Click here for a full-size version of the tournament bracket.

To solve this problem I built the following wall calendar with a more intuitive display of all things ‘Time,’ things I suspect I’ll be teaching her over the coming years. If you want to explain to someone how something works, time/calendar/seasons related, this baby should at least help start the conversation.

Some points of note:

• The days of the week are not on the main circle calendar. This allows the calendar to be used for any year.
• The clock in the center does not have hands. The idea is to get a laminated poster and small, sticky, cutout clock hands can be fashioned to use as part of teaching.
• Earth seasons are caused by the Earth’s 23.44° axial tilt. When the upper hemisphere is pointing at the sun, we get longer days, more hours of light (heat), and thus summer. The poster accounts for this via the 4 Earth images, and their tilt with respect to the sun in the center.

The rest is fairly straight foward. The main calendar has a few popular holidays marked, with lots of blank space to add birthdays and other holidays. To our household copy I’ve added family birthdays as follows:

To get one:

• A professional print regular sized wall poster can be purchased from zazzle.ca. I used a .png for this upload, so the image quality is very high. (disclaimer: I get a small royalty on that image if you buy a poster. woot!).
• On min.us I posted a full sized copy of the image large enough for poster printing (5400 x 3600) but note that it’s a jpg, and there was some quality loss in the conversion. You can also use this as a desktop background, though you won’t see the planets if you shrink it.
• Anyone wishing to grab the original .psd file, let me know.

Terry (zievo)

p.s. Thx to Nick Murray and Michael J(ackson) Bricout for advice and ideas.

Click Here to download a full version of the graphic

Fitting well within this array of folk is newcomer Nick Ryan. This 26 year old singer/songwriter hailing from Grand Falls-Windsor, has only lived in the city of St. John’s for just under a year, but in this short period of time he has made quite an impact. Since moving to the city from Nova Scotia, where he studied and taught music, Nick has stormed the downtown music scene with his folk-pop act the Elizabeatans and hasn’t looked back. This coming Friday, Mar. 30th, 2012, to celebrate the one year anniversary of his return to Newfoundland, Ryan will be releasing his first solo album entitled Side-Saddle Flower.

I have had the privilege of being able to listen to this album for the past week, and I have to say I’m impressed. Yes, it’s true: he is a personal friend of mine, but don’t let my biases deter you from giving it a listen. Nick is a brilliant songwriter and poet. Add to that his musical sensibilities and you have, in my opinion, one of the strongest albums to come out of St. John’s in 2012. I’m quite confident that after this coming Friday, I won’t be alone in that assertion.

Side-Saddle Flower is described by Nick as a “minimalist folk-pop album” in which he pays homage to some of his favorite artists: Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, and John Prine. He exclaimed that for him this album “is a love letter to the folk music I grew up with”. Not only did he use a similar recording style to those performers, but he also let the guitar and harmonica play more of a supportive role, allowing the lyrics to come first. While sitting down with Nick to discuss the album, he said while growing up, his mother stressed that “the lyrics were just as important as the key of the song”, and in paying respect to that idea he wanted to emphasize his songwriting on these recordings.

Upon first listen, it is obvious what he means by “minimalist”: the whole album consists primarily of vocals and guitar, with only a few appearances from a harmonica. Though sparse in instrumentation, the album is definitely rich in feeling, poetic word play, and poignant story lines. As is synonymous with this style of folk, Nick takes on the part of the storyteller, guiding the listener through various situations involving love, loss, and lamentation from start to finish. In total, the ten tracks clock in at just under a half an hour, which makes for a very short, yet sweet listening experience.

The first song I listened to from this album was the title track, “Side-Saddle Flower”. To give this title some context, a side-saddle flower is more commonly known in Newfoundland as a pitcher plant. When I asked Nick why he decided to give the song that name, he simply replied with smirk saying “because ‘pitcher plant’ is a horrible phrase to use in a rhyme scheme! What the hell rhymes with that?”

After some laughter he continued on to explain that in this song he uses the beauty of Newfoundland to describe his adoration for the muse in the song. He stated that it wasn’t something he learned to appreciate until he lived away from the island while studying music and art at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Again he makes a joke: “I really hope this album is the artistic reciprocal of my painting ability.”

It’s easy to tell that Nick is slightly nervous about the release of this album. Upon asking him how he felt about it as a whole, he replied “I felt terrified at first. The whole thing was recorded in one evening, with over half of it done in one take… it has its mistakes, and is far from perfect, but I’m probably the only one who hears those.” He went on to say that even though the album was completed fairly quickly, that it was Justin (Davis of Heavy Weather fame) who made the whole process very easy for him. “Recording these songs must be what it’s like to let go of your children. With a lot of the takes, Justin would just hit the record button and I’d play. He said it would’ve been funny to hear the album if it was recorded a day before or after we had, as they songs could’ve come out completely different”. After listening to the album it’s easy to tell that Nick definitely hit his stride in the studio that night, and is more than apparent on songs such as “If Love Falls Down” and “Leonardo, Giorgio and King Francis I”.

“If Love Falls Down” is a retelling of playwright David French’s Saltwater Moon. During our conversation Nick noted that Newfoundland literature never really stood out to him until he read this play. It had such an impact on him and was an easy story to turn into song.  He continued to say that this tune has many different forms, and when he plays it live he picks from 5 additional verses, only keeping the beginning and the end the same. So, much like folklore of days gone by, this song has the ability to change with each telling.

The next track we discussed “Leonardo, Giorgio and King Francis” is a different beast altogether. Unlike the love songs littered throughout this album, this one is more of an abstract narrative. In this song, Ryan takes three historical figures, Leonardo Da Vinci, Giorgio Vasari and King Francis I, and turns them into the cowboys in a western-style story line, where they venture to France chasing women, eventually plotting to help King Francis beat up Michelangelo. As off-the-wall this story may seem, it’s definitely an enjoyable listen. Ryan explained that he wasn’t originally going to include it on the album, but decided to record it upon the insistence of his younger brother Nolan. “I throw all my ideas past him. He gives me the Caesar’s thumb of approval, determining whether any songs live or die, and pushes me to play songs I never would’ve considered myself”.

album art by Ian MacDonald

The official release date for the album is set for Mar. 30, 2012. Unlike many local recordings though, this album is not available as a CD. Embracing technology, Nick is releasing the album as a free download on his website (nick-ryan.bandcamp.com). He stated that he wanted to make the album accessible, so people can listen to it without feeling obligated to pay, or to have to go out of their way to get it. “If they want to pay for it, the option is there. All they have to do is type in the website to get a copy. They don’t even have to pay if they don’t want to. I know what it’s worth to me. I’m just putting it out there for people to listen to and enjoy.”

The album release will be at The Ship Inn this coming Friday, where Nick will share the stage with special guests Joanna Barker, Clayton Saunders, Paddy Byrne, the Elizabeatans, and myself. Doors open at 10:30pm, and cover is $10.00. See you there!

“How Sweet Thy Rose” – Nick Ryan

“The George Street Association was in Las Vegas this week investigating systems, including capabilities for information sharing that would allow bars to exchange information on troublesome patrons.”

The general idea is that as every patron enters a bar or pub on George Street, the person on the door would scan their ID into a system that is then shared amongst all the other bars on the street.  The idea is that not only will it filter out fake id’s, but also if one troublesome patron gets booted from a bar, all other bars are notified of the booting as well giving them the option to deny service on the spot.

This is an interesting one.  On one hand, I understand that entering into a business is not a right, and they probably have full right to doing something like this.  But, on the other hand, I don’t know how keen I am on every bar on George Street knowing when I walk into one.  I also don’t like the possibility of tracking my comings and goings downtown, and what they could possibly do with that information.  As one commenter stated on The Telegram article, this is nothing new and other bars in other places do this, but I still don’t personally like the idea of it.

This is not set in stone yet, they are only investigating the possibility of doing it, so nothing may come of this in the long run.  But the fact that they are looking into it alone worries me a little.

What are other people’s thoughts on it?

Source: The Telegram

So… what exactly is steampunk?

Put most simply, it’s Victorian futurism, or science fiction/cosplay based loosely on Victorian ideas of what the future may look like (Jules Verne and HG Wells perhaps being the two best examples of the concept). Steampunk stories might be known for difference engines, giant clanking automatons, and fops, pirates, explorers, and nobles exploring the world in airships or crazy submersibles.

The name “steampunk” mostly came from a joke where an author parodied the trendy cyberpunk genre with the term steampunk. The link was made because both were counter-cultural, but cyberpunk was dystopic while steampunk was a little more based on the idea of utopia (though that has changed a lot today, with lots more dystopic steampunk works being produced today). As such, it seemed apt to make the satirical link about utopias romancing the Victorian period with dystopias warning about the futurism.

It’s not just a literary or media genre, it’s grown into a huge subculture, one that is known for its DIY and recycling/reusing tendencies. Steampunks who are really crafty like to use old clothing or “junk” and then craft it into wearable and usable art. Indeed, the cosplay aspect of steampunk has no doubt overshadowed the literacy aspects by now, though the popularity of one has only helped the other in the process.

There are also several similar genres which grew out of steampunk: clockpunk features clockwork and has more a renaissance aesthetic, teslapunk is based on the ideas and technology of Nikola Tesla, dieselpunk is based upon the early diesel age, and goes for an art deco aesthetic while atomic punk is based on a post-World War II era where either the nuclear arms race kept going or nuclear war actually broke out. Although most of these concepts are based in alternate realities, I wouldn’t want to suggest they all are.

With that blurb taken care of, I’ll get back to the point. I started Steampunk Newfoundland at Sci-Fi on the Rock V and since then we’ve gotten just shy of 100 members, have spawned a number of subgroups and have had a ton of meetings, ranging from picnics to teas, and from movie nights to RPG sessions. Our next meet is coming up on March 18th, and you’re welcome to join us. We’re also planning a some activities and festivities at Sci-Fi on the Rock VI, to celebrate our anniversary.

Hope to see you in the group and at some of our meets or events!

Recently Kony 2012 exploded across Facebook and I was pretty quick to take sides with its critics. It just seemed like too huge and multi-partied a political issue – I didn’t know whom supporting Joseph Kony-non-support supported. Besides, being against a child-slinging zealot seemed to go without saying. So what exactly was being accomplished by posting him to FB walls?

Almost immediately after the Kony 2012 explosion the Coffee Matters shit went down. Some idiot manager at their downtown location wrote a hate-poem about students and enraged all manner of geekdom. The issue was local culture and the issue was local coffee – personal issues. I texted, tweeted and facebooked into the extremes. I guess I sought to undermine the adult version of the schoolyard bully. Others did the same. Results followed: Coffee Matters apologized, offered free coffee and buckled down for the damages of bad PR.

I’m left a little perplexed about my position on such online campaigns. Maybe feeling connected to the java issue gave me a sense of authority that I couldn’t possibly bring to issues of international justice – but there’s an obvious ethical problem in that…

This post doesn’t wrap up neatly, because this issue doesn’t wrap up neatly, not for me, not in the slightest.

In both the Kony 2012 and Coffee Matters cases I was seriously influenced by memes – so activists take note (assuming I represent any useful demographic). I’m going to close this unbalanced rambling with a tip of the hat to the MUN meme FB page – phenomenal work there.

…Jaf wanders off looking confused

Enjoy fellow dragonborns!

“I must be hearing things.” – Bandits

“I am sworn to carry your burdens.” – Lydia (I always kill lydia. This is why).

“You’re going to a wedding, you’re going to mingle with the guests, eat some cake….stab the bride.” – Astrid.

“You see those warriors in Hammerfall? They’ve got curved swords. Curved. Swords.” – Hammerfall Guard

“Sweet mother, sweet mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear.” – Dark Brotherhood

reddit.com
weheartit.com
aardvarktees.com
awkwardzombie.com
tailoftwokitties.com
dadlpu.deviantart.com