Wednesday, August 31, 2005


The official Christopher Walken for President 2008 website has been up and running for the past month. I haven't seen any word on the legitimacy of it, but wouldn't you vote for a president who:

- has taken on both James Bond (in one of the more laughable (but not on purpose) efforts in the franchise, A View to a Kill and Batman in Batman Returns.

- who can move through the air with the greatest of ease, as shown in the video for Fatboy Slim's song, Weapon of Choice

- will put it all on the line with a friendly game of Russian Roulette. Deer Hunter

- knows what it's like to have an uncomfortable piece of metal up his ass for two years in order to fulfill a promise. Pulp Fiction

- is willing to make the call when he recognizes that what the country really needs is More Cowbell!

And who wouldn't respect a leader who could be brutally honest with his people: "I spent half my life in prison. I never got away with anything, and I never killed anybody that didn't deserve it." King of New York

Do your duty and spread the word:


Walken for Pres in 2008: He's Your Weapon of Choice!




Wednesday, August 24, 2005


Radiohead is posting on a blog DEAD AIR SPACE as they work on their new album. Be sure to give the Radiohead website a peak and twirl. The scrapbook is fascinating.



Thoughts of the moment (courtesy of the scrapbook):

#1 What would you do if you knew you'd get away with it?



#2 Down is the new up.

Friday, August 19, 2005


The first in an ongoing series where I just point out some fun designs


store: "love is stupid" tee

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Schools' laptop sale in Richmond turns into a stampede

File under : Stupid Stupid Shoppers

A school board sells off some 4-year old I-Books for $50. Chaos ensues. My favourite indication that we should question the values taught by the Virginia school system:

I took my chair here and I threw it over my shoulder and I went, 'Bam,'" 20-year-old Jesse Sandler said nonchalantly, his eyes glued to the screen of his new iBook as he tapped away on the keyboard at a testing station. He admitted to using a folding chair he had brought with him to beat back people who tried to cut in front of him.


Mac News: Apple News : Laptop Sale Turns Into a Stampede

I wonder if that's how The Rock shops for groceries: "Back away from the papaya, or I shall lay a smackdown upon ya' gabroni! BAM!"

Wednesday, August 10, 2005



Those "fine" journalists at Dateline have done some digging and have decreed Toronto's own Liberty Village to be a hive of smut and spammers. Liberty Village is an up and coming Toronto district populated by dotcoms, marketing, and creative types. A variety of condo lofts and townhouses are devloping in the area, which is known for preserving the historical buildings that shape the neighbourhood. It is a perfectly nice neighbourhood, with such businesses as the Liberty Street cafe, Academy for Spherical Arts billiards room, Joe Rockhead's Indoor Rock Climbing, and the YTV Studios.

Journalism of this type often provides the material for The Daily Show. I wondered when Stephen Colbert was going to show up with a punchline about "Porn pouring forth onto the internet, like the sweet sweet maple syrup that can be tapped on every street corner here". I guess Toronto should try a different approach with Yonge and Dundas and just porn-it-up to get some attention.

One Degree covers the story with a number of follow-up links.


I can't tell which is more ridiculous, painting Liberty Village with a pornbrush, or their description of Liberty Village as: "dingy alleys of old industrial buildings" where "a man on the street tells us that the whole area here is all dot-coms. ‘Mostly, mostly porn though,’ he adds." For a truer peek at Liberty Village from the point of view of people who work and go about their lives there, check Accordian Guy's entry: Dateline NBC Re-Christens My Work Neighbourhood "Toronto's Porn Alley". Accordian Guy steps up to the plate as it is his workplace, Tucows (<-- that's not a link to porn), that was unfairly implicated in the news story.

Photos from www.boldts.net

Friday, August 05, 2005


Nathan Fillion, one of the main actors on the cult-hit (aka shows I liked but Fox cancelled) TV series Firefly (coming soon to a theater as the feature Serenity) and a nice Canadian guy, had an iiiiiinteresting encounter with a comic shop owner who tried to gouge him on a copy of the Serenity comic book. Stupid stupid rat people.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

You know, the day started pretty good, all things considered. I woke up half-asleep. I had assembled a Coalition of the Willing among the few alert brain cells, called my day job. Night Job went into overtime last night and I had about two hours sleep. Day job was very understanding (as most answering machines are) and I promised to be in for the later half of my shift. Made sense to me, as I would have slept through the first half of the shift and they don't pay me to sleep. Apparently.

The day ran on well, night job went ahead. And then I had the last batch of the night, the one before you go home, and it all went to shit.

Without getting into specifics, my job was to find errors and I had at least 5 to deal with. Since it was the end of the night, my department needed it fixed to meet a deadline. Nothing like the gathering of (Well-meaning, really) colleagues asking if they can help, and all the while trying to prove yourself in a new job task.

All told, I was tense as a thong on an elephant by the end of the fix. I left with that sense that I either did a good job or had buggered it up royally. It's a funny inbetween place.

As I left work, I walked to catch my streetcar, and I heard a whiz and a clink. Some dickhead had tried to hit my with change thrown from a moving car. I had my headphones on, so I don't know if something was actually shouted at me. They were stopped at a light ahead of me, and for a moment, grabbing a brick from the nearby patio reno and smashing in their BMW's window seemed like a logical option.

Then the light turned green. And they left. With the f#@$er eyeing me from the passenger window, waiting for a reaction.

All I thought on the way home is "I want a pint" Not in that alcoholic need a pint, but the sense of needing a time-out so I wouldn't go to bed angry.

And that's why I love The Local , my neighbourhood pub.

I popped my head in as soon as I hopped off the streetcar.

- Apparently, I am known there. The manager, Sean, seemed to
recognize me, so I introduced myself. An ice-cold Guinness was ideal.

- The owner/manager of Silver Spoon was at the bar, and he promised the best genuine creme brullee. Any takers? He was nice, promising to bring a sampler over for the bartender who said creme brullee was her absolute favourite.

All in all, I had a much needed timeout by last call, caught up on my book, Da Capo Best Music Writing 2004, had a laugh listening in on a few conversations, a good soundtrack on the speakers The Last Broadcast by Doves, and generally getting my shit together. In times like these, sometimes you just need a cleansing breath.

And as I walked home, the ipod threw Daft Punk's Da Funk at me to give some bounce to my step. Lovely turn around, recovering a day despite a lousy hour.