Two little piles of stones surrounded by scrub pine in northern Manitoba may have given archeologists and historians a physical link to one of North America's greatest explorers and map-makers.
Archeologist Perry Blomquist believes the rocks at Sipiwesk Lake on the Nelson River are remnants of chimneys from the post and storehouse that was David Thompson's first venture as an independent fur trader.
Around them, Blomquist found more than 1,000 artifacts that he says prove it is the trading post that has been "lost" since it was first discovered by Joseph Tyrrell more than 100 years ago.
Tyrrell is the Canadian map-maker and geologist famous for his dinosaur discoveries in Alberta. But he was also a student of Thompson's life and searched for traces of the renowned explorer.
"We have J.B. Tyrrell's co-ordinates," said Blomquist, who says they also provide solid evidence this is Thompson's post. "He was all about fur-trade history."
Tyrrell used Thompson's map co-ordinates, taken from his journals, to locate the post. He then recorded his own directions to pinpoint his find.
Locating a site today with such outdated information isn't like plugging numbers into a modern global positioning system unit, he suggested.
It was lucky that Blomquist was already in the area on a regular archeological survey last year and was tipped to the location by a Manitoba Hydro crew, which had noticed the unusual rock piles.
"We know how they made the chimneys and when they collapse, they collapse in a certain fashion," he said.
The fact the site is roughly where both Thompson and Tyrrell said it would be, plus the period-specific artifacts a brief survey unearthed, are enough proof for the government archeologist that Thompson's first post has been rediscovered.
A team will be returning this summer for a more thorough investigation.
"We have to make sure it gets excavated properly."
Thompson is known for trailblazing and mapping through what was then a part of North America largely unexplored except for the aboriginal people who lived there and helped guide him on his journeys.
A child of Welsh emigrants to England (his real name was Daffyd Thomas), he signed up with the Hudson's Bay Co. in 1784 for a seven-year apprenticeship and set sail when he was just 14.
It was a harsh existence. The winters were brutally cold, spent in drafty buildings heated only by wood fires. As one clerk at York Factory wrote in 1743 of his life at the posts: "In four or five hours after the fire is out ... the inside of the wall of our houses are six or eight inches thick of ice."
Spring and summer replaced the cold with biting flies. But the furs sent back were worth a fortune in a Europe still in the grip of the Little Ice Age and provided a reason to send people such as Thompson ever further into the continent's interior.
He spent much of his apprenticeship clerking in Churchill and York Factory, principal outposts for the HBC on Hudson Bay, and when his seven years were up he asked for surveying tools as his parting gift. A suit of "fine clothes" was more traditional and apparently the company threw those in as bonus.
No image of Thompson survives. But he was described as "short and compact," blind in one eye — probably from looking too long at the sun to do quadrant calculations — and with a limp from a badly broken leg that never healed properly.
He spent a little less than a year at Sipiwesk Lake and at 22 was just learning the skills he would need, said Blomquist. Commercially, his year at Sipiwesk would probably not be rated a huge success.
Blomquist says the aboriginals in the area thought Thompson could turn people into the evil cannabalistic entity known as a wendigo and avoided him.
"It's bad news if people you're wanting to trade with don't want to come and see you out of fear."
He and his men almost starved and had to make regular trips to another HBC post to get supplies. But that launched what would be a spectacular career.
"He's coming out of an apprenticeship. He's trying to make a name for himself ... What happened at Sipiwesk House was fairly important."
The post itself had a fairly short life. Within a year or two of Thompson's departure, it was abandoned and its trading goods moved to another location. The buildings were burned.
"That was sort of common practice so the opposition couldn't make use of it."
Thompson's tenure with the HBC didn't last much longer.
In 1797, he joined the rival North West Company without giving the customary year's notice to HBC — quite a shock to the old company of adventurers. But his new linkage gave him more freedom to continue surveying and mapping the interior of what would become Canada.
For Blomquist, who is Cree, the discovery in northern Manitoba is about more than just textbook history.
"I love going up there to work and working with First Nations communities," he says.
"While I'm learning about these sites, digging them up, I'm learning about my own ancestors at the same time."
2011年3月30日星期三
Pess-Gazette Academic Team: Preble senior Matthew VandeHei piles up rewarding grades
When he was in fourth grade, Matthew VandeHei came home from school one day incredulous about what he had heard from classmates.
As a straight-A student, VandeHei quickly calculated that his report cards would net a hefty paycheck under such a system. But his parents would hear nothing of it — they would not pay him to do well in school.
"We thought the grade itself was the reward," his mother, Kathy VandeHei, recalled.
VandeHei has been reaping rewards ever since, with one straight-A report card after another in an impeccable school career that has made him the top-ranked student in his graduating class at Green Bay Preble High School.
His achievements in and out of the classroom have earned VandeHei a place on the 2010 Green Bay Press-Gazette Academic Team, a group of high school seniors who excel in academics, extracurricular activities and community involvement.
Even in such challenging courses as advanced chemistry and advanced economics, VandeHei has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.
"He comes every day prepared to learn," Preble science teacher Chris Hansel said.
VandeHei's biggest obstacle occurred during an advanced language course. He struggled somewhat with interpreting such classics as "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Crucible." But with a little extra effort, he aced that class, too.
Maintaining the perfect grade-point average has been a matter of personal pride for VandeHei.
"I put in all that work," he said. "I'd feel like I cheated myself if I let myself slip."
During his years at Preble, VandeHei has found time to volunteer as a literacy tutor and to coach youth basketball, among other activities.
In the athletic arena, he switched from football to cross-country his junior year and found that he enjoyed competing individually more than as part of a team. He excelled at cross country and qualified for the state tournament two years in a row.
"He's just an unbelievable mix of talent," coach Dave Loritz said. "He's a top-notch individual all the way around."
After graduation, the National Merit Scholar plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in biochemistry. He hopes to become a doctor.
Those close to him are confident that the gifted teen will achieve whatever he sets his sights on.
"I never doubt this guy," his father, Steve VandeHei, said. "Whatever he wants to do, he just goes and does it."
As a straight-A student, VandeHei quickly calculated that his report cards would net a hefty paycheck under such a system. But his parents would hear nothing of it — they would not pay him to do well in school.
"We thought the grade itself was the reward," his mother, Kathy VandeHei, recalled.
VandeHei has been reaping rewards ever since, with one straight-A report card after another in an impeccable school career that has made him the top-ranked student in his graduating class at Green Bay Preble High School.
His achievements in and out of the classroom have earned VandeHei a place on the 2010 Green Bay Press-Gazette Academic Team, a group of high school seniors who excel in academics, extracurricular activities and community involvement.
Even in such challenging courses as advanced chemistry and advanced economics, VandeHei has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.
"He comes every day prepared to learn," Preble science teacher Chris Hansel said.
VandeHei's biggest obstacle occurred during an advanced language course. He struggled somewhat with interpreting such classics as "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Crucible." But with a little extra effort, he aced that class, too.
Maintaining the perfect grade-point average has been a matter of personal pride for VandeHei.
"I put in all that work," he said. "I'd feel like I cheated myself if I let myself slip."
During his years at Preble, VandeHei has found time to volunteer as a literacy tutor and to coach youth basketball, among other activities.
In the athletic arena, he switched from football to cross-country his junior year and found that he enjoyed competing individually more than as part of a team. He excelled at cross country and qualified for the state tournament two years in a row.
"He's just an unbelievable mix of talent," coach Dave Loritz said. "He's a top-notch individual all the way around."
After graduation, the National Merit Scholar plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in biochemistry. He hopes to become a doctor.
Those close to him are confident that the gifted teen will achieve whatever he sets his sights on.
"I never doubt this guy," his father, Steve VandeHei, said. "Whatever he wants to do, he just goes and does it."
2011年3月29日星期二
our graphics test document was not without quality flaws
The attractive Lexmark Prevail Pro705 bundles a useful set of features for the office crowd, including wireless connectivity, an autodocument feeder and duplexer, speed text out, and an impressive five-year warranty.
The bad: We don't expect an office-friendly printer to output studio-quality snapshots, but our graphics test document was not without quality flaws.
The bottom line: The Prevail Pro705 is Lexmark's all-purpose office machine and we recommend it for home offices or small workgroups; just don't expect it to print out high-quality graphics or high-resolution photos.
Review: Unlike the consumer-oriented Platinum Pro905, the Lexmark Prevail Pro705 is designed for office use with a button-based control panel, an autodocument feeder (ADF), and other features to encourage smooth business work flow. At $200, the affordable and speedy Pro705 will be a helpful office assistant, but we hesitate to recommend it if you're printing a lot of photos.
The Prevail Pro705's gray-black color palette is typical for an office printer, but its smooth edges and rounded paper input tray shave off the sharp corners and make the device look more streamlined than the traditional rectangular
The bad: We don't expect an office-friendly printer to output studio-quality snapshots, but our graphics test document was not without quality flaws.
The bottom line: The Prevail Pro705 is Lexmark's all-purpose office machine and we recommend it for home offices or small workgroups; just don't expect it to print out high-quality graphics or high-resolution photos.
Review: Unlike the consumer-oriented Platinum Pro905, the Lexmark Prevail Pro705 is designed for office use with a button-based control panel, an autodocument feeder (ADF), and other features to encourage smooth business work flow. At $200, the affordable and speedy Pro705 will be a helpful office assistant, but we hesitate to recommend it if you're printing a lot of photos.
The Prevail Pro705's gray-black color palette is typical for an office printer, but its smooth edges and rounded paper input tray shave off the sharp corners and make the device look more streamlined than the traditional rectangular
Jackson police: Woman tossed hypodermic needles out truck window
A township woman was placed under arrest and charged with possession of hypodermic syringes and possession of drug paraphernalia on Friday night, according to a press release from the township police department.
At approximately 11:30 p.m. Friday, township police officer Jeremy Felder conducted a motor vehicle stop on a Dodge pick-up as it was pulling into the Hess station on Bennetts Mills Road.
During the motor vehicle stop, Felder observed the driver of the vehicle toss a small bag from the truck to the ground outside the truck. According to the police, the bag was recovered and was discovered to contain several hypodermic syringes, empty baggies and other paraphernalia commonly associated with heroin use.
Leigh Santillo, 18, was placed under arrest, transported to police headquarters and released on a summons/complaint with a pending court date.
At approximately 11:30 p.m. Friday, township police officer Jeremy Felder conducted a motor vehicle stop on a Dodge pick-up as it was pulling into the Hess station on Bennetts Mills Road.
During the motor vehicle stop, Felder observed the driver of the vehicle toss a small bag from the truck to the ground outside the truck. According to the police, the bag was recovered and was discovered to contain several hypodermic syringes, empty baggies and other paraphernalia commonly associated with heroin use.
Leigh Santillo, 18, was placed under arrest, transported to police headquarters and released on a summons/complaint with a pending court date.
2011年3月20日星期日
It was a commercial flop
Years later, the cellphone would become an ubiquitous, multifunctional device that,
incidentally, showed the time. As a result, many people younger than a certain age have never
acquired the habit of wearing a wristwatch. That's hardly news, but here's what does
surprise: H.P. and a few other companies are talking up wristwatches again, almost as if the
cellphone had never appeared. It's an idea that strikes me as oblivious to the consumer
electronics landscape.
Last month at an H.P. event in Shanghai, Phil McKinney, the chief technology officer of the
company's personal systems group, displayed the MetaWatch, a prototype developed by Fossil
that he described as the first generation of "the connected watch."
This version has Bluetooth, but the long-term vision is to give it the wireless capability to
be the hub of every Internet-ready portable device you own — phone, laptop, tablet. The
MetaWatch would be "the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot on your wrist," Mr. McKinney said in the
presentation.
During an interview this month, he told me that he gave a talk in 2006 about his conception
of the "connected watch" of the future. At the time, wireless carriers were saying that all
kinds of digital devices, including laptops, would join cellphones in having their own built
-in wireless radios for connectivity.
"Why not take all the radios and aggregate them into one device?" he suggested then. That one
device would be the wristwatch.
Online bingo is an industry that is growing at a phenominal rate. New Bingo rooms are
starting up every day, and the competition for aquiring and keeping players is getting
tougher each day.
One new site to hit the internet has gone to some extreme lengths to entice players and the
list of nightly prizes is quite amazing.
Bingo Scotland, as the name suggests, is a Scottish themed bingo room. Powered by Brigend
Limited software, the backbone of many top quality bingo online sites today. As with other
leading bingo providers, Bingo Scotland is free to join and offers a 30 free bonus for first
time players. After a player has completed the simple online registration process, they will
be given a free bonus that triples their first deposit of 10 and turns it into 30 – totally
FREE! Thereafter, 50% bingo bonuses will be applied to subsequent deposits! This is an
exceptional offer and one that other bingo providers cannot often match.
incidentally, showed the time. As a result, many people younger than a certain age have never
acquired the habit of wearing a wristwatch. That's hardly news, but here's what does
surprise: H.P. and a few other companies are talking up wristwatches again, almost as if the
cellphone had never appeared. It's an idea that strikes me as oblivious to the consumer
electronics landscape.
Last month at an H.P. event in Shanghai, Phil McKinney, the chief technology officer of the
company's personal systems group, displayed the MetaWatch, a prototype developed by Fossil
that he described as the first generation of "the connected watch."
This version has Bluetooth, but the long-term vision is to give it the wireless capability to
be the hub of every Internet-ready portable device you own — phone, laptop, tablet. The
MetaWatch would be "the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot on your wrist," Mr. McKinney said in the
presentation.
During an interview this month, he told me that he gave a talk in 2006 about his conception
of the "connected watch" of the future. At the time, wireless carriers were saying that all
kinds of digital devices, including laptops, would join cellphones in having their own built
-in wireless radios for connectivity.
"Why not take all the radios and aggregate them into one device?" he suggested then. That one
device would be the wristwatch.
Online bingo is an industry that is growing at a phenominal rate. New Bingo rooms are
starting up every day, and the competition for aquiring and keeping players is getting
tougher each day.
One new site to hit the internet has gone to some extreme lengths to entice players and the
list of nightly prizes is quite amazing.
Bingo Scotland, as the name suggests, is a Scottish themed bingo room. Powered by Brigend
Limited software, the backbone of many top quality bingo online sites today. As with other
leading bingo providers, Bingo Scotland is free to join and offers a 30 free bonus for first
time players. After a player has completed the simple online registration process, they will
be given a free bonus that triples their first deposit of 10 and turns it into 30 – totally
FREE! Thereafter, 50% bingo bonuses will be applied to subsequent deposits! This is an
exceptional offer and one that other bingo providers cannot often match.
2011年3月15日星期二
Griffin pitches iPod Nano clear case, bendy car dock
Another day, another iPod accessory from Griffin Technology. Today's is the iClear a transparent polycarbonate shell developed to keep your iPod Nano safe from scratches.
The two-part case has strategically cut holes to provide easy access to the MP3 player's
controls, dock connector, Hold slider and earphone socket. Griffin claims the shell doesn't
add "bulk or weight".
Griffin has also unveiled the TuneFlex, a second Nano accessory, this time pitched at
drivers. The bendy dock slots into a car's cigarette lighter and allows you to orientate the
player to suit. There's an integrated earphone socket through which you can hook the player
up to a cassette deck adaptor - the Nano's own socket, placed next to the dock connector, is
presumably obscured by the TuneFlex - and a second, pass-through dock connector to take other
accessories. An audio output-level switch lets you cut back the output volume should you get
distortion.
TuneFlex costs $40 and is available direct from Griffin or from iPod accessory retailers. For
UK availability, contact local distributor AM Micro. The iClear is set to ship next month for
$20.
Finally, Griffin also announced this week SmartShare a earphone splitter with a difference:
each of the two earphone sockets fed by the cable's own jack have their own volume slider
controls. Again, the company will want $20 for the product when it ships next month.
The two-part case has strategically cut holes to provide easy access to the MP3 player's
controls, dock connector, Hold slider and earphone socket. Griffin claims the shell doesn't
add "bulk or weight".
Griffin has also unveiled the TuneFlex, a second Nano accessory, this time pitched at
drivers. The bendy dock slots into a car's cigarette lighter and allows you to orientate the
player to suit. There's an integrated earphone socket through which you can hook the player
up to a cassette deck adaptor - the Nano's own socket, placed next to the dock connector, is
presumably obscured by the TuneFlex - and a second, pass-through dock connector to take other
accessories. An audio output-level switch lets you cut back the output volume should you get
distortion.
TuneFlex costs $40 and is available direct from Griffin or from iPod accessory retailers. For
UK availability, contact local distributor AM Micro. The iClear is set to ship next month for
$20.
Finally, Griffin also announced this week SmartShare a earphone splitter with a difference:
each of the two earphone sockets fed by the cable's own jack have their own volume slider
controls. Again, the company will want $20 for the product when it ships next month.
2011年3月13日星期日
Never Miss A Thing with the Sony Ericsson LiveView
It looks like an iPod Nano. It's as small as an iPod Nano. It's certainly as light as an iPod Nano. But it's not something that's made by Apple. It's actually the Sony Ericsson (SE) LiveView and it sure packs a mean punch considering its tiny size.
The LiveView is a smartphone accessory that connects to your phone via Bluetooth. It essentially functions as a remote control so you can perform some basic functions without having to fish your phone out of your bag or take it out of your pocket.
On the LiveView, you can read your messages, see incoming calls, view the latest Facebook and Twitter updates from your contacts, and check your calendar. The screen has a resolution of 128x128 pixels and features a 1.3" OLED color display. It is compatible with Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 series as well as with other brands of mobile phones that run on Android 2.0 and above.
You can remotely toggle your music player with LiveView and read RSS feeds while you're at it. It can also be used to sound an alarm on your phone if you're having some trouble finding it. A great feature of the LiveView are the plug-ins that you can install from third-party developers which can easily be downloaded straight from the Android Market.
You would probably expect the LiveView to sport a touchscreen, but unfortunately, it doesn't. You have to make use of the four-way touch-sensitive controls on the black border in order to navigate through the device.
The LiveView is especially useful for people who are always on the go. It can be clipped on to virtually anything: on your belt, on your binder, on the sling of your bag, on your planner, and even on your watch. It's also pretty convenient to just check the LiveView instead of bringing out your phone when you're someplace crowded or when you want to check your calls or messages in a more discreet manner.
The LiveView is a smartphone accessory that connects to your phone via Bluetooth. It essentially functions as a remote control so you can perform some basic functions without having to fish your phone out of your bag or take it out of your pocket.
On the LiveView, you can read your messages, see incoming calls, view the latest Facebook and Twitter updates from your contacts, and check your calendar. The screen has a resolution of 128x128 pixels and features a 1.3" OLED color display. It is compatible with Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 series as well as with other brands of mobile phones that run on Android 2.0 and above.
You can remotely toggle your music player with LiveView and read RSS feeds while you're at it. It can also be used to sound an alarm on your phone if you're having some trouble finding it. A great feature of the LiveView are the plug-ins that you can install from third-party developers which can easily be downloaded straight from the Android Market.
You would probably expect the LiveView to sport a touchscreen, but unfortunately, it doesn't. You have to make use of the four-way touch-sensitive controls on the black border in order to navigate through the device.
The LiveView is especially useful for people who are always on the go. It can be clipped on to virtually anything: on your belt, on your binder, on the sling of your bag, on your planner, and even on your watch. It's also pretty convenient to just check the LiveView instead of bringing out your phone when you're someplace crowded or when you want to check your calls or messages in a more discreet manner.
2011年3月9日星期三
Apple MC525LL/A iPod Nano 8GB in Silver (Newest Generation) – $130 + Free Shipping
Amazon via J&R is offering this Apple MC525LL/A iPod Nano 8GB in Silver (Newest Generation)
for a new low price!
The newest entry in the long line of iPod Nanos is now much smaller than ever! Comparable to
the size and form of the iPod shuffle. This Nano features 8GB of space to store up to 2,000
songs so that you may take whatever music you want with you!
The new Nano allows you to listen to a music in a whole new way with the 1.5-Inch multi-touch
display. Tap and swipe your selections for music, as well as the shake-it feature to shake up
the order into shuffle mode. It also features the intuitive Genius Mode which will generate
an automatic playlist based upon what you are currently or have listened to, so you don’t
even lose the grove you created!
To expand upon your musical capabilities the iPod Nano has full FM Radio support and the
ability to live pause the radio and rewind/fast forward up to 15 minutes to never miss a beat
even when you need a break!
All of these features come together in a tiny package that can clip onto you easily with the
built in clip so that you can take it everywhere! Takes up almost no space but provides up to
24 hours of musical prowess on a single charge.
The final price is $149 – $19.03 Instant Savings + Free Shipping = $129.97!
for a new low price!
The newest entry in the long line of iPod Nanos is now much smaller than ever! Comparable to
the size and form of the iPod shuffle. This Nano features 8GB of space to store up to 2,000
songs so that you may take whatever music you want with you!
The new Nano allows you to listen to a music in a whole new way with the 1.5-Inch multi-touch
display. Tap and swipe your selections for music, as well as the shake-it feature to shake up
the order into shuffle mode. It also features the intuitive Genius Mode which will generate
an automatic playlist based upon what you are currently or have listened to, so you don’t
even lose the grove you created!
To expand upon your musical capabilities the iPod Nano has full FM Radio support and the
ability to live pause the radio and rewind/fast forward up to 15 minutes to never miss a beat
even when you need a break!
All of these features come together in a tiny package that can clip onto you easily with the
built in clip so that you can take it everywhere! Takes up almost no space but provides up to
24 hours of musical prowess on a single charge.
The final price is $149 – $19.03 Instant Savings + Free Shipping = $129.97!
2011年3月7日星期一
Keeping quiet for Lent
It's 2011, and if I want to hear music I don't have to be deprived for a single
split-second. I just pop in one of the 400 CDs I own. After an entire morning of one
CD after the other I decide to go get some exercise at the gym, but first I go
online and download a couple of new songs from iTunes for 99 cents each and upload
them to my iPod Nano which already contains nearly an entire gigabyte of music.
Driving along, I turn on my radio and casually sift through every musical genre known
to humankind, via AM, FM, or satellite. Arriving at the gym I go inside and am
immediately engulfed by classic rock playing on the overhead speakers, which I hear
only up to the point that I don my iPod. After my workout I stop by a coffee shop and
order a cup of slightly overpriced joe to the sounds of 90s alt rock, served by a
barista with one ear bud in her ear and an iPod tucked in her jeans pocket.
Employees back in the kitchen are standing around a small battered disc player
singing along to "Paradise City" by Guns 'n' Roses, which is entirely different from
the song being played in the store, which is not the song on the barista's iPod, and
none of them are the same as the song playing in my head, which has been lingering
there ever since my workout.
You want music? Yeah, we got music (pardon the slang). What we don't have is any sane
sense of balance.
It is understandable that we inundate ourselves with music. Music is infinite and
mysterious; it speaks to our souls in a direct and unique manner, and the
accompanying rush is highly addictive. As a composer, I can sympathize with anyone
adrift in the ecstasy of music, listening to its meter and tones, studying its forms,
reveling in the emotions and passions it inspires. It's a very tempting substitute
for God in a society that wants a god with no moral expectations or doctrinal
entanglements.
But the time has come for Catholics to turn off the music.
One reason is that so much of the music we all hear every day is of poor quality. It
is badly written, mindless, repetitive, dull, and therefore unedifying, and it can be
a near occasion of sin.
As much as my wife and I try to laugh it off, "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle is a song
about prostitutes. "Love the One You're With" by Stephen Stills is a song about
promiscuity. "Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel — perhaps one of the catchiest
pop songs ever written — is a song encouraging young Catholic virgins to fornicate.
A deeper reason to hit the "off" button is because music, even the very best, can
distract us from God. This is not only a problem of listening to too much music too
much of the time, but can simply be a matter of listening to a little music at the
wrong time.
God loves silence. In the 19th chapter of the first Book of Kings, the prophet Elijah
falls into a state of despair that only God can relieve, but Elijah is too vexed and
angry to hear him. Elijah experiences in succession a blasting wind, an earthquake,
and a roaring fire — they may have just as well been a Foo Fighters song, a symphony
by Beethoven, and a Nelson Riddle arrangement of "Something's Gotta Give" with
Sinatra on vocals. None of them are God, as awesome as these gifts from God are. It
is not until Elijah listens to the "tiny, whispering sound" that he can finally
discern what God is trying to tell him.
This Lent, let's do without music at least part of each day. Identify times and
places where you might invite silence in. For instance, on your way to work, don't
turn on the radio. Be still; let your mind be at rest; pray. You already know that
your work day is going to be a riot of noise and activity. Why start early? Maintain
a little silence. When you're exercising, try doing it without music. On Sunday
mornings, definitely guard the quietude. That is the way par excellence to prepare
for the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
split-second. I just pop in one of the 400 CDs I own. After an entire morning of one
CD after the other I decide to go get some exercise at the gym, but first I go
online and download a couple of new songs from iTunes for 99 cents each and upload
them to my iPod Nano which already contains nearly an entire gigabyte of music.
Driving along, I turn on my radio and casually sift through every musical genre known
to humankind, via AM, FM, or satellite. Arriving at the gym I go inside and am
immediately engulfed by classic rock playing on the overhead speakers, which I hear
only up to the point that I don my iPod. After my workout I stop by a coffee shop and
order a cup of slightly overpriced joe to the sounds of 90s alt rock, served by a
barista with one ear bud in her ear and an iPod tucked in her jeans pocket.
Employees back in the kitchen are standing around a small battered disc player
singing along to "Paradise City" by Guns 'n' Roses, which is entirely different from
the song being played in the store, which is not the song on the barista's iPod, and
none of them are the same as the song playing in my head, which has been lingering
there ever since my workout.
You want music? Yeah, we got music (pardon the slang). What we don't have is any sane
sense of balance.
It is understandable that we inundate ourselves with music. Music is infinite and
mysterious; it speaks to our souls in a direct and unique manner, and the
accompanying rush is highly addictive. As a composer, I can sympathize with anyone
adrift in the ecstasy of music, listening to its meter and tones, studying its forms,
reveling in the emotions and passions it inspires. It's a very tempting substitute
for God in a society that wants a god with no moral expectations or doctrinal
entanglements.
But the time has come for Catholics to turn off the music.
One reason is that so much of the music we all hear every day is of poor quality. It
is badly written, mindless, repetitive, dull, and therefore unedifying, and it can be
a near occasion of sin.
As much as my wife and I try to laugh it off, "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle is a song
about prostitutes. "Love the One You're With" by Stephen Stills is a song about
promiscuity. "Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel — perhaps one of the catchiest
pop songs ever written — is a song encouraging young Catholic virgins to fornicate.
A deeper reason to hit the "off" button is because music, even the very best, can
distract us from God. This is not only a problem of listening to too much music too
much of the time, but can simply be a matter of listening to a little music at the
wrong time.
God loves silence. In the 19th chapter of the first Book of Kings, the prophet Elijah
falls into a state of despair that only God can relieve, but Elijah is too vexed and
angry to hear him. Elijah experiences in succession a blasting wind, an earthquake,
and a roaring fire — they may have just as well been a Foo Fighters song, a symphony
by Beethoven, and a Nelson Riddle arrangement of "Something's Gotta Give" with
Sinatra on vocals. None of them are God, as awesome as these gifts from God are. It
is not until Elijah listens to the "tiny, whispering sound" that he can finally
discern what God is trying to tell him.
This Lent, let's do without music at least part of each day. Identify times and
places where you might invite silence in. For instance, on your way to work, don't
turn on the radio. Be still; let your mind be at rest; pray. You already know that
your work day is going to be a riot of noise and activity. Why start early? Maintain
a little silence. When you're exercising, try doing it without music. On Sunday
mornings, definitely guard the quietude. That is the way par excellence to prepare
for the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
2011年3月3日星期四
iPad 2 launch: Are Kobo and RIM crying right now? They might want to
All of nerd-topia is on the Internet this afternoon (as opposed every other afternoon?), poring over the details of Apple's iPad 2 launch. In short, the new iPad is slimmer, faster, lasts longer, comes with two cameras, and a partridge in a pear tree all at the same price point as the previous model. Will all that convince people to ditch their existing iPads and buy new ones? Probably not, unless they're dying to do some video chatting.
Available in Canada on March 25, Apple is going to beat Research in Motion's Playbook to store shelves by weeks (we warned about this months ago), leaving BlackBerry fans waiting just a bit longer for their evasive dose of tablet fun. People who are in the market for a tablet but haven't bought an iPad may hold out for the other offerings coming out in RIM, Android or HP flavours, but Apple's lead is going to be hard to beat.
Another Canadian company—Kobo—might want to start worrying as well, as recent moves from California make Apple a more solid player in the e-book market. First, there was the announcement that Apple is going to start demanding a cut from e-book sellers who sell through Apple devices, and then today's confirmation that Random House will start selling 17,000 books through the iBookstore.
Kobo for their part doesn't seem worried about Apple (yet). The Informer asked Michael Serbinis, Kobo's CEO, what he thought about the iPad as competition for the Kobo reader. "Some people will want to have all the bells and whistles and others will still look for that dedicated e-reading device… Having more devices for people to enjoy reading on, allows more people to discover e-reading." The iPad 2 doesn't worry him specifically. Says Serbinis: "We embrace the introduction of new devices and form factors as it opens up new channels through which we can introduce e-reading."
Kobo is betting that an open, flexible platform will keep them in the game even while giants like Apple and Amazon stomp around. We love Canadian success stories, but it's probably a good thing that their plans don't seem to focus on hardware sales.
Available in Canada on March 25, Apple is going to beat Research in Motion's Playbook to store shelves by weeks (we warned about this months ago), leaving BlackBerry fans waiting just a bit longer for their evasive dose of tablet fun. People who are in the market for a tablet but haven't bought an iPad may hold out for the other offerings coming out in RIM, Android or HP flavours, but Apple's lead is going to be hard to beat.
Another Canadian company—Kobo—might want to start worrying as well, as recent moves from California make Apple a more solid player in the e-book market. First, there was the announcement that Apple is going to start demanding a cut from e-book sellers who sell through Apple devices, and then today's confirmation that Random House will start selling 17,000 books through the iBookstore.
Kobo for their part doesn't seem worried about Apple (yet). The Informer asked Michael Serbinis, Kobo's CEO, what he thought about the iPad as competition for the Kobo reader. "Some people will want to have all the bells and whistles and others will still look for that dedicated e-reading device… Having more devices for people to enjoy reading on, allows more people to discover e-reading." The iPad 2 doesn't worry him specifically. Says Serbinis: "We embrace the introduction of new devices and form factors as it opens up new channels through which we can introduce e-reading."
Kobo is betting that an open, flexible platform will keep them in the game even while giants like Apple and Amazon stomp around. We love Canadian success stories, but it's probably a good thing that their plans don't seem to focus on hardware sales.
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