Random (yet related) thoughts on code, music, hockey, internet culture, gaming and the human condition
I’m working on a project that never ends.
It just goes on and on, my friend.
Some sales guy started the deal not knowing what it was.
And I’ll go on coding it forever just because.
I’m working on a project that never ends…
For better music, check out AYWKUBTTOD‘s EP “The Secret of Elena’s Tomb”. Good stuff.
Spam is a pain in the ass, but sometimes it’s entertaining. Take a look at this one that I got at work:
—–Original Message—–
From: sds@deutschland.de
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2003 3:30 PM
To: Chris Bellini
Subject: Warp Watch Needed oukkjv ll lrpmg
Importance: High
Hello,
I’m a time traveler stuck here in 2003.
Upon arriving here my dimensional warp generator stopped working. I trusted a company here by the name of LLC Lasers to repair my Generation 3 52 4350A watch unit, and they fled on me.
Since nobody in this timeline seems to be able to deliver what I need (safely here to me), I will have to build a simple time travel circuit to get where I need myself. While it might be hard to find parts in this time to build anything decent, I need easy to follow schematics from the future to build one which is safe and accurate that will not disrupt the time space continuum with both forward and backward capability accounting for temporal location settings (X, Y, Z, n), which can be built out of (readily available) parts here in 2003. Please email me any plans you have. I will pay good money for anything you send me I can use. Or if you have a dimensional warp generator available, and are 100% certain you have a (safe secure) means of delivering it to me please also reply with a secure way to contact you. Send a separate email to me at:
webmaster@custompaintshop.net
Do not reply back directly to this email as it will only be bounced back to you.
Thank You
Brian Appel
assistanceu ejzoed g bi
kazmh tflq
emejol
wx
msfenso
Gonna go back in tiiiiime 😉
PS: I filled in the “from” section with his email addy. The “from” section was blank when I received it, but the dumbass probably isn’t aware of all the goodies that can be found in email headers.
Here’s some weekened media reviews courtesy of yours truly.
I picked up two new albums this weekend; GbV‘s “Earthquake Glue” and Sloan‘s “Action Pact”. In short, “Earthquake Glue” was a disappointment (they’re allowed to have a bad one every now and then). “Action Pact” frickin’ RAWKS!
Dena and I rented Bowling For Columbine yesterday. We enjoyed it even though it feels weird to say so, given the context of the movie. It reminds you how violent America’s past is and how little has changed. After living in Michigan for four and half years, I can testify to the level of violence in its citizens is much higher than that in good ol’ Canada. For example, my experience with social drinking in Canada is one of good times and laughs. When Americans get together to drink, more often than not it turns into screaming and violence. In university, it was common to find me breaking up fights between roommates, roommates and frat guys, roommates and anyone else. That’s not to say that all Canadians are happy drunks. I recall being part of a group of people that were chased out of the GV in Timmins by an overly intoxicated individual threatening to “slice us from throat to throat”. Yes, that’s “throat to throat”, folks. But on the whole, I’d have to say that we are a reasonably tolerant, non-violent and forward-thinking nation. Funny enough, a sign for Guns Galore appeared in the movie. The same sign that we saw many times on the good ol’ Thump-Thump (aka I75) between Flint and Saginaw last week on our trip to Gaylord. I wanted to take a picture, but Dena couldn’t get the digicam ready quick enough. You can either like or hate Bowling For Columbine, but it does provoke converstion. And I think that’s better than simply being passive and watching.
Later on this evening, I’m dragging Dena to see Freddy vs Jason. Aw yeah! I know somebody who won’t be sleeping well tonight 😉
NSIS is nice. Justin Frankel is da man! Speaking of Justin, I agree with him. I hate my blog that was formerly known as .plan and all of its ilk (I think I’ve mentioned that before)!
This is nice to see. Take THAT all you artsy fartsy, socially-relavent, big-star sportin’, heart-warming and lord of the whatever movies. In the end, I guess we humans like to see other humans die. And Freddy’s one-liners are icing on the cake 😉
Sssh, don’t tell me anything about it if you’ve already seen it. This weekend will be the weekend…oh yeah.
There isn’t anything that I cannot do (so far) but being the analyst, developer and tester all at once sux0rs. Judge, jury and executioner, I am.
One thing that I cannot do often is win Frozen Throne 3vs3 games. Look at my pitiful profile. Now I’m hardly a pro, but most of the teammates I get either have horrible connections and subsequently drop or have no concept of team play. I think I’ll try 2vs2 or maybe even FFA (free for all).
We made it back from Michigan safe and sound. But it wasn’t entirely smooth. Of course, the “thump thump” (aka: I75) was its usual craptacular self. However, on Friday while we were west bound on the 401 just 10 minutes outside of Kitchener, a semi ahead of us in the far-right lane had a tire blowout and guess where those pieces o’ tire ended up. Right in front of us. I managed to steer so that we didn’t run it over and destroy our alignment but it did manage to do a small number to the paint job on the front of the car. Oh, and the front license plate was bent slightly.
Other than that, it was a casual weekend that included lots of swinning in the hotel pool. Bob Evans is a horribly greasy restaurant but you have to try their strawberry iced tea. It made up for the shiney oily bun that accompanied my grilled chicken, lettuce and tomato.
Back to the grind of a project that never ends.
We survived the Great Blackout of 2003! 😉
As of 2:30PM this afternoon, Dena and I will be on the way to Gaylord, Michigan to hook up with her parents (Anderson side) for the weekend. Gaylord is known for it’s many surrounding golf courses. I don’t think we’ll be golfing, though 🙁
This is also the weekend that Freddy vs Jason opens. It’s one of those movies that you were never sure if it’ll see the light of day. Mostly, because it was one of those movies that you dreamed about on the elementary school playground. “You can’t kill Jason. Freddy doesn’t have a chance.” “Freddy’s in your dreams, dude, so he’d murder Jason”. “Jason doesn’t sleep”. It went on and on and on. I’m rooting for Freddy, personally.
PS: Yes, I know my new site isn’t totally working. This site will be worked on after this weekend, hopefully.
I was raised on beer commercials.
From as far back as I can remember, I know I’ve seen plenty of beer commercials. Maybe more than usual, but that’s probably hard to gauge. From a very early age (probably shortly after birth), I’ve watched zillions of hockey, football, baseball games on TV, and then some. The first song I remember is the Hockey Night In Canada theme song and the second is likely “Da Do Ron Ron”. The third would be an amalgamation that I know as “beer rock”. Obviously one of the biggest advertisers during televised sports are beer companies.
Canadian beer commercials back in the 70’s and 80’s looked so cool. The always had the beer bottles lit from behind so that it would look “golden” and the sweat on the bottle would be like little crystals. I remember being six years old, eyeing one of my dad’s bottles of Labbatt 50 and being disapointed that it just looked like a cold dark brown bottle. It didn’t stop me from steeling the labels of the bottles during my parents’ get-togethers and camping trips, though.
And then there was the music. Nowadays, the beer commercials usually resort to generic hip-hop beats or metal guitar riffs on top of frat-boy humor. Bah. Back in my younger days, the beer companies used real songs more often than not. Maybe licensing was cheaper back then. Who knows? Anyway, an ad for Molson Golden might have blasted the Sex Pistol’s “God Save The Queen”, Carlseburg Light was rawked by Golden Earing’s “Radar Love” and you could pump your fist to Kiss’ “Detroit Rock City” for Labbatt 50.
The one recent bright spot was the use of Preston School Of Industry‘s “Solitaire” for a Labbatt Blue commercial last summer.
Beer advertisers in this country need to get back to “what beer’s all about” 😉
PS: Yes, I know this site looks different. Pateince folks. It’ll all get hooked up eventually. Baby shoes.
Over the weekend, I was looking through this site of mine. Why? A new look may be on the horizon, but that’s beside the point. While in my “Links” section, I clicked on the O’Gorman High link, recalling that there was a reunion of sorts planned for this month. Upon visiting the actual reunion site, I learned that it had already happened during the first weekend of the month. Did I want to go? No, but nostalgia is a funny thing.
A few weeks ago while at my parents’ place, my mom had the bright idea to break out the photo albums for Dena have a go at. Yay. Baby pictures, hockey pictures, newspaper clippings and so on were viewed and usually included some commentary from my mom. More yay. Eventually, we get to the highschool-era pictures. It starts with god-awful glasses and teenage awkwardness and moves to long hair. Does anyone want to really know why I have a picture with Pat, Mern and Daddoo on graduation day but not with my own parents? Super fantastic happy yay. I ended up looking at these pictures along with Dena and my mom (my dad was occupied with a CFL game on TV). Then it hit me. I look the same, act the same and think the same as I did in high school. I graduated from high school eight years ago. At a reunion, what’s the point of seeing the exact same people that you remember? Hi, I’m Chris Bellini. ‘member me? Yup, I still like computer stuff, still like the same tunes, still buy my clothes at the same stores and I probably still don’t like you. Seems like only yesterday, blah blah blah. Sofa yay. Take a look at the list of attendees. I hardly know anyone and that’s ok. I didn’t like O’Gorman and O’Gorman didn’t like me. Indeed, nostalgia is a funny thing. High school was a time period that I can easily be reminded of, but I usually don’t care to be reminded of it all that often. As Lou Barlow said to me in an email conversation (mildly unrelated to this topic) we had a few months back, “nostalgia could be a double-edged sword”. The man speaks the truth and plays some mean RAWK, too 😉
More nostalgia to come…