New Year

Well SunJoo and I have had our first Christmas together as well as our New Year.  We traveled to Summerside to spend Christmas with mom and came back home to Halifax to spend New Years here.  Overall the holidays were a quiet affair and very relaxing.  I am now in the process of gearing up for the next term at NSCC.  As well I have a few days to complete the first chapter of the the novel I plan to write.  So far the whole story arc is falling into place quite well. 

Other than this I shall also be continuing with my Sword training starting on Saturday I think.  While there is no official Dojang in Halifax, myself and another black belt student began training together in the fall and have taken one student. It has been great to get back into this art and I am losing weight and getting back into shape again.  I have modified the gumdo logo to create one for our club.  However where we are not official I must state that this is  work in progress and the basis of this graphic came from the official logo for the Haidong Gumdo Association. 

 

 

Shearwater International Air-show 2010

Well Today we woke up early to get to Shearwater before the crowds, SunJoo and I woke at 7:00am and got ready to go out.  This involved getting showered and starting to make Sushi (with wonderful smoked salmon).  While SunJoo made the Sushi I went off to pick up Ian and my cousin Daniel.  Once I had them in the car it was a quick trip back to the apartment to pick up SunJoo.  In retrospect we should have brought our chairs as we stood a lot.  This was SunJoo’s first time at an air show and she enjoyed it very much.  However this being said I was kind of disappointed with the static displays this year.  There were only six and none were of the Jets.  Understandable because the main runway at Shearwater has been torn up and they only have a short landing strip now so none of  the main attractions could land all flew out of the Halifax International airport.

The air display was fantastic though and here are a few of the pics I took:

 
C-117 and SunJoo

SunJoo and Daniel on a tank.

 
Wildcat

Hawk 1

Snowbirds

 
Texan/Canadian version is the Harvard

Wildcat flying between radar domes.

 
CF-118 Strutting its stuff.

Canadian Forces Parachute team SkyHawks

 
F/A-18E Superhornet

Wildlife and Sea Kayaking

Well SunJoo and I have just finished a day of Sea Kayaking out at East Coast Outfitters.  It was a great afternoon.  It started as a foggy day on the water around 4:00 PM but after about half an hour out the fog burned off and we were surrounded by great landscapes and beach heads.  The rocks of the bay and the seaweed gave us little trouble as we paddled our way through the bay and to the edge of the North Atlantic.  Regrettably we took no camera along to get any good sea faring pictures.  My left shoulder is a little sore but overall I think I’ll live.

On Thursday we went to the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park.  It was fun seeing all the animals and we did manage to get a few pics before my battery died.

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NYC

It is the evening of the 11th almost transitioning to the 12th of May.  SunJoo and I are at the DO Dream Guest House on Wall St.  it is a great place, very comfortable and welcoming after an eventful day of travelling.  we woke very early this morning in Halifax and caught our flight to Toronto, and watched Shutter Island as the in-flight movie.  (actually we started it on the flight to T.O. and finished on the flight to NYC. Customs was very efficient and polite and not at all as problematic as I thought it might be. 

Upon arrival in NYC (at LaGuardia) we were met by a private taxi service for the guest house and driven directly there.  SunJoo and the driver spoke in Korean all the way and it made me feel oddly comfortable as it reminded me of may taxi rides I had had in Seoul.  Seoul being a city I am very comfortable in the experience fostered a psychological reassurance here. 

We then went on an excursion around NY, contrary to previous beliefs I had held about the coldness of the occupants of large cities I find NYC to be quite welcoming.  We went to the harbour area and took some pictures of a tall ship (the PeKing)  and then went uptown to Union Square.  After wandering around and taking many pictures we went for coffee (Think Cafe) and then dinner at Saigon Grill, bothe excellent choices.  We then went to see The Blue Man Group.  I cannot describe this as it is too good and my words would only cheapen the experience. 

Until next I write….

New to SLR

Well Sun-Joo and I have just recently purchased a Canon Rebel XS 10.1 MP DSLR camera and were out and about with it this evening.  As I am new to the whole SLR thing right now I just left it on the full auto settings but I am reading the manual.  (Don’t snicker I can here all of you now “reading the manual” You’re not supposed to do that I know).

Anyway here are a couple of the shots taken today.

Fall from Grace

I used to frequent Gatsby's when I was in University, however over the last few years the place has seemingly taken a nose dive.  2 years ago with friends I ventured into the restaurant and had little to no service.  It took 20 minutes to get a waitress and another 20 to get the invoice.
Last night after 2 years I decided to go and give it one more chance.  I ordered the Italian sausage spaghettini.  The sauce was good but it astounds me that the chef would try to pass off hot-dogs sliced on an angle as Italian Sausage.  I brought this to the attention of the waitress (a good server so I cannot fault her actually her service was exemplary).  I ended up paying half for the dinner as I was already behind schedule and did not want to re-order.  suffice it to say I shall not be darkening the door there again.

 

Cylon or Replicant Pt.II

“You were made as well as we could make you.” Elden Tyrell
“But not to last” Roy Batty

These words uttered by during the endgame sequence between creator and creation in the movie Bladerunner perhaps gives one method of control over our creations. An incept date, or in laymen’s terms expiry date for the robot; a predetermined death that the makers set for a pre-programmed lifespan. Again this brings up the moral quagmire of us playing god. In Bladerunner Replicant s were controlled by the fact that they had no emotional connection that would bring about the questioning of human masters. However, as revealed in the movie the Tyrell Corporation was experimenting with the idea of implanting memories within the programming of the Replicant. This would have the effect of not only making them believe they are human, but give the ability to control them easier. Would this have worked as a preventative measure in the world of Battlestar? Regrettably we don’t know. The real question is rather will this work in the real world when we become the creator of these sentient beings? What would happen to the identity and the persona of a Cylon/Replicant were their true nature revealed to them? How would they react to the knowledge that they are machines? Could you or I accept the revelation that we are not what we think? How would the mind reconcile this knowledge?