One of my OTF compatriots posted a new topic in the forums today, reminding us all in a brief post that life is precious. I was sorely tempted to post something there, but decided not to ruin his beautiful sentiment with cynicism. there's a time and a place for that: now, at this site.

Iain frequently reminds me about this, and many of you have probably seen this before. It's the infamous Ivey Memo. A memo regarding a cost-benefit analysis done by the General Motors Corp. which essentially says that human life is worth $200,000 US. It was about the same to endure a few hundred wrongful death lawsuits than to fix a safety issue in a line of vehicles.

Posted at 12:00 AM

One thing I've always wanted to do for the site but never got around to was a how-to project of some kind. In the past, I've gone on wild goose chases around the internet trying to find out how to do something obscure with some program or hardware that no one else needs or wants to do. I'd think to myself, "When I finally figure out this mess, I'm going to put together a how-to article so that the next person who needs to do this doesn't run into this kind of trouble."

This time, I'm finally doing it. Say, have you ever wanted to put files like ringtones or pictures onto a non-bluetooth phone, but never knew how? Well, here's how! You're welcome.

Posted at 12:00 AM

UPDATE:

Stop it. Stop it right now.

Don't act all innocent. I'm talking to you people who have started saying "these data". There's a trendy group of idiots who have decided that "data" is plural. They think that they can say "those data" as if data were a herd of reindeer or buffalo. This stems from the fact that "data" is the plural of the Latin word "datum". Some people believe that since we use the word in its plural form, we should account for this in English usage.

But it is usage, not dervation, which is important. Data is not plural, data is a fluid; a body of substance we refer to in the singular. This water. This sand. This butter. It is not a concept without precedent in the English language. We do not say "these sand", because sand in composed on many tiny individual grains of sand. Nor should we refer to data in the plural because it is composed of individual bits and bytes.

Please people, don't be fooled by poor English! Whoever thought this up is just a dumb oaf trying to start a trend in order to make themselves feel smart. English is mutable, yes, but theory of language is formed from usage, not the other way around.

Posted at 12:00 AM

So the other night I started whining to Iain that I couldn't find anything on the internet about this show I watched as a kid. I thought it was called "Lonestar", and it was a sci-fi western: a story that took place on a desert-like colony world in a trinary star system, far in the future. After I had pulled out my hair and given up in frustration, Iain did some brief snooping and found out it was in fact called Bravestarr. He did this using a site called Retro Junk: a repository of TV show themes and commercials from the 1980s and early 90s. I had sung the complete theme for Iain and his friend Jen a few minutes before Iain found it on Retro Junk, and except for the name, it turns out I had recited it note and word-perfect. Pretty scary, considering I haven't seen the show in around 16-17 years.

Anyway, you're heartily encouraged to go check out the site and revisit a part of your childhood you thought that you had lived down a long time ago.

Posted at 12:00 AM

Safety in the workplace is important, and nobody knows it better than the Germans... apparently. While searching for something else, a friend of a friend found this video for safety in a warehouse environment. The first minute or two are boring enough, but after that it evolves (or perhaps devolves) into something hilariously violent. It certainly makes its point well. It also makes you realize how most of the time we separate humour and professionalism. Maybe its a European thing. Windows Media Player and a strong stomach are required.

Thanks to my co-worker Peter for hosting it at his site tunedhonda.com.

UPDATE: Apparently, it's not real. I know, I'm as disappointed as you are! Susanne, my friend from Germany, says it's a project of some German film students and a cult web-film over there. BTW, Susanne, Peter's really upset with you. You killed the magic for him. :-P

Posted at 12:00 AM

Case-modding has become quite the pastime of computer hardware techeads. Windows, blue LEDs, digital temperature monitors. Of constant fascination to me is the fellow who builds PC cases out of Lego. I must admit, there have been times when upgrading a PC for a certain purpose where I wished I could just take a hacksaw to the case. No need with Lego, just rebuild it. Very nerdy.

Could somebody please stop telling Wiley Miller of Non Sequitur to stop being such an asshole about Scott Kurtz of PvP giving his comic to papers for free? I think Gabe over at Penny Arcade said it best the other day.

Posted at 12:00 AM

The seven year period of my life spent devoting time and effort to Outpost 10F has come to a close. I've finally outgrown the limited, incestuous gene pool available to one's talents, and realized that the things that make Outpost 10F great really don't outweigh the things that I can't stand about it. So, I present to you the rant that is going is certain to afford me a record amount of hate mail: Outpost 10F is a Bunch of Freaks. Have a super day!

Posted at 12:00 AM

If you haven't done so already, you should consider making a donation to The Canadian Red Cross towards the Asia Earthquake & Tsunami Relief fund. I made my donation this morning. Up to January 11th, if you donate to the Red Cross the government of Canada will match your donation, and you can claim it on your taxes for the 2004 fiscal year. If you have an iTunes account like I do, you can donate to the International Red Cross directly through the iTunes Music Store.

Iain had a friend on the beach in Sri Lanka when the Tsunami hit. Luckily he's okay, but he has quite the harrowing tales to tell.

Posted at 12:00 AM

For those of you not privy to the goings on of our New Years party (and those of you who were, but don't really remember) you can check out some of the pictures from Iain's digital camera in the Gallery.

I have a new bed. It's a queen size. As someone who's 6'2" and who has slept on a twin his entire adult life, I can tell you that I'm much more comfy these days. Guests are welcome, as long as they're women between the ages of 19 and 30. Well, not really... sometimes... oink.

Posted at 12:00 AM