Mansfield's Gun - A failure.

Here's what I think about Mansfield's use of Chekhov's Gun in The Garden Party.
I wrote this for my literature course and thought it was entertaining enough to post online.
I really hope they don't do a plagiarism search and find this bad boy!

What I would have really liked to say, but didn't because it defeats the purpose of the assignment; She probably didn't even consider using Chekhov's technique because she clearly butchered it. However, if she did think about it; how dare she abuse such an amazing mechanism.

Here goes...

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov — The most prolific short story author ever — developed the brilliant rule of thumb to cut the crap and illuminate portentous images and symbols. Having read the better part of Chekhov’s entire anthology — I’m rather keen on his “Gun” for it is prevalent in such plays as A Marriage Proposal and Uncle Vanya. (He wrote way more than just four.) Furthermore, Chekhov’s Gun is frequent in The Lady With The Little Dog. (Hint: It’s not the dog.)
Chekhov’s Gun is easy to spot if you are reading with tuned senses. I was once told to read a story with my antennas up. Those wise words motivate the exact technique required to spot Gun motifs in The Garden Party. For example, have you ever watched the beginning of a movie where the camera pans around to specific articles that become important later on? The director is utilizing Chekhov’s policy that, “One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.” A poor example of this can be observed at the beginning of the film version of Steven King’s Hearts In Atlantis — don’t pay attention to that part, it’s useless.
And I digress.
The important part to remember is that while reading Mansfield’s The Garden Party we must systematically scan for peculiar descriptions or great detail of otherwise unimportant items. While I read this fantastic short story I was struck by a fervent description of the freckled worker. His eyes that were “such a dark blue!” and his sweet disposition altered Laura's initial opinions on the insignificant lower class. Reading this story so carefully, and having experienced Chekhov’s Gun before, I swept up this knowledge of the worker because I was sure it would become important later.
While I am still confident the freckled worker is the Gun, I think Mansfield misfired it. Personally, I think she made a critical mistake by choosing an equivocal lower class person as the dead man. While it is certainly a barbarous thought, I would rather the freckled worker killed. I think that because Laura had obtained a familiarization with the lower class through the freckled worker — the ending revealing him as the one who died would BANG, invoke serious emotional convictions towards the lower class. The ambiguous man just did not do it for me. I was frustrated that Mansfield could have used the freckled man for it was lined up so perfectly. She even went as far as to describe the eyes again, “his eyes were closed; they were blind under his closed eyelids.” By just adding the word blue to that sentence, Mansfield’s bullet would have been straight and true.
So yes, Mansfield does utilize Chekhov’s Gun. And yes, the Gun is a lower class worker that fires. However, Mansfield’s execution does not do all that it can for the reader. Just like in Hearts Of Atlantis it appears that Mansfield picked up a gun that she had never fired before and hit me in the leg, rather than the heart. While I will still likely bleed to death over realizing what she is trying to achieve, it is hardly as sudden an effective as a fatal blow.

Halloween Weekend

Hey Kids,

Been a few days, not bad eh?

A quick note to get things started; No, my use of english has not degraded. I swear more often in my posts simply because university has transformed me into a surly, aggressive person. Also, reading student publications from Waterloo and other universities helped me realize, when you swear, people really fucking listen to you.
Try it some time.

Let's see, the back problems -- they are cured! It took a few days of painkillers and T.L.C. but I am finally alleviated from that terrible burden. I can now do kartwheels, crabwalks, and "the robot." (For a private viewing, please email.)

To celebrate, I happily marched on to something that would subsequently make my back feel like shit again. Megabus! It was mega alright; a two story bus-o-the-future with wifi, 12v power, and panoramic windows! So the big thing with Megabus trips in between Toronto and Montreal is that you can get fares starting at only $1. Cough, bullshit. They are out there, but you'd have to take a bus on a tuesday at 3:00am and wear a funny hat. Okay, so the hat thing is a lie -- in all seriousness, despite the poor abundance of uno dollar fares -- Megabus is still the cheapest out there at around $55. You get this price by subjecting yourself to an eight hour ride stopping in Scarborough, Whitby, Kingston, Cornwall, the West Island, the list goes on. However, the bus is damn comfortable, and the view up top is great.
I got to Montreal and we climbed all the way up Mont Royal, what a sweet view!
The next day, we toured old Montreal, the waterfront (saw a huge boat) and got some killer poutine before walking in a rainstorm and checking out the hilarious sites and sounds on Saint-Laurent.
Bus ride home? I told myself I'd study. I slept, and it was magical.
Here are some scarce, and very random photos from Montreal.


Moving right along, in the 20 some hours I've been back in the Woo I've noticed little change to this place. For example, IT'S STILL RAINING. Getting sick of this rain, either my choice of attire (Sperry Topsiders) is mediating the weather (whenever I wear them, it pours) or mother nature and I need to have a really serious conversation.
We're out of food, seriously. I'm going grocery shopping at t-minus 20 minutes. But seriously, my fridge looks like fucking Siberia -- empty, white, and sad.

Bad news? The other day tragedy struck my desktop; As I was moving a book on my shelf (the stubborn thing shifted out of place) I knocked over an ink plot. The plot fell off the shelf and landed 2 feet down on the screen of my beloved iPod. This is my very very first iPod. Unlike many people, I've taken care of my iPod for the last four years of possession. It was still in immaculate condition when my ink plot crushed the L.C.D. screen inside. It shattered along with my heart. I could only feel a numbing sadness more so because its life had ended in such a pathetic manner.
Then I realized that I can fix it.
Stay tuned, because I've ordered a brand new screen for ol' Stockholm ( I nickname my electronics after Scandinavian cities) It should be coming in the mail this week and I'll be performing reconstructive surgery. Stockholm shall play music once again! Hopefully this doesn't happen again and my iPod will live long as a progressively obsolete p.m.p.

THEY FIXED MY LOCK!
At some point the tumbler lock on my door came apart making it impossible to lock from the inside. After telling my don, somebody mysteriously came while I was away and repaired it! I have no idea how the found the parts for I think they were in a drawer somewhere. So strange having the feeling that somebody was in my room while I was away! :S

Now if only my roommate would do his damn chores.

What's with midterms anyways?
I've got seven of them. I take 5 classes. Can somebody explain that to me? I mean, technically I can say I'm done midterms as this week I only have midterm styled "term tests" which require very little studying. But hey, come on.
(Side note, my back just started hurting again)
Last week I wrote Psychology which I had been studying for an entire week. Greatest feeling after a test; knowing you did well because you forced yourself to know the material and it paid off. This was brought to me by the entertaining professor, and the fact that Psychology is actually entertaining and worth while in life -- rather than that Sociology or Anthropology bullshit. I can receive my marks in a few days, I can't wait.
Tomorrow is another Sociology term test (speak of the devil) and we're going to pull the same 9:00pm coffee fuelled shenanigans that we did last time that helped me get a 92%. It's an online test :D

Does anybody know the song Roxanne by The Police? I'd look in to it.

Can I tell the future? Let's see...
I really really really want to go to the Steve Aoki concert in Woo next month. Pending whether it's cheap/all ages. I'm poor, and not of age. I hear this guy can seriously rock a crowd -- I just need to find somebody who doesn't hate pounding electro.
Who is Steve Aoki? This Guy --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvP6yeVmAp0

Is short hair a good idea? Like really short hair? Cause I've been thinking about it. I'm talking David Beckham short. Might I say buzz cut? This isn't for aesthetics; I really just want to know what short hair is like, and I kind of want to carve some crazy design in my head in the process. We'll see in December when my locks get longer.

Fish is a great cheap eat. Did you know you can buy ocean perch filets at the super market at like, $1.20 a filet? One filet fried in batter is good enough for lunch or a light dinner if you have it with a side.
This is the most important food revolution to happen to me since microwave bagel bites! I'm stalking up!

Man, I have to get to sleep...

Hello again, world

Been a while.

Remember when I used to talk about being busy in high school? You know, all those exams and projects due? Cake man, it was cake.
Now I'm in arts, which means I have homework, but I can get away with sitting around eating kraft dinner and watching BBC world news every now and then. Believe me though, that time is well earned, and well worth it.
Engineers? Mathies? Scientists? They're fucked.

So at the moment my back has me incarcerated in my dorm. My back? What? Yeah I'm the only eighteen year old you know who has had a recurring back problem for the last three days. I went to anthropology this morning -- but those plastic chairs at Biology 1 did nothing but worsen the state of my latissimus dorsi (google it). Luckily I brought extra strength muscle relaxants (from the time I had the terrible neck cramp) with me. Unfortunately, they seem to get me high rather than improve my back -- which is probably the reason I decided to blog ...wooowee oooh shiny things.

In other news; The dorm itself is... well, bitchin'. What can I say, we have a 900W sound system, an LCD TV, numerous-humurours posters, and space to dance/ride your bike. Dancing is optional. My own personal room has developed a rather pleasant aroma of rotting apples... which mysteriously ended up in my filing cabinet. It's clean, yes immaculate, no surprise for people who have lived with me in the past! Only problems, stolen change, little milk, mysteriously wet sink, curry, and terrible singing. If you've spoken to me in the last month, you understand.

Class! Hey! I'm skipping class right now! I know, I know, that's like 60 bucks from my tuition. Honestly though, I go to class and discuss things that I read in grade 10 with a bunch of catholics who keep associating bizarre elements with god..and the lord's prayer. What the fuck is the lord's prayer? I can do the reading here at home, in my immobile state of affairs, jacked up on pharmaceuticals...avoiding H1N1, just fine. Plus the rest of the course is an essay, which is already half done, and an exam...on the texts...which I'm reading. Ok, nuff said, I'll finish explaining my self (Sorry mom and dad) But I swear I am dragging myself to Sociology tonight, it's guest speaker night!

Other classes; Went to Anthropology (as I said) this morning and we talked about Homo erectus -- the, erm... hominid? Things can get a bit racy over at ANTH101. That class is getting tiresome -- with all the monkeys and whatnot, but at least my old retard high school teachers aren't the ones explaining it to me; "I went to McGill, I know what I'm talking about." -- Shut up douche-bag. Psychology? I LOVE psychology! In fact, I wrote the exam last night and it was one of those "never-look-back-because-you-know-you-got-the-question-right" exams -- which happened to be worth 38% of my final mark! Go me!
Introduction to Rhetorical Theory; let's just say that we found critical mistakes of the text book that the course is based on. Nuff said.

People constantly ask me what I do for food around here. The answer? Not much. I've lost eight pounds since September-- I'm starving.
When I'm not starving, I eat awesome experimental chicken and rice dishes, loads of pasta, and english muffins galore!
On mornings when I have a 10:30 class I indulge in the old age home breakfast; instant oatmeal, an apple, a multi-vitamin, and some peppermint tea. Lunch? What's lunch? Dinner is a big production and usually consists of heavily seasoned chicken with spicy rice, or pasta with a crazy cheese-marinara-sausage sauce. Each meal is accompanied with a huge amount of swearing and threatening to throw sharp objects.

What's to do in Waterloo? Nothing, go home.

Or you can come to my place and watch cheezy 1970's zombie movies and study for finals.

To keep yourself entertained while I think about more stuff to post -- have a gander at these.
http://omguw.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204471283
http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/2009/oct/16/opinion/dear-sick-people/ <-- Read my comment below that article.
http://theboar.ca/

Anyways, I'm going to try and take a nap.

This is what climbing a tree looks like...

While in Guelph, I climbed a tree, and Daniel recorded it. It was fun...
Enjoy

Week of September 14th update.

Here's a rundown for those interested. Frosh week was crazy! Seriously! I can't tell you how many people told me that Waterloo frosh was going to be lame and not much fun. They were totally wrong, and in some cases-- backwards. At first, you look out at all the singing and dancing and think "I just paid 5000 dollars to dance in this heat for 5 hours?" "No thanks" Well suck it up buttercup because after you actually muster up the balls to talk to somebody -- the nonsense evolves into the most important event of the day! I'll admit, I was skeptical. Hell ya, I was not too crazy about learning how to dance like an "arts student" but in all honestly, once I got over the fact that everyone else was there for the same reason I was -- things got a whole lot easier.
For the first time in my life, I apprehended the saying "If you can't beat em, join em." No first year is too good for frosh. In fact, we're just a bunch of peons -- and if you're going to stay an anti-social peon for the rest of your life (seriously) you should get your ass on the dance floor.
Now it wasn't all chanting, dancing, and icebreakers. There were plenty of insightful seminars... and an amazing SCAVENGER HUNT!
May I just say that the AP Dragons (my faithful team) was the top scorer in the week long scavenger hunt. And it's no ordinary scavenger hunt. We collected more than inanimate objects, we corralled people and even accomplished death defying tasks!
One item I collected that I happen to be most proud of was a lovely librarian from the Diana Porter Library. To get her to come outside, I had to impress her. What better way to impress a librarian than with a little bit of literary knowledge! I basically re-explained the whole meaning behind the ducks in The Catcher In The Rye to my standards, which she seemed in accordance with! After getting her outside, we found out that she used to be the keeper of the Faculty Of Arts mascot, Porcellino BONUS POINTS!
Anyways, enough with that. Aside from the Arts frosh there was plenty of organized events like concerts, dances, sports, and lectures. I did a variety of each, but nothing really too notable.
Great football game! Even though we lost, we got all decked out in black and gold and had a good time. Check it out in the slideshow below!
Saturday was the big toga party. Actually, the world's largest outdoor toga party. So we made a trip out to Conestoga mall and bought value sheets, twine, and foliage. Most bitchin' togas you've ever seen.
Sunday, we ventured to Guelph so that I could visit Daniel and check out the Metric show on campus. That was great fun! Pretty good show, and Guelph has a really nice campus, aside from the miniscule dorms.
Almost missed my bus home, caught it with seconds to spare. Wow it was close.
I came back and found out that I should really tell my roomates and friends that I'm leaving, so they don't call the cops.

Classes have started!

And you know what, they are surprisingly brief -- much more brief than I had perceived. In fact, they are shorter than high school classes. Well, except my Psychology class tonight, at a whopping three hours.
So far here's what I've got;

Anthropology 101: HUGE auditorium in the biology building. Concise, but oddly timid professor who appears to be approachable. He releases the lecture for download before each class, for people like me, who forger their glasses. (Stupid!) The textbook is minimal and has a lot of biology that I already know, and at quite an advanced level! Woo!

20th Century Literatures in English 105A: At the church schools. St. Jerome's University to be exact. Problem 1: It's a freaking classroom, high school throwback. Problem 2: You need to pack snacks just to get there Problem 3: The prof insists on being addressed by her first name. I'm going to find it hard to do that, seeing as how she has a BSc, BA, and an MA. Other than that, I love 20th century lit! I'm reading Heart Of Darkness by Conrad right now. I'm getting there on getting it per say. It is written in a method I've never seen, but tolerable nonetheless.

Introduction To Rhetorical Studies 101B: Problem 1: I had to print my own syllabus. Problem 2: It's in another freaking classroom. Problem 3: It's in the far corner of an engineering building *shudders.* However, the reading seems limited, and the prof actually has a PhD, thank goodness. That first class was only 30 minutes. Took more time to get there, being lost and all.

A note on being lost;
The saying revolving around me right now goes as such "Evan thinks the shortest path between two points is a circle." That isn't so much anymore as I've learned the shortcuts. Originally I walked the ring road for everything -- turning into the campus when I thought I was at the right place. This method took forever and I took a lot of heat for it. All done that now. I can circumnavigate this place like a pro! Well, except the engineering buildings.

Anyways, I'm off for some free hamburgers, book shopping, and note taking. More updates to follow!

Here's the slideshow!

The Coolest UW Website EVER

So in my week here at the University Of Waterloo I've made a few trips to the school's book store -- or as they call it a "bookstore."
Shopping for university books is nothing to write home about. Well, except in this case. It's totally worth it, believe me.
University books are incredibly expensive thanks to royalties and mere heft. They are unnecessarily large and cumbersome -- sagging shelves and weighing down backs. University books are usually only referenced six times -- but you're expected to know it cover to cover for the exam -- some teachers don't even bother cracking theirs. Shopping for the wretched things is worse than buying tube socks on boxing day. There is a line that spills out the doors and across the south campus -- it moves fast, but it's awfully intimidating. Once inside, don't bother trying to find the book yourself. Especially if it's a novel. For some reason, they are pilled on their side, pages out. Impossible to pick out without reading the SKU tags. You might need to bring a team of friends both to help pick out, and carry your books. If you're going solo, you've got to track down the swift moving anti-social employee who will get your books for you (against his/her will of course.) Then you've got to pay. That's another zig-zagging line sprinkled with other school essentials that you feel so inclined to buy, just as a souvenir of the experience. At this point, your humerus and scapula start to detach (thank you Physical Anthropology and Archaeology Third Edition) at least it feels that way. Finally you get to the high speed checkout and you see your funds deplete as that "Little Brown Book" just cost you 56 dollars. Lastly but not leastly you're thrown back into the real world with only a vague memory -- a blur if you will of what life was like before you lost $430 dollars in the mysterious land of books.

All of this leads to one thing. One thing only. Remember the title? "The Coolest UW Website EVER" Yeah, well I found this website particularly important to blog about because it can be a lifesaver, seriously.
Check out http://www.bookstore.uwaterloo.ca/linelook.html and see for yourself what I've just described.
Oh, and if it gets any less compacted, give me a shout, I still need to pick up two more $120 books.

-ev

University so far...

I have NO TIME to write anything.
Instead, videos.

Arts is the best.



I am in the '0'

Trebuchet, second try

Looks like I can still edit after-all. I actually used iMovie on this one, on my new iMac...which is sweet.

This video is hilarious, enjoy!

It's done!

I finally got around to finishing the trebuchet. All it needed was a sling and some cleverly tied rope. I took it out tonight and gave it a test run. I just flung some rotten potatoes. It needs some tweaking to get to optimal range -- so eventually it's going to be flinging stuff really far! Hopefully coconuts!
Here's the video! (and some photos!)

This is the video...


And this is the photo set...

The Wilderness

My staggering ability to procrastinate follows me through the summer. Yes, shit has happened. No, I haven't blogged it. Instead, here are some flickr albums with brief descriptions so I can get it over with and go back to procrastinating. Ooo shiny things!!

Frist up; the cottage.
Lot's of fun this year, did the usual -- mostly illustrated in the photos.


Next; My ride in a Beech-18. My membership privileges to the CWHM entail that I get to ride in either a Douglas DC3 or a Beech-18. I chose the Beech because it is smaller, more nimble, and classier. The ride went out from CYHM and over cayuga way through some neat weather. Lasted about 30mins. Definitely doing it again next year.


Finally; Dan and I went camping at Valen's conservation area a few days ago. We ate everything cooked over the fire, and scavenged fire wood. Lots of fun spending time honing my harmonica skills, hiking, swimming. Again, doing it next year.


More posts to come in this final week in Hamilton!
Stay tuned!

Soda Pop!

Here in Canada we call it Pop.
I truly understand this gentleman's cause -- and I really want to visit his store.
Thought I'd share this one!

Lockheed U-2 Spy Plane

I've been watching this video over and over -- it just blows my mind.
I'd give all the money I have to fly in one of these. That's quite a lucky host...

Muskoka

Muskoka Chair
Originally uploaded by Matt Kunz

At the cottage till the 11th,

Enjoy Hamilton Suckas!!!




(thanks to flickr user: Matt Kunz for the awesome photo)

The Story Behind This Photo #4

The Terror-Bear
Originally uploaded by ehdtstudios

This time last year I felt the need to buy one of those trendy afghan scarves. For what reason -- I have no idea -- but it proved awfully useful in the desert.
In fact, I would recommend the scarf (more affectionately known as the shemagh) to any of my comrades looking to partake in a desert adventure. The shemagh really does do a great job at keeping sand away from your face -- keeping you warm, or cooling you off. It's the perfect desert tool! And you'll look stylish while riding a camel!

Onwards,
This photo has grown to be my online identity. Despite this blog, I really like to keep myself under an alias when online, just to stay safe. I use this picture on forums and whatnot...oh great, I just revealed my secret. Well, there goes my web-anonymity.
So I took this flying to New York City from Beijing some time in September of 2008. The photo features a panda bear that I bought at the Chinese duty free, donning a desert style shemagh. Why you ask? I'm getting to that.
The important thing here is what that panda is actually hiding. Underneath that scarf is... A POLAR BEAR.
Yes, you heard me. The great Canadian Polar Bear. He is wearing a panda costume that features a pull over hood, disguising him as a Chinese Giant Panda. Clever eh? See now your more interested. Our specimen is clearly trying to hide something very important...
Well, maybe.
See I had wrapped him in a shemagh whilst running through the Beijing airport. I did this to avoid the stupid scarf from getting caught in the wheels of my cart. Instead of putting it my my bag, which would cause a whole new world of clutter, I found it rather fitting, and quite cute to outfit my suspicious bear in high desert fashion!
Now what happened next wasn't expected. I drew some rather suspicious glares from passing civilians. I guess airports are scary places these days with all the fear of "terror." (is this post going to get me black-listed?) It was soon funny that I had created a perfect example to represent the people's fear of terror on an airline! This little guy gave me copious laughs and giggles. So I took a picture! Shortly after taking the photo I named this crafty little creature the TERROR-BEAR!
His cunning disguise not only represents a generation of fear, but my reign of domination on the interwebs! A perfect avatar!

This is likely the worst written and most nonsense post I've ever made. Fuck it...I'm bored.

The Story Behind This Photo #3

broken metacarpal!, originally uploaded by ehdtstudios.

So this one's a doozy.

That my friends, is my right hand. I took this photo shortly after realizing what I had actually done to it. I took this while waiting in the hospital emergency wing-- suffering!

Oh, for reference -- here is what regular 5th metacarpals should look like. Straight, relatively.



So I'm not going into detail as to how I fractured it. I'm just saying, it was dumb. Really dumb. Hard objects, versus bone...bad idea.

I cleanly separated the bone right before it turns to the metacarpal joint into two pieces. Pain is an understatement. Agony is just the tip of the ice berg. Well, not so much while it was broken and resting -- but the reduction of the fracture. Picture a regular sized male doctor putting all his weight on my poor hand. I nearly fainted. I went pretty pale, sorta...fell asleep for a minute. It got mad hot in that tiny room. I didn't cry though...oh yeah.

So it was about 1 month in an ulnar gutter splint. Which looked badass.

And that's how I broke my hand -- and that's why there is a picture of my hand -- because it is deformed into a grotesque position.
Great.

Two Hundred More Pixels

Many thanks to Haoxiang for an extra 200px on the body of the blog. Makes adding photos much easier!

My Home Weather Station

Today I spent about 6 hours on a really cool project.
Last night I bought a home weather station -- something I've wanted for a very, very long time. And no, it's not one of those cheap ones that you stick out the window -- it's a little bit better.
See this one has instruments! No, not musical instruments, but meteorological instruments that measure things like wind speed/direction, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, rainfall, wind chill, and forecast. All of this is wirelessly transmitted to a receiver that can be kept inside that also gives you indoor temperature readings.

At this very moment 09:53 EST (13:53 UST) (July 24th,2009) my station is reading a 21.1° outdoor temperature, 69% relative humidity, 29.41inch on the barometer, 0.0cm of rainfall, and winds are at a standstill. Earlier this evening we had 3.2km/h winds at 280°
This is a little off from Hamilton's standard weather station at CYHM airport because I am sheltered by trees and houses. However, the idea isn't to have a perfect weather reading, but one centralized to your location. If I needed general city weather I could just look online, or turn on the TV. This one is perfect for planning backyard dining, kite flying, and what to wear in the morning.
By the way, it's a smoldering 26°C inside :|

Thermometer/Hygrometer/Transmitter
This is the most important part of the whole system. The small unit mounts on any flat surface and contains a sensitive thermometer, solid state hygrometer, and a wireless radio transmitter. It has a range of about 100m -- which works great for me. It takes two AA batteries -- lithium is recommended for efficient operation below -10°C. I'll be replacing my alkalines shortly. The unit also covers two RJ 11 cable receptacles for the wind and rain sensors. All of this looks really discrete and clean.

Rain Gauge
The rain gauge is a really simple, yet incredible piece of engineering. On the outside there is an oval structure with a funnel on top. This funnels rain inside the machine towards a see-saw tipping bucket like mechanism. When water hits one side, it sinks and registers a unit of rain. When rain keeps flowing, it makes the mech flop the other way, again, registering rainfall. The more times it flip flops, the more rainfall there is! See! I told you that it was cool! It is imperative that the rain gauge is located on a level surface. To achieve this I mounted it on a piece of a 2x4 and simply placed it on the ground, routing the RJ 11 cable underground and back to the transmitter.

Anemometer/Wind Vane
This was the most difficult, yet fun instrument to install. You see, in my backyard we have a very large tree. I'd say it is the better part of 80 meters and it was one of the only places where I could put the unit without interference from walls or other structures. Ideally, I would have attached it to the chimney on my roof, it is way out in the open -- making it perfect for measurement. It was a combination of both fear and laziness that prevented me from getting up there. So I grabbed the giant 40ft ladder that was laying around and put it halfway on the tree. Believe it or not, it was an incredibly stable platform. Initially, I went up there with a hatchet and hacked away at the bark to expose some hard wood and level out the surface, that was fun, and it weirded out the neighbors. The mounting hardware consisted of a plastic platform that was about 2x2.5 inches. I figured that eventually, attached to a tree, this installation would fail because living wood tends to expand, contract, rot, and grow. So instead I screwed the platform on to a strong 2x4 and drove that whole system into the tree using very large spike nails. Three of them! This, created a very strong, stable, and handsome method of installing the instruments nice and high. Now there is some blockage from the tree, and the wind vane is aligned to the exact north -- but it seems to do its job much better than if I were to put it on a wall (stupid idea) To finish off the installation, I wrapped the main shaft and some of the brackets with camouflage duct tape, making it bird friendly as well!

All together, this system was a great investment! I can't wait for an extreme weather day so that I can really experience all of the instrumentation it its glory!

To conclude I've thrown in a cool set of photos from my flickr account. I'm a pro user now! I love it!

The Story Behind This Photo #2

West China Part Four - 08, originally uploaded by ehdtstudios.

This is one of my most memorable photos from China. It captures a wonderfully redundant event humourously and seriously.

You see, this hotel room was INFESTED with cockroaches. It was terrifying trying to sleep whilst they were crawling up on to the bed and all over the walls and floors.

Fed up with the insanity, Eddie called the front desk at 1:00am to come fix the abomination. A gentleman arrived promptly wielding a very large can of poison. I was half awake, and half asleep while he sprayed the perimeter with this stuff. However, I was quickly awoken in a mad fit of coughing. I threw open the window and hung out the fifteenth story to try to relieve the tickling in my throat...

I was so frustrated with the lack of sleep, and over-abundance of cockroaches that I began doing what any insane person would do -- play with fire.

Cockroaches are, well...cockroaches. They are incredibly resilient, persistent, and prevalent filth with two goals in mind; Procreation, and annoying humans. So I decided to burn them.

I captured cockroaches in glasses and then slid a burning match under each cup-- filling it with Carbon Dioxide, suffocating the creature inside. Barbaric yes... amusing? Hell yes.

I'll admit it was a morbid, and rather unnecessary method of disposing the roaches, but it was actually the only feasible process of actually killing the little sons-of-bitches that I could conceive at 1:50am.

The photo illustrates my frustration perfectly. I grabbed an envelope from the complementary stationary and scrawled a short letter (in english of course) to the management. Whether or not this message was conveyed to administration or not is still a mystery. However, I feel that if SOMEONE regardless of their position in hotel staff, or native tongue spotted that letter -- they at least got the point.

And yes, the specimen is a real cockroach, with real matchstick residue surrounding it.

I felt the need to take the picture...and that's the story behind it.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

The Story Behind This Photo

This photo is great for so many reasons.

1) This was taken during my second last exam of grade 12. This was an english exam and as you can see I was already partially a sixteenth of the way done. The blissful irony is that I am using a cellphone..ahh...CAMERAPHONE in an exam! Totally forbidden, but as you'll learn, things are a bit liberal here.

2.)That's pizza.

3.) I bought that pizza MID EXAM from the pizza store across the street from my school. Yes, I left the classroom, unescorted, to buy pizza off the property. I also picked up that bottle of coke too.

4.) That gum was free. We were given it as a parting gift/exam tool. So awesome.

5.) An iPod? During exams? Oh yes, I listened to the 1812th if I recall correctly. Also a forbidden item.

6.) My brand new prescription, polarized Ray-Ban Wayfarers--yeah I wore them during the exam, what of it?\

Last but not least, it's not in the photo but I got a 97% on this exam.

Life is great.

Revolution!

Well comrades, it looks as though the day has come. It appears that film is no longer my thing -- and EHDT as a video mogul will not prevail. For as I advance in my institutional career I find that life doesn't make time for such amusements. With myself and all my friends leaving for University, it will be impossible to continue producing movies. And I say to myself "No Biggie." For I planned this. The memories captured in video will last forever as indicators of how important EHDT was in our lives through high school.
And at this moment, I feel it necessary to reveal why EHDT is so important, and reveal its true name.

The moment everyone has been waiting for.

EHDT stands for;
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---- Just kidding. You didn't think I'd crack that soon did you??


For four years people have been begging to know the meaning of that clever acronym. I say "In time, you will realize young grasshoppers"

In the meantime, I need to let everyone know what will happen to EHDT Studios.

This blog is rather important to me, while it generates nearly zero visits a day -- I still appreciate it's existence very much. As EHDT Studios still exists -- it is time for it to move on to greater things. Like I said, I will be taking a year of Honours Arts at Waterloo until I can obtain the requirements for Geography and Aviation. I'll be living in residence, to be specific, UW Place. UW Place is a big scary concrete polygon that sits on the south campus -- sort of isolated from civilization. While my family is at home, and my friends are at their universities, I will need a way to keep in touch and communicate my adventures about Waterloo. I find that the blog is a perfect method to convey such ideas. Therefore, come september 7th (move in day) www.ehdtstudios.com will become my personal blog. I will post photos and texts to keep the people who are interested in me updated. I may even throw in some videos.
I know I've said a lot about this site and where it will go in the future, but this one is certain.
I plan no aesthetic or operative changes for I feel EHDT Studios is still a suitable, and rather badass name. In fact, it's much better than say "Evan's Blog" <--lame
Plus, I printed 250 business cards last year...

So that's it then. It's not really anything new, but a revolution. Just like the soviet union people!

I've actually become quite active on Twitter, http://twitter.com/ehdtstudios . There anyone can always find more a frequent and delightfully abbreviated timeline of events in my chaotic life. How nice.

At this point, I'm going to list some information about my next year at school for those interested or for those referred. Enjoy!



In september I will be taking the following courses at the University Of Waterloo for Honours Arts, year one, with an interest in English. These courses aren't necessarily my favourites, but the ones I chose to "get inside the doors."

ANTH 101 Human & Cultural Evolution --> Not really interested, but sounds good for writing essays.
ENGL 101B Intro to Rhetorical Studies --> Yay! I like this stuff.
ENGL 105A 20th Cent Lit in Engl 1900-45 --> Good GRAVY I love 20th cent. literature (that is NOT sarcasm)
PSYCH 101 Introductory Psychology --> eehh, maybe meet some nice people here? maybe?
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology --> GROOAAANNNN

I will divulge schedule and class number info once it is firmed up later.

Residence wise, I am living in a suite style setting, hopefully in the layout below;



This means I have to live with people *sigh* oh well, new friends right?? ehh
Naw, I'm sure it will be great.

Depending on my exact room location, my mailing address will be;

Evan RC MacKinnon
*The suite number I receive*
108 OR 159
Seagram Dr
Waterloo Ontario Canada
N2L 3B9 OR N2L 3E8

Confusing right? Here's a Google Maps View

Plus side of this residence, it is closer to the second cup...fuck starbucks.

As for other university details...

I don't have an email yet, but I feel it will be somewhere along the lines of ercmacki @ uwaterloo . ca --> that again is just a guess.

I've been to Waterloo, and it's an alright place. In fact, I went with El Sebai in May, and took some photos, I'll leave you now with some of those. Enjoy!

-evan

Trebuchets!

Somebody's probably been wondering where I've been, and what I've been doing.

Filmmaking is hard once you have things to do in your life.

In the meantime, there are neat videos about pyrotechnic equipped trebuchets!

enjoy



-ev

The Twitter Experience

So I've been using Twitter (or "Twittering" or "tweeting" accorded to the infatuated community) for roughly a month now. I thought I'd take a break from my homework (which I've delayed for way too long) and talk for a minute about one of the most popular social websites EVER.

I decided to use Twitter back in February. Frankly, I was bored and procrastinating -- and needed something to do during long geography classes. You see, these days -- teachers could care less if you are pounding out a few text messages, or browsing the web on your phone (at least at my school) They know that if your sitting there distracting yourself, you either know everything their talking about, or you are completely screwing yourself over. Now there are a few exceptions.

Moving along, Twitter has proved to be useful for the following reasons;

a) To look busy when I come across someone in the hallway that I don't necessarily want to chat with.

b) For handy-dandy "note-to-self" reminders, usually about homework.

c)To make sarcastic, satirical, and sometimes insulting comments about the classroom or work.

Twitter also does well as a home screen. You see, I read a lot. I am off of novels at the moment because of school -- but when I'm on the computer, it's all I do! When I get home and turn on the computer, it's nice to see a quick feed of some posts made by my favourite blogs. Currently, I have the New York Times, Engadget, Uncrate, and Gadling (among others) I usually start with the most recent post, and then browse the articles in each one after that. Sounds confusing? I know, I'm a confusing person.

In regards to EHDT Studios;

I've yet to notice any sort of promotion or positive feedback from using Twitter in conjunction with my website. I chose to do it this way as to not look like a complete yuppie-hipster type person.

In regards to EHDT Studios;
I've yet to notice any sort of promotion or positive feedback from using Twitter in conjunction with my website. I chose to do it with the site as to not look like a complete yuppie-hipster type person -- now I look like an established professional! Now it may be that I receive no feedback simply because nobody reads my blog...
But why would I think that...

Wait, my dad reads my blog, he said something about Twitter.

Thanks man!

So in reality, Twitter is kind of useless to me. That is unless someone can justify actually needing to do the things I listed above. Please, someone justify them -- I'm begging you! However, I think I'll continue to use it. I'm in no way addicted. In fact, I think it's repulsing me. Yet, I feel that one day, someone might just take a look back through my updates and get a kick out of the shit I say -- and that's alright.

So if you're a prospective Twitter user -- do it. I'm sure you'll have much more fun than I will. Twitter is free, and sometimes private.
If you do get an account, follow me (sounds stalker-ish) -- and maybe we'll be friends.*

*highly unlikely

The nike+ Experience

Above you'll see my latest run on the Nike+ system. What's that you ask? Nike+ is a collaborative project between Apple and Nike to synchronize music with running. Basically, if you have a pair of Nike shoes, and an iPod nano (or touch) you're set. For $39 (CDN) you can grab the Nike + iPod Spot Kit from just about anywhere iPods or Nikes are sold. In brief, it tracks your run with a sensor in your shoe. Information is sent between the iPod and the sensor to determine things like distance and calorie burn. On top of this, it gives you voice readout of your performance amid your tunes. You can program in a 'power song' when you need a boost. Once you're done your run, you can sync it with your Nike+ account where there is a smorgasbord of things to do with the information. You can track your performance over a period of time, create a workout routine, set goals, and challenge people from around the world. It really is the running experience for the 21st century. I've been using the system for about two weeks now. I'm just getting back into regular running this month -- and so far, the Nike+ system has been astounding motivation. Just thinking about being able to know how my performance is going is exciting. I've always had the problem of there being no incentive to running. Now with the Nike+ I can set goals outside of my mind -- and I can physically see how I'm doing. Not to mention, I've made a few sweet playlists to go along with my runs!

Todays run was supposed to be a light pace. However, for some reason, I felt like pushing myself. Maybe it was that extra Nike+ motivation?

Anyways, I did a 1.71km warmup. For some reason, my sensor wasn't responding to the iPod for that part. I must stress that this isn't a defect, but rather human error. The entire run with warmup lasted just under 25 minutes. After the warmup I ran a brisk 4.10km around the neighborhood. For that period, I averaged a hearty 4:10 minutes per kilometer. I'm really happy with that considering I haven't run in ages. Back before high-school I was borderline 18:59 for a 5km. Those were the glory days. So it's good to see I've still got the knack!

I've got quite a good setup going here. I have a 2nd gen. iPod Touch which I secure with a Belkin Sport Armband . Having the armband is essential for running as it is totally unnoticeable. One nice feature about the armband is that it is completely washable, and has a neat little pocket for a key. It fits right against my arm with very little bulk. Something cool with the Nike+ software on the iPod is that you can set it to view in landscape mode while on the lock screen, making it easily legible from your arm.

I'm running on a pair of Nike Air Pegasus'. They are a solid pair of shoes with a classic Nike fit. I used to spend hundreds of dollars on Pearl Izumis, and Saucony shoes when I was competing, however I found that there was never really a difference for me. I'm not a huge pronator, and these shoes are neutral, so they work really well. The sensor goes in the left shoe sole. It is sort of noticeable at first, but the lump goes away almost instantly with running. For the price I paid, these shoes are excellent for road running. I probably would recommend some more support for trails.

There are a load of settings you can tinker with on the iPod. The first thing that you MUST do is calibrate the system. After entering your gender and weight, you're going to want to run a set distance. I ran 400m -- and I made sure I ran exactly 400m to calibrate it perfectly. You can do this easily by mapping out a path on google earth, and starting your run at that path.

Once you have it calibrated, you're ready to run. You will want to enter a 'power song' for when you need the extra motivation. I chose a heavy techno song, a lot of folks like eye of the tiger.

Running is easy. When you start the workout, it must sync with the sensor first. Walking around in a circle will achieve this. During your run, you get some feedback on your progress. I've chosen the male voice, because the woman sounds really angry at me sometimes :( He basically gives you a time, distance, or calorie summary -- depending on the workout you've chosen. When you near the end of your workout, updates get more frequent, giving you that extra push for the end. It's cool!

One thing I'm not sure about with the system is stairs. I incorporate a lot of stair workouts in my runs so I can kill ALL my leg muscles at the same time. I've yet to determine whether the system correctly reads stair distance or not. I doubt it does, so I usually pause the workout for stairs.

So far, I'm pretty crazy about the Nike+ system. It actually has me running and feeling good about it! I have no complaints at all and I'd definitely recommend this to any avid runner, regardless of their skill level. Even the pros could benefit from this set-up.

If you'd like to track my progress, take a look at this link There you can find all my workouts and goals. It's really neat!

What the iPhone really needs right now...

I recently picked up a second generation iPod Touch and couldn't help but feel frustrated with managing all my applications. Apple has done a lot of work with developers to produce a myriad of outstanding apps -- however they seem to have over looked how to organize them. Currently, you have the option of dragging around the icons on the device. However the obstacle with this is that when you move one app, it replaces and displaces another.
Browsing TUAW today, I found a great video demonstrating an application management tool for iTunes. I think this is a great idea. It shows the ability to move multiple apps, create layouts, and lock icons. I could really use this!

Check out the video above and the full article at TUAW

Yeah, we're on Twitter too...

I hate to say I'm jumping the bandwagon - but I am. Hey, I can't let the Internet revolution pass me by right?
I'm giving the Twitter thing a try because I'm interested in connecting with some other groups like EHDT. And I hear it's freaking addicting - we all need a vice eh?
So the Twitter page is named respectively, found here;
http://twitter.com/ehdtstudios
I guess it will be for anyone desperately interested in my (Evan) daily doings, if that's interesting at all.
I'm sure we'll hear about EHDT in there somewhere :D
Micro-Update:
We took heat from the most recent post. Apparently it's a wee bit too intrusive and 'attackish' for the subjects in question. My response? It's simple;
This is my website. That was my article. I have all the rights to my work. This is my creative outlet.
On a lighter note...
No, we're not dead. Exams were a few weeks ago - and as you might guess - it was absolute chaos. Sorry. Yet, rest assured. Mohamed and I are developing the film festival finale sure to knock your socks of. Patience is a virtue.
I leave you with a quote I recently discovered. I love it.

"Anyone who tells a lie has not a pure heart, and cannot make a good soup."
-Ludwig Van Beethoven

Books, Backpacks, and No Brains.

Students of Westdale, I come to you with a problem. Rest, this is not another ubiquitous qualm with the luxuries of our fine institution; the smoking, the drinking fountains, and worst of all, the smell in the male bathrooms. No, I come to you, my beloved students with the most atrocious dilemma to strike Westdale since the departure of the great Stella.
 Westdale, take a look at our library. A precious cornucopia of knowledge, managed and maintained by none other than Westdale’s finest scholars. Open for the taking, free of charge. Oh Westdale we are a privileged bunch. Why, right about now, I could waltz down to the friendly corridor and pass through the great arches of anti theft to seize myself a copy of the famed style guide, write an essay, or grab a catnap in a stall. It is a marvelous life here at Westdale. Let me just grab my bag and go there n…
 Right, I have almost overlooked the most gripping facet of the Westdale library. Backpacks of all things are not to accompany a student to the library at any time. Yes, you are hearing this right. Your dearest knapsacks, duffles, rucksacks, and satchels must stay in your locker or classroom. This procedure was initiated to prevent the mysterious and notorious larceny of school property, mainly books. You see, if an unscrupulous student is tempted to steal some fine literature, they can’t just stroll out with it under their arm. No, that is exactly what backpacks were fashioned for! They will just plop it inside their bag, out of site, and be gone. So logically speaking, if we remove backpacks from the suspect thieves, we will cut down on book theft. 
 I certainly agree that this would work in a perfect world. However, we must remember that our school is not full of burglars looking to get their hands on a crumby atlas or two. No, we are a fantastic band of intellectuals who sometimes make mistakes. Oh my brothers, I have ensconced myself many a time in that library. I have heard the putrid shriek of the turnstiles when they recognize a fraudulent book. Students, let me tell you — and I will be completely honest here — one hundred percent of the time I have heard that alarm, it has been because a student has misplaced a book in their bag. The student will apologize, check their book, and be on their way. 
 I can see where the library staff obtain their speculations. If I worked in a library, and I noticed people getting caught with books in their bags, I would realize that as the source of the problem as-well. However I am not a librarian. I am a student — and I feel that the student body is being slandered as a circle of seething kleptomaniacs! 
 We go to a school — and thanks to our lovely government, we are still required to ship around our cumbersome, and curiously hefty textbooks. Not to mention our binders filled with paper, scientific calculators, novels, and if you are in grade nine geography, a neat set of 24 coloured pencils. It is tough enough to drag those articles around our ginormous school — but now we have to mash them in our diminutive lockers, and juggle what we need to the library. In my humble opinion, that is just damned inconvenient. I need my learning tools to accomplish tasks on my library time! Not to mention, I am not leaving my laptop and other valuables in my vulnerable to theft locker. Let’s be rational here — are students seriously going to steal books that we can borrow for free? In addition, what’s with the very expensive and high tech machinery put in place to alert upon detection? Shouldn’t that be sufficient to suppress book theft? It is also frustrating to see the infamous TNA or Lululemon bags scattered amongst the library. I will not dabble too far in that pond, but shouldn’t this rule extend to all bags. Those large totes could carry off hundreds of dollars in books, while my measly backpack could fit maybe five books. 
 I think I speak on behalf of the student body of Westdale when I say that the backpack rule needs to be abolished. We are not thieves. We accept policy–but argue the unnecessary. Students have enough trouble as it is — don’t give us another reason to be grumpy.

Multilinguality is the key to success!

Two days ago we filmed a french project with Warner, Chelsea, Sam, and Amelia about Jean Tarrou. It took a while to edit this one because of it's unique silent film effect.

Music was the easiest however, from my personal collection. Some thematic melodies that I think really set the tone and mood.

Possible entry in this years film festival!

enjoy!

And Another One, this time, it's personal.

The long awaited, highly anticipated recut of the paper planes video. This time featuring more Patrick!

enjoy!

(widescreen and HD version on youtube)

Wind Farms

Here's a quickie I did from a nice scenic video I took in France. Nothing special here, I just really like the colour, and the vast fields of alternative energy bliss.

Music is Yann Tiersen.

There is an HD version available on the youtube. Pretty impressive!

Thanks!