for more information contact skot@penguinstorm.com

current
Dan Mangan Live at CBC Studio One
Stephen Brunt - On The Olympics
Countdown to the end of Olympictown
Dan Mangan at CBC Studio One
The 70s Were So Surreal
Ski Jumping at the Winter Olympics
Peter Gabriel: Shaking the Tree
Edmonton, Baby!
Best Road Trip Song Ever
Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris: Waterfall


recent
Great Lake Swimmers: Vogue Theatre
The Weary Kind - Theme from Crazy Heart
BBC Commercial for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Steve Earle at the Orpheum Theatre
Paul Quarrington: 1953 - 2010
Vancouver's Independent Bookstore Closes
Neil Young - Heart of Gold (1971)
The Unintended Consequences of Advancement
CBC Radio 3 Top 103 Songs of 2009
"Apple is providing leadership in colors..."
Harper's Magazine Advocates a Protectionist Economy
Really? In Vancouver?
2009 in Concerts
2009's Best Albums
Intel's Recruiting Process
Arcade Fire with David Bowie - Wake Up
Portrait of a Multitasking Mind
The Last Penguin
Global Warming = Less Beer
Take That Alberta


archives
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
July 2003
June 2003
January 2003
November 2002
October 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001
July 2001
May 2001
April 2001
January 2001
October 1999


categories
America
Books
Camera
Canada
Cycling
Entertainment
Family
Food
Friends
Inanities
Marketing
Music
Narcicism
Nature
Penguins
Politics
Quebec
Science
Sports
Technology
Travel
Tweets
Vancouver
Words


randomness
Eartha Kitt, original Catwoman
tiger : mac os 10.4
Lance
I want to be in the Ukraine
The Case for Liberalism, George McGovern
Jim Harris stays on as leader of the Green Party
Manufacturing News
Campaign 2006
Cringely on IT Consultants
About Damn Time

I Am Skooter
So here's us, on the raggedy edge.
March 29, 2006

Mr. Harper and the Media

As much as I had grown to detest the hubris and arrogance with which the Chretien/Martin Liberals were governing, I was always uncomfortable with the Conservative Party of Canada. I saw one decent hope in the city of Vancouver, and when it failed I could see the future.

Mr. Chretien may have been a thief, and a liar — playing fast and loose with Canadian taxpayers dollars — but at least he communicated with Canadian tax payers.

Mr. Martin’s brief (but too long) stint in the PMO set the stage for what Mr. Harper has now created — a PMO based on vagueness and a lack of communication.

Continue reading "Mr. Harper and the Media"

Posted by skooter at 9:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under Politics.

So What’s the Volume Control For, Then?

The level of inanity with which people treat their right to complain never fails to amaze me.

Turn it down, people, turn it down.

Apple Releases Software to Set IPod Volume
CUPERTINO, Calif. Mar 29, 2006 (AP) — Owners of recent iPods will now be able to set how loud their digital music players can go. Apple Computer Inc., facing complaints and a lawsuit claiming the popular player can cause hearing loss, made the setting available as part of a new software update Wednesday. The free download applies to the iPod Nano and the iPod models with video-playback capabilities.

Incidentally, every iPod since day one has shipped with Soundcheck which essentially does this by leveling all the sound.

It never fails to amaze me how a headline can spin out of control, even though I’ve been part of making it happen in the past.

Posted by skooter at 10:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under Technology.

Spotlight Works, Windows Desktop Search Doesn’t

I spend a great deal of time these days flipping back and forth between my PowerBook at home and my Windows desktop at work. One of the many things I missed about the Mac was Spotlight — Apple’s much hyped search technology for desktops.

Spotlight works, and once you’ve gotten used to being able to search for anything with a single click it’s addictive. Smart folders and smart mailboxes are amazingly useful.

This got me to thinking, at work, that I would download Google Desktop. After spending the weekend with a friend who works for Microsoft, I snagged Microsoft Desktop Search — she insisted it was better — and installed it too.

Both fall short, for a really simple reason.

Continue reading "Spotlight Works, Windows Desktop Search Doesn’t"

Posted by skooter at 8:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under Technology.

March 24, 2006

Richard Cheney

So Dick Cheney is being mocked for his slavish devotion to Fox News.

Of course, the vast majority of Americans get their political news from comedians, such as Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, daily commuter newspapers or organizations such as CNN that produce news only in a heavily abbreviated format.

Is one better than the other?

Posted by skooter at 12:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under America, Politics.
Tags: Articles, CNN, Television

March 23, 2006

Korean Postal Envelope

Korean Postal Envelope

Posted by skooter at 7:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under Travel.
Tags: Asia

‘It felt like Gilligan’s hell’

This story gets my vote for the best headline of the day in and amongst recent triumphs and tragedies.

The meaningful synopsis of the story:

“…as Higginbotham recounts her story of being stranded for more than two weeks in a motor home stuck in heavy snow.”

People live in these things, I can’t see how getting trapped in one would be hell.

Posted by skooter at 3:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under .
Tags: Articles, RV

March 16, 2006

Ultima Canadian

Google this: zamboni driving school

I smell a business opportunity — my motorcycle lessons, after all, cost me $500 and are a lot less practical for most Canadians.

Posted by skooter at 2:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under Inanities.
Tags: Hockey

85 For A Moment

Grandma at the Door Today, my Grandmother turns 85 for a moment.

Grandma Lobb lives in Ontario still, and I last saw her at Thanksgiving when I was there for a whirlwind 5 day tour. Prior to that, because of various personal circumstances, it had been almost 3 years since I’d seen her. 3 years seems like such a short time relative to 85, but it’s practically a lifetime.

When we’re young, moments of time seem short — a minute is an interminable wait, an hour…forever; a trip in a car is always too long, even if it’s only to the local hockey rink. As we become adults time seems to slow down and move at a more natural pace. As we age, these moments become short again. People change quickly, and in three years my Grandmother changed quite a bit.

Continue reading "85 For A Moment"

Posted by skooter at 7:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under Family.
Tags: Grandma, Grandpa Lobb, Moments

March 15, 2006

E. Annie Proulx - Gifted Wordsmith

Remember what I said about that Crash backlash? I didn’t expect it to come from this source, but here it is:

Proulx pens tirade over ‘Crash’ Oscar
From a Times staff writer
March, 14 2006

Annie Proulx, who wrote the story that spawned the film “Brokeback Mountain,” has lashed out at members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for passing over that movie in favor of “Crash” for the best picture Oscar.

Continue reading "E. Annie Proulx - Gifted Wordsmith"

Posted by skooter at 10:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under Entertainment.
Tags: Movies

March 13, 2006

What a Wonderful Repository of Human Knowledge

The internet is such a wonderful repository of human knowledge — tonight I learned this:

If your eyeballs fall out of their sockets repeatedly, you might be a candidate for a lateral tarsorrhaphy

Gotta love this thing. Slate Magazine is still one of the best places to visit without paying for a subscription.

Posted by skooter at 10:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under Technology.
Tags: Articles

Miles Davis - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Really, the words about damn time don’t even begin to describe this.

Continue reading "Miles Davis - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame"

Posted by skooter at 3:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) This entry is filed under Music, Politics.
Tags: Jazz, Miles Davis

March 11, 2006

America the Inward Looking

Even accepting that Americans are amongst the most inward looking people in the world (outdone, with certainty, by the French and perhaps the Chinese, although the latter’s rising place on the world stage suggests otherwise) I remain astonished at the sheer ignorance with which many Americans view headlines like this one in the New York Times:

Dubai Deal’s Collapse Prompts Fears Abroad on Trade With U.S.
By EDUARDO PORTER
Published: March 10, 2006

DP World’s decision yesterday to transfer a handful of American port terminals, rather than chilling interest in investing in the United States, may actually have made it safer for foreigners by relieving some of the political pressure that was building up against them.

But as part of a pattern of other antiforeign actions in Washington, fears remain that the United States is becoming a less welcoming place for investment from overseas.

Continue reading "America the Inward Looking"

Posted by skooter at 6:00 PM | Comments (0) This entry is filed under America, Politics.

Battlestar Galactica

I’ve only recently been watching the new Battlestar Galactica on Space, and have caught it intermittently (it’s on a weird times because of the three hour P.S.T. shift.)

I am begining to come to the conclusion that it is, in fact, very very good.

Filmed in Vancouver, too.

Posted by skooter at 5:41 PM | Comments (0) This entry is filed under Entertainment.
Tags: Battlestar Galactica, Vancouver

March 8, 2006

California’s Been Good to Me

With a new job making Santiago less realistic (I really need to go for more than a week or two) plans for the end of summer have changed.

I’m officially announcing plans to head to California at the end of the summer, by motorcycle. Yosemite will be the ultimate destimation, with the California coast thrown in for good measure.

Look for pictures. It’ll be worth it.

Posted by skooter at 8:44 PM | Comments (0) This entry is filed under Travel.

This is Wonderland

Although I caught it only intermittently, I will miss This is Wonderland which airs its last episode next week. It was a great show.

What I’m noticing most about this — its second-to-last episode — is the amount of profanity that is being spewed. It is, of course, all being censored by the CBC which makes it highly amusing.

While this show will be missed, I’m quite happy to see Davinci’s City Hall off the air. There’s never been a more biased presentation of a political viewpoint, and the show paints Vancouver in the worst possible light.

Posted by skooter at 8:20 PM | Comments (0) This entry is filed under Entertainment.

March 5, 2006

Crash bang!

So Jon Stewart stayed quite a bit funnier throughout than I suspected. No self destruction there.

And yay for Crash! Boo for the Academy for ushering these people off stage prematurely. This is the big award — give’em a couple of minutes.

I only paid attention to the whole thing because I was working online. Really. New site launch soon to prove it.

Posted by skooter at 8:25 PM | Comments (0) This entry is filed under Entertainment.
Tags: Movies

Go Penguins!

Out of a sense of morbid curiousity for the future of Jon Stewart’s career I’m watching the 2005 Academy Awards something I have never really done before.

Lo and behold I tune in just in time to see the award for Best Documentary and it turns out to be March of the Penguins bringing a joyous smile to my amply penguin-ed household. Yay penguins!

My vote for Best Picture, incidentally, is Crash, not just because I’ve seen it but because I saw it twice and both times found something new in it to admire, learn from and think about. It’s a very well made, and well written movie. This is where my fetish for film lies.

It’s my suspicion that Brokeback Mountain will win, but it’s also my suspicion that the movie is an overly sappy romantic picture in which the two lead characters just happen to be gay. While I loved The Shipping News everything else I’ve read by E. Annie Proulx has been this way, and the movie is massively overhyped.

Just remember: a vote for Crash does not make the Academy (or anybody else) homophobic. I’m sure there’ll be a hue and cry if Brokeback Mountain doesn’t win though.

Posted by skooter at 6:24 PM | Comments (0) This entry is filed under Entertainment.
Tags: Movies, Penguins

March 4, 2006

Artists as Stormtroopers

An interesting argument in the New York Times today talks about New York’s Bushwick neighbourhood and reminds me of an old saying: Artists are the storm troopers of gentrification.

The problem with Vancouver is, artists can’t afford anything here anymore.

Posted by skooter at 8:03 PM | Comments (0) This entry is filed under Vancouver.

Tag Cloud

2010   30 Rock   3G   60s   Aaron Sorkin   Accidents   Advertising   Africa   Air Force   Airlines   Airport   Al Gore   Al Graham   Al Pacino   Alan Turing   Alaska   Alberta   Alcohol   Allergies   Alpine   AltCountry   America   Amnesty International   Amy Millan   Anchorage   Angel   Animation   Anniversaries   Ansel Adams   Anza Club   Apache   Apple   Arcade Fire   Architecture   Armani   Arthur C. Clarke   Articles   Articles. Technology   Artificial Intelligence   ASA   Asia   Assassination   Astronauts   Atlantic Canada   Atlantic Monthly   Authors   Aviation   Babies   Bad   Banking   Barak Obama   Barenaked Ladies   Baseball   Basketball   Battlestar Galactica   BBC   BC Liberal Party   Bear   Beatles   Beaverdell   Beer   Bell   Ben Mulroney   Benjamin   Best of 2009   Bhutto   Big Damn Heroes   Bike Racks   Bike Sharing   Bikes   Bilingualism   Bill Gates   Biltmore Cabaret   Bionics. Cybernetics   Birthday   Bittorrent   Black and White   Blackberry   Blackboard   Blueback   Blues   Blurg   Boats   Bob Dylan   Bombardier   Bond   Books   Bourbon   Bowen Island   Brad Pitt   Brian Mulroney   Brian Williams   Britannia Beach   Britney Spears   Broadway Muscial   Bubar   Buffy   Buildings   Burma   Burnaby Model Railroad   Bus   Business   Cable   California   Cameraphone   Cameras   Campaign '08   campaigning   Camping   Canada   Canadian   Canadian Tire   Canadiens   Cancon   Cannondale   Canoe   Canon   Capitalism   Carbon Tax   Cars   Cartoons   Catholic Church   CBC   CBC Radio 3   Cellular Phones   Censorship   CERN   CFL   Chalk   Charlottetown   Charter of Rights   Charter of Rights and Freedoms   Chicago   Children   China   Chinatown   Christmas   Chrysler   Churches   City Council   City Hall   Civil Rights   Clapperton   Clayoquot Sound   Clinton   Cloud Computing   Clouds   CNN   Coast   Coen Brothers   Coffee   Cold War   Comedy   Commute   Commuting   Compost   Computers   Concerts   Conference   ConocoPhillips   Conservation   Conservative   Conservative Party of Canada   Constitution   Construction   Consulting   Consumers   Contact Lenses   COPE   Copyright   Cormac McCarthy   Covers   Cowboy Junkies   Creationism   Crime   Critical Mass   Cruising   CSS   Curious George   Curling   Cycling   Cypress Bowl   Dan Mangan   Daniel Lanois   Data   Databases   David Bowie   David Emerson   Death   Death penalty   Debt   Deep Cove   Democracy   Democrat   Democrats   Design   Digital Downloads   Digital Media   Diners   Dollhouse   Downloads   Downtown Eastside   Drugs   Dungeons & Dragons   Dura-Ace   DVD   E-commerce   Economics   Editing   Edmonton   Education   Elections   Elizabeth   Elton John   Email   Emmylou Harris   Energy   English Bay   Enron   Environmentalism   European   Exercise   Exploration   Extinction   Eyes   Fall   False Creek   Family   Fantasy   Fashion   Federal Election 2006   Federal Election 2007   Feist   Fenders   Ferrari   Fiction   File sharing   Film   Financial Services   Finland   Firefly   Fishing   Flags   Flip Flop   Floyd Landis   Fonts   Food   Football   Forest   Formula One   Frames   Frank Lloyd Wright   Free Trade   French   Friends   Fruit   Games   Gangs   Garbage   Gas   Gay Marriage   Geneva   Genocide   Geography   George Bush   Georgia   German   Giddy Up   Globalization   Globe and Mail   Gnutella   Goderich   Golf   Google   Gordon Campbell   Gordon Lightfoot   GOST   Grammy Awards   Grandma   Grandpa Lobb   Granville Island   Great Lake Swimmers   Gregor Robertson   Greyhound   Guns   Half Dome   Halo   Hanna-Barbera   Hardware   Harrison Ford   Health Care   Heart of Gold   Helmets   Heroin   Heron   Hiking Trails   Hillary Clinton   Hiroshima   History   Hockey   Holidays   Hollywood   Home   Homeland Security   Horses   Houses   Human Rights   Humans   Hypocrisy   IBM   Igloos   Immaculate Machine   Industrial   Information Architecture   Infrastructure   Insurance   Intel   Interaction Design   Internet Access   Intuit   Investing   iPhone   iPod   Iraq   Ireland   Irish Music   Israel   Italy   iTunes   Ivan E. Coyote   J.J. Abrams   Jacques Parizeau   Japan   Jazz   Jean Chretien   Jeff Bridges   Jeff Tweedy   Jennifer Aniston   Jim Henson   John Cleese   John Irving   John McCain   Joshua Tree   Joss Whedon   Journalism   Kathleen Edwards   Kayak   Kayaking   Kentucky   Kerrisdale   Kettle Valley   Killarney   Killing Fields   Kitsilano Pool   Knights   Kodak   Lance Armstrong   Larry Campbell   Law   Legendary Horseshoe Tavern   Lego   Liberal   Liberal Leadership 2006   Liberals   Links   Linux   Lions Gate Bridge   Lists   Live Aid   Lomo   London   Long exposures   Louis Armstrong   Lululemon   Lynn Canyon   Lyrics   Mac   Manufacturing   Maple Leafs   Marketing   Mars   Martin Luther King   Martin Rogers   Massey Hall   Math   Mayor   Me   Media   Media Bias   Metric   Mexico   Michael Ignatieff   Michael Jackson   Microsoft   Microsoft Office   Middle East   Midway   Miles Davis   Military   Mime   MIT   Mobile Internet   Moderne Burger   Mom   Moments   Montreal   Monty Python   Moon   Morons   Motorcycle   Motown   Movable Type   Movies   Muffins   Multitasking   Municipal   Muppets   Museums   Music   Music Cassette Vintage   Music Videos   Mutual Funds   Napster   NASA   National Post   Nationalism   NDP   Neil Young   Neko Case   New England   New Pornographers   New York   New Zealand   News   Newspapers   NeXT   NHL   Nike   Nobel Prize   Nortel   North Vancouver   NPA   NPR   Nuclear War   Numbers   Oakley   Obituaries   Oil   Okanagan Valley   Olympics   Online Marketing   Ontario   Open Source   Operating sytems   Oscars   Ottawa   Outdoors   Overpopulation   P2P   Paige   Pakistan   Palm   Paris Hilton   Park   Parking   Partisan   Patagonia   Patrick Watson   Paul Martin   Paul Quarrington   PEI   Penguin   Penguins   Personal   Personal Finances   Peter Gabriel   Peter Ladner   Photography   Photos   Physics   Pickton   Pierre Trudeau   Pierre Trudeau. Separatism   Pink Floyd   Piracy   Planes   Planets   PLO   Poitics   Police   Politics   Pop   Pope   Population   Portland   Post-It   Poverty   poverty   Prayers   President   Pretentious   Privacy   Privatization   Proofreading   Public Transit   Quebec   Queen   Quotewerks   Québecois   Racing   Racism   Radio   Rain   Ranch   Ray Ozzie   Real Estate   Recession   Recycling   Referendum   Religion   Rene Levesque   Republican   Research   Resolutions   Restaurants   Retail   Reviews   RIAA iTunes   Richard Charteris   Ridley Scott   RIM   River   Road Rage   Road Signs   Road Trip   Roads   Robotics   Rock and Roll   Rock Creek Fair   Rogers   RRSP   RSS   RV   Ryan Adams   Safety   Sailing   Sam Sullivan   San Juan Islands   Sarah Palin   Saskatchewan   Scarborough   Scheiner   Schools   Science   Science Fiction   Sea to Sky   Seattle   Security   Senators   Separatism   Serenity   Sharks   Shaughnessy   Shimano   Shopping   Shrimp   Signs   Simpsons   Skiing   Skis   Sky   Skydiggers   Slavery   Small World   Smurfs   SNL   Snow   Snowboarding   social networking   Software   Songs   Soul   South America   Space   Spam   Sports   Sportswear   Squamish   Squeezebox   Stairs   Stanley Cup   Stanley Park   Star Trek   Star Wars   Starbucks   Starts   Stephane Dion   Stephen Biko   Stephen Brunt   Stephen Harper   Steve Earle   Steve Jobs   Still Life   Storage   strike   Stuffed Animals   Subsidies   Sun   Sunset   Supreme Court of Canada   Swimming   Switzerland   T-dot   Taxes   Technical Communications   Technology   TED   Teddy Bears   Telecommunications   Television   Telus   Tennis   Terrorism   The Band   Tibet   Tim Hortons   Tina Fey   Tofino   Toronto   Totem Poles   Tour de France   Touring   Toys   Traffic   Tragically Hip   Trains   Translation   Transportation   Travel   Trees   Trek   Trimark   Trudeau   TTC   Tunnels   Typography   U2   UNICEF   United Nations   United States   Universities   University of Toronto   Upgrades   Urban Development   Urban Planning   Usability   Utah   Vacation   Vancouver   Vancouver 2010   Vancouver Canucks   Vancouver Island   Vancouver Olympics   Video   Video on Demand   Virago   Virtual Reality   Vision Vancouver   Vista   Vodka   Vogue Theatre   Volkswagen   Volvo   Voting   Wal-Mart   Waldorf & Statler   War   Washington   Water   Waterfall   Weather   Web 2.0   Wes Anderson   Weston   Whales   Whistler   WiFi   Wilco   William Gibson   Wimbledon   Windows   Winter   Wired   Wires   Women's Rights   Wool   Work   World Hunger   Writing   Yeah Canucks Rule!   Yosemite   Young Galaxy   Youssou N'Dour   YouTube   Zombies   Zune  
January 2010
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31            

disneyworld 1982
Pirates of the Carribean
Pirates of the Carribean

Ottawa - May 2005
Canadian Flag, Museum of Civilization
Canadian Flag, Museum of Civilization