Technology Circus

I get comments on my posts sometimes. I delete most of them. I don't think they are from real people. The comments carry generic messages like:

Hey great job on your blog. I'll definately be back. Meanwhile, check out my site ....

The link goes to site that want to sell you stuff. I guess there is no privacy in the blog world. But I feel so violated by this kind of spamming. How do they do that? Do they use a program to search weblog.com or technorati, come up with key words and automatcially pop in generic messages into blogs? Is commerce the motivation for invading people's blogs? Is there a blog spam protection software I can use?

Service providers come up with a technology that enables one activity, only to have people come up with a tertiary technology that abuses the primary activity, which necessitates the creation of a new technology to stop the abuse. Sure, necessity is the mother of invention. But this is like mother gone bad. Or are we all just part of a technology circus?

Down With Rain

I try to be a good citizen. I know that parts of our country has been in a drought for the whole growing season this year. Our part of the country has been baking in an oven for almost two months. Air conditioners rage in every house in the city. Hydro regulators have asked us to reduce electricity use to avoid over-burdening the system.

I do my part to reduce energy consumption because the production of electricy causes pollution and the use of electricity is expensive. So I do us a favour by limiting our use of electricity and saving us some money. For the past two months, I've done two main things: 1) I gauge the temperature outside and set our air conditioner just a few degrees lower so that the AC takes the edge off the humidity without making the house cold. 2) I don't use the dryer at all. I've had a clothes line in the backyard for two years now. I've only hung the white laundry out because the colours discolour in the sun. This summer, I moved the clothes line to a shady spot under the tree. Now I can hang up all my laundry outside to dry.

But you can never quite count on Mother Nature to do her part to get your laundry dried though. I hung up two loads of washing today. Wouldn't you know that by mid-morning, it started raining. I'm cool with that, I said to our cousin visiting from Australia, What's the worst that can happen? So my clothes get wet, but they will dry again. I'm good with that.

Later, the sun came back out, the clothes started to dry again. It's evening now. I am looking out the window. It's pouring rain. My laundry is still out on the lines.

Right now, there's a part of me saying, I do my part to conserve energy and protect the environment. Why isn't Mother Nature being more cooperative in getting my laundry dry? Damn, do I have to re-wash the laundry and put them in the dryer? What the hell is this?

Hardware and Chocolates

Know what Rona sells in addition to home improvement hardware? They sell chocolates. What's with that?

The chocolate bars carry the Rona label. These chocolates are stocked at the cash, like magazines, so when you check out, you go, Hey chocolates, I want one.

I asked the cashier, Why is Rona selling chocolate? She said, I don't know. But I got to thinking...Rona's TV commercials feature a woman, all glammed up, looking at a problem in her house and wondering how to fix it. Meanwhile, her husband sits there looking doltzy, at a worse loss than her. The voiceover says, Rona - you can do it, we can help. Rona's commercials target women. The whole store is set up so it's easier to find things, their staff is more willing to help, the place is less crowded, they sell decorative furnishing as well. Rona has a softer image than other hardware and home improvement centres. It makes sense they want to build on that softer image with chocolates. If women shop at Rona, as I did, it's a treat for them to find chocolate among the hardware, as I did.

Rona Home & Garden rivals Home Depot any day for me.

Hey Freddie, hey Armour

You eat my food, you wear my clothes, you sleep in my bed. You said you'd blog with me. But you're no show so far. What's with that?

HP Sauced

We pre-ordered Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince back in February. The Boy was keen to get it. The bookstore's promise was that by pre-ordering, we'd be the first to get the book and we'd get it at 40% off.

Closer to the book release date, I learned that many book sellers were hosting launch parties the night of July 15. All these pre-teens and adults were showing up at the parties in costumes. They even held contests for the best outfit. Yes, it's a good marketing ploy, yes, it gets pre-teens excited about reading. Except the book seller we ordered from was selling the book at 40% off on launch night, and you could pick up the book at 12:01 AM July 16, if you attended the party.

So why did we pre-order? We were not the first to get the book, we did not save extra money. True, I would not have gone to the launch party. And we did get the book on July 16 at 40% off. Still, I feel ripped off for some reason.

Note to self: Do not fall for book selling ploys again. (But I will. Because I don't have to go out at midnight, I still get the book on the day they say, at the discount they offered, plus a "magic card" that entitles the holder to a discount of $5 to $100 off the next purchase of $50 or more in books. Yea, yea, another marketing ploy.)

Second note to self: Good god, am I a competitive and petty consumer? (Yes I am.)

Plight of Misery

I took a little camping trip up the Bruce Peninsula this weekend. The whole weekend was warm and sunny. Even though we were camping, we took most of our meals in a restaurant because D forgot to pack the stove and lantern. I mean, not only could we not cook, but we also had to not cook in the dark. But that's an other story.

During one of our meals at an outdoor restaurant, this is what I witnessed:

A man and his family came in. Before he even sat down, he started adjusting the umbrella attached to the table in an effort to get some shade over the seats. I wondered why he didn't just go to one of the other tables that already had the umbrella bent and positioned to give shade. The umbrella didn't seem cooperative, so he asked the waitress to fix the umbrella. The waitress said the umbrella is probablly broken because there was tape around the adjustment mechanism, so she didn't touch the umbrella. She suggested he moved to a different table. The man's teenaged son however, was completely embarrassed by his father's struggle with the umbrella and refused to change tables. After some words with the father, he said, "If we move, let's move to that table that is in the shade. It doesn't have an umbrella." But the man said, "No, I want to sit here."

Not happy with the waitress' answer or his son's refusal to move to a table with an umbrella, the man flagged down a waiter, who happily adjusted the umbrella for him. The waiter said, "Just be careful, the wind may blow the umbrella about."

Sure enough, each time the wind came up, the umbrella spun on its adjustment pivot, knocking passersby in the head and allowing the full force of the sun to hit the man's table. He spent most of the time holding the umbrella steady with one hand. He looked most unhappy. His poor wife and son looked frustrated with the man.

So I was thinking...Why is this family out when they are so full of misery? Why didn't the man just go to a table in the shade? I don't know. I think this man came into the restaurant looking for reasons to be unhappy. What's with people like that?

Not Fake Enough

In a mall recently, one of the shops mounted an eye-catching display of colourful, potted florals, taking up two tables, half the floor space, spilling out onto the mall floor. There were reds, yelllows and oranges everywhere. The array almost tempted you to get closer, to walk through the flower bed, to take one of the potted plants home. Only, you wouldn't want to do that. Because the flowers were moving and flashing lights. These were fake flowers. Not just fake plastic flowers in plastic pots. They were fake plastic flowers in plastic pots powered by battery. Some stems twisted this way and that, beckoning to the onlooker, others had spinning flower heads, some had leaves that waved back and forth, some had lights that glowed from the centre of the flower, some lights flickered like a disco ball.

It was a disconcerting sight, this sea of neon and fluorescent twirling plastic. As if fake flowers weren't fake enough, they now have fake flowers with fake movement and fake brightness. The flowers were not in a kid's shop. They were in an adult gift, souvenir and clothing shop. What's with that? Who buys flowers like that?

Is it important to know anything?

I went to a gardening centre today. I wanted flowering plants for a shaded area. There were many plants in the centre, in different colours, easily overwhelming me. I didn't know which ones would grow in the shade. So I asked a woman in the garden centre's uniform for help.

She looked down at some plants in front of her, flipped a tag over, and said, "No, this one needs sun." She did that to several plants, muttering each time, "No, needs sun." She finally flipped one tag over and said, "Look, this one says, Sun to Shade."

I said, "Do you know which plants grow in the shade, or are you just checking the tags."
She said, "I'm checking the tags."
"So I could do that too."
"Right. Except most of the plants don't have tags, and some of them are wrong."

She was right about that. There was a tag buried in every ten plants or so. The plants are clustered so you can't see the tags unless you looked for them. But apparently, if I found one, I shouldn't trust it, because it could be wrong. And the woman helping me has no special knowledge of plants because she's just checking the tags, which could be wrong. My mind reels.

What's with that?

Of Mice and Me

We had a mouse problem in our house last week. We bought a humane mouse trap, the kind that traps the mouse in a box so you can release it later. So far, we've caught a mouse on three consectuive tries. The last one we found was on Sunday night, when we came home from the weekend. D took the mouse out in the backyard, removed the lid from the box, and threw the mouse out in the dark. He thought the mouse may have been dead.

The next morning, he went out to look for the dead mouse. It was not found. We are assuming the mouse was either dead and got eaten by a nocturnal creature, or it was stunned and when it came to, it scampered away.

Last night, we set the mouse trap again. This morning, no mouse. What are we learning from this?

1) We've been catching the same mouse each night.

• Mice are homing creatures. The one we've been catching is not very smart. It had to get caught several times before it learned to stayed away from the trap.
• If we had been catching the same mouse, our mouse died in the trap and got eaten up in the backyard overnight so it couldn't come back last night.
• Or it's playing with us, knowing we're too wimpy to intentionally kill it so it's staying away for one night to keep us guessing.
• We need to find that entrance to the house the mouse has been using

2) We've catching different mice each night.

• We've had a family of mice living with us. We finally got rid of the last one.
• If we've had a family of mice with us, there could be more that we don't know about. We are waiting for the babies to grow up to make their appearance known again.
• The mice stayed away last night because they are gathering friends for reinforcement to launch a mass attack.
• We need to bring in an exterminator.

We live downtown, where man has conquered nature. Yet, I run into raccoons and skunks on our street all the time. We've now had mice in the house. So even in a large metropolis such as ours, the living space for man and animals is only blurily separated. No matter what man does to claim land for his own, mother nature will always redistribute. Is that what this mouse episode is about, to make me see this?

Too many shoes, not enough feet

I bought a new pair of shoes last week. That makes over 20 pairs that I have in my closet, having discarded about ten pairs two months ago. But I really only wear four pairs regularly. Why do I keep buying shoes that I don't wear? Let me tell you something about my logic.

I buy shoes that look cute or have a nice colour that I imagine I would wear to create a certain look. But that look often requires new pants or skirt and a new top. By the time I get the shoes home, I've moved beyond that look I had in mind in the shoe store. So I don't buy the top or bottom to go with the shoes. So the shoes sit in my closet, unworn.

Or I buy shoes that are similar in look and feel because I just like that look and feel. These are usually low-heeled, comfortable walking shoes. I have many pairs of these, but I can only wear one pair at a time.

Or I buy shoes that are on sale. They have to be real cheap. So here's my dilemma today.

I came a cross a pair of lavender flats yesterday. They were kind of cute. I've seen the brand name version of these, which costs over $80 and were comfortable to wear. These particular ones cost $9! $9? I was excited. Lavender/purple happens to be my three-year-old niece's favourite colour right now. I had this bright idea in the store that I would create matching purple outfits for us. I could spend $9 to start the look. I'd then try to get her similar shoes, get us matching t-shirt, and skirt. Except these $9 shoes are very uncomfortable. They are so uncomfortable that when I got them home, I won't even wear them to break them in. Now, do I abandon my matching outfit idea, or go ahead anyway, because it'd be so cute?

Service Lesson

A young woman knocked on my door. She said she's a student. She could be. She's selling household products like Saran, foil, lunch bags, garbage bags and the like. Only she wants $23 per item, four times more expensive than if you bought the same item from a supermarket. I told her I didn't want to pay that much for the items.

She said, "But you are supporting students."
I said, "I would support them if they sold me something useful at a good price. This is a ridiculous markup."
"But students need your support."
"And I would be happy to support them in other real ways. I'm sorry, I can't afford to, nor do I want to pay those prices for these same items I can buy for so much cheaper at a supermarket."

The young woman looked disappointed. Naturally. But she walked away without saying thank you. She just rolled her eyes.

So what's with that? Do the organizers really think they can sell anything at a huge markup if thay attach "student" to the sale? And do they not teach their sales reps manners? When you don't make a sale, you should still thank your prospect for their time, not roll your eyes at them. At this point, even if I felt generous and wanted to part with my money, I'm certainly not going to give it to this woman or this type of organization.

Public toilets

I often wonder how public toilets get so filthy. Is it just overuse by many people? Is it a few people who make it messy?

I noticed recently in a woman's washroom that the toilet seat was splashed wet. Assuming the flush had splashed water all over the seat, I wiped dry the seat with toilet paper before using it. But when I flushed after my use, the whirling water did not over splashed onto the seat.

Another time, I noticed a seat with sole marks on it. Obviously, someone's been crouching on the seat to do their business.

So these women who crouch and splash on the seat...they do this because they think the toilet is dirty and don't want their bums to touch the seat? But if they object to dirty washrooms, why aren't they cleaning up properly after their use? They, in fact, are the perpetrators of the dirty washrooms they object to. What's with these people?

Monkey King 2

Bird On A Wire

Monkey King

Use that cubicle

I was at a donut stop recently and needed to use the washroom. So did ten other women. The washrooms were single cubicles - one for women, one for men. The women's had the line up. The men's was vacant. I went to the head of the line and waved the women to use the men's washroom as well. To my surprise, they all shook their heads and said no. Both washrooms were identical - single user cubicles with a lockable door. The only difference was the sign on the door. So I got my relieve in the men's washroom.

Now, what's with that? Why do women line up instead of use the men's washroom when they don't have to share that washroom with men at the same time?

One Year Early

I received a notice recently for a doctor's appointment for Thursday, October 27, 2005. At first glance, I assumed the appointment was a couple of weeks away. Then I saw it was actually a year away. I verified it with the doctor's office. Yes, the receptionist confirmed - I saw the doctor last year, he said to come back in two years, the office books appointments a year in advance, so she has sent me a notice for an appointment a year away.

Now, thanks. But what's with this: they wait one year to book the appointment, but the appointment isn't for another year. Something about this strikes me as very wrong.

Dogs and buns

How come hog dogs always come in packages of six, but the buns come in packages of eight? What's with that?

Child-proofed pill bottles

Drug manufacturers are so concerned with kids getting into pills that they put child-proof caps on pill bottles for over-the-counter pain killers. Thing is, if you are arthritic, or have a really bad headache and not feeling all that well coordinated, and you reach for that pill bottle, you have a heck of a time getting that pill out!

Why do they put pills for sick people in bottles that only healthy people can get at. What's with that?

Don't try to defray the cost of Medicare

Tonight, my father was shivering, he ran a fever, he rambled incoherently, and he was kind of convulsing. We didn't know if he was reacting to his chemotherapy drugs, to radiation therapy, or to some other drug. He had all of these today. I consulted the oncologists on call at his hospital. They advised me to take him to Emergency.

We drove him to Emergency, which happened to be particularly busy. He needed to lie down because he was in pain and he was tired. The Emergency staff would not give him a stretcher until he was seen by a doctor. The waiting room was crowded, with three occupied stretchers lining the hall way. We found a blocked off entrance way that served as a small room. It was empty. We put a blanket on the ground so he could lie down. A few minutes later, an administrator told us to move him somewhere else because the waiting room was too crowded and she wanted to move the stretchers into the room to clear the hallway. She could not tell us where to lay him down instead.

By this time, my father was asleep. I said to the administrator, If we had called an ambulance to bring him in here, he would be on a stretcher, and you would put him in this room. But because we saved the public health system expense by bringing him in ourselves, you deny him a stretcher, and you want to kick him out while he's sleeping on the ground so you can put people on stretchers in here instead.

I was fuming mad, made a scene, then moved my father to the hallway. He and a stretcher basically swapped places.

What's with that?