Smog in the City...

.. how unsexy.
When I first moved here, and watched the morning from the roof, it was quaint, in a 519-area sort of way, to see the whisp of creme brule atmosphere across the lake.  I could convince myself that "wow, it's really smoggy in oakville and burlington". Quaint.
Now, I understand that it was *me* inside the bubble.  Not so quaint.

For the past 3 days, breathing outside has been like trying to sleep with your head under the covers. Do it for too long, and my legs feel all tingley. My head feels all cottony.

Now, thunder has been chasing its tail all across the city, but has yet to produce a single drop of rain to wash away the nasty smog blanket.  I'm pretty sure the smog is keeping the rain away. Visions of Regensis, and uber-strong acid rain keep flickering through my head. 

I walked the dog early tonight, just in case.


Technorati Tags: smog, weather, regenisis, acid rain, thunder

Bravery on the Nameless, Faceless Internet

Sheesh - I've been reading the kerfuffle over the legal ownership of the term web 2.0,a nd how it can be used (or not) in conferences. Tim O'Reilly and CMP have certainly stirred the blogo-pot on this one…. or, perhaps it's something else…

There once was a time when you could make a business decision, and not have the rest of the world reading over your shoulder. The developments of web 2.0 and the kazillion of bloggers throughout the world have put a magnifying glass on everything that remotely smells like it could have an impact on them. And what's worse, people have NO PROBLEM spouting off on anything vaguely controvercial, regardless of what it is. What may be the kicker tho, is the louder people spout, the less they really know about the content, the situation or the background. Funny, that.

Maybe we don't need more collaboration. Maybe we need more education. More critical thinking, not personal criticism.

Reading what some of the posters had to say about Tim made me embarassed to be a blogger.

Technorati Tags: web 2.0, tim o'reilly, conference, embarassment

Bleeding Edge...

wow... mark goldberg hits the nail on the head... and i have to admit, i'm quite guilty of the Iridium Syndrome.... (yes, I have a logitech digital pen)

Telecom Trends

the Iridium syndrome: doing stuff because you can, regardless of the merits of the business case.

Technorati Tags: Iridium Syndrome, logitech, digital pen

Blogging with Performancing...

Just because i was a bit frustrated with switching between browsers to do nifty blog posting, i stumbled upon Performancing... and it actually works. sheesh!


Performancing for Firefox | Performancing.com

Performancing for Firefox is a full featured blog editor that sits right within Firefox * Works with all major blog software * Easy WYSIWYG Editing * Trackback, Technorati and Del.icio.us support

Technorati Tags: performancing blogging

Walking in the Fog...

... walking the smapp dog this morning, i realized i'm going to miss living here.  Not all things, mind you. But some things. The peacefulless of the water and the boats and the birds... the weather and the changes that can happen so quickly on one walk...

This place has been my safe harbour, my refuge and my comfy blanket for the past 4 years. It's been my place to hide, and my place to share.  And then when it became *our* place, it was our hide out for a while, and it was our retreat.

Mind you, there are as many things i will be glad to not have to deal with, as the things i will miss.  And now, as we begin the second phase of our adventure, i think everything will even out.


Technorati Tags: toronto harbour safety

Wanted: IPTV Hardware

... ok - so i'm working on a project that would see one appliance that can do IPTV, voice and internet. This appliance would go into a multi dweller building - like a condo or a hotel and provide all services to the suites.

Is there such a beast? Oh yah, it's also got to be able to handle the accounting and billing as well - and it's got to make use of existing wiring in the building ;-)

I poked at nortel, and i'm sure cisco has something.... but finding details on the cisco site is a pain in the ass.

technorati tags: iptv, voip, internet, data

Uber Sensitivity in the Military

It is as a soldier that we know her now, Canada’s first female combat casualty since World War II, killed — in an ambush — dying instantly on the field during a protracted firefight in Kandahar.

TheStar.com - So much more than a soldier

I’ve been following the story of Captain Nichola Goddard, who was slain in combat on May 17.  The canadian people lowered flags last weekend, there’s been nary a day in the past week that her name or images haven’t been on the front page of all daily publications in canada…  and it reminds me of a michael moore film, of mothers crying over lost children. And my brow furrows.  SO much outrage, so much sadness, so much surprise - “how could something like this happen?” “He/she was such a good person”….

Um….. I have one question - what the heck did you think was going to happen?  You decide to become a soldier, you go to war, you get shot, perhaps you are injured seriously and then you die.   It shouldn’t be a surprise ending. There shouldn’t be shock and disbelief. If you or your child make the conscious decision to take up arms and shoot people, then logically, the obvious and reasonable outcome is that you will in all liklihood become a casualty as well.  There cannot be any shred of naivity in this.  It’s quite cut and dried.

I have reasonable respect for folks who can make that decision; to join the military; but don’t come crying when the ending is so very obvious. Everyone is accountable for their decisions.  I understand why governments go to war, to protect their assets and investments.  I don’t understand why people go to war.  Did you really think you were going to get your college degree in electronics for free?  Not a good trade off, if you aren’t areound to enjoy your degree.  Might as well go to vegas to get your scholarship - the odds of surviving are better.

[end rant] 

Imagine, if people decided to STOP enlisting. All around the world, no more people for governments to pour into areas that they wanted to “conquer” under the guise of “humanitarianism”.  I’m now to the point that I have no confidence in any government in the world that they can be responsible with a military, that they are accountable for the lives that they sacrifice in the name of “freedom and peace”.

Imagine, if everyone decided to stop “fighting for peace”.  And don’t even get me started on the idiocy of Tim Horton’s going to Kandahar.  Simple bullshit.

If there is ONE casualty from those gas-mask toting coffee dollies, I don’t want to hear about it.   Although it would be a tragedy, it will NOT be a surprise, or a shock.  It’s a greater shock and tragedy, when a homeless person freezes to death; anonymously, and every day.

technorati tags: military, Kandahar, nichola goddard, soldier, female

You Remind Me of My Old Girlfriend Elenor...

…. so said to me by my elderly italian cabbie last night ;-)

I got to sit in the front seat from the Danforth to Queens Quay.

Was out with amazing, beautiful women last night for bevvies and a brilliant dinner at 7 Numbers. Laughter, Sangria, lemoncela magic… and sooo much food. The waitstaff felt like long lost friends, the bartender kept the sangria cold, and the canolli was perfect…. When i rolled home, it was all i could do to get on comfy jammies ;-)

And one other new thing - i was suitably escored on not 1, but 2 subway rides! Yikes! 

The Curious Flock Events...

... wow.

So, I've migrated from using the web interface at squarespace to using the blog interface of Flock, and since flock does the fancy technorati tags options, and i've actually used the tags options, the amount of traffic to this site has increased by 20% in the past week! Holy!

Who knew?!?! It's stunning. Brilliant. Mind you, the flexibility is better with swuarespace, but the tagging in flock still makes me choose flock for the posting and such... i can clean up the accessories with the squarespace web interface...

Hmmm... if i didn't know better, i would think that flock might replace my firefox... i know, crazy talk, but look at me - 2 browsers open for 2 different applications.

;-)

technorati tags: flock, squarespace, technorati, browser wars, blog

Rum and Rhubarb

Alliteration, with a kick... 

 

Rum and Rhubarb Compote Recipe #169864

This quick and easy microwave recipe is great with frozen or plain yogurt, spooned over cottage cheese and even delicious on French toast. Use fruit juice in place of rum if desired. Source: Foodland Ontario

• 4 cups trimmed rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 lbs)

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons rum

• 1 teaspoon orange rind, finely grated

• 4-6 servings 2 1/2 cups
  

• 26 minutes 20 mins prep

1. In an 8-cup microwaveable dish, combine rhubarb, sugar, 2 tbsp of the rum and orange rind.

2. Cover and microwave on high for 5 to 6 minutes, stir gently once, cook until rhubarb is tender.

3. Stir in remaining rum.

4. Let cool (mixture will thicken).

5. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Rum And Rhubarb Compote Recipe

technorati tags: rum, rhubarb, alliteration, ompote, diversions

short weeks are evil...

... and not just a wee bit e-vil... Massively so....

How can I be short of time - i'm only on day 12!!! But i'm in the thick of it now... ;-)

The next 10 weeks are going to go VERY fast. 

technorati tags: work, stress, short weeks

Invitations to Photography...

... a lovely thing happened tonight... i was asked to be the photogapher at a wedding...

My first thought - panic, of course ;-)

I think i'm the kind of photographer who gets lucky, so my self confidence in having to "perform under pressure" is pretty low ;-) Now, don't get me wrong, i'm thrilled at my abilities, and every so often, i utterly freak out with some of the successes i've had, but to have to be on my game, for such an important occasion has me a little on edge ;-)

So, i've suggested the master... luxography.ca and i can easily be the fre range chicken with the funny big camera ;-)

technorati tags: photography, weddings, stress, honour, luxography

blogging with flock...

wow.

ok - this is entirely too cool.  flock integrates blog editors... and by geeze, it even works with squarespace (fingers crossed) 

technorati tags: browsers, web2.0, flock

1st LONG Weekend...

… and it’s hard to tell if it’s been a success yet…. the weather up north wasn’t entirely playing fair…  although, to give credit where credit is due, saturday night was a lovely night for fireworks ;-)

We managed to get a break in the weather on saturday aft, and the chicklets managed to cajole their old man into letting them try out their new inflatable sea-doo units…. and i was amazed, they lasted in the frigid water for about 15 minutes. ;-)  

Sunday, we woke to wind, and more wind,  and a smattering of rain. The temperature plummeted. The sun came out. The rain came out. It was a cornucopia of weather. At one point, the sun came out so hard, and the wind stopped, and everything that was wet, immediately started steaming. It was an amazing, humid scene. For 9 minutes. Then the rain came back ;-)

Then the power went out. Repeated attempts to assess the damage (by calling the automated message on Ontario Hydro’s Info line) only prolonged the uncertainty. First 4 pm, then 5 pm, then 6 pm, then 6:30, then 8 pm. At 6:30, we hitailed it back to the southern country. Home of wendy’s chilli-cheeze baked potatoes and the famous bacon mushroom melt.

Chicklets schnuggled into the “big bed” and watched movies while munching on salty treats. By midnight they were snoring.

And now - it’s 8:30 - and amazingly enough, i am the only one awake. Holy.

Of course, the sun is now shining. 

technorati tags: may 24 weekend, 6 mile lake, rain, cottage, muskoka

The Nose Knows....

 

Whoot - Depeche Mode

yup - guess who’s going to see Depeche Mode tonight!!!  :-) 

I can’t believe it!!!  Entirely too exciting… (just downloaded their new album, to make sure the new songs are as good as the old….)

Sigh…. i think it’s good that depeched mode didn’t make it to glencoe when i was in high school…. i appreciate them much more now….  

technorati tags: depeche, mode, concert, toronto, ACC

Update on Friday, May 19, 2006 at 09:40PM by jules

… it was a worthy concert… considering my last concert was Cher, 4 years ago ;-) Mind you, Depeche Mode didn’t trot out a golden elephant….

We were CLOSE to the stage, ‘nuff said. Still, they didn’t play the obscure songs i love; which seem so obscure, that the wiz said they were uber-obscure. 

Turns out,  one of my faves, Happiest Girl, never made it officially onto one of their CDs. Imagine that. 

Canadian Google Comes of Age...

how interesting is this….. google jobs… IN CANADA!

:-)

Holy. Yes, it’s mostly sales jobs, but STILL!

Brilliance...

A very special friend has embarked on a new adventure…. sugarandzen.googlepages.com - creating beauty and intrigue…. her creativity is oustanding.  I’m thrilled to be a dedicated supporter of her charms.

Go See.  Look how beautiful. 

missing mesh...

… so - all the cool kids are at the mesh conference…… but as this is only my 6th day of work (in a row) at the new gig, i couldn't very well bail so early for 2 days :-(

jon arnold writes some interesting commentary about what what, and who said who - and he got to see om malik [in real life!!]

one worthy nugget [among many] from jon's review about om was:

Finally, another nugget from Om was that the real value of the blog is not the content - it's the comments - the real dialog that blogs create a platform for. His job is really just to provide context for the important news items, and that sets the stage for intelligent engagement with a community that cares about that topic. Along those lines, as a journalist, blogging is his way of keeping a story going, which I'm sure all journalists would agree with.

i loved that part - it's all about the comments, and less about the content…. makes me think more about comments :-) and the fact that i don't write enough of them!! I can nod and grin or acrue wrinkles, but i rarely comment. For Shame. I will attempt to improve.

a new me...

… considering all the changes in my life, it seemed fairly fitting that jules.ca also got a fresh look…. so - what do you think? simple, understated, clean?

;-)

it’s all about de-cluttering.