So I live at the beach, as you can see from the webcam image to the right. That picture is facing south east towards East Beach, and from my dining room area, you can actually see Mt. Baker when it's clear.

But yet I don't go to the beach, at least not very often. Why is that? I know exactly why. It's hot out there, and the daystar burns. I mean, I love that mostly naked women hang out there, but our sun pains me. I mostly keep the blinds closed, and it stays nice dark and cool, or at least only mildly light.

I definitely would not be living here if it weren't for my job. I find it pretty boring. There are really not many entertainment choices, so here I am, on the net, updating my blog, drinking cider. A fine life, at least for now.

We had these new (to us) POTS lines installed at work this week, because the company doesn't really need 20 overlines for 2.5 people. Guess what happens within 8 hours of connecting the new phone? That's right, telemarketer! Automated too!

We didn't have Call Display yet, which would help us identify when our managers down south are calling. The number is not unlisted. It might even be in some directory someplace.

This is where I get envious of everyone in the US. You at least have a Do Not Call registry, and government support for eliminating extremely annoying calls. Here in Canada, the CRTC is supposedly limited by "lack of jurisdiction" in suppressing annoying calls.

Well, here's a nice challenge to the newly elected (and mixed) government. Please get off your collective asses and do this one thing for me, while considering how much I have paid in taxes over the last 10 years while barely getting anything back for it.

Meanwhile, hopefully the people in management dealing with the problem down south can come up with an adequate solution. I suggested cell phones, which incidentally was my personal solution to the problem. You can do that or you could just dump all your friends and the land line at the same time, going off the grid.

Last night I read a story by Greg Egan (hard sci-fi), about a society so far in the future that immortality is gained by having a device learn to be you. It basically acts as a secondary brain, mimicing everything that squishy mass does, but it does not degrade. Bodies are replaced every now and then, since clones can be grown in about a year. The story mainly revolves around a) the main character's questioning on whether he is actually the same person as before, and b) his relationship with his wife, and getting closer.

Now, I think the world will be dead and gone long before that happens, but if it did, I know for sure I would never get that done, because a) I am more the sum of the parts of me, but the parts still matter and b) WTF getting rid of your brain?

Even now we have devices basically taking over (phones, computers, pacemakers, diabetes control), but we are still separate. Once we start putting stuff in our bodies, how long until we no longer have control?

I've been having problems with the cable TV recently (Shaw here in Vancouver), and have had the technicians here twice in the last week.

The problem is this: occasionally, and seemingly not when the cable guy is here, channel 6 gets this weird double image. I have a VCR capture, but will not subject you to the torture that it is. Unwatchable. There is also noise on channels 3-5 and 15+16. Anyway, cable guy comes to the house the second time, and after a while we realize that channel 6 is coming in even though the cable is not attached to the wall, and if we disconnect the cable from the TV, no signal at all. The channel was literally strong enough to watch with a small length of wire. Cable guy says the double image is timing between the cable signal and the OTA signal. Oh boy.

So how do I stop that signal from reaching the TV (and cable)? That's right, Faraday Cage! A little bit extreme, I think, but I think a hack solution might work. Chicken wire a la Enemy Of The State?

"If they think you're crude, go technical; if they think you're technical, go crude." - William Gibson, Johnny Mnemonic.