It's time again to play.....

Where is it? Yes, back by popular demand (and I do mean 'demand'), I challenge my wannabe and certified geo-hounds to name the city. Click the picture for a bigger view.

And good luck to all.

[update] It appears that my geohounds are somewhat stumped by my latest city. I'll give you a clue. The country it resides in is in the name of a song from the 80's.

What I want for Christmas

This is so awesome! Star Wars droid pepper mills! I could use the R2-D2 one as a salt mill and have a completely functional set.

If someone bought this for me, I'd be as happy as a Wookie in a brush factory.

It's not just for geeks anymore....

Not one to blow one particular OS horn as an alternative to Windows (I've been on a Mac rant lately), I thought I'd mention the release of the latest edition of Ubuntu (Linux) 7.10 or Gutsy Gibbon as it's known. This could be the easiest version to install yet. Although I have heard from the trenches that it still has a couple of potential hardware compatibility issues which may or may not affect too many people, if someone came to me and asked about an alternative to Windows, this would be my recommendation.

It's free. It's Linux. It has just about all the software you'll ever need and if it doesn't, there's a gigantic online repository of open source Linux software available, much of much is certified to run on Ubuntu trouble-free. At no cost. It comes with Firefox. It will dual boot with Windows if you'd like. If you just want to test drive it, the CD (which you can order for free or download and make yourself) is a Live CD. That means you can boot from it (bypassing Windows just for the current session) to take a look and nothing gets changed on your system until you decide to install it. Now it even copies your settings and files from Windows to try and make the conversion more painless. It's not everybody's cup of tea, but you might like it. You'll never know until you try.

Already.......

How many of my loyal readers have spotted Christmas decorations in their stores yet?

[raises hand] I have! Wal-Mart. They started moving the stuff in last weekend.

Otherwordly

I love it when movie producers reveal that a certain movie set background was just a matte painting and then show you the art work. It's fantastic how they use matte in films and as a result, I've always been a fan of that kind of work, considering that the subject is most likely to be something (or somewhere) that doesn't exist, but in someone's imagination. So imagine my joy at finding this collection of matte paintings.

You should go see. The landscapes portrayed are breathtaking.

It's all about perspective

Imagine a country where 99% of the people who live there have never taken an airline flight anywhere. Now imagine a business where you invite people to come and sit on a jet airliner to experience what it's like to be on one. Complete with food and beverage trays rolling up and down the aisle and getting served by people dressed as flight attendants. But you don't actually go anywhere.

And the people pay. I'm serious.

"This is your Captain speaking. Just so we're clear..... we're not going anywhere today. I'm not even going to start up the engines."

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'baby cakes'

Here's a site in the UK that does custom cakes. There are some fantastic designs in the portfolio, but I found this baby cake to be just a bit........ spooky.

Could you look at that cake and just cut into it? How about eat it?

Don't you love great art?

Check out these sculptures made from cardboard.

Simply amazing.

She comes in colours everywhere

Have you seen the new Sony Bravia commercial? In past ads, they've used various clever means of trying to show how wonderful their colour reproduction is. It's one of those oxymorons of the advertising world. A TV manufacturer wants to use your TV to show you how great their TVs are. But I digress.

The new Sony ad is cute and uses my new favourite Rolling Stones song (by pure coincidence) - She's a Rainbow - in it. Those coloured objects you see are made of clay folks. That's claymation on a grand scale hey?

It coulda been a contender.....

I just caught a spin-off show from the producers of American Idol - The Next Great American Band. I had high hopes that this show would be much more relevant than Idol. Based on what I saw on Friday night's show, my hopes were completely dashed.

I don't know what I was thinking, to be honest. I mean, Idol shows get by as much on the disasters and breakdowns as the actual talent and this show was no different. By the time the first hour was up, I was already tired of the schmaltz I had witnessed, which is too bad, because there were probably some good bands that never made it to air thanks to the show's producers. I secretly hope the show is brought to Canada, but only if they do away with the tired soap opera portion and just bring the noise.

Note: It is quite possible that the use of the word schmaltz wasn't the best choice in that sentence, but it's what popped into my head. So if you look it up and discover that the various definitions don't fit the context, sue me.

"Silence!....................... I kill you!"

Have you seen this video clip of the comedy routine 'Achmed the dead terrorist'?

Bloody hilarious.......... Politically correct it is not.

Focus your lobbying on me.....

I'm not crazy about the practise of lobbying the government. It exists in many democratic countries, but I feel the practise, while noble in principle, is easily corrupted by greed. You don't have to look very far to find many examples of governments making decisions based on the results of forceful (read: financially aggressive) lobbying.

I have a better idea. Lobbying should focus on the victim ummm population at large. This way, people could get access to not only the lobbyist's spin, but also hear opposing sides of proposals. Decisions could be made via plebiscite. It may not be the perfect answer. It may not even be the right alternative. But I certainly don't trust the average politician to make decisions in our best interest where lobbying has been involved.

Was our music better?

I was thinking today about the great music I grew up with in the mid to late 1970s. Damn we had some great music back in the day. What's funny is that the generation before us probably said the same thing. The difference is that our kids are listening to some of our music too.

I wondered if I could find something online charting the popular music of the day (pertaining to Canada). It didn't take long. This site lists Canadian music charts from May 1957 to June 1986. Scrolling through the years 1977 to 1979 sure brought back some memories for me.

Pictured is the world famous Canadian rock dynasty - Rush.

Non verbal communications

On my way driving home from work today, I was stopped at a traffic light and noticed the guy next to me flailing his arms and whatnot. At first glance, I thought he was animatedly flipping off the person in the vehicle in front of him, but soon realized that he was signing. Signing in a manner that the person in the vehicle in front would be able to look in their rear view mirror and understand. That's when I noticed that the person in the front vehicle was signing back.

How cool is that? I think knowing how to sign would open up whole new opportunities for communication with people in situations that would otherwise not allow for it.

• At a concert - no matter how loud the band is, you could still ask your friend to pass the joint instead of bogarting it as per normal.
• In school - you can flirt with the person next to you without passing notes or the obvious beeps of cell phone messaging alerts.
• At a party - you can alert your friend across the room to the hot guy / girl heading their way.
• Anywhere - you could curse people who deserve it without offending the ears of people nearby.
• Sports venue - order those nachos with cheese and beer from the guy walking the aisles even when he's a few sections away.
  

"To improve other food they wrap it in bacon"

Jim Gaffigan loves bacon.

Don't we all............ don't we all......

Prepare to get your mind blown

According to a mathematical discovery by Oxford scientists, parallel universes exist. This is described by one expert as "one of the most important developments in the history of science".

This means that somewhere out there, there exists a rock star Karl, a spy hero Karl, Prime Minister Karl, chef Karl.......

Best US politics critique read on a blog this week...

But holy smokes, I am so sick of this dynasty crap. Bush? Then Clinton? Then Bush? Then Clinton? If Hillary wins she will likely be re-elected as well; when she leaves office, this nation will have been ruled exclusively by two families for 28 straight years--an entire generation! Thirty-year-olds will be unable to remember a time when either a Bush or Clinton was running the joint. And you know Jeb will be waiting in the wings. What's the point of having a democracy if we only use to to elect monarchs?

Found on defective yeti

For fans of Pez

Here's a site showing custom modified Pez dispensers. In some cases the modification is subtle, but many of them are a riot. Not necessarily politically correct either.

How has technology changed us?

Someone asked me if technology made our lives easier or just increased our dependency on it.

The way I see it, technology has made it possible to do certain things we wouldn't have been able to do without it. But then what happens is we become dependant on that technology because we take those new tasks for granted. Whenever I discuss this subject with my friends, I ask them to imagine what it would be like if a certain software, gadget or technology were absent from our lives. Then the discussion typically evolves to 'yeah, but we would just re-learn to do without that particular task, or the ease of doing it, or the frequency of being able to do it.

For example, although I have the capability to use email on many other things besides my computer (cell phone, PDA, etc.), I have resisted that advance, because I don't want to put myself in the position of being 'expected' to answer my email every waking minute of every day. I only use email on my computer, and I like it that way. My email contacts don't seem to mind and the expectation of having 18 hour email contact with me is absent.

On the other hand, I blog. Pretty much every day. It's like a monkey on my back. I feel like I should do it every time I get access to the internet. What did I do before blogging tools and internet? More of something else......

So while having access to all sorts of information has made me feel more 'plugged in', now I take all that access for granted. Which begs the question - am I better off with or without the information? Most would argue that more information is better. But is it?

Anyone want to weigh in?

Summer's last gasps?

Indian Summer is in Alberta right now. It won't be here much longer, but it's been glorious weather. Today it got up to 20 Celsius in the bright sunshine. The sun is noticeably lower in the sky and it's getting darker much earlier now.

Incoming!

Here's a cute picture to cheer you up on a Monday.

When in Rome...

One of the funniest ads I've seen lately. What would it be like if women acted like men and wore our underwear?

Awww, who am I kidding, like they don't already.....

Clever tee

Another clever tee design.

I can't take credit for this one.

Misleading food

Enjoy this list of misleading food names. Some of my faves:

• Bear Claw
• Baked Alaska
• Beavertail (seen here)
  
• Elephant Ear
• Moose Milk

TV show theme songs

Here's a site with a bunch of TV show theme songs. I listened to a few - talk about bringing back memories.... Mighty Mouse!

Every time I hear that song I'm reminded of that goofy skit Andy Kaufman did, lip-syncing to it on a record player. Good times........

Improv a go-go

Yesterday was my first beginner's improviser course at Loose Moose. Our instructor is awesome. He knows how to make us feel at ease and I felt better knowing he was in charge.

We were supposed to be a class of 12, but I think only 10 made it. 2 of my current junior Mooser friends were there - they've already done the course once and wanted another go 'round. So at least I knew someone. Improv is hard - I've alluded to that before. But AJ (our instructor) began to lay down some of the foundation by giving us the theory behind good improv. Some of what we learned yesterday:

• You have to be in the moment - be aware of your surroundings and your fellow improvisers
• Never think ahead - it's what screws you up every time. If you're planning a zig while everybody just zagged, you'll be scrambling to recover.
• Just go with the flow.
• The story should progress logically, even be familiar in form.
• Failure is good. It's even funny. Perfection in improv is boring.
• Be positive. Accept offers. Take the story in a positive direction before you add any antagonism.
• But even the antagonist must act positive.
  
• Avoid descriptors. The audience needs substance. Nouns and verbs always.
  

So we played a lot of games that reinforced those concepts and it was fun. My analytical mind is going to need a lot of re-training, but I'm in great company. I am blessed. More fun and games next Saturday. Can't wait.

Share your wi-fi and get free wi-fi

British Telecom (BT) in partnership with FON are introducing a new plan for their internet customers. It's a 'scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' scheme and it could make the UK the most widely served free wi-fi access country in the world.

The idea is if you are a BT internet customer, they'll give you a special wireless router that allows part of your bandwidth to be available to anyone within range of your router (usually somewhere up to 100-200 feet). When someone nearby who also gets their internet service through BT needs a connection, they clamp on to your router and get a small portion of your bandwidth. This is intended to make it possible for people who surf the internet on their PDAs and cell phones to have internet access in many more places.

If you agree to share a part of your connection as a BT wireless customer, you get free access to everyone else's share (that is a BT customer) plus free BT wi-fi hotspot access anywhere in the world.

This totally flies in the face of the concept that my internet connection is mine and mine alone. But the fact is, most peoples' wireless connections are being wasted on one household. The new BT system - which by the way is much faster than many North American internet connections - never gives 'guest connections' too much bandwidth. In other words, people won't be able to sit out side your house and download bittorrents at high speed - they'd be better off going home
and getting their full speed from their own connection, or from a (now free) wi-fi hotspot at their favourite cafe.

Custom taterheads

Custom Mr. Potato Heads made out of clay. Awesome!

This one is Mr. Bender Head.....

Make sure you also see The Incredible Spuderman.

Click on the previous spud or next spud links to see more.

Am I the only one who thinks this is cool?

I found a lamp that is the ultimate conversation piece.

Would it offend? Yep. But a great design nonetheless.

Attention trespassers... prepare to get wet!

Holy hot damn! This guy built a water hobo - a gun that sprays water on trespassers in his yard.

Article here, video here.

I need one of these to keep the dogs in my area from pooping on my lawn.......