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  • Maple Leafs 4, Sabres 2.

    written by

    james

    How often does this happen? After pretty much getting owned, rather solidly, all season by the boys across the border, we actually showed up and put on a pretty good show of not getting swept for the season. And this against a goaltender that pretty much stoned us every chance he got–which was every game except the one on thursday. Which, by the way, I was forced to miss on account of my parents not getting Leafs TV, on which it was apparently broadcast, and me being required to house sit for the evening, but that’s neither here nor there. We played a team literally a game away from locking up the division. And we didn’t get spanked. Now, if only that meant we’d be in the playoffs. But, can’t have everything. Now reserving spots on local golf courses. Maple Leafs get in half price–provided they can nail the Canadians. Deal? Hey, I tried.

    Last time

    For the second consecutive meeting between the two teams, this one back in January, we got our butts kicked. Not by much, but enough that it was painful. Of course, not nearly as painful as the realization that the team just plain wasn’t going to get a whole lot better this year, but still. On the bright side, I like the look of the Sabres on the losing end of a game for a change. Say, can we do that again, boys? Might make next season a little more fun.

  • Okay, Bluejays, let’s play ball!

    written by

    james

    It’s the start of April. The official start of spring for any sports fan. And, the official start of the 2010 baseball season. There’s a crap ton of young bats turning loose on this team, and even more waiting in the wings. Will we make the playoffs this year? Not a clue. I’d be happy with doing better than last season, personally. And to welcome in the 2010 baseball season, as only a Jays fan can, have a theme song in video format. Okay, Bluejays, let’s play ball. And win something.

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  • A random stroke of sort of Google luck.

    written by

    james

    My open letter to Ontario’s premier has earned me currently the 20th ranked spot in a Google search for ontario government minimum wage. Apparently, the highest position I’ve achieved with this post is 5. Will I get back up there, or is it out for good? I are curious.

    In barely related news, Ontario’s government has still yet to get back to me. I’m waiting, Dalton…

  • Popular posts (March, 2010).

    written by

    james

    Surprisingly, it’s been a fairly inactive/unproductive month. Very few jobs to look for, in spite of the whole theory that says the economy’s bouncing back, but plenty of time to spend with the girlfriend, the nephew, my now eliminated hockey team, and everyone else. I’ve even gotten a tiny bit political in my recently discovered free time. Here’s what folks found interesting in the month past, according to Google Analytics.

    • Convergys closes this month. Earlier in March, the city offered to help catch the employees that company threw under the bus. I wrote about it, and wondered why we didn’t see that kind of help when Dell went sideways. I still wonder.
    • The Ontario Disability Support Program, or ODSP, is right now the difference between my unemployed and apparently unhireable ass being in this apartment and on the street. In its current state, it’s not much of a difference. I called out the premier over it, to which I got a rather indifferent shrug of an email. I promptly called him again. Will it warrant another shrug?
    • My second letter was only sent a few days ago, in response to this small handout being given to us by the ministry of social services. combine that with the few taxes, user fees etc we’re getting thrown at us of late, and you can probably see the direction the math’s heading.
    • Folks are still taking an interest in the results of February’s olympics. Specificly, in Canada’s ice dancing gold metal. Yeah, I didn’t know ice dancing was an olympic sport either. Or that we had anyone competing in it. Shows what I know.
    • I’ve always believed the world’s got way too much time on its hands. Or at least, too many timezones. One seems like a good number, at least to me. I made my case for it, but no one’s listening yet. Well, except Russia, who’s already killed two of its zones.

    Yeah, this blog’s about as random as it gets. From politics, to sports, to random gripes about timezones. But, hey, someone keeps reading it besides me. Now, maybe I can get more than a shrug out of Dalton McGuinty this month. Anyone taking bets?

  • Braille display technology, meet the mainstream.

    written by

    james

    As a blind person, I tend to associate with a fair few others in similar situations. Among them, one of the things that crops up every now and again is, “I’d get a braille display, if it would read more than one line of bloody text.”. Which is, rightfully, a valid criticism–I, personally, find it a hundred times faster/easier to just have the computer talk to me than to try and read, for example, some of the news articles I plan to link to on one of today’s braille displays. Fortunately, for folks who happen to be fans of using braille display technology, someone’s looking out for you.

    Researchers from North Carolina State University now say they have devised a display that would allow visually challenged users to read a full page at a time — and at a much lower cost than existing displays.

    “We have developed a low-cost, compact, full-page braille display that is fast and can be used in PDAs, cellphones and even GPS systems,” says Dr. Peichun Yang, one of the researchers working on the project, who is himself blind.

    Braille display tech, meet the mainstream. Next stop, maybe? Quite possibly inside your cell phone. That is, if it ever gets beyond the experimental/theoretical stage. Either way, though, it’s this kinda stuff that keeps me interested in all things geeky. Hey, if you’re blind, this is geeky. Work with me here.

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  • Thrashers 3, Maple Leafs 2.

    written by

    james

    Okay, all you non-Leafs fans can say it. As of now, Toronto is officially mathematically eliminated. Not that anyone who’s actually been following the team expected it to be any different. Lord knows since about January or so I haven’t been. And Tuesday’s game? Well, that pretty much underlines why. We played halfway decently. The only thing that didn’t happen is the goaltender didn’t manage to stand on his head. And nearing halfway through the third period, we pretty much got screwed. It wasn’t for lack of trying, though–we all but threw ourselves at the net, especially in the last minute or so of the game after emptying ours. And we still couldn’t force an overtime.

    Last time

    Different night, different story. This one did get forced into overtime. And we actually managed, though I still have no idea how, to land the two points. Ah well, we had a few years of making the playoffs. It’s only fair we have a few where we don’t. See you on the golf course, boys. And don’t worry; I’m sure Ottawa and Montreal will be right behind you.

  • OC Transpo drivers bitch about calling stops, no one really cares.

    written by

    james

    Drivers of Ottawa’s bus system say punishments for not calling stops, which have so far been restricted to suspensions of between 1 and 5 days, are unfair. They blame all the usual excuses–people not taking into account driver distractions, such as other customers talking to them, or needing to keep an eye on trafic, for the lack of stop callage. Because, you know, it’s just not possible to have the customer shut up for 30 seconds while he announces the next stop. Meanwhile, OC Transpo’s been fined already, after multiple warnings to call out stops–at least the major ones. You’d think after the first few, they’d start to learn. My money’s on folks getting fired before this fixes itself. At least, I hope to God someone does. Preferably, the next moron to decide it’d be easier/better/faster to just, well, forget to call the stop. Speaking as someone who’s missed a fair few stops because the driver “forgot”, I kind of suspect it’s gonna take at least that much.

    ,

  • Putting a hockey team back in Winnipeg?

    written by

    james

    It’s been floated since the seventh team left that we’d be trying to bring it back to Canada. We tried back in November, at which point Hamilton would have been the lucky one. Now, it’s being tossed about that Winnipeg might be getting its team back instead.

    The last time Winnipeg had a hockey team, I only barely followed the game. I knew enough to know Felix Potvan was the guy who’d either make or break the team. I knew enough to know Clark plus Gilmour equals somebody on the opposite team, usually the goaltender, wasn’t going to be happy. Of course, I was also 12 or 13 and paid more attention to when my favourite player was on the ice than I did the score at the end of the game. Still, to me, that’s classic hockey. That’s Leafs hockey, to a science.

    I barely remember most of those games from back then. And, in fact, often find myself watching reruns of those games–thanks, Leafs TV–and quite litterally having moments of “Wo, this person actually played in Toronto?”. So, for that reason alone, neverminding the fact it’d just be perfect to have another team on this side of the border again, I still hold out a little hope it happens. If it happens to somewhere like Winnipeg, that’d just make it all the more sweet. I don’t remember a lot about the old Toronto versus Winnipeg games. But, if this ends up actually happening, I already know I’ll watch each and every one of the new Toronto versus Winnipeg matches, much like we tried to do growing up.

    I did some crawling of Youtube, and stumbled across a highlight real of sorts from one of the old, probably now classic, games. Looking at the team from 1995, when the game was played, and today, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Here’s one for Winnipeg, and the possible return of the Jets. Oh, nevermind. Here’s one just for old time’s sake, period. Have a video.

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  • So they say there’s a recovery somewhere in here.

    written by

    james

    Reports are coming out now that say there’s some kind of an economic recovery up on this side of the border. GDP’s up, consumer spending’s up, housing prices are up. Employment rate? Well, they still scratch their heads about that.

    House prices, sales and starts have all rebounded, consumer spending remains strong, stock markets have partly come back from last year’s low, and the job picture appears to be improving with each new report.

    On this, I call bullshit–at least in the Ottawa/Pembroke area, where so far I’ve seen a grand total of maybe 15 jobs posted in the last 3 weeks, and was inclined and not embarrassed to apply for all of 4. Granted, mostly that would be because those 4 were jobs you didn’t need half a dozen highly priced degrees in order to pretend you can actually do what’s needed. Folks are still getting laid off, or in some cases looking for work and not getting hired. And yet economists are saying we’re on our way back. Hey, if they’re saying it, that’s perfectly fine–just as long as they feel like backing it up with solid employment data. In the meantime, anyone looking for an IT geek? Resume available upon request.

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  • Someone really aught to tell this guy he ran to the wrong prison.

    written by

    james

    All over a trafic violation in Cleveland, Ohio, two guys decide they’re going to make a chase of it. It started out as a high-speed car chase, only for them to realize they probably weren’t going to outrun the cops. Then they thought it might be fun to make a foot race out of it. Ditch the car, jump a fence, say hello to a couple female innmates. Um, what?

    Turns out the fence they jumped put them right into the yard of a female corrections center. Where, naturally, they were promptly, well, taken in.

    I guess it could be argued they were just turning themselves in. If that’s the case, someone should probably point out to them they turned themselves in to the wrong prison. Hopefully while on their way to the right one. Apparently, a couple more guys who didn’t find themselves on the wrong side of the wrong fence at the wrong time were also arrested. So much for bragging rights. Instead, the whole group gets nominated for moron of the year.

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