2002/01/31

Here's an interesting article about the history of weblogging, including (toward the end) an optomisitic discussion of the many benefits of blogging: better writing and improved confidence :) [insert a phony teeth-showing smile here] . . .

Is CBC English television programming in jeopardy?

Band sells GM rights to song, uses $ to fund anti-GM campaign -- hilarious!

15:22 |

Had my first non-family visitor from the 'shwa last night. Greg was up for an interview yesterday, so he joined dEb and I at the ByTowne and for dinner at Grace O'Malley's. Have to admit that the food at Gracie's was no more than average fare.
10:38 |

2002/01/30

Today's one of those days when I'm really looking forward to lunch. You know your working hours aren't too compelling or exciting when lunch itself -- not the time, but the food -- is the highlight . . . or do you? Bah!

R-i-g-h-t . . . in an effort to 'educate the public' about investment scams, the US government has created fake websites to lure in would-be investors only to say "pyske!" Here's the fake website -- what a waste of time/energy/effort!

Interesting article about our foolish hesitation to part with money, among other things spending-related.

13:03 |

2002/01/29

Compiled over the past two days:

More 'amusing' Lego: LegoDeath.

. . . Not so amusing when you change the context: the Jewish Museum (NY) will feature this Lego model in an upcoming exhibition.

That so much Lego work is getting so much on-line attention recently is rather interesting -- I wonder why? May I make the guess that so-called Gen-X'ers grew up playing with the stuff and those who are still creative are flocking back to the medium en-masse? There's even a Lego video by the White Stripes

Wow! All our broadband problems will be solved, there's a super duper answer called Ultra Wide Band technology right around the corner, golly-gee! I find this optomistic article a little much to swallow . . . Not too worry, though, according to this, the author's not even real.



Coming soon! The Internet best viewed in tiny squinty screens on your cell phone! At least that's the case in Japan.



Interesting article about Orientalism and technology in Japan.

For you No Logo fans, here's a transcript of N. Klein's address at the SuperHumanism conference (a call for humanitarian involvement at the corporate design and communications level). It's an interesting speech addressed to designers, but it's more about re-hasing No-Logo-themes than making practical suggestions for responsible design.

16:03 |

2002/01/28

Weekend was alright. That's the thing w/ having a really good weekend (as I did last weekend): it's really hard to top. I know I shouldn't think about it like that, but sometimes it's hard not to compare. The weather wasn't really cooperating in terms of winter activities, so there was no snowshoeing, tobaganning, skiing, or skating. Just mosied around really, played squash w/ dEb, watched a couple movies, hung out at Jazmine's, and even made it to Zaphod's for a bit. Didn't really dig Zaphod's, though; the music just didn't cut it. Now I'm back at work. Monday morning, my least favourite morning and day of the entire week.
12:41 |

2002/01/25

Random cute kitten generator; and this really interesting MetaFilter comment:
No-one cares about puppies. The truth is this: Cat lovers love *all* cats,
whilst dog owners generally only care about their own animals. This is why
cat calenders outsell dog calenders every year by a huge margin.

I agree -- a lot of dog owners are way too much into the particular breed of their animal.

11:29 |

So much for winter taking a break. It's snowing again today, despite promises of above-zero temperatures well into next week. I just hope the hills are ripe for tobogganing this weekend!
09:28 |

2002/01/24

So much for winter being here. It's been really mild lately, and feels now like spring's about to settle in. Winterlude may even be a bust this year :(

But at least the Ex won't be showing up in my backyard next summer . . .

This sounds pretty stupid; Ottawa companies can barely occupy current office buildings, I don't see why more are needed.

What a bloody farce . . .

16:43 |

2002/01/23

You just gotta love all that Magic Shell goodness!
16:58 |

Yikes! Check out this scary picture! It might take a while, but if you stare into this dark room long enough, you'll see it . . . Not for the faint of heart.

Some very cool clocks, if you ask me! Here's some more -- I want one!

From retro tech to human tech, here's yet another cool idea: The Human Clock; I think it would be a great idea to submit a pic of an empty time slot.

12:53 |

2002/01/22

An article full of optomistic, and even ridiculous, imo, predictions, like this one:
"Palm-pilot like devices which can be distributed free and allow people in the developed world to get educated will be one of the most important technologies in this part of the world."
That'll be the day . . .

Interesting wireless web device, Pogo promises to deliver third generation wireless solutions before the big mobile co's.

Lessen those fears of global warming, ice in Antartica may actually be thickening.

Think you've seen it all? The Brick Testament is a Lego rendition of several biblical tales. There's a lot of this Lego stuff going on, check these links for starters. This guy's just inspiring . . .

12:22 |

2002/01/21

The new iMac is here ;)
15:53 |

Wow, the return to cube life sure sucks after such a great weekend -- especially when I can't even access any of my email accounts (see previous entry) >:|

Rented some x-country skis on Saturday, and off dEb and I went along the Ottawa River pathway. I found the going somewhat tough, my last time on skis being about two years ago, and I didn't really know what I was doing then, either. I was pretty pooped afterward, but I think I started to get the hang of it. I'll have to give it another go. We flaked out and watched Sleuth (another review from a cool Caine site) afterward, one of my fave old movies; a sort of 'who-done-it', but between only two people it's actually more of a 'who-done-what'. Next it was off to ride the waves at the Kanata Leisure Centre.

On Sunday we rented some snowshoes and went tromping around the Arboretum, which was an absolute blast! Next, we snacked at Straight 'n' Wicked (1167 Bank St.) and dug some boardgame action over coffee. (Detailed reviews of places visited this weekend at he said, she said.)

10:05 |

Well, I guess this is my own Black Monday, as I've now been completely cut off from my web-based email accounts (at work). The other week, they disabled access to the big guns like Yahoo and Hotmail, but I could still access AltaVista . . . Not any more. The computer guys must be diligently monitoring traffic to find the cracks in their clamp-down. I still have a few ideas to throw around -- but in the meantime, there'll be quite a slowdown to my email responses. Boo!
09:28 |

2002/01/18

A s_l_o_w day . . . at least there's some interesting reading to be had:

The Rideau Canal is still not open for skating . . .

We are addicted to television:
. . .when the habit interferes with the ability to grow, to learn new things, to lead an active life, then it [constitutes] a kind of dependence and should be taken seriously.

Mike Brady is missing in action.

. . . and it's Friday :)

14:29 |

2002/01/17

Now this is modern art at it's best: turning the lights on, and off, wins a prize!

Neato! Accidental discovery of exploding silicon chips could lead to advanced theft protection. Now we're talkin'! I think more personal property should have the ability to be blown up if stolen by some dirtbag.

I can only imagine how bad it must feel to suddenly lose your job, as in the case of the civil staff in BC, but is this really necessary?
Drivers are ready to offer rides home to workers too staggered by the news to safely drive home.
And this doesn't exactly seem aligned with the cost reductions blamed for the job cuts in the first place.

15:17 |

More snow today; a lot more. I'm looking forward to a little x-country skiing should I ever find some gear!

Here's an article which interprets recent 'happiness research,' indicating that money and consumerism don't deliver on their promises to make us happy -- I just wish the article addressed what does make us happy, and I'd be interested in the details of this 'research'. Here's a somewhat opposing view based on a survey; this article chimes in on the first one's point that monetary-generated happiness is short-lived. I found this quote interesting, yet unnerving, as it indicates the worst is yet to come:
The research also found that happiness follows a u-shaped pattern, with people beginning life happy but becoming discontent in their early 30s, before their happiness recovered and continued increasing into their 60s.

10:18 |

2002/01/16

Just when things were looking better thanks to all that Christmas consumer confidence, stocks are down again, ahh shucks! Well, maybe things'll pick up tomorrow.
16:13 |

2002/01/15

A Japanese inventor claims to have invented and patented the Segway scooter 15 years ago! Here's Kamen's US patent.
16:29 |

Wow, neat stuff! Nova Cruz, makes of the Xootr scooter have launched their new electric motorbike: Voloci. Now if I only had US$2k to drop on a dope ride.
15:58 |

I'm thinking of getting a webhost so that I can one day consolodate most of my web stuff. Maybe, and if the price is right. If you know of a good, reasonable priced host, please let me know. Thanks!
13:27 |

My morning's get off to faster start now that I can't check all that email ;)

More snow today, but at least it's not so bitterly cold.

And now some news . . .

Bag of bones nearly burries somebody . . .

It was bound to happen . . .

And now some work . . .

10:28 |

2002/01/14

There is a chuckle here.
12:35 |

Well, they're filtering out Yahoo and the like here at work, but although I find myself somewhat limited in terms of email, I'm still able to publish via blogger :)

Happy Christmas winter is gone, January finally has some bite to it . . . brrr!

A fun weekend! Went looking for x-country skis on Saturday, but came up bust. Made some yummy chilly and then hung out w/ Linda, Marc, and Palmer before heading over to Jazmine's New New Year's party. It wasn't as rambunctious as NYE, but there were some familar faces -- and room to sit! Went skating in Hull on Sunday, enjoyed an early pizza dinner, only to get smoked by dEb during games night.

It's Monday -- time to think up exciting distractions until Friday . . .

09:20 |

2002/01/11

Don't mess w/ dem Kentucky snowmen, they shoot back!
13:37 |

Here's a hilarious (imo) site that makes pest control akin to the war against terrorism, and I think it also makes a point about America's general attitude toward war, as well.
12:04 |

It's confirmed. All you cellphone users who think those stupid ring tone songs are cool are actually a bunch of stupid dummies:
A recent NOP survey found that 80% of 15 to 24 year olds downloaded at least one ringtone during the year. Exactly why they are prepared to pay handsomely for such an ephemeral thing as a ringtone while continuing to resist paying for music from the web is a bit of a mystery. It is part of the culture that persuades younger people to pay more for a T-shirt that advertises the maker's name in ever larger letters. In the old days advertisers used to pay to advertise their wares - now we pay them.

10:24 |

I don't know how to get a hold of you psimon, but I know it's your birthday today, so in spirit, I wish you a happy one!
09:28 |

2002/01/10

I'm really beginning to hate computers. I use a computer everyday at work. It is slow. I need to access web sites to search for documentation, and they are slow. As I've already mentioned, I may lose access to external email sites, and now there's rumour that the very service I'm using now to bring you this info, Blogger.com, is going to announce premium services, and I worry about the quality of the remaining free service. As well, ItsYourTurn hasn't been working too smoothly either. I'm really beginning to feel The End of Free. The novelty of all this stuff may slowly be wearing off . . .
13:41 |

Here's some opt out links to help combat all those pop-up ads.
13:15 |

Oh no!
As of 2002/01/12, I will no longer have access to web-based email sites from work -- due to, of all things, new security measures prompted by 9/11 (thanks a lot, Osama >:| ). I'm not sure if this will affect my blogger access or not. This will obviously result in a further slowdown of my already tardy responses to personal email. However, I just wanted to give a heads-up about the situation in case my daily outbound traffic is halted. Hopefully I'll be able to continue blogging and can find a lesser-known web-based email provider. Cross your fingers and we'll see what happens next Monday.

12:03 |

2002/01/09

Article about an interesting group (E.A.T.) to "link artists and engineers in collaborative projects".
16:24 |

Part ii of that 'life w/o analog' story I linked to in December.

I've recently been finding myself rather impatient with websites that don't present their purpose upfront, and can't be bothered to search through a site to find the 'umph,' even if I've arrived there from a promising recommendation. I've just figured out why: I'm becoming increasingly accustomed to abstracts, those consise paragraphs that begin a document and help one determine whether or not the following content is relevant.

15:08 |

It was a ByTowne evening last night. Went for wings at the ByTowne Tavern. Never again; they were better than Double Decker, but worse than everything else. After din din, we went to the ByTowne Cinema to see Mulholland Dr. Pretty weird, spooky, and at times very funny (more at he said, she said). Goin' for coffee w/ Tasha tonight.
14:45 |

2002/01/08

I'm disappointed that CBC Radio didn't let me in on this this morning: Dave Thomas is dead :( I suggest candle-light vigils outside of your Wendy's franchise sometime this week -- I jest not, as Wendy's is my fave fast food outlet. I wonder if this will result in a sentimental stock increase.

You can now track your kids with this GPS watch (it's actually a shackle, seeing as it locks onto the wrist). Though, the phone companies are already doing the same thing via the huge paper trail generated by wireless traffic.

I can't believe there's academic research into calculating the number of games your fave team needs to win in order to avoid playoff elimination . . .

Studies show that oregano is good!

That's enough news fer now . . .

13:18 |

2002/01/07

After reading this about a 300m asteroid that has the potential to "wipe out an entire country if it struck the earth," I can't help but wonder if that would necessarily be a bad thing? I'm not going to specifically suggest any one country, as there are several interesting scenarios if you thing about the possibilities.
10:16 |

Note to self (and all): I just heard the 02/17 episode of The Simpsons features a trip to Toronto.
09:38 |

Back for my first full work week of 2002. Oh boy, I'm already impatient for Friday. The birthday weekend at home was really fun. Saw Rich and Duff, Jamie and Sandor et al., even Dan :)

I'm beginning to really dig winter nature walks; other than that, not much is new.

09:21 |

2002/01/03

It's day two at work after the holiday. I still feel pretty fatigued. At least day three is a long way off: I'm taking tomorrow off to head for the 'shwa as it's by birthday weekend :) I guess I'll be able to avoid a routine until next Monday . . .

Hey Hotmail users: this scam may be something to watch out for.

09:32 |

2002/01/02

Here's part 1 of an interesting article about going digital: no cash, no paper, etc.
11:04 |

First entry of this calendar year: happy 2002!

Wow, what a holiday. I'm finally back at work; mixed feelings about the fact. The Christmas leg of the holiday was great: enjoyed time w/ the fam, yummy food (waking up to perked coffee and oatmeal is great!), and lots o' fun gift giving. I felt a little lag between Christmas and New Year's Eve, however, and spent a lot of time plopped on the couch flippin' channels and reading; I started to go a little stir crazy. Saw a handful of friends, but for every one that I saw, there were another couple I missed. I told myself at this time last year that I'd improve on keeping up w/ everyone, but there's still work to be done in that department . . . New Year's Eve was tremendously fun. dEb and I went for a 'hike' out in Bells Corners, then for dinner at Amber Garden, and finally wound up at Jazmine's NYE party. Pretty fun, pretty late. Still feelin' tired today. Haven't really give the New Year's resolution thing much thought yet other than to do more of the stuff I talk about doing.

09:32 |

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