We Saw a Chicken …

Blog

  • my home and adopted land

    I became a Canadian citizen just after 10:00 today. I was the only Scot out of 107 new Canadians.

    My planning’s excellent; my UK passport expires today…

  • mailbox fool

    Can you believe the Outlook mailbox limit at work? 60MB. Yup. I’ve been forced to tidy up every week.
    I can’y believe a program as widely used as Outlook has so many critical limitations. Storing mail in binary archive files of limited size? Please; so 1989.

  • This wind study brought to you by the Canadian Nuclear Association

    So there’s a new report on wind integration in Canada, written by The Conference Board of Canada. People are picking up on it, and even the doughty Refocus quotes “… electricity from onshore wind is uneconomic in comparison with traditional alternatives“. Hmm.

    So I read the report, and what do I find in the Preface?

    As part of an ongoing initiative to investigate energy policy options and the future of the Canadian energy system, the Canadian Nuclear Association contracted The Conference Board of Canada to conduct a comparative study of various countries’ experiences with supporting and implementing large-scale wind projects.

    So we’re expected to believe that the CNA would wish to have an objective and non-partisan report written on wind power, eh?

  • v. poor joke

    Q. What does Edward Woodward have so many D’s in his name?
    A. Cos’ if he didn’t he would be “E-war Woo-war” !

  • no use UPS

    I inherited a big UPS for my NSLU2 backup system. It’s all hooked up, and should be providing protection. I don’t think the power went out today, but I find this evening that the NSLU2 is off — what’s that all about?

  • upgrade

    Upgraded to WordPress 2.0.2, and did the same for Catherine’s blog. It must’ve been one of the very few 1.2 to 2.0 upgrades still out there.

  • kotthu roti night in Canada!

    Yeah! Amma is back open after the fire. Had my first kotthu roti in months, and it’s as great as it ever was. The place was jumping, and the Sri Lankan bachelors (reluctant) were looking forward to their first square meal this year.

    Poondy Bread is back, too, so the neighbourhood smells just like it used to; bread and curry, mixed in with occasional candy (from the Cadbury plant) and biscuits (merci, Peak Freans).

  • on avon

    We’re in Stratford. It’s real purty.

    There’s a lot of local opposition to putting a Wal*Mart here. Putting a wal*mart in Stratford would be like putting a fart gag in Hamlet.

  • Standard Offer is Go – March 21

    From OSEA:

    The moment we have all been waiting for has arrived! The Ministry of Energy, the Premier, David Suzuki and OSEA will be announcing the Standard Offer Program on March 21st. We are organizing a celebration and press event in partnership with the Ministry of Energy that will take place at 3 pm at Exhibition Place, Toronto, home to Ontario’s first community wind turbine.

    Please mark this date in your calendar and watch for further notices (via email and at www.ontario-sea.org) on details regarding location, speakers and entertainment.

    This is a celebratory event – please everyone, let us celebrate the positive role the Standard Offer Contract program will play in Ontario for renewables, for community power, for cost effective power, and for our air quality and health!

    Thanks to everyone for their efforts!

    If the province has got this right, we really will see a lot more wind power in Ontario.

  • they’ll let just anyone in these days

    Further to my citizenship test, I have my ceremony on the 18th!

  • second place

    … but not very surprisingly, the Raptors came in second. Again.

    I don’t think we have enough tall Lithuanians on the team.

  • court

    I’m at a Raptors game. Unusually, they seem to be ahead…

  • “Imperfection is an end; perfection is only an aim”

    Ivor Cutler, 1923—2006, mensch; rest in peace.

    Obituary from The Guardian.

  • vawt der hey…?! wind-powered megabin

    eucan wind powered megabin

    Something’s not right with the wind turbines on this megabin. The fact that they weren’t turning in a mild breeze made me worry. A close-up of one of the units is below:

    eucan wind powered megabin: vawt closeup

    (In both cases, clicking the thumbnail will get a full-sized image.)

  • J P Martin Speaks!

    Tony Bannister writes in liontower that James Currey gave him some tapes of J P Martin reading some of his Uncle stories. He hopes to restore the tapes and release a CD.

    Uncle: His Master’s Voice!

  • eulogy for plant

    You were a christmas Poinsettia three years ago. You quickly grew spindly and grew towards the window. You survived repeated failures to water you, and yet you kept growing. You even gave us some red last year.

    You had only a couple of tiny leaves yesterday, and you looked so ill. I had hoped to give you a summer in the garden, so you could die as summer faded. It didn’t happen.

    Goodbye, plant. I shall remember you when I sweep up your crisp dry leaves.

  • We have turbines running at Kingsbridge!

    We have turbines running at Kingsbridge! Here’s the official news release.

    (I had a picture here, but it wsn’t very good. Sorry.)

  • Times & Seasons

    It’s definitely spring, for today I saw:

    • the first geese flying north
    • my first spam in my inbox at EPCOR.

  • Sturmey-Archer Heritage

    Sturmey-Archer Heritage is perhaps the nerdiest bike site I’ve ever seen.

  • heading east

    Well, that’s me heading back east from Edmonton. It was fun to meet the rest of the team at EPCOR.