Moon flat

Advice for the day:

Don't let it get away from you.

resonator + bra = a whole lotta nuthin'

I think some vehicle owners didn't attend 'Customizing 101' before purchasing and installing accessories for their cars. Yesterday I saw a little Japanese number with the annoying custom 'vrooom-vrooom' exhaust modification. But then, instead of adding to the (apparent) coolness, they cancelled it out by putting a bra on the front of the car. This is the vehicular equivalent of throwing some bling around your neck, then pulling the waist of your pants up around your chest.

So by pairing the absolute wrong set of car accessories, your car now both sounds and looks stupid.

Remember, it's your government that allowed this only now...

The federal government is allowing Amazon to build its first-ever warehouse in Canada in return for their promise to promote Canadian culture and to hire Canadian employees (They're a US retailer).

Canada is the only country in which Amazon sells books online but does not have a distribution centre in the country. It has been using a third-party shipping service in Canada to get around the country's foreign investment rules.

Hopefully the next thing Amazon does is to start selling music in mp3 form on the Canadian site as can be found on the US site.

That would be cool.

P.S.: Do you like my poster?

"None of this snake oil science stuff"

According to Sarah Palin, the last thing America needs is snake-oil science.

You know what I love about the right in America? When they run out of facts (which seems to happen a lot lately), they just make stuff up. They're perfectly OK with that too.

This page is loaded with a couple of jaw-dropping videos.

Under pressure

A company has developed a new car technology that uses an efficient diesel engine to pressurize fluid. It's the stored pressure in the fluid that drives hydraulic motors in the wheels. It only takes the engine one minute to fully charge the fluid and anywhere from 3 to 6 miles per charge. Pressure can be recuperated by braking and the design includes the possibility of solar generated pressure and plug-in (electric) generated pressure. Even the bumpers are hydraulic.

Imagine if the Beatles wrote a song just for you

Imagine if there was a song, a great song that people love to sing along to, especially the coda. Imagine if it became the longest (duration) hit single ever wrote at the time, and the longest single to top the charts, bought by more than eight million people.

I often think about that when I listen to Hey Jude, which was (according to Paul) written about and for Julian Lennon, to comfort him during the period of his parents' divorce. I mean seriously, the next time you listen to the song, pretend it was written just for you. It gives the song a whole new slant. I don't know about you, but if I was Julian Lennon, it would rock to have a song you could put on when you were feeling down. A song where the Beatles sing some of the most uplifting lyrics meant to make you feel better.

That rocks.....

Side note: For the longest time, John Lennon actually thought it was written for him, which made sense to him, as Yoko had just come into the picture, which Paul denied.

What did the goldfish in the tub say?

I hope to God that's Batman.....

Looking for flooring suggestions

I have a quick question for y'all. What would you recommend for a new flooring surface (other than carpeting and ceramic tile) for a den floor that will have an office chair rolling around?

I'm thinking about cork tile or planks. Any other suggestions?

Standing cat

I swear, if this cat starts waving I'm going to lose it....... holyshit!
Did he just wave?

Kittens just don't get the whole Easter egg thing...

..... or maybe they do....

Fossil fuel rant

I take offence whenever I bring up anything environmentally sound and somebody's come-back is "Why are you against the fossil fuel industry?"

I am not against the fossil fuel industry. Want proof? I work in it. Want more? I drive a car. I get my electricity from natural gas and coal fired power plants. I own a BBQ. I own a lot of plastics. I live in Alberta. Our economy is rooted in fossil fuel. No my friends, Karl is not the enemy of the industry. But I'm nothing if not a pensive person.

We have to come to terms with a few basic concepts. Until someone proves otherwise, we have to assume there is only a finite supply of fossil fuels left. As time goes on, the stuff is going to get way more expensive. Burning fossil fuel creates pollution. Especially coal. And guess which one is cheapest to obtain? That's right - coal.

News flash - Calgary has the biggest carbon footprint of any city in Canada. Toronto and Vancouver produce 9.5 tonnes and 4.9 tonnes, respectively of carbon dioxide per capita. Calgary produces 17.7 tonnes , ranking it fifth-highest in a comparison of 50 global cities. More than Mexico City or New York. Why is it so high? Two words. Coal. Sprawl.

Putting aside the climate change debate..... Nope, not going to bring that up.

I just want us to be ready. Ready for the time when consumption out-paces production. We're almost there. Some rogue analysts suggest we're already past that point. Just look at the oil sands as an example. We're so desperate for oil, we consume up to 1,200 cubic feet (34 cubic metres) of natural gas to produce one barrel of bitumen. That more than enough natural gas to heat my house for a year - per barrel. A cubic metre of oil, mined from the tar sands, needs up to 4.5 cubic metres of water. Oil sands mining operations are currently licensed to divert 359,000,000 cubic metres of water from the Athabasca River per year. This is more than twice the volume of water required to meet the annual municipal needs of the City of Calgary. The oil sands produces 725,000 barrels per day right now. That number is expected to go up to 5,000,000 by 2020. Let's put it another way. Oil sands production uses so much energy per barrel, they're planning to build nuclear plants to generate the electricity needed for peak production. I find that statement a little odd. We're going out of our way to produce non-polluting energy in order to produce more polluting energy. Why don't we just produce the non-polluting energy? I digress.

So should we just sit back and do nothing until we start to run out? Should we ignore the pollution? Should we allow all that free solar and wind and geothermal energy to go to waste? We know there's going to come a time when we will need to start using it, so why not get ready for that eventuality now? It's going to take us years to transition into an economy that relies much less on fossil fuel. I'd like to get started on that transition now.

"They say the meek shall inherit the earth..."

This week's playlist features a band that I have a love / hate relationship with - The Police. This is one of those bands that I have to be in the mood for. I can`t explain it.

I tried to keep all the over-played hits off the list. Enjoy.

For newcomers, the playlist I'm referring to is on the right side of the page.

Wordle episode 10

Name this song....

Reserved table

Versus the Extrovert.

Star wars dialogue crept into my training text today

You know you’re a geek when you’re writing training documentation and Star wars dialogue starts slipping into your text:

“Well, although the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) only has a few buttons by default, you can add any button from any ribbon tab onto it for instant access. That’s impressive enough, but let me show you something even more incredible. Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button just to the right of the toolbar and you instantly have the option to add or remove any one of ten common functions. Click the More Commands option however, and witness the power of this fully armed and operational battle station.... err toolbar.”

Red neck hedge trimmer

Thanks Jonathan.....

How Google makes it hard to conceal the past (partly)

Law enforcement used Google Earth to look back in time to figure out who owned a boat that eventually got dumped in a vacant lot. The older satellite photos showed the boat on the original owner's property.

Luckily, my military training also includes the ability to conceal things from aerial view using camouflage netting and other methods.

Not that I have anything to hide........ yet.

Exorcisms on weekend only

Best door sign seen this month.

Hint: It's really long (trick hint)

This is an electron microscope image of something.

Do you know what it is?

You're a doctor dude. But you're acting stupid.

Did you hear about the doctor in Florida who put a sign up on the door that says (and I quote):

"If you voted Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your health care begin right now. Not in four years."

Big words. Harsh words. Then he was interviewed and admitted to not even understanding the very reforms he is opposed to.

We're supposed to look up to doctors.......

Get your filthy hands off my internet!

There's a committee in Ottawa looking at the feasibility of putting Canadian content controls on the internet in a manner similar to what is applied to big media (radio and television).

I am vehemently opposed to such a move. The internet is as popular as it is precisely because there were no borders - I say 'were' because recently, American big media have begun restricting who can view their posted content online - a move that has many internet users around the world crying foul. In my own entertainment culture consumption, I have been stymied again and again trying to access content produced by artists from other countries because of network, national, copyright, licensing rules and in many cases the internet is my only means of bypassing those archaic, counter-productive restrictions. It has been proven time and again that these kinds of regulations reduce the potential for innovation, personal choice and the free exchange of ideas.

The concept of net neutrality is a sound one, affording a counter-balance to the ultra-restrictive regulations forced upon consumers. Contrary to popular belief, having access to content that under normal rules would not be available to the consumer actually helps make consumers aware of their existence, which drives regulated providers to consider offering alternatives. There are many programs, both on-air and sold as DVDs, that I would not have watched, or even known about, if it had not been for some content available online.

The internet operates (for the most part) as a pure example of market forces. If you want people to watch your content, create something worth watching. If you believe your content is worthy of more followers, get the word out.

Gotham may need a crusader who doesn't watch sports

Sometimes, Batman just wants to watch the game.... you know?

Wordle episode 9

And the name of the song is......?

I'm not gonna touch this one......

Today marks the day when more women than ever before are working in space at the same time. Four women will rendezvous at the International Space Station - the largest ever simultaneous gathering of women in space.

Feel free to insert your own joke here.

Electric not just for cars and scooters anymore

Imagine if you could buy a plane for $89,000. I know that sounds expensive, but trust me - it's not. A plane that can seat 2 people, is easy to fly, burns no fuel, makes little noise, produces no emissions, is extremely low maintenance and environmentally friendly. That's the Yuneec E430 electric plane.

Electric flight, once seen as too far into the future, has arrived. You'll get flight times of between 1.5 and 3 hours (depending on configuration). Charging times of 3 hours for as little as $5 worth of electricity, with only 2 main moving parts in the motor (the bearings). The reliability and maintenance are unsurpassed. Add to that the delight of smooth, quiet, powered flight or silent flight (turn the motor off) using its 25:1 glide ratio - meaning if something goes wrong with the power, you can still take your time to glide to a landing spot.

Such poise

Ignore for a moment the pure craziness of this photo.

Whose pose is the man imitating?

Wordle episode 8

Easy peasy.

Guess the song...

Next? Previous?

Since web site creators cannot make up their mind if the page containing slightly older content is the 'next' page or the 'previous' page.... how about we just number the freaking pages?

OK?

Almost 40 years ago

From October 9, 1970. This is Joni Mitchell singing California.

There's no freaky costumes. No buff dancers. No mesmerizing light show. No insane lyrics. No prancing around the stage.

It's just........ Joni.

It's still sizzling at your table

So after hearing lots of advertising about the place, Darlene and I finally decided to give Ruth's Chris Steak House a try. See? Advertising does work!

Based on what I saw of their online menu (and the fact that they don't post any prices), I knew it wasn't going to be a cheap meal. The restaurant (in Calgary) is located on the second floor of the Calgary Tower.We made out reservation very early, so I'm sure we were the first people in the joint. It's a very classy looking place. The service is friendly, but professional.

My eyes were bigger than my stomach, but luckily, I listened to Darlene and went for a smaller meal than the one I had my eyes on. The harvest salad was one of the best salads I've had, with a house made vinaigrette, goat cheese, pecans, bacon, crispy onions, dried cherries, roasted corn and lots of other good stuff. Even Darlene ate some, which is quite unusual for her anti-green palate. We both had a tenderloin and for sides I chose beets while she chose lyonaisse potatoes, which we shared. It was hard to decide on sides, because they also have things like sweet potato casserole with pecans and potatoes au gratin and real fries. If you've not been or heard the hype, Ruth's Chris brings their steaks out to you on a plate that's been heated to 500F and so with the pat of butter, the steak is still cooking on the way to your table.

Speaking of butter....... if you're trying to avoid it...... good luck at this restaurant. It's in / on everything. Needless to say, the meal was superb, but I left the place overdosing on butter. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but you certainly can't eat like this very often.