Sparkplug

We had a sad case recently of a taxi driver who was killed by a young person racing up one of Toronto’s busiest north south streets.  The car was traveling at around 140 km an hour when it broadsided the taxi and killed the driver.  The two lads involved - who were from monied families - received a sentence of one year’s house arrest and are both banned from driving for the next four years.

They denied accusations that they had been racing - which their lawyers denied - they were merely weaving in and out of traffic at high speed and just out for a little high spirited fun.  It was unfortunate that this cab driver just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. (more…)

My daughter Anna is a budding artist and cartoonist.  Here is her latest effort, Garu.

It’s hard to believe that 30 years ago today (May 25th, 1977), the original Star Wars film first opened in the United States.  This strange little low budget film ($11 million) changed the way in which we would experience movies.

Two years previously in 1975 the summer blockbuster was created when Jaws was released.  Jaws did have the advantage of a monster best selling novel to propel audiences into the movie houses. 

However, Star Wars was a complete original.  Director George Lucas cribbed together everything from Joseph Campbell to Kurosawa and repurposed it in the frantic style of the movie serials of the 1930’s and 1940’s. (more…)

“From a guy renting his chest for advertising to the Turkish man who may have inspired Ali G’s creator, these websites have a lot to answer for.”

And you thought that this site was bad…

IT Canada has a collection of the 25 worst websites that have to be seen to be believed.

My personal favourite - Rabies For Kids.

“I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped this happen.”

Reverend Jerry Falwell on the true cause of 9/11 

Sad news for Denny’s franchises across the U.S. today as Reverend Jerry Falwell ate his last Grand Slam breakfast this morning.

There was however, much rejoicing in cartoon land as SpongeBob Squarepants and Teletubby Tinky Winky danced for joy at the news that Falwell had gone to join the choir invisible.  (more…)

I have been reading a lot about privacy on the internet and have come to the conclusion that there is none.

Oh sure, all those privacy statements on the websites we visit assure us that our privacy is being protected, but I don’t believe it for a second. (more…)

May 1st marks the 19th birthday of the first spam message sent over the internet (or at the time the Arpanet).  On May 1, 1978 Gary Thuerk, an aggressive DEC marketer had the bright idea of sending out a special offer to a list of four hundred IT professionals on the west coast.  The reaction at the time was less than welcoming.

If it hadn’t been Gary, I’m certain that some other enterprising soul would have opened this Pandora’s Box.  Spam continues to be the number one complaint about the internet.  It clogs our e-mail boxes and its bastard children such as blog spam (blam) and chat room spam flourish.  (more…)

The Pentegon, an organization which believes in the philosophy of command and control, has decided to rein in soldiers’ blogs. 

As with every other aspect of the war in Iraq it is an effort to keep things on message.  Under the army’s new rules every blog posting will have to be approved by a commander.  The likely effect of this will be the death of military blogging. 

It’s too bad because soldiers’ blogs have given us a clearer idea of what Iraq is really like as told by men on the ground there.  It will be interesting to see if the army can actually control blogging among its men, or if the genie is too far out of the bottle.

You can find more details on this at Wired.