My Week in Review.doc

“It’s not the cough that carries you off—but the coffin they carries you off in.”  That being said the whistling cough that is still lingering on after my unwelcome viral guest is certainly trying.  The sinuses are improving though. 

 

Ate out twice this week at the Niblick Pub at Upper Oakville Plaza and at the Swiss Chalet opposite the Oakville Go Station.  The latter was quite busy on Friday at noon though I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would attempt to have dinner with 6 preschoolers!  

 

Boris Yeltsin died this week and Friday we lost a fellow Russian Mstislav Rostropovich.  Thirty Years ago I saw him perform on the occasion of his 50^th Birthday at Royal Festival Hall, London.  It would seem that history will not be overly kind to Yeltsin though he did manage a unique feat in Russian political history by dying of old age in his bed. 

 

Midweek I managed to sleep in an hour and a half barely waking up for my start time.  I’m blaming the gentle music programmed on the classical station my clock radio is tuned to.  Ended my day by proving that I still know how to do a lock change for a Letter Box Assembly. 

 

Thursday I proved that I can still make coffee.  I didn’t get any verbal compliments but when I went to clean the pot all 60 cups were gone so I guess that’s as close as one gets to an endorsement. 

 

At week’s end I decided to clean up the old files on my backup disk.  It may have a 250 Gigabyte Capacity but it was getting filled up.  Apparently Windows took exception to the 59 Gigabytes I deleted as when I rebooted it threw a temper tantrum.  Not being a fan of system restore especially since the nightmare memories of Windows Me I use Norton Utilities Pro which include Norton Ghost.  When Windows refused to start I was forced to dig out my rescue disk and use it to re-instate a restore point.  Lost a few E-mail that somehow got saved to Documents and Settings rather than my data drive E-mail file but otherwise I was pleased when I rebooted and things worked.  Still don’t understand how a keyboard and its blue tooth sitting 8 inches away can lose touch with one another.  Next challenge Saturday morning was a programme that froze during post and forced me to engage “Safe Mode” while I reinstalled it.  At that point my calendar programme lost touch with its database so I was forced to invoke Norton Ghost a second time to restore the programme and its database in Documents and Settings—that too worked—at least with Norton Ghost I can selectively choose the files I wish to restore. 

 

The weekend has been taken up with laundry, browsing, and checking files.  Spent some time updating my wish list at Amazon and on a whim decided to see if any of the online MP3 services had some of the music I’ve been having problems obtaining.  For the first time ever I actually bought music at iTunes and Puretracks.   Then placed an order for some books, CD’s and DVD’s at Amazon. 

Entering the Digital Age

I have truly entered the digital age. After work yesterday I drove over to Sayal Electronics in Burlington and picked up a Digital Audio Fibre Optic Cable for my computer's sound system. Getting it connected, configured, and setup took some time but it seems to be working. Time will tell if there is an improvement in performance but at least there is less possibility of electronic interference with the signal and I have noticed fewer pops and gaps in my music. I've yet to get around to playing anything that actually has a Dolby Pro Logic Signal embedded. My sound system even bears George Lucas' THX imprimatur. To date my association with that Logo is limited to the deafening ad anyone attending a public movie theatre has to endure.

Getting back to work after being off sick is always tough, the volume of junk mail everyone had to endure this week didn't make it easier. Coming home for my afternoon nap to the rat-a-tat-tat of the upstairs neighbour's hammer and chisel on ceramic tiles was just frosting on the cake--luckily he seems to go to lunch around 1:00. At week's end got word that we passed a householder mailing audit. The bosses were so chuffed I was actually thanked for my part in making that possible and even got a gift as reward!

The events of the last week highlight the holes in our health care systems--the American Model in particular; and the tension between an individual's right to privacy and the public's right to safety from potential threats. Having personally been attacked and narrowly missed death at the hands of an individual who had gone off his medication I have an above-average interest in the subject. I doubt the full extent of the mishandling of the events at Virginia Tech will ever see the light of day but what has been made public to date makes one shake one's head. Many questions arise. Why wasn't the campus locked down after the initial shootings? Why were the offender's English Professor's concerns taken so lightly? Why was an individual with such a history of stalking's and violence still at liberty and why was he able to buy the weaponry he used to commit his final rampage? Were his public communications which are still accessible online not cause for concern? Events such as just took place serve to emphasize that despite the modern every man for himself mentality that seems to pervade society our public good is determined by our treatment of the disaffected members of our community.

Decidedly Jazz Danceworks

The play I watched last night was everything I'd expected. Attending Decidedly Jazz Danceworks was an experiment; I really didn't know what to expect.

One of the games frequent concertgoers play is the press photo comparison test. I can safely say that it's been years since the males who showed up on stage met their sixpacks under that layer of padding. In a show that was about sexual attraction there were five females and four males--three of them black. The live music was provided by a four-piece jazz combo of bass, drums, guitar, and keyboards AND a BIG MOMMA who did her best imitation of Lady Sings the Blues. Unfortunately Jazz singers are not my cup of tea. The music was amplified to just short of the pain level--apparently to dance Jazz you need to feel it. I definitely felt it.

If Evangelical Christians eschew sexually explicit productions and theatre in general this show is what they had in mind--Magnetic Consequences, indeed. The choreographers here never heard of the missionary position. Alternative Dance provides an opportunity for dancers no longer able to get en pointe to prolong their careers; but some of these danseurs never found their toes. Am I prudish, possibly; but I certainly didn't expect Jazz Dance to X-Rated. These dancers at least had the good sense to know that taking their clothes would not have made them more provocative.

No Man's Land

This is a Theatre Review for which I don't have a dedicated blog getting out like that being such a rare activity for me these days.

While the rest of Canada celebrates July the First as a holiday marking the birth of Canada; in Newfoundland it is a day of mourning for the death of Newfoundland as a nation. The Newfoundland Regiment served in France during World War One and on July 1, 1916, 800 men went over the top to assault a hill at Beaumont-Hamel, got caught up in their own barbed wire, and were mowed down by withering machine-gun fire. Only 68 made it back alive. That single engagement wiped out an entire generation of Newfoundland's brightest and best; leading, in no small part, to its eventual union with Canada. The history of this encounter is recorded in Kevin Major's book, No Man's Land, which he adapted for this stage production.

For most of the play the stage looks like an underground bunker with foot lockers that look ominously like tombstones, benches, a few tables and a backdrop of burlap. The acting areas are created by spot lighting though the long cobweb hanging from the first spot added a bizarre touch. The nine men on stage are all in uniform and those army-beige uniforms looked lived-in, indeed slept in, their pockets loaded with gear. Except for the Madam who puts in a brief bawdy appearance and the nurse, the ladies wait back home making bandages and writing letters. We spend the majority of the play getting to know the men and the rigors of life in the trenches. The action of the climactic scene takes place off-stage, only one seventeen-year-old boy making it back onstage alive. The Oakville Centre's sound system was barely up to the task of reproducing the tattoo of machine gun fire.

As with most colloquial speakers true Newfoundlanders don't sound nearly as "down-home" as their ex-patriot brethren. What does ring true is their ability to break into song at the drop of a hat no matter how dire the circumstances and their ability to find humour in adversity. The singing is done a cappella throughout and the vocalists were without exception talented. The Spartan nature of the staging seemed appropriate and the lighting design and execution were spot-on. Obviously this crew are accustomed to mounting productions with meagre resources and little lead time. The actors truly inhabited their parts.

Anyone who would wish to learn more about the play or the company could do worse than to follow this shortcut:

http://www.risingtidetheatre.com/Study_Guide.pdf

Not Done Yet

Found more things to rant about. Norton Internet Security crossed me once too often and I just finished uninstalling it. Any programme that stupid and counterintuitive doesn’t deserve space on my computer—luckily it was a 90-day-trail that came with other software so it didn’t cost me money—just loads of annoyance. It’s one thing to have to teach a programme once, but at least it should remember for the next time! When I was finished I had to manually remove the start menu settings and the 84 Registry items it left behind. Sloppy people, Norton. I’m still convinced they’re related to Microsoft. In any case things work much better without the programme. Safety is one thing; being able to use one’s computer quite another.

Guess I missed mentioning the fact that I’m home with the flu. Asthmatics don’t take flu lightly. Nuff said.

It’s so dark out today that at noon having my lights on is mandatory. Now I’ve run out of topics and will close.

Apparently the trials don’t stop there. When I was unable to send this blog by E-mail decided to call Sympatico Bell my ISP to find out if there was some problem with their servers. After 40 frustrating minutes of having an East-Indian Sounding techie walk me through all the steps I’d already covered many times I finally had to ask him—point blank, “Are you absolutely certain there are no problems with your servers?” This especially when browser-based hotmail failed as well. After denying there was any problem he had to pull in his horns and admit that they were just then getting an update and after a further few minutes he had to admit there was a problem with their servers. He apologized for what that was worth after wasting so much of my time. I figured they had a problem with Microsoft’s new security updates last night but Sympatico seems to be slow to catch on. Of course my techie also told me the old unsecured E-mail system was down as well and I’m about to prove him a liar yet again by using it to post this Blog.

Another Day Another?

So I woke up this morning with the impertinence to believe I have something to write that will interest someone else. So what’s new in the world?

The fact that I woke this morning is important only to me and a few others. That it’s still raining here in Southern Ontario—indeed teaming down at the moment—means that those who have to work outside, including letter carriers will have yet another miserable day with no end in sight until at least the middle of next week. As far as I know the local Pentecostals haven’t started another Ark yet so I suppose we’re alright. Norton’s Firewall still hasn’t learned how to allow my Maxthon Browser onto the net without a great deal of prompting—apparently it’s a slow learner!

In the news we learn of the latest deaths—Americans in Iraq and Canadians in Afghanistan. CBC TV is honouring one of their own, Harry Rasky dead at 79. The world will mourn the loss of Kurt Vonnegut at 84; who survived the WW#2 bombing of Dresden by huddling in an underground meat locker and went on write about it after agonizing for 23 years.

Twenty-seven years later Canadians are still celebrating Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope. Hockey has entered its second season; the playoffs that will run until well into next summer. Conrad Black is still on trial in Chicago and in Vancouver the Pickton trail drags on—a pity that in the name of justice so many people have to be traumatized and the efforts of so many people have to be wasted on such a small, sordid, disgusting little man.

Apparently I didn’t have that much to say in the end anyway. Now we’ll just hope that Outlook Express manages to post this blog. Last night as a result of one or another of Microsoft’s latest security updates I had to re-configure my user account. Now despite that fact that I’m only recently out of bed I believe I’ll go back and resume watching Band of Brothers—I’ll post a review later this week. Mind you I did crawl out of bed yesterday to drive into work and order some supplies my boss couldn’t manage on his own. It would help if anyone ever thought to request supplies before they used the last one. Somehow printers don’t work well without paper and ink. Guess I was missed!

I'm Dreaming of A White Easter

Ironic that although we definitely had a Green Christmas we emphatically are enjoying a White Easter. As you will have discerned I’m back online. Spent much of Friday disassembling my system and finding safe locations to store the constituent bits; especially keeping the various power adapters and connecting wires straight. When I finally had the area clear went to work at fighting dust and dirt. Found those little bits and pieces that got misplaced over the last 2 years. When I’d accomplished that task got out the lemon oil and went over my wood veneer and let it sit overnight. Yesterday, Saturday even before my first coffee set to work at putting it all back together. First, though, I got a before shot which took some time as it was pitch black out and I had to figure out how to make my Nikon Speedlight Work. Nikon Cameras take great pictures but no one ever called them user-friendly.

Finally got to work in earnest at 6:30 and was finished three hours later around 9:30. That’s a mind-boggling number of wires and connections; where things go to a great deal depends on the art of the possible not on desire. When I’d finally finished my system froze during post but ran after I forced a shut down. It’s a relief to be able to report that all round I’m pleased with my decisions and the way my new set-up operates. My telephone seems to have benefited from sitting idle for 24 hours; the screen is brighter and clearer than ever. How does anyone live without USB 2; transfers that used to take up to 3 hours are completed in 6 minutes! After I reset the refresh rate on my screen I’ve had no problems there; who said experts knew best? Getting my new 5:1 sound system working with my sound card took some adjusting—I now have multiple ways to set sound volume not to mention front to back, mid-speaker, and sub-woofer ratios. After the challenges of getting my blue tooth to recognize my keyboard I believe I’m just as well off with hard wired speakers even if I have half a mile of cable. It’s a mystery to me how the USB Adapter can fail to recognize a keyboard when they’re sitting side by side. Mind you it is difficult to find a disconnected keyboard when you already believe you’ve acquired it. So far I’ve discovered that someone within range has a blue tooth enabled Nokia Phone and a Notebook similarly equipped. Luckily one cannot connect a keyboard without typing a passkey on the actual device. Now that I’ve tried six-channel sound I know I made the right decision. Here’s an after shot. It looks clean for the moment but I’ll manage to clutter it up soon.

Winter Returns to Southern Ontario

Apparently the Easter Bunny is going to be a Snow Shoe Hare this year; I exited my underground garage Thursday morning to witness snow drifting across our driveway.  The snow-belt areas can expect up to 30 cm. of what in the Maritimes we would call “poor man’s fertilizer”.  Darned cold and windy to go with it as well.  Ironic that kids may be skiing at Easter when they couldn’t at Christmas. 

 

Having a long weekend seems like a good idea in theory but processing five day’s mail in only four is quite another reality.  Throw bad weather and a few late mail transfer trucks into the mix and things can get tense. 

 

This week I have a reasonable excuse for a lack of entries.  Since last Friday the 30^th I’ve been rather pre-occupied with initiating a brand new console.  Installing software, scanning documents, settings and configuration files; looking for registration keys and installation files; and tweaking settings.  I find that it takes at least two weeks to train a newly installed operating system to bend to my will.  If I were satisfied to accept default setting things would be easier but I’ll plead guilty to being one who prefers to configure each programme to my liking and tweak settings to do what I want.  With 330 Gigabyte Drives I certainly don’t accept the default Windows setting of a 33 GB (10%) recycle bin.  I’m not a fan of the Windows Restore facility so I decided, with the storage space I now possess to use Norton Ghost which is part of the Norton Utilities Pro Suite I use.  Tried out Go Back some time ago and found it too intrusive and pervasive.  Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that Ghost had eaten up 400 Gigabytes of disk space in just 5 days of backup file creation.  Definitely a monster in need of curbing.  At least now that I have USB 2 file transfer is much faster.  I also have a 256 RAM Video Card and 5:1 Sound; a brand new Blue Tooth Wireless Keyboard and Mouse and a yet to be installed 6 channel sound system.  Saturday I will be housecleaning the dust, arranging the wiring, and getting things permanently set up. 

 

Every now and again there is merit in procrastination.  When I bought my ticket to fly to Halifax at the beginning of the year I dallied a day in completing the transaction and the next day the fare was $30 less.  Some time ago I bought a copy of Intuit’s Will Expert at $49.99 and although I installed it on my computer never did get around to using it.  When I went to install it on this computer I got the dialogue boxes with all the imprecations about ensuring that it was installed on the computer that would be printing the actual documents as installing it on another computer would require buying another key.  Apparently I never did get around to activating it last time as the process completed without a hitch.  Win some—Lose some. 

 

Now I’m about to take this machine off-line and do that cleaning.  Wish me luck. 

Another Rainy Weekend

It would seem that we’ve done something to offend the Weather Gods.  I’ve lost track of the number of rainy weekends we’ve had but don’t think I have enough fingers to count them all.   On the other hand while I’m at work the sun seems to be able to shine quite well. 

 

Things may not look much different at your end but here I’m working at the console of a brand new Logitech Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.  Guess I’ve moved into the 21^st Century.  This to go with the brand new console I picked up after work on Friday.  I’m now the proud possessor of 2 Gigabytes of memory and enough hard drive space to write entire libraries of books.  The last two days have been occupied with loading in software, configuring programmes, rescanning data and debugging Windows—I stuck with XP; I’ll give Bill some more time to get the glitches out of Vista or it’s successor, but with a 256 RAM Video Card I’m ready.  Also got a 5-channel sound card but gagged at the price of the speakers that will go with it—nearly half the cost of the new console.  The old console sits on my living room table dejected.  When I find time I’ll probably move it upstairs and finally see if my TV can actually display computer graphics.  It would be cool to be able to write a letter while I’m watching a movie. 

 

The corporate world never ceases to amaze me.  How does one get a virus in a closed network?  I was aware that it was possible but a computer actually had a hard drive destroyed this week.  The drive wasn’t even formatted when the malicious invader was finished.  Oh well, it provided work for me. 

 

I’m still cogitating over buying the new sound system.  For the moment I’m still using my 7-year old IBM speakers.  They’re the one component of my original system that has always provided good service. 

 

Well excuse me, the sun just came out.  As witness to the triumph of the human spirit over adversity on the web I came upon the story of Kyle Maynard, a lad born with out arms or legs below the elbows and knees.  He wrestles, practices martial arts, played football, and is going to University.  You’ll find him on youTube, Wikapedia, and in bookstores as the author of No Excuses.

 

I still own the original CD-ROM’s that most of my software came on, but anyone who has installed a new piece of hardware lately has learned that even if it’s brand new on the market there’s probably a new driver or firmware online that will need to be downloaded.  Therefore most of the software I’ve been installing came from the files on my backup disk.  Now I have to find the installation keys for all the programmes I’m still running as “trialware”.  Searching through papers 7 years old or stored E-mails equally old is a pain.  Oh well, there’s always something else that needs to be tweaked, updated or added.  Guess it’s what makes computers such fun. 

 

Next week is a four-day week followed by a four-day weekend.  Somehow I’d love to give next Tuesday a miss.  Have a soulful Holy Week you-all.