See the setup photos here, looks like it took a while.

I got an idea for a new blog that would get a book deal.  Totally the next Stuff White People Like and/or This is Why You’re Fat.

Introducing the

“Older Generation People Saying The Word Blog” Blog

Click here for potential post #1.

Greenwash guide.

In Patagonia, c/o Marc Shandro.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mshandro/2325728935/sizes/o/

Seedbankers.

Already called it – the best new band name I’ve thought of in months. Trademark copyright registered no tradesies.

I think most would agree that a (safe) seed bank is a good idea, a good answer to a post-apocalyptic scenario and compromised biodiversity.  And we all know environmentalists love apocalyptic scenarios, as it seems to be the only way they can inform/scare the public about (often) worthwhile causes.

Biodiversity is a sticky pot.  I would agree that the soft science hypothesis of James Lovelock and his Gaia theory holds some water.  I think most agree and know that we are directly connected to our natural environment, to our flora and fauna.  Food webs, food supply, and a strong economic reliance on our living environment are the reasons for this interrelatedness.  However like everything else, even “professionals” in the field (ie. mostly conservation biologists) do not put on the big picture hats enough.  Often they are proprietors of their own values and interests, just like anyone else with a worthy cause.  This shouldn’t belittle the worthy parts of the message, but easier said than done.  Of course there are issues with how our landscape is impacted from things like deforestation, overfishing, and agronomy.  But is it worth trying to save Madagascar monkeys because of a changing climate?  No legit scientist can tell you how humans have quantitatively contributed to climate change.  To me that is much less relevant than the fact that it is changing.

So. Things are changing.  Whatcha want?  To me, the undercurrent to a lot of this discussion on biodiversity (especially when linked to issues like climate change) is simply people noticing dying or endangered species, seeing cute eyes, and in turn trying to control extremely powerful natural forces, many of which are likely impossible to control.  Think of Lucy trying to eat candies on the conveyor belt.  I’m all for protecting what the world needs, but unless our global desire towards increasing development reverses, I will care much less about the monkeys in Madagascar.  We aren’t going to win many “battles” with nature, sorry duds.  Seed banks seem like a good fail safe for what will likely be a safe fail.

Geo fizz.

Want to know how Kim Jong Il’s temper tantrums get detected and measured on a global scale?  As a university geology student, one perpetually learns the basics of geophysics.  If I was brainier, there is some brilliant stuff to study and likely make millions from.  The infographic below gives you the basics of geophysics (among other things) in one handy graphic.  Enjoym.

Milky Way seen in Death Valley.  Click to see it large and in charge.

So yeah uh… The National were unreal.  Similar set to Toronto, but they comedically noted how much better the night in Montreal felt compared to Kool Haus.  Eat it !  The band played beautifully together, and all of my friends loved how Matt Berninger sings.  I just wish he melodicized his lyrics a bit more, but that’s just me.  I feel like he’s just afraid of being off pitch and every sung note is brief.

They also could have jammed out their songs more for some major impact, but they did a decent job of that already.  Every time I go to a packed show at Metropolis, I always feel like Montreal crowds are loud and supportive.  They seemed happy to play to us, and by golly we liked that.

New childhood mashies.

Mary Poppins was a major young Christie staple.  I still have a soft spot for musicals, both good and awful.  Thank the mums.  Here’s Pogo with another addition to his moviemash canon with Mary Poppins and “Expialidocious” .

See Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, and Sword and the Stone.  For me, Alice is still the crowning champ but this one is definitely second.

Induction !

I am going to really miss my gas stove.  I wuv woo gas!  The only thing that sucks about my oven/stove is the broil option – awful.  The oven is accurate and heats up faster than electric, and you know the beauty of gas stovetops so no need to explain.  Eggs in 90 seconds, enough said.

In all of the foodie gossip, I keep hearing about induction cooktops, so fast it can boil a pot of water in 90 seconds.  Here’s a decent video describing it.

The National tonight.

Thank you to Chromewaves.net for providing last night’s setlist of The National at Kool Haus.  If tonight at Metropolis is similar, I will turn into a liquefied cookie.  Been looking forward to this long time, and can’t wait to see how these songs stand up live.

Start A War
Brainy
Secret Meeting
Baby We’ll Be Fine
Slow Show
Squalor Victoria
Vanderlylle
Abel
All The Wine
Mistaken For Strangers
Ada
Blood Buzz
Apartment Story
Fake Empire

Runaway
Mr November
About Today

Hear one of my faves and show opener, Start a War, below.

The National – Start a War

Liverpool House.

Went there for an amazing dinner with Alex, Ari, and C last night.  Located near Atwater Market and Westmount.  The proprietors are famous Montrealers – they own three restaurants all in a row on Notre Dame – the famous Joe Beef, Liverpool House, and McKiernan Pub.  I’m always a bit encouraged to speak English when the title of the restaurant is actually in English.  These restaurants are seemingly always on Montreal Top 10 lists, so we had to check it out.  They mainly specialize in Italian and French inspired dishes.

I forgot my camera but holy marbles.  We all shared, and thank goodness.  So many goodnesses.  Ricotta gnocchi with gorgonzola cream and truffles, shrimp salad, oysters with a great mignonette for appetizers.  For mains, I had a pancetta wrapped rabbit with potato puree with fried sage and the best jus.  Sublimers.  Cara had one of their staples – linguine with lobster and green peas.  Lobster was a bit overdone but still amazing.  Ari had veal kidney – brave soul, turned out to be rich and quite good (“a darker richer calamari”).  Alex had onglet tacos with cilantro, black bean, and fixins.

Check out their awards and info here.

Boy Bon and the autotunes.

Stereogum has been featuring a great new short called “Breakfast at Sulimay’s”, on Scrapple.tv. Each one is perfect.  It showcases three standup citizens and their reactions to new tunes.  I feel we should all feel a bit bad for treating older generations like infants, because we like how cute and innocent and “out of touch” with us they are.  Hey man.

These three retirees give honest and direct responses to songs.  Unlike many of us, isn’t it great when people actually actively listen to music? Every night before I go to bed man.  Us youngsters don’t actively listen enough.  The backing soundtrack to our self-indulgently cinematic streetcar ride or the latest acid jazz to go with your truffle oil in Yorkville.  They recently featured Bon Iver and who doesn’t want to see a response to pure music from this audience.  I was satisfied.  Here’s their reaction to opening track “Blood Bank” on the Blood Bank EP (along with Common’s Universal Mind Control).

Here’s the song in full.  Telecaster, tone at 2 or 3, C major G major Eminor something else, and a voice that makes flowers lean due to beautytaxis.

Bon Iver – Blood Bank

And another reason why I love this man.  He can make the last song on a small little Jagjagwuar EP better than Imogen Heap and all of 808s and Heartbreak.  His use of autotune on a lush mellow folk song is hilarious and beautiful and perfect and what I hope is a tall finger to a lot of pop music.

Bon Iver – Woods

I’m up in the woods I’m down on my mind I’m building a still to slow down the time.

Mathophiles.

[via digg]

I got bugs.

Last week I presented at a conference entitled “Microbial Transport and Survival in Porous Media: 1st International Conference”.  Clear speak = Looking at how bacteria/viruses/parasites travel and survive in soil and groundwater.  You remember Walkerton.  Like that, but looking at every possible minute detail of how we can predict, model, and quantify risks of keeping water safe and people healthy.

I just found out from my advisor I won the award for top student presentation!  If you are interested in seeing the presentation, it’s below.  The conversion process of the presentation totally failed – no animations or transitions, the formatting/spacing is a bit wonky, certain things looked blocked when they actually aren’t.  Anyway, the jif will be gotten.  Highly  unnecessary disclaimer: this presentation can not be reproduced, edited, and any data pertaining to this presentation is property of the University of Waterloo and the Canadian Water Network.