The CBC had a story on the news this morning about Jayhaed Saadé, a kid in Greely who has set up an unlicensed radio station broadcasting out of his parents’ restaurant on 91.9 MHz. Industry Canada has told him to stop broadcasting immediately. The laws on this sort of thing are very clear and the penalties include fines of up to $5000 and even jail time. Predictably, a lot of people have made comments supporting the Saadé and encouraging him to continue broadcasting even without a license, but at the same time there are also people saying that ignorance of the law is no excuse and that he should stop broadcasting, at least until he obtains a license. (According to the story, Saadé didn’t know he needed a license and has said he’ll apply for one, but that he “can’t shut off the station”.)

It’s a low-power station and he’s a kid, so it’s no big deal, right?

Wrong… (more…)

TAF CYOW 300238Z 3003/3024 04005KT 6SM -RA BR OVC015
      TEMPO 3003/3007 3SM -RA BR BKN006 OVC010
     FM300700 02004KT P6SM -RA OVC020
      TEMPO 3007/3009 5SM -RASN BR OVC008
     FM300900 01008KT 4SM -SN BR OVC020
      TEMPO 3009/3012 2SM -SN OVC008
     FM301200 33005KT P6SM OVC040
      TEMPO 3012/3015 4SM -SHSN OVC020
     FM301800 29010KT P6SM BKN030
      RMK NXT FCST BY 300600Z

Looks like there’s going to be some snow tomorrow. Ick.

Journey of the Sorcerer by The Eagles is probably best known as the theme of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. The original version features a banjo and runs 6:40, which is a bit long for a theme song, so an abridged version was used as the theme for the THHGTTG radio series produced at the end of the 1970s. Journey of the Sorcerer has been used in every version of the Hitchhiker’s Guide since then, whether radio series, albums, or movie.

And then there’s the Mario Paint Composer version…

I’ve had a number of conversations recently where people were complaing about the bus drivers. Ken has a grumpy speed demon on the bus he takes to work, and one of my co-workers is unhappy with the way one driver stops when picking up passengers on Churchill (instead of pulling over and allowing traffic to pass the bus stops in the lane, blocking everyone) and I had a completely unacceptable interaction with a Para Transpo driver a few days ago.

Surely they aren’t all like this, right?

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Douglas Adams was one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Though probably best known for his five part trilogy, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which exists as a radio series (produced over the span of a couple of decades), a television series, records, books and a movie, and a couple of books about Dirk Gently, he also wrote for Doctor Who and Monty Python. In addition to the fiction and comedy genres, he also wrote Last Chance to See, which looks at some of the most endangered species in the world. He also founded The Digital Village which morphed into h2g2, an online community modeled after the Guide in THHGTTG. Sadly, he died of a heart attack in 2001, while in the middle of his next book.

This is not that book.

(That book is The Salmon of Doubt, the first half of which is based on what he’d written so far and then several essays by his contemporaries.)

This book is And Another Thing… by Eoin Colfer.

(more…)

… your behaviour today was completely unacceptable.

I stopped for gas at the Esso on Bank at Gladstone this morning. After filling the tank, I pulled away from the pump and watched as a Para Transpo bus pulled over at the curb, partially blocking the exit. I was about to drive out. The driver hopped out and started to walk towards the convenience store at the gas station. I rolled down the passenger’s window and pointed out that she was partially blocking the exit. She replied that in her opinion there was enough space to get by and that she was just going into the store. I responded saying that she really should move the vehicle because it was blocking the entrance. It was about at this point that she said called me an asshole. Yes, she used that word. I made some comment that I was going to complain to OC Transpo and she got back into her bus and moved it. I drove away and fumed about it while I drove. Calling OC Transpo, I learned that on Sunday’s there’s no one to talk to at Para Transpo for a situation like this.

I know that someone is going to point out that the signage says no stopping, except for buses, but I don’t believe that gives the Para Transpo drivers carte blanche to block entry/exit ramps, at least not when they’re not picking up or dropping off passengers. And regardless of that, it doesn’t give them license to call someone an asshole when someone complains about the way they’ve parked.

The OC Transpo customer service person I spoke to gave me the Para Transpo complaint number, so they’re on my list of people to call in the morning.

Update (11:15am): I spoke with a very nice customer relations officer at OC Transpo who took the details of my complaint, explained the process of what happens next and said she would give me a call after Para Transpo has investigated and let me know in general terms what actions they took. (Privacy concerns prevent them from providing specific information about what was done, which I don’t have a huge problem with.)

I’m sure that you’ve encountered this phenomenon at some point during your life. You’re walking into a building and come up to a set of double doors. You grab the handle on the left and give a tug. Instead of the door opening you just about dislocate your shoulder, at which point you notice the small sign that says “Please use other door —>”. You grab the other handle, give it a tug (but not as hard as the first tug) and continue on your way, probably cursing the owner of the door under your breath and wondering why the door isn’t allowed to open.

My most recent encounter with this was yesterday when I offered my boss a ride home. On our way into the lobby of the building I live in, I chose the door on the right (which I knew opens) and he chose the one on the left (which I knew doesn’t open). Before I could warn him, he tugged on the door, which didn’t move, and complained loudly about this.

Why do buildings with doors like this often have one of the doors set so it can’t be opened?

The commercial building next to where I live has a bunch of double doors on its various entrances and as far as I know none of the double doors open on both sides, even though there are hundreds of people who pass through them every day. At lunch time, it’s not uncommon to see people bunching up because there’s not enough capacity, which there would be if both doors opened.

Can anyone shed some light on this?