My Cyber Trek

Since I’m now laid off for the season (it’s difficult to roof in the winter) and I have way too much time on my hands I thought I would take a leisurely cruise through the interwebs and explore the scenery. However I was not satisfied with taking one of the more traditional routes. No, I did my exploring off the beaten path and what I discovered ranged from amusing to strange to downright creepy. It’s little wonder why few folk venture where I did. So without further delay, here are a few places of interest I stumbled upon during my travels on the internet bush roads.

Area 404 is part of a site known as 404 Research Lab which documents everything you could possibly want to know about 404s. Area 404 is sort of a repository of the various 404 error pages they have collected. Most of them are somewhat amusing while a few downright bizarre.

This most strange area of the web is where I encountered numerous pages all claiming to be the last page on the internet. It’s a good thing I hadn’t tied into the whiskey yet. You can see some examples of what I mean here, here, here, here and here. There’s more – many more. Draw your own conclusions.

Here is a variation of the last page on the internet scheme, this one called Turn Off the Internet. It’s simply a flash object set to a black background and yes it is interactive and no I didn’t push the button. I like my computer.

This is the logo for Hell.com. Yes there really is a Hell.com and I found it. Not knowing what to expect, as I had been taught hell was a scary place, I carefully entered the site with both java and javascript disabled but to my surprise found nothing but a Google search box set to a black background. All smoke and mirrors.

This place is scary. Downright frightening. The Death Clock describes itself as “the Internet’s friendly reminder that life is slipping away… second by second. Like the hourglass of the Net, the Death Clock will remind you just how short life is.” I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

After my quick exit from the Death Clock I wandered into this site and was greeted by the most bizarre page I had ever encountered. Click the image below to enlarge.

Though you can’t tell from the image above, the strange little characters blinked annoyingly in my browser. You can see for yourself by visiting the actual site. Curious as to the meaning of this odd yet annoying blinking page I checked the source code. Yikes! Check the image below to reveal what I discovered.

What could it be? A coffee maker? A pump? Something more sinister? I never did figure out what that object is but it is totally benign. The site was put up by the family of Dutch web designers as a joke. If you click around you’ll find many more odd things, all of which are harmless albeit annoying.

Of course my journey would not have been complete without visiting the First Page of the Internet.

originally published 19 Dec 2007

Life and Death

Although this post is a departure from my usual ramblings on politics it is important nevertheless and I felt compelled to share it. The subject matter is, you guessed it, life and death. This has significant meaning in my case as we recently lost a dear family friend – a kind and gentle soul – whose passing I’m still trying to come to terms with in my own way.

At the beginning of the month the Guardian ran a series of photographs (click image above to enlarge) by German photographer Walter Schels and his partner Beate Lakotta. The series involved photos of subjects both before and after death. What makes these photos even more haunting are the interviews Lakotta conducted with each subject prior to his/her passing. The reactions of those interviewed ranged from total acceptance to a desire to fight against the inevitable.

While some may consider the exercise morbid I found it a fascinating study into the human psyche. Reading the words of those who know their time in this world is about to end was something I’ll never forget. Some found comfort in their religious beliefs while others did not want to die. If nothing else this study serves to show us just how precious life is and how short our stay here is.

originally published 13 Apr 2008

Interesting Net Facts

Maintaining an online presence can be hard work at the best of times but more often than not it is quite rewarding. I’ve made many friends during my travels through cyberspace and came across some very interesting sites. All of this made me think about the internet in general and how much it has changed over the years. Remember those silly table-based HTML pages that were so popular when the web was young? Have you ever wondered what was the very first DOT COM? Yes, I do in fact have that answer.

The Domain Name system (DNS) which translates computer host names into IP addresses was created in 1984. The year 1985 saw the birth of top level domains which included COM, ORG, EDU, GOV, MIL and ccTLD. The first half of ‘85 was busy indeed as cmu.edu, purdue.edu, rice.edu and ucla.edu were the first registered domain names. June was witness to the birth of css.gov, the very first .gov while the first .org was mitre.org registered in July. And what was the first DOT COM? It was symbolics.com registered 15 March 1985. What follows are a few of the first 100 registered domains:

• SYMBOLICS.COM – March 15 1985
• BBN.COM – April 24 1985
• THINK.COM – May 24 1985
• MCC.COM – July 11 1985
• DEC.COM – September 30 1985
• NORTHROP.COM – November 7 1985
• XEROX.COM – January 9 1986
• SRI.COM – January 17 1986
• HP.COM – March 3 1986
• BELLCORE.COM – March 5 1986

You can read the remainder of the list here.

originally published 30 Dec 2007

Dr. Feelgood In the House?

Motley Crue wasn’t the only performance taking place at the MTS Centre here in Winnipeg last Friday night. The topic of discussion round these parts hasn’t concentrated so much on the action on stage as it has on the action that took place in the stands.

It seems a couple of concertgoers, egged on by the crowd, threw caution to the wind and engaged in some … how shall I say … amorous behaviour. Not only that, it was captured on video and posted to YouTube.

The video depicts a blond woman grinding her hips while on top of her partner. While looking at the footage it’s difficult to say if the action was contained to a little bump and grind or something more but I suspect the former.

MTS Security staff eventually swooped in and escorted the lovebirds out.

Because the couple left peacefully and due to the absence of a formal complaint police are not involved.

In case you’re wondering no I won’t post the video here. If you really want to see it, it’s not hard to find.

SI Interviews Stephen Harper

As the Winter Olympics draws near, Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated conducted an interview with PM Stephen Harper. Of course we all know that in addition to being a student of history and political science, PM Harper is also a huge hockey buff. One day he may even find the time to finish that book on the topic he loves so much.

Did you know that he had dreams of playing in the NHL? Did you know that if given the chance he would trade politics for playing pro hockey?

Here is a little snippet of the excerpt of their conversation that unfortunately didn’t make it to print.

SI.com: Given a choice, would you be serving as Prime Minister or playing in the NHL?

Harper: It’s probably terrible to say, but any Canadian boy, if he could play in the NHL, would play in the NHL.

You can read the part of the interview that didn’t make it to print at the Sports Illustrated site here.

Credits:
quote – Sports Illustrated

Shelter Me 36-Hour Outdoor Challenge

Sean Goulet works with the Lighthouse Mission and he has come up with a unique way to bring attention to the plight of the homeless … he’s going to join them.

From February 4-6th Sean will be spending 36 hours living on the mean (and bitterly cold) streets of Winnipeg. He will also spend 2 nights sleeping outside in a tent pitched on the roof of the Lighthouse Mission.

The goal of this exercise is to not only raise awareness of this important issue but hopefully raise some much needed funds as well.

They have even set up an account on Twitter so that you can follow Sean during his daily activities. You can find him at @lighthouse669

You can find more details on the Shelter Me 36-Hour Outdoor Challenge here. And if you can afford it, a donation of any size will be much appreciated.