Author: admin

A Spanish scrapyard has come up with a smashing way of helping people take out their frustrations on modern living. For 40 euros ($52), they can pick up sledgehammers and bash away on anything from cars and computers to mobile phones and even photos of the boss.

Held in Lubia, 160 kms (100 miles) northeast of Madrid, it is described as “damage therapy”, says Reuters. One happy punter said: “I have smashed the car, my sameness and my stress… everything, it is terrific.”

The “therapy” has been organised by a group called StopStress. Along with a hammer, customers are given helmets, overalls, goggles and heavy metal music for head banging. Customers can spend up to two hours hitting away, but nobody has managed more than 30 minutes, organisers say.

“First when they arrive, they feel afraid and uncertain because we motivate people a lot so they can smash up more things,” said co-founder Jorge Arribas. “But then, after they have smashed everything you can see them more free of worry and relaxed.” He said some people brought photos of their bosses and put them on top of cars before attacking them with a hammer.

“It is brilliant, fantastic… I have got rid of all my stress,” Mariano Garcia, from Cadiz, told Reuters television.

“I smashed all parts of the car that always bother me, I have taken my revenge”. A study by the UK's University of Surrey earlier this year found that modern gadgets such as mobile phones and laptop computers were increasing levels of workplace stress.

Original link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4030795.stm

Today was a rough day. Woke up early to have breakfast with Michel and Seb. Seb is… having a rough year, to put it mildly. Between having his wife leave him in very traumatic circumstances and health problems that are causing a radical career change, life has given him a short, sharp kick to the head. It's hard to see him how he is now, because nobody deserves that and and it sucks that bad things happen to good people. Be thankful that you're in decent health, the lot of you.

Met up with my sister to go to the Salon du Livre afterwards. I walked from Lionel-Groulx to Bonaventure for a bit of exercise. It was a nice day to walk, but my thoughts were a bit grey. The fact that I was burping like an idiot really didn't help things. I've discovered that when I'm stressed, I have gas. Nothing I can really do about it, and it's really uncomfortable. I was at the salon for 2 hours with my sister and I did not stop burping for the whole time i was there. Sexay, let me tell you. Two hours is the maximum time I can be in a jam-packed place with crowds without becoming homocidally violent, so we left when we both got fed up.

Got home and talked with my sweetie for a while, which did wonders to cheer me up (thank you hun!), cooked a bit and then spent the night playing AD&D.

Nothing major planned for the upcoming week. I need to send a parcel to the UK, and that's about the only pressing thing that's on my agenda, work or otherwise. Yay.

Glaucoma Is Second Leading Cause Of Blindness

If taking a break from your computer during the day could mean saving your eyesight, would you do it?

A new study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology says too many hours in front of the computer is putting us at increased risk for glaucoma. Glaucoma is currently the second leading cause of blindness in the world. But with an aging population, glaucoma is quickly becoming a top public health challenge, Madison television statioon WISC reported.

“It's a very silent disease, and that's why it is often referred to as the sneaky thief of sight. More than half of all people who have the disease don't know it. There's no pain and vision loss is very patchy,” said Dr. John Geanon, an ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist.

Over the next 10 years, the number of people diagnosed with glaucoma is expected to double. The study shows one big risk factor is too much time in front of a computer, specifically for people who are myopic or near-sighted.

“We've long suspected being near-sighted is a risk factor for glaucoma. We think something is structurally different with a near-sighted eye that makes that optic nerve more susceptible to damage from glaucoma,” Geanon said. The study shows those most at risk have used the computer for at least 10 years, and for four or more hours a day.

The doctor's order is to know your risk and get routine comprehensive eye exams. That's because once your vision is gone, it's too late. “There simply is no cure for most common forms of glaucoma. But, with identification and treatment it can slow down the process, so vision loss is minimal over a person's lifetime.

If you have to spend a lot of time on the computer, give your eyes a break at least every two hours. Do whatever you can to make the screen easiest to read by fixing the contrast, brightness or tilt, the station said.

My girlfriend is wonderful, and it must be said.

I finally got around to putting the last pictures of Katy's trip online. They are found here. Included are pictures form the Chinese lanterns, the Biodome, the Old Port, Mont-Royal park, the Oratoire, the Plateau, the Fine-Arts museum and pictures from our trips to Ottawa and Mont St-Brueau.

Ahh, good memories :)

I know, I know, I said I wouldn't look at US news anymore today.

But this one just blew me away:

Congress passes $800 billion debt limit hike:

With the government facing imminent default because it has depleted its authority to borrow money, the debt limit bill would pump up the federal borrowing cap to $8.18 trillion. That is 70 percent the size of the entire U.S. economy, and more than $2.4 trillion higher than the debt Bush inherited upon taking office in 2001.

So what does this mean? It means that, well, since we're broke, and the law says we can't borrow any more money, lets change the law!

Now ya see, any financial planner worth his weight in paper will tell you that borrowing more than 50% of your annual income is a surefire way to land in bankruptcy. Borrowing 70% of your GNP is not only suicidal, it's just plain stupid. Unless you're the US, apparently…

Just as a mental exercise, to try and visualize just how BIG a trillion dollars is, follow me in the following demonstration:

1 trillion = 1000 billion = 1 000 000 million = 1 000 000 000 000 = 10^12.

If you went back in time 10^12 seconds, you'd wind up in 29,705 B.C.

/end of rant. No more US politics for me today…

The bio page from my website:

A bit of bio here. My name is Richard CI'm also known under a variety of embarrassing nicknames, which I won't tell you. I'm currently working for McGill University as a project manager for the IT portion of the McGill University Life Sciences Complex. Before that, I was working at Sequence Bioinformatics as a solution developer. My first job was as a research assistant in bioinformatics at Ste-Justine Hospital, where I was involved in the development of an intranet database to store and analyze genetic variability data gathered in-house and from public databases.

I hold a master's degree in Biochemistry, having graduated from at McGill University, in Montreal, Canada. I submitted my thesis on the characterization of the retinoblastoma binding protein 2 (RBP2) on august 31, 2000. My master's degree was followed by a DESS (master's level certificate) in computer science at the Universitde Montrwhich was completed in 2001.

When I'm not knee-deep in work, I'm an avid reader. I love fiction, sci-fi, techno-thrillers and non-fiction. My all-time favorites include the fiction of Lisanne Norman, the naughty bits of Laurell K. Hamilton, the cyberpunk vision of Neil Stephenson and Neil Gaiman, the techno-thrillers of Tom Clancy, the fantasies of Mercedez Lackey, the wit of Christopher Moore, the space-opera scope of David Weber, the prescience of Jules Vernes, the classics of Arthur Conan-Doyle and too many others. I must also admit that I'm a big Harry Potter fan.

I have so many books that I break my back every time I move. These marvelous people are responsible for such characters as the Sholans and some fiendish vampires, Honor Harrington and the treecats, Jack Ryan, the Free Bards, Captain Nemo and Phileas Fogg, all the Gen-X'ers, Shelock Holmes and Mr. Watson. These people help to keep me sane. I'm always keeping an eye out for new things to read so if you have any suggestions, please feel free to drop me a line.

There's always music playing around my apartment or at work. I'm a serious classical music buff (Vivaldi and Liszt being favorites), but I also love Jazz (Gershwin, Diana Krall, Alain Caron, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis), Rock (Steve Morse, Hendrix, RUSH), Metal (Metallica, Pantera), Blues (Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Otis Spann), downtempo (Saint-Germain, De-Phazz, Supreme Beings of Leisure, Dido, Delerium, Portishead) and Techno (Propellerheads, Paul Oakenfold, Crystal Method), as well as some golden oldies (CCR, Elvis, The Who, Santana). What I listen to depends on what mood I'm in and how bad a day I had at work…

For those of you still reading, I was born on Aug. 7th, 1975 in Gatineau, QuI have an older sister who is off seeing the world with the Cirque du Soleil. She's the only person I know who actually ran away to join the circus (or something along those lines). I lived 10 years in Gatineau, then moved to a little rural community called L'Ange-Gardien – where my hay fever and social life took nasty beatings. I studied science in CEGEP and moved to Montrwith a bunch of friends to go to University. Most of my friends went to Polytechnique (a.k.a. l'Ecole qui rend fou!) to study engineering while I went to McGill to study biochem. That's when my english started to get better than my french. These days, people don't believe me when I say that I'm french canadian…

So, that's a bit of who I am. To see most of the links on this page, as well as many others, check out my links page. A lot of the people responsible for making me who I am today can also be found on my Portfolio page.

A BIT OF BIO HER3!!!!1 OMG LOL MAH NM3 IS RICHARD COMG WTF IMM ALSO KNOWN UNDER A VAREITY OF EMBARASNG NIKNMAS WHICH I WONT TAL U!1!!1!1 WTF LOL IMM CURENTLY WORKNG FOR MCGIL UNIEVRSITY AS A PROJECT MANAEGR FOR DA IT PORTION OF TEH MCGIL UNIEVRSITY LIEF SCEINC3S COMPLEX11!1! OMG WTF BFORE TAHT I WAS WORKNG AT S3QUENC3 BIOINFORMATICS AS A SOLUTION DEVELOPER!1!! LOL MAH FIRST JOB WAS AS A R3SEARCH ASISTANT IN BIOINFORMATICS AT STE-JUSTIEN HOSPITAL WH3RE I WAS INVOLV3D IN DA DEV3LOPM3NT OF AN INTRAENT DATABAES 2 S2RE AND ANALYZ3 GEN3TIC VARIABILITY DATA THEYRE IN-HOUSE AND FROM PUBLIC DATABAESS

I!111 OMG WTF HOLD A MASTERS D3GRE IN BIOCHEMISTRY HAVNG GRADUAETD FROM AT MCGIL UNIEVRSITY IN MONTRAAL CANADA!11!11! OMG WTF LOL I SUBMITAD MAH THASIS ON TEH CHARACTERIZATION OF DA RETINOBLAS2MA BINDNG PROTEIN 2 (RBP2) ON AUGUST 31 200!1!11 MAH MASTERS D3GRE WAS FOLOWED BY A DES (MAST3RS LEVEL CARTIFICAET) IN COMPUTER SCEINCE AT DA UNIEVRSITDE MONTRWHICH WAS COMPLATAD IN 201!111!! WTF

WHEN IMM NOT KNE-DEP IN WORK IMM AN AVID REAEDR!!11!1 OMG I LOV3 FICTION SCI-FI TACHNO-THRIL3RS AND NON-FICTION!11!!1 OMG WTF LOL MAH AL-TIEM FAVORIETS INCLUDE TEH FICTION OF LISANE NORMAN DA NAUGHTY BITS OF LAUREL K111!11! HMIL2N TEH CYBRPUNK VISION OF N3IL ST3PHENSON AND NEIL GAMEAN DA TECHNO-THRIL3RS OF 2M CLANCY TEH FANTASEIS OF M3RC3D3Z LAKEY TEH WIT OF CHRIS2PHAR MORA TEH SPAEC-OPERA SCOPE OF DAVID WEBR DA PRASCEINC3 OF JULAS VERNES DA CLASICS OF ARTHUR CONAN-DOYL3 AND 2 MANY OTHERS!!11!!1 OMG I MUST ALSO ADMIT TAHT IMM A BIG HARY POT3R FAN!!!1!1 WTF LOL

I HAEV SO MANY BOKS TAHT I BREAK MAH BAK AVERY TIEM I MOVE!111 WTF THESE MARVELOUS P3OPLA R R3SPONSIBLE FOR SUCH CHARACTARS AS DA SHOLANS AND SOME FEINDISH VMPIERS HONOR HARNG2N AND DA TRECATS JAK RYAN TEH FRE BARDS CAPTANE NAMO AND PHIELAS FOG AL TEH GEN-XARS SH3LOK HOLMES AND MR1!1!!! OMG WTF WATSON!1!111!1 OMG LOL TH3SA PEOPLE H3LP 2 KEP MA SAEN11!1 OMG WTF IMM ALWAYS KEPNG AN AYE OUT FOR NU THNGS 2 RAAD SO IF U HAEV ANY SUGESTIONS PLZ FEL FRE 2 DROP ME A LIEN11!1 WTF LOL THEIR ALWAYS MUSIC PLAYNG AROUND MAH APARTM3NT OR AT WORK!!1! LOL IMM A SARIOUS CLASICAL MUSIC BUF (VIVALDI AND LISZT BNG FAVORIETS) BUT I ALSO LOV3 JAZ (G3RSHWIN DIANA KRAL ALANE CARON DAEV BRUBK MIELS DAVIS) ROK (STAVE MORSE H3NDRIX RUSH) METAL (M3TALICA PANTERA) BLU3S (CLAP2N STAVEI RAY VAUGHAN OTIS SPAN) DOWNTAMPO (SANET-G3RMANE D3-PHAZ SUPREM3 BNGS OF LEISURA DIDO DEL3RIUM PORTISH3AD) AND T3CHNO (PROPELARHAADS PAUL OAEKNFOLD CRYSTAL M3THOD) AS WEL AS SOME GOLDEN OLDEIS (CR 3LVIS DA WHO SANTANA)!1!!! OMG LOL WUT I LIST3N 2 DEPENDS ON WUT MOD IMM IN AND HOW BAD A DAY I HAD AT WORK.111111!!!!1!!1!1!!! OMG

FOR THOS3 OF U STIL READNG I WAS BORN ON AUG1!!!11 WTF LOL 7TH 1975 IN GATIENAU QUOMG LOL I HAEV AN OLDAR SISTAR WHO IS OF SENG DA WORLD WIT DA CIRQUE DU SOL3IL11!1 LOL SHES TEH ONLY PERSON I KNOW WHO ACTUALY RAN AWAY 2 JOIN DA CIRCUS (OR SOMETHNG ALONG THOS3 LIENS)111!!11 OMG I LIEVD 10 Y3ARS IN GATIENAU TH3N MOVED 2 A LITL3 RURAL COMUNITY CALED LANGA-GARDEIN – WHARE MAH HAY FEVER AND SOCIAL LIEF 2K NASTY BATNGS1!1! OMG I STUDEID SCEINCE IN CAGEP AND MOVED 2 MONTRWIT A BUNCH OF FREINDS 2 GO 2 UNIEVRSITY11!1!111 OMG LOL MOST OF MAH FREINDS WANT 2 POLYTACHNIQUA (AKA11!!1 LOL L3COLE QUI RAND FOU)!1!1111 OMG WTF LOL 2 STUDY 3NGIENARNG WHIEL I WENT 2 MCGIL 2 STUDY BIOCHAM1!1!!!!1 OMG WTF LOL TAHTS WHEN MAH ENGLISH START3D 2 G3T BTER THAN MAH FRANCH!1!1 OMG LOL TH3SE DAYS PEOPLE DONT BLEIV3 M3 WHEN I SAY TAHT IMM FRANCH CANADIAN.!11!1111!!!!11 WTF LOL

SO TAHTS A BIT OF WHO I M11!! OMG LOL 2 SE MOST OF DA LINKS ON THIS PAEG AS W3L AS MANY OTHARS CHEK OUT MAH LINKS PAEG11!11!1! OMG A LOT OF DA PAOPLA RESPONSIBL3 FOR MAKNG ME WHO IM 2DAY CAN ALSO B FOUND ON MAH PORTFOLIO PAEG !1!1!! OMG WTF LOL

The URL: http://ssshotaru.homestead.com/files/aolertranslator.html

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Camouflage was in and cross-dressing was out at a rural East Texas school district after a Christian legal group complained a long-standing school tradition of reversing social roles for a day would promote homosexuality.

Students in Spurger, Texas were encouraged by school officials to wear camouflage hunting gear to class on Wednesday after they called off their annual “TWIRP Day” in which boys dressed as girls and vice versa. The cross-dressing tradition began some years back as a kind of Sadie Hawkins Day where girls ask boys to go out on dates. TWIRP stands for “The Woman Is Requested To Pay.”

But Delana Davies, who has two children in the Spurger school, complained this year that the tradition could promote homosexuality and got the Liberty Legal Institute, a right-wing Christian legal group, to take up the cause. “It might be fun today to dress up like a little girl — kids think it's cute and things like that. And you start playing around with it and, like drugs, you do a little here and there (and) eventually it gets you,” Davies told reporters.

“It is outrageous that a school in a small town in east Texas would encourage their 4-year-olds to be cross-dressers,” institute litigation director Hiram Sasser said. He sought and obtained permission from the district for the woman's children to stay out of school for the day.

School attorney Tanner Hunt told Reuters the Liberty group misrepresented TWIRP Day and made it sound sinister when it has always been innocent fun. “I guarantee you nobody on the school board or in the administration ever had that cross their minds,” Hunt said of the “cross-dressing” reference. Sasser said it was not his intent to disparage the school.

“The district gets mad every time I say 'cross-dress,' but I don't know what other way to describe it,” he told Reuters. Because of the controversy, school officials decided to change Wednesday from TWIRP Day to Camouflage Day, in what Hunt described as a reference to the clothing hunters wear during deer-hunting season, which is going on now and is enormously popular in rural Texas.

Despite the change from TWIRP Day, Hunt said some of the students stuck to the old tradition and wore clothes of the opposite sex. “I understand from the superintendent that some of the boys dressed in pink shorts anyway,” he said.

Best comment on that article: It's delightful to see the reddest of red states show its objectives so openly and honestly. “No, you should not try and understand the opposite sex. Instead, you should want to kill things.”

Dear lord, that country is trying to act and look so pure it makes my teeth hurt:

Comparing pornography to heroin, researchers on Thursday called on Congress to finance studies on “porn addiction” and launch a public health campaign about the dangers.

[…]Internet pornography is corrupting children and hooking adults into an addiction that threatens their jobs and families, a panel of anti-porn advocates told the hearing organized by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., chairman of the Commerce subcommittee on science

And my favourite quote has to be this:

Now, he said, pornography seems pervasive. Children run across it while researching homework on the Internet. Vulgar ads arrive unexpectedly by e-mail. Some of his middle-age male friends limit their time alone in hotel rooms to avoid the temptation of graphic pay-per-view movies, Brownback said.

Original link here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/11/18/national1907EST0715.DTL

Americans are dumb.