Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Wednesday's Picture Moment
I was at a conference in Toronto today. It went well but after talking with some of the participants I was thinking:
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Food For Thought
For the past two and a half years I've really focused my studies on the changes going on with content (generation, distribution and consumption). This PaidContent.org short really touches on something that I've been thinking on in depth lately in how it relates to my thesis and also as a possible jump for practical application... hmmm.
The sweet spot for the big players might very well be in the middle of the content supply chain, but for the little guy I wonder if the stepping stone for learning, recognition and advancement doesn't lie earler in the cycle.
The sweet spot for the big players might very well be in the middle of the content supply chain, but for the little guy I wonder if the stepping stone for learning, recognition and advancement doesn't lie earler in the cycle.
Ingenious
A great ad that not only draws attention but which was also derived from creativity:
(via">Sharkride)
(via
">Sharkride)
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Deep Fritz vs. Vladmir Kramnik
Bonn Germany is the site of a less than traditional super-match; Man vs. Machine duel it out on the chess board when once again Kramnik takes on the next iteration of Deep Fritz. Check out the matches which run every two days (the first match was a draw).
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Florida Farwells
I'm going to end the trip with some beach time and since I won't have access to the internet or my camera to upload pics until early next week I'll end my Florida pics for the weekend with another cool Gadling pic of the week fitting of my last 6 days:
I wonder...
I think I just pissed myself! Is this funny or am I just hammered on a beach somewhere in Florida? Yep, the correct answer ladies and gentlemen is "C": All of the above ;-)
Via Vowe.
Via Vowe.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
No Cost??
So we're driving around Tampa today and all of a sudden I'm yelling at the driver to slow down, slow down! Either I was already smashed at 2:30pm in the afternoon (a distinct possibility) or (I guess it could theoretically be an "and/or") did I just see a sign advertising a vasectomy... AT LOW COST - NO COST!?!?!?!?
Yep.
For the record I certainly would not consider a vasectomy anytime in my near future (especially considering I hope to have kids in the next decade!), but even if the day came when I wanted one, I certainly, CERTAINLY, would not get one at a place offering low cost - no cost cutting to my boys!! Damn, time for a cold shower! ;-)
Yep.
For the record I certainly would not consider a vasectomy anytime in my near future (especially considering I hope to have kids in the next decade!), but even if the day came when I wanted one, I certainly, CERTAINLY, would not get one at a place offering low cost - no cost cutting to my boys!! Damn, time for a cold shower! ;-)
Amnesia Needed & Some Other Stuff
What the world needs is a highly contagious, non-fatal, fast-spreading virus that erases memories. To be really effective, the disease needs to also infect books, dissolving those pages with records of historic conflicts.
Last week I was watching Ted Koppel on The Daily Show. He was talking about his new reportage on Iran. One of our primary bones of contention with Iran can be traced back to the taking over of our embassy in Tehran and the holding of American hostages for 444 days. Go back a bit further, to 1953, and the Iranians remember when we overthrew their democratically elected government and replaced it with the Shah - a brutal dictator. That's a relatively recent problem that some amnesia could help fix.
When I turned off the TV I turned to my reading: William T. Vollmann's Rising Up And Rising Down. (I'm most of the way through volume five "Studies in Consequences.") That night I read the opening chapters of the section on the wars in the former Yugoslavia. The grievances that everyone is fighting over in that part of the world go back to at least 1389. There was a slaughter. Then a retaliatory slaughter. Then one in revenge for that and so on up into the "modern" era when the ancient animosities led to everyone choosing up sides against each other in the Second World War and it's all still going on. (Okay, so there's a lull at the moment, but I would not take odds that it will last forever.) They could use some deeper amnesia in their part of the world.
The next morning I read the newspaper. The Israelis and Palestinians were swapping killings again in Gaza. Who the hell even knows who got to any of those places first? Israelis will tell you that they did; it's the promised land that Moses led them to and they've been there ever since. Palestinians will tell you that they were there when the Israelis showed up and they've been there ever since. Either the Israelis or the Palestinians and Arabs - depending on who you're talking to - tried to drive the others out of their homes when Israel was created by UN mandate. No one really knows who started it, who was there first, who killed who first, or anything that could possibly rely on history to resolve the questions of today. There's plenty of historic "evidence" to support all sides of the conflict.
Won't someone erase these people's memories and free them from the chains of their perceived histories?
There's an old saying that is all too often accepted as a truism: "He who forgets history is condemned to repeat it." But the saying itself is a good example of the problem of history. It's been attributed to Sisyphus, various French philosophers, Karl Marx, Winston Churchill and a slew of other notables. No one actually knows who first said it. It just sounds good.
But the other morning I was thinking it might be time for an update. Something along the lines of: "He who thinks he remembers history is condemned."
World Starts Fresh Day
If no one can come up with a biological fix for this memory conundrum, maybe it's time for an international holiday; the annual, perhaps bi-annual, "International - World Starts Fresh Day." At exactly 12:01am every World Starts Fresh Day, no one will be permitted to use any historical arguments to press their case about anything. They have to start fresh, as if they just woke up and found themselves, surprise surprise, in the situation that they're in, and now they have to make the best of it.
They'll be allowed to keep their history books only so long as they regard them as, and teach them as literature; no more, no less. Much as the Bible and the Koran and the Teachings of Buddha and all that stuff ought to be regarded and taught. Anyone who acts on their perception or interpretation of history will be rounded up and sent for re-education. If they fail to learn their lesson, they should be transported, isolated from the rest of us, so that we can live in peace. Australians, as a people, seem like they're concerned about world peace. They'd probably be willing to move elsewhere to make way for those who remember their history to be marooned on their island. It might even appeal to those who remember Australia's history.
Enough's Enough
Now I'm going to try and forget about what I saw, heard and read last week, other than the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale. It is the best Bond movie in a very long time. Daniel Craig is by far the best Bond since Sean Connery, maybe even as good as Connery. He has the air of menace about him that makes him seem a more likely killer. And best of all, the action is driven by stunts, not by gadgets and special effects. There's a chase scene that is worthy of the best of Jackie Chan. There's even a stunt person listed in the opening credits.
And lastly, I seem to have been getting a lot of spam email lately from people flogging bad stocks. There is one group, however, that sends them with truly wonderful subject lines. Here are some of my favorites:
Impudent statesmanship
Sadist assembly line
Manliness gratuitous
Good Book refugee
Very Woof
Realism sheepish
Protagonist detention
Garbage can voyage
Indisputable sadly
Mistook deadpan
Sticky democratic
Sickening yep
Eccentricity probe
Chicken feed alcoholic
Flatulence wide-eyed
Guy drunkenness
Insufferable champion
Strenuous vomit
Token prosperous
Perky coolness
Estranged pajamas
Last week I was watching Ted Koppel on The Daily Show. He was talking about his new reportage on Iran. One of our primary bones of contention with Iran can be traced back to the taking over of our embassy in Tehran and the holding of American hostages for 444 days. Go back a bit further, to 1953, and the Iranians remember when we overthrew their democratically elected government and replaced it with the Shah - a brutal dictator. That's a relatively recent problem that some amnesia could help fix.
When I turned off the TV I turned to my reading: William T. Vollmann's Rising Up And Rising Down. (I'm most of the way through volume five "Studies in Consequences.") That night I read the opening chapters of the section on the wars in the former Yugoslavia. The grievances that everyone is fighting over in that part of the world go back to at least 1389. There was a slaughter. Then a retaliatory slaughter. Then one in revenge for that and so on up into the "modern" era when the ancient animosities led to everyone choosing up sides against each other in the Second World War and it's all still going on. (Okay, so there's a lull at the moment, but I would not take odds that it will last forever.) They could use some deeper amnesia in their part of the world.
The next morning I read the newspaper. The Israelis and Palestinians were swapping killings again in Gaza. Who the hell even knows who got to any of those places first? Israelis will tell you that they did; it's the promised land that Moses led them to and they've been there ever since. Palestinians will tell you that they were there when the Israelis showed up and they've been there ever since. Either the Israelis or the Palestinians and Arabs - depending on who you're talking to - tried to drive the others out of their homes when Israel was created by UN mandate. No one really knows who started it, who was there first, who killed who first, or anything that could possibly rely on history to resolve the questions of today. There's plenty of historic "evidence" to support all sides of the conflict.
Won't someone erase these people's memories and free them from the chains of their perceived histories?
There's an old saying that is all too often accepted as a truism: "He who forgets history is condemned to repeat it." But the saying itself is a good example of the problem of history. It's been attributed to Sisyphus, various French philosophers, Karl Marx, Winston Churchill and a slew of other notables. No one actually knows who first said it. It just sounds good.
But the other morning I was thinking it might be time for an update. Something along the lines of: "He who thinks he remembers history is condemned."
World Starts Fresh Day
If no one can come up with a biological fix for this memory conundrum, maybe it's time for an international holiday; the annual, perhaps bi-annual, "International - World Starts Fresh Day." At exactly 12:01am every World Starts Fresh Day, no one will be permitted to use any historical arguments to press their case about anything. They have to start fresh, as if they just woke up and found themselves, surprise surprise, in the situation that they're in, and now they have to make the best of it.
They'll be allowed to keep their history books only so long as they regard them as, and teach them as literature; no more, no less. Much as the Bible and the Koran and the Teachings of Buddha and all that stuff ought to be regarded and taught. Anyone who acts on their perception or interpretation of history will be rounded up and sent for re-education. If they fail to learn their lesson, they should be transported, isolated from the rest of us, so that we can live in peace. Australians, as a people, seem like they're concerned about world peace. They'd probably be willing to move elsewhere to make way for those who remember their history to be marooned on their island. It might even appeal to those who remember Australia's history.
Enough's Enough
Now I'm going to try and forget about what I saw, heard and read last week, other than the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale. It is the best Bond movie in a very long time. Daniel Craig is by far the best Bond since Sean Connery, maybe even as good as Connery. He has the air of menace about him that makes him seem a more likely killer. And best of all, the action is driven by stunts, not by gadgets and special effects. There's a chase scene that is worthy of the best of Jackie Chan. There's even a stunt person listed in the opening credits.
And lastly, I seem to have been getting a lot of spam email lately from people flogging bad stocks. There is one group, however, that sends them with truly wonderful subject lines. Here are some of my favorites:
Impudent statesmanship
Sadist assembly line
Manliness gratuitous
Good Book refugee
Very Woof
Realism sheepish
Protagonist detention
Garbage can voyage
Indisputable sadly
Mistook deadpan
Sticky democratic
Sickening yep
Eccentricity probe
Chicken feed alcoholic
Flatulence wide-eyed
Guy drunkenness
Insufferable champion
Strenuous vomit
Token prosperous
Perky coolness
Estranged pajamas
Monday, November 20, 2006
Alaska Scape
Alaska is way up north and for all intensive purposes in the middle of nowhere. However up there with the nothing, is something, and it is definatly... on the list:
Why am I thinking of Alaska while on a beach in Florida? Maybe it's easier that way ;-)
Why am I thinking of Alaska while on a beach in Florida? Maybe it's easier that way ;-)
Sunday, November 19, 2006
The Life
I am sitting on the balcony of our beachfront condo in Tampa, Florida with a cold beer, wireless and the waves rolling, rolling, rolling in...
More pics tomorrow... :-)
More pics tomorrow... :-)
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Kazakstan to the Rescue
German gets a late afternoon sub in :-) After a brutal loss to our arch enemy Bayern Munich today the only thing that could get a smile on my face was this pic of Borat and the Kazakstani hockey team on ice:
All kidding aside, kazakstan actually does have a decent hockey team (they typically bounce back and forth from the top ten 'A' pool to the 11-20 team 'B' pool). We even had our very own Kazakstani on ice for one of our "hockey night in Pforzheim" nights, our main man Leo! Unfortunatly Leo's skating was less than perfect as his knees, elbows and other limbs seemed to constantly beat down on the ice (or was it the other way around?? ;-)
I guess I didn't put all kidding aside...
Leo's the only man I know that can down a bottle of vodka and still score a deuce of Russians after the guantlet had been laid down with an early night pickup by one of his other mates. Cheers to you Leo, we'll have to have that rematch (both on and off the icegames) again soon! :-)
All kidding aside, kazakstan actually does have a decent hockey team (they typically bounce back and forth from the top ten 'A' pool to the 11-20 team 'B' pool). We even had our very own Kazakstani on ice for one of our "hockey night in Pforzheim" nights, our main man Leo! Unfortunatly Leo's skating was less than perfect as his knees, elbows and other limbs seemed to constantly beat down on the ice (or was it the other way around?? ;-)
I guess I didn't put all kidding aside...
Leo's the only man I know that can down a bottle of vodka and still score a deuce of Russians after the guantlet had been laid down with an early night pickup by one of his other mates. Cheers to you Leo, we'll have to have that rematch (both on and off the icegames) again soon! :-)
Snow to Sun
It's negative alot today in Homer Alaska, but all that's behind me as I'm off to the sunny beaches of our condo in Florida tomorrow morning :-)
Friday, November 17, 2006
What's He Thinking?!?!
It's great to be home for a couple days and be able to catch a 67s game... even if they did tear my heart out with a 16 seconds to go loss to a Belleville team that would not frigging go away all night! Of course the refs were pretty brutal and didn't help the situation:
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Dreamer vs. Scientist
A funny quipe gleaned from the Michael Shermer TED Talks presentation (15 minutes in).
Emotional expression from the creative mind:
We are 12 billion light years from the edge,
That's a guess, no one can ever say it's true...
But I know that I will always be with you...
The same romantic song translated from a scientist:
We are 13.7 billion light years from the edge of the observable universe,
That's a good estimate, with well defined error bars,
And with the available information, I predict that I will alwas be with you...
Funny stuff :-)
Emotional expression from the creative mind:
We are 12 billion light years from the edge,
That's a guess, no one can ever say it's true...
But I know that I will always be with you...
The same romantic song translated from a scientist:
We are 13.7 billion light years from the edge of the observable universe,
That's a good estimate, with well defined error bars,
And with the available information, I predict that I will alwas be with you...
Funny stuff :-)
Monday, November 13, 2006
Solidarity Together
When you walk through a storm,
Hold your head up high,
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the storm,
There's a golden sky,
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams -be tossed -and blown,
Walk on, walk on...
With hope in your heart.
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone...
Walk on, walk on.
With hope in your heart.
And you'll never walk -alone.
You'll ne-ever walk -alone...
Fifty seconds in it gets hearting... but only in a sporting way which I could never port to a personal verbal score. I miss you...
I miss you...
Hold your head up high,
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the storm,
There's a golden sky,
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams -be tossed -and blown,
Walk on, walk on...
With hope in your heart.
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone...
Walk on, walk on.
With hope in your heart.
And you'll never walk -alone.
You'll ne-ever walk -alone...
Fifty seconds in it gets hearting... but only in a sporting way which I could never port to a personal verbal score. I miss you...
I miss you...
Solidarity
This is going to be a sticky for a while...
Solidarity -
"union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities and interests, as between members of a group or between classes, peoples, etc.: to promote solidarity among union members"
Solidarity -
"union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities and interests, as between members of a group or between classes, peoples, etc.: to promote solidarity among union members"
You'll Never Walk Alone
VFB Stuttgart #1, 67's building, Toronto FC tix in the bank, Sens no worries, Bietingheim Steelers reeling em' in, Karlsruhe making a push for the big boys league, 4 nations cup in the bag! So sports is goin' good :-) Traveling is going strong too, Deutschland-Paris-Chicago-Czech-London-Canada 1,2,3-Sicily-Florida-Vancouver-Ireland-Moskova-St.Petersburg(better, Go CSKA Go!)-Algonquin-Ottawa back; Rock on! Now if I could just get the J-birds and the Bee's onside ;-)
As Liverpool fans in the historic Champions League final against Milan or as Celtic against racism: it's all about passion, trust, heart and soul - "You'll Never Walk Alone":
As Liverpool fans in the historic Champions League final against Milan or as Celtic against racism: it's all about passion, trust, heart and soul - "You'll Never Walk Alone":
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Thursday, November 9, 2006
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Weekend Warrior
Unfortunatly I spend a large portion of my weekday hours sitting in front of my computer which means I really try hard to get out running/walking each night and hit it especially hard on the weekend. So what's on tap for this coming fin semain? How about a little more Dundurn Trail to soak in the re-emergence of summer/fall weather we're enjoying :-)
Monday, November 6, 2006
Toronto FC
It's official, I got my Toronto FC season tickets today!! :-)
2007 will be the inagural season for Toronto in the MLS (Major League Soccer) league and I'll be a part of it as one of the Red Patch Boys which is a new fan group (section 112). The name is in respect of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division gathered from the Toronto area at the outbreak of World War II and the logo includes the gold maple leaf that they also once wore.
Check it out, my seat:
VFB Stuttgart will always be #1 in my book (they are about to CRUSH Hamburg tomorrow to move into first place in the bundesliga!) but for the time being while I spend just over 65% of my time here in Canada I'll have to be content watching VFB on satelite at the pub and cheering for the only Canadian MLS team Toronto FC :-)
2007 will be the inagural season for Toronto in the MLS (Major League Soccer) league and I'll be a part of it as one of the Red Patch Boys which is a new fan group (section 112). The name is in respect of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division gathered from the Toronto area at the outbreak of World War II and the logo includes the gold maple leaf that they also once wore.
Check it out, my seat:
VFB Stuttgart will always be #1 in my book (they are about to CRUSH Hamburg tomorrow to move into first place in the bundesliga!) but for the time being while I spend just over 65% of my time here in Canada I'll have to be content watching VFB on satelite at the pub and cheering for the only Canadian MLS team Toronto FC :-)
Links Beware
An unexpected visitor has me working to the bone ;-) So until I can get my newest pics and posts up, go have a time with these links:
Weird cartoons of a big head business guy getting killed in different ways.
A great movie: "Eternal Sunshine of the Sunspot Mind".
Worst hockey logo's of all time. The Leafs should be on there ;-)
How Bush is really controlled.
Shadow puppet fun.
What the earth would look like with only 100 people.
Download classic Zelda for your PC.
A classic "who dun'it":
Weird cartoons of a big head business guy getting killed in different ways.
A great movie: "Eternal Sunshine of the Sunspot Mind".
Worst hockey logo's of all time. The Leafs should be on there ;-)
How Bush is really controlled.
Shadow puppet fun.
What the earth would look like with only 100 people.
Download classic Zelda for your PC.
A classic "who dun'it":
Saturday, November 4, 2006
Friday, November 3, 2006
Canadian Tire Sale
Canadian Tire has got a sale on Leaf blowers this weekend:
It's Friday and so the hockey gutter humour is totally acceptable ;-) Stevie got this one in to start off an early weekend :-)
It's Friday and so the hockey gutter humour is totally acceptable ;-) Stevie got this one in to start off an early weekend :-)
Thursday, November 2, 2006
Rio Will Be-O
The bad news: I had to move my trip to Brazil until next year.
The good news: I'll be there during Carnival at the end of February!!! :-) :-P
Life is good...
The good news: I'll be there during Carnival at the end of February!!! :-) :-P
Life is good...
Those Crazy Quebecois
Last night I was touring around Hamilton and I saw a guy with an old Quebec Nordiques jacket on, very cool. For those of you who don't know, the Quebec Nordiques where an NHL team that was the arch enemy of the Montreal Canadians, those games used to be bloodbaths! The only problem was Quebec got screwed out of their team due to financial reasons and they moved to Colorado, changed their name to the Avalanche and subsequently won the Stanley Cup the next year. Ouch.
As a punishment to the NHL and Canadians everywhere we now have Quebec separatists ;-) Crazy, crazy separatists that continually come up with crazy, crazy ideas on how they might divide Canadian hockey players. Good luck crazies, I'll be in Quebec city to watch the 2008 World Hockey Championships and cheer on Team Canada, Quebecors and all :-)
As a punishment to the NHL and Canadians everywhere we now have Quebec separatists ;-) Crazy, crazy separatists that continually come up with crazy, crazy ideas on how they might divide Canadian hockey players. Good luck crazies, I'll be in Quebec city to watch the 2008 World Hockey Championships and cheer on Team Canada, Quebecors and all :-)
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Gay Translator
Certainly I don't want to be posting video clips all the time, but some of these are priceless. Watch as the Daily Show makes fun of the US Army and their stance on Gay's in the military:
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