Watches, Warthogs and WTF?

The word of the week is nostalgia.

June 27 - Lego My Ego?

Yep, some straight up nostalgia: Lego fits the bill just fine. If I'd made a short film a tenth as fine as this one for a school project, I'd probably be a director by now. Which would be great, as Lego actors don't throw hissy fits, ask for huge paycheques or get caught in embarassing moments on people's cell cameras. Unless you animate them that way. Enjoy!

June 28 - Watches are back again?

Years ago, I stopped wearing a watch, as I found I didn't need to know the time that badly... and I could always check my cell phone( which made a watch redundant, apart from a fading bling factor for Rolexes ). Now I find that the technology curve is swinging back again, as watches with Bluetooth tech are due to arrive that will 'talk' to your smartphone. Watchmaker Fossil( ironic name, no? )is coming out with their Metawatch, which will display all sorts of simplified data from your cell phone - Facebook updates, Tweets and emails are just a few things that it can show. No need to go digging for your phone, power it up and unlock it every time something happens - just a glance at your wrist will save you many minutes a day. Only if you're busy, of course... and DO leave the thing behind when you're on vacation, of course!

June 29 - Free University Education?

Years ago, I physically attended classes at a bricks-and-mortar university. While the social aspect was great, it was rather hit-and-miss with some of my classes and seminars - I distinctly remember one seminar when I was one of only four people in the entire group who regularly spoke up - sad, and silly too. Why not learn online instead, and avoid having to get yourself to class and sit through the tedium of a lecture sans a fast-forward button? You can view any one of thousands of lectures at iTunesU, or hop on over to YouTube EDU as well - just think of all the classes you wanted to take but couldn't fit into your schedule( or budget ). This opens up the possibility of becoming a true 'lifetime student' without having to fit the cost and time constraints into your daily life and / or career. Fascinating; a technology win!

June 30 - Choose Your Own; WTF, June?

Instead of talking about how exhausting the frantic 10.5 hours I worked today was, I'll direct you instead towards something I wish I could have done today: Choose Your Own Adventure. This was a series of incredibly popular books published in my youth, where you the reader choose your own path through each storyline - I still have them and read through them on occasion. What's the relavancy, you ask? Well, apart from the entertainment value, these books set the stage for today's interactive games, which are the natural extension of the story art begun by print authors so long ago. Being able to place YOURSELF in the story and have it unfold around you is a magical feeling, one not so easily captured today, as a lot of focus seems to be on flashy graphics. I highly recommend playing The Longest Journey, which is an amazing adventure-style game from a few years ago and available cheap on GOG.com. If every game nowadays was of that level, we'd all live in front of our silicon machines.

July 1st - It's Canada Day, eh?

Happy birthday, Canada. I celebrated our country's 144th year by sleeping in and generally trying not to stumble over things, as I was exhausted from yesterday's insanity. I've noticed of late that I'm misspelling things a LOT more when I type, as well as other small things that all seem to add up to my needing a vacation - or a psychotic break, whichever comes first. I've mentioned this already, I know - sorry to repeat myself, but feeling that you're between a rock and a workplace that doesn't care about your mental well-being is not happy-making. And it seems that employees at RIM( makers of the Blackberry )are also feeling like their company is letting them down left and right. I can relate. Thankfully my five-year 'financial plan' comes to fruition next month with my mother's retirement at age 65, so IF a decent job alternate comes along later this year, I can jump ship without feeling a massive burden of responsibility. I might even stop misspelling things.

July 2 - Smog, or Smaug?

I was WAY too tired to do much yesterday - not even fireworks could tempt me out of home. Today was a little better, in that the sun shone all day and I spent a decent part of it outside, either on the balcony or at the Bear's Den( formerly The Bean ), getting my hair ruffled by the sharp( but warm )winds that howl through the area of late. Much better than trying to deal with smog in Niagara though - the air here smells fresh, clean and crisp, as it should in summer. Hopefully by this time next year, we'll be well on our way towards seeing Part 1 of The Hobbit, which of course has the iconic dragon Smaug in it... see a connection?

July 3 - Ten Straight Years Of Games, almost?

Some nostalgia today( deadly, I know ): Some lucky bastard got to drive the only working Halo Warthog vehicle in the world, down in New Zealand at Weta Workshops( the folks who did Lord of the Rings ). I used to play Halo every Sunday with my pals at Simon's on a LAN, our Xbox's and TV's and snacks piled on every available surface. I miss those days. But not the smell. November 2001 was when Halo 1 first hit the Xbox and changed it all up...

Later in the day I went off to work( on my day off )for an hour or so to finish payroll( and so get paid this week ). Such is the life of a manager, as it was far too insanely busy on the 30th to finish. It was a lovely day out, so I spent some time outside next to the fountain in the courtyard outside my condo, which was only recently turned back on. The splashing of the water was very relaxing, and I only wish there was some more comfortable seating near it - instead, all there are is a series of concrete bench-walls, which do nothing for relaxation. And don't get me started about laying down on the grass where all the condo owners take their dogs; disgusting! I did enjoy my evening watching a few more episodes of Farscape, intermingled with a few hours of NWN - that game is one that has lived on every PC I've owned since June 18, 2002... so the anniversary is coming up next year. Who else can say they've played a computer game for ten years solid and STILL enjoy the heck out of out, really?

Bleh - I worked 11 days in a row to culminate in a 3-day weekend, and I'm still tired. Still searching for another job and still hoping that before I leave I'll be able to take SOME kind of vacation. Do I sound like a broken record yet?