Monster Mash

The seminal Misfits cover of the Halloween theme...

Daily Shizu... hmm... not a daily... not a shizu... wha...?!

It's just like starting over, but not quite. This post is apparently the 101st entry in the abomb&thecorpse blog, if the edit-counter in blogger is to be trusted. (Yes, I pander to Luddites.) Yet: still no idea what we're doing here. So: same old, I guess.

First, an important public service announcement: Set your clock back one hour this Saturday, November 1st! (Unless you are in the Peace River region, which does not observe DST, or in the East Kootenays, which observes mountain time and syncs with Alberta.) (GovBC)

Since it's Halloween today, you may be interested to learn the carbon remains of the creator of The Monster Mash, the late Bobby (Boris) Pickett, has been super-compressed into a .44 carat colourless diamond, and set into a white-gold solitaire ring worn by his daughter. (ChartAttack) If you're into that sort of thing, the company that performs this service is LifeGem.

On the other side of the spectrum, it turns out an unpublished and forgotten 1953 experiment designed to mimic early-Earth life-brewing conditions actually produced some amino acids. It's a facinating story about how this forgotten experiment, originally considered a "dud" because the technology to accurately analyze the results didn't yet exist, was found. (Wired) (Science)

And before we leave the (sometimes-marginally-related to) Halloween-ish sort of topics, take a look at the Geek-o'-Lantern pumpkin-carving photos from Wired. My favourite is Heath Ledger as The Joker, by Chris Soria.

So moving on, instead of talking about scary dead things, let's talk about dead things. I mean... "history."

Actually, I don't know if Alice Smith, the lady pictured in this 1941 BC Electric transit poster, is actually dead or not, and I apologize in advance if I've started any rumours of the "greatly-exaggerated" variety. It was a cheap and easy segue, and I takes what I can gets. (Buzzer)

I do, however, know this fellow is quite dead: the tomb of Marcus Nonius Macrinus, the Roman general said to be the inspiration for the protagonist in the Gladiator movie, was discovered in Rome. (CBC)

Going back even further, a city being excavated that overlooks the valley the Bible says David defeated Goliath may alter our understanding of the period King David ruled over the Israelites. (As in Between 1050-970 BCE) Regardless of religious perspective or persuasion, this is some fascinating archaeology. (NYT)

And going back even further, it turns out the Tyrolean iceman (Ötzi), does not match any known existing genetic linage. (CBC)

Jumping forward, and a little closer to home, Cosmo Canuck posted a 1951 J. Planadin drawing of the "Russian People's Home" (now the Russian Hall) on his flickr photostream. (CosmoCanuck)

Finally, let's end with another great kottke find: a video on making globes in a globe factory.

Daft Hands - Harder Better Faster Stronger

Save the PANTAGES THEATRE

First, some information on the Pantages Theatre to acquaint yourself with this historic Vancouver... nay, Western Canadian... nay, North American... landmark.

Future of Vancouver's Pantages Theatre in Doubt (CBC)
The Pantages in Vancouver (Chuck Davis' HMV)
Pantages Theatre (official)

And now, what you can do to support the effort to save the Pantages Theatre.

• IF YOU'RE ON FACEBOOK, join Steve Lee's group "Save the Pantages Theatre in Vancouver, BC, Canada" and invite all your friends. (FB GROUP)

• REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE PANTAGES by writing to mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca, and COPY YOUR E-MAIL to the Pantages Theatre Arts Society at cb0bc@yahoo.com .

• SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION...

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.petitiononline.com%2Fpantages%2F

Thanks!

Daily Shizu (neither a daily nor a shizu)

I lose focus every so often. I second-guess. (Or decide I need to first-guess, instead of just merrily stumbling along.) So things slow down. Things pile up. I wonder if I'm doing the best that can be done, and think in circles. I research, I read, and I ponder. Right now I'm wondering about blogs... so here's a good essay about what makes for a "good" blog. (43folders)

But let's get to some random tidbits that have distracted me.

Thank you for not breeding: As one of the major environmental problems facing our world is population growth, organizations like the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement may be an idea that is coming into its own. And it makes a great punch-line if you're one of those couples that have no children, but family and friends inevitably ask, "So... are you going to have kids...?" (CBC)

On a related note, since children are also a huge time-suck, those of us abstaining are going to have a lot more time for other activities. For me, that means web-surfing even more. I think a primer on OpenID is needed. (Webmonkey) Then, after that, I'll use the web to END POVERTY. You heard me. (Wired)

Or, if you're into the old-fashioned analog notebooks, here's a cool idea: the Muji Chronotebook. (Jack Cheng) Thanks to kottke.com for finding that one! Another kottke data-mining gem: the 25 best news photos, as determined by Vanity Fair. It should be noted that these are NEWS photos, and several may not be considered appropriate for children, such as the self-immolation of Buddhist monks in Vietnam.... (Vanity Fair)

Diburros had an idea for a graphic novel that hasn't been picked up: Smurf Wars. Need I even use the word brilliant? Thanks to the Vancouverite for finding this!

Some interesting lists:
100 Skills Every Man Should Know. (Popular Mechanics)
30 Skills for Women (Frisky)
and from the afore-mentioned PM article: Skills to Teach Children. (Popular Mechanics)

And Britain recently released some UFO documents. (CBC) Which ties in nicely with this: a nearby solar system looks like ours did when life formed... which means it may very well be habitable. (Wired)

A television note: The November 13 episode of The Office has Michael Scott on a business trip... to Winnipeg. (Though actually shot in Los Angeles...) (CBC)

I just have to say: when I think "got to buy groceries" the first thing that comes to mind is... Canadian Tire...?! (CanBusiness)

Let's end with the animated version of Where The Wild Things Are from 1973, which was recently found and posted by Cameron Reed at Only Magazine.

Highlight NHL Goal

Vancouver Historical Society - October 23, 2008

VHS Oct 23, 2008, originally uploaded by abomb&thecorpse.

Daily Shizu (neither a daily, nor a shizu)

I've been looking at my calendar and noticing that concerns have shifted from is it going to rain, to will I need gloves? We are prepared for the uncertainty of Vancouver's autumn weather: we carry our umbrellas everywhere. But the skill of dealing with the uncertainty of temperature was forgotten and lost, so long ago before, in spring.

Vancouver page at Environment Canada. Very useful in the mornings.

But on to more random thinkings... here's another collection of items that have diverted my attention of late...

Relating an ancient Greek story about the Sibylline Books to the $850-billion Wall Street bailout package. (N.S.Gill)

Stephen Colbert may take the White House in '08... in the Marvel Comic Universe. (Marvel) If you don't have enough time to catch up on your comic-book reading, the Wired How-to Blog offers information on Speed Reading. (Wired)

And haven't seen this idea before: since Iceland is bankrupt, maybe Canada should buy it. Here's Crawford Killian's thoughts. (Tyee) And the original letter from David Hayes. (N.Post)

And as a public service, in these tough economic times, here's an article about how to steal your boss's job, plus several photo galleries on useful tips like how to suck up... (F.Post) And, in case that doesn't work, here's some tips from Survivorman Les Stroud on things to bring camping... or should I say, "camping"... (Wired)

All this makes our upcoming Vancouver election all the more important. There are lots of great local blogs that will cover the election much better than I, one of the best being Frances Bula's. Here's her post describing the slate of candidates after they were announced. (Bula) And I'm not going to say much about the recent Federal election, except the lowest-ever turnout has started up the debate surrounding proportional representation again. (Georgia Straight)

Before I forget to wish video games a happy 50th... (CBC) ...I don't think the "Tennis for Two" creators ever envisioned a world where the surprise ONLINE divorce in a virtual world would result in someone logging on to the former spouse's account and "murdering" (deleting) that person's avatar. (CBC)

And something from Hubble...

Daily Shizu (neither a daily, nor a shizu)

After finding out one-in-four species on Earth is in danger of extinction (CBC), there is finally some good news... or "good news" at least for this bug that can survive as the only organism in the ecosystem. (Wired) For the people that want to do something for the environment, how about helping reduce bottled water? (No Impact Man)

And finally a story to print out and pass along to all your friends, co-workers, and political representatives: there's a downward trend for paper-use by white-collar workers, though it's still too early to say we're on the way to a "paper-less office" like they were predicting back in the 1960s. (Economist)

The "credit crunch" is being trotted out as the latest threat to wipe out the burgeoning "green energy industry" as the money runs out for speculating on avenues of development. (FP)

Speaking of development: BC's green building codes come into effect! (Van Reflections)

Thank goodness the price of gas is going down in British Columbia. (CBC) And the BC Government is passing out more carbon-tax dividend cheques. (Van Sun)

Further to the Credit Crunch: the banks in Canada are ranked the soundest in the world. The only thing sounder: that jar under my mattress. It puts my back out, but I sleep like a spinally-deformed baby. (CBC)

Enough about all the different ways one can cook cat-food for dinner during retirement... let's talk federal politics. If you're not sure where you're political sensitivities lie, or even if you do, there are some good sites out there to try to review your leaning. Try The Undecided for party lines, FireAndIce for social outlook across North America, and finally Elections Canada to review the voting requirements. (Hint: Bring either (a) your driver's license, or (b) both your SIN card and Care Card. There are lots of folks worked up about this for some reason, but the vast majority of people will have no problem and need not freak out!)

Not that it really matters. Apparently we are slowly giving up our sovereignty and integrating further into the United States. Best line: We don't need "duplicate systems of approval," says VP of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. (Tyee) (I'm sure Canadian homeowners would love the same "approval systems" as their American counter-parts that are now losing their homes...)

And from the "always-a-bridesmaid" file: Canada declares its intent/desire to change the make-up of the UN Security Council, but politely doesn't mention itself as a candidate. (Van Sun) Too bad we were passed out under the dessert table and missed the bouquet-toss.

Closer to home, take a look at the renewal of Stanley Park's Prospect Point, which was severely damaged in the storms of last year. (Price Tags)

Enough. Here's a video of "Take On Me" by A-Ha that's been re-done so the lyrics are a literal reflection of what's happening in the video.

Daily Shizu (neither a daily nor a shizu)

Sometimes I give up trying to formulate themes for the swirl of distractions and curiosities of my consciousness.

There are serious national issues, like that Canada is at "grave risk" if a national disaster strikes. (CBC) There are serious global issues, like that arctic ice in 2008 melted away to its second-most summer loss on record. (Van Sun) And with the rising cost of current energy sources, cities are looking at interesting alternatives, like Saint John exploring geothermal energy for city buildings. (CBC) And Moncton is looking to convert the methane gas produced by landfill into power. (CBC) Between these alternative-energy ideas and this new machine that clears CO2 from the air (Van Sun), we almost have this "global warming" problem all cleared up! (Not.)



There are rising international issues, like Russia stating it is their duty to their descendants (as for Canadians, it is ours) to exert control over their arctic region and resources. (Van Sun) But the discovery of ancient Yukon ice offers some interesting information, like temperatures in the world have been warmer than they currently are at least twice. (Van Sun)

(Here are some great historical photos of the arctic, from the National Maritime Museum's flickr stream.)

In other prehistory news, apparently after almost everything got wiped out (remember those dinosaurs?) life survived in a prehistoric seabed survival zone that is now part of Canada... what can we say but Canada saves life on Earth! (Van Sun)

Since we're on science and history at the moment, apparently genetic evidence suggests the emergence of agriculture in prehistory took longer than previously thought. (Science Daily)

And these just sort of caught my eye:

Researchers are studying whether or not the "out-of-body" experience reported by the "back from the dead" set is an actual phenomenon. (CBC)

A probe is going to fly by the planet Mercury, which has hardly been visited by space probes at all! We don't even have 100% of the surface mapped. (Van Sun)

Just say if i were in charge of short-term shelter

Affordable housing is currently a major issue in Vancouver. (CBC) And while what I suggest below is certainly nothing more than a band-aid to a wider major social issue, its implementation might buy time to find a more reasonable long-term strategy.

My left-field short-term solution is to allow those in need of shelter gated access into currently unoccupied city lots (those fenced-off former gas station lots come to mind), and build a planned tent-city, with "streets" and "house numbers."

We could get the outdoor supply companies, such as Mountain Equipment Co-op, to donate a variety of multi-person tents.

We could bring in festival-style portable sanitation facilities, for water and sewage, even showers, perhaps. And how about a central cooking area, with fire-pit grills, like at the beach or in parks?

Each "gated community" could be "managed" by a social-service organization, keeping track of who is utilizing the service, what their needs are, and offering advice and guidance into the civic social system.

There are, obviously, problems to be addressed and solved. Tents offer little protection from the elements, so cold and wet weather could be a problem. It would not be good for these areas to become mud-pits after a rainfall. The suggestion of utilizing former gas station lots brings to mind problems of soil toxicity. Monitoring access requires the participation of service organizations, as well as the coordination with the civic services. City services, such as garbage pick-up, would need to be considered. And my preference would be to limit this option to single individuals and couples. Hopefully this tactic would reduce the demand for other housing provisions, and increase their availability to families that include children.

Just say if i were in charge of drug policy

I get a lot of crazy ideas, which is why I will never run for politics: too much fringe stuff to defend. I look at the situations and issues around me and wonder why we aren't outraged.

There are reports coming out of Mexico that the bodies are continuing to pile up in the national crisis they call "the drug trade." These are events that are straight out of the movies: bodies with tongues cut out; decapitated bodies; cardboard signs with crazy writings: "these are the bricklayer's people."

It echoes the explosive-action movies of Hollywood.

The report says Execution-style killings, beheadings and shootouts have increased across the country over the past two years since the army and federal police cranked up their efforts against the drug trade. (CBC)

Is this not a leading indicator that we should legalize a small portion of currently-illegal substances? We need to bring this criminal element into the corporate age. While I am not advocating this in the near term, think about this: drug-companies that are required by law to detox their clients. (At the very least, this murderous increase is a leading indicator to say the current drug-enforcement policies are beginning to fail due to economic pressure.)

A sister amendment to this drug policy would likely be the right to die. If someone signed an agreement stating they were ready to end their existence (and had funeral expenses taken care of, to be nice to society), I don't see why the state should be able to force medical attention onto a chronic and palliative drug user.

The balance to this is education of the issue, in the rawest of terms, from the earliest of ages, and lots of it.

Vancouver Round-up!

If you haven't done this already, go to the City Reflections website and order a copy of the DVD produced by the Vancouver Historical Society! If you don't know what this is, a great description of the DVD contents is on the re:Place Magazine site, who also did a great article describing the project in depth.

In case you missed the Georgia Straight's annual Best of Vancouver awards, take a wander over to the kitsilano.ca blog for a great post about Kitsilano being voted the Best Neighbourhood... again. Plus lots of great links to businesses in Kits.

And in case you hadn't noticed (and we know you did!), the political mastermind John Turner
failed to jump the electoral hoops to run again as Vancouver Quadra's neorhino candidate. So NOW who do I vote for...? And I have to add, it's really too bad, because I think it was his year... after all, apparently more Canadians believe in the existence of Bigfoot than in promises made by politicians. If that doesn't spell "N-E-O-R-H-I-N-O-V-I-C-T-O-R-Y" then I don't know what will.

Ran across this and thought it might be a great time outdoors, if I ever went outdoors: the UBC Botanical Garden's Greenheart Canopy Walkway. A nice photo and write-up on the Tourism BC flickr stream.

Daily Shizu (neither a daily nor a shizu)

I bounce around a lot. Luckily most of it's just mentally. Here's a few items I've noticed recently.

Livable streets make for happier people (and a planet). (No Impact Man)

If you like the Dr. Who theme, or electronic music, you need to check out this BBC article on Delia Derbyshire, and listen to the electronica she created three decades before electronica music hit.

Shiznit UK has a roundup of the top ten commercials done by movie directors.

And now what will I do in Saudi Arabia, now that owning porn channels can get you killed...?

If you're one of those Vancouver-ites that are serious about environmental issues (and shouldn't we all be now?) check out a great resource community, happy frog. Urban Vancouver has an excellent overview.

Thank the gods for the Justice System... book thief gets 30 years.

Some news tidbits of interest these days: Apparently whales can learn how to speak. (Van Sun) Google discusses Artificial Intelligence. (Google Blogoscope) And the U of T has snapped a photo of a planet orbiting a distant star. (CBC) Nothing says a great Friday night like fossilized vomit. (Van Sun) And apparently the Sun is a bit of a traveller. (CBC) And apparently there is collateral damage with coupon use. (CBC) A new Mozart tune was discovered. (CBC) And that road in California where the grooves play the theme from the Lone Ranger as you drive is becoming a memory. (CBC) And comic book intellectuals keep trying to decide if they're art or literature or both. (Van Sun) And the secret is out: the author of Green Gables took her own life. (CBC) And early fish had early fingers. (CBC) The oldest known rocks on the planet are in Quebec. (Van Sun)

This may come as a shock, but apparently texting while driving makes you a poor driver. (CBC)

Go here to plant a tree with one click.

And this is an important topic for many Vancouver folks: decorating in 620 square feet. (bijouliving)

Here's something on quackery in the health industry. I'm going to read it after my aura adjustment. (CBC)

Michael Moore releases his new documentary on the web for free in the US and Canada. He hopes to get kids to vote. A good explanation is at CBC.

Radiohead "Reckoner" video (official video, made by fan)

Radiohead - Reckoner - by Clement Picon