100 Mile Diet: The Book's Arrived

Here's the blog, but go buy the book here

On Virginia Tech

"There is no reason that any private citizen in a democracy should own a handgun. At some point, that simple truth will register. Until it does, phones will ring for dead children, and parents will be told not to ask why."

Shootings: Comment: The New Yorker

The Way We Age Now

Human beings fail the way all complex systems fail: randomly and gradually. As engineers have long recognized, many simple devices do not age. They function reliably until a critical component fails, and the whole thing dies instantly. A windup toy works smoothly until a gear rusts or a spring breaks, and then it doesn’t work at all. But complex systems—power plants, say—have to survive and function despite having thousands of critical components. Engineers therefore design these machines with multiple layers of redundancy: with backup systems, and backup systems for the backup systems. The backups may not be as efficient as the first-line components, but they allow the machine to keep going even as damage accumulates. Gavrilov argues that, within the parameters established by our genes, that’s exactly how human beings appear to work. We have an extra kidney, an extra lung, an extra gonad, extra teeth. The DNA in our cells is frequently damaged under routine conditions, but our cells have a number of DNA repair systems. If a key gene is permanently damaged, there are usually extra copies of the gene nearby. And, if the entire cell dies, other cells can fill in.

Nonetheless, as the defects in a complex system increase, the time comes when just one more defect is enough to impair the whole, resulting in the condition known as frailty. It happens to power plants, cars, and large organizations. And it happens to us: eventually, one too many joints are damaged, one too many arteries calcify. There are no more backups. We wear down until we can’t wear down anymore.

Annals of Medicine: The Way We Age Now: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker

Pearls Before Breakfast

The Washington Post has a brilliant concept piece, perfectly written and illustrated with video. Wow. Joshua Bell, Kant, Stradivarius, Koyaanisqatsi and the life of a commuter all in one article.
Likely the best article I've read in months - and those that know me know that encompasses several thousand articles (which is actually an interesting point in itself. I should one day work out just how many words a day I read. A scary thought, greatly in inverse proportion to how much I write). I wonder if it will actually change my behaviour on a day to day basis.
Anyway, I imagine that the WashPost will take it offline or behind subscriber doors soon, so I highly recommend reading/watching/pondering it.
Also - a follow-up here.
and here
and here

The 4 Kinds of Flat Roofs

Hmm. What to do...

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/exteriors/article/0,16417,1127447,00.html

housing prices rollercoaster

What a ride! And quite the information aesthetics. I want to do that for some of my work data...

Have Your Say On Toronto's New "Street Furniture"

Toronto's sell-out of public space continues.
It's instructive to examine the vendors record on illegalsigns.ca

Toronto's hidden rivers

This is great. Check out the sub-links on Toronto area river basins: http://www.thestar.com/photoGallery/199469.
http://www.lostrivers.ca/
http://www.torontofieldnaturalists.org/

Canoe Paddling - Canadian Style

Wow. Makes me look like such an inelegant hack.

Trip Recap: Wapta Un-Traverse

Pictures are here.

Cool Toronto Game

For the record, I'm going with Bathurst and Davenport.

Nordic Skiing in Fernie

Fernie Report

Unfortunately ski conditions have been less than attractive. Last Sunday and Monday, the Pineapple Express, that was advancing over BC, peaked over Fernie. The ski hill was assaulted with high winds and pounding rain that extended almost, but not quite, to the highest skiable terrain. On Monday, much of the hill was closed because of the avalanche danger and there were several large slides within the ski hill boundary. Since then there has been a dusting of new snow and colder temperatures. Neither of which have managed to undo the storm damage.

Today was nice and sunny but “Old Sol” was unable generate sufficient thermal energy to do much good.

Not that it would matter, as I didn't have any gear until after 2:30 and then when I borrowed my sister's - my "loaned"season's pass was flagged as not being mine! So quickly skated away from the liftie, who was saying "Sir, you have to go to guest services!" so I can be fined and the season pass pulled!!!

Oh well. Quite the birthday.

We're Not Happy Till You're Not Happy

Thanks Air Canada for making my birthday something less than it could have been. A nice blue bird day here in Fernie - and me without any luggage.


PS - any fault that could/should be addressed to me for last-minute unpreparedness is totally deserved, and will be ignored as per usual :)

So Not Fair

Fernie Snow Report - Official Fernie Alpine Resort Snow Conditions Report.

All that snow. And now it's melting. Melting away.

Ow

Something to avoid in the next couple of weeks.

Another way for me to injure myself

File this one under basketball.

Dock

Somewhere on Parrot Cay

Intersection of antropology and economics

It's a clever blog - and apparently that intersection is mostly marketing, but there's some fun commentary on things as diverse as why female CMOs are more likely to be sacrificial change agents to people's relationship with their pets.