19th
June
2008
First of all, let me extend my deepest sympathies to the citizens of Huntsville, Ontario. A lovely community, really; a population of about 18,000. Beautiful countryside, nature in the driver’s seat. Quiet, for the moment. They now have about 24 months to get their barricades in place, because the current government announced today that the G8 summit will be held there in 2010.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in politics |
9th
May
2008
Maybe this whole wireless Internet thing isn’t ready for the real world, just yet. My own level of personal tolerance has been obvious; who else would wait two years to get connectivity. And i was willing to lay the blame where it belonged, at the door of those manufacturers that kept their cards close to their chests, only sharing proprietary information with the big guys in Redmond. More and more though, I think we have a generalized problem.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in computing, technology |
16th
April
2008
Today, while reading the “local” English language newspaper (from the other city down the road), I felt a great cultural chasm open before me. With all my experience in the world, I have never seen, let alone tasted, a “matzoh ball“. The paper had three pages of coverage, not counting the front page headline; there’s a divide among the “sinkers” and “floaters”. What to do? Where to turn?
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in environment, health, technology |
22nd
March
2008
There is a challenge to any cook in using unknown ingredients. Variation in texture, flavour, colour; any or all of the above, for those who seek a multiple choice question in life. My decision to make an impulse purchase has led to the longest soupmaking session of my career in the family kitchen. Pea soup; the ultimate in haute cuisine.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in health |
19th
March
2008
In our ever-faster virtual world, even the back alleys get traffic. I had that principle of basic security brought to my attention this afternoon by a quick email from someone I haven’t seen in years. You see, secrecy through obfuscation may sound great when you’re reading a cheap spy novel, but there are spiders and robots in the equation now.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in computing |
18th
March
2008
One of the first “real” (meaning hardcover) books I received as child involved a multi-national group of astronauts, stuck on an asteroid while they mined for thorium. One of them was a Filipino. Just words, when you are seven years old, but a fine introduction to the world of science fiction. The world which we grow into, much like a pair of pants that are bought on sale by a parent, waiting for the inevitable; that we would grow into them. I’ve read hundreds of title since then. Only one has inspired iconic images.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in technology |
9th
March
2008
When you have to learn an important life skill, who you gonna call? Not the nearest parent, if my progeny are an example of the new world. This evening I offered to demonstrate how to build a big lasagna. Note the italic active verb; around here we should have a permit from the city authorities. To my dismay, the kids didn’t care; supper was over so they weren’t in any danger of going hungry. This was a meal for a different day.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in education |
1st
March
2008
As an infrequent flyer (the double digit end of the Air Miles club list), I still take a childlike pleasure from the low altitude passages over familiar territory. Seeing my house from the air is just cool enough to make the rest of the process worthwhile. But, there are easier ways to achieve that “look below” feeling; aerial photos.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in computing, environment |
15th
February
2008
Perhaps if the lost pilot had been found, the story wouldn’t have even made much more than the back pages of the local newspaper. Instead, when Steve Fossett and his airplane didn’t arrive at the destination, the story “took wings”. After all, here was an experienced navigator with boats and planes; if there’d been a locomotive handy, he’d have driven it too. He’d gone around the world non-stop. This time, the plane didn’t arrive at the airstrip.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in history |
30th
December
2007
Whatever the universals of comedy might be, some of them translate poorly across time. At least, across recent time; I had the chance to do some retrospective TV watching this afternoon. Stuff that I KNOW to be funny just didn’t catch the interest of my progeny. Go figure.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted in media |