XDR-TB
XDR-TB (extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis) is a new and deadly mutation of tuberculosis. XDRTB.org tells the story of XDR-TB through Nachtwey’s powerful photographs. Visit the site. Watch the video and find out more.
XDRTB.org also has the full video of Nachtwey’s TED Prize wish — powerful and inspiring stuff from a great photographer and humanitarian. If you don’t understand who James Nachtwey is and why I’m going on about him just watch the video. Better yet, find a copy of War Photographer (2001) and watch that.
Stumble It!Posted in Photography at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)
How to get out of jury duty
On Monday morning at 8:30 AM I was at the Court House in Toronto, waiting to perform my civic duty as a potential juror. By 11:30 AM I was released from jury duty and felt like a bird let out of a cage.
How do you get out of jury duty in the city of Toronto? One way is to be self-employed. I was ‘one of those people’ that dared to stand up and asked to be released.
My reasons were simple:
- I’m self-employed and don’t get paid for being there. Some companies pay their staff when they are on jury duty. My company isn’t one of them.
- I’m in the middle of several projects for various clients, all of which have tight deadlines. My inability to meet these deadlines would hurt my client’s business and jeopardize my relationship with them.
- Unhappy clients lead to drinking beer, financial hardship and unemployment cheques.
The court asked me to have one of my clients fax them a letter and explain how my participation in jury duty would hurt their business. By 11:35 AM I was sitting in a client’s office explaining why I need a letter faxed to the Ministry of the Attorney General ASAP.
Posted in Observations at 9:37 PM | Comments (4)
More Retro Ads
Where would we be without Gillette and their safety razor?
My favourite from this bunch of ads is the one for ‘prompt control of senile agitation’. I think I’ll send my father a bottle of Thorazine. That should calm the old man down for a little while.
The Tipalet cigar ad is amusing in a ‘Mad Men’ sort of way. Had I know that I could “hit her with tangy Tipalet cherry” cigar smoke and have her follow me anywhere I would have started smoking Tipalet when I was a youngster. Too bad they didn’t advertise in the comic books back then.
Posted in Design at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
Pocketpedia
I’m loving my new iPhone 3G and have just started looking at some of the apps that are available. Pocketpedia by Bruji is one of the most useful apps that I’ve come across.
I use DVDpedia (also by Bruji) to keep track of my DVD purchases. With Pocketpedia, I can export my entire DVD collection with DVD artwork and have it on my iPhone. There have been a number of times when I’ve seen a DVD on sale and I can’t remember if I already own it. Now I can refer to Pocketpedia and get all the details of my DVD collection.
The best thing about Pocketpedia is that it is completely free.
Posted in OS X Software at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)
Vintage Advertising
WellMedicated has 50 Inspiring Vintage Advertisements. Great list. I love the Volkswagen ads.
Posted in Design at 10:16 PM | Comments (1)
Blu-ray Godfather
I wouldn’t rank the Godfather movies as my favourites but I know a few people that absolutely love them. All three movies have been completely restored for a Blu-ray DVD release and they might be worth another look.
Slate magazine has a great piece on Rediscovering Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy on Blu-ray that goes into some detail about the restoration process and why this version of the films will be the best anyone has seen in 30 years.
If you were too young to see the original theatrical release of The Godfather in 1972 then you might be in luck. If you live in New York, LA or Toronto you’ll be able to see the newly restored version this month.
Posted in Technology at 9:43 PM | Comments (1)
National Do Not Call List for Canadians
If you’re tired of telemarketers phoning you during the dinner hour then you can register your phone number at the CRTC’s National Do Not Call List. The site launched today and as of 2 minutes ago it doesn’t work. I get a blank page that reads:
The service is not available. Please try again later.
Can government do anything properly? The CRTC and the media has been hyping the launch of this site for weeks and now it is down. What an embarrassment.
Posted in News at 10:38 AM | Comments (1)
Sorry Sarah Palin
I didn’t think it was possible but Sarah Palin appears to be ‘dumber’ than George W. Bush. I watched Tinay Fey impersonate Sarah Palin on SNL this weekend and couldn’t stop laughing.
Today I watched the actual interview between Katie Couric and Sarah Palin from last week and my jaw dropped. I don’t know how Couric kept it together during the interview. Palin is an embarrassment to the Republican party. How can she possibly be the best candidate for the VP position?
Katie Couric was speaking with Bob Schieffer who voiced one of the questions I’ve been asking since Palin became McCain’s running mate. What happens if the old man becomes president and his health fails? About 20% of vice presidents have gone on to become presidents because the president has died, been assassinated or resigned.
As a Canadian watching the US elections I don’t understand how any Republican could support Palin. Imagine a world where a hockey mom has the most important job in the world. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Posted in News at 4:38 PM | Comments (0)
Organizing Our Marvellous Neighbours
Toronto based writer Joe Clark has published a new e-book about Canadian spelling—Organizing Our Marvellous Neighbours: How to Feel Good About Canadian English.
Canadian spelling is tricky and easy to get wrong. But the book reveals the results of new, original research - into everything from newspaper articles to court rulings to literature to blogs - that Canadian spelling is well accepted, well practised (not “practiced”), and stable.
This could be the perfect book to pass the time when I go on jury duty.
Posted in Books at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)
Summons to juror
That’s what it says at the top of the letter from the Ministry of the Attorney General.
On October 6, 2008 I have to go to court. I’ve been selected for jury duty. I’m self-employed and I have to sit around a court room for a minimum of one week. Brilliant.
Posted in Personal at 10:53 PM | Comments (2)
The Criterion Collection and Blu-ray
Gizmodo has a great feature on The Criterion Collection — How Criterion Hones Its Restoration Magic for HD. Criterion is getting ready to release some of their titles in Blu-ray but it sounds like it is going to take them a long time to transfer their entire library into the new HD format.
I was surprised to read that Criterion uses a PlayStation 3 as their reference Blu-ray player. Huh?
A friend of mine claimed the PlayStation 3 was the best Blu-ray player on the market and I thought he was kidding. Nope. It tops the list as the best Blu-ray DVD player reviewed by CNET. Please don’t tell my 9 year-old.
Posted in Home Theatre and Movies at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)
Me and Orson Welles
Me and Orson Welles (2008). Directed by Richard Linklater.
My favourite film of the festival this year. I can’t wait to watch it again. If Christian McKay doesn’t get an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Orson Welles I’ll be surprised. The man looks, sounds and acts like a young Welles.
Me and Orson Welles is a period film set in 1937 New York. Orson Welles (Christian McKay) is at the famous Mercury Theatre rehearsing the first broadway production of a Shakespearean play, Julius Caesar. He needs a young actor to fill a role and hires 17 year-old Richard Samuels (Zac Efron). Richard is drawn to the genius of Orson Welles, befriends Joseph Cotten (James Tupper) and finds time fall in love with production assistant Sonja Jones (Claire Danes).
I never would have pegged Richard Linklater to direct a film like this but he’s done an incredible job of transporting the audience back to 1937. The sets, the dialogue, the costumes, the choice of camera moves and music feel like the Hollywood of old.
Fans of Welles will enjoy a scene where Orson shows Richard a copy of “The Magnificient Ambersons” with his notes. Another scene has Joseph Cotten stepping out of the shadows a la “The Third Man”. I could go on but I don’t want to spoil the fun.
Me and Orson Welles is expected to be released in 2009. Don’t miss it!
Films are rated from 1 to 4 stars.
TIFF’08 - Me and Orson Welles
Posted in 2008 TIFF at 12:45 AM | Comments (0)
