Doooh Head

Back to normal

dooohhead — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 04:24:46 +0000

During our first winter snow storm, I put the truck into 4 wheel drive while I drove around getting things for my wifes birthday. While backing out of a parking lot I heard a loud crunching noise coming from the font axle. I had a scheduled maintenance appointment coming up so I arranged for an appointment a few days later. It turned out the left front axle shaft fell apart. Oh, it was to be covered under warranty thats not my issue. The problem I have is that it wasn’t able to be fixed that day.
They were great about it all and arranged for and paid for a rental vehicle. Imagine my horror when Enterprise came and picked me up in a Dodge Avenger. I try to be open minded about things so I accepted it as my rental.
It was a well equipped vehicle, and my wife was looking forward to being in a car again. Me, not so much. It seemed to me to be nothing more than an updated K car. The interior felt like plastic junk. I really didn’t like it.
It wasn’t until tonight when I was out driving with the stereo cranked up loudly, feeling the solid frame of a truck beneath me once again that everything felt like it was back to the way it is supposed to be.
I like my truck.

My Concerns Regarding The Copyright Modernization Act Bill C-11‏

dooohhead — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:54:26 +0000

I am a follower of @OpenMedia_ca (openmedia.ca) on Twitter. For anyone who cares about Canadaians’ digital rights, etc they are a spokesperson for the cause, along with Michael Geist (@mgeist on Twitter, ) who is also entwined within the entire digital rights arena here in Canada.

Recently OpenMedia.ca embarked on a letter writing scheme regarding Bill C-11 that is being debated right now. The scheme entailed determining your local MP and sending him/her a form letter regarding the issues. Below is the reply that I received from my local MP, Robert Chisholm, who just happened to have thrown his name onto the ballot for the federal NDP party leadership race coming up in the new year. Thought I would share:

Dear DooohHead (name changed to protect the elusive LOL),

Thank you for taking the time to email me with your concerns regarding Bill C-11 The Copyright Modernization Act.

Like many pieces of legislation currently tabled in the House of Commons there are parts of the bill that we support and parts that we oppose.

Since 2004, the New Democrats have pushed for an updating of Canada’s copyright legislation to address the need to address artist remuneration in the digital age. The New Democratic Party believes that copyright in a digital environment must be based on two fundamental principles – access for consumers and remuneration for artists.

Although there are some positive elements in Bill C-11, the Conservative government has failed to meet these two fundamental principles.

The New Democrats support provisions that would bring Canada into compliance with the WIPO copyright treaties including the “making available” right of artists.

We support the move to ensure photographers are given copyright over works their works.

We support the clarification of statutory damages by separating commercial infringement from non-commercial copyright infringement.

However, we have major concerns with key elements of the bill.

In terms of remuneration of artists, this bill attacks the right of collective licensing in numerous key areas. The government has made it clear that they oppose the extension of the private copying levy into the digital realm. The loss of this levy will cost artists millions of dollars in revenue.

We support the right of consumers to time shift and back up legal works but we oppose the government’s attempt to erase the right of artists to receive compensation for private copying of works. The refusal of the government to update the private copying levy into the digital realm will cost artists millions of dollars a year in royalties.

We support the call for visual artists to receive a resale right on works sold through public galleries.

We oppose plans to erase the obligation to pay mechanical royalties for radio as well as attempts to erase collective licensing rights in schools.

We support efforts to extend fair dealing rights for satire and parody. We are committed to clarifying the fair dealing rights in terms of education to ensure that students and educators are able to access works in the classroom while, at the same time, collective licensing regimes for the fair remuneration of creators are not undermined.

We oppose the provisions for long-distance learning that would require students and educators to destroy their class notes after 30 days.

We oppose the digital lock provisions in Bill C-11 as they go well beyond our obligations under the WIPO treaty. Legal protection for TPMs (Technological Protection Measures) should not override rights that are guaranteed to citizens under existing copyright legislation. We will look to amend the digital lock provisions to ensure there is a balance between the right of a creator to protect their work and the right of the consumer to access content for which they are legally entitled.

Myself and my colleagues will continue to challenge the Harper Government to balance the rights of artists with the rights of consumers.

Sincerely,

Robert Chisholm, MP
Dartmouth Cole- Harbour

—–Original Message—–
From: doooh_head
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 11:31 AM
To: Chisholm, Robert – M.P.
Subject: My Concerns Regarding The Copyright Modernization Act Bill C-11

Oct 18, 2011

To: Robert.Chisholm@parl.gc.ca
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Dear Ministers,

I would like to to take this opportunity to convey my concerns and suggestions for points of revision and amendment in regards to Bill C-11, The Copyright Modernization Act. Although Bill C-11 appears to be more flexible than the previous attempts at copyright reform, this Bill is flawed to its core by the inclusion of strict, anti-circumvention provisions. As a Canadian, I am both concerned and disheartened by how easily my rights are trumped by the overriding and all encompassing protection for digital locks contained in the legislation.

The anti-circumvention provisions included in Bill C-11, unduly equip corporate copyright owners and distributors in the music, movie and video game industries with a powerful set of tools that can be utilized to exercise absolute control over Canadians’ interaction with media and technology and may even undermine Canadians’ constitutional rights.

A solution to Bill C-11‘s contentious core problem and the means to avoid the unintended consequences generated by the broad protection for digital locks is to amend the Bill to permit circumvention for lawful purposes. Not only is this approach compliant with the WIPO Internet Treaties, but it also provides legal protection for digital locks while maintaining the crucial copyright balance. I urge this Government to either add an infringing purpose requirement to the prohibition of circumvention or add an exception to the legislation to address circumvention for lawful purposes.

I strongly believe that in addition to linking the prohibition of circumvention to the act of infringement, it is also paramount for consumers to have commercial access to the tools required to facilitate such lawful acts. It is imperative that the ban on the distribution and marketing of devices or tools that can be used to lawfully circumvent be eliminated by removing paragraph 41.1(c) and any associated references to it or any paragraphs in the Bill that would be rendered irrelevant by this change.

Some have suggested that market forces will decide the fate of digital locks in Canada and that codifying strong protection for such measures in Canadian law is simply good interim policy. I disagree. Rather than handing control of Canadians’ digital rights over to corporations, the Government must consider regulating how digital locks are implemented to ensure they are not simply used to deny user rights. I put forward to this Government that adding a labelling requirement to disclose the use of digital locks on consumer goods be considered. A requirement as such, would permit Canadian consumers to make informed decisions about the products they purchase and the access and usage rights, or lack thereof, they can expect with the ownership of a given product.

In review, I believe it is in the best interest of Canadian consumers and creators alike to amend Bill C-11 to clearly link the act of circumvention to infringement, remove the all-encompassing ban on circumvention tools and to establish a new TPM labelling provision.

Sincerely,

CC: The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
CC: The Honourable Christian Paradis Minister of Industry
CC: The Honourable James Moore Minister of Canadian Heritage
CC: The Honourable Geoff Regan
CC: Scott Simms
CC: Charlie Angus

Health Kick

dooohhead — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:04:45 +0000

For those of you that don’t know, nor are around me with any kind of frequency, I have been on a bit of a health kick as of late. Well since December of 2010, now. A friend of mine started using an Android app called RunKeeper which he was using to track the running that he was doing while training for various marathons that he participated in. I checked it out and there were settings for it, for walking (as well as other activities) so I decided to start using it on my phone. See, here at work, several of us (sometimes just me) try to get out at lunch time for a small walk around the block. This app allows me to keep track of the walks I was doing and along with the online web site, you can see how well you’ve been doing. I think this has been a bit of a motivator for me for continuing to walk.

Since Dec of 2010, according to my profile at RunKeeper.com I have had 177 walking activities, have walked 700 KM’s (as of Aug 18, 2011), and have burned 83,608 calories. Along with watching what I eat and eating reduced portions, I have lost 25+ lbs so far.

I have set several goals for myself with regards to the exercising I’m doing. During the early part of 2011, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure so my doctor gave me a new prescription for another pill that, he said, I will “have to take for the rest of my life”. I told him I didn’t like that idea and made him agree to, that if I can lose 50 lbs, he will allow me to attempt to go off those pills and see if my blood pressure stays normal.

That is my first, intermediate goal, to get off those pills. I hate taking pills. My second, perhaps more ambitious goal is to be able to run again. With being so overweight, the idea of running just hurts the ol’ knees, and I miss being able to run. So I want to run again. My official goal is to be able to run by the time i’m 50. I’m 48 this year, I have under 2 years to accomplish that. My secondary second goal, according to a friend of mine, is to run a marathon with him. Right now that’s the furthest thing from my mind, but the more training I do seems to bring it more to the forefront of an actual accomplishment I may want to attain.

So, I guess, officially I am in training. Doing some interval walking/running (walk for 10 minutes, run for 1 minute) right now as a means of losing more weight. I am hoping by the end of this year (December-ish), I will be able to run for some distance (longer than 1 minute). Wish me luck!

A Followup to my previous message

dooohhead — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 02:45:14 +0000

My previous message was an attempt at getting some assistance in dealing with what I though was a terrible sequence of events that my wife was having to endure.

Well to follow up on that message, my local MP, Robert Chisolm never did respond to my email. I guess he’s much too big of a fish to have to deal with a lowly person like me. He had no problems dealing with me and actually being very responsive BEFORE he was elected. Now that he has been elected, he no longer “needs” me, I guess.

Fine. I guess thats the attempt at a moral for this story. Leave it and just move on, which is exactly what my wife has done. She no longer works for Loblaws and the border that is living in our basement is trying to secure other employment as well. She worked for Loblaws as well.

As for Robert Chisolm, I may be moving on from him as well.

My latest cause

dooohhead — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:21:45 +0000

Below is an email I sent to my MP regarding the treatment of employees at Loblaws (Superstore here in Atlantic Canada) stores.

Hi Robert,

Congratulations on your win of the seat in Dartmouth. It is my hope that now things can actually get done, so lets get started…

Why is it okay for the government to simply bolster their unemployment/employment figures on the backs of hard working and reliable, existing employees?

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9021392.html

It has come to my attention that Loblaws (Superstore here in Atlantic Canada) has entered into a deal with the government of Canada (Stephen Harper?) to increase employment figures by restricting the already restricted “part time” employees to no more than 24-28 hours per week spread out over 6-7 days and to (supposedly) hire more employees. These “existing” employees are hard working and reliable people who depend on a minimal (to say the least) paycheck to survive. These are Mothers and fathers, even grandparents, whose lively hood is now put into jeopardy because their work schedule has been further decreased simply to appease the governments employment figures.

Its not like Loblaws isn’t making any money. They’ve been posting profit increases for awhile now (http://www.torontosun.com/money/2010/05/04/13820416.html, http://www.bnn.ca/News/2011/05/04/Loblaw-profit-climbs.aspx).

Maybe the government should be worried about having its people, who want to work at such company’s, have a steady place for them to do so at, that isn’t out to screw them at every corner. They are tax-paying people too! Sure, my simple answer to people who work there and are upset about it, is to leave, but there are a lot of people who actually like working there and/or who can’t simply “leave”. We should be pleased that these people are out there, and wanting/willing to work, yet it seems that that isn’t good enough anymore as long as the company makes a profit.

Robert, this shouldn’t be allowed to happen. There’s people trying to make a living off of the jobs at Loblaws. They are making people work harder and destroying their (home) lives by forcing them to work 2 jobs but not even allowing them that luxury because they are spreading out these mere 24 hours per week over a 7 day span…that’s horrible!

Surely you could look into this. Ask some questions. Bring it up with Jack Layton. This is not improving the country’s employment (figures) at all!

Train to Halifax

dooohhead — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:56:52 +0000

The typical vistas seen on a typical Via Rail train trip, especially through Canada include a green blur of over grown trees and shrubs speeding by at 80 kilometers an hour. You know its early morning but all you can see is green. Then without warning there is a break in the green blur and you are blessed with a view of the gently flowing Matepedia river out one side of the train and the Trans Canada highway out the other. A mist rising over the trees, some gentle white caps seen in the river and motorized canoes.
As it seems like the train tracks are playing with the river, switching from one side to the other it hits you in the face so hard it blinds you. The sun peeks through the mist shining down on the mist covered sleepy little town and its one major intersection…with the train. Its then that you start to appreciate all that this great country has to offer and with a sleepy coo coming from my best girl as she snuggles up to my shoulder, i ponder. What a great way to celebrate 26 years together.

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Eastlink to implement UBB

dooohhead — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:11:43 +0000

I recently found out that Eastlink (our local Internet Service Provider) is going to be implementing Usage Base Billing (UBB). Link to Eastlink UBB FAQ page

Below is a letter that I wrote and sent to the President of Eastlink, Deborah Shaffner:
Dear Mrs/Ms/Miss Shaffner,


I am VERY disappointed to hear that Eastlink is going to be implementing Usage Based Billing (UBB), or already has.
I have been a fairly long standing and loyal customer and even now have partaken in one of your "bundle" offerings, but I will seriously reconsider my loyalty to Eastlink if I ever get a bill indicating that I've somehow gone over my monthly allotment, whatever that may actually be.  The whole idea of UBB just disgusts me, and anyone who supports its adoption, I want nothing to do with.
I use my computer for both work and for private use, as well a streaming movies (via Netflix, etc) and lots of online gaming.  I can only anticipate a situation where we are no longer associated.
In my humble opinion, I see no reason why Eastlink can't just install the necessary infrastructure to handle the anticipated increase of usage on your network and just suck up the cost and NOT pass that along to your loyal customers.  Ya so maybe your investors will have to make a slightly lower amount of profit the year you do this, I am sure THEY will survive.  Me on the other hand, I will simply find some other provider, who, will likely also be implementing UBB, but it won't be Eastlink.
I seriously urge you to reconsider this.
Sincerely,

...UPDATE:
No sooner had I hit the send button on the online form for submitting my email I got a personalized reply back from them. Even before I could finish reading the email, my phone rang and it was Ashley calling from Eastlink on behalf of the President. We checked out what offerring I actually have (Extreme 15, going to be increased to Extreme 20) and was told that UBB does not apply to those packages. The Extreme 40 and the Extreme 100 packages will be subjected to the constraints of UBB.
What I don’t understand, technically, is how can a UBB solution be implemented on a network (as in Eastlink’s network) and the (potential) restrictions of UBB be applied to, or rather tracked, for just the Extreme 40 and 100 packages? Granted, I won’t get a bill indicating (or I better not!) that I have gone over my limit, according to what Ashley has told me, but I can’t see how my connection is NOT going to be restrained by UBB as the other offerings suppossedly will be. Its all just copper wire. Ok they will know who’s account will or won’t be charged any extra because of UBB, but their networking is still going to be restricting all wires, won’t it?

Its crazy

dooohhead — Tue, 17 May 2011 02:11:07 +0000

I just tried something tonight that kinda blew me away although I know I really shouldn’t be surprised. I have had, for awhile now, my own media server, from which I listen to my “legally ripped music” (from my purchased CD’s), etc. Typically the only device that I own that could access it was my son’s PS3. That has now changed. And I am amazed.

The uPnp (media) server that I am currently using is called MediaTomb running on my Ubuntu PC. It was easy enough to set up and to utilize all of my media. But that all pales in comparison to being able to access all of my media from my Android powered cell phone!

I know, I know you hear about it all the time but this I did myself…and it amazes me. And its cool! I sense an Android app that I might be interested in looking into further…

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Trolled

dooohhead — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:37:05 +0000

Went out for wings last night to our favorite bar. We did what we normally do, order lots of wings and eat them but we hardly ever finish them all. Now on wing night you’re not supposed to be able to “take the wings out” but we are almost regulars there, or rather we used to be so they usually give us a container to take what is left, home. And thats what we did last night.
So this morning when I got up my son was all excited “Oh I left the wings for you to take for lunch”. Unfortunately I have been on a diet this week (lost 4 pounds so far!) so I have been taking salad for lunch. It was a little strange that he kept insisting that I look at what he left me in the container containing the wings. I quickly opened it up and saw part of a wing there with a tiny bit of meat on it. I chuckled and tossed it into the garbage. Har Har Har…funny…no wings for me. The extent that he thought he tricked me was totally lost on me until he sent me this pic and told me he had put the wings into a plastic bag for me to bring for lunch, which he hid, and that at the time he sent this to me, he was eating. So har har har, no wings for me…again. Trolled.

A joke that was sent to me…Outsmarting a woman

dooohhead — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:23:40 +0000

A man calls home to his wife and says, “Honey, I have been asked to fly to Canada with my boss and several of his friends for fishing.. We’ll be gone for a long weekend. This is a good opportunity for me to get that promotion I’ve been wanting so could you please pack enough clothes for a 3 day weekend….

And also would you get out my rod and tackle box from the attic ?

We’re leaving at 4:30 pm from the office and I will swing by the house to pick my things up..

Oh! And please pack my new navy blue silk pajamas..”

The wife thinks this sounds a bit odd, but, being the good wife,

She does exactly what her husband asked.

Following the long weekend he came home a little tired, but, otherwise, looking good. The wife welcomes him home and asks if he caught many fish?

He says, “Yes! Lots of Walleyes, some Bass, and a few Pike.”

He said “but why didn’t you pack my new blue silk pajamas like I asked you to do?”

You’ll love the answer.

The wife replies, “I did, they’re in your tackle box”.
Never, Never, Never try to outsmart a woman!!!