Privacy watch dog voices concerns on Cyber Investigation Debate

Canada's privacy watchdog chimes in on newly proposed internet policing.   http://www.thestar.com/iphone/news/canada/politics/article/1077343--privacy-watchdog-urges-caution-in-beefing-up-surveillance-measures

More people need to get involved with this because the implications of unlimited police power as demonstrated at the G20 in Toronto can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. 

 Original post

What will the future look like

There have always been people who have come up with great visions of what the future will be like.  Heck they even made three movies about it; Back to the Future 1,2,3.   Well Microsoft released on October 25th their latest ideas on how the future will be shaped on their officevideos YouTube Channel.  There are some interesting ideas which are highly likely considering a number of emerging technologies.  For example in the video the idea of 3D imaging without glasses from your phone, tablet, computer, or tv are already in development and have been showcased at CES in past years.  The release of Google Wallet and upcoming Chip Phones definitely will make it possible to use your phone as your hotel room key.  As well as Canesta's gesture control which the Kinect is based will easily provide the ability to move images, documents or holograms between screens.  Nokia's demo flex-phone is the first in what will likely be the paper or credit style phones.  While I think cars may look a little different than the video shows its still interesting watching.  Check it out below.  Look out for my upcoming post of what Mississauga will look like in the future. 

Soundwave

You will be mine.  Oh yes you will be mine

Calling Dick Tracy

As a kid I always wanted a watch like Dick Tracy.  A watch you could use to talk or communicate with other people.Well the day may finally be here.   More and more companies are producing computer watches.  The latest contender is the Android based I'mWatch.  Check out the details here.

Frosty

 

Frosty morning to ya!  Well it seems that the early chills of winter have appeared.  It was rather frosty this morning here in Mississauga.  The summer colors are fading into the greys of winter's bite.  Not to put a damper on the day but Blogging B is busting out his new winter gear just because I do a little walking on my way to the mill.  Well the snow boarders, skaters, hockey players, soup lovers and photographers who love snow and icicles' will likely begin gearing up for the coming season.  So if you haven't got you're gear in check get out there to the malls before the Christmas madness begins and stock up on your gloves, hats, and boots.  As they keep saying in Games of Thrones "Winter is coming!"  

Nokia has unveiled its Flexible Phone

This video is courtesy of Engadget

In the lead

Its day two of testing Android blogging apps and so far in the lead is..... Wait for it.... BloggerDroid.  So far this app has impressed me.

Testing blogging apps

Its been about 3 months since the launch of Bloggin Blodgett. To date I have been using both pc and mobile platforms, no tablets yet, we have yet to earn the funds to purchase a Galaxy Tab, yes I'm a Samsung type of dude. Anyone want to buy Bloggin B one holla at you boy lol. I do amuse myself at times but back to the topic at hand..... Bloggin.. Android....mobile... Apps.

I have to date been using Google's Blogger app which quite frankly is frustrating. There are a lot of things missing from it and useability is at best limited to basic text posting on onr account and at worst very limited and unreliable kind of suprising since Google has in many ways been the pioneers. So for the next month I will be comparing 3 Apps; Blogger, BloggerDroid, Blogaway. Actually this is the first post using BloggerDroid. So next month Bloggin B will share his thoughts. Have a good one!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Flickr calls all photographers for 24 hours of Photos

Flickr announced yesterday that they will be holding another 24 hours of Photography.   The event takes place where ever you are all you have to do is take pictures anytime on November 11th 2011.  You may submit one picture per day up until Midnight November 30th.  There are no restrictions other than that.  Here's the Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickr111111/

New study done in Italy has linked porn addiction to"sexual anorexia"

The effects on men and the long term use of pornography have always been debated.  While there is little doubt that the comfortable pornographic culture we live in has negatively affected men's outlooks of and expectations of woman, a new study has actually linked the relationship of long term addiction and performance issues to put it politely.  The study was done in Italy Read the article below.

http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/english/2011/02/24/visualizza_new.html_1583160579.html

Love one another

Love one another as I have loved you... this was the focus of the homily given at Church today.  The readings from today touch upon the first and second commandments.  The Gospel centers on a story where a lawyer asks Jesus what is the greatest Commandments?  Jesus answer was to repeat the first two commandments.  The second being the focus of the homily.  The priest made an interesting point about how in today's world almost everything we use technology wise requires us to use an access code whether it be our phones, computers, key vobs to our buildings etc... the same applies how we get into heaven.... we need an access code... and our code is Love.  How we get to heaven is by loving one another.  But he was quick to point out that the definition and our understanding of what love is in our society is often skewed.  And if its any testimony to this last night I was watching Rihanna's latest video "we found love" a video which supposedly depicts her and Chris Browns' relationship and the fallout they had.  And if what is depicted in the video is the modern world's understanding of what love is then we're in serious trouble and so our the kids.  No, love is unconditional and the priest had an interesting way of relating this to what Jesus said on the fatal night of the last supper when he said to his disciples "I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you"  What this means is unconditionally.   The priest relayed this directly to the crucifixion and this is what Jesus meant.  The cross is both vertical and horizontal, we can't be one dimensional when it comes to our lives and how we live them or how we treat others.  This in a way is also how the cross goes from being a symbol of fear, death and destruction to being the Christian symbol of Love and Victory, Love in it's greatest sense. God demonstrates how we are to love one another through the cross by giving completely of our selves by not withholding for our personal gratification or selfishness.  And let's face it often times we are selfish quite often without meaning to be or even realizing that our actions can be hurtful to others.  And the people we often hurt are the ones living right under our roof.  A simple application of this principle even boils down to a subject I often rant about whether on Bloggin B or amongst friends and co-workers is how people even treat each other out in public especially on the road.  The way people carry on in their cars on a day to day basis is disgusting.  The lack of respect for a fellow human being is abysmal. People cutting each other off, running red lights intentionally when their is heavy traffic, cutting off pedestrians because you don't want to slow down.  I can't tell you how many times I have nearly been hit because someone is trying to beat another car or is busy worrying about the latest text, Facebook or twitter message they got.  And this is apparent even in the Mississauga news for anyone who follows it.  Even the amount of pedestrians killed in Mississauga (I think its been almost 7) over the last few weeks just crossing the street says something about the lack of respect we have for the rights of other people to even have life.  When we are so caught up in ourselves that we fail to respect the rights of a person driving beside us to life because they are in our way says we have lost our way. But it doesn't stop here it goes from the work place to our school yards to our homes.  People are very quick to say do unto others but how often do we follow this principal.  Do you love your neighbor or do you sit there silently when someone like Jamie Hubley is mocked to death.  I know I am guilty of this many times figuratively.  But it goes beyond standing up for someone who is hurting, it goes beyond respecting the rights of others.  Loving your neighbor unconditionally means forgiving as well as giving your all to them.  Its what God did on the cross for us and it is what is expected of each of us and what we should expect from ourselves and each other.

God keep our land glorious and free! Oh Canada ... Canada’s proposed cyber investigation bills

And the road to democracy widens as police are going to be given unrestricted access to anything you communicate or do online.  Time to wake up Canada. 

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/22/laws-for-21st-century-a-guide-to-canadas-proposed-lawful-access-laws/

Public photography and the loss of the sense of community

Over the past several years I have grown more interested in photography.  Over the last five years I have gone out frequently taking pictures of various places whether I'm on vacation or just taking pictures of a local event.  I recently upgraded to a professional Digital SLR and have played with it on a few occasions.  Of course with all things SLR it is costly at the beginning as you collect lenses, flashes and tripods, cleaning and storage gear etc... so I haven't done as much photography these last few months as I will over the coming years.  But in the little experience I have gained over the last few years I have had done a bit of Street Photography.  Now there is two parts to street photography that I have both read about and experienced to some degree.  They are: 1) Building up nerve  2) Being cautious.

It takes a little nerve to go out to a random location and just start shooting pictures of random strangers.  While taking pictures at a public event changes the context a bit compared to going to the beach on a sunny day and shooting, it always takes a little getting use.  One thing always on my mind when doing a shoot is trying not to stand out.  I don't really want people to know that I am there.  When people are aware that their picture is being taken by a stranger or not it often changes the tone of the picture, some people become stiff, some people watch you wondering what you're doing.  The other thing on my mind is "Am I going to get punched out"  While very few people get overly confrontational especially after you speak with them explaining what you're doing nevertheless it is always on my mind.  Ironically in the age of addiction to social media where there are approximately 10 billion pictures alone on Facebook, half of those pertaining to an individual user who probably hasn't even seen half of them there is still a prevailing fear from a lot of people of having their picture taken.  Photography has changed not only in terms of technology but in that many ways 'everyone's a photographer'  but also in how semi- and professional photographers are looked upon especially here in Canada and the US.
 
I have read a number of stories, which I don't have the links to, in particular over the last year of photographers having their camera's broken, being attacked by someone in the public, having their photos deleted by cops, or even being suspected of taking pictures of children at a public place when its a grandparent or parent photographing their own kid.  While the last one is obviously a more serious concern considering all the child abuse occurring I have wondered why people have such a phobia of a person with a SLR camera taking random shots out in public areas.  Most people can also recognize by the type of camera that the person is a photographer because professional cameras are rather big and bulky.  It isn't all that likely there is anything more sinister going on with those pictures than all the photos of you that you didn't even know were all over a site like Facebook, a site from what I've heard from many programmers is hardly even secure. 

Steve Meltzer over at pixiq has chipped in on this subject and has explained what I often feel too in regards to the loss of the sense of being in this together and being part of a community where as now we no longer trust one another and suspect people being of ill intent.  He touches on how this has changed photography and in many ways made the rights of photographers disappear.  Read his article Good Cops Don't Bust Cameras    

Cyberverse Hatchet

The latest edition to the Vault is Decepticon Hatchet.  Hatchet is from Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon.  He is one of the three black SUV's from the highway chase scene.   This is the first in the Cyberverse Series that I have purchased and he is actually one of my favorite Dark of the Moon Figures next to Ultimate Optimus.   

Skype vulnerabilities may be a pirate's downfall and more

Arrrr, actually it may be more than just internet pirates who may be screaming this.  A report published by a research group has found a way to identify Skype users ID's and then identify also which of those users use P2P (peer to peer file sharing) software, specifically targeting BitTorrent users.  P2P users who hide their IP's as well were not safe from the tests.  Movie and Music studios will definitely be interested in this privacy exploit as they continue their crusade against file sharing.  While this loop hole in Skype's software can identify down to the Computer used it can't actually identify the user behind the machine.  Nevertheless the privacy concerns of being able to identify who people were by ip address along with their private info and also what information they are sharing on P2P programs should be an alarming concern for Skype Users. Links to two articles on this report along with the report are below:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/242278/researchers_id_skype_users_who_also_use_bittorrent.html     

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/10/researchers-identify-skype-user/             

Here is the original report for those who wish to read

Wily the Coyote

 

So Wily's finally made the news.  If you caught CTV news tonight you may have seen the broadcast on Wily.  Last Thursday my buddy stopped by and Wily was hanging around.  It was about 10 at night and I thought I saw a dog.  We weren't sure at first because he was in the bushes near where I live and then he took off down the street.  But he doubled back when he got to the intersection and came prancing back down the street the opposite way.  About 10 minutes later we spotted him again in the bushes and we went up to get a closer look because we weren't really sure if it was a stray dog or a coyote as it was hard to see him from where we were standing.  We got a little closer and were able to make out by the face and  leg movement it wasn't a dog.  But Wily didn't seem to be too concerned by us but he didn't approach us either  which was rather strange.  Coyotes are usually a little more aggressive than this guy seems.  So anyhow Wily made the news and has been wandering the blocks of Mississauga Valley.  Cool seeing up close though.  I'm hoping he will make one more stop by the house before they get him so I can grab a picture of him. 

Check out CTV's news clip (I stole a printscreen from them)  

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/wily-coyote/#clip553462

Road Runner Blodgett

Haunted Mississauga

BOO! Its the scary season. For those into Haunted Houses and Mysteries its that time of year. Heritage Mississauga presents Haunted Mississauga. More Details can be found here

The Adventures of Tintin

For all you Tintin Fans there's a new trailer. Loved these comic stories as a kid.

So its round 10

So its round 10 in the fight with the October Virus.  The bells were ringing this morning and the fight began.  Swinging hard with all his effort the October Virus gave me one last uppercut this morning knocking me back into the corner and keeping me there for most of the afternoon.  I had to force myself out of bed around 2 just so I would be able to sleep tonight.  The last two nights I've been up both nights past 3 tossing and turning.  So when I arose this afternoon I dosed myself with a bunch of vitamins, tea, water and read the 200 tweets I missed being KO'd.  Here's a couple interesting articles;

Bosco Verticale : the world's first vertical forest  -

I can for see a number of issue with this being a little bit of a plant fan myself.  Weight, root growth and fire concerns come to mind.  Full article is over here

While I usually don't pay much attention to all the Hollywood hype this one is liking promising considering Transformers 3 Dark of the Moon brought in over a billion dollars.  So for all you Transformers fans Hasbro and Paramount are currently in discussions for filming Transformers 4 and 5 according to a number of news sources.  Most of the details are speculation but the movies are likely

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=48390&t=iTransformers_4i_And_i5i_May_Film_Back-To-Back_LaBeouf_Out_Statham_In

http://collider.com/transformers-4-news-micronauts-movie/120848/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hasbro-talks-fo-fourth-transformers-ouija-budget-249277

BlogTo has posted a ton of protest pictures from their coverage of Occupy Toronto

Actually I didn't spend much time today on the Blog Feed I've been taking it easy and when not unconscious I've been rereading The Hobbit  before the movie comes out next year. So I spent the afternoon on the couch reading before making dinner which entailed some Jerk Chicken and Egg Plant Fingers done Parmesan style.  I may share the recipe in a later post along with the Spicy Thai Chicken I promised you.

Now I am off to see the wizard the wonderful wizard of Green Pills better know as Nyquil so that I may fall asleep before midnight otherwise I may begin howling tonight full moon or not.  Cheers till tomorrow
Bloggin B.

Don't fall Mr Orange

Check out this article over at Gizmodo.  Yes this is a real fish bowl. While this is a UK product I hope this will show up here at some point.  Start reading the article get going already!!!!!  : )

This is a great idea

So at the end of the year I will be putting one of these together even for memorabilia's sake.  You can now have your blog published into a book with custom front and back cover.  You can select your own photos to use on the covers.  You have the choice of using a hard or soft cover and you can choose the to have pages inside in black and white.  All you have to do is enter your Blog Address, choose your cover pictures, throw in a dedication and select the dates of the Blog Entries that you want included in the Book.  The service automatically sets up the cover and a table of contents and imports your Blog Entries pictures and all.  I love this idea I think is great.   Bloggers can sell it to raise money or just to have a Book Memorabilia.  You can count of Bloggin B grabbing one of these.  Go here to see...

Apps coming for The Mississauga News

The Mississauga News has announced the coming of their News App. Actually Metroland Media who producers the publication looks like they have created Apps for all their local news products.  As usual though Apple users will be given first priority and Android to follow later.  They are also giving people who download the App a chance to enter into their give away for a 2012 Toyota Camry.  Here's the link http://apps.metroland.com/?utm_source=communities&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=pushdown&utm_campaign=localnewsapp

Trailer for The Devil Inside

This looks very interesting!

Occupy Toronto

Unfortunately due to my deathly dual with the October Virus I unwillingly resigned myself Friday night from heading down to Toronto to get some shots of the Occupy Toronto Event.  I would have loved to have been there as I was at the G20 to capture with my new camera some of the lively activities that surround these events but this virus which I have named the October Virus has me pinned to my quarters and the rain today would have made it worse for me.  So as much as I would like to provide you with my own shots of the events I cannot.  But never fear Derek Flack of BlogTo has uploaded some of their shots and coverage of the days activities.  Have a look at their post over here http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/10/occupy_toronto_protests/

Been under the weather

Sorry for the lack of posts for the past few days.  I've been fighting off this virus that's plaguing the city for the past two weeks.  Hoping to get back on track tomorrow.  Resting Blodgett

Cool video using Time Lapse Feature

I know this video isn't featuring any Mississauga Sites but this is a really cool video which I came across that I wanted to share.



Neo Solar from Ben Lean on Vimeo.

Avengers Trailer now online

Avengers ET Teaser for those who can't wait

Tomorrow it is expected that Marvel will unleash the new trailer for the upcoming Avengers Movie.
For those who can't wait there is a brief video recorded from Entertainment Tonight featuring a few new clips.  The video is embedded below.

New Photos

Uploaded a few new pics now over at BlodgettFreezeFrame  I borrowed two lens' this weekend a Canon 85mm 1.8 and Canon 50mm 1.8 wanted to test them out prior to purchasing some new gear.  I was hoping to get out today for some photo shoots in Toronto considering its about 77 here but I have contracted this virus that's going around in Sauga City so today I have decided to rest up.  Have a look and leave your comments.   Bloggin B

The Thought Police

Every once in a while I come across the title of an article and I stare frozen at my screen thinking is this for real?  So after I click on the link and read the article I have one of two reactions; either I laugh or I continue to stare at the screen with my jaw dropped like I got sacked in the face by a random flying object.  Bring forth the article :  http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/08/us-department-of-homeland-security-developing-system-to-predict/

So Engadget posted an article recently once again pointing out the brilliance of the Department of Defense of our neighbors just south of us.  I really feel for the people of the US who seem to have a diabolical government.  There's no other way to describe some of the wackness coming out of government security sectors.  Enter Fast Vision a new security measure that is being tested.  How the Fast vision (vision is what people in government need to get) system supposedly works is that people will pass through scanners and camera monitoring systems and their physiological or behavior patterns will determine whether they have the intent to do something sinister.  Hog wash and a half.  First it was detecting terrorists by sweating now if you have thoughts that are "indicative of mal-intent" you are going to the brink.  So scenario one Minority Report I'm sorry I couldn't help it.  Let's say that I had a child who went missing in, oh lets pick on Utah, and I got a call that she had been found in Ohio and the kidnapper was there apprehended so I quickly head to the airport to get a flight.  Obviously I am all worked up emotionally knowing that I am going to see my child and maybe the assailant too.  Any normal father would be all over the place emotionally from wanting to pulverize the dude to the emotional anxiety of holding his child again.  Wait I hear sirens... but again seriousness, so these Fast Vision scanners would likely peg me as being potentially dangerous.  I know the above scenario would not play out that way but it is an example to show this idiocy behind this idea.  I'm done with this as its Thanksgiving and I have much better things to focus on like Turkey and Cranberries and I don't want to say a bunch of negative things on a day we give Thanks for the blessings we have now.   This post  just irks me.   Maybe the Turkey's down south could do a little bit of the same put their resources and finances towards something a little more productive.  Thank God I don't live in the States.

Thanksgiving Limited posts

I just wanted to wish all the readers of Bloggin Blodgett a Happy Thanksgiving.  May the coming year be full of blessings.  I would also like to thank everyone for their support. 
Happy Thanksgiving
Bloggin Blodgett

PS Posting will be limited for the long weekend.  Look out for new photos next week. 

Shoot the bird or my left foot

With thanksgiving a few days away I was thinking that I haven't really done my part this year.  I live in an economically stable country where we have a lot of luxuries.  More importantly I live in a wonderful city namely that of Mississauga.  I have mentioned before in past posts that this city has given me all that I am.  I haven't given much back.  This isn't a confession or guilt trip but a realization that as a semi-young individual I have done little to help build up this community especially those who need help.  Bloggin B needs to do more and so I ask those in the following please send me information on any ongoing projects that you may have knowledge of and maybe we can use this Blog to help our fellow community.

Spicy Thai Chicken

Every few months when I go to the liquor store I always scout out for their seasonal Food and Drink Magazine. Some of the homies always look at me funny like why would I want the LCBO Magazine. I always tell them there are some good recipes in there. Like the Spicy Thai Chicken I made last night. Now of course I have my own take on this recipe which I will share at a later date. They also have some cool drink ideas.  So next time you're at the LCBizzO grab yourself a 40 and some new reading material.  I will post the recipe tonight for you Thai enthusiasts.  Cheers Bloggin B

The Mayors Gala

There always seem to be a critic in every circle.  In light of many of Mississauga's Mayor Hazel's many achievements as Mayor there are still those who seek to scrutinize everything she does or supports.  It seems that even the Mayor's Gala which began to develop programs for Artists in the city is now under scrutiny by some in light of the outcome of the seven million dollar inquiry.  Mississauga Life has published an article in defense of this wonderful event which provides funding to many wonderful initiatives in our city.  Read more here

Forgot to mention re T.O.S.

In my post on The Taste of Streetsville I forgot to mention that the event runs until Friday October 7th so hurry book your tables.  Cheers Bloggin B

Taste of Streetsville

Last Friday Bloggin B was feeling a little hungry and so with a few of his compadres they decided to venture into town.  Braving the icy rain that pounded the city that cold fall night, they rode their modes of transportation into the village.... The Village of Streetsville that is.  And as they made their way through the Main Street they stumbled upon a Bistro which looked mighty warm inside.  A fire was burning while Red and White wines were being poured, so they entered through the door and discussed fond memories over a succulent feast that left them full and warm.  Enough with the poetics and down to Blogging business. 

Last Friday we decided to hit up good ol Streetsville for their annual Taste of Streetsville event.  I'd been meaning to get out to this for the last few weeks but scheduling conflicts have made it difficult.  Bistro Chezanne was the choice of cuisine; a little French restaurant on the corner of Queen and Main St.  The atmosphere was all warm and cozy (love those fuzzy feelings lol) and the food was very good.  I haven't had a nice meal like that in a long time.  Kudos to Chef Anne-Marie Ellis.  If you haven't been to Bistro Chezanne get over there this week and try their Taste of Streestville Menu which is a steal of a deal.  Everything from their bread to the desert is freshly made.  The Gnocchi Parisienne is awesome and  to quote one of my compadres "I haven't had Salmon like this in a long time" in reference to their Pan Seared Salmon.  With friendly staff and service it is a welcoming place for some nice dining.  We all agreed we will be heading back their some time in the future.