http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog All the pages in the blog section of AndrewAmes.com en-us http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=42 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=42 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:00:00 -0700
I'm heading out of the country for a week for some much needed time off but I'll hopefully be back before the Canucks are knocked out of the playoffs! ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=41 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=41 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0800
And while the British newspapers seemingly attacked us at every angle (can't wait until they get the Olympics in 2012) we never claimed to be perfect, and the general feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Even delegates from Russia were hanging out downtown asking visitors how to match Vancouver's 2010 success.

Unfortunately the party had to end (it was a bit of a shock heading straight back into the real world) but it was great while it lasted. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=40 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=40 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0800 opportunity privilege of attending the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and what a performance. I almost didn't recognize BC Place stadium, a place I've long associated with such excitements (I'm joking ) as the Vancouver Auto Show and Boat Show. It was one of the finest displays of lighting effects I have ever seen, and while it wasn't perfect, it certainly made me proud to be Canadian.

The entrance of the snowboarder through the Olympic rings began a show that continued to impress me. From the streams of water spouting from passing whales to the great trees that ascended to the stadium roof, the event was visually stunning.

Unfortunately reporters tend to run with negative stories and cast a somewhat muted view of the event after one of the four pillars of the Olympic cauldron failed to raise. It could have been worse, however, as behind the scenes, production technicians were anxiously discussing whether the cauldron could even be lit. Lighting the cauldron from three pillars had never been discussed and the plan was to cancel the indoor flame entirely and send Gretzky outside. At the last moment they decided to give it a go. And while the technical difficulties did christen the otherwise perfect show, the event was still spectacular and was one of those rare occurrences where Canadians actually showed some glimmer of patriotism. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=39 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=39 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0800
It'd be unfair to degrade this device completely, and I don't see it as a disaster. In fact it will see at least some marketing success just because its produced by Apple. Its beautiful (draped in that brushed metal finish that only Apple can pull off), thin, and relatively light (although definitely progressing into notebook territory). And for an Apple device, the price is pretty incredible, although I suspect there would be nothing but complaints about the price if it was produced by anyone else.

But while Apple obviously spent a considerable amount of time on the hardware, its like they slapped the iPhone software on it without so much as a second thought, and it really shows. It lacks multitasking (though the hardware is certainly capable of it), window management (multiple applications visible at the same time), and the interface seems awkward on a display of that size. It would have made far more sense as a scaled down version of Mac OS X then a scaled up version of the iPhone's comparitively limited software. I can only hope they make some much-needed improvements between now and the iPads release date (just 60 days away)

Also, for those that had high hopes of it being the perfect video chat device, a camera is nowhere to be seen (though interestingly it was originally designed for one). I suspect it was cut at the last minute in a desperate attempt to keep the price down. This doesn't bother me much, I find video chat awkward and unnatural.

Anyways, I'm not going to fully review it (there's far better sites for that). Just sharing my thoughts. And I know they'll end up haunting me if the iPad turns out to be the most successfull device in Apple's history.

And will I get one, almost certainly ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=38 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=38 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0700
More content is on its way, I promise (yeah I keep saying that) but I just don't have as much time as I used to so it may be a while coming.

As for a quick "whats new in my life" update, well nothings really new (see, was that not quick?) I'm still going to school during the week (taking Economics now, there's a career path change), working Saturday's at Ames and spending my precious Sunday studying (oh so fun) ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=37 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=37 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0700
I've also fixed a bunch of bugs in the site but theres definitely more left so I'll keep working on this. In the mean time let me know whats not working. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=36 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=36 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0700
My reasons for this are simple:

First, I do actually use (and will probably start to use more often) the photo gallery on this website. I'm a bit anti-facebook so in a pure example of comp-sci geekiness, I coded my own

Second, the code for this site is actually used for a few different websites. Some of them are still actually in use. The code for this site will be carried over to them, making the time I spent on it seem a little more worthwhile (just a bit though lol)

Third, I'm an idiot Yes I assumed it would be a quick and easy fixup, not a year long process.

Just to conclude though, I doubt I'll do this again. This website dates back too many years to count and the code is as convoluted as ever. I'm also no longer in comp-sci and my interest in computer programming is pretty much gone. Unless there becomes a need for me to do another update, this is how its gonna stay. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=35 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=35 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 23:53:01 -0700
Anyways, its back to SFU for me (another year in Rez)

I'll post the Sakinaw pics I've got after I sort through them... give me a couple days. If anyone has more feel free to send them to me. Might have a few videos too.

Probably won't be up at Sakinaw anymore this winter (except maybe the long-weekends) cause I'm working Saturdays

I have a new cellphone so feel free to call/text/whatever (or just ignore me lol) ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=34 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=34 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 21:58:19 -0700
Lets see, I'm working till August 18th and then should be spending most of the remaining time up at Sakinaw until I move in to rez again during the August/September Long Weekend. I'm planning on working Saturdays through the fall as well.

My birthday's coming up too, big one-nine though I don't know how much I'll be doing for it since I gotta work on both the 9th and the 10th which sucks but thats life. Save the party for the weekend, lol.

Oh and FYI, my cellphones broken so until I get it replaced, I can't get texts and only check my voicemail every few days. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=33 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=33 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:21:26 -0700
The weather will probably suck (knowing Vancouver) but thats life. Hopefully get some skiing in (waterskiing, that is) seeing as I've skied only like twice this year. Dunno though, skiing in the rain sucks. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=32 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=32 Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:00:00 -0700
Instead, its tastes burnt (they must seriously fry their beans), its often lukewarm, and always to weak. When I order a coffee, I expect it to actually taste like coffee and not like "warm" milk.

Then theres the fact that they almost force food on you. You go in to buy "just a coffee" and they ask if you'd like food with that. You say no and they ask again "Are You Sure?". When you finally succeed in convincing them that you would infact like JUST A COFFEE they have a confused look on their face, as if thinking "what sort of customer would come into a coffee shop and order JUST A COFFEE".

Will I stop going to Starbucks: Nope, if only cause they're always the closest coffee shop around (it seems there's a Starbucks on the corner of every street in Vancouver).

I dunno, maybe I'm just picky but when I'm paying $4.00 (or more) for a coffee, I expect it to be worth every penny. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=31 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=31 Wed, 30 May 2007 21:47:37 -0700
All goes well till the top of the cut (just after Lonsdale for the non-drivers) and then... gridlock. An accident on the Second Narrows/Iron Workers Memorial/Whatever-You-Wanna-Call-It meant it was single lane only. Took me an hour and 10 minutes to get to work today (so yeah I was late)... and no coffee . My only comfort was that the Patello Bridge was also closed due to a "Police Incident" (aka there was a jumper on the bridge) so pretty much everyone was late.

Thats the problem with a bridge system that is (and this is official) "AT CAPACITY". Something goes wrong and its like the world is ending. Today the Lions Gate was backed up onto the highway and the Second Narrows was backed up past westview.

Not that I can honestly expect anyone to do anything about this. The governments too busy solving the problems that really matter... yeah right.

A third bridge would sure be nice! ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=30 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=30 Sun, 27 May 2007 12:48:53 -0700
There's a lot going on in this movie, including more betrayals than I can count (there was a bit of a "not again" feeling to this). This was also one of those movies where the CGI-work sorta showed through (which is never a good thing). And during the battle scenes, parts of the ship would continuously break into some of the most artistic explosions of wood I've ever seen (read: fake) but there were never any cannonballs. The wood would just sorta spontaneously combust.

Anyways, the dialogue was great and the battles numerous. The ending of the final battle scene was a bit abrupt and quick but whatever. I'm glad I saw it. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=29 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=29 Mon, 21 May 2007 22:40:15 -0700
We brought up a new Boston Whaler to replace one of our boats. Ski boat wasn't ready (still need to get a new sub installed) so thats going up in a couple weeks.

Dunno when I'll be up there next seeing as I've gotta work. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=28 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=28 Thu, 17 May 2007 09:53:29 -0700
Obviously means I won't be up at my cabin a whole lot this summer (not that I was expecting too) but I'll go up on some of the two day breaks. Technically if I stretch it out I could go up Saturday and come home Tuesday morning (6:20AM ferry). Sounds a little painful though. Definitely won't do that much (if at all).

Planning on ending one or two weeks before the end of August for a bit of a holiday though.

As for this weekend, I'm away and not picking up messages, so if you call/email/text me, I won't get back to you until Monday night/Tuesday morning. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=27 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=27 Sun, 13 May 2007 17:26:17 -0700
It was almost laughable in nature. The problem begins with the script, which in an act of desperation tries to tie up all the plot lines of the other movies, resulting in way too much to keep track of. The movie jumps around from plot to plot with almost no regard for the viewers. The jumps between scenes seems artificial and the purpose of each scene is way too obvious.

Even for a superhero/comic book movie, it was an epic demonstration of unrealism (hows that for descriptors, lol). An example being that everything takes a long... long time to fall to the ground, resulting in plenty of time for the people below to get out of the way. Stretching time a bit can work, but here its done too much and stretched too far... it just seems stupid.

The Good: um... I dunno, I guess the graphics were good (should a movie be rated by its graphics, lol)
The Bad: A long long list that I won't bother writing out ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=26 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=26 Sat, 05 May 2007 18:15:04 -0700
First, maybe I'll elaborate on my hate of Wilmington. Wilmington, after 5PM is deserted (and its a relatively large city). And you're told not to go outside after 5PM because you could get shot, stabbed, etc. Theres a street dividing the black and white populations, which u do not cross even in the day time (our Taxi driver said he wouldn't cross it even if he was armed). Then theres the fact that nothing (and I mean NOTHING) is open on Sunday. So your staying in a hotel where even the dinner area is closed. Where u supposed to eat?. Anyways, enough about Wilmington.

So at the end of the trip (which went pretty well considering), after droping Michael off in Houston, we spent a couple days in Sin City (aka Las Vegas). Hotels are huge (and growing) which means it takes forever to actually walk anywhere. Went through most of the hotels (Belagio, Wynn, New York, Paris, Hilton, MGM Grand, Venetian, Mirage, Haraahs, and Caesars Palace). We ourselves stayed at Treasure Island (sounds tacky, I know).

Saw a couple shows (Blue Man Group and Mystere by Cirque de Soleil). Obviously I can't gamble, nor can I even watch people gamble (and I get the impression that if I even sat down at a slot machine, it wouldn't be long till a big fat black security guard with a gun would walk over and threaten to end my life then and there) so Keno (which sucks btw) was as close to gambling as I got (and from playing the slots in Puerto Rico, I can say the slots are a pathetic way to gamble anyways). I'd take Blackjack any day, at least theres some skill involved. Not just pushing a button or pulling a lever.

Anyways, thoroughly sick of flying, but I'm back for a while at least. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=25 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=25 Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:21:45 -0700
I'm off to the states tomorrow for a week (hence the reason I went and got my passport renewed yesterday). I think I'm back the following Thursday. Its gonna be one of those not-so-fun trips with far too many flights but I'll live. I think I'm spending nights in Texas, Utah, Nevada, Delaware, and Washington DC (not in that order though).

Anyways, if anyone wonders why I'm not around, that'd be why. I've got my cell with me for anything urgent though.

I'll try to check in periodically on MSN but sometimes internet access can be a little iffy. If you MSN me while I'm offline though it'll go straight to my cell so you can always get ahold of me that way.

Regardless, hopefully this will go better than Puerto Rico (or I may be gone a lot more than 7 days lol). ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=24 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=24 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:32:44 -0700
To sum it all up... it sucks. I was in the passport line at 5:45AM, in the rain (and it wasn't exactly warm out) and it wasn't until 8:45AM that I was in the building. Then they gave me a ticket to come back at 10:30. When I returned at 10:30 they said it would be longer than they expected (In there own words, they were having "issues", lol) and to come back at 11:30. After I got back at 11:30 I waited until about 2:00PM for an agent to talk to me and didn't get out of there until 2:30.

So yes I spent a grand total of almost 9 hours getting my passport renewed. Right now passport renewal is just plain awful and I wouldn't wish the process on anybody.

All in all not a fun day! ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=23 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=23 Mon, 23 Apr 2007 22:28:43 -0700
We did all the usual tourist destinations, Grouse Mountain, Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, took them Downtown to Yaletown and Robson Street, plus a drive down Hastings Street (which they were fascinated with for whatever reason, lol).

Watched the Canucks game on Friday (in newly installed High Definition) and then tonight they got to go see the Canucks game at GM Place. Lucky them... was a good game (after the first period during which the Canucks sucked).

Now I'm off to go get my passport renewed at 5AM tomorrow morning (lucky me... not). ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=22 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=22 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:32:51 -0700
Starting to get a little quiet around SFU (everyone's heading home). I'll be moving back home this Thursday... packing up's not gonna be fun.

Not sure what I'm doing over the next little while, though I've gotta get a job, and I think I'm going away for a little while (possibly this monday) ... not sure yet.

Dunno what my schedule is for Sakinaw this summer. Gonna try and get up there as much as I can but work comes first, so its gonna be a very broken up summer (though I guess its not even summer yet, lol). Keep forgetting schools still in session for another two months. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=21 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=21 Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:05:29 -0700
Spent like the whole weekend burning which sucked but we had loads of stuff (old deck, railings, matresses, doors...). Fire got out of control a couple times lol, and we burned enough toxic stuff to warm the earth a few degrees.

Watched The Prestige, twice actually, which was sorta confusing though it made more sense the second time. Watched two other movies which sucked and I can add to my list of worst movies ever (which gets longer every time I'm at Sakinaw).

Had an awful dinner Friday (my dad and I can't cook) but had Easter dinner Saturday at the Russell-Deckers which was good. Sunday night poured and was absolutely freezing.

Found out that people actually visit this blog (why for the life of me I can't tell).

Didn't waterski once (thats a first). Save that for my next trip. Didn't have our Ski Boat up there anyway. Actually in terms of boats our situation was pretty dismal.

Anyways had lots of fun and looking forward to the May long weekend (if I'm up there) ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=20 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=20 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 22:03:01 -0700
Did a quick comparison of the VW Touareg (sp?), Acura MDX, and Land Rover Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne to replace our old (previous gen) Acura MDX. So far I think I'd put the Touareg is in first place.

Also got a look at the Lexus LS460L and wow is it ever awesome. Yeah its sorta ugly from the outside but after seeing the interior... I just don't care what it looks like outside. Lets see, in the rear (yes where people normally don't like to sit) you have fully reclining seats that include a massager, a laptop table, rear 12-disc DVD entertainment system, and hard drive audio system. The doors of the car self-close if you leave them slightly ajar (so u don't have to slam them shut). And then the car parks itself which certainly sounds cool in theory. Of course all this can be had for a bargain price of slighty over $125,000

Mercedes has a nicer looking car on the outside but it lacks the techno-gadgetry. And the BMW 7-series is aging and has about nothing going for it. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=19 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=19 Sun, 01 Apr 2007 10:27:05 -0700
Obviously its nothing like the big American or European auto shows but since I have no plans on paying to go to Detroit (or if you're adventerous Geneva, Switzerland), it'll have to do. Not too many concepts this year, and most of them were American (ie. the next Camaro). Sometimes I think the Europeans forget about us up here in the great not-so-white north.

In terms of exotics, no Ferraris or Lambos. Aston Martin and Bentley (I've decided I really don't like the Continental GT) were there though.

Have to say I'm not surprised American manufacturers are doing so badly right now. Their cars, compared to any other country (with the exception of maybe Korea which I quite happily avoided) feel like crap. Everything on them is cheap. The interiors feel like they're made out of recycled plastic. (which they likely are)

Pictures are up in the gallery, and I'll probably take a few more tomorrow and midweek (theres a couple cars I missed that I shouldn't have). ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=18 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=18 Sun, 18 Mar 2007 12:49:13 -0700
Came back to my house, watched SNL and played some rediculously bad pool (and I mean really... really bad). Went to Tim Hortons (dunno why but Jae wanted to).

Rob fell asleep on the pantry counter (right on top of the computer keyboard and phone, lol). Tried to get a picture but the phone being off the hook woke him up. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=17 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=17 Sun, 11 Mar 2007 20:40:01 -0700
Lets see... to start matters off we had to go down to the border and get a car form (which they forgot to send with the car). Then we had to call the Canada Transport Association and get them to fax the second form (which they were reluctant to do cause its against policy and would normally be mailed (10 days minimum).

The car then had to go to Acura to get daytime running lights installed. Then the car had to go to Canadian Tire to get inspected, upon which they told us that we needed a recall letter (to basically say the car had NO recalls). We were supposed to have to call Acura Canada for that and get it mailed but we pulled a few favours at Burrard Acura and got that done.

Then went back to Canadian Tire, got the car inspected (which took like 3 hours) so that we could take it to the insurance company. By the time this was finished the insurance offices were closed for the day.

The next day we left to the insurance company, where they told us that we weren't gonna be able to insure the vehicle cause we didn't have a GST payment form that we we're supposed to get from the border. They said we were gonna have to drive down their again. So then we tried another insurance company and on the third try we got lucky and they we're willing to do it without the form. But they would need to perform another visual inspection of the vehicle, which of course was uninsured so we had to get another day permit and drive it down to the insurance office, then the paper work took about 2.5 hours before we finally got it insured.

5 days of temporary permits and its finally up here, insured, and usable. But I Never want to go through that again. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=16 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=16 Sat, 03 Mar 2007 13:04:32 -0800
So what was good about it? Basically all the songs from the first album "Bat out of Hell". This was split up with a series of songs from his second and third album that frankly are nothing special. Maybe thats not being fair, theres a couple that aren't bad, but for the most part they're a little weak.

And as for Meat Loaf, lets see he's old, overweight (not that he ever wasn't) and I think even had a heart attack at a previous concert a few years back. And his voice is thoroughly shot (but then again so would anybodies if all you did for a career is shout at concerts)

Anyways, still glad I went but not the best concert I've been to... but I didn't pay for it so can't really complain. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=15 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=15 Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:02:56 -0800
In fact the only other one I've been to was my moms (i didn't get an invite to my dads, lol). And the only one anywhere near my age at my moms party was Michael (and we get along oh so well).

But up Whistler Mountain, well thats different. I also know Cindy (her party) really well. Then there were a lot of my friends from Sakinaw there (and almost 200 people in total at the party, of which I knew about half). And it was at the Roundhouse, which was cool.

Friday night (the night before) we ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory (been a while since I was there) and then hung out in the village for a while.

Saturday Morning I skied (for the first time in like a year) and we had a group photo at the Whistler Peak (which was freezing btw, no thanks to the wind). Got off the mountain at around 3PM. The party started at 6:30ish.

Not too many speeches (actually just Cindy and my Dad... Dan had quite smartly opted out of speaking). Food was very good.

Ended around 11:30 (sorta early but w/e) though by the time we got down to Whistler Base it was after 12 thanks to the super reliable whistler Gondala. Our car was driven home by Gordie (the only one who hadn't been drinking). Theres gotta be something wrong about being DD (designated driver) with a learners license. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=14 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=14 Sat, 10 Feb 2007 19:38:27 -0800
If u don't know what the NSX is, its an 2-seater mid-engine rear-wheel-drive all-aluminium sports car, 0-100kph time of 4.8 seconds, 0.3 Drag Coefficient, 0.94g on the skidpad, and a top speed of 281km/h (electronically limited). If none of that means anything to you... Wikipedia is your friend (or just ignore it).

The car is a manual (wouldn't let my dad get an auto for obvious reasons), New Formula Red (they like coming up with weird colour names) and is getting shipped up in an enclosed truck (the car didn't have the ground clearance to go on a multi-car trailer).

The quality of the pics below quite frankly sucks but I didn't take them and I won't actually see the car for another two weeks. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=13 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=13 Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:10:30 -0800
Was raining way to hard to waterski, but was water was sure flat enough.

If anyone who has a cabin at Sakinaw reads this, we did a quick loop of most of the cabins that we know and there was no visible damage.

Oh... I'm gonna try and keep this largely nerd-free news but I've fixed some major issues with the website for Windows XP users who have NOT updated Internet Explorer to version 7 (Thats most of you out there), as well as Windows ME and Windows 2000 users. Hopefully it won't crash your computer anymore . If you don't know what any of that means, don't worry about it.

Edit: I got in trouble for not mentioning the sakinaw brunch on here... athough by the time brunch was actually made, it definitely classified as lunch.

Matt, Tara, Michelle, Katie, and I (basically the sakinaw group minus Peter, who was no-show for whatever reason) hung out at Taras, made crepes (k maybe its a strech to say we all made crepes), which when finally done were good, and then watched Saw III (yeah I've seen it but its definitely rewatchable). Michelle left halfway through it (go figure) - @Michelle... you still aren't off the hook for the Saw series. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=12 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=12 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 10:40:13 -0800
Apparently the original was good but this movie manages to achieve the tedious balance of having neither suspense/gore (k there was a little blood ) or a plot. That and it was supposed to be realistic but completely lacked in realism.

And fake pretty much sums it up (A cop car doesn't rollover 6 times just because someone fishtails it). One guy taking out three cop cars and a police chopper in the space of about a minute seems a little far fetched as well. Sean Bean played as lousy a villain as I would have, and cute was about the limit of Sophia Bush's acting.

And the ending was abrupt (everyone died except Grace who is "apparently" an emotional wreck) and leaves a "why did I bother watching that" feeling to the end of the movie.

Makes me appreciate the "Saw" series even more. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=11 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=11 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 10:09:53 -0800 Click Here if you don't know who he is) and have to say, he put on a fantastic show. It had some really funny moments (at the beginning he flipped through all the references of him in Movies and on TV including Family Guy, Friends, Bill Clinton, etc.) and at one point perfomed a trick in slow motion.

I don't have the slightest idea how he did anything, from the car that appeared on the stage out of nowhere, to the audience members being moved around the theater in a nano-second. He shrunk himself down to about 1 foot tall in a box. Most of the audience members were picked at random (he threw frisbees out into the audience).

Obviously its all illusion, but its still cool to see what can be done by playing tricks with your eyes. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=10 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=10 Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:39:31 -0800
Knowing Vancouver though, all the snow'll be gone tommorrow and then it'll be back to normal. For a "warmer than usual" winter though (El Nino anyone?) we've sure gotten a lot of snow this winter.

Meanwhile I think its about time I get myself a set of snow tires or chains or anything to get myself a little more traction. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=9 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=9 Sat, 06 Jan 2007 19:35:24 -0800
We spent the better part of an hour driving around looking for a place to have dinner (who else eats out on Christmas Eve). When we finally found a restaurant, we were no kidding the only people in the entire restaurant. After getting hassled about there being a dress-code that apparently we didn't meet, they finally let us sit down, probably because there was no one else there to complain about what we were wearing.

After dinner, we had to take back our rental car (because we wouldn't have time the next morning) and when we got back to the rental car dealer, they noticed a foot long scratch in the side, which I'm pretty sure we didn't do. After a little arguing and talking to several people, they decided to let it go.

When we took a taxi to our hotel, we didn't realize there was two Hampton Inn's in Houston and went to the wrong one (we had pre-paid for the other one). However because our taxi had already gone, we ended up having to pay again for the Hampton we were at.

The next morning, our flight required us to wake up at 4AM (2AM Vancouver time), which plain sucks. We arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico but there was only room on the plane to Vieques (an island) for 3 people because we were a day late from our original schedule and these are small 9 person planes. We had to pay another airline to take the fourth person, and then the original airline decided they could in fact take us and we ended up just wasting our money. We arrived in Vieques, Peurto Rico at around 6PM, after a long day of traveling.

I got maybe a grand total of 12 hours of sleep over a 4 day period. By the time we got to Puerto Rico, the family was absolutely thrashed. And the trip was just getting started. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=8 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=8 Fri, 05 Jan 2007 20:05:56 -0800
I guess I should start off with the day we left. As I side note, I didn't get to bed till 2AM the night we left, a bad choice on my part but what's done is done. So I was pretty tired before the ordeal even started.

We got to the airport to be informed that the flight was delayed 2 hours due to the fog in Phoenix (Phoenix gets maybe a day of fog a year so it was just plain bad luck). We then realized that we'd forgotten Michaels Christmas Presents at home which meant my Mom had to make trip back home (which conveniently fit into the flight delay). Vancouver's US Departures terminal sucks to be stuck in, and after a few hours I was thoroughly bored.

The 2 hour delay became 3 hours by the time the plane actually left. And by the time we arrived in Phoenix, our connection had already departed. The line-up to Customer Service was about 2.5 hours (we were told 45 minutes) due to the fog in Phoenix (everyone was missing connections) and the fact that Denver airport had been recently closed due to snow didn't help. Flying in the US was a mess.

When we finally got to the counter; all they could do was give us a discount hotel coupon and guarantee us a flight two days later (we were on standby for the next day after 12 other people). Our relatively short trip had just lost at least a day and we hadn't even gotten anywhere yet.

The driver of our taxi had no idea where the discount hotel was and drove $20.00 in the wrong direction, which we had to pay for anyways (he was trying to meet his daily quota or something).

The hotel was okay I guess, in a discount sense ($50 a day is pretty cheap for a hotel "suite" ). I definitely wouldn't stay there again if I ever find myself back in Phoenix (I have no plans to). We finally got to bed at 1AM (we had to rebook all our flight connections from Houston onward first). ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=7 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=7 Sun, 31 Dec 2006 17:52:27 -0800
Dunno when I'll be home at the moment (the sooner the better) but I'll post a thorough writeup of the trip when I get back.

Right now I'm in Miami, my luggage is in Houston, and I have no flights booked going anywhere.

As a side note: Just realized theres some glitches with the site and IE6 on Windows XP and I'll try and get them resolved ASAP. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=6 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=6 Sat, 23 Dec 2006 10:08:13 -0800 HERE - it ain't pretty)

I'm gonna be thoroughly sick of flying by the time this is over though. On the way down, its Vancouver --> Phoenix --> Houston --> Orlando --> San Juan and on the way back its San Juan --> Tampa --> Houston --> San Francisco --> Vancouver. How's that for direct, might be faster to just drive.

Its not like flying's exactly comfortable either. These days you get no legroom, shoulder room (the seats are 17 inches wide), and I've smashed my head on the bulkheads one too many times. And the food (if you could call it that) tastes like the plastic its made from.

Don't know if I'll be able to update this while I'm away (I'll try to though). If not, see you in 2007 and have a good Christmas and New Years. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=5 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=5 Fri, 22 Dec 2006 13:42:10 -0800
There were even a couple times when I debated just not doing another website. This site has been a tremendous amount of work and I'm pretty sure (actually I'm definitely sure) none of it will pay off. But I'm always asked by people if I have a website, so now at least I have something to point people to.

So whats new since the old site. From a code perspective, everything. Content wise, the old site was never really finished and so had little on it. I'm gonna try and put a lot more on this site.

Now unfortunately this site couldn't have been finished at a worse time as I'm off tomorrow for a week and won't be able to do a thing to this site (I'll try and get a few blog entries in but any bugs will remain for the week). This also means that I didn't have quite as much time to put content up on the site as usual. Most of that will be added in the week from January 2nd to January 8th.

In the mean time feel free to explore a little, let me know what works and what doesn't, and what features should be improved or created. I've fixed 11 bugs today already, and I hope to get another 5 or so fixed before I go away (like the store which is all but useless at the moment).

Feel free to let me know what you think of the site HERE ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=4 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=4 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 19:57:27 -0800
Even Microsoft doesn't redesign their products in between Beta 2 and Release Candidate stages. But as you can tell, the site looks nothing like its Beta 2 style (which has been moved to duty at http://www.ameshome.ca).

So why is it only Release Candidate quality? Simply, bugs. The site is code complete and feature complete and at this point its bug-fixes only. And I have a super long time to do that... two whole days. What'll happen in those two days other than bug fixes? Content. Right now the site has barely anything on it because I just haven't added it all. That all comes in the next few days.

Now normally an Release Candidate phase lasts longer than two days. I have a few reasons for the short timeframe:

1) This is a website, not a program, so it is easier to update after release.
2) I'm going away on Saturday and want the site up before then.
3) I'm not Microsoft and when I say Release Candidate, that means that the site is infact a candidate for release, not a rebadged beta.

I'll probably start regular blog postings shortly. You in the mean time can report any bugs on the site using the form HERE

The end is in sight... ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=3 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=3 Sun, 05 Nov 2006 17:08:19 -0800
What does this mean for u? Well for starters it means I'll be far better at keeping the site updated because I've purposely made it easier for me to do so (for example the photo gallery no longer requires me to add each photo individually).

Obviously this is only Beta 2 and theres still a lot of work ahead of the site until it reaches Gold status. I'll have an open Release Candidate stage (still planned for Novemember 8th) and hopefully it won't be long till this site is 100% up and running.

In the mean time, this site is going to need some massive amounts of debugging. Its got a lot of glitches that need to be ironed out before its anywhere near ready for public release.

Heres a incomplete list of some of the major issues left to be resolved:

1) IE 6 Compatibility: I won't get into details of how it looks in IE6 but suffice to say, its not pretty. - Fixed... albeit slow
2) Theming: Some tweaking needs to be done to the theme, as well as some additional color options. - Tweaks would be an understatement
3) Contact Form: Doesn't work... Full Stop - Form working
4) Poll: Like the contact form, its no go - Now working
4) Store: Its a mess, and its gotta be fixed
5) User Profile Management: Doesn't work well, needs to be fixed - Up and running
6) Commenting: Half the pages don't allow comments to be made, gotta fix this
7) User Interaction: Lots of stuff on the page doesn't allow for user input

Hopefully this can all be resolved in the near future. See you at Release Candidate 1 ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=1 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=1 Fri, 03 Nov 2006 05:41:53 -0800
I'm gonna try and have far more content then ever before, which means complete photo albums, tons of files, and a lot of interactive pages. Feel free to email me any photos that you think I may want to a gallery, as well as send me any suggestions you have for making the site better than it currently is.

Again, thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy the site. ]]> http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=2 http://www.andrewames.com/site.php?page=blog&topic=2 Thu, 12 Oct 2006 02:31:23 -0700
November 5th: Beta 2
November 8th: RC-1 (Public via Link)
Novemeber 12th: Gold

The Gold Date will co-incide with the release of Internet Explorer 7 on Automatic Updates and will be moved if necessary. Users will need a modern browser to best take advantage of the features of this website. ]]>