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

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Q3_2007, Vienna

Time is going too fast. The city is now Vienna, Austria and we're only here until Tuesday. After that, there'll only be a few days in Switzerland and a single night in Munich in order to catch the plane back. Sigh! (Yawn, too!)

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Prague, Q3_2007

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Prague, Q3_2007

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Prague, Q3_2007

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Prague, Q3_2007

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Prague, Q3_2007

Things are fine and I've given up on even attempting to blog until after I'm back. We're presently in Prague. Munich, Salzburg, Budapest, and Bratislava are already under our belts. We arrived here this morning and plan on staying for five nights. Then, we will be in Vienna and Zurich before heading back to our flight out of Munich.

Oh my! It's already half over?

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Q3_2007

Labels: Bratislava, Eurotrip 2007, Q3_2007

Labels: Budapest, Eurotrip 2007, Q3_2007

Labels: Budapest, Eurotrip 2007, Q3_2007

Labels: Budapest, Eurotrip 2007, Q3_2007

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Q3_2007, Salzburg

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Q3_2007, Salzburg

Labels: beer and wine, Eurotrip 2007, Munich, Q3_2007

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Q3_2007

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Munich, Q3_2007

Our flight stopped in Calgary to pick up more passengers and was a little late leaving there. We got into Munich in the afternoon but with nearly zero minutes of sleep. We checked into the YMCA which is not far from the main train station. We ate and went promptly to bed at about 7:30 pm. What youthful exuberance!

Labels: beer and wine, Eurotrip 2007, Munich, Q3_2007

Over the course of our Eurotrip 2007, blog entries may be published sporadically. During long breaks, I continue to write daily on my laptop. However, I'll only be able to post when at a convenient (read: free) net connection point. Even though we'll be in Central Europe, I expect easier wi-fi than during some previous trips.

Secondly, my home PC generally runs 24/7, but when we go away for more than several weeks, I turn it off. Microsoft Upgrade Tuesday seemingly always forces a soft reboot in the middle of the break anyway. But more than that, I feel as though the equipment enjoys a break too.

The shutdown has several effects on my blogged materials. For example, my fish cam will not be operating. In the beginning years of this blog, I linked to a number of Windows Media files that run on my living room machine, and therefore will not be available. Lastly, Psiphon access will cease too.

Feel free to email while we're away. Remember, each blog post also now boasts a COMMENT feature in its footer. Why not give that a try?

Labels: blogging, Eurotrip 2007, Hardware, Q3_2007

This afternoon we're off again, this time to Central Europe. I can't think of a better entry than the addition of a cover of an in-flight magazine. After cleaning the closet, I have a box of old paperwork to throw away. I wanted to scan a thing or two before tossing some of it into the recycling. A bit of it has come quite a ways to be here and deserves a little respect before becoming garbage. Although I try to avoid my pack-rat tendencies, too many items stay with me much longer than necessary.

The scan below is a case in point. It shows the cover of the March/April 1991 cover of Serendib. That was the magazine back when Sri Lankan Airlines was called Air Lanka. It is a bit interesting to see how air travel has changed during the last sixteen and a half years.

First, the inside cover relays lots of important information after the Ayubowan. The page tells where the washrooms were in the Tristar aircraft. I also says how smoking was prohibited when the "No Smoking" sign was on. It warns that passengers weren't allowed to operate portable radios or television sets; however, thankfully, calculators and heart pacemakers were permissible. On the other end of the articles, Rocky V, Lethal Weapon II, and Gene Wilder in Funny about Love were among the inflight movies mentioned. (It depended on the whether inbound or outbound as everybody on the flight watched the same one which was projected onto hide-away screens.)

No wonder why I keep such things! After a while, there's fascination in anything.

Labels: flying, Q3_2007, scanned, Sri Lanka

Until very recently, I thought of the Internet as predominately textual on www sites. If you recall the Internet protocol meaning of gopher, raise your right hand and repeat the following: "I am very old and have always been pretty geeky."

That's imprecise. Let me clarify; I generally considered the Internet as text and image based. Okay, sure. I would've admitted that one needed computer speakers because some Flash animation contained sound, occasionally one might want to steam an audio file, or other folks might even want to listen to illegally-downloaded music files.

Now, I think of this net as a delivery medium for stored audio too. I've already said in this blog that buying (several) mp3 players has thrust me into an exciting new world of information. Discovering Internet podcasts is my most profound personal development related to computers this year. Now, I don't feel like I'm wasting precious moments when walking or driving. Those ear buds are not relaying the Top 40; rather, I'm gaining understanding on a world of new topics. Listen to the 5:12 minute audio clip by clicking the next line.

St Mary's Square, Munich, Germany

In about 25 hours our plane will be leaving the tarmac for this initial destination of this year's fall trip. I can copy a number of audio files into my Zen Stone and take them along. The device weighs less than a toothbrush.

Although I found a number of companies trying to make a commercial success of mp3 travel guides, I expect that fairly soon, it will be simple to find free audio help on getting around in many of the globe's tourist sites. How about suggested walk-abouts in famous museums without needing official guides? Why not have audio files explaining the best route around a city's parks? What about an informative stroll though any neighbourhood in most any town?

Let me access these freely through the Internet. Bring on the noise!

Labels: Creative Zen, Eurotrip 2007, Internet, podcasts, Q3_2007

I missed explaining about a somewhat important commemoration a few days back. The picture above was taken at the River Rock Casino in Richmond. I took Jay for lunch because it was his birthday. The birthday was important but wasn't the the big event though.

I took my first daily Flickr photo on July 1, 2005. Every single day since then, a new image has become part of My Daily Picture Parade set. Back on Saturday that project reached its 800th photo. Eight hundred of anything is a lot, don't you think? All images are arranged in reverse chronological order.

Enter that set now.

Labels: Daily Picture Parade, Flickr, Q3_2007

As an adolescent, I remember when my small town bank installed the first ATM that I'd every seen.  I think Sugar River Savings Bank called it their instant teller.   That was in the 1970's.  Later, when I worked in the Gulf countries of the Middle East in the 1980's, banking was generally quite a struggle.  Lines were long as things had to generally be signed off by at least a half dozen people for the easiest transaction.  The Saudi Arabian Naval Forces used to fly in cash for our monthly paydays.  Once, I remember being paid my complete salary in Saudi 5 Riyal notes (about $1.35 each).  I had to carry them back to my BOQ in a large paper bag.

Nowadays, I hardly ever touch cash.  We run everything through credit cards for the 1% cash back offered on groceries.  I cannot remember the last time I spoke face-to-face with a bank teller.  Direct deposit pay and online banking have completely eliminated our need for paper currency.  Sometimes, the lone $20 bill in my wallet gets worn from being there for months on end.

I thought of these things today, as we went to get some Euros for the trip that starts on Thursday.  Even up until last year, we made it a practice to buy traveller's cheques before departing.  It was a habit developed 25-years ago when we started taking overseas trips.  Today, Thomas Cook didn't have large enough notes, so we didn't pick up any.  I didn't want to repeat the paper-bag scenario.  I wonder why we feel naked when flying without a pocket full of paper money.  Plastic should be able take care of us anywhere in the world in this day and age.

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, money, Q3_2007

It happens every time we're about to go on a vacation; that's the time we dust off the old Sony camcorder. It sits in the cupboard except for when we're going off of a journey. We always run around at the last minute asking whether there are any blank tapes.

Today was no exception, even though we're not leaving until Thursday for Germany. I guess that shows we're slightly more organized than usual. I'm not convinced though.

As it happens we don't have any blank tape, I wondered whether it'd be okay to shoot over old video. As long as I can verify that the original is safely on DVD, then it should be all right. I found a tape with a trip to NYC taken in the spring of 2005. All the footage is all on disk, so that's one tape that will be reused. Just so you'll know that I checked, here's a YouTube clip.

Everybody who visits New York City probably goes up the Empire State Building. Although its 102 floors are greater than the 101 of Taipei 101, the building isn't nearly as tall. All will be dwarfed by Burj Dubai's projected 162 floors slated for completion in 2009.

Of course the slightly-sickening, zooming and dodging camera work is Jay's responsibility . . .

Labels: camcorder, New York City, Q3_2007, travel planning, YouTube

Being such a global warehouse of images makes Flickr a common resource for those working on projects.  All uploads can be restricted in a number of ways, but I choose not to do that.  I occasionally get requests for the use of particular pictures.  The image of the elephant in this entry was taken during the 2004 trip to Sri Lanka.  Just yesterday, I got this nice note asking permission for its use.  Of course I am happy when something I've 'captured' is useful to others.

Hello Dennis,

My name is Steve Lane. I am Keeper (Curator) of Natural History at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry, UK. I am currently working on an exciting and innovative Permanent Exhibition called 'Elements'. The Gallery themed around the four elements. earth, air, fire and water, will run for around ten-fifteen years and it will be a multi-sensory celebration of natural objects and landscapes. Creative interactive content will feature throughout and the exhibition will be particularly attractive to the main target audience - people with disabilities. Interactives will include experiencing bird songs through sound, vibration and associated visual moving images. Visitors will also be able to create their own sculpture and land art using sea-shore debris and create and record their own landscape music using a range of natural instruments. Fabulous sea shell and mineral collections will also be displayed in the space.

Entrance to the Gallery and to the Museum as a whole will be free. The Museum operates as part of Coventry City Council Local Authority. It is a non-profit making service.

I am currently sourcing images for the gallery. All photographers whose work is included will be acknowledged and credited within the Gallery space. They will also be invited to the opening of the Gallery.

I am particularly interested in the photograph displayed on the flickr website of the elephant 'Big Tusker'. I would like to make the connection between the tusks in the photo and tusk shells from the indo-pacific oceans. I am therefore enquiring if you would be happy for us to use this image in the Gallery space and if so, how you would like to be acknowledged.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Kind Regards,

Steve Lane (Keeper of Natural History) UK, 02476 785313

Labels: Flickr, flora and fauna, Q3_2007, sharing, Sri Lanka

I need to make an additional entry today to do a little further testing.  I found a cool plug in for Writer called Flickr4Writer.  It allows easy inclusion of a Flickr image into a post.  As a trial, I'll post a photo taken from Hyack Square in downtown New Westminster.  Eighth Street runs up the hill.

The term Web 2.0 apps is a rather well-worn concept by now but it may be unfamiliar to readers of this post.  Briefly, a Web 2.0 site contains user generated information that can be re-used across different sites.  Using Flickr and Blogger together is an example.  Being able to drop a YouTube video here would be too.

The thing I like about this shiny Windows Live Writer is that it sort of covers up all the 'mechanics' under a common interface.  One might not need to know what's going on 'under the hood', so to speak.  I cannot help but see this as a future trend . . . (by Microsoft?)

Labels: blogging, Flickr, New Westminster, Q3_2007

This is a test of using Windows Live Writer as a method of publishing an entry.  Yesterday, I installed the Windows Live Toolbar and, frankly, this is the only piece of software which intrigues me in the least.  Honestly, I don't think die hard computer enthusiasts are going to abandon Flickr, or Google Earth for the pale imitations that Windows Live offers.  The options do integrate well though, and this might make things easier for an average, non-geeky, computer user.  That doesn't describe me, I guess.

This interface is very Vista-like and quite interesting with lots of potential tools and plug-in modules.

I'm mainly interested in this program as it will allow one to make draft entries when offline.  This, potentially, could be useful during our upcoming trip to central Europe.  I will most probably bring along my seemingly 26 lb. laptop, but I cannot be assured of universal, free wi-fi.  During past extended trips, I've had to keep daily accounts with a word processor and later copy and paste into blogger.com after getting on the Internet.   If I can use Writer to complete entries with photos, then it'll make documenting travels a hell of a lot easier.

Labels: blogging, Eurotrip 2005, Q3_2007

As well as thinking about our travel plans which start a week from today, we've been interested in following others' exploits. Jay has spent a great deal of phone time catching up on the travel of some family members. His sister, sister-in-law, and nieces visited Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. It was their first time away from Sri Lanka and therefore exciting for them. Jay's brother is working in NYC. His wife and girls have very recently completed a new house near the family's present house. So all the gals went to meet up with a friend of Jay's brother who now lives and works in Malaysia. He travelled with them for much of the time. It is quite a journey between Bangkok and Singapore on buses. They enjoyed the time and chance to see how other people live.

Cell phones and land lines between NY, New Westminster, and those countries were buzzing following and reporting their progress. In contrast, when I first went to Sri Lanka, in the mid-1980's, phone lines hadn't even yet come to their neighbourhood. Things do change.



This picture was taken last year in Sri Lanka and shows Jay with a neighbour boy, his neices, sister-in-law, and younger sister.

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On another note, related a bit to communication, I got this email from a student yesterday:

This is Dalyn from one of your previous Comm 0004 courses. I just wanted to thank you for everything, I have been accepted into full time day school for Broadcasting/Televison. I am so exited that I am finally pursuing my dream. The skills I have learned in the two Comm courses have given me great confidence. Keep up the good work, Mr. Hurd!

Dalyn

I immediately sent a reply which thanked him for taking the time. A little gesture, such as this, can make it all seem worthwhile!

Labels: Q3_2007, Sri Lanka, students, telephone

Jay and I sponsor a World Vision kid whom we were fortunate enough to visit during our last trip to Sri Lanka. That was exactly a year ago! He's ten years old now. We try to make sure to correspond regularly.

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September 5, 2007

Dear Isuru,

We wanted to send another letter to you. Although we are in Canada today, it was exactly one year ago that we visited you. We think you have probably grown bigger in one year!

In a previous letter, we sent you a photo of our visit but cannot remember exactly which one. We’ll put another in with this letter and hope it’s not a duplicate. There are also two other pictures taken here in Canada.

One shows Jayantha in a small park with the city of Vancouver in the background. You can see the edge of the water because it is a port city. Lots of big ships carry products to and from different Asian countries. The second picture shows Dennis behind a group of students he taught this summer. In order for these people to study courses well, they need some more practice studying the English language. Most of them have come to live in Canada from many different countries.

This year we will not be travelling to Sri Lanka. Instead, we are going to spend a few weeks visiting some central European countries. In fact, we fly into Germany in only one week. You can check on a world map or globe and find Austria and Hungary as those are some places we’ll visit too.

In your last letter you said that you liked all your school subjects. We hope you still do. Is there one that you like the best? What time do you have to arrive and when do you get to leave? Also, how many other students are in your classes? Who are your best friends and what are their names? Maybe you can tell us some of these things in your next letter.

We hope your grandmother and all family members are healthy and fine. Please give all of them our greetings and respect. Be good.

Labels: Q3_2007, Sri Lanka, World Vision

Yesterday, I praised the Internet for increasing my abilities for travel planning. Now, however, I'm worried that its ease of use is poised to make Jay and I less spontaneous travellers.

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Internet, Q3_2007, travel planning

How come it doesn't seem like science fiction?

If you'd told me, when I first went overseas in 1981, that in a bit more than 25 years, I'd be able to sit in my underwear at a flat screen in my living room and plan a vacation with a mouse, I'd have probably thought you were nuts. Maybe that's because I wouldn't have been able to picture myself as a 48 year old or collaborating with a mouse. Moreover, I'm pretty sure I would not have understood about connections to multiple websites that can contain more information than travel brochures could've ever aspired to.



I am fairly confident that I would also not have been able to fathom reserving hotel rooms at the YMCA or buying bus tickets simply by typing a Mastercard number. We just did a bit of clicking for 15-day Euroline bus passes that'll begin later this month. Although the whole trip will last three weeks, we were able to squeeze a majority of the longer hauls into that time frame. We will purchase shorter segments like Munich to Salzburg and Zurich to Munich as single tickets from there.

How'd we ever get by without the Internet?

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Internet, Q3_2007, travel planning

I'm already exhausted and it's not even noon. For some reason, I ended up clearing out a lot of old paperwork. In fact, I just threw away a garbage bag three quarters full of old bills and receipts.

I suppose this is one consequence of living in one place for so long. In the past, we'd never approached anything close to the nine years spent in this apartment. Frequently moving (and even changing countries) was an excellent way of getting rid of clutter before too much of it collected in one place. There's another major factor at play here though. When I first started working here, I created a company. My first job was contract teaching, so I functioned as a BC business. The advantages were for tax purposes as many job-related expenditures were deductible. Consequently, I kept copies of everything during the first years. Every paper clip and transit ticket were accounted for. Even after closing the business accounts, I still kept up this habit.

Going through the junk was a bit of a diary as things were much less paperless in the late 90's. All contracts and pay slips used to come by mail. I kept the cashed cheques as proof of payment. Many of those accounts, and even credit cards are no longer used. I went though much of the well organized binders just to pull out any especially interesting receipts. I discovered a few things. For example, computer equipment used to be much more expensive. I once spent $140 for a CD Writer but today they're about $35.

I feel a little lighter, emotionally, without so much useless paper around. It was plain silly to have some of the stuff. The user's manual for an old, tube TV wasn't crucial as we threw away the television itself last year. I did copy the original receipt before tossing it out though. The 14-year old 'cash memo' was interesting as it contains more than English.

Labels: Dubai, errands, Q3_2007, television

Labels: blogging, Q3_2007

I'm a great deal smarter than I was last month. What do I chalk this up to? During the entire month of August I've been subscribing to podcasts. The personal changes due to my purchase of an mp3 player are quite profound. I used to have a rather unsavory option of those who walked around listening to portable devices. Let me see if I can find an example. At the beginning of the summer, I said this.

It's okay to have changed my mind. In the past, I've also written things within these files, such as:

"Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes."

-- Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

It must be a sign of age when one starts repeating oneself, don't you think? Perhaps, however, I should just chalk up the inconsistencies to my increasing wisdom. Times change and so do opinions. As I said, I'm a lot smarter than I was last month!

I'd venture I help form a very strange demographic of mp3-player ownership. I seldom, if at all, listen to music on mine. Oh, I have at least a dozen albums tucked away. Yet, I have spent many hours this month listening to reports more educational than musical. I seldom walk out the front door without podcasts in my pocket. Being able to listen to in-depth NPR stories from around the globe, or commentary on the latest technology buzz is extraordinary. It's as if an additional method of input, has increased how much I can experience in a single day.

I am most probably an auditory learner and it just feels so gratifying to have found media which can provide more than a few simple soundbites. Most standard, daily news coverage just glosses over several navel-gazing topics. If one ventures out into podcastland, there's a lot of meaty information to be discovered.

Labels: Creative Zen, opinions, podcasts, Q3_2007

In today's paper I read the sorry statistics about the lack of exercise that many of us get. It's true, I feel much better after tearing myself off the sofa or away from this office chair.

The thing is the study said that a fair proportion didn't even get the equivalent of a half hour of walking per day. Okay, my flabby arm is raised! Well, sometimes. Lately, I've taken to often walking uptown. It is only about a kilometer and a half but there's quite a substantial rise in elevation.

So as a downtown resident of New Westminster, I find a dose of extra cardio is pretty much built into any walk taken here. Luckily the increased heart beat is on the first leg of the journey as gravity helps out during the return trip.

I feel so much better after getting out. I did today. The picture to the right is Douglas College. I took the picture from the opposite side of 8th Street when walking down the hill from the library. Pretty soon lots of out-of-shape students will be walking the hill from the New Westminster SkyTrain Station up those steps.

After getting into a more healthy routine, I think I must make some sort of pledge. I have to promise myself that I'll always walk if I want to eat fast food. Doesn't walking less than a mile for a Whopper or Big Mac negate the unhealthy aspects of the meal?

Labels: New Westminster, Q3_2007

If it's midweek then the sun simply must be out. This has been a summer with cloudy, cool, and even wet weekends. Yet, I think every single Wednesday has been fabulous. It shouldn't matter much to me as I'm not working. The sky hasn't a cloud. The sun in the spotless blue is casting rays on all objects providing them with a yellower than normal hue. From the balcony, Mt. Baker, in Washington state, sits stubbornly behind the hill still wearing a cover of white snow down to its shoulders. Ah, this has got to be considered one of those summer afternoons!

Right at the moment though, I'm waiting to hear the buzzer from down at the front door. The UPS guy should arrive shortly. Yesterday at this time, he tried but wouldn't you know, I happened to be at work. I've only gone to campus once in August; but imagine, it happened to be the exact day on which my Creative Zen replacement was to be delivered!



A note said that UPS would try again today.

Labels: Creative Zen, errands, Q3_2007, weather

I went to the campus today in order to give placement exams. We were in the testing room from 9:30 to noon. First, a colleague and I checked in the potential, new students. We then administered the grammar and writing components. We were able to correct the multiple-choice grammar answers during the testing. It was about noon when the students had finished.

After that, my colleague and I packed all the materials and took them back to the office. Next, I spent about three hours going through 64 writings alone. They will be marked by other staff tomorrow. We use these tests for identifying proper placement into one of the four course levels. Our program used to be known as Pre-Entry Communication but is now called Professional English Language Development.



I am very proud of the fact we are able to be honest in our assessments. One advantage of working in a public institution is that we have no pressure to accept students who aren't ready for our program. In fact, there are times when a quarter, or even one third, of those we test are advised to return after they've had some additional language experience and exposure.

Turning away such large numbers of students is not possible in privately-owned, for-profit, ESL schools. Many of these institutions must accept students, even if those learners do not have the necessary skills for a course. This is one reason I have little faith in private, language schools. In addition, the teachers salaries may be substandard due to the need for strong company earnings. Although students might not be aware that the instructors are not well-paid, everybody easily understands one truly gets what one pays for.

Labels: BCIT, opinions, Q3_2007, students

I think we've come up with a tentative itinerary for the trip that starts on September 13th.

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, Q3_2007, travel planning

We went to Turkey on several occasions. When living in Bahrain it was a close destination served by both Gulf Air and Turkish Airlines.

My video clip of a family making flat bread is on YouTube. It was taken from the back balcony of a little, family-owned guesthouse in the city of Pamukkale. That is not a place known for it bread-making. Rather, it is famous because of the limestone hot springs. Still being able to witness real people is as much of a reason for travel as the sites one visits, don't you think?

I held off mashing-up my first YouTube clip until earlier this spring, and I'm no less hesitant today. I like the idea of my eJournal and images being able to stand alone. I'm old enough to know that things come and go. Broken links to important material will be the scourge of future historians! Alas, most of the kids actually involved in Web 2.0 are probably young enough to still have that mistaken feeling of invincibility.

Labels: camcorder, Q3_2007, Turkey, YouTube

If you'd asked me a couple of months ago about audio on the Internet, I would've only been able to talk about streaming. That's been going on for more than a dozen years. I can remember trying to get adequate RealPLayer connections from my desktop at Dubai Men's College when the Internet first arrived in the UAE. Now, streaming is pretty old hat although I seldom spent much time listening. I've even offered the following .ra files from my website for at least a decade. [Editor's Note: These have now been converted to mp3 but suffer from poor quality of the original and coversion processes.]

MP3 AUDIO

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Radio Archive 1994 - Dubai FM, United Arab Emirates
Educationally Yours.  The HCT BBS: Mike Friganiotis, Moh'd Al-Shamsi, and of course, me (30:06 minutes)

Radio Archive 1995 - Dubai FM, United Arab Emirates
Educationally Yours.  The Internet: Mike Friganiotis, Tonia Huculak, and me (25:39 minutes)

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Things have changed though. I've only gotten interested in the concept of podcasting since buying my little 4GB Creative Zen Plus. (Incidentally, my RMA'd original unit really was dead and Creative is in the midst of shipping back a replacement by UPS. Meanwhile, I'm listening to a 2GB Zen Stone Plus.)



Podcasting is so cool. I like being able to walk out of the house with hours of radio which I've chosen to take along. I never use the FM tuner in the Zen. People may not know how easy it can be with aggregator software. Most of my friends probably know nothing about RSS feeds. It's simply a universal method to automate new Internet content so that it can be easily shared.

The image above is software that I use to collect my audio postcast episodes. Rather than getting involved in Apple's iTunes, I simply enter the rss feed into the ZENcast Organizer. It automatically updates all programs I've selected for download. Some programs might be daily while others weekly or monthly. It doesn't matter because as soon as a new show is released, it is waiting for me on my computer. I can listen on the PC or simply press a button to have the files copied to my Creative Zen.

It might take some looking around on the net to FIND the feeds but as soon as they're subscribed to, it becomes effortless. There are things from literally all over the globe. I favour technology over the news, and podcasting allows me to chose exactly what goes into my ears.

Labels: BBS, Creative Zen, Dubai, file archives, flash memory, Internet, Mediaplayer, podcasts, Q3_2007

If you recognize this image, then you already know my latest viewing addiction. British soap, Coronation Street, is now in its 48th season. I only started watching last week so I really don't think there's much chance of me catching up on the previous episodes. It was first broadcast when I was a year and a half old.

Actually it'd be impossible to really get up-to-date. I am recording the half-hour show on the CBC. I get the wide-screen, HD feed from Toronto. There's a bit of a lag though. For instance, yesterday's episode was originally broadcast in Britain last November 31st. That means I guess I can begin to look forward to the Christmas season.

The plots seem just as zany as on American soaps, but the actors wear much less makeup and have had less dental work and plastic surgery. The characters are less likely to be jet-setters and most of them spend way too much time in the pub. How could one not appreciate all that?

Labels: HDTV, Q3_2007, television

Why do I listen to US National Public Radio nowadays? It could well be my age but I don't think that's the reason. I believe it has more to do with the organization's quick adoption of new technology.

The people at NPR have rapidly made use of podcasting as a way of sharing their extensive resources. The shear number of programs is quite overwhelming.

This sort of reverses the trends of the last 60 years. In North America, radio became quite isolated and independent as early radio networks morphed into being television broadcasters. Commercial radio moved to music formats with primarily local news and information.

Now, with the rising popularity of podcasts, public radio broadcasters have the unique advantage of making use of their relatively large collection of resources. Here, I'm also thinking of organizations like BBC and CBC. All of these offer an amazing amount of podcast material.

Take a look at the npr.org site. In fact, I challenge you to look through NPR's listing by clicking on the image of screen capture. If you cannot find something that interests you, leave me a comment. Actually, if you do find something that interests you, then leave me a comment too! (In order to do this, simply click the word 'comments' as found in the 'posted by' row below.)

Contrast this enormous collection of iPod and mp3-player material to most commercial, terrestrial radio stations where you'll probably not find a single podcast.

Labels: opinions, podcasts, Q3_2007, technology

There's no place like home. Google seldom stops developing and refining!

Labels: Google, Internet, Net apps, New Westminster, Q3_2007

How can it already be the 22nd of the month? I finished up teaching my classes three weeks ago. I've really needed this time to decompress, I guess. I spent the first week of break in a rather manic state. I tried to busy myself with errands and tasks. The second week, I felt a little depressed as I had no pressing engagements and wondered what I should do with all my extra time. It wasn't until last week that I had glimpses of relaxation.

Now, I'm pretty much back to my normal, old self now. I can appreciate a day that has no itinerary. In fact, I've started to enjoy that type of day again.

Luckily, I've still got another three weeks off BEFORE MY VACATION STARTS. We don't fly to Munich until September 13th. In case I've not been clear about my copious free time: I have also had three or four prior weeks off between classes earlier in the year. During one we went back to see my father in hospital in New Hampshire and we went to explore Los Angeles on another.



I'm blogging about this topic as some misguided souls feel sorry for me when I say I work part-time and have for the last decade. I want to loudly proclaim that I have my personal priorities correctly set. Furthermore, I love the situation that I've created for myself.

Labels: Los Angeles, Q3_2007, relaxing, travel planning

My online photo collection increases daily. Many are just simple snaps but others are historical. One reason they're there is because it's a very accessible backup method. Another reason for using Flickr involves the ability to share, not only for friends but with random folks as well.

I like seeing how many of the photos are viewed by visitors. For example, I uploaded about 50 old, scans from Kuwait in the early 80's. They've been quite popular with folks who live there now. The little kid above was also in that set. I was just walking about the neighbourhood and snapped this kid who was accompanied by some family members.

For some reason, I think the one above does deserve to be in the top 200 listing. To me, it looks a bit like something out of a National Geographic magazine.

Labels: Flickr, Kuwait, Q3_2007, scanned

I'm sitting here this morning trying to decide on a topic for today's entry. Once in a while it seems like a burden to put something on this page. On the other hand, I'm often awed by the fact I have a space to share whatever I wish. I can add a photo, an audio clip, or text. I've said it before and realize there's little chance in hell of it happening; however, I could begin writing poetry or a scholarly thesis right here.

I don't think the average person is going to get smarter because of the Internet but that possibility exists, doesn't it? In a fewer than 15 years, global connectivity has gone from near public obscurity to being considered boringly familiar.

If one has a desire to broaden one's horizons, then an avenue is available. Today, as a society and individuals we need to learn how to ask more questions. As I was poking around finding resources for yesterday's entry, I discovered new things. I was looking up references to a particular style of Sri Lankan music and found that the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation now streams several feeds. I did not expect to learn that radio was first broadcast in Asia from Colombo. Without access to the Internet I'd never have read of a Mr. Edward Harper, especially as it was a weekend. Information is now not locked in a specific location accessible to a few at specific times. It's easy to find voices from the opposite side of the earth.

Labels: Internet, opinions, Q3_2007

The first time I went to Sri Lanka, I didn't know a thing about its music. When there, I heard a particular type of song called, Baila. I wondered why it sounded a little bit Spanish to me. Now I'm wiser.

Wikipedia has an entry briefly describing the emergence of Baila. Many people tend to erroneously believe that cultural exchange is a new phenomenon resulting from immigration. Actually, the whole sweep of civilization is pretty much defined by trade and the influence of human exchange. For example last night, I happened upon a TV program describing the discovery of an ancient crypt of a Roman girl who was buried wearing silk. That proved a rather suprisingly strong connection between the Roman Empire and the Far East.

Regardless, I wanted to let you hear this type of music but have had a little trouble picking one. I decided on a rather over developed recording of Ojayee by the Gypsies. You can also read about the group on Wikipedia.

I've included the song as today's topCast.

There are some references and even words from the aboriginal peoples of Sri Lanka as mentioned in yesterday's podcast and shown here in my eJournal and images in 2004.

Labels: music, opinions, Q3_2007, Sri Lanka