A bunch of you have probably heard me tossing out random statistics related to polls. Here’s the pages I get all that from:

The Election Prediction Project

http://www.electionprediction.org/2004_fed/index.html

Canada 2004, Federal Election Resource

http://www.nodice.ca/election2004/

and for my american friends:

Polling Report

http://www.pollingreport.com/

I prefer to keep most of the random statistic I spout to be more or less accurate. ^_^

…..1337hax0r…..

While I will probably be blamed for putting up "liberal propaganda." (That seems to be the only way conservatives fight nowadays, it’s propaganda if it’s liberal.) Heaven forbid they actually give a legit reason why the liberal advertising is wrong. This site has some interesting notes:

http://www.stephenharpersaid.ca/

As well, here’s some real liberal agitprop:

http://sf.indymedia.org/uploads/harpervillain.swf

As well, if you want to read a campaign which consists of nothing but attacks against the Liberals, here you go: http://www.conservative.ca/english/index.asp . Almost every news story and point they have on there is an attack, and do not provide any real good reason why I should vote Conservative.

You see, I voted conservative in Alberta, not because I’m a hard-core conservative, but because the Liberals in Alberta rode on the platform of only attacking the Conservatives and not providing any real reason to vote for them. Now, personally, if you are going to vote conservative, there is really nothing I can say at this point to make you change your mind. All I ask is that you truly understand what type of Canada you are voting for. It’s not reason enough to vote one way, just because "The liberals have been in power too long." You better agree with every little thing that Harper is planning to do to this country.

Just my thoughts,

…..1337hax0r…..

Well, I had waited 3 months or more to see it, and I finally got my chance to see it last night at the midnight showing of Fahrenheit 9/11 at Cinema Du Parc, and it was definitely worth every dime, and the wait. While Moore isn’t as forceful in this movie as he has been in previous ones (read: The Big One where he forces his way into many business establishments.), his message is far more clear. Perhaps because of this lack of forcefulness.

Relying mostly on interviews and actual footage, the movie chronicles George W. Bush’s legacy as president. Hitting some especially hard points when it discusses the Iraq War. What surprised me most was two-fold. One, how proud I was to be Canadian and know that our troops are not in Iraq after seeing that movie; Two, how much the footage from Iraq in the movie affected me. You see, I’ve seen footage like that before, on tv, on the internet, etc. But it had never really sunk in what it was all about until I saw that old woman from Iraq crying, and there were translations underneath so I could actually understand what was going on.

It’s amazing how desensitized our culture has become to violence, and gore. It’s shown on the news in small snippits with "experts" discussing it with a voice-over. At that point it suddenly is so distant and meaningless. Then you see it, straight forward, with none of the news’ "expert opinion," and suddenly, it becomes real, more real than you would think.

Personally though, I really appreciated how Moore realized that his film was walking on egg shells, and surprisingly was able to step pretty lightly around them. In my opinion, it’s pretty hard to disagree with a good chunk of the movie unless you are a hardcore bushite or ultra-conservative, and even then it’s because you are so disillusioned with the world that you don’t even realize what’s going on in front of your own face.

*laugh* The movie quotes 1984 at one point, and I think some of the reaction I’ve seen at http://www.moorewatch.com brings that message that 1984 is in the states, now as I write this, even more to the forefront. What they are told is the truth, no matter how much evidence is shown to the contrary. What their leader (be it Bush or another republican) is cardinal truth.

When a nation stops accepting the truth in exchange for what they prefer the truth to be, then the world is in a very dangerous place. I hope Canada never forgets that. Right now though, I’m prouder than ever of Chretien’s decision to keep us out of the war, and I hope every Canadian I know will go to the polls on Monday and vote, just don’t vote conservative.

As well, I hope as many people as possible can get out and see this movie. Whether you agree with it or not. Hell, if you have to steal it, just because you have some grudge against Moore, do so. But before anyone shoots off their mouth, or tells someone who did see it that it’s completely wrong without seeing it themselves, you should watch it.

Just some thoughts,

…..1337hax0r…..

Originally I was going to write this entry in french, but then I thought about it some, and decided that it would be a better entry to leave in english so that my anglophone friends may be tempted to pick up some great francophone music and enjoy it. Mostly because they can read this.

To put it succinctly, French music is really awesome. Not only are a good number of french singers amazingly attractive. (Read: Alizee)

But also (even though the lyrics are amazingly tepid) the tunes are the most addictive tunes you can imagine. I still have "J’en ai marre" stuck in my head and I haven’t heard it in over 2 days. Alizee’s music is bouncy and happy and cheery. Even her darker pieces still kinda make you feel good.

Now, Natasha St-Pier has a truly just enchanting voice. I will admit I originally picked up her CD at the store to listen to (at the "listen to our CDs" booth at HMV) because I thought she was kinda cute. ^_^ But, I was blown away by her voice. It’s so smooth and calming, I couldn’t resist not to buy her CD, and now I have 2 of her CDs, and think there were pretty good buys. As well, for the Canadians out there, she’s from Canada.

Also high on my list of good french music is a group called La Chicane. The only way to describe them is as true Quebecoise music. They are (in a weird anglotwisted way) for Quebec what Great Big Sea is for Newfoundland. They music is fun to listen to and fast, with a very fun feel to it.

There is so much great french music out there, I guess I’ll have to write more about it in another post.

Remember to check out the 3 above: Alizee, Natasha St-Pier, and La Chicane.

…..1337hax0r…..

1. Beer is cheap in Halifax… Too cheap. I didn’t believe this before, but there is such a thing as too cheap beer. The beer there is amazing, don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed it as much as the next beer, but I never realized how much the cost of the beer kept down my drinking of the beer over the course of the evening. When beer is $3 a pint, it’s pretty easy to get through $30 of beer rapidly (especially if you are the type that uses his money in pocket as a measuring/stoppage device.)

2. Don’t ever check in luggage for a plane. I have travelled so many times on a plane, and yet this was the first time I didn’t have anything to check in, and it was great. I was in and out of the checkin line with no effort whatsoever.

3. Always expect your talk to go twice as long as it did in the dry run. Nuff said.

4. Try to keep everything in your bag. It can get hellish to have to make sure you grabbed everything from your pockets when you go through airport security time and again.

5. WestJet is the best airline in Canada. Cute girls, awesome service, cheap flights, it’s impossible to go wrong with them. As well, apparently (one of the young stewardesses on the flight sat down and chatted about this with me) WestJet is going to have ultra cheap flights to San Fran, LA and other Fun in the Sun locations soon. (Like as low as $131 round trip for special seat. ^_^) W00t.

There were other things I learned as well. (Like to remember to bring 2 books to read in my spare time next time.) But those stand out the most.

Other than that, CUMC 2004 was pretty spiffy. ^_^

…..1337hax0r…..

By popular demand, I have put up my SXI and PDF for my presentation on "Rectangular Games." As well, a primary source I used for a large section of the presentation was:

J.C.C. McKinsey. Introduction to the Theory of Games. Dover Publications, Inc. Mineola, N.Y. 2003

It is definitely an excellent source.

PDF: http://www.1337hax0r.com/CUMC/Rectangular%20Games.pdf

SXI: http://www.1337hax0r.com/CUMC/Rectangular%20Games.sxi

I hope everyone who saw the presentation enjoyed it, and if anyone has questions feel free to contact me.

…..1337hax0r…..

Well, I lost my shirt… literally. On my trip to Waterloo to interview co-ops, I wore my spiffy new R&D Hacker shirt that NITI gave me (see below for a pic.) Well, apparently I accidentally left it in the hotel room when I checked out. So now, they have to ship it back to me in Montreal. Oh well, at least I know where it is now. Hopefully It’ll get here before my flight on Thursday so I can wear it during the CUMC conference (which is going to rock by the way.)

A new cool pic of me on the VIA 1 train to Waterloo. (Thanx ppatters for the pic.)

(and yep, that’s my R&D Hacker shirt.)

…..1337hax0r…..

I’ve been watching a couple of fantastic documentaries lately, and learning some interesting, mostly non theological history on mankind and society. Specifically, the Ascent of Man (detail: http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/A/htmlA/ascentofman/ascentofman.htm ) an excellent, if dated documentary that goes over the development of mankind, where we started, and how we got from there to where we are now. Especially interesting are the commentary on ritual, religion and war. A notable quote specifically was (more or less) "While it is true that fighting is more or less natural for mankind, organized warfare is not natural for man. Organized warfare is really large scale theft." I definitely recommend this entire series for anyone who wants to know more about the history of man.

A second documentary which I have been watching is "Evolution," a documentary first shown on PBS. (detail: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/ ) This documentary starts about 4 billion years before the Ascent of Man. Explaining how evolution works on our planet, how animals evolve, and extinctions occur. As well, they give logical discussions on how mankind developed, and our mind and society originally came together. Especially interesting is the discussion regarding Bonos and Chimpanzees (our closest animal relatives,) and the different ways they resolve conflict.

Finally, the last documentary I’ve watched (which starts about 12 billion years before the "Evolution" series began,) is Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. An excellent 9 part series on the universe and humanity. Personally, this one is near impossible to describe. If you have the opportunity and the time to watch this entire series. I highly recommend it.

–

In other news, it’s very cool to be able to use wireless on a VIA train on my way to Toronto. ^_~

…..1337hax0r…..

- a never empty glass of fine port or Madeira on a Paris Terrace with a view of the Eiffel Tower during an eternal spring.

Really, how can you argue with that. Port, one of the finest drinks ever made, enjoying it is one of those finer pleasures in life. With friends, it’s better, without friends it’s still one of the most enjoyable experiences imaginable. Even though it is still one of the more expensive drinks to order (well, the finer ones at least.) I still partake to enjoy it on a reasonably regular basis so I still know that good things exist on this planet. Now, I know how enjoyable it is (and it will be on this list) to enjoy a good pint of beer on a terrace in Jasper, just watching people go by and talk with my sister Peggy. I could easily see this being heaven.

- Playing cribbage/Crazy Eights/cards with my father while we discuss philosophy and religion.

Perhaps even have my grandfather join us, whom I’ve never played cribbage with since he passed away while I was still young. I still hold some of these as my fondest memories from my childhood. Just playing cards with my dad as the hours pass by. If I may say so myself (IIMSSM) I think I’ve gotten pretty good at cards from those many sessions. As well, I think now enjoying it while having a pint of Pilsner Urquell would probably be an exceedingly enjoyable experience.

- Drinking Champagne, and enjoying a fine meal with my sister Peggy on a terrace in Jasper discussing random stuff.

One time, I was in Jasper with my sister Peggy. (I believe it was during a band trip where I was allowed to visit her away from the group for the night, and I would still say while most of the night was memorable. I remember really enjoying the meal her and I had on that sidewalk terrace, and specifically her telling me something which has really stuck with me. "You know if you sit here long enough, you would probably see the entire world go by." That was so true, and now Jasper is still one of my most favourite cities in the world. Not because it’s filled with tourists, but rather because since it isn’t overrun, it’s still comfortable.

- Hanging out with my sister Tammy and my nephew Jeremy

Last summer, I remember going back to Edmonton, and spending time with my family for a long period once again, and I especially remember how much fun I had with Tammy and Jeremy. Tammy is an excellent mother, and that kid is going to grow up to do something significant some day because of her. I had such a great time going to WEM, and just playing with Jeremy and Tammy, and just relaxing. Which I don’t normally have much time to do.

- Going cruisin’ down the coast of California in a convertible with my sister Wendy

Wendy is (and I hope my other sisters don’t take offense, because they are all cool too.) my coolest sister. I have always enjoyed going to enjoy fine food with her, seeing movies, and just cruising. We enjoy the same music (at the same volume more or less. ), and well I remember travelling down the coast of California and how cool that was with Mich, and I can just imagine how awesome it would be to have a more or less unlimited budget and just travel down the coast of California enjoying really good food along the way, grabbing waiter’s butts *laugh*, and just having a crazy old time with no worries about time or money with my sister Wendy. Now, that would be an awesome time.

- Eating the ukrainian special, and enjoying one of the pies at the multicultural centre with my mother, or travelling to the "bakery" restaurant (which is now closed, ) in that small town west of Spruce.

There are actually many things I would enjoy doing with my mother. But this stands out as something I’ve always enjoyed having a quiet quaint lunch with her. Just kidding around and enjoying good, but not fancy food. I especially love the pies at the Multicultural center :-). And during we would just talk about things that were on our minds and just had a good time. That’s definitely on my list.

- Having the opportunity to learn about everything I could possibly want in the universe, and still have time afterwards to apply my knowledge to help humanity

Now, since heaven is supposed to be a place you go when you die, I guess this one is an impossibility. But, I thought I’d put it here if for nothing else then posterity.

- Clubbing in Prague enjoying pilsner urquell and making lots of good friends

Pilsner Urquell has become more or less my favourite beer for just partying and having a good time, and I will never forget what my Grade 11 Social Studies teacher told me, "Kelly, don’t go to university, take all your money, go to Prague, and really experience life. I know that’s the thing for you to do." So, I looked into it, and Prague has the best party scene for youth in the world more or less, and since I always enjoy a good club, and a good beer (Which comes from the Czech Republic btw). This would be awesome. Na zdravi!

There are other ones, but these are the ones that stand out most in my mind. Oh yeah, one more… Heaven is knowing what you want, and how to acheive it. But I guess that’s pretty obvious.

…..1337hax0r…..

Over the last month, I have heard some very strange adjectives used to describe me. Naturally, I’ve looked them over and tried to think of ways that I can remove the "bad" ones and improve the "good" ones without fundamentally changing my belief structure, and life. Unfortunately, I’m discovering that that is likely not even possible, and even if it was is it worth the expense. As well, I’m also discovering what is an failing to one person is a benefit to another, and thus I’m just confused and frustrated and more or less plain tired of trying to deal with this all. Even though, as a good hedonist, this should be something I resolve so I can further my happiness, and the happiness of those around me.

For example, I have heard someone refer to me as godless and arrogant lately. Well, personally I don’t consider myself godless. True, I try not to flaunt my religion around, especially after a few childhood experiences with people who wear their religion as a war banner on their sleeve. Yet, I am more or less in my own mind at least, a Catholic. I try to follow essentially what I believe are the core foundations of catholicism, from what I’ve read in not only the bible, but the other fundamental books from which our religion was formed. (Augustine, Aquinas, etc.)

Yet, perhaps, my "godlessness" comes from my arrogance. It’s true, I will admit that I do try very hard to look good in everyone’s eyes. And unfortunately I usually fail incredibly unsuccessfully. Perhaps I shouldn’t try as hard to impress people, and just accept that most people probably won’t like me that much, and move on. I really don’t know. Personally, in the end, all I want is for people to appreciate me being around and enjoy the effort I put into increasing their happiness.

Or perhaps I’m just tired, and thinking about things way too hard again… like I always do around this time of the day…

Either way, hopefully I’ll be able to resolve some of the "bugs" with my personality sooner or later…

…..1337hax0r…..