I (finally!) uploaded some pictures of the house. It's not complete yet (still missing a couple of rooms and a lot of baseboards) but at least it's there.
See them by using the "Our Pictures" link in the menu.
I got the latest version of MSN Messenger so I could play Q6 with some friends. I don't care about most of what MSN Messenger offers, I really just wanna chat.
Yesterday, I noticed the "personal message" has a function called "What I'm Listening To" (described here, click on the first radio button). The feature has a couple of notes, specifically:
As it turns out, I have Media Player 9. That's not something I know off hand since, because of my iPod, I use iTunes exclusively.
So I gave it a try. Import all my songs in Media Player, hit play and whadayaknow my personal message shows the song playing. Neat.
I got tired of that about an hour later (I was working at the same time, paying it little attention). I like iTunes better, that little messenger feature is not enough to change that.
Later in the day I got back in the mood for some music and turned on iTunes. Lo and behold, as iTunes plays my songs my MSN Messenger personal message displays the title and artist!
I guess iTunes takes the "easy way out" to playing MP3 on Windows (and probably to playing everything else) and simply calls an OS component, updated with Media Player, so that MSN Messenger (and probably the OS) doesn't know what software is playing the song, just that it is playing.
That's my guess, anyway. I know very little of how Windows does these things.
So if you see me online, check for what I'm listening to! Now I just need a plugin to tell you I'm watching Space...
And on baseboards: we are almost done with the baseboards on the first floor! They are the last step to our renovations, so we are starting to see the light at the end of the physical labor tunnel. Pictures to come, that's for sure.
Due to the overwhelming requests that have poured in, I added the ability for y'all to post comments on my blogs.
Ok, I should clarify that last statement.
The request actually comes from one guy who mentionned it in passing. But since that guy is my all time favorite, greatest best direct brother-in-law in the world (as in "brother to my (soon to be) wife") (hi Fred!) I, as I had to, gave that request its proper respect and it jumped to the top of the priority list, right before eating and sleeping.
So rejoice, all you many, many readers! You may now post your (ir)relevant comments about my blog entries! Simply click on the link at the bottom of the entry. First time commenters: please note the very important warning just bellow the comment form.
Enjoy! But not too much...
All non-geeks be warned: don't read this! I'm gonna babble a little on technical stuff.
This site is running on my old Celeron 500Mhz, 256Mb RAM (on four sims, no less!), which I dusted off last month right after I got a static IP from my new ISP.
I got SuSE installed on it, then Apache HTTPD, Tomcat and MySQL. I'm keeping a log of all that, for the next time I need to do it: http://www.thecalgaryfolks.com/install. Then I wrote these blog and album apps, and all is well.
Then I figured I want to make this a full-out J2EE app, because I can, so I got JBoss. Installed it, changed my code, tested, no problem.
Man, I love this stuff.
As I got it all running on my linux box, the whole thing started crashing. Darn it.
I admit I'm pushing it: a single machine with Apache HTTPD (for static content), Tomcat (for dynamic presentation content), JBoss (business logic) and MySQL (data). It's not exactly how the tools are designed to be used (in fact, Apache recommends not using HTTPD if Tomcat is on the same machine), but my goal isn't to build the most efficient apps. It's to build the most fun and most representative of a large scale project.
JBoss comes with Tomcat to answer the web-based pieces of J2EE. I wasn't able to disable it, mostly because I didn't want to spend the time. Now when I start my Tomcat install (after JBoss is started), the JRE crashes. Darn.
So I'm back to the version without JBoss. Until I figure out how to make the whole thing run on the same machine...
How's that for a blog entry?
I was looking for a topic for this blog, not really finding anything interesting since, well, nothing interesting is happening of late.
I mean, do y'all really care that I'm about to install the second to last piece of my hardwood floor? I'll let you know when it's done; 'till then, nothing.
That's when Mr Electrifying came to my rescue. He said: "when are you going to mention me and how amazing it is to work with me?"
Right now.
To protect the innocents (and not get dooced), the identity of John Bateman will remain garded and he will be refered to as "Mr Electrifying".
So I work with this guy, Mr Electrifying. It is really amazing to work with this guy. I mean, you know, really amazing. Every day, I say to myself "self, don't you just find it amazing to work with this guy?", and I answer myself "yes, self, I do."
More details, more specifics, you ask? Ok. Mr Electrifying first got the title when he decided to hand out Electrifying Pointstm to people that would come up with new and cool ideas or ways to do stuff. Something that would impress him.
Of course, I had the largest number of Electrifying Pointstm, but I always said it was because Mr Electrifying wasn't giving himself any. The incentive to getting EPs was that anybody with 50 points would get a free lunch. Oddly, nobody ever made it that far...
And, of course, I have to give him all the credit for introducing me to fatguyshirts.com.
Thank you, Mr Electrifying, for being so amazing.
I expect my check to be in the mail.
I've played about six hours of Jade Empire, the new RPG from Bioware (xbox only). My save game is a bit over 3 hours into the game, as I spent the first couple trying different characters to find the one whose fighting style I liked most.
The first thing to know about characters is that, I think, they are all the same. The game comes with a bunch of premade characters with certain attributes and development trees. But you can customize each to anything you want, thus leaving you with the choice of your character's look, as all abilities can be whatever you want.
This game is basicly Start Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in an old China story with a fighting game style. It looks a bit better than SW: KOTOR, behaves the same (down to the dialogs) but fighting is no longer a turn-based thing. It's a button masher thing... kinda.
Pros and cons so far:
I admit I got frustrated a couple of times already. I yelled a couple of "freaking camera!" and I was really pissed off when the guy I talked to didn't have any dialog options for my side quest (even though my side quest was still available). I died a couple of times because I failed to notice my low health -- I was too concentrated on fighting the bad guys. I also ran into a bunch of invisible walls during combat; I tried to evade by back-flipping away only to find myself in the exact same spot (after having done the back-flip).
But the story is fun, even if it gets thrown at you without your choice or involvement. Characters are somewhat predictable, but then again so are most movies nowadays. Combat is different and fun. I love martial arts and that's what combat is all about, so I'm happy to just look at the character's movements (which are really well done).
I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining a lot. I do that... sometimes. (Ok, often.) The game has it's down sides, but the up sides are so good that you quickly forget the side quests and invisible walls. I will definitely be playing this game all the way through. And most likely will be playing it again as an "evil" character, just like I did SW: KOTOR.
I had to open my big mouth (or should I type: my big fingers?) to see that the next day brings snow!
Yesterday, I attempted to make everyone jealous with our sunny and warn Calgary weather, only to wake up this morning looking at the white stuff!
But you still have to love this town: I spoke with a guy that lives in the South of the city and he was surprised to see snow in the North-West. Apparently, the South only got wet stuff.
And I can't say it's a big deal, either: there's barely a couple of centimeters and the roads themselves are simply wet.
Still, it gets you scratching your head in the morning (along with other body parts...)
Well, if I'm gonna have this site, I might as well try to show some movement on it, right? At least, that's the plan now.
One of the last renovating step is about to get underway: tomorrow, professionals are coming over to transform our stairs between first and second floor into a beautiful work of hardwood art. I don't think they know I work from home, right on top of that staircase... that should be interesting. So this weekend we get to finish the hardwood. That will be cool. We'll also make sure to take pictures of it all!
On a personal note, I will be fetching my copy of Jade Empire later on this afternoon. Reviews pending.
If anybody cares to keep track, today in Calgary is sunny and above 10 degrees. Snow? Haven't seen any in a while. Jealous much?
Hum... that reminds me: I need to add support for smileys.
From anywhere in the city, look for Crowchild Trail (highway 1A). It's the main highway in the North West, so most people know where it is. Take Crowchild Trail in a North and / or West direction (the highway turns and the direction changes).
From downtown, drive time is about 20 minutes. If you happen through during rush hour, add a good 10-15 minutes.
There's a quicker way and an easier way. We use the quicker way, but it requires more knowledge of the city as it bypasses all highways...
The easy way is this:
Depending on how well you respect the speed limit and how well the lights are timed, this should take up to an hour.
Unfortunately, highway 1 through Calgary is very, very bad. If you get here during rush hour, expect a good half an hour more in driving time.
The most important part of hicking in the mountains is to plan ahead. Ensure you are bringing most, if not all, of the following:
We really recommend hicking boots, as they make the journey much more comfortable, but don't spend a lot of money on something you will only use during your trip here. A good pair of hicking shoes will work just as well and you will be able to use it everyday back home. Generally, shoes are also quite a bit cheaper.
Everyone should have his / her own backpack. A hike will typically take between 3 and 6 hours, round trip, so we need to eat and drink lots of water. It's easier for everyone (and nicer) if everybody carries their own water, food and spare clothing. The backpack you get must attach at the waist; otherwise, your shoulders and back will support all the weight, causing you to ache more and tire sooner. By strapping around the hips, the majority of the weight is transferred to your legs instead of your back.
Climbing mountains usually mean you end up at the top of a large bump, surrounded by nothing. This is important: imagine how much wind you will face at 10,000 feet! It quickly gets cold at the top, particularly when the wind runs across your sweat-drenched clothes. A fleece helps to keep you comfortable and a wind-breaker will keep the cold wind away from your body. You don't need some very heavy gear, at least not in summer; you just need to stay relatively warm for 30-60 minutes while you eat your lunch and take pictures.
A hat is mandatory. The sun hit really hard here and remains high for a long time (consider that, in summer, it rises around 6am and sets around 10pm). Sun screen we have and we can buy here; but a hat will make a very big difference. A hat with an all around brim is best -- compared to, say, a baseball cap -- as it will protect your ears and neck from the sun. We recommend Tilley hats as they are Canadian made, quite stylish and guaranteed to survive being eaten by an elephant.
Socks, pants / shorts and shirts are the least important part of the equipment. So long as they are comfortable, even when wet, it's ok. If you want the best, get a "quick-dry" shirt and a "high-performance" pant, the kind that will move the sweat away from your skin. A good pair of hicking socks, we've discovered, really does make a difference. They are more expansive than regular socks, but if you're looking for the best you'll want some of those. We own multiple items from the Tilley company, a Canadian outdoor clothing company, and we highly recommend that brand.
Summer is warm but can quickly turn cold. Bring shorts and t-shirts for the heat, but also pants and jackets for the cooler days and nights. A fleece is basically mandatory. So are comfortable walking shoes, as you will be doing a lot of walking. Also, don't forget a hat: the sun hits hard out here.
Winter is cold but chinook winds turn many days into above-zero temperatures without warning. Bring all of your winter gear, of course, but make sure it includes some lighter jackets; you don't want to get stuck in +10 weather with only a heavy down on hand. A fleece is basically mandatory. Winter boots will likely come in handy, but bring walking shoes too: chinooks melt the snow in the city so that roads and sidewalks, for most of the winter, have no snow on them.
And most importantly, whatever season you come in: bring a camera!
We can be reached in any of a multitude of ways...
By phone, at (403) 283-8149.
By email, at one of the following addresses:
Or by mail, at:
Mathieu Legault & Veronique Harmignies
64 Rockywood Pk NW
Calgary, AB T3G 5S2
And if you wish to visit us, you can find us on Google Maps!
We are two residents of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (For the geographically impaired, Canada is that big space between the continental US and Alaska. We're in there, just East of the Rockies.) We moved here from Montreal in the summer of 2004 and bought a house in early 2005. Looks like we'll be staying here a little while...
Veronique (a.k.a. "Vero") is a teacher with young kids at a private school. Her class is made up of a mix of "typical" and "special needs" kids. She loves working with these kids immensely, to the utter awe of her worse-half -- who would not survive ten minutes in such an environment.
Instead, the worse-half (a.k.a. "Mathieu", or "Matt" to the French impaired) gets to work from home as a software engineering consultant with a client on the other side of the continent. Both situations -- working from home and with a client two time zones away -- to the despair of his better-half who would go stir crazy sitting in front of a computer all day.
Anyway, since she only types with two fingers of the same hand, he figures his job is not really made for her.
With half of this couple actually knowing what all the cables going around the office are for, you can bet that electronic communications are possible. (He wouldn't admit it easily, but Matt's a bit of a geek. Albeit a good looking geek.) So here's a list of our email addresses:
And for the more... traditional of us, our mailing address:
64 Rockywood Pk NW
Calgary, AB
T3G 5S2
One last note: I am a very bad GUI designer, so I steal all these layouts and colors from other sites. If you recognize your layouts and color... I'm flatered that you found my site! I love your work!
