I've just finished downloading and watching the first episode of Nerd TV. It's a pretty cool program, if you're into the history of the Internet and all the cool things that have been happening on it over the last 10 years or so.
The show was put together by Bob Cringely, whom I've talked about here and here before. The show, which is being put together through the good graces of National Public Radio (NPR) in the states, is a pioneering effort to start bringing a new kind of video to the masses. I'm pretty enthused about the whole thing.
You have to download a copy of BitTorrent to download the video and you need a copy of QuickTime to view the final result. But hey, if you're a Nerd (or even just a Geek), none of this will be a problem. And if you're not, you know it...so just enjoy the rest of your day...
Have fun. I'm sure we'll talk more about the implications of all this down the road. For now, I'll let you all decide on your own. But be sure to add your comments after you've watched the first episode...and keep your eyes open for the RSS feed when it appears.
Oh...one more thing. And this is really funny.
Remember when Janet Jackson had her "wardrobe malfunction"? You know how crazy the TV networks in the States have been since then about any "inappropriate" material getting past their censors?
Well...check out what happened on the TV show Rockstars the other day...it's a hoot! (And be sure to follow the Dick Cheney link for a bit more in the same vein.)
- Thanks to "what tian has learned" for the link -
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Friday, September 09, 2005
The fall is coming and the world is changing
I love the fall. It’s always been my favourite season. The only problem is that it never lasts long enough. But it’s a great time of year.
I like the fact that the bugs are gone and while the days might be warmish, the nights are cool. Rainy days usually clear up pretty quick. And I like the longer nights too. Sure, winter is coming, but that’s all right. It’s all part of this four season thing that makes living in this country so great.
But the fall is also a time of change. Kids are going back to school, and work often starts piling up again after a summer lull. Fall sports kick in, literary societies start planning a new series of readings, the fall schedule on CBC begins (OK, not this year, but usually).
Roy McGregor, a columnist with the Globe and Mail thinks that Labour Day should really be the start of the Canadian New Year – not January 1. His idea makes a certain amount of sense, when you think about it.
This fall could be significant for me as well. I’ve been freelancing for the last couple of years and I’ve loved it. I like the independence and the chance to work on a variety of jobs without the usual day-to-day stuff that comes with a job you have to commute to every day. But as nice as it’s been, the work has been slow lately. So I’m considering returning to the full-time workforce.
Heading back into Toronto full time might not be a preferred option, but communication jobs outside of the GTA don’t seem too plentiful. But that’s OK. Commuting can be a positive experience, given the opportunity to read and catch up on personal stuff that comes with long train rides…or at least, that’s the attitude I’ll try to take.
I’ll let you know what happens. But in the meantime, if you know someone who’s looking for help with their communications planning or writing, or websites, etc., keep me in mind…meanwhile, I’ll be enjoying watching the leaves change colour.
I like the fact that the bugs are gone and while the days might be warmish, the nights are cool. Rainy days usually clear up pretty quick. And I like the longer nights too. Sure, winter is coming, but that’s all right. It’s all part of this four season thing that makes living in this country so great.
But the fall is also a time of change. Kids are going back to school, and work often starts piling up again after a summer lull. Fall sports kick in, literary societies start planning a new series of readings, the fall schedule on CBC begins (OK, not this year, but usually).
Roy McGregor, a columnist with the Globe and Mail thinks that Labour Day should really be the start of the Canadian New Year – not January 1. His idea makes a certain amount of sense, when you think about it.
This fall could be significant for me as well. I’ve been freelancing for the last couple of years and I’ve loved it. I like the independence and the chance to work on a variety of jobs without the usual day-to-day stuff that comes with a job you have to commute to every day. But as nice as it’s been, the work has been slow lately. So I’m considering returning to the full-time workforce.
Heading back into Toronto full time might not be a preferred option, but communication jobs outside of the GTA don’t seem too plentiful. But that’s OK. Commuting can be a positive experience, given the opportunity to read and catch up on personal stuff that comes with long train rides…or at least, that’s the attitude I’ll try to take.
I’ll let you know what happens. But in the meantime, if you know someone who’s looking for help with their communications planning or writing, or websites, etc., keep me in mind…meanwhile, I’ll be enjoying watching the leaves change colour.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Article on how Google Maps is helping out flood victims
My sister Janice in Edmonton sent me an interesting article from the BBC on how new satellite mapping technology is helping out after Katrina in New Orleans. Be sure to check out Tim Holtt's before and after images on the right-hand side of the page for some amazing before and after shots of parts of the affected area. Just move your cursor over the picture to watch it change.
Janice is a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) analyst with The Forestry Corp and she uses a lot of satellite imagery and analysis in her work. So this is of particular interest to her and her colleagues.
Thanks to Janice for the link.
Janice is a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) analyst with The Forestry Corp and she uses a lot of satellite imagery and analysis in her work. So this is of particular interest to her and her colleagues.
Thanks to Janice for the link.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Chilling stories out of New Orleans
I just got a note from MediaChannel.org. They've posted some of the stories coming from the forums hosted by the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. The newspaper is devoting it's full resources to covering the effects of the hurricane and many are using the paper's forums as a way to try to communicate to the outside world.
(Note -- This link may not be working anymore. When I tried to go back to it, I couldn't get through. I suspect that high traffic may be playing havoc with it.)
But the threads are getting scary and they make for chilling reading. I feel so helpless when I read them, thinking about what those people are going through...if you want to help, I suggest you consider donating to the Red Cross, which is now accepting donations on behalf of the American Red Cross.
(Note -- This link may not be working anymore. When I tried to go back to it, I couldn't get through. I suspect that high traffic may be playing havoc with it.)
But the threads are getting scary and they make for chilling reading. I feel so helpless when I read them, thinking about what those people are going through...if you want to help, I suggest you consider donating to the Red Cross, which is now accepting donations on behalf of the American Red Cross.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Hurricane watch -- literally!
I'm back in Hamilton, safe and sound. We arrived late Saturday night, after a long, long drive from Wisconsin. Actually, it ended up a little longer than I expected, when I missed the transition from Hwy 2 to 28, so we took the long way across the top of Michigan. But we did make it home without any more problems.
Today, I've been glued to the TV, watching the coverage of Hurrican Katrina on CNN. What a show! I tend to be a bit cynical about the way that TV covers these dramatic events, but I've got to admit, I'm hooked.
True, the people on air are kind of crazy. They love to stand outside in the driving wind and rain when they should be just watching from inside...but it does make for compelling TV. And it's pretty much kept me from doing any useful work this morning. I'm just glad I'm far enough away not to be part of a storm like this. Talk about the power of Mother Nature!
Today, I've been glued to the TV, watching the coverage of Hurrican Katrina on CNN. What a show! I tend to be a bit cynical about the way that TV covers these dramatic events, but I've got to admit, I'm hooked.
True, the people on air are kind of crazy. They love to stand outside in the driving wind and rain when they should be just watching from inside...but it does make for compelling TV. And it's pretty much kept me from doing any useful work this morning. I'm just glad I'm far enough away not to be part of a storm like this. Talk about the power of Mother Nature!
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Back on the road again
It's been a long time between posts, I know. But I took a real vacation for the past couple of weeks...it's been great. I'm on my way back to Hamilton right now...at the moment, we're in a hotel in Winnipeg, on the first day of our trip back.
I don't have any cool pictures of the trip to post...but I thought I'd put up this image of the view off the deck at Buena Vista. Those tiny white sails you see are the boats competing in the sailing competition of the Canada Games a couple of weeks ago. It was great fun watching all the action while we sat at the cottage.
Anyway, I'll be back home in a couple of days and then posting can get back to normal...whatever the heck that is! Time for this consultant to go back to getting clients and making money again. There are university bills to be paid, after all.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Rowing Update - Henley wrap-up
Well, here it is, nearly a week since my last post and I’m only now getting around to letting you know how things went at the Henley Regatta.
Oh well, I guess that’s what happens when you’re on holiday. I’m here at my cottage in Buena Vista, just outside Regina, Saskatchewan, where I’ve been enjoying a great run of nice weather. While I might start the day thinking of a few things to get around to, I seem to end up just muddling around. Updating my blog has not been on the top of my agenda.
But enough excuses. Here’s the update on stuff from Henley.
Jaime and her partner, Jess Southall, didn’t qualify their double in the semi’s, but they were still really pleased with their performance.
In the singles final, Jaime got fifth place, about eight seconds back of the gold medalist. While she would have loved a medal, she was really pleased with her race and she’s already looking forward to next year. She’s got three years left in her Senior B. category, so she’s in good shape to medal yet.
As you know, Kelly didn’t qualify for the singles’ final, which was a major disappointment. But in her doubles race, she and her partner, Laura Ceyrs, had a great run. They finished second in their semi, then had a great race in the final to come home with a bronze medal. Kelly says it was their best race ever and they are both really pleased with their result.
Today Jaime arrives here in Regina, ready for a two-week holiday before heading on to Victoria and another year at UVIC. Kelly and Spencer arrive in a week, so we’ll have a lot of fun showing him around Kelly’s home town.
That’s it for today. As I mentioned, I’m on holiday mode, so I’m not sure when I’ll have more to add. But in the meantime, feel free to add a comment here. I do check my mail from time to time and I love to get feedback.
Oh well, I guess that’s what happens when you’re on holiday. I’m here at my cottage in Buena Vista, just outside Regina, Saskatchewan, where I’ve been enjoying a great run of nice weather. While I might start the day thinking of a few things to get around to, I seem to end up just muddling around. Updating my blog has not been on the top of my agenda.
But enough excuses. Here’s the update on stuff from Henley.
Jaime and her partner, Jess Southall, didn’t qualify their double in the semi’s, but they were still really pleased with their performance.
In the singles final, Jaime got fifth place, about eight seconds back of the gold medalist. While she would have loved a medal, she was really pleased with her race and she’s already looking forward to next year. She’s got three years left in her Senior B. category, so she’s in good shape to medal yet.
As you know, Kelly didn’t qualify for the singles’ final, which was a major disappointment. But in her doubles race, she and her partner, Laura Ceyrs, had a great run. They finished second in their semi, then had a great race in the final to come home with a bronze medal. Kelly says it was their best race ever and they are both really pleased with their result.
Today Jaime arrives here in Regina, ready for a two-week holiday before heading on to Victoria and another year at UVIC. Kelly and Spencer arrive in a week, so we’ll have a lot of fun showing him around Kelly’s home town.
That’s it for today. As I mentioned, I’m on holiday mode, so I’m not sure when I’ll have more to add. But in the meantime, feel free to add a comment here. I do check my mail from time to time and I love to get feedback.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Rowing Update - Henley, Day Two
Day 2 of Henley, 2005 is in the books...and as you can see, everyone here in Saskatchewan is cheering on Jaime and Kelly! This is a shot of all the Wood family cousins (minus J&K of course) at a BBQ at Blair's house in Regina on Monday night.
Today (Wed) was Day 2 of Henley. Day 1 saw both Jaime and Kelly qualify for the singles semi-finals, with great races. Today, they each had a heat in their doubles, with the singles semi as well.
Both Jaime and Kelly qualified today for the semis on Thursday in their doubles. Whoo hoo!
And in the single semi's, the good news continued with Jaime qualifying for the final race in her single, finishing second in her semi-final. Way to go Jaime!
Kelly, on the other hand, suffered through a difficult race and finished fourth in her semi, just missing a chance at the single final. She's frustrated because she was rowing a lot slower than in the Ontario championships 2 weeks ago. In fact, the girl she beat in that race qualified two positions ahead of her today. The extreme heat of the last few weeks seems to be taking a toll on her.
In the doubles races, Jaime and her partner ended up in a dead heat for the third and final qualifying position. Both boats were timed at 8:05.51 and a photo finish couldn't determine which was ahead, so they'll both be in the semi-final. What an amazing result! Jaime says it was definitely hers and Jess's best race of the year and they're thrilled to be moving on.
Meanwhile, Kelly and her partner, Laura, cruised to an easy qualifying position by winning their heat. They said it was a great race and they were never pushed during the race. Now they're ready for a much tougher semi-final race on Thursday.
The link to the results page has been working great so far. It's a little nerve-wracking not to be able to find out how the race is going, but when those results come up, I can cheer just like I'm in the stands...
While I really do wish I was there to watch, I'm really glad to be able to follow things so closely. Between my laptop here at the Traynor cottage, a stable (but slow) Internet connection and cell phones, I've been able to keep right on top of things. Ah, technology...what a cool thing it is when it all works.
More later.
Today (Wed) was Day 2 of Henley. Day 1 saw both Jaime and Kelly qualify for the singles semi-finals, with great races. Today, they each had a heat in their doubles, with the singles semi as well.
Both Jaime and Kelly qualified today for the semis on Thursday in their doubles. Whoo hoo!
And in the single semi's, the good news continued with Jaime qualifying for the final race in her single, finishing second in her semi-final. Way to go Jaime!
Kelly, on the other hand, suffered through a difficult race and finished fourth in her semi, just missing a chance at the single final. She's frustrated because she was rowing a lot slower than in the Ontario championships 2 weeks ago. In fact, the girl she beat in that race qualified two positions ahead of her today. The extreme heat of the last few weeks seems to be taking a toll on her.
In the doubles races, Jaime and her partner ended up in a dead heat for the third and final qualifying position. Both boats were timed at 8:05.51 and a photo finish couldn't determine which was ahead, so they'll both be in the semi-final. What an amazing result! Jaime says it was definitely hers and Jess's best race of the year and they're thrilled to be moving on.
Meanwhile, Kelly and her partner, Laura, cruised to an easy qualifying position by winning their heat. They said it was a great race and they were never pushed during the race. Now they're ready for a much tougher semi-final race on Thursday.
The link to the results page has been working great so far. It's a little nerve-wracking not to be able to find out how the race is going, but when those results come up, I can cheer just like I'm in the stands...
While I really do wish I was there to watch, I'm really glad to be able to follow things so closely. Between my laptop here at the Traynor cottage, a stable (but slow) Internet connection and cell phones, I've been able to keep right on top of things. Ah, technology...what a cool thing it is when it all works.
More later.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Tales from the road
I've arrived at Buena Vista, our cottage in Regina. It took a while...about 30 hours of driving, all told. And not without some adventures.
It's late right now, but since this blog is titled "The Daily Upload" I thought I should make an attempt to start keeping up with my name. Or else change the title to "The Occasional Upload." (More accurate perhaps, but not as sexy...) Anyway, before I hit the sack, I thought I'd brief you on our trip out here.
We started off with a problem. We were towing a trailer to Regina and we didn't even get out of the driveway on Thursday night before the trailer lights stopped working! Big problem, given it was dark out, etc. I tried to solve the problem, while Heather went back inside, convinced the trip was cursed and we wouldn't be going anywhere.
But after a couple of hours, I had figured out what was wrong (although I couldn't fix it right then) and we decided to head off with just running lights. Not a problem, I figured, since we had hoped to avoid major city traffic along the way. But because we were late leaving, we ended up driving through Chicago at morning rush hour...and then Minneapolis in the afternoon rush hour. Oh well...we made it.
The trouble was, by evening, we needed to find a place to stop. We had planned to drive right through, but the delays and stuff were working against us and we were all bushed. A VW Jetta isn't very big to start with, and it gets smaller every time you try to stretch out for some sleep!
We had hoped to find a hotel in Bismark, South Dakota, but the state fair (or something) was on, so at midnight we found ourselves with nowhere to stay! So we headed up to Minot, looking for a vacant room along the way...but nothing. The North Dakota state fair was also on this weekend. Not a room to be had anywhere.
So, by this time, I was exhausted and couldn't keep my eyes open. But Cory was sort of awake (after all, he had just slept for about 20 hours straight) so he took over and we headed north from Minot. Alas, the highway we chose turned out to be under major construction, so at 3 am, Cory found himself creeping along a chunk of sand, with no lane markers, in a fog that cut visibility to about 20 feet or so! Quite a ride.
But Cory, to his credit, stayed with it and eventually the road improved and the fog lifted. So after crossing the border back into Canada at Portal, we crawled into Estevan at 4 am, got a hotel room and crashed. We finally arrived in Regina this afternoon about 3 pm, tired, but glad to have had a decent sleep.
Tonight, we arrived out here at the cottage, where I've finally figured out how to get an Internet connection, so I can check my mail and post this note.
No more pictures, unfortunately. I was going to snap some in the car on our trip, but my camera got buried in the trunk and I never did get it out...so you'll just have to take my word for things.
That's it from the Traynor cottage for today. Stay tuned and the big adventure continues!
It's late right now, but since this blog is titled "The Daily Upload" I thought I should make an attempt to start keeping up with my name. Or else change the title to "The Occasional Upload." (More accurate perhaps, but not as sexy...) Anyway, before I hit the sack, I thought I'd brief you on our trip out here.
We started off with a problem. We were towing a trailer to Regina and we didn't even get out of the driveway on Thursday night before the trailer lights stopped working! Big problem, given it was dark out, etc. I tried to solve the problem, while Heather went back inside, convinced the trip was cursed and we wouldn't be going anywhere.
But after a couple of hours, I had figured out what was wrong (although I couldn't fix it right then) and we decided to head off with just running lights. Not a problem, I figured, since we had hoped to avoid major city traffic along the way. But because we were late leaving, we ended up driving through Chicago at morning rush hour...and then Minneapolis in the afternoon rush hour. Oh well...we made it.
The trouble was, by evening, we needed to find a place to stop. We had planned to drive right through, but the delays and stuff were working against us and we were all bushed. A VW Jetta isn't very big to start with, and it gets smaller every time you try to stretch out for some sleep!
We had hoped to find a hotel in Bismark, South Dakota, but the state fair (or something) was on, so at midnight we found ourselves with nowhere to stay! So we headed up to Minot, looking for a vacant room along the way...but nothing. The North Dakota state fair was also on this weekend. Not a room to be had anywhere.
So, by this time, I was exhausted and couldn't keep my eyes open. But Cory was sort of awake (after all, he had just slept for about 20 hours straight) so he took over and we headed north from Minot. Alas, the highway we chose turned out to be under major construction, so at 3 am, Cory found himself creeping along a chunk of sand, with no lane markers, in a fog that cut visibility to about 20 feet or so! Quite a ride.
But Cory, to his credit, stayed with it and eventually the road improved and the fog lifted. So after crossing the border back into Canada at Portal, we crawled into Estevan at 4 am, got a hotel room and crashed. We finally arrived in Regina this afternoon about 3 pm, tired, but glad to have had a decent sleep.
Tonight, we arrived out here at the cottage, where I've finally figured out how to get an Internet connection, so I can check my mail and post this note.
No more pictures, unfortunately. I was going to snap some in the car on our trip, but my camera got buried in the trunk and I never did get it out...so you'll just have to take my word for things.
That's it from the Traynor cottage for today. Stay tuned and the big adventure continues!
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
On the road again
I'll be off-line for a few days soon. I'm heading back out to Saskatchewan with Heather and Cory.
Unfortunately, that means that I'll be missing the Henley Regatta this year. It runs from August 2-8 in St. Catherines. Both Jaime and Kelly are entered in the singles and doubles competition and I'm really looking forward to their races. They'll be staying here for a while longer. Jaime follows us to Saskatchewan on Aug 9 and Kelly is coming with her boyfriend on Aug 16. So we'll still have a bit of time together before Jaime heads back to Victoria for another year at University.
But while I won't be able to watch the races live, I will be able to follow the event pretty closely. The Henley Regatta has a website, and they plan to post the results pretty quick each day. Therre's a link for Results and Photo Archives where I think they'll be posting the finals. So we should be able to find out what happens as the day goes along. As long as I can get my Internet access working at the cottage, we should be able to keep an eye on things from Buena Vista.
We leave here on Thursday and we're planning to drive straight through to Regina. We should be there in about 24 hours, assuming we don't run into any problems. We're heading through Detroit and Chicago, then up to Winnipeg and on to Regina. If I get a chance, I'll try to post a few pictures from along the way...sort of a blogosphere record of our trip.
Talk to you in a few days.
Unfortunately, that means that I'll be missing the Henley Regatta this year. It runs from August 2-8 in St. Catherines. Both Jaime and Kelly are entered in the singles and doubles competition and I'm really looking forward to their races. They'll be staying here for a while longer. Jaime follows us to Saskatchewan on Aug 9 and Kelly is coming with her boyfriend on Aug 16. So we'll still have a bit of time together before Jaime heads back to Victoria for another year at University.
But while I won't be able to watch the races live, I will be able to follow the event pretty closely. The Henley Regatta has a website, and they plan to post the results pretty quick each day. Therre's a link for Results and Photo Archives where I think they'll be posting the finals. So we should be able to find out what happens as the day goes along. As long as I can get my Internet access working at the cottage, we should be able to keep an eye on things from Buena Vista.
We leave here on Thursday and we're planning to drive straight through to Regina. We should be there in about 24 hours, assuming we don't run into any problems. We're heading through Detroit and Chicago, then up to Winnipeg and on to Regina. If I get a chance, I'll try to post a few pictures from along the way...sort of a blogosphere record of our trip.
Talk to you in a few days.
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