My home computer is dramatically, nay, incredibly better than my work computer. On this machine, having my usual 30+ webpages and maybe 10 applications is no problem. Ah, c'est bon.

Some weeks ago, I was at an airport. While waiting in queues, I made note of the nearby ads (a lot of ads for universities...) and read a large notice board about the airport's security screening procedures. Apparently, it is considered a faux pas to follow the stated rules in their entirety. Which part of this caused a problem? I'm so glad you ( Read more... )

Last weekend, I read Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip - Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by "the Waiter" (a waiter who works somewhere in New York City) and it was a pleasure to read. It is part of an emerging trend in publishing that I find very gratifying and approve of. Essentially, his blog about being a waiter garnered enough attention and ( Read more... )

This was a long and busy evening for me. Happily, it also involved watching Wilde, a biographical film about the famous writer Oscar Wilde. If that wasn't enough to make it great, it also starred Stephen Fry as Mr. Wilde. I enjoyed the film but wished it was longer (I think this about a lot of films though) but it did work. I still don't understand ( Read more... )

I'm so angry! Not only did the massive downpour currently underway soak my clothing so much that it was all sticking to me by the time I arrived home, but several items in my shoulder bag including one impossible to replace item were damaged from water. From my initial inspection, it looks like the most badly damaged item is Scott Pilgrim Volume 2 ( Read more... )

To my great delight, the powers that be at Vancouver International Airport provide free wireless Internet access. The other thing I rather like about the airport is the art installations that one can find here and there, especially since they are Canadian. There is something else they do here which I think is good. Most of the chairs in the area ( Read more... )

A quick post from the Vancouver Public Library. I've been in the city a few days and have managed to get in some sight seeing. I'm really liking how plentiful sushi restaurants are here, a vast improvement over Ottawa where one has to hunt for them. The Vancouver Art Gallery was also enjoyable to visit. The wedding is tomorrow and then I fly back ( Read more... )

Imagine pockets of cities where so many residents are in jail and prison, and for so long, that by the time they are released their incarceration will have cost more than $15 million. Imagine these people being released and returning home to the same place and conditions where the trouble began and, within two years, 4 in 10 are back behind bars ( Read more... )

I must say that I like, admire and think highly of Stephen Fry, a man I have never met. An actor, author, television presenter, classic humourist are only some of the ways you can describe him. The first time I remember encountering him was in the BBC television series Jeeves and Wooster (1990-1993), where P.G. Wodehouse's tales were lovingly and ( Read more... )

I just discovered a whole new area of the Statistics Canada website. Hours of learning lie ahead! There are profiles of electoral districts and the 2006 Community Profiles. It can be a bit tricky to find a good way of finding out about the area you're interested in though as StatsCan classifies some cities in multiple ways.