Derek Burt's Weblog - Life category

For better and for worse

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:26:41 GMT

For Better or For Worse ended it's 29-year run this past weekend.

I didn't know the strip was coming to an end until I caught up with the strips I missed while I was out of town and was completely shocked. The strip has been around for as long as I have and, as such, has been a part of my entire life. My folks have subscribed to the local paper since forever, so I usually read it every day. When I moved out I didn't subscribe to the paper but thanks to the miracle of feeds have been able to follow it pretty regularly the last few years in particular.

I searched the web to find out what the word on the street was with regard to its ending and found a great quote from an editorial from the Peoria Journal Star:

However, with this weekend's finale, I know there will come an emptiness — the emptiness of a friend going away. It embarrasses me to admit it, but I blinked back tears as Rose gazed wistfully into the empty drawing room of 165 Eaton Place in 'Upstairs, Downstairs' and I did the same thing when Hawkeye Pierce choppered out of the hospital compound for the last time in 'M*A*S*H.'

I did for this one, too. Goodbye - I will miss you :(

I know her

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:01:56 GMT

(the one on the right)

A retarded act

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:32:01 GMT

Mockery in any form, or for any purpose or directed at anyone, especially those least able to defend themselves, is neither funny nor acceptable.

In the spirit of Seth and Amy, really? No form of mockery is funny or acceptable? Why wait for Big Brother or some Islamic terrorists to take away all our freedoms, when morons like him are willing to have us voluntarily give them up.

As my high school English teacher used to say, I would classify the entirety of Mr. Shriver's editorial above as a completely retarded act.

Trackbacks disabled for now

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:21:53 GMT

I've been getting thousands of pieces of trackback spam per day and nobody from the Pebble mailing list wants to help me with it so I've just turned them off.

I'm too busy to get my website in order at the moment, so this is the only thing I could think of. I can't stand fucking spammers. It's bad enough I get so much spam on my cellphone, but my wonderful (read: worst company in the world) cell phone provider also says there is nothing they can do about it.

I will soon be a criminal

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:06:11 GMT

... and so will pretty much everyone else in Canada.

The Canadian DMCA as recently tabled this week in the House of Commons will make criminals of us all. Share files online? Get ready to pay or go to jail. Unlocking the cell phone you paid for? Get ready to pay or go to jail. Encrypt your e-mail to have some semblance of privacy? Get ready to pay or go to jail. Buy a CD or DVD and then copy it to your iPod? Get ready to pay or go to jail.

The DVD player in my house is on a Linux-based computer that uses an open-source DVD player. Soon, everytime I watch a DVD (that I legally bought from a store and OWN) in my house I'll be committing a Federal crime.

Please help stop this insanity. Write your MP and join the Facebook group. I've done both - it takes two minutes.

My Dad in the Leader-Post today

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:38:42 GMT

You can read the article online. The Governor General's office has the press release online as well.

We're in our Ottawa hotel room right now getting pretty for our meeting with the Governor General!

Update: it was AMAZING. The RCMP's press release as well as the Governor General's speech is online.

Update 2: photos on the GG's website are now available (but my dad isn't in any of them).

My Dad will soon be a M.O.M.

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:55:31 GMT

We received some great news this weekend: my Dad will be invested with the Order of Merit of the Police Forces next Month in Ottawa. He'll receive the honour in person from the Governor General at Rideaux Hall. The Order "honours a career of exceptional service or distinctive merit displayed by the men and women of the Canadian Police Services, and recognizes their commitment to this country. The primary focus is on exceptional merit, contributions to policing and community development." In short, it's kind of a big deal.

I'm going to do my best to be there.