An interesting week for we and Canada Post. One day a package that hardly registered for weight within province was taken for posting and the clerk said "eight bucks." "Eight bucks! Forget it. Give it to her next time we visit." On another day, two packages with identical size and identical …

This is hilarious...in that tiny sort of hilarity that really does not affect anything that you really need, care about or have thought much about before this point:  •  “The row blew up after MySpace asked her to remove a link that let visitors buy songs from a competing service, pointing out …

Thank you for your continued efforts in not saying bad things about the Thai monarchy. We believe deeply in the propriety of not saying bad things about the Thai monarchy. Any attempt to say bad things about the Thai monarchy will be crushed immediately and with no giggling...none...at all. In …

Yawn. Never heard of Kathy Sierra. Never heard of Tim O'Reilly. I have never even heard of the "blogger Ms Sierra described as 'far more prominent than me'." Time to remember no one really cares or should really care about blogs - for good reason. But pump up the non-issue and - WHAMMO …

Sooner or later chickens come home to roost. They really do. I've never seen it but cliches do not lie. So it is fun, then, to watch someone somewhere who is a more principled, more confident leader than the bad batch of all stripes we have to deal with in Ottawa these days:  •  “Danny Williams …

...and what are we becoming? I know I go on but this new report on the state of privacy and surveillance technologies in the UK reminded me of this one about blogging, especially this passage:  •  “...before the telegraph, for example, almost all ordinary people read entire newspapers and were …

We are declaring early and not just so we can get in an little extra early snoozing. There shall be a minority ADQ victory in Quebec's provincial election and we are frankly stunned - but mainly with the realization that people in power are starting to look like they are younger than me. Not that …

Spring sure comes quickly in Ontario as the lightning attests this morning. Couple of weeks it could hit +15C and pretty much stay there until November. That's called July in the Maritimes. We could all be zapped if the Quebec election goes sideways today and the separatists get back in thanks to …

In an off season that has seen expansions in foosball, badminton, croquet and skittle-like functionality, another simple sport is joining up and I finally found a source in Canada. Jumpstart Athletics of Alberta will ship shots so that we can put them. Mucho puttiania here. Woe to they that come …

The next question is one that has been long clamoured for so we better give in or we won't hear the end of it:  •  “5. Identify and put in order divided by conference the 16 teams that will make the playoffs. Ten points for each correct team minus one point of the number of places the team is out …

When I saw them I knew that I had to have them. Could one buy such a thing in Canada? I have no idea but from now on this is the one thing that I will think of when I think upon how great it is to live in an economy driven by consumer product acquisition. Click on the picture for a bigger view.

How many ways can you write the same thing week after week before there is any coffee on the desk in front of you?  •  It's the Kingston Brew Pub's Wellie Toss tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm. We are talking the kids as this is the closest thing we have to a good cheese roll around here. Wellie Boot …

"Frobie" left this life today at the vet's. He'd been sick off and on for a while but things got worse over the last few days and was in a lot of pain. The time had come.  •  Really, The Guardian, newspaper of record...or rather "rekerd"...in Charlottetown, PEI, ought to have a headline in the …

There is a feature about the jump NPR's This American Life is making from radio to TV in this morning's screen-paper. Any Canadian over a certain age can tell you that this bears risks but perhaps Mr. Glass will not be Mr. Gzowsky, the sainted latterly less than interesting Canadian radio icon who …

I was wondering what to say about the Federal Budget that came out yesterday and what it says about the vision of the NuGov for a new nation being forged by private enterprise and getting the monkey off everyone's back. But Andrew says it more plainly than I ever would as he voted for these guys …

While I have a Manny bat, I really do not love Manny. I do admire Coco greatly (and have the t-shirt) because of the heroic diving catches he makes from time to time. But I suppose even the usefulness of that is a question some may go over. Likely there is a little more to go into than when one …

I hope this afternoon's conservo-socialist budget makes me feel better than the first two rounds of the NCAA did.  I picked seven of the final 16. I am done backing Albany as a good source of Cinderella story. Maybe I need to accept being bought is to be preferred to actually blindly guessing the …

A few months to go yet.  •  A nice bomb down to the great state of Ithaca where we had diner at Moosewood with Gary and Maude as the greatest Charlie Brown snow in history fell outside. I wanted to sing "Hark the Herald" to loo-lo-loo-lo-looooo as roundheaded cartoon kids skated. We split a jug of …

The end of March break sees our house back down to four after many extended  •  visits of many little kids. Off to Iffica to find a snow storm and maybe a St.  •  Paddy's Day parade somewhere. And dinosaur bones.  •  Did I ever mention that I really like former Sox, former Jays, former Yanks …

Come over to the dark side, Doug. Resistance is futile.  •  I watched the Yankees-Twins pre-season game last night care of the glory that is cable TV. If the Web 2.0 had a quarter of the success of cable TV, it might amount to something one day. Like that miracle of the 1990's, pervasive email …

Ahhh, late up on the first day of March Madness. Big TV sports days ought to be the reason for national holidays and if not, well by jimbo, I will at least make it a holiday for me.  •  So Syracuse won in the NIT last night against underwhelming odds and now takes on either San Diego State or …

Isn't it great when politics can solve issues in science:  •  “...a pair of Environment Canada bureaucrats said they don't even know who's responsible for climate change policy anymore. They said the now-defunct directorate was specifically in charge of overseeing all new climate-change policy …

Nils Ling, a long time blogger and a man who I have only met once but when doing so brought me beer, has thrown his hat in the ring of PEI politics, my former home which I left now over four years ago. He is running for the governing Tories which tells me they must be after a far better class of …

I love running the sports pool. I often do things to make sure that I win - and I think I have statistically won this thing way about what I ought to have won it so be prepared. But this was no fix. Pure braininess and large luckosity. ESPN can tell you what happened and even throws in my new …

Our good friend and kind gifter John Donovan, of Castle Argghhh!, wrote as grand an obituary as ever I have read, sadly, to his own mother, Elizabeth Ann Meriwether Donovan, who passed away last Sunday. Our thoughts are with him.

Sleeping nieces and other kidlies stand - or, rather, lay - between me and the computer. Just a brief note. I have signed up for one NCAA bracket run by Ian. My picks rock. Niagara is going to get into the final 64 and then smoke Kansas.  •  Which means the first question in this year's sports …

I think I just disproved that theory about coffee. Consider this:  •  Monday.Monday after the clocks leap forward.Monday after the clocks leap forward and I "sleep in".Monday after the clocks leap forward and I "sleep in" and there are seven kids in the house because it is March Break and my …

In a shocking turn of events, the Syracuse Orange are not in the NCAA basketball championships. Syracuse.com's immediate reaction?  •  “For those of you not believing it, yes, Syracuse IS NOT in. I'm shocked. I thought they'd be in for sure. But when you started seeing Purdue, Illinois, Georgia …

Do I boo? I know I have booed. I am pretty sure I booed at the football game I was at last fall. I am also pretty sure I heckled Yale about a year ago. It felt good to heckle Yale but I really couldn't tell you what the point was. Why do we boo?  •  “"In a place like Seattle, they say you're …

Watch out! The futurists are planning to make a pact with robots to be, the machines that will be at the door in 2047 as part of the round ups:  •  “An ethical code to prevent humans abusing robots, and vice versa, is being drawn up by South Korea. The Robot Ethics Charter will cover standards for …

I think I met Gregory Warner twice, once when I was part of a listeners' panel for NCPR when we chatted with others about how great and vital and interesting US public radio is. I was also there pretending to be answering the membership drive phones on his last day and listened to his sign-off on …

A fabulous day is here. The Friday that begins the great final melt, the weekend the rains come. Soon we will be smelling things, things that have been out there under the snow and ice for months. Soon car windows will be down, we will notice sounds from a distance as we sit in our houses, dogs a …

Andrew has an interesting discussion going over at Bound By Gravity about the meaning of a study suggesting in a way that poverty is increasing in Canada. Sometimes I I wonder if it is ever possible to have a discussion about poverty and welfare systems without the ideology but sometimes there is …

I find this opinion piece by pop-legal writer, Michael Geist in today's Toronto Star a bit disturbing. It advocates the reduction of concern for counterfeit goods in Canada. I think this, however, is the stat within the article that I am most surprised to read:  •  “Closer scrutiny of the Pollara …

This is the sort of thing that defines the need for non-property based autonomy from the state.

I always root for Triangle Man.

The NYT has a good article on a new Mets side-arm pitcher spotted in spring training and takes the opportunity to explain the mechanics of the angles of pitching.

It is to laugh:  •  “"I don't believe Quebec would be indivisible," Mr. Charest told reporters at an afternoon news conference in Deux-Montagnes, west of Montreal. Then, a few hours later, Mr. Charest's campaign issued a "correction" to say he meant the contrary.”

It is quite the thing to realize you move in certain circles, that you are recognized for what you really are and really really shall be...the real me...the me I know me to be:  •  “...as robust a blog as ever I've seen...”  •  My new pal Tanya shared today. "Robust" has a certain je ne sais quoi …

I am in shock. I was given every assurance by the blogosphere that the Libby case was vacuous, that the prosecution was trumped up and the defendant was a prop for a larger political drama. But sadly law had to be applied and now he's guilty...a criminal...off to the big house...the hoosegow...a …

After finding no maps of use in the Canadian media, I came across this handy map dated 2006 from Britain's Ministry of Defence when looking for information about Afghanistan's Helmand province what with news that Canadian soldiers joining with the British in the fight there. Some interesting …

Science has cut to the heart of a matter very dear to my heart...but even dearer to my brain:  •  “University of Bristol researchers say the caffeine eases withdrawal symptoms which build up overnight, but does not make people more alert than normal. The work, presented to the British Nutrition …

I found myself wondering again this weekend how it was that Mr. Dion was now the Leader of the Opposition. Maybe it was the news he was going on a nation wide tour and my wonder at what exactly that might do for us all as a nation. I have nothing particular against the man except he appears to be …

Spent the afternoon in the decidedly pleasant task of brewing ten litres of beer: four years, one month and a week since I brewed my last. All grain this time which was actually much easier than all that sticky extract. I had to invest in a 19 litre pot but Canadian Tire had them for 35 bucks. I …

I am greatly saddened by the whole soccer head scarf debate surrounding one girl who wants to play. Playing is good and as we learn over and over FIFA is bad. It is not a difficult or even controversial statement. It is simply so. Feel good about thinking FIFA bad. Does anyone shed a tear for the …

The KSPC met yesterday but I was not able to attend. The big news is that we are now including membership from outside the workplace but that is because someone got a new job.  •  So far proposed activities of the club have been more refined to include most any game you play without the need to …

I know I am not supposed to post twice on a Friday but I have just had two shocks. I met someone my age who had no idea what 500 Up was and, when I described the game, reported not having ever played anything like it. That was shock one.  •  I though 500 Up was a great universal. I thought it was …

Did I learn anything this week? Wheels put in motion have been rolling along nicely. Things not to be discussed, however. Winter does not leave with February - I'm learning that, too. For while there in the night it's been like someone was spraying the house with jello from a fire house. The world …

Did I mention ever that I really do not like winter? Well, winter is about to DIE again in the vast fertility rite that we call the planet Earth. Screw you winter.  •  Many things happen in March. An inordinate number of birthdays, including this year the giving of the bitchin' hardwood croquet …