William Hutt is the Tempest

A SHAKESPEAREAN GREAT...

Do you know who this gentleman is? Do you know the location where this gentleman stands?

If your answer is Stratford, you probably know your Shakespeare.

No more amazement. (1.2.13)

'Tis time
I should inform thee farther. Lend thy hand
And pluck my garment from me. So.
Lie there my art. Wipe thou thine eyes; have
comfort. (1.2.23-25)


The man, of course, the most infamous William Shakespeare; his statue is locacted in the front gardens of the Festival Theatre in Stratford, Ontario.

A very remarkable event is transpiring at Stratford Festival Theatre this year, an event that will never happen again, never. Willaim Hutt, the great Canadian Shakespearean actor is doing his last role before retirement: Prospero, in the Tempest.

Last night we had a wondrous opportunity to observe Mr. Hutt live on the Festival stage for the last time, it was great, somewhat sad. The standing ovation at the end of his performance was heard around the world, if one listened carefully. Hutt, at an extremely young 85 was none other than amazing as he roared out line after line after line, living the part in 1600's, a time when life and values and thoughts were much different than they are today. I could only wonder what Hutt is feeling after each of these final performances, and when he performs this play for the final time this fall, I can only imagine how the emotions will flow - the roaring thoughts that must be running past Hutt, as if his life is running by in slow motion.

As a student of Shakespeare for the past year I viewed life in the 1600's, but not only the historical background of that era, as well how Shakespeare wrote his plays. During this year-long study I developed a sense of philosophical emotion into Shakepseare's intellectual mind; it is a place whereby if one ventures one never ever seems to foget where they were and how they got there. To actually see the Tempest performed live, and to the added feature of watching William Hutt perform the role of Prosero is an ultimate and rare fare.

William Hutt, we will never forget. William Hutt will be missed on stage, although he remains in the memories of lovers of Shakespearean theatre forever. Mr. Hutt will forever be remembered as part of the foundation of Shakespearean plays for a very long time, and quite likely, forever and ever.

(Please note: The above pictures were taken by Gregory West 2005 - for more pictures go to: http://gregorywest.zoto.com))

Now my charms are all o'erthrown,

And whatstrength I have's mine own,
Which is most faint. Now 'tis true
I must be here confined by you,
Or sent to Naples. Let me not,
Since I have my dukedom got
And pardoned the deceiver dwell
In this bare island by your spell;
But release me from my bands
With the help of your good hands.
Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,
Which was to please. Now I want
Spirits to enforce, art to enchant;
And my ending is dispair
Unless I be relieved by prayer,
Which pierces so that it assaults
Mercy itself and frees all faults.
As you from crimes would pardoned be,
Let your indulgence set me free. Exit.
(5.1.1-20)

Really Simple Syndication RRS feeds

Wednesday July 27, 2005

What the Heck is an RRS Feed?

It is a really simple way to get your feed of news and information. It is no different than someone skimming the headlines in a newspaper or magazine to see if any topic interests them.

RRS feeds bring the news to your doorstep, so to speak. Simply download a fast copy of an RRS reader, much like your Adobe Reader and you will almost be in business.

To get a copy of an RRS reader for most operating systems, go here: www.rssreader.com

Once this site opens you can either download the program immediated by clicking where the download button says: rrsreader.exe - this is the program file that will run your RRS reader.

If this is your first experience with the reader, check out the help section and DO TAKE THE SHORT TOUR, it will help explain just how simple this system really is.

Why RRS feeds vs a real newspaper or scanning various websites?

The answer is really simple, you choose the news and information that is of interest to you and nothing else. Personally, I have no interest in professional sports news so I simply do not add that category, however I am interested in Technology and World news, therefore I select which news sources I like and bingo...the current headlines from those sources regarding my topics are list for me to scan.

While scanning your headlines, once you come across a topic that interests you, simply click on the icon and you will be instantly taken to the full report, or you can simply read the short version directly from your RRS reader.

Give RRS feeds a try - I guarantee you will be impressed and if you are like most today, not enough time in most days for most things, well this is for you.

And even if you are not a news junky, but have been ignored during the water cooler conversations, now you will be able to add your 2 cents worth with headlines...reading a simple few lines will make you sound as if you are a very worldly person.

But if you are like me, on a need to know, or just a person who likes to keep abreast of various topics in a quick manner...this is for you too.

Happy RRS feed reading...

greg

Let the Games Begin

"Let the games begin," the man says.

The privacy act over piracy computer software by Microsoft has barely started as a Researcher, Debasis Mohanty says he has a "workaround" that will enable pirated versions to work.

The gloves are off and the battles begin to heat up as this issue is certainly far from over.

According to news.com "Using a secondary Microsoft validation tool called "GenuineCheck.exe," it may be possible for people to trick the checking mechanism", as stated by Mohanty himself.

Microsoft has confirmed this could work but states they are "not worried."

Time will only tell, but it will be an interesting battle to watch.

greg

1984 or 2005? Big Brother is Back

Today, the giant computer conglomerate, Bill Gates and his Microsoft hackers will take a long hard look inisde your personal computer system, apparently to check if you are running a pirated system. I'll suspect that not only the pirates out there are worried but you should be too, even though you bought your computer from the corner shop that has been in business for several years. According to Bill, Microsoft estimates that almost 1/3 off all computers are running illegal Windows operating systems. But is that all we should be concerned about?

More importantly, we should be concerned that a private company in this free world we reside within has (for the time being) the right to check most everyone's computer system, or at least force this check sooner or later. Do they really have the right to come inside your computer and snoop around?

Let's look at Walmart for instance. This company has ordered all of their suppliers to microchip the merchandice or Walmart will not buy their products for sale in the Walmart stores. The reason is complex, yet simple. Walmart wants to check where their products travel to, in other words they are going to do a demographic check. Ya right! George Orwell is laughing in his grave at this one.

The real issue is that would you let a Walmart representative simply walk into your home, wherein they suspect you may have mechandice that you purchased at a flea market that had been stolen from one of their stores? There is no warrant for this check, a legal requirement in most cases, but how does Microsoft get away with invading people's privacy as they please?

This is completely outrageous.

Maybe it is now time for us all to make the switch companies and PC users have been discussing for a long time: A switch over to the free operating system, Linux. Free to purchace and of course free of patches.

What is stopping Microsoft from scaring people into getting downloads from the MS site whereby they could create a phony patch? This is possible and not beyond comprehension.

We have definitely not heard the last of this issue. In the meantime, you can go to this site if you like, www.howtotell.com to test your system as to whether you purchased a legit copy of Windows or not. According to Techworld.com Microsoft is "providing customers with information on how they can discover whether or not they have a genuine copy of Windows."

Well, curiosity got this cat, even though I bought my laptop from Toshiba and have to trust somebody, I still wanted to see this test and check it out. Oops, this test requires you to download Active X, meaning that I will have to go back and use Internet Explorer. As an avid Firefox user, free of the dangers from Active X, I think I just may go over to this site:

http://www.linux.org

Linux is a free operating system and does not have a Big Brother. I am sure that if George Orwell were alive today, he would definitely be running Linux and writing his heart out, complaining about the incredulous spying by Microsoft Corporation.

greg

Tech Service Can Suck at Times

Oh those boys at the other end of the line...

I bought this Toshiba Satilite A20 laptop one year ago. It is a great machine and I love it. Every once in a while it gets a hiccup and I have to call Toshiba tech services when I am stumped with a problem, which has been rare.

Up until today I have had great success with the tech guys (haven't run into a female techie for Toshiba yet...maybe fodder for another blog?). The current problem occurs while the computer is dormant for a few minutes...the screen goes black and with a quick tap on the touch pad mouse we are back in action. What a pain. Especially when my grandkids were trying to watch DVD movies at the trailer last week...good thing these guys are tech savy and know how to touch the right buttons when required.

Anyway, after three calls to the tech help centre at Toshiba Canada today I finally got a guy who knew what he was doing...many of those guys read from directions on their pre-organized screens and they are not allowe to "think outside the box", as are Sympatico techies as well. The third guy, Mohamad, got me clicking away and in minutes the problem was solved. My hat's off to Mohamad.

The second guy needs an adjustment at Toshiba, possibly a job change is in order. After 40 minutes of failed attempts to correct my laptop's black screen problem, this guy cut me off and said he had to go. He told me to download a new utility from Toshiba's website, restart the computer and it should work. I questioned as to why he had to run away from me and he informed me that Toshiba only allows 40 minutes per customer and to call back again and restart my 40 minute call. Great! But when you call back, as I did with Mohamad, you have to explain the problem all over again.

My thanks go out to Mohamad for knowing his job and doing it expediately.

I still think Toshiba is the best...I do have a horror Dell story, but will save it for a rainy day LOL.

greg

Monday July 25, 2005 PEVES

Ok, I went outside at 0730 am and noticed that the air is still horrendous. Of course my thoughts took me to the interior of Algonquin Park, the canoe routes where the air is clean, the water is fresh and the people are hard to find. The hussle bussle of the world is far behind. Peace? You bet.

Speaking of parks, ever walk through a park lately? One with a forest and grass and some wildlife? If so, what is one of the views you get to admire? The various Carolinian foilage, the ripple of some small pond or stream or creek, the dew on the crisp green grass that may need a minor trim here and there; these are things we like to see while strolling through our wonderful parks and conservation areas. But more and more, what is it we see but litter. Yes, human strewed garbage. Cardboard cups (usually from Timmies), broken bottles, squished cans of all sorts, and other items that I won't bother you with a mention. Why do people do this, litter? Is it because some of them pay taxes and they feel it is there way at getting back at the city to make them clean up after them? Is society becoming this lazy that they cannot search out a disposal unit to unload their infamous crap?

Several times of late, while on our canoe trips, we have come across such litter, even to the point that fear is legitamately instilled to the fact of not walking into a water's edge without some sort of foot protection for fear of ripping open the souls of our feet. Isn't this nice? We cannot even enjoy a simple walk along a shoreline with our toes in the water without fearing serious injury due to the fact that some nitwit was too lazy or crazy to dispose of their crap.

Never mind our beautiful forests, parks, and waterways cluttered with human leftover garbage, how about those fools who simply toss out their Timmies cups from moving vehicles, without a care for the fellow human behind them at 150 Kilo per hour? And where are the boys in blue? At Timmies of course, sipping free burnt coffee at the taxpayer's expense. Two cops sitting for 30 minutes at a donut shop costs the tax pay an average of approximately $50.00. Think about this province wide and what another waste. These cops could be out walking some of the fat off in our beautiful parks, nailing the Timmy customers who refuse to "Keep Ontario Clean".

Enough peves for today...more to come, I promise haha.

greg

Heat

How hot is it? "Damn hot,"
says Adrian Cronauer (Good Morning Vietnam)

Those who know me know that I love the hot sunny days. However, tonight has to be one of the most worst evenings I have experienced with heat. There is no air outside to breath. Is this what the end of the world is like? Are we facing the contents of Revelations? I wonder...Thank God for air conditioning, even though I curse it once in a while, tonight it is a God sent wonder.

Don't forget to check in on this blog from time to time, as I plan to post some excerpts from my new book.

As well, don't forget to pick up a copy of Business Trends and see my latest computer related articles.

Oh yes, and if you are interested in computers check out our club's website at:
www.scug.ca

I have not picked a title for my canoe book...open for suggestions soon! LOL

Hi Jen....

A Canoe Book - in a building stage

Canoe Book / Manuscript

in draft form...

As of today my canoe book has 10 unedited chapters. The pictures are inserted along with the text. This keeps me focused on the material and as well, it is much easier to remember most of the facts and tales while looking on the picture file.

I figure I have around 7o pages thus far. There is a table of contents in progress and a Forward. My sister Pam, a graphic editor, is designing both the front and back covers...I await the drafts with anticipation.

The number of pages upon completion is not yet determined. This of course will depend on how many more canoe trips we take.

Unlike the essays I write for my English degree, this is a charm to work out. It isn't a struggle to sort out the material, because the material is real and I write shortly thereafter it happens.

I am having fun with this book as it develops, page by page, trip by trip, picture by picture. This is my second book to date.

Don't foget to read my computer related articles in Business Trends, as well check out the information at www.scug.ca for tons of computer information, and of course another magazine I write and edit: SCUG Report.

greg