Small things 30 Aug

• Imagine if more people said, “I don’t know enough about that to properly form an opinion on it.”
• A good relationship is when she is by your side during bad times, to tell you that none of this would've happened if you had just listened to her.
• If you died choking on a gummy bear, I would just tell people you were killed by a bear and leave it at that.
• John Fluevog shoes’ new slogan: “Total sh** show.”
• If you're trying to impress me with your vehicle, it had better be a food truck.
• Old enough to do whatever I want. Too tired to do it.
• Corporations making record profits: “It’s inflation…”   Consumers: “I don’t think that word means what you think it means.”
• People on benefits aren't negatively affecting your life in the slightest. If your life sucks, it’s probably because of the rich. Blaming the people on benefits suits them just fine.

Telling a story

 

Fractions

 

Letter diet

Imagine you could only choose to eat food beginning with B, C or P. Which would you pick?

No you can’t cheat by listing things like BBQ chicken, BBQ beef, BBQ pork, BBQ chips…

B foods

Beef / Broccoli / Beets / Bread / Buns / Bananas / Bacon / Beans / Butter / Bagels / Brownie / Blueberry

C foods

Chicken / Cheese / Chocolate / Cake / Cheesecake / Cookies / Corn / Cereal / Cherries

Coffee / Carrots / Chips / Cream

P foods

Pork / Potatoes / Peaches / Pancakes / Pie / Pasta / Peppers / Pizza / Peanuts / Pineapple / Pickles

Shaun the dog

 

To do list

 

Things I learned lately 30 Aug

• They changed the alphabet song so that the ‘lmnop’ part is sung less compacted than before.
• The belief that you need to drink 6-8 glasses of water daily is based on a misunderstanding of basic physiology. While water is essential for life, the body loses about 1.5-2 liters of water daily through breathing, sweating, and urination, which needs to be replenished. However, this doesn't mean you need to drink 6-8 glasses of water specifically. The 1945 recommendation for 2.5 liters of daily water intake included water from food sources, which many people overlook. Most people naturally consume enough water through their regular diet and beverages like coffee or juice. The thirst mechanism is reliable in prompting you to drink when needed, though it may fade with age. Drinking more water than necessary doesn't offer health benefits, as excess water is simply excreted. Studies have shown no benefit in drinking extra water for kidney function, debunking the myth that more water helps flush out toxins or improves kidney health. Therefore, focus on drinking when you're thirsty, and stay hydrated in hot weather, but don't stress over hitting a specific water intake target. (Condensed from an article by Christopher Labos MD MSc)
• The last Montreal Canadiens player to record 80 points in a season was Alex Kovalev in the 2007/2008 season.

Small things 23 Aug

• Should a pro-gun candidate be allowed to surround themself with bullet-proof glass while giving a speech at their rally? Asking for a friend.
• An enigma I struggle to understand is that there are major conservative policies that are generally unpopular. Better gun control is popular. The woman's right to choose is popular. LGBTQ+ rights are popular. A $20 minimum wage is popular. UBI is popular. Proportional representation is popular. These are all liberal (left) policies. Conservatives generally want the opposite of those things. Yet the conservatives are still popular.
• I think it’s time that all women should automatically get to carry their own last name when they get married. Or at least have the choice to. It is the same right men have.
• There was a time when if someone said “You can get really great sound from a 2-way speaker (tweeter and woofer only, no midrange driver), people would have labeled them heretics.
• All the bathrooms in our house are gender-neutral. I brag about that to all the conservatives I know.
• "The less talent they have, the more pride, vanity and arrogance they have. All these fools, however, find other fools who applaud them."  ~Erasmus, 1509
• The Internet generation is so selfish. It’s always meme meme meme.

All the NHL players from North America

 Showing all their birthpaces.

Best ticket ever

 

All the lyrics but alphabetized episode 3

Can you guess the song?

a air and at baking beach bikini bikinis boy’s broke bubble butter by catfish chased clam clapping comes deep dock dogfish dolphins down ear everybody everybody’s fans fell fire fish flew flexing flippers flipping for frugging fun giant girls goes grabbed had having he here his horses hose in it jam jelly let’s lifeguard lobe lobster lots manta-ray matching mermaids mermen motion muscles narwhale noseguard ocean of on out party pass piranha potatoes put reached red robin rock rocking round sailing saw sea shells snappers snapping somebody someone stingray sun surfboards tanning that the there they to towels trouble twisting under underneath wailing walked was wasn’t watch waves waving we went were whale your

A guide for new fathers

 

Rear door ashtray

 That my friends, is an example of the smoking in the car culture that prevailed in the 1970s. The rear door arm rest ashtray, lighter optional.

Things I learned lately 23 Aug

Red Velvet Cake is essentially a vanilla cake with a hint of cocoa powder, which gives it a mild chocolate flavor. The cake is known for its fine, smooth, and soft crumb. The addition of vinegar and buttermilk gives the cake a slight tanginess, which complements the sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting typically used. 

The signature red color of the cake originally came from a chemical reaction between non-Dutch processed cocoa and acidic ingredients like vinegar and buttermilk. However, modern recipes often use red food coloring to achieve the vibrant hue. Alternatives to artificial coloring include natural dyes such as beet juice or pomegranate powder, although these can alter the cake's flavor slightly. Red velvet cake has its roots in the Victorian era, where "velvet" cakes were known for their soft texture. 

The red color was not initially as pronounced as it is today. The cake gained popularity in the United States in the early 20th century, with the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City playing a significant role in its rise to fame. During World War II, when ingredients like cocoa were rationed, bakers used beet juice to maintain the cake's color and moisture. The modern version of red velvet cake, with its bright red color, became popular due to the efforts of the Adams Extract Company, which marketed a recipe using red food dye.

I have to stretch for this

 

Small things 16 Aug

• I wonder which does more for kids: Posting the 10 commandments in classrooms or giving kids free breakfast and lunch.
• Fresh black goth corn. Better known as: corn on the macabre
• Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes that reason is you’re making bad life choices.
• Just remember, free speech works both ways. If you are free to say something awful, people are also free to call you out for saying something awful.
• Does Baby Yoda imply the existence of a Sporty Yoda, a Posh Yoda, a Ginger Yoda and a Scary Yoda?
• Great insult: If laziness were an Olympic sport, you’d purposely come in 4th so you wouldn’t have to walk to the podium.
• Contrary to movie portrayals, military members don’t pull the grenade pin with their teeth.
• “Mom, did you want a boy or a girl?”  “I just wanted a back rub.”
• I bought a book on how to scam people. I still haven’t received it after 3 months.
• So far, this is the oldest I’ve ever been.
• It’s sad when you go to the store to buy organic vegetables and come home with regular donuts.
• To all the people who said I’d never amount to anything: I’m only 63. Just you wait. 

All the lyrics but alphabetized episode 2

Can you guess the song?

A again all and as away band be began bell but charity come county crash day desert down drew else ever evermore every everywhere exploded falling fell first for forever found four fun get giving grudge had having heavy held here hope i if in inside into is it jailer judge like mama man mighty need never nice night no of on one out pint rabbits rain registered ringing run said sailor sam search searching second seeing sent settle sigh square stuck sun the there these they're thought to town undertaker us village walls was we well were who will with world you you're

A can't of Coke

 

Poetry

This stuff is being delivered to homes now

Apparently my streets are littered with the rotting corpses of the vaccinated.

Other "article" headlines included:

• "Excess deaths from disease increases 50% among young people"
• "Let the Fear-Mongering begin"
• "FREEDOM WINS!"
• "Why is Canada Burning"
• "Statins and Accelerated Aging"
• "Scientists Create Organic Slave Computer"
• "The Mainstream Worldview Is A Mass-Produced Artificial Psychosis"
• "Transhumanist Agenda"
• "Slaves in a Jar"
• "The Censorship Cartel"
• "The Rule of Law"
• "Three Sinister Reasons for the Push to Electric Vehicles"
• "Trudeau Considers Additional Housing Tax"
• "Truth, Reality, Housing, and Freedom"
• "The Twisted Road of Inclusion"
• "Seizures of Opiods Exploded by 3000% in Ontario City After "Safer Supply" Experiment"

There are also lists of "websites of interest"

This is how right wing conspiracy theorists are going to bypass social media rules about disinformation.

What now?

 

The classic reimagined for 2024

 

Things I learned lately 16 Aug

• A brown guy dressed in a suit similar to what Vivek Ramaswami typically wears and went to the Trump rally in Montana. So many people wanted their picture taken with him, including rally attendees, the governor, and Miss Montana. He tried to get on stage, but the secret service stopped him only because he didn’t have any press credentials.
• Up to 20% of Olympic athletes suffer from asthma. In many cases the asthma is a direct result of the strenuous breathing required of their sport.
• Google’s global market share on search is 91%.
• Microsoft once offered Apple 100% of its Bing search ad revenue if Apple would dislodge Google as its default search engine. Apple said no.
• Tesla builds a new car every 13 seconds.
• UCP MLA Eric Bouchard wants the government to ban COVID vaccines in Alberta.
• Sudbury ON, the largest city in "Northern Ontario" is actually closer to Jacksonville FL, than it is to the Arctic Circle. Sudbury is about 1,800km from Jacksonville, and 2,200km from the Arctic Circle.
• In the United States, the term "the shore" is most commonly used in the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly in New Jersey. People from New Jersey often say they are "going to the shore" when they refer to visiting oceanfront areas, especially the “Jersey Shore”. This usage is distinct from other regions, such as Delaware, where people typically refer to "the beach" instead.

Goth clowns?

 

I truly read this as goth clowns only...

Epic museum

 

Small things 9 Aug

• I have to say, watching this season of America has been riveting. Kudos to the writers. Trump deserves an Emmy for best portrayal of a douche nozzle.
• "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."  ~Alvin Toffler
• I’m at the age where old people call me ‘young fella’ and youngsters call me ‘old man’.
• A dating app but it's just one picture of someone's bookshelves, one pic of their usual grocery haul, one pic of their pets, and one pic of their thermostat setting.
• Why do billionaires care if they lose all their money? They’ll just pull themselves up by their bootstraps and make it all back with their unbelievable work ethic. Plus, if they’re poor, all the money will trickle back down to them, making them rich again.
• Never do anything you wouldn’t want to explain to the paramedics.
• Education isn’t something you can finish.
• A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open.  ~Frank Zappa
• Bed bugs must have been really bored before beds were invented.
• "I've been to a few places where they do have a wall. Few things are uglier in the entire world, of all the places I've seen. Few things have been more an indication of an utter failure of otherwise smart people to figure shit out."  ~Anthony Bourdain

“Cities aren’t loud, cars are loud”

Great video once again from the go-to guy about smart urban planning, ‘Not just bikes’.

This time he introduces us to the amazing Freiburg, Germany. The city with more bikes than cars. The city whose ideas truly need to be copied.

Poetry

 

Ghosts, not goats

 

Wild World in a unique style

It’s not often that I hear a cover of a classic song that doesn’t bother me in some way. Yeah, it’s a thing. But it’s even riskier when the cover is done in a different style of music.

Yet this cover of Cat Seteven’s Wild World is pretty cool.

An old style DQ - walk up window only - Nelson BC

 

Calgary 1893

The Bow river looking west from a vantage point around what is now Bridgeland.

Prince’s Island and Eau Claire Mill in the distance.

Things I learned lately 9 Aug

• During Calgary’s last big hail storm on 5 Aug, 10% of WestJet’s aircraft were damaged.
• Calgary just had its warmest month (July) since records began (mean temperature).
• Canadians cleaned up on hammer throw at the Olympics. Men & women!
• Not only did the UCP cut firefighting funding, they cut firefighter training funds too.
• Once upon a time, David Bowie & Marianne Faithfull did a live duo "I Got You, Babe". Yeah, THAT I got you babe. Classic beautiful weirdness.
• Two Canadian kids, aged 16 and 20, found out in 2010 that their parents Donald Heathfield and Tracey Foley were in fact KGB spies. Their story is the basis of the TV series The Americans.

Space rock

 

Small things 2 Aug

• I love it when other people post pics of their meals so I can listen to my wife say, “Why can’t you cook like that?”
• Do not confuse ‘AI that has been added to a product or service’ with actual AI based on a fully formed LLM (Large Language Model) like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot. They are NOT the same thing.
• The truth does not require your participation to exist. Bullshit does  ~Terence McKenna
• Maybe before we tell immigrants they’re not wanted, we should apologize to the indigenous. I’m sure they felt the same way, but it didn’t matter.
• My favourite live stream to watch is the one a hundred metres from my house. It goes by the name Bow River.
• Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.  ~Bertrand Russell
• Scientist: My discoveries are useless if taken out of context. Media: Scientists claim their discoveries are useless. FB: Science is useless.
• Read the vowels in ‘Celine Dion out loud. Thank you.

Oh really

 

When two monsters love each other...

 

The Swiss army knife of instruments

The Moog synthesizer transformed the music scene far beyond what most people realize. Artists like Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer were but a few of the groups that made use of the Moog.

It’s one thing to be aware of the instrument, but it’s another to hear what kind of sounds it can produce. The Minimoog featured in this video is really showing off its capabilities. Or I should say, the player in the video, who definitely knows their way around the synth controls.

Chicken game

 

Been in here a few times or more

 

Small talk

That feeling you get when a restaurant hostess walking you to your table asks, “So, how’s your day going so far?” Some things I could say to throw them off their game:

“Well, the divorce is final, so there’s that…”

“I’m not in a sharing mood, sorry.”

“Kinda shitty, thanks for asking.”

“OMG great now! I’ve been waiting all day to have some small talk with someone - anyone. How’s your day going?”

[in a mocking voice] “So how’s your day going so far?”

“Please. I have a severe allergy to insincerity.”

“Thankfully, it’s almost over. Please don’t make it any longer than it has to be.”

Prime Quebec humour

 

Grandma blood cells

 

Things I learned lately 2 Aug

• The jumbo jet the Canadian Olympic equestrian team uses to transport their horses is called AIR HORSE ONE.
• Trump’s running mate JD Vance said he would be sympathetic to a federal law preventing women from crossing state lines to get an abortion.
• In 1976, 5% of high school seniors were 'straight edge' (No alcohol, no cigarettes, no marijuana in the prior month.) By 2021, nearly 40% of high school seniors were straight edge.
• In order to be able to buy a car in Japan, you must present a parking certificate (Shako Shomeisho). All privately owned automobiles must have a specific parking space. Parking by the roadside is prohibited. The width and length of the space should be sufficient for your vehicle and must be within 2 km from your registered residence address.
• One of the reasons K-cars are so popular in Japan is that they are easy to park in a small space, which may be all you have nearby at your home.