Month: September 2005

Categories
Miscellaneous

Judge rules against reciting Pledge of Allegiance

Michael Newdow has won round one in his bid to remove ‘under God’ from the Pledge of Allegiance. This time he represents families who have legal standing, which was the sticking point in his previous attempt, which was dismissed by the US Supremes.

From the page:

“Imagine every morning if the teachers had the children stand up, place their hands over their hearts, and say, ‘We are one nation that denies God exists,'” Newdow said. “I think that everybody would not be sitting here saying, ‘Oh, what harm is that.’ They’d be furious. And that’s exactly what goes on against atheists. And it shouldn’t.”

Categories
Music

Don’t "Steal" Music


I took this screen shot from the help screen in iTunes 5.0 this morning.

It irritates me that Apple doesn’t know the difference between theft and copyright infringement. They are not the same thing – I’m not saying that copyright infringement is ok, but I am saying copyright infringement does NOT equal stealing, and people shouldn’t equate it with theft.

Here’s a little analogy I just came up with – I don’t know how good it is, but here it is: If someone were to steal your homework and hand it in – that would be theft. You would be left without something that you previously had. Infringement, on the other hand, is more like – if that same person copied your homework and handed it in. You might not like it, but you wouldn’t have been robbed of anything. There is a big difference.

Categories
Miscellaneous

The Wonderful World of Banksy

From the page: “Leave the house before you find something worth staying in for.”

I really enjoyed looking at Banksy’s collection of graffiti artwork. I found his work on the wall surrounding the occupied Palestinian territories to be particularly astute.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Theory and Aesthetics of Video Games

I started my one and only class last night. It’s called “Theory and Aesthetics of Video Games”.

Over the last three decades, video games have become an increasingly important medium in terms of popularity, economic significance, and cultural impact. This course aims to provide a structural and analytical framework for the study of this emerging medium. Because video games are relatively new, we will explore ways to study, analyze and theorize about video games within a Fine Arts context. As with popular culture generally, a major question is whether video games warrant the sustained attention and critical investigation that we devote to works of literature, visual art, cinema, or music. Therefore, we will explore video games for their uniqueness as a medium but also in terms of similarities with other aesthetic artifacts. Topics to be explored will include: history and origins, aesthetics and interpretation, genres, interactivity and narrative, character development, game play, mise-en-scene, and social issues such as gender and violence. Note: for various reasons, we will be focusing almost exclusively on games from the three major consoles now on the market.

It looks to be a fairly entertaining class and seeing the make-up of the class it will be interesting to see what kind of discussions we will be having. The class is mostly male (28 guys – 2 girls) and for the most part they seem like the type of guys that spend a lot time playing video games. Not that I don’t spend a lot of time playing games myself, especially with all the free time I have now, but more than a few of them seem to be especially hard-core video game zealots.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Canadian Long Distance Codes

Canadian Long Distance Codes
Here is a list of numbers for Canadian long distance carriers. Dial one of these numbers followed by 1(area code)+number. Some are for overseas and some are North America only. I use 1015945 from Yak Communications on a regular basis. I believe it’s 5 cents a minute.

1010100 The Friend Network Services Inc. Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
1010119 Northern Telephone Ltd. New Liskeard, Ontario, CANADA
1010138 Metcom Canada Limited Markham, Ontario, CANADA
1010180 Elite Communications Inc. Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
1010195 Starcom International Optics Corp. Vancouver, BC, CANADA
1010199 4053605 Canada Inc. Burlington, Ontario, CANADA
1010215 Pronto Long Distance Inc. Westmont, Quebec, CANADA
1010219 3588599 Canada Inc. dba Sun Telecom Group Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
1010230 3855651 Canada Inc. Sainte-Marie De Beauce, Quebec, CANADA
1010242 Sasktel Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
1010320 3855651 Canada Inc. Sainte-Marie De Beauce, Quebec, CANADA
1010323 BC Tel Burnaby, BC, CANADA
1010324 TELUS Communications (Edmonton) Inc. (TCE) Ottawa, Ontario CANADA
1010348 Sprint Canada, Inc. North York, Ontario CAN
1010357 4053605 Canada Inc. Burlington, Ontario CANADA
1010363 Bell Canada London, Ontario CANADA
1010415 Execulink Burgessville, Ontario CANADA
1010422 Island Tel, PEI Ottawa, Ontario CANADA
1010424 Telus Communications Inc. Burnaby, British Columbia CANADA
1010434 Maritime Tel & Tel Ottawa, Ontario CANADA
1010445 NewTel Communications Ottawa CANADA
1010448 NB Tel Saint John New Brunswick CANADA
1010580 Onlinetel Corp. Kitchener, Ontario CANADA
1010615 PRIMUS Telecommunications Canada Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA
1010620 Telehop Communications Inc. Toronto, Ontario CANADA
1010686 AT&T Canada Long Distance Services Co. Toronto, Ontario CAN
1010710 3855651 Canada Inc. Sainte-Marie De Beauce, Quebec CANADA
1010773 Sprint Canada, Inc. North York, Ontario CAN
1010783 MTS Communications Inc. Ottawa, Ontario CAN
1010809 Asia International Services Corp. (AIC) Burnaby, British Columbia CAN
1010816 Consolidated Technologies, Inc (CTI) Vancouver, British Columbia CAN
1010844 Brooke Telecom Co-operative Ltd. Inwood, Ontario CANADA
1010858 AT&T Canada Long Distance Services Co. Toronto, Ontario CAN
1010869 AT&T Canada Long Distance Services Co. Toronto, Ontario CAN
1010920 Cyberlink Pacific Telecommunications Limited Vancouver, BC, CANADA
1010956 City Telecom Inc. (CITI) Scarborough, Ontario, CANADA
1010960 London Telecom Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA
1010978 RSL COM Canada, Inc. North Vancouver, BC, CANADA
1010980 Onlinetel Corp. Kitchener, Ontario CANADA
1010990 I Don’t Care Inc. Toronto, Ontario CANADA
1011010 Bruce Municipal Telephone System Tiverton, Ontario CANADA
1011035 Convergia Network, Inc. Pointe-Claire, Quebec CANADA
1011273 Westport Telephony Company Limited Westport, Ontario CANADA
1011582 North Renfrew Telephone Company Limited Beachburg, Ontario CANADA
1014321 Cyberlink Pacific Telecommunications Limited Vancouver, BC, CANADA
1014835 Huron Telecommunications Co-Operative Limited Ripley, Ontario CANADA
1015055 Gateway Telephone Limited North Bay, Ontario CANADA
1015066 MetroNet Communications Group Inc. Calgary, Alberta CANADA
1015128 Call For Less Oshawa, Ontario CANADA
1015151 ExaTEL Inc. Sudbury, Ontario CANADA
1015161 Telecom Quebec Inc. Bon Consell, Quebec CANADA
1015226 BC Tel Burnaby, BC CANADA
1015236 Roxborough Telephone Company Limited Moose Creek, Ontario CANADA
1015240 Bell Canada London, Ontario CANADA
1015322 BC Tel Burnaby, BC CANADA
1015350 Yak Communications (Canada) Inc. Scarborough, Ontario CANADA
1015355 Yak Communications (Canada) Inc. Scarborough, Ontario CANADA
1015363 Bell Canada London, Ontario CANADA
1015398 CanopCo Incorporated Toronto, Ontario CANADA
1015430 Bell Canada London, Ontario CANADA
1015431 Telus Communications Inc. Burnaby, British Columbia CANADA
1015489 Cogeco Cable Canada Inc. Montreal, Quebec CANADA
1015497 Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative Limited Kippen, Ontario CANADA
1015505 C.1.com Inc. Saint John, New Brunswick CANADA
1015565 Yak Communications (Canada) Inc. Scarborough, Ontario CANADA
1015566 Sprint Canada, Inc. North York, Ontario CAN
1015742 Hay Communications Co-operative Limited Zurich, Ontario CANADA
1015748 Amtelecom Communications Aylmer, Ontario CANADA
1015762 Lansdowne Rural Telephone Company Lansdowne, Ontario CANADA
1015793 Bell West Inc. Edmonton, Alberta CANADA
1015804 Phonetime International Mississauga, Ontario CANADA
1015826 Vancouver Telephone Company Ltd. Vancouver, B.C. CANADA
1015843 Triton Hospitality Communications Inc. Calgary, Alberta CANADA
1015945 Yak Communications (Canada) Inc. Scarborough, Ontario CANADA
1015967 Island Tel, PEI Ottawa, Ontario CANADA
1015972 Sprint Canada, Inc. North York, Ontario CAN
1015989 Wightman Telecom Ltd. Clifford, Ontario CANADA
1016002 Microcell Connexions Inc. Toronto, Ontario CANADA
1016022 Cannect Communications Inc. Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA
1016038 ASP Wireless Net Inc. Mississauga, Ontario CANADA
1016122 Optel Communications Corp. Toronto, Ontario CANADA
1016148 GT Group Telecom Services Corp. Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA
1016173 Telebec Ltd. Anjou, Quebec Canada
1016242 Sasktel Ottawa, Ontario CANADA
1016265 Telephone Milot Mobilite Inc. St-Paulin, Quebec CANADA
1016274 Bell Canada London, Ontario CANADA
1016283 NewTel Communications Ottawa CANADA
1016305 DACo Telecommunications Inc. Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA
1016318 Bzaat Communications Town of Mount Royal, Quebec CANADA
1016321 Pacifictel Communications, Inc. Ajax, Ontario CANADA
1016336 Touchtone Communications 2000 Ltd. Vancouver, BC CANADA
1016353 NewTel Communications Ottawa CANADA
1016385 North Frontenac Telephone Corporation Ltd. Baden, Ontario CANADA
1016394 Nexicom Telecommunications Inc. Millbrook, Ontario CANADA
1016395 Nexicom Telephones Inc. Millbrook, Ontario CANADA
1016434 Maritime Tel & Tel Ottawa, Ontario CANADA
1016448 NB Tel Saint John New Brunswick CAN
1016449 NB Tel Saint John New Brunswick CAN
1016505 Telus Communications (Quebec) Inc. Rimouski, Quebec CANADA
1016510 Telus Communications (Quebec) Inc. Rimouski, Quebec CANADA
1016550 Telus Communications (Quebec) Inc. Rimouski, Quebec CANADA
1016616 Gosfield North Communications Co-op Ltd. Cottam, Ontario CANADA
1016650 O.N.Tel North Bay, Ontario CANADA
1016652 Borg Telecommunications Inc. Toronto, Ontario CANADA
1016653 O.N.Tel North Bay, Ontario CANADA
1016674 Managed Network Systems Inc. Windsor, Ontario CANADA
1016765 Mornington Communications Co-operative Ltd. Milverton, Ontario CANADA
1016775 Navigata Communications Inc. North Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA
1016793 Libotel Inc. St. Liboire, Quebec CANADA
1016833 9107-1365 Quebec Inc. Valcourt, Quebec CANADA
1016836 MCSC ACCESS IN CANADA (CSCN) Edmonton, Alberta CANADA
1016867 Northwestel, Inc. Whitehorse, Yukon CANADA
1016885 Videotron Telecom Ltee. Montreal, Quebec Canada
1016995 People’s Telephone Company of Forest Inc. Province, Ontario CANADA
1017643 Interurbain Sogetel Inc. Nicolet, Quebec CANADA
1018229 Thunder Bay Telephone Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada
1018888 Gateway Networks Ltd. North Bay, Ontario CANADA

Categories
Miscellaneous

Mercenaries

Categories
Miscellaneous

Hong Kong Disneyland Opens Today

Hong Kong Disneyland Logo

Hong Kong Disneyland officially opens today.

The new theme park had a trial opening on Sunday September 4th, and discovered that filling it to near capacity was not a good idea. At 311 acres Hong Kong Disneyland is less than half the size of the original Disneyland in California. A spokesman for the company admitted that the more than 29,000 visitors to the theme park had suffered when it was almost filled to its daily capacity of 30,000 during the charity trial run a week ago, ahead of its grand opening today.

Capacity problems aside, getting the park into the communist country has not been easy. There have been many problems along the way and the media loves to find fault in any company with such a reputation as Disney’s.

Shark Fin Soup on the wedding banquet menu was criticized for being wasteful and cruel to sharks by animal rights activists. The activists complain that shark’s fins are harvested inhumanely by fishermen who brutally hack the fin from sharks and toss the bodies back into the sea to die, a practice known as “finning.” Shark Fin Soup is a Chinese delicacy and is adored by the masses, so making a balance between cultural sensitivities and conservation can be tricky. In the end, the company said that it had made the decision to remove the controversial item from its menu because it was “not able to identify an environmentally sustainable fishing source” that could make sure the fins used for the soup were not the product of large-scale butchering of sharks in open seas.

The government of China has also had its share of rebuke for giving up too much in its negotiations with Disney. People have expressed concern over the high-profile union between two major forces in their lives: big business and government. With the government investing over $3 billion US another concern is over Disney opening an additional theme park, this time in mainland China, within only a few years – which would damage profits. Disney has announced that a new park in Shanghai could be under construction as early as 2010 if talks go smoothly.

Critics denounced Disney for euthanizing dozens of stray dogs that had lived in the area during construction. Around 40 dogs, some of which were used as unofficial guard dogs by construction workers, are believed to have been given lethal injections after being caught by government dog catchers.

The park has also been criticized for its fireworks shows adding smog to an already polluted environment.

A group of activists put a large stuffed Mickey Mouse in a cage at the entrance to the Hong Kong Disneyland on Sunday in a symbolic protest against labour exploitation.

But despite all the criticisms and logistical problems, Hong Kong Disneyland opens today and, for this Disney fan, it’s hard not to feel the magic.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Katrina

More shocking news about the situation in New Orleans. Jacob Appelbaum and Joel Johnson are in the New Orleans area, helping with communications reconnect efforts and documenting what they witness. Jacob writes:

It’s a strange future we’re living in and have no doubt about it, we’re living in the future. It’s too bad that we’re living in that other future, the dystopian one. The one with terrorists, murderers, corruption at the highest government levels, global wars and a world with an environment being destroyed by serious pollution. A world where people are now literately drowning in it.

Categories
games

Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory – How to change nick color

This is probably pretty boring to %99.9 of the people that read this, but for the other 0.1% here is something I learned about while playing Wolfenstein Enemy Territory (download) this afternoon.

You can change the colour of the text in your nick name by adding a ^ and then a number in front of the text you want to change. Each number from 0 to 9 is a different color.

  • ^0 = Black
  • ^1 = Red
  • ^2 = Green
  • ^3 = Yellow
  • ^4 = Blue
  • ^5 = Light Blue
  • ^6 = Violet
  • ^7 = White
  • ^8 = Orange
  • ^9 = Grey

Here is a site that lets you preview nick colors.

I also learned recently that as a medic you can stick the other team with your needle and poison them. When someone is poisoned, their screen turns up side down and their health slowly goes down. They also make a choking sound — it’s my favorite thing to do in the game.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Katrina

I haven’t mentioned much about the Hurricane, but I’ve found something that I wanted to share. An eyewitness account of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.