A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I always thought the term, surfing the Internet, was slightly annoying. To me, it sounded like a techno-peasant who really didn't know much about the world wide web . . . talking about other people who did. (When I was half done with the sentence above, I decided to look up the phrase to see who coined it. Take a look at this video created by the San Francisco CBS affiliate. It was broadcast earlier this month, no less!)

Now, I've changed my mind. Thank you, Jean Armour Polly, for writing that back in 1992. It does better describe how I used to spend my browser time. It used to be a thrill to find new information. I witnessed websites develop company-by-company and organization-by-organization. It was once a treasure just to find a familiar, old name with a new web presence. I'm talking about a time when Yahoo was a list maintained by hand!

Now I fear, I generally skulk around the same old haunts and usually stay within the first dozen hits of a Google search. The surfing has become more of a laboured stroll through a now-familiar mall.



I did see advertisements for the new web portal for for Canadian government Internet resources. I visited www.ServiceCanada.ca and found myself doing a lot of exploring by clicking various links. Of course, the federal government has a copious amount of data on the Net. Organizing such a deluge of information and making it available from one location seems a worthy, although difficult, goal.

Labels: Canada, Google, government, Internet

I took a panorama shot from my balcony in August of 2005 and it's been on Flickr since that time. Although downtown New Westminster is undergoing a lot of changes, the view's not much different from where I sit.


Click this to see an enlarged version of this photo. Depending
on your screen size, you may need to do quite a bit of scrolling to
see the entire image.

Labels: balcony, Flickr, New Westminster

Bolting together the chairs that go with the dining table got me in a rare mood this morning. I'm feeling all do-it-yourself-ish. Moreover, this was a day off and spring definitely felt like it was in the air.

I went to the Home Depot that's just across the river. I had forgotten how enjoyable just walking around the inside one could be. There are just so many isles with just so much stuff!

I spent a little extra time exploring the area where bathroom fixtures and supplies are. I saw new vanity counter tops and looked at the sinks. The el-cheapo particleboard one in the apartment needs to be replaced. Water got in under the rim of the sink and caused a bubble in the laminate. It doesn't need to be replaced this week or even this year, but knowing how they're designed is important. The most wonderful thing about modern construction techniques is standardization! It's very nice to find out that things will fit.

Labels: maintenance

Fifteen years can seem like a lifetime. I recently found the following information on an archive CD. This was research when I was working for the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai, UAE. In March of 1992, I was interested in getting a computer bulletin board system running at our college. There was no Internet available there at the time. Eventually I set up and operated a 8-modem, Major BBS/WorldGroup system. I fear that most people reading this blog entry may not even be aware of early days of computer communication.

I wish to publish the information today as a tribute to former Gulf-country sysops (system operators) who struggled with old-skool modems, uncooperative telcos, and the temperamental BBS software of the day.

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G.C.C. Bulletin Boards (March 1992)

Area/ Name/ Number/ Speed/ (Special Hours)

Bahrain

Al-Bahrain/ Al-Madani BBS/ (973) 250454 *6/ 3-12-24-96
Al-Bahrain/ Flyers Wildcat! BBS/ (973) 336 721 / 3-12-24-96
Al-Bahrain/ Stray Cats BBS / (973) 277997 / 3-12-24-96


Saudi Arabia

Abqaiq/ Abqaiq B.B.S./ (03) 572 2197 *3/ 12-24
Abqaiq/ Abqaiq B.B.S./ (03) 572 3884 / 3-12-24
Abqaiq/ Air Ecosse/ (03) 572 1653 / 3-12-24
Qatif/ Ali Mutab B.B.S./ (03) 856 2720 / 3-12
Riyadh / B.E.S.T. B.B.S. / (01) 478 6703 / 3-12-24
Alkhobar / Bulldog B.B.S./ (03) 894 8974 / 3-12-24
Dhahran / D.P.C.S. Bytenet/ (03) 873 7852 / 3/12
Dhahran/ Darkstar B.B.S./ (03) 873 7851 / 3-12
Dhahran / Darkstar II / (03) 873 7853 / 3-12
Dhahran / Desert Boots B.B.S/ (03) 873 9241 / 3-12-24/ (17-00 to 07-00)
Jeddah/ Elyas R.B.B.S./ (02) 683 3120 *2/ 3-12
Al Khobar / Express B.B.S./ (03) 898 3980 / 3-12-24
Hofuf / Hofuf Air/ (03) 586 4382 3-12-24
Al Khobar/ Jeraisy B.B.S. / (03) 894 7394 *4/ 3-12-24
Dammam / PC-Soft (PC-NET)/ (03) 834 4413 / 3-12-24
Riyadh/ Riyadh PC Board / (01) 464 4079 *1/ 3-12-24
Jeddah / Taurus B.B.S./ (02) 667 2353 / 3-12-24
Dhahran / Viking B.B.S./ (03) 878 3887 / 3/12/24/ (21-00 to 08-00)
Yanbu / Wildcat #1 B.B.S./ (04) 396 0285 / 3-12/ (13-00 to 20-00 Sat-Thu)
Yanbu / Wildcat #2 B.B.S./ (04) 396 0285 / 3-12/ (22-00 to 11-00 Fri-Wed)


United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi/ Sphinx Wildcat! / (971) 2 5005202/ 3-12-24
Dubai / The First Wildcat BBS/ (971) 4 5005401/ 3-12-24
Dubai/ The Lonestar Wildcat/ (971) 4 5005403/ 3-12-24

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Labels: Bahrain, BBS, Dubai, Saudi Arabia

The flyer came in the local newspaper. I noticed the PriceSmart foods name and expected that the closest one was in Surrey. I remember stopping at one on the King George highway and struggling with the self-service check out. I think we had to walk in through a picket line to get in the front door. The union was peeved that the parent company called the Overwaitea Food Group switched the premisis from its former Save-On-Food brand and fired all the senior, highly-paid workers.

I did notice that the flyer showed the grand opening of a store not far from here. We seldom have the need to cross into Burnaby on Marine Way. The brochure said it was at Byrne Road but I could not picture anything in that area. It was just industrial and agricultural land as far as I could recall. So, I drove only a mile and a half beyond the Queensborough Bridge and sure enough, there it was! There is a whole business development with a Canadian Tire, London Drugs, Mark's Warehouse and the small shops that surround anchor stores like calves to a teat.

I suspect the shopping area is targeted to those on Burnaby's south slope that don't wish to tangle with the crowds at Metrotown. Retail keeps getting larger and larger. It also continues to get closer and closer.

Labels: food

I'm officially on one of those glorious weeks between teaching the intensive PELD (Professional English Language Development) courses at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

The theory might be a bit more appealing than the facts though. For one, I'm without a contract this week; consequently, I will get no paycheck for it. Moreover, I have spent the better part of the day, so far, doing the final grades for the class that just finished. So, I really have more in the order of four days to do as I please. Wait! I don't want this to sound like complaining. I'm actually very satisfied with the scenario.

I have found recent changes have also altered the end-of-term activities in a positive way. This is the first time in my ten years at BCIT where I haven't kept an Excel spreadsheet of grades. Not only is the grade-book automated so that students can gain access to their scores during the term, but the final grade admission is now totally web-based too. No longer do I have to run to the office to turn in marks to my Admin. Assistant in duplicate.



All final marks were calculated and carried over from the online grades component. I simply entered all additional data on the forms from home. All attendance data, and special reports were included via secure connection to the institute's site. After it all met my approval, I just clicked a button to send it for verification and acceptance.

Life gets better and better! I have achieved the same sense of freedom that used to come after handing over the photocopied set by hand. But this time, I didn't need to take the time to schlep to the Burnaby campus.

Labels: BCIT, technology

Yesterday was a bit of a wash. Rain pelted down continuously for the entire day. Luckily the warmth of the Harrison Hot Springs comes from underground. So, the thermal heat kept the indoor and outdoor pools at just the right temperature. The place was packed. There were several weddings going on and, as this is the end of spring vacation at some schools, families were there in droves.

I was reminded of Las Vegas without the incessant noise from slots. I guess there'd not be a big fireplace in the lobby of Circus Circus though.

It was a relaxing slide back on Highway 1 today. We weren't the travelling the fastest on the eighty-mile return back to New Westminster, but then speed wasn't crucial. The idea of a break is to abandon rushing around. I already do pretty good on that front on most all days though.

Labels: places, weather