15 June 2010, mid-morning
I recently updated my profile on LinkedIn. You’re supposed to list your specialties as part of your profile. I had originally listed C++ and a few other techno-speak terms. This didn’t seem quite right to me. I read this quote in Harper’s from The serfdom of crowds by Jaron Lanier and was planning on using it instead:
Personal reductionism has always been present in information systems. You have to declare your status in reductive ways when you file a tax return. Most people are aware of the difference between reality and database entries when they file taxes, yet you perform the same kind of self-reduction in order to create a profile on a social-networking site. You fill in the data: profession, relationship status, and location. In this case digital reduction becomes a causal element, mediating between new friends with whom most information is exchanged online. That is new.
Yeah, it didn’t quite fit. I settled on, “Is programming too vague? Because I’m pretty good at that.” I think i’m a very good C++ programmer, but would I call that my specialty? What does that even mean?
I was thinking about this again today while reading Google’s C++ Style Guide. I program in C++ every day, but while looking through the guide i’d stumble upon things I hadn’t thought about in ages. friend functions? I had basically forgotten these things existed, probably because it’s been a long time since I have had to write a stream operator for my own classes. I had long since forgotten there was any nuance that surrounds pure-virtual destructors. I can’t remember the last time I had to write a functor. I’ve never written my own allocator. I have a giant tomb on my desk that describes C++ and I wonder how much of the language I actually touch. So, what makes someone a C++ specialist?
[1] Nerd Alert
14 June 2010, early morning
My friend Ryan was married this past Saturday. Shima and I ventured back to Waterloo for the weekend. It’s always nice being back. We had wanted to go to Jane Bond, but it was sadly closed at lunch time. I guess i’m still glad it’s open at all. I remember scoping it out with my friends Linh and Tiffany a few days before Valentines to see if it was a good date spot: it was.
Ryan’s wedding was the first I’ve been to in a very long time where I didn’t have a camera on me. How did I forget my camera? You’ll just have to believe me when I say it was a very nice ceremony. They were married in Verses, which is a church that has been converted into a fine dining restaurant — which was converted back in to a church for the ceremony and then back into a restaurant for the reception.
So began our 3 weekends of weddings. (I remember when I thought 3 in one summer was a lot.) I’m excited. Who doesn’t like getting married in June? Two years ago today Shima and I got married. It doesn’t feel that long to me. I’ve enjoyed it all. (Even the broken leg doesn’t seem that bad.)
If you need advice on how to have a happy and successful marriage for at least 2 years, i’m your man.
[5] Life
11 June 2010, mid-afternoon
We used to play this game at my friends cottage. It makes the game Guess Who far more interesting. The rules remain the same with one exception: you are only allowed to ask questions that have subjective answers. So, asking a question like, “Does your character wear glasses?”, would not be allowed. Instead, you would ask questions like: “Does your character look like a communist?”; “Does your character look like a pedophile?”; “Would you hang out with your character?”; etc. This makes the game a lot more difficult. It also makes it far more likely no one will win.
[2] Life
7 June 2010, mid-afternoon
Apple announced a new iPhone. It’s looking pretty hot. This is the first key note I can remember where the bulk of the presentation was stuff everyone already knew about, due to the leak from Gizmodo. It’s also the first keynote I can recall with a fairly big glitch occurring during the presentation: the phone had issues grabbing data over WiFi because of all the devices up and running in the presentation centre. The big feature that Apple (more or less) managed to keep secret was FaceTime, which is their video chat program for the iPhone. Sam Mendes directed the commercial they aired during the keynote to show off the feature, and as adverts go it’s very well done. (I guess you can say that about most of Apple’s advertising.) The last pair “talking” was a feature of video chat I hadn’t really thought about. The new phone looks pretty amazing, with the new industrial design and fancy high-res display. People were expecting Apple TVs and Unicorns, so i’m not sure if people will be satisfied with what they were shown during the keynote.
[5] iPhone
You’re not paying Facebook for their service, so they’ve got virtually no incentive to create the best experience for you to stay in touch with your ‘friends’. It’s just a means to an end for them, anything barely adequate will suffice. Their real incentives lie with providing advertisers with as much of your info as possible, so that they can drill down and target you with their god awful ads, in an attempt to maximise their click through rate. That goal takes priority over everything else, even that pesky privacy stuff. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. This should not be surprising.
— Facebook vs. Facebook Users by Layton
2 June 2010, early morning
I watched Iron Man II with my friends over the weekend. I haven’t been to a cinema in far too long. I think my summer resolution should be to watch a movie a week. It’s not even that hard a challenge. I used to watch so many. Anyway, Iron Man II is enjoyable, but i’d say much weaker than the first film. Like any comic book movie it has a comic book plot: a Russian scientist (loosely) linked to the Stark family is out to get his revenge on Tony Stark; if that wasn’t bad enough, Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit is killing him. This probably would have been enough for a solid film, but apparently it wasn’t enough for the people producing the movie. The folly of many comic book films is that they try to include too many characters and side stories. (I think X-Men II is the only film that pulls this off. It’s also probably the best comic book film ever made.) In Iron Man II we get to see: the origin of War Machine; Black Widow doing spy stuff; Nick Fury trying to recruit Iron Man into the Avengers; etc. I think Scarlett Johansson is really hot, but she really doesn’t need to be in this film; give her a film where she gets to be hot for the whole 2 hours. All of this extra junk distracts from the main story arc of the movie. What saves the film is the acting. Everyone in Iron Man has been cast perfectly. There is some great chemistry between Robert Downy Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow; I loved all of their scenes together. Mickey Rourke plays a really great villain. It’s impressive when actors manage to pull of not looking ridiculous when delivering ridiculous lines while wearing crazy costumes. The fellow who plays the weapons dealer Hammer is great, and he delivers the best monologue in the film. If you enjoyed the first film, you’ll probably like the second. The Iron Man series has thus far been one of Marvel’s better transitions from comic books to movies.
The official Iron Man web site.
[4] Movies
31 May 2010, lunch time
And so my experiment with Facebook ends. I deleted my account today. Shima actually deleted her account first. Now I apparently have to wait 14 days for Facebook to actually delete things, whatever that means. I suspect they keep your information around forever, but who knows. I’m not sure what I’ll miss on the site just yet. Certainly I have some friends and family who only share stuff via Facebook. I’ll just have to go back to shunning those people, like I used to in the good old days.
Life | Technology
27 May 2010, late at night
APC Jeans are vanity sized, so a size 28” is probably a size 30”. When I got into my accident I was wearing a pair of black size 26” APC New Standards. I had just recently washed them, after breaking them in for half a year. The paramedics cut those jeans up the moment they arrived on the scene; the nurses at Toronto Western finished the job. I asked a friend to grab me a replacement pair while they were in New York recently. APC has actual retail space in the city. You can get all sorts of jeans you can’t find here. I asked them to get me the smallest pair they make: size 24” Petite New Standards. They gave them to me today. I may have overestimated how skinny I am. These things are tight. I’m hoping they stretch out over the next few weeks. My last pair certainly did. I’m surprised there is a market for these jeans. I guess it’s just me and those heroin chic supermodels that make teenage girls want to stop eating.
[1] Life
24 May 2010, lunch time
I suspect the series finale might be a bit contentious. Certainly season 6 was much weaker than those that proceeded it. Still, I have to say i’m in the, “Oh hells yes,” camp when it comes to the show and that finale. The last couple shots were great. Every time a character remembered their actual life you were reminded once again of how awesome the show was. The finale makes you want to watch the show all over again. It’s strange to read my thoughts on the show back in 2005, a little while after it had started. (And season 2, 3, 4, and 5.) Lost is certainly one of the best shows ever made.
Update: FYI: I actually hate Season 6, now that I think back on it now.
[11] Television
20 May 2010, early evening
I’m not a keyboard fetishist, but I do enjoy typing on a nice keyboard. I bought the tiny Apple bluetooth keyboard from some dude on Craigslist almost two years ago. It replaced the larger white Apple bluetooth keyboard I bought an even longer time ago, also from some dude on Craigslist. I wanted a keyboard that was nicer to type on and, of particular importance, was much quieter.
Apple’s bluetooth keyboard is tiny. It looks like Apple popped it off one of their laptops. The keys are all full sized, but there are a couple differences between this keyboard and a typical Apple keyboard. First, the space bar is a little bit smaller — one key smaller to be exact. This hasn’t been an issue. My thumb doesn’t come close to hitting that part of the spacebar on normal keyboards. Second, the command, option, and control keys are all smaller, and in the case of the control key, only one key is present. I rarely — basically never — use the control, option, and command keys on the right hand side of the keyboard, so the loss of the control key wasn’t such a big deal. (I also almost never use the shift key on the right hand side of the keyboard: no doubt this makes me a bad typist.) Typing commands in Textmate that require you to press some combination of these keys sometimes feels a bit cramped. Still, after using the keyboard for so long I can’t say I’m too bothered. I like the keyboard’s small size.
One advantage of the tiny form factor is that I can keep my mouse closer to the keyboard. I find the fact you typically need to place your mouse so far to the right from where your hands normally are when typing a little bit awkward. I suspect it’s part of the reason my right shoulder always kills after I use a computer for an extended period of time. This keyboard really seems to help get rid of that pain. I also don’t use any sort of wrist rest with the keyboard and my arms don’t kill after an extended period of typing. There is something magically ergonomic about the keyboard, though I’m not sure what.
The keyboard is definitely quieter. I think Shima still finds it too noisy, but I’m not sure you could make a nice keyboard much quieter. Compared to my Unicomp Spacesaver it’s basically silent.
The way a keyboard feels to type on is pretty subjective. The Apple Keyboard uses the typically lame rubber-dome switches you find in most modern keyboards to register key presses. Surprisingly, in this keyboard they work quite well. It takes almost no effort to press a key. More so, because the keys are so shallow and flat they don’t really wobble around as you type—at all. I’ve had my keyboard for a little over two years now, and it still types as well now as it did when I bought it.
If you’re looking for a new keyboard, this is definitely worth checking out. (If you can’t live without a number pad, the larger wired version is probably what you want.)
[2] Apple Computers
19 May 2010, early morning
I finished watching The Corner yesterday. The mini-series is about a drug addled street corner of Baltimore. The series was based on a book written by The Wire creator David Simon, and his colleague Ed Burns. The series was directed by Charles S. Dutton. Each episode begins and ends with Dutton interviewing a cast member, as if the series was a documentary, but the episodes themselves proceed like your typical drama. The show features 3 key protagonists: Gary, a father; Fran, his ex-wife; and DeAndre, their son; the parents are both heroin addicts. If you’ve seen The Wire, you will recognize much of the supporting cast of The Corner. It’s a little bit strange, as the drug addicts in The Corner end up playing respectable citizens in The Wire. Like The Wire, the writing for The Corner is top notch, as is the acting. I liked the way it was filmed. It’s a well put together show.
The Corner’s main theme, to me anyway, seems to be about the disintegration of the Black community (in Baltimore). Dutton examines how family ties are broken and warped, how the community no longer care for one another, how they are quick to turn on each other, etc. The Corner is an amazing look at the destruction wrought on Baltimore and cities like it by drugs, in more or less one generation. Throughout the series he uses incredibly short flash backs to hint at a more idyllic time, or to give the viewer insight into how a character’s fall may have come about. Like The Wire, the corner also can be seen as a critique of institutions. In this case, the “corner” and the destructive life of drugs and gangs that it represents is something the characters can not escape. Throughout the series characters make moves to try and remove themselves from their current circumstances, but more often than not those very same circumstances are what pull them back to the corner.
If you are a fan of The Wire, it’s well worth watching The Corner.
Television
14 May 2010, mid-morning
The last film I watched at Hot Docs was The Absence of Mr. or Mrs. B. The film is a look at the lives of an infertile couple while they try to have a baby though IVF. Apparently in Iran infertility is the leading cause for divorce, after addiction. (Think about that for a second.) It was a strange movie. The couple were constantly joking about divorce, their disdain for one another, and the failure of their relationship. The husband would constantly talk about his womanizing. It was bleak and depressing, but not really presented in that way. There were a couple scenes that were pretty heart breaking, but they end up being mixed up with everything else in a way that makes them seem out of place. It also felt like the filmmakers were a bit too involved in the lives of the people the were filming. After you watch the film, you can sort of understand why. The movie could have been better; It was interesting nevertheless.
Movies | Hot Docs 2010
12 May 2010, late morning
I was told by my surgeon I can put weight on my leg Monday morning. He said I should probably transition from walking with two crutches, to walking with one crutch, to a cane, and finally walking all by myself. Walking with crutches looks ridiculous, and I don’t own a cane, so I just started walking instead. I haven’t broken my ankle yet!
[5] Life
11 May 2010, late morning
Iraq in Fragments was presented at Hot Docs as part of their ‘best of’ series. The film is split into three parts: the first is a look at a young boys life in Baghdad; the second is a look at an imam affiliated with Sadr and the Mahdi army; the third is a look at the lives of some Kurds up North. I have no idea how the film maker ended up shooting half the stuff that ended up in the film. The middle portion of the film is at times totally mental. The film was shot before the first set of elections in Iraq. For the most part it’s pretty bleak. I don’t think i’ve ever been so impressed with how a film is cut together. The editing is absolutely stunning. This is definitely something people should see.
Movies | Hot Docs 2010
10 May 2010, late morning
Freetime Machos is a quirky documentary about a Finnish amateur rugby team. What the team lacks in skill they make up for in camaraderie. The film starts at the beginning of a new rugby season. The team has to finish in one of the top 4 spots or they will have to join a new (lamer) league. The movie looks at the relationships of the players, how they deal with one another, and how the deal with the problems in their lives. The film is funny 90% of the time, and then there are moments here and there which are kind of sweet or touching. It’s a fun movie to watch.
Movies | Hot Docs 2010
6 May 2010, lunch time
After B1 we walked over to Isabel Bader to watch Aisheen: Still Alive in Gaza. The film is a look at the lives of the people in Gaza following their most recent war with Israel, and the sanctions that came with Hamas coming to power. The movie opens with the manager of a playground taking a child around a haunted house that was bombed by the Israeli army. From there we move from one story to the next, meeting people whose lives are broken, stuck in limbo, or both. The film is a series of monologues and conversations. The boredom and frustration is palatable. There is an undercurrent of anger that flares up on occasion. The spectre of Hamas seems to hang over everything. The film is a bit slow, but I think this helps tell the story: life in Gaza looks to be slow. The screening was packed. I think films about the Middle East attract a large audience here in Toronto. Aisheen was a well thought out film. The Q&A that followed was surprisingly good, for a change.
Movies | Hot Docs 2010
5 May 2010, early morning
B1 has to be one of the best documentaries i’ve ever seen. The film is a look at the life of Antonio Tenório da Silva, a blind Brazillian Judo champion. The film follows him as he prepares to compete in the Beijing Paralympics. The title of the film comes from the way competitors are classified: a B1 fighter is completely blind. Tenório is an inspiring figure. His first olympics were in 1996, and he won gold. He also won gold in 2000 and 2004. Beijing was his 4th attempt at a gold medal, competing at the age of 37. To train he fights competitors who can see, who are nearly half his age, because they pose more of a challenge for him. The dedication he puts into his training is incredible. The film is also a facinating look at the Paralympics, and the camaraderie of the competitors. All the Judo competitors seem to be very friendly with one another. The film is shot really well. You are right up there with the competitors during fights. More impressive is the sound. You really hear ever slam to the mat. The screening of B1 we saw wasn’t sold out. I have no idea how a film about a Blind judoka doesn’t sell out. Do yourself a favour and try and catch the second screening.
The film screened with Geral, a short movie about Macana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. It’s a look at the energetic and passionate fans that come and cheer on their team. The film is all drums and cheering and noise. It’s really well done, and compliments B1 perfectly.
Movies | Hot Docs 2010
4 May 2010, mid-morning
My second screening at Hot Docs was Candy Man: The David Klein Story. David Klein is the man who created and marketed Jelly Belly jellybeans. Klein is eventually forced out of the company he started by his partners, and is written out of any corporate history of the product. The film is compelling because Klein is compelling. He’s a very charismatic and funny figure. His whole attitude towards life is refreshing and positive. The film is well produced and put together. The history of the Jelly Belly is surprisingly interesting. The film is basically a feel good movie. One of the producers was Klein’s son, so it can also be seen as an ode to his Dad.
Movies | Hot Docs 2010
The perseverance of a rebel I drop heavier levels
It’s unseen or heard, a king with words
Can’t knock the hustle, but I’ve seen street dreams deferred
Dark spots in my mind where the scene occured
Some say I’m too deep, I’m in too deep to sleep
Through me, Muhammed will forever speak
Greet brothers with handshakes in ghetto landscapes
Where a man is determined by how much a man make
— The 6th Sense by Common
3 May 2010, late morning
It will take more than a broken leg to keep me away from HotDocs. My favourite film festival in Toronto started this past Thursday. Shima, Riadh, and I attended our first screening on Friday; we watched The Devil Operation, which was screening with We Are.
The first film was a short by Kevin Papatie. Each scene begins with the narrator whispering a tie between the Natives and nature; for example, “We are the air.” In contrast to this narration, a young Native boy was filmed in front of corresponding scenes of decay: a factory polluting the air, clear cut trees, a broken home, etc. I think it’s hard to make a 3-minute long film that manages to make a point; this film certainly does.
The second film was the one we were all interested in seeing. The Devil Operation is a look at the conflict between Peruvian farmers and a foreign mining company. The film’s main protagonist is Father Marco Arana. At the start of the film he is mediating a dispute between the locals and the mining company, ultimately securing a win for the locals. As the film proceeds we learn about the costs he (and others) have to pay for defending a mountain from foreign interests. The film is a good overview of what’s going on in Peru with respect to mining and the gold industry. It’s always inspiring watching these stories about people doing important human rights work in countries where doing so puts you in very real danger. The director, Stephanie Boyd, has lived in Peru for 13 odd years now, and has made several films about the country. I enjoyed the film, but thought it might have been too sprawling. Boyd covers several stories, all related to mining, but not quite related to each other. I don’t know if something more focused would have worked better. Regardless, I think the film is well worth watching.
Movies | Hot Docs 2010
28 April 2010, lunch time
I get pretty tired if I don’t drink a Coke in the afternoon. Well, any pop really. When I was at work I’d usually buy a Dr. Pepper from the convenience store in the lobby of my office building. Now that i’m home I usually drink a Coke. A friend mentioned that getting tired when you don’t drink a pop is probably a sign of physical addiction. I wonder. This coke tastes pretty damn good, anyway.
[4] Life
22 April 2010, late morning
I probably should have written this when Louie’s became Fubar. Or when Fubar became Tabu. Today Tabu, and most of the buildings in that complex, burnt to the ground, which I think officially marks the demise of Loose Change Louie’s. Louie’s was the first bar I went to in Waterloo. I skipped some frosh event to meet up with my friend Alex and his friends from Applied Studies. I remember that night so clearly, even now. I went there almost every Tuesday with my roommates Gary and Damon during the my first term at Waterloo. When Fed Hall was closed or too busy, we’d also go on Thursdays. We’d complain about the shitty music and overall skeeziness of the place, and then head out. It was a dump; and the DJ did suck. Still, it had a vibe to it you couldn’t beat. Louie’s was the first place I kissed Shima. In hindsight we probably should have picked a better location. RIP Loose Change Louie’s. You were a beautiful bar.
I should also say something about Mel’s. They were open super late and served $3 breakfasts to drunk-as-fuck University students. It was also pretty damn awesome. Waterloo lost a lot of history today.
[5] Life
20 April 2010, evening time
Monday afternoon my coworker dropped by with an iPad he picked up for me from the US. (This is the same guy who managed to get me an iPhone a year before they came out in Canada. I’ll have to name my children after him or something.) I’ve been lusting after an iPad for a while now. After being stuck in my bed for a few weeks after breaking my leg, I see the appeal of a computer designed to be used when you are straight up chillaxing. (Well, I wouldn’t call my weeks in a cast chillaxing, but you know what i mean.) There have already been a ton of reviews going on about how awesome the iPad is. I’m in total agreement. This thing is quite enjoyable thus far. I’m not sure I can really say anything of substance till i’ve been using it for a few weeks. Instead I’ll offer up a few quick thoughts on the machine.
The keyboard works fairly well, better than I would have thought. Typing in portrait is pretty difficult, but doable. Typing in landscape is much easier. I can type fairly fast in landscape mode, and really have only had one issue come up: the keyboard feels close enough to a real keyboard that I keep reaching for the non-existent apostrophe key. I’ve hit enter so many times by accident. I need to remember to let the OS autocorrect the apostrophe into the word I’m typing automatically.
The iPad fast. (Considering I’ve been using an iPhone 3G running the buggy iPhone OS4 beta, the iPad feels wicked fast in comparison.) This is most notable when resizing web pages using the pinch to zoom gesture. The whole computer feels quite snappy. Considering the processor is actually fairly under powered its impressive what Apple have done.
The screen is like a god damn mirror. I’m not sure if this will eventually drive me made or not. (I hate glossy screens. What a stupid idea for a monitor.) Anyway, putting that aside the screen is gorgeous: It’s bright and the viewing angle looks to be enormous.
I typed this up on my sofa. Because the whole screen is just one app, its very easy to focus. It will be interesting to see studies comparing how people work on the iPad versus a normal computer. It’s distraction free computing.
I need to figure out what Decepticon to name my iPad after and I’ll be all set.
[4] Apple Computers
I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options.
— Keith Elam, aka Guru, dies at age 43.
“I remember one woman walking by. She was carrying a huge bag, and she looked like she was heading toward us, so we lit her up with the Mark 19, which is an automatic grenade launcher, and when the dust settled, we realized that the bag was full of groceries. She had been trying to bring us food and we blew her to pieces.”
— Jason Washburn, a corporal in the US Marines who served three tours in Iraq, speaking at the Winter Soldier hearings that took place March 13-16, 2008, in Silver Spring, Maryland.
