Unpacking in TO

This week has been more than eventful. I finished my job with the City of Guelph, and I've moved to Toronto this past Thursday to start my new job at the Ontario Power Authority. My first day at the new job is Tuesday, and I'm really looking forward to it (although, slightly nervous.)

I just want to thank Dad and Uncle Ian for helping Pete and I move. Dad, thanks so much for helping us pack up, and for driving the moving truck for us - and for dealing with last minute moving craziness. Ian, thanks so much for the warm greeting to the neighbourhood, and for helping us unpack... and for photo-documenting the move-in unloading. Some of you pictures are shared below.
This is a cute picture of Pete loading the elevator for another trip up to the new apartment

Wow... we have a lot of stuff. The place was pretty full once we were done unloading.

This is our new view. We face the north side of the building. It's quiet and has lots of green space.

We are on the 4th floor - just where the tops of the trees are.

This is me, trying to figure out where to drop off the Uhaul truck.

Dad is checking out the view.


Tangent was the best little mover. She was PURRFECT in the car while I was driving. She got a little freaked out when we let her out in the new office room, but she came around pretty quick once she had her food, litter box and bedding back.


At the end of the day, Ian took us all out to dinner. Here Pete and I are happy to be in TO, but very tired from a long day. (And full from the Mandarin Buffet ;)

Best Green Party video ever

Very motivating... if not somewhat cheesy. I love it!


Click here to see video.


Just a reminder... The byelection in Guelph is Sept 8th! But, you can vote anytime at the election office on Eramosa Rd!

In this byelection, the strategic vote is a Green vote.

Let's make history!

Seriously? Wow....

John McCain supports offshore drilling, and approves this message!

Check out video here.

See treehugger breakdown of this video here. In summary:
-Geologists aren't 100% sure how much oil is actually available (they guess its about 17.8 billion barrels), which is 2-3 years of US demand .... offshore drilling is not a long term solution
-Production wouldn't begin until 2017 ...offshore drilling does nothing to help American families now
-Oil prices are determined on the global market ...offshore drilling will do nothing to lower the cost of fuel

Any politician who claims they can reduce the cost of oil is lying.

Gore is all 'a-buzz' in the Green blogsphere, again

Check out Gore's latest speech here.

Can the US electricity come from 100% carbon emission free sources in 10 years?

Just try not to smile!

A good friend of mine forwarded me this amazing video. Click here to see.

It put a smile on my face, and it will probably put one on yours.

Enjoy!!!

;)


To find out more about Matt visit: www.werethehellismat.com

Another 'mix-tape'

I've been using last.fm online radio and rediscovering some old faves. Take a listen.

1. Esthero - Heaven Sent

2. Sneaker Pimps - Waterbaby

3. Tricky - Black Coffee

4. Air - All I Need

5. Gorillaz - Manana

6. Zero 7 - In the Waiting Line


On a different note:
7. The Kooks - You don't love me

8. Muse - Time Is Running Out

Why waste water washing your hands?

Yes, of course you should wash your hands after using the restroom... but why waste water doing it! My co-worker came across SinkPositive while researching grey water recycling systems.

The genius about this device is the simplicity. No need to hook up fancy pumps, holding tanks or extra pipes. Clean water is used to wash you hands, but instead of being lost, it is sent into the toilet tank, where it will be held until the next flush!

See the demonstration video.

The new job

For those of you that don't know, I will be starting an Intern position in September with the Ontario Power Authority located in Toronto. I will be working in the Electricity Resources Group for the manager of Distributed Generation.I will be working on the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program (RESOP) and the Clean Energy Standard Offer Program (CESOP).

The Standard Offer Program makes it easier for operators of small renewable energy generating facilities to participate in Ontario's electricity supply system by supplying power through their local electricity distributors and being paid a fair and stable price for the power they provide. (OPA)

Specifically, I will be:

• providing support for interested proponents of the program
  
• attending industry events, responding to questions from generators and the public
• researching other jurisdictions (Feed-in-Tariffs, SOPs)
• analyzing generator produced data
• providing technical assistance for generation technologies (i.e. noise, emissions)
• economic and financial analysis of new technologies.
• preparing and delivering presentations to the Energy Resources Group (and others)
  
• etc...

What I really like about this position is that I will be doing something different everyday. Also, I will be helping proponents of renewable and clean energy sources and educating the public on distributed generation (small scale energy sources).

Now.... I just have to finish my thesis!

Happy Canada Day!!!

Enviro Media

A collection of brilliant ads promoting renewable energy, alternative transportation, climate change awareness... Are we getting the message?

Pilled-higher and Deeper

A terrific comic series for all you academic types.

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php

Al Gore's newest presentation: Even more powerful

Check out the post and video at ecogeek.org

What makes Gore's new presentation filled with awesomeness:

• It's not about changing a bulb, it's about changing laws
• He likens investment in the tar-sands to heroine junkies shooting up in their toes
• Great new images that will shock and educate you (e.g. did you know that the polar ice cap was onces roughly the size of the USA?)
  
• He calls for citizen action and the use of democracy
• He highlights the divide between the "haves" and the "have nots"
• He calls for a cultural awakening to the climate issues - a move from a "culture of distraction"

It's worth taking the time to watch this video. It's a recording of the first time Gore has given his new speech in public and it's powerful and moving.

Other links that might be of interest:

• The Climate Project
  
• The Climate Project Canada
• Newest television ad campaigns
  

Pedal power

These guys crack me up! Check out the original post here.

As the site says, this 86 Buick Regal has:

no engine

no transmission

no floor

no signal lights

in place of headlights? The car features tea light-candle headlights

the whole thing is entirely propelled by pedal power

Gore's newest climate change campaigns

More information about Gore's recent climate change campaign is available here.

I missed 'International Pillow Fight Day' (!!!)

Here's something random that might cheer you up. March 22 was International Pillow Fight Day. Pillow fights were organized in cities across the world including: Vancouver, New York, London, Melbourne, Copenhagen, LA, Chicago etc.

I'm going to have to mark this in my calendar for next year... because it looks like way to much fun. Maybe Toronto will be involved next year.

Check out:
Treehugger's article - Taking back the Streets

PillowFightDay.com

YouTube Video's



From the Pillow Fight Day website:

About The Urban Playground Movement
All over the world, groups like us organize free, fun, all ages, non-commercial public events. From a massive Mobile Clubbing event in a London train station to a giant pillow fight near the Eiffel Tower in Paris to a subway party beneath the streets of Toronto, it is clear that the urban playground is growing around the world, leaving more public and more social cities in its wake. This is the urban playground movement, a playful part of the larger public space movement.

One of our goals is to make these unique happenings in public space become a significant part of popular culture, partially replacing passive, non-social, branded consumption experiences like watching television, and consciously rejecting the blight on our cities caused by the endless creep of advertising into public space. The result, we hope, will be a global community of participants, not consumers, in a world where people are constantly organizing and attending these happenings in every major city in the world.

This project, Pillow Fight Day 2008, is a collaboration of many people who comprise a loose, decentralized network of urban playground event organizers all over the world.

We will soon be launching the website UrbanPlaygrounds.net, an international website for people who attend these events. Stay tuned :)

GIG Actions - update

I made you a mix tape

Maybe this is a strange mix of music... a bit random from different genres. But, they're tracks that keep reoccurring on my playlist recently. And, I thought I'd share.

1. LCD Soundsytem-Tribulations ("get your payment from the nation, for your trials and tribulations")

2. Justice vs. Simian - Never Be Alone ("because we are your friends...")

3. Gnarls Barkley - Smiley Faces (this song makes me want to dance!)

4. Bloc Party -Banquet

5. Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby (Ruby, Ruby, Ruby!.....)

6. Hot Chip - Boy from school ("...we try but we don't belong...")

7. Alex Gopher - Brain Leech

8. Razorlight - I can't stop this feeling I've got

9. Interpol - Evil (freaky puppet video...)

10. The Subways - Rock & Roll Queen


Thanks Marianne for the blog inspiration.

Guelph - Take action!

A workshop and conservation fair. Come out and help plan a more sustainable energy future!

Links:
Green Impact Guelph (GIG)
Guelph Environmental Leadership (GEL)

my matrix

A sample of my data.... vs....

The matrix...

Can you see the similarities?

How I feel about my research ...

It's the end of week one of the NaTheWriMo. I feel like I've made a valiant effort on my thesis, at least more that I would have without the moral support of my friends. I had a busy week - writing, job interview, data analysis, guest lecture, battling snowy roads. I also have another job prospect with the Ontario Power Authority in Toronto for a Policy Research Intern Position.

This weekend, I need to focus a bit more on writing. Plus, I need to finish 'cleaning' my data and getting ready to do a research presentation on Tuesday (I need findings what???).

Image from here.

It's a Thesis frenzy!

Anyone who has (or is attempting to) write a thesis, knows how daunting of a challenge it can be. There's a lot to keep track of, a lot of reading to do, and a lot to analyze and evaluate. Frankly, it can be overwhelming. Getting over the 'hump' is the toughest part of all. That's some of my fellow grad students started the NaTheWriMo ("NAtional" THEsis WRIting MOnth) Thesis Frenzy.

Based of the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and the Script Frenzy.

The goal is to have a draft of your thesis by the end of the month. And the trick - do not over-edit... in fact, try not to edit at all. The idea is to get words on paper... it's easier to edit a poorly written draft than it is to write a perfect thesis.

We've started a blog, to track our progress - and to keep up the moral support throughout the month.

Wish us luck!

What does our goverment have against science anyways?

There are more than a few things that disturb me about our current federal government. But, recently, I'm almost at a loss for words to express how ashamed I am about the Harper government outright disregard for science, especially when it comes to environmental issues and global climate change. This month, the Harper government eliminated the position of the the national science adviser.

"The Harper government's decision to abolish the national science adviser is short-sighted and deleterious to the future of Canada. Science is driving our global culture unlike ever before; science now affects every single Canadian. Now is not the time to send a signal—domestically and internationally—that Canada just doesn't get it." - Seed Magazine

“The Mulroney government eliminated the Science Council of Canada and now the Harper government has eliminated the government’s lone science advisor,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “Governing without a science base is like rolling the dice on the future.” - Green Party Blog

"Brison raised the matter in Parliament. "Dr. Carty was a voice of reason on climate change, stem cell research, resource management and the environment," he said. "Does the Prime Minister not realize that his attack on science is making Canada look like the Flat Earth Society?"" - Toronto Star

"Eliminating the National Science Adviser is the latest in a string of events showing how our current government, at least at the top level, does not seem to be interested in the scientific perspective." - CBC Quirks & Quarks Blog

And, now the Harper government is snubbing the Canadian Nobel Prize winner, who shared their award with Al Gore for their contribution to writing the final report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (On a side note, I think its interesting the number of times the current Canadian Government is referred to as the "Harper" Government... I do it myself... it's almost as if I'm embarrassed as to call Harper a Canadian.)

"So what happened this past week when these Canadian scientists came to Parliament Hill for a reception in their honour with their Nobel prize tucked up underneath their arms? The Prime Minister, the guy who's job it is to represent us at these things refused to attend. The Canadian cabinet refused to attend. And why? Because these scientists, who – I don't know if I've mentioned this or not – won the Nobel Peace Prize, had the gall to do it by formulating a plan to fight climate change. And my guess is it doesn't call for an increase in oil sands production. So as a result, not a single cabinet minister would cross the hall and shake their hands." -Rick Mercer Blog

"And when all other federal party leaders unite to salute your heady accomplishment in a committee room a mere seven-iron golf shot from the Prime Minister's Office on Parliament Hill, the government responds with . . . a boycott." - The National Post

The cat post

It's been almost two months since we've got our cat, Tangent. So, I think it's about time to share some pictures. Tangent and Turbo were born just before Thanksgiving 2007.


This is a picture of when she was a couple of weeks old, when she was still with her mother.



Here she is with her mother, Bear, and her sister, Turbo. (That little black mass is Tangent).
Tangent was a lot smaller than Turbo.

Here she at home in the kitchen. She's still quite small. I don't think she's going to get too much bigger.

Here you can see her colouring. She's mostly black like her father, but has orange strips and splotches like her mother. Basically she looks like the two of them combined with no fashion sense.
Tangent gets her name from her colours - tangerine.


Some facts about Tangent:
-she chases her tail
-she's very affectionate
-she LOVES paper
-she's very curious about the shower

Google maps - how far will they go?

This is a good short about Google maps.




Or click here: Video

Prince Charles gives a speech via a hologram

The technology looks a little rough still. But, I think it's a terrific idea. Prince Charles is truly leading by example.