A flashback from 1973
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Friday, October 29, 2004
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Ebert vs Black
From an email exchange of Roger Ebert and Conrad Black:
"In the light of these facts, and the many kindnesses David Radler and I showered on you, your proletarian posturing on behalf of those threatening to strike the Sun-Times and your base ingratitude are very tiresome."
"Dear Conrad,
One of the things I have always admired about you, and that sets you aside from the general run of proprietors, is that you so articulately and amusingly say exactly what is on your mind."
"In the light of these facts, and the many kindnesses David Radler and I showered on you, your proletarian posturing on behalf of those threatening to strike the Sun-Times and your base ingratitude are very tiresome."
"Dear Conrad,
One of the things I have always admired about you, and that sets you aside from the general run of proprietors, is that you so articulately and amusingly say exactly what is on your mind."
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
The Republican Outline for Election Day :: Tilting at Windmills
Alarmingly credible post on the consequences of Republican skullduggery and election day malfeasance. It seems very 19th century - like a return to rotten boroughs and vote-payments. There was an interesting series of passages in a book by David Liss I read over the summer - A Spectacle of Corruption of Paper - about the manipulation of voters in 1720s England that mirror this. Depressing really, especially when you think of the UN sending teams of election officials (mostly Americans) to other countries to inspect and certify their elections. Makes you wonder about whether the US would pass muster.
Slate.com had a thorough article on the failure of electronic voting machines, as well as the Nation and a host of blogs.
Slate.com had a thorough article on the failure of electronic voting machines, as well as the Nation and a host of blogs.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Jules Verne's nursery :: The Star
Inco grows 50,000 subterranean seedlings a season of red pine and jack pine more than a kilometre down the 2.3-kilometre mine shaft... After three months of germination, the 5-inch pellets and seedlings are then brought up to the surface and planted on and around Inco property to fulfill its obligation to re-claim the barren land after years of wear and tear from mining, smelting and refining. Another 200,000 seedlings are also grown annually in the greenhouse operated year-round at Copper Cliff.
...It turns out that a steamy mine is a perfect environment for tree growing. For starters there's a constant humidity and geothermal heat of 25C year-round. "The underground nursery works because there is an ambient rock temperature, it's warm and you don't have to heat a greenhouse in cold weather in Sudbury. And it makes good sense because the facility is available so there's no added cost at Creighton," explains Taylor.
Fertilizer, electricity and water are pumped in at minimal cost compared to the expense of heating a regular greenhouse through the sub-zero winters, he says. The underground forest of baby trees is Y-shaped and fairly narrow at 10 feet wide and 600 feet long with fertilizer and water storage tanks at the wide end. It needs 2,000 litres of both water and fertilizer per day, so the tanks are on timers. To get things going it requires 30 1,000-watt light bulbs to give it the artificial effect of sunlight, which stay on 24 hours a day the first week, then 18 on and 6 off for three weeks and then 12 on and off — just like outdoors — the rest of the time.
Believe :: The Gadflyer
The piece speaks for itself - of course, I'm not American, so it doesn't effect me.
Monday, October 25, 2004
A useful push service :: maisonneuve's MediaScout
If you're interested in Canadian news or rather a Canadian-centric view of the world news, sign up for MediaScout - a very useful service that collects and analyzes the top headlines from the big 6 news sources and evaluates their differing spins on major issues of the day.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.
So parent's church is sending a container of items for a Grenada Relief Project (after Hurricane Ivan hit the island this autumn, about two-thirds of Grenada's 90,000 people have been left without shelter). See: http://www.grenadaemergency.com/photo.html orhttp://www.spiceisland.info/ or http://www.hvuc.ca/#grenada for details.
Among the items requested are:
* Cotton shirts - short sleeves, cotton tee or golf shirts
* Jeans - outgrown, used.
* Shoes - athletic styles. * All sizes welcome.
My parents thought that it was likely I could donate some of this. When they mentioned it, I figured that most of my sports playing friends have excess T-shirts lying around (hell, I still have some ofsaa '92 shirts in my closet) - so I emailed / phoned around, and collected roughly three carloads of used clothes.
Anyway, so having running around the city for a couple days, people donated roughly three carloads of clothing. Which is great.
What isn't so great is that my car was broken into as someone thought the fullbags and boxes contained something valuable. That said, they didn't consider the used clothes to be too valuable, so they dumped them all on the sidewalk, meaning that the donations will still end up going to Grenada, but still... Anyway, it turns out that most of the window repair places are closed on weekends (which seems asinine to me, but what do I know about business practices?) and the repair will be >$100 - or roughly $100 more than the thief obtained from their "smash and grab." Jackass.
Among the items requested are:
* Cotton shirts - short sleeves, cotton tee or golf shirts
* Jeans - outgrown, used.
* Shoes - athletic styles. * All sizes welcome.
My parents thought that it was likely I could donate some of this. When they mentioned it, I figured that most of my sports playing friends have excess T-shirts lying around (hell, I still have some ofsaa '92 shirts in my closet) - so I emailed / phoned around, and collected roughly three carloads of used clothes.
Anyway, so having running around the city for a couple days, people donated roughly three carloads of clothing. Which is great.
What isn't so great is that my car was broken into as someone thought the fullbags and boxes contained something valuable. That said, they didn't consider the used clothes to be too valuable, so they dumped them all on the sidewalk, meaning that the donations will still end up going to Grenada, but still... Anyway, it turns out that most of the window repair places are closed on weekends (which seems asinine to me, but what do I know about business practices?) and the repair will be >$100 - or roughly $100 more than the thief obtained from their "smash and grab." Jackass.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Why the US Spends so Much on Drugs :: The New Yorker
Or - who's really to blame? The drug companies, the doctors, the HMOs, the patients, patent law or our perceptions?
Best QA ever? :: collision detection
And see here for more details. Alas, I'm posting from work again.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
collision detection: Whales can't sue
This is one of the best blogs on the net - and here's why - an article about whales suing GWB and Donald Rumsfield.
Awesome, although apparently dismissed.
Awesome, although apparently dismissed.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
John Stewart on Crossfire
John Stewart takes Tucker Carlson and the other guy on Crossfire out to the woodshed and kicks their ass on what their role is regarding the public discourse.
What Nash did on summer vacation
Ah, sports interviews. Always amusing. Here's a pro athlete who publicly condemned the Iraq invasion and what do you ask him about?
SI.com: A lot of players seem to chew gum on the court. Do you?
SN: I don't chew gum.
SI.com: Why not?
SN: You don't get to swallow it. It's kind of a waste of time.
SI.com: Solid reasoning.
SI.com: A lot of players seem to chew gum on the court. Do you?
SN: I don't chew gum.
SI.com: Why not?
SN: You don't get to swallow it. It's kind of a waste of time.
SI.com: Solid reasoning.
The Greatest Travesty :: andrewcoyne.com
Usually I find Andrew Coyne annoyingly neo-conservative and condescending, but I think his column today is dead-on - so much so that I can't help but quote from it as he put it better than I could: http://andrewcoyne.com/archives/003948.php
It is a travesty of our past the CBC is offering us: a celebration of ignorance, a salute to mediocrity. Search in vain for our greatest names: for George Brown, the man who, more than any other -- yes, even Macdonald -- was responsible for Confederation; for Champlain and Frontenac and d’Iberville, for Baldwin and La Fontaine, for D’Arcy McGee and George-Étienne Cartier, for Clifford Sifton and C. D. Howe. Apparently there wasn’t room: not if it meant leaving off William Shatner, or “Winnipeg radio personality” Hal Anderson, or Mary Maxwell, wife of the founder of the Bahá’i faith.
I know, I know. We’re trying to make history fresh, get the kids interested. “Forget musty textbooks about the fur trade,” the CBC website burbles, “or droning lectures about the FLQ crisis. The Greatest Canadian makes Canadian history come alive and learning fun.” But what, in fact, are they learning? That Canada, in effect, has no history, that everything happened at the same time, that all achievements are of equal weight and all opinions of equal value.
Canadian history does not need to be made “fun.” The exploration, conquest and development of Canada is one of the greatest stories ever told, a tale of heroism and adventure, full of rude, passionate, and sometimes violent individuals with an extraordinary appetite for life. If, in the service of a particular ideology, it has been reduced to an orderly series of public works projects, that is hardly remedied by turning it into a parody of Canadian Idol.
A final point: How can this be said to represent the nation’s choice of “Greatest Canadian” when it isn’t even being shown in French?
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Canadian Canoe Routes :: Ferris Buller Technique
Self-explanatory, but entertaining views on escaping the cubicle for canoe.
The Guardian tries to persuade Clark County voters to save the world
What a load of pompous, self-righteous, self-defeating bollocks (if I can borrow the english term). I mean, I personally loathe GW and think he's a moron (faith-based presidency indeed). That said, this sounds like a Simpsons parody - right down to the choice of location (Springfield?!?).
For a quick update on how well this kite is flying, see here. Some choice quotes:
For a quick update on how well this kite is flying, see here. Some choice quotes:
- "Real Americans aren't interested in your pansy-ass, tea-sipping opinions."
- "Mind your own business. We don't need weenie-spined Limeys meddling in our
presidental election. If it wasn't for America, you'd all be speaking German." - "...if you don't wish to be an American, to live in Ohio, for instance, and
participate in the American political process, that is too bad. Perhaps there is
something wrong with you. Perhaps it is your teeth."
"I just read a hilarious proposal to involve your readership in the upcoming US
presidential election. At least, I'm hoping that it is genius satire. Nothing
will do more to undermine the Democratic cause in Ohio than having patronising
Brits wander around Clark County telling people how to vote. Just, for a second,
imagine if the Washington Post sent folks from Ohio to do the same in
Oxfordshire. I'm saying this as a Democrat, and as someone who has spent the
last few years in the UK. That is, with all due respect. Please, please, be
rational, and move slowly away from the self-defeating hubris."
Monday, October 18, 2004
The Ad Graveyard :: zeldman.com
Oh dear god - this is atrociously funny. Or not. To see what I mean, check out the Beatles Reunion ad.
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Currently Reading ::
OK, so I signed out the following from the TPL:
Drop City, by TC Boyle
American Ground, by William Langewische
All Over Creation, by Ruth Ozeki
and bought these from Ms. Gerry Schwartz:
A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide: by Samantha Power
Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
Paris, 1919: Six Months That Changed the World by Margaret Macmillan
Give me a couple weeks and I'll report back on them.
Drop City, by TC Boyle
American Ground, by William Langewische
All Over Creation, by Ruth Ozeki
and bought these from Ms. Gerry Schwartz:
A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide: by Samantha Power
Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
Paris, 1919: Six Months That Changed the World by Margaret Macmillan
Give me a couple weeks and I'll report back on them.
The life of a consultant
Jesus, that's brilliant - there's a painfully fine line between satire and depression. This page actually resembles my job description :: Thanks dp for the link.
my 'book accent' is too thick :: breebop
This is very funny and very me - given that reading is an intrinsically solitary practise you end up without context for the new words you see. I tend to guess at their pronunciation and move on. And then get caught when I pull them out for other people's edification later... I think some of the better dictionaries online now have mp3 files with the correct pronunciations, which is a kick-ass improvement on the old-school way of splitting the words and using accents to explain the stress points.
Friday, October 15, 2004
Vote Early, Vote Often :: from tsuredzuregusa
So, the future of the US elections is resting upon Access '97? Geez, why not Filemaker :)
Google preps desktop search application
Interesting - straight up against Longhorn, etc...
Google Desktop Search will let users search for information stored in their PC files, local e-mail inboxes, archived chat sessions and list of Web sites visited. See : http://www.desktop.google.com/ for beta testing...
Google Desktop Search will let users search for information stored in their PC files, local e-mail inboxes, archived chat sessions and list of Web sites visited. See : http://www.desktop.google.com/ for beta testing...
Currently Reading
A while ago I read Antarctica (after grabbing it from my parents' living room, where it had been left after serving as fodder for airplane reading) and quite liked it. So, picking up some other holds from the TPL, I saw a copy of this and picked it up.
Ontario Fall Colour Report
It's starting to end...
* In the Parry Sound region, the colour is past peak and muted.
* The colour is past peak in the Sudbury area
* The North Bay region has the colours past peak.
* In Algonquin Park, the colours are now well past peak with about 60% leaf fall.
But!
* The colour is now at peak in the Ottawa area.
* The Brockville, 1000 Island area, the colour is at peak, with some brilliant pockets of red and orange, along the 1000 Island Parkway.The southern * Muskoka and Haliburton regions have the colours at peak.
* The Kawartha Lakes region has advanced to peak colour change. The region is offering brilliant red, orange and yellow at this time. Highways 28, north to Bancroft and 121, north of Fenelon Falls are especially colourful at this time.
* The Barrie, Huronia region across to Collingwood, Blue Mountain area, the colours are at peak. There is simply outstanding colour throughout this area. Ideal viewing locations, in the central region of Ontario, include the Fire Tower Lookout in Dorset, Lions Lookout in Huntsville, the Horseshoe Valley area north east of Barrie, the Ridge Road region east of Barrie taking in the hamlets of Oro Station, Shanty Bay and Hawkestone
* The Owen Sound region, in particular the Inglis Falls and Harrison Park areas and across to the beautiful Beaver Valley, the colour is at peak. The drive into the Beaver Valley from Grey County Road 4, in the south along County Road 13, is outstanding during the fall. Bright orange and red dominate the area.
* The Hockley Valley area across to Caledon is featuring peak colour, with some beautiful pockets of burnt orange and yellow. The Elora Gorge and Fergus area is offering peak colour
* Further into the southwest, the St. Clair Parkway area offers a wonderful mix of trees and a 60% colour change at this time. The area recently experienced its first frost and colours have advanced quickly.
I was leaning towards going up to Singhampton area on the weekend, but this is not encouraging:
Saturday .. Periods of rain. Wind southwest 30 km/h. High 9.
Sunday .. Showers. Windy. Low 3. High 10.
* In the Parry Sound region, the colour is past peak and muted.
* The colour is past peak in the Sudbury area
* The North Bay region has the colours past peak.
* In Algonquin Park, the colours are now well past peak with about 60% leaf fall.
But!
* The colour is now at peak in the Ottawa area.
* The Brockville, 1000 Island area, the colour is at peak, with some brilliant pockets of red and orange, along the 1000 Island Parkway.The southern * Muskoka and Haliburton regions have the colours at peak.
* The Kawartha Lakes region has advanced to peak colour change. The region is offering brilliant red, orange and yellow at this time. Highways 28, north to Bancroft and 121, north of Fenelon Falls are especially colourful at this time.
* The Barrie, Huronia region across to Collingwood, Blue Mountain area, the colours are at peak. There is simply outstanding colour throughout this area. Ideal viewing locations, in the central region of Ontario, include the Fire Tower Lookout in Dorset, Lions Lookout in Huntsville, the Horseshoe Valley area north east of Barrie, the Ridge Road region east of Barrie taking in the hamlets of Oro Station, Shanty Bay and Hawkestone
* The Owen Sound region, in particular the Inglis Falls and Harrison Park areas and across to the beautiful Beaver Valley, the colour is at peak. The drive into the Beaver Valley from Grey County Road 4, in the south along County Road 13, is outstanding during the fall. Bright orange and red dominate the area.
* The Hockley Valley area across to Caledon is featuring peak colour, with some beautiful pockets of burnt orange and yellow. The Elora Gorge and Fergus area is offering peak colour
* Further into the southwest, the St. Clair Parkway area offers a wonderful mix of trees and a 60% colour change at this time. The area recently experienced its first frost and colours have advanced quickly.
I was leaning towards going up to Singhampton area on the weekend, but this is not encouraging:
Saturday .. Periods of rain. Wind southwest 30 km/h. High 9.
Sunday .. Showers. Windy. Low 3. High 10.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
TheStar.com - Device records driving habits
Interesting concept. I think it would suck for me, but be great for my mom - which is likely what the insurers want. And, if it takes off, eventually, my simple refusal to be in the system would increase my rates as an outlier. If the Star kills the link, here's some highlights:
>>Aviva Canada Inc., the largest insurer of Ontario automobiles, will today unveil plans to start a pilot project in 2005 that will test how 5,000 drivers like to have their driving monitored electronically. Those who agree to use a simple device to record their top speed, average speed, mileage, dates and time of travel will automatically receive a 5 per cent discount. Further savings of up to 20 per cent will be offered to motorists who do the least driving at the least risky times of the day and week.
>>Aviva Canada Inc., the largest insurer of Ontario automobiles, will today unveil plans to start a pilot project in 2005 that will test how 5,000 drivers like to have their driving monitored electronically. Those who agree to use a simple device to record their top speed, average speed, mileage, dates and time of travel will automatically receive a 5 per cent discount. Further savings of up to 20 per cent will be offered to motorists who do the least driving at the least risky times of the day and week.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
The Armchair Garbageman
Hmm, I'm pretty sure that if I asked around, I could fill a blog with similar anecdotes...
Vertigo...Then and Now
Cool concept - kudos to http://archi-texture.blogspot.com/ for finding it. Look at the difference a mature tree makes.
Post VP Debate recap
Ah, which quote to use?
"What good is money if it can't inspire terror in your fellow man?"
or, more hopefully:
"This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you."
Smithers: "You are noble and poetic in defeat, sir".
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Ontario Fall Colour Report - Tues 12th
Key Highlights:
The colour is now at peak in the Ottawa area.
In the Parry Sound region, the colour is at peak, along highway 124 and along highway 69, north of the town. The colour is now just past peak in the northern Muskoka and northern Haliburton regions. The southern Muskoka and Haliburton regions have the colours at peak. The area is experiencing beautiful pockets of deep red, orange and yellow.
The Barrie, Huronia region across to Collingwood and the Blue Mountain area to Owen Sound and south of Meaford into the Beaver Valley area, the colours are at peak. Ideal viewing locations, in the central region of Ontario, include the Fire Tower Lookout in Dorset, Lions Lookout in Huntsville, the Horseshoe Valley area north east of Barrie, the Ridge Road region east of Barrie taking in the hamlets of Oro Station, Shanty Bay and Hawkestone, as well as the lookouts at Scenic Caves in Collingwood.
The Owen Sound region and in particular the Inglis Falls area and across to the beautiful Beaver Valley, the colour is at peak. The drive into the Beaver Valley from Grey County Road 4, in the south, is outstanding during the fall. There are some nice pockets of bright orange and red in the area. The Hockley Valley area across to Caledon is featuring peak colour, with some nice beautiful pockets of burnt orange and yellow. The Elora Gorge and Fergus area is offering peak colour.
The colour is now at peak in the Ottawa area.
In the Parry Sound region, the colour is at peak, along highway 124 and along highway 69, north of the town. The colour is now just past peak in the northern Muskoka and northern Haliburton regions. The southern Muskoka and Haliburton regions have the colours at peak. The area is experiencing beautiful pockets of deep red, orange and yellow.
The Barrie, Huronia region across to Collingwood and the Blue Mountain area to Owen Sound and south of Meaford into the Beaver Valley area, the colours are at peak. Ideal viewing locations, in the central region of Ontario, include the Fire Tower Lookout in Dorset, Lions Lookout in Huntsville, the Horseshoe Valley area north east of Barrie, the Ridge Road region east of Barrie taking in the hamlets of Oro Station, Shanty Bay and Hawkestone, as well as the lookouts at Scenic Caves in Collingwood.
The Owen Sound region and in particular the Inglis Falls area and across to the beautiful Beaver Valley, the colour is at peak. The drive into the Beaver Valley from Grey County Road 4, in the south, is outstanding during the fall. There are some nice pockets of bright orange and red in the area. The Hockley Valley area across to Caledon is featuring peak colour, with some nice beautiful pockets of burnt orange and yellow. The Elora Gorge and Fergus area is offering peak colour.
Coping with the lockout... espn's Buccigrossi
"Someone get a camera, microphones, Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios, Matthew Barnaby and Ed Belfour. Stick them in a cottage on a cold Canadian lake and just let them take over. 'Real World: Sarnia.' How good would that be? Imagine what would come out of those pieholes after a six-pack of Blue and a hockey rink-sized pizza. It will get really fun when Roenick and Belfour taunt the rest of the house with the paychecks they will get for being injured. "
Aaron Brown, standing on guard | Inkless Wells
Monday, October 11, 2004
Thanksgiving
Flew from Toronto to Freddy on Wednesday night after work. Typical AC flight - the engine wouldn't start, so we left late and they couldn't have the fans on without the power, so the plane was a little warm. The woman in the seat next to me turned out to be a divorce lawyer in Calgary flying home for the holidays - never a good omen.
Anyway I have nothing to say about the rest of the weekend, other than the 1400 km return drive was completed in 12 1/4 hours with the fall colours being outstanding in the Saint John river valley and between Riviere du Loup and La Pocatiere. The rest of the drive, as usual, was monotonous. In fact, I have to say that the TransCanada Hwy between Windsor and Quebec City is fairly bland and boring in general.
Anyway I have nothing to say about the rest of the weekend, other than the 1400 km return drive was completed in 12 1/4 hours with the fall colours being outstanding in the Saint John river valley and between Riviere du Loup and La Pocatiere. The rest of the drive, as usual, was monotonous. In fact, I have to say that the TransCanada Hwy between Windsor and Quebec City is fairly bland and boring in general.
Really Dazed and Confused
Umm, guys, Dazed and Confused came out 10 years ago!!!! How stoned have you been?
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
The Breakup Style of PowerPoint :: The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century
Too funny. Better still than the Tufte NASA analysis. Well, really, that's here or here, with Tufte's over-arching analysis of powerpoint's failures here.
The Caffeine List
I can't decide whether this is useful knowledge or dangerous. Either way, here's some interesting check points:
Coffee, tall (12 oz.) Starbucks 375 mg caffeine
Caffe Latte, short (8 oz.) or tall (12 oz.) 35 mg caffeine
Tea - leaf or bag 50 mg caffeine
Coke - 12 oz or 350 ml serving is 35 mg caffeine.
Coffee, tall (12 oz.) Starbucks 375 mg caffeine
Caffe Latte, short (8 oz.) or tall (12 oz.) 35 mg caffeine
Tea - leaf or bag 50 mg caffeine
Coke - 12 oz or 350 ml serving is 35 mg caffeine.
Scientists find coffee really is addictive
To which I have to say, "No kidding." In fact, if I were a smoker, I could probably sue.
On the beach, waiting for Frances
From one of my favourite columnists/surreal novelists, a how-to guide for hurricane seasons journalism.
In a hurricane, there's no safe mobile home
Key points:
...you might be interested to know that it obliterated about 18,000 mobile homes across Florida and Louisiana -- more than 8,000 in Miami-Dade County alone, a 97 percent loss.
Before Andrew, the city of Homestead had 1,167 mobile homes. Only nine remained the day after...
...you might be interested to know that it obliterated about 18,000 mobile homes across Florida and Louisiana -- more than 8,000 in Miami-Dade County alone, a 97 percent loss.
Before Andrew, the city of Homestead had 1,167 mobile homes. Only nine remained the day after...
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Colour Update
Key points include:
Highway 11 south of Temagami to North Bay is offering excellent colour. The colour has advanced to a 60% change in the Sudbury area, with yellow and gold being the dominant colours. Highway 637 to Killarney is a beautiful fall colour route. The North Bay region is approaching peak colour. Bright red and yellow dominate the region. Highways 524 and 534 are beautiful at this time.
There is also some beautiful colour from North Bay, south to Burk’s Falls along highway 11. The Mattawa area has seen the colours advance to a 90% change. In Algonquin Park, the colours are at peak. Dominant colours are red, burgundy, orange and gold.
The Parry Sound region, the colour is very close to peak, along highway 124 and along highway 69, north of the town. The colour is close to peak in the north Muskoka and northern Haliburton regions. The area is experiencing beautiful pockets of deep red, orange and yellow. A tour of the Muskoka region from the Bala (highway 169) area, to Port Carling (highway 118) and into the Bracebridge, around Lake Muskoka, is outstanding at this time. The Kawartha Lakes region is slow to change this year, just a 30% change at this time. The Barrie, Huronia region across to Collingwood and the Blue Mountain region, sees the colour about 50 to 60% turned with peak colour expected this Thanksgiving weekend.
The Owen Sound region and in particular the Inglis Falls area and across to the beautiful Beaver Valley, there is a 50 to 60% colour change at this time. The drive into the Beaver Valley from Grey County Road 4, in the south, is always outstanding during the fall. There are some nice pockets of bright orange and red in the area. The Hockley Valley area and into the Caledon region, is featuring a 30% change, with some nice pockets of burnt orange and yellow. The Elora Gorge and Fergus area has some very nice pockets of colour with the leaves about 50% turned with a nice mix of red, orange and green for contrast.
Quebec viewers - check here: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/features/fallcolour/pages/qc.htm#Abitibi/Témiscamingue
Highway 11 south of Temagami to North Bay is offering excellent colour. The colour has advanced to a 60% change in the Sudbury area, with yellow and gold being the dominant colours. Highway 637 to Killarney is a beautiful fall colour route. The North Bay region is approaching peak colour. Bright red and yellow dominate the region. Highways 524 and 534 are beautiful at this time.
There is also some beautiful colour from North Bay, south to Burk’s Falls along highway 11. The Mattawa area has seen the colours advance to a 90% change. In Algonquin Park, the colours are at peak. Dominant colours are red, burgundy, orange and gold.
The Parry Sound region, the colour is very close to peak, along highway 124 and along highway 69, north of the town. The colour is close to peak in the north Muskoka and northern Haliburton regions. The area is experiencing beautiful pockets of deep red, orange and yellow. A tour of the Muskoka region from the Bala (highway 169) area, to Port Carling (highway 118) and into the Bracebridge, around Lake Muskoka, is outstanding at this time. The Kawartha Lakes region is slow to change this year, just a 30% change at this time. The Barrie, Huronia region across to Collingwood and the Blue Mountain region, sees the colour about 50 to 60% turned with peak colour expected this Thanksgiving weekend.
The Owen Sound region and in particular the Inglis Falls area and across to the beautiful Beaver Valley, there is a 50 to 60% colour change at this time. The drive into the Beaver Valley from Grey County Road 4, in the south, is always outstanding during the fall. There are some nice pockets of bright orange and red in the area. The Hockley Valley area and into the Caledon region, is featuring a 30% change, with some nice pockets of burnt orange and yellow. The Elora Gorge and Fergus area has some very nice pockets of colour with the leaves about 50% turned with a nice mix of red, orange and green for contrast.
Quebec viewers - check here: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/features/fallcolour/pages/qc.htm#Abitibi/Témiscamingue
Monday, October 04, 2004
Pro-Am Revolution
http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt/archives/000989.html#000989 - more thoughts later.
Alterable lenses
Exceedingly cool post.
http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt/archives/000992.html#000992. Not so much for the camera phone engineering (although points to them for using an analog solution, rather than tweaking compression ratio's and such), but for bringing up the 3rd world eyeglasses comment. I think it's clever for people to come up with cheap yet robust ideas like that - similar to the flashlight that's powered by shaking or the wind-up radio.
http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt/archives/000992.html#000992. Not so much for the camera phone engineering (although points to them for using an analog solution, rather than tweaking compression ratio's and such), but for bringing up the 3rd world eyeglasses comment. I think it's clever for people to come up with cheap yet robust ideas like that - similar to the flashlight that's powered by shaking or the wind-up radio.
Weekend update
Fri - dinner with si & cm. Simply Thai in BWV. Nice. Missed the TUC internight playoffs. Apparently Mandrew won over Peewee - which makes me think that it wasn't full rosters. I heard Ian Brooks played for Mandrew, which would confirm this suspicion.
Sat - Re-visited dayhikes in Algonquin. Not the original plan - DJ & I left my place at 7:30 am, but DJ wanted to check out cottages under $100K - which they aren't many of, and so we went way out of the way in order to find them - like Bancroft out of the way. Going via Huntsville is roughly 290 km; via Bancroft and Whitney 345 km. As it turned out, we started the centennial ridges trail at 3:15 or so and after taking some pictures of the colours from the ridge drove to Track & Tower, where we marched by several busloads of Asian tourists.
- Missed Mexican food with C&M and S&C. Also missed kareoke with J&C and B&D, who I hear are planning on quitting their jobs and travelling the world as of Xmas - cool.
Sunday - book club (read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) by Mark Haddon. Discussion: autism, parenting, technical writing skills. I think the concensus was that we were somewhat impressed by his ability to try and place him (and therefore us) in the mind of an adolescent autist, we weren't ultimately captured by the book. Another interesting point was how the women of the group didn't like the mother at all - abandoning her child, no matter how she was faring, was seen as the cardinal sin of motherhood.
Sunned for a while, then went Queen west gallery browsing with CM. We started at the Drake, and then just wandered. The highlight was the John Oswald installation - instandstillnessence at the Edward Day Gallery. This looked promising, but was rather disappointing. Then hit a driving range with CM, her friend S and the roomie, who has indeed, improved his golf game substantially since June.
Sat - Re-visited dayhikes in Algonquin. Not the original plan - DJ & I left my place at 7:30 am, but DJ wanted to check out cottages under $100K - which they aren't many of, and so we went way out of the way in order to find them - like Bancroft out of the way. Going via Huntsville is roughly 290 km; via Bancroft and Whitney 345 km. As it turned out, we started the centennial ridges trail at 3:15 or so and after taking some pictures of the colours from the ridge drove to Track & Tower, where we marched by several busloads of Asian tourists.
- Missed Mexican food with C&M and S&C. Also missed kareoke with J&C and B&D, who I hear are planning on quitting their jobs and travelling the world as of Xmas - cool.
Sunday - book club (read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) by Mark Haddon. Discussion: autism, parenting, technical writing skills. I think the concensus was that we were somewhat impressed by his ability to try and place him (and therefore us) in the mind of an adolescent autist, we weren't ultimately captured by the book. Another interesting point was how the women of the group didn't like the mother at all - abandoning her child, no matter how she was faring, was seen as the cardinal sin of motherhood.
Sunned for a while, then went Queen west gallery browsing with CM. We started at the Drake, and then just wandered. The highlight was the John Oswald installation - instandstillnessence at the Edward Day Gallery. This looked promising, but was rather disappointing. Then hit a driving range with CM, her friend S and the roomie, who has indeed, improved his golf game substantially since June.
Ig-Nobels
See here for the list of the winners.
Personal fave. Unfortunately, this disproves nearly the last 15 years of my eating habits.
Personal fave. Unfortunately, this disproves nearly the last 15 years of my eating habits.
Friday, October 01, 2004
Ontario Fall Colour Report - Update
Highlights:
In Algonquin Park, the colours have advanced quickly over the past few days and the colours will peak this weekend. The region has experienced several evenings of frost over the past week and the colours are very bright at this time. Dominant colours are red, burgundy, orange and gold.
The Parry Sound region, is reporting a 60% change at this time with some nice colour along highway 124 and along highway 69, north of the town. The colour is advancing through the north Muskoka and northern Haliburton regions with a 70% colour change at this time. The area is experiencing beautiful pockets of bright red and orange. The Kawartha Lakes region is slow to change this year, just a 20% change at this time.
And the feedback I had from the roomie was that his trip to Algonquin went super well, with ideal weather and colour. Good to know. Just FYI: they went south from Smoke Lake into Ragged and then back the next morning, but not by the loop b/c of (self-inflicted) time constraints.
So... A dilemma - do I attend the bookclub? We're reading this, which I'm not thinking much of, and the Indian summer is seriously tempting, albeit the weather is indifferent over the next 48 hours or so.
Saturday .. Cloudy. Periods of rain beginning in the morning and ending late in the day then clearing. Wind west 30 km/h gusting to 50. High 19.
Sunday .. Cloudy. 70 percent chance of showers. Low 2. High 17.
We'll see.
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