Activity from Shepherd
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Station Manager -- CFRC 101.9 FM, Kingston, Ontario
SF/F MAPL? SVP! ASAP!
My wife and I do a radio show on a community station in Canada, usually roughly theming the show around something in the community (or going on with us) every week. A comic-book/SF convention is rolling through town next weekend. We try to have a lot of Canadian content on the show. What Canadian musicians have performed songs about SF/fantasy/comic-book themes?
What audiences are saying is, "that wasn't funny."
I like art, so I built a single-serving art...
The Tiniest Gallery I like art, so I built a single-serving art gallery that features local artists and hung it on the fence outside my house.
The Canadian Library Association has been dissolved.
Members voted to dissolve the Association at a Special General Meeting on January 27. Their intent is to form a new "Federation of Library Associations" to create a "strong national voice" for libraries. The full proposal for the creation of the Federation is here. This is, obviously a hot topic at the Ontario Library Association OLA Superconference happening now in Toronto.
Can YOU solve the mystery of the missing soymilk maker manual?
Bought a used soymilk maker at a thrift shop today. I've never had or used one before. I can't find any information about this model online (ESTAR ESM-1300S). I've emailed the manufacturer, but the company website doesn't lead me to believe response will be stellar. Can you help me find either a manual for this machine, or a generic how-to that will work for most soymilk makers so I can try this out within the return/refund window? Pics at this standalone webpage...
Why am I invisible to exercise machines?
I've tried wearing a Polar chest strap in the past, with good results. I am, to the best of my knowledge, neither dead nor a vampire. I can feel my pulse. I'm an average-sized man of average height in average shape. My heart rate is not particularly fast or extraordinarily slow. So why am I invisible to the heart-rate sensors on gym exercise equipment?
Rhymes in that ol' 5A, 5A, 7B; 5C, 5C, 7B structure
What poems follow the rhyming scheme and syllable pattern shared by The Cremation of Sam McGee, Rocky Raccoon and the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald?
Over an hour of swingin' jazz
Richard Glossip is scheduled to be executed in 2 days and 4 hours.
The Marshall Project couldn't find any tools providing detailed information on upcoming executions. So they built one. The Next to Die defaults to showing the next scheduled execution in the United States, but users can also browse by specific state (including Missouri, where execution rates are surging) and, from the intro page, view racial and method-of-execution breakdowns for executions to date.
Earth has been restored to 1-day simultaneous rotation.
First created in 1997, Gene Ray's Time Cube disappeared on August 24, 2015. Timecube.org now points to nothing. Twitter mourns. Snapshots of Time Cube continue to exist on the Internet Archive. The status of Gene Ray, creator of Time Cube, who would be 87 this year, is unknown.
This MetaTalk is blocked in your country on copyright grounds.
Minor pony request: flag for "I can't access the principal content this entire post is built around."
Major pony request: some sort of automated "the links in this post are not viewable in the following areas, are you sure you want to proceed?"
Does my home-board-game-night dream organizer exist?
My wife and I moved about a year ago to a town where we already had some friends, and have made new friends. Trying to invite people to play games via e-mail quickly devolves into micro-scheduling. "Big" board game nights are unwieldy and unfun. I'm looking for something that feels like it should exist, but I haven't found it yet. Full details inside:
Is installing Plex on Ubuntu with an external hard drive really hard?
I'm medium-capable with computer stuff; not afraid of a command line, but not a lot more sophisticated than mkdir and mv commands. I've got an ECS LIVA box that I'd like to try putting a Plex server on. I've installed Ubuntu 14.04, and connected it to a 5TB external drive, but I'm getting a bit nervous. Is Plex on this setup within my skill range?
MetaFilter does vampires fairly well for the most part, I think
Given that MetaTalk posts are generally reserved for when things go not-well, I just want to say that the recent Real-Life Vampires post is -- to my eyes -- a great example of people with in some cases strongly opposing views having an open, respectful, and interesting conversation.
In Israel: casual dress, handle business cards with respect.
This blog features a lot of drawings of kitties.
Text to speech software -- what do you recommend?
There seem to have been lots of developments in text to speech since the subject was last raised, and I was wondering if anyone could point me to a solution fitting some specific criteria for an arty project. Details inside:
239 issues of trailblazing feminism
The British Library has put every issue of Spare Rib in their digital journal archive, with full access, for free.
Few titles sum up an era and a movement like Spare Rib. When the first issue came out in July 1972, many women were starting to question their position and role in society. The magazine was an active part of the emerging women's liberation movement. It challenged the stereotyping and exploitation of women in what was the first national magazine of its kind. It supported collective, realistic solutions to the hurdles women faced and reached out to women from all backgrounds. Spare Rib became the debating chamber of feminism in the UK. It continued until January 1993 and the full archive of 239 magazines provides a valuable insight into women's lives and this period of feminist activity.
This is Richard. His parents are doing OK.
Generational thinking is just a benign form of bigotry
Solid data on "messages received" increasing over time?
I'm working on something with the sloppy premise that over the gradual shift from print to digital, communications isn't a zero-sum game. The general idea is that the introduction of things like first the Internet and e-mail, and later social media and texting, have increased the total number of messages people receive, and that people are increasingly "messaged at" over time. What sources can help me prove this, or disprove it?
Like Lehrer and MacNeil, but with moustaches and puppets
A hard-hitting panel show that isn't afraid to tackle the tough issues, with a balanced panel of right-wing, left-wing, libertarian and other guests, No, You Shut Up! "takes on the issues of the day until everyone gets too angry to discuss them any further."
Can you explain the advantage of a 10-year mortgage (Canada)?
Buying a house here in Canada, and my mortgage broker has mentioned that we're in an unprecedented mortgage rate slump, with five-year fixed at about 2.7% and now 10-years at around 3.8%. I can sort of figure out some math here, but I'm not sure I grasp the full nuances of this decision with compound interest, etc.
Real estate lawyers: worth it for "normal" homebuying? (Ontario, Canada)
My wife and I are actively looking to buy a house in Kingston, Ontario and have been working with a real estate agent that we're quite happy with. What would the advantage of having a real estate lawyer in the mix be? We're considering modestly priced single-family homes, possibly with an added apartment, and not sure what value we'd get by adding about $1,000 in legal fees to the proceedings.
There's a tear in my beer because of bad legislation in Ontario, dear
A 2000 report leaked to the Toronto Star details how the Harris government struck a sweetheart deal to ensure major brewers a stranglehold on Ontario beer retail. Long suspected but never before proven, the report details how the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) was forced to submit to a subsidiary role in beer retail in the province; the then-LCBO head has confirmed that Harris forced the deal onto the province. Martin Cohn reports in the Toronto Star.
Programmer to create update-friendly web forms with exportable data
Help me create a movie title that is (a) intriguing and (b) open-ended.
Now that my wife's been bitten by the radio bug, the desire to do a show/podcast is starting to sink its teeth into me as well. The high-concept idea that I'm working with is to do a 16-part series that are all the soundtrack to a forgotten movie -- the title of the movie is the same every week, but the movie itself changes.
What's the best way to say "don't say anything"?
I'm working on a social media response protocol (similar to the Air Force classic template here), but trying to come up with a pithy Golden Rule along the lines of "If you don't say anything, you can be almost certain that you're not making things worse". But... better. Ideas?
Successful cafes with a no-laptop/no-iPad policy?
Are there any cafes out there in the wild that have survived (or better, thrived) with a strictly enforced no-laptop, no-iPad (essentially, "no portable electronic offices") policy? I'm looking for reasonably well-documented examples of coffee houses that have bucked the student/mobile-office market and done well. The more it's presented as a business case, the better.
Election sites that track positions on issues on a per-candidate basis?
There's a municipal election coming up, and a friend of mine is hoping to develop a Web site that allows users to cycle through key questions (e.g. "Do you think the city should allow a casino to be built downtown?" "Do you support the closure of the Simpson History Museum?") and see the positions of various candidates, grouped by electoral district. Can you think of a Web site that does such a thing? Bonus points if it's created by a group that might be willing to share their infrastructure.
Beyond the sweeping majesty of the snorfle snorfle snarf
What to expect at a university comms/marketing position?
I've been hired to be the Director of Marketing for a humanities faculty at a small but prestigious North American university. I've spent the last nine years at a mid-sized national ad agency. I start in two weeks. What should I expect in my new position?
It's called Vindaloo.
Stickman's Tips for Having a Table at a Comic Book Convention is actually a pretty good primer for having a booth or table at any convention, ever.
How can I convince my VoIP router (PAP2T) to connect?
I'm trying to get my VoIP at home (through a PAP2T, working perfectly until now) working with a new router (Linksys DIR-825), and having no luck past a certain point. My provider's support service isn't very supportive.
Post-lithotripsy pain in the legs, several days after procedure?
Have you ever had a lithotripsy? I got one (torso) on Monday for kidney stones, and while things seemed fine for the 48 hours following the procedure, starting yesterday afternoon I've been experiencing intense, radiating pain in my upper legs and hips. Enough that I can't sleep, even with hydromorphone painkillers. I've left a detailed message at the urologist's, but while I wait to hear back, I'm wondering if this is something in the realm of "normal" or "super weird" or even "Emergency room stat". This is Quebec, so I'm not incredibly optimistic about the doctor getting back to me promptly, either.
There is much to be learned from Reggie Watts.
Now drop and give me 12 Wolverines
This started off as me tinkering with a Tumblr...
Pulp Apologies This started off as me tinkering with a Tumblr idea called Pulp Silence -- golden age comics panels with the dialogue balloons blanked -- but I got curious about what else I could put in these balloons. and one thing led to another.
The craven and bitchy hostility of a Scottish tribute band
Would a Chromebook be right for us?
Between my wife and I, I'm the "computer guy," while she basically uses her computer to write, engage in social media, and update a couple of blogs with all that this entails (light photo editing, etc.). We have to replace her aging Dell laptop. Would a Chromebook be a good option?
Reliable sources of corrective financial advice in South Carolina?
My in-laws in South Carolina, who don't have a stellar history with money, are facing some challenges that are really restricting their circumstances. They're not against cleaning up their act in terms of budgeting and being smarter about money, but don't really have a head for it. What's the best way to help from a distance?
It’s with sadness and hope that I write this open letter to you...
Dear Spike Lee: Juan Luis Garcia has a bone to pick with the agency who (apparently) boosted his designs for the posters promoting the Oldboy remake.
Can you have a mini-seizure due to food blocking your airway?
So I was just eating some hummus on crackers while doing something else, felt a clump of hummus get lodged in my throat, felt briefly dizzy, then a kind of blackout for about five seconds. Came to, my trackball has been knocked off the desk. I otherwise feel 100% okay. What just happened?
What good alternatives exist for WordPress for the semi-skilled?
After the probably eighth hacking attack (and success) on my site in less than a year, I'm sick to death of using a platform that has to be updated on an hourly basis or get totally nuked by Moldavians. What platforms are relatively user-friendly for people who want to blog?
RIP Joey Manley
Joey Manley, founder of Modern Tales and its spinoff sites (Serializer, Graphic Smash and Girlamatic) has passed away. Manley's vision of comics as something that could provide a sustainable business model to creators didn't pan out in the long term, but did launch and/or promote the online comics careers of a number of creators, including Justin (Wonderella) Pierce, James (American Elf) Kolchaka, Roger (Fred the Clown) Langridge, Shaenon (Narbonic) Garrity, Gene (American Born Chinese) Yang, Alexander (Panel One) Danner and many more.
Answer this question, and I may send you a stupid t-shirt.
What is the origin, or the earliest known example, of the "X went to Y and I all got was this stupid T-Shirt?" t-shirt?
Making a single mega-image site with jQuery navigation?
I've got limited HTML and CSS skills, and I'd like to make a Web site that's basically one really, really, really gigantic picture and uses jQuery to jump around from point to point inside it. What's the easiest way to do that?
What do we do with used books in a town that doesn't want 'em?
After the Great Book Cull, we have 400+ books to get rid of. Unfortunately, we're anglophones in a town with about 5% English speakers, most of them senior and conservative, and our tastes in books are rather... eclectic. What to do?