stuff and things

Google’s Chrome…

troy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:18:31 +0000

I’d known about Google’s Chrome release a long time ago and figured I’d throw my name onto the ‘notify me when development arrives for the Mac platform’ list …and almost a year went by without hearing anything at all. Oh well, I guess having a browser for Mac is a low priority. However, Chrome was in the news recently and I decided to check things out to see when and if something for my computer might come about. To my pleasant surprise, Google had a ‘beta’ version of Chrome waiting patiently for me to play with …and I decided to give it a little test run.

So far it’s passed with kinda-flying colors. The ’status’ bar at the bottom of the window only appears when it has something to say, and when it does it doesn’t require its own space in the window – this is great for small screens and works well for unobtrusively presenting those clues you happen to place your cursor over. It also imported everything from Firefox rather painlessly …including my preferences as well. Either that or it read my mind. The theme change option is neat, simple and doesn’t require you to restart. The only ugly thing so far is the ‘folder icons’ in the toolbar ….if they could get rid of this and provide a simple arrow then things would look a lot neater …less 1980’s Netscape like. Multi-touch gestures don’t work either, as well as having a bookmark manager.

*breaking news …formatting isn’t saved when copy&pasting bewtween textedit and wordpress, therefore mr. chrome, you’ll currently be placed with safari on the sidelines until you figure out how to play nice with my blog*

While I’m on the topic of Google, it seems the ‘street view‘ option of Google maps has finally come to my city. I knew they were driving around a year or so ago (some people complaining on the lack of privacy) and it appears they’ve successfully mapped out my neighborhood in case I ever happen to get lost again. You know, when in those drunken stupors that I occasionally find myself in

Look Mom ...it's Springtime over here!

vimeo

troy — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:01:58 +0000

I became a member of vimeo back in March this year. At the time I needed the membership to view a particular video (of which I can’t at all remember) and almost completely forgot about the site until I stumbled across another vimeo vid the other day. I recently got back to my profile page and started watching some random vids and was kinda impressed. Inspired actually. If you have some internet time to kill and need a departure from your current tv programming, check it out. Here’s a short little Thanksgiving Day vid put to some Sesame Street/Cake music. The turkey cutting part synced up nicely.

Manamana

pollostreet

troy — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:39:45 +0000

It was AR at another Salsaddiction party tonight. Salsaddiction is a dance group, a salsa dance group that is, that hosts events throughout the year that feature eclectic dance performances from various ensembles in the city. Anyway, we’re the ‘other’ entertainment. We’re the ones who the people in attendance get to dance to …so by the time we get onstage, they’re typically raring to go. And such was the case tonight.

Musically …you know, I didn’t even think about it really. I played, I tried to remember the stuff that I was supposed to, I hung out with friends, drank a little wine, ate some chocolate, reminisced a bit, got paid and then went home. Oh yeah …and I also got to see one of those ever-graciously-aging boy-bands of the 80’s – what were their names again …right, the Pollostreet Boyz. They were brilliant!

"Tell me Why" ...Why!

who’s your hero?

troy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:41:34 +0000

It appears to be me.

I knew it all along though. Sure, you can try to hide the fact that you think of me night and day – but it’s going to get out. This is the internets after all, and there really is no hiding. Sweden has taken their first step in acknowledging my brilliance, and it’s just a matter of time before other countries follow suit. It’s only natural of course …fully deserving, and a long time coming.

Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself. (click)

——————————–

Thanks to Britta for the link (click). The flash based video (which allows even you to become a hero!) is sponsored by the Swedish company Radiotjänst, which is charged with collecting ‘TV Receiver’ licensing fees from users (each TV receiver owner MUST pay a fee.) We in Canada are going through a somewhat related process with local programming vying for a share of cable company revenues. The problem with local programming here is that aside from the standard half hour news slots (morning, evening, night) there really isn’t any …that is, most of the prime time slots are simply rebroadcasts of US programming – with our own commercials of course. The CRTC is currently attempting to resolve the situation.

CRTC. Couldn’t that be a four letter word?

cells

troy — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:35:37 +0000

Why I don’t have a cell

by Troy Nowaselski.
Submitted in partial fulfillment to Lynda

- I have no friends and no one will call.
- Cellphones are not simply phones but address books, day-timers, cameras, video machines, photo albums, music players, gaming devices, storage units and internet browsers among other things …and losing one (which is easily done) can be both traumatic and dangerous for reasons of personal security.
- Cellphones can demand your attention 24/7 and often to the peril of those around you.
- Cellphones can be annoying and contribute to rudeness and poor manners.
- Cellphones increase the risk of physical harm; whether hand or vision problems or through inattentiveness while walking or driving a vehicle.
- Cellphone use is addictive and creates a dependency.
- Shutting off your cellphone is like not having one …so why really have it?
- If I had one I’d be cool …and I hate being cool. Then I’d have to get a tattoo!
- I’m also a sucker for technology. If I had one, I’d waste yet more of my time by calling people I don’t want to talk to. “Can you hear me now!?”

My Dad was employed in the telecommunication field and as a kid it may be the case that being exposed to ‘remote communication’ at a young age deterred me from wanting it as an adult. I remember being able to call home from our van in the late 70’s (gulp!) …so needing a cell phone is kinda like needing a toaster; I have one, it serves me fine and I’d rather make toast at home. Kids now however may not be so lucky – by continually expanding a ‘phones’ ability (see Number 2) the makers keep current with trends. No one wants a cellphone because it’s simply a phone anymore …that’s boring. Of course there are appropriate uses for them, like travel or an urgency of some type, but now-a-days most cellphone use isn’t centred around that.

Heck, are cellphones even phones anymore? We call them ‘cells’ and have dropped the ‘phone’ part …perhaps it’s the case that cells are numbers where we can be reached physically? “Hello. My name is Troy. If you’d like to interact with me physically then contact my cell. Have a pleasant day.” -lol. Perhaps the cell number is to eventually become our identification code of sorts? Hummm. Instead of tracking our ‘cell’ (which is easy to do) our ‘cell’ gets physically ‘coded’ onto us …and we’re instantly contactable (and traceable) by anyone with a ‘cell finder’. …I’ve digressed again.

I get along though. I have an address book (computer and scraps of paper), daytimer (computer), camera (two of them …and for different uses), video machines (computer and camera), photo albums (photo albums …and the computer), music players (many and of many different shapes), gaming devices (don’t use anymore), storage units (computer and backup drive), internet browsers (computer) …geeze, maybe I’m a little too dependant on my computer!

Oh, and a phone? I have that too. It’s a few steps away from my toaster.

Image from Life123.com

usb shenanigans

troy — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:42:43 +0000

While deciding when to call my sister I thought about using some of the Skype minutes they keep threatening me to use or lose. I never use Skype very much, and in the past have only used it for calls to land phones. It’s great for over-seas stuff as far as pricing goes, and just as nice for out of province/country. Anyway, the thought of pulling out my old USB Logitech headset (the over-the-head phone operator design) made me cringe, and I think that’s the reason I don’t use Skype. But then a strange idea came over me …why can’t I get a phone that looks like a phone but works with a computer?

Oddly enough, the roomy gave me an old 70’s phone to pass along to Goodwill on my next visit. It was sitting on my desk and I was earlier trying to decide whether or not to keep it for some reason, when the idea of putting the handset together with the USB headset might be worth a try. So I started right in …first cutting some cables, then deciding to solder the phone lines to the USB contact board, then not getting any sound from the ear piece (the mic worked fine) which meant I had to strip the ear piece from the headset to fit into the handset. An hour or so and some bad soldering skills later (the ‘pen’ type iron sucked and I didn’t have any of that stuff to absorb solder with) I had my very own retro USB phone.

It works great! It’s also been done as well, and Skype even markets new phones with the retro handset. But mine’s the best I think …it’s made with love and borne of the desire for the past with the convenience of the future. It’s also beige. And who in their right mind would think of buying a boring looking beige handset? Personally, I think that makes me cool.

Maybe.

The Beige Retro USB Phone ...the coil even comes with a kink!

news crap

troy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:33:34 +0000

It seems the ‘peer-reviewed’ process that I put on a mantel not so long ago has taken a tumble of sorts. That’s too bad …but in another sense the entire affair serves to weed out those who might abuse their position or status, and to that end I say let the chips fall where they may. The nice thing about Science is that it’s self-correcting.

The federal ‘long-gun registry‘ seems about to come to an end. We’ve decided that nobody really kills anyone with a rifle and so by that logic we needn’t waste any more money trying to maintain it. One wise commenter in the Edmonton Journal recently wrote in arguing that if long-guns are to be registered then why not knives as well …after all, they’re weapons too. Good point …except for the fact that criminals are lazy (which is why they’re criminals in the first place) and they’d rather stand back at a distance and shoot a gun instead of dirtying their hands by using a knife in what might typically lead to a physically exhausting bloodied maiming as opposed to a nice, clean kill. Unless of course you happen to be the dreaded ‘Spoon Killer’.

It also appears that ‘Britain heard US drumbeat‘ before 9/11 which isn’t so surprising really …aren’t they both in the same band? I mean, I can intuitively ‘feel’ what my drummers are going to do before they actually do it – it’s only natural. I wonder though, if Britain will hear the next drumbeat when Israel and the US get tired of Iran? My musical hunch says yep.

Finally, H1N1 isn’t really in the news here anymore. It was, back in October, when the media was bored and made a great little ‘make work’ project out of it. I recall going into the hospital to visit my Dad and waking through an admitting room that was packed full of people wearing white face masks. I overheard one mask-clad girl standing outside the entrance panicking into a cell phone that her stomach hurt, it was hard to breath and she was certain she had it. Luckily though, there’s lots of other exciting things in the news lately, and we can rest easy. Alberta reported 47 H1N1 deaths since April! Seasonal flu, by the way, kills between 11 and 90 Albertans a year. Whew …that was close.

Image from wannaveg.com

everybody cut…

troy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:33:36 +0000

Sorry for the non-posting that’s been going on lately. I suppose it’s really nothing to be sorry for though, but compared to my usual output I feel kinda bad that I haven’t had anything to remark. Or rather, haven’t got off my butt to put something coherent together. Crap’s there …but it just hasn’t evolved past the crap stage if you know what I mean.

The Footloose thing has been eating up some time too. The travel for the gig takes me though Edmonton rush hour traffic and the commute one-way is sometimes close to an hour. That plus the 9 shows/rehearsals over this past week as well as me having to be at the shop 5 or 6 days a week to make up for our missing repair guy all kinda adds up. Excuses, excuses though. The show is fun however. The kids are pretty good (all high-school) and the crowds are nice as well. Out of curiosity I asked what the rental fees on the scores are …could you believe about $600 for the scores (with scripts) and over $3000 just for the license/rights to perform the musical! And all in US funds. That’s kinda crazy I think …in my non-qualified theatrical opinion that is. It seems they track this kinda stuff too, and I heard that if you change/alter/omit any of the pieces you stand the chance of having the license revoked and possibly fined. Talk about creative control. Heck, they even forbid you to take pictures during the performance.

*shhhh …you are not about to see what you see*

not a photo of the show from the bass player's pov.

pain in the…

troy — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:26:29 +0000

Last Wednesday morning while putting on my left sock I tweaked my back again. I thought it’d be much like the last episode I mentioned in that I’d be back to normal in a few days, unfortunately this bout is getting worse …at times. During rehearsal yesterday I couldn’t bare to sit, the night before that I was unable to sleep and all through work (the shop) I’m fussing about trying to find any sort of comfortableness in anything I had to do. It’s been awful.

Interestingly enough though, after taking a two Motrin from the sister while at dinner last night, I was actually able to stand upright and walk away from the table in minimal pain. The odd thing was though, every time I took a step with my left foot I would feel a ‘click’ in my lower back/hip area. It didn’t go away either, and this morning, now that the pain is back, when I force myself to step through, I can get the click to happen regularly again.

So yeah, something’s rotten in the state of my Denmark back and as much as I fear the chiropractor, I may have to bite the voodoo doctor bullet and see the guy. I think I’ll give myself a few more days and some self-induced stretching therapy of sorts first, and failing that, drag myself to see someone. I may also try that Robaxacet crap as well. I hate taking medication though. Your body hurts because something’s wrong and covering it up isn’t fixing he problem.

The most annoying thing about this pain is that it doesn’t stick to the back and instead ebbs into my upper leg/hip/mid-back and groin areas as well. It makes it hard to breath, hard to do something for any prolonged length of time and really hard to transition between different positions …sitting to standing for example. Argggh …I hate pain!

Can they do spinal implants yet?

Image from blog.bioethics.com

hed hats…

troy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:09:04 +0000

If you’re into that football thing (American NFL, Canadian CFL) then here’s an interesting article discussing the idea of not wearing any helmets. It seems that head injuries don’t really decrease with helmet use, and wearing a helmet, as opposed to not, only creates “…a sense of invulnerability that encouraged players to collide more forcefully and more often.“ Of course not wearing helmets would drastically change the look of the game. But for the better?

Taking the brute force out of it will, in my opinion, increase the skill level. Sure, the excitement of that raw power will be gone, but in its place you’ll get players who’ll develop an entirely different skill-set that, hopefully over time, might be appreciated even more than the freight train careening recklessly through that defensive gap looking to inflict damage on a QB. Perhaps that’s the exciting part though? Anyway, with reduced head gear you’d also need to restrict other protective equipment.

It’s the same thing with hockey …you see more injuries with enhanced equipment (not to mention game design/rules and increased player size) and while that equipment protects, it also encourages risky/careless behavior ….like boarding. Helmets make sense when frozen projectiles are involved, but ‘armored suits‘ for the body only encourage rougher play. In this report (pdf file) body checking accounts for 86% of game time injuries …23% of which were to the head. With less gear players would think twice about going so hard into one another.

Certainly you’ll have accidents, that’s part of any physical activity, but overall I think you’ll get a faster, more skilled game as well as longer careers from those involved. But it’s a trade-off I suppose. The game now (NFL) is about power and finesse, and going back to leather ‘hats’ would definitely knock that power part down a few notches. The finesse aspect would increase …but would that be enough to keep it a respectable game in the eyes of those who watch it?

And isn’t it the viewers who ultimately set the rules?

Image from Wikipedia.