Sometimes I wish I were a smoker. Not for the nicotine addiction or the health problems or the money sink that cigarettes are. Only because it would give me a reason to spend a little more time outside. Standing on my balcony is nice, but without a reason to be there, it only lasts so long before I begin to question why I'm on the balcony and go back inside.
The cool breeze is a sure sign that Summer is coming to an end. It's sunny today, but how long will that last? How long before that cool breeze becomes a freezing wind, and before the falling leaves become falling rain?
I could take advantage of the weather. I could take a walk, or go for a leisurely bike ride. But I won't. I'd have no destination and no goal and no company, and I wouldn't be satisfied.
Growing up in small town Cold Lake had certain advantages. On days like these I could cruise down to the Marina, buy an ice cream cone, and sit on the breakwater watching the boats and the waves. I could relax and revel in the fact that it's a lazy sunday, and not have any regrets.
But here in the city there's concrete and traffic and people everywhere. It's harder to sit and relax and just enjoy the day when everything around you is in constant motion. I feel like I should be busy doing something. I feel like if I'm not actively engaged in some sort of activity that somehow I'm wasting time.
I have a personal mantra for days like these:
"Sometimes you need to stop reading the wind and just sail on the current."
It's the kind of thing I have to remind myself sometimes.
(It's also clearly influenced by my father.)
I go home every christmas, but it's been a number of years since I last saw Cold Lake in the warmer months. I think I'm going to save some vacation days up, and plan to make a trip home in the spring for a week. I'll see my parents, play my piano, visit with my aunts and uncles and cousins. I'll spend some time with some old friends.
I'll sit outside in the sun on the breakwater and eat ice cream and watch the waves.
9.07.2008
8.09.2008
Caffeinated Scapegoat
I blame Starbucks:
1) For the emminent closing of the Edge Café, my favorite morning coffee joint. I'm sure they'd do better business if there weren't so many Starbucks locations near to them. I'm going to miss their super-excellent muffins.
2) For my apparent gain in weight over the last 2 or 3 years. First it was the subsidized Starbucks at EA, and now there's a Starbucks behind the Threewave office. I think I might be slightly addicted. I used to walk a whole block to get an afternoon snack, so I wouldn't. Now I just have to go across the back alley.
3) For turning me into a morning coffee drinker. I used to make fun of "those people", and now it looks like I've become one of them. Next I'll be ordering double shot espressos on a regular basis. It's only a matter of time.
4) For my mild mid-to-late afternoon headaches. When the caffeine from my morning coffee wears off I just feel crummy. The only solution seems to be more coffee, which only delays the headache a little longer.
5) For lost productivity at work. I take a break to go to Starbucks almost every day between 3pm and 4pm. I'd feel better if half the office weren't also doing the same thing. Just think how much more work we'd all be getting done if the Starbucks weren't there.
6) For lost money. We have free coffee at work, but I just can't help but go spend a couple bucks for a tall dark from Starbucks, even though I know I don't need it.
7) For my slow internet connection and poor cellphone service. The people maintaining those services are likely just as addicted to Starbucks as I am, and so they're out getting coffee when they could be monitoring their stations.
8) For the clear-cutting of the rain forest. I'm sure there must be some coffee beans in there, and I'm sure Starbucks is involved somehow.
9) For the situation in the middle east. We all know they're all just fighting over coffee, and that oil has nothing to do with it.
Okay, I guess those last 3 might be a stretch.
1) For the emminent closing of the Edge Café, my favorite morning coffee joint. I'm sure they'd do better business if there weren't so many Starbucks locations near to them. I'm going to miss their super-excellent muffins.
2) For my apparent gain in weight over the last 2 or 3 years. First it was the subsidized Starbucks at EA, and now there's a Starbucks behind the Threewave office. I think I might be slightly addicted. I used to walk a whole block to get an afternoon snack, so I wouldn't. Now I just have to go across the back alley.
3) For turning me into a morning coffee drinker. I used to make fun of "those people", and now it looks like I've become one of them. Next I'll be ordering double shot espressos on a regular basis. It's only a matter of time.
4) For my mild mid-to-late afternoon headaches. When the caffeine from my morning coffee wears off I just feel crummy. The only solution seems to be more coffee, which only delays the headache a little longer.
5) For lost productivity at work. I take a break to go to Starbucks almost every day between 3pm and 4pm. I'd feel better if half the office weren't also doing the same thing. Just think how much more work we'd all be getting done if the Starbucks weren't there.
6) For lost money. We have free coffee at work, but I just can't help but go spend a couple bucks for a tall dark from Starbucks, even though I know I don't need it.
7) For my slow internet connection and poor cellphone service. The people maintaining those services are likely just as addicted to Starbucks as I am, and so they're out getting coffee when they could be monitoring their stations.
8) For the clear-cutting of the rain forest. I'm sure there must be some coffee beans in there, and I'm sure Starbucks is involved somehow.
9) For the situation in the middle east. We all know they're all just fighting over coffee, and that oil has nothing to do with it.
Okay, I guess those last 3 might be a stretch.
8.04.2008
Program Not Responding
The world gave me a sunny day today. A day filled with the potential for fun, adventure, excitement, and beauty. And what did I do?
I wasted it in my apartment. I slept in. I went to the mall to pick a few things up, and returned home. And then I had a nap, surfed the web, had another nap, watched some TV, and now I'm blogging.
Yesterday I made a list of things I wanted to get done today. There were 5 things on the list. I've only done one of them.
The pool is rather inviting today. But it's across the courtyard and I can't be bothered to go out in the sun to get there. Besides which, that's the kind of thing that's more fun with friends, and most of mine are at work today.
I guess maybe I needed some time to myself to relax. But I feel like I need more time, especially to do all those things I didn't do today.
But instead of making up for wasted time, I'll be going back to work tommorrow.
I have become a mindless automaton, marching to the beat of a corporate drum, and becoming lifeless when that drum stops beating.
I love the summer, but at the same time I can't wait for the seasons to change.
I wasted it in my apartment. I slept in. I went to the mall to pick a few things up, and returned home. And then I had a nap, surfed the web, had another nap, watched some TV, and now I'm blogging.
Yesterday I made a list of things I wanted to get done today. There were 5 things on the list. I've only done one of them.
The pool is rather inviting today. But it's across the courtyard and I can't be bothered to go out in the sun to get there. Besides which, that's the kind of thing that's more fun with friends, and most of mine are at work today.
I guess maybe I needed some time to myself to relax. But I feel like I need more time, especially to do all those things I didn't do today.
But instead of making up for wasted time, I'll be going back to work tommorrow.
I have become a mindless automaton, marching to the beat of a corporate drum, and becoming lifeless when that drum stops beating.
I love the summer, but at the same time I can't wait for the seasons to change.
7.27.2008
I'm Tuning You All Out
There are certain words in the english language that I can't stand. Slang words. Words that actually make me cringe with disgust and frustration when I hear them. I don't know what it is about these words, but the use of them really makes me angry to the point where I want to beat somebody upside the head with a dictionary.
"Douchebag" is one such word. Can somebody please explain to me how or why, in the last year, "douchebag" become the #1 word for referring to somebody in a negative manner? Weren't words like "jerk", "idiot", or "@$$hole" good enough?
To hell with you and your stupid insults. You're all a bunch of d-bags. So there.
"Douchebag" is one such word. Can somebody please explain to me how or why, in the last year, "douchebag" become the #1 word for referring to somebody in a negative manner? Weren't words like "jerk", "idiot", or "@$$hole" good enough?
To hell with you and your stupid insults. You're all a bunch of d-bags. So there.
7.15.2008
Who Needs a Social Life?
No, really! I mean it. I mean, I'm happy to dedicate my life to the company. I don't need time off. I don't need to see my friends or family. I definitely don't need to enjoy my summer. All that's important is that I come in, do a good job, work extra hours and squeeze in some sleep in between.
/end sarcasm
/end sarcasm
7.04.2008
It's All About The Benjamins?
I love my job. I love the company I work for. I love the people I work with.
There are things, however, that I don't like about my job. Like crunch times. And unpaid overtime because of labour bylaws that don't require it. Like heavy dependencies on other parts of a team that prevent me from doing my job and that lead to the aforementioned unpaid overtime.
But since there's no video game developers union (and I'd be surprised if a union were ever workable for this industry), these things are necessary evils sometimes.
My friends sometimes think that the way my job works is silly. They sometimes can't understand why I would do what I do for the relatively low salary I make when I could be doing other jobs for more moola.
Well, it's like this: You take the good with the bad. I'm sure everbody has a few things about their job that they don't like. And with my job, there's definitely far more good than bad.
There are things, however, that I don't like about my job. Like crunch times. And unpaid overtime because of labour bylaws that don't require it. Like heavy dependencies on other parts of a team that prevent me from doing my job and that lead to the aforementioned unpaid overtime.
But since there's no video game developers union (and I'd be surprised if a union were ever workable for this industry), these things are necessary evils sometimes.
My friends sometimes think that the way my job works is silly. They sometimes can't understand why I would do what I do for the relatively low salary I make when I could be doing other jobs for more moola.
Well, it's like this: You take the good with the bad. I'm sure everbody has a few things about their job that they don't like. And with my job, there's definitely far more good than bad.
6.16.2008
Copyright Revisited
I've been paying a little more attention to the news that last few days. That is to say, I've been paying some attention as opposed to my usual none. Specifically, I've been watching as things progress surrounding the outrage over proposed Bill C-61.
For the uninformed, bill C-61 is an allegedly "made in Canada" law to regulate copyright law in the interests of both copyright holders and Canadian consumers. There's a lot of controversy surrounding the bill, which closely resembles the DMCA act passed in the stats in '97.
I'm not going to tell you how awful and restrictive the bill is. You can find out about that by reading articles elsewhere. Instead, I want to talk about Bill C-61 in some very simple terms and examine some things that I'm not sure everybody is aware of.
Personally, I'm looking at this from 2 different angles:
1) As a consumer, I'm annoyed that the government feels the need to step in and regulate where and how I use and enjoy copyrighted material that I may or may not have purchased.
2) As a software developer, I'm glad that Canada is finally taking action to pass some official laws governing copyright with respect to digital content.
Here's what I see as the problem, and what's pissing people off:
The government is basically telling us something that everybody should already know but nobody wants to admit: that infringing on copyrights is illegal and violators should be punished. We've been stealing copyright protected materials since we bought our first VCRs and photocopiers, and we've gotten away with it. But now the government is taking an official stand and telling us it's not okay to steal, and for some reason we resent them for it.
There's also a common misconception among Canadians regarding the downloading of copyrighted material such as television and music. About two years ago the government proposed a similar set of laws, which died on the table. Somehow this sent the message to Canadians that stealing music and software and televisions shows was okay. And Canada doesn't have appropriate laws pertaining to copyright to deal with digital information and properties.
In the US, before the DMCA was introduced, copyrighted material operated under "fair use" laws. In a nutshell, these laws said "go ahead and do whatever you want, as long as you don't violate any user agreements, acknowledge the original copyright holder, do so with permission, and change a specific percentage of the material. Oh, and don't try to profit from it."
The DMCA changed this and took a more hard-line approach.
Canada, on the other hand, has never had such laws or regulations that I'm aware of. And we still don't. But does that make infringing on copyrights okay? Of course not. All it means is that the legal system doesn't know what to do about it. For years we've been basing legal disputes on laws passed in the U.S. because we don't have our own set of applicable laws in Canada. Bill C-61 is an attempt by the government to address this problem.
Now, this doesn't mean I'm a supporter of C-61. The bill is far too restrictive and a lot of the fine print doesn't make any sense. I'd hate to see this passed as a law in it's current form. But I still think the Canadian government has the right idea, to a point.
From the government's perspective, I think the problem is that, when it comes to copyrighted material and digital media, the definitions of right and wrong are rather unclear.
Take music, for example. If I purchase a CD, what have I actually purchased? The right to own a copy of the disc? The right to listen to the disc? How about the right to play the disc for others? Can I make a personal copy of the disc for my own use? If I want the album I purchased in CD form on my personal MP3 player, is the expectation that I'll purchase a digital copy instead of just ripping the files from the disc? If I lend the CD to a friend and he copies it, who's liable? What happens if I share the digital version through iTunes on a shared network for the listening (but not copying) pleasure of others?
Technology today is very versatile and offers many options and freedoms when it comes to digital media and how we enjoy it. But, like a VCR, the technology opens the door to uses that may or may not actually be legal, and those definitions of legality haven't ever been made clear to Canadians. Unless, of course, you've read all of the fine print in the user license agreements. But even then, none of these rights are standardized. They're left up to the discretion of the content creators, and will vary from product to product.
Bill C-61, as I see it, is a misguided attempt to address this problem as well.
Piracy isn't going anywhere. As long as there are people in the world, there will be thieves. C-61 won't really change anything. All it will do is make an example of a few unlucky folks who get caught. The rest of us will still photocopy and record and transfer and download just as much as we do now.
I think the public would be better served if, instead of looking at ways to to further legislate copyright protection, we left that control in the hands of content creators as it is now. We won't stop piracy, but companies and the government alike could at least try to reduce it if they were a little more open-minded and payed attention to what's happening in the digital marketplace.
If anything, music piracy rates have likely dropped in recent years. More and more businesses and content creators are realizing that if they offer their products up in a digital format that's easy to access and priced affordably (i.e. $1.00/song download or $10.00/album on iTunes) that most people will still pay for the content. All the public really wants is more freedom of choice as consumers, and many companies are finally catching on.
It's a difficult issue to address, as there are many considerations to take into account, and there's a certain amount public expectation that needs to be addressed. But let us all acknowledge that we're pissed off about Bill C-61 because we've grown accustomed to illegally getting something for nothing, and that the government has finally caught on.
And if the government feels the need to address copyright issues by passing new laws, let's let them. But let's help them do it right. Let's make sure they know what our expectations are, both as consumers and content creators. Instead of pointing fingers, let's work together to make sure that the interests of Canadians really are being met.
For the uninformed, bill C-61 is an allegedly "made in Canada" law to regulate copyright law in the interests of both copyright holders and Canadian consumers. There's a lot of controversy surrounding the bill, which closely resembles the DMCA act passed in the stats in '97.
I'm not going to tell you how awful and restrictive the bill is. You can find out about that by reading articles elsewhere. Instead, I want to talk about Bill C-61 in some very simple terms and examine some things that I'm not sure everybody is aware of.
Personally, I'm looking at this from 2 different angles:
1) As a consumer, I'm annoyed that the government feels the need to step in and regulate where and how I use and enjoy copyrighted material that I may or may not have purchased.
2) As a software developer, I'm glad that Canada is finally taking action to pass some official laws governing copyright with respect to digital content.
Here's what I see as the problem, and what's pissing people off:
The government is basically telling us something that everybody should already know but nobody wants to admit: that infringing on copyrights is illegal and violators should be punished. We've been stealing copyright protected materials since we bought our first VCRs and photocopiers, and we've gotten away with it. But now the government is taking an official stand and telling us it's not okay to steal, and for some reason we resent them for it.
There's also a common misconception among Canadians regarding the downloading of copyrighted material such as television and music. About two years ago the government proposed a similar set of laws, which died on the table. Somehow this sent the message to Canadians that stealing music and software and televisions shows was okay. And Canada doesn't have appropriate laws pertaining to copyright to deal with digital information and properties.
In the US, before the DMCA was introduced, copyrighted material operated under "fair use" laws. In a nutshell, these laws said "go ahead and do whatever you want, as long as you don't violate any user agreements, acknowledge the original copyright holder, do so with permission, and change a specific percentage of the material. Oh, and don't try to profit from it."
The DMCA changed this and took a more hard-line approach.
Canada, on the other hand, has never had such laws or regulations that I'm aware of. And we still don't. But does that make infringing on copyrights okay? Of course not. All it means is that the legal system doesn't know what to do about it. For years we've been basing legal disputes on laws passed in the U.S. because we don't have our own set of applicable laws in Canada. Bill C-61 is an attempt by the government to address this problem.
Now, this doesn't mean I'm a supporter of C-61. The bill is far too restrictive and a lot of the fine print doesn't make any sense. I'd hate to see this passed as a law in it's current form. But I still think the Canadian government has the right idea, to a point.
From the government's perspective, I think the problem is that, when it comes to copyrighted material and digital media, the definitions of right and wrong are rather unclear.
Take music, for example. If I purchase a CD, what have I actually purchased? The right to own a copy of the disc? The right to listen to the disc? How about the right to play the disc for others? Can I make a personal copy of the disc for my own use? If I want the album I purchased in CD form on my personal MP3 player, is the expectation that I'll purchase a digital copy instead of just ripping the files from the disc? If I lend the CD to a friend and he copies it, who's liable? What happens if I share the digital version through iTunes on a shared network for the listening (but not copying) pleasure of others?
Technology today is very versatile and offers many options and freedoms when it comes to digital media and how we enjoy it. But, like a VCR, the technology opens the door to uses that may or may not actually be legal, and those definitions of legality haven't ever been made clear to Canadians. Unless, of course, you've read all of the fine print in the user license agreements. But even then, none of these rights are standardized. They're left up to the discretion of the content creators, and will vary from product to product.
Bill C-61, as I see it, is a misguided attempt to address this problem as well.
Piracy isn't going anywhere. As long as there are people in the world, there will be thieves. C-61 won't really change anything. All it will do is make an example of a few unlucky folks who get caught. The rest of us will still photocopy and record and transfer and download just as much as we do now.
I think the public would be better served if, instead of looking at ways to to further legislate copyright protection, we left that control in the hands of content creators as it is now. We won't stop piracy, but companies and the government alike could at least try to reduce it if they were a little more open-minded and payed attention to what's happening in the digital marketplace.
If anything, music piracy rates have likely dropped in recent years. More and more businesses and content creators are realizing that if they offer their products up in a digital format that's easy to access and priced affordably (i.e. $1.00/song download or $10.00/album on iTunes) that most people will still pay for the content. All the public really wants is more freedom of choice as consumers, and many companies are finally catching on.
It's a difficult issue to address, as there are many considerations to take into account, and there's a certain amount public expectation that needs to be addressed. But let us all acknowledge that we're pissed off about Bill C-61 because we've grown accustomed to illegally getting something for nothing, and that the government has finally caught on.
And if the government feels the need to address copyright issues by passing new laws, let's let them. But let's help them do it right. Let's make sure they know what our expectations are, both as consumers and content creators. Instead of pointing fingers, let's work together to make sure that the interests of Canadians really are being met.
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