theMediaman.com

I’ve made a couple of modifications to the web site. First, I replaced the header graphic with something that actually is interesting.  I’m fully aware that my logo is really only interesting to me and my imaginary friends, but I didn’t want to stick one static graphic in there.

Instead I have a random image, haphazardly touched up to keep in the visual style of the page. The only problem is, the script that I use accesses the directory where I store my images and gets a file-listing every time the page loads.  Low administration is great (just add a new header graphic and it automatically is put into the queue). However, long load times for every page on my site is not good. I’m going to have to modify the script in order to pull from an updated text file or something.

The other big update comes from the horrifying realization that my pre-2007 entries (run by Blogger) are no longer catalogued in Google, Live Search, Yahoo!, or much of any other search engine!  I used to have the number 4 spot on Google for the most common misspelling of “Buddism”, now none of those pages show up even when directly addressed.

I asked my resident SEO expert (Simone) if I should recode the pages so they look like they’re being regularly updated, but she said that will drag the relevancy of my entire site down.

Instead, I’ve used some WordPress feature that lets you import Blogger. I backed up the current theMediaman.com site, and ran the program.  BOOM. Several hundred posts suddenly part of my WordPress weblog. 

Now I have a new problem… well, it’s more like an old problem I ignored but is now compounded. I haven’t really been using the “tags” feature of WordPress, and opting instead just to focus on “Categories”. Now I have four to five hundred posts that need to be categorized, tagged, and many of them even lack formal post titles. However, all posts are now searchable, which helps when I’m trying to reference one of my earlier postings in a self-congratulatory back-patting upon confirmation of one of my predictions.

Of course, it’s also easier for all of you to find when I’ve been wrong.

I’m very happy that four very talented Canadians are in the running for some of the biggest Oscars.  There were disappointments to some, like the exclusion of Denys Arcand’s latest work, but I’ve never been a fan of his movies. The first two movies just seemed to be old people talking about sex. Eww.

Jason Reitman, who’s career has been short and overshadowed by his father’s extraordinary success, has proven that he’s an exceptional director in his own right. Sarah Polley who was previously known south of the border for little more than the Dawn of the Dead remake, now has a nomination for best adapted screenplay.

Unfortunately, two deserving actresses have to duke it out for best actress.  Julie Christie and Ellen Page are both talented. Although I have yet to see “Away From Her”, I saw “Juno” last week. Not a performance that bowls you over, but I believe that’s more to do with the story. This isn’t really a tear-jerker story.  A lot of viewers would be turned off of that.

Instead, this punctuates a very impressive, al beit short career for Ellen Page so far.  The first time I saw her was in the first season of “Regenesis”. Looking several years younger than her birth certificate indicates helps her land roles that require someone very young, forced to deal with issues beyond her years.  “Hard Candy” is obviously a difficult movie to watch, but her critical acclaim in that movie cemented the likelyhood that she was going to get noticed by Hollywood. 

Canada/Canadians also got two nominations for Best Animated Short. Although no actors/actresses will be at the awards ceremony, neither will the writers be putting uncomfortable, innane, artificial banter on the teleprompters.  This could still be the best Oscars ceremony yet!

Last night Simone and Mini-Ben pulled me out to play dodgeball.  It’s a Toronto Parks & Rec thing, so it takes place in a public school gymnasium.  The freshly mopped bathroom reaked of urine and there was discarded food containers in the corners of the hallway. Basically, it looked how you’d expect a Toronto public school to look if CityTV’s exposés are to be believed.

After only a few matches, those parts of my lungs that haven’t seen much use since I cancelled my gym membership started loosening up and reminded me that I treat my body with the same care as a smoker. By the end of the night, my legs were moving a little slow (sort of like when you click on a link and two seconds later the page actually responds).

My lungs are heathy and pink enough that they were able to handle the workout, but my thighs took the worst of it.  They’re muscles that I never use unless climbing stairs or, apparently, dodging balls. So I’ve been feeling fine most of today until I start climbing stairs and the underworked muscles come back to haunt me.

Sadly, even being lazy hurts. Rather than playing tennis, baseball, boxing or even a light game of bowling, Simone and I have bought a Wii (and justified the purchase as an engagement gift to ourselves). The first night we had it, Simone brought some work home with her and did that while I hit home runs and bowled turkeys. It was a full two hours before she took over the controller.  During that time I didn’t necessarily play vigourously, but I did have my right arm up and swinging for the entire stretch.

The next two days were full of stress and pain in every muscle in my arm. From the bicep to the balancing muscles and my fingers holding the controller, everything was sore. It seems that the “Revolution” of new controllers simply exchange the malady of Nintendo Thumb with Wii Arm.

The whole thing was agrivated by whipping around dodgeballs last night.  However, I’m worried my right arm is going to become much stronger than the left. Thinking of ways to overcome this, I’m considering playing Super Mario Galaxy with my right hand, but committing to Wii Sports as a southpaw.

Another alternative is to play a lot of Wii Boxing (the only game I have so far that give equal time to the right-hand controller and the left-hand ‘nunchuck’). While this alone doesn’t burn a lot of calories, I figure a couple wrist-weights might increase the effort, and the challenge of the game.

Also coming soon is a game called WiiFit.  It looks like most of the ’games’ are Yoga or fitness style, but there looks to be at least a few high-intensity activities like pushups. A study (admittingly funded by Nintendo UK’s own marketing team) found a difference in calories burned between a session of gaming on the Wii and a sit-down racing game on an Xbox360. But “156% more energy burned” than sitting on your ass and watching TV is like multiplying 156 x 0.

And any game that Miyamoto is excited about, I’m excited about.  For those who don’t know video games, it’s like hearing that Spielberg is particularly excited about a movie, or Barry Bonds is excited about a new brand of steroid.

I wonder what the Wii equivalent of steroids is.  Ideas?

Yesterday, among few other activities (vacation day) I watched Silence of the Lambs. This is the first time I had seen it, even though I consider myself a “Movie Geek”.  There are a number of films on my want-to-see list that have shamefully slipped through the cracks. I still have Once Upon A Time In The West on my DVD shelf, unwatched.

When the Academy Award Winning picture was originally in theatres, I was 15 and was not yet in the habit of sneaking into movies I wasn’t supposed to see. The years passed, and throughout my twenties I rented it twice but didn’t get to watching it before my rental time was up and I had to return it to the store. More recently, I found it for $4.99 (+20% off sale) and picked it up. It wasn’t until later that I realized it was full-frame instead of widescreen, but I’m willing to live with that.

The DVD sat on my shelf through the autumn and through the holidays until yesterday when I finally took it out of the cellophane, tore the security sticker off in a dozen pieces, and finally sat down to commit two hours to watching one of the greatest films of the 20th century (or at least, the greatest villian).

It was ruined.

In the 16 years since the movie was released, this landmark film had so many quotable quotes, and so many landmark moments and filming techniques that they’ve been lampooned countless times in movies I’ve actually spent the time to watch. I’m watching Anthony Hopkins in his Oscar-winning performance, but I’m hearing the Toilet Paper Vandel from a South Park episode. I’m watching ‘Buffalo Bill’ dance in front of a video camera, but I’m seeing Jason Mewes in the parking lot at Mooby’s.

Now I truly understand why people who didn’t see a movie like Star Wars in the first twenty years found it impossible to see for the first time when re-released in theatres. Mind you, that doesn’t get them a repreive from my condemnation of not seeing earlier.

But for ruining a film that earned the right to be on the very, very short list of “Big Five” Oscar Winners, I have only myself to blame.

A weird thing happens when you get engaged in a Web 2.0 world.  Since the word “wedding” has appeared in my Gmail, and I’ve updated my Facebook status, the intelligent AdWords on pretty much every page I visit have something to do with weddings.

I was already aware of how big an industry the “Wedding Biz” is, but it’s really carnivorous. Pretty much every weekend from now until late-Spring will have a wedding convention.  Some weekends have two or more to attend. Every business I guess has to get in on the ground-floor after the proposal, so they’ll have more say as to who supplies what, and gets paid for it.

The only person I know who’s officially in the Wedding Biz works out of Guelph/Kitchener and recommends finding someone who knows the local businesses.  It makes perfect sense, but I’m still nervous having everyone (including people I don’t know) in control of my wedding but me.

For example, I’ve once been to a wedding with a band, and even that was only recently. Before that, I’ve seen everything from a laptop running Win-Amp on randomize, up to a professional DJ with stage lighting.  Now that I know someone who’s a DJ (and pretty good too), I was hoping to hire her.  A Jewish friend of mine who’s also getting married this year told me with absolute certainty, “give that one up. Jews don’t have DJs”.

After some research, it seems that Jewish weddings can’t happen on Saturday, and there’s no particular (pre-18th century) rule against having Christian weddings on Sunday. While logistically the best thing to do is have it on Sunday, most people won’t want to stay late as they’ll need to work the next day. Also, having it on Saturday shouldn’t be too much of an issue for anyone who’s attending an interfaith marriage anyway.

I’ve already agreed to a civil ceremony - something I swore I would never do - in order to settle a few arguments before they started.  Since Simone is Jewish (as is her family), and I am Christian (as is my family), a civil ceremony without any representation of religion is the most politically correct way to handle the issue.  However, I’m not quite ready to eliminate spirituality from The Most Important Day Of My Life. I have felt God’s presence in every part of my life and I just can’t eliminate Him from a ceremony revolving around the importance of “Love”. I think that if I find some sort of compromise for this, then I’ll be okay with having a band instead of a DJ, or having the ceremony on a Sunday instead of a Saturday.  It just seems like a long way that we all have to go before that happens.

Until then, I’m just going to enjoy the attention. Even if it is by a database of online advertisements.