The trailer supercut.

Here’s another one, THE movie trailer.  They’re playing a practical joke on us, 4 minutes is long time.

Can we enhance this?

Hate me – I’m using the word meme.  Loving this genre that’s around YouTube these days.

Social value.

Low risk, low returns.

Hellooooo.  Here are some more of those links on a white webpage, just for you.  It’s been a little while, but I trust this will tide you over.  Just insert those witty comments you already have in your cultured, educated grey matters.

Science

• How tone deafness works – this has always fascinated me because it’s something we get or we don’t get.  Most of us are lucky.  Plus watch a video on the science of singing.  I still sing way too much.  I’m like the fifth member of Here Comes Treble.

• I am more of a man than you – Turns out testosterone does not lead to aggression and risk taking, but rather could lead to qualities like fairness.

• The psychology of social status – and why it continues to be the largest motivator of human behaviour.

• Taking bets on the God particle – LHC scientists are betting on when they discover the infamous Higgs boson particle.

• Ask a physicist about time – interesting questions about that crazy dimension.

Environment/Energy

• Electricity from space – California gives the green light to beam solar power from space.  It’s a bit unsane that unsane news comes from our typing boxes every single week.

• Environmental assessment virtuosos rejoice – Amongst environmental moustache tweakers, the Mackenzie Delta pipeline has been a monumental case study for environmental assessment.  Looks like things will not be moving forward any time soon, if at all.

• Tar sands pollution worse than expected – water pollution equivalent to a big oil spill, every year.

• Gategate – scientists responds to those climate emails.   THOSE.  The press needs to stop using two words – crisis, and gate.

• Oregono – Oregon advances use of wave power off their coastline.

• 100% renewables by 2030 – California professors say it can and could be done.

Politics/News

• Google ready to be a phone maker – the next cool step is when they let you talk on Voice over IP for free.  That means no more cell phone minutes, just a device that can connect to the internet so you can talk on your phone via Skype for free.  I’m worried and excited.

• Stephen Harper – nation builder of the decade ? – For some the answer is yes.

Food

• This is going to be my market – on St. Clair West, a retrofitted heritage building, local seasonal food.  Hello to you, Wychwood Barns.

• Lord Kitchener, made entirely of meat – for the K/Wers and the mustard fans.

• The local food debate – more proof that local food isn’t always better for the environment.  It’s always grey kids, je me souviens.

• Q&A with the yoda - top American chef Thomas Keller stops in to chat about his new book in Toronto

Music/Entertainment

• The lists are in.  Oh they’re in – Rolling Stone outlines their favourite albums and songs of the decade. I WUV WOO RS!  The crowning of Kid A across the board makes me so incredibly giddy.  Because I get it, and so do millions of others, and that is something to celebrate.

• The renaissance of Kids in the Hall – they’re baaaaaaaack and they look funny!  Kids in the Hall – Death Comes to Town.

• Jason Reitman – an independent voice that Canada can claim as 50% their own.  Maybe.

• The Yellow Bird project – thanks to friends, you can check buy tshirts designed by your favourite musicians, and proceeds go to charity.

Concerts à emporter.

Vincent Moon and his Blogothequers do it again.  Ironically cliché, Phoenix acoustically performing 1901 in Paris.  I like zem, very very moosh.

The Guilty.

Our love affair with the Internet ends up emitting 2 percent of global carbon dioxide—roughly the same amount as air travel.

What to do?  I can’t feel any more guilty about my life than I already do.

Andrew Sullivan.

Great writer, big politico of the smart conservative variety, smart guy.  Here’s his latest blog post about why he’s leaving the traditional conservative movement:

I cannot support a movement that holds that purely religious doctrine should govern civil political decisions and that uses the sacredness of religious faith for the pursuit of worldly power.

And increasingly, I’m not alone.

I cannot support a movement that is deeply homophobic, cynically deploys fear of homosexuals to win votes, and gives off such a racist vibe that its share of the minority vote remains pitiful.

I cannot support a movement which has no real respect for the institutions of government and is prepared to use any tactic and any means to fight political warfare rather than conduct a political conversation.

I cannot support a movement that sees permanent war as compatible with liberal democratic norms and limited government.

I cannot support a movement that criminalizes private behavior in the war on drugs.

I cannot support a movement that would back a vice-presidential candidate manifestly unqualified and duplicitous because of identity politics and electoral cynicism.

I cannot support a movement that regards gay people as threats to their own families.

I cannot support a movement that does not accept evolution as a fact.

I cannot support a movement that sees climate change as a hoax and offers domestic oil exploration as the core plank of an energy policy.

I cannot support a movement that refuses ever to raise taxes, while proposing no meaningful reductions in government spending.

I cannot support a movement that refuses to distance itself from a demagogue like Rush Limbaugh or a nutjob like Glenn Beck.

I cannot support a movement that believes that the United States should be the sole global power, should sustain a permanent war machine to police the entire planet, and sees violence as the core tool for international relations.

Does this make me a “radical leftist” as Michelle Malkin would say? Emphatically not. But it sure disqualifies me from the current American right.

To paraphrase Reagan, I didn’t leave the conservative movement. It left me.

Of course the left has its issues – messy political correctness, interventionism, sometimes even lacking common sense.  But he’s 100% right and he said everything I’d want to say to an unaware hard righter.  I’m glad someone like Andrew Sullivan can call out the spade on his back.

It’s Monday.

I had my first day of work.  It was swell.  Some of this, some of this, some of this.  P.S. I’m going to be one of those guys.  Those guys that had too much free time to post links and big photos on a white web page and offer slightly idiosyncratic liberalized commentaries.  Who will try to post a lot but won’t as much because now he gets paid for his brain time and his real time.

Here is my Google profile starred items summary, aka your news.

• Good news for (any type of) Rogers customers – you get free (selected free) television program right here. [Torontoist]

• Killer or Krusty? – Whassa deal with Michael Ignatieff – One of the world’s most notable intellectuals or oddly annoying jabberwatt?  That word sounds like a dumb person from a Star Wars planet (ie. Wookie planet, Ewok planet.  When you see Wookie and Ewok together, you feel like George Lucas got a bit lazy in his writing because it looks like he’s just re-arranging letters). [Globe]

• God believes in me – “God may have created man in his image, but it seems we return the favour. Believers subconsciously endow God with their own beliefs on controversial issues.” [New Scientist]

• How Torontoist and other city sites are elevating local news – they are amazing,  a true progression in civic issues and involvement.  [National Post]

• Harper is !!!!! – Making creepy lonely faces at Commonwealth parties. [Globe]

• David Chang does Montreal – NY Chef buzzbuzz David Chang hangs out at Atwater mainstays Joe Beef / Liverpool House / McKiernan last weekend, and duh loves Montreal. [National Post]

• Boobs now cheaper than wings (!!) – And you can thank the concept of division. [Star]

• THE skeptical environmentalist – interview with statistician Bjorn Lomborg. [Globe]

• How the Greens could win it all – if all of Canada was meeeeeeee! [Globe]

• Solar power 50% less expensive this year – ummmm…. hi? [Scientific American]

• Your skin is deaf – people hear with their skin as well as their ears. [Scientific American]

• Crunchy men unite! – Scientists prove a dirty child is a healthy child, just like we all thought.  The guilt is melting off.

• No more corporate or union campaign donations in Toronto?!? – this is the best news that’s happened to politics in a long time!  Why aren’t we dancing… yeah?

Why China needs a “free” internet.

Click for a better look at comparing Google image results from China and non-China.  Good for Obama for advocating for a free internet during his visit to China.

The unsurprising organics crit.

[via New York Times]

“Organic food is not only not better for the planet,” he (Agribusiness Syngenta CEO Michael Mack) said, in an interview at The New York Times building on Tuesday. “It is categorically worse.”  The problem, Mr. Mack said, is that organic farming takes up about 30 percent more land, on average, than non-organic farming for the same yield (though this varies by crop, of course). If the world wants to feed its fast-growing population on existing cropland — and Mr. Mack is clear that he does not want forests chopped down to clear more land for biofuel production, let alone food — then productivity becomes a key factor, he said.

Well that’s a lot of words!  Words from a major agribusiness CEO.  Not surprising, but worthy of discussion.  Critics often cite that organics are less productive than traditionally grown agronomic crops.  Lies lies lies.  Thus no new land is needed, and absolutely no “ecological disaster”.  I’m sure he has his own proprietary research, but his claims are definitely no more true than long term reports on organic productivity.  And uh… you use Atrazine and antibiotics for everything, and that’s not disaster for ecological systems?  Feminization of wildlife, antiobiotic resistance, major water contamination.  These are massive problems!

His talk on biofuels would have been fair 5 years ago but no longer.  Everyone is moving away from food-based biofuels like corn and for good reason.  Biofuels is too broad a term, but many types of these energy sources have nothing to do with food. Organics are not a fad.  More and more market share, more and more economies of scale, thus cheaper for everyone, and no longer just for rich paranoid parents.  This food renaissance is here, friends.

Food + scotch.

[via Globe &  Mail] :

Sturdy Scotsmen may say that a tot of whisky with porridge is a pure dead-brilliant taste combination. But how’s this for a real eye opener: a wee dram of Bowmore Darkest 15 Year Old coupled with spicy duck breast, mole poblano and creamy polenta?  Single-malt Scotches are the latest in latest food-pairing trends, with adventurous epicureans lining up for tasting events.

Laphroaig is one of my favourites – can definitely see it going with a rich meat like duck or even lobster (the vanilla notes would work super well with both meats).  Horn tooting time – I can safely say I’m in the process of making about half a dozen friends total Scotch scoundrels!  What’s wrong with another expensive habit right?   But hey.  Fine things, simple pleasures, in pursuit of the sublime feelings of food.  In many ways that’s a humble and noble pursuit, just like seeking out sublimity from music.  That euphoria.  Islay 4eva!

Dinner.

[photo via dine.to]

Boy, oh boy Toronto.  You have a silly burger fetish.  Enter me sounding like an unfortunate restaurant industry pundit:

 

“During these tough economic times, people don’t want overly priced precious food.  They want reasonably priced comforting, soulful, filling food to take away from their daily stress.  Everyone loves cheeseburgers.”

 

Sounds like hot air, but what do I know.   Good food is good food.  What probably started with Mark McEwan’s Bymark burger, Toronto has been following the pursuit of the perfect gourmet burger for awhile now, and many shoppes from fast food to haute gourmet are popping up all over town.  Just this weekend, Oh Boy Burger Market took the meat crown in a recent Toronto Star article, Burger Bar in third.  This place has only been open for a month, and was originally Rice Bar right on Augusta in Kensington.  It was close to the venue so we decided to try it out.

Appetizers: Cheeseburger spring rolls and panko onion rings.  The idea of cheeseburger spring rolls is hilarious and could’ve been great, but it wasn’t.  Ground beef tasted subpar and dirty powder seasoned, beef fat made the mixture too liquid-fatty-orange-oil. Panko onion rings were delicious – well fried, light batter, and al dente onions.  Some may have wanted the onions cooked longer, but I liked it.  Still taste some real onion but not too sharp.

Mains: I had the organic certified banquet burger with a really nice thin slice of peameal and smoked provolone.  Eric went a bit exotic with a lamb burger with Danish blue, kimchi, and Dijon.  Ordered a nice arugula salad with garlic chips and cherry tomatoes.  Our burgers were gorgeous, what more can we say.  Maybe a too heavy on the blue cheese on Eric’s but still niiice.  My burger had some perfect bites.  You know, the perfect balance where you can taste everything, and it’s all glorious.   Appreciated that they cook them to (about) medium.  Naturally raised organic beef eases the guilt too.  At least they get to be real cows.

Overall, I would go back to Burger Bar.  Still thinking about that burger, so that’s gotta be a good thing.  By 7:30 the dining room was about half full on a Monday night.  Service was perfectly relaxed and friendly, and gladly so since there were 3 tables when we got there.  My only (not going to say beef) hesitation is that the meal was not worth the price tag, regardless of its greatness.  Burger + cheese + bacon + big arugula salad = $20.  $35 with beers/tax/tip.  Not insanely steep by any stretch, but if I wanted economy I should have gone down the street to Caplansky’s (and gotten the fatty instead of the medium).

and a show.

[photo via blueskyandclear]

I saw Bristol’s own Fuck Buttons last night at the El Mocambo with electrofriend Eric.  You don’t like their name, and there’s just too many tiger and wolf shirts.  So in an effort to freshen up the adjective onslaught similar to most aloof music bloggers, it’s fair to say that their music is a geographic compromise between the rock sounds of Brooklyn and Paris, falling fortunately right around Bristol.  Noise, repetition, hypnosis, acoustic drumless, analog thru MIDI, fuzz, Gameboy music and assorted childhood musical toys.  Song “Olympians” is a reasonable look at their more structured songs.  8 minutes of repetition and minimal dynamic can be trying, but I like the message. Good show.

Ewe weekly.

Toronto

• Toronto – a new carbon market hub? – Banks are urging Ottawa to create the financial infrastructure to lead on carbon trading

• Toronto – the city that nobody loves – A great Torontoist article on the unifying quality that all Canadians share – hating Toronto.

• Whodunit? – OCAD hosted their annual Whodunit event – $75 gets you an original piece, but you never know what you’re gonna get.

• New book – Toronto’s “Edible City” – A new book looking at Toronto’s food from farm to fork.

 

Science

• LHC is back ! – Large Hadron Collider is back up and running.  More high acceleration particle collisions!

• Hundreds of new deep sea species found – I feel we know so much more about space than deep earth because of religion.  Fascinated by the heavens, scared of the depths.

• Biological clocks – Why do we wake up at the end of a car ride?  What makes us tick, and other circadian circumstances.

• More proof of alcohol’s benefits… for men – Ha Heeeeeeeh.  1 drink every day reduces risk of heart disease by a third for men.  No more late night scotch guilt.

• Who makes the longest lasting laptop? – Ever get irked that your laptop has a 2 year life span?  Find out which models last longest.

 

Politics / News

• California bans power-bleeding TVs – now sheeplike Ontario government looking at the same initiative after Arnold passes the bill.

• Dollar Store consciousness – I thought Dollar Stores were mostly showcases for cheap, often unnecessary Chinese goods and novelties.  Evidently 48% of their goods are Canadian sourced.

• Michael Moore on how Americans view Canadian healthcare – The US is very close to passing historic healthcare legislation.  Watch a Globe and Mail video of him speaking in Toronto.

• The Malawi Miracle – read about how farm subsidies have helped a very poor and very densely populated country progress.

• Kindleocracy – an indepth look at the newly arrived Canadian Kindle, Amazon’s electronic reader.

• Local TV Matters vs. TV Tax debate – read a side by side comparison of the issues, and see where you stand.

• Tories storm out of Queen’s Park – to reject McGuinty`s liberals from holding public consultation on the HST.  Overly political, partially fair.

• In Pursuit of a Smarter Grid – championed by everyone, this initiative is clearly the lowest hanging fruit.  It will just take 20 years to pick it off the tree.

• The prospect of high speed rail in the US – $45 billion will be spent on just an Los Angeles – San Diego high speed rail connection, with possibilities for a San Fran connection.  Worth it for other high density areas (New England, Southern Ontario) but definitely not everywhere.

 

Miscellaniacs

 

• In Treatment – The secret life of psychiatrists.

• The Fake War on Restaurant Etiquette – The New York Times has been having a funny back and forth on restaurant etiquette. First read the 100 things restaurant staffers should never do, and read the article rebuttal on 700 things restaurant customers should never do.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/researchers-discover-hundreds-of-unknown-marine-species/article1373131/