I’m off on a short vacation, with uncertain internet access, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to update the blog regularly.
August 17, 2010
August 1, 2010
Woodbutchery
Sorry for the lack of postings, but I’ve been busy trying to get back on track for delivering a set of bookshelves I promised for earlier this year. I’m covered in sawdust, and not all that interested in browsing the web at the moment. Perhaps tomorrow . . .
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July 30, 2010
Blogging will be light
I’m working to a client deadline, so normal blogging activity may resume later today or tomorrow.
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July 5, 2010
Spam comments try to be more persuasive
A bunch of spam comments accumulated over the long weekend and it’s noteworthy that there has been a general improvement in the quality of “writing” that goes into them. There are still plenty that are clearly not words or phrases in any human language, but others show not only words but actual comprehensible sentences. The most common pattern is one of general agreement with the topic of the post (always unstated, as these are generated comments, not written ones), along with something like “I’ve added you to my Google Reader/bookmarks/blogroll”.
They’d probably be more effective — in the sense of getting past the spam filter — if there weren’t so many of them following the same pattern.
That’s not a request, I hurry to clarify, just a comment.
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June 17, 2010
New release of WordPress
I’ve been happily using WordPress since I moved over from the original site (under MovableType), and the latest version of WordPress has just been released. However, any software update can have unforeseen results, so it’s possible the site will be affected by some minor (or even major) glitch. Please excuse the mess as I try the upgrade and see what other changes I may need to make . . .
June 5, 2010
Light blogging today
I’m away from the computer, competing in an SCA rapier tournament near Peterborough, Ontario. Lots of interesting sites to visit over in the right-hand column.
Update: You know, it would have helped if I’d actually published this entry before heading off this morning. I’m now back, bruised yet unbowed, happy in my second-place finish in the tournament. Last time I competed there (before injuring my shoulder and having to take a few years off), I won the tournament. This time, with more fencers taking part, I still managed to claim second. That’s pretty good after such a long lay-off from competition. I’m more than satisfied.
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May 10, 2010
Six years of blogging
Six years ago today, Jon installed a copy of MovableType on his server and invited me to start my own blog. He got tired of his own blog fairly quickly, but in an odd sort of way it still lives on — I named my blog Quotulatiousness as a joking reference to his Blogulatiousness.
The very first post was pretty indicative of what I’d be doing on the blog for the next six years: a brief introduction, a long-ish quote from the linked item of interest, and a brief closing comment (in that case, no actual commentary).
2004 was a pretty busy year, so if you’re terminally bored, you can sample a bit of blog history here (most of these entries don’t follow the pattern of the first blog post):
- First wine post — 2004-05-11
- Attributing links correctly — 2004-06-14
- First attempt at political wonkery (Leaders debate) — 2004-06-16
- Exorcising the AVRO Arrow — 2004-06-26
- Analyzing the party platforms — BQ — 2004-06-26
- Analyzing the party platforms — Tory — 2004-06-27
- Analyzing the party platforms — Greens — 2004-06-27
- Analyzing the party platforms — Libs — 2004-06-27
- Election results reaction — 2004-06-29
- First “busted hockey stick” post — 2004-07-13
- Air security — 2004-07-16
- Remembering Apollo 11 — 2004-07-22
- First “sell off the LCBO” post — 2004-07-28
- First visit to PE County wineries — 2004-08-03
- Psychopathic Narcissists (politicians) — 2004-08-03
- The importance of property rights — 2004-08-09
- First rant on China’s economy — 2004-08-10
- Dieppe raid anniversary — 2004-08-19
- Paul Martin’s Peacekeeping Brigade — 2004-08-21
- First post on BMI — 2004-08-22
- First global warming post — 2004-08-23
- Blogging the cat (first photos) — 2004-08-29
- How big is blogging — 2004-09-02
- Redaction and domestic security — 2004-09-03
- What is a hate crime? — 2004-09-07
- Writing vs Technical Writing — 2004-09-09
- After Beslan — 2004-09-14
- Canuck ingratitude — 2004-09-20
- The over-protected generation — 2004-09-23
- Healthcare: pets vs. humans — 2004-09-23
- I’m in favour of — 2004-09-28
- Garnet Rogers — 2004-10-03
- French complicity in holocaust — 2004-10-04
- Calculating the NFL passer rating — 2004-10-08
- SAS versus Militia — 2004-10-09
- Macdonnell on the heights — 2004-10-14
- How Europe went left — 2004-10-18
- Healthcare — 2004-10-19
- Soldering woes — 2004-10-22
- Economic Feng Shui — 2004-10-25
- Scrooge to Bob Cratchit — 2004-10-28
- Scrutineering — 2004-11-02
- Greater Soviet Canuckistan — 2004-11-05
- Extended childhood — 2004-11-15
- Power — 2004-11-23
- Laws of war — 2004-11-24
- Ego-surfing — 2004-11-26
- Woodworking — 2004-11-26
- Criminals have more rights than victims — 2004-12-01
- Home-schooling — 2004-12-06
- Christmas music — 2004-12-06
- Retirement planning — 2004-12-07
- I’m a racist — 2004-12-07
- Lennon’s death — 2004-12-08
- French winemakers are revolting! — 2004-12-09
- Wine tour part 1 — 2004-12-12
- Wine tour part 2 — 2004-12-12
- Wine tour part 3 — 2004-12-12
- Wine tour part 4 — 2004-12-12
- Wine tour part 5 — 2004-12-12
- Corkage — 2004-12-16
- My first takedown notice — 2004-12-17
In short, I’m still one of the laziest bloggers on the planet, but I’m still blogging after half a century in blog-years (most blogs start up with a few quick posts, then fade out never to be updated again).
Thanks again to Jon, both for getting me started in blogging, and for continuing to host my archives from the first five years.
April 28, 2010
Sorry for the lack of bloggishness
Today was a triple-whammy of first-thing-in-the-morning dentist appointment, followed by a meeting with my accountant, then a trip to the bank to open a vein pay my 2009 personal and business taxes. That left no time for more pleasant activities like blogging.
Regular blogging may resume later today.
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April 17, 2010
Busy
In my traditional manner, I’m just starting to do the books for 2009. I doubt there’ll be much blogging for today, as a result.
April 10, 2010
Recoverin’
The border crossing was almost comically simple compared to past experiences: short line-ups, a pleasant customs official, straightforward questions, and then we were waved on through. We got home in time for dinner (Victor was glad to see us and the dogs were very happy to see us too).
My plan for today involve no driving whatsoever . . .
April 9, 2010
Returnin’
Didn’t find the time to do updates for the last couple of days . . . how did you survive without me? On the final leg of the journey today, north through West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Unless the border crossing is really bad, we should be home for dinner.
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April 6, 2010
Boatin’
A few photos taken on our boat tour out into Charleston harbour, including a stop at Fort Sumter:
The (remains of) the fort, from the inner harbour, approaching the dock
Some of the recovered cannon from the Civil War sieges
The USS Yorktown, taken from the Aquarium on the other side of the river.
April 5, 2010
Still tourin’
With yesterday being Easter Sunday, we had no idea how busy things might be, or even what might be open. On the way into Charleston, we stopped at Middleton Place, which I expected to be an hour or so side-trip, but turned into the main activity of the day. It’s a huge property (6500 acres) that had been a rice plantation until the Civil War, when the property was destroyed by Union troops in 1865. The family could only afford to re-build one of the three main buildings, the south “flanker”. The unreconstructed remains of the other two buildings were thrown down in the 1886 earthquake.
The rebuilt south flanker, from the river side
The remains of the main house, after war and earthquake damage.
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April 4, 2010
Tourin’
Arrived at our base of operations for the week — Summerville, SC. The initial plan for yesterday was just to get on the I-77 for the bulk of the run, but within a mile of joining the main route, we hit a miles-long traffic jam. It took us about 15 minutes to get the 1/4 mile to the next exit (W.V. state road 16). That took us away from the traffic, but it also took us deep into coal country:
I had no idea how deep those valleys were: the valleys we drove through the previous day were nothing in comparison. I lost track of the tiny little villages we passed through which were literally just wide spots in the road, with a couple of dozen houses crammed between the valley walls, with the road, the railway, and the river taking up the only flattish spots.
It was very much like a trip back in time, as aside from the few newer buildings in the larger villages (a few new suburban-style houses, a couple of government buildings, one or two small primary schools), everything else looked like it’d been there for a century or more. The roads switched back and forth to match the valley side, and I honestly have to say that in many cases the posted speed limit was higher than I think was really safe: and I can’t think of many other places I’ve visited where I can say that. 55 MPH on some of those mountain roads is very literally taking your life in your hands.
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April 3, 2010
Still travellin’
Got as far as Beckley, West Virginia yesterday. The scenery along the way was . . . um. Once you get into West Virginia, your line of sight drops off to a few hundred metres in any direction except straight up: there’s always a wooded hill or ridge or whatever blocking your line of sight (to be fair, it’s blocking your view of yet another wooded hill, etc.).
I’d have stopped to take some photos (especially of the New River gorge), but we were trying to get as far towards today’s destination as we could, so we limited the stops to the absolute minimum.
