keeping sane, one word at a time
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Male; Age 25; Likes Ultimate Frisbee;
Here's a favorite quote of mine from Tropic of Cancer p.99, "I have found God, but he is insufficient. I am only spiritually dead. Physically I am alive. Morally I am free. The world which i have departed is a menagerie. The dawn is breaking on a new world, a jungle world in which the lean spirits roam with sharp claws. If I am a hyena I am a lean and hungry one: I go forth to fatten myself."
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Sunday, October 31, 2004
Green 2
Our house signed up for delivery of local, organic vegetables through a company called: SPUD, or Small Potatoes Urban Delivery. They can be found at www.spud.ca. I'm using this as my footprint reduction for the week.
3:16 PM
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Green
So the plan is to make an effort to diminish my footprint on the planet. The strategy is to come up with a new green task each week. This past week, I replaced incandecent bulbs in my room with the flourescent type (in a helix shape) that claim to be 5 times more efficient. What will next weeks task be?
1:27 PM
Monday, August 30, 2004
And Here We Go Again...
I'm referring to my relationship with the National Student Loans Service Center (NSLSC), who seem to be out to get me. Being a student (and borrower) since '97 I'd like to think I'm somewhat aware of the process called "Confirmation of Enrollment", which involves sending a form to the NSLSC. The form contains your period of study and signature and the signature of someone at the Registrar's Office. I'm constantly surprised at how difficult it is to convince these people that I'm still in school. I was originally born in Manitoba, but went to school in Ontario, which makes me "out of province" - apparently the most complicated form of borrower:) and a brand I wouldn't wish on anyone. Anyway, although I have forgotten in the past, I'm confident my Schedule 2 (S2) form (the confirmation of enrollment) arrived before the deadline this year. I'll note here that it seems damn near impossible to talk to a human at NSLSC. Regardless, I was again deferred to Tricera (?spelling), which is the collection agency NSLSC uses. These guys seem to be quite a bit more severe and immediately begin acruing interest on your loan.... TBC
7:49 PM
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Nuclearity
Nuclear power seems to be the appropriate choice to fill any gaps in Canada's power supply for the near future, economically and environmentally. How many provinces actually need the power? Well, you can definitely put Ontario down for a few reactors, to replace existing fossil-fueled generation plants and the existing (and ageing) nuclear plants of Pickering and Bruce Stations. At approximately 23,000 MW of generating ability at any one instant, Ontario is in an energy crisis scenario every summer.
"As of September 30, 2003 OPG’s [Ontario Power Generation] electricity-generating portfolio had a total in-service capacity of 22, 733 megawatts (MW). This consisted of three operating nuclear stations with a capacity of 6,103 MW (comprising four units at Darlington, four units at Pickering B and one unit at Pickering A); six fossil-fueled stations with a capacity of 9,700 MW; 36 hydroelectric stations with a capacity of 6,796 MW; and 32 EcoLogoM-certified green power stations (29 hydroelectric and three wind) with a capacity of 134 MW. Two nuclear stations, formerly operated by OPG, are leased on a long-term basis to Bruce Power L.P. " (Source: www.opg.com)
Manitoba (www.hydro.mb.ca) and Quebec have well established hydro generation programs that supply 100% of their power (at least in MB). Manitoba is expecting to export about $350 M in hydro electric power in the coming year. How does nuclear power stand in Canada (http://www.nuclearfaq.ca/)? There are a bunch of neat sites on nuclear power, both for(http://pw1.netcom.com/~res95/energy/nuclear.html) and against (http://www.citizen.org/CMEP/). So, what's going on in the other provinces? I'm going to find out.
9:41 PM
Friday, July 16, 2004
I gotta get my patent in for the "Wi-Fi Bike Lock", or possibly the Wi-Fi bike. A sample message from the hijacked bike lock would read:
Dear Wifi Bike Lock User,
It is 3:36:34 pm PST. Your bike is being stolen from 1234 Fake St. At the thieve's current rate of severing, we estimate your Wi-Fi Bike Lock will last approximately 1.6 minutes.
Sincerely,
The Wi-Fi Bike Lock Team
9:04 PM
Sunday, July 11, 2004
I see a future filled with so many computer terminals that laptops seem ridiculous.
12:40 PM
Monday, May 24, 2004
need to update blog, but too busy. Spent the weekend in a place called Jarvis Inlet. 20 nautical miles north of Nanaimo. Gorgeous weather, surroundings. I need to work on my croquet skills - they suck!
Landlady is seeking criminal charges against me and other tenants. This is all a ruse to try and get away with not refunding our damage deposit.
Thesis defense date set for June 23rd. Holy shit! Need to practice/create defense presentation and come up with plan for experiments (for other concurrent project) during Kingston visit.
11:16 PM
Monday, April 26, 2004
Hmmm, cold fusion seems to be appearing more and more in popular literature. I need to familarize myself with nuclear fission and fusion (hot and cold) in my quest to stay "plugged in" to the impending energy crisis.
10:39 PM
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Chainsaws and Bunny Rabbits
Holy shit I haven't written anything in a while. Saw Kill Bill Vol. 2 tonight. Both volumes makeup a kung-fu extravaganza in the trademark Tarantino style, that is: mixing in-your-face blood and guts with cute and cuddly moments (chainsaws and bunny rabbits). What a stellar job though!
11:17 PM
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
The Soldier of the Future
I've been slowly crafting this idea in my head about what direction Canada should be taking internationally. The countries of the world are beginning to mix socially and financially at an increasing pace: globalization. The second phenomena that is creeping along with globalization, but rarely makes the headlines, is a planet-wide energy crisis. If we follow the lead of the US we'll end up alienating ourself from the rest of the world and have nothing but a small cache of oil to show for it. We can't be certain about the future of our race or our planet, in terms of a sustainable energy solution, but what is clear is that using our remaining breath to stake claim to this ever diminishing "resource" is a waste of time.
Another waste of time is blaming the US. Canada has been fortunate in a number of ways: 1) We have a reasonable amount of oil. 2) We have few enemies because of it. 3) We have the US right beside us. As a result, we've become overly dependent on American money and military power. So, why spend money on a Canadian military that plays traditional roles? Okay, some will say, to our credit, that we do have peacekeepers. Fair enough, but look at the state of our military and of our standing internationally. The former is in a decrepid state, while the latter is satisfactory at best (which was accomplished through lying low).
I propose we retrofit and retrain our army, navy and air force for the purpose of building. Building what you ask? Building a better planet. Starting at the third world level, we bring and build the technologies, specifically, energy technologies, to improve the quality of life of the globe. That might initially involve more building, but eventually it'll involve educating. A lot of this is already going on, behind the scenes through volunteers. Many good things come out of this arrangement. We give renewed purpose to a military that has very little direction. We give renewed purpose to the entire country in fact, because energy research then becomes an important aspect of the "civilian" population. We take an aggressive, but constructive stance on this problem. This is how I see the soldiers of the future.
7:35 PM
592-7256 for future reference
7:03 PM
Sunday, March 07, 2004
I'm leaving Kingston right now, on my way back out West to Victoria. The trip was a success. I was able to diagnose all dominant modes of sensor failure and was able to get my thesis into a submittable form. With luck, the defense date will be set for end-o-March/ early-April and I'll be able to get on with the Ph.D.
On another note, I can't remember my fucking phone number in Victoria. I think it's 592-something:) Too much travelling...
7:19 AM
Monday, February 23, 2004
Random Predictions: The first "artificial intelligence" will be a search algorithm.
6:08 PM
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Heading to Kingston on the 24th. Going to be performing tests at an RMC lab.
Won my first eBay auction today: got my hands on a Tektronix 2235 Oscilliscope for $296 CA. Trying to gather some goodies for the lab here in Victoria.
12:41 AM
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
I was initially quite depressed about "Peak Oil" (see Tue Feb 10). I have now formulated some views on the subject:
As a nation (CANADA) that has a lot of resources, I believe we have a big responsibility to the rest of the planet. It is up to us to create and build the technology that powers or feeds the population of the earth. Of course, the weight lies on the shoulders of all 1st world nations. We have all the resources = we have all the responsibility. Quite straightforward. Instead of spending our time running around the planet, robbing from the poor to try and make one last stand before the oil runs out, we should focus our attention on this long term energy problem.
On a completely different note, I welcome the apocalypse becaues I think we're overly greedy motherfuckers on this continent and we need an attitude adjustment. And, as usual, the only way this change can happen is by death and a whole lot of it!
6:31 PM
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net
11:46 PM
Saturday, January 31, 2004
I've decided not to boot the cat across the lawn. (See: Tue Jan 20)
I'm building this steam chamber at work, it's looking like we want between 6 and 10 X atmospheric pressure steam. At that pressure the steam will be over 160 C. It turns out that's the easy part of the chamber. A number of ports into the vessel will be necessary to allow feedthrough of electical conduits, etc. One of the ports will also have to allow motion. At this point we'd like reciprocating motion, but I haven't been able to find anything on the market that's certified. Rotary motion is more do-able, but will involve a design change. I think rotary motion might workout better in the end.
My bed's too small. I'm thinking double futon mattress, without the frame (save money). Damn! I wish I could have brought my old "fute" along!
11:28 AM
After all this thesis writing I've come to the conclusion that one's speaking ability bears absolutely no relation to their writing ability.
11:16 AM
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
My landlady has this cat, "Kokay". It's totally spoiled rotten. Before I leave this place I'm going to boot the cat across the lawn.
8:05 PM
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
okay, i just found out that "Aliens vs. Predator" the movie is coming out. A definite must-see for me!
7:24 PM
We've got a dishwasher at this new place. I've been washing my own dishes by hand for quite some time up to this point and I'd forgotten the convenience. Mostly I'm digging the sound it makes. As I'm writing this the dry cycle is almost finishsed and I'm tempted to start it again just for fun. Alas, my environmental conscience kicks in.
3:12 PM
Sunday, January 11, 2004
back online baby!
9:20 PM
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Dear Mom,
hope all is well. I've found a place to live. It's west of the university by 5-7 mins on bike. It's a house with two other students living in it. The rent is $400 inclusive, so it'll be cheaper than in kingston. I'll be moving into the place on thursday, the owner of the house is kind of a packrat and she's has to clean out my room. The whole place is furnished, along with appliances (washer/dryer) and a fully-outfitted kitchen. I've met one roommate and she's awesome, so things are looking good.
My address is:
1485 Derby Rd.
Victoria, BC V8P 1T4
I guess we can probably ship my stuff as early as Thursday. The weather's finally getting back to normal around here. I expect the snow to be gone by the end of the week. I'll let you know what my phone number is asap.
12:06 PM
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