Christopher Mackay’s Blog

Jon Stewart was on Charlie Rose last night. In discussing the upcoming US election he was lamenting the lack of depth and knowledge typically displayed by the network anchors.

Many networks seem to hire anchors based more on looks than anything (it is television, after all) — but I couldn’t help thinking that the CBC’s Peter Mansbridge is a major exception. (Not that many don’t find him attractive; recall the fuss his beard made during the Blackout in August, 2003?)

Mansbridge’s extended performance on September 11, 2001, was deeply impressive, and kept me switching back to CBC each time I momentarily switched to CNN/NBC/ABC/CBS. No one on these other networks matched his knowledge of the middle east or Al Quaeda.

I picked up the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD last week. If, like me, you were a kid in 1977, then you probably already own these movies on LaserDisc and/or VHS, but you’ll still buy the DVDs.

The packaging is surprisingly light; the case feels flimsy, there’s not much by way of liner notes, and what’s up with the early Darth Vader helmet design? Bizarre.

The commentaries are interesting, but I doubt long-time fans will learn too much. While there are no deleted scenes (desert rendezvous from Jedi or the scenes with Luke’s friends on Tatooine from Star Wars would’ve been nice), Lucas has taken the opportunity to continue to revise the films.

In Empire he’s removed the foolish-sounding scream that Luke emits while falling away from Vader (which I believe was introduced in the Special Edition in ‘97); the holographic emperor was replaced with Ian MacDiarmid (although, inexplicably, the original actor retains a credit); and a ghostly Hayden Christensen replaces Sebastian Shaw alongside Ben and Yoda in the final celebration at the end of Jedi.

I haven’t watched these films in awhile (Star Wars actually seemed fresh to me, which is saying something), but I’m more convinced than ever that what the newer movies are missing is both Harrison Ford and Han Solo; and that Lucas himself fails to recognize this fact. But don’t get me wrong — these movies are primarily for kids, and they succeed admirably. If you want real science fiction, buy Robert Sawyer novels.

Picked up a new 20 GB iPod in Kingston last week, along with a Griffin iTrip and a Belkin voice-recorder. The original 5 GB model was full, and it was just too painful choosing what music to delete every time I wanted to add new stuff…

The new model features the same interface as the iPod Mini, which is even more minimalist that the original, but oddly not that different.

The new games are silly, of course, and I couldn’t seem to find a BMW in the box…

Interesting article posted by the National Association of Record Industry Professionals details, among other things, the breakdown of the 99-cents Apple collects when you buy a tune through the iTunes Music Store (”Not available in Canada? Pity”):

Apple collects 34 cents, the label keeps 55 cents, and the artist gets a dime.

Other interesting quotes include:

Britney Spears as a pop artist is over; The phone could replace the iPod.

Would you pay $1500 US to install a self-destruct switch in your car? Bruce Tognazzini describes a problem with his Lexus (it can’t be towed without trashing the transmission) and a potentially-disastrous attempt to rectify the problem with an after-market device.

Bruce’s recommedations include:

1. Never, ever, ever let systems-level engineers do human interaction design unless they have displayed a proven secondary talent in that area.

Tonight’s get-together was great fun. Seb Paquet, Harold Jarche, Cameron Bales, Will Pate, Steve “the idea guy” Mallet, William Langley and I got together at Boomerang’s in Moncton.

Discussion was lively, and centred around Steve’s big, new idea concerning DataLibre and, since there were a number of Drupal fans/users/hosts in this little group, around Bryght.com, a BC-based company with an intriguing mass-hosting idea.

Wired magazine is featuring a story about how Nova Scotia has reduced its waste by 50% since 1995 — and is saving money in the process:

“While recycling programs cost more than dumping trash into a big hole, a new study finds that the sparsely populated Canadian province is actually saving money by reducing its waste. When all the costs and benefits of those programs are measured, and depending on what factors are taken into account, the report says that Nova Scotia saves anywhere from $25 million to $125 million every year.”

• Wired.com: Recycling Cost Overstated
• GPI Atlantic, author of the study

This is really impressive.

According to Forbes.com, Apple Computer may be on the verge of settling a long-standing dispute with Apple Corps, the Beatles’ publishing company.

The suggestion that Apple Corps could become a major shareholder is made. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, would it? Steve Jobs has made it pretty clear that he’s a huge Beatles fan, so it’s hard to imagine how the prospect of having Paul McCartney on the Apple board would be unappealing.

The Beatles catalog would make a wonderful addition to iTMS. So would a Canadian iTMS.

Roger Waters, former Pink Floyd singer/songwriter/bassist, has released two new songs at Roger-Waters.com in streaming format. iTunes Music Store (among others) has them in downloadable format if you live in a country approved by the Powers That Be.

I haven’t had a chance to really listen to these new songs yet, but they’re apparently in response to the war in Iraq. That’s not too surprising, considering Waters’ 1992 release, Amused to Death, dealt with similar themes (e.g. “The Bravery of Being Out of Range”).

Tantramar Interactive clients Harold Jarche and Cameron Bales have posted a detailed review of Drupal (an open-source content-management system), based on Tantramar Interactive’s installation of Drupal 4.4.0. The review appears at Rick Bruner’s businessblogconsulting.com.