14 August 2006, lunch time
I finally finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It took me a fairly long time to get through; the book is a bit of a tome. Set in 19th century England, the book narrates the story of the two men that would return magic to English soil. It’s a fantasy novel of sorts, but really reads much more like a novel from the period it is set in. It is only a fantasy book insofar as it is a book about magicians. The book is reminiscent of Quicksilver, but without the maddening vocabulary. Like Quicksilver, the pace of the story is also very slow, but it is a bit more focused. The book is split into three parts, and the story really doesn’t start moving till the end of the second part. Once the story gets going however, the book is very engrossing. Beyond the story, the characters themselves are interesting and entertaining. The pages and pages of back story really do contribute to the overall book. It was a good book, worth checking out.
[1] Comics and Books
11 August 2006, lunch time
I bought the Sundays’ first CD, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, last night on the way home from a protest. The only song I knew from the CD before hand was Here’s Where the Story Ends, which I first heard as a cover performed by Faye Wong. (Faye Wong’s version is called Being Criminal; written in Chinese, the name is apparently a play on her name and her former husband Dou Wei’s name.) The first Sundays song I actually heard was Summertime, which I think was on the charts when I was in grade 11 or 12. It’s a very nice pop song: catchy and sweet. Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic is a great CD. I’ve been listening to it on repeat since I bought it. The cashier at HMV looked at the CD when I gave it to her, held it tight in her hands, smiled, and then told me, “This is such a good CD.” She seemed to reflect on it for a moment, before ringing my order through.
you’re not the only one that I know
and I’m too proud to talk to you anyway
you’re not the only one that I know
and I’m far too proud to talk to you any day
so I say I’m in love with the world
Music | Lyrics
10 August 2006, early afternoon
A serious security breach was found in the source code for Ruby on Rails. The core team announced as much, and suggested (strongly) that everyone running a Rails application upgrade immediately. The disclosure of a serious bug and a quick fix are good things. However, the Rails team felt that the bug was so serious they shouldn’t inform the community about its details; this doesn’t make too much sense.
Rails is an open source framework; the source code is available for everyone to see. When you tell everyone that version X of your software has a flaw, but version Y doesn’t, and you let people read both versions X and Y of your source code, it doesn’t take too long for people to see what was changed between versions X and Y. In fact, in this particular case it didn’t take too long at all.
So what did the Rails team gain by not disclosing the details of the bug? As far as I can tell, nothing. Since they didn’t announce what prior versions were affected by this bug, some system administrators may have patched servers that didn’t need to be patched, wasting their time and resources. That’s actually a pretty big deal. More so, the sort of people that are going to be writing scripts to “hack” Rails applications are the sorts of people that will probably know enough to run code>diff.
This is being discussed in the comments in the announcement thread, its follow-up, and in the Ruby on Rails forums. Apparently the bug still effects some systems.
Update: The Rails team discloses everything in their latest post on this topic.
Technology
8 August 2006, terribly early in the morning
I spent the whole day with Shima and had a very lovely time. I had so nice a time in fact that I completely forget that the WWDC was taking place! I certainly missed a lot. Apple announced the Mac Pro, which is using Intel’s Xeon (64-bit) processor. Apple’s now moved their entire line over to Intel chips; the transition was much faster than I suspect most people thought it would be. Apple also announced some of the feature’s we’ll see in the upcoming version of Mac OS X (Leopard). Kottke’s got an open thread on the WWDC. He sounds less then impressed with what was announced for the next version of OS X. I would agree it is a bit lackluster, though some of the things announced look pretty cool: the remote desktop sharing with iChat, the new backup system, and the inline to-do stuff in Mail all seem pretty neat. If you are bored, or geeky, you can watch the Jobs’ keynote address in its entirity.
[2] Apple Computers | Technology
8 August 2006, the wee hours
Late last night my friends and I went to Paramount to see Miami Vice. Most have us have been pretty excited about seeing this film for quite some time. Michael Mann’s last film, Collateral was pretty damn good, so we all had high hopes for this film as well. The movie follows to vice cops, Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell, who go undercover to catch some evil drug dealers. (In the process they meet the super-awesome Gong Li, who plays the white-collar money manager of the criminal syndicate.) I liked the film a fair bit. It’s not as good as Collateral, but it’s still pretty damn good. There are some cool gun fights, and some cool boats, some steamy sex, and a fair amount of violence. What more can you ask for from a movie?
The official Miami Vice web site.
[6] Movies
5 August 2006, early afternoon
I watched Lady in the Water yesterday night with Patrick. We walked all the way from Bathurst and Bloor to Yonge and Bloor, down Yonge to Queen, and across Queen towards Paramount Cinema. It was quite the trek. We wanted to see Pirates of the Caribean but it was playing a little too late. Matt had mentioned a few days earlier that he had enjoyed Lady in the Water, and I like M. Night Shyamalan, so I thought it’d be a good film to see instead. I liked the film, Patrick not so much. Apparently the movie is based on a story Shyamalan would tell his kids. The movie feels very much like a fairy-tale or children’s story. Unlike his previous works, there isn’t a contrived twist and the end to shock the audience. That was a nice change as well—not that there weren’t all sorts of twists throughout the film. The dialog is a bit grating, and the story is very fantastic, but I suppose that’s the whole point. Anyway, I think it’s a nice film. I enjoy most of his films, so keep that in mind.
The official Lady in the Water web site.
Movies
4 August 2006, late afternoon
Tricky appears on several tracks on Massive Attacks first CD. It’s unclear whether he was an official member of the band, or like Horace Andy, someone the group worked with. When it came time to do the second album Tricky decides to part ways with the group, but left them with some lyrics/music to work with. (Or perhaps he was contractually obligated to leave what he recorded behind.) The songs Karmacoma and Eurochild feature the same rhymes from Tricky as Overcome and Hell is Roud the Corner, respectively. I like Karmacoma more than Overcome, and Hell is Roud the Corner more than Eurochild, though all four songs are really quite good. Back to Blue Lines: there are a ton of great songs on that album. Five Man Army is one of my favourites, but the true classic has to be Unfinished Sympathy.
Music
1 August 2006, lunch time
I sometimes get the feeling foreigners have this impression that Canada is cold all the damn time. It is cold in the winter, but it is freakishly hot in the summer. Today it is 36 degrees out. It will probably feel even hotter when you take in to account the humidity. My house doesn’t have air conditioning and I think I am going to die.
[8] Life
28 July 2006, lunch time
I went to the Yellow Griffin last night with Dave. I’ve been several times now, and feel confident when I say it’s probably the best burger place in the city. (It’s also a nice pub.) You can get 6 different types of burgers (beef, lamb, chicken, veggie, turkey and pork), served with 35 different sets of toppings. For example, the burger I like the best, the “Bollywood Burger”, comes is rubbed with tandori paste, and served with mango chutney and yogurt. There are all sorts of strange and tasty burger choices. The sides are good too. (I usually get sweet potato fries, which are excellent.) One of Carvill’s friend was trying to convince us Apache Burger was the best burger joint in town. It’s good, but isn’t even in the same league as the Yellow Griffin. I really can’t think of any other burger places that compare.
[3] Restaurants and Bars | Life
26 July 2006, lunch time
I chatted with my cousin online using Skype and my iSight. It was pretty incredible. I’ve had an iSight for a while now, which while handy, hasn’t really been used for its intended purpose: I take photobooth photos with it, which I email to Shima on occasion, and I scan books with it in to Delicious Library. This was the second time I used the iSight to video-chat with someone. The first time was with Dave using iChat, and that was way too much trouble to get started. Dave and I were mucking around for a good while before we finally got the video-chat going, and even then it was pretty choppy and unimpressive. Skype on the other hand works really well. I didn’t have to fidget with firewall settings and the like to get things started (though this may be because I started to session). The video and audio are both quite good; It isn’t 30fps video, but its not that bad. Actually seeing and talking to someone all the way in Sydney was cool. The future is now. (Well the future has been here for a while I suppose, I’ve just been missing out till now.)
[2] Software | Life
25 July 2006, lunch time
As I mentioned yesterday, there was a large protest for Canada’s actions—or lack thereof—in the conflict in Sri Lanka, and a memorial for the communal riots of July 1983. I attended the event for an hour or so. During that time, I got to hear 3 politicians speak, watch a dance performance, and listen to some poetry. Of the three speakers I heard, Jim Karygiannis seemed to be the most informed of the lot. He has actually been to Sri Lanka, and has been attending these events for some time. The focus of the event (while I was there) was primarily on human rights abuses in Sri Lanka and requests for Canada to play a bigger role in the peace process. Dundas square was fairly packed; there was a sea of Tamil people sitting on the ground and standing around the edge of the square. Teenagers handed out flyers to people walking by the busy Dundas and Yonge intersection.
Two things in particular made this an effective protest I would say, beyond the sheer number of people out at Dundas Square:
- There wasn’t much discussion on the LTTE whatsoever. Strangers on the street can learn about what is going on in Sri Lanka without having their opinions coloured by things they have heard about the LTTE. (I think one problem with the Tigers is that their notoriety overshadows that of the actual conflict.)
- Most of the speakers were in English, which meant that the event could attract an audience outside of the Tamil community. Those speakers who did speak in Tamil had their speeches paraphrased afterwards by one of the Tamil MCs. At the protests I’ve attended in support of democracy in Iran, I think the overuse of Farsi is problematic. (I haven’t attended any big protests, where things might be different.)
Was anyone else there?
[2] Life | Toronto
24 July 2006, lunch time
I made Dave and Carvill watch Junebug on Saturday. The film is about an art dealer traveling to the rural-South with her new husband to meet his family. Junebug is very much my sort of movie: slow and subtle. The acting is great and gives the film an authentic feel. Amy Adams in particular is really good as the pregnant and chirpy Ashley in the film. (Her husband is played by Ben McKenzie from the O.C.) The film has some funny moments, but for the most part the jokes are not in your face. The dialog is good and rings very true. I enjoyed the film, Carvill and Dave not so much.
The official Junebug web site.
[1] Movies
21 July 2006, late morning
All my hard work and dedication have paid off: I’m finally ranked 1804th on my server when it comes to the player-vs-player part of World of Warcraft. This statistic would mean more to me if I knew how many people were on my server period, and how many were playing the PvP part of the game. I’ve been playing so much recently I am starting to recognize the punk players on the opposing side (the Alliance), as well as recognizing the players on my side that know how to play the game properly. It is very satisfying killing the twinks. (Note: I’m not sure if people used that term on purpose or not, or if people are even aware of the other meaning of the word.) The game is still fun (and addictive).
World of Warcraft
20 July 2006, lunch time
Summerlicious is usually very hit or miss. Yesterday’s trip to byMark, which I thought would be a hit, was definitely a miss. I went to the restaurant with Nina, Riadh and Shima. The restaurant was fairly busy when we arrived at 9:00, but emptied out slowly as the night moved on. Shima and Nina didn’t like our waiter, though I’m not entirely sure why. I thought the service at byMark was alright, but nothing exceptional. (The best service I’ve encountered at a restaurant has to be at Centro or George.) I think everyone was a little bit disappointed with the food. I had crab cakes, followed by halibut, followed by a small mouse cake, as did Riadh; Nina and Shima had a chicken dish instead for their mains. The halibut was over cooked; it was far too chewy. The sauce it was in was quite tasty, but overall it was a disappointing main. The crab cakes were alright, but again, nothing too special. Shima’s chicken dish was quite bland, though I am sure someone would argue the flavour was subtle and nuanced. Everything tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for hours on end, which might have been the case. I am sure during the rest of the year, byMark produces great food, but during summerlicious I don’t think they do in the least. As with Monsoon, I was left with no real desire to go back. If you want some good food during Summerlicious, my guess is that Bloom would deliver.
[10] Restaurants and Bars | Toronto
At Atchuvely, during the first week of November, some L.T.T.E. members threw grenades at the I.P.K.F. and escaped through a Proctor Balasingam’s house. Two soldiers were killed. Soldiers entered Proctor Balasingam’s house and called out the Proctor, his wife and another person, who were helpless parties in the matter. Subsequently all three were shot dead.
—From A Broken Palmyra (Chapter 2.3 Scenes from the October 1987 War)
18 July 2006, lunch time
So you may be well aware that I think our prime minister, Harper, is a bit a jack-ass. My opinions of the man haven’t changed in recent days. His response to what is going on Lebanon is ridiculous. Before he was aware that 7 Canadians were killed by Israel in a bombing, he had declared that Israel’s response to the kidnappings thus far had been measured. (As far as I can tell, it hasn’t been. Israel was right to respond, but blowing up a country seems a bit much.) Since learning of the deaths, his opinion hasn’t changed. Really, he doesn’t seem all to concerned with the deaths whatsoever.
Mr. Harper said neither he nor his officials have contacted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for an explanation of the air strike on Sunday that killed a Montreal pharmacist, his wife, their four young children and others. He offered his condolences to the victims’ families at the start of his news conference.
Well, be sure to let us know when you get off your ass and figure out what actually happened. I suspect the little girls weren’t working for Hezbollah, but one can never be sure. I am sure as with Air India, and Zahara Kazemi, Canada will do nothing about this.
It annoys me to no end that Harper is our representative in the world. Canada has joined team crazy.
[2] Current Events | Politics
18 July 2006, lunch time
My house is so damn hot. I went most of my life without air conditioning, so you would think that not having it now wouldn’t be so bad, except that it is. My house is so damn hot. I stole my roommates fan from the living room in a poor attempt to cool my room down; it didn’t help all that much. I was supposed to do all sorts of errands over the past couple days, but the only thing I have managed to do is gain a level in World of Warcraft. That was good.
Life
16 July 2006, evening time
Rishi and I watched Zombies today after having brunch with Sheliza at Flo’s diner in Yorkville. Neither of us really knew what the play was about, but it was well reviewed in Eye so Rishi wanted to check it out. Zombies is a one-man show about a guy who is late for work, and who had a strange dream. I really don’t want to say anymore on the plot; suffice it to say it’s a little bit strange. Stewart Matthews, the writer and one and only actor in the play, did a brilliant job playing all the parts, his accents and mannerisms changing with each character. It was really quite the sight to see. I’ll need to check out more of the Fringe Festival next year. Both plays I watched were really good, and I wonder how many other good ones I missed out on.
Life | Toronto
15 July 2006, terribly early in the morning
Moveable Type is free again. Free as in beer that is.
We also continue to make our personal license for Movable Type even more open: The personal version of Movable Type is now completely free, and supports as many blogs and authors as you want. Of course, we continue to offer paid support as an option for personal blogs, along with services such as professional installation
You may recall some time ago, everyone with a blog went totally ape shit when SixApart declared they wanted to make some money off the product they built and supported all by themselves. Shocking, I know. There is nothing people love to do more than freak out on the Internet. I suspect this announcement won’t generate the same sort of feedback, either in volume or in ferocity, as the last big announcement.
Weblogs
14 July 2006, the wee hours
I just got back from watching The (W)hole of Emily Scheller with Steph. It’s playing at this years Fringe Festival. The play is about the events in Emily’s life which have turned her into an ever-so-slightly cynical young lady. Her story is told to the audience in reverse chronological order. The play looks at some serious milestones in the girl’s life, and presents them in sometimes humorous, sometimes touching, ways. Emily is played by three actors: one boy and two girls. (None of them look alike, and going by the few descriptions we get of Emily in the play, none of them look like her either. I’m not sure if that matters or not.) One of the leads is Matt’s sister Rachael, who I haven’t seen in something like 7 years. (Oh my God high school was a long time ago.) She, along with both the other actors, did an excellent job. I was really impressed, and so was Steph. I’m really glad I made it out to see the play. It’s playing once more on Saturday, July 15th, at 2:15 PM. You should watch it. (Although I guess I say that about everything I see.)
Life | Toronto
13 July 2006, late morning
I finished Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney last night. Dave lent me the game a few weeks back to play. It took a lot of effort for him to get the game, as it is way more rare than it probably should be. The game is fun, but wasn’t as good as I had thought it would be. There are 5 cases in the game you as Phoenix Wright, a young defense attorney, must solve. You’re sort of like Perry Mason or Matlock in that you normally prove your client is innocent by finding the culprit of the crime, which in this game is always murder. Part of the game involves listening to testimonies from witnesses and finding contradictions in what the witnesses say. The other half of the game is spent traveling around searching for clues and evidence, and talking to people involved with the case. It’s a very novel idea for a game, but one that can get a bit tedious at times. The story is very linear, and a few times I was unsure what specific sequence of events I needed to do to advance the plot. I also wasn’t that impressed with the dialog in the game, though there are some really funny gems here and there. All-in-all it’s a good game, but since the replay on it is essentially nill, you should probably rent it or buy it on the cheap.
[1] Video Games | Nintendo DS
12 July 2006, lunch time
new hood? when you moving there? why?
So, unless I manage to mess things up somehow, I should be moving to Bloor and Lansdowne in August or September. Why? Because I bought a condo there. Buying a condo is a lot of extra stress in my not so stressful life. I’ll be glad when everything is sorted.
Read the rest of this post. (563 words)
[12] Life | Bloor and Lansdowne
11 July 2006, lunch time
After attending a protest to mark the student uprising in Tehran in 1999, I met up with Dave and Patrick to watch A Scanner Darkly. It is a very cool film. The movie is based on the book by Philip K. Dick, who wrote Blade Runner and Minority Report. As you would expect, the movie is about a dark and dystopian future. Keanu Reaves plays an undercover narcotics officer who is getting more and more addicted a drug called substance D; substance D addiction is a nationwide pandemic. The film is funny at times, but gets quite depressing and dark as the story progresses. The film is quasi-animated; It’s hard to describe, so go watch the trailer. The film is really good, so you should definitely check it out.
The official A Scanner Darkly web site.
[1] Movies
10 July 2006, the wee hours
The Italy-France final this world cup was pretty good. Thinking back on the game, the only thing that comes to mind is Zidane head butting Materazzi. Materazzi is the more infamous of the two for playing dirty; he probably said something, or did something, to provoke Zidane. Still, you really shouldn’t lose your cool like that in a world cup final. A player like Zidane should know that. Anyway, my team Italy won in the end. Little Italy is going crazy.
Update: I still like Zidane mind you; he’s probably one of the best soccer players ever. I think that’s what makes him head butting Materazzi so out of place. (Thanks to YouTube, you can watch 9 minutes of Zidane doing crazy shit set to trance.)
Update: Kottke is collecting links and videos about this story.
Update: The rumors right now are that Materazzi called Zidane the Italian equivilant of a not very nice word, and then went on to call him the son of a terrorist whore. (Zidane is Algerian.) If true, that’s not very classy. Materazzi denies the allegations.
[12] Life
5 July 2006, early evening
I missed the first half of the game, so I didn’t get to see the foul that led to France’s goal. Portugal had a few good opportunities, but they just couldn’t beat the French defense. Ronaldo fell and he fell, but he just couldn’t get a goal. And so France of all teams makes it to the final.
[3] Life
