We had a representative from DryBasements by this morning, to survey the situation in our flood-damaged lower floor. He believes the only practical solution is to install a backflow preventer and sump pump, neither of which currently exist in this house (due to it being 50-ish years old). Price tag for all of that: approximately $4400!
As part of the process, they'll be scoping out with a camera the drain line that overflowed in order to determine why it did so. We're hoping that the cause is revealed to be something broken by the city workers who dug the immense hole in our front yard this summer as part of their water line maintenance. Weeping tile damage seems to be a popular refrain that we hear, so I'm crossing my fingers that it's that. All we know is that we had 13 years without a drop of moisure in that part of the basement, then after the city ripped the crap out of our yard with a giant backhoe, suddenly we got an inch or more of water during the first heavy rain. If it does turn out to be something they did, then it'll come down to: will they cover our costs for dealing with it? If not, we're out the $4400 in addition to the $500 deductible on our house insurance that's paying for the carpet and drywall to be replaced, the pool table to be disassembled, stored and reassembled, as well as any other surprises still to come.
We're really on some kind of lousy roll as far as house maintenance is concerned. It's been almost non-stop since not long after I retired, in fact. I guess the universe is trying to tell me something!
Friday, December 09, 2011
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Crazy NHL Realignment
Really? 4 conferences, that are essentially just big, crowded divisions? That's the solution? Huh.
[Update Jan 6/12: Or maybe not. The NHL Players Association appears to have blocked it, possibly delaying the realignment until the 2013/14 season.]
[Update Jan 6/12: Or maybe not. The NHL Players Association appears to have blocked it, possibly delaying the realignment until the 2013/14 season.]
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Eliminating The Blind Spot While Driving
Thanks to a friend on Twitter, I saw this impressive article on how we should be adjusting our car mirrors to avoid having blind spots. As the article states, it's difficult for many to get used to this configuration, but I'm definitely going to try it as the benefits more than outweigh the cost of adaptation.
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Lovely Matt Wagner JLA Artwork
Here's a beautiful Justice League of America cover mock up that artist Matt Wagner did for an upcoming charity auction:
It naturally brought to mind the two Wagner pieces Vicki and I bid on and won in Chicago a few years ago, now proudly on display in our front foyer and shown below (left and centre):
It naturally brought to mind the two Wagner pieces Vicki and I bid on and won in Chicago a few years ago, now proudly on display in our front foyer and shown below (left and centre):
Friday, December 02, 2011
Writing Update
I'm tired of thinking about all the household issues we're dealing with right now (which Vicki is somehow managing to stay on top of), so here's an update on a happier topic.
I finished Chapter 1 of the 2nd novel last night, and sent it off to Julie for her consideration (no word back yet). My brother Richard got to hear an earlier version of it on Wednesday, and kindly helped me out quite a bit with one part of it. As of right now, only he, Julie, Vicki and I know what it's about, and I plan to keep it that way for awhile.
The fact that I'm already through one chapter, two weeks into the writing, is good news. However, I threw a bunch of balls up into the air in that first chapter, some of which I'm still not quite sure where they're going to land. Also, once Julie reads it and provides some feedback, it's possible I may be back to the drawing board. But for now, I'm feeling positive about it. Richard certainly seemed to enjoy it.
[P.S. This is my 3300th post on this blog. That's a lot of stuff!]
I finished Chapter 1 of the 2nd novel last night, and sent it off to Julie for her consideration (no word back yet). My brother Richard got to hear an earlier version of it on Wednesday, and kindly helped me out quite a bit with one part of it. As of right now, only he, Julie, Vicki and I know what it's about, and I plan to keep it that way for awhile.
The fact that I'm already through one chapter, two weeks into the writing, is good news. However, I threw a bunch of balls up into the air in that first chapter, some of which I'm still not quite sure where they're going to land. Also, once Julie reads it and provides some feedback, it's possible I may be back to the drawing board. But for now, I'm feeling positive about it. Richard certainly seemed to enjoy it.
[P.S. This is my 3300th post on this blog. That's a lot of stuff!]
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Our Soggy Lives
Here's the scene we woke up to on Tuesday:
Since it was hard to get the extent of the water to show up in a still photo, I also took some video, as well as adding this 'action shot' of Vicki tapping her foot:
After the cleanup crew came yesterday to remove the ruined carpet down there, we finally got to see the culprit, just about exactly where Vicki had thought it would be:
Now we wait for someone to come who will snake the line out down that little bugger and determine where all the water came from. While it's tempting to say, "It came from all the rain we got," we'd had at least that much rain before without ever having a drop of it show up in that part of the basement. So something has changed, and we'd like to know what before we put any new carpet down.
Since it was hard to get the extent of the water to show up in a still photo, I also took some video, as well as adding this 'action shot' of Vicki tapping her foot:
After the cleanup crew came yesterday to remove the ruined carpet down there, we finally got to see the culprit, just about exactly where Vicki had thought it would be:
Now we wait for someone to come who will snake the line out down that little bugger and determine where all the water came from. While it's tempting to say, "It came from all the rain we got," we'd had at least that much rain before without ever having a drop of it show up in that part of the basement. So something has changed, and we'd like to know what before we put any new carpet down.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
My Wife, The Genius
As we continue to deal with our flooding basement, we had initially been using a wet/dry Shopvac to suck up the water. However, this was a never-ending job, as the water we removed was being replaced by more of the same as fast as we could empty the Shopvac.
Then, after a couple of hours of that, Vicki said, "I've got an idea. What if we got the submergible pump that we used to use to drain water off the pool cover, and set it on top of the wettest part of the carpet? We could run the hose from it into the laundry room sink, and it would do the rest."
I was initially skeptical that the water level would be sufficient for this to work, but holy crap! She was absolutely right! For the past hour, it's been running down there, with a steady stream of water coming out of the hose end into the sink. Basically we're just transferring the water that's flooding in directly from the floor to the sink, but automatically with no intervention by us. Freaking genius, that woman of mine!!
Then, after a couple of hours of that, Vicki said, "I've got an idea. What if we got the submergible pump that we used to use to drain water off the pool cover, and set it on top of the wettest part of the carpet? We could run the hose from it into the laundry room sink, and it would do the rest."
I was initially skeptical that the water level would be sufficient for this to work, but holy crap! She was absolutely right! For the past hour, it's been running down there, with a steady stream of water coming out of the hose end into the sink. Basically we're just transferring the water that's flooding in directly from the floor to the sink, but automatically with no intervention by us. Freaking genius, that woman of mine!!
Waterlogged
After dealing with the crack in the foundation earlier this year (or was it last year?), we really hoped that we were done with water in the basement. However, this morning we woke to discover significantly more water down there than we've ever had before. It was immediately clear that this was not a repeat of the previous problem (different location) but that was hardly comforting. Lots of boxes that were on the floor down there were soaked, and we spent over an hour just clearing crap out of the affected area. Then we got the Shopvac out and started vacuuming it up, only to discover that it's coming in (through a drain in the floor, under the carpet, we suspect) as fast as we can suck it up.
Calls have gone out to the insurance company, a basement leak contractor, and the city. Our neighbourhood's water lines were cleaned this summer, necessitating (among other things) a huge and deep hole being dug in our front yard. Considering that we've been in the house for 13 years and never had a drop of moisture in this part of the basement, and then the first heavy rain after that work was done by the city results in hundreds of litres of water down there, I'd call that suspicious. So we'll have to see what comes of this once the carpet's been pulled up and the source of the problem uncovered.
I'd call this a crappy day, except that doesn't do it justice. And making it worse still, my niece Amanda is dealing with the same sort of problem at her house. Misery really doesn't love company, in this case!!
Calls have gone out to the insurance company, a basement leak contractor, and the city. Our neighbourhood's water lines were cleaned this summer, necessitating (among other things) a huge and deep hole being dug in our front yard. Considering that we've been in the house for 13 years and never had a drop of moisture in this part of the basement, and then the first heavy rain after that work was done by the city results in hundreds of litres of water down there, I'd call that suspicious. So we'll have to see what comes of this once the carpet's been pulled up and the source of the problem uncovered.
I'd call this a crappy day, except that doesn't do it justice. And making it worse still, my niece Amanda is dealing with the same sort of problem at her house. Misery really doesn't love company, in this case!!
Monday, November 28, 2011
I Do My Best Thinking On My Feet
I've typically used that expression in the context of presenting or leading a workshop, as I'd get asked tough questions and have to come up with reasonable answers very quickly. I always enjoyed that challenge, and it's one of the reasons I would agree to doing something so obviously out of my normal introvert's comfort zone.
Now, though, I'm finding that a lot of the plotting of my novels - Game Over earlier this year, the new book now - is happening while Julie and I are doing our walks with Cooper. Tonight, for example, I outlined several new ideas I've had recently for her consideration, and each one of them ended up better by the end of the walk than they'd been at the start. Oh, sure, you could point out that maybe it's actually Julie who's doing most of the thinking on her feet, but really, why split hairs?
Seriously, we made some good progress tonight and I now have lots more to think about. The book is currently 7 pages long but will undoubtedly grow considerably before I decide that it's ready for publication. 7 pages, however, is quite a bit better than nothing!
Now, though, I'm finding that a lot of the plotting of my novels - Game Over earlier this year, the new book now - is happening while Julie and I are doing our walks with Cooper. Tonight, for example, I outlined several new ideas I've had recently for her consideration, and each one of them ended up better by the end of the walk than they'd been at the start. Oh, sure, you could point out that maybe it's actually Julie who's doing most of the thinking on her feet, but really, why split hairs?
Seriously, we made some good progress tonight and I now have lots more to think about. The book is currently 7 pages long but will undoubtedly grow considerably before I decide that it's ready for publication. 7 pages, however, is quite a bit better than nothing!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Mousepocalypse 2011
When Julie's cat, Finley, was with us (along with Cooper) over the Halloween weekend, he managed to find and stun a mouse in our basement. I went looking for Finley at bedtime and found him with his prize laid out beside him and not moving very much. I set it free in the backyard but assumed it probably didn't survive long.
A couple weeks later, I went into the kitchen late at night, just in time to see a mouse scurry out of Lucy's food bowl and toward the gap under the dishwasher. Lucy, meanwhile, had been sitting high up on a chair overlooking the scene, apparently unconcerned that some of her food was being enjoyed by her supposed arch nemesis!!
Not long after that disturbing scene, Vicki started finding little bits of mouse turd around the house. And that, as they say, was the last straw. This meant war!
When our friend Susan was over on Monday last week, Vicki mentioned to her that we were having mouse problems, and Susan said, "Canadian Tire has the best mouse traps known to Man. Google it and you'll see what I mean."
The next day, Vicki and I were returning from an errand and she requested a quick stop at Canadian Tire. I'd forgotten Susan's advice, but Vicki hadn't. In fact, she had Google'd it, and was now a woman on a mission. She went into the store and was back within a few minutes with two of the aforementioned traps.
That night, I went out to cycling class and then to visit a former co-worker. When I came home, around 10:00, all of the lights in the kitchen were on and Vicki was standing in the middle of the room, looking anxious. I asked her what was going on, and she directed me to the door leading to the backyard. I looked where she was motioning, and saw a dead mouse lying on the steps leading down to the back deck.
"Wow! You've caught a mouse already! That's impressive."
"Look closer," she instructed me.
I did so, and saw that there were actually two dead mice there!
"Holy crap! You've gotten two of them in the little bit of time I've been gone! Amazing!"
"Go look in the trap by the dishwasher," she further instructed me.
I did so, and there was a third dead mouse, still caught in the sprung trap!!
Later that evening, we heard a loud SNAP! and our fourth invader met his early demise. The next night, at roughly 3:00 a.m., another SNAP! rang out. I didn't hear that one (Vicki did) but not long after both of us heard the sound of something being dragged across the hardwood floor of the kitchen. Fearing that Lucy (or "Useless", as I now refer to her) had caught a paw in the trap, we rushed to see. No, she'd simply grabbed the carcass of the fifth dead mouse and was dragging it, and the trap itself, off to the basement to play with it.
I've since disposed of the bodies, but before I did I gathered the following graphic evidence of both Susan's expertise on mousetraps and my wife's proficiency with same:
Among the local mouse population, Vicki's name is now uttered in hushed tones usually reserved for the likes of Stalin and Hitler.
A couple weeks later, I went into the kitchen late at night, just in time to see a mouse scurry out of Lucy's food bowl and toward the gap under the dishwasher. Lucy, meanwhile, had been sitting high up on a chair overlooking the scene, apparently unconcerned that some of her food was being enjoyed by her supposed arch nemesis!!
Not long after that disturbing scene, Vicki started finding little bits of mouse turd around the house. And that, as they say, was the last straw. This meant war!
When our friend Susan was over on Monday last week, Vicki mentioned to her that we were having mouse problems, and Susan said, "Canadian Tire has the best mouse traps known to Man. Google it and you'll see what I mean."
The next day, Vicki and I were returning from an errand and she requested a quick stop at Canadian Tire. I'd forgotten Susan's advice, but Vicki hadn't. In fact, she had Google'd it, and was now a woman on a mission. She went into the store and was back within a few minutes with two of the aforementioned traps.
That night, I went out to cycling class and then to visit a former co-worker. When I came home, around 10:00, all of the lights in the kitchen were on and Vicki was standing in the middle of the room, looking anxious. I asked her what was going on, and she directed me to the door leading to the backyard. I looked where she was motioning, and saw a dead mouse lying on the steps leading down to the back deck.
"Wow! You've caught a mouse already! That's impressive."
"Look closer," she instructed me.
I did so, and saw that there were actually two dead mice there!
"Holy crap! You've gotten two of them in the little bit of time I've been gone! Amazing!"
"Go look in the trap by the dishwasher," she further instructed me.
I did so, and there was a third dead mouse, still caught in the sprung trap!!
Later that evening, we heard a loud SNAP! and our fourth invader met his early demise. The next night, at roughly 3:00 a.m., another SNAP! rang out. I didn't hear that one (Vicki did) but not long after both of us heard the sound of something being dragged across the hardwood floor of the kitchen. Fearing that Lucy (or "Useless", as I now refer to her) had caught a paw in the trap, we rushed to see. No, she'd simply grabbed the carcass of the fifth dead mouse and was dragging it, and the trap itself, off to the basement to play with it.
I've since disposed of the bodies, but before I did I gathered the following graphic evidence of both Susan's expertise on mousetraps and my wife's proficiency with same:
Among the local mouse population, Vicki's name is now uttered in hushed tones usually reserved for the likes of Stalin and Hitler.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Evolution Shouldn't Need Defending
It's a crying shame that videos like this "Let's Talk About Evolution" piece even need to be produced, but they do. In it, female scientists and science journalists explain why understanding evolution is so important to Science, and why it should be taught in schools. How can these statements even be in doubt, a decade into the 21st century? I'd say it boils down to a combination of willful religious ignorance (among some, but certainly not all devout believers across many faiths) and stubborn human pride.
On that latter aspect, I can sympathize at least a little: the more I learn about evolution, the more humbling it really is. To go from believing that we're made in God's image and placed at the centre of the universe to understanding that we're the result of billions of years of chance (albeit advantageous) genetic mutations and exist as an almost infinitely small dot against the backdrop of a universe so vast as to boggle our imagination... I suspect that's simply too bitter a pill for some to swallow. The thing about the truth, though, is that it's true, whether you believe it or not.
On that latter aspect, I can sympathize at least a little: the more I learn about evolution, the more humbling it really is. To go from believing that we're made in God's image and placed at the centre of the universe to understanding that we're the result of billions of years of chance (albeit advantageous) genetic mutations and exist as an almost infinitely small dot against the backdrop of a universe so vast as to boggle our imagination... I suspect that's simply too bitter a pill for some to swallow. The thing about the truth, though, is that it's true, whether you believe it or not.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
AgileMan's Latest Real-Life Adventure
Exactly one month ago today, I posted about an upcoming Agile 101 session that I was going to run for the local chapter of the Project Management Institute. That particular event happened today!
I'm happy to report that the session sold out, and that there's already a waiting list building for another one (currently slated for mid-January). Of the 24 attendees, I knew 3 of them from past work experiences. It was a good, enthusiastic group, and the day flew by (for me, at least!).
The results of the 1-page survey that I always ask them to fill out were:
Effectiveness of the presentation portion: 8.7 (out of 10)
Effectiveness of the hands on portion: 8.2 (out of 10)
Effectiveness of Product Manager role for the hands on: 8.9 (out of 10)
These are pretty typical results for this workshop, which always seems to go over well. I was actually surprised at the difference between the ratings for the hands on itself (8.2) versus the facilitation of it (8.9), but there was one person who gave the former a 4 and the latter a 9, perhaps explaining at least part of that. I think it's also a reflection of the high quality of assistance I got, as Vicki and the chapter's president acted as Product Managers along with me during the hands on.
Anyway, it was a great - albeit draining!! - day, and provided me with both some good experience as well as a bit of income. I'm likely to be doing more work for the PMI in the future.
I'm happy to report that the session sold out, and that there's already a waiting list building for another one (currently slated for mid-January). Of the 24 attendees, I knew 3 of them from past work experiences. It was a good, enthusiastic group, and the day flew by (for me, at least!).
The results of the 1-page survey that I always ask them to fill out were:
Effectiveness of the presentation portion: 8.7 (out of 10)
Effectiveness of the hands on portion: 8.2 (out of 10)
Effectiveness of Product Manager role for the hands on: 8.9 (out of 10)
These are pretty typical results for this workshop, which always seems to go over well. I was actually surprised at the difference between the ratings for the hands on itself (8.2) versus the facilitation of it (8.9), but there was one person who gave the former a 4 and the latter a 9, perhaps explaining at least part of that. I think it's also a reflection of the high quality of assistance I got, as Vicki and the chapter's president acted as Product Managers along with me during the hands on.
Anyway, it was a great - albeit draining!! - day, and provided me with both some good experience as well as a bit of income. I'm likely to be doing more work for the PMI in the future.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
In Happier News
I sat down on Friday afternoon, last week, and just started writing the next novel. Julie and I've talked about it enough by this point that I definitely know how it starts, but not a whole lot more than that. So I thought I might as well see if I could put some of what we've discussed into written form, and before I knew it I had more than 2 pages written.
When Julie was over on Saturday night (for yet another stay-up-talking-until-nearly-dawn visit that she's known for in our household), I read the 2.5 pages to her and Vicki, just to gauge their reaction and also to hear the words myself. Both seemed to really like it, with Julie even giving me a high-five and a loud cheer when I finished. So that's good.
I'm actually kind of excited to be writing again.
When Julie was over on Saturday night (for yet another stay-up-talking-until-nearly-dawn visit that she's known for in our household), I read the 2.5 pages to her and Vicki, just to gauge their reaction and also to hear the words myself. Both seemed to really like it, with Julie even giving me a high-five and a loud cheer when I finished. So that's good.
I'm actually kind of excited to be writing again.
Failure Apparently Is An Option
There are still 3 days to go, but considering how busy the rest of my week looks it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that I won't have finished this year's Christmas shopping by Nov 25th, as is my goal every year.
I'll be most of the way there, as I've already got a pretty good stash built up in the basement. But there are at least 10 more still to go (even though I bought one today!!) and I don't expect to have any time to go out shopping again until next week. So I'm admitting failure right now, and beginning the self-flogging in the most public place I know of... right here.
I'll be most of the way there, as I've already got a pretty good stash built up in the basement. But there are at least 10 more still to go (even though I bought one today!!) and I don't expect to have any time to go out shopping again until next week. So I'm admitting failure right now, and beginning the self-flogging in the most public place I know of... right here.
Happy Birthday To Boneman
All he got this year was a Stanley Cup (back in June) and a 9-game winning streak right now, both courtesy of his beloved Boston Bruins. Not too shabby, now that I think about it.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Free At Last
This time last year, I briefly thought I'd freed myself from the annual cycle of paying for a mostly-unused Gold XBox Live membership thanks to my credit card getting a new expiry date and verification code. Then, to my horror, the transaction somehow still went through! I had planned to call Microsoft and push them to remove the automatic renewal from my account - since they don't let you do it online or on your 360! - but once I read all of the documentation that they require from you when you make that call, I knew I'd never get through it.
Instead, I waited until September of this year and then I called the card company to tell them that I wanted to ensure they wouldn't put through any outdated transactions like they did last year at this time. What I got for my troubles was a long song and dance about how it's all automated now, so the only option I had was to allow it to complete and then dispute it after the fact. I said, "Uh, no, there's another option... you can cancel my card and I'll take my business elsewhere!" Faced with that possibility, the service person said, "Well, how about if we just cancel your card, issue you a new one with a new number, and then you won't have to worry about any old transactions being auto-approved against it." It certainly wasn't what I'd have preferred, but I was also pretty sick of giving $60/year to Microsoft for a service I'd stopped using more than a year ago. So that's what we did.
And just last week I got a series of increasingly-urgent e-mails from XBox Live, imploring me to quickly update my credit card information so as not to suffer a disruption of service. I just checked a few minutes ago, and sure enough I don't seem to be able to get online to play games there anymore. So I think - I hope!! - that this may actually be the end of this saga. The bullshit approach to 'capturing' your business in this way has definitely made it very unlikely I'll ever again buy a game on the 360 if it's available on the PS3. So, y'know... way to go, Microsoft!
Instead, I waited until September of this year and then I called the card company to tell them that I wanted to ensure they wouldn't put through any outdated transactions like they did last year at this time. What I got for my troubles was a long song and dance about how it's all automated now, so the only option I had was to allow it to complete and then dispute it after the fact. I said, "Uh, no, there's another option... you can cancel my card and I'll take my business elsewhere!" Faced with that possibility, the service person said, "Well, how about if we just cancel your card, issue you a new one with a new number, and then you won't have to worry about any old transactions being auto-approved against it." It certainly wasn't what I'd have preferred, but I was also pretty sick of giving $60/year to Microsoft for a service I'd stopped using more than a year ago. So that's what we did.
And just last week I got a series of increasingly-urgent e-mails from XBox Live, imploring me to quickly update my credit card information so as not to suffer a disruption of service. I just checked a few minutes ago, and sure enough I don't seem to be able to get online to play games there anymore. So I think - I hope!! - that this may actually be the end of this saga. The bullshit approach to 'capturing' your business in this way has definitely made it very unlikely I'll ever again buy a game on the 360 if it's available on the PS3. So, y'know... way to go, Microsoft!
Whedon Talks Avengers
I really loved this interview Joss Whedon gave to Yahoo! Movies, as it provides lots of nice bits of insight into how he's approached the project without actually giving anything away. It's exactly the sort of thing I enjoy reading before watching a movie I'm looking forward to, because it perfectly whets my appetite for the big event, spoiler-free. I can only imagine how cool some of the extra features are going to be on the DVD sometime next fall, when they can finally provide some juicy behind-the-scenes details.
Can't wait for May 4, 2012!!
Can't wait for May 4, 2012!!
Friday, November 18, 2011
I Love Science
... especially when it's as amazing as this whole "neutrinos may travel faster than the speed of light" result that's now been reproduced under better test conditions. It's hard to even begin to comprehend how much this may upend some of what we thought we understood about the nature of the universe, if true.
I'm tempted to say that it's too bad Einstein's not around to see this, but considering how much he struggled against the emerging world of quantum physics throughout the second half of his life... maybe it's just as well.
I'm tempted to say that it's too bad Einstein's not around to see this, but considering how much he struggled against the emerging world of quantum physics throughout the second half of his life... maybe it's just as well.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Water On Europa? Possibly
In an article in Nature, a University of Texas at Austin report employs some fascinating Science to support the theory that there are great lakes beneath the icy shell of the moon Europa, orbiting distant Jupiter. Now the question is, can we send a spacecraft there with adequate equipment to check it out?
Of course, there's also Arthur C. Clarke's warning from 2010: Odyssey Two to consider - "ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA. ATTEMPT NO LANDINGS THERE." Hmmm.
Of course, there's also Arthur C. Clarke's warning from 2010: Odyssey Two to consider - "ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA. ATTEMPT NO LANDINGS THERE." Hmmm.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Everyone Has Something To Say Except When I Ask Them To
So about a week ago, I put the call out for ideas on how best to describe Game Over to the members of the blogosphere who've read it. This would, in a sense, be an example of crowdsourcing, I suppose.
So far, I've received... [counts on fingers]... zero responses! That's right: this motley collection of opinionators who usually won't pass up any opportunity to chime in with mocking commentary on the ups and downs of my life have absolutely nothing to say! That kind of blows my mind, actually. Or maybe I'm just coming down with a cold. Either way, I got nothing.
Bah.
So far, I've received... [counts on fingers]... zero responses! That's right: this motley collection of opinionators who usually won't pass up any opportunity to chime in with mocking commentary on the ups and downs of my life have absolutely nothing to say! That kind of blows my mind, actually. Or maybe I'm just coming down with a cold. Either way, I got nothing.
Bah.
One November Agile Gig Down, One To Go
Yesterday I did my 8th (?) semi-annual guest lecture for the 2nd year Computer Science class at the local university. This time the daughter of a friend of ours was there, as she just happened to be taking that course. Of course, the last time I saw her she was about 13 or 14 years old, so it was great to catch up with her! The lecture started off slow and I was afraid I was losing some of the students at first, but then around the midway mark I seemed to get into a groove. I got the loudest and most enthusiastic applause at the end that I've ever gotten, so that assessment about pulling it out eventually wasn't just my imagination, either. No idea what went wrong and then right, though.
Next week it's the Agile 101 workshop for the local Project Management chapter, which is looking like it'll be about 20 or so people. I spent some time Monday and yesterday getting the slides ready for it, combining two sets from previous engagements ("Agile 101" and "PMs in an Agile World") into one hopefully cohesive presentation. Should be interesting, and if it goes well maybe I'll be asked to repeat it for other PM chapters around the area.
Such is my work life at the moment. Plus I need to start thinking about the next novel.
Next week it's the Agile 101 workshop for the local Project Management chapter, which is looking like it'll be about 20 or so people. I spent some time Monday and yesterday getting the slides ready for it, combining two sets from previous engagements ("Agile 101" and "PMs in an Agile World") into one hopefully cohesive presentation. Should be interesting, and if it goes well maybe I'll be asked to repeat it for other PM chapters around the area.
Such is my work life at the moment. Plus I need to start thinking about the next novel.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Elizabeth Warren's First Senate-Run Ad Is Out
And it's a beauty!!
But is America already too far gone to elect someone to the U.S. Senate who is so obviously perfect for the job? Is there enough anger in Massachusetts toward the big banks having gotten rich on everyone else's losses to overcome the Conservative movement's momentum in dismantling the social gains of the last 80 years? Here's hoping.
But is America already too far gone to elect someone to the U.S. Senate who is so obviously perfect for the job? Is there enough anger in Massachusetts toward the big banks having gotten rich on everyone else's losses to overcome the Conservative movement's momentum in dismantling the social gains of the last 80 years? Here's hoping.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The Modern Warfare 3 Update
I came home with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 five days ago, and it's been a rollercoaster ride since then. I loved the little bit of Special Operations that I played on the first couple days, before venturing into the multiplayer arena and becoming... very frustrated.
Because of the popularity of the Call of Duty franchise, online play for each new release in the series tends to be particularly challenging. A lot of the best first person shooter players - period! - are currently spending their time in CoD:MW3's multiplayer games. They can level up quite quickly because they're playing a lot and are really good at it, which unlocks the better weapons and loadouts for them more quickly, making them... even better players. It's a vicious circle that can make jumping into one of those matches when you're not one of the best players pretty humbling, to say the least.
So after about 10 or 11 hours of online play, I was up to level 42 (not bad) but had a kill-to-death ratio below 1 (not good). I usually start off that way only to slowly improve, but this time I didn't seem to be getting any better. As recently as midway through play last night, I was still having my ass handed to me, game after game after game. I'd racked up 100 fewer kills than deaths, and was stuck around 0.86 on my KTD. I was at the point of thinking that I might as well switch to the campaign if I was never going to carry my own weight in multiplayer anyway.
Then, in desperation, I decided I'd completely alter my game play style to more of a "camping" approach. This isn't something I'm proud of, as generally campers are the objects of scorn, but I didn't know what else to try. I was constantly getting shot in the back, or from a distance so great that I couldn't even see the other player, and it just wasn't any fun at all. So I started crouching in corners and waiting for enemies to pass by, allowing me to shoot them in the back for a change! I began looking for the best locations on each map to stay hidden in that fashion, and pretty quickly saw my results dramatically. I had a 9-1 (9 kills, 1 death) game, followed by a 9-2, and 11-4, and a 10-5... all much better than I'd been doing previously.
I've never had to go this extreme in order to turn things around, but the calibre of play really does seem higher with this Call of Duty game than I've seen before. I'm trying to stick with it until at least level 53, as that's when you can finally equip yourself with Claymores, my favourite Call of Duty grenade type. After those great matches last night, I went to bed sitting at level 46 and with a KTD of 0.924. So I just need 7 more promotions to get Claymores, and then I'll see if I can be at least a little less of a camper without driving myself crazy.
As with previous games in this series, Modern Warfare 3 is proving to be quite the mixture of addictive appeal and teeth-grinding frustration. Well worth the $60...
Because of the popularity of the Call of Duty franchise, online play for each new release in the series tends to be particularly challenging. A lot of the best first person shooter players - period! - are currently spending their time in CoD:MW3's multiplayer games. They can level up quite quickly because they're playing a lot and are really good at it, which unlocks the better weapons and loadouts for them more quickly, making them... even better players. It's a vicious circle that can make jumping into one of those matches when you're not one of the best players pretty humbling, to say the least.
So after about 10 or 11 hours of online play, I was up to level 42 (not bad) but had a kill-to-death ratio below 1 (not good). I usually start off that way only to slowly improve, but this time I didn't seem to be getting any better. As recently as midway through play last night, I was still having my ass handed to me, game after game after game. I'd racked up 100 fewer kills than deaths, and was stuck around 0.86 on my KTD. I was at the point of thinking that I might as well switch to the campaign if I was never going to carry my own weight in multiplayer anyway.
Then, in desperation, I decided I'd completely alter my game play style to more of a "camping" approach. This isn't something I'm proud of, as generally campers are the objects of scorn, but I didn't know what else to try. I was constantly getting shot in the back, or from a distance so great that I couldn't even see the other player, and it just wasn't any fun at all. So I started crouching in corners and waiting for enemies to pass by, allowing me to shoot them in the back for a change! I began looking for the best locations on each map to stay hidden in that fashion, and pretty quickly saw my results dramatically. I had a 9-1 (9 kills, 1 death) game, followed by a 9-2, and 11-4, and a 10-5... all much better than I'd been doing previously.
I've never had to go this extreme in order to turn things around, but the calibre of play really does seem higher with this Call of Duty game than I've seen before. I'm trying to stick with it until at least level 53, as that's when you can finally equip yourself with Claymores, my favourite Call of Duty grenade type. After those great matches last night, I went to bed sitting at level 46 and with a KTD of 0.924. So I just need 7 more promotions to get Claymores, and then I'll see if I can be at least a little less of a camper without driving myself crazy.
As with previous games in this series, Modern Warfare 3 is proving to be quite the mixture of addictive appeal and teeth-grinding frustration. Well worth the $60...
Friday, November 11, 2011
Marvelman Creator Dead At 95
Mick Anglo, the original creator of Marvelman, died on Halloween. As the preceding article mentions, the question of what this development means to the rights quagmire surrounding the character is up in the air at the moment. I don't know whether Disney Comics would see this as a positive or a negative, aside from the obvious "our prayers go out to his family" aspect (I mean, c'mon... the guy had a loooong life so there's really nothing sad about his passing).
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
How Would You Promote Game Over?
As mentioned earlier, I'm trying to do more to promote Game Over. As part of putting it for sale on Smashwords, I need to post a catchy description of it on the forums there. I've been looking at what others do to drum up interest in their books, but I'm still stuck on how best to entice someone to try mine.
So... if you've read Game Over and think it was time well spent, can you please take a minute and provide some idea of how you'd go about interesting a stranger in it. This can be in the form of a comment on this post, or you can e-mail me if you'd prefer. Just don't put anything in a comment that would be considered too spoilerish for those who haven't read Game Over yet, obviously.
I can't believe there isn't a really great way to promote this novel... I just can't seem to find it!!
So... if you've read Game Over and think it was time well spent, can you please take a minute and provide some idea of how you'd go about interesting a stranger in it. This can be in the form of a comment on this post, or you can e-mail me if you'd prefer. Just don't put anything in a comment that would be considered too spoilerish for those who haven't read Game Over yet, obviously.
I can't believe there isn't a really great way to promote this novel... I just can't seem to find it!!
Monday, November 07, 2011
Resistance 3, You Don't Owe Me A Cent!
I posted on Facebook at the start of the weekend that I needed to complete the single player campaign of Resistance 3 by the end of today since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 comes out tomorrow and will no doubt preoccupy me for some time to come. Well, I did it one better - I finished it twice!
I completed the campaign on Normal difficulty early last night, and then noticed that I'd accumulated some credits doing so. Those credits can be used for various things, such as new skins (for multiplayer), artwork and such, within the game. But they also can be traded for cheats for use during the campaign itself. I saw two that interested me in particular (two of the three most expensive ones): one for regenerating health by not taking fire (which is how Resistance: Fall of Man and most current First Person Shooters work) rather than having to rely on finding health capsules in the game; and Infinite Ammo. So I purchased them both, and then restarted the campaign at the next highest difficulty setting (Difficult).
It was so much fun playing through it again with the improved health situation and not having to scrounge for ammo that I just kept going. And this afternoon I finished it a second time, having levelled up all of my weapons in the process.
Between those two passes through the single player campaign and the 60 or 70 hours of multiplayer that I greatly enjoyed, I'd say I got my $60 worth several times over on this game. Yet another great release from Insomniac Games!
I completed the campaign on Normal difficulty early last night, and then noticed that I'd accumulated some credits doing so. Those credits can be used for various things, such as new skins (for multiplayer), artwork and such, within the game. But they also can be traded for cheats for use during the campaign itself. I saw two that interested me in particular (two of the three most expensive ones): one for regenerating health by not taking fire (which is how Resistance: Fall of Man and most current First Person Shooters work) rather than having to rely on finding health capsules in the game; and Infinite Ammo. So I purchased them both, and then restarted the campaign at the next highest difficulty setting (Difficult).
It was so much fun playing through it again with the improved health situation and not having to scrounge for ammo that I just kept going. And this afternoon I finished it a second time, having levelled up all of my weapons in the process.
Between those two passes through the single player campaign and the 60 or 70 hours of multiplayer that I greatly enjoyed, I'd say I got my $60 worth several times over on this game. Yet another great release from Insomniac Games!
Sunday, November 06, 2011
ePub Version Of Game Over Now On Smashwords
I'm getting ready to try some promotional angles for Game Over, after procrastinating on that topic for a couple months now. Someone recently pointed me to MobileRead, a website where self-published authors can promote their work (presumably to other self-published authors). In reading over its FAQ, I came across several references to the eBook-selling site, Smashwords.
After several hours of reading and reformatting this afternoon, I've finally gotten Game Over on sale there, where you can purchase it for $2.99 in any one of 9 different eBook formats (including Kindle, ePub and PDF). I have more confidence in this ePub version than I do in the one on Lulu, but both are probably fine.
Today's felt a little like working on a nested problem, where each new place I went to look at led me to something else, and I'm now finally beginning to unwind the nesting. With this development of having the book on Smashwords, I can go back to looking at how to promote Game Over, starting with MobileRead.
After several hours of reading and reformatting this afternoon, I've finally gotten Game Over on sale there, where you can purchase it for $2.99 in any one of 9 different eBook formats (including Kindle, ePub and PDF). I have more confidence in this ePub version than I do in the one on Lulu, but both are probably fine.
Today's felt a little like working on a nested problem, where each new place I went to look at led me to something else, and I'm now finally beginning to unwind the nesting. With this development of having the book on Smashwords, I can go back to looking at how to promote Game Over, starting with MobileRead.
Friday, November 04, 2011
3 Months To Die For In 2012
Between May 4th and July 20th next year, I may actually become the latest victim of spontaneous combustion. Here's why:
May 4th - The Avengers movie debuts, which I've quite frankly been waiting nearly my entire life for. I started reading that comic series at the age of 8 or so, just as the legendary Kree-Skrull War storyline was ramping up. One of my favourite single issues of all-time would have to be The Avengers # 93, the double-sized, all new Roy Thomas / Neal Adams masterpiece that still amazes me today. Rumours continue to abound that Joss Whedon's 2012 film featuring Earth's Mightiest Heroes will in fact involve an invasion by those self-same shape-shifting Skrulls that I first became acquainted with back in my youth.
June 8th - Ridley Scott returns - maybe - to the Alien universe he introduced us to in 1979, with next year's Prometheus. Is it a prequel to that seminal film that ushered us out of the 70s (and me out of my childhood)? Or is it another take on the original? Little is known, and I try to avoid reading much about Prometheus anyway, as I'd prefer to be surprised. Scott's such a great director - Alien, Blade Runner, Black Hawk Down - that this project seems like a slam dunk for Sci Fi Movie of the Year. I've been waiting since 1986 for a worthy Alien movie to follow the first two, and I'm actually hopeful that this may be it!
July 20th - The best superhero movie of all-time, and one of the most enjoyable films - period - was The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker was obviously a huge reason for that, but director Christopher Nolan also had a lot to do with it. Batman Begins, which started Nolan's Bat-trilogy, was excellent in its own right. Therefore there's every reason to expect an incredible finale when Christian Bale reprises his Batman role one last time under Nolan's direction, for The Dark Knight Rises. I didn't think they'd be able to top Batman Begins, and then they blew it out of the water with The Dark Knight. Can they possibly improve upon TDK? I'm ready to believe that maybe they can, with TDKR!
May 4th - The Avengers movie debuts, which I've quite frankly been waiting nearly my entire life for. I started reading that comic series at the age of 8 or so, just as the legendary Kree-Skrull War storyline was ramping up. One of my favourite single issues of all-time would have to be The Avengers # 93, the double-sized, all new Roy Thomas / Neal Adams masterpiece that still amazes me today. Rumours continue to abound that Joss Whedon's 2012 film featuring Earth's Mightiest Heroes will in fact involve an invasion by those self-same shape-shifting Skrulls that I first became acquainted with back in my youth.
June 8th - Ridley Scott returns - maybe - to the Alien universe he introduced us to in 1979, with next year's Prometheus. Is it a prequel to that seminal film that ushered us out of the 70s (and me out of my childhood)? Or is it another take on the original? Little is known, and I try to avoid reading much about Prometheus anyway, as I'd prefer to be surprised. Scott's such a great director - Alien, Blade Runner, Black Hawk Down - that this project seems like a slam dunk for Sci Fi Movie of the Year. I've been waiting since 1986 for a worthy Alien movie to follow the first two, and I'm actually hopeful that this may be it!
July 20th - The best superhero movie of all-time, and one of the most enjoyable films - period - was The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker was obviously a huge reason for that, but director Christopher Nolan also had a lot to do with it. Batman Begins, which started Nolan's Bat-trilogy, was excellent in its own right. Therefore there's every reason to expect an incredible finale when Christian Bale reprises his Batman role one last time under Nolan's direction, for The Dark Knight Rises. I didn't think they'd be able to top Batman Begins, and then they blew it out of the water with The Dark Knight. Can they possibly improve upon TDK? I'm ready to believe that maybe they can, with TDKR!
Thursday, November 03, 2011
I Love This Story
Clearly the Occupy Wall Street movement has made a ton of mistakes and poor choices, but this example is one they could all learn from. This guy's so polite I can't believe he's not Canadian!
My favourite line is the cop's, to the banker: "If you don't like free speech you should move to another country."
My favourite line is the cop's, to the banker: "If you don't like free speech you should move to another country."
Family Photos
We had my brother Rich and his wife Meena over for a long-delayed dinner last Sunday. They'd already had us over to their place a couple of times, including for Thanksgiving dinner in October, but it took us from August until now to make it happen at our house.
Here are the happy couple, hanging out in our family room:
Like Tammy, I don't think these two ever take a bad photo! (I have the opposite trait, which is why I prefer to be the one behind the camera whenever I can.)
Vicki looks pretty fantastic, as well, in this shot that also features a certain four-legged member of our life:
Not content to be on the sidelines for long, camera-ham Cooper practically forced me out of the picture but I somehow managed to squeeze in for the one image that was years (decades?) in the making:
Dinner was spaghetti and garlic bread, followed by Vicki's delicious cherry cheesecake for dessert. It was a great evening of conversation and food. Better still, we all expressed the desire to make it a monthly tradition from now on.
Here are the happy couple, hanging out in our family room:
Like Tammy, I don't think these two ever take a bad photo! (I have the opposite trait, which is why I prefer to be the one behind the camera whenever I can.)
Vicki looks pretty fantastic, as well, in this shot that also features a certain four-legged member of our life:
Not content to be on the sidelines for long, camera-ham Cooper practically forced me out of the picture but I somehow managed to squeeze in for the one image that was years (decades?) in the making:
Dinner was spaghetti and garlic bread, followed by Vicki's delicious cherry cheesecake for dessert. It was a great evening of conversation and food. Better still, we all expressed the desire to make it a monthly tradition from now on.
Monday, October 31, 2011
This Looks Like A Job For...
SuperCooper didn't get to greet as many trick-or-treaters as he would've liked, but that didn't bring him down too much, as you can see in the photo above. We had 15 callers tonight, down from our usual 18 or 19 that we've had each of the last 4 years. A bit of rain may've accounted for that, I suppose, as my brother reported a 'mere' 71, where usually they get over 100 and have gotten as many as 200 in the past. My great-niece Emma, manning her home while the parents and siblings were out collecting candy, apparently received zero trick-or-treaters! That's just crazy! The Dog of Steel at least got to greet about 5 or 6 groups, including a trio of teenage girls who couldn't leave him alone (the lucky pooch!).
If You're Feeling A Little Hemmed In Right Now...
... it's because we just passed the 7 billion mark for the human population on this planet. This is, of course, an estimate, as no one really knows exactly how many people there on Earth. The population has more than doubled in my lifetime so far, as there were a few hundred million less than 3.5 billion occupants when I was added to the mix. My 85-year-old aunt, who's still among us, was born into a world that hadn't yet reached 2 billion at the time, so just imagine how much more crowded it must seem to her now!
Good Times
This memory-inducing article goes out to all the work friends I had back in 2002/2003 when every Wednesday night was simply known as "Battlefield Night." I don't miss gaming on a PC, where each new game that came out might potentially mean that I'd have to upgrade my machine if I wanted to play it... but I definitely miss those Battlefield nights!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
This Probably Won't Help Repair The U.S. Financial Industry's Image Much
From BoingBoing (via Wil Wheaton on Google+): foreclosure mill employees dressed up as homeless people last year for Halloween. And people wonder where the Occupy Wall Street anger comes from. As Wheaton commented on the firm's lack of compassion, "WOW. What a bunch of shitbags."
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Why I Don't (Very Often) Watch Rangers Games On TV
For some strange reason (presumably something to do with Canadian content), the vast majority of the New York Rangers' first 9 games of the season have been televised across the relatively basic TV channels that we subscribe to. By my count, at least their games against Los Angeles and Anaheim (both from Stockholm), Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa have been on TSN, Sportsnet or CBC so far, along with (possibly) the one versus Winnipeg. That's 7 or 8 of 9 games... for an American team that's not even one of the premiere Cup contenders these days!
Today was pretty typical of what happens when I try to watch a Rangers game. I checked in during the 3rd period, to see the Blueshirts up 4-1 on the Senators. Just as I was digesting that fact, however, Ottawa scored to make it 4-2. Then several minutes later, 4-3. And of course they tied it up before the period ended, sending it to overtime and eventually to a shootout... where the Rangers would lose.
So for those who wonder why I don't watch more Rangers game? There's your answer.
Today was pretty typical of what happens when I try to watch a Rangers game. I checked in during the 3rd period, to see the Blueshirts up 4-1 on the Senators. Just as I was digesting that fact, however, Ottawa scored to make it 4-2. Then several minutes later, 4-3. And of course they tied it up before the period ended, sending it to overtime and eventually to a shootout... where the Rangers would lose.
So for those who wonder why I don't watch more Rangers game? There's your answer.
This Year's Best Halloween Costume, Paws Down!
Julie's visiting family in the States this weekend and won't be back until Tuesday. Therefore Vicki and I have Cooper and Finley for several days, prompting the following photo and e-mail comments from their mistress:
"Cooper insisted on his Halloween costume this year. Sometimes I think you have too much influence on my dog! He is looking forward to trick-or-treating with you!!"
"Cooper insisted on his Halloween costume this year. Sometimes I think you have too much influence on my dog! He is looking forward to trick-or-treating with you!!"
A Classic World Series
Before this past week, had there ever been a World Series in which a team twice came within a strike of winning it all, only to end up the eventual loser of that Fall Classic? I can't imagine there had been. But thanks to the Texas Rangers of 2011, we've now seen that happen. Somewhere, if there's any justice at all, George W Bush is still crying bitterly over that outcome.
I thoroughly enjoyed this year's World Series. Game 7 itself could have had a little more drama, but considering all that had come before it - especially the aforementioned rise and fall and rise and fall of the Rangers in Game 6 - that might simply be asking too much. This was truly a series for the ages.
And, for those of us who love our playoff baseball, the fact that there were 38 of a possible 41 games across the three rounds meant that we weren't shortchanged at all in this year's postseason. Yay for us!
I thoroughly enjoyed this year's World Series. Game 7 itself could have had a little more drama, but considering all that had come before it - especially the aforementioned rise and fall and rise and fall of the Rangers in Game 6 - that might simply be asking too much. This was truly a series for the ages.
And, for those of us who love our playoff baseball, the fact that there were 38 of a possible 41 games across the three rounds meant that we weren't shortchanged at all in this year's postseason. Yay for us!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Dan "The Man" Mangan Shines In Concert
It was a family outing last night, as Vicki and I took great-niece Emma and great-nephew Hunter "out on the town" for an evening of dining and entertainment. We hit the Keg for dinner and then headed for a meet-up with a couple friends of ours who'd convinced us that Canadian singer/songwriter Dan Mangan was an act that we should see.
The husband of the couple, Tim, sometimes works with a local concert venue to bring performers there, and he was thrilled that Mangan was making yet another return appearance to that location. His wife, Cathie, met us before the doors of the venue opened and got us in a back way where, after showing our tickets and waiting through a sound check, we were able to grab six front row seats! Here are my three family members:
and then Vicki turned the camera around on us:
Mangan and his band were incredible, and it seemed like musician Hunter really appreciated some of what they were capable of. I found that I liked the music more and more as the set progressed, with the last several numbers being the most impressive. Dan's shown below, centre-left, with his right arm in the air:
When he came back out for the encore, Dan discovered that someone had left him a tin of homemade cookies on the stage. Picking one up, he looked out in the audience for a volunteer, and so I put my hands out, cupped, and he tossed it directly to me. I tried to give the cookie to Emma, but her painfully shy nature took over and she demured. So I assured Mr Mangan I was willing to be his food tester, and took a big bite out of a delicious chocolate chip cookie! I gave him the thumbs up signal, and the show then continued. I'd get a high five from Dan later in the encore, when he'd come down into the audience and walk by us front rowers, singing the whole time. What a great experience for all of us!
We got the kids home "a little late" (after midnight), but hopefully it was worth a bit of lost sleep for the experience. Vicki and I definitely had a great time, and thanks are owed to our friends Tim and Cathie for getting us out there and into such great seats!
The husband of the couple, Tim, sometimes works with a local concert venue to bring performers there, and he was thrilled that Mangan was making yet another return appearance to that location. His wife, Cathie, met us before the doors of the venue opened and got us in a back way where, after showing our tickets and waiting through a sound check, we were able to grab six front row seats! Here are my three family members:
and then Vicki turned the camera around on us:
Mangan and his band were incredible, and it seemed like musician Hunter really appreciated some of what they were capable of. I found that I liked the music more and more as the set progressed, with the last several numbers being the most impressive. Dan's shown below, centre-left, with his right arm in the air:
When he came back out for the encore, Dan discovered that someone had left him a tin of homemade cookies on the stage. Picking one up, he looked out in the audience for a volunteer, and so I put my hands out, cupped, and he tossed it directly to me. I tried to give the cookie to Emma, but her painfully shy nature took over and she demured. So I assured Mr Mangan I was willing to be his food tester, and took a big bite out of a delicious chocolate chip cookie! I gave him the thumbs up signal, and the show then continued. I'd get a high five from Dan later in the encore, when he'd come down into the audience and walk by us front rowers, singing the whole time. What a great experience for all of us!
We got the kids home "a little late" (after midnight), but hopefully it was worth a bit of lost sleep for the experience. Vicki and I definitely had a great time, and thanks are owed to our friends Tim and Cathie for getting us out there and into such great seats!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
One Of These Things Is A Lot Like The Other
We ventured out to a theatre to see The Thing last night. For those who don't know, this is a prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing, which came out in 1982 and is in my Top 20 Favourite Movies of All Time list. This latest version does its best to tell the story of what happened at the Norwegian camp in Antarctica that's essentially the springboard for what happens in Carpenter's early-80s classic.
I'm a bit torn on this movie. On the one hand, it's a geek's dream come true, as it pays off many of the mysterious little bits from its 1982 sequel: the burned, two-faced corpse in the snow, the bloody-handled axe in the wall and the slit wrist on the radio man, among others. It also provides a few genuine surprises, especially in the final act, which I didn't see coming at all. For the most part, though, it follows the rhythm of Carpenter's version so faithfully that it's fairly maddening! I was predicting some of the beats quite successfully, despite this being my first viewing of it. And it also seemed to have a slightly different take on the creature's modus operandi, which I kept having trouble rationalizing with the original.
The other issue I have with 2011's The Thing is that it doesn't really present any sort of mystery, just lots of scares and gore. Julie didn't like Carpenter's The Thing, when we showed it to her in March of this year, because she didn't feel it played fair with the whole "Who do you trust?" angle of the story. While I didn't 100% agree with her, I had to concede her point that that aspect could've been done better. Here, however, there's virtually no attempt to provide clues as to who's the creature and who's not, and you're left feeling that it was all fairly arbitrary. This is the one area where they could've actually improved upon the other film, and instead they flubbed it completely.
Overall, though, it's an effective scary movie that both Vicki and I enjoyed. She spent a little of it hiding her eyes behind the hoodie that I'd given her for warmth (it was a very cold theatre!) and that's always a good sign.
I'm a bit torn on this movie. On the one hand, it's a geek's dream come true, as it pays off many of the mysterious little bits from its 1982 sequel: the burned, two-faced corpse in the snow, the bloody-handled axe in the wall and the slit wrist on the radio man, among others. It also provides a few genuine surprises, especially in the final act, which I didn't see coming at all. For the most part, though, it follows the rhythm of Carpenter's version so faithfully that it's fairly maddening! I was predicting some of the beats quite successfully, despite this being my first viewing of it. And it also seemed to have a slightly different take on the creature's modus operandi, which I kept having trouble rationalizing with the original.
The other issue I have with 2011's The Thing is that it doesn't really present any sort of mystery, just lots of scares and gore. Julie didn't like Carpenter's The Thing, when we showed it to her in March of this year, because she didn't feel it played fair with the whole "Who do you trust?" angle of the story. While I didn't 100% agree with her, I had to concede her point that that aspect could've been done better. Here, however, there's virtually no attempt to provide clues as to who's the creature and who's not, and you're left feeling that it was all fairly arbitrary. This is the one area where they could've actually improved upon the other film, and instead they flubbed it completely.
Overall, though, it's an effective scary movie that both Vicki and I enjoyed. She spent a little of it hiding her eyes behind the hoodie that I'd given her for warmth (it was a very cold theatre!) and that's always a good sign.
Monday, October 24, 2011
A Brief Agile Update
As I've mentioned before, I've been doing a series of Agile 101 workshops for one of the local employers throughout the year. I've done four of them so far, including one in Regina, SK midway through last month.
It now looks as if I'll likely be doing one for the local chapter of the Project Management Institute. This is a horse of a different colour, compared to the earlier ones, for two reasons: the attendees are likely to be mostly project managers as opposed to coming from a wide variety of roles, and they'll be from lots of different companies and industries. I'm not sure what impact the second point will have, but I'm planning to adapt the material slightly in recognition of the first one. Specifically, I'll need to address the always-thorny question of, "What does a PM do in an Agile shop?" more fully than I've done in the past.
If this happens, it looks like it'll be late next month. If you're interested in attending or know someone who is, let me know and I can put you in touch with the appropriate contact for it.
It now looks as if I'll likely be doing one for the local chapter of the Project Management Institute. This is a horse of a different colour, compared to the earlier ones, for two reasons: the attendees are likely to be mostly project managers as opposed to coming from a wide variety of roles, and they'll be from lots of different companies and industries. I'm not sure what impact the second point will have, but I'm planning to adapt the material slightly in recognition of the first one. Specifically, I'll need to address the always-thorny question of, "What does a PM do in an Agile shop?" more fully than I've done in the past.
If this happens, it looks like it'll be late next month. If you're interested in attending or know someone who is, let me know and I can put you in touch with the appropriate contact for it.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Fact-Based Beliefs Just Don't Work For Some, It Seems
This latest development in the Climate Change 'debate' would be absolutely hilarious if it weren't so sad and frightening. An Earth Surface Temperature study that was partially funded by the ultra-conservative, Climate Change-denying Koch Foundation, and which was led by self-proclaimed Climate Change skeptic Richard Muller, has found that "the existing science was right all along - that the earth's surface is warming, at an accelerated rate."
So what do the rest of the deniers do with this knowledge, including the infamous Anthony Watts, who previously said, "I'm prepared to accept whatever results they produce, even if it proves my premise wrong"? They find ways to back pedal on any such acceptance, up to and including casting out their former ally Muller who has now adjusted his own beliefs based on the results! As for Watts, he's now falling back on claiming that since the study's results haven't yet been peer reviewed, he can't accept them. Which is kind of funny for a guy who previously discounted peer-reviewed studies from all across the scientific spectrum, prefering to rely on his gut. Huh... imagine that!
I have to think that the Koch brothers probably feel this was some of the worst money they've ever spent.
So what do the rest of the deniers do with this knowledge, including the infamous Anthony Watts, who previously said, "I'm prepared to accept whatever results they produce, even if it proves my premise wrong"? They find ways to back pedal on any such acceptance, up to and including casting out their former ally Muller who has now adjusted his own beliefs based on the results! As for Watts, he's now falling back on claiming that since the study's results haven't yet been peer reviewed, he can't accept them. Which is kind of funny for a guy who previously discounted peer-reviewed studies from all across the scientific spectrum, prefering to rely on his gut. Huh... imagine that!
I have to think that the Koch brothers probably feel this was some of the worst money they've ever spent.
Friday, October 21, 2011
If Elizabeth Warren Doesn't Get Elected, What Hope Is There For America?
Check out two minutes of typical Warren and then imagine how many special interest groups in the U.S. must be scrambling to keep her out of the Senate. It's hard to believe just how much crazier that country has gotten in the three years since Obama was elected, but maybe with the Occupy Wall Street movement underway and voices like Elizabeth Warren's and Paul Krugman's starting to be listened to, there's still a modicum of hope left?
Thursday, October 20, 2011
It Came From... Science Fiction?!
Check out this list of 10 well-known words or phrases in Science that actually debuted in the Science Fiction genre.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
A Few Random Thoughts On The Baseball Playoffs
1) The League Championship Series both ended rather poorly, in the sense that each concluded with a blowout (12-6 St. Louis over Milwaukee, and 15-5 Texas over Detroit).
2) On the other hand, both LCS went six games... meaning that all four teams were in it, no matter how lopsided the final games were.
3) Pitching seems to have gone south in the postseason. There were a ridiculous number of runs scored in the two LCS, to the point where a 4-2 result seemed like a pitching duel!
4) The East was well-represented in the four LDS series (New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies) but not at all after that. The Central, on the other hand, sent three teams to the LDS and LCS, with St. Louis, Milwaukee and Detroit all advancing out of the first round.
5) Through the first two rounds, only three possible games didn't happen: there was no Game 5 between TB and Texas, and no Game 7s for either of the two LCS. In other words, 31 of 34 potential matches happened. That's a lot of baseball!
6) My brother Richard is a Tigers fan, and as such followed that team's fortunes very closely through the first two rounds. Now that Detroit's out, however, he's not sure if he'll watch any more of the games. Me, I'm a baseball fan first, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens between the storied Cardinals and the upstart Rangers.
2) On the other hand, both LCS went six games... meaning that all four teams were in it, no matter how lopsided the final games were.
3) Pitching seems to have gone south in the postseason. There were a ridiculous number of runs scored in the two LCS, to the point where a 4-2 result seemed like a pitching duel!
4) The East was well-represented in the four LDS series (New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies) but not at all after that. The Central, on the other hand, sent three teams to the LDS and LCS, with St. Louis, Milwaukee and Detroit all advancing out of the first round.
5) Through the first two rounds, only three possible games didn't happen: there was no Game 5 between TB and Texas, and no Game 7s for either of the two LCS. In other words, 31 of 34 potential matches happened. That's a lot of baseball!
6) My brother Richard is a Tigers fan, and as such followed that team's fortunes very closely through the first two rounds. Now that Detroit's out, however, he's not sure if he'll watch any more of the games. Me, I'm a baseball fan first, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens between the storied Cardinals and the upstart Rangers.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The Downside Of Early Christmas Shopping
This post will probably seem largely incomprehensible to those who routinely leave their Christmas shopping until the final few days (hours?), but there are actually some of us who try to get it done early. I've had November 25th as my goal for completing my list over the past several years, and I think I've almost always hit it. Hopefully I will again this year.
I started last week, and added a few more items this week. I've got a lot left to do, but I'm already running into the one thing I don't like about early shopping: you find the perfect gift and can't wait to see the recipient's reaction to it... except you've got over two months to wait! So that kind of sucks.
I started last week, and added a few more items this week. I've got a lot left to do, but I'm already running into the one thing I don't like about early shopping: you find the perfect gift and can't wait to see the recipient's reaction to it... except you've got over two months to wait! So that kind of sucks.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
ePub Version Of Game Over Now On Lulu
Apparently Lulu has created an ePub version of my novel for me. It looks like it's just a PDF file... possibly the same PDF that was produced when I put my Word document through Lulu's conversion tool. I have to admit that I don't understand how that works for eReaders... are the various devices set up to take PDF's in and re-format them appropriately for viewing?
Anyway, if you've been waiting for an ePub Game Over and didn't want to get it from me for whatever reason, now you can buy it on Lulu for $2.99.
Anyway, if you've been waiting for an ePub Game Over and didn't want to get it from me for whatever reason, now you can buy it on Lulu for $2.99.
The Avengers Trailer
I am ridiculously excited about this. I have approximately seven months in which to work myself up to an even higher fever pitch of about-to-be-disappointedness. Or maybe not... maybe this will be the comic fans' dream to end all comic fans' dreams. We'll know one way or another on or around May 4th of next year.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Another Long Weekend Has Come And Gone
Thanksgiving 2011's just wrapping up, as I type this. It's funny how, when you're not working, long weekend's are often more of a pain than anything else. I usually do some grocery shopping on Mondays, for example, but not when Monday's a holiday!
Despite that, this was actually a good Thanksgiving. Vicki and I were invited to my brother Rich's place for a traditional holiday dinner yesterday, the likes of which we rarely see anymore. I'm in the process of reconnecting with him after a lot of years of separation, and among other things it's fun to watch him and Vicki getting to know each other while my sister-in-law Meena and I go through the same process. Rich, by the way, holds the record for the fastest read of Game Over, I think. He started it on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago, while we were at Beatlefest, and - breaking only for meals - finished it later that same day!
Today Vicki and I tackled the chore of oiling our heavy-traffic hardwood floor areas (kitchen and entranceway), which you really have to do at a time when there's not much going on afterward, as the oil needs many hours to dry without being walked on. It's the sort of activity that I'd hate to have to do by myself, but since we always do it together, I never seem to mind it all that much.
Anyway, I hope everyone reading this had a great Thanksgiving weekend, and that you remember that there's no time like the present to start your Christmas shopping...
Despite that, this was actually a good Thanksgiving. Vicki and I were invited to my brother Rich's place for a traditional holiday dinner yesterday, the likes of which we rarely see anymore. I'm in the process of reconnecting with him after a lot of years of separation, and among other things it's fun to watch him and Vicki getting to know each other while my sister-in-law Meena and I go through the same process. Rich, by the way, holds the record for the fastest read of Game Over, I think. He started it on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago, while we were at Beatlefest, and - breaking only for meals - finished it later that same day!
Today Vicki and I tackled the chore of oiling our heavy-traffic hardwood floor areas (kitchen and entranceway), which you really have to do at a time when there's not much going on afterward, as the oil needs many hours to dry without being walked on. It's the sort of activity that I'd hate to have to do by myself, but since we always do it together, I never seem to mind it all that much.
Anyway, I hope everyone reading this had a great Thanksgiving weekend, and that you remember that there's no time like the present to start your Christmas shopping...
Friday, October 07, 2011
Three Great Game 5s Over Two Nights
Between last night's Detroit win over the Yankees (3-2), tonight's Brewers win over the Diamondbacks (also by a 3-2 score) and the just-completed shocker, a 1-0 win by St. Louis over the heavily-favoured Phillies (Chris Carpenter just barely outpitching former Toronto teammate Roy Halladay), it's been a nail-biter's worst nightmare!
It's pretty amazing when four 5-game series go a total of 19 games, as this year's League Divisional Series did. Only Texas and Tampa Bay didn't go the distance, with the (other) Rangers taking their series in 4 games.
So now it's Brewers vs Cards in the NL, and Tigers up against Texas in the AL. I've got to think the absence of the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Phillies probably means ratings will be down for this year's LCS and World Series, but who cares? As long as the baseball's good, I'm in!
It's pretty amazing when four 5-game series go a total of 19 games, as this year's League Divisional Series did. Only Texas and Tampa Bay didn't go the distance, with the (other) Rangers taking their series in 4 games.
So now it's Brewers vs Cards in the NL, and Tigers up against Texas in the AL. I've got to think the absence of the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Phillies probably means ratings will be down for this year's LCS and World Series, but who cares? As long as the baseball's good, I'm in!
Thursday, October 06, 2011
The Avengers Movie
I'll admit it: I have a little geekgasm each and every time I see this picture of Thor and Captain America, from next spring's The Avengers film.
Oh, and my guess as to what the two heroes are looking up at? Skrull armada invading the Earth, of course!
An Idiot Debating A Genius
Depending on your ideological leanings, you'll naturally draw your own conclusions as to who is the idiot and who is in the genius in this short exchange between Bill O'Reilly and Richard Dawkins. I'm pretty sure all readers of this blog are well aware of which side I come down on.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Better Late Than Never - Five Years!
I guess I was distracted on Saturday on account of Julie coming over for our first Movie Night in more than six months, but that's still a pretty lame excuse for failing to post something to commemorate
this blog's fifth anniversary!!!
Sorry about that.
October 1st, 2006, was when it all started, and here we are five years later, still at it. It's been a fun ride, but also sometimes quite mentally exhausting, and so we'll just have to wait and see if I manage to make it through another five.
this blog's fifth anniversary!!!
Sorry about that.
October 1st, 2006, was when it all started, and here we are five years later, still at it. It's been a fun ride, but also sometimes quite mentally exhausting, and so we'll just have to wait and see if I manage to make it through another five.
On Chilling Out
Over the past month or so, I've been noticing a slight change in my attitude that may or may not prove to be permanent. Since this blog is the closest thing I have to a diary, here seems like the logical place to reflect upon this development.
When Vicki and I joined a bunch of family members in Orillia last month for Beatlefest, it was - by our standards, anyway - a fairly loosely-organized event. I don't mean that in a bad way. It just wasn't what we're usually involved with, where the day is all planned out: be here at this time, then go do that for an hour, then be back here by such-and-such a time. Instead, it was almost entirely open-ended, with the only real commitments being the two sessions when great-nephew Hunter's band was playing. What I noticed, as the day progressed, was that Vicki was the one trying to introduce just a little order into the day. She wasn't doing it in a frantic or concerned manner - like I typically would - but just casually pointing out that we didn't really know where we were going or what we were going to do next. To which I replied, "That's OK. Today I'm just going with the flow." And it felt pretty good.
Since then, I've been trying to do more of that (stop laughing, Susan!!). To say that it doesn't come easily or naturally to me would be a huge understatement. But I'm still giving it a go. It definitely helps that many of the family members I've recently reunited with are wired that way. I think the real trick, though, lies in not caring as much (as I usually do) about things working out perfectly. I've always believed that if you plan carefully enough, you can pull almost anything off. And I still think that's true; but maybe I was applying it to too many aspects of my life. Catching a plane? Yep, that's still important enough to warrant careful consideration and organization. Going for a walk, or making a trip to the comic store, or getting together with someone for a coffee? Probably not worth sweating too much over, beyond the obvious point of not being rude by getting there super-late or standing them up. Even typing that, though, I have to admit, makes me wince a bit. So this is still very much a work in progress at the moment.
So, yeah. That's where I'm at.
Can't wait to hear from the peanut gallery on this particular post.....
When Vicki and I joined a bunch of family members in Orillia last month for Beatlefest, it was - by our standards, anyway - a fairly loosely-organized event. I don't mean that in a bad way. It just wasn't what we're usually involved with, where the day is all planned out: be here at this time, then go do that for an hour, then be back here by such-and-such a time. Instead, it was almost entirely open-ended, with the only real commitments being the two sessions when great-nephew Hunter's band was playing. What I noticed, as the day progressed, was that Vicki was the one trying to introduce just a little order into the day. She wasn't doing it in a frantic or concerned manner - like I typically would - but just casually pointing out that we didn't really know where we were going or what we were going to do next. To which I replied, "That's OK. Today I'm just going with the flow." And it felt pretty good.
Since then, I've been trying to do more of that (stop laughing, Susan!!). To say that it doesn't come easily or naturally to me would be a huge understatement. But I'm still giving it a go. It definitely helps that many of the family members I've recently reunited with are wired that way. I think the real trick, though, lies in not caring as much (as I usually do) about things working out perfectly. I've always believed that if you plan carefully enough, you can pull almost anything off. And I still think that's true; but maybe I was applying it to too many aspects of my life. Catching a plane? Yep, that's still important enough to warrant careful consideration and organization. Going for a walk, or making a trip to the comic store, or getting together with someone for a coffee? Probably not worth sweating too much over, beyond the obvious point of not being rude by getting there super-late or standing them up. Even typing that, though, I have to admit, makes me wince a bit. So this is still very much a work in progress at the moment.
So, yeah. That's where I'm at.
Can't wait to hear from the peanut gallery on this particular post.....
Monday, October 03, 2011
Walking Goal: Week 17 Report - Final Edition!
(If you've hated these updates all summer, then today is your lucky day! Or, rather - technically, I guess - every day after today is your lucky day!)
17 weeks ago today, I was on a walk through the woods with Julie and announced to her that I was going to try to walk at least 500 kms over the next four months (Jun through Sep). I estimated how far we walked that day, ordered a pedometer when I got home from that walk, and have been going ever since. Yesterday marked the end of that 17 week sojourn, although ironically Vicki and I were too busy and it was too rainy for me to add to my total at all! Anyway, here's where I finished up:
635 kms (127% of my 500 km goal)
Thanks to everyone who encouraged this latest of my life goals. It was a very positive experience and no doubt helped my health considerably.
17 weeks ago today, I was on a walk through the woods with Julie and announced to her that I was going to try to walk at least 500 kms over the next four months (Jun through Sep). I estimated how far we walked that day, ordered a pedometer when I got home from that walk, and have been going ever since. Yesterday marked the end of that 17 week sojourn, although ironically Vicki and I were too busy and it was too rainy for me to add to my total at all! Anyway, here's where I finished up:
635 kms (127% of my 500 km goal)
Thanks to everyone who encouraged this latest of my life goals. It was a very positive experience and no doubt helped my health considerably.
Missed Radiohead In NYC Last Week?
Yeah, I did, too. Good thing there's high quality video of it available on one of the main Radiohead fan sites. Awesome!
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Resistance 3 'Mastery' Achieved
Thanks to a Double XP Weekend handed out by Insomniac Games over the last two days, I was able to get the last several promotions I needed to max out at level 60 in Resistance 3 multiplayer today. That means it took me less than 4 weeks to do so, which exceeds even my own expectations by quite a bit. I think I've played a little shy of 30 hours over the 26 days since the game was released - a fairly crazy total, I must admit!
I'm now winning nearly half the Deathmatches I play, after a considerably slower start (prior to getting my beloved Turrets!). I think it's time to move back to the campaign, though, as I'm feeling somewhat burned out on TDMs and DMs.
That is all.
I'm now winning nearly half the Deathmatches I play, after a considerably slower start (prior to getting my beloved Turrets!). I think it's time to move back to the campaign, though, as I'm feeling somewhat burned out on TDMs and DMs.
That is all.
Friday, September 30, 2011
And Then There Were Five...
(This is going to sound like I planned it this way, but I swear it's a total coincidence! Or possibly it's just my subconscious at work...)
Today, for no particular reason, I decided to dig back into the precious dill pickles supply that I originally posted about... exactly three years ago today!!! That's right, this just happens to be the third anniversary of that birthday-like day when we discovered the ultra-rare cache of 1.5 L Bicks Dill Pickles with Garlic! Over the three years since, we've had a close call or two, but have yet to find any more of them. Having cracked open a jar minutes ago, there are now just five left...
Today, for no particular reason, I decided to dig back into the precious dill pickles supply that I originally posted about... exactly three years ago today!!! That's right, this just happens to be the third anniversary of that birthday-like day when we discovered the ultra-rare cache of 1.5 L Bicks Dill Pickles with Garlic! Over the three years since, we've had a close call or two, but have yet to find any more of them. Having cracked open a jar minutes ago, there are now just five left...
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Dumbest Line In A Comic?
OK, probably not the dumbest ever, but definitely in the running:
In Mister Terrific # 1 (one of the 52 relaunch titles from DC Comics), Michael Holt (aka Mr Terrific) tells a couple bystanders he just saved, "Some people call me the third smartest man in the world." But that's not the dumb part.
Then he gives the reader a bit of flashback-history about the love of his life, his wife, Paula. "I was supposed to meet her for dinner that night at our favorite restaurant. The moment I saw her overturned car I knew it was bad."
See? When you're the third smartest man in the world, you can make incredible leaps of logic like that: all it takes is the sight of your wife's car smashed and resting on its hood for you to instantly intuit what the rest of us would spend days trying to assess! (The first and second smartest men in the world, presumably, would've known better than to say anything nearly that ridiculous!)
Clearly Eric Wallace, the writer of this comic, isn't exactly sure how to write a guy who's supposed to be really, really smart.
In Mister Terrific # 1 (one of the 52 relaunch titles from DC Comics), Michael Holt (aka Mr Terrific) tells a couple bystanders he just saved, "Some people call me the third smartest man in the world." But that's not the dumb part.
Then he gives the reader a bit of flashback-history about the love of his life, his wife, Paula. "I was supposed to meet her for dinner that night at our favorite restaurant. The moment I saw her overturned car I knew it was bad."
See? When you're the third smartest man in the world, you can make incredible leaps of logic like that: all it takes is the sight of your wife's car smashed and resting on its hood for you to instantly intuit what the rest of us would spend days trying to assess! (The first and second smartest men in the world, presumably, would've known better than to say anything nearly that ridiculous!)
Clearly Eric Wallace, the writer of this comic, isn't exactly sure how to write a guy who's supposed to be really, really smart.
Best Finish To An MLB Season Ever?
In spite of it shifting to a Wednesday this year, the close of the 2011 Major League Baseball season last night had to be one of (if not) the best finales of all time! Here's why I say that:
- While all 6 division winners were known going into play yesterday, two pairs of teams were vying for the Wildcard slots - Boston and Tampa Bay in the American League, and Atlanta and St. Louis in the National
- Both Boston and Atlanta had held huge leads in those races earlier in the month, prior to historic collapses that allowed each of them to be caught by the end of play on the second last day
- Boston was playing in Baltimore, where the cellar-dwelling Orioles hoped to spoil the Eastern Division rival Red Sox's plans for the postseason; Tampa Bay was hosting the division-winning Yankees, the latter of whom had to be at least a little conflicted since their arch-nemeses (Boston) were actually rooting for them to win!
- In the National League, it was a very similar situation: Atlanta was hosting their division winners, the Phillies, while St. Louis was in Houston, playing the major-league-worst team from their Central Division - the Astros; so in both cases, one team was hosting a powerhouse while the other was visiting a theoretically weak team.
- The Cardinals/Astros game was the only one that was over quickly: they jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and went on to win 8-0 before any of the other games were finished (despite being the last one to start, on account of being in Texas!); the Cards now knew they would either get a 1-game playoff today against the Braves, or pass directly into the postseason that starts tomorrow; they had to sit back and watch the other game to see how it would play out (it was either 3-1 Atl or 3-2 around that point)
- The Yankees got up 7-0 on the Rays, and took that lead to the bottom of the 8th... at which point Tampa scored 6 runs, making for an exciting 9th inning!
- Meanwhile, Boston was up 3-2 in Baltimore in the 7th, but in a rain delay that lasted quite awhile, and Atlanta blew their lead, allowing the Phillies to tie it 3-3 in the 9th and send it to extra innings
- By that point, Tampa scored the tying run in the 9th inning, and that game also headed to extra innings!
- Somewhere along the line, Boston and Baltimore resumed play after the rain delay, and it got to the 9th inning, still 3-2 Bos
- In fairly quick succession (over the course of only a few minutes), the following happened: the Phillies went ahead 4-3 in the top of the 13th and then shut down the Braves in the bottom of that inning, punching the Cards' ticket into the postseason; Baltimore got down to its last out and last strike, and then tied the game and quickly won the game on back-to-back plays, meaning that the Red Sox could only hope for a Rays loss to force a one-game playoff with them; and Tampa scored the winning run in the bottom of the 12th, setting the scene for the 2011 MLB Postseason at long last!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Is Nothing Sacred?
I'm not going to get all 'purist' over this, but it's still pretty strange: the Major League Baseball 2011 season ends tonight... on a Wednesday! I can't ever remember the MLB season ending on anything but a Sunday, with the postseason starting two days later, on a Tuesday. This year, however, everything is shifted, such that the playoffs will commence this Friday! I know, eh?! Crazy!
OK, this probably doesn't matter at all to most of you reading this, but it still kind of freaks me out. It's like my whole weekly calendar is going to be off now, especially since I don't have a workweek to help straighten it out.
OK, this probably doesn't matter at all to most of you reading this, but it still kind of freaks me out. It's like my whole weekly calendar is going to be off now, especially since I don't have a workweek to help straighten it out.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Walking Goal: Week 16 Report - Penultimate Edition
I added about 30 kms this past week, despite a fair amount of rain (and it's just teeming outside as I type this update) and minimal motivation with my goal reached and the completion of the project looming. The week ended with Julie and I on our first walk in over a month, which we then got to repeat when we got home only to discover that one of us had dropped our keys somewhere along the way (we never did find them). Anyway, my total's now:
612 kms (122.5% of my 500 km goal)
With just one week to go and lots of precipitation in the forecast, I'm shooting for at least 625 kms as that would put me at 125% of the goal. Considering how close I am, that's not exactly stretching... but c'mon, I've done a lot of walking already and my poor knees are starting to feel it!
612 kms (122.5% of my 500 km goal)
With just one week to go and lots of precipitation in the forecast, I'm shooting for at least 625 kms as that would put me at 125% of the goal. Considering how close I am, that's not exactly stretching... but c'mon, I've done a lot of walking already and my poor knees are starting to feel it!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Radiohead On Tomorrow's Colbert Report
As if seeing them on Saturday Night Live last night wasn't enough of a thrill, my favourite band is apparently appearing on a special hour-long episode of The Colbert Report tomorrow night! As Vicki said, this probably reflects nothing more than Thom Yorke and the boys spending a little time in New York City at the moment and wanting to maximize the publicity potential of their stay. Whatever the reason, I'll take it! When a show that I love features a musical group that I'm crazy for, it's wins all around for this blogger.
Pool Season 2011 Comes To A Close
After a second consecutive frustrating summer (pool liner, pool heater - twice!, pool pump, leak), it almost seems like we haven't had a real pool season since 2009. Oh well, maybe 2012 will finally bring us some water-based joy! And it's not like we didn't have any fun this year:
(I swear there was still Cooper hair in that pool when we closed it this morning...)
(I swear there was still Cooper hair in that pool when we closed it this morning...)
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Counting Down To Radiohead On Saturday Night Live
In a little less than 90 minutes, the latest season of Saturday Night Live will begin with Alec Baldwin setting a record for most appearances as host. I enjoy Baldwin, here and on 30 Rock, but the real SNL draw for me tonight is the musical guest: Radiohead!!
I've really been getting into their latest CD, The King of Limbs, as well as getting a second wind on the previous one, In Rainbows. Therefore I'm hoping they do a couple numbers from one or both of those releases, but I don't really care: any Radiohead is great Radiohead! And I say: bring it on!!
[Update Sep 26/11: The boys performed "Lotus Flower" and a so-far-unreleased song called "Staircase" that I naturally had never heard before, freaking me out a little as I thought I knew all their music!. You can watch them recording "Staircase" here, if you like!]
I've really been getting into their latest CD, The King of Limbs, as well as getting a second wind on the previous one, In Rainbows. Therefore I'm hoping they do a couple numbers from one or both of those releases, but I don't really care: any Radiohead is great Radiohead! And I say: bring it on!!
[Update Sep 26/11: The boys performed "Lotus Flower" and a so-far-unreleased song called "Staircase" that I naturally had never heard before, freaking me out a little as I thought I knew all their music!. You can watch them recording "Staircase" here, if you like!]
Friday, September 23, 2011
DC Comics And "The New 52"
It's a fact that I haven't had much to say so far about DC Comics' bold relaunch of their entire line that began this month. Back in June, once the lineup was revealed, I wrote my predictions for how much interest I expected to have in each of the 52 various series. I'll be re-examining that list once the first month is complete and I've caught up my reading of it.
But right now, I wanted to step back and gaze in wonder at what DC has already pulled off. For those who don't follow the comic industry, this will likely be news: all 39 of the first issues released so far have completely sold out, and are getting second, third and in at least one case, fourth printings! Now, sellouts are not unheard of in comic circles, but they're definitely the exception. So having an entire line of comics sell out is mind-blowing! Making this situation even more unbelievable is the fact that most store owners ordered high on these # 1s, as DC offered a special incentive program where unsold copies could be returned for a substantial refund (comics, ever since sometime in the 80s, have been non-returnable and thus stores almost always have to order somewhat conservatively if they don't want to have lots of recent, unsold comics filling up their back issue bins). So the orders were unnaturally high, and still all of the copies were gone, often within the first day of sale! My local comic store owner, for example, told me that all 13 of the first week DCs sold out on the Wednesday, and possibly (I can't remember precisely) all 13 from the second week did, as well. In response to my question, "When was the last time this sort of thing happened?" he said, "Well... never!"
So, while I have some reservations about the quality of the comics themselves - which I'll get into in that later post on the topic - I can't help but be impressed by what DC has accomplished so far with this move. It's got to be making Disney-nee-Marvel Comics at least a little nervous, despite their attempts to pooh-pooh it and all their claims that they'd never follow suit.
For those few intrepid souls actually interested in this, Brian Hibbs, a San Francisco comic store owner, sums up this remarkable success story rather well in his Tilting at Windmills column, along with a few cautionary thoughts about it.
But right now, I wanted to step back and gaze in wonder at what DC has already pulled off. For those who don't follow the comic industry, this will likely be news: all 39 of the first issues released so far have completely sold out, and are getting second, third and in at least one case, fourth printings! Now, sellouts are not unheard of in comic circles, but they're definitely the exception. So having an entire line of comics sell out is mind-blowing! Making this situation even more unbelievable is the fact that most store owners ordered high on these # 1s, as DC offered a special incentive program where unsold copies could be returned for a substantial refund (comics, ever since sometime in the 80s, have been non-returnable and thus stores almost always have to order somewhat conservatively if they don't want to have lots of recent, unsold comics filling up their back issue bins). So the orders were unnaturally high, and still all of the copies were gone, often within the first day of sale! My local comic store owner, for example, told me that all 13 of the first week DCs sold out on the Wednesday, and possibly (I can't remember precisely) all 13 from the second week did, as well. In response to my question, "When was the last time this sort of thing happened?" he said, "Well... never!"
So, while I have some reservations about the quality of the comics themselves - which I'll get into in that later post on the topic - I can't help but be impressed by what DC has accomplished so far with this move. It's got to be making Disney-nee-Marvel Comics at least a little nervous, despite their attempts to pooh-pooh it and all their claims that they'd never follow suit.
For those few intrepid souls actually interested in this, Brian Hibbs, a San Francisco comic store owner, sums up this remarkable success story rather well in his Tilting at Windmills column, along with a few cautionary thoughts about it.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
To All Those Resistance 3 Players Suffering Right Now
Yes, it's another "unscheduled PlayStation Network outage", which we can only hope won't turn into a repeat of the April hacker attack that lasted for weeks. As such, there's no Resistance 3 multiplayer to be enjoyed right now. That means that all those players who delighted in killing me just when I thought I had them nailed are likely every bit as frustrated as me at the moment!
And I was just two promotions away from finally getting my Turrets perk, which I've been looking forward to for about a week now!
[Update the next day: Fortunately the outage only lasted several hours. After it ended, I was able to get my beloved Turrets perk, with which I then won 4 of 5 Deathmatches that I played... after having won only 1 or 2 in about a dozen tries before that! Yeah, I love me my Turrets.]
And I was just two promotions away from finally getting my Turrets perk, which I've been looking forward to for about a week now!
[Update the next day: Fortunately the outage only lasted several hours. After it ended, I was able to get my beloved Turrets perk, with which I then won 4 of 5 Deathmatches that I played... after having won only 1 or 2 in about a dozen tries before that! Yeah, I love me my Turrets.]
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Walking Goal: Week 15 Report
It's finally beginning to feel like autumn lately, which means my summer walking project must just about be done. With two more weeks to go, I'm now up to:
583 kms (116.7% of my 500 km goal)
I had to estimate how much walking we did at Beatlefest on Saturday, as I didn't think to take my pedometer with me as I didn't understand that it was a street festival (live and learn!).
600 kms now seems all-but-inevitable, although 650 may elude me this year. It'll depend on the weather over the next dozen days, and how motivated I can get when I'm already well beyond my original goal.
583 kms (116.7% of my 500 km goal)
I had to estimate how much walking we did at Beatlefest on Saturday, as I didn't think to take my pedometer with me as I didn't understand that it was a street festival (live and learn!).
600 kms now seems all-but-inevitable, although 650 may elude me this year. It'll depend on the weather over the next dozen days, and how motivated I can get when I'm already well beyond my original goal.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
The Family Beatle
I have a great-nephew named Hunter (eldest son of my niece, Penny) who plays in a Beatles tribute band called Help! I'd missed an opportunity to see them at a local venue a few weeks back, but yesterday he and his bandmates were performing at Beatlefest in Orillia. A month ago, did I even know that Orillia hosted a Beatlefest every September? No I did not! And yet off Vicki and I went in the early hours yesterday, arriving in Orillia around 10:00 a.m. so that we could join the family for the fun.
They did a noon show, featuring hits such as "Day Tripper", "Something", "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "Octopus's Garden" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", among several others. Hunter plays guitar (or possibly bass, I can never remember how you tell the difference!) but also did lead vocals on a trio of songs during that set. It was a total thrill to see how good they are, and how much fun someone in my family actually has showcasing his musical talents (of which I have none). Here he is, playing:
There was another performance at 3:00, down the street (literally: Beatlefest is composed of a set of outdoor stages along the main street of Orillia), and we got to hear another, mostly-similar collection of songs that somehow managed to sound even better!
And here he is, proudly nestled up beside his favourite great-uncle:
The funny look he's giving me could be the result of me telling him that that green toque he's wearing is totally bogus...
It was an amazing day, and Vicki and I were both extremely happy that we'd made the drive to take part in it. I can hardly wait for next year!!
They did a noon show, featuring hits such as "Day Tripper", "Something", "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "Octopus's Garden" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", among several others. Hunter plays guitar (or possibly bass, I can never remember how you tell the difference!) but also did lead vocals on a trio of songs during that set. It was a total thrill to see how good they are, and how much fun someone in my family actually has showcasing his musical talents (of which I have none). Here he is, playing:
There was another performance at 3:00, down the street (literally: Beatlefest is composed of a set of outdoor stages along the main street of Orillia), and we got to hear another, mostly-similar collection of songs that somehow managed to sound even better!
And here he is, proudly nestled up beside his favourite great-uncle:
The funny look he's giving me could be the result of me telling him that that green toque he's wearing is totally bogus...
It was an amazing day, and Vicki and I were both extremely happy that we'd made the drive to take part in it. I can hardly wait for next year!!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Brief Resistance 3 And Game Over Updates
For the one or two blog regulars who care about such things: I played a fair bit of Resistance 3 Team Deathmatch today (Vicki was in Toronto), and I'm now a level 27 and my kill-to-death is approximately +200. I finished first a couple times today, which is always a thrill considering how many good players there are in the game right now (just ask Boneman, who's still working on finding his groove in R3's online play).
Anyway, it was a good day, as I got about 6 or 7 promotions, which are getting harder with every level I move up. There are some very nice perks coming available in the next 5 levels or so, which I'm looking forward to trying out. I can tell other players are using them and I can hardly wait to get there myself.
In other news, I got 3 more copies of Game Over into new hands today, including one that I gave to the comic store owner in the hopes that he'll read it, love it, and maybe encourage his customers to give it a try. It's a long shot, but 'out there' initiatives like that are probably what it's going to take to really get some word of mouth started on this. At least I'm trying!
Anyway, it was a good day, as I got about 6 or 7 promotions, which are getting harder with every level I move up. There are some very nice perks coming available in the next 5 levels or so, which I'm looking forward to trying out. I can tell other players are using them and I can hardly wait to get there myself.
In other news, I got 3 more copies of Game Over into new hands today, including one that I gave to the comic store owner in the hopes that he'll read it, love it, and maybe encourage his customers to give it a try. It's a long shot, but 'out there' initiatives like that are probably what it's going to take to really get some word of mouth started on this. At least I'm trying!
Just 4 Weeks Until The Thing Prequel Becomes You
October 14th sees the release of the prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing, the latter of which is one of my all-time favourite movies. The 2011 version is simply entitled, The Thing, which should make the lineage of the franchise somewhat confusing in the future. (I think they could've gone with Things to Come, personally!)
I'm hoping this will be good, but remain very doubtful that it will be. At the very least, I hope it delivers a few cheap thrills to fans of Carpenter's wonderful gore fest. If the early reviews are dreadful, I probably won't go see it at the theatre; otherwise, I'm there!
I'm hoping this will be good, but remain very doubtful that it will be. At the very least, I hope it delivers a few cheap thrills to fans of Carpenter's wonderful gore fest. If the early reviews are dreadful, I probably won't go see it at the theatre; otherwise, I'm there!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
More Game Over Feedback
Here are a couple bits of reaction I've gotten recently from a pair of folks who had just finished reading Game Over:
"I have to admit, I would finish a chapter yesterday and then put the book down, but found myself being drawn back to it so I could see what happened next!"
and
"I stayed up WAY past my bedtime and I finished the book. Very clever ending! I can imagine it being turned into a movie! Good job and good night!"
If you haven't read Game Over yet, what are you waiting for??
"I have to admit, I would finish a chapter yesterday and then put the book down, but found myself being drawn back to it so I could see what happened next!"
and
"I stayed up WAY past my bedtime and I finished the book. Very clever ending! I can imagine it being turned into a movie! Good job and good night!"
If you haven't read Game Over yet, what are you waiting for??
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Walking Goal: Week 14 Report
Another fairly light week, as we had a pretty busy few days culminating with Sunday spent en route to Regina, Saskatchewan for some Agile training work. I did manage to put in almost 30 kms, though, bringing me up to:
551 kms (110.3% of my 500 km goal)
With just 3 more weeks to go, I'm thinking I might make it to 650... but we'll see!
551 kms (110.3% of my 500 km goal)
With just 3 more weeks to go, I'm thinking I might make it to 650... but we'll see!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Resistance 3 Update
As of about an hour ago, I reached level 20 in online play for R3. That's as high as I got in the beta, as it was capped at 20 when I was playing it back then. My kill-to-death differential is sitting just a little over +100, which isn't bad for less than a week in. I've finished 1st in three or four Team Deathmatches so far, including one where I went absolutely insane (with a 12-kill streak at one point), finishing with something like 28 kills and 13 deaths. I love all of the loadout options, and can hardly wait to level up enough to try out a bunch more beyond what I've sampled so far.
I've also now played a few chapters of the campaign, some in Single Player mode, and one in Cooperative mode (with Tammy). I'm really impressed with the campaign this time out, after being disappointed by what Resistance 2 offered in that area.
All in all, Resistance 3 is totally living up to my expectations, high though they were!
I've also now played a few chapters of the campaign, some in Single Player mode, and one in Cooperative mode (with Tammy). I'm really impressed with the campaign this time out, after being disappointed by what Resistance 2 offered in that area.
All in all, Resistance 3 is totally living up to my expectations, high though they were!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Re-Stocking Game Over
I'm happy to report that we've almost sold through the extra copies of Game Over from the original print run! (For those who pre-ordered but haven't gotten their copies yet, not to worry: those are set aside for you.) There are, I think, 5 extra copies left now, which is just below my comfort level and so I've ordered 20 more. We were just one sale away from profitability, but now obviously we'll need a few more to cover the latest cost. There have also been three Kindle sales so far, which is a nice start but we really need word of mouth to kick in to drive those numbers up. If you've read Game Over and loved it, please take a minute or two to tell a few friends or family members about it. Lend your copy out, send them to the Kindle store, bug me for another copy, or demand that your local book store carry it!! ;-)
Response to the book continues to be enthusiastically positive, which is just indescribably rewarding! Here's one I received in the last couple of days:
"Done! Great book! Love the ending! I might have to read it again just to continue enjoying it! No disappointments at all!! LOVED IT!!
I'll be waiting for the next book....Hurry!"
Who wouldn't love to receive feedback like that?!
Response to the book continues to be enthusiastically positive, which is just indescribably rewarding! Here's one I received in the last couple of days:
"Done! Great book! Love the ending! I might have to read it again just to continue enjoying it! No disappointments at all!! LOVED IT!!
I'll be waiting for the next book....Hurry!"
Who wouldn't love to receive feedback like that?!
Thursday, September 08, 2011
One Bachelor Day, Coming Up!
Tomorrow Vicki heads to Toronto on business, and then will spend the evening and overnight with Tammy. The two of them will then come home on Saturday, meaning that I've got all of tomorrow to my own devices once I drop Vicki at the train station.
So far my plans for the day include the following activities:
Resistance 3
:-)
So far my plans for the day include the following activities:
Resistance 3
:-)
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Loving Resistance 3 So Far!
OK, so maybe I've only had it for about 7 hours right now, but it's still been pretty awesome! I love the new maps that are in the Multiplayer portion, and haven't even tried the single player campaign yet. My Kill-to-Death is sitting at 100-90 or so, which is very good for a first day (obviously the beta practice helped a lot).
I love the fact that the beta only featured a small fraction of the online loadout choices, as it means there's still a heap of perks and weapons to discover as I level up. I predict this is going to keep me busy right up until Battlefield 3 comes out in late October! And if so, that would be a very good thing.
I love the fact that the beta only featured a small fraction of the online loadout choices, as it means there's still a heap of perks and weapons to discover as I level up. I predict this is going to keep me busy right up until Battlefield 3 comes out in late October! And if so, that would be a very good thing.
Monday, September 05, 2011
Walking Goal: Week 13 Report - Slack Week!
Due to a combination of being busy, high humidity and having achieved my goal the previous week, this was a pretty pathetic week for walking. In fact, it was the worst week yet, no matter how you measure it! I did fewer walking days than ever before (only 4), accumulated the lowest kms yet (just over 22) and generally didn't put much effort in. However, cooler temperatures have now arrived, and today alone I logged 7 kms toward next week's total, so it should be all good. Anyway, the update is:
523 kms (104.7% of my 500 km goal)
Just 4 more weeks to go now!
523 kms (104.7% of my 500 km goal)
Just 4 more weeks to go now!
Resistance 3: Out Tomorrow!
It's been a long, long wait for this one, but we're now less than 24 hours away from the release of Insomniac Games' Resistance 3! Thanks to participating in the beta for the better part of a month, I have a pretty good idea what to expect from the multiplayer portion of the game. I'm looking forward to being able to level up further than the beta allowed, though, and to playing without the knowledge that the stats would be reset eventually anyway.
But more than that, I'm eagerly anticipating the single player campaign, as it's set in a grim, dystopian version of the Earth where it's been completely conquered by the alien Chimera. Unlike the first two installments, there's little to be optimistic about in this world, which suits me just fine for a video game! Just point me toward the enemy and load me up!
If my blogging output goes down shortly, you'll know why...
But more than that, I'm eagerly anticipating the single player campaign, as it's set in a grim, dystopian version of the Earth where it's been completely conquered by the alien Chimera. Unlike the first two installments, there's little to be optimistic about in this world, which suits me just fine for a video game! Just point me toward the enemy and load me up!
If my blogging output goes down shortly, you'll know why...
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Another Sampling Of Game Over Feedback
Here are some more comments I've received via e-mail or Facebook in the past 48 hours from four different people at various stages of reading Game Over:
"Reading an Amazing Book.... Game Over! ... I am on Chapter 4 and stayed up way too late reading....really hard to put down, very well written, awesome! I can't wait for the kids to nap today so I can continue."
"It's making me crazy! I just want to keep reading cause I really don't have any idea how this will all pan out."
"I just finished the book! I spent the afternoon finishing it. I really enjoyed it. I would not have guessed the ending."
"All good. Enjoying!! Author, author!!"
"Reading an Amazing Book.... Game Over! ... I am on Chapter 4 and stayed up way too late reading....really hard to put down, very well written, awesome! I can't wait for the kids to nap today so I can continue."
"It's making me crazy! I just want to keep reading cause I really don't have any idea how this will all pan out."
"I just finished the book! I spent the afternoon finishing it. I really enjoyed it. I would not have guessed the ending."
"All good. Enjoying!! Author, author!!"
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Game Over Almost Turning A Profit Already
Just 10 days after the initial order arrived, I've sold enough copies of Game Over to be within spitting distance of turning a profit on it. That's partly a reflection of not having done too large of an overprint (how many copies I printed beyond what had been pre-ordered) and partly thanks to good word of mouth bringing in some extra sales. As more and more people get their hands on the book, I just hope that latter trend continues! I've had several people finish it already (all part of that "page turner" classification that seems to be sticking to it) and they're all saying good things about it. Even the most negative response so far was actually mostly positive, which is fantastic! But we'll see if that's still true in another week or two!
Speaking of which: if you've finished reading it and haven't passed along your thoughts to me via a comment, e-mail or verbally, please consider doing so! Also, if you loved it, I'd appreciate it if you left a rating and/or review of it here or here. That sort of thing could certainly help drive some "cold sales" online!
Anyway, I hope to soon be able to report that Game Over is in the black!!
Speaking of which: if you've finished reading it and haven't passed along your thoughts to me via a comment, e-mail or verbally, please consider doing so! Also, if you loved it, I'd appreciate it if you left a rating and/or review of it here or here. That sort of thing could certainly help drive some "cold sales" online!
Anyway, I hope to soon be able to report that Game Over is in the black!!
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