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

In 1979, I was a sophomore in college. Although only a few hundred miles from Manhattan, little Keene New Hampshire was a world or two away. I didn't see the movie then but The Warriors is now a guilty pleasure.

The film has such a ... well ... indie feel. It also is so analog. I'm coining that term here to mean, 'non-networked'. I mean there were no cell phones for God's sake. If you introduce Verison thirty years hence, the whole premise of the movie falls apart. It really was a simpler time. And the NY subway was rough, scary, and had graffiti. It kinda makes one nostalgic for the good old days!

Labels: analog, movies, New Hampshire, technology

We're supposed to remember the beauty of the free enterprise system is that consumers vote with their cash. Over the long haul, companies that make the better products and adapt well to changing customers' needs should not only survive but thrive.

Sometimes, I wonder how this theory relates to customer loyalty. For example, when it comes to photographic equipment, I've become loyal to Olympus. The only reason, I suppose, is it was the brand of my first digital camera. I was very happy with my experience with my D40 so when I wanted to go to a higher-resolution, I chose an SP-350. At that time, a year and a half ago, I was most interested in staying with a compact choice. I haven't outgrown the 8 megapixels but I do think I will soon be ready to move to something with interchangeable lenses.

That's why it is so opportune that Olympus has just come out with two new models. It takes a few months for discounts to take effect, unfortunately. How can I not be excited about this product though?

Labels: camera, review, technology

For decades, I've been doing school work on my home computer, but only recently have I been doing the reverse. I am logged onto the BCIT network now.

I first bought a $300 Radio Shack TRS-80 in 1980. I don't think that I would've even dreamed there'd be so much hardware on the planet in just two and a half decades. Bill talked about having one of these suckers on every desk, but it's obvious we surpassed that goal. How many personal computers are there per capita in North America? (That's a question I can probably answer in a matter of minutes after I exit www.blogger.com and get to a search engine.)

It is time again for my library exercise. I'm down in the COMPUTER COMMONS. I take every class for an hour-long project in the library on the Burnaby campus. As I generally teach 5-week, intensive courses, I find myself here nearly every month. I do like the atmosphere in libraries.

A few of my Communications students would never set foot in this building were it not for this assignment. At this point in my course, we hit materials that emphasize the use of comparative structures. They are here to observe a location that meets some criteria for successful studying. In this week's assignment, they will compare their notes written here with those from another studying location.

Labels: BCIT, library, students

I probably won't finish this entry until after I get home. However, as I have an extra minute or two here in the computer lab, I thought I could, at least, get a head start. Now comes the difficult part ... figuring out what to say!

These extra hours will seem nice when the paychecks roll in. It's actually a pleasure to work with these students while focusing on listening / speaking skills. The courses I usually teach are predominately aimed at improving writing stills. The added advantage of working with computers makes the class interesting too. They work with video and audio files and create voice clips during every class. The lab has flat screen monitors and is easily configured for group work too. It's clearly a unique and useful opportunity.

Unfortunately, I see the additional cash as found money as I wasn't counting on it. So, it seems as if I'm obligated to go out and blow it on something I might otherwise not. Should I buy a digital SLR camera?

Labels: BCIT, camera, computer lab

Tonight, I would sit on the balcony and watch the occasional tree trunk float past, but it's too cool outside. For months we've known the rivers here would eventually flood. The snow pack during the winter reached record levels. There should be no surprise that as it melts, the majority runs towards the ocean.

The mighty Fraser River cuts through 1,400 kilometers of British Columbia. It also runs right by where we live. By the time the Fraser gets to New Westminster though, it's pretty much tamed and channeled by dikes and other containment. Also, even the basement of this building is many meters above the maximum crest possible and we're on the tenth floor.

Even though my feet have little chance of getting wet, it's interesting keeping up with the developments of the flood watch. Oops, there goes another one-hundred foot tree floating by ...

Labels: Fraser River, New Westminster

Is life a bowl of cherries? On occasion, there has to be some answer that involves it being in the pits, don't you think? It's Monday and lately they've seemed quite manic. How come life now mimics a 1980's, big-hair, pop song title?



Things are so much greyer and more depressing than during the past weekend. It just can't be my own little bad mood, as my afternoon class was clearly in the dumps too. Rather than the worsening weather maybe it's the fact many people associate this time of year with finishing up academic pursuits. I'm sure we feel that we're nowhere near the end of anything today. In reality, I'm only at the midway point in both classes I'm teaching at the present time.

I guess I wanted to let it be known that I don't always blog about how gloriously happy I am. The blog is not full of kittens and cotton candy. I can still go all philosophical, if not postal, on you though.

Without the downs, the ups wouldn't actually be up, would they?

Labels: BCIT

It was good to take the day to get a little re-acquainted with downtown Vancouver. Although, we live about a half-hour SkyTrain ride to the city core, I was not able to pinpoint the exact last time I ventured there. Living beside the Columbia Station can be noisy but the convenience of being able to pop out in the middle of Vancouver far outweighs any negatives.

What a fantastic day to walk around the temperature being in the high 20's Centigrade!

The construction on the expansion of the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre was impressive as the last time the action involved just driving pilings.

We hadn't been to the Waterfront on a weekend to see any of the ships plying the 2007 Alaska cruise season. There was a Holland America on the south side of Canada Place and an Norwegian Cruise Line on the other. Also, out in the port terminal, there was a Celebrity ship.

We walked about a large part of the city. Yaletown is surely growing. In fact things have changed so much since we immigrated here.

I bet that many people who lazed around the beaches today are going home red today.

Labels: cruise, SkyTrain, transit, Vancouver