June 4, 2001

Tout le monde à poil!

No, don't follow those instructions!  That's just to point out an interesting event that happened on Saturday, May 26.  Spencer Tunick, a photographer well known for his pictures of groups of naked people in public places (http://www.spencertunick.com), came to Montreal and invited the locals to pose naked in the middle of the city and be a part of his fascinating work.  Tunick was slightly caught off guard at the reception he received.  Instead of being harassed by the local authorities as is usually the case in most other cities where he stops off, Montreal's local authorities did everything in their power to ensure that the photo shoot went smoothly.  Tunick was hoping that at at least five hundred people would show up; over two thousand people accepted his invitation to "bare it all".

This event was simply more proof that Montrealers are truly open-minded people who have understood during the Quiet Revolution thirty-five years ago that you can't see nudity as an evil sin that must be suppressed at all cost.  Instead, we were fascinated by what the photographer wanted to accomplish and became willing participants.  So with a valid permit from the film department and organized street closings by the police, Tunick experienced what he called the easiest photo shoot he's ever had.  This is a sharp contrast to what he experienced in New York City where mayor Giuliani considers his work to be pornography and refused him a permit.

That's one of the reasons I love Montreal.  The people here are on the whole very level-headed and open-minded.

Mass transit not for the masses

Of course we do have our "problem areas", usually involving public sector agencies.  This was the weekend of the Tour De l'Île, a cycling even where up to fifty thousand people participate in a seventy kilometre bike ride in the streets of Montreal and the surrounding municipalities.  In the past years, the participants were allowed to bring their bikes in the Montreal Metro so they can get to the starting point without exhausting themselves along the way.  But this year the MUCTC decided to restrict bicycle access to only a few stations, citing security reasons for their decision.

The "Maison du Bicycle" which organizes the Tour was not very happy with this decision which they didn't understand since there has never been any serious incidents reported in the past.  As long as the appropriate security measures are in place, cyclists pose no threat to each other or to other passengers during the day of the Tour de l'Île.  This is also the case during major events such as the fireworks competition where again, very few -- if any -- incidents are reported.  In fact, most Metro incidents usually occur during normal operating hours when no special security measures are in place.  Even then, the Montreal Metro is still considered a very secure mode of transportation especially when compared with the transit systems of other major North-American cities.  So why cyclists were being restricted from using the Metro to get to the Tour is a question that has never been properly answered.

North-American Otaku

If you've checked out my reviews and DVD list, you'll notice there's quite a bit of anime (Japanese animation) among my collection.  This however does not make me a hard-core Otaku, a person who has decided to totally immerses himself in a Japanese style fantasy world instead of dealing with the real world.  I also don't participate in any "role playing" as many others do, but what I saw this weekend left me wondering just how seriously some people take their hobbies.

Believe me, Johnston's coat has all the details of the anime character.  The frames of the glasses aren't accurate and the left sleeve is at the wrong position, but those are just minor technical details.  On the plus side -- and as mentioned from the picture's originating Web site -- the use of those shiny black buttons improves the overall look of the suit enormously, and Johnston's face and hair have the Vash look that is so essential to the realism of the disguise.  As well, the coat made with the help of his mother consists mainly of real cloth material and not some red vinyl purchased at a hardware store.  This suit is quite an accomplishment!

The phenomenon is called "Cosplay" or "Costume Play" where people dress up as their favourite anime character.  The term can be used with different role-playing events such as American and European historical re-enactments, but the expression is mainly associated with people dressing up as anime characters.  And Chris isn't the only participant!  Check out the Web site http://www.cosplayer.org (that's where the second picture comes from) and see more of your favourite anime characters in real life -- or as real as they can be depending on the quality of the costume and the person that inhabits it.

Various tidbits

• I just found out that Anthony Quinn passed away on Sunday morning.  His IMDB biography lists almost 160 different acting roles in both movies and TV shows.  He was an excellent actor who will continue to live on in all the movies he has made.  He will be greatly missed.

• The leadership of both Stockwell Day and Joe Clark is being questioned at the same time as they're all voting for hefty pay raises.  I wouldn't mind the raises if only they actually worked for it.  Right now, the majority of the Liberal party members are behaving more as Yes-men for Jean Chrétien than behaving like representatives of the constituents that originally voted them in.

• I heard the hockey playoffs were on.  Has anyone won the cup yet?  With no Canadian teams in the playoffs, the whole event quickly becomes a frightful bore.

• The weather is crap, crap, crap!  Come on already!  It's almost summer.  Maybe the fact we still have hockey games on TV may explain it.  We've confused Mother Nature and is she ever pissed!

• A new movie will be reviewed -- eventually.  I just haven't made up my mind which one deserves to be reviewed.  In the meantime, enjoy the week and let's hope it doesn't get too cold.

Have a nice week!

May 24, 2001

Busy, busy, busy!

Last week was a hectic week.  It's been so bad that I even neglected to watch the news for most of the time.  And the few glimpses that I caught were pretty much routine for the portrayed level of violence.  But enough on the hockey playoffs.  Just how busy was I?

At the office, the conversion of our main software package from OS/2 to Windows NT is moving at a hectic pace.  We've activated the package's newly implemented TCP/IP capabilities this week which required some massive maintenance compilations of the new system in order to fully integrate it in the new system.  Today, TCP/IP is probably the most widely exploited communications protocol in the personal computer industry, often pre-configured on new systems which solves a lot of configuration and planning issues long before you even start creating the software that exploits it.  CPI-C, the old communications protocol we've used for the last ten years, was starting to show it's age.  It's not as well supported as it should be, it's difficult to configure, and it isn't what a computer geek would call "object-oriented" friendly.  With TCP/IP, we don't even need to buy any extra networking software, and it works on a very simple level.

Of course there are still a few bugs in our system along with security features that must be implemented to prevent access to our components from outside networks.  But as always, these issues will be resolved in time.  Writing programs that exploit TCP/IP are not all that difficult to create once you know how it works.  Experience in multitasking environments is a must -- single-tasking DOS oriented individuals need not apply.

With what I've just learned, I'd like to know is how some applications out there can be overwhelmed by excessive communications requests from the outside.  It's almost as if the application itself couldn't control the number of simultaneous requests it receives, and is unable to "hit the brakes".  I might write a few test programs to check out this theory later on.  This will involve attempting to intentionally overwhelm a test program on a server configured to handle this kind of test and nothing else.  I might even learn a few interesting techniques on how to better protect a computer system from the dreaded "Denial of Service" attacks that have plagued many servers in the last couple of years.

That's just terrific!  As if I don't have enough work to do at the office, I want to complicate my life at home as well!

Pain, pain, pain!

And I thought a while back that I'd get a nice, long holiday weekend this time around.  Well, not quite.  One of the longstanding members of our condo building had the idea of setting up a special garden on a rather harsh bit of land on our property.  The idea was an excellent one and we don't have to look at yellow grass anymore.  But there still was one big job left to do last weekend.

Planting it!

The upper part of my legs hurt like Hell!  I'm really not used to doing manual labour which in this case involved stooping up and down all day long planting various plants and herbs in the ground.  I didn't feel the pain right away though.  But it did show up promptly the next day.

We were five people who worked long hours to set up the garden.  Despite the pain we all felt during -- and after -- the planting, it was well worth it.  It was a lot of fun doing something that didn't involve computers in the least.  And the consultant we hired to design the garden created an excellent plan, a beautiful design that integrates perfectly with the immediate surroundings.

We'll find out if the plants thrive during the next couple of months.

Hey!  A review!

Yes, I finally wrote the review for Criterion's release of "Spartacus".  Despite the flaws in the source material, this is probably the best presentation of this epic available on home video.  My only real complaint is the cost of the release which is rather steep despite the amount of extra material that's included with it.

On another note, I corrected the review of the Hauppauge WinTV USB module in the Webcam section.  I made a mistake on the capabilities of the device which are better than what I originally thought.

Have a nice week!

May 13, 2001

Let's see now...

• $25 for books,

• $375 for the courses,

• $44 for the written test and the 6R class learner's permit,

• $31 for the closed-circuit test and the 6A class apprentice permit.

That comes to $475.  Depending on what's furnished at the driving school, there's:

• $150 for boots,

• $250 for a jacket,

• $50 for gloves,

• $150 for a helmet,

That's an approximate total of $600 for those items.  Add the tax for all the taxable items ($115) and we're now up to a total of $1,190 for this summer alone.

Next year, if I decide to pursue the matter, we now have:

• $7,500 for the motorcycle ($4,500 if used) including the taxes,

• About $500 for extra courses and assistance,

• $90 for the final exam,

• $320 for registration (400cc and up),

• An undisclosed amount for collision insurance.

That comes to a total of $8,410 not including the insurance  Add last year's items in the total and we now come to a grand total of $9,600.  If we estimate the first year's insurance will cost around $1,400, we now arrive at a total of:

$11,000

For that money, I can get a front projection system for my home theater.  Or if you prefer, one small box with a light bulb in it that shows nice pictures on the wall.  Of course, the grand total can be lowered about four to six grand if I decide to pay the motorcycle in instalments, or buy a used set of wheels only one year old.  And if you think all this looks bad, owning a new car isn't much better.  $11,000 is about the average cost of a new car in the first year of ownership including the loan.

As for my current transportation options, they cost me about $100 a month in bus passes and cab fare.  Unfortunately, the service is not all that reliable and the drivers are a bit crazy.  And it costs a lot more than that if I want to leave the island for a leisurely ride in the countryside, most of the cost involving renting a vehicle for the weekend and paying for the gas.

It's about time I owned my own motorized vehicle.  It's becoming more and more annoying not being able to simply take off somewhere for a summer weekend.  And since I never liked cars all that much, a motorcycle is an interesting alternative despite the calculated cost.  I'll just have to see if I have the will power and the strength to save enough money to pursue the matter next year.  Following the first year of ownership, I'll just have to pay about $2,500 a year for registration, maintenance, fuel and accessories.

Of course, I still have to find out if I can actually drive the thing!

May 12, 2001 -- Late Edition

By the way, here's another contender.

This is the Kawasaki EN500-C6 Vulcan 500LTD, a liquid-cooled 498cc 4 stroke DOHC inline-twin design with four valves per cylinder and six speeds instead of the traditional five.  The retail price for the 2001 model is $6,799 or $600 less than the Honda Shadow VLX, and $1,100 less than the Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom.  This bike even travels faster and has more horsepower than the other cruisers, delivering six more horses than the Yamaha and seven more than the Honda probably due to it's DOHC liquid-cooled design.  The tank can easily hold 15 litres of fuel so there's no worry of a fuel shortage during long trips.  The radiator is hidden in the bike's framework so it's basically out of sight, and probably out of harm's way from flying road debris.  I still have to confirm this, but at least I don't have to look at the thing.  A visible radiator will give me the impression I'm driving a car.

Another advantage this bike has over the other cruisers -- based on the marketing pictures -- is the seating position.  The distance from the rider to the handlebars is more or less the same, but the legs are positioned closer to the rider without having that "crotch-rocket" feeling found on sports bikes.  When I sat in the Yamaha, my short legs felt as if they were positioned a bit too forward on the bike.  Not too much, but enough that I kept this piece of information filed in the back of my head for future reference.  Once I start my driving lessons, I'll know for sure what's my preferred riding position.

Unless I find something seriously wrong with this particular bike, this is the new leader.  The cash savings alone will come in handy later on.  And I even like the colour.

Thanks to all my family and friends who not only like the idea of me taking motorcycle riding courses, but who have been giving me excellent advice on the type of motorcycle I should be looking for.  Choosing a motorcycle is almost as difficult as finding a reasonable pair of shoes for my flat feet!  Which reminds me.  I have to find some boots!

May 12, 2001

Am I a bit too obsessed about this?  Or is this normal?

I dropped by a motorcycle dealership to take a look at the current line-up of bikes.  I even got a chance to sit on the Yamaha V-Star Classic and Custom motorcycles just to get a "feeling".  My first impression is that the Classic is interesting, but a bit over-decorated with accessories.  The simpler design (and lower price) of the Custom interests me much more.  As for comfort, the seats of both bikes fit me very nicely, but the position of the handlebars and pegs on the Custom fit me a little better.  And after reading plenty of reviews on the bike, it's an even bigger prospect for next year.

I just hope the riding schools have a nice variety of motorcycles in their fleet.  Trying out different sizes and styles of vehicles will help me make a more reasonable purchasing choice next year -- if I have the money to buy the vehicle of course.  Trying out different bikes will also tell me exactly what type of motorcycle is best suited for my needs.

And if you're wondering, I'm fully aware of the risks of riding a motorcycle as well as the precautions one must take to protect one's self on the open roads.  What worries me the most are the local pedal-pushers who -- with minimal or no protection -- try dangerous stunts in the streets of Montreal.  Challenging a 1,500 Kg motorized vehicle with a sub-10 Kg bicycle is just plain nuts!

May 11, 2001

More motorcycle choices

I've been doing a lot of research in the last few days, and it's far from over.

First of all, scrap the Honda Rebel.  After checking out a few Quebec road maps, it's impossible to travel from one place to another without hitting at least one multi-lane highway at some time.  At 234cc, the Honda Rebel will simply not cut it.  If Honda had kept manufacturing the Rebel 450 from 1986, it would have been a serious contender.

So while sticking with my basic guidelines (cruiser configuration, simplicity, practicality, short seat height), here are a couple more choices.  And please take note that the images are not to scale.

This is the Honda VT600C Shadow VLX, a 583cc liquid-cooled V-2 SOHC 3 valve per cylinder job.  Retail price is $7,399 for the 2001 model.  More than twice the power at less than twice the price of the Rebel.  However, it only has four gears and the gas tank only holds 12 litres of fuel.

This is the Yamaha XVS65N V-Star 650 Custom, a 649cc air-cooled V-2 SOHC configuration.  Retail price is $7,899 for the 2001 model.  Slightly more expensive than the Honda, but not by much.  And you do have a bit more power along with five gears and a 16 litre fuel tank.

So how do I rate these two bikes?  The Honda is less expensive, but the design is not quite to my liking, it only has four gears (there have been complaints about this) and I never liked the look of radiators on any motorcycle.  The Yamaha is more expensive, but it is really low to the ground, has no radiator, five full gears, and plenty of low RPM torque for city driving.  There have been complaints of a buzzing sensation at high speeds, but the speed at which the buzzing starts is way above the "unofficial" Quebec speed limit of 120 Km/h, a range which I don't even try to reach in a car unless I'm trying to pass someone.

The Yamaha is the current leader.  It's style is a real head-turner, the engineering is simple and straightforward (does a radiator really complicate things or is it my imagination?), it's low to the ground, and it can handle Quebec highways with ease.

Does anyone else have any recommendations for a 600cc cruiser?

May 7, 2001

Happy anniversary!

One year ago, I started this Web site.  And unlike most other dot-com start-ups, I've yet to declare bankruptcy or lose millions of dollars.  No surprise there since it costs me basically nothing to maintain the site.  So how will I celebrate this milestone?

By learning how to drive a motorcycle.

That's why I added the fancy music.  I imagine myself as The Terminator, driving off on a bad-ass set of wheels with the "Bad To The Bone" song playing in the background.  Then again, the kind of motorcycle that interests me ain't exactly what one would call a "power chopper".

This is the Honda Rebel CMX250C, a 234cc 4 stroke SOHC parallel twin engine design considered to be among the best "starter" motorcycles on the market.  The reasons this particular motorcycle interests me are:

• It looks like a real motorcycle, not the kind of machine you'd normally see in a sci-fi movie.  Even today's modern car designs make me want to puke.

• Despite being a bit underpowered for today's highways (110 Km/h average reported top speed), it's more than suitable for the smaller country roads, the kind I like to travel during my vacations.

• It has an excellent reputation, a long history and a huge fan base to back it up.

• The seat height is just right for my slightly short legs (29").

• It won't cost a fortune even if I buy it new instead of used.  It all depends on the "generosity" of the dealer.

• Its simple design makes it reasonably easy and inexpensive to maintain.

• It's easy to park which is good since my indoor parking spot is a bit narrow -- although one previous renter did manage to squeeze his big Mercedes in it.

• It will cost no more than ten bucks to fill the tank for a +300 Km trip.

Accessories will be limited to saddlebags for my stuff, and a windshield to properly deflect the wind.  The rest of the motorcycle is more than nice enough to leave it as it is for now.  In fact, that will be one of my main purchasing guidelines whichever bike I may decide to buy.  I don't want to have to pay an extra G-note for accessories that should have been part of the bike in the first place.

Not everything is rosy though.  Registration is $250 a year or $5 less than the cost of registering a car.  And since this will be my first vehicle purchase, the first year's insurance may be a bit steep but still less expensive than insuring a car.  Then again, I still have to learn how to drive the thing!  Even if by chance my license allowed me to drive a motorcycle right now, I'm still going through the training gauntlet which includes proper driving courses.  I have no intention of becoming a statistic.

And the feedback from my family?  My mother hates the idea, my father wishes he had one himself, one sister warned me not to smile (bugs in the teeth), and I haven't reached my other sister yet.  Two for, one against, and one unknown.  Not too bad.

Quick update.  My other sister responded.  She finds the whole concept to be a cool idea and to go for it.  Three for, one against.

By the end of the summer, I'll know if I'm qualified to ride a motorcycle, or if I should stick with mass transit.

Upcoming reviews

The review for "Spartacus" is not quite ready yet, but it is coming.  At least I'm getting back to writing on average one review per week.  I just don't schedule it for a particular day anymore -- just like my updates.  My job and condo building management sometimes gets in the way.

See you at the next update!  And look outside!  Leaves are growing on the trees!  It's green again!

May 3, 2001

The "Being There" review is now available.  Next up, "Spartacus".

While I have your attention, I would like to make a comment on that video involving the Ottawa police officer roughing up an intoxicated woman last November.  Frankly, I don't know what's worse; the incident itself or the broadcast of the tape this week.

The first sign of trouble involved the reporters who kept harassing the poor woman right at her home.  One reporter even had the gall to block her apartment door with his foot!  Then the police decide to suspend the police officer in order to maintain public confidence in the Ottawa police force.  What about suspending the police officer for what he did wrong?  Or is that not important?

The woman was assaulted three times.  Once by the brute, another time by the bonehead reporter, and a third time by the Ottawa police who'd rather protect their public image than the public itself.  I thought Montreal's police force had problems.  But when an incident like this occurs where the aftermath is worse than the incident itself, it would have been better if the tape wasn't broadcast at all.

On another note, the same Ottawa reporters were booing Stockwell Day because he wouldn't answer any of the reporters' questions following a caucus meeting.  Is there something in the water that's making Ottawa reporters behave so badly?

April 30, 2001

Is it time for an update?  You bet it is!  I've been unusually busy at work last week dealing with our main software package's conversion to the Windows NT platform (we're almost there) and I just didn't have time to do the update I wanted to accomplish.

I was also dealing with a temperamental CD-RW drive, but that's another story.  More on that at the next update.

Summit of the Americas

Bear with me on this one.  It's a bit long.

Quebec City hosted the Summit of the Americas a couple of weekends ago.  And many protesters are shocked at the reception they encountered by the Sécurité du Québec or the SQ for short.  Tear gas usage was at an all time high, the police abused their authority, civil and human rights violations were rampant, the treatment of the prisoners at the nearby jail were similar to the kind of conditions normally seen in the jails of third-world countries...

I was actually expecting all of this to happen.

For those who are not well briefed on recent Canadian history, there was a time when Canadians actually saw all their civil rights revoked overnight.  Back in the late sixties, a militant group called the "Front de Libération du Québec" or FLQ were planting bombs at symbols of English dominance all across the city of Montreal.  Their actions took a shocking turn when they kidnapped the British diplomat James Richard Cross and the Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte only five days apart back in the month of October of 1970.  This was known as the beginning of the October Crisis.

Feeling they were losing control over the situation, Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau and Quebec premier Robert Bourassa have requested to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau that the War Measures Act be invoked so that the police could without any restriction arrest anyone they remotely suspect of being an FLQ sympathizer.  After demanding -- and receiving -- a written request for this, Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act and sent in the army to protect federal buildings and help the police maintain law and order.  The police ended up arresting and detaining over 460 people without a warrant or even a valid cause for arrest.

The following day, Pierre Laporte was found dead in the trunk of a car near the St-Hubert airport located southeast of Montreal.  James Richard Cross was finally rescued by the police after over two months of detention by his kidnappers.  As for actually arresting members of the FLQ during the sweeps, the police had very little to show at the end of all this.  Most of the people arrested were picked up simply because of their beliefs or their associations, most of them having never committed any serious crimes in their lives.  Yet during their detention, both the police and the prison guards mistreated the prisoners, denied them their right to a lawyer, preventing them any outside contact with the world, even faking release orders and "executions" at times for kicks.  The number of violations committed against law-abiding citizens were enormous.  And all of this was rendered legal through the implementation of the War Measures Act during a time when Canada was at war with no one except themselves.  And if you believe the reasons for invoking the War Measures Act were valid, then you've never been faced with a surprise visit by the police at four in the morning.

Now with the Summit of the Americas, this gave the SQ another opportunity to commit the same illegal acts without even having to invoke any War Measures Act this time around.  The police went as far as harassing the photographers and the news reporters outside the security perimeter.  A few of them were even arrested.  And just like in 1970, the police and prison guards involved in last week's Summit of the Americas are now being accused of having committed human rights violations.

My, how history repeats itself!

The police are accused of having committed more or less the same type of violations at the Summit of the Americas as were committed back in 1970.  If the events of the Summit were limited to excessive tear gas and water cannon usage, then I would have considered that an improvement since both types of devices are basically defensive measures which mostly irritate people instead of injuring them.  But in this case, we also had rubber bullets, 18 hours detained in cramped prison cells without any food, strip searches in open and highly visible areas, harassment and intimidation, no adequate toilet facilities...  Some members of society in positions of power are behaving as if they've never heard of human rights.

But what annoyed me the most are the protesters who behaved as if they weren't expecting these kind of events to occur.  Have Canadians forgotten their history so quickly?  The October Crisis occurred only thirty years ago.  The Oka Crisis occurred sooner than that, only eleven years ago.  Throw in all the smaller incidents and you have a running history of human rights violations by the police at varying events.  When faced with a delicate situation, the police are ready to do whatever is needed to maintain control of any given situation, even if this means violating a few human rights in the process.  On occasion the police do get carried away, but I accept this situation as the cost of living in this part of the world.  In fact, our present conditions are better than what one would expect in less sympathetic countries where people with views contrary to government policies tend to "disappear" on occasion.

The next time you decide to participate in a protest rally, the chances your rights will be abused is directly proportionate to the importance of the event or issue you're protesting.  A summit of world leaders is on the top of the list, and will bring along the most human rights violations.  So the next time, don't act so surprised if you're hit with a rubber bullet or if you're forced to share a two-person cell with six other people.  Human rights violations are an unfortunate part of human nature, and they will occur no matter how many laws are passed to guard against them.

Erectile dysfunction

You must have seen them.  Those commercials that can even make a woman feel a bit limp.  But has anyone checked out who sponsored all those pitiful commercials?

I started my research with the Web site addresses.  Unfortunately, the French Web site located at http://www.votresantesexuelle.com doesn't reveal anything about the origin of either the commercials or the site itself.  But a quick check with one of the WHOIS registries has revealed that the Web site is owned by Pfizer.  The English Web site is slightly better at identifying itself.  Go to the http://www.edfactscanada.com site and see the tiny Pfizer icon on the main page.  Either way you see it, it seems that all the Erectile Dysfunction associations of Canada are controlled by the same company that manufactures and sells Viagra.

Those commercials are not "public service announcements"; they're commercials intended to sell little blue pills to men so that they can get back their boners.

By the way, Viagra's technical information located at Pfizer's Canadian Web site is, for legal reasons, only available to medical professionals.  So just go to Pfizer's American Web site (change the http://pfizer.ca to http://pfizer.com) and download the unrestricted PDF document from there.  Enjoy the part about the side effects.

Upcoming DVD reviews

The movie "Being There" is almost ready, one of Peter Sellers' greatest accomplishments of his movie career.  Also coming up later in the week will probably be Criterion's edition of "Spartacus", a great DVD package with a rather shocking retail price.

In the meantime, enjoy the weather!

April 22, 2001

The "Defending Your Life" review is up!  The "Being There" review is also on it's way.

April 21, 2001

The "Tank Girl" review is up!  The "Defending Your Life" review is on it's way.

April 16, 2001

Did you miss me?

It's been two weeks since my last update, and that was to let you all know I was busy destroying my hard drive by attempting to install Windows NT.  Well now the job is done and everything seems to be working fine.  I have Windows NT, Windows 98 and OS/2 Warp all installed on the same computer, and there's no sign of any data corruption in progress.  I even replaced IBM's Boot Manager with an MBR resident Boot Manager so that I can recover a primary partition for Windows NT's benefit.

So how do you install Windows NT on a hard drive larger than 8 GB?  By ensuring you have a copy of the three NT setup diskettes (the bootable CD-ROM alone won't work) and replacing the ATAPI.SYS file on the third diskette with the latest version available from Microsoft's Web site.  Once the first phase of the installation process is completed and the system is restarted, you'll need to reboot with a bootable floppy (as long as the operating system on the floppy can access a FAT partition, you're okay) and replace the ATAPI.SYS file on the hard drive with the copy from the third setup diskette.  Unfortunately, the setup program doesn't properly update the file on the hard disk.  Luckily, even if you indicated in the first part of the installation that you wanted to format the NT partition using the NTFS file system, the setup program begins the whole installation process with a FAT partition.  So the partition remains fully accessible until the second part of the installation procedure begins.

So how long did it take me to figure all of this out?  About a month, most of it involving research.  The biggest problem is not the lack of information available on the Internet, but too much information, half of it outdated and/or inaccurate.  So it took a bit of experimenting to find the proper solution.  Even finding the right Boot Manager is still an ongoing struggle.  Most of them are either ugly or buggy.  It's a good thing "FDISK /MBR" will clean out any messy MBR sector.  I'll probably end up writing my own Boot Manager just to obtain the features I want.  If I do create my own Boot Manager, I might share it with the rest of you.  And if you haven't understood any of this, ignore it.  Don't try anything unless you enjoy risking your precious data to a component you haven't tried out in the past..

That reminds me.  Do you back up your files on a regular basis?

The snow is gone!  The snow is gone!

Finally!  I was starting to go crazy!  And I wasn't the only one!  With the return of the warm weather, store-front terraces across the city have all opened up just in time for the Easter weekend.  The fact the temperature is still a bit on the chilly side doesn't hold back sun-starved Montrealers from soaking up the sun.

Unfortunately, along with the return of the warm weather, we also have a new crop of potholes to deal with.  Quebec roads are already in a sorry state of affairs, and last winter's harsh weather has made things much worse, probably the worst road conditions ever encountered since Quebec's roads were originally built.  Even the highways have dangerous potholes which could send a car off the road and into a ditch.

Let's just enjoy the spring and summer weather while we can, and avoid riding in automobiles as much as possible.

Mass transit is becoming a massive headache!

It would be nice to suggest to all of you that it's better to use Montreal's mass transit system to get around town instead of trying to drive on our bad roads, but that suggestion isn't possible at this time.  Our transit system has become rather unreliable in the last couple of years.  We are currently suffering from a severe shortage of working busses.  As a result, less frequented bus routes are being cut while others are seeing the availability of vehicles dramatically reduced.  The buses are now late, overcrowded and unreliable.

Even the rush hour bus I usually take broke down during the last big snowstorm of the winter season and never showed up at the bus stop.  There were a lot of angry people that were left stranded since this was also the last rush hour bus available in the morning.  So I and many others were left with the daunting task of finding a taxi during that very bad morning just to get to work.  Many of us were questioning as to why we even bother with mass transit at all if it can't even get us to work on time.  Even the metro is suffering from overcrowding to the point where the trains pull into the station so jam-packed that it's impossible to get in at all.  And you're left waiting for the second or third train hoping at the very least you won't arrive too late for work.  The metro has been highly reliable for years and it was always possible to get on board.  Why is it suffering from so many overcrowding problems all of a sudden?

If this keeps up, even I will be interested in purchasing a car in the future now that I know how to get to work within twenty minutes (I learned this from morning cab rides to work).  The unpredictability of the M.U.C.T.C. is becoming too serious to trust them to get you to work on time.

What is it with all the diaper commercials?

Quickly!  When you hear the words "Feels just like real underwear", am I talking about diapers for babies or for adults?

I know it's important to bridge the generation gap, but the commercials the advertising companies have produced over the last year or two have become rather ridiculous!  All a baby really wants is to feel comfortable; it may not really care if his or her diaper has cute designs or stars on it.  As for the adult "protective garments", I can certainly understand the "discretionary" factor.  With the aging population growth, it's not unusual for bladder control problems to increase as well.

But do the advertising companies have to go as far as to make the two sets of commercials so bloody similar?  Turn off the picture of the TV and you'll wonder if the commercials are geared for babies or adults!  The first time I heard "Feels just like real underwear" on an adult commercial, I went "Huh?  What?" until I actually turned my head and looked at the TV set.

Any reviews this week?

Not yet, but they're coming!  It's been a very active few weeks in the DVD department lately, and I'm still trying to make up my mind exactly which movies I should review.  Since my last update, I've purchased "Lawrence of Arabia", "Satirycon", "Being There", "Defending Your Life", "Never Say Never Again" and "Tank Girl".

I know what you're thinking.  "TANK GIRL?!?  Why did he buy that?"  I've always liked the cover art ever since the movie was released on Laserdisc.  Now that it's been released on DVD at an affordable price, I finally decided to give it a shot.

It's a very bizarre post-apocalyptic movie.

When you think about it, that DVD would make an interesting title to review.  I'm already geared up to review Albert Brooke's excellent comedy "Defending Your Life", but I also want to review another title just to catch up on the last few weeks of nonexistent postings.  Since all the other sites have already reviewed "Lawrence of Arabia" (my opinion of the transfer is pretty much the same as everyone else's), I might as well review a title no one has reviewed yet.  It would certainly show that I'm not afraid to take on an occasional oddball title from time to time.  So "Tank Girl" it is!

The two reviews will be written during the week, so check out the top of this page in the next few days for an official announcement.  In the meantime, have a nice, sunny, Quebec riot-free week!

March 30, 2001

If you're wondering why there hasn't been an update yet, it's because I'm doing something incredibly hazardous with my notebook computer: I'm trying to install Windows NT Workstation.

Such an operation is more hazardous than you think.  For starters, this installation is being performed on a 11.5 GB hard drive which Windows NT is unable to properly recognize even with the updated IDE drivers supplied by Microsoft.  Another problem is that I already have two operating systems spread over four partitions on my hard drive.  Already, Windows NT screwed up the hard disk's partition table by creating an overlapping NT partition entry.  If it wasn't for the PTEDIT utility furnished with PartitionMagic, it would have been impossible to correct the problem and the drive would have had to be reinitialized.

And that's why I haven't done an update.  I can't start writing one if there's a risk of losing the hard drive along with my updates during the installation of an operating system.  And if you have to ask, yes I do have a backup drive, but the backup is only performed once a month since the procedure is already a highly hazardous operation.  Until I resolve the NT installation issue (or get Windows 2000 instead), the Web site updates will be temporarily suspended.  Then again, I do need a bit of a break...

As Arnold would say, "A'll be baack!"

March 22, 2001

City Mergers: the petition is rigged!

This has not been a good week for Montreal mayor Pierre Bourque.  Supposedly his petition in favour of the city mergers was a bit "inflated".  It was discovered by a council member that although the names on the petition are very different, the handwriting is very similar.  After going through the various stacks, the initial tally of fifty thousand signatures was reduced to a mere sixteen thousand.

The Biker and The Papa are no more

The Village People has lost one of their members last week.  Glenn Hughes a.k.a. Biker passed away last week of lung cancer at the age of 50.  Hughes left the band in 1996 to pursue a solo career, which is a testimony on how popular the late seventies disco group turned out to be.  Macho, macho man...

The Mamas And The Papas also lost a member this week.  John Philips died of a heart attack at the age of 65.  Unlike The Village People, The Mamas And The Papas only lasted three years.  But the music they've created is still popular even today.

Web Site Woes

The plug was pulled on the Web site Icebox.com last month.  As is often the case, the Web site was unable to support itself financially, and the investors were becoming restless.  Not much news is available on the matter, but this doesn't change the fact the site is another victim of the high-tech collapse of the last few months.  The huge payoff everyone was hoping for never materialized and the site was unceremoniously shut down on February 7.  All we can hope is that the bounty of Flash animation the Web site has produced hasn't been lost along with the Web site.

The DVD e-tailer Express.com is also in trouble, having recently filed for bankruptcy protection.  This site has been in trouble for quite some time when they bit off more than they can chew with their constant 40% off specials in order to fight off competing Web sites which were also pushing DVD related products.  You can only fight off the competition for a limited amount of time before your own finances become seriously compromised.  Last summer, the site was put on C.O.D. status (all deliveries must be paid on delivery, no credit) and it has never recovered from this setback.  It's only a matter of time before Express.com throws in the towel and there is a dogfight for the site's domain name.

Blue Man Group actually exists

Have you seen those Intel commercials featuring three black-suited blue-headed guys playing PVC pipes?  The commercials do indicate these three guys are members of "Blue Man Group".  At first I thought this was simply another marketing gimmick -- until I saw a hyperlink to the Blue Man Group Web site from Intel's own Web site.

You'll find their Web site at http://www.blueman.com where you'll discover they actually do use PVC pipes as musical instruments along with other building materials.  Some designs are truly elaborate and emit a truly unique sound.  If you want to see them live, they're currently performing at the Luxor hotel and casino in Las Vegas.  You can also purchase a copy of the CD or DVD as well.

Do you have your hard hat ready?

Mir is coming down this week on Friday at about 0630 GMT or 1:30 a.m. EST.  After fifteen years of almost-loyal service, the huge space station the size of five city buses will be brought down from earth orbit in a re-entry course that will see the huge structure burn up on re-entry and fall harmlessly in the southern part of the Pacific ocean.  At least that's what everyone hopes will happen.  Because if the booster rocket at the end of Mir doesn't fire properly, the station will continue it's already slow descent and fall who knows where a couple of weeks from now, and in bigger pieces than under the planned controlled descent.

New review

The review of "Ben Hur" is now available as promised.  The DVD has become one of those very controversial DVD titles since it's release just last week.  The problem is not with the movie itself.  The problem is with the transfer and the origins of the source material.

Have a good week!  And look outside!  The snow is finally melting!  The temperature is rising!  At this rate the terraces on St-Denis Street will be out in time for the weekend.  I know it will still be only slightly above the freezing point, but we are a hardy lot who know how to take advantage of good weather when it finally shows up!

Oops!  I spoke too soon!  Here it comes again!

March 14, 2001

A couple of changes

First of all, I've taken the High Speed Internet information from the archives and copied them over to their own page.  If you're planning to make the jump to High Speed Internet access, this new page will help you set up your computer properly, and show you how you can protect your system from malicious hackers.  All this is very important since unlike dial-up access, a long term almost-permanent high speed Internet connection makes it very easy for rogues to locate your machine and create plenty of havoc before you even realize what has happened.

The next change involves the addition of a Webcam page.  I got my hands on an IBM Webcam Pro Max and decided to put it to good use with the help of the Webcam32 software by The Surveyor Corporation.  It's not my intention to record my life twenty-four hours a day, but the webcam will give my family the opportunity to see me while I'm talking to them on the phone.  Later on, I hope other members my family decide to acquire High Speed Internet access so we can try out some video conferencing.  More toys for the modern era!

Two items no longer used

I had to dump the Netscape browser.  Version 4.73 of the program was becoming more and more unstable with each passing day, and no new updates have been issued for quite some time.  Netscape has decided to concentrate their efforts on their version 6 of their browser which is still way too new and erratic to be used as my standard browser.  As for Microsoft's Internet Explorer, it's reasonably stable and functioning properly despite some annoying features.  So I'll use that for now until a better browser comes along which functions properly and doesn't crash too frequently.

The next item is not computer related, it's magazine related.  More specifically, Mad Magazine related.  I've been reading Mad Magazine for the last thirty years.  I even have the issue that I clearly remember seeing for the very first time when I was five.  The cover has an image of Alfred E. Newman shown on a TV screen riddled with tomato debris, one viewer obviously not appreciating what was presented on the screen.  It was in a way a vision of things to come.

For the first time in 44 years, Mad Magazine has begun to accept outside advertising.  And I can't trust a magazine where the content could be affected by outside influences.  I didn't like the fact that Time-Warner bought the magazine a few years ago.  The satires of a few Warner Brothers movies seemed to be published long before the movies were even released in the theaters.  So not unexpectedly, some movies satirized in the magazine didn't seem to be slammed as much as others.

But with the appearance of the Altoids advertising on the back cover of an issue published earlier this year, that's when I said "enough already".  Can the magazine honestly mock one of their own advertisers?  That's very doubtful.  You normally don't bite the hand that feeds you.  In effect, the magazine that dared to buck (and demolish) the establishment for so many years has finally become a part of that establishment.  And I want no part of this sell-out.

Bits and pieces

• The Vancouver Grizzlies basketball team may be moving to the United States.  The NBA franchise has not performed well at all on the court, and the American owner who originally wanted to keep the team in Vancouver wants to get the heck out of there as soon as possible.  This doesn't sit well at all with the current fan base who put up with the string of losses game after game.  Does anyone see the resemblance with the Grizzlies and Montreal's baseball and hockey teams?  All three are losing teams, and all three are owned by Americans.

• The Two Mountains region near Montreal has an interesting dilemma.  Seven small municipalities want to join together to form one large municipality, but the Quebec government only wants three of the seven municipalities to merge together.  Why the sudden change in attitude?  The Quebec government has enough problems dealing with the backlash and anger from citizens and municipal officials resisting the mergers in the first place.  Why are they preventing one region from accomplishing exactly what they want them to accomplish in the first place?

• Toronto received the Olympic Committee this week.  Unfortunately, with the cameras following their every move, it may not have been possible for the Toronto Olympic Committee to offer the usual assortment of bribes and perks to the committee members.  This could hurt Toronto's Olympic bid pretty seriously.  The Chinese have the advantage of being able to completely control their media outlets and ensure all backroom transactions are handled with total discretion.  The again, without the Olympic Games to drain the city coffers, Toronto could better orient their meagre resources to more beneficial ventures such as affordable housing.

• Montreal's Olympic Stadium (which by the way we still owe money for it's construction) was the host of the Montreal Home Show last week.  I went there to find some inspiration for my loft and ended up leaving the place pretty much empty handed.  On the flip side, the stadium staff did an excellent job in making room for the show while at the same time avoid the hazardous play field right below the unpredictable roof.  By taking over some of the hallway space, part of the underground parking lot and the entire pool area, the show was still big enough to accommodate the exhibits, the crowds and the traditional house while at the same time break the monotony of having a huge show held in a single big room.  And even if I didn't quite find what I was looking for, it doesn't mean you couldn't find something interesting for yourself.  One comment to the RV manufacturer present at the show: move away from the old-fashioned wood grain furniture, and start creating more modern gigs inside your vehicles.  Not every retiree wants to continue living in the seventies.

Upcoming review

I just picked up "Ben Hur".  And although I haven't watched it yet (it's three and a half hours long), what I did see up to now is quite impressive!  The picture is excellent and the sound greatly improved although a bit weak in the bass.  My only serious complaint would be that the title isn't available as a two-disc set.  The main problem with dual-sided DVD's such as this one (dual-layered dual-sided DVD in this case) is that they're very DVD changer hostile.  I'm talking more specifically of the affordable 200 disc units that are coming out more frequently these days.  What's the point of purchasing a DVD changer if you still have to eject and flip the disc to watch the other side?

A full review is scheduled for next week.  But if you already love this movie, you must buy this DVD.  For the going street price of just over $25 Canadian, this is a hard deal to beat.  The chariot race alone makes this disc a must-buy.

Have a good week!  And don't choke on the snow!

March 8, 2001

Better late than never!

And for a good reason too!  I waited for this one title for quite a long time and it finally arrived last Tuesday.  And is this movie ever worth the wait!

Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window".

This is probably the best movie the famous chubby director has ever made.  The story starts innocent enough, only to grab you by the neck and hold on until the very end!  This is an "old style" movie where the storyline is the main vehicle for the entire movie.  No elaborate special effects, no talent-less figureheads, no complicated staging wizardry.  Just a fantastic movie with a highly talented cast and a great story that just builds and builds as any good movie should do.  It's a masterpiece of suspense lovingly restored by Robert Harris and James Katz, two film restoration specialists that have somehow managed to save many movies just before the remaining prints and negatives became totally unrecoverable.

Read the review.  You'll be shocked on how such an old movie can still have such an effect on so many people these days -- unless you've been brainwashed with one too many present-day Hollywood cookie-cutter flicks.

Coronation Day

Bernard Landry is now the new leader of the Parti Québecois and the new premier of Quebec.  All that's missing is the crown.

What's really annoying is that there were no contenders for the job.  And that worries me greatly.  Unfortunately, a contender can't go against the favourite because if they don't get the job, essentially they're finished in politics.  They'll be seen as not being a team player or if you prefer, being against "the boss".  So an essential element of our democracy is being pushed aside by the fear of candidates losing their job along with the nomination bid.

In the end, we end up with a provincial leader that might have won a majority vote by his delegates.  But because no formal party election has been held, we'll never know the truth.

It almost feels like the last American presidential election and it's Florida ballot fiasco.

Snow!  Snow!  Go Away!  Don't come back until next year!

All right.  So it doesn't rhyme.  But what do you expect?  We've had so much snow this year that it's starting to clog my mind!  This is getting ridiculous!  It's so bad that I'm even starting to have some sympathy for the Eastern seaboard and their modest two foot snow dump!  Even one person in the building where I live made a passing remark about the "white shit" that's still falling from the sky!

A vacation in the tropics is starting to sound quite attractive...  Maybe I should plan my vacation a little early.  Even B.C. looks good with their unusually high temperatures!

Anyway, have a good week and don't get a heart attack while shovelling the snow.