Dyson's Fear 3.0

I Hate People

It's stories like this that makes me want to support VHEMT.

While I don't support vigilantism, the guy got off lucky.

Labels: current events

posted by Jason @ 6:03 PM 0 comments

For you John Tory folks out there checking this place out

Just to be non-partisan, I utterly loathe the man, even more so than Dalton McGuinty and Howard Hampton. I'm tired of the clowns running the circus, but the days of competent leadership died in 1984. Tory's no exception, which is sad, as I actually had respect for the guy when he ran for Toronto Mayor. His ideas were solid, and were refreshing after the showboating of the outgoing mayor.

When he became the Tory leader, it was his meddling and exploitation of public ignorance regarding the Caledonia land dispute that put him below my contempt, and destroyed any respect that I had for the man. Like any modern Conservative politician, he was more interested in attack soundbytes than any real solution, and had absolutely no business being there. (Much like the Provincial government, as it's a Federal matter. Odd that he wasn't asking where they were, isn't it?)

He's become a shameless media whore who'll stoop at nothing in order to get a soundbyte on the 6 o'clock news. He has taken advantage of the public at every turn, and even had the lack of ethics to use the funeral of a cab driver in order to take swipes at his political foes. There was a time when I actually considered voting Conservative, but Tory's absolutely disgusting track record quickly squashed that. His antics show that he's a man of low moral fibre, even if he claims otherwise.

I'd explain what put the other two in firing range of my intense ire, but it usually results in me using ad hominem attacks. That said, I've only had to experience one so far, but I'm already sick of the dalton.ca ads and Hampton's self-righteous histrionics have long since worn on me.

Now go away, and play with your filthy political friends elsewhere. If you're wondering why there's voter apathy, it's because there is absolutely no one worth voting for.

Don't bother commenting.

(This goes for the other folks too, you know who your are, I like the peace and quiet.)

Labels: current events, rant

posted by Jason @ 2:12 PM 0 comments

Media rundown and other stuff

Nothing really to report, enjoying the time off.

Watching: Appleseed (2004), Appleseed (1988), Gatekeepers vol. 1-4, Transformers the Movie, Transformers, The Da Vinci Code, Zeiram 2, Land of the Dead, Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society, Ghost in the Shell, Desert Punk vol. 1, Speed Grapher vol. 1, Fastwalkers, Shooter, and the first 3 episodes of Burn Notice.
Listening (to): Yoko Kanno's Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society soundtrack, various Coast to Coast AM shows, and random MP3s.
Reading: UFO Retrievals by Jenny Randles, Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, and Global Frequency by Warren Ellis and others.
Playing: Transformers, LEGO Star Wars 2, and Phantasy Star Universe.

My unemployment will soon be temporarily over, so I'm trying to enjoy the time off, and I'm weighing things. I'm considering taking a management position at Blockbuster, but I'm not sure I really want to get into that. I've been trying to plow away at my writing, but my writer's block keeps pushing itself forward. I guess that's what I get when I have two screenplays and a novel floating around in my head, battling for supremacy.

Also, as an aside, you absolutely must see the new series Burn Notice. Imagine The Equalizer, but younger, mixed with the tone of Get Shorty and co-starring Bruce Campbell. It's great fun, and destined to be cancelled before it's time.

Labels: media rundown, personal crap

posted by Jason @ 3:12 PM 0 comments

Further thoughts on Ed Mirvish

Y'know, if more wealthy people were like Ed Mirvish, rather than Conrad Black, the world would be a much, much better place. The image of a Jewish man handing out turkeys while wearing a Santa hat speaks volumes about exactly how worthy a human being this man was.

The man was a multi-millionaire, but made sure that he never came off as such. I was watching CityTV, and in the middle of one segement, he just turned to greet some customers and chatted it up with them, making them feel like a million dollars. It's that level of care that's missing from the world at large.

Labels: current events, opinon

posted by Jason @ 11:06 AM 0 comments

I'll take misleading findings for $1000, Alex

I present, via MSN:

Don't use iPod in lightning storm, doctors warn
Three Vancouver doctors are urging those with portable CD and MP3 players of a potential danger, after a local man was seriously injured while jogging in a thunderstorm.

Don't use iPod in lightning storm, doctors warn

The incident happened the summer of 2005. Witnesses saw the 37-year-old man thrown almost 2.5 metres after a tree he was running by was struck by lighting. The jogger had been listening to his iPod at the time.

The patient suffered second-degree burns to his chest and left leg, and burns on his neck and inside his ear canal.

Both of the man's eardrums were ruptured, and he suffered serious hearing loss and fractures in the jaw region.

Eric J. Heffernan, Peter L. Munk, and Luck J. Louis of the Vancouver General Hospital published their report, Thunderstorms and iPods -- Not a Good iDea, in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The reports says the use of an electronic device such as an iPod may not increase the chances of being struck by lightning, in this case, the combination of sweat and metal earphones directed the current to and through the patient's head.

The medics said while people can be struck directly by lightning, it is more common for lightning to jump to a person from a nearby object, such as a tree -- a phenomenon known as a side flash.

Opisthotonic muscle contraction may project the victim some distance, leading to further injury from blunt trauma, doctors said.

Because of the high resistance of skin, lightning is often conducted over the outside of the body (an effect known as a flashover), but sweat and metallic objects in contact with the skin can disrupt the flashover, leading to the internal flow of current and causing severe injuries.

Doctors said the jaw fractures the jogger suffered were probably caused by muscle contraction since there were no external signs of injury to the face.

There have been other recent warnings for potential injury caused by MP3 players. Some of them are:

* Temporary or permanent hearing loss due to the prolonged listening of loud music;
* Repetitive strain injury in the fingers from using the scroll-wheels and buttons; and
* Injury from the leakage of the device's toxic chemicals when the players are heated.

Safety officials have also warned of the dangerous and potentially deadly scenarios that can occur on the roadways when pedestrians and cyclists are listening to MP3 players and not paying attention to their surroundings.

Police and school administrators have also warned against the dangers of children being mugged while carrying the devices.

The real warning should be "don't jog in a thunderstorm, especially under a tree, dumbass." Y'know, it's that thing they've been telling us not to do since we were small children.

Man, when will humanity buy a clue?

Labels: news

posted by Jason @ 9:23 PM 0 comments

Stanton Friedman might be real

In this post from a while back, I called UFOlogist Stanton Friedman "a snake oil salesman who knows there's a market for his stories", and I'm going to recant that. Well, the part about being a snake oil salesman, as he does know there's a market for his stories.

I think my issue with Friedman is that he's a little overzealous, or maybe over-enthusiastic might be a better term, with the topic of UFOs. Granted, it's how he makes his modest living, and that showmanship is a good thing for public speaking, but it feels like there's blinders attached somewhere. I guess you could say that I'm skeptical of his enthusiam, that his belief comes off as somewhat disingenuous, that it's there for show.

That said, I don't know the guy, and really shouldn't judge him that way unless I spend some time with him. Which would be neat, but unrealistic. So, from here on, in fairness, I'm neutral towards the man.

Labels: random, ufos

posted by Jason @ 4:29 PM 0 comments

The world is missing something today

Honest Ed has passed on.

The world has lost one of the best, and one who will never be replaced.

I honestly can't remember if I ever met the man, but his life touched practically everybody whose ever lived in Toronto.

Labels: current events

posted by Jason @ 11:17 AM 0 comments

Well, it's looking better now

Well, even before I get to see the doctor, it seems like all is well.

Labels: personal crap

posted by Jason @ 12:21 PM 0 comments

The future

Okay, while I wait for medical attention, I'm going over things to do. Now that I've got a DVD listing with entries, I think I might actually be able to do a review site based upon my DVD collection. My only concern at the moment is whether I'll use Blogger, or something else to maintain it.

Labels: personal crap, random

posted by Jason @ 5:52 PM 0 comments

Health issues

Well, hopefully this isn't my last post for a while, but in case it is, I'll briefly fill people in.

Basically, I found a lump late last night where I really didn't want to find a lump. After my initial panic, I investigated things, as there wasn't anything I could do. In all likelihood, it's not what I, and probably you, initially thought. It's more than likely just some sort of temporary affliction, probably a boil or hive or something benign like that.

That said, I'm going to try to get into to see a doctor in the next 24 hours, but that's being held up by transportation issues. (I need someone to drive me, just in case, and there's nobody around. I can't walk, as it's pouring and a few miles away.)

So, that's that. I figured I should let people know, just in case.

Labels: personal crap

posted by Jason @ 3:22 PM 0 comments

Think about it this way

Pubs don't go out of business because of smoking bans.

Pubs go out of business because you refuse to not smoke in them.

Get over yourselves.

Labels: current events, ego

posted by Jason @ 6:00 PM 0 comments

Link changes

Okay, the links to my DVD and Videogame collections have changed.

Yes, I am aware of the suckitude of things, and I am working on it, but the software that does the compilations, and the two hosts, are working against me. That said, they are kind of nifty, despite the issues.

Labels: site stuff

posted by Jason @ 9:46 PM 0 comments

Geek-Gasm reminder

Before I forget, yet again, Geek-Gasm opens on Saturday and I'll be there cheering them on. (When appropriate, I'm not one of those types of people.) For more info, like showtimes and location, check out MySpace or their Facebook.

Labels: theatre

posted by Jason @ 1:32 AM 0 comments

Well, that was a quiet Canada Day

I spent most of the day either sleeping, or watching DVDs, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Well, okay, the reason for that is that I haven't exactly been well the past few days, but still...

Anywho, I think I shall return to doing my DVD capsule reviews in the near future, as I've watched a few notable ones. Most notable would be Land of the Dead, which was far better than most of the fanboys would admit it was. Sure, it was more of an action/SF flick with zombies, but you can only do things a certain way for so long. I for one was glad that he took this approach, as his last foray into zombies was absolutely terrible. This time he had a budget, and a decent enough cast, which made all the difference. I'm looking forward to his low-budget Diary of the Dead, which he's working on now. That one sounds interesting, and pretty experimental for Romero.

Labels: movies

posted by Jason @ 1:27 AM 0 comments