Categories
Uncategorized

Pirates, Ninjas, Elves and Dwarves

[ via Boing Boing

] Tom “Plasticbag.org” Coates has come up with another two-axis

classification scheme for working types: the Pirate/Ninja axis, and the

Elf/Dwarf axis. The meat of his essay:

I have always considered the profound distinction between ninjas and

pirates to be an absolute one. One was either ninja or pirate – there

were no inbetweens. One personality type was skilled and proficient,

elegant and silent, contained and constrained, honourable and

spiritual. The other type loud and flamboyant, gregarious and

unrestrained, life-loving and vigorous, passionate and strong. I

thought all people must pledge their allegiance, or be categorised accordingly.

The other day at work, another binary pair was presented to me – a

co-worker who doesn’t declare people pirate or ninja, but instead elf

or dwarf. For him, humanity falls into doers and thinkers – elves being

elegant and timeless, conceptual and refined, abstract and beautiful

while dwarves are practical and structural, hard-working and

no-nonsense, down-to-earth smiths and makers. It’s a view of the world

that’s expounded a bit in Cryptonomicon.

Coates drew the two axes and plotted a number of big bloggers on them, resulting in this chart:

I wonder where I’d fall. Probably much closer to pirate, maybe straddling elf and dwarf. What do you think?

My mother’s family traces its ancestry back to Chinese pirate Limahong, so I guess I should declare my allegiance to the pirates. Besides, I think that hot tub parties are more a pirate thing than a ninja thing.

Very interesting reading. Perhaps I should contact Coates and offer to program the “where are you on this chart?” quiz.

Go read the article, and while you’re at it, read Scott “PvP” Kurtz’ “Pirate vs. Ninja” series of comic strips.

Categories
In the News

Some fodder for tonight’s presentation on "The Corporation"

It’s news from two Saturdays ago, but still relevant: Kraft Bonuses: $10M Amid Layoffs.


I am mindful of the fact that a lot of things aren’t possible without

corporations. From the development of the railways that opened up the

continent, to the global communications infrastructure and computers

from which I make my livelihood, to life-saving drugs, corporations

make the things and provide the services that we need. It’s just that

like any other powerful entity with influence over our lives —

governments come to mind — we need to watch them like hawks.

Categories
Uncategorized

Accordion City goings-on

I updated the events listed in my Accordion City goings-on entry. Check it out.

Categories
Uncategorized

Carnival of the Canucks!

If it’s Tuesday, it must be Carnival of the Canucks, the weekly gathering of interesting links of Canadian blogs. This week’s host: Enter Stage Right.

Thanks to Steve from Enter Stage Right for doing a fine link-collecting job, and David “Ranting and Roaring” Janes for starting and organizing the Carnival!

Categories
Accordion, Instrument of the Gods In the News

Chicks dig accordions

[ via Eldon Brown ] Here’s an excerpt from an interview with Gloria Estefan:

Music was her only refuge. It led to an invitation to sing at a wedding, where she would meet her future husband.

[NBC interviewer Matt] Lauer: “You said the first time you laid eyes on Emilio, he was wearing brown shorts and playing the accordion.”

Estefan: [Laughter] “Yes.”

Lauer: “Now, that is not usually the opening line of a romance novel, okay?”

Estefan: “And he was playing “Do the Hustle” on the accordion. Now that was sexy and brave.”

I tell you, chicks dig accordion players, especially if they break free of the shackles of polka.

Categories
It Happened to Me

Heard at the convenience store yesterday

Two girls in Catholic school uniforms were purchasing a two-litre

bottle of ginger ale while I was buying beggies for salad at the

convenience store at Queen and John. From their conversation, they were apparently plotting some sort of clandestine alcoholic get-together.

I get the feeling that The Passion of the Christ is a popular meme

even with teens; one of them said to the other “Dude [yes, girls these

days call each other “Dude”], if my Mom finds out that I’ve got booze,

she’s gonna beat me like Jesus!”

Scourge, scourge, scourge. Maybe the movie should’ve been called The Bashin’ of the Christ.

Either that, or they should make Jesus a new character in X-Men 3. He can heal people, alter molecular structure and he’s got a much better healing factor than Wolverine!

Categories
Toronto (a.k.a. Accordion City)

Accordion City goings-on [Updated]

Here’s a list of events in Accordion City that I find interesting and will probably attend.

Today (Tuesday, March 16th)

Joel Bakan, author of The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power speaks at the Innis College Townhall (2 Sussex Avenue,

on the University of Toronto downtown campus) at 7 p.m.. A presentation

of Pages Bookstore’s “This is Not a Reading Series” reading series.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, March 17th)

Drinking with co-workers at The Foggy Dew (803 King Street West, at Niagara) at 5-ish. Accordion playing of “Wild Rover” and other tunes from my handy-dandy Irish songbook.

Later that night, Kickass Karaoke at the Bovine Sex Club (542 Queen Street West, one block east of Bathurst)! The fun starts at 9-ish.

The Day After Tomorrow (Thursday, March 18th)

Cory Doctorow’s book signing and promotion of his latest novel, Eastern Standard Tribe at the The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy, located inside the Lillian H. Smith Branch of the Toronto Public Library (239 College Street West, one block east of Spadina). The event starts at 7 p.m..

Saturday, March 20th

David “Ranting and Roaring” Janes is organizing a “Poliblogger” bash at The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West, near Dufferin). They’ll have a special out-of-town guest: Damian “Daimnation!” Penny. They’ll have both kind of political bloggers there: right-wing and conservative!

But really folks, they’re nice people. Even if you don’t agree with the politics, it’s always good to step out of your own personal echo chamber.