Transformers teaser... here.

The law that protected Net Neutrality has been defeated in the USA. Read more here. I guess only time will tell what this means.

It seems that codebot.org won the legal battle against Scientology. The article is here. Also, if you're curious about the article that they were fighting about in the first place, you can find it here.

I somehow managed to come across 3 separate sites today which took the
time to talk about "Net Neutrality". The first time I though it was
probably nothing to worry about, and the second time I wondered, but
the third time I figured I should see what it was about.

Apparently, and you can get more information here,
the big telcom corporations are lobbying (in the US) to give them the ability
to block websites from their customers. As the hype tells it, this
would mean that they will start charging website makers a fee, and if
they can't pay that fee, then their site would be effectively blocked
form the Internet. There is also speculation that they could make users
pay a subscriber fee to get access to certain key websites.

It's a terrifying thought. My first reaction was that people will simply
not use the ISPs that do this. However, there really aren't that many
ISPs. I know that here in Toronto, if you want broadband, you basically have to
go with Bell or Rogers. I think there is a third company, but it's limited
in it's availability. And that is in a big city. I know that there are
many places who only have one provider.

I'm still not convinced that it'll happen. But it could, theoretically, and that scares me a little.

EDIT: I've just come across HandsOff.org. This is a group (or one of them) who is trying to get rid of the "Network Neutrality" law. It has some interesting members.

So I was at Japancast.net today, and someone linked to an article that was suposedly a sort of expose on the Church of Scientology. I went to the link and found this "takedown notice". Creepy as can be.

The reception was fun. Open bar, so that's good. Although I think the more hick side of the crowd just sat around and drank as much as they could in order to take advantage of the good deal. I spent the first half of the night polishing the floor with my family. You probably wouldn't believe if if you've met him, but my father is actually a really good dancer. My sister, much to her disappointment, didn't think any of the fellows were up to her standards. So she had to suffice with dancing avec moi. It was fun though.

After my parents went back to their hotel, me and my sister got in with the bridal party (whom we didn't actually know) and spent the remainder of the evening partying with them. Also fun. My little sister had a video camera which I made liberal use of. I'll post some footage once I get my hands on it; it's sure to be funny stuff.

The rest of my trip has been fun as well. It's mostly been dedicated to my immediate family. In truth that's why I'm here anyway. I mean, I think the wedding was the first time I had seen my cousin Eric since I was 5. I didn't know he had a girlfriend, let alone a fiance. However, the way I see it, I'll probably be off to another country before long, so I should spend time with them while I can.

Really, the only thing I think I regret about this trip, is that I didn't get to see the stars. The stars in Northern Ontario are fantastic. It's far enough north to even get hints of the aurora. But it seems God didn't want me to see 'em this time. Every day the weather was beautiful, but every night it clouded over. Oh well.

I'm currently in Thunder Bay, at my aunt's place.

You know how they always tell you that you should leave yourself a couple hours in advance when your flying, because customs and baggage checking and such take time. Well, I'm not sure if they are always wrong, or this was just a fluke, but somehow I was through it all in about 20 minutes. It was about 1:20 then, my flight left at 4:15. Due to a foolish mix of lack of foresight and disregarding perfectly reasonable advice, I forgot the book I was reading in my bag when I checked it. Looking in the bookstore, the only interesting things I could find were either George Orwell, or Dan Brown. So I bought Animal Farm to kill my time. I figured if nothing else, I would look relatively intelligent to the attractive Asian girl who was sitting across from me. 

If any of you ever find yourself having to make the flight plan decision between the price-equivalent Westjet and Air Canada's  "Jazz", then you really ought to go with Westjet. The "Jazz" plane I was on was dainty. We were packed in there like bento for some unknown supping giant. It flew though, which is key for a plane.

Have any of you ever been to Thunder Bay? The word I would use to describe it is old. And not old in the sense of historical, or traditional, or interesting. Old like dried up industry. Everything just has this air of unkempt. I was told that the industries that once put Thunder Bay on the map are declining. The population is decreasing steadily, and the people who are left are getting older and older, as the new generation leave. I guess this kills the government's funds, because things like bus stops and street lights are all just old. It's like a future ghost town. 100,000 people isn't that large when it comes right down to it.

The wedding was nice enough though. If you didn't know, I'm here for my cousin's wedding. The service was done by a rather abrasive Lutheran lady. That church had an odd presents about it. I'll let it suffice to say that I think the clerical robes of the pastor were home made.

... I'm being told I have to go now. I'll tell you all more about the trip later.

You may find this video to be interesting. It's tekken, but real.

In case my recent devotion to Japanese and Anime didn't convince you
that I'm irreconcilably nerdy, I'm also really into podcasts.

Myth:
you need an iPod to listen to podcasts. This is not the case. You can
listen to podcasts on any mp3 player, or hell, you can just listen to
them on your computer. You don't need to use iTunes either. Any aggregator will do. Podcasting seems to have with it an elaborate community of people (the podosphere), trading favours regularly. It's quite interesting: breaking in on a new community.

Some of my favourites:

The Nate and Di Show
This
podcast is not for the offended. Notice how I don't say easily
offended. Quite frankly, if you're not a turbo left wing drug user who
thinks Christianity is the cause of many of the words problems, and you
have it in you to get offended, then you won't like this show.
Personally, I'm quite a lefty, and I'm nearly notorious for my forays
into the world of light intoxicants. The Christianity thing gets to me
a little, but over all, the problem is that they associate Christianity
with Conservative Capitalist America, and not a problem with what
Christianity actually teaches. So, if you can get over all of that, I promise that this show will entertain (I'm looking at you, Becky English).

The Onion Radio News
This
feed isn't like a normal Podcast. It's a one minute a day cast, with
funny little quips. I often start my day with a healthy dose of satire.

Scott Sigler and J.C. Hutchins
These
are two shows, but I mention them in the same breath. They are both
Podcast Novels. Sigler leans more toward horror, while Hutchins more to
sci-fi. Never the less, these are both good books, and they are low
commitment too. You can just listen to the first couple chapters and
see. That's what I did... and well, I'm currently anticipating the
release of each new chapter. I've even gone back and listened to one of
Sigler's old books.

Escape Pod
I've
found this one only recently, but it's become one of my
favourites quite fast. Weekly, they release sci-fi short stories. Now, my
favourite thing about sci-fi in general is the creativity of it.
Glimpses of alternate worlds and possible futures, all used as tools to
relate a story that we can relate to in our own time and place. Sci-fi
short stories are the epitome of this, in my opinion. Again, it's low
commitment, (I guess all podcasts are) but I think if you gave it a try,
you'd be hooked.

Downloadable Content: The Penny Arcade Podcast
Of
course, we can't leave out the dynamic duo of web comics. These two, in
real life, (or I guess the version of it that they record) are just
fucking hilarious. The show is basically 30 minutes or so of them
talking about gaming news and trying to come up with a comic from it,
but damn, I find myself foolishly laughing out loud (loling, if you
will) on the bus on my way to work.


Japancast.net
I
just can't leave out Japancast.net. This podcast will probably not
interest most of the people who read this Blog, as it's main focus is
Japanese lessons. However, the show itself, and the community that is
attached to it, has become a really big influence on me as of late. The
couple who run it (she's native Japanese and he's Otaku) are Christian.
They have been one of the biggest inspirations for my missionary
aspirations. It was this show that first pointed me to Asian Access.
And later, when I told them this, they even mentioned me in the show.
They've had some really inspiring things to say to me (especially
Hitomi) about the idea of becoming a missionary in Japan. They are,
without a doubt, my favourite podcast.

JapanesePod101.com
In
case there is someone reading this who is actually interested in the
Japanese language, this is where I suggest you look on the Podosphere.
They have a rather organised and systematic approach to learning
Japanese, and if you go back to the first episode, they start right
from the beginning.

Japan Stories
This
is the podcast of the organisation I intend to go to Japan with. It's a
couple of younger missionaries who talk with people involved in the
work being done in Japan. Talking to missionaries, Japanese pastors, or
even just church members who can speak some English. Whether you're
interested in missionary work or not, it's inspiring to hear about how
God is using these people in Japan.

JPop Blast

This show is run by a British fellow. It's basically JPop radio. Daisuki desu yo (I love it).

Believe it or not, this is just a sampling. I didn't even get into any
of the anime shows I listen to. But honestly though, if any of these
shows interest you, I suggest you try them out. It's worth it.

Today I'll tell you about "Harem Anime". This is a genre of anime in
which one guy gets somehow surrounded by girls, who all inevitably fall
in love with him. In the end, he has to pick. That may sound a little
cheesy, but it usually spells a good story. Most Harem Anime is also
comedy, involving slapstick-type humour. I've also heard that there are
some harem shows where a girl is surrounded by guys, but this is
definitely less common. Often in harem shows somehow all the characters
will end up living in one big house together. There is inevitably
hijinks at the onsen.

Real Otaku Hereos Salutes, Mr. Harem Anime Inventor.