How worried should we be? For months now, the word at the office is that we’re on the cusp of a pandemic. Yes, the one involving sore throats and pigs. Country Joe is providing theme music: the “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag“.
posted in health | Comments Off on Something about flying pigs, I think | 268 words
Blame it on the food you had for supper. Blame it on the book you were reading just before curfew. From time to time, you will wake from that precious slumber, hours before the scheduled moment, and you will lie there thinking about things that are, as my kids say, “Pas rapport!”
posted in history | Comments Off on Trying to find that confounded address | 348 words
This is simply a suspicion, but it seems that some governmental bodies don’t have enough to do. Case in point: a committee of the European Union has decided to limit the volume level of personal music players and cellular phones. No, not the ringtones; the listening volume. Just in case you haven’t heard (or can no longer hear), loud sounds can damage your hearing. The catch, because there’s always as catch, is that the limit is one that can be overridden by the user.
posted in humour, politics | Comments Off on Save the stupid ones from themselves | 267 words
Unable to let yesterday’s scenery alone, I convinced a friend to come and see if things were as they had seemed. That is, we went back to the local photography trade show today. At least the admission price was within our budget.
posted in economy, technology | Comments Off on Seeing twice is believing | 338 words
In photography, it all comes back to the lighting. Try taking snapshots (without your flash, naturally) in your local darkroom and let me know how things turn out.
posted in media | Comments Off on Why the histogram is useful | 297 words
Welcome to another “found it by flipping” movie review. While others stand in line to see the latest spendfests from Hollywood, I get my entertainment from late night TV, where the choices are always dated but the popcorn is cheap.
posted in media | Comments Off on Great actors can save a minor movie | 275 words
Blind faith. Great rock band, terrible social concept.
The local school system is slowly giving up on the idea of making religion a cornerstone of curriculum, and the foundations are rocking. This province never does anything quickly, so we’ve been a decade in the process, with gradual deconfessionalization (what a word) and the introduction of a course that paints a stick figure portrayal of what IS religion. This week, the provincial council of bishops spoke out (yet again) with the demand that the course be revised and revamped.
posted in economy, education | Comments Off on My boots are ready for the storm | 332 words
It rained today, which permitted us to have an unexpected unnatural phenomena in the city. While water ran down the slope leading away from the Parliament (and by extension, the nearby CBC studios), the storm drain system proved to be “not equal” to the task. The outside camera from the suppertime show cut away to a geyser, pulsing water vertically about two meters above grade.
posted in environment | Comments Off on An impromptu geyser | 278 words
Somebody on the Island came close to losing their penates this afternoon, when a small fire broke out in an upstairs bedroom. The tweak in the story is how things got started – this was a case of solar energy. Seems that one of the residents had left a mirror on the bedroom vanity, and a ray of sunshine bounced back towards the window, igniting the curtains. Tricky mirror.
posted in music, science | Comments Off on Odd mirrors and old music | 264 words
At the other end of the table, it’s review time for ESL materials (a trick of the trade). Oddly enough, I can’t imagine how some of this stuff ever makes it past first presentation. Telling a child that he’s going to receive a telegram (as in Western Union) can’t mean very much any more. No meme here.
posted in technology | Comments Off on Email in the time before those intertubes | 292 words
