworthy. Where are our discoveries that will lay out the road map for imaginings of the future?
It can't be that there isn't anything to discover. The Universe is too big, too deep, too rich with stuff for that. The level of cosms is simply mind-boggling - no matter how far you go, there's always another level. I mean, if you start here at the person level, you can go back out through the cities, regions, nations, planets, systems, sectors and galaxies, but still you end up at more galaxies, and even theorized galaxies of galaxies, and bigger still ad infinitum! Conversely, we go down to the microscopic, through the cellular, to molecules and atoms and neutrons to quarks and even smaller still to fermions and such. Who knows if there is anything smaller still?
No, there is still much left to discover, so why do I feel we haven't scratched the surface of it? I suppose it could be because I'm learning all this in hindsight. Time seems so much more compressed when viewed in retrospective, so maybe what we're doing now is not unlike what they did then. Maybe this is normal, or perhaps it is simply the fact that this is all still new to me, and if I crunch the information some more it will all settle and fall into place.
The other thing that strikes me is that maybe we just aren't told. You must admit that scientific discoveries aren't exactly breaking news these days. Nobody cares, and because nobody wants to know, we aren't told. The media makes big money on giving us what we want, since that keeps us coming back for more, and money is made. I don't want to suggest there is a conspiracy or anything that is keeping knowledge from us (although I'm sure I could whip one up for you if you asked...) but it still makes you wonder.
Perhaps it is the scale that these discoveries are to be made at. Newton was able to play with glass. Can we no longer do the same? Must we move to grander (or more miniscule) scales with which to find new things to figure out? With the way the world works these days, is it a question of funding? When one needs millions of dollars to simply investigate the possibility of learning something new, it's no wonder that these epiphanies are few and far between.
Or maybe it is the social situation. Maybe we are just too self-centered to try and explore the big picture, too busy trying to get the next paycheque or promotion, or worrying about the movie times next Friday. Somewhat disheartening to consider, but still worth considering.
I'm going to stop now before I start getting depressed. Was something to think about. Nothing more.
¶ 12:36 a.m. 0 comments
