OPPinions

Mobile blogging

2009-11-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

Trying this new app which ties into my blogger account. Or is it time to switch to wordpress?

PS. Pic is off collegehumor.com.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod Touch 1G

Coldplay releases new Live CD... for free!

2009-05-14T21:09:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite bands, all the way back when I first heard "Yellow" when I was in the UK, have decided to give away a 9-track free CD titled, "LeftRightLeftRightLeft". It'll be made available on their website starting on the morning of May 15th. If you're lucky enough to be attending one of their concerts this summer, make sure to grab your own copy of CD, ya know those silver discs that you use as coasters?

1. Glass of Water
2. 42
3. Clocks
4. Strawberry Swing
5. The Hardest Part/Postcards From Far Away
6. Viva La Vida
7. Death Will Never Conquer
8. Fix You
9. Death And All His Friends

"Fix You" is one of my favorite tunes and is wonderful as a live track.

Bonus: a few recent KCRW online shows featuring Patrick Watson and Ben Lee.

Lego + Rock Band = New Game

2009-04-21T12:37:00.004-06:00

Joystiq has confirmed the rumours of the unliking pairing of Lego and Rock Band. Looks like an interesting go to make it more family friendly? Also for any "Arrested Development" fan, this becomes a must buy with its inclusion of Europe's "The Final Countdown" in the game.

March Madness On Demand

2009-03-20T18:52:00.006-06:00

I laugh at those studies about lost productivity during March Madness. CBS doesn't help with it's MMOD website that streams every single game live in "High-Quality" (and in lower varieties as well so you don't hog the office's bandwidth) that utilizes MS Silverlight which ruling out Chrome use, but is ok with Firefox, Safari and, of course, IE.

It isn't the full TV experience though. They switch to some no-name commentators for a separate half-time show feed and they don't let you flip to another game which it goes to commercials which is kinda annoying. But it does includes a "Boss Button" to switch off the broadcast to make it look like you're actually working.

More Music Awards

2009-03-04T18:27:00.001-07:00

With the Grammy's over and my Top 10 lists out of the way, here are some other worthy awards that should be given out this year. Maybe call these the OMA's...

Best Live CD: John Legend - Live From Philadelphia (Close second: Linkin Park's Road to Revolution Live at Milton Keynes)

Top Albums Missed from 2007: Against Me - New Wave & Once OST

Best Band That's Been Around That You've Probably Never Heard Of - The Perishers, a Swedish indie band with three CDs out since 2002

Best TV OST & Comedy: Move over Grey's Anatomy, HBO's Flight of the Conchords rules the roost in 2008.

Best Movie OST: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist OST (Close second: 21 OST)

Most Disappointed Albums by: Keane, Mobile, and Kathleen Edwards

Best Re-release: Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (2001)

Best Mash-up/DJ: Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

Web/Online OST: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Best EP: Coldplay - Prospekt's March EP

Best Title: Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married But Ive Got Feelings Too

Cool Word that Band Names Must Have in Order to Show Everyone that They're Cool: Against (Against Me & Rise Against)

Coolest Duet - Jack White & Alicia Keys - Another Way To Die (Theme to 007 Quantum of Solace)

Coolest Featuring - City and Colour featuring Gord Downie - Sleeping Sickness (from Bring Me Your Love)

Best Concert: VirginFest Calgary, saw almost 20 bands in two days, made up for all the ones that I passed on in 2008. Concerts by NIN & Feist were also very entertaining.

Best Albums of 2008

2009-02-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight is Grammy's night, so here's my recognition of the best music from 2008. My exposure to music is continuing to decrease and so is my time for listening to tunes. But I still managed to pick out some great stuff that's still worth listening to. Please feel free to include your "Best Of" list in the comments. Enjoy, O.

Honourable Mentions:

Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
The Verve - Forth
Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
Common - Universal Mind Control

10. The Killers - Day and Age: Great comeback after their previous disc. I think they do a better job in channeling David Bowie for this album than Bruce Springsteen who they (unsuccessfully) tried to do with Sam's Town.

9. Weezer - (The Red Album): Great singles with "Troublemaker" and You-Tube inspired video for "Pork & Beans". Rest of the album shows their diversity. "Everybody Get Dangerous" chorus feels lifted from OK Go.

8. Glasvegas - (self-titled): These guys could be the NBT from Scotland, which has exporting some of my favourite bands of all time (Snow Patrol, Franz Ferdinand, Del Amitri, and Simple Minds just to name a few). "Geraldine" has to be my most favorite tune of 2008. But the whole disc is pretty good, hence no mention of these guys (and gal drummer) in my singles list. Lots of potential here folks...

7. John Legend - Evolver: Kanye West's protege actually passes his master this year with his third studio album. With his talent, he can recruit the best in the biz with contributions by Kanye West, Brandy, Estelle and Andre 3000. "Green Light", "Everybody Knows" and "Cross the Line" show his take on love from different angles.

6. All-American Rejects - When The World Comes Down: I should have banned these guys (or put them on my dead-to-me list) for canceling their Canadian tour this fall. Their excuse was this album, so I have mixed feelings about it. Their use of an orchestra/strings is getting a little bit excessive.

5. The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing: Just like the White Stripes, how can a duo make such good music? Yeah, I know they cheat with looping samples etc. Front woman Katie White, who actually plays the guitar during their shows, picks up the rock gal crown (that Shirley Manson abandoned) in an imaginary title fight with Karen O of the YYYs. Very infectious tunes. Very much a guilty but admit-able pleasure.

4. Vampire Weekend - (self-titled): Managed by the same manager as the previously mentioned White Stripes, these guys are awarded my Rookie Disc of the Year trophy. Better attempt at fusing Congo/African rhythms than anything Paul Simon put out. Do they poke fun at themselves with "The Kids Don't Stand A Chance" or the doubters out there?

3. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs: I still regret not being able to see these guys live. But at least the next time I do, I'll get to hear them jam to "I Will Possess Your Heart" which reminds me a bit of "Roxanne" with its stalker overtones.

2. Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns: I was actually a little disappointed when I first listened to this album. They seemed to fall into their Grey's Anatomy groove with their mellow side of things, but the more I listened to it, their more energetic side did show through on "Take Back the City" and "Crack the Shutters". This is their first album in a while not to take the top spot. Am interested in Gary Lightbody's rumoured solo album though

And the winner is (drum roll)...

1. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends: These guys don't seem to rest on their laurels. They could have just slapped something together and have their iPod ad and magazine reviews do all the work, but Chris Martin and the boys holed themselves up in an old bakery to work on their latest effort. "Lost" defiantly starts off with stating that, "Just because I'm losing, doesn't mean I'm lost". "Viva La Vida", the video for "Violet Hill" and even the album artwork all have subtle or not so subtle religious or political references and undertones. They joke about giving their fans a choice in what to call this album with its long title. Grab the Prospekt's March edition if you haven't picked this up yet or just add the EP as a supplement. It even has an appearance by their label boss, Jay-Z.

Top Singles of the Year (2008)

2009-02-03T18:00:00.001-07:00

The Grammy's are this weekend, so it's time I try to round out all the tunes that I've been listening to from the last year. This is the tunes I dig (in no particular order), should have my annual Top 10 CDs out this weekend (which will have some bands that would have been listed here, but I don't want to reference them too much).

The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be
Cold War Kids - Something Is Not Right with Me
Time To Pretend - MGMT [Too catchy / guilty pleasure]
Estelle - American Boy (Featuring Kanye West) [Great beats & hooks]
Feist - My Moon My Man (Grizzly Bear Remix) [Fav remix]
The Submarines - You, Me and the Bourgeoise [Fav indie]
Jem - It's Amazing [Fav 'should be on Grey's Anatomy' tune]
The Fratellis - Mistress Mabel
Rise Against - Re-education (through labor) [Fav punk]
Nine Inch Nails - Discipline [Best Free Tune]
Stills - Being Here
Hawksley Workman - When You Gonna Flower?
Raconteurs - Salute Your Solution [Most rockin']
Kathleen Edwards - I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory [Best hocky reference]
Hayden - Barely Friends [ConCan]

What's your fav tune from 2008?

Hockey Math: Why the Calgary Flames are Better than the Oilers

2009-01-29T18:40:00.002-07:00

So if the Buffalo Sabres beats the Edmonton Oilers 10-2 and the Calgary Flames beats Buffalo 5-2, does that mean the Flames would beat the Oilers 25 to 2? Also does this show that the Flames are 12.5 times better? Trust me, it's an easy proof to do :-)

The Oilers were pounded was so bad, even our local sports radio station had to mention it in a song. For all those fans of the Oilers and the Kinks (or are curious about cross-dressing):

Goal (sung to the tune of Lola by the Kinks)

"But when Jochen Hetch scored, you must've known you were screwed..."

I was camera-less for the game, but the Flames did put on "Military Appreciation Night" where some season ticket holders donated their ducats to local soldiers. During the pre-game ceremony, they had a video montage playing some Johnny Cash that was so good, it even had the Flames starting line-up pull back from the blue line so they could check it out on the jumbo-tron. Another nice touch was that all the side games during the tv timeouts had soldiers vying for prizes. As for the game itself, Kipper made two ridiculous saves and the linesmen should have waved off two icing calls against the Flames (luckily they didn't cost us a goal). You usually only hear the "Oilers Suck" chant when they come to town, but the fans busted it out anyways as the Flames pulled ahead in the third period.

Calgary Art Show

2009-01-07T12:30:00.002-07:00

An ambitious and aspiring attempt at arranging artists altogether (who knew I could alliterate? My high school english teacher would be so proud). It takes place this Sunday all under one roof (the future Meals on Wheels home) and is totally accessible since it's free to the public.

For more info, check out their website: www.oneoneoneone.ca

PS. Happy new year and all the best in 2009 to all my friends and family.

Free Guitar Hero World Tour DLC

2008-12-19T17:41:00.006-07:00

For those that grabbed the latest version of GH head over to http://freemusic.guitarhero.com/ for 5 free DLC (downloadable content) tracks.

Here's the fine print though:
- Only applies for those that bought the GH:WT bundle (a version that comes with either the guitar or guitar/drums/mic) not just the disc (for those folks that already have RB/RB2 instrumentrollers.
- Sorry Wii folks, only for PS3 or XBox 360 versions
- Will need the serial number from the manual and the guitar. Supposed using the serial number from the drums will get another 5 tracks.
- DLC isn't instant, will have to wait up to several weeks for email (I presume the email will contain codes to enter for each of the tracks)
- Offer only valid before December 31st, 2008 so enter before heading out to your New Year's Eve party.

Here are the available tracks as of a few days ago (not sure if this list will change, or if more tracks will be added to the list):

* Blind Melon - No Rain
* Boston - Rock and Roll Band
* Foreigner - Hot Blooded
* The Killers - Human
* Nirvana - Silver
* OASIS - The Shock of the Lightning
* R.E.M. - Supernatural Superserious
* Raconteurs - Salute Your Solutions
* Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl
* The Smashing Pumpkins - Everlasting Gaze

Would have made an 8tracks mix, but could only find 6 of the 10 tunes on there...

Fall 2008 TV Lineup

2008-10-25T17:39:00.001-06:00

Yeah, this is a little behind... but I did write it a few months ago so there's no bias. This is what keeps my PVR constantly full...

SUNDAY 9.07
- Entourage (TMN/MC) - Starts off with aftermath of the Medellin Cannes showing

TUESDAY 9.09
- Kitchen Nightmares (Global) - Just recording this show on the SD channel, no HD for Ramsey
- Fringe (CTV, A, Fox) - From JJ Abrams, like most new shows, on probation

THURSDAY 9.11
- So You Think You Can Dance Canada (CTV) - Our own version

SATURDAY 9.13
- Saturday Night Live (Global, NBC) - Will Phelps perform like Gretzky (bad) or Jordan (good)?

MONDAY 9.22
- Heroes (Global, NBC) - What was this show about again?
- How I Met Your Mother (E!, CBS) - best ensemble comedy on TV

THURSDAY 9.25
- Survivor: Gabon (Global, CBS) - I missed the last one...
- The Office (Global, NBC) - Dilbert in real life
- My Name is Earl (E!, NBC) - Old show on probation
- Grey's Anatomy (CTV, ABC) - My guilty pleasure

SUNDAY 9.28
- The Simpsons (Global, Fox)
- Family Guy (Global, Fox)

MONDAY 9.29
- Californication (TMN/MC) - Duchnovy at his best dark self

TUESDAY 9.30
- Rick Mercer Report (CBC) - Compares well against fake news of Daily Show and Colbert Report. Should have plenty of ammo with the election coming up.

WEDNESDAY 10.01
Private Practice (A, ABC) - Still on probation

SUNDAY 10.05
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (CTV) - Lucas finally hits TV again after 1978's Star Wars Holiday Special

MONDAY 10.13
- My Own Worst Enemy (Global, NBC) - Christian Slater's new show... Time to 'Pump Up the Volume'? (I'm sure someone else can think of a better one)

FRIDAY 10.17
- South Park (Comedy) - another guilty pleasure

THURSDAY 10.30
- 30 Rock (Citytv, NBC) - Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan steal every scene

THURSDAY 11.23
- 24 (Global, Fox) - Prequel movie to hold us over until 2009

2009
- Lost (CTV, ABC) - last season convinced me to come back
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - Family Guy spinoff
- Doll House (Global, Fox) - Josh Wheldon & Eliza Dushku taking the same great premise from a comic book from 8 years ago, Aphrodite IX, by the great Marc Silvestri.

it's back!

2008-10-25T17:08:00.001-06:00

Yeah, it's been a while... server's been down... will transfer to blogger.com to minimize interruptions... Later, O.

Google April 1st Press Releases

2008-04-01T09:56:00.003-06:00

Google & Virgin join forces: http://www.google.com/virgle/

Spreads to Gmail and it's new "Custom Time" feature: http://mail.google.com/mail/help/customtime/index.html

International branches get into the mix too:
http://www.google.com.au/intl/en/gday/index.html

Easter Egg Google Docs Airplane

INKED OUT - Starring Vincent Pastore

2008-03-28T17:21:00.002-06:00

Not as funny as the scene from Office Space, but this should please any mafia/Soprano/Celebrity Apprentice fan:

Link to Gizmodo.com

Top 10 CDs of 2007

2008-02-08T23:42:00.001-07:00

To coincide with this weekend's Grammy awards, here's my seventh annual Top 10 albums of the year. Went through my Facebook CD list last night and had 15 CDs that I rated at least four out of five stars from over the hundred or so that I have listened to in the past twelve months. After much deliberation, these five just missed the cut (better luck next time) but are still recommended listens (listed alphabetically and all rated 4 Stars out of 5):

Icky Thump - The White Stripes
On a Clear Night - Missy Higgins
Send Away The Tigers - Manic Street Preachers
Twilight of the Innocents - Ash
Zeitgeist - the Smashing Pumpkins

So now without further adieu, run the SportsCentre cue... Here's my Top 10 of 2007:

10. Year Zero - Nine Inch Nails [4 Stars out of 5]: Lived up to the hype... Coolest packaging with the actual CD changing colours when played. Also pick up Beside You in Time to get a glimpse of Trent Reznor live which is my top concert DVD of the year.

9. The Con - Tegan & Sara [4 Stars out of 5]: Good to see these hometown twins get some U.S. exposure

8. Graduation - Kanye West [4 Stars out of 5]: Some solid hits, but a few filler tracks this time, but Kanye still gets his degree. Who else releases an album on 9/11? Oh yeah, 50 Cent did too...

7. As I Am - Alicia Keys [4 Stars out of 5]: Like Jone Stone, she's way better than her age would indicate.

6. Era Vulgaris - Queens of the Stone Age [4.5 Stars out of 5]: Most rocking album

5. In Our Bedroom After the War - Stars [4.5 Stars out of 5]: Yeah there's Feist and Arcade Fire that get all the press, but this is the best Canadian album of the year.

4. The Story - Brandi Carlile [5 Stars out of 5]: Just took 11 days of recording to produce this raw masterpiece

3. West - Lucinda Williams [5 Stars out of 5]: Her intensity still draws me into her sorrow and pain every time.

2. Finding Forever - Common [5 Stars out of 5]: The beats and lyrics are as good as what Kanye does on his own stuff, but without the ego.

And the Winner is [Drum Roll Please]...

1. Chase This Light - Jimmy Eat World [5 Stars out of 5]: With the infamous Butch Vig helping out at arm's length as executive producer, the tracks all hit the mark. The energy of "Big Casino", "Electable (Give It Up)", "Let it Happen", and "Here it Goes" mixes with the angst of the title track, "Carry You", and "Dizzy" to make this my most favourite CD of the year.

More notes about 2007 music scene:

The latest efforts by favourites Dashboard Confessional, Foo Fighters, Josh Ritter and Rilo Kiley were disappointed considering their respective bodies or work. They just can't rest on their laurels and expect to make my list every time. This year's best EP is by the self-described folk-comedy duo Flight of the Conchords' Distant Future. Check out their HBO show too if you can.

Most folks know my love-hate relationship about soundtracks and comps. Juno produced the best movie OST with its indie tracks and Grey's Anatomy's third volume holds the bar compared to its previous editions. UK's Radio 1 joined Cities 97 and Triple J in releasing some awesome live compilations. Best video (not that I saw too many) was probably the aforementioned OK Go's treadmills dance in the catchy Here It Goes Again.

Another great year for concerts with Snow Patrol and Jimmy Eat World playing at the local university venue. I had great seats for the re-united Crowded House show, however it was at a venue of the same name but in another town. Luckily, I was heading up there anyways. Took my gf to see Chantal Kreviaczuk on Valentine's Day. Also caught great shows by QotSA, Stars, and Lucinda Williams, which makes that 4 out of my top 10 if you were keeping track. Also managed to catch The White Stripes, MCR, Taking Back Sunday, Joss Stone, and OK Go (who opened for Snow Patrol) too. Plus the announcement of Calgary hosting its own VFest will give me something to look forward to in 2008.

Lego Still Playing Well After 50 Years

2008-02-07T23:34:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, my uncle used to give me a Lego Space set for X-mas every year. The toy, which means "Play Well" in Danish, now celebrates 50 years of sparking kids' creativity all over the world.

Then when they licensed Star Wars, I jumped back in as an adult and pretty much got every single set that was related to the original trilogy, except for a few of the big (expensive) ones. The fact that my gf didn't leave me when she saw them all is probably a good sign... Lego has been so much part of our pop culture that even Google commemorated the occasion last week:

PS. Happy Chinese New Year!

Superbowl XLII

2008-02-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ya know the game's a big deal when they get Russell Crowe to do the intro voiceover... Unless my beloved Seahawks are in it like back in 2006, I don't really care who wins, just hope it's not a blowout... Tho there is a little more to see if indeed the Pats can go a perfect 19-0. But for those lucky enough in Canada to get to see the U.S. feed, we know it's all about the commercials.

You got your usual movie spoofs, this year by Audi (Godfather) and Budweiser (Rocky). Pepsi's launched it new 'Max' brand to go against Coke Zero. But this year, they missed the boat as it's all about the vitamin water! Supermodel + Lizards + Thriller = Sobe Life = This year's sexiest ad. Can Nintendo sue Southwest Airlines in their commercial? Oh yeah, Randy Moss finally catches a ball with 22 seconds left in the first half.

Noticed some Arcade Fire in the background music when Fox comes back after the half time show. BTW, a little disappointed that Tom Petty didn't play Mary Jane's Last Dance. Don't think another Janet Jackson incident will ever happen or would you with the last few acts that have played.

Yeah, I get the juxtaposing with Shaq being a horse-jockey, but what's with the kid picking his nose in this vitamin water commercial? Gotta love E-trade. Yeah, the talking baby thing is a little cliched, but it is comic gold when he pukes. Guess they knew they had a good thing going by having another one with a clown. Charlie Brown didn't get the Red-headed girl, but he does get the red-capped Coke bottle during the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. The Amp energy drink tow truck guy charging his nipples is so wrong...

Back to the game... Finally some football-related drama in the fourth quarter, a few touchdowns and a fourth and short gamble. Then a ridiculous scramble by the other Manning with 59 seconds left. Just when it looks like the Giants will only get a field goal and send the game into OT, with no more timeouts, they get a first down and then Burress is wide-open in the end zone for the lead. Brady gets the ball back with 30 seconds and their full complement of TOs, but his Hail Marys go unanswered.

All of 2008 Superbowl ads can be viewed over at MySpace.com. Enjoy, O.

NHL Winter Classic

2008-01-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

A few thoughts during the game:

1) Don't try to predict the weather

2) Canadian national anthem played even tho both are US-based teams. Doesn't happen here at the 'Dome.

3) My CBC HD feed goes out 3 minutes into the game... stuck watching NBC HD or CBC SD :-(

4) Bad ice, both goals scored early on in the beginning of the first two periods.

5) More Zambonis!!! Don't think I've ever seen one break down before...

6) What's with those blue Penguins jerseys!?!

PS. Happy New Year! Best for 2008 to all my friends & family. -OP

Top 20 Singles of 2007

2007-12-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few tunes that I enjoyed from the past year... This is usually a warm-up to my Top 10 Albums list. There are several singles left off here that will end up on that list, so don't freak out if you don't see any of my Kanye West or Jimmy Eat World favs here. In no particular order... enjoy, O.

Powderfinger - I Don't Remember (Disappointed in the rest of the album)
Foo Fighters - The Pretender (Same witty remark as above)
Modest Mouse - Dashboard (Great rocker)
Hot Hot Heat - Let Me In (CANCON fav)
Raine Maida - Yellow Brick Road (Same witty remark as above)
Interpol - The Heinrich Maneuver (How come the rest of the album doesn't sound like this!?!)
Paramore - Misery Business (Chicks doing emo... hmmm the next big thing!?!)
Fall Out Boy - This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race (You have to admit that it's catchy, even if you don't like the band)
Tokyo Police Club - Cheer It On (Two great minutes of garage rock)
Linkin Park - Bleed It Out (Where's the mosh pit!?!)
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Face Down (Same witty remark as above)
Radiohead - Bodysnatchers (I actually dig this RH track)
Beck - Time Bomb (naaa na naaa na)
Rilo Kiley - The Moneymaker (Was sooo lookin' forward to this album... at least there's this gem)
Architecture In Helsinki - Heart It Races (Most eclectic)
Butterfly Boucher - A Bitter Song (Most depressing... so of course it was on Grey's Anatomy)
Tim Kay - My World (AKA the theme to Jamie At Home)
Four Day Hombre - 1000 Bulbs (Fav indie track)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - If I Can't Dance (Fav dance track)
LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum(Fav club track)

New Green Day Side Project

2007-12-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

Green Day has not gone on record, but everyone says that the 6-song (Downloadable) Stop Drop and Roll!!! EP by a band called The Foxboro Hot Tubs is indeed a GD side-project.

Sounds like the Hives crossed with Green Day to me after the initial listen... Here's the track list:

1 Stop Drop and Roll
2 Mother Mary
3 Ruby Room
4 Red Tide
5 Highway 1
6 She’s a Saint Not a Celebrity

Free Wii Remote Cover

2007-12-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

For all those folks that have a Wii, a pal told me that Nintendo has offered to give free jacket covers for the remotes. Just follow this link right here:

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/jacket/jacketrequest.jsp

You will need your unit's serial number to qualify... Enjoy.

iPod touch complete?

2007-11-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

When the iPhone first came out, I couldn't wait for a version that was just an iPod, (basically an iPhone without the phone), but was disappointed with the iPod touch as more than just the phone was stripped out. For me, it was missing a few critical features that would justify this replacing my old PDA.

But Apple finally fixed a major one last week with the announcement of the 1.1.2 firmware version. However, catching up on iPod touch developments, some folks had been using a 'jailbreak', which allows them to install their own fixes and third-party applications, including the ability to add or edit appointments which was one of the main concerns that I had that were address by the 1.1.2 firmware.

So do I do the jailbreak or have faith in Apple that more functionality will get added to the iPod touch?

Raine Maida - Yellow Brick Road

2007-11-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

The OLP frontman goes solo and for the video of the leadoff single, he goes busking in tdot to raise $30 grand for a school in the DRC. Youtube hosts a bunch of other clips caught by the public as well.

A very worthy cause indeed. He and his wife, Chantal Kreviazuk, have been great for War Child.

PS. This is my hundredth posting on my blog and have just started to link it to my facebook as well. It's been a while in between posts, but I had to move my server around the house and have finally put it behind the router.

2007 Summer Movie Trifecta

2007-05-06T14:26:00.000-06:00

We managed to head over to a matinée showing of Spider-man 3. We were definitely not alone... It sold out about 45 minutes beforehand, even with a dozen showings in just the afternoon alone. Canoe.ca reports that it made a record $59 million opening day and HSX.com declares that it had the biggest opening weekend as it pulls in another record $148 million in just 3 days (and even more if one factors in international grosses).

Suffice to say, this summer has several movie franchises with their three-quel out to complete the trilogy with Shrek 3, Pirates of the Carribean: At the World's End, The Bourne Ultimatum, Rush Hour 3 and Ocean's Thirteen. The third Pirate flick could make Spidey's record showing short-lived.

A few franchises have actually past their third, with Live Free or Die Hard as Bruce Willis coming back and Harry Potter orders a fifth helping of Phoenix. While several others are trying to repeat their original box office success: Evan Almighty, 28 weeks Later, Hostel: Part II, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Daddy Day Camp (Cuba Gooding Jr. replaces Eddie Murphy), and Mr. Bean's Holiday. Yeah, a few should have probably not gone ahead and could be DOA. The promotion of Steve Carell's character to the main lead in the Bruce Almighty sequel should cement his career as both a TV and Movie star.

Of course, in order to do sequels and three-quels, one must actually come out with the first one! How's that for a unique idea? The biggest tent-pole of the summer and gaining the most steam is the Transformers done by Micheal Bay and should revive the toy's popularity if it can cross the huge fanboy-base. Ratatouille is Pixar's big summer animation release along with Surf's Up and The Simpsons. A few comedies to look out for like I Pronounce You Chuck and Larry by Adam Sandler, Knocked Up brought to you by the same folks that did The 40-Year Old Virgin (sans Carell) and Robin Williams has a License to Wed.

A few smaller releases to watch out for: Stephen King's 1408 and Russian-made Day Watch (another sequel) could creep up the radar. But, of course, I already have my eye out for 2008 with the fourth installment of Indiana Jones finally coming out.

NHL 2007 Playoffs

2007-04-11T23:08:00.000-06:00

With March Madness over, the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs picks up where it left off. Four grueling best-of-seven series to hoist the Lord Stanley's mug. Tons of tradition and history. Spent the morning (quickly) making my picks. Based my players on the teams that I think will make the Final 4: New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, and the San Jose Sharks with the Sabres winning it all.

My Calgary Flames just limped into the playoffs but I predict will knock off the top-seeded Western Conference team, the Detroit Red Wings in 7 games with the final game going into sudden-death overtime.

Google Offers Free Internet

2007-04-01T22:09:00.000-06:00

As usual, Google posts their usual April's fool gag: introducing Google TiSP, wireless access using your sewer system! It's too good to be true right? Well, Gmail was launched on April 1st too...

Someone spent way too much time diagramming how it would work:

Coke Zero Sued

2007-03-26T18:13:00.000-06:00

By Coke!?! Clever campaign ad, where they pull a "candid camera" on lawyers by having them try see if Coke has a case against Coke Zero for "Basic Taste Infringement". My guess is that Lawyers 4 & 6 are actually actors...

LCDs & Dead Pixels

2007-03-22T22:01:00.000-06:00

Finally upgraded my trusty old BenQ 19" LCD to a 22" widescreen L226WA by LG. The only place in town that carried it in Canada was FS, so I was a little paranoid about having dead pixels, but this website helped me see that I was lucky enough to not have any. Was willing to take a chance since it is rated at 2ms refresh, a 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, HDMI & component inputs really puts it ahead of other 22" LCDs out there.

March Madness 2007

2007-03-21T22:02:00.000-06:00

Not too many Cinderellas at this year's ball... No double-digit seeded teams made it through to the Sweet 16. Was able to catch a bit of the first round day action again through MMOD, here's this year's version of their 'Boss' screen:

A record number of entries in the eighth year of my pool too.

I'm A Billionaire!

2007-02-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

Not really, well only virtually. Those that know about HSX.com (and for those that don't: It's basically an online game that treats movie releases like the stock market), my portfolio has finally reached the 9-zeroes mark even though I've never managed to break into the career Top 500.

I started about 6.5 years ago with just $2 Million. Not sure what kind of ROI that is, but I'm pretty sure that it's even better than Apple stock. We were all over at a buddy's place getting ready to go see South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut when we all signed up for it over the Canada Day long weekend.

Ticketmaster Captchas

2007-02-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

I tried to order online some concert tickets this weekend, but ticketmaster recently redid their captcha system to the point that even humans can't even decipher them (or is it just me!?!)... I thought these were supposed to just deter scripts and not people... cost me a chance to see how the L.A.M.B. goes across Gwen Stefani's shirt :-(

Normal One:

Bad One:

Music Digital Rights Management

2007-02-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

When Yahoo released a DRM-free single (by Jessica Simpson of all people) back in July, it barely made a ripple. But when Steve Jobs just talks about supporting the removal of DRM from iTunes, it gets everyone going. I thought actions were supposed to speak louder than words?

When will music's Big 4 realize that they've lost the battle on this? Yahoo advocates that companies are spending too much money on developing DRM-related technologies while Jobs spins that most people are putting DRM-free (ie illegal?) tracks onto their iPods already.

Superbowl Commercials

2007-02-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

Most folks up here may not be able to see Fed-Ex (Britney's latest ex-hubie, not the courier) daydreaming in a $US2.6M commercial, but it looks like AOL.ca has them all online so you won't have to youtube for them... The majority of Bud Lights were pretty good, but the most original had to be Sprint's Connectile Dsyfunction parody and the grossest had to be the Sierra Mist's Combover clip.

PS. Actually watched the half-time show... Interested to see that Prince actually covered the Foo Fighter's "Best of You", since the FFs do a rendition of the Symbol's "Darling Nikki" during their concert sets.

New Snow Patrol Video

2007-02-01T23:35:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite bands, Snow Patrol (who are coming to town to play a sold-out show) has a new video coming out for the fifth single off their latest CD (which will definitely make my Top 10). Interestingly enough, they do not appear in it at all, as it is based on the footage from a 1976 cult-classic short film "C'etait un rendez-vous" by the French film maker Claude Lelouch. The film has a great history behind it as well.

Snow Patrol's lead signer was recently on BBC's Zane Lowe as well... Check out the BBC DJ webcast and the track listing.

State of the Owen Address

2007-01-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

As the new year starts out, I've been trying to put the past year into perspective. I've just finished a very busy holiday season with the usual friends and family stuff. Barely have had a chance to rest since I've been back from Africa in September.

Guess we should start off with that (well, my travel adventures that is, as there is no mention of Africa at all in this paragraph). For once, I didn't travel to Vegas at all in 2006 (Guess that makes up for going three times the year before though). Did go spend weekends in Canmore, Canal Flats and Fernie (where I gave snowboarding another futile attempt and discovered that I will never reach the same greatness as I can in SSX Tricky).

But of course, the big trip this year was the high-altitude hike up to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Being that I've never really hiked before, my friends were quite surprised that I was interested in joining them on this adventure (would it be like someone that only drives automatic trying to race in the Indy 500?). So I was totally the fish out of water, but after spending the summer hiking numerous trails and multiple trips to MEC to get the appropriate gear, I thought I was ready (thought being the key word).

I definitely pushed myself as I had my ups and downs on the Machame route. The first day was very long (~18 KMs), so I started cramping up near end (and got me thinking about what I had gotten myself into!). I had a good second day though, but then I hurt my knee in the middle of the third day. With plenty of help from my group and our guides (and painkillers too) enabled me to finish off the afternoon and scale the Barranco Wall the next day on one good leg.

We departed Barafu base camp at midnight for Uhuru peak, where the unexpected windchill definitely made things tough. I thought I had given it my all just to reach Stella's Point, but was able to somehow summon some extra strength (and inspiration) to reach the summit at 5895 meters successfully. Totally exhausted (and dehydrated), coming down was almost just as tough as we put in about 30 KMs of hiking in the 24-hour period.

I was also able to spend time on an amazing three day safari (where I had a bout of food poisoning) beforehand, four relaxing (and sunburnt) days in Zanzibar afterwards, all sandwiched around a week's-worth of sightseeing in and around London (where I got to spend my birthday).

On the TV side of things, another Winter Olympics passed (with surprises like Klassen and disappointments like Men's hockey), the cancellation of TV's Arrested Development, but I did discover HBO's Entourage (where Piven steals every scene) to make up for things. Plenty of movie franchises (Superman, Xmen, Mission Impossible, James Bond) over the year too.

With hockey back in town, I thought I'd scale back my concerts after an amazing year for shows in 2005, but I still managed to go see the following live: Sarah Harmer, INXS, OLP, The Strokes, Bright Eyes, Pilate, Black Eye Peas, Tragically Hip (@ Mac Hall), Metric, James Blunt, Mobile/Theory of a Deadman, and Matt Mays/The Trews during Stampede. I did miss out on RHCP (again), Franz/Death Cab double-bill, Dashboard Confessional and the Subways though.

I just like to be thankful for all my friends, co-workers, and family for what I've been able to accomplish in the different areas of my life. This balance has been very fufilling and kept things very interesting. So I hope to keep this up for 2007. It's been a lot of fun being able to express myself here since my very first posting.

PS. No Wii purchase yet, but once they announce the first Star Wars game , I'll be there with my Best Buy gift card!

When Fighting Was Still Allowed in the NHL

2007-01-10T00:55:00.000-07:00

I managed to go to a Calgary Flames & Anaheim (Mighty still back then) Ducks game through a buddy of mine back on December 8th, 2001. I was looking forward to seeing Paul Kariya play and was instead treated to a late game brawl that went multiple rounds. The best was when Dave Lowry flipped the puck out to free up Craig Berube from the penalty box who then chased Jeff Friesen (who ironically is now a Flame). Youtube.com still has links to revisit that great experience:

PS. Here's a bonus Flames Red Hot music video circa 1987.

2006 Top Singles of the Year

2007-01-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

I think I'm ahead of my music listening this year or was it due to me being more selective in the albums that I download? Either way, I should be able to come out with my Top 10 Albums in a timely fashion this year as I always try to have it out the same time as the Grammys. But for now, here's my fav tunes from the year (in no particular order):

Skinny Boy - Amy Milan (Best lyric: You got lips I could spend a day with)
Make Damn Sure - Taking Back Sunday (Best Emo... Could be DQ'ed cause it came out in 2005 tho)
When You Were Young - The Killers (Why didn't the rest of the album sound this good?)
When the President Talks to God - Bright Eyes (Best protest song that I've heard in awhile)
So Sick - Ne-Yo (Turns the ladies into butter)
In The Deep - Bird York (From a REAL double-threat... remember her from The West Wing?)
Hey There Delilah - Plain White Ts (Must listen while away from home/travelling)
Peace and Hate - The Submarines (Fav indie tune... another one is from The Museum Pieces called It Keeps Me Up)
Rock & Roll Queen - The Subways (Best Guitar Rock)
For You I Will (Confidence) - Teddy Geiger (Cheesy/Sappy but still good)
Here It Goes Again - OK Go (Best Pop & Video)
Oh Gravity - Switchfoot (Catchy Pop Rock)

No Orson or Snow Patrol here but their albums will definitely make my Top 10. Make sure to submit your Top 10 CDs here over the next few weeks.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-18T13:28:00.001-07:00

If you get bored at the office, go check out this amusing site over at www.elfyourself.com. Happy Holidays and here's to a great 2007!

Sexually Aroused Sea Cows

2006-12-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

This new website just shows why Leno should step aside (early) and let Conan speak to the late night masses. He adlibbed the website as a joke during a mascot skit and NBC was forced to actually buy the rights to the domain. So they just ran with it and now it's making the internet rounds as fans and James Lipton have joined in.

Tokyo Commute

2006-12-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Few shows on the CBC, besides HNIC and the RMR, are actually worthy. But in the summer I do tivo Zed. Here's an amusing clip that someone caught in a Tokyo subway:

It's about five minutes long and does build up nicely. Fans of Atom Films should definitely surf around to find some other great gems.

Gears of War Music

2006-11-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

With the next-gen console battle finally beginning with the launch of the Wii and PS3, XBox 360 released their killer game, Gears of War, to coincide. With their massive PR ad campaign, I came across an interesting read of about the music used in the commercial which nicely juxtaposes it with the gore of the game.

Haven't come across any comments by the singer about his song being used, but he is actually pretty good for those that like the mellow folk kinda thing (a la David Gray, Jude, or Howie Day). Check out his performance on KCRW last month.

Edmonton Radio Station

2006-11-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

Ya know we Calgarians always bash everything we can about that city north of us... But I do have to give them one thing... They have a better Alternative Rock radio station, Sonic 102.9 FM. For those fortunate enough not to live there, we can still check them out online at http://www.radiosonic.fm/. Check out a sample playlist:

3:04 PM - The Adventure by Angels And Airwaves
3:00 PM - Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) by Arcade Fire
2:56 PM - The Pot by Tool
2:52 PM - Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
2:40 PM - Resurrection by Moist
2:36 PM - Martyr by Depeche Mode
2:32 PM - Pain by Three Days Grace
2:28 PM - The Red by Chevelle
2:24 PM - Today I Hate Everyone by Killjoys
2:20 PM - Perfect Situation by Weezer
2:16 PM - Call Me When You're Sober by Evanescence
2:08 PM - Natural One by Folk Implosion
2:04 PM - Use It by New Pornographers

Update: Our city may finally have a new worthy challenger in the new year... Join the XArmy and be there for the start of something that will hopefully be great.

Seinfeld & Soup

2006-10-05T14:30:00.000-06:00

A buddy of mine heading over to NYC combined with the canteen at where I work that serves up a great Mulligatawny ("It's an Indian soup. It's simmered to perfection by one of the great soup artisans in the modern era.") on Thursdays has reminded me of the infamous Seinfeld episode (which is based on the proprietor of a real soup kitchen in NYC) and mentions the follow soups:

turkey chili
crab bisque
mulligatawny
jambalaya
gazpacho
wild mushroom
Cold cucumber
corn and crab chowder

PS. Lobster bisque is mentioned in another classic, the "Yada Yada" episode.

anti-motivational posters

2006-10-03T17:32:00.000-06:00

For those that are familiar with despair.com's de-motivational(tm) posters, you can now try to make your own @ http://diy.despair.com/motivator.php.

Here's my pitiful attempt. Should have waited for something more inspirational to hit me... Wait... I think that could be turned into a demotivator :-p

2006 Fall TV Season

2006-09-20T22:59:00.000-06:00

The first big TV night of the year is tomorrow according to tv.com's fall preview, so I'd thought I'd put up a list of shows that I'll be series-recording on my PVR along with my summer carry-overs, the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, and G4's AotS.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 5
Standoff (Fox)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 10
The Simpsons (Fox)
Family Guy (Fox)

THURSDAY, SEPT. 14
Survivor: Cook Islands (CBS)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 17
Studio 60 (NBC)

MONDAY, SEPT. 18
The Class (CBS)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

TUESDAY, SEPT. 19
Smith (CBS)

THURSDAY, SEPT. 21
My Name Is Earl (NBC)
The Office (NBC)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

MONDAY, SEPT. 25
Heroes (NBC)

SATURDAY, SEPT. 30
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

SUNDAY, OCT. 1
Everybody Hate's Chris (CW)

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4
Lost (ABC)

MONDAY, OCT. 9
What About Brian (ABC)

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11
30 Rock (NBC)

FRIDAY, OCT. 20
Las Vegas (NBC)

PS. I'm back in town after my trek to Tanzania. Looking forward to catching up on everything now. Later, O.

Travel Tunes

2006-08-11T00:07:00.000-06:00

Going through my collection to make a playlist for my trip. Which ones should make the cut?

Travellin' - Matt Mays & El Torpedo (Matt Mays & El Torpedo [2005])
Again - Lenny Kravitz (Greatest Hits [2000])
London Still - The Waifs (Up All Night [])
Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's (Hey There Delilah EP [2006])
Boston - Augustana (All The Stars And Boulevards [2005])
All The Miles - Amy Millan (Honey From The Tombs [2006])
Tourist - Athlete (Live Session iTunes Exclusive EP [2006])
Maps (Live) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Turn Into EP [2006])
Run - Snow Patrol
The Adventure - Angels & Airwaves
Hello I'm In Delaware - City and Colour (Sometimes [2005])
Every F**king City - Paul Kelly (...Nothing but a Dream)
Wish You Were Here - Macy Gray And Wyclef Jean-
Takin' A Ride - The Replacements (Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?: The Best Of [2006])
No Goodbyes - The Subways (Young For Eternity) 2005
Leaving So Soon - Keane (Under The Iron Sea) 20006
The Best Deceptions - Dashboard Confessional
Back To Me - Kathleen Edwards
See You Later - Soul Asylum
Santa Monica - Theory Of A Deadman
Leaving On A Jet Plane - Chantal Kreviazuk (Colour Moving and Still[1999] )
Flying Home (Brenda's Song) - Chantal Kreviazuk (What If It All Means Something[2002])
Train Under Water - Bright Eyes (I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning)
Another Travelin' Song - Bright Eyes (I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning)
Move Along - The All-American Rejects
Top of the World - The All-American Rejects
Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes
London Halflife - Metric (Static Anonymity EP)
transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie
Far Away - Martha Wainwright
Love Will Keep Us Alive - The Eagles
Home - Sarah Mclachlan
It Can't Be Nashville Every Night - The Tragically Hip
If New Orleans Is Beat - The Tragically Hip
One Night In Copenhagen - The Tragically Hip
Chagrin Falls - The Tragically Hip
Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man - The Tragically Hip
Springtime in Vienna - The Tragically Hip
Sherpa - The Tragically Hip
London Calling - Clash
Hotel California - The Eagles
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2
All I Want Is You - U2
Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
Highway To Hell - AC/DC
By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Glen Campbell
Paradise City - Guns N' Roses
On The Road Again - Willie Nelson
Desperado - The Eagles
Here without You - 3 Doors Down

Bus Pass & Taxes

2006-07-31T21:58:00.000-06:00

From http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/whatsnew/items/transit-e.html:
The tax credit for public transit passes is a non-refundable tax credit for the cost of buying a monthly (or longer duration) pass for commuting on buses, streetcars, subways, commuter trains and local ferries.

From http://www.calgarytransit.com/taxcredit_monthly_passes.html:
Only monthly and yearly passes are eligible for the Federal tax credits. So tickets, day passes, premium fees and cash fares are not eligible for the credits.

Car Issues : -(

2006-07-31T21:29:00.000-06:00

Well, I think my '97 is nearing EOL. Here's my log of the past few weeks:

6/15
9am - car dashboard lights up
12pm - AMA boost, go inside office to finish things up
1pm - go back to car, it has stopped running (with my keys locked inside)
3pm - AMA tow to dealership

6/16
9am - Alternator replaced
4:00 pm - pick up car & $700 bill (a few other minor things done too)
4:35 pm - stalls and loses power 5 minutes after I drive it off on the way home at a major intersection
5:30 pm - Called dealership back and they tell me to "keep driving it"!?! Also to keep the car running for 15 minutes and leaving it off for a few minutes. Lather... rinse... repeat...

6/17
10am - Followed up with dealership in the morning. Told to "keep driving it"!?! They say that maybe the "Error Idle Control" was not set properly... If this causes the car to stall in 5 minutes after taking it on the road, you'd think that this would be something that should be easily done.

6/23
Noticed that it now takes 2-3 times before it starts up... possibly the fuel filter going?

7/03
6pm - doesn't start at all now
10pm - boosted by AMA

7/04
10am - booked another appointment with dealership
7pm - car doesn't start, used final free AMA service call to boost, tech notices loose battery connection. Drove directly to dealership, "do no pass go" as AMA manager recommends.

7/05
1:30pm - car still getting looked at...
5pm - new car battery put in. Guess it was fine but died two weeks after the alternator was replaced. Another ~200 bucks put into the clunker.

7/15
9am - car keeps trying to turn over but doesn't start...
10am - car finally starts, so I just dropped it off at the dealership again for them to re-inspect

7/18
Dealership takes a look at it for two days but can't find anything wrong with it. They did lend me a rental, a 2-door pontiac pursuit, this time around tho.

7/19
9am - I go swap the rental back for my wheels.

7/31
The car has been fine since then, even took it up to Edmonton last weekend. Have used up all my AMA service calls and tow for the rest of the year though. Actually I do realize the car has been pretty good for me as it is a '97 but I haven't even put 120,000 km into it. I was planning on looking at a new set of wheels late in the Fall after my trip, but I was hoping to have this done on my terms.

cute dog screen savers

2006-07-12T17:03:00.000-06:00

The one with the Pug is the best IMO... Very creepy on dual monitors... Great movie tie-in... Check out http://www2.warnerbros.com/mustlovedogs/downloads.html

Lack of Posts

2006-07-04T17:27:00.000-06:00

Hey there, I haven't been posted here much at all as when I do have some time to blog, I've put it to my other blog that I've started up for my trip to Zanzibar. I have been on a karma roller coaster lately. I don't gloat, so you will just get to hear me whine about the lows. L8r, O

2006 NHL Playoffs

2006-06-27T22:17:00.000-06:00

I was going to write my own spiel on the Oilers playoff run and how locals here can cheer for them, but I think this college paper article pretty much says it all.

PC Recycling

2006-04-13T23:05:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I'm not talking about being politically correct, but through my many years of playing around with computers, I have ended up with a whole bunch of old parts. Our province has implemented a recyling program with one local company having a drive-thru to drop off your junk. So there's no reason to keep it down in the basement collecting an inch of dust or even worse just throwing it away. Hopefully, I'll get around to it this long weekend, happy easter everyone.

5/21 Update: It's more of a drop-off than drive-thru... Just three guys sitting around by 4 industrial-sized garbage bins that unloaded the 4 PC towers, 2 monitors, 1 scanner, and a box of parts from my car. The site's online map is kind of confusing, but there are signs posted once you get into the Currie Barracks.

Screensavers

2006-04-06T21:22:00.000-06:00

I was looking for a totally psychedelic screensaver that I use to have on my workstation, but instead I came across a site that had it bundled along with a whole stack of cool ones.

Then go ahead and install this app that'll let you choose a bunch of these to run.

Update: Found another old-school one here.

April Fool's

2006-04-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

Heh... today mark's the second anniversary of when I've started blogging. Haven't seen that many pranks being pulled with it falling on a Saturday. Thinkgeek.com had some amazing new products on sale like Wireless Extension Cords and for the old-school gamers a Grow Your Own 1up Mushroom Kit. The local paper had a good article on the mayor buying industrial-sized Lego blocks to make affordable housing units. Tomshardware.com announced that the next generation of wireless won't require antennas.

And finally Google, of course, gets in the action by putting a whole new spin on their "I'm Feeling Lucky" button by launching the Google Romance online dating website.

March Madness On Demand

2006-03-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

March Madness is catching on... In Vegas, the first weekend where 48 games are played are now the second busiest weekend next to the Superbowl. This year, CBS & the NCAA began to stream the games in real-time via their MMOD website which broke online viewing records according to the G&M.

It took me an hour to get in on Thursday, even with my supposed VIP access, but I think once the network issues were sorted out, I was able to keep up with all the games. Video quality is decent using a ~360 kbit/s video feed, but there is a little bit of lag so I advised against checking the realtime scoreboard. I think CBS realized that a portion of their audience would be using MMOD from work, so they even built in a "Boss Button" that would hide the webcast and display what looks like an excel spreadsheet instead.

March Madness

2006-03-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

Hi y'all, it's that time of year again... For the seventh running of my annual basketball pool, so check it out here.

From March 16th to April 3th, 65 U.S. Division I College Men's Basketball teams will get a 'Chance to Dance' in the NCAA Tournament. The teams are divided into four regions and are seeded from 1 to 16. This is a one-knockout tournament, so one loss and the team's season is done like dinner. It takes six straight wins to get the honour of cutting down the twine in Indianapolis and be crowned as tourney champs.

This contest is a bit different to other NCAA pools where you'd usually pick the winners of each game (aka bracket-based). Instead, you choose the ten teams that you will think will do the best in this year's tournament. Points are awarded for each of your teams depending on their seed and the number of games they win.

So pick your squads and follow how you do over the next three weekends! Entries are due this Thursday at 10am MT, so just go onto the website to submit your entry. There's no cost to enter and the winner gets bragging rights until next March. We had sixteen entries last year, so we're always looking for more. This year, I've updated the entry form, so it'll be easier to put in your picks and you'll get an email confirmation once your entry has been validated.

Trip Blog

2006-02-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

My pal Kendra left our vball team this winter to go travel Asia with her boyfriend for half a year. They have captured their wonderful travels via their blog.

So go check it out if you have the travel bug itch (don't worry... I know a good cream that will take care of that :-p)

Video iPod Rumours

2006-02-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

Based on Apple's recent patent filings, DailyTech has figured out what the next generation of iPods will look like. Out is the touch wheel, in is a bigger screen with a virtual wheel (like a PDA?). If they figure out how to keep it clean from finger prints and it has a good resolution for tv shows, I think I maybe getting another iPod when it comes out... of course I'm still waiting for a home-theatre capable Apple Mini.

Flames in Tough Division

2006-01-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

Just noticed from looking at the NHL Standings, that the Flames are in the toughest division by far. The Northwest div has four teams (Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, & Colorado) with more than 60 points. No other division has more than two. It would be amazing if all five teams (including Minnesota) make it into the playoffs. Just shows how having eight divisional games has affected the standings. Don't get me wrong, Detroit, Carolina & Nashville are good teams, but their records are inflated due to them being in weak divisions.

Music Tips

2006-01-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

Over the past several years, I must annually have listened to over 100 albums. While I do listen to the radio a lot, I do enjoy venturing outside of the mainstream as there is a lot of good (and bad) music that don't get any airplay. Here are some links to where I get some of my music 411 from:

Radio Station KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic hosted by Nic Hardcourt, who is one of the most influential DJ's in the industry. Back in 2000, he was the first to bring Coldplay over from the UK to North American shores. Great online prescence that includes archived in-studio performances and daily playlists.

MuchMusic's Wedge gets TIVO'ed on Friday nights as the indie show highlights bands and videos that deserve a listen.

Take the format of Maxim/FHM/Stuff and spin it with a music theme to get Blender magazine. A hip look at music which offers both paper-thin/popcorn and in-depth views of musicians of all genres and their work.

I also check in with my pals (both locally and internationally) to see what they're into. I'll usually give their recommendations a quick listen and come across some great stuff. Going to concerts and music fests are cool too. I am often surprised by the opening bands that I would have not heard of beforehand and will pick up their latest disc asap.

PS. Just picked up tix for upcoming Metric and Sarah Harmer shows.

Canada's New Man

2006-01-25T12:04:00.001-07:00

Ok, so with our country's new Prime Minister represent my riding, I expect all the roads to be nicely paved and even more golf courses to pop up soon...

So when's the last time you shook your dad's hand? Well, here's a staged photo-op pic of Harper as he drops off his nine-year old son for school. Can anyone say awkward?

Web Economy Generator

2006-01-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

If you need a subject title for your next meeting, check out Dack's Generator. We use it for our Friday afternoon meetings.

TV Upgrades

2006-01-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

Wondering what to do with your Ralph Bucks? Well, if you're thinking on getting a new TV, here's a link to help comprehend the difference in comparing your old regular TV with the new widescreen ones.

I think all the stores are gonna sell out of iPods too once the cheques start coming out...

Skit's that "Double True!"

2006-01-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

Outside of the brilliant Weekend Update, SNL has been pretty lacking. But this skit actually did make me laugh and is making the rounds now.

Update: Ok, you can even get t-shirts now here online and they've even posted the lyrics.

Update 2: I've updated the link to another site that now hosts the clip. However, the online store doesn't seem to be up anymore :-(

2005 Top 10 Singles

2005-12-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

This is a prelude to my annual Top 10 Albums list, as I usually give it a few more months before I announce that to allow the late season releases some time to simmer or allow the cream to rise to the top. I don't think that even makes any sense. But I don't care, it's Christmas, so happy holidays everyone. Here's my gift to you (and a cheap one at that....):

Best of You - Foo Fighters
Finding Out True Love is Blind - Louis XIV
Fix You - Coldplay
Gold Digger - Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx
I'm Not Okay (I Promise) - My Chemical Romance
Middle of Nowhere - Hot Hot Heat
Once Again - Moka Only
Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley
The Comeback - The Shout Out Louds
When the Day is Short - Martha Wainwright
You're Beautiful - James Blunt
Your Ex-Lover Is Dead - Stars

Heck, I even threw in two extra ones for ya... Who luvs ya, baby?

Beer Not Kids

2005-12-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Gotta dig that Rick Mercer. He doesn't even blink when they move his show, Rick Mercer's Monday Report, to Tuesdays over the summer after the CBC strike (show is now just called the RMR). Now he mocks the first major ruckus of our Canadian election by creating the Beer Not Kids petition (which actually has more signatures that the real petition by Rona Ambrose).

For those that don't catch the show even tho it's on three times a week, should check out the show's website or his blog. It's not always about politics, but very Canadian. For those that stay up late or have a PVR, make sure to catch another Report show, The Colbert Report (note the T's are silent), which is a brilliant spinoff of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

iPod mini gone

2005-12-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

So by the time I get around to writing an blog on my iPod mini, you can't even buy one of these anymore. But back in mid-April, I took the plunge and got a green 6 GB one. Ordered it off the Apple website so I was able to get it personalize with "Who's Down With OPP?" and my email address (in case I ever misplaced it and whoever found would actually try to return it to me rather than keeping it). I remember following the tracking order as the shipment started from Shanghai, China and then to Alaska, Texas, and Toronto before finally reaching Calgary.

The iPod is definitely a great music experience. With playlists, I can whip up mixes in no time. I'm able to transfer all my MP3s and CDs and even buy some exculsive singles off iTunes with ease. I can listen to it while I play the drums. The interface is quite simple, but I find that it does what I need. I am disappointed with the music gaps between songs, especially when I listening to a DJ/dance set like the stuff by 2 Many DJs. A simple buffering mechanism would take care of that... I went for an iPod that's smaller in both size and storage space as I usually listen to new stuff all the time, but even with the mini I do find that I keep some singles lying around (like Europe's Final Countdown). I have had to reset the mini a few times and after half a year's near constant use I do notice that I have to charge more often Don't know if I would get the new iPod for it's video capability. The screen is about the same sized LCD on my new digital camera, but it is definitely thinner than even the mini.

What's an iPod without the accessories? Getting a radio FM transmitter also allows it to be used in the car, which is great when I'm driving around all day. I got a transparent cover over the screen and got a glow-in-the-dark radiation logo to protect the wheel cover. No need to get a case yet...

Vegas Baby!

2005-09-14T12:50:00.000-06:00

Managed to pull over another Vegas trip. Yes, that makes it three times this year if you are keeping track. There was a big group of us with representation from San Diego, Toronto, and London, England in addition to Calgary. Stayed at a great timeshare condo right off the Strip by the MGM Grand. Didn't do that much gambling (I think I'm even for the year), enjoyed a few good meals and was able to catch Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity at NYNY and a preview of the broadway play Avenue Q at the Wynn. Will post some pictures sometime.

Summer Movies

2005-07-21T17:26:00.000-06:00

No theme this time (unless someone else can think of one):

Batman Begins - an apropos title for relaunching a great movie series tarnish by Joel Schumacher despite the all-star casting.

Wedding Crashers - Hilarous moments but the ending dragged down. Will still pick up the DVD tho.

The Longest Yard - Ok, predictable but still Adam Sandler funny. Chris Rock rules!

Caught up on an old one too:

Final Destination 2 - didn't pay to see this... but I'm just a fan of Ali Larter since Varsity Blues and her Dawson's Creek days (don't ask me about what Katie Holmes DVDs I have)

Concerts

2005-07-19T00:23:00.000-06:00

I always enjoy going to live shows and it seems the planets all aligned for the past month as I went to four of them, held at various venues across town:

David Usher: Club gig at the Whiskey. Played a lot of stuff from his upcoming album, so the crowd wasn't able to get into it and he never played anything from his old band, Moist. Did somehow insert the chorus from the Bloodhound Gang's Bad Touch as he sang his latest single, Love Will Save the Day.
The Killlers: With only one album in tow, they played a few new tunes, which hopefully they'll put on their next record. Cool to see them on SNL and then in person a few weeks later! I even recognized the redecorated synthizer. Drummer was cool, which got me thinking about picking this up as a hobby. Cause it's all about being cool, right? :-p
Snow Patrol: Finally caught a show at the new Mac Hall Ballroom on campus. This guys did not disappoint. Sounded great live, got a new fav concert tshirt, and a good crowd too.
Green Day: They do put on a great show, I still remember the last time I saw them @ Edgefest. Both times, we got up pretty close into the mosh pit which got pretty crazy. They even picked people from the crowd to play all the band's part. The guitarist got to keep the guitar and the drummer got to stage dive. He went feet first (insane?!?) and landed right in front of me. Security was a mess which cause us to miss the first few tunes.

So I'm all done for shows for now. Missed out on the Rolling Stones tickets. For $350, I should have bough t a pair just so I can scalp them. Could have paid for the next batch of concerts...

PS. Sorry it took so long... Took awhile to get the pics off my mobile phone. Got tons of things I need to blog about, so hopefully I can get them off my chest soon. Later, O.

Final Star Wars Installment

2005-05-20T17:23:00.000-06:00

Got to see RotS in a former imax theatre. Wasn't the same gigantic Imax screen, but the movie sounded great. So this is the ultimate flick that was supposed to link this trilogy the the classic trilogy? It does accomplish that, but unfortunately without any surprises. Anyone could have written this plot to connect the dots in the plot lines and Lucas doesn't throw any curve balls in showing us how Anakin transforms into Darth Vader.

I'm sure over the next few weeks that all the plot holes will be revealed by the geekdom. I wasn't looking really close for any, just sat back and enjoyed the visuals. Great battle scenes both in space and in the Wookie homeworld. All the CG shots and special effects looked incredible. A few of the environments had me wondering if they were CG or not-to-scale models. Light sabre duels were quick and not as epic as I had hoped for. Still, the dark and serious tone of the movie made it enjoyable rather than trying to turn it into a comedic farce like previous tries. Yeah, Jar Jar does appear but doesn't ruin anything by trying to speak.

Top three moments:

Seeing all the starfighters that would eventually evolve into the X-wing, Star Destroyers, etc
Chancellor Palpatine transformed into the Emperor, only decent acting in the whole movie
Shot of Darth Vader in full costume staring out into the construction at the end of the movie

Worse moments:

Unaspiring death of all the Jedi Masters. Order 66... That's it!?!
How Padme's character is totally wimpy this time around
Obi-Wan beats Anakin in a light sabre duel !?! But gets knocked unconscious by Count Dooku?
The numerous product tie-ins on TV. Most are pretty good... the Darth Vader BK ones are great, but there are just too many with Verizon and Pepsi in on all the commercials as well

By Owepa Lahon (my generated SW nick)

Movie Reviews - Episode V

2005-05-16T21:36:00.000-06:00

Not sure why, but there seems to always be a general theme around my last couple of movie reviews. Here's my latest watery (groan) batch:

Finding Nemo - Finally got around to finishing this one off. Tried watching this with my niece when it first came out, but with her short attention span I never quite got past the beginning. Quite entertaining and the Pixar folks really made it feel like it took place in the coral and oceans, unlike Shark Tale.
Ocean's 12 - Yeah, this one's kind of a stretch to the theme, but it was a good popcorn movie. A fun ride, but when it's over, there's not much that I recollect. The skip-thru laser scene was a total ripoff off Entrapment and I definitely prefer (pre-Douglas) Zeta-Jones. Heck, even Britney Spear did it better in one of her music videos.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - The latest creation from the mind of Wes Anderson. You really have to be able to appreciate the dry (pun intended) humour in order to sit through this one. A lot of visual gags against the straight lines delivered by the talented cast. Did Cate Blanchett just use her Kate Hepburn persona from The Aviator, but without the zany accent?

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I do have three big blogs coming out soon. One of my recent string of concerts, another that wraps up the TV season, and finally another one of some movie that comes out this Thursday. So check back soon, ya hear?

TV Shows

2005-04-12T11:52:00.000-06:00

Best Drama: 24 (The Kief can do no wrong! How will they pull it off again next season?)
Best Comedy: Arrested Development (Makes me want to see the Blue Man Group the next time I'm in Vegas)
Best New Show: Lost (Honorable Mention: Grey's Anatomy... check out their soundtrack)
Favorite Guilty Pleasure: Las Vegas (The Fear Factor episode scene with Sam was the best 30 seconds of TV all year)

A year of blogging

2005-04-06T17:02:00.000-06:00

Well it seems that I've been trying this blog for a year now. It's tougher than I thought to keep posting entries regularly. Last month seemed really busy or was it just March Madness? I was posting on average about once a week, so hopefully I can keep that pace up for year two. Remember tho, I'm a sprinter not a marathoner.

I don't really know who even checks out my blog, but I hope you're enjoying it. For me, this is just a virtual venue where I can express and organize my thoughts on all the different facets of what's going on in my life. By publishing them, it keeps me honest and also gives me a creative outlet.

This Weekend @ the Movies

2005-03-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

I didn't even plan it, but I saw three very different perspectives on robots this weekend.

I, Robot: Takes Asminov's three basic laws and then turn it into a popcorn fest starting the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Really, I wonder how much they paid just for the geek cred and so that they could have a cool title.
Ghost in the Shell 2 - Innocence: Took eighteen years to release the sequel, but it was worth waiting for. An interesting mixture of hand-drawn and CG animation that ponders how close man and machines really are.
Robots: My first babysitting experience with my three year old niece. It was entertaining but nothing really too memorable.

Sorry for the delay, I'm having some firewall issues with my new server. Updates should be more regular now that this year's March Madness is over.

Grammar checking

2005-03-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

So I type:
"Gaining access to the MTA is done by contacting the Regional Distribution Unit (RDU)."

But MS Word suggests:
"Contacting the Regional Distribution Unit (RDU) does gaining access to the MTA."

Didn't realize that I had the Yoda grammar check turned on! Reminds me to catch the Revenge of the Sith trailer on The O.C. tomorrow night.

Oscar 2005 Weekend

2005-02-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to watching a few more movies, including two nominated for Best Picture this weekend. I'm sure you'll figure out which one of the three won't be taking home an Oscar.

Ray - Didn't realize how messed up Ray Charles was... But his music was very inspirational and Jamie Foxx'es portrayal was dead-on. Didn't realize "Georgia on my Mind" had was related to the racist views of the aforementioned State back in the 60s. Just thought it was about a gal or something... Totally changes my perspective of this song and many more that he sang...

The Aviator - Scorsese touched on Howard Hughes quest for perfection in all faucets of his life: business/money, flying, and women. Blanchett's and Beckinsale's acting seemed larger than life, but I don't really have any reference to go on for Katherine Hepburn and Ava Gardner respectively. If I knew the latter actress was in this flick, I would have popped in the DVD a lot sooner.

Ong Bak - Take two handfuls of Muay Thai kickboxing, sprinkling in liberally some Jackie Chan, and add a pinch of Van Damme. Let simmer for five minutes... Voila... Ong Bak! Pretty crazy stunts, which they reshow from multiple camera angles to make sure you didn't miss it. Like did he really slide underneath a running van? Some of the killer moves were a bit lame, but you do have appreciate most of them. The acting was quite horrible overall, I did notice that the subtitles in the movie and the DVD (released two years ago) differ in a few places.

NHL Closure

2005-02-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well, its official. No NHL hockey this year, that includes having no Stanley Cup playoffs either. Not sure why it took me so long to actually blog on this. One would think I'd have an oppinion on this since I've been a Calgary Flames season ticket holder for 5 years (does this year count?) and am a hockey pool enthusiast.

So what does it say when a fan of the game like me doesn't have much of anything to say? How I can't relate to either the millionaire players or billionaire owners? That it seems more of a PR war than actually trying to get both sides to come to an agreement? I guess it just shows I have more questions than answers or comments on the strike.

I tried to come up with an analogy on why the season should have been cancelled months ago just after the new year and it's even not sports related. It's like that guy/girl that you were dating and was supposed to call you back (and never does), makes you keep waiting by the phone, hoping that everytime it rings, that he/she finally returns your call. It takes awhile for you to realize, but one day it does suddenly clicks in that...

IT'S OVER.

And that when I finally wrote this blog.

Top 10 Albums of 2004

2005-02-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

Here's my best of list, for full details check it out here.

10. College Dropout by Kayne West
9. Confessions by Usher
8. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Deluxe Edition) by U2
7. LoveAngelMusicBaby by Gwen Stefani
6. All of Our Names by Sarah Harmer
5. In Between Evolution by Tragically Hip, The
4. Hopes And Fears by Keane
3. Hot Fuss by Killers, The
2. Final Straw by Snow Patrol
1. Futures (Limited Edition) by Jimmy Eat World

Song of the Year

2005-02-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

With the Grammy's being awarded this weekend, I usually have a few friends compile their "Best of" lists. Here are my picks (in no particular order) for Single of the Year.

Ch-check it out - Beastie Boys
All Falls Down - Kayne West
My Boo - Usher featuring Alicia Keys
Work - Jimmy Eat World
Almost - Sarah Harmer
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
Somebody Told Me - The Killers
Button My Lip - Elvis Costello
How to be Dead - Snow Patrol
What Are You Waiting For? - Gwen Stefani

Do any of these artists have a strong enough album to make the cut into my Top 10 CDs List? I have my picks tentitively set, but until then here's the link to last year's submissions.

Movie Reviews Part Deux

2005-02-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

Caught a few more flicks and DVDs lately:

The Grudge - Very creepy and sinister as "The Ring". SMG solidifies her scream-queen status.
Friday Night Lights - Based on the book that covered a small-town revered high-school football team's season of highs and lows. Football, even high-school football, in Texas is reverred like hockey here in Canada.
National Treasure - Great popcorn movie, predictable plot twists but still very entertaining. A toned-down performance from Cage.
Seinfeld Vols 1 & 2 - All the cast and writers interviews are very comprehensive. Popup video-like trivia is a bonus for those that remember every line.

Have a few Oscar-related pics (Ray, The Village, The Aviator, Saw... yeah the last one doesn't count) to watch for the next batch. Enjoy the Super Bowl, O.

Movie Reviews

2005-01-16T01:40:00.000-07:00

Catching up on my movies & all the DVDs that are piling up:

House of Flying Daggers - I'd suggest watching Hero, but both have Zhang Ziyi. A little slow getting started, but the fight scenes are impressive, especially the one in the bamboo forest.
Harold & Kumar go to White Castle - What do you expect from the writer/director of "Dude... Where's my Car?"? Has a few hilarious moments complimented by good casting. Doogie Howser makes another comedic appearance after Undacover Brother.
Dodgeball - caught this in the theatres, but I just had to watch this one again with the commentary. Ben Stiller's totally over the top while he passes his straight-man role to Vince Vaughn.
Anchorman - not sure why I missed this one from the theatres, but Will Ferrell solidifies his lead actor status. Borrowing heavily from his Robert Goulet impersonation, he creates this "Ron Burgandy" character. Look for a steady stream of cameos from Jack Black, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller and even Tim Robbins. Plenty of one-liners that will have you laughing out loud... even afterwards.
King Arthur (Director's Cut) - Clive Owen does a fine job in this supposed historical fiction (my roommate coined that) potrayal. Good casting, but little characterization, shot in good locales along with decent battle scenes.
Team America (World Police) - What do you expect from the creators of South Park? A lot of marionette sex. Didn't catch as many ripoffs except for Star Wars & Kill Bill. The musical numbers are hilarious, like "what we need is a montage" and "America... F*ck yeah" as they take a poke at American patriotism.

Only went through about half the stash, so will have another review for the remaining flicks soon.

Tsunami Disaster Aid

2005-01-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, I will start up again soon. But in the wake of the biggest earthquake in 40 years, here are a few places you can submit donations via online or phone:

Canadian Red Cross - online or phone 1-800-418-1111
Unicef Canada - online or phone 1-877-955-3111
Oxfam Canada - online or phone 1-800-466-9326
World Vision Canada - online or phone 1-800-268-5528
Doctors Without Borders - online or phone 1-800-982-7903

I'm challenging everyone who comes across my blog to match my $25 donation via Oxfam. Please comment or let me know on any other ways that we can help... It's good for plenty of karma points and will give ya a warm fuzzing feeling : -)

Guess Who's Back...

2004-12-22T23:13:00.000-07:00

Back Again... Been back in town for about two weeks now. Took me one week to get over the jet-lag. Didn't take many fotos at all, my dad, uncle and brother-in-law took plenty, so I'll post them all soon enough for everyone. It was good to get away, pretty mellow trip, but very relaxing. Plenty of rest has helped me gain a few more inches on my vert!

Googled an interesting article on the publishing of indepedent magazines when I was trying to find out whatever happened to a Vancouver mag called Banana as I didn't come across it when I overnighted there for the J.E.W. show (which was great, but I'll save that for my holiday post).

Happy holidays everyone!! Best wishes and plenty of blogs for 2005!!

Holidays

2004-11-17T23:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for lack of posts, but I've been totally busy with work and play. Doesn't help that I'll be leaving for a 3-week holiday starting tomorrow night. Returning to the motherland, Hong Kong, to catch up with relatives and also spending a week in a villa in Bali. I just pushed back my flight from Vancouver to Calgary by 24 hours so I can stick around and catch Jimmy Eat World play @ the Commodore ballroom before I come back to reality.

All Hallow's Eve

2004-10-31T23:49:00.000-07:00

I'm still surprised that I don't get more than 25 kids by my house. Don't they realize that the candy density tm is high for a condo complex? Mikey carved up a whole family of pumpkins and I had the scary music to put the ones that did come by. Watched a few movies that would match the night starting with Van Hesling as all the kids were coming by and then we turned off all the lights and a bunch of us caught Open Water (aka Blair Water Project due to its indie and scary nature). Not the best idea if you were planning (and I was) on going scuba diving anytime soon. At work, most of IT and HR dressed up and I had to say that the dude that rented the Scooby Doo costume was hilarious.

Music Reviews

2004-10-22T19:31:00.000-06:00

Here's a half-dozen reviews of CDs that I picked up recently:

Flutterby by Butterfly Boucher - She kept mentioning to buy her CD when she opened for Sarah McLachlan, so I picked it up for way cheaper online that what it was being hawked for at the 'Dome. If it were up to me, I would have made I Can't Make Me the lead-off single, with its clever lyrics and emotional singing, rather than Another White Dash.

Hello Starling by Josh Ritter - Another opening act for another Sarah (Harmer). Caught this humble performance at the CPA, so it sounded great and it was a more intimate performance. His rendition of Kathleen sounded familair but it took me a few days later to realize that I did heard this track before... via Liz Phair's recommendation as he opened for her earlier as well. Bright Smile Dark Eyes mellowed the crowd out while everyone (but me it seemed) laughed at the s&m reference in You Don't Make It Easy Babe.

So Jealous by Sara & Tegan - This hometown twin duo's latest disc is garnering some critical acclaim. I was impress by their previous work, If It Was You, so I was definitely looking forward to this one. Listened to the CD a few times so far, nothing's caught on yet, so I'm still reserving judgement on this one...

Folker by Paul Westerberg - Total disappointment. This guy's releases yo-yo's in quality. A few interesting tunes and a few good lines, but few and far in-between unfortunately.

Wayward Angel by Kasey Chambers - Another disappointment. Her last CD showed a lot of promise and potential but it I think she takes a step back this time around. Maybe I will have to give it another listen when I don't have such a negative
Futures by Jimmy Eat World - One of the best albums of the year. I could go on about how great it is, but I recommend that you listen to the whole album, but their first single, Pain, is a good start. Work and The World You Love are my two favs, tho Liz Phair's help and vibe on the former are an unfair advantage. I'm sure I'll be writing more about this disc in my annual Top 10 CD list.

NHL Takes a Break

2004-10-13T16:27:00.000-06:00

Like Ross & Rachel from Friends, the NHL and the NHLPA are "taking a break". Heck they're not even on speaking terms. So what if it's officially a lockout and not a strike? Either way, the only NHL hockey I'll be seeing will be on my Gamecube or my roommate's PS2 rather than in da 'Dome (chillin' with Jarome... thanks VIBE 98.5 for bringing back the flames playoff parody song).

The way they have drawn their lines in the sand makes matters impossible to settle. There is no middle ground on the "cost certainty" / salary cap issue to work towards. The implications of a long puck drought will affect both sides, but neither is willing to budge. Both sides will take a hit as revenues will be lower as the new TV contract takes place and as fewer fans will be back when (if?) everything gets settled.

The notion that this league is the fourth Major league after the NFL, NBA, and MLB is pretentious. At this rate, it is being lumped with soccer and lacrosse, as the PGA, NASCAR, and even tennis get more coverage across all forms of media. It may be tough for some to admit so, but the league's popularity has been slipping ever since Bettman took office and a work stoppage doesn't help.

So on the supposed evening of the Flames home opener where we would have raised the Western Conference banner, we went to Joey's Tomatoes instead. Many other fans did other things besides pouring over hockey pool stats or going to games and will continue to do even when the NHL comes back.

When Free Isn't Really Free...

2004-10-12T17:45:00.000-06:00

So Oprah decides to give every audience member a new car, but now the people are complaining because they have to pay the taxes for it. Who says you have to take the car? For those that have to take a loan out for it... maybe that's a sign that you shouldn't own one? The Big 'O' just bought 276 cars and gave them away and now people are trying to knock her down? Just the biggest real life case of "looking a gift horse in the mouth" that I've ever seen.

PS. Sorry for the lack of rants... one more coming up tomorrow. A concert and CD reviews for sure as well.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

2004-09-13T18:15:00.000-06:00

Now you will have a real excuse to wear that parrot on your shoulder, time to breakout that eyepatch, and call everyone matey or wench like you really mean it! This Sept 19th is the third annual Talk Like a Pirate day. Is this the beginning of the next Oktoberfest, just another reason to party? Argh...

Man, this looks like the beginning of a slow oppinion-worthy week. I did go see Resident Evil 2, but nothing too memorable except for the one line after the policeman shoots the infected dog - STAY! Oh yeah, Milla was in it too. Dissappointed by Starsky & Hutch DVD. I will probably write a blog on the pending NHL/NHLPA strike/lockout/stoppage/whatever-you-want-to-call-it. Either way, no NHL hockey except of the EA variety on my gamecube.

Sarah Sings Succinctly

2004-09-09T18:39:00.000-06:00

Now say that quickly five times... It's been pretty much ten years since I had first seen Sarah McLachlan live. My how things have changed... Five albums later (Fumbling Towards Ecstasy just came out), three Lilith Fair tours (which I never attended), from a small Western County Fair outdoor show to the cosy confines of the Saddledome.

Was more impressed with her earlier songs, Hold On (which she began by singing You Are My Sunshine - her baby's favorite lullaby?), Possession, and an inspired version of Witness. She saved fan-favorite Ice Cream for the encore (intro: "You all have been good... Here's Dessert!"), but it didn't seem that there were too many hardcore fans who knew to sing along.

The stage was quite cool. Three giant pillars that supported the backdrops upwardly turned into trees which it branches covering the main stage. There were also two small stages setup on each corner which allowed for more intimate numbers.

Being the pentultimate show of her tour, it seemed a bit too polished and rehearsed to me along with all the motherhood jokes. The only thing that seemed fresh was the song the the roadies choose during their introductions - So Long, Farewell from The Sound of Music. Don't get me wrong, Sarah still sounded great, especially when she went solo on the grand piano.

Upcoming CD Releases

2004-09-02T23:09:00.000-06:00

Here are a few CDs that I'm looking forward to finish up the year:

Lucinda Williams - Live [2 CD] (9/14) - seeing her live was a treat [Update 9/13 - Live at the Fillmore West will not be coming out tomorrow after all... either late October or 2005 now :-( ]
Jimmy Eat World - Futures (10/19) - more edge and less poppy than Bleed American,but still going to be one of the top 10 albums of the year
Paul Westerberg - Folker (9/07) - can't wait for another lo-fi disc from the former Replacements frontman
Other September Releases: Tegan & Sara, Bowling for Soup (one-hit wonder?), Green Day (still alive?), Elvis Costello (which direction will he go this time? rock? mellow? jazz?), Ben Harper & the Blind Boys of Alabama, Joss Stone (R&B diva?)
Other October: Fatboy Slim (has his time come and go?), Yeah Yeah Yeahs (never passes spellcheck), Duran Duran (never passes spellcheck), Beck, Simple Plan, The Donnas
(gone til) November: U2, Offspring

As for the CDs from my last mention, Finn Bros collaboration is very mellow and above average, Gavin Degraw's acoustic Chariot is great (but ineligible for my year-end Top 10 as it is a re-release), Taking Back Sunday is another EMO band that has finally broken out, and one more to note that somehow escaped mention was the latest from K-OS, Joyful Rebellion, the best hip hop record that I've heard this year.

2004 Athens Summer Olympics

2004-09-01T23:38:00.000-06:00

TV coverage was sporadic this year. I was quite happy with the NBC's coverage for once. Once I turned a blind eye to their blatant patriotism, I was able to enjoy all their volleyball, both beach and hardcourt, coverage. I still don't understand why they don't broadcast enough events live. I know there is a 9 hour difference, but you'd think they would broadcast the premiere track & field event, the mens 100m sprint, live like CBC did. I remember last time around in Sydney, when CBC was showing the live gold medal match in tennis featuring American superstar Venus Williams, NBC was showing some cheesey dramatic peace on some weightlifter.

All the media covers how poorly we did, but did we really do that badly? Or was it just a case of high expectations? We did finish tied for 19th in the medal standings. Considering how few athletes we sent, did we sent enough support staff as well? Is that the main reason why those that were expected to medal didn't? With so many fourth place finishes, maybe they should hand out Copper medals in Vancouver 2010?

Are there too many sports and events being held? So many athletes and events get overlooked as there is only so much broadcasters can show. When a single swimmer can win more medals than 176 of the 202 participating countries, is it time to take a closer look how many swimming events are there? Just like figure skating was put to shame in Salt Lake, it's obvious that the judging in gymnastics need to be overhauled. Have it skip 2008 if it is unable to put its act together.

The Olympics do always provide some inspirational moments:

Shotput being held in the original sacred Olympic grounds
Wrestlers taking off and placing their shoes in the centre of the ring after completing their final match of their careers
All the hugging after each and every point in women's beach volleyball

Can't wait for Turin's, Beijing's and Vancouver's turn, but all the pre-game negativity towards Athens should be erased with how everything went so well in the 2004 Summer Olympics. It is one of the smallest countries to ever host the games and after all the delays and the post-9/11 security concerns, they still pulled it off and deserve a hearty efharisto (thank you).

PS. Sorry it took awhile for this blog to be posted.

Gamecube Q4 Retro Releases

2004-08-30T21:54:00.000-06:00

I've picked up a few cheap titles for my cube of the old-school arcade games emulated on various platforms. Found out that a few more are coming out by the end of the year:

First off is a sequel, Midway Arcade Treasures 2, which includes Gauntlet 2 (a huge improvement over the original, you don't have to plug your joystick into the 3 slot if you want to play the elf. Other games that I remember are NARC, MK II & 3.
Another one is actually not based on any arcade game but a first-gen home platform: Intellivision Lives! It will be interesting to see the success of this game. Don't know how exciting sprite-based graphics are anymore, it took like 8 blocks to render a character back then. My folks actually did buy us one of these units back in the day. I do remember playing Snafu (like the Tron racing game), which is one of the 60 games to be ported over.

Update (9/22): MAT 2 is slated to be released on October 4th

Flames Trade Analysis

2004-08-26T23:34:00.000-06:00

Coming: Daymond Langkow (21 G, 31A, +4, 40 PIM) of the Phoenix Coyotes
Going: Denis Gauthier and Oleg Saprykin

Tough to lose Gauthier, but he was definitely the odd man out on the D-line. Flames should still have good depth with top 4 D of Regehr, Leopold, Lydman, & Warrener eating up most of the ice-time and Ferrence, Montador, Commodore, Phaneuf and Evans all ready to step up when needed.

Getting Langkow is great, especially when Reinprecht is so injury-prone. Allows Nilson to play wing even tho he did have some success centering Iggy. I guess anyone should be able to play with our franchise player tho, just ask Sakic & Lemieux. Saprykin is just a Nieminen-wannabe. Might as well keep the original. Pretty much a throw-in to even up the salaries.

Did we give up too much for Langkow tho? Guess it depends if Sutter knew Barnett was ditching Langow for Nedved. This is one of those rare trades that should work out for both teams. Phoenix's free-agent signings this offseason (Hull, Ricci, Nedved, etc) should improve their 14 games under .500 record enough to at least challenge for the playoffs. Also remember Nagy was having a breakout season before getting injured. I guess it depends if Boucher can bounce back from a mediocre numbers last year. I remember the Flames and their fans use to worry about their goaltending until we traded for San Jose's third-string goalie.

Alien vs Predator review

2004-08-20T17:24:00.000-06:00

Opening the same weekend as last year's Freddy vs Jason. AVP re-used the simple formula of combining two movie franchises to generate box office $$$. The plotline to interwine the two is quite far-fetched, but we are talking sci-fi here, actually b-movie sci-fi, so maybe I'm just giving it a hardtime. I liked how they explained the Predator mythology a bit more tho. Can't really complain any more cause I bought the Predator DVD which included a free admission to AVP, so it worked out to only $24 for both.

With decent action scenes, not enough use of the Predator infrared vision, and stereotypical paper-thin human characters, I could only recommend this to Alien or Predator fanboys.

Blog name

2004-08-19T23:21:00.000-06:00

Finally settled on a proper name for my blog. Might even register this as a domain, even tho .com is already parked. Is there another OPP blogger out there?

Another Car Pet Peeve

2004-08-10T22:41:00.000-06:00

It usually takes a lot to tick me off, but on my drive home the other evening as I slowed down to a 4-way stop, a car on the other side of the road just screamed right through it! It wasn't even one of those "half" or "rolling" stops, it didn't slow down at all and went right through it. Probably going at least 60km/h. The intersection wasn't deserted, there were at least three cars on my side of the street and another car approaching on the intersecting road that could have been broadsided if it had arrived a few seconds earlier. I am just stunned as just a block away is two schools, so a lot of kids are always nearby and folks on their evening strolls are around as well. There's a 4-way stop by my office building that I've seen a few cars roll through as well. I don't understand how the potential for such a fatal disaster doesn't deter such idiots that go through 4-way stops. End rant...

Bourne Supremacy Review

2004-08-06T12:08:00.000-06:00

Caught this sequel a few weeks ago on opening night, but forgot to write about it. It definitely builds on the original that came out two years ago. Just when you thought Jason Bourne was able to escape from his unknown past, a sting operation that goes bad brings him back into the CIA's sights.

Pretty textbook storyline with a familiar cast (Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, Gabriel Mann & Franke Potente are all back) and a few new faces (well, not that new if you watch LotR). Doug Liman (who's currently filming another spy caper, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.) was originally set to direct up to three Bourne movies, but he steps aside to just produce this one and lets rookie Paul Greengrass carry over his style from Bloody Sunday to give moviegoers a bad case of nausea.

In summary: Decent summer fare with good casting and shaky camera work. Still gonna try to catch Anchorman, I Robot, Harold & Kumar, and The Village before they leave theatres. Alien vs Predator and the Resident Evil sequel are the only other movies coming out soon that are worth catching.

25th Annual Calgary Folk Festival

2004-07-26T17:45:00.000-06:00

Went to Kaffa for breakfast before heading to Sunday's sold-out Calgary Folk Festival. Staked out our territory on the main stage and headed out to our first workshop. The Raices Latin had Fiamma Fumana, who performed on Thursday, combined with flamenco and mexican bands played an uptempo set that had folks dancing on the sides. Caught Steve Earle's rebel mentality, at separate times praising and griping about social causes in both Canada and the US. Had a brash sense of humour too, "The first guy that mentions to play 'Copperhead Road' probably got hit in the head by a hockey puck. Of course, I'm gonna play it... Dontcha think I'm gonna play it !?! Sheesh... If that guy keeps going... I just might not play it..." If I was closer I would have heckled him to "get to the chorus!"

Had some tough choices to make for lunch as there was plenty of variety and then headed towards to more workshops in the afternoon. Saw Spirit of the West for the second time in a month as they combined with the Warsaw Village Band and then the Axis of Whatever which comprised of Nathan (a country-folk band from the 'Peg), Weakerthans (a band that played mellow tunes that didn't allow other artists to jam in), Wil (local solo artist), and aussie Paul Kelly (who brought along a slide guitarist that stole every song he jammed in).

Then everything shut down as the focus went onto the main stage with UK folk artist Thea Gilmore kicking things off with an impressive repretoire of songs that crossed many styles (folk, blues, alt-country). Didn't really get a good vibe from R&BCorey Harris and the african fusion of Youssou N'Dour, but you do have to give the folk fest organizers props for trying different things. We then packed up camp and headed towards the side of the stage away from the sea of tarps & blankets for Lucinda Williams. She had a very humble demeanor, especially when bringing in Steve Earle for a few songs. But her passion came through on my favourite songs 'Those Three Days' and 'Righteously'. So after a long day of music from a variety of genres, we headed out and look forward to next's year lineup.