Back on the Mag

In June we paddled the Magnetawan River from my house to Britt. I didn't do much in the way of video or photos this year -- just one clip of Kevan & Tom running a typical drop we encountered. The water level was at least two feet higher this year -- compare some of the shots in Jean's video to the video I made last year. There are more photos on the canoe club site.

The Monkey Business Ilusion

How did you do? I was off by 3 and failed the important parts.

Hawking at Perimeter

Stephen Hawking gave a presentation at Waterloo's Perimeter Institute yesterday, chronicling his life's work in theoretical physics. He has been a leader in joining the physics of the very large (cosmology) and the very small (quantum mechanics). How a black hole leaks off energy is a little beyond my ability to properly articulate, but it fundamentally changed how physicists understand the universe.

Hawking is known for his sense of humor and while his ALS condition make the delivery of jokes somewhat a function of context (and the quality of his text-to-voice computer) the slides shown above are examples: the first showing what he wants on his grave stone and the second a comment about life in the universe while being featured on an episode of the Simpsons.

Why paddling is better than sex

Abridged from links above:

13. It's perfectly respectable to paddle with a total stranger.

10. Nobody will ever tell you that you will go blind if you paddle by yourself.

7. You can have a paddling calendar on your wall at the office, tell paddling jokes and invite coworkers to paddle with you without getting sued for harassment.

3. Nobody expects you to give up paddling if your partner loses interest in the sport.

1. Your paddling partner will never say, "What? We just paddled last week! Is that all you ever think about?"

What is this?

Have a look at the attached photo and let me know where you think I am:

A) A bar
B) A hotel lobby
C) The Microsoft VIP Centre
D) A high-end home design centre
E) A high-end movie theatre
F) A high-end airport lounge
G) A wine boutique.

Hint ... I am in the Seattle area, my flight is in about six hours, I am done with work for the day and they serve wine.

Don

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