Life, Linux and the Pursuit of Happiness

I seem to go through periods where I don’t have much to say to anyone about anything. I would say that I just went through another period of silence. Even when I meet up with people I haven’t spoken to in quite some time, I don’t know what to say.

Hopefully that has now come to an end for this year.

Not having much to say is a good thing when it comes to my iPhone. I think if I talked more I would have thrown it in the garbage by now. It is the worst cell phone I have ever used. It is also the best mobile internet device I have ever used. As I don’t really like to talk on the phone, I’m still using it. I just can’t believe that Apple could screw up so badly when it comes to making a phone. There is one thing a cell phone needs to be above all else, a phone. A phone that doesn’t drop calls. A phone that is responsive when you try to dial a number. As a “smart phone” it really needs to be able to do one other thing. COPY & PASTE! What moron thought it was a good idea to leave that out I can probably guess.

In summery, don’t buy an iPhone if you need a real phone.

I’ve wanted a telescope ever since I was a little kid. The last year I have been looking at them online and trying to get an idea of what I would like. Every time I’ve looked I’ve realize that I don’t know enough to make a decision on what would be right. Today I went to Efston Science to talk to the staff about telescope. I ended up walking away with one.

Here’s my new baby.

It’s a Vixen Optics R130Sf. I wanted something that was portable and that my nieces can get their hands on. The mount on this thing is wonderfully smooth. There is no tension lock when you try to move it so you don’t get any kind of jarring while you are aiming.

Tonight under the bright skies of Toronto, I really saw the moon for the first time. It was so bright i couldn’t look at it for longer than a minute. Then I looked at Jupiter and some of the Jovian moons. The wind was strong enough to cause a vibration in the telescope so I couldn’t see Jupiter or her moons as well as I would have liked. I’m headed up to Huntsville, far away from light pollution, for the weekend. Supposedly with this telescope I will be able to see galaxies and nebulas.

I’ve never been this eager to go north before.

This is for future reference. I wonder if it will be exceeded in the coming days and weeks.

Single biggest point decline in the history of the TSX and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Image taken from the Canadian Google finance page.

I have been listening to a podcast from CBC Radio called Ideas. They did a series of interviews with scientists and philosophers called “How To Think About Science”. It’s a fantastic program that I recommend everyone listen to. The episode with James Lovelock is rather sobering and if you don’t have time to listen to all of the program, listen it. James Lovelock is the man that created the concept of Gaia and is also responsible for tracking CFCs and linking them to the depletion of the ozone layer.

How To Think About Science

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