Archive for category Deep Thoughts
Taser Gets Their First Defeat
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Senseless Rants on August 11th, 2010
So the Supreme Court of British Columbia has handed Taser International (Taser, not a direct link) its first defeat in a Court of Law. (full decision here)
Since Robert Dziekanski was cruelly taken down by four RCMP officers with substantial assistance from such a Taser, I have been watching this with great interest. And I say it’s about damn time. Read the rest of this entry »
Two Thoughts for December 2nd
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Senseless Rants on December 2nd, 2009
1. Where do old dental hygienists go to die? I swear I’ve never seen one older than about 35. Do they float the old ones out to sea on a giant set of teeth…with nothing but a giant toothbrush to paddle with?
2. I bet Tiger Woods’ wife Elin has an extra-large putter. So she can hit 2 balls at once.
White House to Fox: Suck It
Posted by Daryl in Adult, Blogroll, Deep Thoughts on October 20th, 2009
Oh, I love this. Those of us who aren’t myopic have known for a long time that Fox “News” isn’t really news at all.
Of course, when Dubya was the President they were on his side. Now that a Democrat is back in power, the Fox attack machine has really gone to town. They say it’s a risky strategy for the White House to pursue, but I do think that it is something that has needed saying for a long time now.
And, hey, if we can make Glenn Beck cry about something that’s actually real, then we’re all better off.
So suck it, Fox.
The Email Warning
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Senseless Rants on October 20th, 2009
I don’t know how many emails I’ve gotten from how many sources, but there seems to be one piece of the standard trailer on many, many emails that must have a common origin:
This e-mail and its attachments are confidential and intended for use by the above named recipient(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any use, modification, dissemination, edition or reproduction (either in whole or partially) of this e-mail and/or its attachments, or of the information contained herein, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail by mistake, please notify the sender immediately, and immediately delete this e-mail with its attachments and any copy of it from your computer system.
Fiat Accompli
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts on May 5th, 2009
Fiat Group SpA’s CEO, Sergio Marchionne, has just overseen the purchase of Chrysler and now Fiat is negotiating to purchase potentially all of GM’s holdings in Europe.
If completed, that would make Fiat one of the largest carmakers in the world, and Sergio and his buddies will be laughing all the way to the bank.
Picking up one of the “Not So Big Three” American carmakers – which has some not-so-bad products these days – gets Fiat firmly into the North American car market, and it does it at pennies on the dollar from what it would have cost just a year ago.
And now to consolidate their position in Europe they’ll get Opel, Saab and Vauxhall – and they’ll get those three marques at fire-sale prices because GM is looking to consolidate in North America. Oh, and because GM is out of money and there are no other buyers.
I think the one lesson we can all take from this is that in a downturn the best-run and most forward-looking companies are the ones that stand to profit from the colossal stupidity of others.
Have any doubts about Fiat being forward-looking? Even though the software is by Microsoft, try to find this on an American car: Fiat Eco-Drive
Is President Obama Infallible?
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Politics on April 18th, 2009
"HOPE" by Shepard Fairey
I read in the news today that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has now decided that CO2 is a pollutant that needs to be regulated, and that they’re going to do just that. It was only two years ago that Bush quashed a similar push.
This is only the latest in an absolute flurry of tectonic shifts away from the policies of the Bush Administration. It seems that it’s almost every single day that some old policy is nullified, exposed or outright revoked. It is as though America – with President Obama at the helm – is entering a new age of enlightenment. Can you tell I’m excited?
Already this week he gave Cuba (and Cuban-Americans) something to cheer for, released Bush-era documents that justified torture – while rightly saying that those who followed the bad advice would not be prosecuted, and announced plans for a national high-speed rail network. Today it’s CO2, and somewhere in there the First Family managed to get a new dog!
Add this onto everything he’s done since he took office, and if it wouldn’t kill me I swear my head would actually spin right off.
One thing I’ll remind you of, dear reader, is that I’m Canadian. During the eight years of Bush – beginning, fittingly enough, with a stolen election – I had thought America was all puffed out. An old power, past its prime, that would just have to learn to take a new place in the World.
Well, America will certainly take a new place in the World, but for sure it won’t be anything less. President Barack Obama most definitely has what it takes to get it done, and I say good on him. He is exactly what America needs to pull itself away from fear and xenophobia, and toward enlightenment and justice.
What is good for the USA is good for me, so I say GOBAMA, and GO the 21st Century Renaissance!
Update: CNN is saying that President Obama may be the “Superpresident“, and I couldn’t agree more.
A Resolution for March 12th
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts on March 13th, 2009
As of today, I’m going to stop trying to write beautiful prose for this blog. I’ve managed to do it before, with articles like Lake of Fire, Anyone? and Will the Real Slim Shady Please Shoot Paris Hilton, perhaps I don’t need to continue to prove that I’m witty.
I’ve got dozens – literally dozens – of articles in an unfinished state. Either drafts on this site that will never get finished, or text files on my computer that will likely see the same fate. It’s got to stop, because too many good ideas are getting stuck in the machine.
I don’t have to prove myself, so I’m not going to. Here’s to more blog entries and fewer novellas.
Mildewd: You don’t want to be one.
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts on June 20th, 2008
mildewd (alt. mildude) [mil-dyüd] noun, informal: 1. a man, formerly fastidious in dress and/or manner, who has now allowed himself to deteriorate with advancing age. 2. clothing that would only be worn by such an individual. (plural: mildewds)
Some examples:
- “Man, get a haircut. You’re such a mildewd.”
- “That shirt was mildewd 20 years ago.”
- “I don’t want to go to Shifty McNasty’s, it’s a bar for mildewds.”
- “The mildewd, no longer fashionably late, received a scowl from the prestigious crowd.”
I hereby submit this word to the English language. If you have other, more interesting uses, of the word – please feel free to leave them in a comment.
Special thanks to SarZ for causing me to think of this.
Where is Our Say?
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Politics, Technology on June 14th, 2008
Yesterday a reprehensible piece of legislation was introduced in the Canadian House of Commons that stands to make millions of otherwise law-abiding Canadians criminals. It also stands to expose those same millions to lawsuits that could ruin lives, careers and families for the simple crime of shifting songs from a lawfully purchased CD to a lawfully purchased iPod or other device or storage format. Welcome to the 21st Century, bitches.
The Federal Minister of Industry, Jim Prentice, says “This bill reflects a win-win approach.”
Just who will be doing all the winning with this is pretty clear. And it’s not me and you.
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/12/tech-copyright.html
Accommodation?
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Politics on May 28th, 2008
Western law is entirely based on the premise that you may do whatever you wish, as long as it hurts no one else.
For all the volumes of laws and charters and everything else we have that defines what we are and are not allowed to do, that basic tenet rings true.
I love Canada. We don’t have the economic or industrial power of many countries, and we certainly don’t have the largest population or even the largest land mass. Canada doesn’t come first on very many lists of any consequence…though I’m not sure how many of those lists would be written by Canadians. Read the rest of this entry »
