A Top Gun Anniversary
Alex has a thing for 80s movies. I mean, I do, too – some of my favourites are from the 80s – but she has a particular love for Top Gun. When its sequel, Top Gun: Maverick came out, we saw it in the theatre. …
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55 posts tagged with this topic.
A Visit with Back to the Future
Today, I visited with an old friend and they showed me something wonderful. And while the “thing” could easily be construed as a place or an object, I look at it a bit differently. I was shown trust, given a …
Generative AI is at the Jurassic Park Moment
A lot of people are concerned about Generative AI right now. We’re looking at a very wide swatch of “intelligent” tools that are taking people’s jobs away. Or at least that’s what …
Disney World 2016 - Resting at the resort
It’s genuinely amazing what a single night of sleep can do for a person. I woke up feeling human. And apologetic about my behaviour the night before. And dying for coffee. Which, fortunately, the Landscape of Flavors has …
Disney World 2016 - Arrival at Walt Disney World
We arrived in Orlando at about 1:00am. Amazingly, the girls were still awake (given, it was only 11pm Calgary time). The airport was nearly empty. And yet, Choo Choo sprinted ahead to see a giant (fake) Christmas tree, …
Christmas Blitzkrieg
When I have those moments when I think I’ve gotten too old, and I think I’m starting to feel like my age, I’m thankful for sudden sustained bursts of activity that remind me that, really, I just lead a much duller life …
TV is dead. Long live the internet!
I feel like an old man. I can now look at my kids, and say with far too much vigour: “When I was your age…” I refer to, of course, having to get off my ass, walking over to the cathode ray tube-based …
Why SOPA will (and must) fail
Across the internet, the letters S-O-P-A have inspired a particular level of hatred and vitriol. Beyond the internet, the Stop Online Piracy Act has barely registered any significant presence within mainstream media. The …
Four fun-filled days
I sit here at my kitchen table, rubbing the weariness from my eyes. Not the things you’d normally hear from me, mind you — I haven’t been working too hard as of late (as you know, my big project is done). No, this is …
Flash - I'm not dead yet!
I’m getting a little tired of this topic. I was tired of it about a day after Steve Jobs first showed the iPad to the world, and the infamous blue LEGO appeared where a Flash plug-in should have been. It wasn’t really so …
Copyrights are the new Colonialism
The late 16th Century was the dawn of the British Empire. England had triumphed on the seas, and had set its eyes on colonising the New World (before its enemies did). Patents were issued, companies were founded, and …
WALL-E - What is Disney-Pixar not telling us?
I had an epiphany this morning as I waited for my carpool. I don’t know why it came to me, it just did. I can’t even remember how I got onto the thought. But as I stood there, I had the clear vision: There are no old …
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What I think of the new Star Trek movie
Last night, I saw J.J. Abrams’ re-envisioning of Star Trek. It didn’t suck. But I’m not about to stand up and laud the praise that so many others had. I’m not convinced it deserves it (or the #71 ranking in the IMDB’s …
A few of my favourite movies
I’ve had a lot of people ask me over the years what movies I have in my Top 10 (or Top 5 or Top 3) list. There’s a lot of good movies out there, and a number of them definitely get listed among my favourites. But make no …
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I missed the 2009 Oscars
Crap. I just realised that I missed this year’s Academy Awards. I’ve been so bloody busy I totally forgot when they were on. Damn. I love watching them, too. I suck.
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Dear Canada, I'm going to break the law
Well, it would appear that short of an Act of God (or, heaven forbid, some actual common sense runs through Parliament), Bill C-61 will forever handcuff Canadians and prevent long-term technological evolution. It’s one …
Steve Jobs blows it. Again.
Sigh. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching Apple come so close to finally tying the knot, only to leave threads dangling. I speak, of course, of yesterday’s Let’s Rock event where the apparently-not-dead (but …
Cost of living in Costa Rica
I’ve had a few people tell me about how great it is to be living in Costa Rica, and how much cheaper it is to live here. Some people know from a little bit of experience, but others are making the assumption — it’s not …
80th Oscars
Well, the annual Oscars show has come and gone again. And I almost missed it this time! It was by mere fluke that I happened to come across the E-Talk Red Carpet pre-show tonight. If I hadn’t caught it during a brief …
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I Was Benno
Yesterday, I had a truly moving experience. I watched a movie. Not just any movie, but an experimental film created by a friend. A movie with a message (unlike much of the shlock that comes out of Hollywood). The message …
RIP Miss Moneypenny
Lois Maxwell, the actress who first played original long-suffering admirer of super spy James Bond, passed away yesterday at 80. In my world, this is pretty significant news. But then, I am a movie geek. And like many …
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Movie and Music Piracy in Canada all wrong?
If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time, you’ve probably come across a rant or two of mine about all the garbage surrounding things like DRM and the MPAA saying stupid things. Recently, Canada passed …
More than meets the eye
Tonight, we went to see the Transformers movie. I got three words for you: Giant. Robot. Mayhem. I grew up with Transformers. I had the toys. I watched the cartoon. I saw the (first) movie. I even dabbled with the later …
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Add another to the trilogy list
It’s not every year that you see two great trilogies come to live. Heck, it’s three so far! Today, thanks to my friend Robyn, we saw the Shrek trilogy come to life. I have to say, while it might not be as good as the …
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Pirating Star Wars
(Oh, I’m just dying to see what links to this article because of that title!) No, this is not about copying the Star Wars movies. So if that’s what you’re looking for, please look elsewhere. This is about two great …
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Critical Mass does Spiderman
One of the biggest movies of this year will likely be Spiderman 3. Obviously, that’s hard to know for sure, but we’ll know by December. Anyhoo, the Critical Mass Social Club is now in full swing, and one of the first …
79th Annual Academy Awards
It’s time for my only annual awards show. The Oscars. The Big One. The only thing I’m willing to stay up for until it’s over. Been this way since … well, heck, since I was an early teen, I think. Aside from CTV’s …
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Oscar Night - The 78th Academy Awards
You could almost have called last night’s telecast “The George Clooney Show”. That man attracts far too much attention for being only one person in Hollywood. That’s not to say that he doesn’t deserve …
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Hiking the Great Wall of China
[This entry originally posted on How To Get Lost: Hiking the Great Wall of China.] Amy’s feet self-destructed yesterday. And as you’ve already read, the state of her feet prevented her from coming to the Wall today. So …
Victoria Day Long Weekend Aftermath
15 years ago tonight, the Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup. Tonight, they have only three games until they win it again. It is, admittedly, a nice way to start the week off after a long weekend. The first long weekend …
The Academy Awards do the right thing, again!
I don’t watch awards shows, as a whole. They’re mostly dull and boring. They feature people whom I don’t care about, and subjects that I couldn’t care less about. But then there’s the Academy Awards. I haven’t missed the …
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Christmas Day and Boxing Day in Calgary
I slept fitfully. I don’t really know why. But when I awoke Christmas morning, there was a slight sense of excitement. Perhaps I’d been depressed the day before and not taken notice. (The reason why, of course, still …
Lord of the Geeks - The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
One trilogy to rule them all. One trilogy to find them. One trilogy to bring them all, and in the darkness, bind them. Despite my repeated objections with the stupid things the movie industry does to we patrons of the …
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Movie Theatres, Kvitch, and High Ticket Prices
Some weeks ago, my friend and co-worker Luke threw around an email looking for volunteers. They had to be passionate about movies, movie theatres, and be willing to be interviewed for CBC Radio. Hopefully, I don’t need …
Weekends, relationships, and parties
Friday night was not fun. Erin and I got together after work, headed down to her place to eat pizza and watch Indiana Jones movies. Or at least that was the plan. We watched the second half of “Last Crusade” …
Movie Ticket Prices and Acts of Piracy
A question: Who commits the greater act of piracy? Those who download movies off the Internet, or those who plunder the pocketbooks of the innocent who want to see the next blockbuster? I’ve been finding myself asking …
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Review of the 2003 Academy Awards
Normally, around this time of year, I rant about the really dumb decisions the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science makes when awarding their own. Normally, it’s because they give Oscars to those who …
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Lord of the Rings The Two Towers midnight show
Assuming you’re not avoiding the media or living under a rather large rock, you’ve probably heard that the second chapter of the Lord of the Rings trilogy opened today. Yes, you’ve guessed right: I’ve already seen it. A …
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Lord of the Rings DVD release
On Tuesday (12 November 2002), the extended version of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was released on DVD. The standard theatrical release came out a few months ago, but this was the one I was waiting for …
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Touring West Vancouver, Dinner with Greg
T-Minus 5 days Today was supposed to be tourist day. It was supposed to be sunny and warm, with nice little chirping birds and happy people out enjoying the “last day of summer”. (School starts tomorrow.) So …
Stuart and Therese's Wedding in Ottawa
There comes a time in your life when things start getting a lot more adult than you’re normally used to. For me, it was when my friends started getting married. But I didn’t really start getting self-conscious about it …
Star Wars and the Last Episode of The X-Files
Long weekends are rarely long enough. I’d like one to last about a year, personally, but without all the seasonal changes. But I suppose that’s what Hawaii is for… My weekend (sort of) started on Thursday night, …
Preparing to Move to Japan
Although it’s very tempting to say that it’s the beginning of the end — it wouldn’t really be appropriate. It’s no longer a guess, it’s not a possibility, it’s not even a plan anymore. It’s fact. Chris is going to Japan. …
Raider's of the Lost Ark, Rowley and the Horseshoe Canyon
Another summer has come and (almost) gone. Luckily, it wasn’t a summer spent indoors, stuck in front of my computer (as much as it might have actually felt like that). Given, I had hoped to get out more to places I …
Visiting Bragg Creek and Elbow Falls, Canada Day in Banff (Bamf!)
Everyone needs a break from time to time, and Critical Mass was more than willing to give us a little time to breathe. So in addition to the statutory holiday on Monday, they decided to give us Friday off as well. So of …
The Return of 36 Chambers of Shaolin
A little over two months ago, Dave “36” Chambers left Calgary for Toronto, where we were opening another office. On Friday, he came back to visit, and it was up to us to remind him why it was (or wasn’t) a …
Bowling with Co-workers and a Review of the 2001 Academy Awards
Not since Kathryn returned to Toronto have I had some time off. I’ve been a busy little beaver, cutting down on the amount of work that’s been heaped on me in the past few weeks and months. So it goes without saying that …
Kathryn comes for a visit
It’s amazing how old friends can make you feel young. A week and four days ago, Kathryn, one of our closest friends, came out to visit us (Chris, Stuart, Therese, and myself). The five of us all went to OTHS, and though …
Christmas in Oakville, New Years Eve in Calgary
I didn’t think it was possible for 10 days to go by so fast… Having missed Christmas at home last year (for reasons I don’t think I need to go into), I decided a month or so ago to return home and experience …
Live from Cincinnati, Working at the Client, Seeing a Movie
My alarm went off early this morning. I rose somewhat slowly (I hadn’t quite adjusted to the time zone), but eventually found my way into the shower. That woke me up enough to get dressed, shave, and prepare my notes for …
Kicking Back in Calgary
If it were possible to work like a dog, my name would be Rover. Bow wow. I’m working on the latest and greatest version of a website we’re doing for one of our Fortune 500 clients. There are nine people on the team: …
Visiting Friends in Calgary, Deciding to Leave Vancouver
I get by with a little help from my friends. In this case, it was Stuart and Therese, two of my oldest and closest friends. I ventured to the wilds of Calgary to say “Hi” and check out the sights. Well, at …
Wedding in Naramata
Several weeks ago, we received an invitation to a gala event in the Okanagan for one of Allison’s friends, Heather. She was getting married to her significant other, Brian. We were asked to attend the three-day event in …
Going to Microsoft Meltdown in Seattle
On Monday and Tuesday, I experienced my first real business trip. I probably would be more excited about it than I should be, but we went to Seattle. Whoopee. Going to Seattle for a business trip is like … well, …
A Boys Night out in Calgary, Drumheller, Banff (Bamf!), and Star Wars
This weekend, I did something a little different than usual. I went to Calgary. Alone. Well, not totally alone. I went to visit Stuart, who I had only seen for a whopping six hours at Christmas. Ideally, I would have …