( So... that's what would have happened... )

( Or... at least the season does? How did we do? Spoilers galore. )

Henry Morgentaler (crusader for abortion rights) was awarded the Order of Canada - with the predictable angst and cloth rending that one might expect:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/02/f-morgentaler.html

The Tories are losing support with women:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080703/tories_women_080703/20080703?hub=Politics

The Supreme Court of Canada overturned a decision by the Refugee Board to deny an American who doesn't want to participate in the war in Iraq asylum:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080704/war_dodger_080704/20080704?hub=Canada
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/04/refugee-ruling.html

They also redefined Fair Comment/Liable laws:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/02/f-scoc-freespeech.html

The test now looks like this:

C. The Test for Fair Comment

(a) the comment must be on a matter of public interest
(b) the comment must be based on fact;
(c) the comment, though it can include inferences of fact, must be recognizable as comment;
(d) the comment must satisfy the following objective test: could any [person] honestly express that opinion on the proved facts?
(e) even though the comment satisfies the objective test the defence can be defeated if the plaintiff proves that the defendant was [subjectively] actuated by express malice.

Apparently this upset the infamous Jessie Helms so much that he expired:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080704/Helms_dead_080704/20080704?hub=TopStories

And the march of the iPhone lemmings begins...

http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/04/iphone-3g-lines-start-at-the-apple-cube-one-week-early/2#c13008526



Yes, they really are in line waiting for the new iPhone to start selling... in one week from today.

Clearly, no life and apparently no jobs either...

So sad.. so very sad.

It does show why the 'rational consumer' model that underpins capitalism and freemarket system is clearly wrong. And yes, they have every right to do this - just as I have every right to drive a nail into my skull with a hammer - but that doesn't make it a smart or even sane thing to do... :)

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/07/03/bell-instinct.html

Bell will be offering 'unlimited' Internet with their Samsung Instinct phone - $40 a month.

You can't use it for tethering, and as usual, the word 'unlimited' means something very different to ISPs (especially telcos) than it does to consumers... In this case, it seems to mean any HTML based process - surfing and web-based email.

But the first shot has been fired.

Since FA is down hard for the moment, I'll post this here.



Push it.. PUUUUSHHHH it...


Kurst has waited a LONG time for this and really I still need to work on the hands and ears... but I think it's turning out rather well.

I think I'm getting the hang of the tablet pc... :)

Here's what I wrote to Fido:

Why do you make it SO difficult to find out about your data plans? Try it - from the front of your website, try and find out what your data plans are.

Most of the time you'll get that comparison chart that shows you have several different rates - but is missing the amount of data included in the plan - so it makes all the different rates look the same, except for price, which makes no sense.

Also, on your iPhone rate plans, you don't show that you can use other plans - something Rogers/Fido spokeswoman Liz Hamilton has told the press customers can do.

The #1 complaint most people have about cell phone companies is that they make buying a phone plan way too complicated with too many options that are very poorly defined. I recently got nailed with this when I was sold up to a new option package which has backup features for my contacts on my phone... but wasn't told that it doesn't work with most phones, including mine.

Instead of trying to trick us into getting a plan, why not just clearly list all your plans and then list all the plans that work with each phone you sell. Be upfront and clear about limits on the plans.

Like your email plan. It's not a full email plan: it's very limited and only works on about eight email sources, but trying to find out exactly WHICH eight is a pain. It's about five clicks down.

Or your 'unlimited web surfing' plan - which only works on a handful of your phones.

Most people know what they want - why make it so hard for them to find it and buy it?

Here's their reply:

We would like to thank you for visiting our website.

We are sorry to learn that your recent experience with Fido was not a positive one and did not meet your expectations.

The price plans for the iPhone 3G have been specifically created to deliver the best value to customers and an optimal voice and data experience. However, if that is their wish, our customers may use their iPhone 3G on their existing voice plan.

If you do not choose to activate an iPhone package, the data transmission will be billed at the pay per use rate of 5¢ per kb unless you subscribe to a data option. You will find more information on our data options by clicking here.

More information will be brought forth in regard to packages and policies on July 11th. We invite you to check back on fido.ca at this time for more information.

We wish you a nice day.

Cordially,

Carole | Consultant on fido.ca | Fido Solutions Inc.

For $1.25 only, you to call a taxi everywhere in Canada 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by simply dialing #TAXI ( #8294) from your Fido!

Well, she kind of missed pretty much the entire point and most of my specific questions, but she did answer the ONE question I had about the iPhone. So, there you go - if you don't want a data plan, you can get an iPhone for voice only. Mind you - can't promise you'll get it for $199/$299. Might be worth it.

On the other hand, unless there's a way to forcibly tell the iPhone not to use 3G EVER... it could be a very dangerous thing to keep in your pocket...

Excellent movie. Both funny and kind of tragic and surprisingly, it all fits together and makes sense (if you accept one rather big leap of 'faith').

And wow - they have flying and throwing big objects SFX down to an ART now.

The story has a few jumps to it that are a bit disconcerting - I think the pacing could have been a bit better - but noting too jarring.

If you're into 'realism' and 'superhero/SF', you'll like this, I think.

Lifted from gamble:

Special Canada Day Report: How Canada stole the American Dream

The numbers are in. Compared to the U.S., we work less, live longer, enjoy better health and have more sex. And get this: now we're wealthier too.

http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20080625_50113_50113&page=1

And as if that wasn't enough:

Everybody loves us

Maclean's annual How the World Sees Canada poll shows deep admiration for a country we don't seem to like so much ourselves. What gives?

http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20071121_6054_6054&source=srch&page=1

Oddest statistics:

If you moved to Canada, would you expect to have a better quality of life?(% who agree)
United States 91%
Rest of world 85

Yes, most Americans polled think that life in Canada is *better* than in the US!

Is Canada a partner in the military or peacekeeping operations currently taking place in:(% who agree)
Afghanistan:
United States 93%
Rest of world 23
IRAQ:
United States 51%(they’re wrong)
Rest of world 25

Apparently, a lot of Americans don't know we're not in the Iraq war. Then again Ann Coulter argued with a Canadian reporter that Canada was in Vietnam... it would seem that she hadn't heard of Draft Dodgers (which is odd since they're hated by her clique)...

But... I wouldn't be Canadian without slamming my own country - so here's the dissenting view:

Commodity boom blinds Canada to problems: report
Canadians shouldn't be fooled by high commodity prices into thinking their economy is on the right track because, in fact, it is slipping badly in comparison with other rich countries, a report said on Monday...

http://finance.sympatico.msn.ca/investing/news/breakingnews/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8351790

( Ok.. here be spoilers so click on your own volition )

Like, I'm in the lunch room wit de guys and there's dis flyer thing for Dominos advertizing "Brooklyn" style pizza, and I'm thinking - hey, what the heck is a "Brooklyn" style pizza?

So, I head over to Dominos and ya know - order one up.

It's a thin-crust cracker with a raised edge. Big whoop-de-doo.

Dere. Now youse knows.

Caio.. I'm outta here.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/30/tech-iphone.html

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/23/tech-iphone.html

http://ctv.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080630.wiphone30/tech/Technology/techBN/ctv-technology

http://gizmodo.com/5020589/canadians-write-angry-letter-to-steve-jobs-over-iphone-plan-in-the-great-white-north

http://ruinediphone.com/

And a little info about how the activation process will be handled has slipped out (although as we've seen - these memos slipped out of Rogers seem to be *wildly* inaccurate)...

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/rogers-iphone-3g-in-store-activation-process-gets-detailed/

http://101things.ca/list.php

This is a constantly changing list as people vote for and add new items they feel define 'being Canadian.'

Not surprisingly the top ten things (at the moment) are:

1 Maple Leaf
2 Hockey
3 Queen Elizabeth
4 Vimy Ridge
5 Canadian Flag
6 Confederation
7 Universal Health Care
8 Terry Fox
9 Peacekeeping
10 RCMP/ Mounties

Ok.. I'll admit, seeing the Queen there at three kind of surprises me. I knew most Canadians love the Queen - but she's really not a visible or even functional part of day to day Canadian life.

To vote or just look at the list and more details:

http://101things.ca

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/HowMuchOilIsThereReally.aspx

Interesting article which reinforces some of what I've been saying. The 'peak oil' fans like to talk as if we actually know how much oil there is, basing their conclusions on oil production rates (typically), but as this article shows, that's pretty much speculation as it assumes that oil functions like any other commodity in a classic freemarket system - which it doesn't.

The entire current spectacle of runaway speculation, which is the primary cause of high oil prices literally has no connection to supply/demand of *oil*, but everything to do with supply/demand of futures. People assume (correctly) that we're going to need oil and probably more of it. They also assume (correctly) that there isn't an unlimited source of oil. Finally, they assume (somewhat correctly, but probably less significant than believed) that the Chinese and Indians will drive up demand a lot, quickly.

So, since the US$ is doing so crappily, they're moving their bets to oil and with SO many people doing this, the demand for oil *futures* has skyrocketed - which, ironically, has made the price of *oil* shoot up.

Most oil company execs (even though they hate to admit it), along with most of the OPEC countries (who have nothing to gain by saying this) admit that the 'correct' price of oil should be around $65/barrel based on their own estimates of reserves and demand.

To make things even more complicated, we have two relatively unrelated issues that have become entangled in the minds of most people: running out of oil and global warming. For some reason people are expecting the price of oil to go up *because* of global warming - so trying to switch to some other fuel for logistical reasons is getting confused with switching to another energy source for environmental reasons.

It's time to stop panicking and pop the speculation bubble.

What happens when a society confuses equal with identical?

This is the Canadian version of Kurt Vonnegut's story.

There was an American version - shorter - about which after reviewing the completed film, Mr. Vonnegut went on to say, "I am glad to see the appropriate measures taken with my story."

This is the complete movie as hosted on Google Video - 99 minutes running length.

The original short story is here: http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html

I've never seen so many cars pulled over along the side of the highway before... and TWO car-be-ques - one on the way up - the car was completely gutted... The person seems to have managed to pull over and I hope get out before it was incinerated. On the way back, you could see a black patch by the side of the road where the car sat. They'd moved the car to a safer place.

A bit further along, on the either side of the road, were two buses and a huge crowd of Chinese people milling around in the woods, also very odd... and then just a little further along - ANOTHER car parked on the side of the road, totally incinerated.

My bus was filled with... well, unusually clueless people. Fortunately, they weren't too annoying.

Now, along the 97C connector highway a few weeks ago, I noticed that someone had built a cairn that looked roughly like an inukshuk. This is a pile of rocks that looks sort of like a person and is used to mark a special place or a route. It was placed high up on a cliff face.

The next time, I noticed another one. Now we're up to seven of them - and the newest one is on the other side of the highway. Some are just arranged piles of rocks - some are very well constructed and look like a little tree made of rocks or a proper inukshuk. I find myself compelled to try to photograph them and document them. :)

Mind you, photographing them from a Greyhound bus travelling at 110kmph is tricky. Here's the one that looks like a tree:



To give you a sense of scale: here's the full picture:

http://www.werewolves.ca/lj/DSCN1552.JPG

I'll post the other ones once I clean them up.

I grabbed Kalyway's 10.5.2 install DVD and gave it a shot on my Toshiba M700, and as before, it panic traps on the installer. So, as is suggested, I go into BIOS and disable dual core and try again.. and suddenly, the installer works!

I get all the way through install and I select the experimental X3100 drivers and the drivers that should work with the Tosh - and away it goes... then the reboot.. and....

The screen comes up, I get the Apple logo.. the spinner spinning away... then the screen goes blue - so far so good... then it goes all white and black streaky fading in and out and that's that.

None of the video driver combos work. Hopefully when they get the X3100 driver worked out.

*pouts*

Well, closer than before. :)

Suddenly, I'm glad the new US Supreme Court threw out the concept of preserving precident...

Because wow - when they can take a sentence - and a really badly worded one at that - and essentially ignore half of it to come to the conclusion they did... not to mention completely ignoring the consequences of that decision...

Well - I'm not a believer in 'activist judges', but the notion that they're smart men and women just went out the window.

Ah well. Not for the first time, I'm glad I'm up here.

We may have more crime per capita (although it depends on what you include as a 'crime': Canadians commit far fewer violent crimes), but we have WAY fewer deaths by firearms. When property becomes more important than life, well, there's something screwed up in your values.

It also kind of puts a dent in the 'when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns' cliche.

Maybe the US would be better off if it stopped worrying about getting guns and started worrying about why their society is so messed up that you NEED to carry guns.

[And yes, this post is comment locked. I'll be blunt, I'm *very* disappointed by this decision and I really don't feel like getting into an argument about gun rights. I've heard it all before. I've run the numbers. I know the facts and I know the reality. I've spent *years* analysing it. I'm also tired of trying to convince people. Believe what you want - I know I'm not going to change your mind and at some level, I no longer care to. I'm not actually anti-gun ownership, but just like we don't let people own a car or any other seriously dangerous device without obligating them to know how and when to use it, nor do we allow people who are clearly not safe to own and use one to continue doing so, guns should be no different. People who argue they need a gun in self-defense, or to protect themselves from tyrannic governments miss the bigger picture: when you have a society totally obsessed with property and status that doesn't provide for the needy in a way that protects their dignity, you get crime - when you have a population which barely bothers to show up for elections, and an electoral system so convoluted and geared to the rich - you get bad governments. Fix these things first before worrying about who can and can't own a device, the primary function of which is to punch holes in people...]

The plan rates for the iPhone 3G in Canada on Rogers and Fido have been announced.

http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-products/iphone_voice_data_packages

They're all voice/data combos.
None are 'unlimited' data.
All include unlimited weekend/evening minutes (9pm to 7am!).
All include visual voicemail.
All include unlimited WiFi access to Rogers/Fido hotspots (of which I've seen exactly zero in the real world).

Now the bad news.

$60 - 150 weekday mins - 400MB data - 75 text messages - 35c/min over weekdays
$75 - 300 weekday mins - 750MB data - 100 text messages - 35c/min over weekdays
$100 - 600 weekday mins - 1GB data - 200 text messages - 25c/min over weekdays
$115 - 800 weekday mins - 2GB data - 300 text messages - 15c/min over weekdays

15c per text message over the limit on text messages.
50c/MB for first 60MB, 3c/MB after that for over the limit on data.

Add $15 to add Call Display, WhoCalled, 2500 sent messages, Caller Ring Trax and 2500 Call forwardign mins
Add another $5 to up the sent messages to 10,000 and add 6pm early evening unlimited calling.

3 year contract *required*.

My current plan is $30 with all the extras - no data, 200mins a week + unlimited evenings (7pm to 7am!) and weekends using a WiMo Wizard that gives me most of the advantages of the iPhone.

So much for that 'leaked' memo. :)

I'll pass on the iPhone for now, thanks. Maybe when we get more carriers carrying it.

---

Reactions are swift and almost universally negative:

http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/06/27/rogers-new-iphone-3g-plans-anger-some-canadians

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/27/rogers-announces-iphone-3g-plans-unlimited-data-isnt-one-of-th/#comments

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/27/iphone.html

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080627/roger_iPhone_080627/20080627?hub=SciTech

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/06/25/good.apologies/index.html

I know at least one person in my (now distant) past who should read this and take it to heart.

A leaked memo explains the new data plans that will go with the iPhone in Canada.

- $30/mo for 'unlimited' web/email.
- $45/mo for 'unlimited' web/email + Exchange access.

3 year contract is *required* with a data plan and a 'qualified' voice plan.

The phone can be returned within the first 30 days. After that, you're stuck with it.

There's a few missing bits still...

- Can this rate plan be used with non-iPhone smartphones like WiMo? (Probably not - the Hiptop had its own special low cost data plan too.)

- Which voice plans are 'qualified' voice plans?

- What does 'unlimited' really mean? I ask this because Bell and Telus have had unlimited plans in past year and when you read the fine print, unlimited is unlimited in terms of volume, but really limited in terms of what you can use that volume for.

- What happens when you travel outside the country? I'm going to Europe in August and probably into the US a few times this year. The iPhone is different from most phones in that it relies fairly heavily on the internet over EDGE or 3G. You can use WiFi, but if it goes to data while I'm out of Canada, the phone bill could be nightmarish. This is why I run NoData on my Wizard to disable ALL cell-based data access.

This news kind of changes my feelings about getting an iPhone again. The new iPhone *requires* a 3-year contract with data, no exceptions. If I get one and find I don't like it, I'm hosed for three years and my phone bill doubles. I can switch back to my Wizard, but I'll be stuck paying $30/mo for something I can't use. If I could tether the iPhone to my laptop, then it would be worth it.

I guess I'll have to wait until the official announcements and see if this data rate plan is generic or iPhone-only.

On the other hand, Motorola now makes a PCMCIA Expedience modem and if I can get my hands on one and get it registered with Rogers or Bell's Portable Internet, I'll have high speed real internet by radio on my laptop for the same price, but without a contract committment.