The days are sure trickling down to a precious few. But what really ticks me off is when others get them off. It's a PA day so the kids are still in bed. It's US Thanksgiving weekend so 90% of the continent is not at work. And half the staff will likely be off for one reasonable reason or not - at …

Terrible news from India. I wrote this when the bombing struck London now almost three and a half years ago. I imagine I will be as angry when I hear more of the news but I do know a friend's family lives there in that huge city.

You know somewhere there is a libertarian - or more ironically a group of them - gnashing their teeth at the "nanny state" and other such whacko-nuttery over a UK watchdog's decision to make Apple pull the iPhone ads. I think it is just funny:  •  An Apple iPhone advert has been banned by the …

In what can only be seen as a decision not to decide, our nation's Prime Minister has proudly proclaimed that he will think about the impending recession after the whole deep dark Canadian winter has passed:  •  Canadians will have to wait until the next federal budget before Ottawa delivers what …

I am using them more over the last six weeks or so since I was at Zap 08 (still waiting for my t-shirt, by the way) but I am still not sure if they are actually useful. I think they may be perfect examples of the difference between usability and useful, a rant I went off on five and a half years …

[Alan here. I received a post updating my undergrad pal Trevor's progress from Debbie and him this evening and figured I would post it as a whole new entry rather than adding to the string of the now 439 comments, best wishes, photos and fond memories from family and friends in response to the … read more »

What happens if all value becomes valueless. If the stock market goes to zero. So far this year the S+P and the Dow Jones is about half way there. It is so important it is meaningless. Will there be an abstration? A separation of stock value from production? Money will still exist and there will …

I don't know about you but isn't going after pirates like going after Nazis? Isn't it something we can all agree upon? I mean, is there not a child on this planet who did not clap their hands with glee at the new of India taking out a mother ship this week? Who isn't thrilling to the determination …

Gmail is the best thing ever. Remember when you had to pay for email? That sucked. Gmail changed that and most of you know that the dumb stuff you email back and forth really gives rise to no privacy issues even if Google turned out to be like the bad guys in The Matrix like you all thought it …

Up in the middle of the night, I caught Chris Carlin on WFAN 660 going off his rocker at 5:00 am over the idea that the Yankees and Red Sox going after A.J. Burnett. Why? Look to his stats:  •  He has never won even 13 games in his career. Other than last year.He is a perpetual disabled list …

An interesting quandry from the world of beer labeling over at A Good Beer Blog. It appears the makers of all the crappiest beers in the UK have gotten together to create a "good taste" arbitration panel that just happens to focus on their smaller smarter competition. What do you think? Sounds … read more »

There was a point a couple of songs after "Maggie's Farm" when I got the sense that seeing Dylan was not going to be what I had hoped. Don't get me wrong. I had no idea that he did that twisty left leg thing, like slower Elvis. And when he pulled out the Guild guitar and played the break it was …

Being the leftist libertarian that I am, I have a certain affinity for what Jay is writing about these days, like this one, on the theme on better regulation of the regulation of free speech - though we are not on the same page in any ways and I think he wanders in unnecessary and potentially …

I am finally getting used to the clocks changing. I suppose I am getting used to the Obama victory and maybe even the Harper one, too. Maybe even getting used to not being half my age now that I think of it. Is autumn the season of acceptance? Do we rage or go quietly into these dark nights and …

I had no idea there were spam gangs out there. I was trying to figure out the headline in the context of a canned meat product before the caffeine had properly settled in:  •  The closure of a web hosting firm that is believed to have had spam gangs as clients has led to a drastic reduction in … read more »

We've been enjoying the prices and quality at Steve and Barry's shops for a while. Kids like hoodies. Campy t-shirts with old style Marvel characters and cereal logos. And it's good to buy clothes that say "made in..." those countries from which you always wonder why we can't source stuff. But my …

Well, it is if you want to buy photos from me. Give it a whirl. It's from the Lords of my Server Farms.

I say yes! Say "Yes!" to the Maldives, too. In the interim, we have a holiday playground. We support a fellow democray that shares the strong subcontinent heritage that has been long established in the Canadian fabric. We can ship Canadian Shield over there to build up the land over time. We can …

I just watched an odd interview on the CBS morning show at around 7:20 am in which David Frum suggested rules needed to be changed about how the media works because of the stories going around about Sarah Palin supposedly started by McCain staffers. Reporting anonymous source should be banned …

So if this is true:  •  The co-chair of Mr Obama's transition team, Valerie Jarrett, said there could be a diverse, bipartisan cabinet. "I'm confident his administration will include people from all perspectives," she said.  •  ...could McCain get a post in the administration? If he was offered …

Once a jogger told me he was not a jogger, he was a runner. Looked like jogging to me but, as these things must be critical, I now declare that I am never doing sit-ups again. I shall now simply sit up. I sat up 22,810 times in my 2007-08 season but I packed it in for good a month ago after …

It has been an interesting week. Both the Democrats and the conservatives in the US are hopeful for different reasons: one is in power and one is in the desert. As if to inform each, it has been inordinately warm this week in the northeast of the continent. It's like all nature heralding the …

Interesting question Ian poses: if a church in the US advocates for a certain political position, should it lose tax exempt status? What are the issues? Would it not be better for churches to stand on their own? Isn't tax freedom a form of state support? As a somewhat recently reconfirmed …

Right: Levi Veney, ex-slave who lived in Amherstburg, taken at J. D. Burkes’ store, 1898. Archives of Ontario. Click for large view.  •  I am not one of those anti-MSM, "the boogiemen are just round that corner now that Democrats are here" sorts of persons that have been so tediously active in the …

CNN reports at this minute (this very minute!) that Al Franken is behind in the voting 1,209,983 to 1,210,740 - which I make out to be a gap of 757. Maybe too big a gap. Kinda takes the sheen off the whole election for me.  •  Note to blogosphere: era of post GWB blogging begins. Will we revert …

This is an open thread to yak about anything you want. Like the fact that House is not on TV tonight. I am really ticked as I organize my emotional life around the calendar and House is a big part of that organization. Did you know why House is called House? It's Sherlock Holmes set in a hospital …

OK, you need something more to vote for, don'tcha. There aren't enough names on the ballot if you are in the USA and if you are in Canada, well, you haven't voted for a couple of weeks and right now you are feeling a little left out. So here are ten questions to answer. The closest to ten for ten …

Lots of weirdness in the air. The forces of fear. The forces for security. But there is also an undeniable hope afoot - if you are still able to recognize hope - with those who are about to vote for Barak Obama tomorrow as this column by Andrew Sullivan illustrates, especially in this concluding …

False praise! Gimme gimme that sweet false praise!  •  Apparently my Alexa ranking went from 533083 per week in September to 281,192 in November. Wooot! I really don't know what that means but WOOOOOT!!! The one thing I understand is that it makes me #10.

It is crazy but it looks like former Saturday Night Life cornerstone Al Franken could well get a seat in the US Senate. This would be a clear victory for the forces of nuttiness...and that's...okay.

An interesting story in the Toronto Star about how Canadian border guards suspect the new Nexus fast-track ID card is a conduit for smuggling:  •  The cards, along with so-called Fast cards used by truckers, are issued by both American and Canadian authorities to travellers who are deemed low-risk …

Don't be shy on my behalf. Nominate me for anything you like. "Best" is an appealing category of you are having any questions as to which would be most appropriate. And don't forget the beer blog.

I am a lucky man. Those last four letters in my name, leod, are Old Norse. It has something to do with a word like "ljot" and refers to culturally and contextually appropriate berserkerism. Very odd, you might say. Very handy, says I. Example: roasting chickens Norwegian style a few weeks ago. For …

This is why you don't really have to worry about these things:  •  I kissed a squirrel and I liked it.  •  Hope my chipmunk don't mind it.  •  There are variations on the theme.