Top 10 Fire Alarm Songs

Here are some songs that are appropriate in an alarm situation.

1. Emergency - The Tragically Hip. From Day For Night; we were hoping that we could swap night for day.

2. Set Yourself on Fire - Stars. Okay, this one's a little inappropriate. It's a Barry-from-High Fidelity entry.

3. Emergency Exit - Beck. From Guero.

4. Don't Panic - Coldplay. This Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy mantra works here, too.

5. Save Me - Aimee Mann. See also "Save Us S.O.S." by Hot Hot Heat

6. Message in a Bottle - The Police. Despite the innocuous title, it contains the line "sending out an S.O.S."

7. Panic - The Smiths. Though against Coldplay's advice, it is nevertheless appropriate.

8. Siren - Tori Amos. I think she's talking about the mythical kind, but whatever.

9. Evacuation - Pearl Jam. From Binaural.

10. Help! - The Beatles. This one's pretty obvious.

Also in contention were "Run, Run, Run" by The Velvet Underground and all the songs from Bloc Party's Silent Alarm.

Daylight Savings Time Wasted

Last night at 2am the clocks went back an hour (it was spooky when the computer clock went from 1:59 to 1:00 automatically). For me, this was nothing new, as I have turned the clocks back in more than half my 27 years. For Bonnie, a Saskatchewan girl, it was a new and exciting element of living in Ontario. I promised her that we would get an extra hour of sleep, ostensibly. We went to bed thinking that we would finally catch up on sleep – an hour here or there is all you need sometimes. However, at 3 / 4 am this ringing noise woke us from our slumber; confused at first, we both felt that the ringing was a natural occurrence: annoying, yes, but regular. We each had dreams with ringing and it wasn’t until 5 or so minutes of actual ringing that we realized we weren’t dreaming. In fact, we realized we had to get out of the building – now (later, we realized that we had to improve our response time; 15mins is not “reacting quickly”). We bundled up and grabbed certain necessities and hit the stairwell. We had been through a fire alarm once before, but that was at 6pm; it was okay to leave during the day, but what about the middle of the night? Isn’t that just more inconvenience than safety? Well, we couldn’t risk it, and we headed outside with the myriad others who wouldn’t risk it, either (oddly, we recognized these people as the same people as last time – I dubbed us “The Unjaded”). We marched down the stairs (again, 18 floors) with other like-minded people: there were people with babies, people in housecoats, people with cats (one cat wailed and wailed “meows” through the stairwell – it was like some Poe story or something). Luckily, it was only about 2 degrees Celsius outside, and thus not bone-chillingly cold. We waited the obligatory time while the firefighters went into the building and ensured that everyone was safe – it turns out, again, that the only thing in danger was our peace and quiet: some 14th floor hooligan pulled the alarm for no good reason. Bonnie wants me to rail against this person or persons, but it does seem a little funny. And no one was hurt; still, I don’t want it happen every month! (that’s the frequency so far). In the end, the hoopla left us eventually falling back to sleep by 4 / 5 – after an hour of being awake. So while we got to change the clocks back, we were not given that extra hour of badly-needed sleep.

B.R.M.C. = Cash

That's right, I'm puttin' it out there. I listened to Howl again today and I am convinced. B.R.M.C.'s songs are from the old west or something; a basement religion that has repentance written all over it. It's the hard-edged gospel that Johnny Cash invented in the 50s and 60s. Of course, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club aren't better than Cash; I'm simply saying that this album is strongly reminiscent of the Man in Black. The album is full of acoustic guitars and harmonicas, not in an early Dylan way but a Springsteen The River/Nebraska kinda way. Check out some songs samples here. I took a chance on this album and it paid off. It's a new/old sound, if you get what I mean, and will last for generations, I predict. Check it out.

Survivor Windup

This week's Survivor was just as boring as last week's (actually, I didn't see last week's, but I assume it was boring). Still, I am compelled into watching it. It's like the hockey game on in the background when you're typing or having music on while talking on the phone: I have it on, but I'm not really watching it. I'm not interested in why Jamie's such a dick or that Bobby Jon has open sores; I don't care that Judd's got a Boston Rob Complex or that Amy has a swollen ankle. My only concern is the results: who won what, who gets voted out. Thus I sit through the ridiculous challenges (they're Big Brother elaborate and that's bad) and the tribal council idiocy to see the results. It's like checking the scores before you go to bed or something. But why don't I just check the website, you ask? Well, my apparent disgust aside, it is still better to watch the whole program. Like watching the Sens play the Thrashers, even though you know it's going to be a one-sided affair. Anyhoo, Amy is out, which was long overdue, and the tribes merged. There! Now you've got all you need to know.

Rick Mercer's Blog: Operation Enduring Blogger

Rick Mercer's Blog: Operation Enduring Blogger This post just made me feel good.

The Real Smell of Ramshackle: Tastes Great! Less Goat-Fiend!

The Real Smell of Ramshackle: Tastes Great! Less Goat-Fiend! My apologies to my friend Dean - I should've posted and linked to this site years ago!

Canadian Tire Tool

Based on a tip from Hutty's site (thanks Dave!), I checked out a Maclean's article about the Canadian Tire guy. Now we all know and hate this guy, but the commercials are nevertheless entertaining. John Intini gets to the heart of the Canadian Tire Guy ("Uncle Ted") in this article. This one will make you laugh your pants off. Now that's different.

The Buzz Review

I found The Buzz Review today by random search (I wonder how many sites are stumbled upon by just hitting "next" a few times? And is it random every time? I will pursue this idea further, methinks). It seems that these three bloggers enjoy the same sorts of music that I do, and as such I am interested. I will officially consider their collective opinion tantamount to my own!

Art Gallery Extravaganza

Well, as much an extravaganza as you can have at an art gallery. Yesterday Bonnie and I (along with a friend from our building. That's right! We met a new friend!) took in the spectacle that is the National Art Gallery. It was spectacular! It was also a pretty long day: yet another museum that cannot be fully appreciated in one visit. Our first stop was the Christopher Pratt exhibit. He is a contemporary Newfoundland artist with a penchant for lines and empty space. His pieces are pretty amazing, in hindsight, as initially we were underwhelmed by the seeming simplicity. As we saw more pieces, however, we realized that he really is one of Canada's premiere painters. He had many scenes of his native NF, as well as some stark winter scenes (and some nudes, which made Bonnie giggle). The winter scenes struck me. I am amazed at the exactness of Canadian artists when it comes to winter scenes. For example, check out Joni Mitchell's 40 Below 0. Pratt's winter scenes are cold to the bone, as well. For some examples of his work, see this site. An example of the winter scene is Benoit's Cove: Sheds in Winter found under the "Subjects" heading.
The rest of the Art Gallery was equally impressive. From the Pratt exhibit we went to the Canadian Galleries and saw all sorts of weird stuff. As we started in contemporary and worked our way back, it took us a while to get to the Group of Seven. That room, for me, was the highlight. Again, I was struck by Arthur Lismer's Forest in Winter. From there we made our way through the rest of the Canadian paintings, which, by contrast, was pretty boring. Then we checked out the European and American section. We realized immediately that it could not be done. We needed another 2 hours to check out the rest of the gallery! It was incredible. We did scoot through in order to see Voice of Fire, the 5 metre monstrosity consisting of three stripes: blue, red, blue. It is infamous because the Canadian government paid $3 million or something like that for it in 1989. Anyhoo, it is not that impressive. More impressive was the El Greco or the Van Gogh or The Death of General Wolfe. We'll definitely have to go back soon. It only costs $6, and half-price on Sundays!

W-Five Investigates U-Haul

Tonight's W-Five (CTV, 7pm) features a report on the dangers of U-Haul. If you're new to this blog, see my rants here. Bonnie and I had a heck of a time with U-Haul, from being a day late to having a flat tire upon pickup. In hindsight, we're really glad we got here in one piece. There must be thousands of unhappy customers like us. And it is no surprise, since U-Haul has a virtual monopoly over the industry. Hopefully W-Five can get to the bottom of this!

Another Step in the Google Saga

CBC has an article on yet another lawsuit against Google. This time it's the Association of American Publishers. I guess some people do feel strongly about this. Maybe it's because Google is slated to gain a monopoly over information. Maybe it's because people just like to argue. Me, I'm thinking about the children. Give them a chance! Let them search for books! What harm can come from that? Anyhoo, check it out.

Survivor Rundown

Because of the concert, I was forced to rely on Survivor's website to fill me in. Well, the site looks nice, but it just couldn't capture the atmosphere of tension and sickness that is brought out so well in the broadcast. I gather that Margaret and Brian were voted off in a surprise double tribal council, and Judd may be more trouble than he is worth, but other than that I know nothing. Can anyone out there fill me in? Amie, I'm looking to you. Could it be that I actually care about these castaways?

Weekend Warmup

The weekend is upon us once again. It is beautiful outside right now with a clear and sunny day and favourable tempertures. My cold has diminished, thankfully, though it looks like Bonnie has caught it now. The World Series starts tomorrow night, and hockey's always on. The Sopranos is on tonight, I think, and Grey's Anatomy is on Sunday. Also, our new favourite show Rescue Me is on tomorrow night. It looks like a good weekend, overall. Bonnie does have her SSHRC deadline looming, which is always stressful, as well as other school duties, but it is still the weekend and that always means fun. Have a great weekend!

Social Scene Rocks the Capital!

Broken Social Scene played the Capital Music Hall last night here in the capital and brought the house down. Before I go into details, here's a revised list of my top five concert experiences (as always, in no particular order)

1. The Tragically Hip (November 2004)
2. Bob Dylan (July 2005)
3. Death From Above 1979/controller.controller (April 2005)
4. Hot Hot Heat/Metric (October 2003)
5. Broken Social Scene (October 2005)

(Honourable mention nods go to Stars, Constantines, Odds, Corb Lund)

First of all, the Capital is a converted movie theatre complete with mezzanine seating, which is where Bonnie and I situated ourselves. We were able to get a relatively unimpeded view for most of the show, though people are rather inconsiderate when it comes to finding good places to see. We had decided earlier, however, that our mosh pit days were behind us and we would not fight for our right to have the best view in the house. Still, we had a good enough view and, of course, the sound was impeccable. After spending a ridiculous $12.75 for 2 beers, we watched the opener, little-known female solo act from Australia New Buffalo, was not entirely disappointing, but her best song was her last both because it was her best song and because BSS would be coming on soon. The crowd was ready and waiting; the event was sold out, with, I would guess, maybe 2000 people packed into the venue. At 10pm sharp, Broken Social Scene's Andrew Whiteman (aka Apostle of Hustle) struck the first chord of "Cause=Time" and the show was underway. At first, there were six guitarists and the drummer; for the next song, "Ibi Dreams of Pavement" (from the second album), one of the guitarists (the guy from Raising the Fawn) moved over to a second drum kit and both drummers began to pound away. Another guitarist came out, as well as a trumpeter, making the total onstage 8. After that, no less than 8 members would share the stage. For the third number, an unknown female vocalist came out as well as a saxophone and, I believe, a cornet. Lead singer Kevin Drew was fantastic, as was the drummer and other players. The whole group was fantastic together, always in sync and enjoying themselves. On "Ibi", the guitar solo was played by three different members at the same time. It was incredible! For the next number, Drew asked the crowd to repeat after him: "Please! Please! Please!" We were wondering what that was all about until he announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, Feist!" and the crowd went wild. Feist came on for "7/4 (Shoreline)" and then was on and off throughout the show. She added another element to the performance, a dynamic that kicked it up a notch. From there, the show just went into orbit. It was an impressive hour and a half spectacle, with the band giving an energetic and rock-solid performance for the ages. Way back in Saskatoon a couple of years ago when I was first introduced to the band (they played Louis' with The Stills), Drew said he was grateful that people showed up. Well, they will never have to worry about that again: this is one Canadian band that is changing the rock and roll scene.
The highlight songs that I can remember were "Stars and Sons", "Late Nineties Bedroom Rock for Missionaries/Shampoo Suicide", "Superconnected", "It's All Gonna Break" and a few new ones, I think. It was an incredible show and I can't wait to see them again. If they come to a town near you, be sure to see them! It was well worth the admission price.

Comics Blast Blogs

I saw this in the paper the other day and I laughed, and then I said, "what a minute!" then I said, "yeah, it's funny" then I said, "if you can't make fun of yourself, who can you make fun of?" then I said, "why do you have to make fun of anyone? Is it impossible to avoid making fun of someone?" then I got hungry and forgot about the whole thing. Anyhoo, here's the impetus for this Miller-esque semi-rant: (I found it on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer website) It's an interesting opinion about blogs that is almost dead on. Still, I think blogs do some good: they are entertaining, for one. This is an argument that will go on for roughly 6 more months until blogs are accepted by the dinosaurs of society as a viable way to communicate. Why shouldn't someone post thoughts about thoughts? Perhaps that would inform people about our society better than, say, Fox News or The Globe and Mail. It's like The Daily Show - keepin' it real.

Broken Social Scene Tonight!

Tonight Bonnie and I are going to see BSS! I am excited; I've seen them once and they were awesome - with this new album, they should be even better (If you haven't checked the new album out, I suggest you do so post-haste). I don't know who the opening band is yet. I am hoping for some BSS alumni like Metric or Feist or even, fingers crossed, Stars or Wolf Parade (Wolf Parade includes two members of Arcade Fire). It promises to be a great show, even though I am giving up Survivor to see it. I'll have to rely on the expert reportage of the website this week. The previews look like they're going to shake it up again, and, frankly, they need to. This edition is pretty boring so far, with no interesting characters or even storylines. Gary doesn't want to reveal that he used to be a quarterback? What is this, Days of Our Lives? I dunno, I'm gonna keep watching because I took the time to learn everyone's names (except that nurse-lady on Nakum: Nancy? Meredith?), but this is no Pulau, that's for sure. Anyhoo, it's a sunny day out here for once, so I hope everyone has as great a day as I hope to have.

Check out the fog!

No, not the "hit" movie that came out this weekend, but the fog right here in Ottawa:

I guess it's not that impressive, but it is a nice view nonetheless. Looks like it will be rainy for the rest of the week, with temperatures hovering around 10; no snow for a while, thank goodness, since I hear that a lot of snow falls here when it does come. Have a good Tuesday!

Top Album list

Okay, so the end of the year is near, and I would like to collectively compile a top albums list for 2005. If you would like to contribute, you can leave suggestions in the comments tab or email me with your list. There are a few of you out there that I expect responses from, and you know who you are, so you have until the end of, say, 2005 to get those in. I know it's a bit early to start compiling such a list, but I'm bored and need something to do. No need for explanations, though perhaps some imput into some lesser-known bands would be helpful. I'll get the list started with five contenders:

1. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
2. Make Believe - Weezer
3. Howl - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
4. No Direction Home: Bootleg Series Volume 7 - Bob Dylan
5. Employment - The Kaiser Chiefs

So there's a small sample of which albums may indeed be in the top 10 at the end of the year. Consider your list carefully, and send it in. It will be exciting!

Under the Weather

I've been a bit lax lately with the posting because I've caught a cold. It's just a little sniffle, but enough for me to go through a box of kleenex in a day. I suppose it's inevitable, but it is sure inconvenient. I've been taking my vitamins, just like the Hulkster said, and I've found that Neo-Citran works wonders for about 4 hours. Then you wake up in the middle of the night with a monster headache and a stuffy nose. Today, however, I feel good enough to blog. The weekend was quite eventful, as Bonnie and I spruced up the apartment with the addition of a few pieces of furniture. We bought a desk for Bonnie to work at, a bookshelf for the living room, and, finally, a futon. We've been using an air mattress and kitchen chairs for the past little while, so an actual piece of living room furniture will be nice. Our living apartment is instantly more liveable. We are quite pleased with it, and though we are settling into life in Ottawa, we still miss our friends and family back home. I guess it will take a while for that to get better.

Leggo My Ego - GooglePrint and the other culture war. By Tim Wu

I found this article on Slate Magazine (I'm properly citing my source, btw). Yes, it concerns the ongoing debate about Google's intent to make millions of books "searchable" on the web and the implications of that. It's a good article, I think, but of course I agree, so of course I think it's a good article. The paragraph that nailed it for me was this one:
"We must remember, looking to the future, that books, as a medium, face competition. If books are too hard to find relative to other media, all authors of books lose out, and authors of searchable media like the Web, win. And that's too bad for those who love books—those who still like a slow read better than the blustery urgency of blogs."
We do live in a commercial world and some people - indeed, most - would rather do a web search on a topic than read a book about it. But perhaps if we think differently about reading, then that will change. Is the web a competitor with print? Certainly. Is it making print obsolete? Not yet. Not if books and print culture can move ahead to meet that competition. This is an interesting idea to ponder and I will return to it from time to time. Just how much are blogs affecting books? I'll read more and let you know.

Nobel Prize announced

Today it was announced that Harold Pinter has won the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature. The British playwright is much decorated, and, I suppose, is deserving of the honour. I am not familiar with his work, though I have heard of him before. I guess that's more than I can say about last year's winner, Austrian Elfriede Jelinek. I am a little disappointed because there was conjecture that Canada's own Margaret Atwood was in the running. Canada has never won a Nobel Prize for Literature before, and I think Atwood would be a prime candidate. I can't think of many authors that have affected both academic and cultural circles like Atwood; even if you've never read any of her novels or poems, you still know her name. Anyhoo, I thought maybe she'd win. Good for Pinter, though. It's not like British literature has been celebrated enough or anything (And yes, I realize the irony of this statement).

Front Page News?

Here's what made the front page of the Citizen (for the full article, click here): "You can see the forest, but the trees are sure dull. The seasonal splendour that brings armies of tourists and buckets of money to the capital region is missing in action, Mike Gillespie reports." It's about how the trees and forests of the Ottawa Valley are "disappointing". Normally the Citizen reports "good" or even "real" news, but this seems a little fluffy. Maybe an article on the economic impact? Or even the potentially severe environmental impact of such an erratic summer? Maybe next week they'll report the lack of butterflies or the complain that there aren't enough rainbows. Personally, I think the colours are great:

Beat Jeremy Coon

Scott introduced me to this site (it's linked to his page, too). Beat Jeremy Coon This blog has one of the funniest concepts I've ever heard: "I graduated from Berkner High School in 1997. So did Jeremy Coon. I went on to co-write a musical that all my friends in Austin saw. Jeremy Coon went on to produce Napoleon Dynamite. Our high school reunion is in two years. I know I'm better than Jeremy Coon. But in two years, I have to prove it. I have to beat Jeremy Coon." Check this out! You won't regret it. This guy is goofy but we want to cheer for him. Ironically, the same thing could be said about Napoleon Dynamite.

List time

In honour of the return of hockey, here's my picks for the most exciting players to watch:

1. Dany Heatley - Senators
2. Todd Bertuzzi - Canucks
3. Alex Ovetchkin - Capitals
4. Sidney Crosby - Penguins
5. Vincent Lecavalier - Lightning
6. Jerome Iginla - Flames
7. Daniel Alfredsson - Senators
8. Jaromir Jagr - Rangers
9. Roberto Luongo - Panthers
10. Ryan Smyth - Oilers

It should be a great season - they're already comparing this "new style" of hockey to the fast-skating high-scoring games of the 70s and 80s. I predict that someone - perhaps one of the above players - will score 80 goals. It's bold, I know, but it's possible. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pitchfork - the online music mag

As an online music mag, Pitchfork beats the crap out of better-known mags like Rolling Stone or Spin. There's a ton of info, reviews, news, profiles - everything! If you want to be up to date on music, check this one out (and then check Bring Back Vinyl! for T.V. appearance news, among other things).

Why take a car when you can take a bus?

We were downtown yesterday and - Hutty this is for you - we saw the greatest motor vehicle ever:

It's an aquabus! It provides tours of Ottawa by land and by water. It seems fun; we didn't indulge, unfortunately, but it is a cool pic nonetheless.

Another Culturally Successful Day

Today Scott, Bonnie and I went to the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau (just across the Ottawa River). To start with, it is an impressive building: The museum is fantastic, covering everything from First Nations history to the history of stamps. The best part may have been the Children's museum, where Scott learned the value of being your own boss: Overall we had a great time, and this year we are certainly thankful for friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hittin' the town

Bonnie, Scott and I hit the town today, heading to the War Museum first, then Celtic Cross pub and ending up and the Lieutenant's Pump. It was all very fun. The rain wasn't very much fun, though. As we got off the bus the rain started to pour and we got really, really wet. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the War Museum very much; it is a great monument to our veterans, as well as a fantastic teaching tool: we shall not forget indeed. Unfortunately, the Celtic Cross and Lieutenant's Pump do not have such status: we will probably forget those. We definitely had "more than a few" pints, hoping to forget the rain that really, really sucked. However, our trip to the "Pub District" was great - we will certainly head there again. Here's me at the War Museum looking very dashing:
Here's Scott, really wet, in the foyer of the War Museum. It is an impressive piece of architecture:
And, finally, here's Bonnie and I gettin' drunk at the Pump:

Thanksgiving Guest

It's raining here but the weekend should be exciting: Scott McCormick, of Northern Exposure fame, is visiting us for the weekend. We're going to hit all the hot spots, including the National Gallery, Tim Horton's and, hopefully, Best Buy.

Welcome Back Hockey!

October 5th: a day long awaited by most of the men in this country. Tonight the 2005-06 NHL season opens after lockout/crybaby-itis robbed us of a hockey season. The salary cap means that the league is much more even - the Flames are being touted as the ones to beat. The Flames are a great team; the playoff run of 2004 certainly proved that. But did anyone pick them to make the final that year? This year, however, it's all about to change. The Flames, Canucks, Oilers, Senators, Canadiens all have a chance for the final (sorry Hutty but the Leafs look like the same old Leafs). Living in Ottawa, I am especially exicted about the Sens. How could I not catch the wave? Heatley will be one of the greatest players of all time when he finally hangs them up and Alfredsson, as captain, is a Swedish Steve Yzerman - it's a bold claim, I know, but it took Stevie Y a long time to get a cup, too. The Sens also have Hasek, who, even at 85% is still better than any goalie in the league. I think I have my new favourite team (sorry Rangers you're out - 8 losing seasons in a row just isn't good for a fan's spirit). I'm even developing a hatred for the Leafs (again, sorry Hutty). This season any game will be a good game. I used to cringe when TSN would show Nashville versus Phoenix or Columbus against Carolina but now those games might actually be entertaining. Huzzah for hockey!

Tuesday's Hot News

Well! It's so hot here! It's just really uncomfortable trying to get anything done in 27 degree heat. I hope it cools down tomorrow - 20 or 21 would be just right. The other Tuesday news is entertainment: Broken Social Scene's new album comes out today; Bones is new on Global tonight; the baseball playoffs begin today (I'm picking the Cardinals against the Red Sox); and, finally, get set for hockey season to start tomorrow. Whoopee! That's a long wait for hockey fans. Hockey! In this heat!

Judith Miller, martyr?

If you're not up to date on the Judith Miller saga, it might be interesting to read a little more on it. Miller, a reporter for the New York Times, was sent to prison after refusing to reveal a source before a grand jury. Apparently the source waived his confidentiality rights which releases Miller from her obligation to keep quiet. This all relates to a CIA leak last year or something, and now people question whether Miller even knows anything or not. While that is a hot issue, the other issue is Miller's principles. She went to jail for refusing to reveal a source: that's integrity. Yet now, though the source (I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff) has waived confidentiality, there are concerns that Miller has sold out her principles. But she went to jail! There is a suggestion that perhaps she had things other than the truth in mind:
"Fellow source-hoarder Matt Cooper's thrilling tale of a last-minute reprieve had seemed cinematic at the time. Good stuff, we thought, but what's a book about being a journalist martyr without sleeping on cement and not being able to watch CNN? When Miller stayed clammed up while Cooper sang, people wondered what she knew and now it's clear: She knows the dollar value of minor humiliation and anecdotes about prison laundry" (from Wonkette). This story, to me, just got a little interesting. It turns out that Miller is far from a reputable reporter, according to Alexander Cockburn. Is this a tale of journalistic integrity, upholding the rights of the media? Or could it be that everything is a production and we (more specifcally, I) are caught up in it like it's the latest episode of Survivor? I'm sorry, but I've fallen for the hype.

Weekend Wrapup

This weekend thankfully warmed my toes as Saturday hit 24 and today is expected to hit 25; I am appeased. The weekend was uneventful, save for a Friday afternoon fire alarm. Being on the 19th floor, Bonnie and I don't care for those much; we had to stomp down 18 flights of stairs. Turns out the "fire" was no more than ambitious cooking, as the firefighters came out with a sour look on their faces. Yes, it's their job, but still: they were probably watching Seinfeld or something. Other than that, the most exciting events were on the T.V. The Sopranos captivated us on Friday night (Feech was taken care of); on Saturday we enjoyed the Denis Leary-vehicle Rescue Me, about firefighters with major baggage. These guys are heroes, sure, but they're also a**holes. Anyhoo, I recommend it. Saturday Night Live with Steve Carrell was pretty entertaining, as Mike Myers guested in a spot with Kanye West to joke about West's telethon antics (Myers was onstage with West when the rapper made his infamous "Bush hates black people" statement). Today brings Grey's Anatomy as well as the MLB season finale. The Red Sox, having already lost the divison to the Yanks, must now win today to get into the playoffs. It will be tense for Red Sox fans, since they've lead the division for 4 months or something and now they must fight for a playoff spot. Have a great day!

Hit and Run

Here's a comment forum from reason magazine that expands on my earlier post ("For the Good of Humanity?") about the Google lawsuit (thanks Scott). It is interesting and infuriating at the same time. Will books ever lose relevance in our society? No - that is not debated. The physical artifact that is a book will always be popular, even if it is within a specific community. Google is not trying to abolish the book, it is trying to make the book and, more importantly, ideas more accessible to everyone. For you purists out there, wake up! This is no longer the technological revolution! It has come to pass and we are now living in an age where technology and information are vital to our survival. Farhenheit 451 is truly science fiction! (Sorry. I got a little worked up there) Anyhoo, read the article.