This is an exhibition - not a competition. Please...no wagering.
Friday, April 26, 2024
Small things 26 Apr
- If an ideology doesn’t stand up to critical thought it doesn’t get a participation award. ~Shannon Leahy (in response to headline “Danielle Smith wants ideology 'balance' at universities. Alberta academics wonder what she's tilting at. Premier muses about new provincial research programs to produce more conservative thought.”)
- Do you like the sound of the band The Black Crowes? Then go check out the band that invented the sound in the 70s - Humble Pie.
- Shortest joke in the English language: "Pretentious? Moi?"
- A linguistics professor says during a lecture that, "In English, a double negative forms a positive. But in some languages, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, in no language in the world can a double positive form a negative." A voice from the back of the room pipes up, "Yeah, right."
- What does a dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac do at night? He stays up wondering if there really is a dog.
- Waldo as a horror film: “Find him… before he finds you.”
- I propose a new law, the “CEO Severance Cap” law. It would decree that CEOs cannot be given, on their departure, more than one month's salary for every year they were CEO for that company. So If a CEO made $5 million a year and had served for 3 years, they’d still get a tidy $1.25 million, but that’s it. No additional bonuses, share buyouts, nothing. If you’re let go with cause, all bets are off. You get nada.
- Just once I’m going to run out of IKEA into the parking lot yelling “Start the car! Start the car!”
Demand for gas has dropped
Here’s a graph showing how gasoline consumption in Canada has gone down since Covid. Although it has rebounded, it’s still nowhere near what it was in 2019. This is likely due to two major factors.
There are now more people working from home, at least part of the work week. And there are more electric cars on the road, with more being added every month.
Wikipedia organized by community
Someone took the time to algorithmically organize wikipedia articles into communities, groups of articles more tightly linked to each other than to other articles in the rest of the network.
He identified 28 distinct communities, which don’t seem to make much sense, but remember, they’re grouped by how much they link to each other.
1. Taxonomy
2. Notable 20th Century People
3. Politics & Law
4. United Kingdom
5. Music
6. American Cinema (and TV)
7. Football (Soccer)
8. Indian Cinema (and TV)
9. Athletics
10. Video Games
11. Space Objects
12. American Sports
13. Rugby
14 Canada & Hockey
15. Kurdistan
16. Korean Cinema (and TV)
17. Cricket
18. Motor Sports
19. Norwegian Politicians
20. Tennis
21. West Africa
22. Mexican Politicians
23. Combat Sports
24. Horse Racing
25. Golf
26. Chess
27. Figure Skating
28. Darts & Snooker
He's a what now?
Attention all staff: Please ensure that the book “My daddy is a giant” is NOT placed at the front of the book box.
Thank you.
Things I learned lately 26 Apr
- Alberta has 1.65 Gigawatts of solar electricity generating capacity right now. Which, according to some people, is bad. Solar bad! Well, guess what? Texas has 18.3 Gigawatts. This is expected to increase to 55 Gigawatts by 2027. Yeah. Texas. Those oil loving sons of bitches.
- The military has dropped its aptitude test from the application process for dozens of jobs and plans to start accepting recruits with pre-existing medical conditions. These are efforts meant to boost the Canadian military's low recruitment numbers.
- The Australian Alps receive a significant amount of snow, particularly in comparison to what many people might expect from Australia's generally warm climate. These mountains have become a popular destination for winter sports like skiing and snowboarding.
- The Indian Pacific train, which traverses Australia from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Indian Ocean in the west, includes the world's longest straight section of railway track. This stretch spans 478 kilometers (approximately 297 miles) without a single curve.
- Australia is home to the world's longest golf course, known as the Nullarbor Links. The course stretches over 1,365 kilometers (approximately 848 miles) along the Eyre Highway, from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia. Each hole is situated in a town or roadhouse along the highway.
- Australia is home to the largest population of wild (feral) camels in the world.
Friday, April 19, 2024
Also, is that duct tape?
Me calling the flight attendant over:
Umm, what is that guy doing to our plane?
Small things 19 Apr
- Did you hear about the new corduroy pillows? They're making headlines.
- "Audiophiles don't use their equipment to listen to your music. Audiophiles use your music to listen to their equipment." ~Alan Parsons
- I went to the barber today and had to wait while a toddler got his haircut. Half an hour of non-stop whining and crying. I know, I probably shouldn't have reacted that way.
- Some people consider themselves first world poor, which means they have a smartphone and a laptop just so they can get online and see that they have $10 left in their bank account.
- Self checkout. A technology developed to show how technically inept the average person is.
- Alternately, the most inept piece of technology ever devised.
- Alternatively, a technology proving we can be tricked into doing menial labour for free.
- When you're out for dinner on your birthday and a large number of the restaurant staff starts walking towards your table.
- Traffic will always increase until it’s faster to take the alternatives.
- To err is human. To arrrr is pirate.
- Every Teams meeting: “Let me share my screen. Can everyone see my screen?”
- “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” ~Banksy
- “When you go to an Art gallery you are simply a tourist looking at the trophy cabinet of a few millionaires.” ~Banksy
- The police will never think something is as funny as you do.
Guy scouts
Badges Guy Scouts would earn:
Having too many cables
Kitchen knife sharpener
Emotional awareness
Own a multitool
Use winter tires in winter
Know 4 ways to cook potato
Grill master
Owns at least 5 remote controls
Fantasy hockey player
Wears shorts in the cold
At least one pair of mis-matched socks
Netflix navigator
Parking space hound
IKEA furniture builder - zero leftover parts
Duct tape master
The original frontier
“Last year, I had a life-changing experience at 90 years old. I went to space, after decades of playing an iconic science-fiction character who was exploring the universe. I thought I would experience a deep connection with the immensity around us, a deep call for endless exploration.
I was absolutely wrong. The strongest feeling, that dominated everything else by far, was the deepest grief that I had ever experienced.
I understood, in the clearest possible way, that we were living on a tiny oasis of life, surrounded by an immensity of death. I didn’t see infinite possibilities of worlds to explore, adventures to have, or living creatures to connect with. I saw the deepest darkness I could have ever imagined, contrasting so starkly with the welcoming warmth of our nurturing home planet.
This was an immensely powerful awakening for me. It filled me with sadness. I realized that we had spent decades, if not centuries, being obsessed with looking away, with looking outside. I did my share in popularizing the idea that space was the final frontier. But I had to get to space to understand that Earth is and will stay our only home. And that we have been ravaging it, relentlessly, making it uninhabitable."
~ William Shatner
Things I learned lately 19 Apr
- There is a 2018 Tesla Model S owner in Australia that has so far put 707,000 km on his car. At 666,000 km, he experienced a battery error that triggered a warranty replacement. He would have gotten a refurbished Model S battery, but since they didn’t have any, he got a new pack under warranty.
- Many of the immigrants from Ukraine that have come to Calgary have opened restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops featuring their food.
- In 2004, the average purchase cost of a home was 35% of the median household income. In 2019, it was 47%. Now it’s 62%.
- Herodotus, a Greek historian and geographer born 484BC wrote that whenever an important decision was to be made by Persian men, they discussed the matter when drunk. The next day, the consensus they reached was reexamined when sober. If it was still amenable, the motion passed; if it wasn’t, it was scrapped. Conversely, any decision they make when they are sober is reconsidered afterward when they are drunk.
- A law requiring that motorcycle riders wear helmets came into effect in Canada in the 1960s.
- The average person has about 130 pieces of clothing, such as shirts, pants, jackets, etc.
- In March 1981, Blondie had hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 12th AND 13th spot, with Rapture and The Tide is High respectively.
- Billie Eilish is now the youngest 2-time Oscar winner in history.
Friday, April 12, 2024
Small things 12 Apr
- If you ever think that hate doesn't make you age poorly, remember that Will Wheaton is two years older than Alex Jones.
- What are the strongest days of the week? Saturday and Sunday. Because all the rest... they're weekdays.
- What do you call a woman on the arm of a banjo player? A tattoo.
- In France, an egg is an oeuf. So they just have one.
- What did the shy pebble wish for? That she was a little boulder.
- David lost his ID in Paris. Now we call him Dav.
- What do you call a pencil without lead? Pointless.
- What’s fun about my job: I know a few things about Excel. Everyone at work thinks I’m an Excel guru and calls me for help with Excel. They are truly disappointed when I can’t solve their problem.
- You know you belong to the instant gratification culture when you lose patience with a phone reboot. Or a computer reboot.
- Why do gorillas have big nostrils? They have big fingers.
- Which side of the chicken has more feathers? The outside.
- What did one eye say to the other eye? Between you and me, something smells.
- Oxygen and Magnesium are totally going out. Like, OMg.
- Did you hear about the two antennas that got married? The ceremony kinda sucked but the reception was awesome.
EV sales in Canada 2023
2023 was a significant year for electric vehicle (EV) sales in Canada. Here's an overview of the EV sales landscape in Canada for 2023:
Overall Growth: EV sales in Canada saw a remarkable increase, with a staggering annual growth rate of 46%, resulting in an eightfold increase between 2017 and 2023.
Market Share: EVs captured over 10% of new vehicle sales in Canada for the first time, with a precise figure of 10.8% for the year. The fourth quarter alone saw an even higher market share of 12%.
Regional Leaders: British Columbia and Quebec led the country in EV sales, each reaching around 20-21.4% of total vehicle sales in 2023.
Sales by Manufacturer: General Motors Canada led the industry in total sales and market share, with Chevrolet's all-electric Bolt and Bolt EUV seeing a 121% increase in sales[2]. Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) also reported record electrified vehicle sales, with 99,824 units sold, representing 43.9% of the company's overall vehicle sales.
Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Registrations: ZEV registrations, which include both full electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles, surged to 13.3% in Q3 2023[5]. For the full year, ZEVs had an 11.7% market share, with BEVs alone accounting for 8.8% of registrations[6].
Challenges and Opportunities: While the EV market faced challenges such as price and public charging infrastructure, there were also positive developments. These included the introduction of less expensive and smaller EVs, the production of passenger electric vehicles in Canada, and the expansion of the public charging network.
In summary, EV sales in Canada in 2023 were robust, with significant growth in market share and strong performance from various manufacturers. The trend towards electrification was clear, with regional leaders like British Columbia and Quebec setting the pace, and the industry as a whole moving towards a more sustainable future.
A great way to meet for sake
Two young lads tag teaming the song ‘Just the two of us’, one on acoustic, the other on electric guitar.
They’re good.
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