Posts

Showing posts from February, 2010

My Ethical Minefield

I have an ethical minefield-- one that is much more unpredictable than what I think other live by. Here's a sample of my moral maze: Population Density - Good. The only way we can address our travel dynamics and our carbon footprint is to pack people into dense regions. People need to live close to their work and services. If they cannot afford a home, they should have a condo, because you can get booted from an apartment or a sublet condo. Condos - Evil. Chumps buy condos. Urban Gardens - Good. Food security, food quality, economy, 0 mile diets, productive recreation-- how could this concept be anything less than awesome? Bottled Water - Evil. I politely refused bottled water, having faith in the public water supply. Public Works - Evil. I don't trust that civil servants can manage something important. (cough) Walkerton! Anti-depressants and ADHD medication - Evil. As Jacobi Mugatu said: "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!" There is an estimation tha

Man Fleeing Olympics -- Commits Theft and Murder

Image
A lower mainland man was so desperate to escape the Winter Olympics that he stole a car and fled to Vancouver Island. He later killed two on a motorcycle on the Malahat while travelling to Victoria... A fatal motor vehicle collision on the Malahat early Saturday afternoon has left a motorcycle rider and his passenger dead and the suspect driver of the second vehicle involved at large. This incident started early Saturday morning in North Vancouver when an unknown male entered a residence, stole some property and the homeowner's car, a newer model Honda Accord, while the homeowner's were home. The homeowner reported the incident to North Vancouver RCMP. Later in the morning, the stolen Honda was seen going through the toll booth at Horseshoe Bay. The lone male suspect's picture was captured by BC Ferries video surveillance. Police believe that the stolen Honda and suspect driver arrived at Departure Bay at approximately 10:00 AM. At approximately 12:25 hours police, fire

An Evil Bun In The Oven

Image
Cafepress is finally doing maternity shirts! My first outting: a Cthulhu ultrasound. Do you know a geekette or Cultist who is in the family way? If so, you can give them the gift that outlasts even time itself. (cue cheesy music) For just $28.99 you too can have this lovely shirt from Cafepress.com!

Shame On You, UVic

Image
View Larger Map I left the matinee of Collapse up at UVic with one prevalent thought: grow food on arable land-- moreso, grow it on land that people can get to-- don't put my pepper plants in Mexico: give me greenhouse space. Surely, don't truck my potatoes from California: these are bulky, heavy, low value staples. You can also grow them from the 49° south almost any time of the year. I walked across the lawns of UVic-- manicured tracts of great land enjoyed by rabbits and starving students alike. Last Fall, we were really lucky to be able to go to Sooke Harbour House. It was an inspirational experiment. In some real life version of the Wonka Chocolate factory, most of the plants are edible. A terrific and expert gardener led us around the lands, tearing off leaves, flowers, berries and flora of all kinds. "Eat it," she said. We complied-- flowers that tastes like cherries; a 15' tall bay leaf tree; patios were divided by rosemary bushes and fennel plants. We c

Finally... Wayne Gretzky Uses Fire In Vancouver

After this long, painful drawn out affair, Wayne Gretzky lit the Olympic flame capping off a frenzied day that included the death of an athlete, protests and a lot of people bedding down in $600/night hotels that I would rent for $95/night.

Let's Talk Caprica

IO9 has shown off some interesting spoilers. This isn't about spoilers, but about geeky projections. During the Olympic Torch Run, I ran into the sister of one of the supporting players. She said that her brother (I'm not going to out her), makes it to the fifth episode, then he and bunch of other characters (maybe people at Graystone?) all get tossed from the show. Killed or laid off in Graystone downsizing: who knows, but I took it as the former. If so, then they get to "Know Thy Enemy" which airs on March 12th. Esai Morales has hinted that there will be a large time shift in the future of the show. The chronology runs like this: Year -69: William Adama is born. Year -58: Episode 1 of Caprica. Year -52: The Cylons revolt (now revealed as the worst ever case of a girl with Daddy issues). Year -40: The Cylon War ends with the arrival of the Final Five. Year 0: The Fall. Humanity gets nuked and it's literally a 1-in-a-million chance that anyone survived (ie. 5

The Special Mitten Crowd

Image
Our world is being remade to suit the Special Mitten set-- people who get "special mittens" (see right), partially to keep their hands safe and partially to us safe from their hands. These are the people who fill up the left side of the big swoop in the IQ bell curve. They drive our world. Morons. Here's the list of people, places and products for the "Special Mitten" set-- people who need to have their mitten pinned onto their jackets for safe keeping: Casual Dining: Tim Horton's Highway Lane: Right Lane Mayor in the CRD: Dean Fortin TV Network: FoxTV TV Genre: Reality TV Best Movie of all Time: Avatar Best X-Men Movie: X-Men Secret Origins: Wolverine Best concept: The Bucket List Leno vs. O'Brien vs. Letterman: Leno Do you have any additions? Anything that caters to the Special Mitten set?