Ah technology... when you're a caregiver...

As some of you already know, I spend between 5 to 7 hours everyday at my parents' house. It's a labour of love yes... but it's a full-time job on top of my full-time paying job.

And there are just 24 hours in a day, and I have to get a few hours of sleep among a few things. You know, a few basic things.

I've been thinking this weekend, how technology, especially internet have made my life easier. To a point that it made possible to maintain my parents at their home, while things are working their slow way to relocate them to a nursing home.

Banking... no need to waste time at the bank. Over the internet, I pay all the bills, do fund transfers, etc. A few days ago, I've done my yearly contribution to my RRSP (Registered Retirement Saving Plan. Sort of our 401k here in Canada) in just a bunch of clicks. Total time: 5 minutes.

I am thinking that not too long ago, I would have wasted at least an hour or two to get physically at the bank and wait for my turn.

A few hours saved do not appear that much, but when you think of the basic things you have to do, when you have so little time for yourself, saving an hour here and there does make the difference... so I can be a caregiver... and have time for me.

Grocery? IGA accepts online orders. You can choose the store you want to order from and they will deliver to your door at the day and time you tell them to do. Imagine the time you normally spend at the grocery store. At least an hour if not more, right? For me, in about 10 minutes, it's all done.

One thing neato is that you can store up to 10 shopping lists on their web site. So I have a shopping list for recurrent things, week after week, so in just one click, I can put all of those items in my "basket". From there, I do my online shopping for the few items not on the list.

Of course, there's a list for my parents, and what the heck, I have also my own list for my own stuff. Me too, I want to save time on my own grocery!

Drawbacks? There are some. For instance, at the store... if the bananas are green, maybe you wouldn't buy them, but instead you would satisfy your craving with those seemingly juicy green raisins from California just next by. When I'm online, I've no way to tell. There have been a few surprises.

Also the online version of the IGA store is just a "subset" of a brick and mortar IGA store. Not all the brandnames can be ordered online. So you have to take what's available online.

All in all, considering the situation I am in, I can accept that.

All these sites charge a few dollars, from $2 to $10 which can vary according to the amount of goods you buy, or whether their cost or their size.

However IGA charges a flat fee of $7, and you have to order at least $35 of goods. With 3 persons to feed, that's not a problem. :)

Those fees are costly? Yes and no. If you have to take a car... how much it would cost you? From my perspective, I don't own a car, and time is a factor. How much time it takes, using the transit system, to get there, and to return home? Imagine if this is a salary, and even at minimum wage... how much it would cost?

Worse, if you buy lots of stuff (say at the grocery store) or you must buy bulky items, the taxi ride back home will cost you a lot of money.

Clothing, consumer goods: One site that is a life saver: Sears ! It takes a while to shop online about clothes (try to find stuff that _really_ fits) but I have been lucky so far for my parents. It would have been out of question to have my dad and my mom at the shopping center. Their online shopping brings the store to them... and for me, I also save a lot of time. Based on my experience, delivery time is usually 3-5 days. Decent.

Latest thing I bought: Absolutely decadent plush bathrobe. One for mom, one for my dad and what the heck, I'm allowed to pamper myself, no? One for me. Oh, sweet o sweet! :)

Hardware stuff: Two web sites I like: Canadian Tire and Rona. For various things. At my parents' place recently , I had to change their shower curtain, and they needed a new laundry basket, the old one gave up.

Drawbacks? Canadian Tire's web site is a tad clunky. The photos are tiny and the descriptions minimal. A few times, their online order section was down. Oops.

Rona's site was flawless and their delivery time is blazing fast, usually the next day or two. I recently ordered a set of mops and buckets to clean their floor (a chore I have to do everyday because of my dad's health conditions). The problem with Rona is that the choice is extremely limited.

There have been a few other sites, but those are the web sites I usually go for my online shopping.

I've been thinking that just a few years ago, these sites wouldn't exist... and I'm wondering how I would cope. It would have been unbearable.

As a computer programmer, I have to say that I am pleased to see the things made possible by my profession. :)

Cheers,

-E

Where is George? The strange travel of a dollar bill...

<--- To avoid problems with the law, I hide part of the serial number.

As some of you already know, next week I'll be back in the US! Just a tiny week of vacations that I could slice in. Given the situation at home, it's the best I can do for now. So I take all the respite I can.

So I figure it's time that I should check how much US money in my waller and when I'll have some spare time, I'll go to the bank and get some more before I leave Canada.

Checking closer those US bills, I stumbled on a strange looking $1 bill. (See both photos)

Stamped a few places on the bill, it said: "Track this bill", and then the url of a web site.

Oh dear, I thought I got a bogus $1 bill. At least I didn't lose much. :)

Apparently, this is legit. I learn this is a project that started 10 years ago, and thousands of $1 US bills have been tracked. Enter the serial number, and you'll see where your US $1 bill went.

Apparently, mine went from Ohio to Washington State. Not sure where I got that. Maybe during the time I was in California last May? Or it went back to the east coast and I got it at Blogadelphia (the bloggers' gathering in Philadelphia) ? Or in Boston?, both in June?

(Gee whiz, it looks like an STD, however with an happier outcome: Where and from whom I got that!!! ).

Fascinating to track the whereabout of a dollar bill. Already a round trip from the east to the west coast, it now has crossed the US border, now in Canada, and soon it will return in Massachusetts during my vacations.

The site is wheresgeorge.com .

I'm hesitant to let that $1 bill go, it feels like I met a friend who has traveled a lot and still has a lot to say.

On the other hand, the very purpose of these marked bills is that they continue to travel all over the continent....

So when I'll be on the Cape next week, I'll let that little guy goes, and I'll check its whereabout on the web site. :)

Out of curiosity, have you ever received such a marked bill? If so, did you know where it traveled?

Cheers!

-E

The iPhone is coming to Canada...

youpi. You see my enthusiasm. :)

I was surprised when I've heard the announcement( CBC: Rogers says iPhone coming to Canada this year).

I haven't forgotten that Fido once carried the Sidekick (called Hiptop), which is the ancestor of the iPhone, and the very first thing that Rogers did when they bought Fido... they squashed the Sidekick and at the same time, they torpedo their low-cost unlimited internet access.

Rogers is carrying the competing Blackberry, and many many users have been complaining for years how Rogers was charging insane amount of money for the use of the Blackberry on their network.

Of course, if you use your Blackberry as a phone... it costs no more than a regular phone. But who is crazy enough to buy a Blackberry and to use it strictly as a phone?

During my travels in the US and in France, I was given the opportunity to play with the iPhone. The geek in me was shouting: I want one! I want one! Hehehe...

As a traveler, I carry... a cellphone, an MP3 player, a laptop. That's a lot. I'm also carrying their chargers and cables. That takes a lot of space in my luggage and they add some weights . So to have all these devices into one... oh, what a dream!

And traveling half a spin of the world, and many flights later... I don't want to have so many gizmos tied on my belt... and I also realize how an iPod-like gizmo is paramount. Music, music, music! :)

About the iPhone, In January I had a chance to play extensively with the French version. I love the way to navigate, using finger gestures. It's intuitive and easy.

I also love its web browser! I think it would be doable to surf the 'Net without my laptop. The big big drawback is what makes the Sidekick so desirable: The keyboard. On an iPhone, the keyboard is "painted" on the screen. On a Sidekick, you flip the screen and bingo, you have a *real* keyboard. That makes the difference. The drawback of the Sidekick is its clunky interface and a somewhat small screen (when compared to the iPhone).

So, I should be thrilled about an "all-in-one" device, and a device that is small, powerful and lightweight. So, why I am less than enthusiastic about the iPhone coming to Canada?

I suspect some foul plays from Rogers. Especially since they bought Fido a few years ago, they act like a monopoly.

First, the dataplan. Will they give *unlimited* internet access at a *reasonable* cost, like iPhone users around the world currently enjoy? After what they did to Sidekick users in Canada and the price they charge for their Blackberry? I want to see that.

(Beside I'm curious. I want to see what they'll do with their Blackberry line, in this context).

Secondly, there should be the next generation of iPhone coming in a few months. These phones will be 3G, meaning a lot faster internet connection than the current EDGE technology.

So what kind of iPhone we will have in Canada? The older slower iPhone that no one will want, or the new one? It's funny, knowing Rogers mhhh.... I've a good hunch at the outcome.

Beside the data plan, it remains to be seen how they'll price the iPhone. Our dollar is on a par with the US dollar. It will be tough to justify a huge price difference, but knowing Rogers, nothing would surprise me. :)

A colleague of mine was mentioning recently that Ottawa is about to allocate new frequencies for cellphone services, and apparently the Canadian government isn't too allergic to the idea to allow other operators to invade the Canadian market. Wow. I wish it's going to be true. Time will tell.

So would it mean the end of the current near-monopoly... and for that reason, Rogers finally has locked that exclusive deal with Apple... before someone else? Mhhh... I'm skeptical, but I like the theory.

Seeing is believing, so I prefer to wait... and see and then I'll believe... and get excited. :)

Cheers,

-E

Must be something in the air in Afghanistan...

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Mhhh...

I was a little bit busy this week, so I didn't have much time blogging, but I was taking notes!

I was amazed by the diplomatic blunder of Minister Bernier, openly complaining that corruption is so widespread especially in a province in Afghanistan, that its government should replace the governor of that province.

As a diplomatic faux pas... this one is hard to beat. The next day Bernier, in a laconic press release, just said that we got all wrong and he didn't say what he said. The usual flip-flop of clueless politicians caught pants down. Okay.

About at the same time frame, a Canadian army general, who was so outspoken for the war in Afghanistan... all of a sudden has called it quit. He resigns from the army... and we're told we shouldn't read between the lines and see things that do not exist. Okay.

Must be something funny in the air in Afghanistan, don't you think?

Radio-Canada and TV5 for the past several months have greeted us with thorough reports from Afghanistan, sending their journalists in the population... and of course way way *outside* of army camps.

There are some glaring consensus: Massive disillusion. The hopes we gave them have been blown away. Also the fact that NATO troops are going for a massive defeat if things continue the way they are.

In a way, Afghanistan is our Iraq, in a sense that what seems to be a just and noble cause... and a war that would be an easy win and by some magical wishful thinking everything would be back in order... well the reality has settled in. Even NGO people are now perceived not as liberator, nor helpers, but as occupants, even squarely as enemies and are being targeted.

There are more and more people thinking that during the time of the Taliban regime, things weren't _that_ bad. People had food, a house, a living. Infrastructures were there and the country was running ok. Not so today.

We should have known better. In the current news, there's a lot about the upcoming Olympics in China ... and of course, Tibet. Have we forgotten that we, people of the western world, and that include us, Canadians, we have boycotted the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980... because the Soviets have invaded... Afghanistan? Have we also forgotten how the big mess the Soviets went...

Now, it's our turn... and we're all that... surprised?

In his better days, my dad loved to comment about Afghanistan. His pastime was history and mostly about WW2, for a good reason, since he was in France when WW2 began in 1939. He went into the French Army, then demobilized in 1940 and from then, suffered like millions of French people the occupation of the German Nazi. Once the war ended, he became curious and wanted to know more, and how a passion for history was born.

At first glance, it is a bit of a stretch to draw parallels between the liberation of France and Afghanistan, but somehow, looking at how things are going today, my dad was right on the money, then.

It has fallen a bit into oblivion, but France's future, as a country was extremely uncertain for many years after 1945 (A reason why my dad went to Canada in 1952).

There were several mistakes made.

Liberating France was of course the main goal. However, little thoughts and even less $ were given... to rebuild France, figuratively and literally.

When the enemy was there, it was running the country, it kept things going, and carrying the essential things the population needed. When you storm the place with the power of a war, you oust the enemy, then it becomes *YOUR* burden to keep that country running.

And you should put at least as much effort to oust the enemy in rebuilding the country, in infrastructures, in having a stable government, in everything.

And of course, the colossal cost of WW2... it was utopic to think of that.... and that was France's problem. There was also France's national pride, which didn't help too.

So at first there were the immense joys and dreams of Liberation, with a capital L.

Then as time goes by, people understood that there will still be lots of sacrifices to do, before there will be better time.

Then, as years passed by, came disillusion. When infrastructures are still in shamble, life stops. Difficult to have a job, therefore to afford a roof, get heat during winter for that home. There were many restrictions. Food supply was iffy and unaffordable.

The seed for anarchy settles in, and civil war becomes a real possibility. The foe back then was the Communists. Things happen for the better eventually, but it is simply by sheer luck, and not because of anything concerted or coordinated.

However, in the meantime, France has lost millions of its youngest brilliant people... in exile. My dad is one of them.

(I'm speaking from France's perspective because of my family ties, but the same could be said of many war stricken European countries like Italy for instance).

When I see the war in Afghanistan, it seems obvious (like Iraq), there were no exit strategy. Storm the place, and all things were supposed to happen, "automagically". It didn't happen that way.

There is also that nonsense that you can NOT rebuild and fight a war at the same time.

And as the war drags on... disillusion settles in...

And when disillusion settles in, when the infrastructures are in ruins making impossible to do anything, whether having a job, affording a roof and being able to eat everyday, when "we" as western people we fail on our promises...

Bingo.

We repeat the errors of the past...

Cheers,

-E
Links:
Cyberpresse: La bourde de Bernier soulève un tollé
The Kingston-Whig Standard: Talking to the Taliban
CBC: Hillier refuses to talk legacy despite ongoing efforts to help soldiers' families

Mobile internet... a tiny step closer...

In the meantime, we still do not have the iPhone nor the Sidekick...

I change my cellphone recently and I kept the old one as a backup. The beauty of GSM phones (which are also the lot of the iPhone and Sidekick), you just remove the SIM card from one phone, put in the other, and voilà!

The new phone was for the trip in France last January, so it would work there (and it did, and it was a lifesaver at Roissy / Charles-de-Gaulle airport. :) ).

The frustrating part is that nearly all new cellphones... are internet ready. Mine does that. It has some applications (web browser, Yahoo/MSN Messenger, mail, etc) and the phone itself can work as a modem to a laptop.

Sadly, our cellphone providers haven't beefed up their network, so they charge insane amount of money even for light use of the internet. This is why Apple didn't launch their iPhone in Canada, and this is why the Sidekick is being phased out. The use of a "Crackberry" in Canada can be costly. What an irony, considering that RIM, the makers of the Blackberry is... Canadian.

Frustrating.

Today, I was playing with my still quite brand new cell phone, and somehow I accidentally activated its internal web browser. I know too well what would happen next. A warning page that anything I would do past that point will cost me an arm and a leg.

It's the feeling of being at a candy store... empty pocket. :) All the candies you want are there... you have no money to buy just even one candy. :)

Lo and behold, this time the text has changed. I'm invited to sign up for their "unlimited internet" plan. Cost? $7 per month. (If you can read French, click on the photo).

What? No monthly 3-figure amount of money? Unlimited internet that is truly... unlimited? For just $7 a month? There must be a gotcha, somewhere, right? :)

Well, I checked. Indeed unlimited internet for $7 per month... with only the applications that are stored on the cellphone... and as long as the phone doesn't act as a modem for a laptop. For those purposes, the "arm and a leg" plan still apply.

A bummer, but that's a start, so I sign up for their somewhat unlimited.. Mobile dirt road access to the internet. It's still better than nothing. :)

I have issues about human speech, and voice over a cellphone, is my absolute nightmare.

South of the border, when you see the things deaf persons do with their Sidekick, and how handy such devices have become in their day to day life... It is difficult to imagine that these devices are just a dream here in Canada, and have to live... without them.

And for me, dreaming to have a Sidekick. Sigh...

Also as a traveler, whether checking planes, weather, or last minute searches at the place I'm going, I can vouch that internet on the go is very useful.

An iPhone or a Sidekick is a tad... more compact than a laptop, nor they need to be close to a Wi-Fi access point to work. :)

One last digression: When I was in France last January, one of my cousins had a French iPhone.

Their data plan? Unlimited internet for the equivalent of $35 CDN. Restrictions? After the first 500Meg, the service provider (Orange) reserves the right to slow down the access to the internet. Wow.

By the way, they are currently testing high quality video live conversations.. They openly invite deaf people to try their service. Yup, having conversations... in Sign Language.

This is how spiffy cellphone services have become in France...

What a contrast with Canada.

Sigh...

-E

A straight questionnaire :)

<--- During the Montréal 2006 Outgames, there were many other events... which were targeted to straights. Photo taken on Ste.Catherine street, in the Gay Village.

I saw this questionnaire circulating from bloggers to bloggers and it landed at FC. (you probably have seen it, or some variants in e-mail too).

Pass this questionnaire to people you know... who would enjoy it. :)

-----

This questionnaire is for self-avowed heterosexuals only^*. If you are not openly heterosexual, pass it on to a friend who is. Please try to answer the questions as candidly as possible. Your responses will be held in strict confidence and you anonymity fully protected.

1. What do you think caused your heterosexuality?

2. When and how did you first decide you were a heterosexual?

3. Is it possible your heterosexuality is just a phase you may grow out of?

4. Could it be that your heterosexuality stems from a neurotic fear of others of the same sex?

5. To whom have you disclosed your heterosexual tendencies? How did they react?

6. Why do heterosexuals feel compelled to seduce others into their lifestyle?

7. Why do you insist on flaunting your heterosexuality? Can't you just be what you are and keep it quiet?

8. Would you want your children to be heterosexual, knowing the problems they'd face?

9. With all the societal support for marriage, the divorce rate is spiraling. Why are there so few stable relationships among heterosexuals?

10. Considering the menace of overpopulation, how could the human race survive if everyone were heterosexual?

11. Could you trust a heterosexual therapist to be objective? Don't you fear s/he might be inclined to influence you in the direction of her/his learnings?

12. Heterosexuals are notorious for assigning themselves and one another rigid, stereotyped sex roles. Why must you cling to such unhealthy role-playing?

13. Why are heterosexuals so promiscuous?

14. There seem to be very few happy heterosexuals. Techniques have been developed that might enable you to change if you really want to. After all, you never deliberately chose to be heterosexual, did you? Have you considered aversion therapy or Heterosexuals Anonymous?

Carbon tax and Fluevogs... :)

Thanks to my cable provider, I'm getting their "western feed". In other words, TV channels from Vancouver British-Columbia, and with these TV channels, their local news. Talk about living there.... by proxy!

Note: Partly sunny, +10C . Flowers are already blooming upthere. This beats our -20C this morning and 4ft of snow on ground. :)

I still miss my morning jogging in Stanley Park... oh well. Someday, I'll live there... *full* time. Ok, I'm terribly digressing, but it's my blog, am I allowed? Merci! :)

The other day, it was budget time for the province. After Québec, British-Columbia is the 2nd province to come up... with a carbon tax.

I'm highly skeptical it will do anything. If Québec's experience is of any indication... indeed we saw the impact at the pump... and not much else happened. So much for being "green". Time will tell...

However, sharp-eye and fellow blogger Clevergirl has noticed the real newsworthy event about this budget. As it is customary, the finance minister was wearing a new pair of shoes. However, this is no ordinary pair of shoes. We're talking of Fluevogs shoes, no less. :)

Ok, I'm a guy, so there are things which... will always escape me, and I have to accept that. :)

Sure, they are nice shoes and they please my eyes too, but I don't understand the craze about Fluevogs. Oops. Heresy!!!

Ok, it's time to hide in my igloo! :)

Cheers,

-E

I'll take 15 Khallid and 10 Mursal...

This could have been the title of Chroniques Afghanes, a documentary aired by Radio-Canada last Friday. (you can see a clip here).

Khallid means freedom or liberty and is the name of an independant newspaper and Mursal, a women's magazine, both based in the suburbs of Kaboul... Afghanistan. The storyline is about these newspapers and through them, the population.

Radio-Canada/CBC cost us a bundle, but this is where they shine. Have an hour, it's yours and take the time to explain things. Something commercial television can't.

That being said, how to summarize 3 years in Afghanistan in just one hour? There is that. An hour is an eternity on television, while it's so short lived in reality.

Nonetheless, the documentary is at a slow pace. Enough that you could feel the day to day life. It certainly feels like another world... and the little and big frustration and the ingenious way to side-step them.

It is also a glimpse of Afghan culture and their way of thinking. And a way to make us think about our own culture, and somehow their way to see thing, there's a lot of wisdom in it... that we could borrow, I'd say.

It is about the rise and fall of dreams of a population, after 30 years of war, when the Talibans were overthrown, there were hopes, BIG hopes... and a country in shamble, dreams of reconstruction. A dream that the country would recover, and shine again.

Such dreams were still present in 2004, when Chroniques Afghanes began and when these chronicals end in December 2006, disillusion was getting widespread. The feel of freedom was gradually replaced with fears, and the influence of the Talibans getting omnipresent.

How could it happen? Corruption getting widespread, also broken promises from our own governments, sheer frustration of the local population in part fueld by our complete misunderstanding of Afghanistan of its people, its culture, even its economy... (and of course the *underground* economy) and when you leave it to the military calling the shots, well it's a recipe for disasters...

The documentary arrives at a good time, when our presence in Afghanistan is being questioned, and once again by our Conservative government, *strictly* from a military aspect, mhhhh....

I feel heart broken...

Think spacially, express yourself spacially!

If you've been wondering why I like computers... :)

It's a bit by accident that I went to computer programming. It challenges my mind in a great way, and I'm paid for that. It's difficult to find a better job!

When I went to the university, my approach was that computers can help us, human beings. Whether to compensate for our own deficiencies... whether to provide an environment, to fully express ourselves and to organize our thoughts in ways that make sense. Computers have become powerful enough... that we are getting to that point.

Think spacially, express spacially. Also a matter of going beyond words... beyond links. It's all about... people.

Zubie has sent me the URL of this YouTube video:


PS: The music is pretty cool! The question is there: Is the machine us/ing us or are we using the machine to be... ourselves? (I rather think of the latter). A new breed of humans will result? Mhhhh... not so sure.

PPS: I enjoy a lot the end of the video. I agree that we need to rethink a lot of things. Enjoy the video!

PPPS: Have you noticed how writing text has been... non-linear? Up and down, left and right? Welcome to the realm of visual thinkers! :)

On a related topic:

Are you left brain or right brain? Here's the link to an interesting article: Right Brain vs Left Brain. Is the female dancer spinning to the right or to the left? It depends. (To make the dancer spinning, click on the miniature photo on the left).

If you think the animated .GIF picture is rigged, try this experiment with a laptop, or with an LCD screen which you can hold... sideway.

All of a sudden, you'll see the dancer spinning in the other direction. (If it doesn't work, place the monitor or laptop the other way around).

Better, if you can hold the monitor at the point the dancer spins in opposite direction, you'll likely see the dancer spinning one way and then the other way.

A proof that the .GIF animated picture isn't "rigged". It's up to your mind, and how it decodes reality.

IF I disobey the law of gravity...

Does the law of the land still apply ?

(Originally posted on Dec 13rd, on my arrival on the west coast. A blog repost from FC. I realized later that they censor my blog entry. Sheesh!)

Air Canada has decided to do a festival of Canadian student movies on board of their west-bound planes, instead of showing the usual brain-dead movies from Hollywood. I approve wholeheartedly the move! Besides, our own cinemas, that's a welcome change from always seeing foreign movies, especially on *Canadian* planes. :)

Enter the "Upside-Down Girl" (photo above) The movie was done by grad student James Vandewater at Ryerson University (a well known university located in Toronto).

There are days, you know... *those* days... when you wake up, you feel being upside-down. Those hangover days, you know...

Well this is what happened... literally to a young woman. One morning, she woke up... stuck to the ceiling. Walking on the ceiling certainly feels like being upside down... with the rest of the world... not to mention a certain weird feeling about disobeying the law of gravity.

To make matters worse, she has just begun to date a guy (the story doesn't mention FC, I've checked! ), and of course today was the day which the guy would show up at her apartment, just to make matters worse.

So there are some hilarious moments.

For instance, she tried valiantly to appear... normal to her date, therefore trying to appear upright like everyone else. However for her, it means being upside down in an upside-down world.

Think about it... it will eventually make sense to you. :)

Also rare for a movie shown in airplanes, there was a brief sex scene. Ohhhhhhhh... nothing unmentionable really showing up. Or rather, we didn't have time to see much, so our imagination had to kick in. :)

The poor guy is stuck on the floor and her on the ceiling, so they had to be creative. Even kissing proved to be mhhh... somewhat cumbersome.

PS: Finally a good use of the missionary position, to use the weight of the guy to bring her down, and for him to go ahem... up. Weightless sex on earth, a fantasy that tickles the brain, if you ask me. This was a waaaay too brief scene, but the imagination can fill out the dots. :)

All along the movies, there were those amusing lines.

As a photographer, it's also a devil of fun to build a set upside down with the intent to make it look upright, and to make people seemingly defy gravity.

If you have studied photography, it's a fun project to do... but rarely we can do that, to such a large scale, like they did with Upside-Down Girl.

The dialogs were somewhat uneven, but there are some gems, worth saving.

Cheers,

-E

(Addendum: Since I'm not on FC, I can post links. Heh. :) You can read a review of Upside-Down Girl here... and about the hurdles they had to overcome.)

Bhutto and Pakistan...

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I don't know what to think...

It's funny how in the media, the announcement of her death was presented... as if this has caught everyone by surprise.

Hello ?!?

Wasn't something... glaring obvious? It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when... and most likely *BEFORE* the elections?

What has been an enigma is why Benazir Bhutto decided to return to Pakistan. Besides, she saw her dad and a couple of relatives leaving this world a bit prematurely.

She's savvy, she's smart, got a good education in the best schools in the west, and she knows politics since she's been at the helm of the country.

I don't believe a minute it is by patriotism and on high and noble principles she went back. She isn't suicidal, nor _that_ stupid. What's the whole point of being killed before even having a chance to have a taste at power? There is that.

She must have been fooled by someone whose words usually are trusted... and my hunch is once you have answered that question... the murderer(s) aren't that far.

Sometimes maps speak a lot (hence why I posted a GoogleMap here). Pakistan isn't just the proverbial quirky neighbour to India. There's a heck of mighty neighbours, from Iran to China, not to mention Afghanistan. Even some neighbors are within shooting distance, such as Saudi Arabia.

Besides, sitting on top of the many "'stan" is... Russia. I'm also thinking of certain trades, licit such as oil (in pipelines), and illicit, such as certain drugs (derived from certain cultures)...

And it must make some people nervous for a country that has a nuclear bomb... is going out of control. Mhhhh...

Sometimes, I wish that our media, instead of just merely reporting the news... without even understanding what they were reporting... they would sit down... and start analysing.

Heck, we have people getting diplomas out of universities in geopolitics. Might be time to hire them? They know what they're talking about... (or should know! ;) )

Nor that I believe one second that Bhutto was suicidal, nor she would make consciously a fatal mistake by returning to her country... while it was a sure thing she wouldn't see the elections alive.

In the meantime, you should see the silliness FOXNews and CNN are uttering. And they call that... "news channels". Wow...

Cheers,

-E

12 days of Christmas!

To all my friends, online friends and fellow bloggers,

I wish you happiness, I wish you health,

May your dreams, even the wackiest ones come true!

Now... if you are partying merrily... go easy on booze, ok?



Remember... This is the time to ahem... celebrate? If this becomes a chore, something is probably wrong. :)



And what the heck, a "twofer". Hint: Check their pile of bills! :)



Merry Christmas !

Huh ?!?

:)

-E

A year of "Special Comments"...

It's the time of the year that TV channels switch in neutral... with reruns.

It was true for MSNBC and for Keith Olberman's Countdown...

A year's worth of "Special Comments".

Critical of the Bush administration,

Critical of the Democrats, who were lacking balls to stand up. They still are, today...

Going back a year, and following the time line...

Whew!

Olberman was right on all counts, then and now. What pains me... in the media, he's the only one standing up.

Sigh...

-E

Poor America, a special comment...

Sometimes I wonder whether 1 + 1 = 2. Sometimes I wonder, period.

It's not my intent to do a political blog, and certainly not about a country that I am not currently living in. So consider that blog entry as the exception that confirms the rule, (that's what we say in French. :) ).

What happens elsewhere... can happen here. To some extents, it has already happened (ie, Stephen Harper).

Also when that very elsewhere is our closest neighbour, also the country that self-portrayed as the watchdog of democracy... Ooch.

When it is a country you admire, and a country you'd love to live in, to see the country so rapidly dropping their principles, on the aftermath of 9/11... rapidly turning as a police state, when individual liberties have been ditched in the name of "security", and there was very little protest, one wonders...

But there is more.

I was watching Keith Olberman the other night, and listening intently to his "Special Comment" (transcripts: The Neocon job . By all means, do read it).

This was on days after the NIE report was leaked to the media, stating that Iran's nuclear plans have been put on-hold since 2003, and Bush got that report last August.

You certainly remember Bush's recent statements about WW3, nuclear holocaust and other similar niceties, at the time he knew that none of that could possibly happened. With the NIE report now leaked into the media, Bush was caught again pants down, openly lying to his population. It is blatant, it is as obvious as a nose on one's face. And so far... not much is happening.

I'm a fan of Olberman, and whenever it happens that I'm home, I watch his broadcast. Of all of his Special Comments", it is probably the harshest of all. His ending words? "You, sir (Bush), have no business... being president." Loud and clear, and to the point.

And that could be said back then in 2004 when the 9/11 commission published its report (more on that later).

But... where's everyone? Why Olberman is the only one openly stating what many people think?

And there's one word missing. Even from someone as verbose as Olberman... and I always wondered why on many of his "Special Comments" he didn't use it, because it was the logical conclusion to everything he said. Even more so now.

I'm also thinking that in 2004... when the 9/11 commission published its report, and when it stated, that *NONE* of the reasons invoked by Bush for the war in Iraq were true... NONE of them, not a single one of them...

So what it says about the capacity of the man, being at the helm of an extremely powerful country... and with the job, as commander in chief of the army, when it got stated blatantly that he has sent the army on a war... for *NO* valid reasons?

There's only one word for that... and that very word was also missing in everyone's comments, back then.

Not only that, but Bush got re-elected, defeating the purpose of that word.

Oh, it's too easy to blame the media, printed and electronic.

Also, it is true that we deserved and we should be held responsible for the politicians we elect. For instance, I blush when I see Harper making a fool of himself on every international tribune (these days, on how he torpedoes the Kyoto accord. It's just one humilation among many others).

One wonders: we have elected... THAT ? Ooch...

So I wouldn't blame the Americans for electing and re-electing Bush. We're just as bad, and the way it's going, we're going to re-elect Harper. So much for learning from our mistakes, even collective ones.

So there has to be something else.

And I wonder what is that very "else". I've no idea.

In the meantime for my fellow American friends, here's the missing word. Cut and paste it, use it, everywhere. Freely. Oh my, even... liberally? ;)

Impeachment.

And that concludes my "Special Comment". We shall resume our more or less normal programming. :)

Cheers,

-E

Alzheimer... a new treatment? Mhhhh....

I heard this news yesterday on Radio-Canada: Industrie pharmaceutique: Péripétie d'un médicament.

In a few words, a Laval-based pharmaceutical, unhappy with the decision of the US' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to not approve a new drug used as a treatment against Alzheimer, will now market its drug... as food.

Woah.

Months ago, I've blogged this: Sometimes, I want to scream. You should see the mailbox of my parents (photo on the left). Weeks after weeks, it's an avalanche of miracle cures, for various ailments, from Diabetes to... of course Alzheimer.

(Of course, not mentioning "spiritual help", all offering trips to various places. From bucolic Berkshires in a Massachusetts retreat to the Joshuah trees in California, to the French Alps and a meet with the shamans living in the mountains in Peru. It would have been neat if they weren't so heavily into... money. Visa and MasterCard, our new spiritual gurus. :) ).

All these guys follow the same pattern: "They" don't want you to know. "They" don't want you to have access to that miracle cure.

Who are "they" ? Of course, the US' FDA is one such bad villain.

Yesterday, I was floored to see that a locally known pharmaceutical. -with a *good* reputation -, is using the very same argument as these bad guys.

What to think of all that? I don't know...

Sure, a lot can be said about the US' FDA, or here Health Canada / Santé Canada. Somehow, they have been batting well above .500 , so they aren't all _that_ bad.

Rather, in the light of various lawsuits going on against some big pharmaceuticals for some very popular drugs, I think that "they" have let drugs they shouldn't have. So the approval process of a new drug doesn't seem such a formidable hurdle, at first glance.

So, when the FDA turns down a drug on a basis that it's ineffective (which is the case here)... It _really_ has to be ineffective, otherwise they would have approved that drug. That's what I'm thinking.

Bottom line?

It's no party time, having to take care of someone who is Alzheimer. It's a daily pain to see a beloved person slowly fading away, and Alzheimer is one ugly disease, because it affects the very identity of that person.

Have you noticed that it's always against people who are vulnerable... that there are people around, telling you exactly what you want to hear? Even impossible dreams?

So, I'm thinking of... decency? How obscene it is, to fill us with false promises of a better world, in exchange of big lumps of money?

By all means, spare us of all this bullsh*t, good grief. But there isn't a law against that, sadly...

Cheers,

-E

Sweet time. :)

After a hard day shoveling...

How's about a hot bath?

For all those aching muscles...

The feeling being so good,

It's been such an open invitation... for a nap.

So...

There are some good things to say about snowstorms, and having to shovel snow. :)

Cheers!

-E

World AIDS Day... food for thoughts...

<--- AIDS Day in downtown Vancouver, on a bitterly cold day of December 2006. Photo taken on Howe Street near the very chic Robson Street.

This is one of those days, which the time has come to pause and ponder.

To think of brothers and sisters who have already fallen...

To think of those who are infected...

To think.

Of the past, the present and the future.

A friend of mine who is HIV+ once told me: "It's like sleeping at the top of a giant volcano that you know to be active. You never know when the eruption is going to happen and to take you away. This is my life."

And he's right. For instance, if you skip meals and have to skip medications, whether you don't feel ok, whether you were traveling and fighting jetlag, you can skip so many times without problems. But it can happen that the next time... this will be one time *too* many. As science has discovered, as a result, the virus can become resistant and your treatment is now ineffective.

Disaster.

It is only recently that there are have been a handful of alternate treatments and you have to count your blessing that one of these alternate treatments will take. You dearly hope of being given another chance at life. If not... it's AIDS and its slow spiral...

Even having your twice a day cocktail of pills isn't fun. There are good days and bad days, and some really bad days. To some people, there can be some very crippling nasty side-effects.

Besides, all sorts of minor ailments have been popping up here and there. None are life threatening, but it isn't the "business as usual" type of lifestyle as you may think it is, from taking these medications.

This comes as a result of the cumulative use of these medications for years. As people live longer with HIV, it is only by now that science has begun to discover these long term effects... and of course have little answers to that, at the present time.

HIV still kills people. As simple as that.

And it doesn't happen to... others.

It can happen to people who are dear to you.

It can happen to... you.

Can one do something? Sure...

Whether to support financially research,

whether to donate time and money to organizations who are helping people coping with HIV.

Also, medications cost a bundle, and some organizations will subsidize its cost. They will pick up where insurance won't. But to do so, they need your money.

I'm also thinking of illiteracy. I'm also thinking of moral and religious rules. HIV isn't a sex disease, nor a gay disease, nor that it reflects anything about your morality. It's been said ad nauseam for so many times...

And yet...

I'm also thinking that perhaps the most important thing you can do...

is to take steps to avoid getting it.

Have fun, but play safe. :)

Cheers,

-E

Cheaper cellphone usage in Canada? Mhhhh....

<--- Newest Sidekick. Like the iPhone, it isn't available in Canada...

With great fanfares, the news went out: CTV News: Ottawa's wireless auction could cut cellphone rates.

The promise of a bigger pipe (spectrum), and a good chunk of it set aside for new wireless telcos... supposedly, this would promote competition and better quality of service and from there... lower price. My first thought was: Oh.... yeah ?!?

This is coming at the same time a cousin of mine living in France is teasing me (CTVNews: Apple's Iphone hits French stores).

To them, I live in "America". I'm "le petit cousin d'Amérique", even though I'm 6' 4". So much for the small cousin. To the French, it's no use to mention that there's Canada, or even Québec. This is America, and that's that. In a way, this is not entirely false, continentally speaking. :)

In America, we're supposed to bask in technology. He couldn't understand why I can't buy the iPhone, nor why the Sidekick is disappearing from the Canadian market, while it's immensely popular in the US and all across Europe (I've blogged about this recently: New Sidekick: Why Canada is still late in the game)

It is frustrating.

When I was in Seattle last July, I had a chance to test drive an iPhone, which just went out, at that time. I also remember at a shopping mall in downtown Seattle, there was a T-Mobile kiosk, and I asked for a few infos about their Sidekick. The guy was ready to sold one to me! Even when I mention that I'm Canadian, even when I say that the only street address I can give him is a street address in *Canada*.

Heck, unlimited MOBILE internet access at $30/month... a device that is portable and very well done (decent tactile keyboard, contrary to the iPhone which the keyboard is just "painted" on the screen), a decent screen, and a device that isn't too bulky... and to top it all, it's also a cellphone... the geek in me was saying: I want one! I want one! I want one!

But usage from a US Sidekick or iPhone from Canada would mean stiff roaming charges. It's only when I'm in the US that I could really enjoy these toys. Since I'm more often in Canada than in the US...

Frustrating.

The Harper government says that by auctioning more spectrum to cellphone companies, this would bring price down. Problem is... there's no such obligations to lower prices, so why they should?

Years ago, we used to have a very good cellphone service at a price that was cheaper than in the US and Europe.

However, the Canadian government has also authorized mergers of cellphone companies. So rivals were allowed to buy ClearNet and MicroCell (the "Fido" brand name). As soon as these companies were bought, prices went through the roof.

Since there's no mandatory rules, even less incentives put in place by the government to lower prices in exchange for that use of extra spectrum, why on earth any of the 3 big wireless telcos would budge?

They understood that they have a captive market, therefore they're milking us as much as they can.

Oh, there are laws in Canada against that? Sure. Mhhh... since the Conservative government is not willing to step in, to enforce its own laws, is there any citizen with some millions $ in spare change to sue these companies?

In the meantime, if things go according to plan, I'm going to return to Seatlle in a few weeks from now. I'll probably have some times to do some shoppings in the downtown area.

When I'll see those cool iPhones, or that even cooler new Sidekick on displays...

Usually, material belongings escape me. Usually. :) However, I'm a geek, and a geek is a geek is a geek. Rule #2, see rule #1. :)

So there are some exceptions, and this is one of those... exceptions that confirms the rule, as French-speaking people would say. :)

Sigh...

Travel wise, it just hits me that around December 15th, I'll be in Seattle, and not even 3 weeks later, I'll be... in France.

It all began with a small hop to Ottawa last May... and I kept travelling for 5 months all over the continent. When September arrived, I really thought that it was the end of it. At least for the rest of the year, maybe even more.

And look at what is happening... I'm on the go again!

I think that I'm hearing Félix Leclerc singing...

"Moi mes souliers ont beaucoup voyagé..."

You bet that my shoes have traveled a LOT ! That's the understatement of the year, I think. :)

Travel is sweet,
Human contact, unforgettable.

Cheers,

-E

Sweet nothingness...

One big drawing Friday (Super 7), an other biggy Saturday (6/49). At the workplace, we did a small pool (5 persons). Each of us has contributed for $10 worth of lotteries.

Sweet nothingness. :)

(For my American friends, even the jackpot (Jacques Pot? :) ), it is a one big lump payment, and it is tax free).

Sure, we're all buying dreams, but it is sweet to dream. Even though reality dictates we will get a few free tickets and a few $10 prizes, at best. :)

Wealth? Me? Nawww...

Sure, I'm holding to the job like the most precious thing on earth. But it's not even for me...

Would be nice if my parents wouldn't have to worry. They'll get all the care they ever dream , without worrying for a steady supply of income (and they say that healthcare is "free" in Canada. Yeah sure :) ).

It would be nice for me to continue to work, but on work that doesn't bring $$$, just the sheer reward of doing things I like... without worrying for affording a roof, eating 3 times a day, for the rest of my life. Not bad!

Relocation? I'll keep an apartment in Montréal, but I'll love to be... elsewhere. Go West, young man! I always appreciate being called a young man. :)

Photography is my passion...

... and you have to travel to take photos. Interesting equation which I am not complaining. :)

Again, donating time to organizations, helping people, that would also be high on my list.

Computer programming? After doing so for 25 years, I'd take a little break. If I program again, it would be for the fun of it, and for projects that are dear to me.

I have a few ideas about things that would help people, but that can wait. I'm tired of programming and the break would have to come first. :)

On days like today, with several inches of snow on top of icy sidewalks... TV ads that tell you that you'll "be alright" in Jamaica...

... beaches, hammocks...

Those speak louder than snow shovels and winter clothes. :)

And being an angel...

I know friends with big wonderful and noble dreams...

I'm not just thinking of donating money, but also donating my time and my expertise along with the money to make their dreams come true.

It seems it's been all my life, helping others...

For the time being, to no longer have to go to the office Monday through Friday, especially when winter is around...

Sweet nothingness,

Sweet dreams!

This is well worth it. :)

Besides, who knows?

A lottery winner wearing a kilt. I'm sure the folks at the lottery agency hasn't seen that.

Well... there's a first, for everything. Heh!

So this is bound to happen sooner or later.

Since I wear a kilt...

Cheers!

-E

New Sidekick... Canada is still late in the game...

I saw the news this morning about the new Sidekick (for T-Mobile customers). As a Canadian, it reminded me of the frustration when I was in Seattle last July and I test drive the new Apple's iPhone. If only I could smuggle such a device back to Canada!

(As you may know, the new iPhone is *not* available in Canada. This has little to do with Apple's attitude nor of a lack of supply. It is for the same reason that my cellphone provider (Fido) has *STOPPED* selling the Sidekick in Canada (called the Hiptop here)).

Why? Canadians are just as net savvy as our fellow Americans... So why Apple are ignoring Canada, and why the Sidekick which is extremely popular in the US... has entirely disappeared from the Canadian market?

The reason is this: NONE of the Canadian cellphone providers offers a plan like T-Mobile's *UNLIMITED* internet access for $29.95 . (Other US cellphone carriers have similar plans, albeit at a somewhat higher rate than T-Mobile).

$30/month is reasonable. It is within the price range of a regular internet subscription.

However, mobile internet is utterly EXPENSIVE in Canada. That's why few of us can afford these devices! Here's the rates from my cellphone operator, Fido: $12... for 1 Megabyte... PER MONTH.

To add insult to injury, if you dare to bust your 1Meg allocation for the entire month, they will hit you with a $22 surcharge for each and every megabyte exceeding your limit.

Hello ?!?

The closest thing to "unlimited internet access", is a whopping $100/month for only 200 Megabytes... and they have the nerve to charge you $5 for each Megabyte afterwards.

Other Canadian cellphone operators have similar plans. Now you understand why you won't see the iPhone in Canada anytime soon at these obscene rates... and why the cool Sidekick has disappeared completely from the Canadian market. These devices naturally lend themselves for *heavy* internet use.

(Which also means that the deaf community in Canada doesn't enjoy what fellow deaf Americans are taking for granted with their cellphones. It is still the dark age here. So, hearing and deaf Canadians are in the same boat: We would *love* to have those devices, but they are just *too expensive* to use!)

By the way, if you are in disbelief that there is a demand for mobile internet, here is a personal tale: In August I was back on the US East Coast, enjoying the beaches of Cape Cod. Later in that month, a blogger reunion was organized, but it meant for me a looooong trip from Cape Cod to NYC and then to NJ.

Anyhow, I went to the "Blogajamig" as it was called and I had a chance to see in person a lot of fellow bloggers. That was well worth the trip.

On the bus ride from Hyannis (Cape Cod) to the Port Authority in NYC, I was looking at my fellow passengers all around me. Some passengers were playing with their "Crackberry" (the nickname for the Blackberry). I also saw plenty of Sidekicks in action, whether people were chatting on IM, sending/receiving e-mails, and even surfing the web.

(I guess the iPhone was too new, I haven't seen one during that bus trip).

It isn't an exageration to say that at least *half* of the bus were on the internet at one time or another during that ride to NYC.

Witout traffic jams, it is *in theory* a 6-hour bus ride. So you have plenty of time to kill. :)

So, I was looking at my old cellphone...

Hey my friend, what's wrong with you?

We have extremely greedy cellphone operators in Canada... That's the problem.

And a CRTC (the equivalent of the US' FCC) under heavy pressure from a right-wing government (Stephen Harper) to deregulate the phone service (both land and wireless). So, it's not surprising that nothing is moving and... fees are sky rocketing.

Sometimes, I wish that I live in the US when I see that...

-E