I love media. All sorts of media. So nothing pisses me off more than crappy stories, shitty characters, poor production, or crappy editing. I vowed that I would seriously reduce my watching of crap, even if that means I am a late-adopter of a great movie or two. I do like to watch B movies, amateur films, documentaries, whatever. As long as there is a story or a character or even the way it is shot strikes me as novel, I will consume it. One of the things that I would love to have more time to do is to deconstruct my favorite movies and narrate their goodness. This guy has done an excellent job of the opposite: deconstructing a shitty scene. In this case the chase scene from Batman: The Dark Knight. This scene probably bugs you as much as it does me but here is shot-by-shot narrative as to why.
Margaret MacMillan: The War That Ended the Peace
Margaret MacMillan, arguably Canada’s pre-eminent historian (who teaches at Oxford), has recently released another grand narrative concerning the First World War. Her earlier work, 1919, combined a fascinating subject with solid archival work and a really great narrative style: the trifecta for the historian.
The War that Ended the Peace re-casts the traditional narrative of World War 1 from the “War to End All Wars” to the title of her latest work, an end to peace. Many historians see the period from 1914-1945 as a second Thirty Years War, but on a grander scale. If this is so, how could Europe have gone nearly a century without war (the revolutionary activities of the 1848 period notwithstanding) and then careen into three decades of war? Starting with the World’s Fair in Paris in 1900, MacMillan traces the lines that would lead to war a decade later. MacMillan weaves together stories of changing technology, national prejudices, cynicism, brilliance and stupidity that would hurl Europe toward destruction and herald the emergence of new Powers. MacMillan takes a traditional Canadian approach recognizing that the diplomatic peace that was established early in the 19th century allowed economic development but that this was precarious and not inevitable. Peace meant continuous State management. Negotiations and discussions were they key to managing the Balance of Powers. The “balance” was artificial. Progress was not inevitable. The peace that allowed for the economic and material growth in Europe necessitated cool heads willing to negotiate and practice Power Politics. This was what was lost along the way, MacMillan argues.
More here.
Canada Post: Why Canada needs Postal Banking
In all the huzzah over the holidays, I forgot to post this link from the CCPA on why introducing a banking feature to Canada Post would save the institution, provide a cheaper alternative to the major banks, and contribute profits to the Public Purse.
Meaning that it is the best possible alternative that will be summarily dismissed since it runs counter to the political imperative to privatize Canada Post.
Merry Christmas!
Sherlock is back 🙂
Early Christmas Dinner :)
I have been really busy, hence the lack of posts.
The snow has fallen! It really looks like Christmas now! I cannot wait to grab some photos!
I had a fantastic time over at T&Ks last night! We had an early Christmas dinner with Darren, Katie and family, and another friend in from Toronto (who totally lucked out on his choice of days to visit T&Ks!!)
we started in the early afternoon… see photos below… and early apologies for the shaky iphone images… ill blame the wine 🙂
Marion made a hearty soup made from roasted winter squash with almonds and sunflower seeds.
That was for us while we prepared for dinner!
The starter was a warm beet salad on baby arugula and toasted almonds. Beets were, as usual, a pain to cook and Tristan’s idea of a pressure cooker is on point for next time.
I decided to cook a Beef Bourguignon. Go big or go home.
That’s right. I channeled my inner Julia Child and downloaded a few recipes and watched some videos. I made a point of reviewing the stages and planned out each step. It paid off!
I got 5 pounds of beef from the butcher and asked him about the salted pork needed. He called in the back for his grandmother who happily explained the process and key points of perfect Beef Bourguignon and sauce. It pays to be nice and ask questions!
Anyways, on to the photos!
This is the three of us busy in the kitchen. We had christmas carols playing and wine flowing. The snow was already beginning in the early afternoon so it was nice to be inside!
Yup. That was the hunk of beef prior to Tristan’s samurai skills with possibly the sharpest knives ever.
#Best.Bacon.Ever.
and then the diced beef was added to cook in the bacon grease (and butter) …. yeah…. my friend RP was probably pleased with how healthy my cooking was last night 🙂
That is me hard at work!
Tristan and Marion starting on the desert (I did take some of that home!). Amazing!
And in went the meat. That process itself took almost 25 minutes to cook the beef sections in multiple rounds, carefull not to crowd the meat!!
Oh… thats the soup that we had during the prep!
Then the cook down with the wine and the carrots. Pearl onions. Several hours of cooking. Beef Bourguignon, complete:)
I had a fantastic night! It was really great to cook with my friends and laugh while eating WAY too much. Merry (early) Christmas!
Ho Ho Ho!
iPad apps
A friend asked me about what apps I currently use on my iPad so here are my favorites.
It is rare that I will pay full price for an app, most I get for free or from a price drop here.
1. FileApp Pro: I use this app to transfer books to my iPad. I created a network drive on my computer so after I turn the file sharing function on my iPad, I can simply drag and drop my books right to my iPad. The PDF reader is quite good but no sepia tone so it can be quite bright when reading. I can, of course, also just open them in iBooks. More here.
2. WordPress: I use WordPress for this blog and while I code javascript and HTML and all that great stuff it is really great just to be able to click on my WordPress app and I can upload my photos anywhere in the world as long as I have access to the net. I am certainly no super-user but it is really quite intuitive! And because it is open source, there is lots of documentation and updates! More here.
3. Splashtop: I was looking for an app that would allow me to control my desktop PC and Mac. This scans my home network and then mirrors my desktop on my iPad. That way I can use my iPad to control my main home network computer. Very useful since my desktop is my media centre. My iPad controls my media! More here. Oh, and I received an email with detailed instructions on how to fix my particular issue literally minutes after I sent an email to the developer.
4. AirVideo: I want my iPad to be my device that can stream audio and video from my main desktop computer. This app connects to my computers and allows access to my entire folder structure so I can stream and use my iPad as my monitor. More here.
5. VLCRemote: And finally, for today, VLCRemote mirrors my running version of VLC on my desktop. It gives me a complete playlist and the ability to control VLC on my desktop. Great app. More here.
I will continue with Travel apps and others tomorrow!
Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood
The rainbow comes and goes,
And lovely is the rose;
The moon doth with delight
Look round her when the heavens are bare;
Waters on a starry night
Are beautiful and fair;
The sunshine is a glorious birth;
But yet I know, where’er I go,
That there hath pass’d away a glory from the earth.
Why I wouldn’t invest in Facebook
I was once asked about Facebook and if I thought it was the new google. I didn’t and still don’t. Facebook doesn’t really do anything. It aggregates your data in a graphic user interface that you can easily use. To me, it is essentially the same as the open source WordPress. The other reason why Facebook isn’t a great investment is that while once cool, it isn’t anymore. I give it another few years before it becomes mySpace 2. Funny stuff here.
Varia – August, 2013
I had to take the day off from work today since I pulled a hamstring at the gym this morning running interval sprints. So here I sit, ice pack and all. What it does allow, however, is to get back to posting and watching some movies. First up is Sam Pekinpah’s 1975 film The Killer Elite with James Caan and Robert Duvall. While not in the same top tier of Pekinpah’s classics, I do recall that I enjoyed this movie when I saw it years ago. More at IMDB here.
Tristan and Marion have taken possession of their new home, a few blocks away. Friday evening was a minor gathering of sorts where I met the parents of T/M’s friends in Pittsburg and Tristan’s squash partner. I had a very nice night drinking champagne and looking at some Paris pictures with Yves and Giselle. I am very envious since they both leave soon for several months in wonderful Paris where they spend lots of time. I’m hoping to have coffee with them in Paris and learn more about that wonderful city from Yves, who has already suggested picturesque spots that I didn’t even know existed! And did I mention how beautiful T/M’s new place is? A great space!
And I helped Darren move their stuff into their new place steps away from Westboro beach! i know that the kids will love being so close to the beach, being that they just moved from their house close to Kitsilano Beach on the wet coast. A really great house with fantastic character and a great backyard! Great neighbourhood and wonderful space.
So here are some links to various things that have piqued my interest over the last few days:
Metabones has introduced a speedbooster for my micro 4/3rd camera!! I have only recently been introduced to this technology but, from what I can gather, this will not only increase the size of the sensor image to close to full-frame, but it will also give me a full stop of light. My Tokina 11-16mm f2.8, for example, would become closer to an 8-9mm f2!!!!!! I do, however, still have some research to do!
Hunter S. Thompson’s daily drug itinerary is fascinating here. Essentially cocaine from the time of waking up (3 pm) until marijuana at 6.
Also from Open Culture. My favorite horror novel The Raven, read by Vincent Price, Christopher Walken, and Christopher Lee. Poe’s work will go back into my reading list as we approach October, me thinks! Here.
My birthday is coming up for anyone who wants to buy me this $82,000 complete Nikon camera and lens set. Including the $18,000 400mm!
A 375 year old Bonsai that survived Hiroshima here. A beautiful Japanese white pine. I love bonsai and this is certainly a beautiful example!
Here are some fascinating “infographics” or mental maps showing timelines of human history. Great website to explore!
And street artist Above paints what I think might the coolest graffiti of the year 🙂
That’s it for now. I’m going to hobble to the kitchen now for some lunch!
William Gibson
A deliciously long article and interview withWilliam Gibson here. Excellent! Really interesting piece!