I'll refrain from further mention about whatever's wrong with me, as it resulted in some lengthy comments last week - not my intent. So instead I will continue to focus on events and things of interest here, along with the positive changes about life in BC. Happy thoughts.
Jan 5 - Real World Superheroes
The TV show Heroes was a smash hit when it started out, and despite a rocky road of uneven writing, it still remains a vibrant idea that seems to have struck a chord with the general public. Ordinary people whose everyday lives are changed forever by the discovery of untapped powers within themselves; heady stuff.
Apparently that sort of thinking has rubbed off a little, in unexpected ways. Amateur crimefighters have sprung up here and there around the world, taking upon themselves the burden of fighting crime and injustice in the streets. One of the most colourful is Citizen Prime, who keeps a blog of his activities that makes for some fascinating reading, as does the site for The League of Citizen Heroes( though the flag background is overdoing things a bit, from my Canadian perspective ).
One has to wonder what motivates some of these folk, though I suspect it is simple empathy for their fellow (wo)man, that they care what happens to others enough to do something about it. Their decision to do something, aside from joining civil services such as their local police or action groups, speaks to me of a desire to make something better out of society's mess. If we as individuals cannot empathize with one another, then we start to slide down that slippery slope towards the anathema of disinterest, where people become objects with names attached and so we lose a big part of what we call being human. Being a superhero can bring new perspective to one's sense of community involvement, to become a participant of solutions and not a spectator to the problems one sees daily. Kudos, heroes... too all of you who can get close to others.
Makes me want to go all civil-minded, but then I remembered I work in customer service. *sigh* Still, one wonders what would happen if a superhero had to hold down a day job... while in costume. My fave is the anger management counsellor; see if you can guess which hero it is.
Jan 6 - Death and Gaming
A sad day for gaming enthusiasts today: Electronic Gaming Monthly has bit the dust, just shy of its twenty-year anniversary. Companion magazine Computer Gaming World died early last year, after nearly 27 years tuning gamers into their needed hobby. I really liked CGW, even moreso than EGM; I still have some amazing issues, the crowning glory of which was their Dec.1996 issue, which gave you 425 pages of gaming goodness for a mere $4.99 CAN... how can you beat that in a monthly magazine?
And who wants to die, really? I mean, there's very little to recommend it, and as far as anyone knows, its both permanent and very boring. Apart from Terry Pratchett's amusing take on the character, Death has always been, well, unexciting and sinister. I did enjoy A Disagreement with Death, which is going for the bargain price of $0.01 on Amazon.ca - grab a copy while you can as it's out of print.
Two architects have come up with a novel life-prolonging idea: design a house that forces you to be active to live within its walls. While their idea has merit, I really do not think that living in their concept house would be all that safe on a daily basis; sleepwalkers would injure themselves in moments. It reminds me of a zoo habitat for monkeys, or a playground challenge area for really agile and active kids.
I suppose it all comes down to living; if you're a sloth, you move slowly though life and likely will end it early. If you run at high speed, you might crash and burn. I'm more of the moderate type; keep moving but watch where you're going, so as to avoid some of the bumps. Plus, it's better to travel with company than alone; who's going to take the scenic pictures and check the maps while driving life's highway? Oh wait, that's why I bought a GPS... though they don't have one with a camera too. Yet.
For those of you who wait every year for it, wait no longer: the 2008 Darwin Awards are out! Yep, now you can read about those intrepid souls who have managed to improve the gene pool of the human race... by removing themselves from it in acts of utter stupidity, though some get a lucky break.
Jan 7 - More Jerking
Just another day at work, though I did manage to have another oddball story to add to the list of Odd Things I've Witnessed at MMart. A perfectly normal-looking fellow came in to load some money to his Mastercard, using debit. As it is wont to do sometimes, my computer told me that the transaction failed to process, so I backed out and restarted the transaction from scratch. At the end of the second attempt, things worked fine, and I handed the receipt to the customer to have them sign it. At which point things took a 90-degree bend towards Weirdsville. On the receipt, the total showed the amount had been loaded twice( despite my PC telling me it had failed )and I opened my mouth to tell the customer that I would fix the error... but he beat me to it by demanding that I not charge him for the error. As well as demanding that I put it in writing; he was instantly rude and derisive towards me, not giving me any opportunity to interject my willingness to HELP and correct the problem, at all. Weird. In addition, when I was in the back calling the CSC, I could hear him berating customer service reps in general to another customer, being a total jerk about something over which I obviously had no control and was immediately going to fix for him( at no charge, no less ). Which I did, and when he had the gall to point out a single spelling mistake in the letter I wrote at breakneck speed, I instantly replied "Well sir, I did not want to make you wait further by running a spellcheck." Picky, mean-spirited bastard, I tell you... I refer you to my earlier link to The Serial Jerk, and would also add that when I read stories like this one, I am glad that I work at a place with armoured glass.
My opinion? Some people are nice most of the time, but can be jerks on occasion... then there are people who are jerks most of the time, but can be nice when needed. Telling the difference is always fun, as the jerks usually try to be nice when dealing with you for the first time... then when your guard is lowered somewhat, they let their true nature out with a bang - ouch. It's really too bad there's not some sort of licencing system in place; if people could just take a test to see if they are a jerk, then we may see more people taking a closer look at bumper stickers like this one. Which would result in some interesting stories. Maybe Steve Martin will star in a film about such jerks: oh wait, he already did.
Though one wonders... how can you tell if you are a jerk? I wish I could leave pamphlets on the subject strewn on the counter at work..
Jan 8 - Space Pressure
Battlestar Galactica has its final episodes coming up, and theories abound as to what will unfold. I've really enjoyed the show, even the 'break' season where they ended up on New Caprica for a too-long while, which was intended to reflect the USA's occupation of Iraq - nice, but it doesn't make for the same TV experience as a space-based show, despite the gritty character situations and writing.
I guess what it comes down to is trust: do we trust the producers of BSG not to screw their audience, who like that of Lost have followed the show along, enjoying the roller coaster of intelligent writing? Not that I expect BSG to jump the shark, but one worries, with some justification, that the writers have painted themselves into a corner at some point and have been desperately trying to figure a way out. No pressure: just millions of fans ready to jump all over you when that shark gets footprints on it...
I am also under pressure this week, though of a different sort: barometric pressure. The barometer has skyrocketed here in the last few days, rising to hover around the 104.00 kPa mark. Why is this significant you ask? Two words: weather sensitive. When the barometer rises, my head starts to pound; it's a trigger that many people seem to share in common, sadly. While theories are many as to the exact causes of barometric headaches, my personal research is leaning towards the reaction of blood vessel diameters towards exterior pressure. Given that the human skull is a series of closed chambers under various pressures and lined with many blood vessels going in and out, it stands to reason that some individuals will have a higher sensitivity to external pressure changes than others. The vast numbers of forums and blogs out there on the subject shows that for many, being able to predict the weather comes at too high a price.
Oh, on the note of Cylons: this is just the coolest. Well, when it's not on, that is. Mmm... chromy.
Jan 9 - Voices and the Doctor
A while back I wrote about cell phone watches, and the current lack thereof on the market. Well, the recent 2009 CES had a lot of great new tech, including a wristwatch cell phone from LG Electronics. Much like the Dick Tracy Wristwatch Radiophone of yesteryear, this new cell may( of course )herald the direction of things to come. We'll see how bulky it ends up being, as well as how actually useful it is, though with the advent of Bluetooth headsets, some of the drawbacks of having to talk AND listen with something strapped to your wrist are negated. The part I loved about it all? You can see it in this video... the phone used to call the wristwatch cell is my very own LG Shine! Sweet synchronicity! Though if I am honest with myself, my current phone will meet all my cell needs for some time to come.
Some news about Doctor Who; the new Doctor Who has been chosen! While this is a Big Thing for some people, I always wonder how far away from the Tom Baker standard the show can get before fan backlash snaps things back into line. Here is a bit about the various people considered for the role of the current Doctor, as well as some suggestions therein. One request: we need more scenes with the sonic screwdriver! And less with Daleks, especially if they are singing...
While singing is usually part and parcel of most Disney productions, thankfully their cartoon series have for the most part lacked musical numbers. One series I enjoyed immensely was the too-brief Dave The Barbarian, which was a parodied take on fantasy adventures. The show featured the voice of Jeff Bennett as the Narrator, and had some great writing with spot-on comedic timing. Bennett appears in many of my favourite old-school shows, such as Johnny Bravo, Freakazoid! and Earthworm Jim, and even appeared in several of the Baldur's Gate series of video games. He has quite the voice acting career which I find inspiring, especially as he is able to do so many different voices. Truly talented, Bennett... though I wonder if bad breath might make or break such a career? I know that Billy West, one of the most famous voice actors in the world today, had a lot to overcome to land at the top: he speaks about it here, a great read.
Jan 10 - Shared Plumbing
One of those things about sharing, be it bills, lunch or even bathrooms, is that you have to adjust to the habits of others. Nowhere is this more instantly apparent than while showering... and someone else runs water. The blast of scalding water or shattering cold jolts you out of your comfortable reverie; how many great ideas have been lost while in the shower to the inconsideration of others? One thing I will not miss about shared plumbing is all the other people using it at the same time. If I ever decide to build a home of my own, or renovate one, it will definitely have one of these to eliminate that pesky shower issue. And some of these. And one of these... and heck, while I am at it, one of these for good measure. Though we'll likely never see anything like it, the House of the Future still resonates today, as future homes are looking good, albeit still too darn large... and lacking fireplaces?
Going further along the concept of shared living, this site shows how modern ideas of living spaces have begun to change in the last decade. Given the huge housing problems that have struck the US from the sub-prime mortgage debacle, these ideas of smaller, shared spaces make a lot of sense. The days of vast sprawling suburbs, of huge isolated and individual expensive homes, may go by the wayside. While I am not a proponent of living in the huddled mass of giant apartment complexes, I am certainly open to new ideas for old concepts to make better use of space in already developed urban zones.
Jan 11 - Almost put my foot in it...
Today was day 5 of 9 in a row, not a bad stretch of working and not the longest I have ever worked in a row... but it still wears on you a little depending on other factors. One bit of news, good or bad as you take it: due to the general slowdown, we are closing on Sundays for the next while. Which will be a nice change, as I have worked almost every Sunday since the summer; I even have a three-day weekend coming up. Though I will be spending most of it packing. The place now looks like I am moving: packed boxes sit on shelves instead of books, and everything has that shambled, forlorn look as if to say "this is no longer home, so just get on with it."
After work, I was out shopping with my dad for a bit before heading home... and near disaster. While unloading my groceries from the back seat of the car, my dad put the car into park and took his foot off the brake... causing the car to roll forward downhill a significant distance. I moved instantly with it, whipping my foot out from in front of the rear wheel and so narrowly avoiding getting my foot trapped under the wheel. After some spirited reassurances that such would not happen again, I headed upstairs, relieved that my upcoming move would not be further complicated by any foot injuries - last thing I need. Kinda makes me wish I'd invested in a pair of steel-toed sneakers a few years back.
About all I've got for this week. It's just work and packing, rinse and repeat until month end... though next week, a surprise visitor!
Jan 5 - Real World Superheroes
The TV show Heroes was a smash hit when it started out, and despite a rocky road of uneven writing, it still remains a vibrant idea that seems to have struck a chord with the general public. Ordinary people whose everyday lives are changed forever by the discovery of untapped powers within themselves; heady stuff.
Apparently that sort of thinking has rubbed off a little, in unexpected ways. Amateur crimefighters have sprung up here and there around the world, taking upon themselves the burden of fighting crime and injustice in the streets. One of the most colourful is Citizen Prime, who keeps a blog of his activities that makes for some fascinating reading, as does the site for The League of Citizen Heroes( though the flag background is overdoing things a bit, from my Canadian perspective ).
One has to wonder what motivates some of these folk, though I suspect it is simple empathy for their fellow (wo)man, that they care what happens to others enough to do something about it. Their decision to do something, aside from joining civil services such as their local police or action groups, speaks to me of a desire to make something better out of society's mess. If we as individuals cannot empathize with one another, then we start to slide down that slippery slope towards the anathema of disinterest, where people become objects with names attached and so we lose a big part of what we call being human. Being a superhero can bring new perspective to one's sense of community involvement, to become a participant of solutions and not a spectator to the problems one sees daily. Kudos, heroes... too all of you who can get close to others.
Makes me want to go all civil-minded, but then I remembered I work in customer service. *sigh* Still, one wonders what would happen if a superhero had to hold down a day job... while in costume. My fave is the anger management counsellor; see if you can guess which hero it is.
Jan 6 - Death and Gaming
A sad day for gaming enthusiasts today: Electronic Gaming Monthly has bit the dust, just shy of its twenty-year anniversary. Companion magazine Computer Gaming World died early last year, after nearly 27 years tuning gamers into their needed hobby. I really liked CGW, even moreso than EGM; I still have some amazing issues, the crowning glory of which was their Dec.1996 issue, which gave you 425 pages of gaming goodness for a mere $4.99 CAN... how can you beat that in a monthly magazine?
And who wants to die, really? I mean, there's very little to recommend it, and as far as anyone knows, its both permanent and very boring. Apart from Terry Pratchett's amusing take on the character, Death has always been, well, unexciting and sinister. I did enjoy A Disagreement with Death, which is going for the bargain price of $0.01 on Amazon.ca - grab a copy while you can as it's out of print.
Two architects have come up with a novel life-prolonging idea: design a house that forces you to be active to live within its walls. While their idea has merit, I really do not think that living in their concept house would be all that safe on a daily basis; sleepwalkers would injure themselves in moments. It reminds me of a zoo habitat for monkeys, or a playground challenge area for really agile and active kids.
I suppose it all comes down to living; if you're a sloth, you move slowly though life and likely will end it early. If you run at high speed, you might crash and burn. I'm more of the moderate type; keep moving but watch where you're going, so as to avoid some of the bumps. Plus, it's better to travel with company than alone; who's going to take the scenic pictures and check the maps while driving life's highway? Oh wait, that's why I bought a GPS... though they don't have one with a camera too. Yet.
For those of you who wait every year for it, wait no longer: the 2008 Darwin Awards are out! Yep, now you can read about those intrepid souls who have managed to improve the gene pool of the human race... by removing themselves from it in acts of utter stupidity, though some get a lucky break.
Jan 7 - More Jerking
Just another day at work, though I did manage to have another oddball story to add to the list of Odd Things I've Witnessed at MMart. A perfectly normal-looking fellow came in to load some money to his Mastercard, using debit. As it is wont to do sometimes, my computer told me that the transaction failed to process, so I backed out and restarted the transaction from scratch. At the end of the second attempt, things worked fine, and I handed the receipt to the customer to have them sign it. At which point things took a 90-degree bend towards Weirdsville. On the receipt, the total showed the amount had been loaded twice( despite my PC telling me it had failed )and I opened my mouth to tell the customer that I would fix the error... but he beat me to it by demanding that I not charge him for the error. As well as demanding that I put it in writing; he was instantly rude and derisive towards me, not giving me any opportunity to interject my willingness to HELP and correct the problem, at all. Weird. In addition, when I was in the back calling the CSC, I could hear him berating customer service reps in general to another customer, being a total jerk about something over which I obviously had no control and was immediately going to fix for him( at no charge, no less ). Which I did, and when he had the gall to point out a single spelling mistake in the letter I wrote at breakneck speed, I instantly replied "Well sir, I did not want to make you wait further by running a spellcheck." Picky, mean-spirited bastard, I tell you... I refer you to my earlier link to The Serial Jerk, and would also add that when I read stories like this one, I am glad that I work at a place with armoured glass.
My opinion? Some people are nice most of the time, but can be jerks on occasion... then there are people who are jerks most of the time, but can be nice when needed. Telling the difference is always fun, as the jerks usually try to be nice when dealing with you for the first time... then when your guard is lowered somewhat, they let their true nature out with a bang - ouch. It's really too bad there's not some sort of licencing system in place; if people could just take a test to see if they are a jerk, then we may see more people taking a closer look at bumper stickers like this one. Which would result in some interesting stories. Maybe Steve Martin will star in a film about such jerks: oh wait, he already did.
Though one wonders... how can you tell if you are a jerk? I wish I could leave pamphlets on the subject strewn on the counter at work..
Jan 8 - Space Pressure
Battlestar Galactica has its final episodes coming up, and theories abound as to what will unfold. I've really enjoyed the show, even the 'break' season where they ended up on New Caprica for a too-long while, which was intended to reflect the USA's occupation of Iraq - nice, but it doesn't make for the same TV experience as a space-based show, despite the gritty character situations and writing.
I guess what it comes down to is trust: do we trust the producers of BSG not to screw their audience, who like that of Lost have followed the show along, enjoying the roller coaster of intelligent writing? Not that I expect BSG to jump the shark, but one worries, with some justification, that the writers have painted themselves into a corner at some point and have been desperately trying to figure a way out. No pressure: just millions of fans ready to jump all over you when that shark gets footprints on it...
I am also under pressure this week, though of a different sort: barometric pressure. The barometer has skyrocketed here in the last few days, rising to hover around the 104.00 kPa mark. Why is this significant you ask? Two words: weather sensitive. When the barometer rises, my head starts to pound; it's a trigger that many people seem to share in common, sadly. While theories are many as to the exact causes of barometric headaches, my personal research is leaning towards the reaction of blood vessel diameters towards exterior pressure. Given that the human skull is a series of closed chambers under various pressures and lined with many blood vessels going in and out, it stands to reason that some individuals will have a higher sensitivity to external pressure changes than others. The vast numbers of forums and blogs out there on the subject shows that for many, being able to predict the weather comes at too high a price.
Oh, on the note of Cylons: this is just the coolest. Well, when it's not on, that is. Mmm... chromy.
Jan 9 - Voices and the Doctor
A while back I wrote about cell phone watches, and the current lack thereof on the market. Well, the recent 2009 CES had a lot of great new tech, including a wristwatch cell phone from LG Electronics. Much like the Dick Tracy Wristwatch Radiophone of yesteryear, this new cell may( of course )herald the direction of things to come. We'll see how bulky it ends up being, as well as how actually useful it is, though with the advent of Bluetooth headsets, some of the drawbacks of having to talk AND listen with something strapped to your wrist are negated. The part I loved about it all? You can see it in this video... the phone used to call the wristwatch cell is my very own LG Shine! Sweet synchronicity! Though if I am honest with myself, my current phone will meet all my cell needs for some time to come.
Some news about Doctor Who; the new Doctor Who has been chosen! While this is a Big Thing for some people, I always wonder how far away from the Tom Baker standard the show can get before fan backlash snaps things back into line. Here is a bit about the various people considered for the role of the current Doctor, as well as some suggestions therein. One request: we need more scenes with the sonic screwdriver! And less with Daleks, especially if they are singing...
While singing is usually part and parcel of most Disney productions, thankfully their cartoon series have for the most part lacked musical numbers. One series I enjoyed immensely was the too-brief Dave The Barbarian, which was a parodied take on fantasy adventures. The show featured the voice of Jeff Bennett as the Narrator, and had some great writing with spot-on comedic timing. Bennett appears in many of my favourite old-school shows, such as Johnny Bravo, Freakazoid! and Earthworm Jim, and even appeared in several of the Baldur's Gate series of video games. He has quite the voice acting career which I find inspiring, especially as he is able to do so many different voices. Truly talented, Bennett... though I wonder if bad breath might make or break such a career? I know that Billy West, one of the most famous voice actors in the world today, had a lot to overcome to land at the top: he speaks about it here, a great read.
Jan 10 - Shared Plumbing
One of those things about sharing, be it bills, lunch or even bathrooms, is that you have to adjust to the habits of others. Nowhere is this more instantly apparent than while showering... and someone else runs water. The blast of scalding water or shattering cold jolts you out of your comfortable reverie; how many great ideas have been lost while in the shower to the inconsideration of others? One thing I will not miss about shared plumbing is all the other people using it at the same time. If I ever decide to build a home of my own, or renovate one, it will definitely have one of these to eliminate that pesky shower issue. And some of these. And one of these... and heck, while I am at it, one of these for good measure. Though we'll likely never see anything like it, the House of the Future still resonates today, as future homes are looking good, albeit still too darn large... and lacking fireplaces?
Going further along the concept of shared living, this site shows how modern ideas of living spaces have begun to change in the last decade. Given the huge housing problems that have struck the US from the sub-prime mortgage debacle, these ideas of smaller, shared spaces make a lot of sense. The days of vast sprawling suburbs, of huge isolated and individual expensive homes, may go by the wayside. While I am not a proponent of living in the huddled mass of giant apartment complexes, I am certainly open to new ideas for old concepts to make better use of space in already developed urban zones.
Jan 11 - Almost put my foot in it...
Today was day 5 of 9 in a row, not a bad stretch of working and not the longest I have ever worked in a row... but it still wears on you a little depending on other factors. One bit of news, good or bad as you take it: due to the general slowdown, we are closing on Sundays for the next while. Which will be a nice change, as I have worked almost every Sunday since the summer; I even have a three-day weekend coming up. Though I will be spending most of it packing. The place now looks like I am moving: packed boxes sit on shelves instead of books, and everything has that shambled, forlorn look as if to say "this is no longer home, so just get on with it."
After work, I was out shopping with my dad for a bit before heading home... and near disaster. While unloading my groceries from the back seat of the car, my dad put the car into park and took his foot off the brake... causing the car to roll forward downhill a significant distance. I moved instantly with it, whipping my foot out from in front of the rear wheel and so narrowly avoiding getting my foot trapped under the wheel. After some spirited reassurances that such would not happen again, I headed upstairs, relieved that my upcoming move would not be further complicated by any foot injuries - last thing I need. Kinda makes me wish I'd invested in a pair of steel-toed sneakers a few years back.
About all I've got for this week. It's just work and packing, rinse and repeat until month end... though next week, a surprise visitor!
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