Dennis Hopper dies at 74

Sad day for movie lovers around the world. Dennis, you will be missed. RIP.

• Dennis Hopper dies at 74 [CBC News]
• Dennis Hopper: The Hollywood rebel’s 10 most unforgettable performances [CBC News]
• Dennis Hopper asked me: ‘If you could not create, would you die?’ – His roles, his career and his politics are a story of change and reversals; but his unforgettable energy drove him on to the end [Guardian]
• Hollywood Hellraiser Dennis Hopper Dies at 74 [Rolling Stone]
• Dennis Hopper: a friend, a maverick and a truly great artist [Guardian] – “This reminds me of Dennis’s comment about talking to James Dean, when they were really no more than students, and Dean said to him: “Don’t act drinking from the glass just drink!” Essentially this note from friend to friend saw Dennis through five decades of memorable appearances on large and small screens. [...] Inevitably the question on this so sad day is: how will history remember him? Well, he lived long enough for the hell-raising days of his youth to be forgotten, or not even to be recognised by younger generations of filmgoers. This alien from the Sixties, unrecognisable through the whiskers and long hair, riding forever through both real and imagined deserts: it is he, Dennis, who carries with him our hopes and dreams. What did he amount to? What did he achieve? A handful of great acting performances, some wonderful films as a director, three or four incredible art collections dissembled by ungrateful wives, many loyal and devoted friends and the respect of his luckier colleagues. Perhaps the ultimate irony is that he was embraced by the very Hollywood establishment he was determined to bury, and it is now they who will be burying him.“
• An uneasy ride with Dennis Hopper [LA Times] – “If a person’s manner of dying is a distillation of his life, then Hopper’s death seemed a revisit of the same stories about a man once called the “patron saint of the deranged.” Never an easy rider. But the private Dennis I spent a decade alongside, working on his biography, had a different persona. The artist I came to know was a serious careerist calculating his return from illegality and literal madness, tenaciously managing his sobriety.“
• Dennis Hopper dies at 74 [Hollywood Reporter]

Dennis on David Letterman long time ago.

News from AP

Three new quotes from “Synthetic Life”

The following three English quotes were embedded in the first synthetic cell.

“To life, to err, to fail, to triumph, and to recreate life out of life.” – by James Joyce

“See things, not as they are, but as they might be.” – from “American Prometheus“

“What I cannot build, I cannot understand.” by Richard Feynman

Added the above quotes to “Quotes I Love“.

“Synthetic Life” in the words of Craig Venter

Craig Venter unveils “synthetic life”. [18 minutes video via TED Talk]

About this talk

“Craig Venter and team make a historic announcement: they’ve created the first fully functioning, reproducing cell controlled by synthetic DNA. He explains how they did it and why the achievement marks the beginning of a new era for science.”

Chocolate bonds

Two recent chocolate “investments”,

• Candy maker issues chocolate bonds – U.K. confectioner to sell 5 million pounds worth of sweet-paying securities [This is more of a way of selling than "bonds"]
• Calgary based Chocolatier Bernard Callebaut raising funds for cross-country expansion – Here is an excerpt, “The return is 10 per cent for two years, 10.25 per cent for three years, and 10.5 per cent for five years. There’s additional return from participation in the overall profitability for the term of the investment.”

Let Auditor General Sheila Fraser audit administration of the House & Senate

I support Auditor General Sheila Fraser’s request to audit the administration of the House and Senate.

Sheila Fraser video interview.

China’s Earthquake – Photos of dead children confiscated from their parents

Saw a repeat running of this program tonight on CBC. Highly recommended. A few things touched my heart: I just can’t imagine a heartless government confiscating photos of children died in the earthquake from their parents, just so they can’t hold the photos in protests! And how brave and insightful one of the 9 year old “hero” (Lin Hao) in the earthquake and how wise he was behind the Chinese TV cameras.

China’s Earthquake (CBC online video, originally aired April 9, 2010)

Dramatic stories from the 2008 Sichuan earthquake – tales of endurance and hope, sorrow and rage, of life extinguished and life reborn.

Vincent Laforet’s Thoughts on House Finale (Shot on Canon 5D MKII)

I previously blogged about Season 6 finale for House MD filmed using Canon 5D MKII, you can check out what Vincent Laforet’s thoughts about the House finale here and here.

Cell phone inventor Marty Cooper on 60 minutes

Check out this 60 Minutes segment 2010 May 23, The Cell Phone: Marty Cooper’s Big Idea. Very enjoyable. More info on Marty Cooper.

P.S. Marty still has some cool ideas but I think some of his new ideas are nuts (implanting a cellphone in my ear, huh?) but then may be it is just me.

Barranco – Lima, Peru (in 3D)

[via Google]

PAC-MAN forever! – Sucked up 4.82 million work hours (so far!)

Lovely idea but don’t waste/spend too much time playing the 30th anniversary Google PAC-MAN doodle. A win-win cooperation between Google and NAMCO.

May 25, 2010 Update: Google’s Pac-Man logo sucked up 4.82 million work hours

[via Google's PAC-MAN rules & Celebrating PAC-MAN's 30th birthday]

$180,000 Porsche Crash by Globe journalist’s son: Best ad in 2010

I love good advertising and I think Porsche just hit the jackpot with this $180,000 Porsche Crash and has just taken the top spot of being my best ad of 2010! Best ad? Well, let me explain.

To me, the best ads are those you don’t pay a dime for the medium and don’t even plan (but you need to handle it well and have a bit of “luck”). The next best ads are those that you don’t pay (or don’t pay much) but plan meticulously (see VW’s Fun Theory ads). The least favourite type of ads for me are those that you pay mega big bucks to get the obvious “best coverage” (front pages in newspapers, TV prime time slots, etc).

If you think about it correctly, the purpose of any ads are to get our attention. The following accidental $180,000 Porsche crash by Globe journalist’s son costed Porsche a tiny $11,000 (initial body shop estimate) and this is a “cost” with profit built-in, so it will cost Porsche likely much less than $11,000.

I am happy that Mr. Rick Bye (manager of the Porsche press fleet) and Porsche made the right decisions. Congrats to Porsche for your injury-free $180,000 crash!

In my chart, your “ad” has just beat Alec Brownstein’s $6 Google reverse job ad for its Canadian and worldwide potential impact and because yours had the added advantage of not being planned at all!

Congrats Porsche, you’ve earned a free link from this blog!

Globe journalist’s son crashes $180,000 Porsche - Take an expensive sports car, a curious teen and a garage door – and mix together to get one very embarrassed automotive writer

[The following is an excerpt, also check out this video report of the crash]

“Some moments are lived backwards. The great ones run through your mind like a favourite movie. Then there are the other kind, where you try to roll back the clock – like the afternoon my teenage son launched a brand new Porsche Turbo through our garage door.

So far, I have not managed to invent a time machine, go back, and snatch the key from his hands (and in case you were wondering, the car goes for $180,000, not including freight, tax or a new garage).

That day began with deceptive perfection. I woke up in a sunlit bedroom next to my beautiful wife. We had celebrated 26 years of marriage just the day before. Our cherry tree was in full blossom, and in the garage, locked away like a crown jewel, was a 2010 Porsche 997 Turbo, the latest (and costliest) in a long series of test cars.

[... And here come the funny bites. ...] Will stuck his head into the office and asked me if he could show his buddy the Turbo. I told him to go ahead. He and his friends always checked out my cars. Their main focus seemed to be the interior and stereo systems – details I barely cared about.

I went back to my computer. My car buddies knew I’d been at the track with the Turbo, and they wanted my verdict. I told one it was like a tiger in an Armani suit – killer chassis, unbeatable power, but suave and comfortable, too.

I shut down my computer and prepared to head to the office, smiling at the thought of a few minutes in the Turbo. As I headed out the back door, I saw my son running toward the house. His eyes were the size of dinner plates. He sputtered: “Dad, the Porsche … the Porsche …”

I thought the Turbo had been stolen. Our garage has a full security system, but this is one of the most desirable cars in the world, so you never know. Will tried to speak again. “The Turbo rolled into the door….” I walked past him into the garage.

For nearly a minute, I was too dumbfounded to speak. The Turbo hadn’t rolled into the door – it had launched itself through the entire structure. In a distance of approximately four feet, the Turbo had developed enough kinetic energy to blow the entire door apart. Parts of the roller mechanism were scattered through the alley. Dazed, I picked up a bent metal piece – it looked like a Crazy Bone, a toy Will had collected as a little boy.

When I parked it, the Turbo had been pristine. Now it looked like the car from Dukes of Hazzard after a chase through the southern backwoods. Stunned, I surveyed the damage. The hood was raked with gouges, the top of the right front fender was flattened, and the driver’s door (which is made from aluminum to save weight) had taken a beating. Worst of all was the rear fender, which had hit the concrete door frame as the Turbo launched itself into the alley – it looked like a giant blacksmith had smacked it with a sledge hammer.

[...] Postscript:

My son has agreed to do a minimum of one week’s labour for Mr. Bye

Initial body shop estimate for the 2010 Porsche Turbo – $11,000 plus taxes.

My garage door was replaced last week, along with the door tracks, opener and door frame. I spent seven hours working alongside the installer. Total cost was $2,700. My insurance deductible was $500. I lose my no-claims insurance discount for three years.

Later this summer, based on his schedule, my son will attend Apex driving school, where he will be trained in advanced car control and learn to drive a standard transmission.”

Preliminary Findings Regarding the Market Events of May 6, 2010 (aka the Flash Crash)

Long weekend readings. For the record re Flash Crash preliminary report.

SEC-CFTC Release Preliminary Findings in Review of May 6 Market Events

Washington, D.C., May 18, 2010 — The staffs of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission today released the preliminary findings in their review of the unusual market events on May 6.

The joint report is available here.

How to get ahead in advertising with six dollars and Google

Love the following article and idea.

How to get ahead in advertising with six dollars and Google

When top creative directors Googled themselves, they got a shock: a witty message from copywriter Alec Brownstein, searching for a job

Dave McGinn
From Tuesday’s Globe and Mail
Published on Tuesday, May. 18, 2010 10:04AM EDT

Alec Brownstein landed his dream job with creativity and $6. And the Google Job Experiment, as he calls it, has made the 29-year-old advertising copywriter the most famous job seeker of the moment.

Already working as a copywriter, but looking to move up in the world, Mr. Brownstein went on to Google AdWords and bought the names of five of the top creative directors at ad agencies in New York. Whenever one of those people Googled themselves, they found a link to Mr. Brownstein’s website, alecbrownstein.com, and this message: “Hey [creative director’s name]: Googling yourself is a lot of fun. Hiring me is fun, too.”

The bold move landed Mr. Brownstein calls from all but one of the creative directors, two advertising awards and, most importantly, two job offers, one of which he accepted. He’s now a senior copywriter at Young & Rubicam.

Mr. Brownstein and his boss, Scott Vitrone, spoke to The Globe and Mail.

Alec, where did you get the idea for this from?

Alec Brownstein: As someone who Googles myself on occasion, I realized that if someone were to put a message to me in the sponsored result in the top hit, I would take notice of that. So that’s what I did.

How much did the whole thing cost?

Mortgage risk and reward

Mortgage risk and reward - Financial experts say variable-rate mortgages save money, but still half of all homeowners choose the lock-in option. Good article, worth a read.

*** Nov 1, 2011 Update:

The above link doesn’t work any more. Here is a different link from York university directly. And here is a link to Dr. Moshe Arye Milevsky‘s March 2001 research paper “Mortgage Financing: Floating Your Way to Prosperity” on his research paper site.

Calgary Herald cites Schulich professor’s research: Mortgage holders better off choosing variable rates

Posted on 16 May 2010. Tags: Finance, Moshe Milevsky

Mortgage risk and reward

Financial experts say variable-rate mortgages save money, but still half of all homeowners choose the lock-in option

By Deborah Yedlin, Calgary Herald
May 16, 2010

As the Bank of Canada appears closer to moving away from the historically low rates that have been in place since financial markets melted down in 2008, the inevitable is upon Canadian consumers: interest rates are about to rise.

The question is when and by how much.

And if you happen to be in the market for a mortgage, the question of what to do — lock-in or float — looms large.

Of course, the big banks have already starting ratcheting up rates, with the Royal Bank of Canada and the TD Bank boosting rates well in advance of June 1 — the first opportunity in which the Bank of Canada could begin its tightening process.

For homebuyers, the difference in half a percentage point could very well mean being priced out of the market, if not a particular home.

…

“Traditionally . . . going back 30 or 40 years . . . the longer you’re in a variable rate mortgage, the further ahead you will be,” says Don Peard, vice-president, mortgage specialist for Alberta, with the Royal Bank of Canada.

But not everyone can afford to deal with the uncertainty of not knowing exactly what their monthly mortgage payment will be, even if it is at a lower rate.

“If I am a first-or second-time homebuyer and need to rely on both mine and my partner’s salaries, there’s comfort in knowing what my payment is every month,” says Peard.

But a study by York University Prof. Moshe Milevsky shows borrowers are better off if they choose the variable rate option — and by a huge margin.

Milevsky looked not just at what the savings are as a result of being charged a lower rate, he also assumed the difference between the fixed and variable payments was invested in 91 day treasury bills.

Using this methodology Milevsky concluded a borrower was better off 90 per cent of the time when they chose the variable option over locking-in at a fixed rate.

He debunked the notion that mortgage holders can come out ahead if they play the short-term end of the interest rate curve and lock-in at a certain interest rate.

“Even Canadians who can accurately predict the next move of the Bank of Canada, and lock in a mortgage just as the short rate is about to increase, are worse off on average compared with those who float over the entire interest rate cycle,” wrote Milevsky.

…

Continue reading this article in the Calgary Herald…

Steve Nash

The more I know about Steve Nash, the more I respect him (as an athlete, and more importantly, as a plain decent human that deserve my greatest respect and admiration).

See Henry Champ’s great article, “Steve Nash has to be Canada’s athlete of the decade“.

Moose runs through downtown Calgary

This is Calgary’s headline news!

• Downtown Calgary’s loose moose tranquilized, back in the wild
• Moose corralled in Calgary (with video)
• Moose runs through downtown Calgary (with video)

Michaëlle Jean tulip

• Unveiling of the Michaëlle Jean Tulip
• Dutch princess lays wreath in Ottawa

About the Michaëlle Jean Tulip [via the GG site]
This distinctive tulip with deep maroon petals is a new cultivar of the “Triumph” class. It will be officially registered under the name Michaëlle Jean with the Royal General Bulb Grower’s Association.

Edmonton-based Matrikon to be acquired by Honeywell

As a shareholder of the Edmonton-based Matrikon, a leading provider of industrial performance monitoring solutions, I woke up to the news of “Matrikon to be acquired by Honeywell for $4.50 CAD per share“. Here is an excerpt from the press release,

Matrikon will be integrated into Honeywell Process Solutions, which is part of Honeywell’s Automation and Control Solutions business group.

“Our industrial customers want their plants to run well in any economy, and Matrikon’s products help do that,” said Norm Gilsdorf, president of Honeywell Process Solutions. “Combining Matrikon’s technology and expertise with Honeywell’s industrial platform expands our offering to help customers continue to improve plant performance. This is a great addition to our business.”

Matrikon will bring to Honeywell complementary applications that monitor oil and gas well performance and mining equipment, as well as supply chain solutions for mining. Matrikon’s cyber-security and alarm management solutions also align with Honeywell’s solutions for process safety and security.

Nizar J. Somji, president and CEO of Matrikon stated: “This amalgamation is a tremendous opportunity for all Matrikon stakeholders, our shareholders, clients and employees. We believe that the path we embarked on with our next generation technology and our product and solution strategy blends well with Honeywell’s technology vision. This combination will enable Matrikon to continue to realize global opportunities for large scale solution deployments and will provide the foundation to support our vision of long-term technology partnerships with our clients.

(More news: G&M, Bloomberg, Edmonton Journal)

If I look at the capital appreciation/investment gain alone, I should be really happy. But truth be told, I like the company’s dividends and future business growth potential enough that I actually think the company is worth more than C$4.50 to me in the long run. Plus it has been a lot of fun following Matrikon’s technical innovation and marketing development.

Now, like my fellow Matrikon shareholders, we have a happy-ish task of redeploying some capital. Fortunately, for small-time investors like me (as oppose to him), there are still many interesting small investment opportunities available in the market if we are willing to spend some time to study the various publicly listed companies’ annual reports, MD&As, etc.

Have fun studying the potential companies and best of luck in your investment decisions.

A Day in the Life of Ciné Institute, Jacmel, Haiti

CBCNews.ca presents:
In Their Own Words – Stories from Haiti, told by Haitians
A collected works project with the students from the Ciné Institute, Jacmel

A highly recommended 14 minutes short film.

69 Days

My blog friend Mike Dillon started his cross United States bike ride in Feb 2010. And on Day 69, he was home to see his families and loved ones. Here are a few additional thoughts about his trip and the numbers.

Quoting Mike [emphasis added],

“When I decided to make this journey and began speaking about it with friends and family, I encountered what a former manager used to refer to as “The Wall of No”. Almost everyone had an objection or reason why I shouldn’t do it: “What if you get robbed?”, “What if you have an accident?”, “Are you in shape to do this?”, “You might get lost.”, “Your bike could break.”, ” Shouldn’t you go with someone else just to be safe?” is just a sampling of what I encountered.

None of these things occurred or came close to happening. Instead, almost every encounter was positive. From Lori, the waitress I met in Jacksonville to Erwin, a fellow traveler from Holland and the dozens of others that I never wrote about, people were overwhelming friendly, supportive and helpful.“

In life, there are many things that can seem impossible, “just too difficult”, or take too much work to accomplish. But I bet if you want it bad enough, many of these seemingly “impossible” tasks are actually achievable and are within our reach.

I am really happy for Mike in finishing his bike ride and back home safely with his loved ones. At the same time, I am thinking what should be my own “cross-country bike ride”? May be it is time to get into action to put a few of my projects in action. Will see.