tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129375972011-07-07T16:06:11.735-07:00The infrequent ramblings and findings of a <i>former</i> suitcase-living, hotel-room dwelling digital nomad.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-7640502101821347262006-11-14T23:22:00.000-08:002006-11-14T23:43:46.646-08:00

It seems to me that DFAIT needs a new department name to accurately reflect the quality of work being done by the political leadership there. In short order, we have managed to piss off both the Chinese and the EU due to a complete lack of understanding of the nature of diplomacy.In the very same issue of the Globe and Mail, China has very publicly 'snubbed' the Harper government. To anyone

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-42250622307027961902006-10-15T14:54:00.001-07:002006-10-23T20:46:22.528-07:00

Anish Kapoor's Cloud GateI'm back in Chicago for a few days and I revisited the Anish Kapoor sculpture Cloud gate, affectionaly known as 'The Bean'It's quite a brilliant bit of scuplture, a flawless fluid form of reflective steel.Rockefeller Center in New York will be getting their own scupture called Sky Mirror. I'm not sure the placement will do it justice, as it will take away from the

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-24970797761077547902006-10-08T01:22:00.000-07:002006-10-08T01:27:47.882-07:00

It's always fun to go through old photographs. I find it's great for rediscovering old gems that you've forgotten.Recently, I created a new Flickr set called the Museum::People project to showcase people interacting with art in various museums around the world and I had a few photos that I forgot to upload, so they are now up.I've been using Adobe Lightroom to quickly go through my photos, and

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-71808941861066238512006-09-28T23:07:00.001-07:002006-09-28T23:07:58.948-07:00

Recently, Flickr incorporated Geotagging into their website. Previously, Geotagging was a mash-up using the Google Maps API. This is a much improved system, where you can drag and drop photos onto the map. I've tagged nearly 250 photos already.Here are a few maps you can explore:All my Geotagged photos from around the worldBritish Columbia and Washington StateEurope and the Middle East

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-34964183725759079102006-08-31T21:35:00.000-07:002006-08-31T21:44:27.258-07:00

This just gets weirder and weirder... apparently one of the provisos of the softwood deal is that $450 million gets redirected to the Bush White House for use in *whatever the fuck he wants* - likely a giant slush fund for the November mid-terms. Think of the entire Republican propaganda machine war chest - this will nearly triple it. The Toronto Star has the article (along with The Tyee - an

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-74919195726247691772006-08-22T17:00:00.000-07:002006-08-22T17:10:13.387-07:00

The Globe and Mail had an article on the softwood issue: Softwood deal to move forward, and I thought I'd contribute my $0.02. Specifically I took issue with Stephen Harper's claim that there was a “clear majority” in the country that now supports the government's softwood lumber agreement with the United States.I'm honestly wondering who this "clear majority" is. The last time I checked a week

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1156016815258318642006-08-19T12:41:00.000-07:002006-08-19T12:46:55.326-07:00

For a blog posting Originally uploaded by m.d..I was walking to get a coffee this morning and saw this shirt, and had to write about it. I'm a sucker for a clever tee.In the UK they have a version; 'George Bush & Son Family Butchers, by Royal Appointment'

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1155338548250633432006-08-11T16:10:00.000-07:002006-08-11T16:22:28.263-07:00

Looks like Air Canada was doing it's best to squeeze very last red cent out of us to look good for its upcoming IPO*.Oh, it would be fun to short those cheap bastards before the market realizes that they have scared away their best and most profitable customers with ruthless efficiency in the last year.*Confused by the fact that Air Canada is already listed on the TSX? That company is actually

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1152423504886202672006-07-08T22:34:00.000-07:002006-07-08T22:49:04.200-07:00

Ships off Vancouver Originally uploaded by m.d..Expect more photos from Vancouver - after months of being too tired or unmotivated to shoot anything more than postcard shots, I think I have found some inspiration again.I'm waiting for my tripod, Hassy and other equipment to show up, but I've got plenty of inspiration in my new home.

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1151676600088688822006-06-30T06:52:00.001-07:002008-08-13T16:10:42.524-07:00

Lately, the shared animosity between Air Canada and myself has finally come to a head. I say 'shared' because as of a few years ago, I think Air Canada set out to intentionally start to piss me off, and hasn't let up since. At first it was small things, but the cumulative experience of Air Canada treating me as a sucker has finally gotten to me.And it's not just me. The very level-headed Globe

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1148914618897572012006-05-29T07:40:00.000-07:002006-05-29T07:56:58.910-07:00

This morning I checked my Flickr feed to discover that all of a sudden one of my photos received 12 'Favourites' in a mere few hours. I've since discovered that it is the "Most Interesting" photo for May 29th, 2005 - which is pretty amazing. Interestingness is a Flickr algorithm to determine not a photos pure popularity, but also the number of comments and other things (it's a secret) to

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1146091005258842812006-04-26T15:33:00.000-07:002006-05-01T22:23:34.943-07:00

I can't say enough good things about The Hour on CBC.As someone who regularly reads such diverse stuff as The Onion to the Economist, I think 'The Hour' perfectly covers my demographic, from pretty deep analysis about important issues that most media is ignoring (i.e. Darfur) to a light-hearted discussion of the word 'Fuck'. The host, George Stroumboulopoulos came from the fast-paced media

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1140818298172093562006-02-24T13:56:00.000-08:002006-04-24T20:40:13.206-07:00

While I was at the Met recently, they had an exhibition of Santiago Calatrava. I was first introduced to his works when I was in Bilbao - actually to be accurate, I got the introduction just as I was arriving because the Bilbao airport is one of his works. He is also responsible for a footbridge just downstream from the infamous Bilbao Guggenhiem.When I was in Chicago, I took a trip up to

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1140064226610508102006-02-15T20:11:00.000-08:002006-05-01T22:40:51.113-07:00

In the interest of making semi-regular and smaller updates to my blog, as opposed to writing essay-length entries bi-monthly, here is a quick contribution.In two weeks, it is the anniversary of the death of Mark Rothko. Most people will generally recognize Rothko as the abstract expressionist responsible - along with the likes of Barnett Newman - with the popularization of "colour fields".

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1139416462108468842006-02-08T08:31:00.000-08:002006-02-08T08:34:22.120-08:00

Just a quick FYI to everyone, I'm in the process of redesigning my personal website to be entirely driven by the Flickr API (so I don't need to update two sites with my photos)Also, I am going to start selling some of my prints, framed and unframed. The list is up at Flickr.The new site (splash page) template is up. It's running on my mac mini - so if it's down, don't be overly annoyed.

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1139406853759727312006-02-08T05:17:00.000-08:002006-02-08T06:00:24.556-08:00

Well, it certainly didn't take long for Stephen Harpers cloak of 'principles' to get cast off now that it's no longer needed. I always assumed that Harpers biggest problem would be keeping the crazies of the party in check long enough for the Canadian people to 'really get the know' the new party, now we know that his biggest problem is that he is full of shit - his second biggest problem will be

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1131427456809198432005-11-07T20:59:00.000-08:002005-11-07T21:26:18.183-08:00

I've recently reached 5000 views on Flickr - which is a nice little milestone to reach. I'm glad that some folks seem to like my shots, and while I know some photographers that can get 5000 view on a single pic, I'm proud of this minor accomplishment.To commemorate, here's a few of my favourite pics that haven't gotten the views I would've liked.

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1130219062469651602005-10-24T22:33:00.000-07:002005-10-24T22:44:22.476-07:00

Buying polarizing filters for my 72 and 77mm lenses and a 2GB CF card for my cameras vs. buying a new Apple video iPod for roughly the same cost?Winner: Filters and 2GB card - because those are 'necessities' when the iPod is simply a nice to have. A polarizing filter would've made this shot I took a couple days ago much better, so I've learned my lesson.

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1129852577342230712005-10-20T16:56:00.000-07:002005-10-20T16:59:15.656-07:00

Flowers Originally uploaded by markdemeny.For some reason, despite all my best efforts - it seems my flower shots seem to rise to the top of the pile. Although my current views for new photos are much higher than they used to be, it seems that if I slip one in there while I'm shooting other things it tends to draw more views and more comments than a comparative shot. This is now the "Most

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1129446071510200182005-10-15T23:54:00.000-07:002005-10-16T00:01:11.520-07:00

Slashdot had an article on math/logic problems. The first linked response was on a game called 'The Petals Around the Rose'. Since it involves the founder of my current client, I thought I'd post it here for your amusement.I took me a few rolls to figure it out. Luckily the article doesn't have the solution listed, but you can check your guesses here.I think my friends are quite sick of playing

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1129444641271377362005-10-15T23:21:00.000-07:002005-10-15T23:37:21.280-07:00

Just before leaving for Seattle, I purchased a new digital camera to compliment my Nikon D70. You may be asking, what could possibly justify spending double the price of the nearly perfect Nikon D70s? Granted the Nikon is quite the machine for the cost, it's fast, compact and easy to use. The Fuji is none of these. However in spite of these shortcomings, it's quickly becoming my favourite machine

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1129443616913846982005-10-15T23:15:00.000-07:002005-10-15T23:20:16.926-07:00

I've recently discovered the joys of Geotagging. Quite simply, it's adding latitude and longitude information to your photos, allowing all sorts of nifty tricks, like overlaying Flickr information with Google Map info (using both APIs).This is the type of really neat 'Web 2.0'-type applications that open APIs allow.View all my Geotagged photos.I'll eventually start uploading at least one photo

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1124250551822306312005-08-16T20:49:00.000-07:002005-08-16T20:49:11.853-07:00

Nikon F80 Originally uploaded by markdemeny.I traded my old Pentax MZ-M and lenses to pay for most of this F80. It's in near perfect condition and barely a mark on the film guides, so I'd doubt if more than a dozen rolls of film had passed through it.You can also see the base of my Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8D AF lens which I purchased a few weeks ago as well.I'm very happy with the progress I'm making

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1123096841418877522005-08-03T12:20:00.000-07:002005-08-03T12:20:41.450-07:00

Guided by Voices Originally uploaded by markdemeny.Flickr has added 'Most Interesting' using an algorithm of comments and most favourited.This one is my #2 and #3 (I added it twice when I was a non-Pro user) so I think this would actually be my #1Memories of GBV in New York...

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1122869119881801812005-07-31T20:52:00.000-07:002005-07-31T21:05:19.896-07:00

When you want a flashy, expensive and noteworthy building you turn to Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaus or Daniel Libeskind. Unfortunately, not every building can be a signature piece. When you want a conservative building executed well, you turn to Renzo Piano (Slate article).While the other architectural wunderkinds have been rebuilding city skylines with bold statements in metal and glass, Piano has

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1122299766208501572005-07-25T06:55:00.000-07:002005-07-25T19:30:46.216-07:00

I bought a new lens for my D70. This is now my fourth lens and it cost more than my D70 body itself. I know I have a problem. I told myself I wouldn't buy any new equipment until I sold something... but the lens spoke to me in a high pitched begging voice "take me home... take me home..." and I couldn't say no to such a well-engineered piece of Japanese glass.My new Nikon 80-200 f/2.8D will

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1120473929393938992005-07-04T03:43:00.000-07:002005-07-25T18:59:40.120-07:00

I meant to post this a few weeks ago, but lost track of it. Here's a little economic quiz for Canadians. Apparently only 1 in (some insanely high number of people) could get 20 out of 20. I got 16 out of 20. How well can you do?

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1119868988933007062005-06-27T03:05:00.000-07:002005-06-27T09:48:53.026-07:00

There are few experiences where my skills as a writer are seriously put to the test, and this is one of those times. Even searching for a title to this post was difficult. I tried 'Visiting the Mozart of Food' , 'I will never be able to look at lesser foods again' and 'I am a lucky bastard and you all should hate me'. I think the last one is closest to the truth, but it makes for a horrible

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1119866379947205462005-06-27T02:58:00.000-07:002005-06-27T02:59:39.950-07:00

Unfortunately, there are no pictures of 'The Writer' as promised. Although Sunday had wonderful weather, something came up and I'll have to write about that little event instead. Stay tuned, it'll be a long one.

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1119545082664648952005-06-23T09:44:00.000-07:002005-06-23T09:51:45.616-07:00

The Heath Writer Originally uploaded by MykReeve.This weekend I'll make my way up to Hampstead Heath with my camera to pay a visit to 'The Writer' a scupture (temporarily) installed near Parliament Hill.As you can tell, it's a simple desk - made in ridiculously large proportions. Personally I think it's quite neat and all those straight lines will appeal to my sense of architecture. You can also

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1119517740126321472005-06-23T01:58:00.000-07:002005-06-23T02:51:44.643-07:00

I think the history of computing can be divided into a few distinct stages based upon how it fits into office/technical life and its relation to knowledge workers1) Computers are used solely for calculation - as an executive you need to contact someone in your computing division who will take your requirements and make a set of punch cards to get your answer. Communication is done by the

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1119367650669941152005-06-21T08:21:00.000-07:002005-06-21T08:46:16.203-07:00

In the US, because the main roads are so crowded, they introducted High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to encourage carpooling. As a result, a social practice known as "slugging" formed where, in symbiosis, people wanting a ride would gather at specific destinations, and a single driver would pick them up, allowing them both to use the much faster HOV lanes. Apparently Virginia officials said that

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1119281543105579182005-06-20T08:32:00.000-07:002005-06-20T08:45:25.296-07:00

Vatican Museum - Giuseppe Momo, 1932New York Guggenheim - Frank Lloyd Wright, 1957My friend Allan was kind enough to give a Flickr Pro account to me. I recently started the process of identifying my best shots for my new Flickr set and recalled that when I was in Rome, I noticed a stark similarity between the circular staircase in the Vatican museum and the New York Guggenheim. There's no point

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1118223731025243322005-06-08T02:33:00.000-07:002005-06-10T05:17:24.280-07:00

The entirety of Beethoven's works symphonies are available for free at the BBC as they celebrate 'The Beethoven Experience'. As they play each symphony, the works will be available for about two weeks. Currently the first through fifth are available.While I personally enjoyed the BBC commentary bookending each track, you can use the Start Time and Stop Time options in iTunes (right-click on the

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1117728992972551662005-06-02T09:00:00.000-07:002005-06-02T09:16:32.976-07:00

It's been an interesting week in Europe as both France and the Netherlands - founding members of the EU - both rejected the new EU constitution.The interesting thing is that generally the vote was not seen as a rejection of the constitution, but as a rejection of certain EU practices and their governments themselves. However, despite these setbacks Brussels still plans to go ahead and ratify the

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1117016905732223742005-05-25T03:23:00.000-07:002005-05-25T03:28:25.736-07:00

Well, not really. However, while reading this mornings issue of Slate, I came across another article by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, the authors of Freakonomics. Turns out, they have written a few articles for Slate before. As well, there is a full section on 'The Dismal Science' as they term Economics. I think the most interesting article is the analysis behind baby name popularity

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1116954602393400482005-05-24T09:56:00.000-07:002005-05-24T10:42:30.170-07:00

I was in Ireland last week (photos) and happened to notice quite a few 'This project x% funded by the EU' signs which was interesting because I had been to quite a few EU countries over the last few years and not noticed similar signs throughout the country.Of course, at the time of joining, Ireland was at the bottom end of the EU performers and quickly became the beneficiary of EU 'equalization'

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1116417091434490692005-05-18T04:32:00.000-07:002005-05-18T04:51:31.440-07:00

I've started reading some articles and excerpts from Freakonomics, and I think this book will likely have the same appeal and influence as Malcolm Gladwell's works - the stories are anecodotal, quirky and adept at explaining the grey areas and paradoxes of ecomonics that don't fit into the standard 'the invisable hand rules all - obey the invisable hand' model of the world currently espoused by

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1116251948347880732005-05-16T06:51:00.000-07:002005-05-16T07:17:13.143-07:00

Personally, I'm a two very distinct opinions about modernist design. While I love the minimalist nature of modernist design (and even own a Le Corbusier Chaise among other modernist trappings), there were many serious mistakes done by architects overuse of concrete, and London itself has plenty of examples of 'Brutalist' architecture.Trellick Tower has quite the interesting and funny history via

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12937597.post-1116250787520449502005-05-16T06:38:00.000-07:002005-05-16T06:39:47.523-07:00

Well, I think the time has come to start Blogging in earnest again. I'm starting to come across more and more interesting stuff but haven't had the time to implement my much-delayed (but largely finished) website redesign, so here's a stop-gap measure.

Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07332288161164944109noreply@blogger.com0