Archive for September, 2007
September 24, 2007 at 9:05 am · Filed under Geeky, Local, Montreal
Walking to work this morning I spotted the Google Streetview car touring the streets of Westmount. I will have to wait until Montreal goes online to find out if it spotted me.
Google Streetview is a fantastic idea; I love being able to take a stroll along Hollywood Boulevard without leaving my office (I’m really hoping the implement a “walking between two points” feature to eliminate all the clicking) and I love the idea of being able to explore a new city before actually going there.
Of course, it does have its privacy concerns, but it doesn’t bother me as much as other intrusions; I’m not sure how doing something on a public street can be considered “private” anyway. Having said that, I’ve always had a problem with public security cameras and the whole Big Brother fear so I have to consider what the difference is.
Firstly, Google Streetview is just a still snapshot of any one location whereas security cameras tend to be recording in full motion twenty four hours a day. The amount of information that can be gathered by the Google car about any “private” event on the street is minimal compared to what a video camera can capture.
Secondly, Google are doing this as a service to their customers, not as a way to monitor the public. The company motto of “Do no evil” has so far not been breached. I have to admit to a certain discomfort about the sheer number of services Google provide and how much data they are collecting from those services but until they do something overtly bad I’ll give them the benefit of doubt.
Finally, Google Streetview is a valuable service to me. I get no benefit from security monitoring. Some might say I would get a benefit if a crime was committed against me, but I’m guessing even if my bike theft had been caught on camera I still wouldn’t get my bike back.
September 20, 2007 at 12:25 pm · Filed under Conservation, Montreal
Today is supposed to be car free day in the downtown core of Montreal. The building I work in is in the middle of the car-free zone but I’m seeing a steady flow of cars going by out my window. Apparently car-free day doesn’t work, despite being conveniently positioned between the two rush hours.
“Montreal Car-Free Day” is more like “A Few City Blocks of Montreal Almost Car-Free Few Hours”. Even as a purely symbolic gesture it’s still incredibly lame.
Update: I just discovered that the perimeter is even smaller than I thought and doesn’t come as far north as this building. My point is still valid though.
September 19, 2007 at 9:46 am · Filed under F1
As a race I’ve been looking forward to since the start of the season, at a circuit widely considered to be the best driver’s circuit in the world, Spa last weekend was a terrible disappointment. It started off so well, with some fantastic racing for the first half a lap, but then it turned into just another dull processional race. Half a lap of racing does not make a good Grand Prix.
To add insult to injury, after the race Lewis Hamiliton was said to be “fuming” about the move Alonso put on him in that first corner. It was racing Lewis! It was the only thing that livened up an otherwise completely dull afternoon. Don’t complain about the racing, complain about the lack of it.
What Alonso did in the first corner was hard but he didn’t have much choice in that situation. The move also ended up giving Lewis an advantage which allowed him to almost pass Fernando on Eau Rouge. If he’d had the guts to stay flat out around Eau Rouge he might’ve even made the pass stick (he might also have ended up at the scene of an accident but let’s gloss over that).
After the mess that was Stepneygate we needed a good race. Sadly we didn’t get it.
September 14, 2007 at 11:29 am · Filed under Family+Friends, Travel
After our week in PEI, it was time to hit the road for the second week. We drove east along the south coast of PEI to Wood Island which is where the ferry to Nova Scotia leaves from. We had reservations for the 1pm ferry, and got there in plenty of time. Dan and Susan were supposed to get the next ferry, but they ended up on ours, giving Aidan a bit of a surprise. We settled down for the 75 minute journey, listening to a newfie guy singing depressing sea shanties. They even depressed Aidan:
Once we arrived in Caribou, Nova Scotia it was time to drive again, heading south to Halifax. After driving around the city for a while looking for a decent hotel, we ended up at the Waverly, an old and unique hotel decorated in the brothel style:
We dumped our stuff and went out wandering. From the drive in I already knew I liked the city, but walking showed me its full charm. It feels cozy, vibrant and cosmopolitan, like a smaller version of Montreal. There are now three Canadian cities I would be very happy living in. I’m looking forward to having a longer vacation there.
Walking around the waterfront we spotted one of Aidan’s favourite TV celebrities, so we had to take advantage of the photo opportunity:
After that we went for a seafood dinner at Salty’s Restaurant with an old friend of Jen’s before retiring for the evening.
Sadly we had to leave Halifax the next day to embark on the long journey to Maine. The state is not only a shortcut back to Montreal, it’s also a shopping mecca, which is why Jen wanted to go there. We drove back up through Nova Scotia into New Brunswick and through Saint John to the border then down to Bangor, Maine.
The choice of hotels in Bangor is limited to say the least, and because it was getting late we ended up at a very crappy Comfort Inn, which became our base as we spent the next two days exploring the huge mall complex. Jen bought lots of scrapbooking stuff, I bought The Dangerous Book For Boys and Aidan got some clothes and books out of the deal.
Aidan got sick in Maine, and gave the cold to me when we got home, so not the perfect end to a vacation, but the rest of it made it all worthwhile.
September 13, 2007 at 11:38 am · Filed under Family+Friends, Travel
Our stay at the cottage in PEI was fun because of the three children and relaxing despite them. We played a lot, we read a lot, we ate a lot. We hardly used computers, we hardly watched TV. We were outside as much as possible.
We were mere steps from the beach:
So we spent a lot of time there, enjoying the views:
Frolicking in the water:
And building artistic sand castles (Dan’s job):
When we weren’t at the beach, we were back at the cottage, relaxing in the comfy sitting area:
Enjoying the fabulous sunsets:
Or preparing and eating yummy food:
September 11, 2007 at 2:27 pm · Filed under Family+Friends, Travel
Aidan probably enjoyed himself more than anyone else during our week in PEI. He loved the beach and became most indignant if we tried to take him away from it. He also loved the garden around the cottage and running around in the cottage itself. He loved spending time with his grandma (”Bama”) and grandpa (”Ricky”) and even warmed to his cousins (”Limon” and “Aladar”).
He loved hunting for crabs and snails:
He loved playing in the sand:
He loved UFO spotting:
He enjoyed shopping for second hand clothes at Frenchies:
He also liked taking naps in unusual places:
September 10, 2007 at 2:38 pm · Filed under Family+Friends, Travel
Having returned from a very pleasurable vacation, it’s time to bore anyone reading this with all the intimate details. This week will be all vacation blogging, so you’re pre-warned and can hit that ‘Mark all as read’ button without thinking.
The first week of our vacation was to be spent at a cottage on Prince Edward Island. We would be staying there with Jen’s mum and stepdad and her brother and his family. We were all driving there, in three different cars, us with Aidan in the back, Jen’s brother with a three year old and a five month old in the back, and Jen’s parents with a big pile of food and alcohol in the back.
Because we had no idea how Aidan would cope with 12 hours of driving, we decided to split it over two days. He fared surprisingly well on the first day and we made it to Fredericton before he started getting really cranky. We found a very reasonable Comfort Inn and settled down for the night. The next morning we got our first sign that we were in the Maritimes:
The second day of driving was much shorter, which made Aidan very happy:
At around lunchtime we reached Confederation Bridge, a 12.9km bridge across the Northumberland Strait between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. It’s an amazing thing to see, photos just don’t do it justice:
After crossing the bridge it was less than ten minutes to our cottage. We were first to arrive, greeted by the property manager who showed us around the property and introduced us to our beach. Everyone else showed up shortly after that and our vacation began.
