De sneeuw schoen

Eindelijk, mijn eerste dag wintersport in Vancouver. Ik ben met Amy naar Cypress moutain geweest. Daar hebben we door de sneeuw gelopen. Snow-shoeing noemen ze dat hier. Vroeger had je dan van die rieten plateaus onder je voeten. Tegenwoordig is het allemaal aluminium en koolstof vezel. Het was een flinke work-out, en het weer was perfect. De lucht was helder genoeg om niet alleen Vancouver te kunnen zien, maar zelfs Vancouver Island. De vogeltjes op de berg waren tam.

Computers kill democracy

It's interesting to see what is happening now in the US with Obama and Clinton. However, a dangerous trend has emerged. More and more elections are conducted using electronic means. This is a dangerous development. I studied Computer Science, and I know that computers and voting do not mix. Votes should be put down in paper. Changing a few bytes in a computer memory is a lot easier than forging thousands of ballots. What has happened now in New Hampshire is an outrage. If democracy is to be saved, we need to do away with electronic elections. Diebold voting machines: Ron Paul got 0 votes. Complaints by people who actually voted Ron Paul were followed by a "correction". Ron Paul did get votes after all. Stop e-voting now, I say.

Kwak Kwak Kwak Kwak

On new year's eve I will be hosting a party with Amy. Yesterday we stocked up on drinks and food. Today we did the decorations. The yellow Ford GT model was a xmas gift by Goran. To have a little break, we visited UBC's museum for Anthropology. Man, oh man, the European colonists really gave the natives a hard time. In the Canadian-Indian Act, they even outlawed congregations of natives. This ban was finally revoked in 1951. In that year, they could finally have a traditional fest again. We had a tourguide telling us about the coastal tribes. Erroneously, she referred to them as the Kwak Kwak Kwak. However, they were actually called the Kwak Kwak Kwak Kwak. They were pretty primitive, as they had to learn the concept of a wheel from the Europeans.



Voor oudjaar host ik met Amy een feestje. Gisteren hebben we drank en voedsel ingeslagen. Vandaag hebben we de decoraties gedaan. De gele Ford GT was een kerst cadeautje van Goran. Als intermezzo hebben we het Anthropologie museam van UBC bezocht. Man, oh man, wat hebben de Europeanen veel leed bezorgd. In de Canadian-Indian act werd het de natives zelfs verboden om hun traditionele bijeenkomsten te houden. Pas in 1951 konden ze weer hun feesten houden. We hadden een gids voor de rondleiding. Ze vertelde over de kust-volkeren, die ze foutief als de Kwak Kwak Kwak benoemde. Volgens mij heten ze namelijk Kwak Kwak Kwak Kwak. Ze waren erg primitief, daar ze het concept van het wiel van de Europeanen moesten leren.

Bald Eagle

We're visiting Amy's mother on Vancouver Island. Her house is close to the ocean, and there is abundance of wildlife here. I saw my first bald eagle. Perched in the top of a tree. When it took off, it flew right over the house. It was an impressive spectacle. After the hibernation period, I hope to see some grizzly bears as well. Today we visited Tofino. This is a hippie town on the far west of the island. It was popular with American draft-dodgers who did not want to go to Vietnam. Now it is a mixture of hippies and surfers. It has a laid back atmosphere. The pacific here is pretty ferocious. The waves much more violent than what I saw in La Jolla California. Here, swimming is out of the question. Signs here explain it all: Q: can you swim here? A: NO! People die every year, do not let it be you. Well, I did not.

SOCOM in Afghanistan

Hmm... that was an interesting news article that Jacco has sent me. The subscript reads: Corporal 1^st class Stefan(22) plays on board of a Hercules-plane fully engaged in the war-game ‘Socom’ against his comrades. Right below him, where he will land a few minutes later, battle is waged against the Taliban.

Holiday Release

My Open Sourced hobby project, Stormbaan Coureur, is getting more and more polished. I've added high tech suspension and real time shadow mapping. To promote the upcoming release, which I dubbed the holiday release, I have created a rock video. The rock was composed and performed by my good friend Johan Stolk. So turn up the volume of your speakers, and play the video. Pay attention to the detailed independent double wishbone suspension and the leaf springs. And Johan... you rock! UPDATE: Version 2.0.0 has been released.

Title Defended

Today was race day. Slantsix boss Dan had organized a GO KART endurance event. As I had been boasting about my racing prowess, the pressure was on. Well, I am quite satisfied. Although Dan was slightly faster in qualifying, I managed to get the fastest lap overall. In the endurance race my team took second place. As I have now beat 21 colleagues on the track, my claim to resident Slantsix champion holds more weight now.

Vandaag was race-dag. Slantsix baas Dan organiseerde een GO KART endurance event. Alhoewel Dan sneller in de kwalificatie was, heb ik de snelste ronde tijd van de avond neergezet. In de endurance race werd mijn team tweede. Omdat ik nu 21 collega's op de baan heb verslagen, heeft mijn claim op de Slantsix kampioen status nu meer gewicht.

winter time

Winter has arrived in downtown Vancouver. This old tree is right next to my apt building. I have not yet been to the ski slopes, but the company has passes for Cypress mountain, so I should see some winter sport action this season. The local mountains for skiing are Grouse, Cypress and Seymour. And a little further in-land there is Whistler and Blackcomb. We're about to attend Amy's office X-mass party which is held right around the corner on Beach Avenue. I hope my new pants will not get wet. I had to buy some today, as my wardrobe here only contained jeans.

Mounted

A quick update, as it has been a while since I wrote an entry in this web log. Ok, last weekend, Santa Claus paraded into town. And with him, practically all the organizations in the Vancouver community. It was fun to watch. On the photo you see me with some Mounted Police without their mounts. The red uniform is one f the most recognizable international symbols. It was chosen as a contrast against the American Army's blue one, so that Indians could tell bad (US army) from good (Canadian police) guys. Talking about Canadians and Americans: they both like to line up at restaurants and bars. The longer the line, the more they want to eat there. In the other news: I received my copy of the OpenGL Orange Book from Amazon. I am using it to improve Stormbaan Coureur.

Parking Regulations Vancouver Style

The city council here loves parking signs. They love them so much that they prefer to bundle them together. Take this sign at Beach Avenue for example. You are supposed to read them in a flash as you drive by looking for a spot. Interpret four pictograms, three arrows, two time ranges, a duration, and two day ranges in one second. You get here at Saturday 17:00h and see this sign. What do you do? Park or do not park? That's the question. BUZZZZZ! Wrong answer.

De stadsraad heeft een voorliefde voor parkeer verkeersborden. Het liefst gebruiken ze deze bij bosjes. Neem bijvoorbeeld deze collectie op Beach Avenue. Je wordt verondesteld om het even snel in het voorbijgaan te lezen, terwijl je op zoek bent naar een plekje. Ontcijfer vier pictogrammen, drie pijltjes, twee tijd slots, een tijdsduur en twee dag specificaties in een seconde. Je komt hier op Zaterdag, 17:00 uur, wat doe je? Parkeren of niet parkeren? BZZZZ! fout antwoord.

Canuck Impotence

I just witnessed my first NHL hockey game. The local team here had adopted the US slang word Canuck. It's a good thing that I saw some proper hockey by the Giants, because the Canucks failed to score tonight. Well, normally a 0-0 does not have to be bad, as long as it is Soccer. In Hockey, I expect at least some goals, or if not, some dog fighting. Both were not present at this game. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd periods were goal-less, and so was the extra time. Even when they did the shoot-out (much like Penalties in Soccer) Vancouver failed to score. The Edmonton Oilers put in 1 goal during the shoot-out though. At work I had printed out the anthem lyrics, but darn it, I left it at the office. So I sang along half the lines of the anthem. Oh well, better luck next time. The pictures show the line up for the anthem, and the first Oiler shoot-out (a miss).

Remembrance

November the 11th has a different meaning in Canada than it has in North Holland. Here, we remember the fallen soldiers. Amy and I went to a performance by the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra. I had never been to a symphony orchestra before, and must say I was blown away... Wow. They played one of my favourive pieces: Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber (1910-1981). It started with the Canadian anthem, which was very impressive. I meant to learn the lyrics, but I had not yet taken the time. I regretted this, as I would have liked to sing along. The adagio was chilling. Goosebumps all over. Brahms, Elgar and Dvorak were wonderful also. I definately want to go more often. It seems to be a well kept secret here. Fantastic music, which is easily accessible. The audience was mostly family of the more than 80 orchestra members, but they are exceptionally good.


11 November heeft hier een andere betekenis dan in Noord Holland. Hier herdenken we de gevallen Canadase soldaten. Amy en ik hebben een optreden van het Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra bijgewoond. Het was mijn eerste symphonie concert ooit, en wow, was ik even onder de indruk. Ze speelden zelfs een van mijn favoriete stukken: Adagio for Strings door Samuel Barber (1910-1981). Het begon met het Canadese volkslied, en dat was zeer indrukwekkend. I was van plan de tekst te leren, maar daar was het nog niet van gekomen. Graag had ik het meegezongen. The Adagio was een enorme ervaring waar ik kippevel van kreeg. Ook Brahms, Elgar en Dvorak waren prachtig. Het lijkt een goedbewaard geheim. De bezoekers waren voornamelijk familieleden van de meer dan 80 orkest leden, maar het niveau was bijzonder hoog.

My first Hockey game

Courtesy of Shawna, I attended my first hockey game. It was between the Vancouver Giants and the Prince George Cougars. It's not the big NHL, but a lower league game. Yet, over 6000 people attended it. I was rooting for the cougars, but the Giants fans you see in the picture had more to cheer for. They won with 7 to 4 goals. I blame the ref who was favouring the home team. See in the photo how shameless commercialism is taking over the noble game. During recess, little kids battled it out on the ice.

Fare Thee Well

Amy's zus had ons uitgenodigd voor een bezoek aan een concert van Great Big Sea, een band uit New Found Land. De band heeft een trouwe schare fans, die het repetoire uit volle borst meezingt. De muziek klinkt af en toe alsof het uit een Iers vissersdorp komt. Best wel tof, zeker met een biertje op. Het podium was van een Casino. Mijn vader zal trots op me zijn, ik heb welgeteld nul dollar, en nul pennies aan het gokken besteed. Verder heb ik nog te melden dat nu eindelijk mijn naam op de gevel van het gebouw prijkt. Na er 5 keer omgevraagd te hebben, heb ik het uiteindelijk zelf moeten doen.


English translation is left as an excercise for the reader.

Volkswagen LKW

Eine Lastkraftwagen zoals de Duitsers zeggen, is de New Beetle natuurlijk niet. Maar ik had mijn zinnen gezet op die Sony XBR televisie. Na de mislukte onderhandelingen met Best Buy probeerde ik Future Shop. Hier werken de verkopers op provisie basis, en is onderhandeling wel mogelijk. (Ik las de volgende tip op een forum: aan het eind van de maand zijn verkopers meer bezig met het halen van hun sales-target dan met hun provisie). De geadverteerde prijs in Future Shop was echter wel een stuk hoger. Ik stelde de verkoper dan ook voor om de TV tegen Best Buy prijs te leveren, plus een gratis HDMI kabel voor mij. Ook deze verkoper kwam met een $100 kabel die te duur zou zijn als freebie. Nou, ok, dan een gratis Blu Ray Movie. Deal! Toen we de TV kwamen ophalen hadden we al enige twijfels of de doos in de Volkswagen zou passen. Die twijfels werden groter door de reacties van een Future Shop werknemer die ons hielp met laden. "That car?" en "I don't think it will fit!". Tja, niet iedereen rijdt hier in een Ford F350. Stoelen helemaal naar voren, achterbank neer, en de klep kon zelfs dicht! Ik had gekozen voor de kleinste TV uit de XBR4 serie, van 40 inch. In de showroom valt dit aardig in het niet naast de 52" modellen. Echter, in een appartement ziet het er heel anders uit. Wow, wat een genot. PS/3 games, DVDs, Blu Ray Movie zien er allen fantastisch uit. Echter, met deze TV zie ik pas hoe slecht het signaal van Shaw Digital Cable is.


Eine Lastkraftwagen, as the Germans say, it is not, the New Beetle. But I had my mind set on the Sony XBR television. After failed negotiations at Best Buy, I tried Future Shop. Here, the salesmen work on provision. (I read the following tip on a forum: at the end of the month, the salesmen are focused on meeting their target, not on provision). The shown price is higher at Future Shop. I suggested selling it to me at Best Buy price, and throwing in a free HDMI cable. Also this salesman came with a $100 cable that would be too expensive as freebie. Well, ok, what about a free Blu Ray movie? Deal! When we picked up the TV, we had some doubts wether the box would fit the Volkswagen. Those doubts increased by the reactions of the Future Shop employee that helped us loading. "That car?" and "I'm not sure it will fit!". Well, not everybody drives a Ford F350 here. Seats all the way forward, back seats folded down, and the trunk lid actually closed! I selected the smallest TV from the XBR4 series, of 40 inch. In the showroom this model is unimposing next to the 52" sets. But in the appartment, it looks totally different. Wow what a pleasure. PS/3 games, DVDs, Blu Ray Movies all look spectacular. However, on this TV you really see how bad the Shaw Digital Cable signal is.

I'm an excellent driver

Today I had my ICBC road test. Amy has been preparing me for this. She let me drive her car. I had a learner's permit, which means I could drive under supervision. Amy showed me everything I needed to look out for. Especially school zones, play zones, school busses and ambulances are a big thing here. During our numerous outings, I would make jokes and impersonate Dustin Hoffman by saying "I'm an excellent driver". I guess the mantra worked. I kid you not: the examiner actually wrote on the form "Excellent Drive". I was nervous (I flunked my Dutch motorcycle test three times). But I only made one mistake (yielded when I should not have). Most people here drive automatic, but Amy's car has a manual gear box. I impressed the examiner with a flaw-less uphill start using the emergency brake. Also my highway merge was a gem. Shift down to 2nd, full on throttle, the 2.0L bug engine on full output, shifting through the gears, and a merge as smooth as it could be. Amy was pretty proud of my achievement, and so was I, so I rewarded my self with the Sony XBR4. But that's another story.

Vandaag was mijn rijexamen. Amy heeft mij voorbereid, en liet mij in haar auto rijden. Ik had een oefen vergunning voor het rijden onder toezicht. Amy liet me zien waar de valkuilen zaten. Vooral school zones, speel tuinen, school bussen en ambulances zijn hier belangrijk. Tijdens het oefenen maakte ik grapjes door Dustin Hoffman aan te halen met "I'm an excellent driver". Het lijkt alsof de mantra heeft gewerkt. Zonder gekheid: de examinator schreef op het formulier "Excellent Drive". I was nerveus (Drie keer gezakt voor Nederlands Motorrijbewijs). Maar ik maakte slechts 1 fout door overbodig voorrang te verlenen. De meeste mensen rijden hier automaat, maar Amy heeft een handgeschakelde auto. Ik maakte indruk op de examinator met mijn berg-op start met de handrem. Ook mijn invoegen op de snelweg was een juweeltje. Terug naar tweede versnelling, vol gas met de 2.0 liter kever motor door de versnellingen heen, en een scherpe invoeg manouvre. Amy was trots op me, netzoals als ik dat zelf was, dus heb ik mezelf beloond met een Sony XBR4. Maar dat is een ander verhaal.