tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194838912024-03-14T00:16:28.930-05:00R32ArgentWhy is everyone who drives SLOWER than me an IDIOT, and everyone who drives FASTER a MANIAC?r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.comBlogger517125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-13283851318084432642013-07-27T19:58:00.004-05:002013-07-27T20:03:34.898-05:00The Wolverine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6uh-eBJaYm3OI-yfJV3hvKaOa8D3DmNHm44wXVU63bWdQB9ipgA_r4MqejAwykOo4wJbtSEAngdMxCPMNv09nHf5_YLaaoxkRala7aaE4P4eyohtn3ya9T6dopfHWZEvihby/s1600/Wolverine-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6uh-eBJaYm3OI-yfJV3hvKaOa8D3DmNHm44wXVU63bWdQB9ipgA_r4MqejAwykOo4wJbtSEAngdMxCPMNv09nHf5_YLaaoxkRala7aaE4P4eyohtn3ya9T6dopfHWZEvihby/s1600/Wolverine-01.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
Wow. I've found that I tend to rate movies more highly when I walk out of the theater, then with time the rating might drop when I start comparing it to other films I've seen. What brought this up? Well I've noticed that recently I've been giving movies perfect scores, and others in the past I don't understand how I could have rated them as high as I did.<br />
<br />
Regardless, I think <i>The Wolverine</i> will withstand the test of time. I think it's definitely in the same discussion as <a href="http://r32argent.blogspot.ca/2013/06/man-of-steel.html"><i>Man of Steel</i></a> and <a href="http://r32argent.blogspot.ca/2013/05/iron-man-3.html"><i>Iron Man 3</i></a>. <br />
<br />
<i>The Wolverine</i> is based on one of the best storylines from the comics, and overall I enjoyed this interpretation of it. I liked some of the changes they made to the original story, but wish they could have left or fit other parts in.<br />
<br />
Anywhoo, I just have a few comments, though this time they have<b> major ***SPOILERS***</b> so be forewarned.<br />
.<br />
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<ul>
<li>I've never been a fan of actress Famke Janssen, particularly as the character Jean Grey. Perhaps she just didn't fit the preconception of the character I gleaned from the comics. However, I thought she was okay, in this movie.</li>
<li><b>SPOILER WARNING, REDUX</b>. At one point Logan reaches in to his chest to remove a mechanical bug attached to his heart. But since his entire skeleton is laced with admantium, how did he reach through his ribs? Kind of awkward having to reach between with just his fingers (or claws) to rip out something apparently firmly clinging to his right ventricle. Especially without anesthetic or assistance.</li>
<li>I'm okay with Logan losing his metal claws, though it is still puzzling. I thought his bone claws were merely laced with admantium, not separate. Though I guess the bone could have regrown/healed during the battle? Pretty quick, even for Logan.</li>
<li>The whole 'two hands' to hold a sword felt a little gimmicky; they put more screen time into the foreshadowing than the actual event required/deserved. </li>
<li>I thought Mariko's ninja friend's change of heart happened a little too quickly/abruptly. </li>
<li>As soon as the metal samurai started moving, I kind of guessed where it was going in regards to the 'great reveal' at the end; so, in a sense it was predictable.</li>
</ul>
I actually think this movie was just as good if not better than <i>Man of Steel</i>, but I'm trying to temper my enthusiasm; this is a movie I'm definitely buying the BD (unlike <i>::cough::</i> that <i>other</i> solo Wolverine movie- ugh.) <br />
<br />
<b>I rate <i>The Wolverine</i> 4.5 out of 5 stars</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-28312066560622158382013-06-15T16:11:00.000-05:002013-06-15T16:11:25.456-05:00Man of SteelFortunately, I watched <i>Man of Steel</i>, today. I say 'fortunately', because the cinema I normally go to for new movies isn't showing <i>Man of Steel</i> in 2D. 3D, yes. IMAX, yes, and even a second type of 3D, but not 2D. Anywhoo, I managed to find a cinema showing it in 2D, and there I went.<br />
<br />
<i>Man of Steel</i> was definitely worth the time and price of the ticket. Though once again, the movie started late. At the 'official' movie start time, the cinema showed ten straight minutes of commercials -- <u>not</u> movie previews, and not the 'while you're waiting for the movie to start' fluff. The movie previews came after the commercials. I fear this is the new normal.<br />
<br />
So, anyway... as I said above, <i>Man of Steel</i> is a good movie, perhaps even a great one. Henry Cavill was great in his role, Amy Adams was good, as were all the other actors. There were a couple things here and there that bothered me, but it's more nitpicking things, and occurred mostly in minor character scenes, though there was one bit I felt they could have explained more explicitly the antagonists' rationale for a human co-captive.<br />
<br />
It's hard to compare <i>Man of Steel</i> with <i>Iron Man 3</i> because while they're both superhero movies, they each have their own tone. Iron Man 3 went for more laughs and silly stuff amidst the drama and action, while Man of Steel took on a more serious tone overall, the humour more subdued, or not so obviously deliberate and frequent.<br />
<br />
Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that I liked how in <i>Man of Steel</i> I could recognize and sympathize with all the major characters' motivations, even that of the main antagonist, making him a slightly more tragic figure rather than a run of the mill power/money hungry cardboard villain.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Man of Steel,</i> 5 out of 5 stars.</b>r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-7317106740941239152013-05-04T15:44:00.000-05:002013-05-04T15:44:51.743-05:00Iron Man 3I watched <i>Iron Man 3</i>, today. Well worth the money, at least on 2D. I've never been a fan of 3D movies so I saved a few dollars watching it the old fashioned way. <i>Iron Man 3</i> is much much better than<i> Iron Man 2</i>, and just as good as or even better than<i> Iron Man</i>.<br />
<br />
I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just make some general points:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I would have thought that most people would know to stay until the end of the credits for Marvel movies, but I'd estimate a little more than half of the audience left early and missed the last scene. Having said that, significantly more people did stay for<i> Iron Man 3</i> than I remember did for <i>Iron Man</i>.</li>
<li>One thing I did fine puzzling was how the main villain died, at the end. Why did he die this time when he'd survived much worse?</li>
<li>Given Robert Downey Jr.'s contract with Marvel has now expired, this may have been his last turn as Tony Stark. If this turns out to be true, I'll be disappointed, but also happy that Robert Downey Jr.'s run as Iron Man ended on such a high note.</li>
<li>Assuming Robert Downey Jr. is done playing Tony Stark, I wonder which is more likely, that Marvel 'reboots' the character of Iron Man (like Batman and Spiderman), or that Marvel maintains continuity and simply replaces the actor. I'd lean towards the latter because of the way all the Marvel movies are linked together via The Avengers. Though right now I can't imagine anyone else in the role. For now, at least, Robert Downey Jr. = Tony Stark.</li>
</ul>
Anywhoo,<i> </i><b><i>Iron Man 3</i> gets 5 out 5 stars</b>. r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-45134643526953421572012-12-19T11:45:00.000-05:002012-12-19T11:45:53.836-05:00Sardines in a Tin CanAir Canada announced that their <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/12/18/air-canada-rouge-discount.html">new discount carrier, Rouge, will start in July 2013</a>. Big whoo, I thought, until I came across this bit in the article:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Rouge will also try to keep costs low by squeezing up to 20 per cent
more seats into its planes. "The configuration on both the 767 and the
A319 will be more dense than what we have at mainline Air Canada," Smith
said.</blockquote>
What's that... <i>more</i> seats!? Is it standing room only? <br />
<br />
Now, I haven't flown via Air Canada for a long time, for reasons I won't get into here, but the last time I remember the seating being more than somewhat scrunchy. I shudder how to think they plan on stuffing 20% more passengers/seats on international flights to Europe and the Caribbean.r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-65312390036846379752012-12-19T09:19:00.001-05:002012-12-19T09:23:22.816-05:00Printer Problems Solved?My printer (Brother HL-5370DW) has been giving me headaches for the past year. I thought the issue had been solved (<a href="http://r32argent.blogspot.ca/2011/10/odd-goings-on-with-my-printer.html">see previous post</a>), but inevitably it was only temporary, and the printer would without fail return to being 'offline'. Ugh.<br />
<br />
I think, now, though, I finally managed to discover the root of the problem, and hopefully (knock on wood), my printer will be headache free. This post is primarily to put in one place the information I used so that should this irritating printer failure occur again I won't have to waste my time searching the internet once more.<br />
<br />
Anywhoo, I think the issue is that my computer was giving the printer a new IP address with every boot-up. Why it started doing this a year ago when previously it hadn't still remains a mystery. I blame a Windows update somewhere along the line.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Press "Go" button on printer 3 times within 2 seconds to print "printer settings". Check for IP address and "Boot Method" status.</li>
<li> If "Boot Method" status is "Auto", it needs to be changed to "Static". To change Boot Method on Windows 7: go to <i>Control Panel</i> -> <i>Network and Internet</i> --> <i>View network computers and devices</i> under <i>Network and Sharing Center</i>. Right click on printer --> click 'view device webpage'. Browser window should open, just like when accessing router settings. Click on <i>Network Configuration</i> on webpage --><i> Configure TCP/IP</i> under <i>Wired</i> (the printer is connected by network cable) --> change <i>Boot Method</i> to 'Static' --> click 'Submit' and exit.</li>
<li>Next, go to <i>Devices and Printers </i>in Windows 7 --> right click on printer --> <i>Printer properties</i> --> <i>Ports</i> --> <i>Add Port</i> --> choose 'Standard TCP/IP Port' and then click <i>New Port</i> --> Wizard will pop up, click 'next' --> and under 'Printer name or IP address' type in the IP address of printer found in printer settings (see step 1) --> click 'next' then 'finish'.</li>
<li>Confirm new port created by making sure the new port is listed under <i>Ports</i>, and check off the box next to it. Choose this new port and click <i>Configure Port</i> --> make sure under 'Protocol' that the 'RAW' radio button is chosen. Everything else should be default, eg. SNMP status is 'enabled' (Community name = 'public'; SNMP device index ='1'). Click 'OK'.</li>
</ol>
Whew. All done. Verify printer works, and uninstall old printer. Put hands together, close eyes, and, were I the praying sort, pray I never have to do this again.<br />
<br />
Oh yeah. Print out whatever I need to print <u><i>before</i></u> restarting computer. Just in case. <br />
<br />
<br />r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-87348690349453361212012-11-24T15:24:00.000-05:002012-11-24T15:24:52.916-05:00Breaking Bookstore Etiquette?While browsing at a local bookstore, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a book scheduled for release in a couple days (according to multiple online stores) was already on the shelf. I promptly grabbed a pristine copy and went to the check-out. After the customary greetings, I asked:<br />
<br />
"Are prices here the same as on your website?"<br />
<br />
The obvious disappointment and sheer... depression (?) in response to my query made me pause.<br />
<br />
"No. Not necessarily."<br />
<br />
I smiled in thanks and returned the book to the shelf, but wow... awkward. Their reaction made we wonder if I'd committed a social faux pas of some sort. <br />
<br />
Sure, I suppose online book sales cut in to bookstore sales/margins, but this was <i>their own company's website</i>. Heck, I just went online, ordered the book, and am having it delivered to that very same store for free shipping... oops.<br />
<br />
I hope they don't recognize me when I pick it up. <br />
<br />
<br />r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-1667849325427294722012-11-18T00:00:00.001-05:002012-11-18T00:03:29.476-05:00On this Day: Twenty Minutes on the RoadMiscellaneous observations during 15-20 minutes on the road in the Land of Tim Hortons:<br />
<ol>
<li>A compact cutting in front of public bus. Putting aside the risk to everyone on the bus, that's what... 1 800 kg versus 15 000 kg, or thereabouts?</li>
<li>Automobile on left lane traveling 40 kph in 50 kph zone, and still moseying through a red light. Heck, even cars traveling <i>ahead</i> of this one easily stopped for the light.</li>
<li>Multiple drivers using one hand to talk on their mobiles.</li>
</ol>
r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-72299851490233451162012-11-14T00:39:00.000-05:002012-11-14T00:39:56.207-05:00LG Nexus 4 and Google Play StoreMy current mobile (<a href="http://r32argent.blogspot.ca/2006/10/htc-s620-excalibur.html">HTC S620 Excalibur</a>) is a little over six years old, and has served its purpose satisfactorily. Unfortunately, some of the buttons on the key pad are getting sticky, and the battery is losing its charge. As a consequence, I've been looking around for a new smart phone. I've actually been looking around for a long while now, but any mobiles that both caught my interest and met my criteria were way too expensive with no contract.<br />
<br />
Anywhoo, although I'm by no means an 'early adopter' of new gadgets and technologies, when the LG Nexus 4 was announced, its price point and early previews were such that I fairly quickly decided this would be my next mobile and that I'd purchase one as soon as it was released. Which brings me to today's irritation with Google and Google Play on-line store.<br />
<br />
Irritation #1: Google didn't announce what time on the 13th November the Nexus 4 would be available for sale. Midnight? Nine am? PST or EST? This lack of information told me Google doesn't think my time is valuable, and they couldn't care less if they waste it.<br />
<br />
Irritation #2: Either Google is incompetent at selling physical items and running on-line stores, or Google purposely 'under-stocked' the Nexus 4 so they could generate 'sold-out in 20 minutes' headlines and drive up demand. I find it difficult to think Google incompetent. Though Irritation #3 may suggest otherwise....<br />
<br />
Irritation #3: The fact that I managed to get past the 'input credit card information/billing-shipping address stage' of checkout, on three different occasions, only each time to end up with an error message and the purchase failing to complete, was extremely aggravating. I can understand a site slowing down and such due to high traffic (though I thought Google would have been better prepared), but once the item is in the shopping cart, and you've entered all the information requested, and<i> then</i> you get an error!? Frustrating.<br />
<br />
Irritation #4: Despite providing my e-mail address to be notified when the Nexus 4 was available, to date I never received any such e-mail. What was the point of signing up? Maybe they used the number of people who signed up as a way to gauge demand... but apparently not (see #2). On the other-hand, from my point-of-view, as the Nexus 4 was never truly available, perhaps I <i>should</i> have waited for a notification e-mail and, if I had, I wouldn't have wasted my time. So... shame on me?<br />
<br />
Irritation #5: This last is not really Google's fault, but I had to mention it here. The fact that while the Nexus 4 was sold-out on the Play Store, units were quickly being advertised on-line (at a significant mark-up) on sites like E-bay -- this bothered me. I don't begrudge anyone trying to make a quick profit legally. If someone is willing to pay those inflated prices more power to them. I just hope that in turn no one begrudges the fact that I sincerely hope the number of people who are willing to pay inflated prices (instead of waiting for Google to re-stock, or moving on to a different mobile) are few and far between.<br />
<br />
Whew. This post turned out longer than I thought it would be. So... what now? For myself it's now a simple matter of waiting to see which occurs first: whether Google can make available for purchase (by me!) a Nexus 4, or another mobile is released that meets my criteria and price.r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-52870180398417889282012-10-27T09:59:00.000-05:002012-10-27T09:59:01.741-05:00Filling Up with GasAs in gasoline. For automobiles, not what happens when someone eats too many beans, or gorges on probiotic foods without first working up to it.<br />
<br />
Anywhoo, I may have posted before when I was still south of the 49th parallel that I avoided certain gas stations because of issues with filling up. Even though the tank was still empty the lever on the gas handle would click repeatedly, making it take forever to fill up, and making it uncertain whether the tank was actually full until I started up the engine.<br />
<br />
After moving to the Land of Tim Hortons, I go to a specific gas station that worked great<i> ie.</i> the lever only clicked once and only when the tank was full. Until this morning, that is. The R's tank (62.0 L) was almost empty, though the warning light hadn't come on. What happened? Well it clicked at 33 L. Eh? While that in itself wouldn't have been so bad, ignoring the fact that half-full isn't what I consider even close to full, the issue was that the lever never clicked again -- even after gasoline was spilling out and overflowing down the paint.<br />
<br />
Ugh. <br />
<br />
I wonder if something is wrong with the R's gas level sensor or something? r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-24737295902501762622012-09-15T19:26:00.002-05:002012-09-15T19:26:57.986-05:00Driving in a Parking LotMore pet peeves:<br />
<ol>
<li>Drivers swerving off the lane to avoid a speed bump. It's one thing when the lot is empty, it's another when there are parked cars and pedestrians (like me) in the vicinity. </li>
<li>On a related note, drivers driving through a parking lot like it's a completely empty field despite clearly marked lines, parked cars, and pedestrians (like me -- can you guess what motivated me to post, today?).</li>
<li>Pedestrians who insist on crossing at high risk locations. Not just risk for themselves, but for the drivers. Many, many years ago by my office a pedestrian decided to cross the street at one of the stupidest locations, at the stupidest time, and in a stupid fashion. Luckily, he was untouched. Not so lucky was the driver who was forced to a screeching stop, or the other two vehicles who crashed into him in sequence. But hey, the pedestrian was fine, so who cares?</li>
</ol>
r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-54966526122984049632012-08-23T22:29:00.001-05:002012-08-23T22:39:48.818-05:00Lance Armstrong Statement<div class="fullbar">
<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/cycling/story/2012/08/23/sp-cycling-lance-armstrong-doping-appeal-charges.html"><b>Armstrong's statement over charges</b></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough
is enough.' For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims
that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours
since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a
two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart's
unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and
my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today —
finished with this nonsense. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA's charade. Although
the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many
improprieties and deficiencies in USADA's motives, its conduct, and its
process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA's process,
I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and — once and for
all — put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I
refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair.
Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence
to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence
here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colours. I
made myself available around the clock and around the world. In
competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I
provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA
will not stand by it? </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about
learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all
costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17
years old despite its own eight-year limitation. As respected
organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks
jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies
governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no
one should participate in USADA's improper proceedings, and have made it
clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or
stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And
as many others, including USADA's own arbitrators, have found, there is
nothing even remotely fair about its process. USADA has broken the law,
turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried
to persuade USADA to honour its obligations. At every turn, USADA has
played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and
challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its motives or its
methods, all at U.S. taxpayers' expense. For the last two months, USADA
has endlessly repeated the mantra that there should be a single set of
rules, applicable to all, but they have arrogantly refused to practice
what they preach. On top of all that, USADA has allegedly made deals
with other riders that circumvent their own rules as long as they said I
cheated. Many of those riders continue to race today. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by
the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be
convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules
and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the
system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a
USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can
cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It's an unfair approach, applied
selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It's just not right. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and
attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those
seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I
competed against knows who won those seven Tours. We all raced
together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and
against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were
no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the
same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man
wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue,
regardless of the circumstances. I will commit myself to the work I
began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people
and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved
communities. This October, my Foundation will celebrate 15 years of
service to cancer survivors and the milestone of raising nearly $500
million. We have a lot of work to do and I'm looking forward to an end
to this pointless distraction. I have a responsibility to all those who
have stepped forward to devote their time and energy to the cancer
cause. I will not stop fighting for that mission. Going forward, I am
going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic)
kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year-old on
the planet."</blockquote>
</div>
Would it be naive of me if I said I believe Armstrong is innocent of the USADA drug allegations? Most people, myself included, paying attention to this story have probably already decided for themselves whether Armstrong is innocent or guilty of the allegations, regardless of the outcome of any USADA arbitration hearing, now moot, of course. Why is that? In my case, beyond the plethora of passed drug tests, it's because I lack faith in any altruistic motives behind Mr. Tygart/USADA's actions. Am I just being influenced by good Armstrong PR? Perhaps. It doesn't matter. I <i>want</i> Armstrong to be innocent. So there you go. Until Armstrong indisputably fails an official drug test, I'll be hanging on to my naivete for a while longer.r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-76597719058203337212012-08-18T07:56:00.000-05:002012-08-18T07:56:44.049-05:00Can Being Too Nice Be Dangerous?It might be counter-intuitive, but recently I came across another example where being too nice might not be such a good thing on the road. It's ironic, because I'm always annoyed when drivers display a lack of respect or safety for others by failing to signal and such.<br />
<br />
There was a car speeding on the curb lane that failed to beat the traffic before reaching some parked cars, and hence came to a stop and turned on his/her signals to merge. The car directly in front of me, who was leading a line of five vehicles, came to a rapid stop to let the person merge. I had room to stop, but my first response after hitting the brakes was to glance in my rear-view to see whether the big honking SUV behind me -- with a bumper worryingly much higher than mine -- was paying attention and would stop in time, and the vehicles further down the line.<br />
<br />
Anywhoo, everyone stopped in time, but I couldn't help but wonder whether the driver ahead of me, who was just trying to be nice, was perhaps<i> </i>being<i> too</i> nice in this situation. r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-80092206985758492632012-08-04T21:15:00.000-05:002012-08-04T21:15:09.629-05:00Thinking Too MuchThe other day I was in the kitchenwares section looking at silicone funnels, trying to remember how well silicone stood up to organic solvents, and mildly annoyed at the absence of any glass funnels. It must have been at least thirty seconds or so before I remembered I don't have organic solvents in my kitchen.<br />
<br />
I need a vacation.r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-615187453984330732012-05-12T20:30:00.000-05:002012-05-12T20:38:29.007-05:00The Avengers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXFL8kXjrhuVZL8rtSaRQafaRC1GtcBiIfONBWuFje6LIKeiyrUb1M1RFlaqZyrm3aP9vIwmW1d9n3i5U5TxuqzZ_B9iSLkLt2lmQGWCGhomo8SI2-dZnGTK3R-0Ejww-3mpi/s1600/Avengers2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXFL8kXjrhuVZL8rtSaRQafaRC1GtcBiIfONBWuFje6LIKeiyrUb1M1RFlaqZyrm3aP9vIwmW1d9n3i5U5TxuqzZ_B9iSLkLt2lmQGWCGhomo8SI2-dZnGTK3R-0Ejww-3mpi/s320/Avengers2012.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
I went to see <i>The Avengers</i> today. I stuck with regular old 2D instead of watching it in 3D. I'm not a big fan of movies in 3D -- truthfully, if local cinemas only offered <i>The Avengers</i> in 3D I would have waited to watch it on BD.<br />
<br />
When I first heard they were producing <i>The Avengers</i> I wasn't too keen on the idea. Why? Because it's been my experience that as the number of heroes/protagonists and villains increase the quality of the film decreases. See <i>Spiderman 3, Iron Man 2, Batman Returns</i>.... I have no idea why sequels feel compelled to increase the number of villains.<br />
<br />
Anywhoo, I was relieved to find <i>The Avengers</i> maintained a pretty good balance between all the characters. There was no point in the film where I was thinking, "why are they wasting so much screen time on this character?"<br />
<br />
I've only watched<i> Iron Man</i> and <i>Iron Man 2</i>, none of the Hulk movies, <i>Captain America</i>, or <i>Thor</i>, but several times I found myself thinking, instead, "huh, I wouldn't mind learning more about this character." I'm not saying I'm going to rush out to rent them (problematic ever since Blockbuster went kaput), but I'm definitely more open to the idea of doing so.<br />
<br />
I give<i><b> </b><b>The Avengers</b></i><i><b> </b></i><b>4 out of 5 stars</b>. This is a film I'm definitely purchasing on BD. <br />
<br />
<i>Aside</i>. The trailer for the new Spiderman film actually looked interesting. At least, it made me question my decision to not see it in the cinema.<br />
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<br />r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-89843044788959430632012-05-07T20:01:00.000-05:002012-05-07T20:01:10.270-05:00Tim Hortons Roll up the Rim to WinThe official odds for this year's Tim Hortons Roll Up The Rim contest was one in six. Despite a slow start, where I was 0 for 9, by the end it worked out fairly close, at 4 out of 25. Four wins that included two free doughnuts, one free coffee, and a Tim's card.<br />
<br />
Speaking of the Tim's card, it was kind of a hassle. First of all, naively I thought that I could go down to any Tim Hortons location and claim it immediately since, you know, they offer Tim's cards everywhere and $100 must be a mere drop in the bucket given how busy they always are.<br />
<br />
It wasn't quite that easy. I needed to fill out a claim form (which the Tim Hortons location provided me), mail it to some P.O. Box, and wait for up to 6-8 weeks. Unfortunately, it didn't even turn out to be<i> that</i> easy. Six or so weeks later I received a letter stating they had received my claim and requesting I send in <i>another</i> prize claim form. <br />
<br />
Why is that? Why, it's because the prize claim form provided to me by the Tim Hortons location turned out to be for the 2011 contest, not 2012. I don't even know why that Tim Hortons location still had year old claim forms laying around. I wonder how many other unsuspecting prize claimants they foisted those on.<br />
<br />
Anywhoo, this time I downloaded the 2012 prize claim form and mailed that off. <i>Another</i> 6-8 weeks later I finally received the Tim's card. I guess I'm just relieved they didn't disqualify my claim completely, but even more importantly, despite being out of pocket $20 for sending two registered letters, I still came out ahead by $80.r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-36489051682218062252012-05-05T11:40:00.000-05:002012-05-05T11:40:46.083-05:00Star Trek HumourEarlier this week I read a pretty funny Star Trek joke. I don't know how long it's been around, but it was the first time I'd heard it. It was in an article in Car & Driver or Motortrend, can't remember which. It went something like this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[...] as sure as Captain Kirk has three ears, the left ear, the right ear, and the final front ear."</blockquote>r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-45681124271140462282012-04-20T16:23:00.000-05:002012-04-25T06:55:43.605-05:00Lazy LanguageI decided to take the time to describe two more examples of what I consider to be very lazy and misguided use of language. A couple years ago I uploaded a <a href="http://r32argent.blogspot.ca/2010/04/i-dont-think-this-means-what-you-think.html">post of a similar vein</a> regarding a cbc.ca story I'd read. This time around, the examples happen to relate to NHL and NHL playoff reporting/commentary.<br />
<br />
In what I can only attribute to a misguided and inane attempt to be (tragically) "hip", I've noticed several NHL commentators in both television and radio refer to the city of Vancouver as "Van", as in "the Kings next take on the Canucks in Van". Is it simply a matter of too many syllables, is three too much? Do they then refer to Winnipeg as "Win", Buffalo as "Buff", Montreal as "Mon", Ottawa as "Ott", Toronto as "Tor", Washington DC as "Wash", Winnipeg as "Win", Edmonton as "Ed", Anaheim as "An", and Los Angeles as "Los"? If that's the case then I wonder how they would bastardize Philadelphia with five syllables (apologies if I've left any surfeit-syllable cities out).<br />
<br />
I don't want to single anyone out (though I will) because I've heard several reporters (both from Vancouver and not) abbreviate Vancouver in this fashion, but the most recent reporter (and the one that finally tipped the bucket, so to speak, and provided the motivation for this post) was James Duthie on TSN, on a live national broadcast of the NHL playoffs. Say it ain't so!<br />
<br />
The last example for this post is regarding a link on CNN.com, titled "Brodeur blanks Cats, sets record", linking to <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/gameflash/2012/04/19/30143_recap.html">this story</a>. Now, abbreviating team names ('Nucks', 'Wings', 'Sens', "Hawks' for example) is nothing new, but this is just going too far. Brodeur plays for the New Jersey Devils, who are currently in a series versus the Florida Panthers, not the Florida Cats.<br />
<br />
<i>Update (25APR2012)</i>: Ugh. Now <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012/04/24/sp-nhl-5-stories-stanley-cup-playoffs-day-14.html">cbcsports</a> is calling the Florida Panthers, "Cats".r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-65414854088401740412012-03-20T17:56:00.000-05:002012-03-20T17:56:40.322-05:00The (Totally) Phantom Menace:o)<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TS3atbH5hfg" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Found on "<a href="http://www.onecoolthingaday.com/today/2012/3/20/the-totally-phantom-menace.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">One Cool Thing a Day</a>".r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-27062322721111162562012-02-18T11:46:00.000-05:002012-02-18T11:46:55.993-05:00Honking as an ExcuseMy first post of 2012 and turns out it's another rant. Oh well.<br />
<br />
My apartment building has multilevel underground parking, which is good; each and every corner, however, is a blind corner, which is bad. When I first moved in I noticed some residents would honk as they approached a corner, which is good... in theory. Why only in theory? Two reasons, one perhaps slightly facetious, the second more dangerous. <br />
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What happens if you're leaving and you hear someone honk? What do you do, honk back? Do you both stop, honking one after the other while you each try to figure out which direction the other is going, what level they're on? <i> Shave-and-a-haircut... two-bits</i>! <br />
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More seriously, though, is that too many use honking as license to drive too quickly in the underground parking. Just because you honk doesn't mean you can blithely cruise around two successive blind corners at 30+ km/h. <br />
<br />
Fortunately, management has now placed convex mirrors on each and every corner, which is good, meaning that in practice there are no more blind corners. The bad? Some drivers are still honking (look at the mirrors, already!) and speeding like if they don't gain a minute on their day they'll lose a million bucks.r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-89962990627417075632011-12-12T22:19:00.001-05:002011-12-12T22:19:36.724-05:00Canada Post Can Be AggravatingJust as this post title says, sometimes Canada Post can be aggravating.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>I'd ordered an item online from Amazon.ca and was following its progress via its Canada Post tracking number. My order left the warehouse in Ontario and arrived at a Canada Post sorting facility, a mere 40-60 minute drive from my address, on the same day -- where it promptly stayed for two weeks. Did it fall behind a counter or something?</li>
<li>After the Canada Post lock-out ended earlier this year, all I received was junk mail for the first week or so before receiving any legitimate mail. </li>
<li>Another example: I knew Canada Post had attempted delivery of an order because I had its tracking number. However, when I returned home there was no delivery notice in sight. No biggie, since I was still able to pick up the package at a local post office using the tracking number. The aggravating part? A week after picking up the package, I finally received the failed delivery notice in my mail box. </li>
<li>At my current residence I receive an inordinate amount of wrong mail -- correct address, incorrect recipients (I assume previous residents). Each time I dutifully write "not at address" on the envelope and send it back to Canada Post. Aggravation? When weeks later I receive the exact same letter, AGAIN. Do I really need to write "not at address" twice? Should I capitalize? Highlighted in nice red ink? </li>
</ul>r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-39025284957253434922011-11-15T01:51:00.001-05:002011-12-12T22:24:43.567-05:00PS3 NHL12NHL 12 for PS3 has been out for a while, now, and while there have been a some neat improvements, I have to say that despite the improvements over all NHL12 has been more frustrating than NHL11, and not in a good way.<br />
<br />
Why is it frustrating (other than the fact that it's too difficult/slow to earn xp as a goalie -- that hasn't really changed from previous iterations)? In my case, at least, NHL12 for the PS3 has the nasty habit of locking up mid-game, for no rhyme or reason that I can determine. It doesn't lock up all the time, but just often enough for me that I've put NHL12 on the shelf.<br />
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A shame, really, because without this issue NHL12 may have been the best iteration, yet.<br />
<br />
A few random proposals for NHL13:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Fix the bug with the volume settings. Every time I load a save file the menu volume settings are reset to default. Annoying.</li>
<li>Get rid of the Verizon (gag) advertising at the start of every BAP game. Annoying redux. Even if I were living in the U.S. (where Verizon is located), which I'm not, this unwanted intrusion of an undesired telecom into my home would make me<i> less</i> likely to become their customer. At the very least, get rid of the vocal. Ugh.</li>
<li>Even if I decide to start a career in the WHL/CHL, I'd still like the option of choosing which team drafts my BAP player.</li>
</ul>r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-3055433097210098142011-11-05T20:38:00.000-05:002011-11-05T20:38:22.135-05:00A Quarter Hour in TrafficEver since I stopped commuting to work by automobile, essentially only driving on weekends, I've found that I can accept the sometimes frustrating vagaries of traffic much more calmly (though I must admit my re-introduction to the world of drivers who ignore pedestrians hasn't been without close-calls or risk-free). Anywhoo, this morning was one of those days where I was actually relieved to return home and out of traffic. I hadn't had one of these in a long while.<br />
<br />
In no particular order:<br />
<ul><li> I escaped, by less than a minute, being trapped in traffic behind emergency vehicles attending to the aftermath of a vehicular accident (I hope everyone involved is okay).</li>
<li> I was boxed in by traffic insisting on traveling 10 kph <u><i>below</i></u> the posted speed limit, on a sunny, cloudless, dry day.</li>
<li>A driver took a liking to my right blindspot and decided to take up residence there for a couple kilometers prior to, instead of pulling into the completely traffic-less space behind me, speeding up and cutting me off so she could make a left turn. A turn signal wouldn't have noticeably lessened my annoyance, but it still would have been a nice gesture.</li>
<li>A car on a side street with its nose blocking oncoming traffic. This one I gave a good blast with the horn.</li>
</ul>All of the above events occurred within the span of 10 - 15 minutes. So, as I said, arriving home was a relief.r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-71927523293873750902011-10-18T17:54:00.000-05:002011-10-18T17:54:12.967-05:00A Late Jump onto the Apple Bandwagon -- A Rough RideWhen my Zune 80GB's battery started dying, I recently decided it was time I abandon my personal boycott of Apple products. I settled on an iPod Touch that was available through AirMiles. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately, after being pleasantly surprised for the first week of Apple ownership, the ride turned bumpy as soon as I upgraded iTunes (on Windows 7, 32-bit) to version 10.5.0.142.<br />
<br />
The problems I immediately encountered after updating to iTunes 10.5:<br />
<ul><li> iTunes started hanging whenever it tried backing up my iPod, whether as prepping for the sync process or when right-clicking on my iPod and clicking "backup" with no sync involved. iTunes also hanged during the backup process associated with trying to update the iPod OS to 5.0. I once let the backup process go for 18+ hours with no movement on the progress bar, before giving up. </li>
<li>My CPU was constantly running at more that 50%, minimum, often jumping up to 100% when opening windows or programs, regardless of whether iTunes was open or my iPod was plugged in. Apparently the villainous resource hog is "AppleMobileDeviceService.exe" which can be turned off but is required to sync.</li>
<li> The iTunes store no longer opened properly. Even after signing in with my Apple ID, all that would appear was a blank window with "iTunes Store" on it, even after the progress bar had finished. </li>
</ul>To cut this short, I'll save everyone from reading a poignant, heart-rending description of all the failed trials and tribulations I went through in an attempt to get everything working properly, again.<br />
<br />
Here's what ultimately ended up working for me. A simple, straight-forward solution I found on the internet; a solution I sincerely and vehemently wish I had discovered earlier rather than later. It would have saved me a lot of time and useless work.<br />
<ol><li>Open the DOS command console as an administrator.</li>
<li>Enter "netsh winsock reset".</li>
<li>Restart computer.</li>
</ol>This is supposed to restore the Winsock catalog to its default state, to repair a corrupted Windows TCP/IP stack (not sure what that is, I'm just quoting). <br />
<br />
Anywhoo, this completely solved all three issues I described above.r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-22373061842385533462011-10-12T22:14:00.000-05:002011-10-12T22:14:54.167-05:00Odd Goings On With My PrinterComputers can be fairly puzzling sometimes, with a big splash of annoying and often a fairly large dollop of frustrating thrown in. A case in point, my Brother HL-5370DW printer has been working perfectly with my Windows 7 desktop, connected via an ethernet cable, since the day I purchased the laser printer a couple years ago. This perfect track record, unfortunately, is now a thing of the past. <br />
<br />
For some reason I can not fathom documents suddenly stopped printing. The printer was detected, the status light was green, but... nothing. The only clue was that when I brought up the window that shows the printer document queue, the window title read, "Brother HL-5370DW - Offline". <br />
<br />
I wasted a better part of an hour trying to find a way to get it back "online" to no avail. Anywhoo, to get it working, again, I ended up adding a "new" printer via the control panel, reinstalling the device driver, and then deleting the "offline" printer. <br />
<br />
Ultimately a simple and straight forward solution, except for the fact that the reason <i>why</i> the printer went offline to begin with is still a mystery. Hence the large annoyance and frustration.<br />
<br />
Just another day in the computer age.r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19483891.post-76024861256850085032011-08-10T22:40:00.001-05:002011-08-10T22:44:01.509-05:00PhishingIn this era of viruses, malware, adware, trojans, hacking, malicious rootkits, worms, e-mail scams, phishing attacks, and what have you, one of the recommendations always given for users to protect themselves is to <u>never</u> click on any suspicious links in e-mails you don't absolutely<b> <i>know</i></b> is legitimate.<br />
<br />
That's why it always irritates me to find links in 'legitimate' e-mails from large, well known commercial companies. They don't foster good habits when they include links in their e-mails that to my eye, at least, would look suspicious if I didn't already "know" they were legitimate . <br />
<br />
Here's just a few recent examples that arrived in my inbox:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>http://links.newsletter.futureshop.com/ctt?kn=15&ms=MzY5MDUxNzcS1&r=MzM0NDc2MDA3NQS2&b=0&j=MTA4ODM4MzgyS0&mt=1&rt=0</blockquote><br />
This one from Futureshop isn't too bad, since "futureshop.com" is in there, but what's with all that gibberish at the end? Is that supposed to instill confidence?<br />
<br />
<blockquote>http://lt02.brierleycrm.com/track?type=click&eas=1&mailingid=6086068&messageid=6086068&databaseid=6086068&serial=16777794&emailid=myemail@xxx.xx&userid=xxxxxxxxxxxx=&extra=MultivariateId=&&&6086095&&&http://www.gamestop.com/StoreLocator.aspx?cid=eml_10000269</blockquote><br />
This link from a Gamestop e-mail only has "Gamestop.com" near the end. Besides, what the heck is "lt02.brierleycrm.com" and all that gibberish between?<br />
<br />
To my admittedly non-expert eye these links look all too easy to spoof or mimic for non-legitimate purposes. <br />
<br />
And finally the true impetus for this post was receiving an e-mail from Sony Playstation offering free identity theft protection for users in Canada:<br />
<blockquote>"If interested, please submit your email address by 03/10/2011 at 11:59:59 PM CST at: <u>http://www.playstation.ca/identity-theft-protection/</u>. Please note, you must enter the same email address used to register your Playstation Network or Qriocity account[...]"</blockquote>This sounds like a classic phishing attack, working on consumer concern regarding Sony PSN being hacked earlier this year, and that Sony had stated previously that they would provide something like this globally (where feasible) and not just the United States. Sort of like those scams that show up trying to take advantage of natural disasters or real events.<br />
<br />
Even worse, when I hovered my mouse over the link in the above excerpt, this is the actual address the link would take you to:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>http://playstation-email.com/r?xnlJHTHEcqJqHTEHWTJnTnPPclH</blockquote><br />
Doesn't match too well, does it, and I'm expected to decide this is a legitimate link/e-mail? When as of this writing I can't find any official announcement of this offer on Playstation Canada or PS blog?<br />
<br />
Anywhoo, latest rant over. I should say that as far as I know the above link examples <i>are</i> legitimate... just suspicious.<br />
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r32argenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11717166951684919533noreply@blogger.com2