Game turns ugly

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The Netherlands lost 0-1 against Portugal on Sunday. The score was unremarkable, but the statistics were unprecedented. Pelé's beautiful game had turned ugly. There were 25 fouls, 16 yellow cards, and 4 red cards. It was a dirty game, made more repulsive by the referee's inconsistant and inadequate rulings. Normally eloquent commentators were left momentarily speechless. The one thing of beauty was Maniche's goal in the 23rd minute.

Saturday's match between Portugal and England is a must-see.

The Netherlands v Argentina

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On Wednesday the Netherlands tied Argentina in the World Cup, 0-0. Holland will play against Portugal on Sunday. The winner will go on to the quarter-finals.

Paul McCartney turns 64

Sir Paul McCartney turned 64 on Sunday. (The irony, of course, is that in the 1960's his generation was saying that you can't trust anyone over thirty.) It is fitting that this landmark birthday falls on Father's Day, since Paul wrote the song, "When I'm Sixty-Four," as a tribute to his father. In honour of Sir Paul's birthday, I'll quote the song that he and John Lennon wrote together oh so many years ago.

When I get older, losing my hair,
many years from now,
will you still be sending me a valentine,
birthday greetings, bottle of wine.
If I'd been out till quarter to three
would you lock the door?
Will you still need me,
will you still feed me
when I'm sixty-four?

You'll be older too.
And if you say the word
I could stay with you.

I could be handy mending a fuse
when your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside.
Sunday mornings, go for a ride.
Doing the garden,
digging the weeds,
who could ask for more?
Will you still need me,
will you still feed me
when I'm sixty-four?

Every summer we can rent a cottage on the
Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear.
We shall scrimp and save.
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck, and Dave.

Send me a postcard, drop me a line
stating point of view.
Indicate precisely what you mean to say,
Yours sincerely, wasting away.
Give me your answer, fill in a form.
Mine forever more.
Will you still need me,
will you still feed me
when I'm sixty-four.

More Links

Paul McCartney's official page

The official Beatles page

Wikipedia: The Beatles

Steve's Beatles page

Jerry Rubin quotes

Houston, we have a problem

For Father's Day this year I gave my father a four DVD collection in a nice tin box called, "A Century of Flight: 100 Years of Aviation." He likes that kind of stuff, and so do I. I was flipping through the companion booklet, and saw a snippet about Apollo 13 I hadn't heard before. Apparently, when their almost fatal glitch happened, Lovell told Control, "Houston, we've had a problem." What an understatement! But that's not the phrase that has entered our collective consciousness. I think "Houston, we have a problem" works better for me.

History of Father's Day

Sonora Smart Dodd's mother died when she was 16, leaving her father (a civil war veteran) to raise his six children alone. Wishing to pay tribute to William Smart after his death, in 1909 Mrs. Dodd was inspired by Anna Jarvis' work to promote Mother's Day. The campaign took wings, and the first Father's Day was celebrated in June 1910 (June being the anniversary of both the birth and death of Mr. Smart), in Spokane, Washington. In 1924 Calvin Coolidge recommended the day to be an American holiday. The day was recognized in a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. In 1966 Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation making Father's Day the third Sunday in June. In 1972 Richard Nixon establed it as a permanent national observance. Over the years many countries have adopted the observance, including Canada and the Netherlands.

Mrs. Dodd also introduced the official Father's Day flower, the rose. Red if he's alive, and white if he's passed away. Sonora Smart Dodd died in 1978 at the age of 96.

The Netherlands v Côte d'Ivoire

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The Netherlands won 2-1 against Côte d'Ivoire in the World Cup Friday. Kone of Côte d'Ivoire made a beautiful strike against Holland. It was an aggressive game, but clean. There were too many yellow cards (7 cautions in all) for my taste, though. Dutch Robben seemed to be the focus of the referee's attention. I realize he's been a bad boy in the past, but some of the calls looked to be in error, as far as I could see.

Mosquito plan backfires

I saw a story on CTV News the other day about the Mosquito. No, not the West Nile carrying, blood sucking kind, but one almost as annoying. A Welsh security company invented a device called the Mosquito (a.k.a. Chavbuster) that was meant to be used as an "ultrasonic teenager repellent". They were exploiting the fact that as we age we tend to lose the upper range of our hearing (presbycusis). The 17 kHz sound the device produced was meant to be both audible and irritating to young people, but undetectible to adults. The idea was to play this sound in areas that adults didn't want kids loitering in (the magazine rack at the corner store springs to mind.) It seemed to work, but then one Welsh student decided to use it as a ringtone. The objective was to be able to leave cell phones on in class without the teacher knowing. The ringtone was passed from friend to friend, and finally to the Internet. Then the Welsh company that invented the sound noticed what was going on, and put out its own ringtone. Although the Mosquito ringtone download has become very popular, it has had mixed results. The New York Times reported that Miss Musorofiti's students (at Roslyn H.S., Long Island) were dismayed when a Mosquito loaded cell phone buzzed and the 28 year old teacher could hear it. She dashed their hopes and had the students switch off their phones.

I've listened to a number of the tones downloaded off the Internet, and I must report that my Madonna-aged ears can hear them. That's right. I, who witnessed the original moon landing and remember the day that JFK was shot, can still hear the "Teen Buzz." This means that when you go to the library your cell phone will still have to remain off.

Can you hear it now?

Why the Dutch love orange

You've seen the shirts at soccer games and you've seen the ING Direct commercials. If you're wondering why the Dutch like orange so much, it goes back to William, prince of Orange, who was the liberator and defender of the faith in Holland. He was a kind of Dutch version of George Washington. Their national anthem, the Wilhelmus, was written in his honor (all fifteen stanzas).

Speaking of William of Orange (1533-1584), there's a story that he was saved by his pet pug, Pompey. According to a story by Sir Roger William (1618), when Spanish troups were creeping up on the prince's camp one night to assassinate him, the little dog heard them. He barked and licked William's face to wake him up. Pompey was credited with saving his life, and the pug (a.k.a. mopshond) has been the official dog of the House of Orange ever since. An image of Pompey is carved on William's tomb in Delft.

For more information about the Netherlands, check out Information Please.

The Netherlands v Serbia

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The Netherlands won 1-0 against Serbia and Montenegro on Sunday. It was a lively game, a pleasure to watch. You can see why soccer (a.k.a. football) is called the "beautiful game". Since Canada isn't playing in the FIFA World Cup this year I've decided to embrace my roots and follow the Dutch team.

Blue Man Group

Don't you just love the Blue Man Group? My brother and his wife went to see them recently in Toronto. They're different from any other music group, for sure. They go beyond music, inventing all their own instruments and playing them collaboratively. The show is clever, and you never know what's going to happen next. The performances are visually stunning. The founders were inspired by artists Edward Hopper and Lynn Hershman Leeson. Hopper is probably best known for Nighthawks. Leeson is a pioneer in multimedia, and describes her work as being divided into B.C. (Before Computers) and A.D. (After Digital).

Check out the BMG video, "Earth to America!", against global warming. It loads fairly quickly, even with dialup. (You have to scroll down to the middle of the page.)

There are more Blue Man videos at their official web site. ( It helps if you've got a high speed internet connection. ) You can even make your own art at the site using elements of their shows. (Check out my portrait of Barney the Cat.)

I enjoyed the revisionist history of the Blue Man Group's impact on art. They also have something similar about the history of rock and roll.

If you ever wondered about things like, "Just how many blue men are there?", you can some answers at their FAQ. For more information, go to the article about them at Wikipedia.

Their store has, in addition to the obligatory t-shirt selection, a collectibles section featuring skateboards! They're so pretty I'd like to hang them on the wall as art.

AIGBSYOA!

Fowler's Toad

I saw this Fowler's Toad when I was walking in the Rouge River Valley the other day. It's protected under Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. The little fella was about 2 inches long. Of course, I left it where I found it.

More Links

Toronto Zoo species guide
About amphibians
Adopt a Pond
Frog Watch

About Soup

"Soup may be thick or thin, hot or cold, subtle or spicy, jellied, puréed, or creamed. It may be as clear as glass or full of chunky bits of vegetables and meats. Some soups derive their essential flavor from a rich stock; others depend upon water or milk to capture the pure taste of the ingredients. Certain soups can be cooked in thirty minutes (some do not even take cooking), but others require hours of slow simmering and taste even better when they've been left to mellow in the refrigerator for several days. "

From The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (1979)

Why "Geek Soup"?

To make a long story short, I had heart surgery in March 2005. Serious complications added about eight months to my recovery time. I'm doing pretty well now, but lately I've realized that I've lost some my confidence. I'd been in waiting mode for a long time, and it's had an effect on me. I've been dealing with this by working on small projects to get myself ready for the workplace again. Then one day I happened across CafePress and realized it could provide an artistic outlet as well as a means to earn a little money. My business plan called for a blog and browser-based email, and so I signed up for Blogger and Care2

I had no idea what I was getting into. Social networking takes on a life of its own. I don't know if it's just me, but the hardest part of the process has been filling in the profile information. What do I feel comfortable revealing about myself? What DO I like? I've been in a holding pattern for so long it's taking a lot of effort to reconnect with myself, let alone with others.

So, what do I want to communicate in this blog? Yes, I love technology and science. I'm also interested in history and the environment. Come to think of it, I'm interested in a lot of things (occupational hazard). Fanny Farmer's introduction to soup sums it up for me. Just like soup, my thoughts will undoubtedly range from the mundane to the adventurous; hot, cold; subtle, spicy. Half-baked, or fully developed. Sometimes left to mellow.

Let the experiment begin.