Finished!

Finished reading that damn book!
Now eat, nap, then go for exam.
-- Credo ut intelligam
416-905.blogspot.com

Sound

I think the number of otologists are going to grow in the next ten years
with the way so many people blasts their iPods.

To give some idea of how bad the TTC situation is

The subways are all locked up so everybody had to pile onto the 96 Yonge
Street bus. This thing is completely full and it is only the Southbound.
I hate to see what the Northbound bus looks like with the commuters
going back to the suburbs from downtown.

Passion in the Hot Hot Heat

I'm on the #60 bus, leaving York to Finch. It's 34° out with the
humidity to feel like the high 40's. There is no AC. The air-vent blows
out hot winds. It isn't heat: it's the very touch of fire.

The couple in front of me has taken to the climate. The man languidly
moistening his lips with perspiration from her neck. The women breathes
as if the air was water timing to the rthyme of the stop-and-go traffic.
She closes her eyes to the tasting of her lover. He stops; and whispers
something close to her ear. She breathes even deeper. The air turns red
like blood. His hands moves to some unseen place. She lets out a
soundless gasps, all the air pours from her. And she opens her eyes and
met his. And they sit close, mixing the sweat from their skin and
cuddle, rocking gently by the busride in the heat.

Back on the Red Rocket

I guess some resolution must've taken place because I am riding the 60
Steele West Eastbound.
-- Credo ut intelligam
416-905.blogspot.com

If I die of asbestosis, I know why.

If I die of asbestosis, I know why.,
originally uploaded by Self_Same_Self.

Still studying this stupid thing

... I'd like a break.

SMS MSG from "John" yesterday:

I am talking to that girl I met on subway, she is conservative
christian, i am teaching her gospel with my mouth, and screwing her with
my dick mentally,

forgive me God.

TTC strike.

Man,

This come at the worse time for me personally. I really need to be @
different places today.

My Friends from High School

My Friends from High School,
originally uploaded by Self_Same_Self.

Not great pics, but great to see everyone.

Too many friends has not been seen for too long.

My Friends from High School

My Friends from High School,
originally uploaded by Self_Same_Self.

Not great pics, but great to see everyone.

Too many friends has not been seen for too long.

My Friends from High School

My Friends from High School,
originally uploaded by Self_Same_Self.

Not great pics, but great to see everyone.

Too many friends has not been seen for too long.

Why I love the TTC and Toronto.

I was in a hurry to get to Jarvis & Dundas a couple of weeks ago. Just
as we were near Lawrence station, the voice on the on the intercom said
that there was a technical difficulty; a tree had fallen into the tracks
near Rosedale. He continued on to apologize and state that maintence
crew were on the -- before he can finish, he stopped. Then he quickly
changed tone: Tree taken care of.

The train didn't even have a opportunity to stop.

Dose is dead! Long Live Dose.ca .. (as long as it lasts)

So the much celebrated Dose is gone as a free daily. It's a shame but hardly unexpected. How did these guys expect to be in business by essentially running a couple of ads per issue is very much beyond me. What the hell was their business model?

Anywho, they are going to remain online and focus on their mobile content. But the print is gone.

Thanks Greg, I'd been so busy, I didn't even notice that they were gone.

To see the discuss board on DOSE:
http://toronto.dose.ca/.eef02cf

Greg's Blog: CELEBS, SECURITY CZARS AND MYSPACE.COM

So, my friend Greg has become a MySpace skeptic.

Greg's Blog: CELEBS, SECURITY CZARS AND MYSPACE.COM

I'm not a member of MySpace and have no intention of joining it. Not because I think I'm better than folks on it, but because there's something strange afoot in the MySpace universe. It's a social experiment that has clearly already gone past digital marketing machine and into the realm of surreal cult worship.

Nicholas Carr: "The Amorality of Web 2.0"

Good post. Even if it was from a year ago.

From the start, the World Wide Web has been a vessel of quasi-religious longing. And why not? For those seeking to transcend the physical world, the Web presents a readymade Promised Land. On the Internet, we're all bodiless, symbols speaking to symbols in symbols. The early texts of Web metaphysics, many written by thinkers associated with or influenced by the post-60s New Age movement, are rich with a sense of impending spiritual release; they describe the passage into the cyber world as a process of personal and communal unshackling, a journey that frees us from traditional constraints on our intelligence, our communities, our meager physical selves. We become free-floating netizens in a more enlightened, almost angelic, realm.

Web 2.0 apps: Ajaxwrite

With all the hoopla around Writely, ever since it's acquitsition by Google, it has been closed.

I'd tried Zoho Writer, Thinkfree, and gOffice, but none of them makes me want to Bloatware-soft Office off my computer... They just don't work quite as well. The worse is actually the most lauded, Writeboard. I don't know which versions other people have been using, but where I am, Writeboard (part of the Basecamp) is nothing more than a Wiki with a compare function. It's nice, but hardly a killer app.



But, I am impressed by a little developer making a software called, AJAX write. It's part of a package called AJAX Launch, featuring a series of AJAX programs that does a variety of things. Very awesome.

AJAX write feels exactly like a stripped down version of Microsoft Word. It doesn't have all the features I want in a word processor, most important, it doesn't support track change. But, it's still great. It looks like these guys has only been around for a few months. Wow!

Last.fm

Lots'o'fun so far. Hank Williams is great.

Hearing Willie Nelson again.

Last.fm has been pretty cool so far. I don't really get the same level of control of my music. But sometimes, big suprises.

http://www.last.fm/music/Johnny%2BCash%2B%2526%2BWillie%2BNelson/_/VH1+Storytellers

It was a mix concert between Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. A long one hour episode. The best was Willie Nelson singing Always On My Mind.

Those lines, it just reminds me.

Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time

Terry Woo - Responsibility

We're all at most six degrees away from committing a horrible atrocity, an unspeakable crime, something that would destroy others, and ourselves.
-Responsibility, by Terry Woo

http://www.thefighting44s.com/article.php?id_art=48
http://www.national.ca/en/pdf/2006_Winning_Essays.pdf


Older news, but still worth considering.

Dumb movie ideas

Sometimes I sit around with my friends and just talking about stuff. Sometimes, we would think of the dumbest ideas, like: do you think it
would be cool to live in a freighter? Or, having a midget minion.

Okay, execs who greenlight this Adam Sandler flick obviously was in the same state of mind.

gold bugs moves to the internet.

The last few years, I had an unhealthy attraction towards gold. Especially, when it was close to the $300USD mark, I thought it might go up more, but I wasn't sure. Anywho, to make a long story short, I didn't put money into it because I couldn't find any reasonable way to buy gold in small amounts with low transaction costs.

But I'd never thought like these guys on e-Gold.

News Item: Marijuana better than Cigs

No Link Between Marijuana Use and Lung Cancer

People who smoke marijuana—even heavy, long-term marijuana users—do not appear to be at increased risk of developing lung cancer, according to a study to be presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 23rd.

Marijuana smoking also did not appear to increase the risk of head and neck cancers, such as cancer of the tongue, mouth, throat, or esophagus, the study found.

The findings were a surprise to the researchers. “We expected that we would find that a history of heavy marijuana use—more than 500-1,000 uses—would increase the risk of cancer from several years to decades after exposure to marijuana,” said the senior researcher, Donald Tashkin, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles.

Motif

Suddenly, an understanding.
Motifs don't represent anything. They are just there. Like teeth in WHITE TEETH.

As such, they are neither symbolic or representational, but ornamental,
like the persisence of certain geometrical shapes in a mosque.

If so, why are they so effect in making a story seem more "story like?" And why are they an essential part of a narrative?

Search for a better notebook cont.

I picked this up at a little art supply store in Manhattan, in the Upper West Side, on Amsterdam.

It very much resembles the Moleskine RULED REPORTER NOTEBOOK, but obviously don't quite match the same level of quality. Then again, this notebook by Leather Etc, a little company in Mt. Arlington, NJ, cost one-fifth as much, and it is still very solidly constructed. The card cover is feels less supple and the paper is thinner and less smooth than a Moleskine. The book is held by two stiches and glued neatly to the cover. Like the Moleskine, it has that ever handy elastic band on the cover that hold the thing together and not flap around when you put it in a bag or a large coat pocket. The strangest thing though, is that the edge of the notebook is colored. Mine is blue, but the manufacturer has them randomly colored in all the basic hues. I don't know why. I find it off-putting, but I guess these guys must know what they're doing to increase marketshare.

If you want to buy a Moleskine Reporter, try here.
If you want to buy a colored edge notebook, try here.

Breakfast

Had a bananna for breakfast today.

Where I went tonight for karaoke-ing

Karaoke Commandments

From the very gods at alt.karaoke, The Ten Commandments (of Karaoke):

1) THOU SHALT NOT jeer, heckle, boo, harass, or otherwise interrupt a singer.
2) THOU SHALT NOT get too loaded if you are planning to perform.
3) THOU SHALT NOT whine about when your next turn is.
4) THOU SHALT NOT be upset if another patron sings a song you were planning to sing.
5) THOU SHALT NOT use foul language when at the mike.
6) THOU SHALT NOT swing the mike or dance with the mike stand.
7) THOU SHALT NOT sing along louder than the performer.
8) THOU SHALT NOT join in with a singer unless you are invited.
9) THOU SHALT NOT carry on a loud conversation next to the stage.
10) THOU SHALT APPLAUD!!

see the full article here.

American Apparels

I was trying to find more form-fitted lycra/cotton blend undershirts and decided to see the offering available from American Apparels.



What can I say, advertising works on me. Especially if they are peddling soft-porn on the side.




I will be the first to admitt that I look a little longer than needed for product information at these pictures.



However, when I looked thru the male section, I was a little disconcerted. The company apparently is an equal opportunity exploiter; they have the same porn style photographer for the male models as well. That's when I stopped. Very disturbing homo-erotic images.

Web2.0AdventuresContinue

So, I'd spent the last few days fiddling around with all the cool toys
of the new internet. I must've signed up for 20 different accounts.

The best so-far has been del.icio.us, which I added on the sidebar of my
website.

The oracalar John C. Dvorak made a very good point about Blackberries, the new work culture in America, and clowns.

In particular, there was a comparison between the working habits of the Japanese versus the Americans. The Japanese were notorious for working long hours and coming home late. Or so I thought. He said that they work fewer hours than Americans and hang out in bars with their friends all night, then come home late. The myth is BS. Then he delivered the operative and thematic statement: "The Japanese do not work harder—they work smarter."

Read the whole artice, Death to the CrackBerry

Web 2.0

I'd been having a little problem. The desktop I'm using has only a 3gig HD. This meant that after XP, I have less then 1gig for everything else. This has render this computer to be almost a terminal box; I don't use it for anything else but internet. It's fine. But, I would like the ability to do a little bit of word processing.

So, finally, I found a few partial solutions, courtesy of the new Web 2.0.

What is Web 2.0?

The Web-based Office will have its day by ZDNet's Richard MacManus -- I first profiled a Web 2.0 office in early September and since then more web-based office products have surfaced. Peter Rip posted recently that he's now "bumped into an alpha or beta Web-incarnation for every Microsoft desktop product". He says most are AJAX, but some are Flash or Flex-based (both Macromedia products). Peter thinks desktop [...]

So far ajaxwrite and Zoho Writer has potential. I also found a neat little web-hd, Openomy.

It's strange that everything I'm working with is still in beta-testing. Who knows? If Google or Microsoft or Yahoo don't buy these guys out, they won't be around in a year.

N-E-R-D. Or, I've been living under a rock.

So, one of my favorite groups N-E-R-D (No One Ever Really Dies) broke up last year. Shit. Those guys are awesome. How do I not know this?

Rolling Stone

Cool remix of Rockstar on myspace.

Band's official site.

Wheelchair

A few of my friends, recently, has had these abortion scares with their girlfriends. Some turned out to be inconsequential. Others ruined relationships. It's kind of bad.

Moleskine Notebooks

I love these things. They are, by far, one of the most well-crafted (best engineered) objects. Unfortunately, paying $20 apiece, up here in the land of the blue-eyed sheiks is getting to be too much.

I did see them for $11USD while in New York, but I figure I don't want to get into the habit, so I tough it out on the flimsy ole coil notebooks.

This man, though, definitely loves the same things I do.

Checkit:
http://www.emaginacion.com.ar/cym/introduction-to-the-moleskine-world/

New Toy: Google Trends

I know these guys do lousy business, but man, do they ever come out with the coolest things.

I've been playing around with this. As you can clearly see, poker definite trumps genocide any day of the week.

Strangely, Ottawa is the world capital for high-stake gambling. Must be the weather.

pasta night: for archival purposes

pasta night: for archival purposes

I had the same feeling the last time I went back.

Strange. So much stuff was kind of shitty, but they are, as memories, so dear.

Sunshine thru thundershowerw

Strange convolution of weather today.

What passes for news for the SUN

.. and as if that guy is a real virgin.

What's the truth? (Repost from Regent Park)

Toronto Star: New president pleads for peace

Catchdaflava: Global Struggles: The End of the People’s Movement in Haiti

Read and compare the Toronto Star articlewith the Catchdaflava article. What information about Aristide is missing in the Toronto Star? (Who forced Aristide from office? Why wa Haiti so poor under Aristide? Why was dictator Papa Doc able to stay in power so long while democratically-elected Aristide was not able to complete his elected term?

synchronicity

I was googling my name again in my usual practice of unbridle
narcissism. I found my name to a very odd link to a website devoted to
custom-made roleplaying games. It refered to the Anime RPG by Ron
Keating et Al. It has gone missing recently and the moderator, one
Robert Warren said the game is being overhauled and not being released
till it is re-done.

Actually, this was inside of the google-cache. The actual exchange has
long been taken down.

I was shot thru with the most excited sensations. The Anime RPG was
something Eon, Robert, I, and many of the old crew did together over ten
years ago! Ron wanted to make a RPG so he can play Project A-ko, sowe
thought of a whole lotta stuff that, eventually would allow anybody to
run games out of any sort of Anime. At one point, I was told, they used
it to play an Orange Roads (Sort of like an Japanimated version of the
OC.)

Anywho, I kinda dropped out of any developement when I moved to Toronto
in '96.
These guys were kind enough to keep my name there... great guys.

So, I started googling again, this time on what happened to the ANIME
RPG. A few pages deep and I find out it's back up again. They have
re-started Anime Rpg from scratch. They even tried contacting me
again... What wonderful guys!
(They tried my ICQ which I don't use anymore.)

Man, these guys are turning pretty pro. They has a forum to discuss game
issues...

I was pretty much out of the loop by now so I have no idea what they are
talking about. I tried giving my two cents.

Man, it was so cool. Did I mention already what great guys they were?

http://www.geocities.com/anime_role_playing_game/new/animerpg.html

where's my coffee?

Hey, it's my buddy Pauline! She is back on the blog'0'sphere.

Blog'o'mite!

where's my coffee?

Rainy day

iIr's been rainy today, so I spent the better part of the day fiddling
with this blog, adding more stuff. Hooked it up on Winksite. It's rss
syndicated now and I think I got it working on technorati.

Where do you want to put it?

Okay.
If I don't flush away the toilet paper, where do I put it?

Hey Tea

Sup.

TTC again

The little TTC chime sounds distantly familiar,. Like an old friend,
long unmet and almost strangers now, waiting to be re-aquainted again.

Tags: toronto, ttc

bye bye New York

Took the 1:15AM bus. ETA is 2:00Pm.

Wow, I had a lot of fun. I was planning to stay a weekend, but ended up
doing almost ten days.

I got to see my two friends Eddy and Owen, which was cool.

It's also nice to have some physicality to some of the stuff I read. For
example, "some dive on 42nd street" has some meaning for me now.

I was lucky to see New York when it was warm and also to have people to
show me around. Therefore, I have many positive associations now with
the city, even Central Park.

I didn't see everything. In Manhattan alone, I didn't see the
Rockefeller Ctr, MoMA, or in fact, any museums. I didn't stray further
east than 5th Ave, or south of Canal Street, or gone deep into Harlem.
Major landmarks I made no intention to see: Statue of Liberty, UN, Wall
Street. Hell, I didn't even want to look at the WTC site.

But I think I saw all of what I wanted. Except Hell's Kitchen. I was sad
to learned that I was already there when I was going thru Times Square.
It was once a big slum in the middle of town, now it's just a bunch of
shops. It's just gone

Tags: NYC, Manhattan, travel, auden

If you make it ...

This is the Upper East Side. According to the wikipedia, it has the
greatest concentration of wealth in America. You meet more millionaires
on the street than anywhere else.

I'd have to admit, people here make the normally dorky polo shirts and
navy blazers look cool.

The penthouse seems verdant with greenstuff. The women here are not
especially pretty, but very stylish and imperially slim.

Tags: Manhattan, NYC, Upper East Side

Streetlights on Broadway

Broadway is divided by a large greenspace just like University Ave in
Toronto.

University always had a stupid light timing system. They give the
average pedestrian just enoug time to cross the road halfway. There is
nothing there tourists kind of mill around the median on the median.
People used to the light just run across, causing the whole thing to
look like that eighties video game, Frogger.

Unlike University, the light at Broadway is set so that a person pushing
a baby carriage can traverse the complete wideth in the alloted time.
This is smarter.

Tags: toronot, NYC, traffic lights, urban

Another little bookstore

This one is on the Upper East Side.
One-third of the store is devoted to children. Most of the clients seems
to have kids under 11.

Again, very warm lights, walnut shelves, and intelligent-looking clerks.
I guess these things are similar all around.

Tags: Upper East Side, NYC, Bookstore

BUS

Took the bus for the first time in NY today. You don't really want to in New York because they are comparatively inferior to the subway, and the subway practically goes everywhere, EXCEPT... crosstown.

For some odd reason, there is no subway line going East-West across Manhattan north of 59th St. The only way to go from the Upper West Side to the Upper East Side is by bus.

Tags: crosstown, NYC, mta, Manhattan

Talk to me

This is the sort of stuff you'd see only on the Upper West Side. It's
this couple that put out a few chairs and this sign on the sidewalk. The
idea is that people will just walkby and chat.

I got sucked in. Apparently, these two has been doing this for the last
four years. In fact, they took a road trip across America (& Vancouver)
on their bicycles. They lived on rooftops, people's holmes, and camp on
the road. The woman claimed that the two of them spent ~$3000 on that
trip, which lasted a whole year.

They are not documenting any of this, The only thing theyare doing is
asking people to sign their guest book.

My gauge of the situation is that they view what they do as a piece of
public art, kind of like the Gates.

Eddy thought these guys are monumental morons. I, on the other hand, is
more sympathetic. If I were a different person, I might do the same
thing.

Tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan

Do you YAHOO!

Interesting little thing, but it is probably a big waste of money for
yahoo.

They're little terminals that connects only to Yahoo content inside the
Times Square info centre. Very neat. But I fail to see how this would
grab any significant marketshare from other portals.

Goody for me though, I get to check my email.

yahoo, blunder

Lehman Brothers

I thought this was another theatre, but it turned out to be Lehman
Brothers.

Yes, that sign is green like the greenback.

Always nice to know that your investment broker is pissing your money
away, feed electricity to some gaudy showpiece.

Tags: excess, lehman brothers

Letterman

This deserves a picture.

Tags: letterman, Ed Sullivan, neon sign

p. diddy-squat

That poser has his own building on Broadway.

Tags: puff daddy, poseur