G20 and Civil Rights
June 26, 2010
The New York Times has an article about the apparent erosion of civil liberties in Toronto during the G20 summit:
Canadians discovered Friday that the Group of 20 summit meeting in Toronto has brought not only world leaders but also a temporary suspension of some of their own civil rights, at least in the core of downtown Toronto.
This post is not about whether the police powers have gone too far. Unfortunately, whenever I hear about the protests all I can think about is the patients and their families at the hospitals just south of Queen’s Park (Princess Margaret, Toronto General, Mount Sinai, and Sick Kids) and the impact the protests have on them:
As a precaution, UHN has cancelled many of our outpatient clinics on Friday, June 25, 2010, except for the following: dialysis at Toronto General Hospital; radiation therapy and chemotherapy at Princess Margaret Hospital; medical imaging at all UHN sites. These clinics will remain open for our patients on Friday, June 25, 2010
For me, civil liberties is all about the Golden Rule and they only extend to the point where your rights begin to impinge on the rights of others.
This is a fine balance but it seems like modern-day protestors are no longer just trying to have their voice heard but they are also trying to force their message on an unwilling audience.
iPad Outdoors
June 5, 2010
This is my second weekend with my new iPad. The iPad was released internationally (I live in Canada) on may 28th. The device is pretty much what I expected but there have been a few notable surprises.
By far the happiest for me is that it works pretty well outdoors even in direct sunlight. It is on par with the first generation iPod Touch I own. The finger prints standout more in direct sunlight but a little bit of elbow grease resolves that. Mind you it is no Kindle. The e-ink screen on the Kindle and other eReaders is gorgeous in direct sunlight.
My second test outdoors with the iPad was a disappointment. Outdoors is one thing but outdoors with sunglasses is another. I wear polarized sunglasses and many screens washout through a polarizer. The Kindle is not impacted at all. The iPod Touch is fine in portrait mode but suffers a bit in landscape mode. Through my polarized sunglasses the iPad is nothing but black in portrait mode. So sad.
This weekend as I sit outside overlooking the lake, I decided to try it again. Notta in portrait mode but to my surprise it’s fine outdoors with polarized sunglasses in landscape mode. WooHoo!!!
Maybe outdoor posts is the only way to get me to blog in the summer.
McArdle Meme Canadian Edition
May 4, 2010
Megan McArdle has started a meme posting the details of her first Amazon purchase.
Amazon did not launch in Canada until 2002. My first purchase from Amazon.ca was Good to Great made Aug 14, 2002. I remember that I loved the business anecdotes in the book but that I hated the analysis of what makes companies great.
I certainly did not remember what book was in my first order but I certainly remember my first order from Amazon.ca. I had been ordering books online from Chapters.ca for several years at that point and I was much happier with the overall process with Amazon than I was with Chapters.
My first Chapters.ca purchase was From Naked Ape to Superspecies by David Suzuki made Nov 18, 1999. I don’t remember anything specific from this book but I do currently have a strong dislike for Suzuki’s brand of eco-nihilism. I suspect I disliked his point of view then too.
SDF
February 23, 2010
The Daily Shoot assignment #100
Monochrome photos don’t have to be the result of processing or desaturation. Find a monochrome composition and shoot it.
Fragile State
February 17, 2010
The Daily Shoot assignment #94
Fragility conveys tension. Make a photo today of a person or object in a fragile state.
Odd Watches
February 13, 2010
The Daily Shoot assignment #90
Odd or even: Compose an image with an odd or even number of subjects today, and make a photo.
Checklist Manifesto
February 12, 2010
The Daily Shoot assignment #89
Continuing the Friday fun theme, make a photo that goes with the title of a book you’ve read.
I have recently read The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande as well as his other two books “Better” and “Complications”. The two older books are compilations of his pieces in the New Yorker while the new book expands on the medical checklist theme which he and others have written about recently. Highly recommended.
Wide Up
February 11, 2010
The Daily Shoot assignment #88
We often get stuck in a rut of always zooming to the longest focal length. Break out today by making a wide-angle photo.
Walk
February 10, 2010
The Daily Shoot assignment #87
We all have some sort of hobby or favorite activity. Make a photo that shows something you enjoy doing. (via @azmichelle)
Ice Fire Water
February 7, 2010
The Daily Shoot assignment #84:
Challenge: Practice storytelling today. Look for 3 images that tell a story, and make a set of photos that go together.
The Matrix
February 5, 2010
The Daily Shoot assignment #82:
More fun on a Friday: Make a photo that goes with the title of a movie you’ve seen, interpreted any way you like!
The Cap
February 4, 2010
The Daily Shoot assignment #81:
Contrasting ideas engage the mind. Make a photo today that tells a story with contrasting elements. (via @dibytes)
By the way, I’m originally posting these on Twitter (via Twitpic). Of course I don’t use Twitter for anything else so I’m not sure what the point of the extra link is other than to mention that I’m a social media animal :-)
Tack-Sharp
February 3, 2010
The Daily Shoot assignment #80:
Make a “sharp” photo today any way you interpret it, either tack-sharp focus or a subject that is sharp itself.
