Great idea - except that it won't work

The city of Calgary is still 18 months or more away from having curb side recycling in place. Meanwhile, the recycling depots that currently exist aren't keeping up. There have been reports of overflowing bins at many neighbourhood depots with the extra material being left on the ground because the city can't keep up. Some areas are getting ticked off. Meanwhile, the city is now exploring garbage bag limits, capping the number of bags you can put out for collection at 2. You would have to pay for tags to put out more than 2. Ric McIver goes so far as to suggest that this is a plan that should be put into action sooner rather than later.

Message to Ric and others who share your opinion: How about you wait until Calgarians actually have a working recycle infrastructure in place? Because under the current system, those that bring their recyclables to the local depot are often greeted with full bins, and those who are without vehicles cannot be expected to cart their recyclables off to the depot and pare their garbage down to the 2 bag limit, yet it's these folks who would be penalized the hardest.

The fact is that even once curbside recycling is implemented, the city has admitted that it cannot service most condos and apartment complexes (although I don't understand why), so these residents will still be at the mercy of the local depot. A bag limit is a good idea in principle, but until Calgarians have a way to reduce their garbage in a way that offers equal access to everyone, it will not be fair. And we haven't even discussed the fact that in many jurisdictions where bag limits were imposed, it resulted in cheaters dumping their extra garbage on other peoples' property to avoid paying the tag fees.

Everybody have fun tonight.......

Apparently, the Chinese are running out of surnames. Or not so much running out, as the existing ones are overused. An old custom in China has people taking their surnames from a list of 100. But this has led to large numbers of people with the same name - there are 93,000 folks named
Wang Tao for example. The names Wang, Li and Zhang are the most common surnames. So the government is thinking about allowing more freedom in choosing a surname, including the possibility of giving babies a combination of the parent's surnames.

The first thought that popped into my head - it will soon be possible for someone to be named Wang Cheung.

Try and get that song out of your head for the next few hours................

[grinning evil grin]

Acting class update

Last night was acting class 4 out of 6. It was our first attempt at getting through our scenes without the script by our sides. We were allowed to get help with our lines, but now we were supposed to do it by calling for our line. The goal is to rely on that as little as possible.

I felt sorry for my partner. He struggled with his lines. I actually thought he would have done better than me, so I was surprised to see him forget as much as he did. Which in turn, caused me a little grief, because I had been trying to build a rhythm of what I should be saying next based on what he said last. So whenever he skipped a line, I was lost. Fun. The instructor said she applauded our efforts considering we were really playing a brutal game of catch-up, but I don't think my partner felt any better as a result. Oh well, we'll work on that when we practise this weekend.

Meanwhile, the other acting pairs are coming along nicely. It's interesting to watch how the actors' rhythm as developing. You can almost tell when the actor is paying too much attention to the blocking or getting the line perfect because the delivery appears a bit clunky. But this phenomenon didn't happen often. In fact, some pairs really put on a great show and had me convinced they were the characters. Any mistakes were unnoticeable by mere amateurs like us. I have to say that I am enjoying the watching as much as I am enjoying the performing.

This Friday, I'm meeting with some of the original Epcor acting class that ended up in the Saturday session, so it will be fun to compare notes. Apparently, both classes gave the thumbs up to allowing the other class members to attend the final performance, so I will get to see them strut their stuff too.

A true original

Now Darlene's enjoying LOLCATS too. She suggested we could make one out of a favourite old picture of our first cat Taz.

So we did.

Where is it - Edition 27

As my hungry geophiles beg for more, I present:

Where Is It? edition 27.

You know the drill.............

Click the image for a bigger view.

Name the city.

Hurry! Jim is probably at the computer right now..... waiting.

100 things in 100 days - number 5

5. I like talking. I'm opinionated and outspoken.

What's the point of having a thought, idea or opinion if you can't share it? I love a good discussion and everything is open for discussion. It's how humanity is supposed to figure stuff out. Politics, food, entertainment, science, sex, love, religion.......... it's all game. Bring it on!

Motivation for smokers to quit

What happens to your body if you stop smoking right now.

Full sized picture here.

[snorting with laughter]

God help me, I loves me some cat macros.

False advertising

I think processed food makers are getting away with nutritional fraud because of how they report nutrition facts on their packaging. I think they need to start being a little more realistic about what they classify as a portion.

Case in point - Chef Boyardee makes this cute little nuke-in-a-bowl Mac & Cheese in a 400g size. You read the nutrition facts and think to yourself, that's not too horribly bad. But those listed facts are based on half the bowl! HALF! 200g of food, totalling 170 calories. So in reality, you have to double all the figures to get the big picture on what's in the whole bowl. I'm sorry, but the whole bowl is a serving size. I don't know anyone who would only eat half the bowl's contents - unless it really tasted gross and they just couldn't bear to eat the whole thing.

It's the same story for single serving containers of beverages. If the container holds 437ml, don't be quoting the facts based on 2/3 of a container.

Also, if you're going to tell me how the contents' fibre, fat, vitamin A and iron rate as a percentage of my daily requirements, why do you leave out cholesterol as a percentage (which by the way - only seems to be the case in Canada)? I have no idea if 5mg of cholesterol is good, bad or somewhere in the middle. Does Canada not have an official opinion on how much cholesterol we should be getting? Do we need to invent a cholesterol scale?

So here's a message to processed food makers: Stop it! Quit using unrealistic portion sizes to make your nutrition facts look better than what they are. It's not fair to those of us that actually want an accurate picture of what we're eating. Trust me, if I desperately want that Mac & Cheese, I'm not going to let the fact that it has 56% of my sodium allowance for the day sway my decision.

Give 'em some cutlery already.......

This one makes me laugh every time I see it..... sorry.

I mean, come on! That look is purrrriceless.

Don't worry, be happy.....

I found this article on 10 simple ways to save yourself from messing up your life to be rather thought-provoking. Sample:

Let go of worrying. It often makes things worse. The more you think about something bad, the more likely it is to happen. When you’re hair-trigger primed to notice the first sign of trouble, you’ll surely find something close enough to convince yourself it’s come.

Mindless entertainment

It's not exactly rocket science, but if you just let your logic fly out the window, this little trick is kinda neat.

OK, it's not - but now you're curious, aren't you?

100 things in 100 days - number 6

6. I believe 8 hours of sleep is enough.

I'm an early riser. I'm often awake before the alarm goes off. When I can get away with it (read: when I'm not giving Darlene a ride to work), I like to be up no later than 5:30am. I beat all the traffic and get to Tim Horton's before the hordes arrive. I like being done with work by 3pm. I feel like I still have half the day left. Repeat story regarding beating traffic.

On the weekends, I rarely sleep past 8am. More often, I'm up at 7am. In my younger days, I used to watch my compatriots sleep in until noon or later and think, "These people are wasting their day!"

I know how the cat feels

A cute cat macro to brighten your day.

If I had my own radio station - Kraftwerk

Before there was Trio (remember Da-Da-Da?) and Nena and Falco, there was Kraftwerk. This German group invented electronic music. They were the pioneers. They made synthesizers do stuff unheard of in previous bands and weren't afraid to use them as the primary instruments. The stuff isn't everybody's cup of tea, I'll grant you that right up front.

Autobahn was the first 'hit' that anyone knew this band for. It was a cult favourite amongst the electronica crowd of the 70s and 80s. Ruckzuck is another composition that more mature aged folks may recognize as theme music from various TV shows from the 1970s. KlingKlang starts out with a zen-like calmness, but then rolls along with a repetitive wave that progressively gets faster. Kristallo dispenses with the zen altogether and drops the needle at medium speed and never looks back as it furtively speeds up into insanity. Neon Lights has a nice laid back feel to it. Am I the only one who hears a hint of OMD or Human League in the melody? As you can imagine, a lot of electronic-based groups were influenced even in subtle ways by Kraftwerk. Pocket Calculator is a fun upbeat piece that is the most ridiculous bit of music with the most infectious beat.

Where is it - Edition 26

Hands on your buzzers.....

Name the city.

Click the picture for a bigger view.

100 things in 100 days - number 7

7. I prefer the city over the country.

It may have to do with growing up in the fringes of the Montreal suburbs (meaning all the real action was an hour train ride away), but I have been a big city boy since I was a young lad. I like having the countryside nearby, but my heart lives in the city. There's just so much to see and do. And then there's the city lights........... don't get me started.

Did I say that out loud? Damn!

I was with a group of colleagues at work and I noticed one of the guys drinking a can of Red Rain.

I said, "Red Rain, huh? Is that like Red Bull for women?"

You know that filter that's in your head that prevents you from saying things that are maybe not so appropriate? I sold mine ages ago. Now they don't make that model anymore, so I'm screwed.

Tetris-like fridge magnets

Come on.......... tell me this isn't cool.

You know it is......

Witricity

Get ready for some Star Trek-ian stuff right here. Folks at MIT have found a way to transmit electrical energy through the air. Seriously.....

I can only see this being used for evil.

...must.... defrag.... brain...

Is this not an ultimate geek t-shirt design?

I thought so....

100 things in 100 days - number 8

8. I used to DJ in my spare time.

When I joined the military, I started a music collection. Bought a stereo system. When we finished our trades training, my class had a party to celebrate. I was asked to provide the music. And so it began...........

Word got out that I had a decent collection of music. I got hired to DJ at other course parties. That allowed me to buy more music and equipment. Win - win! All military bases have a Junior Ranks Mess, where the lower ranks go to party - on the cheap. I got into rotation to DJ there. I enjoyed my DJ gigs because they allowed me to 1) introduce folks to music they'd never heard before, 2) meet lots of interesting people and 3) control the mood of the crowd. And that's a very powerful feeling my friends - and tons of fun to boot.

I also managed to get hired as a DJ at a rock bar in downtown Kingston, but that job didn't last because I was always going away on exercises with the military - makes it hard to keep a job on the side - you know? I even got hired to DJ at a strip club. That lasted one pay period - but not because I didn't like it. They were late paying me, so I walked. But it was an..... interesting experience, let me tell you. When I met Darlene, I just couldn't handle the hectic schedule of DJing 4 nights a week anymore, so I sold my music collection (all vinyl) and equipment to a partner.

I got another chance to spin the vinyl (but by then, it was mostly CDs) when I did my tour in CFS Alert. We had our own radio station (105.9 CHAR-FM) - I became the programmer, which meant I got to train folks who wanted to have their own radio show. We still had to follow CRTC rules, which meant no inappropriate content, etc. Plus I had my own radio shows - of course. It was a blast.

I'd still like to DJ, but it would be in a cozy, intimate lounge / restaurant / joint that needed a 'live ambience adjuster' (my made-up coolspeak for DJ - that would be me). Canned music is fine, but sometimes you need a live person to play the tunes according to the existing or required mood of the people in attendance.

Photo by shapeshift.

Episode 25 is up

In episode 25, Hoser shows off his new Fissile watch. They're all the rage, eh.

Video.ca link .

This will be our last Great White North II episode for a while. It may even be the last one. Like other great artists, we're going out while we're on top......... whatever that means. The only thing that might make us revive GWN II is if Dave Thomas comes and guest stars in an episode...... Dave?

I'm going to be working on other stuff over the summer. Stay tuned.

How do other countries eat?

This is a fascinating article, "What the world eats", comparing family groceries from 15 homes around the world. What really got me were the prices. Make sure to note Germany's cost; Italy's lack of processed food; the North Carolina family's lack of fresh produce; all the Coke the Mexican family drinks.

Is this fair to dogs?

When I saw this on another site, it kind of took me by surprise. You can buy this scooter that forces your dog(s) to pull you around on a scooter. You get to steer, the dog gets to do all the work. I know this is acceptable in certain cultures as a method of transportation (think Iditarod), but I don't think this is right.

Do you?

I'm not going to link to the site for obvious reasons, but you can find it be Googling dog powered scooter.

You didn't really have anything important to do, right?

Oh my word..... you could waste soooo much time at this site.

Experience psychological theory first hand through these interactive simulations and demonstrations.

Pictured is the Muller-Lyer Illusion.

It's average

I have a Google page rank of 4.

I guess that's not bad for an amateur little blog, eh?

100 things in 100 days - number 9

9. Many people who see me while driving scramble to put their seatbelt on.

Someday, I'm going to mount a video camera on my car to prove this is true. Even Darlene didn't believe me when I first told her about this. But she notices it now, it's a big joke with us. I am surrounded - daily - by people who, after they look over at me, they scramble to put their seatbelt on if it wasn't already. These folks have not just pulled out of a parking spot either. I must look like a cop or something.

My favourite web comic strikes again

I've blogged about this web comic before, but today's episode was brilliant.

B-b-bloggin' bout my g-g-generation........

"Don't worry..... he'll be back"

I thought this was pretty funny.

It's the Terminator vs. Jesus. A product of Mad TV.