What Really Matters?

Long Overdue.

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:04:37 GMT

It's been awhile since I actually posted to LJ even though I do stop by on a semi-regular basis to keep tabs on my friends who are much more prolific bloggers than I. I guess that qualifies be as being a lurker, at least when it comes to this site. Those of you who have me as a connection on other social sites like Facebook or Twitter are probably pretty up to speed on what I've been up to since June but for the benefit of those that aren't and for posterity here goes.

This summer saw Erica and I do quite a bit of traveling. We were in Germany with Erica's father for a week and a half in June. It was a good time filled with tasty German beers, Euro Cup soccer matches and visiting with Erica's family. We went to Hannover, Jever, Marienburg Castle, Hamelin and Einbeck. If you're interested you can check out our photosets on Flickr.

In August we took a trip to Peru for my cousin David's wedding. Since this was Erica's first trip to South America and since it had been twenty-one years since the last time I was in Peru we decided we should take the opportunity to do some sightseeing while we were there. We spent the week before the wedding hanging out with my family, including my cousins from Sweden, and seeing the sights around Lima. We had a number of fantastic meals including a huge family dinner at the Club de Regatas and wonderful Peruvian fusion shushi at Osaka and Sentori.

The wedding was held on Saturday evening at a large Catholic Cathedral in San Isidro. Though the service was in Spanish, David had the priest say a few words of thanks in English for Erica and my benefit. Following the service we all headed to a golf club not too far away where they had setup a huge and beautifully decorated tent. When I say huge, I mean that this thing probably could have accommodated a small circus complete with elephants. We dined and partied the night away. Around midnight a group of performers arrived, dancing, walking on stilts and handing out hats to the guests. All in all it was an amazing evening and I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to celebrate with David, Jimena and the rest of my family.

Early the next day Erica and I got up to catch our flight to Mancora, which is a little beach town in Northern Peru. In order to get there we needed to take a short hour and a half flight to a city named Piura and then a three hour cab right to Mancora through some of the most windy mountainous roads you've ever been on. We were staying at a brand new boutique hotel directly on the beach called DCO which had opened only three months before our arrival. It was nothing short of specular and the perfect way to celebrate our two year wedding anniversary.

We returned to Lima in time to meet Erica's parents who joined us for the second half of our trip and our excursion Cuzco and Machu Picchu. We took another domestic flight from Lima to Cuzco, flying over the Andes Mountains and taking us to the city which sits 3200 meters above sea level. We had been warned that adjusting to the thinner air could be pretty taxing but only had a couple of hours to rest before we started our first day of touring. We regretted this later.

Our first day in Cuzco we hit a number of the sights, including Qorikancha, the Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa (complete with Black Jesus) and the ruins of Q'enqo and Saqsaywaman. Then it was back to our hotel for a bit of rest before dinner. We ate at a restaurant off the city square and were serenaded by a group of traditional Andean musicians, Grupo Inka Marka, while we dined on Alpaca and Peruvian olives. A full day behind us we retired for the evening.

The next day we awoke to a phone call from Erica's mother informing us that her father had been ill all night and that they were in no shape to continue the tour that day to Ollantaytambo. While Erica and I weren't feeling 100% we decided to soldier on after calling them a doctor, who arrived within 15 minutes and only charged them $100US. We made a short trek to our bus waiting in front of the Museo Sitio del Qoricancha and embarked on our journey to the Sacred Valley of the Inkas and Ollantaytambo.

As the bus ride went on I was feeling progressively more sick. So much so that at one of the stops Erica and I called it quits fifteen minutes into the ninety minute hike to see the whole thing. This might have also had something to do with the narrow paths and huge vertical drops with no safety railings what so ever. By the time we arrived at Ollantaytambo I was feeling wretchedly ill and sat out the entire tour of those ruins while Erica hiked them. From there is was on to our hotel for the night where I stocked up on some medicine to make the evening bearable and hopefully be in decent shape for Machu Picchu the next day.

The next morning we met Erica's parents on the train that would take us the rest of the way to Machu Picchu. In order to actually get to the site we had to take a fifteen minute bus ride up a very steep zig-zagging road that winds up the mountain which put us a five minute walk from the ruins themselves. Once there we spent a good hour and a half on a guided tour of the ruins before returning to town for a bite to eat and to wait around for our return train to Cuzco. By this point Erica's parents were both feeling much better than they had the day before having been prescribed Tylenol and antibiotics. Erica and I were still suffering the effects of the altitude and perhaps something we ate that didn't agree with us.

By the time we got back to Lima, we weren't feeling like doing much of anything and spent the rest of our time in Peru recuperating. Aside from getting a bit sick at the end of the trip it was a fantastic experience and a great way to spend two and a half weeks. It was wonderful to see all my cousins and family that I hadn't seen in ages. I certainly won't let another twenty-one years go by before I go back to Peru, but next time I'm flying Lan.

You can find photos from our Peruvian adventure on Flickr.

The Planet Blowout

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:04:35 GMT

The Planet Blowout
Originally uploaded by n0deal

So I got a rather annoyed phone call from my business partner Reuven on Sunday morning letting me know that none of our domain names were resolving correctly. After a couple of minutes of detective work I discovered that the data center which hosts our primary and secondary DNS servers suffered an electrical fire and explosion that knocked out the walls surrounding the electrical equipment room.

As of this moment our DNS server is still down, along with 3000 other customers boxes, as the support staff at the Planet is working furiously to try and restore power to the building. According to their last update at 2PM Central they hope to begin to restore power to the first floor of the data center within the next few hours. Servers on the second floor were back up earlier today, damn our luck.

Funny that there is absolutely no mention of the current crisis theplanet.com. I guess they don't want to scare away any customers. That being said I found the posting from May 22nd on their press releases page rather ironic.

The force is strong with this one...

Tue, 06 May 2008 14:56:49 GMT

Saw this and immediately thought that qurinas would absolutely love it. Actually I can totally picture this sitting in the living room at Alan's parents place. It would be right at home with all the rest of the Star Wars swag.

I have to admit, even though this thing is geeky as hell, it's a hell of a cool piece of tech.

How many Rogers reps does it take to screw in a light-bulb?

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:15:11 GMT

So first the big news, Erica and I found a house and our offer has been accepted, I may get into the details of how that all went down later. Our closing date is April 30th so obviously there are a lot of things we have to do this month to take care of all the logistics of buying the property and arranging our move from Toronto to Hamilton. For the most part getting our new services scheduled for hook-up and our current services scheduled for disconnection has been relatively painless. Sure Cogeco shipped our HDPVR almost a full month before we need and we had to fax Enbridge a letter requesting a letter of reference for our new gas provider but all in all these were minor annoyances. However moving/disconnecting the services we have with Rogers has been an entirely different matter.

Let me preface this by mentioning the fact that I pay rogers approximately $250 every month for services (internet, cable, home and cell phone). I called Rogers on Wednesday of last week and spoke to a representative named Lisa about moving my services to my new home in Hamilton. Since Rogers doesn't offer cable and internet service in Hamilton we've signed up with Cogeco, however since I am was relatively happy with Rogers I decided to keep my cell and home phone with them. For some reason their system won't let them schedule a disconnection anymore than thirty days in advance and since Lisa was having trouble making the changes I requested to my account she told me she would call me back before the end of the day. Fine no problem.

By the afternoon of the next day I've pretty much given up on her calling me back to confirm the changes I'd asked for and called back. I'd also like to take a moment to note that the Rogers customer support line automation is extremely annoying, though Enbridge's is arguably worse since it won't even let you just hit 0 to get to a real person, hitting 0 repeatedly on the Rogers system will eventually get you a person. This time I connected with a rep named Cheryl who was in fact very helpful. She apologized that no one had gotten back to me and explained that they can't schedule disconnections that far in advance but that she would call me back on the 15th of April to take care of everything. My transferable services would be moved on May 2nd and my cable and internet would stay connected until May 15th since we won't be moving until the middle of next month. Again, no problem.

On Friday I get home and there is a message on my machine from the first rep saying that she had been unable to call me back because of a family emergency and that she'd now scheduled my disconnection for April 30th and setup a new account for me at my new address in Hamilton. She also noted that she saw there had been activity on my account and to call back if there were any problems. At this point I am highly annoyed.

Today, I call Rogers back for the third time and speak to yet another customer service representative. This time around I am able to confirm my new phone and account number, change the termination date for my services at my current address (though they did need to disconnect all the services on the 30th and then reactivate them for the first half of next month...) and verify that my services will be transferred to our new house as of May 2nd. I also asked her to put a note on my account in the hopes that no one else will go in and muck this up now that I've had it resolved for the second time.

Now the million dollar question is if the second rep is still going to wind up calling me on the 15th to try and make the changes I want for the fourth time. Shouldn't $3000 a year get me a little bit better customer service?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Limited Editition Ghosts

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:48:01 GMT

As I mentioned previously I was one of the lucky NIN fanatics to buy one of 2500 Ultra-Delux Limited Edition Ghosts packages (pictured right), they sold out just a day or so after going on sale. Needless to say I'm chomping at the bit to get my hands on this thing. Unfortunately it doesn't ship until early April. I guess it'll take some time for Trent to sign them all.

Trent and crew are also asking for submissions for a Ghosts film festival over at YouTube, which I thought was pretty interesting. If I actually had free time and a decent DVCam I'd be tempted to put something together. Coincidence that Radiohead has decided to do something similar?

I think it's inspired that the whole Ghosts album was released under a creative commons license, really opens up the doors for fans to do interesting things with it. That being said, Trent has been offering multi-track files in a variety of formats for awhile now and that has spawned a pretty cool remix community. Too bad the site doesn't really work all that well under Ubuntu but we have Adobe and that annoying lack of PNG transparency in flash to blame for that.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Happy birthday to me!

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:12:33 GMT

Just in time for my birthday (ok it's a few days early but who's counting), a new 36 track instrumental NIN CD. Available for download for the low low price of $5 for high quality DRM free files, a-la-Niggy Tardust. So I hit up the site, which is loading at a snails pace since it's being dugg like crazy, and discover there is a limited "Deluxe Edition book with CDs, Multitrack DVD, & Blu-ray" sign by Trent Reznor and limited to 2500 pieces for the low low price of $300. Ridiculous most people would say, but for a NIN fan like myself, I just can't say no. Now let's hope the site doesn't crash completely before I'm able to actually buy the thing.

read more | digg story

The Last Supper

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 20:20:52 GMT

"Battlestar Galactica Last Supper" - Originally uploaded by kidddrunkadelic14

Is everyone else as excited as I am for the last season of BSG? I guess the only down-side is that it is the last season. Oh well, all good things...

Blogged with Flock

Video proof of California Election fraud?

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:56:55 GMT

"Massive trouble today across California with basic voting protocol. A video of of a voters trouble today. What kind of country do we really live in?"

This is seriously messed up but unfortunately it doesn't surprise me. I'm also not sure if I would really call this proof of fraud but there is definitely something going afoul with the electoral process in the United States.

It makes me wonder how often this type of thing happens in Canada, especially with a no-confidence vote in the near future.

read more | digg story

For shame Kotaku...

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:25:19 GMT

My friend Mike Rotenberg is a regular contributor to BlogTO and spends a lot of his free time photographing cool events all around Toronto. He's a very talented guy and his photography is nothing short of spectacular.

The reason I mention is work is that I was catching up on the WebbAlert podcast from yesterday when I noticed a familiar photo in the screenshot they included from the gaming blog Kotaku on the durability of the PS3.

Sure enough, after clicking around Mike's flickr account I confirmed my suspicion that Kotaku had indeed ripped one of his photos without his permission or giving him any credit what so ever. While this isn't a terribly uncommon occurrence in the blogging community it's still extremely bad form. Especially when the copyright permissions on the flickr page in question is clearly defined as © All rights reserved.

This practice is not acceptable in traditional media, though it still happens, so why do bloggers feel they have carte blanche to use anything they find on the internet as if it was there own? This also hurts the credibility of all blogs as a legitimate form of journalism. If Kotaku had dared use a photo from Getty Images without the proper licensing they would quickly have found themselves on the end of an IP infringement lawsuit.

For shame Kotaku! A major blog like them should know better.

Modding the MotoRazr

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:16:37 GMT

As I mentioned in a previous LJ entry I decided to change the body of Razr v3 because I wasn't keen on the pink/raspberry cover it came with. So I did some searching on eBay and finally settled on ordering a Titanium Metal housing for the phone. A few weeks later I received the package but I did not receive the instructions by email as the seller specified. No problem I figured, I had already seen several disassembly guides doing my preliminary research. I wound up using the this guide.

Since I didn't have all the tools necessary to start surgery on the phone, i headed up to Canadian Tire and got myself a Mastercraft Prevision Tool set which included a number of small screwdrivers including the T5 and T6 torx screwdrivers which are necessary to disassemble the Razr. Since I couldn't find a suitable plastic prying tool I wound up using my SIM card as the article suggests. Getting the phone apart was pretty straight forward but I've never been particularly shy about taking apart electronics. I would definitely recommend that anyone else who's going to attempt this work to make sure they have a decent amount of workspace cleared and something to put all the screws and parts into as they are removed from the phone.

I was able to get the bottom of the housing all changed without any issues but it wasn't until I had started taking apart the housing for the top part of the phone that I realized the replacement housing I had ordered did not come completely assembled. Both the battery cover and the faceplate had plastic mounting brackets that need to be glued to them. I attempted to bond them with epoxy which even after leaving overnight to dry did not wind up being strong enough to hold them together. All it did was make a mess of the mounting bracket. I did my best to remove the epoxy resin with rubbing alcohol and later nail polish remover and then made another trip to Canadian Tire to get some other glue. I settled on Instant Krazy Glue which worked wonderfully, Be forewarned that you're probably going to transfer some glue onto parts of the phone where you don't want it. Nail polish remover again does a wonderful job of taking this off the metal parts of the phone but if you get it on the plastic for the front-screen or camera lens protector it's not going to come off. Fortunately the glue I did get on the camera lens protector was off to the side and does not affect the picture quality. The housing replacement kid came with replacements for both of the front screen and camera lens protector (which was especially handy considers I had cracked the front-screen cover the week before). I would recommend keeping the protective film on both of these until the assembly is 100% complete. This should protect it from any errant glue transfer.

The whole glue issue aside there are a couple of other things I would recommend to other modders when replacing the housing on a Razr.

Keep a close watch on the smaller rubber screw plugs in the top part of the phone. They are easy to loose and can fall out if you do not push them in well enough after reassembling the phone. I lost one in my carpet and was miraculously about to find it the next day.

If your keypad doesn't work properly after the phone is reassembled don't freak out. You should first make sure that all the side buttons in the top part of the phone are oriented correctly and not stuck. If these buttons are stuck on it will cause to phone to malfunction. If you still have problems make sure the ribbon cable in the bottom part of the phone has a good connection to the circuit board.

In retrospect I wish I had of documented the whole process better, possibly even in video. That's something to keep in mind for next time I'm taking apart something like this. Hopefully some of the information here will be helpful to someone else. Good luck and happy hacking!

I love New Hampshire

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:01:14 GMT

I found the following video over at digg. The original source is can be found here at Free State Blogs.

You have to respect any state whose motto is "Live Free or Die". If I was ever going to live anywhere in the US, this would definitely be the state. I'm looking forward to visiting my friends there at the end of the month.

Does your email wear a string bikini?

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 18:28:13 GMT

So I was reading TechCrunch today and the "3D Mailbox: Worst. App. Ever." headline caught my eye. Being in software development myself I was naturally intrigued by the prospect of an application that could earn such a dubious title and headed over to the 3D Mailbox site to check it out. What I found was the following video trailer:

If that minute and ten seconds of your life wasn't enough to convince you that there was zero hyperbole in Duncan Riley review as to how absurd a concept this is then I guess you are part of the demographic they are going after. Who in gods name thought this was a viable idea and what idiots funded the development? Whoever is responsible must have been on a lot of drugs and/or played way too much Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball.

On a distantly related note, I also stumbled upon the following Japanese Sewers Photos on Digg and couldn't help but notice how much they look like some of the levels in Quake III. Maybe I'm the one who's played too many video games.

Do pink phones blend?

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:05:33 GMT

For those of you not familiar with the Will It Blend? may I humbly offer you this delicious entrée into the world of blending random objects, including pricey electronics.

That being said I still think I'd like to get an iPhone at some point in the future, though I'm happy to let everyone else work out the kinks. Still no confirmation on who is going to be the carrier in Canada but from what I've read it looks like Rogers is most likely which suits me fine since I'm already a customer.

For the time being I'll have to settle for hacking the hell out of my new pink MotoRazr V3. Yes I said pink. I wound up with the new phone as a result of chidealer getting caught in a torrential downpour and replacing her phone, only to realize several weeks later that her old phone had miraculously started working again. As wonderful a conversation piece as a pink phone is I decided to order a chrome body for it off Ebay, so I'll guess I'll be adding hardware modification to the list of hacks. For any other Motorola Razr owners out there who might be interested in hacking/modifying their phone check out the links I dug up. I'm using linux specific tool, moto4lin, personally but there is a good selection of software available for those of you running windows as well. Happy hacking!

Preface to an Forwarded Essay

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 01:38:37 GMT

The following is a forward of a forward which made it's way into my inbox from Troy Neilson (AKA Pimp-T, AKA Brockway Biggs). No doubt he sent it my way because I'm a huge fan of Trent Reznor and NIN. That being said, Bob Ezrin's letter/essay makes some great points about retaining your artistic and creative integrity, the state of the music industry and it's future. Well worth the read.

"The following is a letter from my long-time friend Canadian producer Bob Ezrin which I feel should be noted by creative people working within the music industry--whether they are artists or songwriters in all genres of music or industry figures in publishing, radio, legal, studios etc. or at a label or production house."

"I think the letter touches on the very core of why some of us love what we do and appreciate creative talent. Hopefully, you can relate to it. Feel free to pass it on."

Larry

Trent Reznor is a true visionary. He has broken and reinvented the rules of engagement on every level from recording to touring to interacting with his fans.

He's an intensely determined person - aware and on top of everything that happens in his name from his music to his marketing. Trent controls all things Trent. Yes, he's had help along the way, but he's the captain of the Trent ship and his career is a product of his imagination and drive. He is not manufactured, homogenized, manipulated or packaged. He is Trent - and the rest of the folks get to react.

There's a clue in here to how to run one's life as an aspiring artist. I can't tell you how many times I've been in situations where aspiring artists (as you know, I hate the designation but will grant it to a few sublimely talented folks like Trent) have created something and have had a vision that has not resonated with their "handlers" from management to producers, to the record company to even sometimes their lawyer - and have succumbed to the pressure to conform to the taste and judgment of these people at the expense of their own intuition - and have failed either immediately or ultimately because, in the end, they simply weren't distinguished enough to connect to a large group of people in a lasting way. They may have produced a "hit song" but they typically did not create a career.

If Trent had done what everyone wanted him to, he would not have become a better selling act or bigger star as some of his advisors may have secretly thought. Instead, he would have disappeared long ago.

No one knows the heart or genius of true artists but the artists themselves. No one can predict them or imitate them or even steer them towards success. They are by definition single minded people who cannot - and must not - see things the way the rest of us do. Once upon a time, we had a business built by passionate amateurs who revered the artists and who became their protectors, advocates and promoters. These folks didn't presume to tell their artists what to do. Oh, every once in a while, they might beg and plead for more or different to help them to do their job, but they NEVER imposed their creative will on the people they most admired in all the world. And so we had a landscape of determined individualists who made very individual music - lots of it. We all know who they were - and some still are. But now the biggest part of the business is run by cold hearted professionals whose reverence is for the bottom line first and last - and who think nothing of imposing their ideas and will on the people they sign. And most of those signings are not because they are enthralled by genius or art but because they smell "a hit" or know that someone else does and that they'd better get in there first.

Now, when I say stuff like this, all the record company people get pissed off at me and say I'm an asshole and they are there because of their love for music etc. And I don't doubt that this is what propelled them at the start (though I suspect the notion of getting rich and hanging with rockstars may have had a bit to do with it too). But how many of the new leaders of our industry are able to resist the pressures of making their numbers in favor of supporting their artists? In fact, isn't their primary job to "increase shareholder value"? So, they really can't resist those pressures honestly and still be doing what they're being paid to do. The problem with this is that it takes more than a quarter to build something of value and real art cannot be scheduled or projected - only commodities can. But if we're just a commodities business, then by definition we cannot build anything of real value - for the shareholders or the world.

So, what's the biggest lesson here? It is that, if we can all agree to do as Ahmet recommended and surround ourselves with brilliant people and help those people to develop their craft, their own voice, and become artists making things of real value, we might see our way into the next golden age of popular music.

Thank God for Trent - and for all the others like him who will not compromise and will fight to realize their vision. In the end, they might save us all.

Bob

Survivalism

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:09:46 GMT

Check out the video (embedded below) for the first single off the upcoming Album "Year Zero". Since the video for Survivalism is overtly political it's right up my alley and I even though I wasn't crazy about the track the first time I heard it, it has definitely grown on me. Anyhow, definitely worth a watch!

I also received my new membership package in the mail from the spiral yesterday in the mail. It came with a pretty swanky shirt, a patch and several record sized album covers of previous NIN discs that I will probably get plack mounted. I'm really looking forward to them coming back to Toronto. :)

What Superhero are you?

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 23:18:11 GMT

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman		70%
Spider-Man		65%
Robin		57%
Catwoman		55%
Iron Man		55%
Green Lantern		50%
The Flash		50%
Batman		50%
Supergirl		45%
Wonder Woman		35%
Hulk		35%

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

She Make It So

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:58:07 GMT

So I'm subscribed to the Richard Cheese newsletter and included in his latest mailing as a link to this gem of a geek band, Warp 11. If you have four minutes to kill and have a fondness for trek, check out the video below.

A year in the life

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 20:56:06 GMT

How do you condense a years worth of experiences, thoughts and life into a single journal entry? Do you keep it short and sweet? Perhaps make use of some bullet points or throw in a pie chart for good measure? I suppose this whole dilemma could have been avoided by taking the time to let people know what has been going on along the way instead of trying to cram it all into a Sunday afternoon posting nearly thirteen months after the event that set everything in motion.

I met Erica at the martini bar just a few buildings down from where I used to live on Bloor Street. My friend Anna tends bar there most Friday nights and had given me a VIP pass earlier in the day when I had been in for a drink. Having very little to do that evening I wandered back and sat myself at the bar beside one of the regulars. It didn't take long for me to notice the redhead sitting at the other end of the bar and not much more time for me to work up the courage to walk over and ask if I could buy her a drink. A few days later, I'm in my car on my way to visit her in Hamilton. We've been together ever since.

I suppose I could leave it at that but it wouldn't be a very good account of the rest of two-thousand and five as it would be omitting our whirlwind tour of the Maratimes, a fantastic canoeing/portaging trip to Massauga, some great parties, my sisters' wedding and another news years bash at the Swan and Firkin.

This year I finally got the opportunity to take a trip to Europe thanks to Erica's father Heinz. Erica, Heinz and I all went to Germany to celebrate Erica's aunt Ilse 65th birthday and Erica and I took a side trip up to Stockholm to visit my uncle Erik, Aunt Maria and my cousins Stefanie and Carolina. Stockholm was beautiful and it was great to see my relatives but I have to admit that I much preferred Germany. Those Germans like to party as much as East-Coasters and their beer is fantastic.

Erica and I have been living on the main floor of a house a few blocks from my old apartment since December, just about the same time we got engaged. Our neighbors are easy to get along with and one of them has even put in horseshoe pits. It's nice and close to the park and the neighborhood reminds me of Fredericton, well the whole High Park area reminds me of home, which is probably why I like it so much. The only real downside to living in Toronto is that Erica is going to have to commute to McMaster in Hamilton once school starts in September.

Hard to believe our wedding is only twenty days away. I guess it goes to show exactly how much can change in a year.

American Lars made me do it...

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 19:11:21 GMT

Stolen from blue_prince.

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Hair (except the grays)
2. My nose-ring
3. Eyes

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Can't grow a decent beard
2. How puffy my hair gets when it's longer (and the grays)
3. That I need glasses

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Swede
2. Swiss
3. Canadian (hockey, bacon, beer)

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. G.W. Bush - AKA Mr. W.
2. Chaos / Anarchy
3. Country Music

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Music
2. Coffee
3. Alcohol

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. Boarding Shorts
2. "White Cowbell Oklahoma" t-shirt
3. Glasses

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS:
1. Nine Inch Nails
2. TOOL
3. Metric

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS:
1. "And all that could have been" - Nine Inch Nails
2. "Off He Goes" - Pearl Jam
3. "The Middle" - Jimmy Eat World

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. Love
2. Trust
3. Hot Sex

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order):
1. My high school Calculus mark was 11%
2. I voted for Stephen Harper
3. I miss being in a band

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE PREFERRED SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU
1. Hair (redheads; rar!)
2. Breasts (at least I'm honest)
3. Neck

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Drinking
2. Hiking/Camping/Canoing
3. Going to concerts

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Have a BLT
2. Leave for Europe a week early
3. Grab a shower

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING/YOU'VE CONSIDERED dreaming of doing:
1. Writer
2. Police Officer
3. Engineer

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO VACATION
1. Peru
2. United Kingdom
3. Vancouver

THREE KIDS NAMES YOU LIKE:
1. Lois
2. Liam
3. Alex

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE: (in no particular order)
1. Buy beer from a vending machine in Tokyo
2. Get sloshed in London
3. Get rich, or die tryin'

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. There is always beer in my fridge
2. I love toys and gadgets (only the expensive kinds)
3. Always ready for a roll in the hay

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A CHICK:
1. I'm a good listener
2. I like my kitchen spotless
3. Cuddling rocks

THREE CELEB CRUSHES:
1. Esthero
2. Melissa Auf De Mar
3. Cindy Crawford

THREE PEOPLE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW:
Anyone else who is bored.

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Fuel Transfer Technician (read: Gas Bar Attendant)
2. Computer Assembly/Service Technician
3. Graphic/Web Designer
4. Project Manager

Five movies you would watch over and over:
1. Fight Club
2. Ninja Scroll
3. Reservoir Dogs
4. Dune (David Lynch Version)
5. King Soloman's Mines

Four places you have lived:
1. Fredericton, NB
2. Rusagonis, NB
3. Toronto, ON
4. n/a

TV shows you love to watch:
1. LOST
2. The Daily Show
3. Hockey Night in Canada
4. Battlestar Galactica

Places you have visited/vacationed:
1. Montreal
2. Vancouver
3. San Fransisco
4. Lima

Websites I visit daily or almost daily:
1. www.slashdot.org
2. www.last.fm
3. www.wapsisquare.com
4. www.cbc.ca

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Fillet Mingnon
2. Sushi
3. Curry
4. Anything with Bacon

Four of my favorite restaurants:
1. Osaka Sushi - Toronto, ON
2. Thai 4 You - Toronto, ON
3. BOHO - Toronto, ON
4. Dimitries - Fredericton, NB

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Anywhere in Europe
2. Sidney, Australia
3. Manchester, New Hampshire
4. Fredericton, New Brunswick

Do you have:
(x) your own cell phone
( ) a television in your bedroom
(x) an iPod
(x) a photo printer
(x) your own phone line (cell phone)
( ) TiVo or a generic digital video recorder
(x) high-speed internet access (i.e., not dialup)
( ) a surround sound system in bedroom
( ) DVD player in bedroom
( ) at least a hundred DVDs
(x) a childfree bathroom? (um....yeah....no kids!)
(x) your own in-house office
( ) a pool
( ) a guest house
( ) a game room
(x) a queen-size bed or larger at home
( ) a stocked bar
(x) a working dishwasher (no, so it’s me)
( ) an icemaker at home (ditto)
(x) a working washer and dryer
( ) more than 20 pairs of shoes
(x) at least ten things from a designer store
( ) expensive sunglasses
(x) framed original art (not lithographs or prints) from Brian Belanger!
( ) Egyptian cotton sheets or towels
( ) a multi-speed bike
( ) a gym membership
( ) large exercise equipment at home
( ) your own set of golf clubs
( ) a pool table
( ) a tennis court
(x) local access to a lake, large pond, or the sea
( ) your own pair of skis
(x) enough camping gear for a weekend trip in an isolated area
( ) a boat
( ) a jet ski
( ) a neighborhood committee membership
( ) a beach house or a vacation house/cabin
( ) wealthy family members
( ) two or more family cars
( ) a walk-in closet or pantry at home
( ) landscaped Yard
( ) a hammock
( ) a personal trainer
(x) good credit--not perfect, getting better!
( ) expensive jewelry--my engagement ring
( ) a designer bag that required being on a waiting list to get
( ) at least $100 cash in your possession right now
(x) more than two credit cards bearing your name--yes, but that's not good
( ) a stock portfolio
(x) a passport
( ) a horse
( ) a trust fund
( ) private medical insurance (I live in Canada, ha-ha!)
( ) a college degree, and no outstanding student loans--I have a degree but I have copious loans

Do you:
(x) shop for non-needed items for yourself (like clothes, jewelry, electronics) at least once a week?
( ) do your regular grocery shopping at high-end or specialty stores?
( ) pay someone else to clean your house, do dishes, or launder your clothes (not counting dry-cleaning)
( ) go on weekend mini-vacations
( ) send dinners back with every flaw
(x) wear perfume or cologne (not body spray)
( ) regularly get your hair styled or nails done in a salon
( ) have a job but don’t need the money
( ) stay at home with little financial sacrifice
( ) pay someone else to cook your meals
( ) pay someone else to watch your children or walk your dogs
( ) regularly pay someone else to drive you, like taxis or bus
( ) expect a gift after you fight with your partner

Are you:
( ) an only child
( ) married/partnered to a wealthy person
( ) baffled/surprised when you don’t get your way

Have you:
( ) been on a cruise
(x) traveled out of the country
( ) met a celebrity
( ) been to the Caribbean
( ) been to Europe
( ) been to Hawaii
(x) been to New York
( ) eaten at the space needle in Seattle
( ) been to the Mall of America
( ) been on the Eiffel tower in Paris
( ) been on the Statue of Liberty in New York
(x) moved more than three times because you wanted to
( ) dined with local political figures
(x) been to both the Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast

Did you:
( ) go to another country for your honeymoon
( ) hire a professional photographer for your wedding or party
( ) take riding lessons as a child
( ) attend private school
( ) have a Sweet 16 birthday party thrown for you

Support the Troops... give them Tims!

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 15:49:19 GMT

Afghanistan, the forgotten front in the war-on-terror has come center stage here in Canada in the last few months. Canadian soldiers have lost their lives and others have been seriously injured in accidents and attacks by Taliban insurgents. There are calls for us to reconsider our role in Afghanistan by the Canadian families directly affected by the conflict and (of course) politicians in the opposition. My opinion in the matter is we should stick to our commitment.

Yes, I am very happy our government chose to stay out of the war in Iraq but I do support the action we have taken in Afghanistan. The Taliban was a cruel and brutal regime (more so than Saddam's IMHO) that should have been dealt with far before GW got carte blanche to wage the "War on Terror". The people in Afghanistan need our help and we shouldn't walk out on them.

One of my online acquaintances from my RantRadio days, saryet, is currently serving in Afghanistan with the Canadian contingent. It's interesting to read his LJ postings from the front and it makes the human aspect of our involvement there that much more real for me. It's certainly a much more personal and honest recounting of life there than we receive via the media. It's worth following for that reason alone. I'll be interested to see how he reacts to Tim Horton's opening up shop in Kandahar.

Religion? I think not.

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 16:25:01 GMT

Please take a moment to sign the following:

Petition to have The Church of Scientology tax-exemption status removed

Those of you who already know anything about Scientology will be all over this but for those who don't, please take a moment to educate yourself on the organization that Time Magazine labeled the "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power".

In related hilarity, please see the "Passion of Cruise" to catch up on all the ridiculous nonsense that brain-washed (and that's being generous) Scientology poster boy has been spouting. Enjoy.

Jumping on the wagon.

Fri, 19 Aug 2005 15:20:37 GMT

1. Go here.
2. Pass it on.

1.~How did you meet xypharan? In Elementary School
2.~What would you do if you had never met forthright? I wouldn't see much of Julie
3.~What do you honestly think of sean_kennedy? He's crazy but inspiring
4.~Would or did xypharan and xypharan go out? He loves himself today. Not like yesterday.
5.~Have you ever liked practicallyfame? I like her just fine. Romantically no.
6.~If bartok died tomorrow, what is one thing that you would need him/her to know? I'm sorry for ever giving him a hard time.
7.~Would keithmcnally and aonarach make a good couple? Actually, they would.
8.~Describe qurinas in 3 words: My best friend
9.~Do you think longpig is hot? Yeah, she has a great rack. ;)
10.~Would bartok and xypharan make a lovely couple? Rob is too butch for Andrew.
11.~What do you think of when you see xypharan? Biker
12.~Tell me something humiliating about aonarach: Nothing comes to mind.
13.~Do you know any of stillwater_'s family members? no
14.~What's xypharan's favorite color? Blue?
15.~On a scale of 1-10 how cute is curtana? 7 (Don't hurt me)
16.~What would you do if blue_prince just professed their undying love for you? Give him sweet Lars love.
17.~What language does xypharan speak? English and French.
18.~Who is xypharan going out with? Ummm... ahh... a girl that works at jack Astor's
19.~Is elanya a boy or a girl? All woman
20.~Would xypharan and blue_prince make a good couple? Maybe when they both had long hair
21.~Who do you think xypharan would be great with from this list? he's friends with most of them already
22.~When was the last time you talked to longpig? In person, months ago. Online, a month or so ago.
23.~What is practicallyfame's favorite band? No idea.
24.~Does keithmcnally have any siblings? Yes, his younger brother Mark.
25.~Would you ever date stillwater_? No and he's married anyhow.
26.~Would you ever date qurinas? Alan is pretty hot.
27.~Is xypharan single? Not to the best of my knowledge
28.~What is xypharan's last name? Fisher
29.~What is xypharan's middle name? I don't know
30~What is sean_kennedy's fantasy? To build mecha and free the world from corpolitical tyranny
31.~Where does elanya live? North Carolina?
32.~Would you make out with xypharan? Maybe if he shaved
33.~Are forthright and stillwater_ best friends? Don't think they ever have been.
34.~Does qurinas like xypharan? Well enough.
35.~How did you meet xypharan? I already told you, in elementary school!
36.~Is longpig older than you? Yes. And hotter.
37.~Is xypharan the sexiest person alive? he wishes.

Participatory Culture Design Contest

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 19:27:05 GMT

I thought some of you might be interested in this contest, check it out:

A challenge for socially-minded graphic designers: design the interface for new, open-source internet TV software. We are a non-profit organization building a software platform that will allow anyone to broadcast and watch channels of high-resolution internet video (learn more). We want to create a serious, independent alternative to commercial television that gives everyone access. If you believe that our technology and approach have a real chance to democratize mass media, then we need you to help us design our software at a level that rivals any proprietary, corporate media platform.

Just as coding open-source software lets us build on work that's been done by programmers around the world, we're hoping that this contest will let us bring together brilliant design ideas from many different contributors. With a healthy awareness of the risks of design-by-committee, we're hoping that this can be a successful experiment in open-source design. Your contribution could be a big part of making open source internet television engage millions of people while supporting and enhancing the work of independent video and filmmakers. Take a look at the categories below, we'd love to see what you think. Contest ends July 31st, 2005.

Complete Contest Details

There you have it. Some money to be won and better yet the opportunity to contribute to a very worthwhile open source project. :)

I wouldn't normally do this...

Tue, 21 Jun 2005 20:55:48 GMT

Well, I don't watch Canadian Idol but a friend asked me to get the word out about Casey LeBlanc from Nackawic, NB. The long and short of it is, send some votes her way tonight and help get a girl from the little town with the big axe make it to the next round. East coast 4 life! ;)

Excellent Sushi

Sat, 21 May 2005 09:32:56 GMT

Tuesday night in the midst of dinner at Aunty Brenda's my cell phone rang. To my surprise it was my good friend keithmcnally who had just arrived back in Vancouver after a trip out east. He'd actually been through Toronto two times during his trek but unfortunately we hadn't managed to connect. He didn't think he was going to be back in Vancity while I here and I was originally going to stay at his apartment while I was here. In any case, we decided we'd have to get together on Wednesday.

Since Kathleen and I both wanted to check out Stanley Park, we asked Keith and his girlfriend Erika if they would like to join us. We all met up just outside Pacific Central Station early in the afternoon and caught a bus the park. It was strange for me to be on a bus since my public transportation in Toronto is typically limited to the Subways and streetcars with the occasional cab thrown in for good measure. What's interesting is many of the buses here run on electricity just like the streetcars in Toronto. While the ride on the bus isn't nearly as smooth as the streetcar, not having tracks to maintain is definitely a bonus, as is their ability to change lanes even though they are tethered to the wires above. Whoever came up with that idea deserves a great deal of credit. But I digress.

We arrived at Stanley Park and set off along the sea wall. The air is so fresh here in Vancouver, it's a welcome change to Toronto. Somewhere down the path we turned up into the woods and lost ourselves among the tall trees and beautiful lush vegetation of the park. It's wonderful to have such a beautiful part of nature preserved in the midst of this urban environment. There are so many trees here that it really doesn't feel that urban, I'd definitely consider living here at some point in my life. Anyhow, I took a ton of pictures in the park, hopefully I'll have the time to post some when I get to San Francisco.

After Beaver Lake, the rose gardens and a couple of beers. We left the park and grabbed a pint at a nice little Irish type pub before walking the length of Davie to this Sushi place appropriately named "Excellent Sushi". I had never had a full meal of sushi but I figured since I was in Vancouver I should try it out. The restaurant did not disappoint and I found myself quite enjoying the food which Keith and Erika have become quite addicted to. Not only was the food really good but it was so incredibly cheap. Only $4.00 for a plate of 20. Now that's a deal. Not that I have a taste for it I'm going to have to check out the new Japanese restaurant that has opened up directly across from my apartment in Toronto.

Once we had finished supper, we all walked to Kathleen's neighborhood before parting ways and saying our goodbyes. It was really great to see Keith again and wonderful to meet Erika, who is a really nice girl. To round out the evening Kat and I picked up some off sales beer and wine and chilled out at her apartment.

Anyhow, I'm off to the Hotel Vancouver to meet up with the guys for Reuven's Vancity bachelor party. Should be fun. Later!