Archive for September, 2006
September 29, 2006 at 11:04 am · Filed under Current events
Every year, works of literature are challenged in libraries and schools around the world. Sometimes they get banned, sometimes they get burned, sometimes the challenge fails.
Despite the fact that my wife sometimes hides James Dobson books when she finds them at the library, I am generally opposed to censorship. So it seems is Google, who are promoting Banned Book Week, which ends tomorrow. If you follow that link you can read some of the most challenged books (the copyright free ones anyway) online.
The number one banned books of the 21st century are the Harry Potter series. Obviously they’re not available on Google. I will be corrupting my son with them in years to come though, along with:
The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien - Burned in Alamagordo, N. Mex. (2001) outside Christ Community Church along with other Tolkien novels as satanic.
September 27, 2006 at 7:32 am · Filed under Games
I was indisposed yesterday, so the Montreal Scavenger Hunt is a day late. I doubt anyone cares but me.
As usual, the rules: Identify the location of the photo below and either tell me where it is in a comment or go there and take your own photo to post on your blog. Once again I’ve released a book at this location, hidden under those stairs. If you find it remember to go to BookCrossing to record the capture (the book’s id is on the inside of the front cover).
This photo was taken south of Sherbrooke, North of Rene Levesque, East of Peel and West of University. So where is it?
September 25, 2006 at 8:09 am · Filed under Skepticism
Every Christmas, the Royal Institution in London puts on a series of lectures aimed at young people, known, strangely enough, as the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. They’ve been going on every year since 1825 when Michael Faraday started them, only stopping briefly when World War II was happening.
I attended the lectures when I was about 14, and watched them on BBC Two every other year. One speaker in particular became a hero of mine. His five lectures debunked many of the arguments against evolution and filled in many of the gaps in my own knowledge on the subject. Since then I’ve read his books and articles and kept a lookout for TV and public appearances.
Richard Dawkins is an eminent evolutionary biologist and a fierce atheist. He is the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. Along with his new book, he also has a new website, which went straight onto my sidebar. And he’s coming to McGill on October 21st; colour me excited.
September 22, 2006 at 1:27 pm · Filed under General
Seen on McGill classified ads:
I need a safty google for chemistry lab so badly.
Took me a second to work out what a safty google is.
September 22, 2006 at 7:43 am · Filed under Current events, Food, Games
The Book - It was found by a BookCrosser. It amused me to leave a book about English country walks in Canada; I apologise if it’s not a very exciting read.
Dawson - VampireFreaks, the online goth community where the Dawson gunman chose to display his mental defects, have been busy raising money which they are donating to the Montreal Children’s Hospital (after the hospital got the OK from the da Sousa family). It may not be for completely altruistic reasons, but it’s still a really nice gesture. So far they’re up to 2500USD.
The Hamster - He’s out of intensive care and “stable”. Clarkson managed to get a smile from him by calling him a crap driver. Fans have already raised over 30,000UKP for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance on his behalf.
No Cars Go - Today is car-free day in Montreal. The timing is between the two rush hours, which kind of defeats the object. The trains weren’t any busier this morning.
Breakfast - We’re going to Eggspectations for breakfast tomorrow. I heart Eggspectations.
September 21, 2006 at 8:25 am · Filed under Current events
Richard Hammond, one of the presenters of BBC motoring show Top Gear crashed a jet powered car while trying to break a land speed record (or not maybe) yesterday. He’s currently in serious condition in hospital. He’s a funny guy, I hope he makes a full recovery.
Top Gear has always been a target of TV campaigners. Environmentalists hate it for obvious reasons (I have my own mixed feelings about that aspect), anti-speed campaigners hate it for equally obvious reasons, and some people just hate Jeremy Clarkson. But if anyone uses the Hamster’s accident as an excuse to renew calls for banning the show I will hide dead sardines in their curtain linings.
September 20, 2006 at 7:44 am · Filed under Current events, Movies + TV
Dawson - Arranged by text message and email over the weekend, Dawson College students turned up on Monday wearing pink in memory of Stacy de Sousa (she loved pink). They gathered outside and entered the building en masse at 12:41 (the time the shooting started) to thunderous applause from the Dawson staff. An amazing show of strength and unity.
Canadian Idol - I was wrong about Paris Bennett, but I was right about Eva Avila. If she doesn’t mess up she will be the biggest thing to come out of Quebec since Celine. Bravo Eva.
The Amazing Race - Using your disability to gain advantage when you’re apparently fit enough to run an Ironman is just wrong. Kentucky coalminer is scary but funny. The Alabamanians won’t last long. Gay daughter’s Dad is probably in the closet. The beauty queens aren’t very beautiful. Do the producers have to find the campest gay couple they can for every season?
September 19, 2006 at 7:37 am · Filed under Games
*Update* I walked by on the way to the train at 4pm and the book was still there. Someone go claim it!
Yes it’s Tuesday again, doesn’t time fly? That means it’s time for another Montreal Scavenger Hunt. As usual, the rules: locate where the photo below was taken, and either post a comment telling me where or post your own photo of the location on your blog.
There is added excitement today though. As part of my foray into BookCrossing, I’ve left a book at the location (in one of those little cubby holes underneath the mural). Hopefully it’s still there, in which case the first person on the scene gets a free book, gets to tell me in a comment what the book is, and gets to go to bookcrossing.com and report the catch!
So, where is it?
September 18, 2006 at 8:19 am · Filed under Family+Friends, Home
Saturday was some kind of international recycling day, so our neighbourhood had a “community treasure hunt” which involved people dumping stuff they don’t want at their kerb and other people coming along and taking it for free. We put out a futon mattress, a couch, a box of cards, some blinds, a broken shutter, an old lamp, some plastic platters and a backpack. Everything got taken except for the backpack. I was expecting everything to be grabbed by greedy dealers, but for the most part they looked like normal folk.
Yesterday we went to a BBQ with friends. It was Aidan’s first real social engagement, and he thoroughly enjoyed himself, as did we. Good food (if you want to make broccoli taste good, just add bacon), too much beer, and I even managed to get a game of Magic in. I got thoroughly beaten, but it was still fun.
The trouble with doing stuff at the weekend is that the weekend flies by so much faster. I can’t believe it’s Monday morning already.
September 14, 2006 at 7:37 am · Filed under Home
When I heard the description of yesterday’s gunman, I knew the guy was a walking cliche. I knew he would classify himself as goth (even though CBC insisted on calling him punk); I knew he would listen to Marilyn Manson, watch Quentin Tarantino and play Postal. I guessed the media would find his blog on MySpace or VampireFreaks. I guessed he was 18 or 19.
He turned out to be 25, acting like an angst-ridden goth teen. He did indeed have a blog on VampireFreaks, which was still up until about 6:30 this morning. On it he had pictures of himself in his black trench coat, wielding his gun and knife. His last blog post was yesterday at 10:30, when he told us he was drinking whiskey. His blog contained a dozen or more quizzes, polls and surveys all demonstrating how suicidal, depressed and generally fucked up he was. One survey question asked “How do you want to die?”; his answer was “In a hail of gunfire”.
Over the coming days and weeks I expect various factions to focus on gun control, censorship of violent games and movies, and the role of the internet in events like this. I expect VampireFreaks will suffer some serious backlash, with the usual calls to have it shut down. The site has generally stayed under the radar, thanks mostly to the overwhelming popularity of MySpace but now it will be in the spotlight. The goth sub-culture will suffer another blow to its already tarnished reputation.
Throughout all these knee-jerk reactions, soul-searching and public outcry it will be virtually forgotten that this was just one sick individual. Just another Michael Ryan, Thomas Hamilton, Eric Harris, Marc Lepine.
September 12, 2006 at 8:49 am · Filed under Games
Yes, it’s that time again, Tuesday means Montreal Scavenger Hunt day. Figure out where in Montreal the photo below was taken and tell me in a comment or go photograph it yourself and put it on your blog.
This one was taken north of St Antoine, south of de Maisonneuve, east of de la Montagne and west of University.
September 11, 2006 at 8:28 am · Filed under F1
I was never a big fan. I know that he used dirty tricks when under pressure. I know he was arrogant, unapologetic and overpaid. I know sometimes he was a lucky bastard.
But he was still the best Formula One driver of his time. He still broke almost every record in the book. He made Ferrari the team it is today. He was driven and completely dedicated. His achievements will probably never be beaten. His retirement is a loss to the sport.
Oh, and he has the same initials as me.
September 7, 2006 at 9:04 am · Filed under General
Overheard on the train this morning:
“Can you imagine if there was no Myspace? I’d be so bored, there’d be, like, nothing to do.”
September 6, 2006 at 12:08 pm · Filed under Pubquiz
Last night was quiz night at Hurley’s. Good beer (St Ambroise oatmeal stout), good food (nachos, lots and lots of nachos), good company (we teamed up with him and her and chatted with Tyler and Cara and Kim and Walter and Karen and Dusty our fabulous waitress) and a most excellent set of trivia provided by Tyler, including the little known fact that Bruce Springsteen has “dubious vocal quality”.
If you haven’t given quiz night a go yet, I heartily recommend it. First Tuesday of (nearly) every month.
September 5, 2006 at 9:23 am · Filed under Games
It’s Tuesday, which means Scavenger Hunt day. If you don’t know the rules by now: Figure out where in Montreal this photo was taken and either tell me in a comment or post a similar photo of the location on your own blog.
This one was taken on St Catherine Street, but where?
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