The other day, I went back, for a while

I was a stranger in familiar halls. At home, and yet not belonging. I walked as a ghost. I saw people I used to know, but they did not see me. They went about their business and routines as if I was not there.

Sometimes I was seen. They said hello or smiled politely, and then went back to whatever it was they were doing. Uninterested as to how I was doing or why I was there. I was like a piece of the puzzle that didn't fit anywhere. I was part of the picture and yet not in it. I wasn't a part of their system.

That's when I realized. You can't go back. You just have to keep going.

Posted at 12:00 AM

Who wants to live forever? I think you do. But I also think that you probably shouldn't. That's the theme of my latest rant. I hope you enjoy it.

Once again, Penny Arcade has clued us in to an interesting technological tidbit. For several months now, an out of nowhere company called Infinium Labs has been touting its upcoming Phantom Game Console. The idea that any upstart could make its way in the already crowded console gaming market (that just squeezed out longtime leader SEGA) is in itself, somewhat ludicrous. The company also claims that its going to create a new market for itself through content delivery. The console is called the Phantom (ironic, since finding information about the company or the console seems to be fairly difficult). The mention of combining content delivery with a console brings up such painful memories as the Pippin and WebTV. Now, Infinium is threatening to sue the gamer pundits HardOCP for researching the history of their company and CEO. Let's see who blinks first.

Posted at 12:00 AM

After it was mentioned on Penny Arcade, I've been ranting and raving to all my fellow chatters about Elf-Only Inn. It's a webcomic about the denizens of a fantasy chatroom. The comic makes use of well-established chatroom idiosyncrasies such as tackleHUG orgies, bad roleplaying, and the constant innuendo. Anyone who has ever visited a chatroom for any extended period will be in stitches over this comic. The characters are instantly lovable and I recommend it heartily!

I had a bit of an amusing experience yesterday, while I was taking the train home. In case you haven't noticed, I've revealed a bit of my face on the About Me page. (I considered not doing this, then realized that everyone at Outpost 10F already knows what I look like, so...) The picture was taken by my cousin Patty, and is one of the few photographs in existence that conveys my true hair color. Anyway, just before the train left, a rather beautiful young woman sat down in the seat across from me. I didn't really pay any heed, until the first time I looked up from my issue of Discover and found her staring straight at me. We both smiled awkwardly and looked away again. This happened a few more times over a 15 minute period until that voice in my head screaming "SAY SOMETHING, YOU FOOL!!!" finally overcame my geeky shyness. She had been doing her homework very distractedly, so I simply mentioned how difficult it is to write properly in a moving vehicle. After a couple of polite chuckles she said: "Actually, I was meaning to ask you something..." the second of silence took an eternity to pass. "Is that your natural color?"

I smiled, and blushed, "Yes, it is. I get a lot of compliments about it." Internally, I was looking upwards and shaking my fist, "Damn you, hair!!!" Seriously, I think I'm getting jealous of my own hair. It seems to get noticed much more by women than the rest of me does. Come on, ladies! There are plenty of other parts of me just dying for attention! Hmm... perhaps I've said too much. Adieu!

Posted at 12:00 AM

I've got a bunch of little stuff to bring to your attention today:

Americans seem to have been put under the impression that Conan O'Brien has started a civil war "up there in Canada". The House of Commons has now condemned Triumph the Insult Dog. When Mr. O'Brien first planned the gag, he figured that a province that holds an international annual comedy festival would know how to take a joke. Obviously, he doesn't know Canadian politics as well as the rest of us.

Anyone who's every played against human players in any game online will find this funny. There's also an important public service announcement about alcohol and its effects. And lastly, here's what most male geeks dream of seeing every single day.

Posted at 12:00 AM

It's really interesting to have a look at the stats page for the site. It gives you a huge list of name domains for people who have been visiting the site. The University of Las Vegas, New York, Austin, UNBC, Concordia University. Its lots of fun trying to guess exactly who these people are. Sometimes you think you know, but then you find out that you're wrong, and it becomes a neat little mystery again. I always thought that the first politically inflammatory things I'd have to say on the site would be about the Bush administration. But it seems to me that since a large majority of the site visitors are actually Canadian, I should probably say something within our domain.

Seems that people have been riling up the Quebecois lately. First Don Cherry with his comments about helmet visors being only for "Europeans and Frenchies", and last night Conan O'brien when out on the streets of Montréal with his puppet Triumph the Insult Dog. This included such gems as, "You're French Canadian? So that means you're dull and obnoxious?" The "learn the language" comment was entirely out of line, though. Only in Canada, though, would the leader of a political party (the Bloc Quebecois) stand up in Federal Parliament to protest the comments of a hockey commentator. Why? Well, two reasons. One, Hockey is as close to Godliness as religion in Canada. Two, Canada is full of whiny regionalists.

You heard me. Now, let's get something straight first, I think that Quebec's francophone traditions are very important to the cultural fabric of this country. I tend to lean towards the stylings of my political mentor, former Prime Minister P.E. Trudeau. I love Quebec, I can't stand separatism. I think its the antithesis of everything liberal politics stands for. I prefer to focus on the positive elements of cultural diversity in Canada, not what divides us. That's what makes Canada really great: the fact that we're this cultural cornucopia, not a melting pot like the United States.

The same goes for all you whiners out here in the West, too. "Oh, Ottawa's so far away! They don't care about our concerns because our population is lower! I shouldn't have to learn French to go into politics!" You know, just go back East and you'll find that the Federal government ignores those provinces' needs just as much as they ignore B.C. and Alberta. Furthermore, Bi-Lingualism is a part of our country's heritage. Any truly enlightened person would jump at the chance to learn another language, not complain about it. So SHUT UP.

It seems like every region in Canada has something to gripe about, and I'm sick of hearing it. There's so much that defines and binds us as Canadians in comparison to other societies, and it makes us great. Why be so upset about it? Vive le Canada! Vive le Canada bilingue! You may now innundate me with angry e-mails.

Posted at 12:00 AM

I didn't mention it yet, but a few weeks ago I got an letter from Kris Schantz. Inside was a present: an official GeekMan pocket protector. In case you don't know what that is (apparently, some people don't) a pocket protector is one of those little plastic sleeve thingies that nerds put in their shirt pockets to prevent staining should their pens leak ink. The pocket protector is a hallmark of old school Nerd culture. I don't think I'll ever don one, mainly because I don't carry writing utensils around with me very frequently. For me, the pocket protector represents a reliance on the crude art of penmanship, which I am trying to mostly abolish from my life in favor of the almighty digital domain. Then again, to each their own. Thanks again to Kris at Happy Worker Toys.  ;-)

Apparently, many of you like to listen to me rant about stuff. So here's another rant: Why are Soviets Funny. Enjoy!

Posted at 12:00 AM

Wow. Um, first off I'd like to thank all of you peeps who are regularly visiting my site. I didn't think I had a chance in hell of maintaining a regular readership. But the web stats and the hit-counter seem to tell a different tale. So, thanks! :-)

As my first (and apparently, last) anniversary present, my now ex-girlfriend got a me a copy of Enter the Matrix for GameCube. A wonderfully thoughtful present *wistful sigh*. This may be old news for some of you, as the Matrix was that thing that we were obsessed with last year and mostly forgot about when The Return of the King came out. I had always been curious about the game, since the Wachowski brothers made such a big deal about the Game's importance to the overall storyline of the Matrix genre.

Indeed, the game links together elements from the movies and The Animatrix. Everything is tied together, and as any geek knows, geeks love continuity. Enter the Matrix is filled with oodles of full-screen video with original performances by members of the Matrix movie cast. The game also introduces the excellent mechanic of "focus time" with represents the mental ability of the player character to perform their superhuman stunts while inside the Matrix. There's a really steep learning curve, though, which makes the game unspeakably frustrating at some points. It's just so good though that you can't put it down despite this.

More posts this week. I promise. (DISCLAIMER: GeekMan's promises are revokable at any time.)

Posted at 12:00 AM

Sorry I disappeared there for a while. I've had some crippling personal tragedies in my life recently which have severely curbed my enthusiasm for all those things I like to do, such as eating, sleeping, updating my website (you know, the important stuff). I may elaborate further in the future, but right now I think those of you who know me well enough are in the loop, or will be shortly.

There are so many things to write a geeky blog about. For example, I could talk about the Michigan father who named his son "John Blake Cusack 2.0" instead of simply appending the traditional "junior". I'm still brewing up a rant on the SCO, Microsoft, viruses, and gullible computer users, but it's not quite ready yet. I'm not going to talk about Janet Jackson's nipple, as tempting as that is. The latest scheme by Apple to promote its iTunes music store strikes me as very evil, and that's good! Well, here's why…

Posted at 12:00 AM