My favourite songs of the decade (2000 - 2009)

100. You Know You're Right - Nirvana
99. I Believe In A Thing Called Love - The Darkness
98. California - Phantom Planet
97. Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo) - Black Kids
96. The Real Slim Shady - Eminem
95. Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z (f. Alicia Keys)
94. Hold On, Hold On - Neko Case
93. Portland, Oregon - Loretta Lynn (f. Jack White)
92. Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control) - Groove Armada
91. You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse
90. Carolina Drama - The Raconteurs
89. Hate To Say I Told You So - The Hives
88. Into Your Hideout - Pilate
87. A Certain Romance - Arctic Monkeys
86. Inside and Out - Feist
85. Fit But You Know It - The Streets
84. Antichrist Television Blues - Arcade Fire
83. Still In Love Song - The Stills
82. Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
81. Bandages - Hot Hot Heat
80. Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl) - The White Stripes
79. Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio
78. American Idiot - Green Day
77. Remember The Good Times - Cuff the Duke
76. Happy Alone - Kings of Leon
75. The Underdog - Spoon
74. Irreplaceable - Beyonce
73. Weak Become Heroes - The Streets
72. Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue
71. Kids - MGMT
70. Pork and Beans - Weezer
69. Somebody Told Me - The Killers
68. Astounded - Bran Van 3000
67. One More Time - Daft Punk
66. Crabbuckit - k-os
65. Fight Test - The Flaming Lips
64. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
63. Elevation - U2
62. Letter From An Occupant - The New Pornographers
61. Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels) - Arcade Fire
60. Reconstruction Site - The Weakerthans
59. Don't Give Up The Fight - Magic Numbers
58. Gimme Sympathy - Metric
57. Let's Get Retarded - Black Eyed Peas
56. Steady, As She Goes - The Raconteurs
55. Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis
54. Phantom Limb - The Shins
53. Take It Easy (Love Nothing) - Bright Eyes
52. The Great Escape - Patrick Watson
51. When You Were Young - The Killers
50. Lost In The Plot - The Dears
49. The Dire Wolf - The Tragically Hip
48. The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
47. Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
46. An Honest Mistake - The Bravery
45. Dancing In The Moonlight - Toploader
44. I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor - Arctic Monkeys
43. Dark of the Matinee - Franz Ferdinand
42. Jesus Walks - Kanye West
41. Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
40. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
39. In Da Club - 50 Cent
38. Sing Me Spanish Techno - The New Pornographers
37. Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols
36. Mardy Bum - Arctic Monkeys
35. Pounding - Doves
34. Float On - Modest Mouse
33. Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers
32. Hey Ya! - OutKast
31. Can't Stand Me Now - The Libertines
30. Rest Of My Life - Sloan
29. Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
28. Grace Kelly - Mika
27. Gold Digger - Kanye West
26. Combat Baby - Metric
25. Hung Up - Madonna
24. All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
23. I Predict A Riot - Kaiser Chiefs
22. Ms. Jackson - OutKast
21. Take Me To The Riot - Stars
20. All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
19. Where Is The Love - Black Eyed Peas
18. Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn and John
17. Fell In Love With A Girl - The White Stripes
16. Yellow - Coldplay
15. Last Night - The Strokes
14. Lose Yourself - Eminem
13. Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
12. Ignition (Remix) - R. Kelly
11. The Reasons - The Weakerthans
10. Rehab - Amy Winehouse
9. Fake Empire - The National
8. Time To Pretend - MGMT
7. Hurt - Johnny Cash
6. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
5. New Slang - The Shins
4. The Scientist - Coldplay
3. Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
2. Stronger - Kanye West
1. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

How things change in a decade.... Ten years ago I was in Chile with a group of friends to see in the new millennium (ignoring the actual new millennium date, same as everyone else on the planet). We were each assigned a year in the '90s and had to make a mixtape that represented that year. Needless to say, the task is now much easier with iTunes and MP3 players.

Food for thought as the decade winds down....

On this day in 1999.... From ForeignPolicy.comblog:

• Lou Dobbs was a respected, middle-of-the-road journalist.
• The prospect of achieving Middle East peace seemed imminent.
• Beltway pundits believed Al Gore and George W. Bush were centrists who would govern similarly.
• You could meet your loved ones at their arrival gate.

Read the rest of the Foreign Policy post here

My favourite movies of this decade. Part 4 - "regular" movies

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (I'm ranking it as if it is one, big movie) 
2. Garden State 
3. Batman Begins 
4. Casino Royale 
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 
6. Lost In Translation 
7. Catch Me If You Can 
8. The Constant Gardener 
9. Everything Is Illuminated 
10. Bourne Identity 
11. Spiderman II 
12. Memento 
13. Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle 
14. Gladiator 
15. Sin City 
16. In Bruges 
17. The Wrestler 
18. Hotel Rwanda 
19. Almost Famous 
20. Kill Bill 
21. O Brother Where Art Thou? 
22. Little Miss Sunshine 
23. The Squid and the Whale 
24. Borat 
25. Igby Goes Down 
26. High Fidelity 
27. Traffic 
28. Hot Fuzz 
29. Pirates of the Carribbean 
30. Moulin Rouge 
31. The Ring 
32. Adapdation 
33. The Lookout 
34. Sideways 
35. Cinderella Man 
36. The Aviator 
37. Children of Men 
38. Collateral 
39. Juno 
40. Before Sunset 
41. The Last King of Scotland 
42. Syriana 
43. Blood Diamond 
44. Munich 
45. I Heart Huckabees 
46. Wonder Boys 
47. Mean Girls 
48. A History of Violence 
49. The Wedding Crashers 
50. Thank You For Smoking

Honourable Mention:

• Walk the Line 
• Control 
• 8 Mile
• The Prestige
• Frost / Nixon
• No Country For Old Men
• Minority Report
• Atonement
• Into The Wild
• Insomnia
• 21 Grams
• The Departed
• Bad Santa
• The 40 Year Old Virgin
•  The Dark Knight
  

My favourite movies of the decade. Part 3 - Animated Features

1. Finding Nemo
2. WALL-E
3. Ratatouille
4. The Triplets of Belleville
5. Team America: World Police
6. The Incredibles
7. Persepolis
8. Shrek
9. Up
10. The Simpsons Movie

My favourite movies of the decade. Part 2 - Documentaries

1. U2-3D
2. Dogtown & Z-boys
3. Spellbound
4. Bowling for Columbine
5. Murderball
6. Touching the Void
7. March of the Penguins
8. An Inconvenient Truth
9. DIG!
10. Man On Wire

My favourite movies of the decade. Part I - Foreign Language Films

To better list my fave films of the 2000s I've decided to break them down into various categories:  Foreign language; Animated; Documentary; and, well, regular movies for lack of a better category. First up:  Foreign language films:

1. Infernal Affairs
2. In the Mood for Love
3. The Lives of Others
4. Man on the Train
5. The Motorcycle Diaries
6. Bon Cop, Bad Cop
7. Letters from Iwo Jima
8. Goodbye, Lenin
9. Tell No One
10. Defiance

Best of 2009

'Tis the season for lists and I'll not disappoint. The next few posts will likely all be lists. Many will focus on "Best of the Decade" but we need to close out 2009 first. Without further ado here are some of my faves from 2009:

MUSIC

1. Gimme Sympathy - Metric
2. Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z
3. Kids - MGMT (released in Oct. '08 but everywhere in '09)
4. Sometime Around Midnight - The Airborne Toxic Event
5. Love is a First - The Tragically Hip
6. One Track Mind - Classified
7. One Day - Matisyahu
8. Follow Me - Cuff the Duke (love the whole album but in the year of Twitter I had to go with this one)
9. Cornerstone - Arctic Monkeys
10. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris - Morrissey

HONOURABLE MENTION:
Being Here - The Stills
Sweet Child 'O Mine - Taken By Trees
I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman - K-OS
Laces Out - USS
Sweet Tides - Thievery Corporation

MOVIES
Sadly, my movie going took a major hit this year so I can't really put together a 'Best Of' list for 2009. That said, I did just see Up and Star Trek and highly recommend them both. Also, you should take in the documentary Trouble the Water; it was nominated for a 2008 Academy Award, losing out to the also amazing Man on Wire.

BOOKS
It is not a 2009 book, but I read it this year and can't recommend it enough. Do yourself a favour a read What is the What by Dave Eggers. It is immensely sad while also being hopeful and inspiring. An incredible book. 

World's largest spherical panorama

Somebody once said to me, "Prague is a winter city." Well, here today, on the first official day of winter (although let's face it, winter has been here for a while already), let me take you to Prague.... This is pretty amazing.

From Wired:

360 Cities, a Dutch company, has created a stunning panoramic photo of Prague in the Czech Republic. “The creation of this image represents my previous five years’ obsession with all things panoramic,” says Jeffrey Martin, founder and CEO of 360 Cities. “If you’re stuck at home over Christmas, feeling humbuggy and don’t feel like hanging out with your family, you can explore Prague instead.”

What makes this panoramic photo interesting to viewers is that you can zoom in and out, move up or down or change your view–much like with Google Street View maps.

The photo has been assembled from 600 shots clicked by a 21-megapixel Canon 5D Mark II camera and a 70-200mm lens, set to 200mm. The camera was mounted on a special robotic device that turned it tiny increments every few hours. The resulting data from the camera was about 40-gigabytes.

The photo measures 192,000 x 96,000 pixels, or 18.4 billion pixels altogether.

The Economist to go Social in 2010

Interesting to see The Economist zigging while many competitors are zagging. The august magazine (or, newspaper as they would say) it launching an aggressive social media campaign to create deeper engagement with their readers and to attract new readers.

Tough to say if this will work but it seems a more promising strategy than (a) sticking your head in the sand and hoping the danger goes away; or (b) fencing in your content and limiting access only to subscribers.

The Economist newspaper plans to acquire 500,000 fans on Facebook and 750,000 followers on Twitter within six months, says the FT, calling it another sign that traditional publishers are looking to social media as a substantial source of web traffic and new readers.

The Financial Times’ report says that users of The Economist’s website will soon be able to log in to the site and make comments using their Facebook identity, through Facebook Connect. The website will also take on features similar to social networks, allowing readers to create profile pages and earn a reputation through other users’ recommendations of their comments on the site. (read the rest of the article here)

A city in the clouds

Cool / eerie photos of fog shutting down the city of Wuhan. I can only assume the mayor of this town is Lando Calrissian.

Now THIS is urban density

Sichuan, China.

A spectacular time waster - 20 Greatest Monty Python Sketches

In honour of 40 phenomenal years of comedy, Gnews takes a look at the 20 greatest Python sketches ever.

Seth Godin's free ebook of big ideas

Seth Godin has compiled a new, FREE(!) ebook called What Matters Now. Here's some information about it and a link to where you can download it. A worthy read for some 2010 inspiration while you roast chestnuts by the open fire this holiday season.

Now, more than ever, we need to shake things up.

Now, more than ever, we need a different way of thinking, a useful way to focus and the energy to turn the game around. I hope a new ebook I've organized will get you started on that path. It took months, but I think you'll find it worth it the effort. (Download here).

Here are more than seventy big thinkers, each sharing an idea for you to think about as we head into the new year. From bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert to brilliant tech thinker Kevin Kelly, from publisher Tim O'Reilly to radio host Dave Ramsey, there are some important people riffing about important ideas here. The ebook includes Tom Peters, Jackie Huba and Jason Fried, along with Gina Trapani, Bill Taylor and Alan Webber.

Raise a glass for health reasons

Chemical In Beer May Prevent Prostate Cancer

Beer-drinking men may be reducing their chances of developing prostate cancer with every pint, tests by scientists have revealed. Experiments have shown that xanthohumol, a compund derived from the hops in beer, blocks a chemical reaction that can lead to the development of cancer. Click here for the rest of the article..

Honey, I'm not going to the pub just for me. I'm going there for us.

An amusing slice of life

Saw this today on the ever-awesome My Life Is Average (MLIA) blog.

Today I was at the dentist and they were asking me questions while they had instruments in my mouth. When they took them out I said sorry I can't talk when I have something in my mouth. The dentist said under his mask 'That's what she said'. I no longer hate going to the dentist. MLIA

Today's something or other #48

Source: Jalopnik.com

Looking back at analysts and the iPhone

From Brainstorm Tech 

The great iPhone death watch

Posted by Philip Elmer-DeWitt

December 1, 2009 7:59 AM 

What critics were saying about Steve Jobs' smartphone in the months before it launched

Three years ago, when it became clear that Apple (AAPL) was about to unveil some kind of mobile phone, critics began to weigh in on its chances of success. AAPLinvestors' Terry Gregory, building on a list of skeptical quotes begun by MacDailyNews, has put together what may be the definitive collection,

A sample:

“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”

Palm CEO Ed Colligan, commenting on then-rumored Apple iPhone, 16 Nov 2006

“Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone… What Apple risks here is its reputation as a hot company that can do no wrong. If it’s smart it will call the iPhone a ‘reference design’ and pass it to some suckers to build with someone else’s marketing budget. Then it can wash its hands of any marketplace failures… Otherwise I’d advise people to cover their eyes. You are not going to like what you’ll see.”

John C. Dvorak, 28 March 2007

“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance. It’s a $500 subsidized item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I’d prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get.”

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, 30 April 2007

"What does the iPhone offer that other cell phones do not already offer, or will offer soon? The answer is not very much… Apple’s stated goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008 seems ambitious.”

Laura Goldman, LSG Capital, 21 May 2007

“We Predict the iPhone will bomb.”

Seth Porges, The Futurist, 7 June 2007

“The forthcoming (June 29) release of the Apple iPhone is going to be a bigger marketing flop than Ishtar and Waterworld combined. Because its designers forgot Platt’s First, Last, and Only Law of User Experience Design (“Know Thy User, for He Is Not Thee”), that product is going to crash in flames. Sell your Apple stock now, while the hype’s still hot. You heard it here first.”

David S. Platt, Suckbusters!, 21 June 2007

More than 33 million iPhones, 100,000 apps and 2 billion downloads later, the death watch continues. To see AAPLinvestors' full collection — including comparisons to such "iPhone killers" as the Palm (PALM) Pre, Research in Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry Storm and Motorola's (MOT) Droid — click here.

Oversized baggage

Source: Gothamist.com

Does having kids stupid make you?

A guest post from my lovely and talented wife.

I am the hippo, goo goo goo-joob. From Salon.com:

Is my kids making me not smart?
Stay-at-home fatherhood dulls my intellect to a nub. Excuse me while I ponder the subtext of "Hippos Go Berserk"

I don't know if parenting makes you chronically stupid or just temporarily slow, but after nearly four years of child rearing, most of them spent as a stay-at-home dad, my intellect has been dulled to a nub. Women have known this for generations. Maybe that's why the "stay at home vs. get out and work" debate is so contentious. Of course, I've never heard anyone talk about it. But maybe I just wasn't paying attention until now. All I know is, while my wit may never have cut with the precision of a Ginsu blade, my mind was a bit sharper than the rusty pair of kindergarten safety scissors I'm working with these days.  

How often have you been at a fancy dinner party, or a rocking kegger, and overheard someone lamenting the fact that their friends with children have suddenly been rendered incapable of discussing anything except the contents of the baby's diapers or the adorable thing little Cullen did to the dog? There are Facebook groups for venting frustration with parents who constantly yammer about their offspring and the business of raising them. I understand where these people are coming from. But it is hard for me to understand why they are so annoyed — after all, those people are free.

Click here to read the full article.

World's Best Pie Chart

Source: http://www.seomfg.com/

Today's something or other #47

Are you ready for some Jihad?! Well, we had Fantasy Football: The Musical, so I guess, why not?

From Football Outsiders:

Mike Tanier reviews Monday Night Jihad, Jason Elam's novel about a linebacker turned government operative tracking a tight end turned international terrorist. Yes, that's actually the plot.

The book review is priceless, here are a couple choice quotes:

“...the novel plays out like an elaborate game of learning-disabled cat and narcoleptic mouse...”

“They create intentionally silly dialogue that seems to insult the reader's intelligence while rewarding deeper analysts who appreciate the sardonic irony.”

More drinking with your iPhone - never go thirsty again!

Have you ever said to yourself, 'self, I need a Guinness and I need one now.' You lie, of course you have. Okay, let’s say you’re out and about and you have a thirst for some Vitamin G. Now there’s an iPhone app that helps you “locate a pint.” The app also shows you how to pouring a perfect pint and provides an alcohol FAQ. 

I got to get me one of them iPhone things.

And here's an added bonus for your viewing pleasure. (I add value because I care.) There are three stages to the perfect pour: 

1. You craft the pint
2. You revere it
3. You savor it

Good god I'm thirsty.

A whole new level of insanity

Did you have Hot Wheels cars when you were a kid? If you did then you'll remember the loop the loop. Ever thought about trying it in a real car? Crazy, non? Well the guys at Fifth Gear TV have replicated the classic Hot Wheels set, and will attempt to perform a full 360 degree loop in a full size car.

A whole new level of awesomeness

So, if you're like me and, well, most people who aren't non-dairy vegans, I'm sure you like bacon. Mmmm... bacon. It really is tough to beat.


Do you like fudge? Mmmm... fudge. 


Ever wonder how to make candied bacon fudge? Well, wonder no more. The Kitchen tells you how. Whoa! Did I just blow your mind or what? 


Candied bacon fudge. Perfect for the holidays.

Drinking alone has never been so much fun

Can the iPhone make beer even better? Well, perhaps. Check this out from Fast Company:

Turns out there's a keg's worth of new beer-themed iPhone apps that have recently bubbled to the surface of the iTunes store. In the brave new AR world, you'll always be able to find craft beers and a cozy watering hole wherever you go. Unlike last year's hokey iBeer app, the following actually have practical applications.(click here for the rest of the article)

The Happy Gilmore shot deemed a menace to the golfing industry

If you golf, and are a typical guy, you've likely tried the "Happy Gilmore" tee shot at some point. Alcohol might have been involved.

When anyone tries such a thought you'd assume that they'd first make sure there weren't people directly in front of them. Well, the recent case of Bezanson v. Hayter in Nova Scotia suggests otherwise. 

Today's something or other #46

The Jesus in the hizzle?
From Boston.com

Recently separated, Mary Jo Coady was ironing and when she completed the task, noticed the image of Jesus Christ on the underside of the iron.

Perfect for days that end in the letter 'Y'

In addition to making your empty life complete, this would also make a spectacular Xmas gift at a Secret Santa party.

“Just the thing for a cozy night in,” 
Party on, Garth.

Star Wars and Facebook: Together at last

From CollegeHumor.com. See more Facebook feeds here.

Effective pie charting

Please design a logo for me. With pie charts. For free. http://www.27bslash6.com/p2p.html

There's a lot of funny stuff on this guy's site. Definitely check out Strata Agreement (I posted the link previously). Very funny.

Mercedes, iPhone and James Bond

What do these three things have in common? Well, Mercedes has created an iPhone app that lets you control your Benz. What will the app let you do? Apparently....

• Navigation
• Remote door locking
• Vehicle finding
• Dealer connect
• Stolen vehicle location
• Automatic alarm notification
• Roadside assistance calling
• Automatic collision notification
• If that's not enough, there are premium extras that give you location-based weather and traffic info, and a concierge service that lets you book hotels, find stores, make restaurant reservations and so on.

Other than letting you steer your car through a parking garage while slumped down in the backseat it doesn't get much more James Bond than this.

Can't wait to see what the guys at Pimp My Ride can come up with.

Click here for the article in Fast Company.

A new anger management solution

Next time you're having a bad day don't run down your co-workers or your boss; don't take it our on your partner; don't gorge on unhealthy food, have a smoke or too many single malt scotches. Visit the Japan Trend Shop and order yourself a Shouting Vase. 

Problem solved. Your welcome.

Today's something or other #45

It was just the other day that I remarked to LM that I missed The Wire. I can't watch TV the same way anymore. The Wire spoiled it for me, with the exception of a few comedies (hello, 30 Rock). The next day I saw this on Buzzfeed. The internet is awesome. 

Less tasty than even Steamwhistle?

Beers from around the world are usually designed for their local markets. Some find fame and fortune overseas owing to their superiority over all other beverages (Guinness) or their immense marketing power (Budweiser, Heineken). For many, it is hard to see how they could become popular in foreign markets. Take Chibuku from SABMiller, for example... 

Thanks to Coxy for the find.

Fall in TO - East Side

 

 

 

All photos taken with my Blackberry Curve 8900.

World Cup Qualifying hots up... off the pitch

Behind the scenese diplomatic manoeuvrings before the Ireland v. France match. Funny stuff at the Irish Soccer Insider:

These letters were leaked today showing a major breakdown in communication between the French Government and the Irish over the upcoming World Cup qualifying play-off. There’s now a full-blown diplomatic row brewing.

 For full details on the brouhaha, click here.

Today's something or other #44

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3369/3413247983_605fbb721a_o.jpg

The Town That Chorizo Built

Mmmm... cured sausage.


From The Atlantic

This weekend I was in Candelario, a village at the windblown foot of the Sierra de Béjar in Salamanca. Candelario enjoys certain renown for its beautiful location and its extraordinary degree of historic preservation: narrow cobbled streets lined with a peculiar style of 18th century construcion, handsome and impeccably maintained.

But what makes Candelario extraordinary, nay, perhaps worthy of pilgrimage, is its proud claim to be the birthplace of chorizo, that object of unstinting devotion in Spanish gastronomy. Granted, people have been making cured sausages with pig guts since time immemorial. But for chorizo to be chorizo, it had to wait for pimentón to arrive from the Americas, for it to be refined--along with other products from the New World--by early agricultural researchers at the monastery of Yuste, and for it to be planted throughout the balmy valley of La Vera. [click here for the rest of the article]

Today's something or other #43

If at first you don't succeed....

A South Korean woman is celebrating after passing the written exam for a driving licence - on her 950th attempt.

Source: BBC

Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. Obviously there can't be any significant milestone happening today, right? Wrong! Today is the 40th anniversary of the world's most magical street, Sesame Street.

Ever tried to remember the lyrics to some of those old Sesame Street songs but couldn't quite come up with the words? Well, someone's done the work for you. Enjoy.

The CBC has a few good articles on the impact and importance of Sesame Street, including Things That Go Pop! and Sesame Street Celebrates 40 Years.

Excerpts from those articles:

20 years later....

Here's a pretty cool video of the dominoes falling today in Berlin. Hard to believe it was 20 years ago that the Wall came down (and rendered most of what I learned in high school about how the world worked obsolete).

The CBC also has some interesting photos in their in-depth Berlin Wall section:

• 20 years after the fall
• Checkpoint Charlie: Then and Now

The Iconic Photo of the Berlin Wall

Today's something or other #42

Economy Has Been Hard On Everyone:

Submitted By: Ted W

Fave Comment: Batman quietly continues his one-man crusade to wipe out grime in Gotham City. – dono1

Well sir, I guess there's just a goodness in this world

From: My Life is Average

Today, I stuck a hand into my coat pocket and found five dollars. Wrapped inside of the five dollars, there was a note. "You have just been reverse pickpocketed. Enjoy this five dollars in knowing that it was forcibly received by your pocket; take that, society." I then proceeded to stick both the money and note into another victim's pocket. MLIA.

Toronto stuff from the web

A bunch of random Toronto stuff found on the web this week:

The Sorauren Park Pumpkin Parade was the biggest ever this year, with organizers counting an amazing 1,620 Jack-O-Lanterns. Read more and see the pictures here.

Tourism Toronto Getting its Butt Kicked by the Canadian Tourism Commission on YouTube. The Canadian Tourism Commission has done a great job putting together what I think are rather honest and compelling depictions of some of the finer aspects of life in Toronto. Two dozen high quality YouTube videos of decent production value and great content are a lot more than Tourism Toronto can say they've done in this realm (they have zero videos to share on their YouTube channel). [Note: The Canadian  Tourism Commission's You Tube channel is definitely worth checking out, and I love that they feature Mercury Espresso Bar in the Leslieville segment. Best coffee shop in town.]

The Samovar Room - a Russian-themed bar - takes over the beautiful space in the Winchester Hotel that was formerly the Laurentian Room. The place looks really cool. What is it with Russian-themed bars when you go east of Yonge?

Bored with wine tasting? Try coffee tasting at Te Aro.

See Toronto Fall colours captured in all their glory at blogTO.

Today's something or other #41

Had to post this:  Princess Leia and her stunt double catch some rays in the Tattooine sunshine. Did I mention she's in her metal bikini? Click on picture for full-size.

Source: BoingBoing

A new look and feel for SWATE

I've been experimenting with a few things at Slightly Worn Around the Edges to improve the reader experience. As you probably noticed, the blog looks a little different:  New image (I'm still not 100% sold on it), different colours and more.

I felt it was time for a bit of a change but, more importantly, I changed the layout to give a wider main column as some items were being cut-off with the old layout. I've also gone with more white space. More white space is going to be a hot trend in 2010 (if it isn't already). I think there still needs to be more differentiation between posts so consider this a work-in-progress.

I've also added some functionality that will make it easier for you to follow the blog and share blog posts. There are Follow and Share buttons in the NAV bar at the top of the page. The Share button allows you to forward a post to Twitter, Facebook or Google Reader (a tool I highly recommend, by the way) as well as by email. The Follow button allows you to follow SWATE on your blogger dashboard (if you have one).  

You can also more easily subscribe to the blog via your favourite Reader (again, I like Google Reader, but many people swear by Stumble Upon). There are a number of choices that will send new content automatically to your Reader of choice. The button for this is just under the About Me section on the right side of the page. Can't miss it. Subscribe and  never miss any of your favourite, super-awesome content.

Another interesting wrinkle to the subscribe option is that you can opt to add SWATE to your iGoogle homepage. Yes, now SWATE can sit on your home page beside such august news feeds as CBC and ESPN. Here's a picture of my iGoogle page so you can see how it could look. Click for full-size image. I'm so proud.

Angry Store Owner Assaults Yelp Reviewer Who Called Her Store "a Total Mess"

From Fast Company:

Man pans bookstore on Yelp. Bookstore owner tracks him down, writes harassing emails, and tries to break into his house. Man responds by calling police--and Yelping about the entire experience.

In what can only be described as a paradigm of Internet justice, a California Yelp user named 'Sean C.' was able to follow up his initial negative review of a San Fransisco bookstore with this gem:



The user created a Flickr set of screenshots containing threatening message that the bookstore owner had sent. Only once he produced the screenshots did a Yelp administrator offer to help Sean C. stop the harassment, according to Gawker.



As Gawker notes, the store owner's swings between plaintive hurt ('I have no money to pay for help') and outright fury ('Do you not have a girlfriend... I can see why') are perhaps unique to that unique brand of Internet passive aggression that allows for brutal, anonymous honesty.

The bookstore owner was arrested and placed in psychiatric holding, and has been served with a restraining order, according to Sean C.

A third way to visit New York

From the New York Times' Frugal Traveler:  Staying With Newfound Friends, for a Fee - By Matt Gross

Last Saturday evening, the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn was drenched in rain, and yet the poor weather did little to deter the crowds marching up and down Bedford Avenue, the neighborhood’s main drag. Slickers hiding their tattoo-covered arms, umbrellas obscuring their asymmetrical haircuts, young New Yorkers came out en masse — as they have for well over a decade now — in search of cheap drinks, thrift-store fashions and the latest underground bands and D.J.’s.

Despite its veneer of affordability, Williamsburg is not a neighborhood in which the Frugal Traveler often hangs out. Partly it’s because, at 35, with nary an ink stain on my body and scarcely enough hair for a symmetrical ’do, let alone an abstract one, I feel out of place among these cool kids. But it’s also because, thanks to iffy service on the L and G lines and my reluctance to take taxis, Williamsburg feels remote to me even though I live in Brooklyn — as it must to many out-of-towners, who basically have two options if they want to stay the night: find someone special to crash with, or check in to the coldly modern Hotel Le Jolie (235 Meeker Avenue; 718-625-2100; www.hotellejolie.com), one of the only hotels in the area and where weekend rates start at $254.

But last weekend I embraced Williamsburg’s pleasures with confidence, because I’d found a third way....

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Today's something or other #40

Goats in trees?! What will they think of next?

Can simultaneous prayer take God offline?

Found on Google Reader:  From Net Effect by Evgeny Morozov


I don't care if it's "slacktivism" but this Facebook campaign is incredibly funny: launching DDOS attacks on God by simultaneous prayer

As you may already be aware, recently the Atheist Founation of Australia and the Global Atheist Convention websites were the target of a significant DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack, which began on Monday 19 October.


This is a call to all non-believers and advocates for freedom of speech to join us in a global co-ordinated minute of prayer with the aim of inundating God (in this context, the Christian god, God, as distinct from the Greek god, Zeus, the Egyptian god, Ra etc etc) with so many useless prayers that it causes his divineness to go offline as as result of our own DDOS ('Divine' Denial of Service).


The prayer minute will be at exactly 8pm (Eastern Standard Time) and 9am (Greenwich Mean Time) on Sunday 8 November 2009.

You think you're bad?

As Michael Jackson once said, "You ain't bad! You ain't nothin'." This bird is bad.

Level of Awesomeness? Red Alert

This could be then next big thing:  Movieoke. Forget it, Jake, you can't handle the truth that it’s Chinatown, the whole frickin’ system is out of order and that’s what I like about high school girls… I keep getting older, they stay the same age. Talk to me, Goose (because) I am a golden god and tonight we dine in hell. Hoo-ah!

Okay, so that’s not what movieoke is about at all, but you get the idea. Or not. See below.

MOVIEOKE tonight in Toronto

Are you tired of drunken amateurs butchering your favourite songs? Now they'll have their way with your favourite movies too! Movieoke is a lot like Karaoke, but instead of sloppily belting out the lyrics of classic songs, you'll be sloppily performing the dialogue of classic films. This Halloween edition features iconic horror scenes from selections like The Exorcist, Psycho, and of course, Halloweem. – R.T.

Admission is free. The Garrison, 1197 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON

---

For more information about Movieoke in general, go to http://www.movieoke.net/faq.htm. I like movies. I like karaoke. Why didn’t I think of this?!? 

The power of righteous indignation

Dude Drops His Kindle 2, Convinces Amazon to Replace it and Pay Him $200 For His Troubles [Balls] - from Gizmodo by Adam Frucci



Behold, the power of a scary-sounding letter from a lawyer! Paul dropped his Kindle 2 and it broke. Amazon wanted $200 to replace it. Instead, they replaced it and gave him an additional $200. Damn, son!

Seriously, how badass is this letter he sent to Amazon?

Paul Gowder
[Address omitted]

August 12, 2009

Amazon.com Inc.
Legal Department
1200 12th Avenue South
Suite 1200
Seattle, WA 98144-2734

Dear Sir or Madam:

On June 21, 2009, I purchased an Kindle 2 e-book reader from the Amazon.com website. I purchased this device based, in substantial part, on the expectation that it would be reasonably durable. In particular, I expected that it would be approximately as durable as is ordinary in the consumer electronics market.

Amazon.com advertises the Kindle 2 on the basis of its durability. Notably, Amazon.com displays a 'drop test' video on the web page for this product. That video displays the device being dropped twice from thirty inches onto what appears to be tile. That video displays a fall with sufficient force that the device visibly bounces, and deliberately creates the impression that the device will function after impacts similar to that sequence of drops.

Despite those representations, the Kindle 2 is far less durable. On July 26, 2009, I dropped a messenger bag containing the device onto the sidewalk, from approximately two feet above the ground. It was dropped only once, and the messenger bag absorbed enough of the shock that nothing else in the bag, including a Macbook laptop, suffered any damage whatsoever. (Unlike the drop displayed in Amazon.com's video, for example, nothing actually bounced.) Moreover, there was no visible damage on the exterior of the Kindle 2. Nonetheless, the Kindle 2 became completely unusable, with over 50% of its screen no longer able to display any text.

I called Amazon.com support and was told that, because of the accidental drop, you would not be willing to supply a replacement device under warranty. You did, however, offer to sell a new device at a discount, for $200.00. I took advantage of that offer under protest, and explicitly reserved my rights to bring a claim against you based on the unreasonable fragility of the device and the misrepresentations in your advertising. It is that claim that forms the subject of this letter.

I am prepared to offer an immediate settlement of my claims against Amazon.com for a payment of $400.00. That sum represents the $200.00 replacement fee I paid plus $200.00 to compensate me for the diminution of utility and value of the device as well as of the e-books I have purchased for that device, in light of the fact that the replacement device, too, can be expected to be far more fragile than advertised and prone to destruction under the slightest stress. This offer expires thirty days from your receipt of this letter. If you do not accept this offer, I intend to bring suit either individually, or, if I decide it is warranted, as representative for a class of similarly situated plaintiffs. At that time, I will seek the amount noted above, plus punitive damages under the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, Cal. Civil Code §1750 et. seq., costs, fees, and such other monetary damages as provided for by law, including without limitation Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §17200 et. seq., the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and other relevant law.

Also, you have demanded the return of the broken device as a condition to the unreasonable discounted replacement offer which I accepted under protest. Your agent has informed me that you will charge my credit card for the full price if the broken device is not returned to you. I am considering seeking a protective order placing that device in the custody of the Court pending litigation. However, should I instead return the device, you are hereby notified that it is evidence in the anticipated litigation to which this letter refers. Should you modify, destroy, or resell the broken device, I will ask the Court to treat that as deliberate spoliation of evidence and make adverse inferences as appropriate.

Very truly yours,

Paul Gowder
And here's Amazon's response:



Pretty awesome. Just goes to show that if you put your somewhat-unreasonable request in an official-looking form and also threaten to sue, big companies will be happy to toss a token amount of money your way to make you go away. [Consumerist]