The Broken Window Theory suggests that failure to clean up any sort of building defacement will eventually result in the said area eventually degrading into a complete crap-hole. Okay, not quite in such terms, but it seems to suggest that small little things, allowed to accumulate, eventually snowball into something much larger and harder to contain. Conversely, fixing small problems immediately puts a stop to that.
Take my building, for example. Unfortunately, people in my building a very poor sense of etiquette when it comes to properly disposing of large items of trash like furniture. The corridors of the building are being used as trash dumping grounds, leaving others to take care of the problem. I'll occasionally pick it up, like if someone leaves a few bottles and cans, from which I can get a deposit. But lately, it's been getting ridiculous and the items being dumped around are getting progressively larger and larger.
As of this writing, I count two televisions, three chairs, two bed frames, two mattress/box spring sets, a dresser, and two couches that have been just DUMPED there with no one to claim them or take responsibility for them. I have half a mind to take each of these items and set them on fire in the middle of the night. All I know is that because one person is willing to dump something there, everyone else feels free to, in spite of a sign saying "No dumping, fine $1000". With no surveillance, who's going to know?
With all of this happening, I suddenly feel less and less motivated to clean up after the dog after she does her business on the lawn behind the building. I mean, the dog's leavings will eventually biodegrade after less than a week, plus they will also add to the compost and help encourage grass growth. That old television? It'll biodegrade too. After about a thousand something years.
We really need to move.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The Broken Window Theory
Monday, February 16, 2009
2.0
I've had an interesting relationship with computers, being that I'm far from the most tech savvy around (there's a reason why I switched my major to arts), although I can now comfortably say I'm capable of building my own computer from scratch. Well, yes and no.
Since getting that old upgrade in 2004, quite a few things have happened to that computer's hardware setup. The motherboard decided to commit suicide about a year and a half in (possibly due to a power surge). The cause of this was unknown, so I took it to the shop to get it swapped out. Then in 2007, the CD-R drive stopped working, but being that the part was simple enough to replace, I just went to the local electronics store to get a DVD-RW. And then, due to some sort of hardware conflict, the computer just kept rebooting itself after I got to the Windows loadup screen.
Not knowing what to do, I went back to my original computer dealer and asked him to check it out. What he reported to me was that my video card wasn't seated properly, which he fixed. He then proceeded to upgrade my RAM, which would supposedly address some performance issues. So, I get the bad boy home, fire it up, and lo and behold, it still reboots itself when Windows loads up.
After trying a multitude of quick fixes, I just try something random and decide to uninstall Norton SystemWorks (no, it doesnt!), which I was contemplating doing anyway (that, and it didn't prevent me from getting a nasty piece of spyware), and suddenly I'm able to boot up my system.
Flash forward to 2009. The computer is getting kinda slow from years of internet build up, stuff that I never got around to deleting, and generally just being 4 years old. So, the missus and I decide that we're just going to clean out our hard drives and start rebuilding the file systems from scratch. Backing up everything (well, almost everything...), we clean off the slate, but I'm still not satisfied. Despite repeated attempts at cleaning out the computer case and fans with compressed air and vacuuming, it's still noisy as hell. Asking my friend who provided tech support, we collectively determine that the main source of noise in the computer is the power supply.
So, $100 or so later, I run home with a new power supply and promptly install it, which takes less than a few minutes. And, it doesn't take care of the problem. Understandable, as there are three sources of noise in the computer, namely the case fan, the CPU heatsink fan, and the fan on the graphics card. Going in order of cheapness and feasibility of things to replace, I go case fan (under $10), CPU HSF (under $50), and at a last resort, graphics card (the newer of which wouldn't be compatible with my motherboard).
With the newfound confidence that comes with being able to install a power supply really quickly, I proceed to take apart my computer and have my motherboard in my hands, where I am trying to figure out how the heck I remove the stock heatsink fan. Looking at the new heatsink fan, I follow the instructions, thinking that my motherboard utilizes an Intel LGA775 socket. Without a second thought, I proceed to remove the mounting bracket, popping out the anchoring pegs and squeezing together the pins with a pair of pliers, but one is particularly problematic to remove, so I start twisting a little more aggressively.
I then take a quick look at the motherboard wiring diagram that I'm viewing on my laptop. Much to my slight disappointment, it turns out that the motherboard utilizes Socket 478, which has a different set of instructions for mounting the heatsink fan. Much to my horror, I realize that the pliers left behind a noticeable gouge at the bottom of the motherboard, leaving one or two connections exposed and severed. Oops.
Disheartened, I already know the result of this, but put the computer together anyway. I don't even get as far as the BIOS screen.
Lesson learned #1: Double check beforehand to ensure that I'm following the correct set of instructions.
Lesson learned #2: Metal tools do not often mix well with sensitive electronics.
Feeling pretty stupid and a little bit crestfallen as a result, I try to justify it to myself by reminding myself how old the computer is, and that I was probably going to upgrade it anyway. But the fact remains that the upgrade must occur sooner than I was originally planning (it was going to coincide with the release of StarCraft II). Checking my finances as to what I can realistically afford, I go to the local NCIX to see what kind of package I can get for the money I can scrounge up from the ole change jar.
Of course, what I already suspect is confirmed - very little of the machine is salvagable, although I will be saving some money on the stuff that I can salvage (the case, the hard drive, the DVD-R drive, the power supply, the fans). But, I can't even salvage the DDR on my old system, as is has since been outmoded twice, although I can think where it can go when I'm done with it, provided that it's compatible. After waiting until I have sufficient cash flow, I head back and pick up my loot, and it's even dropped by a couple bucks. Gotta love how technology outpaces the inflation rate.
The entire installation and configuration process starts in the morning for preparation (getting packages opened, planning attack), and then quickly realizing that I'm also out of thermal paste (interface material between the CPU and the heatsink fan) and the new motherboard has rendered two PCI devices obsolete, which will leave behind two expansion slot holes.
Lesson learned #3: Make sure that all materials are in hand before proceeding with install to avoid running around town to obtain parts.
Luckily, both materials are readily available. Not working on the computer until the evening, the install takes well into the wee hours of the morning, partly because I want to take my time and do this properly (ie: not have a repeat of the pliers vs. motherboard incident), but mostly owing to the fact that this is the first time I'm doing hardware replacements on this level.
Because this stuff is really tiny and delicate, it's to maneuver my hands into the chasis to put things in like screws, leading to much trial and error, until I realize that the largest components are easily movable.
Lesson learned #4: It's much easier to navigate around the inside of a desktop PC when you take out the power supply.
After reading and re-reading the wiring digrams, I hope and pray that I have everything right and then I run into another stumbling block. The old motherboard had two ports for IDE devices, which were once occupied by the DVD-R drive and the hard drive. The new motherboard has ONE port for an IDE device. And of course, the DVD-R drive and hard drive don't have ports for SATA, of which the motherboard has, like, half a dozen.
Looking at my collection of IDE cables, my initial fears are calmed by the realization the IDE cable can actually hook up two devices to it. But unfortunately, the three plugs are the same shape and spread out along this ribbon-like cable, and they aren't spread out evenly, which means two plugs are really close together and the other one is really far apart. Looking at my current set up, my DVD-R drive and hard drive are 10 inches apart, but the hard drive is relatively close to the IDE plug, so I hook it up that way.
Thinking I have it all set up and ready to go, I proceed to spend the next 5 minutes reaching behind the computer to blindly plug in every single device. Like, every single one. Even the network cable, which unfortunately is a little bit shorter than I'd like. And then I boot it up, and then get error message about a bad boot disc. Okay, try it again. Same error message. So, maybe I should just reinstall Windows? I use the BIOS setup to boot from the DVD-R drive. Nothing happens. I then proceed to unplug everything and crack the system open again to see what went wrong.
Lesson learned #5: Do not hook everything up until you're sure the thing works properly.
Thinking it might have something to do with my jumper settings, I double check to make sure that the DVD-R is set to "slave" and the HD is set to "master," which it is. I then swap out the IDE cable, thinking that it is faulty. I then go back, try to hook in a few more devices (because really, I just love staying up past midnight), and then I get the same error message.
Not quite ready to give up and go to sleep, I unplug everything, and this time I decide to move my monitor, keyboard, and mouse to my work area. With my last IDE cable, namely the one that came with the motherboard, I take a closer look and realize that the plugs are actually colour coded and the end that goes into the motherboard matches. Of course, that presents an additional problem as to how to plug in two devices together, which I solve by simply moving the DVD-R drive to the lowest drive bay position.
Lesson learned #6: Just because the plug will physically fit, doesn't mean that it's supposed to go there.
With the new physical hardware properly installed, I then attempt to boot up my computer, and doesn't quite recognize the new hardware yet, because it reboots itself each time, but at least it acknowledges the hard drive, meaning it's at least hooked up properly. Safe mode doesn't quite cut it, so I decide to repair my Windows installation. And as I already am aware, I have to verify that I'm the legitimate owner of Windows, as they immediately assume that because the hardware changed, that I obviously pirated it.
With that out of the way, I crack open the case again, ensure that everything is hooked up properly (even lights that don't light up properly), and then finally hook everything up, confident that it'll work this time.
Lesson learned #7: Unless the drivers are properly installed, do not assume that plug and play is going to automatically save you.
Of course, nothing is working like it used to, since the software is expecting a 4-year old hardware set up. And, I have no internet, which means I can't download patches and drivers, but thankfully, I have the driver discs in front of me. Eventually, the internet starts working again, but I still can't hear anything, even though I supposedly installed drivers (choosing the "install all" option). I reboot several times, no results. So, I take a closer look at the install disc and then select the audio set up, and lo-and-behold, it works.
I look at the time and it's now 2AM and I don't have any current games installed on my system. I was contemplating holding out for a PS3, given that games for PS3 are guaranteed to run on PS3, whereas games for PC will require you to drop several times the dollar equivalent of a PS3 on your PC so the games will run, but being that my system is now capable of running current games, I go for it. Not wanting to put my system at the mercy of draconian DRM (Digital Rights Management) that will put a limit on the number of installs and make it harder to use, I log into the Steam network, where I purchase and download Left 4 Dead, which I know is on a 50% off sale, going for $24.99. I set it up for download overnight. Amazingly, this is the easiest part of the whole computer installation thing.
Lesson learned #8: Always leave time for computer games.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Crashing Through the Snow
Does anybody remember the movie Lost World: Jurassic Park? If you blocked it out (because really, that movie is kinda embarrassing), there's a scene where a T-Rex nudges a couple of trailers towards a cliff, so a quick thinking hero hitches the trailers onto the back of his truck and he floors the gas pedal so that he can pull the trailers back onto safe ground. And of course, the truck is hydroplaning on muddy ground from side to side, but somehow manages to his goal.
I sometimes wonder if that film was used in lieu of proper driver's ed.
Vancouver residents are usually used to two types of weather: rain and sunny periods. However, the tendency seems to be that a single flake of snow hits the ground, and all the lessons of driver's ed are spontaneously forgotten. It's not complete rocket science. Drive slowly and leave plenty of room behind the vehicle in front of you.
It's quite simple, actually. If your wheels are spinning, it means that they aren't getting a proper grip on the road, so you aren't going to be moving that fast. And to avoid that, you lightly touch the gas pedal so that your tires get a proper grip on the snow and move you forward. I don't even consider myself a "great" driver, yet I was able to get home safely without sliding or spinning, and all without the benefit of snow tires and chains. And yes, the road conditions on Granville street were pretty horrendous.
And of course, I encountered at least three drivers that managed to completely forget the basic rules of driving in adverse road conditions. I could make a few concessions for the guy in the Ford Mustang GT. It's a rear wheel drive vehicle, which makes it more difficult to climb up steep inclines. We watched as he slid completely off to the side.
The guy in the Mazda 3 fared slightly better, as he was able to at least sort of keep up with traffic. I'm assuming that he had decent tires, even though he was spinning his wheels the entire way. He also had front wheel drive. but I still made a point of giving this guy a clear path.
What really made the trip truly memorable was the young woman driving an Audi Quattro. It's times like this that remind me that there's a good reason why the Chinese are stereotyped as bad drivers, and as much as I would prefer to deny it, times like this make me hang my head in shame. And I'm Chinese, and I drive, which by definition, makes me a "Chinese driver."
For starters, she was gunning the engine, causing the wheels to spin in place, yet she wasn't going very fast. As a result, she was seriously impeding traffic, and I wasn't able to overtake her for a while, as traffic in the other lane was being impeded by another guy who was also spinning his wheels. What made it even better, was the fact that her passenger actually got out of the vehicle to kick snow out of the way. And yes, they were both Chinese.
It's bad enough that she's impeding traffic because she doesn't know how to drive in adverse road conditions, but the logic behind their alternative attempt at moving just boggles the mind. It's pretty certain that the vehicle isn't going to be moving very fast while the wheels are spinning, but there is still the off-hand chance that the wheels will catch a grip somewhere...while the guy is in front of her kicking snow out of the way. And then there also begs the question. For how long were they planning on doing this? There's a pretty good chance that they live in Richmond too. Do they plan to cross the Oak street bridge like that too?
I'm really anticipating tomorrow's morning news showing some guy got run over by an Audi because he was trying to clear the snow by kicking it out of the way.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Gold Medal in Complaining Goes To...(cue anthem)
The Olympic games has always invited controversy no matter what. Allegation of doping, bribery of officials, poor sportsmanship, and misappropriation of government resources to hold games have all been sources of controversy. The 2008 Beijing games are especially controversial, especially over China's human rights records and air quality. As to the games themselves, the Chinese women's gymnastics team has gotten controversy as they look a little bit young to be 16, the minimum age for competition. And of course, the Chinese team landed gold.
At one point, the words "never accepting defeat" usually meant taking your mistakes, learning from them, and trying that much harder in the next competition. Now, it seems to mean something else entirely. In certain cases, such as bribing of officials or illegal substances, the case is certainly legitimate. For example, in one swimming event, the Chinese winner came first, although was immediately disqualified after a false start.
So, when the favoured American team fails to land gold, it's nothing to do with training tactics of China being superior to Americans or their the Americans unable to focus under pressure. No, it's the stadium official's fault that Alicia Sacramone fell off the balance beam and didn't stick the landing during a floor exercise.
There is no doubt that athletic training is a very strict discipline, even more so in the Olympic levels. You literally eat, sleep, breath, live for the sport and have nothing else. However, in China, they take it a bit further. Chinese children are hand-picked from their homes and daycares when they are just able to walk, and are put to long training regimens, and if they're lucky, they get to see their parents once a year. Western countries have side-line parents that berate coaches and officials when their precious little snowflakes don't see ice time.
Simply put, the Chinese get things done, human rights and individual liberties be damned. It's a bit of a frightening way to look at it, with the notion that individual liberties and democracy are highly overrated, but look at the results. China's economy is a juggernaut with no signs of slowing and their athletes are cleaning up. Western countries place a lot of emphasis on individual liberties and freedoms, and are somehow shocked when these things don't come at a price.
Everything comes with a price, including the rigorous Chinese training regimen. Athletes training with rigorous pace can achieve excellence in sport, but once their bodies are no longer able to maintain the pace, what else can they do? Unfortunately, there are a lot more athletes than coaches, so they really have to come up with a new game plan. This is doubly the case for athletes in communist states, where they have zero skills in any other application. Look at Jackie Chan, one of the most well known actors from Hong Kong. He was inducted into the Beijing Opera School at a very young age and considered a great athlete in his day, but now in his 50s, he's functionally illiterate. And for Chinese athletes that are permanently injured, they're essentially treated like American war veterans, and no one ever remembers Chinese athletes after their glories have long past, because of the emphasis on the state over the individual. People still remember Mary Lou Retton.
Sometimes, you have to wonder if the Beijing Olympics are a metaphor for the direction the world is taking. China, not previously a strong medal contender, is a serious force to be reckoned with. America, previously strong in most events, especially women's gymnastics, is forced to take second, and can only complain.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Vancouver Open 2008, post mortem
After years of practice, I entered my first Rubik's Cube speedsolving competition...only to get schooled by a 7th grader.
The first official competition outside of Toronto, the event conformed to standards held by the World Cubing Association, complete with judges, scramble algorithms, and trash talking only done in the most light-hearted sense.
I've been eagerly awaiting this competition, even though I have yet to crack the sub20 second mark (one of the desired benchmarks is a 15 second average, and the world record is currently under 9 seconds), but was able to hold my own enough to make final round. Among the highlights of the competition:
- Top three places for Rubik's Cube held by newcomers Ibrahim Vajgel-Shedid (average of 15.47 seconds), Kristopher de Asis (average of 18.14 seconds), and Deseree Aune (average of 20.83 seconds), making her the fastest female Canadian cuber.
- Ibrahim Vajgel-Shedid winning at pretty much every event he entered - MiniCube (2x2x2), Rubik's Cube (3x3x3), and Rubik's Revenge (4x4x4).
- American Jameson O'Connor bringing his entire twisty puzzle collection, ranging from eBay rarities to custom pieces...many of which ended up getting broken. Oops.
- Organizer Hong Chen capturing the first place rank for blindfold solving, followed by Kristopher de Asis. Everyone else didn't finish.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Weird Eats
"Ancient people found that their clothes got cleaner when they washed them in a certain point in the river. Y'know why? Human sacrifices were once made on the hills above the river. Bodies burned and water seeped into the wood and ashes to create lye."
"Look at your hand. The first soap was made from the ashes of heroes. Like the first monkey shot into space. Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing."
In theory, upon consumption, the luak's digestive system enzymes partially break down the coffee beans, removing much of the bitter taste after the undigested beans pass through the system. Upon harvesting (a task destined for Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs, if there ever was one), these beans are cleaned, ground, and turned into the most expensive coffee in the world (never mind the fact that a 2008 Stanford study indicated that 1000 random taste testers couldn't tell the difference between that and the cheap brands).
This is but one of the weird foods that have become delicacies in parts of the world. Others may be familiar with durian, a fruit with an extremely foul aroma that has gotten it banned in public transportation in South East Asia. The Simpsons episode "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Bluefish" taught the world about fugu, a Japanese pufferfish that has been known to cause fatal poisoning when prepared improperly.
The conversation turned to us speculating as to how certain things defy all logic and wisdom and somehow end up being turned into food. If it's excreted from an animal's bottom, we leave it where it lies or we put it in a bag and toss it in the trash. If it's prickly and spiky and smells like turpentine and raw sewage, we leave it alone. If parts of it are poisonous, we don't touch the things. So how do they fetch stupidly high prices at the gourmet supermarket and restaurants? And why did we end up eating them in the first place? And who thought it would be a great idea to go to all this effort just to figure out how to eat it safely?
My first theory is that it's to do with desperation. When people get really hungry, people start eating just about anything. It's been established that dandelions, often the scourge of proud lawn owners, are edible and can even be found in salads. Denise suggests that everything is so accessible, that we've got bored with everything else.
So, that leaves the next question. How many people had to die before they figured out the proper way to prepare fugu? Fugu has been around as a foodstuff since at least 2000 years, so they've had at least that long to get it right, which invalidates my original theory that the Yakuza was using it as a method to kill off their enemies, and the survivors figured out that they were eating the right portions of it. An alternate theory is that they studied what predatory animals left behind and figured that those parts were toxic.
Denise tells me of a specific type of nut that must be prepared in a very specific manner -- it must be mashed, chewed, cooked for an exact period of time. Anything else and it will be toxic. And apparently, this was a traditional type of dish too (ie: before the invention of stopwatches and egg timers and the use of laboratory animals in research).
And then there's another alternate theory...it was force fed to the peasants so that the rich would know what food to eat without dying horrible deaths.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Rubik's Cube Competition - Vancouver Open, June 14th 2008
(click to enlarge, click here to download a PDF.)
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Crisis? What Crisis?
While most people take comfort in knowing that they may be/are right, this is one case where I really, really hope that I'm wrong.
As of this writing, oil is over $126USD/barrel, the local gas station now charges $1.35 per litre of gas, food riots are occurring in Asia and Africa, global grain are increasing, leading to higher prices for staples here in North America and starvation and famine overseas, subprime mortgages are causing mass foreclosures and homelessness across America, and the world population just went past 6.666666666 billion people.
All of these are just ingredients to a perfect storm that will easily erode the global social infrastructure, leading to panic, chaos, civil unrest, and the downfall of western civilization.
This is something I've written about previously (see archives for more details) and I've realized that most people don't want to deal with it directly. Heck, I don't want to deal with it directly. The concept of the downfall of civilization is sobering and depressing. Who wants to think that their way of life is going to change for the worst? Who wants to think that all of humanity's great achievements will be lost and forgotten? Who wants to think about all of the mass employment that will result as the vast majority of industries dependent on energy will gradually become irrelevant? Aerospace, computers, film, electronics, robotics, automotive mechanics, airline travel, space exploration...all obsolete.
As much as I can hope and pray for a soft landing after our tumbling from the peak of civilization, I fear that it's not going to happen. Hurricane Katrina served as a horrible warning of what we can expect - the dissolution of social infrastructure leads to chaos. Katrina was evil mirror opposite of 9/11, where 9/11 was responded with an immediate outpouring of support, but the people of New Orleans were left to their own devices. So, when social infrastructure is completely powered by oil, what can we expect, except mini Hurricane Katrinas all over the world?
Ass-backwards approaches to the way we do things hasn't been helping matters along. In an effort to conserve oil, somebody thought it was a great idea to divert food stocks (ie: corn) and turn them into ethanol to power our monster SUVs and minivans, even though research indicates that the energy return on energy invested is negative. We regularly consume meat, even though we're essentially running at a fraction of energy efficiency, consuming 7 kilograms of grain to breed 1 kilogram of beef.
Many of our problems are indicative of a peak in oil production, given how much the price has increased lately (a gain of $30 a barrel in less than 5 months, $12 gain in less than a week), but we've been all focused on trying to curtail global warming and climate change. In effect, there's a strong possibility that the peak in oil production may essentially take care of the problem. With everybody priced out of the market and too poor to afford stuff, trucks will stop hauling our coveted Walmart crap across the country, China will stop spewing factory fumes into the air, and cars will be pulled off the road because no one can afford to fill up their tanks anymore.
Maybe, JUST MAYBE, after all the dust has settled, then we can work on rebuilding civilization to a more sustainable state. More emphasis on family, community, and the environment, less emphasis on consumption and individual achievement. The people will live healthier, happier, with less environmental toxins and pollutions and stress.
So will it be a soft landing or a crash landing? Well, at least if it's a crash landing, we'll recover faster.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
They needed a specialist for THAT?!
Over the past few months, I've developed a moderate case of eczema, which is usually a manifestation of impaired liver function or allergies. I bit the bullet and went to a dermatologist in November and was scheduled to undergo a patch test to determine what I'm allergic to. This appointment is booked for December 19th.
I receive a phone call two days prior, telling me that the specialist was going on holiday. On the day of my appointment. While I admit that it was my bad not giving the right phone number, which resulted in a delay in them contacting me. However, I really question the professionalism when they give such last minute notice that they're going on vacation. And, they even tell me that there are no other appointment dates within a day or two of the original appointment date, so I now have to wait over a month.
Flash-forward to January 25th. I'm not really looking forward to this because I know allergy tests involve them scratching allergens into your skin. Then I finally find out that a patch test only involves them taping strips of chemicals to your back and then you come back 48 hours later to see what induces a reaction.
This takes a total of five minutes. This also obviously required the expertise of a specialist, because there was no way they could get just about anybody else from the office to TAPE FOUR STRIPS OF MATERIAL TO MY BACK, because that's just so difficult and requires years of training and experience to do properly.
The upside is that I'll finally figure out what I'm allergic to so I can know what to avoid eating. The downside is that I can't shower until 48 hours after the patch test is administered and the chemical patches are removed.
Friday, January 11, 2008
1 Guy 1 Bowl
My old supervisor once said that whenever a civilization is about to go under, they start doing all sorts of messed up stuff like human sacrifices, Roman showers, vomitoriums, and cannibalism. Somehow, I don't think we're that far off.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
More (Mis)Adventures In Craigslistland
(originally posted at http://vancouver.craigslist.org/zip/466369142.html)
Reply to: sale-466369142@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-11-01, 6:14PM PDT
Hey, guys. It's me again. However, it seems like the message ain't exactly getting through, because yet again, crap with varying level of usefulness is littered where it really doesn't belong. C'mon. It's NOT THAT HARD. Regardless of its state, there are proper channels to get rid of your crap. If it's not usable, send it to the local dump or recycling facility yourself. If it's still usable, donate it to charity. Heck, even put up a notice on the community bulletin board. Or better yet, use Craigslist. Last time I did this, two out of three items were gone in less than 12 hours.
Yes, I'll admit that some of these items are quite sizeable, and without a car, it makes it a bit of a pain in the butt to cart around. But even still, local charities will actually pick some of this stuff up for you IF YOU ASK.
Look people. Even if your mom does live here (which she might), it's still YOUR responsibility to clean up after yourself. Dumping it wherever the heck you feel will not only raise the ire of your neighbours and the strata, but will also mean that the strata garbage pickup guys will charge us more for it.
Up for grabs is the following.
1. Bookshelf. It might be made out of wood, or it might be made out of particle board with paper covering to vaguely resemble wood. The thing is pretty tall and wide, so it'll hold a lot of books. Or, it'll hold a lot of picture frames and figurines. Or, you can take it apart and use it for firewood. I don't frickin' care, just get it out of here.
UPDATE: The bookshelf is actually made out of aluminum, painted to merely look like wood. But that's kinda moot because somebody already has picked this up, so it's gone. Thanks, Telly! You rock!
2. Cat exercise gym. I'm guessing this thing is used, and most likely has residual traces of whatever cat used it (I won't go into graphic details...this is a family website). If you Febreeze or bleach the hell out of it, it might be clean enough for your cat (but all those extra chemicals might give you cancer). But, you know how finicky cats can be. Failing that, you might be able to turn it into some crazy art project. Spray paint and sparkles not included.
3. Acer CRT monitor. I don't even know if this thing works. If it does, hey, free monitor. If it doesn't, you can convert it into a fish tank or you can use it as a prop in an independent student film if you're doing a remake of "Office Space" (although yes, I know that they used a copier). I don't care what you do with it, really. As long as it's legal (although if you're using it on your computer to download MP3s, I *GUESS* that's okay).
Like last time, I cannot and will not vouch for the quality or workmanship of any of this stuff, nor will I be held responsible for anything that happens as a result of you picking this stuff up. If your cat pulls up a random staple from the cat gym and requires emergency veterinary surgery, that is YOUR problem. If the bookshelf collapses and destroys a priceless China set, I don't care. If you actually attempt to turn the CRT monitor into a fish tank and you forget to unplug it and get electrocuted, lemme know so I can inform the guys who give out the Darwin Awards.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Survival of the (Un)Fittest
"Mensa membership exceeding, tell me why and how are all the stupid people breeding."
"The Idiots Have Taken Over", by NOFX
During my time on PlentyOfFish.com, between meeting people, I was on the message boards. One particular group was dedicated to profile reviews. Given my current occupation and school background, I took it upon myself to review people's profiles, partly for general appeal to target audience, but more often than not, for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
The most common spelling mistake I would point out is "a lot." The number of times I was correcting it was highly indicative of several things, one being the low level of spelling skills among an unfortunate percentage of the users on that site. The other being lack of motivation to read and do some level of edits before submitting for review.
I'm not sure if it's just overuse of spellcheckers that have caused this (why bother learning to spell when MS Word is going to automatically correct it for you?). Either that, or it's severely de-emphasized in the school system. However, I can still recall 10th Grade English class, where the teacher was STILL telling us the difference between "a lot" (a large quantity) and "allot" (to distribute or mete out).
Um...isn't that something that you're supposed to have nailed in THIRD GRADE?
Spelling gaffes are a surefire way to blow credibility in anything, whether it be a resumé, visual presentation, or advertisement. I'm still thinking of a public service ad on the bus where they actually used "who's" (contraction for "who is") instead of "whose" (possessive article).
Stuff like this truly makes me feel better about my level of job security, given the fact that there will always be a "need" for it. But, being that no one notices spelling until something is spelled wrong, it doesn't necessarily mean that anyone will appreciate it.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Previously, I was talking about inconsiderate neighbours who dump their unwanted furniture in the communal garbage area without any consideration for others who definitely DON'T want to have to deal with this crap. The situation finally came to a head when somebody dumped to large pieces of furniture (ie: too large to fit into the dumpsters) by the trash collection areas.
But, evidently, I'm not the only one who had a problem with it, as I found this note posted on top of an old chair that really needed to be re-upholstered.
These pieces of furniture have been there for the better part of a week without the said tenant coming to retrieve them, so I did the Robin Hood thing and I posted it up on Craigslist. Lo and behold, in less than 24 hours, I have 5 responses and they are gone. To demonstrate to the anonymous douchebag who decided to arbitrarily dump his crap there that there are proper channels for getting rid of unwanted crap, I printed the posting and tacked it on the communal bulletin board.
Unfortunately, the exercise bike is still there, while the note that was tacked on the bulletin board has since been removed.
Friday, August 24, 2007
But, as a result, I find myself doing a larger percentage of heavy lifting, even more so since the only male editorial intern goes back to school soon.
Technology has also had a fairly major impact on male roles, which has added more responsibilities to the list.
So far, I have it down to:
- Move heavy furniture
- Open jars (pasta sauce, pickles)
- Reprogram VCRs (now replaced by PVRs, DVRs, etc.)
- Kill spiders (or, if you like spiders, letting them outside)
- Hunt down buffalo
- Set up internet connections (we have an IT department for this, so I don't have to, although I was asked how to change the view options on Outlook)
- Assemble Ikea furniture (instruction manuals optional)
addendums: - Clean up a woman's plate (ie: the stuff that's left over from her plate after she's full)
- Replace objects in the shelves that are harder to reach.
- Install all electronics (instruction manuals optional).
- Carry groceries.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Please Eat Tasty Animals.
I've briefly toyed with the idea of going vegetarian, more for environmental reasons (ie: lowering my carbon footprint), although that didn't last too long because tofu burgers don't taste nearly as good as the real thing and I really like to be able to get my vitamin B12 without supplementation. My g.f. is equally glad I'm not a vegetarian, due to the social aspects of eating.
Last weekend, we were over at Memphis Blues, a restaurant that serves a lot of meat products. Pork, chicken, ribs...stuff that would cause the average PETA member to go up in arms. But what amused me the most were the souvenir t-shirts they had for sale. One had the word "vegetarian" with a red circle and slash through it. Another said (words to the effect of), "The best racks in town."
I'm assuming that one only comes in women's petite sizes. Or for really, really fat guys.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
How much do I love my girlfriend? Her dog just puked on the floor and the rug and I just cleaned it up. It smells like skunk spray too.
Sphere: Related ContentAt one point, Denise suggested to me that I write a gushing, sappy blog post about how much I love her. I said I would do so when I was in the mood, although she took that to mean when I actually felt that way for her. Considering the tone that my blog usually takes, it's more that it's outside of my regular writing style and subject matter than a reflection of how I feel.
Instead, I will tell you how much I love my girlfriend by talking about the things I do. I took her dog out to the back of her apartment for some fresh air and so she can do her business. Lo and behold, she saw a skunk and decided to chase after it. I have spent the last half hour running around town to find a 24 hour Shoppers Drug Mart to obtain 1L of hydrogen peroxide for the purpose of deodorizing the dog.
As I write this, she is in the bathroom holding the dog down while applying the mixture. In a few minutes, I will be called in to assist.
This is how much I love my girlfriend. If there were any doubts, this should clear all of them.
Friday, July 13, 2007
While on facebook, I posted a question asking about the largest contributor to the problems of the world. Some gave one-to-two-worded answers ("greed" and "poverty" are two popular choices), although someone did say something about apathy, to which is something I can see.
However, for me, it's more of a source of annoyance than anything else, which is why I posted the left image on two common areas in my building.
It seems that people simply do not know how to read or are just too lazy and expect others to clean up after them. On two occasions, I have spotted two items tossed with reckless abandon in the trash disposal areas. I have a big enough beef with recyclable items such as used clothing and obsolete electronics getting turfed, but even more so when they are placed in random areas in the pretense that someone else will find use for them.
In previous years, some municipalities would hold "clean-up weeks", in which people would put out mass amounts of supposedly reusable items like old televisions and furniture, however, it became abused, as items not allowed (old refrigerators, construction debris) was also put out. This may be another holdover from that mentality, which unfortunately doesn't really work.
When charitable organizations and proper recycling facilities exist, it upsets me when they are not used and the onus is placed on people who are ultimately not the ones responsible for creating the mess in the first place.
But then, it could also argue that this is also a form of apathy.
30.
(birthday roda at the Fintry campgrounds, July 6, 2007)
Yes, I have hit that purportedly painful milestone in my life, where I am now officially in a different demographic. Certain expectations in life really were supposed to have been fulfilled by now, such as marriage, solidly established career, home ownership, level of education, and the ability to pay off bills that are slightly more advanced than a cell phone bill.
Depending on one's scale for "life expectancy" (that is, what one's expected to do in life), I "might" be doing okay, although I'm still renting and I'm not married yet. That, and I don't have a really established career per se, having changed jobs about three times since turning 29, although I really do like the company I'm working with...they even got me a birthday cake when I wasn't there, which we all shared after the fact. They also got me a card which joked about Godzilla being the only one capable of lighting all the candles on the cake.
Turning 30 might not actually be as bad as it seems, as I still don't feel any different than I did when I was 29. Sure, I have more responsibilities and there are certain things that are expected of me. However, the fact that my girlfriend points out the fact that I have more grey hairs sprouting out of my skull than she does is a reminder that I am not "young" anymore. Thankfully, due to the Asian age formula (take the age which you look, add five), I can still pass for mid-20s. Unless I show them my ID.
However, I'm going to fake it as long as I can. Eat properly, no smoking or excessive drinking, exercising regularly, and playing as many video games as my extremely busy schedule will allow.
Easier said than done. I have work to do still!
