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April 16, 2004

"Reality TV": Am I Missing Something?

Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand people actually having seemingly rational and intelligent conversation about the various "Reality TV" shows that have infested television. I mean, it's like dissecting last night's WWF pay-per-view match as if it were a bona-fide sport. (Not that I esteem professional sports much more highly than professional wrestling, mind you.)

Does anyone actually believe that there's any basis in actual reality to these "Reality" shows? How'd they manage to get every girl from "The Apprentice" to look hot in underwear? I guess they have a side deal with "Extreme Makeover"?

Posted by Steve at 12:25 PM | | Comments (1)

March 28, 2004

Introvertster - My Kind of Online Community

Ah, now this is my kind of online community...

:)

Posted by Steve at 04:44 PM | | Comments (0)

February 03, 2004

You Know You're Getting Old When...


I was watching VH1's "Top 80 of the 80's" when Christopher (my 3 1/2 year-old) caught a glimpse of Robert Smith of The Cure. He cracked up laughing like he had seen a clown. (He thought Aimee Mann of 'Til Tuesday was pretty funny too.)

Posted by Steve at 08:27 PM | | Comments (0)

January 25, 2004

My Christianity Blog

I've created my Christianity blog, as promised. If you're interested in following the side of me, check it out.

Posted by Steve at 12:54 AM | | Comments (0)

January 21, 2004

How to Get that Song Out of My Head!

I finally figured out how to get an extremely annoying song out of my head.

First, the problem. I have a serious disorder that requires an annoying song to be playing in my mind at all times. Unfortunately, I only have to come into brief contact with such horrifically catchy crap as Clay Aitken's "Invisible" (I swear, the ONLY reason I listened to it was to watch the video credits at the end to see if he was saying "invisible" or "invincible". The song was just too creepy if it was "invisible", but alas...), "Oops! I Did it Again", or "Complicated" to have it play non-stop for an entire day in my head. I'm a tortured individual.

The solution. Sing "The Berenstain Bears". So far it's worked every time for me... The song is still annoying, but hey, it's the Berenstain Bears!


They're kinda furry around the torso... they're a lot like people, only more so...

Posted by Steve at 01:30 PM | | Comments (0)

January 20, 2004

Messenger == Telephone?

If you notice from the screen cap in the previous post, my Messenger status is "offline". I've been in that mode a lot lately. I'm finding that Messenger is starting to become like the telephone for me. If you know me, you'll know that is NOT a good thing. Here's an idea of how much I despise the telephone: I did a set of personality tests a few months ago. One of the tests had me arrange about 20 things in order from bad to good. When I had finished ranking the items, I realized that the "Telephone" item ranked just one item above "Poisoning the city water supply" and "Prostitution".

Posted by Steve at 09:34 PM | | Comments (0)

January 19, 2004

Idol!

I confess, I'm watching American Idol - but it's only to mock the first batch of contestants. After that, I'll be back to mocking the actual show at a distance.

Posted by Steve at 10:33 PM | | Comments (1)

Sound on Sound Magazine

I finally purchased a subscription to Sound on Sound Magazine after over a year of purchasing at the newsstand. This is a great magazine if you're into home recording. It's a UK publication (with an International version), which means that its chock full of useful information, and light on saturated advertising (ala US magazines). The articles also don't assume that everyone has a super-deluxe-decked-out-with-all-the-latest-gear studio. There's useful information in there even if all you have is a Pentium 300, an old version of Cubase, and a Sound Blaster. They cover recording from all kinds of perspectives, including one guy who built a home studio completely from found items! My favourite regular feature is "Studio SOS" where they go to a reader's home studio and help solve common problems.

When you subscribe you'll get immediate access to the online version of the magazine. Highly recommended.

Posted by Steve at 07:53 PM | | Comments (0)

January 18, 2004

Coming Out of the Closet

Those close to me know that there's another big side of me that doesn't show up on this blog much (any?). Yes, I am one of those followers of Christ -- often referred to as a Christian. I must be absolutely nuts to believe such nonsense, but I do for many reasons that make perfectly rational sense to me. I have no intention of making this blog a pulpit, but I do have a lot of thoughts about Christianity that I would like to get out for those that are interested. That's why I'm in the process of creating a separate blog just for my thoughts and rants on Christianity. Watch this space for details on the new blog. This will be the last time you see Christianity mentioned here.

Back to our regularly scheduled insanely boring and trivial stuff...

Posted by Steve at 03:09 PM | | Comments (3)

January 13, 2004

I'm Back... I think

It's been a long time since I've posted here. I've just been reading so much that every time it came to consider writing, i just chickened out. I owe my readers a long overdue review of my Tablet PC, so I've got that started. I just got into the Lonestar (Tablet PC 2004) beta today, so I'll be doing the writeup using the new Tablet Input Panel! I'm actually writing this entry using the new TIP. All l can say about Lonestar is that it will make the Tablet go mainstream. I can finally stay in Tablet mode indefinitely - the handwriting recognition and input is improved so dramatically.

Posted by Steve at 11:54 PM | | Comments (1)

October 30, 2003

What's Wrong With This Picture?


Look at the temperature for St. John's! We've got 21° C here today (70° F for any American viewers) while the west coast of the country is freezing and snowing. I don't know what's up, but I bet we're going to have to really pay for this with a dreadful winter. :)

Posted by Steve at 01:59 PM | | Comments (1)

September 18, 2003

XBox Wireless Adapter

A bunch of sites are talking about Microsoft's new wireless adapter for XBox. I've been using my XBox via wireless for over a year using the Linksys WET11 Wireless Ethernet Bridge. However, the Microsoft adapter is 802.11g (54 Mbps if your receiver supports it) and supposedly comes with a Live rebate of $40USD, though I don't see it mentioned on the site.

Posted by Steve at 09:00 PM | | Comments (0)

September 11, 2003

I'm an INFJ

Ok, I've been meaning to blog this for a couple of days, but Amanda brought it up first. After reading Chris Sells' post about an online version of the MBTI® personality test I went ahead and did it myself. (Jared also did the test.)

Turns out, I'm what's classified as an INFJ. It's absolutely uncanny how accurately it describes me. Reading the various profiles has helped me answer a bunch of things that have puzzled me about my personality. It's apparently the rarest of the 16 basic personality types (1.3% of males) -- one of the defining characteristics being "feels like an alien". Yep, that's me.

Here are some links to descriptions of INFJ personalities:

  • http://www.infj.org/infjness.html
  • http://www.infj.org/infjcharacter.html
  • http://www.personalitypage.com/INFJ.html
  • http://www.personalitypage.com/INFJ_rel.html
  • http://typelogic.com/infj.html
  • http://www.insightsystem.com/infj.htm
  • http://www.geocities.com/lifexplore/infj.htm

    Some quotes that especially ring true about me:

    ...though affable and sympathetic to most, INFJs are selective about their friends.
    ...find themselves caught between the desire to express their wealth of feelings and moral conclusions about the actions and attitudes of others, and the awareness of the consequences of unbridled candor.
    ...enjoy thoughtful discussion but dislike arguing for argument's sake, as this often degenerates into ugly conflict.
    ...are bookworms, love bookstores and libraries
    ...live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities - part of an unusually rich inner life
    ...put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done.
    ...often hard to get to know. They are selective about their friends, but such a friendship is a symbiotic bond that transcends mere words... They hunger for deep and meaningful relationships, provide spiritual intimacy for their mates, and can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious "soul mates." In such relationships, they strive for mutuality, don't believe in compromising their ideals, and can understand and deal with complex issues and people.
    ...are usually right, and they usually know it.
    ...are future-oriented
    ...are usually extremely intuitive individuals, who will have no patience for anyone they feel is dishonest or corrupt. They'll have no interest in being around these kinds of people.
    ...the interior world of vision and ideas is this type's most comfortable domain, but some degree of human connection is essential for the INFJ's happiness; a potential conflict for this type.

    If you want to take the test, try it out here. If you know me, IM me your personality type.

    Posted by Steve at 09:58 PM | | Comments (4)

    • July 26, 2003

    Steve Clarke #5

    While fixing broken links on the site, I came across my posting on Googling for "Steve Clarke". At the time, my name didn't show up in Google at all. As of today, I'm Steve Clarke #5 in Google -- all due to a few months of blogging.

    Posted by Steve at 11:17 PM | | Comments (0)

    July 17, 2003

    For Janice

    How's this for our next Laundry Room? [via Larkware News]

    Posted by Steve at 03:13 PM | | Comments (0)

    July 16, 2003

    Thinking

    Posted by Steve at 06:57 PM | | Comments (0)

    July 15, 2003

    But Why?

    My brain is hurting from explaining the universe to a 3 year old. Ever since Christopher turned 3 he's been incessantly asking "Why?" I've explained things down to the sub-atomic level without ending the chain of "whys" and finally resorted to just saying that the sky is pink this evening because there's pink ink in the sky -- but he's not satisified with that answer either. :)

    Posted by Steve at 09:28 PM | | Comments (0)

    June 20, 2003

    My Favorite Christmas Gift Ever...

    ... was a Captain Crunch bathrobe when I was around 10 years old.

    I think that was the same year I got my Capsela set, and the Radio Shack 160-in-One Electronics Project Kit. It all added up to probably the best Christmas ever.

    Posted by Steve at 06:00 PM | | Comments (1)

    May 24, 2003

    Land Forebe Time

    Christopher has discovered the Land 'Forebe' Time videos.

    Posted by Steve at 09:21 AM | | Comments (0)

    May 19, 2003

    Janice's Birthday

    I was going to say something about it being Janice's birthday today, but I decided against it. I'm so generally uninterested with special occasions such as birthdays that I figured she would think it absolutely facetious of me to say anything about it.

    In any case, Happy Birthday Janice. You survived another year with me; I guess that's cause enough for celebration.

    I'm very glad to have you in my life

    Consider that your card.

    Posted by Steve at 07:57 PM | | Comments (0)

    May 15, 2003

    Toothpaste

    I don't like Crest toothpaste.

    As a matter of fact, I have a problem with classifying it in the toothpaste category. I think of it in the same category as gum and candy. It doesn't do anything for my teeth. Just washes off the toothbrush.

    I'm more of a Colgate person.

    Posted by Steve at 08:41 AM | | Comments (2)

    May 02, 2003

    Can We Go To Alberta Tonight?

    Given Christopher's interest in all things dinosaur we've been considering planning a trip to Alberta to visit (after seeing relatives, of course) the Royal Tyrell Museum.

    Janice and Christopher were on the computer looking at dinosaur websites when I got home from work. In the process she came across the Royal Tyrell Museum and mentioned in passing that we were going to visit there some day.

    Now he thinks we're going tonight. Janice and I are preparing to go out for supper, leaving him with Nadine and the girls, but he thinks we're all on our way to Alberta. How do you explain this to a (almost) 3 year old? :)

    Posted by Steve at 06:24 PM | | Comments (1)

    April 29, 2003

    Christopher The Paleontologist

    Christopher can talk your ear off now - especially about dinosaurs. He likes to pretend he's one of the paleontologists that he sees in his dinosaur documentaries; he'll try and string together every word and phrase that he's heard, mixed with some of his own.

    Here's a video that I took of him tonight describing his piece of Play-Doh that he likes to pretend is a fossil:

    Dialup (~2.5MB): Download File
    High Speed (~22MB): Download File

    Posted by Steve at 12:06 AM | | Comments (0)

    April 28, 2003

    17 Going On 32

    I turned 32 yesterday and all I got were these pants. Comfy. :)

    Anyway, the lady at the Air Canada counter had to look at my birth certificate 3 times and ask Janice 5 times to confirm that I wasn't 17. Does that mean I'll look 35 when I'm 50?

    The part I don't like is when people come to the door and ask me, "Is your dad home?"

    [Listening to: The Cranberries - Analyse (from Wake Up And Smell The Coffee)]

    Posted by Steve at 08:49 PM | | Comments (2)

    April 22, 2003

    I've Heard a Preview of Devin's Recordings...

    ... and all I can say is Wow!.

    He let me preview 3 tracks - no vocals yet, except on one track (more on that in a sec), and not mixed down and EQed. The quality is already exceptional and of course they're oozing with Devin's creative ability.

    What completely floored me though was hearing Luke sing on one of the tracks. That boy has an incredible voice! Excellent control and confidence. I let Janice hear it and, of course, she cried. I'd love to hear a full CD of Luke, let alone Devin. :)

    Keep it up Devin. Can't wait to hear the finished product.

    Posted by Steve at 11:24 AM | | Comments (1)

    April 20, 2003

    The Parent's Guide to Food Allergies

    I finished reading my latest sci-fi book late last evening. Before I pick up the next in the series I'm going to stop and read a book that we ordered from Amazon a month ago; one that I should have read it before traveling to Florida; one that, of course, Janice read as soon as we got it.
    Time for me to start pulling my weight in making sure I know as much as I can about Christopher's allergies. I've been guilty of leaving too much in Janice's hands.

    The book is called The Parent's Guide to Food Allergies. Here's an excerpt from the Foreword:

    While the majority of children "outgrow" allergies to foods such as milk, egg, and soy, one of the most alarming trends in the past decade is the increasing number of severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) that in the vast majority of cases result from food allergies to peanuts and nuts. In fact, several studies have shown that anaphylaxis due to food allergy is the leading cause of severe allergic reactions treated in hospital emergency rooms.

    To complicate matters further, we now live in such a busy world that fast food and processed foods - filled with the milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, nuts, and soy that are responsible for so many allergic reactions - comprise the bulk of many a young child's diet. And anywhere you go, food is all around: it is the hub of virtually every social activity from birthday parties and school celebrations to a day at the ballpark, an afternoon at the movies, or even after-school soccer practice.

    For parents of food allergic children who know that just a small bite of the wrong food can spell big trouble, the vigilance must be constant: every ingredient label must be carefully scrutinized; every activity must be carefully monitored. It can drive even the most reasonable families to distraction...

    In Florida, the only safe place that we could go to eat "out" was still good 'ol MacDonalds. They're the only restaurant chain that you can count on to properly label their food and ensure the greatest safety against cross-contamination of foods. Even then, our menu is pretty much limited to nuggets, fries and burgers that don't contain mayo (egg).

    One good thing about the U.S. is that their ingredients labeling is far better than Canadian labeling. At least they seem to tell you what type of lecithin and vegetable oils are used, and will make statements like "May have come in contact with peanuts", etc in bold print. (That may have something to do with how Americans are generally much more litigous than Canadians; I guess there are upsides to that.) Instead of eating out we bought groceries and ate most of our meals at the condo.

    Anyway, I'll likely be making more comments here as I find interesting things in the book.

    Posted by Steve at 04:06 PM | | Comments (2)

    April 19, 2003

    Christopher and Dinosaurs

    I'm copying over the video of Christopher reading the dinosaur book from a few months ago to the new site. Since I took this video, his dinosaur vocabulary has increased dramatically - he can tell you what family a lot of dinosaurs belong to, whether they're carnivore/herbivore, and what period (Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous) they're from. He's also taken up interest in prehistoric mammals. :)

    I counted 32 different dinosaurs that he's able to recognize and name from one book alone.

    Dialup (~1MB): Download file
    High Speed (~3MB): Download file
    Very High Speed (~10MB): Download file

    In case you want to follow along with him, I've printed a list of dinosaur names in the same order that he names them.

    Tyrannosaurus rex, Allosaurus, Baryonyx, Giganotosaurus, Velociraptor, Herrerasaurus, Troodon, Coelophysis, Gallimimus, Struthiomimus, Diplodocus, Hypsilophodon, Barosaurus, Iguanodon, Parasaurolophus, Heterodontosaurus, Compsognathus, Brachiosaurus, Barosaurus, Dimorphodon, Eudimorphodon, Cearadactylus, Pteranodon, Sordes, Elasmosaurus, Mosasaurus, Triceratops, Styracosaurus, Pentaceratops, Stegosaurus, Gastonia, Minmi, Edmontonia, Baryonyx, Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, Barosaurus

    Posted by Steve at 03:40 PM | | Comments (0)

    April 18, 2003

    Sayings of Christopher

    "Daddy, all my friends are in Springdale."
    "Luke, Timothy, Benjamin and Jessica."
    "Luke talks to me. He really talks to me."
    "Timothy doesn't talk to me. He just plays dinkies."

    Conversation with Poppy earlier today:
    Poppy: Nanny and Poppy came all way from Springdale to see you.
    Christopher: You come and say goodbye and you're gone again. And that's the end of that story.

    Posted by Steve at 06:10 PM | | Comments (0)

    April 17, 2003

    Shirley Speaks French?

    I was talking to C (Christopher) a couple of nights ago about Poppy visiting. Out of the blue he said, "Poppy doesn't speak French like Aunt Shirley".

    Anyone who knows Shirley will get the humour in that. :)

    Posted by Steve at 06:26 PM | | Comments (0)

    Janice's Parents are in town

    Janice's parent's (and Shirley) arrived safe and sound today from Springdale. The travelling weather was good. Christopher is playing with "Poppy" as I type. They'll be leaving again on Monday.

    This works out great, as I'm playing guitar for two meetings on Sunday. We're having our first city church meeting on Sunday night. We'll be meeting once a month with people from many churches in the city. This week, the minister from St. Thomas Anglican church is speaking. Really looking forward to it.

    Posted by Steve at 06:23 PM | | Comments (0)

    April 16, 2003

    Peanut Allergy Cure?

    The Good News:
    I read an article in Time today that said researchers are close to a significant breakthrough with a medicine to drastically lower the effects of peanut contact for people with extreme allergies.

    The Bad News:
    Several pharmaceutical companies are battling out who owns the "rights" to the drug and are holding up the entire process.

    Nice to know that the pharmaceutical companies have Christopher's best health in mind.

    Posted by Steve at 02:13 PM | | Comments (0)