the pod bay door

.: From the 2006 Canada Census:

8. The Statistics Act guarantees the confidentiality of your census information. Only if you mark “YES” to this question will your personal information be made public, 92 years after the 2006 Census. If you mark “NO” or leave the answer blank, your personal information will never be made publicly available. If you are answering on behalf of other people, please consult each person.

Does this person agree to make his/her 2006 Census information available for public release in 2098 (92 years after the census)?

.: This list is from the BBC Magazine, and was posted at the end of 2005, so it’s a bit outdated, but still fascinating. 100 things we didn’t know this time last year is based on the Magazine’s weekly feature, 10 Things We Didn’t Know This Time Last Week. A number of “things” are endemic to the UK, but there are a few gems, such as:

• 3. While it’s an offence to drop litter on the pavement, it’s not an offence to throw it over someone’s garden wall.
• 6. WD-40 dissolves cocaine – it has been used by a pub landlord to prevent drug-taking in his pub’s toilets.
• 11. One in 10 Europeans is allegedly conceived in an Ikea bed.
• 12. Until the 1940s rhubarb was considered a vegetable. It became a fruit when US customs officials, baffled by the foreign food, decided it should be classified according to the way it was eaten.
• 19. The = sign was invented by 16th Century Welsh mathematician Robert Recorde, who was fed up with writing “is equal to” in his equations. He chose the two lines because “noe 2 thynges can be moare equalle”.
• 29. When faced with danger, the octopus can wrap six of its legs around its head to disguise itself as a fallen coconut shell and escape by walking backwards on the other two legs, scientists discovered.
• 32. “Restaurant” is the most mis-spelled word in search engines.
• 45. C3PO and R2D2 do not speak to each other off-camera because the actors don’t get on.
• 59. Oliver Twist is very popular in China, where its title is translated as Foggy City Orphan.
• 65. Actor James Doohan, who played Scotty, had a hand in creating the Klingon language that was used in the movies, and which Shakespeare plays were subsequently translated into
• 73. One in six children think that broccoli is a baby tree.
• 99. The Japanese word “chokuegambo” describes the wish that there were more designer-brand shops on a given street.

.: If you watch LOST and haven’t seen tonight’s episode, stop reading, this is a spoiler. I was quite surprised and disappointed at the final scene, in which Michael, rescued from the jungle by Jack and Kate, shoots and kills Ana Lucia and Libby in the hatch. Or are they dead? I have to hand it to the creators of this series, they really, really know how to get a rise out of the audience.

.: Links to sites of interest:

• I Steal Television Shows Because I Have To – Mike Davidson, CEO of Newsvine, explains why he downloads the shows he wants to watch. Basically I agree with what he has to say.
• Tape It Off The Internet.com – not online yet, but it looks promising if it really happens.
• Azureus is the bittorrent client of choice these days, and it recently was the Best Overall Winner at the 2006 SourceForge.net Community Choice Awards

.: And so, the World Baseball Classic is underway, and a team of Canadian underdogs, which include a handful of Canadian-born MLB players, and without Canadian MLB pitchers Eric Gagne (who won the 2003 Cy Young Award), Rich Harden, and Ryan Dempster, pulls off a major upset and defeats Team USA 8-6 today. Love it, love it a lot.

.: I leave for Atlanta on March 24th, to attend the ACS 231st Meeting. I’ve been struggling with creating a presentation for this session, and made some small progress today. I hope to have something ready in a few days. I’m fighting writer’s block, fear of presenting to the converted, and a general feeling of lethargy.

.: Connect2Canada is an interesting website from the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC.

On July 1, 2005, Ambassador Frank McKenna launched Connect2Canada.com, a virtual network for Canadians and friends of Canada who live in the United States. Since that announcement, thousands have signed up to receive information on subjects as diverse as our global troop deployments, updates on BSE, Canadian events in the US, and the latest on our efforts to help out the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Many Canadians have told us how proud they are to be a Canadian in the U.S. Many Americans with links to Canada have also signed up to be a part of this network. They are emblematic of the proud and deep history between the people of Canada and the United States.

Connect2Canada is a way to exchange news and ideas, and find out what is happening in the U.S. related to Canada. Members of the network can receive email notices on a range of topics of interest to them and can share their views with others. As the network grows, it will serve as a knowledge base and a ready resource for facts on the major issues in the United States and Canada today.

We invite you to sign up to the network, so that the next time the conversation turns to Canada, you can have key facts at your disposal, such as:

Canada, not Saudi Arabia, is America’s largest supplier of crude oil.
• Canada has put 15,000 troops through Afghanistan.
• None of the 9/11 terrorists came through Canada.
• Facts on why the US market needs tariff-free Canadian lumber.
• Canada-US trade, at more than $1.5 billion US per day, supports over five million jobs in the United States.

Please spread the word to anyone you think would be interested in joining this network. We are also interested in feedback on how this network can be useful to you. You can send us your thoughts when you sign up to the network.

An article in today’s Edmonton Journal suggests that one reason the website exists is to help dispel myths many Americans have about Canada, such as:

• Some of the 9-11 Hi-jackers entered through Canada: FALSE. This is simply not true. In fact, they had all been legally admitted to the United States, as has been confirmed by senior American officials.
• Canadians are all Hockey Players: FALSE. The most popular participation sport for Canadians over the age of 15 is Golf. In 2000, there were 730,000 registered soccer players in Canada, compared to 500,000 for hockey.
• Canada is all ‘way up North’: FALSE. Twenty-seven of the fifty U.S. states have land North of the Southern most point of Canada – Middle Island, Ontario.
• Canada caused the blackout on August 14, 2003: FALSE. The initial cause of the blackout began in Ohio.

It’s a good effort, but don’t expect the majority of Americans to ever change their views and impressions of Canada; it’s the nature of the beast down there.

.: In a few hours I fly to Toronto to attend and present at the OLA Superconference. I will be in Toronto for four days. On Saturday afternoon I fly to Winnipeg to spend a few days there before returning to Edmonton. Time in Winnipeg will be spent visiting relatives, going to dim sum on Sunday morning, watching the Super Bowl with friends over pizza and beer later that day, spending time with my folks, and sleeping.

Tonight I had dinner with seven others at Parkallen Restaurant, which features Lebanese cuisine. Garlic prawns were followed by linguini topped with chicken breast over a garlic-based tomato sauce, and blueberry and vanilla creme brulée for dessert. Most of the others in attendance were members of the Edmonton theatre community. I was invited by one of them to join in, and had a great time.

.: The last 24 hours have been spent sharing Christmas cheer, food, and company with three sets of good friends and their families here in Edmonton. Last night I enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner with the Wests, featuring a large roasted turkey, and kugel, a traditional Hanukkah dish, along with the usual trimmings and side dishes. This morning I spent time with the Kendricks, where we shared homemade waffles, and sang the Christmas hippo song a few times. This evening I enjoyed another delicious turkey dinner and great company at the Ryan/Berretti home. I have no relatives in Edmonton, but when I am with good friends such as these, it feels like I am with family. I may be a pound or two heavier at the moment, but it is a small price to pay for privilege and blessing of good friends, good company, and good food.

I spent time today on the phone, visiting with my parents in Winnipeg, my brother in Calgary, and friends in Edmonton and more distant locales. Tomorrow I will drive to Calgary to spend a day with my brother and his girlfriend, and will return on Dec 27 in the morning. Wherever you are and whatever you believe, I hope you had a great Christmas.