Download Chris' 2009 Annual Compilation Album

I've put together a CD of my favourite music from 2009. As usual, my hope is that it introduces my friends to new music. You might not like all of it, but I hope that you fall in love with some of the tracks. The 2009 album is called "Get It Right."

Download the free mp3s with the following links for the next week:
Get It Right - The 2oo9 Compilation: part 1 (SendUIt link)
Get It Right - The 2oo9 Compilation: part 2 (SendUIt link)

The mp3s are in .zip files, and will need to be extracted. Whether you are on Mac or PC, double-clicking the file should be the first step in the right direction. Copy the songs into a new playlist in iTunes, and then you can burn a cd or transfer to your iPod. Most of the tracks come from free podcasts.

I do appreciate hearing from people when they enjoy these annual compilations, so drop me a line if you like this one. Over the next few days, I'll put some of the extra tracks online for download as well.

Happy New Year, and all the best wishes for 2010!!!

Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill (YouTube)

Brilliant, brilliant bicycle stunts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o

The New York Times compares Danny MacAskill to Susan Boyle in the way that YouTube has changed their lives. After reading the article, I had to see the video and was amazed at the incredible tricks. This is the current "must see" YouTube sensation.

Scottish Cyclist MacAskill Rides Stunts To Fame
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/29/sports/global/29cyclist.html

Darth Vadar opens Wall Street

The Dark Lord opened the New York Stock Exchange today. YouTube video.
http://kottke.org/09/12/darth-vader-opens-wall-street

Photo: Nancy Reagan sitting on Santa's (Mr. T) lap

From 1983, U.S. First Lady Nancy Regan sitting on lap of actor Mr. T who dressed as Santa Claus, seated in front of Christmas tree. Reagan kisses Mr. T's forehead.
Thank you wikipedia.

Will Big Business Save the Earth? By JARED DIAMOND

Will Big Business Save the Earth? NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/opinion/06diamond.html

At the time of the Copenhagen talks, it's important to consider ways
to fight climate change. Jared Diamond is a real expert in climate
science, and his insights offer a clear way forward.

DIY Solar Moon Lights

Create Your Own Sun Jar: Lifehacker

This looks like just the coolest project!  Making a coloured, solar moon light with mason jars.  

I'm thinking that this would be awesome to do at Camp next summer.

Merry Christmas from BC Hydro

Happy Holidays from BC Hydro

Once again, BC Hydro is proud to support the BC Hydro Power Pioneers’ Miracle Million Campaign. This year, BC Hydro will be donating up to $25,000 to BC Children’s Hospital Foundation in support of the Power Pioneers’ Miracle Million Campaign. And through our holiday e-card we will be encouraging others to do the same.

Each time our holiday card is enjoyed, we will make a donation (up to $25,000) to BC Children’s Hospital to help create a better future for children. Over the last two years our award-winning e-card has resulted in over 2 million “coin drops”.

This year’s e-card involves a simple and enjoyable game. To view your e-card, click the following link. If that doesn’t work, simply copy and paste the link into a new browser window.

http://www.bchydro.com/holiday2009

Happy Holidays!

Photos of Chinese development in Africa

NY Times Lens Blog:  Asian Crossroads in Africa

 

The New York Times’ photography blog has a sample of photos from Paolo Woods’s book “China Safari: On the Trail of Beijing’s Expansion in Africa”

Paralympic torch bearer

Be A Part Of The Paralympic Torch Relay

Along with the Winter Olympics, the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games will held in Vancouver, BC.  You can sign up to be considered as one of the torch bearers in the run-up to the Paralympic Games.

Free music

Hunt4Tunes.com

Do a Google-like search, and have the option to listen or download music for free.  Great selection of mp3s.  Not sure how it works, but it works really well... for now.

USB Boot Disk for your Mac

How To Build a Bootable Rescue SD Card For Your Mac - MacLife

Because sometimes even Macs can crash, now you can create a boot disc with and SD card or a USB flash drive. Nice.

Best of 2000s - Paste Magazine

The Best Albums, Movies, TV & More From the 2000s
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/11/the-best-of-the-decade.html

Good list of "best of" lists for culture in the first decade of the new millenium. 

  

11/1 – The 10 Best Memes of the Decade
11/2 – The 50 Best Albums of the Decade
11/3 – The 50 Best Movies of the Decade
11/4 – The 20 Best TV Shows of the Decade
11/5 – The 20 Best Video Games of the Decade
11/6 – The 20 Best Books of the Decade
11/7 – The 10 Best Comedians of the Decade
11/8 – The 10 Best Music Producers of the Decade
11/9 – The 50 Best Music Videos of the Decade
11/10 – The 25 Best Documentaries of the Decade
11/11 – The 10 Best Food TV Shows of the Decade
11/12 – The 10 Best Casual Games of the Decade
11/13 – The 12 Best Music Books of the Decade

50th Birthday Of The Goalie Mask

From pop culture to hockey psychology, 50 years of goalie masks - Yahoo Sports

November 1st marks the 50th anniversary of Jacques Plante strapping on a goalie mask at MSG in New York, and is remembered in a  Hockey News piece.

In UK, Deadly Texting & Driving Leads To Prison

DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION: When Texting Kills, Britain Offers Path to
Prison - NYT

Britain has become one of the most aggressive countries in attacking
the use of cellphones while driving. The UK considers this as
dangerous as impaired driving or street racing.

http://s.nyt.com/u/DRx

Photos of Bending Light

Bending Light - Reciprocity (Flickr)

Bright, dancing, colourful photos of light.  Best abstract photos you'll see all weekend.

What's the deal with boneless chicken wings?

'Boneless' Wings, the Cheaper Bite - NY Times

When chicken breasts started being cheaper than wings, they started making boneless wings out of breast meat. Who knew?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/business/economy/13wings.html

U2 Live On YouTube

U2 Live On YouTube
www.YouTube.com/U2 I'm going to see U2 on Wednesday in Vancouver, but this I great for fans and anyone that can't goto the show.   U2's 360 Concert from the LA Rose Bowl, tonight (Sunday 10/25) 8:30 PM PST!

(via iPhone)

Cake Wrecks: When Icing Spells Disaster

New York Times: When the Icing on the Cake Spells Disaster

LOL Cats are yesterday's news, while the "Cake Wrecks" blog celebrates
the folly of professional confections gone horribly wrong.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/dining/14cake.html

The Naked Chef Takes on America’s Diet

From New York Times:
Putting America's Diet on a Diet

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/magazine/11Oliver-t.html

Can the British superchef Jamie Oliver remake America's diet in one
of the country's unhealthiest towns? (via iPhone)

Coffee

What’s Inside a Cup of Coffee? – Wired Magazine

 

iPhones coming to Telus & Bell in November 2009

Bell, Telus to sell iPhones next month – CBC

 

Good news for Bell and Telus customers that have been waiting for an iPhone.  They will have the chance to buy iPhones in November.

 

As a Rogers iPhone user, I can honestly say, “Yes, they are that good!”

Fine Art Meets Fine Wine in Napa Valley

New York Times: Fine Art Meets Fine Wine in Napa Valley

"Art is popping up all across the vineyard-rich valley, from
agricultural barns that used to house hay to museum-worthy collections
secreted in faux Tuscan villas."

From our trip to Napa in May, our favourite place for art was the Di
Rosa Art Preserve, just over in the Sonoma Valley. Well worth the trip!

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/travel/04next.html

NYTimes: Schools Adopt Art as Building Block of Education

A growing number of newly built or renovated public schools across the
country are incorporating art in their buildings to inspire and teach.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/education/02art.html

NYT - How Can We Teach Self-Control To Children?

From The New York Times:

THE SCHOOL ISSUE: PRESCHOOL: Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-
Control?

Can imaginary play teach children to control their impulses — and be
better students?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27tools-t.html

2009 Artaban Hockey Pool

Frank has put together a Camp Artaban hockey pool for the 2009-2010 NHL Regular Season, and asked me to promote it.

Here is the point breakdown and rules:

It's really easy to enter:

- There are 16 categories. Choose 1 player (or 2 defense) from each category.

- Email your choices to Frank by Oct 1st.

- 5 dollars entry can be sent to Frank by Nov 1st.

Frank's email address is: fclarkjones@gmail.com

I've attached the file as an Excel document, but you can also download it from:

http://fantasyhockeypoolstats.ca/Artaban/2009-10 Artaban Hockey Pool.xls


Here's how you get points:
1 point goal
1 point assist
2 points win (Goalies)
2 points shutout (Goalies)

The Grand prize is a real live dragon. Or maybe a new car. Actually, it's a new trophy that will be passed from winner to winner every year. The winner will also receive a custom Artaban t-shirt, that they will be able to keep permanently. Any proceeds (after paying for the prize and the Officepools site) will be going to Camp Artaban.

To follow the pool along through the season, go to http://officepools.com
login: artaban
password: artaban

Feel free to forward this to any people that have been to Artaban.
All the best,
Chris

Barack Obama: Jedi Knight (w/ pic)

President Obama: Jedi Night (edit)
With picture, otherwise it never happened :)
Huffington Post
Kottke

Predicting Hockey Attendance

Dataset of the Day: Hockey, Getting Fans in the Seats

 

Is there a formula to predict which hockey markets will have the best attendance?  What are the variables? 

The Off The Map blog gives it a try, using team performance, weather temperature, population and hockey IQ as variables, and compares his results against the NHL’s attendance statistics.

 

NYTimes: The Right Way to Pray?

From The New York Times:

The Right Way to Pray?

Americans aren't sure they know how to talk to God. Fortunately,
there is plenty of instruction available.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/magazine/20Prayer-t.html

How to win at Scrabble

From YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1aq6sJEuVU&fmt=22

via iPhone

Bento Boxes Getting Popular is US

From The New York Times:

Bento Boxes Win Lunch Fans

They might seem like kids' stuff, but a sense of fun — and built-in
portion control — have helped make the Japanese lunches called bento
boxes increasingly popular with adults in the United States

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/dining/09bento.html

NYTimes: In Ever-Shrinking N.H.L. Coverage, Even Islanders Are Cutting Back

NYTimes: In Ever-Shrinking N.H.L. Coverage, Even Islanders Are Cutting
Back

The Islanders financed a blog last season that focused on the team but
had editorial independence. But the future of Islanders Point Blank is
now uncertain.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/sports/hockey/06islanders.html

Keeping That New Mac or PC Clean and Pure

From the NY Times: Keeping That New PC Clean and Pure

A new PC comes innocent of viruses, worms, spyware and other
troublesome programs. Here are some tips for keeping it that way.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/technology/personaltech/03basics.html

Sent from my iPhone

Matt Whitman: Networking King of Halifax

Some people wonder about the point of the social networking sites, like Flickr and Twitter.  This guy, Matt Whitman from Nova Scotia gets it, and does his best to explain it to journalist Silver Donald Cameron.    

This is not a link, but an article from a mailing list I belong to that publishes SDC's excellent weekly columns on community, Canadian political science and history, sailing and life in the Maritimes.  In keeping with the spirit of the article, I'm sharing this connection with you.  

To: silverdonaldcameron@yahoogroups.com
Reply-To: silverdonaldcameron-owner@yahoogroups.com

 

SUNDAY HERALD COLUMN September , 2009 [HH0932]

THE NETWORKING KING OF HALIFAX

by Silver Donald Cameron

Matt Whitman leans forward over a table at a suburban Starbuck's
coffee shop, talking intensely.

"I do everything else around this," he says. "My whole role is to
connect with people not to convince anyone of anything or sell them
anything, but to connect with them."

What Matt Whitman does full time, more or less is networking,
either in person or on such social media sites as Facebook. He spends
his days in coffee shops and informal meetings, and at charitable
events. He has 4800 friends on Facebook, and I am one of them. He is
the networking king of Halifax.

I want to know how he makes a living at this. Various gurus contend
that the new social networking media Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn,
Twitter and others are fantastic new business tools. Well, I want to
know how these fantastic tools work. In my experience, sites like
Facebook are mostly a fantastic nuisance. Who cares whether someone I
barely know has just won at Texas Hold'Em Poker or Treasure Mania? If
you're going to bed now, go in peace. Why tell me about it?

Matt admits that Facebook can be a huge time-waster but such
programs keep you visible when you're otherwise engaged. While you're
in a meeting, your note on Facebook about a charitable event promotes
the charity and also brings you to the attention of 4800 friends. And
Facebook tells you who you know in common with someone else. But it's
the in-person stuff that delights Matt.

"My thing is reverse networking, which is promoting others rather
than promoting myself," he says. "If I say I'm the best, you're going
to discount it but if I tell you about my friends the lawyer, the
accountant, the barber, the mortgage broker, you might take my
advice. By not selling anything or promoting myself, I can get to
lots of people. And sooner or later, somewhere, somebody's going to
be talking about me, so I don't have to."

Two employers support all this connecting. Matt is a regional sales
manager for Sun Life, where his responsibilities include the
recruitment of new life insurance salesmen. For someone with his vast
network, that kind of recruiting is a snap. He's also "the community
outreach guy" for his church, one of 13 employees of the Stone Ridge
Fellowship in Bedford, a fast-growing Baptist congregation which is
about to open a brand-new mega-church in Lower Sackville.

"I'm an example of what a Christian business person is," he says. He
is out there all the time "spreading the Good News and getting people
into the game, getting them active." His influence shows up as
increased church attendance, and also as intensified Christian
activity in the lives of church members.

And that's another use of Facebook to "promote all the things I'm
doing on the weekends." For example -- ?

"I'm eating ribs next Saturday for testicular cancer," he says. "I
organized a five-kilometer run last Saturday for our StoneRidge
satellite site in Hubbards, and tomorrow I'm giving out Gideon Bibles
at the Busker Festival. Through Sun Life I hosted a Participaction
event to get people active again. I'm involved in the Junior Chamber,
juvenile diabetes, Junior Achievement. And the updates go to
everyone, all the time."

This reminds him of his advice to a recently-unemployed friend.

"The key is not to be self-centred. The key is to help others," he
says. "What are you doing with the 40 hours you used to work? Why
don't you go and do 40 hours of good will? Volunteer this weekend at
the Buskers, or the Pride Festival, or the Jazz Festival. If you
volunteer 40 hours a week, you'll have more job offers than you know
what to do with."

He stops, struck by an idea.

"Something good happens at every meeting. Someone will benefit maybe
not you or me, but maybe someone we know. Hmm. I've never said this
out loud before, but there are actually four dimensions. How can I
help you, and how can you help me? And how can I help your friends,
and how can you help my friends?"

He stands up. He has another meeting. And the networking king of
Halifax is never, ever late.

-- 30 --

Silver Donald Cameron
24 Armshore Drive, Halifax, NS B3N 1M5
(902)446-5577 fax (902)446-6099
www.silverdonaldcameron.ca

"Traveller, there is no path. Paths are made by walking." -- Antonio
Machado (a leader of the Cape Verde 1970s liberation
movement against the Portuguese) 

__,_._,___

NYTimes: Missing Richard Nixon

From The New York Times:

OP-ED COLUMNIST: Missing Richard Nixon

In the Nixon era, leaders in both political parties were capable of
speaking rationally, and decisions weren't as warped by corporate
cash as they are now.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/opinion/31krugman.html

Sent from my iPhone

Coolest iPhone App, so far - Yelp

EASTER EGG: Yelp Is the iPhone's First Augmented Reality App - mashable.com

Yelp is a great iPhone app that uses the GPS to find restaurants, shopping and businesses that are close to your location, with reviews out of 5 stars for everything.  Yesterday, a new version of Yelp was released with a hidden feature: augmented reality.  "Augmented Reality" is a new buzz word which means that data is overlaid on the "real world".

Back to Yelp.  If you download the updated version and shake the iPhone 3 times, then you can turn on the "Monocle" feature.  Monocle turns on your iPhone's camera, and shows pop-up tags of restaurants (and stuff) over whatever you're looking at.  If you spin around, the camera image turns and new business pop ups appear.

Don't believe my ham-fisted explanation, check out the mashable.com page for the youtube video.

Tech Support cheat sheet

Tech Support Cheat Sheet - xkcd

A web comic that explains my super human computer fixing skills for various parents, grandparents and other "not computer people".

Best Montreal Poutine

Montreal Poutine
http://www.montrealpoutine.com/reviews.html
Who knew that a restaurant could have a poutine menu with 22 different
varieties?
I'm planning a trip to Central Canada, and was curious about
restaurants that serve the French Canadian delicacy of poutine.
Typically, in my mind, poutine is fries, cheese curds and gravy.
Simple right?

Boy, was I surprised to hear about the Italienne (marinara sauce), the
Vegetarian, the BOM (Bacon-Onion-Mushroom), and the Foie Gras
varieties of poutine.

Sent from my iPod

'00s Decade in Review

click opera - Mister narrative of the decade

With 3 months left in the 2000's, this is the first overview that I've seen of the current decade.  I like what I see.  

9/11. The iPhone and Facebook.  Google and the downward spiral of the major media companies.

In New Westminster, Longboarders surf on concrete waves

BCLocalNews.com - Longboarders surf on concrete waves

Shared via AddThis

Apparently, New Westminster's Elliot Street has huge appeal for Vancouver's longboarders, because of its steepness and unique zigzag sidewalk. Who knew?

What does it take to be an Ice Specialist?

For Winter Games in Vancouver,  Ice Isn't So Easy - New York Times

An interesting NY Times article about the ice makers for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  They talk to the 5 ice specialists about the challenges of making the best ice for hockey, speed skating, figure skating,  and bobsled.

The 35 Best iPhone Apps Of The Year (So Far)

The 35 Best iPhone Apps Of The Year (So Far)

Posted using ShareThis

NYTimes: In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History

From The New York Times:

In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History

By TAMAR LEWIN

In Arizona, teachers are being encouraged to create lessons that incorporate materials they find online....

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/education/09textbook.html

Get The New York Times on your iPhone for free by visiting http://nytimes.com/iphoneinstaller

Sent from my iPod

NYTimes: For Today’s Graduate, Just One Word: Statistics

From The New York Times:

For Today's Graduate, Just One Word: Statistics

By STEVE LOHR

With the explosion of digital data, statisticians can earn $125,000 in their first year after getting a doctorate....

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/technology/06stats.html

Get The New York Times on your iPhone for free by visiting http://nytimes.com/iphoneinstaller

Sent from my iPhone

On this day: Inventor of Tupperware was born in 1907

July 28, 1907: Tupperware’s First Burp – Wired.com

Re-sealable plastic container magnate, Earl S. Tupper, the creator of Tupperware, was born on this day in 1907.  Put a lid on it!

 

 

Outsmarting Facebook

Outsmarting the Facebook Lobster Trap: Three Worries, One Guideline, Seven Principles

I’ve grown weary of using Facebook, and am increasingly mistrustful of the cloud of hype surrounding the platform.

 

“Facebook is basically designed like a lobster trap with your friends as bait.”

This brilliant quote is from an article in the Nonprofit Online News explaining that Facebook is an example of Enclosure; the economic principal of privatizing the commons.  The article goes on to explain some of the risks, opportunities, and suggestions for organizations using Facebook to bring people together.

How to tether your iPhone

Apple - iPhone - Share your Internet connection with your laptop

In Canada, Rogers and Fido allow iPhone users to tether their computer to their iPhone.  That is, if you have an iPhone, you can use your iPhone as a modem to connect your computer to the internet.  The only limitation is the amount of data in your monthly plan.  Pretty cool...

Data Dashboards

Seth's Blog: Dashboards

Digital marketing maven, Seth Godin, writes about creating effective dashboards to understand data.

Computer Hardware Poster

Computer Hardware Poster

Have you ever had trouble trying to identify what kind of computer components you're dealing with? "What is it, and how do I plug it into my computer?"

This link is a big poster that will identify what you're working with, including:  notebook Ram, desktop Ram, hard drives, ports, processor card slots, processor card sockets, peripheral cards, CPU sockets, desktop card slots, and power connectors.  While I can identify some of these connections as a novice, there's no way I can identify all of these component connections, so this list will be a big help to those FAQs.  Print it off, and post it at your desk.  

2009-2010 NHL Schedule Announced

NHL schedule kicks off with Pens hosting Rangers

It's the middle of July, so let's talk about hockey.  The 2009-2010 NHL Regular Season kicks off on October 2, with Pittsburgh playing against the New York Rangers.  The most interesting part of this hockey news was the break for the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February, and the Vancouver Canucks' record 14-game road trip for the duration of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.  That's a lot of time on the road!

 

Michael Pollan: We Are Headed Toward a Breakdown in Our Food System

Michael Pollan: Garden Fresh - The Tyee

When Michael Pollan visited Vancouver in June, The Tyee interviewed the prominent food writer for his thoughts on Obama, the 100-mile diet, climate change, and picky eaters.  

Thanks to the Alternet.

Bono on Obama's visit to Ghana

Rebranding Africa - NY Times

In the NY Times, U2's Bono writes about the reasons that President Obama is visiting Ghana; not because of sentiment or tragedy, but because it is an inspirational success story.

Ebert on "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", twice

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen :: rogerebert.com

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is a horrible experience of unbearable length, briefly punctuated by three or four amusing moments. One of these involves a dog-like robot humping the leg of the heroine. Such are the meager joys. If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination.
The plot is incomprehensible. The dialog of the Autobots®, Decepticons® and Otherbots® is meaningless word flap. Their accents are Brooklyese, British and hip-hop, as befits a race from the distant stars. Their appearance looks like junkyard throw-up. They are dumb as a rock. They share the film with human characters who are much more interesting, and that is very faint praise indeed.

The Fall of the Revengers - Roger Ebert's Journal

The day will come when "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" will be studied in film classes and shown at cult film festivals. It will be seen, in retrospect, as marking the end of an era. Of course there will be many more CGI-based action epics, but never again one this bloated, excessive, incomprehensible, long (149 minutes) or expensive (more than $200 million). Like the dinosaurs, the species has grown too big to survive, and will be wiped out in a cataclysmic event, replaced by more compact, durable forms.

Roger Ebert cared so strongly about the Transformers sequel, that he chose to review the movie twice, and write about it eloquently and hilariously.  These are just the opening paragraphs from both reviews.  After seeing the "Revenge of the Fallen" last night, I totally agree with Mr. Ebert.

The cheapest places to live in the world. $500 a month

The cheapest places to live in the world. $500 a month

Shared via AddThis

Our True North - New York Times

Our True North - New York Times

Eleven Canadians living in the US write in the NY Times on what they miss about Canada.

Happy Canada Day!

The World's Fastest Plane

The Ultimate Spy Plane - Smithsonian Magazine

Inspired by it's appearance the Transformers 2 movie, Smithsonian writes about the fastest airplane, Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird.

I asked Shul, a former Air Force fighter pilot and Vietnam veteran who has written two books about the Blackbird—one recounting his reconnaissance for a dramatic raid on Libya in 1986—what it was like to fly such a phenomenal craft. "It wasn't like any other airplane," he told me. "It was terrifying, exciting, intense and humbling every time you flew. Each mission was designed to fly at a certain speed; you always knew the airplane had more. It was like driving to work in a double-A fuel dragster."

Sid the Kid sleeps with the Cup

What would you do with the Stanley Cup?

Everyone that wins the Stanley Cup gets to spend one day with the Cup, doing whatever they want.  Many players take hockey's most important trophy to their hometown to show off.

Sidney Crosby slept with the Stanley Cup

Mario Lemieux had a pool party with the Cup, and the Stanley Cup went swimming.

What would you do?

News Photos from Iran

A Troubled Week in Iran

The Big Picture is a news photo blog from the Boston Globe that always impresses with their stunning photographs of news events.  Today's link is the fourth in The Big Picture's series on the disputed election in Iran.

Iran's Presidential Election

Iran's Disputed Election

Iran's Continued Election Turmoil

A Troubled Week in Iran

Canning food gets trendy

Preserving Time in a Bottle (or a Jar)

From the New York Times, it’s an article on the status of canning fruits and vegetables.  The local food movement has embraced large and small scale canning as a way to preserve the flavour and uniqueness of seasonal produce.

Knowledge workers vs. Manual trades

The Case for Working With Your Hands - New York Times

An article by someone with a PhD who left the "knowledge economy" decided to run a motorcycle-repair shop.  Bonus point for mentioning a lineman fixing the lines after a storm.

New research on aging and avoiding dementia

At the Bridge Table, Clues to a Lucid Old Age

From an article in the NY Times, there are suggestions that staying active mentally and socially is the best way to avoid dementia.

Rooster Chili Sauce

A Chili Sauce to Crow About – NY Times

 

One of America’s favourite “ethnic” hot sauces is not imported, but is instead a domestic success.  The Sriracha Chili Sauce (aka Rooster Sauce or Cock Sauce) is used as a condiment in gourmet restaurants, pho restaurants, and as a ketchup or salsa replacement in burger and hot dog joints.

 

The sauce is made with fresh red jalapeños, garlic powder, sugar, salt and vinegar, which produces a not-TOO-spicy, garlicky hot sauce.

 

Thanks to MeFi for the bonus links to recipes using sriracha sauce to make steak fajitas, Korean-style filet mignon, and how to make Sriracha Chili Sauce yourself.

 

Bargain Basement Goalies Pay Off

High-priced goalies guarantee little - si.com

An interesting perspective from ex-goalie, Darren Elliott, regarding the performance of stud goalies in the 2009 NHL Playoffs.  The four goalies left in the playoffs are not normally considered the league's top goalies: Detroit's Chris Osgood,  Carolina's Cam Ward, Chicago's Nik Khabibulin and Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury.  

Meanwhile, the so-called top goalies (and top-paid goalies) have already been eliminated; such as:  Henrik Lundqvist (with his $7.75 million price tag), Presidents' Trophy-winning veteran goaltender Evgeni Nabokov from the San Jose Sharks ($5.5 million salary), New Jersey's Marty Brodeur (at $5.2 million), Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff ($8.5 million) and the Vancouver Canucks' own Roberto Luongo ($7 million).  

How much is a top goalie really worth?

Clean Up & Speed Up Your Mac - Lifehacker

Clean Up and Revive Your Bloated,  Sluggish Mac - Lifehacker

I'm running out of space on my Macbook, and it's starting to slow down.  It needs to be cleaned up, just to install Apple's new Mac OS X system update.  Thank you Lifehacker for this article.

Leadership video from TED conference

Tribes – TED Video

The video from my favourite talk from the 2009 TED Conference has finally been posted online- Seth Godin talking about leadership in his video Tribes.

 

Internet travel research - NYT

Frugal Traveler: Research: The Traveler's Best Friend

New York Times blog post by their Frugal Traveler columnist, Matt Gross, about how he does his research on the internet to find not only affordable and frugal ways to travel, but also to find current hot spots and perspective on his destinations.

How Much Money Can Free iPhone Apps Make?

Just How Much Money Can Free iPhone Apps Make? Quite A Bit - TechCrunch

Interesting article from TechCrunch on the economics of iPhone/iPod Touch application developers that create and distribute free applications with advertising.  Not surprisingly, results vary.

Maybe it's just an iPhone/ iPod day...

NYT- The Pentagon Adds iPods to the Arsenal

The Lede: The Pentagon Adds iPods to the Arsenal

From the New York Times blog, an article about the US military using iPods in Iraq and Afghanistan to wage war.

Going Postal The Imminent Death of the U.S. Postal Service?

Going Postal  The Imminent Death of the U.S. Postal Service?

Georg Jensen tears into the USPS in The American Interest Online.  He builds the case that the USPS is running as a spam-mail distribution company, and is subsidized by first-class letter mail.   

"When you tax something, you get less of it, and when you subsidize something, you get more of it. That is part of the reason the USPS now handles less first-class mail, because it is in effect taxed, and more junk mail, because it is subsidized."

Now that business is bad, the USPS is going to do the same as General Motors, ask the government for a bailout.

How different is Canada Post's business model?

From Kottke

The truth about running shoes

 The painful truth about trainers: Are running shoes a waste of money?

An article from the Mail Online about the perils of running shoes.  Surprisingly, there is no evidence to prove that expensive shoes prevent running injuries.  Some of the researchers other findings may surprise you more...

Ban Comic Sans?

Typeface Inspired by Comic Books Has Become a Font of Ill Will

The Wall Street Journal interviews the designer of one of the world's most controversial fonts... Comic Sans.

How to Revise an Email So That People Will Read It

How to Revise an Email So That People Will Read It

 

Would I like my emails to be more effective?  Sure!

 

Some of the points in this post from Harvard Business are so good, they cut a little close to the bone.  Knowing what I know now, I’m embarrassed by how poor some of my previous emails have been.

 

Number of times that I’ve revised this message:  3

Found quotes

Found Quotes – Kevin Kelly

 

Here’s a round-up of insightful quotes on our current society, from a range modern figures and philosophers. 

 

My favourite quote is from Tom Steinberg:

"When people use your electronic systems to do anything, renew a fishing license, register a pregnancy, apply for planning permission, give them the option to collaborate with other people going through or affected by the same process. They will feel less alone, and will help your services to reform from the bottom up."

 

Although the notion of Web 2.0 is a little stale, I’ve not heard it explained as succinctly as this.  The quote also shows that most websites still have a long way to go towards fully incorporating collaborative tools, and improving the lives of their customers.

Best animated gif

Sometimes, this is exactly how I feel.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/primenumbers/9tjskp.gif

Tofino

Someone from work is going to Tofino this weekend, so I wrote up a list of my favourite things in and around Tofino.

 

Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet – Lighthouse Loop

Beautiful 45 minute trail with a lighthouse and crashing waves.

http://www.longbeachmaps.com/wildtrail.html

 

Boat trip to Hot Springs Cove

Boat trip to an island. 30 minute board walk through an old growth forest to natural hot springs pools in the rocks beside the ocean.  Good chance of seeing whales on the boat trip.  It’s more expensive, but when are going back to Tofino?

http://www.tofinowhalecentre.com/hotsprings.html

http://www.gotofino.com/tofinohotsprings.html

 

Trilogy Fish Co - Tofino

Great fresh, locally caught seafood, including oysters

http://www.trilogyfish.net/

 

Sobo restaurant – Tofino

Phenomenal food.  Best to go at lunch when it’s a bit cheaper.

http://www.sobo.ca/

 

Or you could spend the whole time surfing. 

iPhone's Gold Rush - NYT

The iPhone Gold Rush

From the New York Times, an article on the iPhone boom, where a pool of developers are cashing in.  This includes Ethan Nicholas, whose iShoot game has earned him $800,000 in 5 months.  Statistically, that’s pretty impressive!

 

Movie recommendations

Clerkdogs

If you like X movie, you'll love Y, as well as A, B, C, D, E...   Surprisingly accurate recommendations for some of my favourite films:  Pulp Fiction and Princess Bride.  

I'm not sure how useful this will be for picking great new movies out of thin air; I think it will be most useful for rating movies when deciding to watch/ rent/ buy them.  It's like Gigli? Ewww....

Hiroshi Sugimoto’s No-Cash Cover Deal With U2

Photographer Sugimoto strikes a Stone Age deal with U2

Surprisingly, the artist that created the photograph that was used on U2's No Line On The Horizon album cover, has requested no money for the use of the illustration.  "I gave myself just a second to think about it, " Sugimoto recalled,  "and I said 'How about a Stone Age deal — no cash?' "

Google's Cognitive Autoheuristic Distributed-Intelligence Entity (CADIE)

CADIE

Yesterday Google announced the world’s first true artificial intelligence, CADIE, which is short for “Cognitive Autoheuristic Distributed-Intelligence Entity”. 

 

You can read about CADIE here, or check out CADIE’s website which “CADIE deduced from a quick scan of the visual segment of the social web a set of online design principles from which she derived this intriguing homepage.”  Brilliant.

America's bankers are oligarchs

America's bankers are oligarchs – Boing Boing

There’s a term to describe the cozy relationship between the leaders of the American financial system and the regulators that lead to the current economic predicament- an oligarchy.  That’s the opinion of former chief economist of the IMF in the Atlantic.

 

There’s something reassuring about knowing that the source of the global economic crisis is not a completely brand new or unknown idea.  Once we know the type of problem we’re dealing with, there’s a higher chance of being able to resolve the problem.

The Master of Mashups

Kutiman's ThruYou Mashup Turns YouTube Into Funk Machine - Wired

Kutiman is an Israeli artist that has created great music, by combining all kinds of wild and wonderful musical clips from YouTube.  Wired has the lowdown on the Thru You project.

My buddy Brock introduced me to Kutiman about a week ago.  

The Legend of the free Italian aperitivi

In Milan, the Best Meal Deal in Italy?

From the NY Times' "Frugal Traveller", the legend of the free Italian tapas, "aperitivo" in the restaurants in Milan and Bologna Italy.

March Madness

The official 2009 Bracket has been released for 2009 Name Of The Year. 

My picks are Pierre Champoux and Marrel Ya’Hynis Wilson to meet in the finals.

Michael Lewis: How Iceland Went Splat

Wall Street on the Tundra (Vanity Fair)

One of my favourite non-fiction writers, Michael Lewis (of the baseball hit “Moneyball” fame) has written about the financial/ economic crisis in Iceland.  

 

What happens when the economy blows up? People blow-up their SUVs.

U.S. Protests Mexi-Canadian Overpass

U.S. Protests Mexi-Canadian Overpass

It’s an old “news” story from the Onion, but still a good one.

 

 

Urban Camouflage

Urban Camouflage

If the terrorists ever took over an Ikea or a Costco, this is what the counter-terrorists might wear.

 

Guide to buying glasses online

Save Bundles of Cash by Buying Eyeglasses Online

Apparently, buying glasses on the web is something that will save you a lot of money.  Lifehacker gives you some options and hints to find the same quality lenses and the same quality frames, but much cheaper than buying a local optometrist.

How to turn a Dell into an OS X Netbook

How To: Hackintosh a Dell Mini 9 Into the Ultimate OS X Netbook

Thank you Gizmodo for showing us how to create the cheapest and smallest Mac laptop yet, using a Dell Mini 9 Netbook.  Very cool.

Osaka Bang

In Osaka, if you point your finger at a stranger and say bang, they will react like they just got shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdEbRDdMiI

 

WikiTrivia

WikiTrivia

 

Wow!  An Artificial Intelligence that automatically turns Wikipedia pages into a huge, difficult trivia game. 

 

Question:

????? ??????? (born January 13, 1968) is an American actress, model and television personality. She is best-known for playing the role of Jordan Tate on the television series Baywatch between 1996 and 1998. ??????? was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her mother is of African American and Italian descent, and her father is Native American.

 

Answer: Traci Bingham.

Crackers recipe

Parmesan Cream Crackers recipe (from the New York Times)

 

Wow!  You mean I can make crackers myself??  And it’s easy?

The unusual development of a Canadian Cyclist

Canadian Rider Has Made Unorthodox Climb to the Top – NY Times

 

The story of Canadian cyclist, Svein Tuft, appeared in the New York Times.  The tale tells how a young trekker with a passion for the wilderness evolved into one of the world’s best long distance cyclists.

 

 

 

TED Conference

TED: Technology Entertainment Design videos

The TED 2009 Conference started yesterday in Long Beach, California.  My company was kind enough to secure access to the live streaming videocast to TED, so I had a chance to watch many of the amazing speakers

Seth Godin and Ray Anderson were my favourite speakers so far, but I'm also looking forward to hearing Herbie Hancock on Friday.

To enhance the experience, there is an official Ted Twitter feed, a TED Flickr page and some live blogging.

If you can't watch this year's conference live, you can watch TED videos of fantastic presenters from previous TEDs.

Photos from Bush Presidency

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall - NY Times

In Errol Morris's New York Times blog, here is an annotated collection of photos from George W. Bush's presidency.  Hurricane Katrina, 9-11, Mission Accomplished, Iraqi shoes, and Bush gaffes; here are the photos that shaped public perceptions of President Bush.

2009 Oscar Nominees

IMDb - Road to the Oscars 2009:  Academy Award Nominations

The nominees for the 2009 Academy Awards were announced this morning, and the nominations are all listed on the wonderful Internet Movie Database.  My 2 favourite movies of 2008 were Slumdog Millionaire and Wall-E, but there are lots more films that I still want to watch.

Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech

Obama's inaugural speech - CNN

It’s January 20, 2009.  If you happened to miss Barack Obama’s inauguration, here is the text of his inaugural speech from Washington DC.

 

Barack O-Balla: The Audacity of Hoops

The Audacity of Hoops – SI.com

In advance of Barack Obama’s historic inauguration, Sports Illustrated has a great article about the influence of basketball on Obama’s life.

Steak: The Best Recipe for Beef Steak

Steak: How to Turn Cheap "Choice" Steak into Gucci "Prime" Steak

Even after cooking in restaurants for years, this article was the best introduction for learning how to cook beef and steaks properly.  The "secret" to the recipe, is getting the moisture (i.e. the water) out of the meat with salt and aging.  The result is a more tender and juicier cut of delicious steak.

Still Considering the Lobster

Still Considering the Lobster

Kottke.org is one of my favourite blogs, with great annotated links to random cool stuff.  I’m not sure if it makes me happy because I have a Cultural Studies degree and he covers similar stuff, or because it’s just plain awesome.

 

The article from Gourmet magazine on Considering the Lobster is touches on all kinds of interesting topics, including community festivals, fishing, tourism, humane treatment of animals, seafood, cooking and more.

 

 

The Golden Link

Kottke's Best Links of 2008

I love the work that Jason Kottke does in posting links to all kinds of wonderful and interesting things, several times a day.  Kottke's site is always worth checking out, and if you're curious about what he does, today's link contains Kottke's favorite links from 2008.  It's a whole year of awesomeness!