If you're not a geek, you can tune out... but there's something really cool I just stumbled across.
The developers at Mozilla are working on a tool called Ubiquity. It's a fairly new version of the embedded search engine, but almost better... fewer clicks to get to where you want to go.
You have to watch the video to see what it can do... I look forward to seeing what the final version's like.
28.8.08
24.8.08
the drivers... they just don't go
Tonight I was coming home from Hamilton after visiting a friend and seeing 4 waterfalls in a 90 minute period (Tiffany Falls, Tew's Falls, Webster's Falls, Baby Webster's Falls) and for some reason, as soon as I hit the 401, all traffic decided that they had to go slow. The slow lane on the 401 got down to 70 around the 7/8 cutoff into Kitchener, and then on the expressway, people didn't know how to go the speed limit. They were all going slow. And when they did get up to speed, they continued to drop their speed again. They're out to get me. All of them. Whoever they are.
16.8.08
ymq / yul
Here I'm sitting in the basement at the bar in the Hostelling International Youth Hostel in Montreal, Quebec. For those of you paying attention, this is my first time being a somewhat tourist in Montreal. We arrived via Train this morning at 9:45 (almost 2 hours late - go VIA!) and then walked to the hostel - about 15 minutes from the train station.
After getting all the bags into two rooms, we went outside to figure out where we were going for the day - the original plan being shopping (with 19 teenagers... about 10 of them female) or the Science Centre in the Old Town / Old Port district of Montreal. After figuring out that only one person wanted to go to the Science Centre, we changed the second option to doing touristy stuff in the Old Town / Old Port district of town. We got about 7 people that time, but it still wasn't enough.... so, we all went shopping on Ste. Catharine Street and then we all went to the Old Port / Old Town via Chinatown (seems to be about 3 streets big).
This was the afternoon of weddings. Ranging from the one location where about 4 couples were getting photos taken, to the 4-6 other couples we saw throughout the afternoon, and the one guy who started off in a wedding dress and his friends were letting people whip eggs at him for $2 and then he changed into a cowboy outfit with underwear and chaps on the lower half and people were allowed to whip him for $2. Weird people.
Oh well. After eating down there and spending a bit more time wondering around, we're back to the hostel now where all have been sent to their rooms to shower (mandatory - especially for the one who thinks rain is like a shower because it makes his hair feel softer and he doesn't need a shower because his sweat is like a shower because it doesn't smell - it does) and hopefully they'll be conked out sleeping soon. We're up early again tomorrow to hop on the train to Toronto.... which if my past experience is any revelation for what my happen, will leave about 30 minutes late due to the late arrival of train 15 / 615 from Halifax.
I'm looking forward to being able to crash on my own bed tomorrow night... but we do have real beds tonight, which is quite the change over the past week.
On a completely different note - congrats to Dan and Faith on welcoming Evangeline Irena into the world on Friday morning. The Park Car (dome / bar car at the end of our train that only those in Easterly Class have access to (rich), which we were told this morning is supposedly haunted) was called the Evangeline Park. Hopefully this new niece isn't haunted by a former VIA employee who pages from empty bedrooms.
And for now, I'm out to enjoy the evening with a few of the other leaders before I crash.
Out.
T.
After getting all the bags into two rooms, we went outside to figure out where we were going for the day - the original plan being shopping (with 19 teenagers... about 10 of them female) or the Science Centre in the Old Town / Old Port district of Montreal. After figuring out that only one person wanted to go to the Science Centre, we changed the second option to doing touristy stuff in the Old Town / Old Port district of town. We got about 7 people that time, but it still wasn't enough.... so, we all went shopping on Ste. Catharine Street and then we all went to the Old Port / Old Town via Chinatown (seems to be about 3 streets big).
This was the afternoon of weddings. Ranging from the one location where about 4 couples were getting photos taken, to the 4-6 other couples we saw throughout the afternoon, and the one guy who started off in a wedding dress and his friends were letting people whip eggs at him for $2 and then he changed into a cowboy outfit with underwear and chaps on the lower half and people were allowed to whip him for $2. Weird people.
Oh well. After eating down there and spending a bit more time wondering around, we're back to the hostel now where all have been sent to their rooms to shower (mandatory - especially for the one who thinks rain is like a shower because it makes his hair feel softer and he doesn't need a shower because his sweat is like a shower because it doesn't smell - it does) and hopefully they'll be conked out sleeping soon. We're up early again tomorrow to hop on the train to Toronto.... which if my past experience is any revelation for what my happen, will leave about 30 minutes late due to the late arrival of train 15 / 615 from Halifax.
I'm looking forward to being able to crash on my own bed tomorrow night... but we do have real beds tonight, which is quite the change over the past week.
On a completely different note - congrats to Dan and Faith on welcoming Evangeline Irena into the world on Friday morning. The Park Car (dome / bar car at the end of our train that only those in Easterly Class have access to (rich), which we were told this morning is supposedly haunted) was called the Evangeline Park. Hopefully this new niece isn't haunted by a former VIA employee who pages from empty bedrooms.
And for now, I'm out to enjoy the evening with a few of the other leaders before I crash.
Out.
T.
12.8.08
the post of the beast
Just letting you know that this is post 666 on my blog.
Still in Halifax. It's raining (go figure... actually, we were waiting for the bus yesterday to get to the church from the train station - rental agency was closed because the train was 2 hours late in getting in - and there was a girl who we talked to a bit while waiting. One of the other leaders from our group said, "At least we can be thankful it's not raining" and both the girl and I said simultaneously "Yet")
Tonight we got a chance to go on a street walk to see what it would be like for a 14 year old to live on the street in a new city with no experience. We had to answer five questions: Shelter? Food? Money? Hygiene? How to Spend your Time? While we were figuring out the answers to this, we saw a section of Halifax that the tours will NEVER take you through. It's actually only about 2 blocks north of the Citadel, but it's definitely non-touristed. Safe Needle Exchange site, shelters, gay bars, legal services, and such. Although I knew that I was safe with the guide, I still felt a bit queasy. I've been fortunate to grow up with a great family and have had the opportunities that I've had and haven't had any bad experiences that would push me into that type of experience. We were talking about the possibility of sleeping in a dumpster and one of the girls in my group was saying it would be good, but then when the reality that someone may try to come to get "some sugar" from her, her face went from fun experience to a realization that this could happen and it isn't fun... it's survival.
Tomorrow is another day of service, and then Thursday's touristy in the area... then back on the train on Friday. Whee!
Out.
T.
Still in Halifax. It's raining (go figure... actually, we were waiting for the bus yesterday to get to the church from the train station - rental agency was closed because the train was 2 hours late in getting in - and there was a girl who we talked to a bit while waiting. One of the other leaders from our group said, "At least we can be thankful it's not raining" and both the girl and I said simultaneously "Yet")
Tonight we got a chance to go on a street walk to see what it would be like for a 14 year old to live on the street in a new city with no experience. We had to answer five questions: Shelter? Food? Money? Hygiene? How to Spend your Time? While we were figuring out the answers to this, we saw a section of Halifax that the tours will NEVER take you through. It's actually only about 2 blocks north of the Citadel, but it's definitely non-touristed. Safe Needle Exchange site, shelters, gay bars, legal services, and such. Although I knew that I was safe with the guide, I still felt a bit queasy. I've been fortunate to grow up with a great family and have had the opportunities that I've had and haven't had any bad experiences that would push me into that type of experience. We were talking about the possibility of sleeping in a dumpster and one of the girls in my group was saying it would be good, but then when the reality that someone may try to come to get "some sugar" from her, her face went from fun experience to a realization that this could happen and it isn't fun... it's survival.
Tomorrow is another day of service, and then Thursday's touristy in the area... then back on the train on Friday. Whee!
Out.
T.
hello city
It happened last year and it's happening again this year. I'm in Halifax. And everytime I come to Halifax (well, since 2006 anyway), I think of the song Hello City by the Barenaked Ladies. They say the name of one of the streets here. Bonus points if you can figure out which one it is.
The train ride was uneventful, although we got in almost 30 minutes late to Montreal and 2 hours late to Halifax, but we're still here. We haven't had an opportunity to shower since Sunday, but it's all part of the experience.
This afternoon we were at a food bank sorting onions and turnips from last year's crop into two bins: good and bad. Bad being the majority of the onions and many of them growing mould or sprouting. Woo!
I'm creatively borrowing a wireless connection right now and it's somewhat awkward.
But for now, I need to go upload some pictures of the trip. So for now, here's a picture that some people may remember from a few years back... Click here.
Also, something interesting. I was able to randomly pick up wireless signals on the train, even as we were moving because people don't change their network names from Linksys or Default or WLAN. Oh well. I get to check my e-mail at their expense.
Whee!
The train ride was uneventful, although we got in almost 30 minutes late to Montreal and 2 hours late to Halifax, but we're still here. We haven't had an opportunity to shower since Sunday, but it's all part of the experience.
This afternoon we were at a food bank sorting onions and turnips from last year's crop into two bins: good and bad. Bad being the majority of the onions and many of them growing mould or sprouting. Woo!
I'm creatively borrowing a wireless connection right now and it's somewhat awkward.
But for now, I need to go upload some pictures of the trip. So for now, here's a picture that some people may remember from a few years back... Click here.
Also, something interesting. I was able to randomly pick up wireless signals on the train, even as we were moving because people don't change their network names from Linksys or Default or WLAN. Oh well. I get to check my e-mail at their expense.
Whee!
8.8.08
spam?
I logged into blogger today and noticed one of the recent headlines on the Blogger Buzz: You Are Not Spam.
Thank you, Blogger, for confirming what I had only guessed could be possible.
I didn't think I was canned meat. I don't know why anyone would really want to be canned meat, but I guess some people enjoy that feeling of being confined in a very small space by thin metal that can only be cracked open by someone willing to put their health on the line for something that claims it's meat, but is definitely not.
That is all.
Oh, and I'm off to Nova Scotia next week. Train on Sunday morning from Toronto to Montreal; Montreal to Halifax, there for a few days, and then back to Montreal on Friday / Saturday, and then Montreal to Toronto on the 17th. Just in time to get back for everyone to shower me with gifts on my birthday. Cheques or cash accepted.
Thank you, Blogger, for confirming what I had only guessed could be possible.
I didn't think I was canned meat. I don't know why anyone would really want to be canned meat, but I guess some people enjoy that feeling of being confined in a very small space by thin metal that can only be cracked open by someone willing to put their health on the line for something that claims it's meat, but is definitely not.
That is all.
Oh, and I'm off to Nova Scotia next week. Train on Sunday morning from Toronto to Montreal; Montreal to Halifax, there for a few days, and then back to Montreal on Friday / Saturday, and then Montreal to Toronto on the 17th. Just in time to get back for everyone to shower me with gifts on my birthday. Cheques or cash accepted.
4.8.08
blog and mail
I realized something about golf this week.
It's exercise disguised as a skill game. See, why would anyone ever consider hitting a small ball with a club on it's own? How it started was people trying to figure out how to disguise their walking back and forth on fields as something people wouldn't think they were crazy doing, therefore the sport of Golf was born.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to walk back and forth down that long patch of grass across the road for a few hours."
Or:
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to practise my skill at hitting a small round projectile off a wooden tee into a hole that is only about 3 times the size of the ball almost 1/2 a km away."
See? Conspiracy? Maybe my logic is out to lunch, but that's what I got.
It's exercise disguised as a skill game. See, why would anyone ever consider hitting a small ball with a club on it's own? How it started was people trying to figure out how to disguise their walking back and forth on fields as something people wouldn't think they were crazy doing, therefore the sport of Golf was born.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to walk back and forth down that long patch of grass across the road for a few hours."
Or:
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to practise my skill at hitting a small round projectile off a wooden tee into a hole that is only about 3 times the size of the ball almost 1/2 a km away."
See? Conspiracy? Maybe my logic is out to lunch, but that's what I got.
2.8.08
vacate.
This week I've taken a bit of a vacation. Monday night, I came home. Tuesday, I went to the dentist and then golfing with my parents that afternoon. I got 54, my dad shot 55, and my mom 57.
Wednesday was hanging out with Katie all day. We went for lunch at Harvey's and then to the theatre to see Mamma Mia. I really enjoyed it in Toronto a few years back at the Princess of Wales, so I figured I'd enjoy it again. And it was true. Good movie. The acting was horrible, but the music was good.
Thursday was more dentist, and then lunch with a friend, and then spending the afternoon with Kyler.
Friday I didn't leave the house all day, and watched Charlie Wilson's War and Enchanted online.
Today I went garage sale-ing this morning, and then had a nap this afternoon, and then to my grandparents for dinner tonight.
Tomorrow is church and grandparents, Monday - golf and home; Tuesday back to work for 4 days before we hit Halifax!
Out.
Wednesday was hanging out with Katie all day. We went for lunch at Harvey's and then to the theatre to see Mamma Mia. I really enjoyed it in Toronto a few years back at the Princess of Wales, so I figured I'd enjoy it again. And it was true. Good movie. The acting was horrible, but the music was good.
Thursday was more dentist, and then lunch with a friend, and then spending the afternoon with Kyler.
Friday I didn't leave the house all day, and watched Charlie Wilson's War and Enchanted online.
Today I went garage sale-ing this morning, and then had a nap this afternoon, and then to my grandparents for dinner tonight.
Tomorrow is church and grandparents, Monday - golf and home; Tuesday back to work for 4 days before we hit Halifax!
Out.
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