Guess where I'm going this April? I'll give you a hint:

Posted at 12:45 PM | Comments (1)

If you love The Prestige, like I do, you probably remember that neat scene where Nikola Tesla (played by David Bowie... love it) powers up an entire field of lightbulbs with no wires. It was a great demonstration of how little-known principles of physics can seem synonymous with magic.

Far fetched? No way. Artist Richard Box has made an installation piece by "planting" 1,301 florescent bulbs in a field. They also glow without any wires. How? They're powered by the electromagnetic field produced by the power lines above. Makes you question the way you think about energy, doesn't it? Also might make you question your living space if there are transmission wires nearby.

Posted at 03:28 PM | Comments (1)

Hopefully by the end of the week things will be going better.

I've got my new site up and running. I've decided to call it Twisted Pair, after the wiring scheme used in Cat-5 ethernet cables. The tagline is "IT on a Budget": innovative and/or low-cost solutions for small-business IT.

Posted at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)

There was a server shuffle in the office, and I had to switch Geekman's World to a different IP. Then Shaw took bloody forever to reflect the DNS update. But NOW things are working again.

At least something is going right.

Posted at 09:01 AM

Friday, April 4, 2008. That's the date that we'll be blessed by Season 4 premiere of Battlestar Galactica. It's been a long road: the series launched with it's pilot miniseries in 2003, and it's been an awesome road ever since.

For me, the road has been substantially (and mercifully) less long. You may recall that I only got hooked o BSG a year ago, but I am a 100% devotee. BSG renewed my faith in sci-fi television with solid writing, directing, and even that most elusive of sci-fi qualities, good acting.

But the question on all our minds has been burning ever since the big reveal at the end of season 3: who is the final Cylon? For that, I'll go to the extended entry to avoid spoiling those of you presently unindoctrinated, and those who wish to remain blissfully unaware...

Continue reading "It's almost time..." »

Posted at 05:36 PM | Comments (2)

Patrick Stewart proves once again that the best actors are also the best at being hilarious.

Posted at 05:16 PM | Comments (1)

So today was an awesome Monday. I got to meet my second "God-child" (honorific, since religion is not really involved, and since I'm not the only "God-parent"). His name is Jeffrey. He's very tiny, and very well-behaved (so far).

I made Andrea laugh by making some ridiculous funny faces. Then at the end of the night Chris prompted her "Say goodbye to uncle Jesse?" She (and I'm not embellishing at all here) said loudly, "Good-bye Uncee Jesse!" and ran over to give me a hug. Marvelous. :-)

Posted at 08:42 PM | Comments (2)

This is why I love Barack Obama.

Posted at 09:45 AM | Comments (3)

So I saw Cloverfield this weekend with some friends. I won't give too much away in case some of you haven't seen it yet.

I'm starting to admire this particular sub-genre of storytelling. Like Signs, Cloverfield takes an event that would normally make for a run-of-the-mill, humdrum disaster/action/scary movie and does something interesting with it. The former being an alien invasion of Earth, and the latter being a monster attack on a major city. They're subjects that have become cliché: and either could easily be a pallid copy of Independence Day or Godzilla, respectively. In such cases, the president of the U.S. and a bunch of high-ranking officers and scientists would likely comprise the main characters. Though you might throw in an elite soldier or hot-shot fighter pilot, <sarcasm> because that's someone we can all relate to.</sarcasm>

But when you put the camera on the ground, non-omniscient, following the story of average joes affected by the disaster, you come up with something truly interesting and terrifying. The viewer begins to be drawn into the characters' situation; the lack of information gives a feeling of helplessness.

Cloverfield does all this very well. As did Signs. But there's one reason why Signs is still head and shoulders over Cloverfield in my opinion: Signs doesn't make you want to FUCKING HURL.

Like the similarly conceived Blair Witch Project, the cinematographical premise of Cloverfield is that it's filmed by a dude holding a camcorder. This, in theory, adds to the immersion of the viewer. In practice, it gives half the audience SEVERE motion sickness. I literally struggled towards the end to hold on to my lunch, while many others were forced to leave the movie halfway through. The uncompromising shaking is completely unnecessary as well. If we can suspend our disbelief that anyone would bother to continue to hold the camera, much less actually FILM, during this crisis, then we can also suspend our disbelief that the camera remains STEADY. I'd rather make this leap of faith than endure the incredible discomfort I experienced while watching the otherwise riveting film.

Has anyone else seen this movie? Thoughts are appreciated.

Posted at 02:42 PM | Comments (1)

Reconciliation

Posted at 09:26 PM | Comments (0)

I just want this fucking week to be over.

Posted at 09:33 AM

For years the faceless monoliths of the recording industry have cried foul over illegal downloading by claiming that it hurts the artists. Now, the RIAA has committed the ultimate hypocrisy by asking the American Copyright Royalty Board to lower songwriter royalties on digital song downloads (such as Apple's iTunes).

From the article:

"Record companies are suffering a contraction of their business at a time when music publisher revenues and margins have increased markedly," the trade group wrote. "While record companies have been forced to drastically cut costs and employees, music publisher catalogs have increased in value due to steadily rising mechanical royalty rates and alternative revenue streams made possible, but not enjoyed, by record companies."

Translation: Boo-hoo waa-waa boo-hoo- waa-waa-WAAHH!

Posted at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)

As promised, "The Russian":

Also, last week I made a sandwich so impressive that I had to take a picture of it:

Not pictured: dijon, honey mustard, mayonnaise, & mozzarella cheese.

Same sandwich about two minutes later.

Posted at 04:38 PM | Comments (2)

Ow. Water please.

After reading last night's post, can I just clarify that I don't think I'm better than everyone? I just have no patience for "the masses". I exclude most people I know from this class: I'm very picky about the friends I keep. I've got a great collection of talented and thoughtful compatriots.

So hey, on another note, did you know that most of India and the Middle East are having a massive internet outage? Yes sir, many of our coveted internet tubes are underwater and in some places can be easy broken by an unlucky meeting with a ship's anchor. Guardian Unlimited has a great article on the situation with a cool map and everything.

I can't cry too many tears for India, who has been stealing my industry's jobs for the last several years (I really hope some of those big outsourcers are squirming in their seats). Maybe we'll get lucky and some of the panicky world of public companies will decide to have their filings done in North America again. Maybe...

Posted at 09:24 AM | Comments (2)

It's been more than a week since my last entry. See, sometimes in order to keep a record of my life (for "future Jesse" to reminisce upon), I have to balance between being discreet and letting on a little more of my personal thoughts. It's a delicate balance (as some of you have recently become aware). So since I haven't blogged in over a week now, it's about time.

I am stupid drunk writing this blog-post. Office party = w00t. I've imbibed: a Manhattan, a shot of Jagermeister, a vodka martini, a "Russian Flag" shot (I'll explain that tomorrow), two glasses of Merlot, and two Beautifuls (thanks Paul). Yeah, I'm having a little trouble typing this. My co-workers and I talked about a lot of stuff this evening. A lot of thougthful, sometimes even emotional, topics were discussed.

In particular, I had the most incredible conversation with one of my co-workers this evening. That is, someone of my own age, whom I had assumed to be, shall we say, somewhat superficial, turned out to be a very interesting person! Well, let me explain: working in the world of business, I've simply started to assume that everyone is a conservative. My co-worker surprised me by being a politically and socially conscientious, liberal-minded, free-market capitalist. I was taken aback by her militant approach to "staying informed" and being active in the political atmosphere of one's society. Most strikingly, when one of older gentlemen made an off-colour remark about her gender (and her in particular), she leaned towards me and confessed in depth how difficult she found the balance between allowing her looks to carry her socially in a business world full of middle-aged men, versus standing up for her person and not allowing herself to be valued solely in terms of said looks.

This isn't to say at all that I've been oblivious to that fact that many women have such struggles, but rather that I had boorishly assumed she hadn't been so incredibly cognisant of it. As a matter of fact, she thinks about it all the time: it is a delicate balance between social-strategy and self-esteem.

It's sad: When you get used to being smarter than the average person; when you see fallacy in most aspects of the society around you; when, throughout your life you are continually disappointed by the lack of logic, reason, and forethought demonstrated by most people; you arrogantly begin to assume that almost everyone on Earth is stupid. How pleasant it was to have my assumptions proved incredibly wrong. The refutal itself is glorious.

Thank you, J¹!

P.S. - Can I take a moment and also add how amazing Angela has been lately? It's been bit of a difficult time for me as of late, and my lady has been nothing but super supportive and incredible. When I'm with her, it feels like home. Our time together this week has been so happy and content, it's just like falling in love all over again. I love you THIS MUCH, Angela!   ;-)

Okay, time to lose consciousness. No comments!!!

Posted at 10:49 PM