Reed Solomon's Matrix

Vic Toews supposedly slept with his kids babysitter, but thinks you're a pedophile.

2012-02-15T15:35:00.002-06:00

Are you against unreasonable intrusion into your private information by authorities? Of course you are. Unless you voted for the Conservative party of Canada, in which case, apparently you truly believe that the police should be able to do what they want whenever they want without any oversight or rules. Simply because it's JUST SO HARD to police the internet with all those megabytes and twitters and gigahertz out there. They want to be able to spy on citizens without the need for obtaining a warrant.. and if you're against it, it must be because YOU SUPPORT PEDOPHILES. That's what Vic Toews said yesterday, when the bill was introduced into parliament. That's one of the first things he said. You're either with them, or a pedophile supporter. That is the level of discourse the Conservative Party of Canada is at now that they have a majority. This is what you people voted for. Nice work, idiots.

So someone on twitter known as vikileaks30 decided that Vic Toews wants our private information so badly, maybe his private information should be released as well. And it's brilliant. A man who represents the Mennonite communities in Steinbach and such seems to have court documents that basically state he is an adulterer, and of course he paid a fine for election fraud... what does that make him? A fraudster? I don't know.

We have at least 3 more years of this nonsense. As regular readers note, I voted NDP. The NDP have many problems, but I somehow doubt they'd sell out our freedoms to the creation of a fascistic police state. The Conservatives are not a real party. They're a caricature of what Conservatism should be. That much is apparent to me. The Liberals were corrupt, but at least they were sensible and didn't waste our tax dollars and give tax breaks to the rich the way the Conservatives clearly are. I am simply disgusted in the Conservatives, and their naive supporters.

The Iron Lady

2012-02-12T01:40:00.002-06:00

Worse than Iron Man 2. Why do they always try to capitalize on the success of a male superhero by creating a knockoff female superhero? I mean, this woman was an even bigger asshole than Tony Stark. She even becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain or something? I'm surprised they didn't do a Spider-Girl movie or a Batgirl movie yet. Though they did do Catwoman and that was almost as bad as this. Though the 80's Supergirl movie wasn't so bad.

Anyways, she doesn't even wear her Iron Lady armour at any point in this movie. I don't get it. Were they saving money on special effects? Marvel, I am disappointed in you. Who the hell is this actress, Marryl Streap? Sounds like a fake name. Then again, I never even saw the Marvel logo, so maybe this is some weird Chinese knockoff movie. Marvel should sue.

I just shook my head and asked for my money back. They gave a gift certificate for another movie. I should have realized the movie would suck when they were only showing it in one theatre and it wasn't in 3D. This kind of bullshit is why people pirate movies.

MILKING THIS TOPIC FOR ALL ITS WORTH

2012-02-09T02:32:00.003-06:00

I saw a milk truck the other day, and I got to wondering if the concept of the milk man who delivers milk door to door still exists today. I remember being a kid and witnessing the phenomenon known as milk delivery to a house nearby. And glass bottles too. I love glass bottles. I still don't understand why plastic is used instead of glass. Glass is best.

I also remember when Manitoba had bag milk like Eastern Canada. I never cared for it, but we had to put up with it for a while until the milk jugs came out. I hated how if you didn't drink it quick, the milk would smell like something else in the fridge unless you folded it up or clipped it closed or something. And then there were the times you'd have a leak or a spill. Horrible. I wonder if it was mostly Superstore that had the bag milk.

I opened a 2 Litre milk carton the other day and it had one of those spouts that just would not open without extra effort. It was a bit of an annoyance.

On a visit to the USA once I worried about the effects of bovine growth hormone. I hope we never allow it in Canada.

The worst thing about the milk jugs is that plastic dust when you take off the cap. What is the deal with that crap? Honestly, just bring back classic glass bottles. It's better for the environment.

One of my first memories is of trying to pour myself a glass of milk. I failed, but that said, it was an impressive first attempt. I still fail occasionally.

Manitoba Hydro Power Outrage

2012-02-07T16:30:00.004-06:00

What's with all the power outages this week, Manitoba Hydro? You guys had such a great track record and all of a sudden two huge outages in less than a week. Obviously I have 3 battery backups, and can post to my blog with my tethered MTS phone, but really, whats going on?

You'd think Manitoba Hydro could use their website front page to let people know about any issues currently happening. Do they think it looks bad if they advertise the fact that they have outages? Honestly now.

Shaw internet went down as well. Which I found surprising. I thought they had their network set up with a battery backup. Ah well, that's why having a backup is always a good thing. Good job MTS Wireless. Now I wonder how their DSL internet/TV solution handles power outages. Might perhaps be a reason to switch.

The worst thing about battery backups though is the beeping. I obviously know theres a power outage and I'm on battery backup. Shut the hell up. Why can't you turn that option off? You're wasting precious power on the beeping.

Journey Into Myth TV - Part 1

2012-02-06T01:47:00.003-06:00

Part 1 - Acquisition and Server Setup

Something I had been meaning to do for years was finally doable after the digital conversion in Canada last September. That is, to set up Myth TV, an Open Source fully network capable PVR software.

I don't recall when I first heard about Myth TV, probably shortly after I first heard about Tivo, the first commercial PVR device (which never really made inroads into Canada.. their own fault really)

In any case, it was my eventual plan to set up a server just for MythTV to record programs. Over time, I had collected the relevant hardware. In October of 2011, I decided to finally jump right in and set it up. I had purchased a years subscription to Schedules Direct ($25 a year currently, which is about $2 a month, really) and went about piecing together the material that I had stored in my parents basement.

First of all, I had my old Desktop PC, which I hadn't used in years. Which had inside it an Asus M2A-VM HDMI motherboard with ATI graphics built in. As you can see, I had purchased this motherboard with MythTV in mind. It has Gigabit Ethernet, it has 4 sata 3GB ports, a couple PCI and PCIe slots, and for the time (2008) was probably one of the best options for a MythTV box. It took me a few years, but I finally used it for that purpose. And it works pretty good at that. It had 3 Gigs of Ram installed at 667mhz DDR2, which is more than sufficient.

Now, for MythTV, you need to have one or more TV cards to record programs. The more, the better. If you're using MythTV, you want to get the best supported cards you can find. In my case, I already had a USB2 Hauppauge WinTV HVR-850 which I originally obtained at a Boxing Day sale at Futureshop a couple years ago for a really good price (dual analog/digital ATSC stick). It was labeled an HVR-850, but in reality it was the 950Q, which is even better and still sells for more than $100 new. the main difference is the 950Q offers QAM support. That is to say, you can watch and record digital clear unencrypted TV if your cable company supports it. As we live in the communist country of Canada, none of our Cable Companies support QAM. Which is pathetic, but not something I'm going to delve into for this article. I also had an HDTV Dvico Fusion 5 Lite, which is also a dual analog/digital ATSC tuner. These are the tuners I started off with.

For the purposes of setting up my server, I used the Mythbuntu distribution of Linux, which pretty much has MythTV configured by default. I had a few issues with it originally not booting up into MythTV as it should have, but I figured it out somehow. I don't know what I did. It was a graphics driver problem of some sort... and also a problem with fsck doing annoying checks of the hard drives on startup. I started with 1.5TB of storage (One 500Gb and One 1TB drive). I eventually purchased a 3 TB drive on sale for $120 just before the floods happened in Thailand and hard drive prices went up. When you're planning to recordin High Def content, 1.5 TB is just barely enough. 4.5, that's more like it. In any case, you burn Mythbuntu to a disc or USB stick, install it to the hard drive, and you're ready to go.

I soon realized that most of the shows I like are on at the same time. I needed more TV Tuners. I decided to purchase the HD Homerun, which is a dual tuner external box that plugs into your home router. It is well supported by MythTV, and saves you from wasting a USB and PCI port. I purchased it from B&H Photo, who are an EXCELLENT store based in the USA that is very considerate of shipping options for Canadians.. even offering Purolator shipping as opposed to the evil that is UPS or the overkill that is FedEx. I plugged it in to my router, plugged it into the AC, hooked up the antenna, added it as an option to the mythtv server, and voila.

I'm not going to go too far into the technical aspects of setting up Myth TV and adding tuners and configuring options on the device. There are any number of wikis online that tell you how to do that. I'm just going to describe my thoughts on how the process went, and bring up any issues I may have had along the way.

So now I had 3 High Def OTA tuners, and I was using the Dvico Fusion 5 Lite for Analogue. The Dvico Fusion 5 Lite sucks for analogue, though. Most shows recorded with it were unwatchable on my networked boxes. I tried to see if I could find any ivtv based tuners off of ebay or kijiji for cheap.. I did, and now have 3 tuners connected to my analogue cable TV output. A caveat though, I got them cheap because Analogue is being shut down by most Cable Companies in the USA. I have other options down the road, however, and shaw cable still has basic cable in Analogue, but sooner or later that'll be gone. Still, for now, It's a nice supplement. I find myself watching more of what's on OTA anyways. Theres really very little value added with Cable TV that can't be switched for Netflix or other online streaming services for far better value.

Now, I mentioned adding a 3TB hard drive. Here I ran into my first problem. Adding the hard drive to MythTV was no problem. I ended up copying the data from one drive to the new drive, and here I ran into my first major issue. MythTV refused to delete anything I had copied over from the old drive to the new. It had nothing to do with permissions really, but the way MythTV handles it's database. This was doubly annoying as most of those programs were useless garbage to me that I only recorded for testing. If I was unable to remove them, I was going to have a ton of wasted space, and even worse, useless entries. Eventually I found out a cumbersome way of deleting them. The way mythTV stores files, it has the date recorded in the file name. I decided simply to delete anything recorded before November 2011. Now, this deletes the videos themselves, but doesn't remove them from the database. I had to go into MythTV Frontend and MANUALLY delete them. It was a bit of a pain, but I managed to do it. It really would have been nice to be able to do it from MythWeb.

What is MythWeb, you ask? MythTV comes with a web based frontend that even supports playing recordings from a Flash style youtube window. It lets you view TV Listings, lists backend information, shows recorded programs, it's pretty swanky. I quite like it.

So everything is recording fine now. Part 2 will discuss the various front end options available that I've tried and how well they worked. Hopefully I'll write that out by the end of the week.

Giants Win!

2012-02-05T22:56:00.005-06:00

I never root for New York, but this year I did. For what I think is the fourth year in a row I've rooted for the winning team. Watch me actually place a bet next year and lose. That's how it always goes.

It was pretty good. It's odd to think Madonna had not done the Superbowl halftime show before. Still it was one of the more entertaining half time spectacles, if only for the interesting acrobatics. I'm not liking Madonnas new single, but then who is? She spelled Love wrong too. What is she, a Sweethearts candy heart?

Baby don't hurt me.

It was a pretty close game right down to the end. The last few years I watched the commercials from the US feed. This year I watched it in High Def on CTV using my PVR. I hate the Canadian commercials.. Though obviously some of the US commercials air in Canada like the Avengers movie promo.. which looks good. Also I can't put off reading the Hunger Games any longer I guess. I figured I'd put up with the horrible commercials for CTV shows and other nonsense for the high def. But it really dampens the Superbowl experience. It was kind of nice being able to watch the American feeds in high def in previous years. I wish we received the American channels in Winnipeg like some people in Southern Ontario, Quebec, and BC are able to.

Anyways, to all the smug New England Patriots fans and pundits who thought this year was a sure thing... NA NA NA NA NA NAAAA NA NA NA NA NA NAAA.

Sals downtown locations

2012-02-03T15:32:00.001-06:00

It used to be the case that there were 3 Salisbury house restaurants in the immediate downtown vicinity. One at the bus depot, one by the mts centre, and one at the medical arts building. Now only the medical arts location remains and they close really early. Its kind of sad, but you have to go to the forks or down St Mary's Ave right across the bridge. I wonder what the impetus was. Is the bridge location more expensive to run? Possibly. Were the downtown locations attracting an undesirable clientele? Probably. Still, I find it interesting. I don't remember seeing any commentary at the time. I went to the one on goulet once... not appealing at the time. Never returned.

That's right, woodchuck chuckers!

2012-02-02T19:57:00.001-06:00

Its groundhog day. On that note, I hate Manitoba Merv. Its a puppet. Who cares what a puppet predicts for weather? Nobody. Thankfully, someone found a real groundhog named Winnipeg Willow. Awww. That's more like it. I hope we never have to hear about Manitoba Merv again. I like Kermit the frog, but I wouldn't listen to his astrological prognications. I bet Manitoba Merv exists because of some animal rights purpose.

Shot off the RIM

2012-01-29T12:42:00.002-06:00

The new CEO of RIM thinks the idea of Android on blackberry's is horrible because "They all look the same".

Which is a ridiculous argument. Most people run a PC with Microsoft Windows.. Where the start button is always in the same spot. These computers are made by Dell, Asus, Acer, HP, IBM/Lenovo, what have you. And they're "All the same". THATS THE POINT. That's why they have applications that run on them.

It's all well and good that RIM wants to be Apple (good luck), but if their argument against Android is that everything is "the same", then that's a pretty sad excuse.

Personally I'd like the ability to run Android on a playbook. Most people will stick with the stock QNX, but giving people CHOICE often helps them make the decision to make the purchase. I won't be making any purchases of Research in Motion products. They're locked down. They don't give me the freedom I expect from devices I purchase. I don't purchase Apple either. Theres only one type of person that blindly buys products from a company, Apple fanboys. There aren't any RIM fanboys as far as I can tell lining up for their next device. You can't manufacture that kind of blind obedience either.

There were so many seniors on the bus today

2012-01-28T16:03:00.001-06:00

That I thought I was going on a charter to a casino.

Chief Peguis extension

2012-01-27T21:03:00.002-06:00

So I finally had an opportunity to drive down the Chief Peguis extension to Lagimodiere. For the most part I liked it. Obviously the sound barriers don't look that great, but it's better than nothing I suppose. Made my trip to the Kildonan Place area a lot quicker, definitely.

However, is it just me or is the Leila/Partridge/Main Street area more backed up now during rush hour? Are people commuting from that area instead of taking Henderson/Disraeli/The Perimeter? Will the opening up of the new Disraeli bridge alleviate some of the congestion there? It's gotten pretty bad in my opinion.

All the more reason to extend Chief Peguis until King Edward. Theres no logical reason for a street as huge as Main Street to be as backed up as it gets lately.

That said, Partridge could have moved faster if there were no cars parked on the side of the road from 3 - 5:30. Buses seemed to have trouble moving in and out because of the parked cars. Then again, I've only viewed it on a couple occasions. Maybe it's just an aberration.. though I doubt it.

Research in motion at absolute zero

2012-01-27T10:21:00.000-06:00

They're on sale again. Seriously how many of these did research in motion make? If I had the option of installing Android on it, like cyanogenmod I'd think differently, but they really dropped the ball by not including a micro SD slot. They wanted to be apple, and get away with the garbage apple fanatics let that company get away with (supporting sopa? Yeah you're dead to me) but that's not an easy position to get to.

Tank you very much

2012-01-26T09:59:00.001-06:00

So I'm looking through this weeks flyers I got in the mail, and giant tiger has a sale on tank tops. Obviously I don't care, but I thought of a good promotional idea... Tanks for NOTHING! They wouldn't make any money.. but it'd be worth it for the pun alone.

Five

2012-01-19T00:31:00.001-06:00

Five Dollar

Five Dollar Foot Long...

I hate Subway, and I won't be eating there any time soon, but that sure is a catchy jingle.

Cross country liberal checkup

2012-01-15T15:28:00.001-06:00

Considering how badly the liberals fared in their last few elections, it's ridiculous how much time the CBC still gives them as if they were or are a valid option.

The liberals actually think establishing a primary system in Canada just like the ones in the USA is a viable idea. They think abolishing the monarchy is a pressing concern, which is interesting in contrast to the conservatives embracing the historical ties of Canada to the monarchy. Though at least they voted down removing the monarchy as an actual policy.

I dislike what Harper's conservatives are, but what's the point in having one coin and flipping it over ever 8 years?

The only good policy the liberals have is being for legal marijuana. If you're against it because of how the Americans will react, you're pathetic.

Still I hope the NDP and other parties continue to cannibalize Liberal support.

CBC premieres promising new pilot "Mr D."

2012-01-09T21:36:00.003-06:00

Right before Little Mosque on the Prairie, which I will never willingly watch, but thank Allah for PVR's. Mr. D starring Gerry Dee was actually a pretty funny first episode, especially for a CBC show. It's almost cruel to put it next to Little Mosque, which is about as funny as a U.N. committee on eradicating polio.

Anyways, I figured I'd watch it on a whim, and I was pleasantly surprised. I got a few good laughs out of it. I hope the characters get fleshed out more but they're all entertaining to watch. I am amazed that this got produced at CBC. This is the best CBC show since Fred Penner's place. That's right, you heard me. This show is almost as good as Fred Penner's place.

Seriously though, it's worth a look. But as Fred Penner always said, you don't have to take my word for it! Oh wait that was Reading Rainbow.

Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

2012-01-03T19:05:00.001-06:00

Ever notice that the team banners hung up in the mts centre atrium are in alphabetical order? It's convenient that winnipeg is alphabetically last in the NHL as it allows for true north to arrange it like that.

Happy New Year to the Toronto Maple Leafs

2012-01-01T00:53:00.005-06:00

"Midnight came and went—2011 with it — as the Maple Leafs were some 35,000 feet in the air, winging home by charter after a glum New Year’s Eve in the ’Peg, 15 years since they last passed this way. Pity they couldn’t stay away longer." - By Rosie DiManno. Toronto Star columnist and apparently also a BITTER LOSER.

Winnipeg Jets won tonight. FAR TOO MANY Leafs jerseys in the stands at the MTS Centre. Shame on season ticket holders who enabled their pathetic and life destroying addiction to smoking buds.

Toronto message boards and news articles are mostly blaming the refs, ignoring the fact that they should be blaming the fact that these are the Toronto Maple Leafs after all.

If you're a Leafs fan born in Ontario, then feel free to continue your association with futility, but if you were born in Winnipeg and CHOOSE to be a leafs fan, I pity you.

Every Sport Puck No

2011-12-27T19:43:00.003-06:00

rant sports has a very apropos article about ESPN and their indifference to all things hockey.

This is why I can't stand TSN 1290 when the jets aren't playing. Non stop NBA and football and baseball from their ESPN feed. Nothing else. I'd rather listen to dead air or a high pitched buzzing noise or babies crying on a loop. TSN Radio should seriously work on dropping ESPN. Not that I don't find other sports interesting, but ugh, they're just so tedious.

The end is Nye

2011-12-26T23:59:00.000-06:00

Consider the following

So I'm reading the Winnipeg metro today, boxing day 2011, and they've got half the paper devoted to end of the world prophecies. Now, I've.. WE'VE dealt with this before... 12 years ago.. but some people are simply eternal optimists and refuse to give up. If the Mayan calendar ends at the end of 2012, then obviously it means the end of the world as we know it. Heck, REM broke up this year.. maybe they know something. Hopefully they feel fine.

Bill Bill Bill!

So back to the metro. They asked 412 individuals who the best and brightest they would bring with them. Top 3? Barack Obama, a doctor, and the dalai lama. Doctor. .. I'm OK with. But Obama? Why? Who needs politicians? And the dalai lama doesn't make sense. Why pick a seriously old Tibetan monk when he's just going to reincarnate anyways? What a waste!

Nye Nye Nye!

Other choices included brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.. yeah. and Keanu Reeves and Oprah Winfrey as celebrities they would bring if they could bring a celebrity. Meh.

But the most ridiculous thing I read was Adam Carolla's response to the question "What is your last meal" if the world was going to end. He actually said he'd go to the busiest restaurant and keep changing his order three or four times. First of all - good luck finding a restaurant open at the end of the world willing to deal with your smug self-entitled bullshit. Even if he's joking .. it doesn't come across as a joke, but Adam Carolla's never been funny to me.. even if, it's still such a douchebaggy thought to put out there. And second, its the end of the world, everyones going to be looting and raping and pillaging. You're going to be hiding in your bomb shelter eating cans of beans hiding and shivering in a corner making no noise in case you're discovered by the last remnants of humanity.

Bill Nye the science guy!

Anyways, its all moot, the world isn't going to end in 2012. Right Bill? Right.

Boxing day was so bad this year

2011-12-26T23:21:00.001-06:00

I got a concussion.

Seriously, I couldn't get my phone to connect to MTS in St James it was so busy.. but there was nothing worth buying. It made no sense.

Cosmos - With Ilya Bryzgalov

2011-12-26T03:38:00.001-06:00

SOPA - The NHL wants to Censor the internet.

2011-12-23T13:13:00.006-06:00

How would you like an American law that basically censors the entire internet the way China is censored? Without any real oversight? Guess what! That law is currently being pushed in the United States after many large multinational companies ~~paid off~~ "lobbied" some politicians enough to push it through. Among those companies are all of the major professional sports leagues of North America, including the NHL.

Now, I get where the NHL is coming from. Obviously here in Winnipeg, there are counterfeit Jets jerseys being bought and sold. It's worse on the internet. Obviously the NHL wants to protect their business. There are also streaming sites out there that they might wish to have shut down.. though I consider the proliferation of streaming sites a reaction to the needs of consumers not being met, not piracy that needs to be stamped out. I mean nothing is more infuriating to a Jets fan stuck in Vancouver not being able to watch TSN Jets. If I could subscribe to TSN Jets through a $10 web stream and not have to pay for basic cable, I'd pay it. Granted I'm happy with the radio feed.

But SOPA is to anti-counterfeiting and copyright protection what the Code of Hammurabai is to family law. It's akin to dropping a nuke on a city in order to kill a terrorist. It incriminates far too many people and gives far too sweeping powers to individuals and entities that CAN'T BE TRUSTED to use them.

Obviously as a Canadian, there is little we can actually do, even though this law effects us, we cannot threaten an American politician with votes. We get all the "benefits" of these laws with none of the say. Lucky us, to be serfs in a globalization game of thrones.

We can boycott companies who do support (foolishly) this law. GoDaddy recently backed down from their pro-SOPA stance thanks to the THREAT of a boycott. But lets be realistic, nobody is going to boycott the NHL. Especially here in Winnipeg. But we can hopefully communicate to the powers that be our distaste for this entire premise. Being anti-SOPA is not being Pro-piracy. Piracy is not something that can be legislated away anyways. Obviously as consumers everyone wants creators to profit from their works. I myself write this blog and would hate to have others steal it and post it under their own name. That said, a bad law is a bad law, and insane people who push those laws because they think theres something in it for them need to step back and rethink what stepping off the edge of a cliff will do to them.

These giant companies that are most in favour of SOPA? They want us to go back to the days of AOL or Compuserve or prodigy where they control everything we see and hear. They want to turn the Internet into a passive media where they profit off of every bit.

Christmas wishlists and Retail details

2011-12-20T11:07:00.001-06:00

I keep reading articles about retail businesses complaining how the recession or online shopping is hurting their sales. I have to disagree. What is hurting sales is the fact that every single store sells the exact same Chinese crap as every other store. If I want to buy something, often I'm FORCED to buy online because local selection is non existent. There is no variety. Especially between large chain stores.
That's probably the reason specialty stores are coming out relatively unscathed. Good for them.

Canadian retail selection is horrible. If you look at products available in the USA that aren't available here you can see how bad it is. While price is always a consideration, as long as people aren't being horribly gouged its not a deal killer.

Why anyone does shop retail in Canada is beyond me.

To the Jets fan with the sign "Teemu we forgive you"

2011-12-18T01:15:00.003-06:00

Forgive him for what? Being a class act? Being one of the greatest all time hockey players?

You're an idiot, and you made the people around you look like idiots.

Daddy's girl Paris Jackson

2011-12-15T18:16:00.001-06:00

So I'm reading today's metro winnipeg newspaper and Paris Jackson, Michael's daughter, is talking about her decision to take up acting. Which is great. Good luck to her I wish her all the success in the world ..

But what causes me concern and pushes me to make this blog post is how she says her decision to act is due to her father. In an upcoming interview on Ellen she says "My dad was in the movie Moonwalker and I knew he could sing really well, but I didn't know he could act. I saw that and I said, "Wow I want to be just like him."

Now I'm one of the few people in the world who sat through Moonwalker for its entire duration. Horrible horrible movie. Michael Jackson was a brilliant singer and dancer, but as far as acting is concerned .. not so good. In fact if you think Michaels role in Moonwalker was impressive, I worry for your sanity. Its bad, its bad, you know it. It's up there with mariah carreys glitter as one of the top 5 reasons singers shouldn't act. Fortunately marky mark and eminem are arguments in the other direction. Jamon.. heehee.

Boo Who?

2011-12-15T02:37:00.002-06:00

With regards to the notion that the Winnipeg Jets taking money from other segments of society.. such as donations to such and such or visits to the arts or theatres or concert hall or what have you.. TOO BAD SO SAD. You've all had 15 years of support without the Jets here. But now you have competition, tough competition at that. It's not even about the money, its about time and interest levels.

I have never visited the Ballet. I have no interest in dance of any kind. I rarely go to the concert hall. While I do appreciate the distinct sound of a live orchestra, I can live without it. As for going to plays or what have you.. its not something I go out of my way for.

But does the Jets crowd really intersect with the Ballet or concert-going crowd all that much? I highly doubt it. But the Jets have better marketing. I've never seen any piece of advertising that would convince me to visit the ballet.

The point is, if you're not getting fans in the seats.. leave to the American south for 15 years. Then miraculously come back. Instant sellouts. Go for it.

If I suddenly became a billionaire tycoon

2011-12-14T19:05:00.001-06:00

And I had to build an Asian headquarters for my awesome company that sells I dunno.. working hoverboards, I'd totally hire a feng shui expert and do the complete opposite of what they recommend.

Wheres wald..Winnipeg?

2011-12-13T15:17:00.001-06:00

It must be difficult for Americans to find winnipeg on a map, all tucked away down there. So far I've seen winnipeg placed in BC and Alberta in articles about the jets. At least they put us in the west.

Building Better Borders

2011-12-12T15:06:00.003-06:00

In my opinion any politician who votes in favour of the US Border "Deal" should be tried and sent to prison for treason. I'm a citizen of Canada, the USA has no business dictating how Canada runs its business. The USA has no business poking its nose into ours. Imagine if this was China we were giving this information to? Or WWII Germany? Disgusting. If you voted Conservative knowing that this raw deal was in the works, shame on you. If you want to be an American so badly, apply for U.S. Citizenship.

Santa vs Dragons

2011-12-12T02:09:00.002-06:00

So I'm watching CBC (Finally available in high definition in Winnipeg with an antenna) and a commercial for Dragons Den comes up. Santa Claus is going to visit the Dragons Den.

Now I don't know how this is going to work out.. but it got me imagining a scenario where Santa comes up to the Dragons looking for 10% of his North Pole based corporation in exchange for oh I dunno, two million dollars.. then proceeds to explain his business plan of giving toys for free to good little boys and girls.

I'd watch the heck out of that.

Using street name pronounciations to prove someone is a winnipeger

2011-12-10T12:11:00.001-06:00

Notre dame - its pronounced no ter dame . Why? Nobody knows.

Leila - its not Layla like the song its leela like the futurama and Doctor Who characters. Why? Nobody knows!

Lagimodiere - watching an out of towner try to say this word is incredibly fascinating.

Portage - yes its derived from the French word portage, but we don't say it that way. Again.. no idea why.

Any other street names out there that have unique winnipeg pronounciations? Let me know in the comments!

Dominoes Pizza and other Facebook whores.

2011-12-08T20:02:00.002-06:00

Dominoes, if you want me to like you on Facebook, giving me a 50% off deal only if I go through facebook is not going to do it. In fact, if you want my love, its a lot more expensive. Too bad most people appear to have low standards. My like vote will cost you $10,000 dollars. In the meantime, I will be removing myself from all Dominos pizza mailing lists and ordering pizza elsewhere from now on. I don't have any desire to spend my money on companies who are facebook whores.

NHL Realignment

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

So the NHL is set to do a re-alignment with Winnipeg in a central time zone-ish conference. This is probably the best solution, but I think they should bring back the conference names. I miss the old division names like Smyth division, Adams division, Patrick division, and Norris divisions. And the Wales and Campbell conferences rather than the Eastern and Western conferences. It just sounded classier.

I suppose they could go an updated route and instead of old owners they can name the new conferences after the greatest players of all time. Thus the Gretzky Conference with Edmonton and LA and the rest, perhaps the Hull Conference with Winnipeg and Chicago and so forth, the Richard conference with Montreal (or the Orr conference? I dunno!), and.. perhaps the Lemieux conference. It kind of works out nicely.

Conference A	Conference B	Conference C	Conference D

Anaheim	Chicago	Boston	Carolina

Calgary	Columbus	Buffalo	New Jersey

Colorado	Dallas	Florida	N.Y. Islanders

Edmonton	Detroit	Montreal	N.Y. Rangers

Los Angeles	Minnesota	Ottawa	Philadelphia

Phoenix	Nashville	Tampa Bay	Pittsburgh

San Jose	St. Louis	Toronto	Washington

Vancouver	Winnipeg

Moose Droppings

2011-12-05T23:15:00.004-06:00

Apparently the Philadelphia 76'ers are having a "pick the mascot contest". Now, I hate basketball, and I'm really not a mascot aficionado, but heres the thing. One of the proposed mascots is named Phil E. Moose. A Moose.

What do Moose have to do with Philadelphia? I guess maybe they have one at the zoo there?

I understand where they get the "Phil E." from, but Mick E. Moose of the Manitoba Moose and now the Winnipeg Jets is so close that it's freaky.

Perhaps a cease and desist order is in order?

Interestingly, the Flyers don't have a mascot.

Listening to TSN Radio 1290 (and other local radio stations)

2011-12-05T20:30:00.003-06:00

For a while I was content to listen to TSN 1290 in winnipeg using the tunein radio app for android.. but I ultimately wanted a better solution. Ideally it'd be great if cell phones included AM/FM radio and voice recording options, but for some reason the more convergence we get the less there is. Ultimately features are left out because hey, you can use the internet and stream it. And nobody uses AM/FM radio anyways! Though you can usually get FM radio. Supposedly AM doesn't mix well with mp3 decoding somehow. That's what I heard. I don't understand it, nor do I care. Now, sure there are cheap analogue AM/FM radios all over with a dial that you tune to the station you want.. and if that's good enough for you, great. But those ALWAYS break. The dial stops dialing because you dialed it too far, or the volume is no good. I wanted a digital solution. I can press a button, and voila, radio station, and it even says what frequency I'm tuned into on the LCD screen.

Oddly enough I found what I wanted at the source (formerly the source by circuit city but now Bell source). Or maybe it's not so odd considering TSN 1290 and the Source are both owned by Bell. Yes they're one of the most evil companies on the planet next to Monsanto and nestle and shell.. but they have - until December 14 at least - a digital AM/FM pocket radio tuner by Centrios on sale for 24.99+taxes. Regular price is 50 bucks so it's half price right now. The nice thing about it is it is digital. No knob on the side and a clock and digital screen that lights up. I got pretty good reception with it. $25 is a fair price for what you're getting. These devices in this format are really difficult to find.

Seriously its about the size of a pocket digital recorder. Very portable. In fact it'd be nice if they had a recording capability but what can you do.

Takes 2 AAA batteries .. it'd be nice if it took a cell phone battery that recharged with a USB port but beggars can't be choosers.

Lights up in orange on the led screen when you use it. Even has dbbs. Dynamic Bass Boost.

Also has a slot for putting a carrying strap through, and you can even toggle a lock button so you don't accidentally change the station. All in all a good deal for a Christmas present.

It looks exactly like the Coby CX90. Which comes in Silver and Black and has a blue backlight as opposed to the orange of the Centrios. It's probably the same device, and you can get the CX 90 for $10-$20 online, but it's hard to find anyone selling them in Winnipeg and you'll probably have to pay shipping and wait for it to arrive anyways, so if you want something right away, the Centrios is on sale at the source until the 14th of December.

Juice(idiot)box

2011-12-03T12:20:00.002-06:00

So I'm listening to the illegal curve hockey show and the most infuriating commercial I've heard in a while came up. Apparently there is a digital channel called "juicebox" which bills itself as television you can leave on for your kids without parental supervision or worry.. then they state that their programming consists of Justin beiber and selina Gomez and other such horrible horrible role models. If I had kids, I'd feel safer forcing them to watch cartoons all day than this horrid tween bile. Basically, if you subscribe to this channel then in my mind you're a horrible person and a horrible parent.

Hey you know its true.

Greed traps

2011-12-02T23:29:00.002-06:00

So the new extension to the Chief Peguis Trail opened today (Finally), and according to reports from CTV, they already had a police speed trap set up. REALLY? Really, police? It's a new road, people are just getting adjusted to it, learning the speed limit, and you're going there? Shameful and blatantly opportunistic. I hope they didn't catch anybody speeding.

Hopefully they start construction of the extension the other way from Chief Peguis to McPhillips next year. I can't see it costing as much, I doubt it even needs a single overpass. Once thats done, Main Street won't be jammed all the way down between 3 and 5:30pm.

Nickelback terrifies thousands at Grey Cup half time show

2011-11-28T00:11:00.003-06:00

Many dead, including the chance of the Blue Bombers chance of winning this years Grey cup championship.

Anyone notice how Nickelback performed for the BC AND Detroit Lions? Whats with them and Lions? Subtle RBC sponsorship?

Privacy in the age of Starbucks

2011-11-27T15:50:00.002-06:00

Ever wished you could browse the internet or even do work on your computer without someone looking over your shoulder at what you're doing? Well, over at instructibles.com they show you one method. Granted, you risk destroying your old LCD monitor if you make a mistake.. but still.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Privacy-monitor-made-from-an-old-LCD-Monitor/

It involves basically taking the polarized film off of a monitor, leaving you looking at a white screen. Then you apply the polarized film to a pair of glasses, thus allowing you to be the only one able to view your monitor (unless someone else with polarized film glasses wanders by.

I wonder why monitor companies don't use techniques like this to allow us to switch back and forth between a basic mode and a private mode.

Tele-lack-of-vision.

2011-11-26T07:24:00.000-06:00

Why don't I subscribe to cable TV? It's not because I hate paying for cable, though I do, it's because I hate being locked in to a $H!TTY TV BOX.

The whole home PVR by Shaw is pretty cool, but you know what's cooler? Being able to plug your cable in to your TV and not having every HD channel encrypted . It's maddening that they encrypt channels that are available OVER THE AIR UNENCRYPTED and in even better quality. What is the reasoning behind that? It makes no sense!

You know what I'd like? an HD Homerun Prime. It's a cablecard compatible digital tuner that plugs in to your router so that you can watch TV from any connected computer. I have the regular HD Homerun, which uses only Over the Air digital TV as its source, and it's great. But I can't use an HD Homerun Prime because Cable Card isn't offered as a solution in Western Canada either. Thanks for nothing, industry Canada and the CRTC.

The HD Homerun Prime is just an example. But sooner or later you wont be able to watch TV on your laptop or otherwise. Sorry, customer, but your needs are irrelevant.

So while I'd like to subscribe to TSN Jets, And would even pay for basic cable to do it, being unable to watch it on my own terms has lost them a customer. Not piracy, not netflix. Their own poor service and pathetic restrictions.

They can continue to attempt to enshrine DRM into law, pay off as many politicians as they can, and it won't help them get a single cent out of me. Providing me with what I want at a fair price will.

Feelin warm warm warm

2011-11-24T14:49:00.002-06:00

With the temperature in Winnipeg reaching 8 degrees Celsius today, Maybe the NHL should just leave the Jets in the Southeast division.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.. Yay for Global Warming!

3-2-1 Contact .. lenses

2011-11-24T12:22:00.003-06:00

Dailytech is reporting on a Contact Lens being developed with text and image display.. Now, this is a great sign. I'm thrilled that progress is being made in this field. Augmented reality could really use something like this. Imagine wearing a contact lens and being able to see text floating in front of you telling you theres an incoming call from your mom. Or that the road you're traveling is undergoing construction up ahead. Or while you're driving the speed limit of 60 is constantly posted in the top right corner of your peripheral vision.. perhaps updated not by a data connection but by installing RFID type chips on every street sign. Anyways, there are a lot of applications for this technology even in its most primitive form. And even more entertaining ones should it reach a more usable state.

However, I'd prefer to wear a pair of glasses instead. Easier to slip on and off, and imagine wearing one of those expensive contact lenses and losing it. Plus while they have the text and image display set up, I doubt you can install any sort of practical wireless receiver or memory or processor into something as small as a contact lens.

Of course, the technology has been around forever, its just that people haven't been able to figure out how to keep it from exploding when it encounters people with power levels over 9000. I mean, with a contact lens, you could lose an eye! So yeah, glasses only for me.

Are mandatory minimums the answer to the NHL's penalty problem?

2011-11-19T00:05:00.002-06:00

The Onion News Network has a brilliant article pointing out a "study" showing that in the NHL, being sent to the penalty box does nothing to curb the behaviour that got the players sent there, and that some even wear it as a badge of honour.

If you've watched the Jets this year, you'll notice that they have spent a lot of time in the penalty box, repeated instances of being sent to the penalty box game after game. Obviously the coach would prefer not to have his players in the penalty box, and the NHL would prefer not to be seen as a revolving door of justice!

Hockey historian and Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper to the rescue. Mandatory Minimums are his Conservative Party's solution to the woes befalling Canada (falling rates of crime). Build more for profit prisons, find reasons to build them up. If people are against going to prison, call them socialists or crime apologists. Win-Win!

Imagine applying mandatory minimum sentencing to the NHL. Remember that high sticking penalty that wasn't deserved a few nights ago? Imagine if it was the third time that player (I honestly can't remember who it was) got a penalty this season. Guess what, no penalty box for you, douchebag! BANNED FOREVER FROM HOCKEY. Yeah that's right. That's how mandatory minimums work.

That's why you hear about people in California and Texas going to prison for 20 years for stealing a loaf of bread from the store.

If the Conservatives were serious about stopping crime, they'd be going after actual criminals. But they get a slap on the wrist and a hefty year end bonus.

I hear what you're saying. You're saying Reed, ref's have poor eyesight and selective hearing. They aren't as dependable as the RCMP or the local police, who are never wrong and never put innocent people in jail. Well yes, you're right. Police are model citizens who would never abuse their power. But what if, what if some of those police officers are really alien shapeshifters posing as police? Can we take that chance? Is it really wise to submit to their infiltration and eventual conquering of earth? I say no. If you hate aliens, say no to Bill C-10.

Winnipeg has crime problems. We don't need Judge Dredd and over-reaching and ultimately bad laws to solve them.

On the Phoenix Coyotes situation

2011-11-17T23:24:00.001-06:00

Now that the NHL is back in Winnipeg and so are the Jets, I don't really mind if Phoenix sticks around. Easier to buy a plane ticket and tickets to the Coyotes than get a ticket in Winnipeg.. and they make for a natural enemy.. Unfortunately I can't see that happening for much longer. I just don't see anyone wanting to own that team in Phoenix.

Now obviously the first solution would be for someone to buy the team and move them. It's the most likely scenario, but I hate the idea of a team moving from too many different cities and carrying the records of all previous teams with them.

It might not be as profitable in the short term, but maybe if the Coyotes do fail, the players should be dispersed and the team and its history could be merged with the current Winnipeg Jets. A minor contraction of the league, and in a year or two you can introduce expansion teams to Quebec or Seattle or what have you.

Team mergers aren't unusual. Cleveland Barons who were once the California Golden seals merged with the Minnesota North Stars.. Who when they became the Dallas Stars split their roster with the expansion San Jose Sharks, owned by the same people who owned the Cleveland Barons in the same market the golden seals played in.. You know what, I guess it's confusing either way.

I was hoping the Phoenix Roadrunners merged with the WHA Winnipeg Jets at some point to somehow make everything come full circle, but no. Oh well. I still think it would be the best option.

The wheels on the bus go round and round

2011-11-16T19:55:00.001-06:00

The price of Winnipeg Transit goes up and up
up and up
up and up

The price of Winnipeg Transit goes up and up
every new year.

Like everything else in the world, and as it does every year, the price of Winnipeg Transit is going up.. This time a whole .25 cents. To help pay for rapid transit of course.

I buy a monthly bus pass. I do own a drivers license, and if I felt like it I could get myself a vehicle, but I prefer to take the bus, disgusting smelling vagrants, crying babies, fat people, the crazies and everyone else. I don't know how much the price of a monthly pass will increase, but I don't really care if it goes up another $5 a month.

Do I believe that this is necessary? It's probably not. It's just an easy way to get more money from the people. Will it get Winnipeg a rapid transit network? Not in the next few years.. and in a few years or so inflation will negate any increases in the bus price towards the city budget. Plus, it'll probably start to go up 5 cents every year in another year or two.

However, it won't effect me. It might even make my bus ride more pleasant if it keeps drunks and bed bug ridden drug addicts off the bus. But then again, it probably won't keep those people off. They often get on for free anyways and stink up the ride for paying customers.

If this ends up somehow spurring a light rail system for pembina and portage and perhaps through east kildonan down the old former rail line turned bicycle pathway, then good. It won't, but hey I could be wrong.

I'm now going to say something nice about Winnipeg transit. Yes, out of character, I know, but here we go:

One of the best things Winnipeg Transit has done in recent years is update their buses with GPS positioning and air conditioning. Most importantly, they created a completely open API available in XML format to any developer to access this data over the web. If you own an iphone or android phone and search for winnipeg transit, you will find a few apps that use this data to tell you if your bus is late, what buses are coming to the stop nearest you (detected with your phones GPS) and some offer other features. I've used Winnipeg Bus Live, a recent addition to the android market. It could use a few more features but it's pretty good already. If they update it to support integration with google maps or something, and perhaps even route planning.. that'd be neat. But even if they don't, the API is available to any other developer out there to write their own, even if Winnipeg Transit doesn't bother with writing an official app.

Sooner or later we may even be able to use our cell phones with NFC (oh you have an iphone and no NFC? awww sorry) to pay for or access transit. They do plan to eliminate the stupid old coin boxes soon, so that'll be welcome too. People really shouldn't be in the habit of paying for their bus trip in change, trying to short change the coin box by using pennies nickles and dimes.

Good news for Manitoba Hydro

2011-11-14T12:00:00.000-06:00

By Good news I mean of course double plus ungood news.

According to this article and many others I've read and heard about recently, we're about 3 to 5 years away from solar power being able to provide almost 100% of the electrical needs of the average home.

Imagine a world where Hydro builds a brand new dam and even spends extra money to distribute that power along the west side of lake Winnipeg, and the price and efficiency of solar power once they're ready to go basically kills all their profit (nevermind the money they're not going to be getting from the USA)

It should prove interesting to see how it all plays out. Electric heating and solar power (I assume using some sort of energy retention system.. batteries or otherwise) will be fascinating.

When everyone stops having to pay for their utilities, I wonder what will happen. My guess is the price of a hookup for backup power will go through the roof despite lower and lower use. In fact the government will likely look for reasons to ban solar power if it becomes to popular and cuts off a source of profits. Just like they're attempting to shut down the free internet worldwide to protect the interests of a small monopoly of media cartels.

But maybe the solar power breakthroughs are just wishful thinking by its proponents. Still, considering how the price of energy, internet, cable and phone (and any other utility monopoly) goes up every year while the original investments made have been paid off for a while, imagining a world where people can once again be self sufficient and not spend their entire paycheck paying to their feudal lords the government and its appointed monpolies.

Nevermind electrical, in my opinion we're totally wasting much of the radio spectrum. Wouldn't a society with an internet completely set up as an unstoppable and uncensorable mesh network be neat.

Also, now I'm on a tangent. I feel now that the digital changeover has occured we should expand the FM dial to cover 76-88 MHz as well in North America. (Channels 5 and 6 VHF). Maybe as part of a plan to switch to DAB/Eureka-147 digital radio on a proper spectrum. that would allow for an FM band of 76-108 MHz. 76-88 MHz has been used in Japan for years, and they've been known to make tons of radios. It could work to expand the radio dial. If there was anyone intelligent working for the government of Canada it might be profitable.. But everything I said probably sounds like gobbledygook to them. Sigh.

Anyways, tl;dr. Solar Power is gaining efficiency and could be a contender in 5 years, magically transforming Hydro's business plan into toilet paper. Radio dial could be expanded and service improved if someone forward thinking existed in politics. But they don't.

I wonder though how solar power users in Canada deal with snow. I should do some research on that.

Tea and grumpets

2011-11-13T09:30:00.000-06:00

Apparently the Canadian band the tea party are touring again after a long hiatus. I honestly thought and hoped and prayed they were gone forever but alas no. And you know who I blame?

The American tea party organization. You just had to pick that name, didn't you. I could forgive you people for being unwitting manipulated tools of big business interests, but I cannot forgive you for this. You people disgust me. Now ill be forced to listen to these wanna be Jim Morrison's on the radio.

They're not as bad as Nickleback, sure. But Nickleback isn't as bad as creed, and I'll bet the American tea party loves both.

Still, could be worse .. could be great big sea .. goddamn for a 10 year period they played the same songs over and over again at every festival in Canada. EVERY FESTIVAL. ugh. I bet they'll play your wedding too. But I only hate great big sea because they were overplayed. I just don't like the Tea Party's sound.

Christmas Time

2011-11-12T20:46:00.001-06:00

I love how winnipeg transit signs/GPS reports that a bus will be 4 minutes late for 15 straight minutes. That must be how Santa is able to deliver toys to every girl and boy in one night. He uses the santa bus. I know there was a Santa Claus parade but really. Every year I get inconvenienced needlessly. Surely there's a better way.

Oh give me a home where the Byfugliens roam

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-06:00

... And the Jets and the Avalanche play. ( Yes I know they don't play Colorado until December.. Avalanche is the only word that sounds close to Antelope )

I'll bet Dustin Byfuglien racks up a lot of roaming charges on his cell phone. I wonder if he cares. Perhaps he has a plan with unlimited roaming throughout north America. You certainly don't want your considerable salary going towards wasted roaming fees.

On the ice Byfuglien wanders perhaps a bit too much. It wouldn't be a huge problem if it helped the Jets win, but right now it's actually hurting them. Especially with Enstrom injured. Too many turnovers. I'm not keeping track but I know the Jets have been scored on at least twice with shorthanded goals while they were on the power play.

I like Byfuglien.. He's an entertaining player and his playing style is reflective of his personality. But at the same time, roaming TOO MUCH can seem like a lack of faith in your teammates .. justified or not, he needs to know when to reign himself in. Maybe he's the type of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, but in a team game, you have to play your position.

I mean think about it like this, If the power ranger in charge of the left arm decided nah, I'm going to be in charge of the right foot, then the show would be over in a few episodes.

Now Coach Claude Noel has said he doesn't have a huge problem with the way Byfuglien is playing his game, that it's a high risk play and sometimes it pays off. Well, picking the Jets on Pro Line/Sport Select is also high risk that sometimes pays off. But it doesn't pay off that often.

I am a bit concerned over reports that there were boos for the Jets last night at the MTS Centre. I mean, you can boo the refs and you can boo the opposing team but don't boo your own side. Don't be Toronto or Phoenix. I didn't catch the game. I listened to the first period streaming on my cell phone and saw where it was going, and decided my battery was too low and the outcome too likely against the Jets to keep listening.

Besides, nobody is really expecting them to win the Stanley Cup this year. One more quality first round draft pick though, and another year or two and we'll have a great team. These things don''t get built overnight.

I wonder if the problem is we once had a team with Teemu Selanne, Keith Tkachuk, Nicholai Khabibulin, Teppo Numminen, and Shane Doan as a rookie and still think we should have that team. Man if that team had stayed together and never left.. ah well. Gotta live in the here and now.. win or lose.

I forget where I was going with this post. I think I just had a clever title and went from there. Anyways happy remembrance day.

Go Winnipeg! We're Number ?

2011-11-11T09:05:00.001-06:00

Recently a poll conducted by Leger Marketing analyzed how loved or hated Canadian cities are in Canada. They polled across the country and came to the conclusion that Toronto is the most hated city in Canada. Now, I do hate Toronto for many reasons (most of which are the leafs) and yes, I've been there and have family there as well. The thing is, they didn't other to put Winnipeg on the list. I don't expect them to put every city in, but they put Halifax there. Halifax. They have both Victoria and Vancouver. Edmonton and Calgary, Why would they leave out Winnipeg from a list of cities people feel strongly or negative towards? I'd like to hear their justification.

I suspect they wanted to get the result of Toronto being the most hated city in Canada. They purposefully left Winnipeg off the list because maybe we're the only competition they have. Or maybe the euphoria over the return of the Jets would skew the results too much and Winnipeg would have outdone Ottawa, Victoria, and Vancouver?

We'll never know, though. But if you want to read a smug sounding individual from Toronto saying the rest of Canada are just haters, check out this Global Toronto piece. I can't decide if it's serious or satirical.

Programming your DVR

2011-11-10T15:37:00.000-06:00

So in the USA, Conan airs on TBS apparently directly opposite The Daily Show and the Colbert Report Monday to Thursday. They all take Friday off. I don't know why I'm capitalizing the days of the week, but I've never read an MLA handbook and it just looks better to me that way. Anyways, back to Conan.

Johnny Carson used to air a repeat on mondays (or a Jay Leno fill in episode) and ran his show tuesday to friday. I wonder why Conan/TBS chose to do Monday to Thursday. I guess if it airs Monday to Thursday they can show replays of the previous day from Tuesday to friday, which is what they do here in canada on the comedy network here. See, now im just arbitrarily capitalizing things. What's wrong with me.

Still, if Conan aired Tuesday to Friday, he wouldn't have to compete with The Daily Show and Colbert for one day (and vice versa).. then again, perhaps the assumption is people have better things to do on Friday nights.

Recently they discovered a way to turn back the age of old cells. I wonder, if Jay Lenos audience was de-aged to their 20's or 30's, would they hate Jay Leno?

MMmmmmm. Homers.

2011-11-09T14:30:00.000-06:00

I've never been to Homers restaurant on Ellice, but I love optical illusions, and their sign made out to look like its an actual bust of who I assume to be Homer is really cool. Here's a link to Google's street view.

If you are driving down ellice avenue or are near the UofW and see this right up close, you'd swear its a cement bust sticking out of the wall, but in actuality it's just a well done illusion. Neat huh.

What's even funnier is if you click on the sign, Google actually BLURS OUT THE FACE. Even Googles cameras were tricked by the illusion. You can try it yourself, but here's a screenshot.

Homers is in good company, as the KFC Colonel himself was also blurred out by the same facial regognition software.. and he's a cartoony caricature of a real person.

Google a solution for this

2011-11-07T11:00:00.000-06:00

I really don't like Google's new blogger interface. At least the old one let you bank out a post easily. Now it tries to be Wordperfect 7. Just let me easily post my nonsense please, google. Stop making things difficult.

I mean it's not without any redeeming features. The set date and time field is nice.. but I hate how everything is hidden.

You know what'd be cool? If it was made up to actually look like a completed blog post as I was making it. Then you wouldn't even need a preview option.

Lets all go to A & W.. and ask for extra ketchups.

2011-11-06T11:34:00.000-06:00

I haven't been to A & W in a while, but when did they start giving out huge Ketchup packages? they're like 3 normal ketchup packets in one packet. It's awesome.

Though they also took French Toast off the breakfast menu. Boo-Urns.

Causes Celebre

2011-11-05T00:26:00.002-05:00

Recently I've been reading about various celebrities trying to convince Barack Obama not to allow the construction of an Oil Sands pipeline. Now, despite the industry lobby groups trying to paint it a certain way, there are a number of negatives to the oil sands and the pipeline construction. It's unfortunate, but it's true. Today's technology is far superior to that of the past, and the extraction of oil from the Alberta Oil Sands is much better than it has been in years past, but there is still a long way to go. I'm of the opinion that science will eventually overcome all of the worst environmental hurdles, but in the extraction of oil, there will always be an environmental consequence. Sadly, we live in a society that uses oil and it's byproducts inefficiently and greedily. But that's not going to change any time soon.

The latest person to attempt to gain Obama's ear on this issue is Julia Louis Dreyfus, Actress from SNL, Seinfeld, and some other shows that have failed. Also she's been on Curb Your Enthusiasm, but that's almost a Seinfeld spinoff set in the real world. The Superboy Prime universe to the Superman main DC universe of Seinfeld. I don't care if you don't get the reference or the joke, Jerry Seinfeld would, so whatever, man.

The interesting thing in this case however is that she herself is actually an heiress. Her father is Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, a French billionaire. Louis-Dreyfus family's net worth was estimated at approximately 2.9 billion dollars a few years ago. The Louis Dreyfus group, of which Gerard was president and CEO until 2006, is, according to Wikipedia: "one of the world's largest commodities trading and merchandising firms" and has interests in everything from shipping to sports management. I wonder if amongst the ocean vessels they manage some happen to be oil tankers? Hmm. Looks like they do have an energy department called "Louis Dreyfus Highbridge Energy LLC"..

Julia has been part of the green movement for years. Julia and her husband Brad Hall's Montecito residence is built from "sustainably harvested tropical woods". The house also features a retractable roof clad in solar panels, recycled newspaper insulation, and a "natural ventilation system". She provides "Eco-Tips" to USA today and promotes clean water and land preservation through her involvement in environmental organizations like "Heal the Bay" and the "Trust for Public Land". She also drives a hybrid.

Now, its great that she believes in this, but with her connections to this company, one can perhaps infer a bit of hypocrisy. Still, she does walk the walk environmentally, but when you're wealthy, its a lot easier to spend the extra cash needed to be green. Not that we all shouldn't install efficient windows and solar panels to help reduce our energy footprint.

Anyways, the point of this blog post is that Julia is a nice lady and the oil sands aren't perfect either and I'm gonna eat some chicken fingers.

Sources:http://www.treehugger.com/culture/five-loaded-heiresses-who-is-the-greenest-of-them-all.html
http://ldhenergy.com/

Grimm TV landscape

2011-11-04T23:52:00.000-05:00

You know what, I'm enjoying the TV show Grimm. Kind of reminds me of Buffy and Angel (which they surely take as inspiration). I hope it finds an audience.

Katz Quotez

2011-11-04T03:56:00.000-05:00

From CJOB.com quoting Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz with regards to bill C-10:

"Katz spoke with committee members about the need to close the revolving doors of justice so repeat offenders stay behind bars instead of escalating the nature of their crimes. He also emphasized the rights of citizens cannot take a back seat to the rights of criminals."

Can someone parse this statement for me?

"He also emphasized the rights of citizens cannot take a back seat to the rights of criminals"

Criminals are citizens, like it or not. Law breaking citizens, but citizens nevertheless. Everyone breaks the law all the time without even knowing it half the time.. especially if you include traffic violations.

When he is saying that the rights of citizens cannot take a back seat to the rights of criminals, what exactly is he saying? Rights are rights.

What I wish Katz was saying was that the rights of citizens cannot be ignored by legislation simply because we want to put all the bad people in jail forever and ever so that we can create a false sense of safety.

Mandatory minimums don't merely close the revolving doors of justice. Three strikes laws in the USA that we in Canada have grown fond of mocking for their ineffectiveness? welcome to Canada. For Profit prison systems? Welcome to Canada. American style justice? Yeah, sounds great.

I'm all for locking up gang members and thugs and drug dealers. I'm not in favour of trampling over citizens rights to do it.

Passing Bill C-10 in its current state is insanity. If the Conservatives go ahead with it (and Bill C-11), the next election can't come fast enough for me.

A majority is not an excuse to act like someone gave you a blunt instrument to bludgeon your detractors with. Who would have thought we'd be looking back at the Jean Chretien days wistfully as ones of sanity and measured thinking. Perhaps only by comparison.

Take your time travelling Delorean with the Jets bumper sticker back to 1995

2011-11-03T01:59:00.002-05:00

Want to see what people were saying about the Winnipeg Jets on the internet back before they left? What's that you say? There was no internet back then? You're wrong, good sir or madam. Google has archives of usenet group wpg.general and other forum groups of the time, the blog of yesteryear before AOL and spammers ruined the public water cooler known as usenet. Click on it and take a look. Phoenix Coyotes fans, take heart, your city council is only slightly stupider than ours was at the time. It's fascinating how so many people back then used their real names in discussion forums. 15-16 years later, wonder where some of them are now.

some choice quotes (click the names to go to the original full post):

"The atmosphere inside was bittersweet. It was more bitter outside. I
think there was about a hundred people outside at the highest point, but a
lot of people left as soon as they found out the doors were locked. A lot
of those hanging around had disappointed and depressed faces - especially
when all the kids inside were cheering to the comment about Winnipeg kids
always being Jets fans. " - David A.

I think I was there. Sounds like something I'd attend.

"Does anyone think it is fair to American NHL teams to institute a forof revenue-sharing. It would in effect be a form of cross-subsidization. Larger, richer team (mostly in the US) would be propping up teams from smaller centres, (mostly in Canada)" - Gregory M.

Oh if he only knew then what he knows now. The irony.

"The MEC (Manitoba Entertainment Complex) needs to sell 40 boxes and 1500 club

seats by the end of November to proceed.  They've sold 38 boxes and about 500 club seats

so far.

David Baker, Director of Corporate Sales for the Winnipeg Jets, sold the 40th

and last private box yesterday evening to Coke.  Club Seat sales are just over

600 right now, and have started to sell more quickly.  A couple of club seat

purchasers, MEC sales people, and press are going to San Jose, to check out

that building some time next weekend.  The plan being that they will come back

to the Peg gushing with news about how great our new building will be. - D Bergman

huh. How many private boxes do the current Jets have. Interesting to look back and see that the MEC plan called for 40.

"Senior city officials'. Hrmph. What this story seems to be based on
is a local radio station having Mayor Bill Norrie on saying that the
Jets majority owners have already sold their 64% interest in the team.
(For the uninformed, the other 36% interest is held by Winnipeg Enterprises
Corporation, a quasi-independent corporation set up under provincial
charter to operate the Arena/Stadium/Velodrome complex in the city. They
assumed this share of the Jets after a buyout attempt by Michael Gobuty
failed.)

WEC has a complex arrangement with the private owners that the
WEC will cover all losses over a certain amount (approx. $400 000), or
the private owners will be free to break the lease they have with the
Arena until 1997. WEC has yet to cover the rest of the losses that the
Jets incurred this year (approx. $1.2 million). So needless to say,
there is a great deal of speculation of what is going to happen. There
are two local groups of people that are interested in acquiring either
WEC's share of the team or the whole team to keep it in Winnipeg. One
group plans on a new downtown Arena, tenatively called Manitoba Gardens.
The other wants to take over the arena as is. .

Barry Shenkarow has said that the situation is rapidly becoming critical,but as of yet, there are no offers on the table either way. Things still very much depend on city council. " - Daryl T

Interesting. This is a post from 1991. The Jets stuck around for 5 more years.

"The only place the JETS are moving is UP, waaaay UP in the standings :-) " - Ken D, worlds biggestt optimist in 1994

Anyways, its fascinating to poke around and see that there is actually a record of what people were talking about then. I'm sure theres other stuff you can search as well. It's a shame there won't be the same resource in 15 years for people searching old twitter and facebook comments. usenet, like the internet itself, was designed to be open, whereas the open protocols of the internet are being replaced more and more by closed protocols that do the same things. All according to plan, I suppose. Watch for legislation that further puts the internet in the control of government, in the name of protecting us from ourselves. (Really, protecting politicians from bloggers and the people). That's what the conservatives crime legislation is designed to do. Not stop true crime. Otherwise why not require a warrant?

Bacon time

2011-10-29T05:31:00.000-05:00

I wonder how many degrees of separation Sir Francis Bacon and Kevin Bacon are, and if they have any relation.

That was a crazy Jets - Flyers game

2011-10-27T23:01:00.000-05:00

I'm not even going to blame Pavelec for anything. He made some pretty good saves, and in the end the Jets won. I don't even know. It was just a wild game. Entertaining as hell, but man when they tied it I thought we were doomed. Pavelec is still young just like the rest of the team. Remember the bombers last year? All they need is consistent coaching and to work on fixing their worst problems, and who knows what could happen.

Still, if the jets do end up tanking, nothing wrong with getting a first round draft pick... it could be just the thing they need in the long run.

BULL DRM

2011-10-25T17:16:00.004-05:00

I read an excellent Op-Ed on DRM today, aka digital rights management titled "If you want to fight piracy, make better games".   In it, the writer Jason Schreier writes about the company Valve, and writes about how company owner Gabe Newell believes publishers should be using the carrot and stick approach. It's a great read, and very timely when you consider the recent ill-advised bill C-11 the so called copyright modernization act. Which wouldn't be a bad law if it weren't for the fact that it criminalizes the breaking of DRM, and no amount of proof of the fact that most Canadians are against enshrining DRM into law and that Canadians DESPISE it will stop the Conservatives from idiotically pushing this through now that they have a majority. Hell, even the Conservatives, if you read what they are saying, sound like they're just reading a pre-written message from the music and movie industry.. which lets face it, they almost certainly are. Now I've talked about DRM before and how it makes it illegal to do what you want to do with the cell phones or computers or music or DVD's that you buy.. If you don't know what DRM is by now or why it's evil, you're part of the problem and probably a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Anyways, What got me posting is my epiphany that the Conservative solution to crime prevention is the same as their approach to copyright. Extremist, pointlessly expensive and ultimately unworkable.    It's the same in that INNOCENT PEOPLE get inconvenienced, but the CRIMINALS will keep on doing what they're doing. In my mind these laws show that the Conservatives don't care about catching actual criminals, they care about making laws that criminalize everyone and everything. Everything is a sin, in their eyes, and you're automatically guilty. They'd get rid of the lawyers and judges if they could get away with it and lock everyone up.

That is how DRM works. It inconveniences people who want to play a legally purchased game or watch a foreign movie in another country. It makes it impossible to unlock a cell phone to work on a competing provider. The Conservatives know this, because people have stated it to them, but they don't care! It doesn't matter.   They can then lock up a number of people and say "Look, we stopped crime, arrests are up 5000% since our new laws!".. well no, you didn't solve anything. It's only an illusion. If you do arrest anyone actually guilty of something, you've arrested another 1000 generally law abiding citizens and created a culture of fear and domination and opression. Which is clearly the point. Welcome to America today. Protection of ill gotten monopolies for the wealthy class. The so called 1% of robber barons and still on the loose criminal bankers.

People don't want to break the law. But when everything is illegal, what choice will they have? The fact that people download music is not a failure of copyright, its a failure of companies not meeting their customers demands. Look at the success of netflix. Old media companies hate it. They've been spoon fed so long in this country they want to enact UBB to protect their little fiefdoms. The regulatory capture in this country is sickening. 4 companies essentially own the media and the distribution networks and the government in Canada. And they act in lock step.

The laws of this country are slowly being changed to protect only a small segment of wealthy foreign nationals. That's what Bill C-10 and C-11 are for, they have little to do with stopping graffiti or putting gang members in jail. That's who the Conservative party works for.

Good Riddance, Autobins

2011-10-21T00:40:00.001-05:00

Years ago, my parents lived on a street where Autobins were being introduced. Originally, they were going to be the smaller variety, but then because nobody else wanted it to block their driveways, and because the property they owned would not be as inconvenienced, the city would put one large autobin behind their house.

Now when I was a kid, you'd have actual garbage men, or I suppose waste disposal experts or whatever the correct term is (I like the term garbage men) and they'd go from house to house, often there would be special enclosures built into a fence just for the garbage bins to be kept tucked away neatly. But when Autobins were introduced, ugh. They take up so much space in a back lane, they attract rats, mice, mattresses and construction waste. My parents hated that autobin.

Well, where they live now they have one of those garbage bins that you wheel out. They love that. It's just so convenient and you can keep it in the garage. Apparently the city has decided FINALLY to get rid of the cursed autobin. Finally. Say goodbye to fires in the north end, mysterious waste disposal, and so forth.

I wonder where the rats and vermin will go now that they'll lose a source of food? I suppose the autobins can be recycled for business use. BFI seems to use similar bins. Now that I think about it, businesses who illegally use autobins will be forced to go legit.

The only thing I hope for is that instead of those small blue boxes, they instead had a blue version of those large garbage carts for regular garbage. I'd be more likely to chuck in plastic bottles and such if it didn't have to sit out in the open for everyone to see how much Diet Dr Pepper I drink on recycling day (I don't drink Diet Dr Pepper, It's juts an example. I actually hate Dr Pepper)

Anyways, apparently removing autobins will cost property owners an additional $50 on their property tax bill. Funny how it always works like that.

Suffering the (River) Bends

2011-10-12T12:33:00.002-05:00

It is with mild bemusement I read an article in the Winnipeg Sun about people in Riverbend area of Winnipeg being against the building of habitat for humanity housing on Benn Avenue. Not least of which is my parents almost bought a property there once. In fact I thought Benn Avenue was just outside the city limits but maybe that's been adjusted in the intervening decades. In fact back when my parents were interested in purchasing property on Benn Avenue, Riverbend was still a huge farmers field. Which is part of the reason I'm actually surprised there is still even an empty lot available.

I was out in Riverbend the other day and made a few observations. A brand new strip mall, the oddly named "L. Banag mall" which already is two thirds full of operating businesses, was spray painted with graffiti and half the businesses seemed to have their windows broken. I was genuinely surprised at this. This is something that is supposed to happen mainly in Downtown Winnipeg. Why is it happening there?

In the immediate vicinity of this strip mall lies a brand new skateboard park (which also already has graffiti). Now, I don't want to blame the skaters, because for one thing a lot of them are really young kids presumably from the area, and for another, I don't think the graffiti is being introduced by kids from the area. The skateboard park is located right next to the Red River Community Centre, a couple years old but still pretty new. I've noticed that questionable looking individuals seem to be congregating on the community centre parking lot in the evenings, for what purpose I can only speculate. They don't appear to be attending any community centre events in any case. So they are suspect #1 to me.

Down the road a bit is the still fairly new West Kildonan Collegiate building. Suspects #2 are kids who "go to school" there. Remember how a grade 10 student from West St Paul was killed in 2009? Not on school property, but a student of that school all the same, killed by a 16 year old. Gang members from the north end are almost certainly pushing their way into west kildonan and riverbend, probably to peddle drugs to students and push their contemptible and ignorant attitudes towards society farther and farther. There is graffiti around that area from students, though not spray painted. Just little "So and So was here" type graffiti.

Theres also people at the Tim Hortons who hang out all day there, but they don't seem the type to bother with graffiti and property destruction.

Anyways, back to the mall that showed clear signs of property damage. They already removed most of the spray paint from taggers (I wonder if anyone has ever taken photos of winnipeg tagger tags and documented what they mean?). Ice Time Sports had a broken window, but nobody seems to have actually gone inside and stolen anything.

There is a conservative party sign on one of the store fronts. Obviously the conservatives didn't win provincially, but Joy Smith used that property as a campaign headquarters in the last election as well. Now, the Conservatives do have an "omnibus crime bill" they're trying to enact, but how much do you think that crime bill protects the people of riverbend?

The crime bill has worse sentencing for marijuana based offences than for pedophiles. The crime bill pushes American style for profit prisons. The crime bill also includes draconian copyright protection measures at the behest of American special interests. But what does it do for the people of riverbend who voted in Joy Smith? I don't have much faith in it. What the crime bill does is it criminalizes the innocent, even those fools who voted the conservatives in. By comparison, gang members, punks and thieves will continue to advance to different areas of the city with their smug "what are you gonna do about it" looks on their faces as they group together considering their next act of violence or destruction.

The people in riverbend are justifiably worried about habitat for humanity. It's not that these individuals are necessarily going to be bad, but they're already seeing a bad element move in on their neighbourhood, and they want to get a handle on the situation. Putting faith in the Conservatives probably won't help. Partially legalizing Marijuana and selling it at specialty stores would be highly profitable for the country, and take away a huge market that funds the criminal element. However the Conservatives are too busy making new laws that criminalize innocent people who do something banal like share a song on the internet and protects antiquated business monopolies rather than to do something about crime and the reasons for crime. They care more about taking away your right to privacy on the internet than stopping crime. It's highly telling that the bill is tougher on pot growers than pedophiles.

I don't get the Conservative hate-on for marijuana. I can't stand the stuff, but I don't care for alcohol or tobacco either. I suppose if they thought they could get away with it, they'd criminalize alcohol too. But whatever the case, for all their talk, I'm not impressed with their crime bill. The people of Riverbend should look closely at what is being pushed onto their doorsteps and the effectiveness of those laws on actual criminal elements.

Theres also the question of cost effectiveness.. there isn't any. The Conservatives plan to just throw unlimited money at the problem rather than actually productively work to solve the underlying issues. Very simple minded of them.

Welcome (back Jets) to my nightmare

2011-10-12T00:23:00.005-05:00

Well, the Winnipeg Jets played their first game and it was everything we thought it would be. Parties at the Forks, huge 50/50 pot, and just a great atmosphere at the arena. Unfortunately, the Jets lost. What does this mean? It can mean only one thing.

CERTAIN DOOM
CERTAIN DOOM
CERTAIN DOOM

Yes, after this one game, I can prognosticate that the Jets are going to lose every game they play this year. Half of the team is going to end up trapped in a time-space vortex at one point, and come out of it with all knowledge of how to skate erased from their minds. The Jets will be in last place for decades, and the city of Winnipeg will sink 1000 meters into the ground to be taken over by the mole people and their king.

Sure, you can scoff and say "Oh Reed, it's just one game" To which I must reply: NO. The Jets lost, and it's obvious they can never improve, that they are the same Atlanta Thrashers as last year, that the MTS Centre is too small and the NHL will never work in Winnipeg and this is all just the first sign of the aphockalypse

Dustin Byfuglien got a penalty and he didn't even do anything. This obviously means he is a horrible horrible defenceman and his legs are going to turn into jell-o.

The only solution is to trade everyone right away for someone else. Trade every player for another player that is better. We have to PANIC NOW while it's still early enough for our panicking to make a difference! Panicking doesn't help when we're already at 75 losses. God help us all. If the Jets don't win their next 40 home games, they're going to move to Regina! Am I the only one who can see? Why aren't Cheveldayoff or Heisinger doing something!!! Do something! Fire Coach Noel! Fire somebody! Blalrlalrglrelhwjepoihwekh

Seriously though, aren't sports pundits freakin' annoying? Yeesh. Way to overreact.

I hope Gary Doer enters the Federal NDP leadership race

2011-10-02T20:17:00.002-05:00

Not because I want him to win or care, but because Paul Dewar just entered, and it would just be hilarious to me to have Doer vs Dewar. What do we do!

Froot x 2 feet.

2011-10-01T16:52:00.001-05:00

It's nice when you get an unexpected bonus. Got myself froot by the foot and it had two stuffed in one! SWEET!

On your Mark Scheifele's and other matters

2011-09-29T21:33:00.004-05:00

I wonder if part of the interest in keeping 18 year old Mark Scheifele with the Winnipeg Jets by fans is that we want this kid to experience the same party we as fans of the Jets are having. Sure it would be better for him to wait, but he's just so excited and enthusiastic and so are we so it builds and builds until finally we win the Stanley Cup. Okay probably not, but his enthusiasm really seems to mirror that of the fans and it's certainly catching.

I noticed at the Jets game yesterday that there were one or two Atlanta Thrashers jerseys in attendence. There are former Atlanta Thrashers fans in Winnipeg. Who knew! Anyways, I was reading comments on TSN's website about the Jets. There was a bitter Atlanta Thrashers fan, and commenters and Winnipegers were sympathetic to his plight (with caveats of course).. but someone made the comment that everyone should all chip in and send him to Winnipeg to see his team here. And I thought, wouldn't that be a brilliant marketing move (and peace offering to thrashers fans) by Travel Manitoba and the Jets organization? Get a few tickets and put together a Winter Wonderland sort of prize pass targeted towards Atlantans. Or Americans in general but use Atlanta as the hook. Maybe a few prize packs for different games. Why not? People in the south probably don't really get what Canada is about, so it could work to build up Winnipeg as a quirky winter destination. Surely there are hotels who would be on board and other people in the travel industry. Why not be proactive? Be creative? Stop coming up with stupid slogans like "It's Manitoba time". God that annoyed the hell out of me. Why are they paying to advertise Manitoba to Manitobans? You never see Winnipeg offered as a destination prize on the Price is Right either, but again, why not? It could lead somewhere. Winnipeg is a mystery place with a funny name to many people. It's like Timbuktu or Ouagadougou, only closer and okay maybe not as warm.

Finally, CBC was supposed to be up and running in HD over the air starting tomorrow Friday September 30th. But a notice on their website says that the ALREADY delayed switchover of a month will be delayed even further. So if you wanted to watch the return of the Jets in HD over the air, guess what, you're sh!t out of luck. But hey, it's not like they had 5 years notice on the digital changeover. Oh wait, they did? They waited until the last minute and finally said they would do Winnipeg because they were forced to? Pathetic.

This is your money funding the CBC. 1-866-306-INFO (4636) is the number to complain to the CBC, but I'd suggest you go further and complain to your member of parliament. The CBC needs to be accountable. This game of delaying the inevitable has to stop. Other countries have a public broadcaster that works for the public. Canada has a public broadcaster that seems to work only for special interests, and throws your money away not on providing you with high quality over the air service, but instead on trying to play in the same league as CTV or Global.

So to reiterate, the return of the Jets on CBC Hockey Night in Canada? WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE OVER THE AIR IN HIGH DEFINITION. Because the CBC is incompetent and seemingly does not have the capability to do their job.

I'd act surprised, but if you've read this blog before, and you've followed the actions of the corporation before in print media, you can see why I'm not.

In Winnipeg

2011-09-28T22:45:00.002-05:00

Every game is a playoff game.

Wonder how many standing room only seats they'll have in the playoffs.

Great game tonight, Jets win. Finally found a way past Boucher in the third period.

One is the loneliest number

2011-09-26T14:46:00.001-05:00

Unless true north releases single last minute tickets to jets games.. then being single is the best thing ever! Wonder if this will happen a fair bit during the regular season.. take that, people in relationships without jets tickets! Bahahahahahaha. I'm so screwed if I meet someone and fall in love though. Go to hell, kiss cam.

Cat Burglars stealing my pepperonis

2011-09-26T00:56:00.003-05:00

Neighbours cat broke into my house. Got in by breaking the basement window screen. Walked up the stairs, only to find me waiting and scared the heck out of it. THUNK, jumped straight downstairs out the window. Made me close it. Went outside with a flashlight and spooked her a bit more. I'm watchin' you, cat. I think it stole one of my pepperoni sticks and came back for more.

I hate saying goodbye at the airport

2011-09-25T08:29:00.000-05:00

The old Winnipeg airport is soon to be mothballed for the new one right next door which will finally be opening up next month.

I don't know if they will be tearing down the old one or not. I hope not, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do. As far as modernist architecture goes, what was once known as the Winnipeg International Airport is my favourite building of that style. I heard they were thinking at one point of putting the manitoba aviation museum in that building.. but that probably fell through. Which would be too bad, because it's also the perfect location for an aviation museum.

As a child, I would run around the airport from novelty to some other novelty. Many of said novelties requesting a tribute of quarters. I played pac-land and learned that pac-land is a quarter eating piece of garbage at the Winnipeg Airport. I played pole position, I played many an arcade game (a few of which are still there!) They also used to have some car game in where the arrivals area is currently. I think they also still have another arcade in behind the departures security zone. Probably still have good old Terminator 2 there.

There was also that weird plane/helicopter flying game that was always broken. They removed it years ago, but I remember it sat there for years. You put money on it and it seemed like it flew around.

I think they also had a sheriffs badge making machine once. I wonder why you don't see those anywhere? Kids today would still love that sort of thing.

Then there were the black and white TV's. Remember those? I watched an episode of Star Trek TNG on MTN one friday night on those. They only got local OTA fuzzy analogue TV. Now they have one big shared TV stuck on one channel (unless you bring in a universal remote.. which I've often been tempted to do)

I mostly remember the games and coin operated mechanisms. I remember sitting bored in the international arrivals basement area a couple times as well.

I also remember the secret basement pop machine that's 25 cents cheaper than the other pop machines. (Of course now they have Pepsi, used to be Coke.. I hate exclusivity contracts when Pepsi has them) Theres neat tunnels down there too.

It's the last place I saw my grandparents and many family members leave. No they didn't die in a plane crash. They just came to visit. I was there as a kid in my pajamas when my mom left with my sister to visit my dying grandmother (her mother) leaving my dad and me alone to eat McDonalds and pizza (Sometimes McDonald's pizza!) for two weeks. I was there when my sister went to Montreal for some French learning related thing, only to return complaining french guys kept hitting on her and talking to her in english, completely defeating the purpose. I remember going to vancouver on a cheap Jetsgo flight and returning a week and a half before they went bankrupt. I had a whole window seat and aisle to myself, but the lack of washroom facilities should have been a sign of what was coming.. but I still have my free jetsgo badge!

I remember my father returning from a few months on Baffin Island with an Ookpik owl for my sister and me. We still have them. Hers looked like a baby snowy owl, mine looked like a penguin.

I'll miss the observation deck. I showed it to my four year old nephew a few months ago. I don't know if the new one will have an observation deck. I somehow doubt it. I hope the new airport has decent (and free and public) areas for people to decompress and relax in.

But like my torn down elementary school (of which my mom managed to save a limestone brick as a memento), everything has its time and place. Winnipeg's airport was around during the heyday of commercial travel. It was there when Winnipeg was a hub. If any building in Winnipeg can be said to have a personality and soul imbued with the memories of the people who came and went, YWG is certainly at the top of the list. Farewell, YWG. Farewell unlimited refills at Harveys. Farewell overpriced DVD's and books at Virgin. Farewell money exchanging kiosk and bothwell cheese store (BEST CHEESE IN THE WORLD), Farewell pocket scissors from 5 years ago I had to throw in the garbage. I hardly knew ye.

I hope the new airport can live up to its predecessor. I hope it can absorb the memories of those in the city and those from outside who visit. I hope its not a cold and impersonal and boring and cold and sterile concrete monstrosity. I hope it gives people who visit a good impression.

But the 7 year old inside me is shuffling his feet and hanging his head down mumbling goodbye to someone he'll likely never see again. Thanks for the memories, airport. Last flights are on Sunday October 30th. New airport opens on Halloween. Oooh Spooky stuff! :)

Breaking news regarding the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

2011-09-24T20:20:00.003-05:00

The proposed main tenant has pulled out, so instead of being a museum for human rights it's going to instead be turned into a really big Salisbury House.

Things I learned from the leadership debate tonight

2011-09-23T23:46:00.002-05:00

Greg Sellinger has the worst qualities of Al Gore combined with John Kerry. Boring, boring boring. Why is he the leader of the NDP? Why are NDP members happy with this douche? Just keeps bringing up nonsense retorts to arguments. That he's likely to win is horrible. "Jon Gerrad admitted he made a mistake! He makes mistakes! But we're perfect! hurpdedurr I'm such a douche"

Green Party guy. I'm surprised they let him in, and he was very unpolished. His ideas, or at least those of his party, are nonsensical to me. Free transit? Stupid. There are enough smelly people stinking up the buses. I'd rather have an additional transit rebate from the province for buying a monthly pass.

Liberals/Jon Gerrard. While I don't personally believe youth drop in centers are enough to stop violent crime, otherwise, I found him sincere and measured and considerate. Maybe I'll throw my vote away on him.

Conservatives/Hugh McFadyen. Talking Points, Talking Points, Talking Points! Oh, have I TALKING POINTS yet? TALKING POINTS! This is what I hate about the federal Conservatives, and obviously the same people are micromanaging things provincially. Good luck with that. Not impressive really.

Ideal (best case scenario) situation would be a minority NDP government with the liberals holding the balance of power to keep them somewhat in check.

PARTY AT THE FORKS

2011-09-21T19:11:00.002-05:00

October 9!

From CJOB.com:
"The Winnipeg Jets have announced that fans not attending the Oct 9th Regular Season Home Opener at MTS Centre vs the Montreal canadiens will be able to watch the game at The Forks. This family-friendly event will start at noon with live-entertainment, followed by the CBC Hockey Night in Canada broadcast of the game starting at 3:00 p.m."

Should be fun!

New provincial flag design in Manitoba is popular

2011-09-16T18:22:00.002-05:00

So popular that I saw a flagpole in the backyard of a building on Jefferson near pipeline that had the provincial flag in the dominant position in largest size, while the Canadian flag was tiny in comparison lower on the pole.

Did I say provincial flag? I meant the Winnipeg jets flag. Welcome to jets country. all other allegiances pale in comparison.

Also saw a vehicle in the keewatin area with two individuals putting up Conservative signs, and they had a large NDP sign underneath those signs in their vehicle.. Now I didn't witness any actual sign removal, but it strikes me as suspicious. Hopefully there aren't any shenannigans going on in that area or any others for that matter...

Conservatives plan to push draconian copyright law at behest of their American and EU overlords

2011-09-14T13:38:00.003-05:00

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110913/03331815927/canada-plans-to-re-introduce-bad-copyright-plan-with-damaging-digital-locks-provisions-with-no-additional-consultation.shtml

You know what, I know Federal politics and Provincial politics aren't one and the same, but this bullshit is one of the reasons why I didn't vote for the Conservatives in the last election, and now I won't vote for them provincially either. Sorry Hugh, you're guilty by association. Any government that tries to pass this off as anything but corporate welfare for media cartels is a fool. Liberals, Conservatives, anyone who votes for them, convince me why you're not all idiots right now.

There was an opportunity to do this right, there was an opportunity to listen to the citizens of this country. But the Conservatives clearly work for a small segment of society. Anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves.

Yes I'm mad. If you think this is just about downloading music you're an idiot. If you think this is about rewarding musicians and performers, you're an idiot. This is about controlling free speech, about shutting down the internet as we know it. And it's a blatant and ignorant sellout of Canada.

CTV Fall Preview tour

2011-09-08T00:55:00.002-05:00

The CTV Fall Preview tour takes off in Halifax at Mic Mac Mall on August 19-21
Arriving in Montreal at Le Mail Champlain on August 24-25
Arriving in Ottawa at Bayshore Shopping Centre on August 27 – 28
Arriving in Calgary at CrossIron Mills on September 2-4
Arriving in Vancouver at Metrotown in Metropolis on September 9-11
Arriving in Edmonton City Centre on September 15-17
Arriving in Toronto at Vaughan Mills on September 23-25

Hmmmmm....

Somethings missing....

Why are they skipping Regina?

I assume they couldn't find any mall space in Winnipeg to do it here. No point in doing it at Portage Place.

Or maybe they just don't give a crap about Winnipeg.

Jon Gerrard's Crickets

2011-09-07T23:43:00.003-05:00

So Dr. Jon Gerrard, leader of the Provincial Liberal Party, is campaigning. I'm watching CTV news in high def and he's discussing some platform early in the day, and all I hear in the background are crickets. Bad timing/planning or brilliant controlled release of crickets by the Conservatives and/or NDP.

Or maybe the crickets were a figment of my imagination?

Things to do today:

2011-09-05T18:04:00.001-05:00

1. ~~Nothing~~

Mission accomplished.

Oh wait, I just did something.

Damnit!

"Baird promises Canadian sovereignty ‘will not be compromised’ by border deal"

2011-08-29T22:22:00.002-05:00

From this Globe and Mail article: http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/08/29/baird-promises-canadian-sovereignty-will-not-be-compromised-by-border-deal/

Because everyone knows we gave that up years ago when Mulroney signed off on free trade.

Still, will we still need passports to go to America? Yes, then f*%@ this $#!t. (I'm making an attempt to censor my extreme language, but it's difficult when I talk politics..)

CBC digital transition in Winnipeg delayed

2011-08-26T19:11:00.002-05:00

Readers of my blog won't be surprised to hear that the CBC has apparently delayed their Winnipeg transition exactly one month, to September 30th.

They claim on their website page about the digital transition (hidden rather well from casual observers) that there have been unforeseen circumstances. They need to reinforce their towers with steel before they can be safely installed, and that they cannot be installed until later in September (CBC is going with September 30th).

First of all, CBC is NOT allowed to keep broadcasting in Winnipeg in analogue past August 31st. They would need CRTC approval. While they did get approval for other markets, Winnipeg was not included in the list. NOR SHOULD IT BE. When Fox KNRR asked the FCC for a delay because of spring floods, they were told no. That is because the FCC is an effective government body that works in the interests of the American people. Whereas the CRTC is an ineffective government body that works in the interests of a few wealthy corporate interests.

The CBC had ample time to do a site survey and obtain the necessary parts and tools. They delayed and they hemmed and hawed and cried for more money or what have you. In my opinion this is no unforeseen circumstance, but a planned delay. Perhaps until the next fiscal quarter/year for budgetary purposes (I speculate, anyways). Either way, I was against the delay for the CBC in other markets, and I am against giving the CBC leeway in my own.

The CBC is Canada's public broadcaster, but management seems to have little interest in public broadcasting. Winnipeg is a MANDATORY MARKET for switching to digital. Why does it take a month to procure the necessary steel? If it was a matter of waiting a week, I'd be fine, but a month is unacceptable. To announce this less than a week before the digital cutoff date is pathetic and negligent. Shame on the CBC, shame on CBC Management (who have shown incompetence above and beyond what I've expected).

** UPDATE Oct 25 2011 **

Still no HD signal Over the Air in Winnipeg. The CBC website still states a few more weeks away. Looks like we won't be seeing CBC in digital until mid november at the earliest.. but if my theory is correct, they're waiting for the next fiscal quarter in January 2011. If that happens, not only will Winnipegers have missed the opening game against Montreal on CBC over the air in High Definition, but Also the Saturday December 17th 2011 game against the Anaheim Ducks with the return (perhaps for the last time) of Teemu Selanne. People are mad at Shaw for missing one period, but CBC continues to get a free pass for missing the digital deadline in Winnipeg by 2 months now. Enough is Enough. If this bothers you, contact your local Winnipeg MP. The CBC is supposed to be accountable to them. Make them so.

When is the river level going to go down?

2011-08-23T19:43:00.001-05:00

Seriously it's almost the end of august.. it's totally bothering me.

Winnipegged

2011-08-23T13:41:00.005-05:00

I was clicking around rotten tomatoes (wow, the new Conan movie apparently sucks!) when I came across this tidbit from a review of Guy Maddin's movie 'My Winnipeg':

"Maddin's My Winnipeg is love and hate. It seems his feelings towards his hometown are like those of an older brother towards his younger: "It's okay for me to make fun of him, but if you do, you're asking for it!"

This perfectly encapsulates how I believe most Winnipeggers feel about making fun of Winnipeg. This is what I think of when people say the Weakerthans song "One Great City" is about hating Winnipeg. It isn't. They're Winnipeggers. They love Winnipeg. The way you love a younger annoying sibling who is always bothering you. The one who deserves a good kick in the butt. But if someone else says something or does something to them, that is NOT COOL.

It's nice that someone not from Winnipeg was able to illuminate me like that.

And now some good news

2011-08-22T21:53:00.003-05:00

TWINKIES ARE BACK IN WINNIPEG!!

I saw them at Sobeys, but who knows where else they can be found.

"Zingers", the pale substitute they tried to pass of as twinkies for the period of time when you couldn't find them, are on the bottom shelf.

We may never know why they disappeared from shelves in Winnipeg. Perhaps the secret ingredient to the filling ran short on supply. I'm assuming it's a paste derived from a rare South American Beetle that is ground up and turned into deliciousness. Why not.

The Late Jack Layton

2011-08-22T10:13:00.002-05:00

It's a shame Jack Layton couldn't survive the cancer he had. He didn't look too good when he went for his leave of absence. He looked pretty good on the campaign trail though.

His absence will make the future political landscape interesting. What do the Liberals do? Who will the NDP get to replace him? Will Stephen Harper stick around for another go round?

I voted NDP last election. Even though I can't stand the NDP provincially. Will I do so next time without Jack Layton? I don't know.

I can't think of a bad thing to say about Jack Layton. And considering he was a politician, that's pretty amazing to me.

I hope one day that we can treat cancer and other diseases with retrovirus therapy and artificially grown transplanted organs. It may not be as profitable for corporations in the medical industry to do so, which is why we don't have it yet, but the people who do things because they believe in their ideals, like Jack Layton did, will surely one day succeed.

Digital Converter Boxes

2011-08-21T10:30:00.000-05:00

ATSC Digital Converters for your TV

Sorry I just can't seem to shut up about the digital conversion, but I figured I'd write a post about digital converter boxes.

If you are an old person who thinks that you can't get free TV after August 31st, this post is here to tell you how you can still get free TV.

First, if you have an old TV, you need a converter box. It turns the new digital over the air signals into analogue signals that work with your old TV. No matter how old and feeble or destitute you are you should be able to plug in a converter box. Plus it comes with a remote control! You can never have enough of those! At a Winnipeg store you're going to be out from $40-$60 for a basic unit. You can spend more for a better converter box.

RCA Digital Converter Box

Possible places you can buy it : Superstore.. maybe Wal-Mart?

Pros: simple design, simple to use
Cons: made by RCA. RCA is a meaningless brand owned by some huge factory in China.

You plug your antenna into this thing, plug this thing into your TV, it scans for channels, and if it finds any, you're in business. It's very simple to use. Actually too simple. If you're someone like me who wants to see signal strength and PSIP data (TV guide and other information) then this isn't going to satisfy you. But if you just want to watch TV, it's pretty good.

Digital Stream Converter Box

Possible places to find it: I dunno, I found it at goodwill. I plan to give it to a friend after the switch.
Pros: Decent features, antenna strength meter.
Cons: Again, there have been many defective ones with Capacitor problems. If you have any bit of electronics experience not a real problem (Solution involves changing capacitors) but if not, you could get a dud. I don't think it has PSIP channel guides either but I could be wrong.

I found it for a few bucks at goodwill and I figured what the heck. I like it better than the RCA, but i originally thought it was donated because it was broken - It wasn't.. I'm assuming the person who owned it used to live close to the border and moved to Winnipeg and got themselves a new TV and figured Winnipeg didn't have digital TV.. which it will soon. Scans fast and even has an "Update" feature where it only scans for updates to the channel list, and supposedly doesn't erase old data.

Kworld External Model SA295-Q DE ATSC/QAM TV Box HDMI Edition

Now I don't personally own this one. I only saw it in an ad the other day on tigerdirect.com. However, this seems to be the best converter box you can get. It's in the $80-$100 price spectrum, but the features more than make up for the higher initial cost.

Pros: Has multiple output options including High Def HDMI, VGA, Component outputs. IE: If you bought a widescreen TV and it doesn't have a digital ATSC tuner built in.. this will give you perfect high def signal. You can also plug it into any old Computer Monitor. So you can turn an old computer monitor into a TV. Pretty neat.
Cons: Flakey performance (sense a trend, anyone?), Might be over complicated for some people.

As I don't own it, heres an external review at http://www.jeffsreviews.com

Magnavox Digital Converter

I've seen these at Princess Auto. Are they any good? Who knows. $40 price range. Has some good reviews online.

Anyways, as you can see, there are tons of options for digital converters. From your old black and white TV to your newer cheap future shop TV that didn't come with a digital converter (That's why you got it for $300) to your handheld TV, they will all need a digital tuner box to pick up the high def signals.

I prefer buying a new TV.. but then again, over the next year we'll be getting some amazing new TV's with netflix and skype and 3d without glasses (or glasses like the ones used in theatres), so it might be worthwhile to get a bit more time out of your old TV. If you're used to it, why not.

Go to youtube.com and type digital converter box. You'll learn more than you want to.. probably about the US digital conversion which took place in 2009 and went way better than the Canadian one did (The FCC is not a group of incompetents like the CRTC, and PBS knows where their bread is really buttered, unlike the CBC)

Anyways, I hope you found this informative.

This is why I can't have nice things - because nobody in Canada will sell them to me.

2011-08-20T11:18:00.000-05:00

All I want is a passive/natural 3D LED HDTV with skype built in, picture-in-picture, netflix and internet streaming.

Nobody in Canada sells such a TV. Why!

Only LG comes close. But no PIP is no deal for me. I know I'm the only person in the world who knows how to use picture in picture, but still.

Why does nobody sell Vizio TV's in Canada?

sigh. The wait continues.

Christmas music in commercials.

2011-08-19T02:32:00.002-05:00

The most wonderful time of the year isn't back to school season. Staples Business Depot.. shut up. Do not play Christmas music when it's not Christmas. Just because Office Depot is out of business doesn't give you the right to annoy the entire universe with your bad advertising method.

ARE YOU READY FOR OVER THE AIR TV?

2011-08-17T19:04:00.002-05:00

Well as of today, Wednesday August 17th, you have two more weeks to get ready for the digital conversion.

I've made many posts about this before, but we're finally in the home stretch.

Do you get Digital TV from Cable or Satellite? Through MTS or Shaw or Bell? Then your service will continue as normal. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be interested in what's happening to the over the air signals you can get with bunny ears, however.. So keep reading.

On August 31'st, in most major Canadian cities, all over the air signals will be switching from Analogue to Digital. What this means is that your old TV that picks up NTSC signals over the air will NO LONGER PICK ANYTHING UP. It will only pick up snow. So if you have an old TV in the basement with rabbit ears, and you want to still pick up a signal with rabbit ears, you need a converter box to pick up the signal. These can be found at Princess Auto, Superstore, or various other places.

If you have a newer widescreen TV of any worth, it should have a new ATSC tuner in it. ATSC is what replaces NTSC (a converter box converts ATSC broadcast signals to work on your old NTSC tv). Remember when all of those huge satellite dishes were replaced with smaller bell expressvu and starchoice dishes? That's because they switched from analogue to digital. You either get a perfect digital picture or nothing. That is how it will be with over the air from now on. You will get a perfect high definition picture over the air for free. It will be even better if you have a rooftop antenna. Try hooking it up if you still have one on the roof, you'll be surprised by the clarity of picture and sound.

So basically older TV = need a converter box for digital. Newer TV = should be able to receive channels with an antenna without the box.

In Winnipeg, Global TV is already broadcasting in high definition. So you can scan for local channels and if you get Global TV with an antenna, you're probably going to get all the rest of them after the switch on August 31st.

If you can't receive Global TV and you want to, you should check to see if you are within the range of the broadcast signal. Again, you may need to install a rooftop antenna.

CBC, SRC, CTV, City TV, and Joy TV will all be joining Global on August 31'st. If those channels meet your needs for television coverage, then congratulations.

Unfortunately unlike some cities close to the border such as Toronto, Victoria, or Vancouver, we in Winnipeg won't be able to pick up PBS or Fox or NBC/ABC/CBS with any reliability as we're just a bit too far away from their towers (and they're not broadcasting a strong enough signal). Still, It's an exciting time.

One last thing, if you currently receive cable TV from Shaw and simply plug in the cable straight into your TV without a digital box, you will eventually be made to get a box. They will be removing their analogue channels soon after the switch. It's a bit annoying because they could easily offer their basic package as unencrypted QAM signals decodeable directly by your TV, but they're control freaks and the CRTC are toothless and owned by the industry so you're out of luck there.

If you're curious, check out TVfool.com. You can plug in the coordinates you are at and it will spit out the likelyhood of signal from your location.

CBC gets its extension

2011-08-16T11:15:00.002-05:00

Today pretty little CBC walked out of Professor CRTC's classroom after failing to do her term assignment on time and got an extension on it for one more year. Why? Nobody knows. Everyone else had to do it on time. Kids in other schools finished the assignment years ago. BBC, PBS, all finished the assignment a long time ago and exceptionally well. CBC.. she did a rush job at the last minute and then cried when everyone told her she didn't do the job well enough.

So what was Professor CRTC to do? Fail her? He couldn't do that! Theres no way he would be punishing his favourite student. Give her an extra year to do it, nevermind that it'll annoy everyone else who actually does their work on time.

So remember, kids. If you're the CBC, you don't need to do things on time. You can just look puppy dog eyes at the CRTC and get away with anything. There were too many other things! I was too busy with the internet and facebook to do it! All good excuses if you're a pushover toothless worthless idiot like the CRTC.

Google bought Motorola today

2011-08-15T13:21:00.003-05:00

Now the chances of me buying a Motorola have gone from 0% to 75%.

Granted I already have a pretty top of the line google phone so there's no rush.

Hopefully all of those Motorola boxes used by Cable and Satellite companies will now actually have useful guides and other options.

Google did buy SageTV a couple months ago.. A pretty good PVR software.. that, with android, with google TV, on motorola hardware could be a game changer. Heck they may even sell video games..

Should be interesting to see how this all plays out over the next few years.

To the anonymous Winnipegger who found the Monkeys Paw

2011-08-15T00:46:00.000-05:00

Bring back the Jets.. good.

Get rid of all Mosquitoes.. good

Bombers winning .. nice.

Long hot summer.. perfect.

I hope theres no ironic twist coming. Monkeys have 5 fingers right?

I'd say wish for a water park too, but you may already have and that's why we got that flood.

Mascots

2011-08-14T00:25:00.004-05:00

I was looking through Wikipedias list of mascots for various NHL teams. Now that we've got a new NHL team called the Winnipeg Jets, we need a new mascot. Or do we?

Some people want to see the old mascot from the Winnipeg Jets days, Benny, return. I hate benny. Stupidest looking whatchacallit of all time. I hate the name Benny too, and I hate the association with the Elton John song. I think Benny should stay retired. Maybe honour Benny somehow, perhaps retire his mascot number. But he should stay dead.

err.. I mean retired.

I had earlier mused that perhaps the old Polar Bear mascot of the Winnipeg Thunder basketball team could be used. I always enjoyed his antics. Oddly enough, the person who wore that old costume is now Raptor for the Toronto Raptors. Doubly odd is that the Maple Leafs have a polar bear as a mascot. Who knew! Apparently he's been around for years. Looks pretty lame but whatever. I don't know what Toronto has to do with Polar Bears it's a pretty odd appropriation, but it sort of eliminates the idea of the Jets having a polar bear as a mascot. Plus there are tons of bear mascots already.

Finally theres good old Mick E Moose. He doesn't have an AHL team anymore. He's a decent mascot. Kids know him. Might help to bridge the old with the new. Mick's face always bugged me a bit though. Give him a facelift. Lose that stupid smirk and stupid eyebrows. Also don't moose antlers aren't so yellow. I'd lighten that up too. There don't seem to be any moose mascots in any professional league as far as I can see, so he'd be unique. I don't see anything wrong with going with Mick E. Moose. The "E" can stand for exhaust fumes. Unless he's contractually signed with the Vancouver organization I'd call him up to the Jets.

Or they could come up with something totally new. Perhaps a bird similar to thrash, the mascot of the thrashers. We already have two bird mascots for the Blue Bombers CFL team (Buzz and Boomer) so you could either see it as overkill or a nice consistency amongst city mascots.

Whatever the choice, they should give the mascot a flight jacket and aviator goggles and a scarf. Unless the mascot is a transformer that turns from a robot to a jet (which would be pretty cool.. and do-able) Just go full into the whole aviator thing and it'll probably work.

Whatever the case.. I'd kind of like to see them design a robot that transforms into a jet now that I've posted that.. just to see it happen.. but whatever they go with, I hope they don't wait until October to announce it. As far as that goes, they should stick to Mick E Moose as it would be the easiest solution. Just say no to Benny. Nobody liked Benny. Benny is the main reason the original Jets moved to Phoenix. Don't ask me to substantiate that. It's just how it is.

Also I hope they keep the timbits hockey in between periods. They never did it at the NHL Exhibition games but I always thought it was cute.

** FOLLOW-UP **

They picked Mick E Moose. Gave him a leather flight helmet and goggles. You're welcome, True North.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/fan-favourite-mick-e-moose-drafted-into-the-nhl-ranks-131379928.html

I love the way they said in the press he was called up from the AHL. As if his years of hard work as an AHL mascot gave him the ability to Mascot at an NHL level. Though I did make the same insinuation in my original blog post. They also lightened up the antlers. Looks sharp! Still think he should wear a Jets scarf.. but I suppose it might be overkill or there could be concerns of it falling off or being pulled by kids.

How not to end a movie

2011-08-13T17:38:00.004-05:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 started off as a fairly good adaptation of the books. So much so it got me falsely optimistic that they would be able to keep it up right to the end. However, they dropped the ball right at the end of the movie.

You know the scene in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly where they have a mexican standoff? Guess what, the book ends with a standoff between Voldemort and Harry Potter with the entire wizarding world watching, only instead of guns, they're using wands. But NO, the idiot director had to throw out all of the previous goodwill and make the final battle longer and more action-packed and lacking in any meaning or subtlety. Disgusting.

WB always screws things up. They screwed up Green Lantern (though its not as bad as people accuse it of being) and they screwed up Harry Potter. They still made tons of money, but imagine if they got the right director and stayed hands off like they seem to do with Christopher Nolan. They'd have more inceptions and Dark Knights and less turds.

That's what you get from a newspaper named after a giant ball of hot gas

2011-08-13T13:04:00.003-05:00

If the Winnipeg Sun publishes one more article on the non-issue that is the perceived militarism in the new Winnipeg Jets logo I'm done with them.

I never expected much from that tabloid, but they really took a nosedive in the last year.

While I feel the logo could have used a couple more revisions by people with design sense, it's not bad as logos go. Hopefully they'll revise it in a year or two.

Look what I found! Old Winnipeg 204 area BBS lists

2011-08-13T00:59:00.003-05:00

I found some old floppy disks and I discovered some old BBS lists.

Steve George's descriptive BBS list with reviews from September 22, 1994 (missing a small portion of the letters F and G from data corruption best I can tell but more or less intact)

And the Generic BBS general BBS list for Winnipeg 204 around the same time period.

Enjoy the nostalgia.

Steaky goodness

2011-08-11T21:02:00.001-05:00

I wish Winnipeg had a restaurant called Loewe's Steakhouse. Then we'd have both Hy's and Loewe's. Someone get on that and make it happen. It's a great opportunity.

Ambulances that aren't

2011-08-11T16:47:00.000-05:00

I've recently seen a couple ambulance shapes vehicles Roaming in Winnipeg streets that aren't ambulances. Maybe I just haven't seen them before but as a pedestrian it kind of bothers me when I'm thinking of crossing a street and I see what looks like an ambulance coming down the road and it's a locksmith or RV repair service. Is this a new trend or am I simply slow on the uptake? Either way I don't think its a great idea for businesses to usurp ambulance vehicles towards their own ends. Am I wrong to think this way?

It wouldn't be so bad if efforts are made to make them clearly not look like emergency vehicles. But when they're covered in emergency lights and whatnot, it's just confusing.

Check this out

2011-08-10T08:04:00.000-05:00

Rotary dial bluetooth phone from sparkfun. Now, I have an old rotary dial phone connected to my voip line, but it doesn't ring and I can't dial out.

Obviously I'm not going to pay $250 for a novelty item like this. However, I have a GE 21518 cell fusion that I got for like $5 from goodwill. It basically does the same thing. I love when goodwill has no idea what it is they're selling. Prior to that I did see them at office depot for like $40 on clearance before they closed down.
Basically, this device pairs a bluetooth cell phone to a landline. So I can plug in my voip on one end, and output any cell phone calls and voip calls to a standard phone.

Certainly I've already got all of my provisioning for my voip line to dial all of my phone numbers together. And I do have a couple of cordless phones connected to my voip system.

What gets me interested of course is that sparkfun seems to have schematics for the device they built. My problem is I need to get my old rotary phone to be able to ring and dial out.

I could use a rotary phone adapter but that would probably not solve the voltage necessary to get the old rotary phone I have to ring. However, it may be that if I look at the schematics of the bluetooth device there is almost certainly an alternate method employed by sparkfun that requires less tinkering. I'll have to have a look.

Regardless, I forgot all about this project for a while now. Hurray! Fun!

Sparkfun rocks. Fast shipping too.