emuu.net

turning your (webserver's) frowns into smiles

31 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Here's a trick I found suggested in a comment on a site explaining the configuration of some web server software.

a break from the heat

30 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Finally we've had a break from the heat. I don't know how long it will last, but for the past two days I've worked w/o AC.

our first hacker

30 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Our website was taken offline by a hacker for about three hours this morning.

configuring nginx on joyent

30 Jul 2010 21:38:16 +0700

Joyent is a leading web hosting company that's great for rails/ruby-based sites. We use nginx as a front end on our Joyent node. Here's how.

using actionmailer via SSL with joyent

27 Jul 2010 00:38:17 +0700

How to use actionmailer in your ruby app from your (OSX) Mac with Joyent when your ISP blocks port 25. Yes, a techie how-to.

f'n weather

24 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Canadians like to complain about the weather. "F'n weather" is practically a greeting in my country.

sleeping in the living room

21 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Our bedroom has no air conditioner. Which is a problem, now that it's hitting 35ºC.

lapsed

21 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

First came the realization that I could no longer drink like I once could. That I could live with.

hot little fish

20 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

The weather's been uncomfortably hot lately, and one unforeseen problem is that our aquarium is overheating.

street photographers in Tokyo

20 Jul 2010 01:50:06 +0700

This is a city for street photographers. Huge, endlessly fascinating, and populated by encouraging citizens.

five years in Tokyo

18 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Today marks the fifth anniversary of my original arrival in Tokyo.

man ray

17 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Today, Joon and I went to the Man Ray exhibit at the National Art Centre.

an interesting development

16 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

In reaction to my putting my photo book up on this site, I've been asked to help out with a video shoot about the streets of Tokyo.

Edonism

16 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Last night I went to the premiere screening of the movie Edonism.

the photo book is shipping

15 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Yay, a copy of my photo book has shipped. A few million more, and it'll have paid for the ads!

selling ethical diamonds in Japan

15 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

As our intern Koki put it, "It seems that usual Japanese do not really know or care about diamond issues."

streets without names

14 Jul 2010 02:54:27 +0700

This is my book of street photography from Tokyo. An eighty-page distillation of ten thousand photos taken from the nameless streets of the world's largest city.

a tool for learning Japanese vocabulary

14 Jul 2010 02:55:10 +0700

I've made a tool for learning Japanese vocabulary. I'd like to improve upon it and maybe make it public, so I thought I'd share this description. Comments anyone?

petition for change in the Kimberley Process

14 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

I've come across a petition for change in the Kimberley Process. The "KP" is the body that's *supposed to* monitor diamond ethics.

ethics in the diamond jewelry business (part three)

13 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

I've finished the trio of articles on ethics in the diamond jewelry business. It explains our stance on the ethics of diamonds.

ethical fashion

13 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

As indicated in the small series of articles I've posted on the subject, I've found "ethical fashion" a tough nut to crack.

get your Japanese idiom and slang....

12 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

The website I use for translations isn't downright insane but it sure is given to certain quirks.

advertising on them Internets there

10 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Internet advertising. I'm of deeply mixed feelings about this.

Sundays is for voting

10 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Like some European countries, Japan confines voting in its federal elections to Sundays. I approve.

happy Tanabata

07 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Today is the Japanese star festival, tanabata.

photos from Hakkeijima Sea Paradise

06 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

A couple of weeks ago, some free tickets from Jon and Manami-san got us into the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium down in/near Yokohama.

the day starts with death

05 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Kenny and I stopped to feed the fish on the way to the day care this morning. When I got back, a Rummy-Nosed Tetra was dead.

the next step -- investors!

05 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Been doing some interesting work this week. We're looking for investors.

jewelry retail and the iPad (or Apple, what have you done)

02 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

I came to some conclusions about the iPad via an odd source. An analysis of marketing spend by online jewelry companies.

turning Anglophone I really think so

01 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Today I read that Japan's Fast Retailing is switching their internal business language to English.

another bike collision

01 Jul 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Today I was in a bike accident, again. This time I hit a pedestrian.

location based services

27 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

While studying modern marketing developments, I've come across nothing as bizarre as "location based" shopping.

inflation, debt, and general madness

26 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

This morning during a conversation with my mother I explained my upcoming quest for investors in our business. It led to some surprises.

a Brock Univerity professor is going to prison

22 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

One of my University professors is now in prison on a child pornography conviction. Another proud moment for Brock University.

an eyesore falls

18 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

They're tearing down an eyesore in my neighbourhood. I don't know how long it's stood, but it's finally done.

investor proposal nears readiness

18 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Today I completed a draft of an investor proposal.

burger king is inspirational

17 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Burger King is back in business in Japan. I'm not sure how many times they've failed to make a go of it here, but they're not quitting.

an interview with the media

16 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

We had our first interview with the media today regarding our little business.

西 revisited

15 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

The hilarity of learning kanji!

cycling through gotanda

15 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

While cycling to my barber's shop today, I heard the honking of a horn from a car behind me. Looking back I saw a small truck bearing down on me.

my Japanese vocabulary is uneven (千羽鶴)

14 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

I find that my Japanese vocabulary is heavily focused around three things. Children, casual (pub) chat, and certain jewelry phrases.

weird way of getting language exposure

12 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

It turns out that studying Japanese has helped me learn to read Italian. Or at least Italian police reports.

luxury sales in Japan

11 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

According to this article by Reuters journalist Isabel Reynolds, luxury goods sales fell by ten percent in 2009.

a town in the news

10 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

A small town in Canada is making the news due to the suspicious purchase of a lot of ammonia nitrate. I know that town well.

the iPad in Japan

09 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

I'm not so sure that the iPad's going to be a hit here in Japan.

Japanese yardbird

08 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

In English, the (outdated?) term "yard bird" means a prisoner. In Japanese, it means chicken, sort of.

our start-up is unfolding

07 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Last week was an interesting one for our little start-up.

yelling at crows (part three)

07 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

The deed is done, the crows are gone. The city of Shinagawa moves quickly when it can!

new journal trick

05 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

I've modernized the way that URL's work on my journal.

Nanaimo syndrome

02 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

At the bank again today (been there three days this week), when I once again ran into The Nanaimo Syndrome.

imageshack and emuu.net

01 Jun 2010 08:08:00 +0900

ImageShack looks like a bad idea. So I've disabled the use of their toolbar on my website.

how we built a business in japan

31 May 2010 21:54:57 +0700

My partner and I made an online engagement ring business. We're two foreigners operating in a country where business development is notoriously difficult.

banking error, Japan style

31 May 2010 08:08:00 +0900

Being illiterate sucks. I went to the bank today to pay some bills. I spent ninety minutes at it and .. failed.

résumé for michael werneburg

13 May 2010 03:45:34 +0700

My working career, spanning back to 1994.

how I got kicked out of Japan

11 Mar 2010 01:26:13 +0700

When I first came to Japan, I let my employer take care of the paperwork, just as many of my colleagues had done. Big mistake.

how to photograph diamond jewelry

04 Feb 2010 04:09:22 +0700

I've learned a fair bit about producing photos of diamond jewelry in the past year. This is the result.

luck (and bird shit)

02 Feb 2010 09:23:03 +0700

One of my beliefs is that everything in life is attributable in some (large) respect to luck. Don't believe me? I have everything for which a man could want, and I'm not terribly gifted.

a proposed anti-spam routine for websites

29 Jan 2010 00:39:55 +0700

I've invented a routine for preventing spam to a website's comments field. It does so without those annoying and feeble 'captcha' routines, and without the need for login.

recommended photographers

26 Jan 2010 00:15:16 +0700

Some photographers I recommend.

toilets of the world

25 Jan 2010 09:13:09 +0700

I've encountered some notable toilets in my travels.

australian: a guide for english-speakers

23 Jan 2010 00:00:17 +0700

The Australian language explained for English-speakers

emuu.net copyright

17 Jan 2010 05:59:48 +0700

This is the copyright statement for all text and photos found on this website.

a difficult name

15 Jan 2010 08:11:24 +0700

My last name is German in origin, and most English speakers (and spellers!) can't get it right.

adjusting to life in Japan

04 Jan 2010 14:08:34 +0700

Adjusting to life in Japan seems to be taking me longer than I'd imagined.

business quotes

01 Jan 2010 04:57:05 +0700

This is a handful of instructional and motivational quotes I'm putting together. As I'm building a business, I find that I need these.

the nameless decade

23 Dec 2009 02:42:17 +0700

So the nameless decade is over. I had some good times despite, well, everything.

what's new?

02 Dec 2009 06:10:35 +0700

A guide to the newest content on the site. This covers journal entries, articles, and photo collections.

emuu.net tools

02 Dec 2009 06:23:09 +0700

Tools for enjoying this website, including search, a site map, subscriptions, and guidance on using content for your own projects.

subscribing to emuu.net

02 Dec 2009 06:25:47 +0700

Get updates from this website through RSS or email.

site search

02 Dec 2009 06:27:08 +0700

Search emuu.net with this simple Google query.

about me

27 Nov 2009 02:27:58 +0700

This is me: father, novelist, photographer and IT nerd.

places I want to visit

31 Oct 2009 02:51:42 +0700

These are the places I want to visit, and why.

obtaining a visa for China (from Tokyo)

19 Oct 2009 14:25:34 +0700

Hey expat living in Japan: planning a trip to China? You need a visa.

owning a Mac computer

05 Sep 2009 05:04:41 +0700

I finally bought a Mac this summer. Why not, I've already tried just about everything else. Here's what I think after two months of use.

チリ　コン　カルネ　レシピ

09 Aug 2009 12:46:44 +0700

私の　おかさんの　レシピ　です。

私の　さいしょ　日本語の　ページ　です。

collections

07 Aug 2009 12:54:05 +0700

These are some collections I've put together over time. None of these are things I've created, they're more like the interesting pebbles you find on a hike.

photography

23 Jul 2009 00:33:02 +0700

my photos!

withholding tax in Japan

21 Jul 2009 04:56:27 +0700

The basic breakdown on when to pay withholding tax in Japan.

review: Pentax *istDS

09 Jun 2009 13:30:53 +0700

A review of the Pentax *istDS digital SLR camera. A sturdy workhorse that mixes good image quality and standard features.

on juggling and Buddhism

28 Mar 2009 10:17:23 +0700

Juggling is a Buddhist endeavour. The trick is not so much in throwing the balls or in catching them or even in the timing.

The trick is letting go.

photography tale: the Japanese woodsman

27 Mar 2009 14:56:08 +0700

How to win friends and influence people in Japan. Or: when a Japanese woodsman doesn't want you photographing him at work.

lego ambulance kit design

25 Mar 2009 06:58:26 +0700

I have made a lego kit for an ambulance.

lego space craft: fighter-bomber

25 Mar 2009 07:15:59 +0700

A lego set modelling a fighter-bomber space craft.

lego space craft: explorer model C

25 Mar 2009 07:18:05 +0700

This is a lego model space craft. It's a design intended for exploration and scientific discovery. Like Star Trek without all of the mindless philosophy.

lego space craft: explorer model F

25 Mar 2009 07:18:33 +0700

This is a LEGO model of a small exploration vessel. It has a crew of two robots.

photo scavenger hunt

21 Mar 2009 11:36:10 +0700

Here's a little photographic project you can try.

travel

13 Mar 2009 15:03:39 +0700

Stories about my travels, and tips for travelers.

foods

13 Mar 2009 15:06:30 +0700

Foods I've encountered while travelling

travel adventures

13 Mar 2009 15:09:04 +0700

Adventures in travel.

doing business in Japan

05 Mar 2009 06:44:09 +0700

Interested in starting your own business? It's not what you might expect.

creating a business in Japan

05 Mar 2009 06:47:44 +0700

Things to watch out for when starting a business in Japan.

types of business in Japan

05 Mar 2009 08:14:11 +0700

There are a bewildering variety of forms of business in Japan. They have different purposes and different restrictions worth knowing.

how to create a business in japan

05 Mar 2009 08:36:40 +0700

Some very brief words on creating a business in Japan.

review: Olympus 35DC

04 Mar 2009 09:29:34 +0700

My review of the Olympus 35DC, an excellent little rangefinder that produces great work (and now costs a song!).

reviews

03 Mar 2009 11:45:49 +0700

Reviews of books and movies, stretching back to '97.

opinion: the IT field

03 Mar 2009 11:47:55 +0700

I've spent nearly fourteen years in the IT field, so far. I've seen a lot of bizarre and surprising things over the years.

review: Minolta XD / XD-11

28 Feb 2009 01:29:24 +0700

The Minolta XD was perhaps Minolta's finest hour as a manufacturer. This is a camera that is a joy to use, and yields remarkable results.

adventures

28 Feb 2009 02:06:54 +0700

The adventures of a middle-aged Canadian would-be novelist living in Tokyo.

advice on photo equipment

21 Feb 2009 13:27:19 +0700

When it comes to photographic equipment, I believe that less is most definitely more. They key is to find the level of equipment that you can afford, but which doesn't hold you back.

review: Minolta X-700 camera

21 Feb 2009 13:39:19 +0700

A short review of the Minolta X-700, the SLR with which I learned a lot about photography. It's a well-built, well-designed model -- don't let the plastic exterior fool you.

camera leather

21 Feb 2009 14:21:06 +0700

Sometimes the leather on old cameras gets worn, or starts to peel. It's happened to a couple of my cameras. The perfect opportunity to have the thing recovered!

camera reviews

21 Feb 2009 14:22:00 +0700

Reviews of the cameras I've used extensively. Makes include Minolta, Pentax and Olympus.

advice for my son

07 Feb 2009 01:04:34 +0700

This is advice written for my son. He's only little as I start this (five months and change), but a the rate I write, I figure by the time I've got a worthwhile collection together, he'll

software licensing

28 Jan 2009 11:53:47 +0700

There's a problem with software licensing as currently practiced by many firms. It puts the buyers off of actually paying for the software.

my lego designs (and sets!)

09 Jan 2009 06:33:36 +0700

I've designed some LEGO sets using the LEGO Digital Designer. I've built these pages to share them with the world.

a putrid stink

01 Dec 2008 02:54:29 +0700

The clear air of a mountain pass is the last place you'd expect to be dunked into a strangling, gagging miasma.

the saddest thing

14 Nov 2008 05:09:34 +0700

Once upon a time I witnessed the separation of a young duckling from its mother.

photography tale: rock climbing

22 Oct 2008 21:59:24 +0700

When I was just starting out with SLR photography, I went on a weekend rock-climbing jaunt in the Rockies with some friends. Guess who hadn't yet learned to load his film?

photography tale: don't take that photo

22 Oct 2008 21:59:38 +0700

Once upon a time, a bootlegger prevented me from taking a photo of his operation during a black-out.

avoid plastic bags

23 Sep 2008 00:53:15 +0700

Advice for my son on avoiding the worst of personal impact on the Earth.

creationism versus evolution

22 Sep 2008 05:31:52 +0700

Once again, the debate of creationism versus the theory of evolution seems to be in vogue. My advice: live and let live.

mathematics

17 Sep 2008 04:16:51 +0700

Mathematics seems to pop up wherever anyone tries to seriously explain something about the world. I've found some really mind-blowing stuff out there on the nature of reality and the mathem

photography tale: Queensland estuary

17 Sep 2008 06:12:58 +0700

When photographing crocodiles, you're hunting for a good photo. They're hunting, too.

part two: the suburbs

17 Sep 2008 09:22:03 +0700

The first eight years of my life were spent on a farm. The next eleven were spent in the suburbs of two different towns.

adventures in photography

17 Sep 2008 09:23:16 +0700

I've had a few adventures while out making photos.

adventures in photography: tressel bridge

17 Sep 2008 09:24:23 +0700

Once upon a time I did something mildly daft while on a photo hike. I decided to cross a tressel bridge that spanned a broad valley, including both a river and two busy six-line highways.

autobiography part one: the farm

15 Sep 2008 08:10:15 +0700

I spent the early years of my life on a farm in southern Ontario. Ramblings ensue.

the end of consumerism

06 Jul 2008 00:32:07 +0700

Consumerism is a lifestyle predicated on outdated notions: limitless growth, cheap manufacturing, and disposable income. Now that those illusions are done, consumerism too must fall.

spending

06 Jul 2008 01:20:50 +0700

Advice for my young son on how to spend his money.

civilization add-ons

06 Jul 2008 02:15:09 +0700

Here's where I got really over the top. I made my own rules for the game, modify its behaviour and adding a number of new resources. Hey, the designers forgot salt and copper!

foods of the world

06 Jul 2008 02:16:03 +0700

The world is full of delicious dishes to try. I say, get out there and get to it. Except for shark's fin soup, I can't condone that.

information technology articles

06 Jul 2008 02:18:36 +0700

These are some articles I've written based on my experience within the information technology field.

hardening UNIX

06 Jul 2008 02:30:28 +0700

Well over ten years ago, I wrote this humble article on hardening UNIX (specifically, Solaris). It's been a perennial favourite ever since, so I've kept it around.

locked on the balcony

05 Jul 2008 02:40:32 +0700

While trying to do chores I managed to lock myself on my balcony.

swimming with dolphins

05 Jul 2008 03:02:27 +0700

If you ever get the chance to swim with dolphins, do it.

Japanese toilets

05 Jul 2008 04:16:50 +0700

And then there are Japanese toilets....

sleepless in Berlin

05 Jul 2008 04:17:11 +0700

One day my friend Kamil and I managed to screw up all of our travel plans. It took bad planning, bad luck and impatience, but we had all three in spades.

critters of the world

05 Jul 2008 04:17:31 +0700

Here are some of my encounters with the world's biosphere.

lego!

05 Jul 2008 05:00:28 +0700

Ramblings about LEGO, and links to the instructions for the sets I've got.

inspiration

05 Jul 2008 05:02:30 +0700

These were my inspirations in writing a novel.

terrain evolution simulator

05 Jul 2008 05:15:55 +0700

In my final year of University, I wrote a routine that models the evolution of a terrain due to water erosion. Here's the code. I'm so old that this was written for DOS!

predictions

05 Jul 2008 14:21:25 +0700

These are my predictions for the (remainder of) the 21st Century, written from the point of eight weary years into the thing.

civilization, the game

03 Jul 2008 07:30:54 +0700

I spent a lot more time than I'd care to admit playing the PC game Civilization and its many sequels.

civilization tips

03 Jul 2008 07:43:40 +0700

This is a grab-bag of minor odds and ends, the little tricks I found that help when playing Civ III.

civilization tactics

03 Jul 2008 07:47:39 +0700

I came up with some tactics for Civ III (probably the last person playing that old game!), the nitty-gritty tricks that can make a difference.

civilization strategies

03 Jul 2008 07:48:08 +0700

If any good can come of the long hours I sank into this game, it's that I could write a strategy guide.

Not that anyone's still playing!

the new weekly sermon

03 Jul 2008 07:58:13 +0700

Once upon a time, Western culture was based around the weekly sermon, in which Christian norms were reinforced on a regular basis in a social setting. Now we have something else.

family & friends

03 Jul 2008 08:10:17 +0700

The people I love and the friends in my life.

food production

03 Jul 2008 12:52:35 +0700

We've been taking more from the world's oceans and arable regions than can be replaced. Now we will pay.

transportation

03 Jul 2008 13:15:07 +0700

The automobile is dead. So, too, the jet airliner.

writing my first (complete) novel

03 Jul 2008 13:18:27 +0700

In 1997 I started to think of a novel. In 2000, I started to write. In 2007, the completed manuscript went to my agent....

before this novel

03 Jul 2008 13:20:52 +0700

I've always had an interest in writing. This article details some of my early attempts.

ten years of writing a single story

03 Jul 2008 13:23:42 +0700

A somewhat indulgent telling of the ten years it took me to get a semi-finished book together.

advice on writing a novel

03 Jul 2008 13:25:10 +0700

It took me far too long to get a manuscript together that I could actually show other people. Here's my advice to others so that they may learn from my mistakes.

overcoming caffeine

02 Jul 2008 23:30:35 +0700

I'm now caffeine free. My brain works better, I have more energy, I'm less irritable .. and so are my bowels.

caffeine

02 Jul 2008 23:31:01 +0700

I have some food sensitivities, and caffeine is certainly one of them. This is my tale of caffeine use and addiction.

heaven, hell and finishing your story

02 Jul 2008 03:25:51 +0700

I wonder about odd things; like what if we have to finish all of our unfinished stories when we die?

fiction

02 Jul 2008 03:32:37 +0700

Writing is one of my principle forms of "self expression". I've been writing my own articles and fiction since high school, and have even completed a novel.

managers and executives

02 Jul 2008 03:33:37 +0700

Management is a difficult gig. I've only ever dabbled in it myself, during many long years in IT. But you can see signs of the wear and tear that it places on someone by the bizarre result

my early days in IT

02 Jul 2008 03:34:08 +0700

As with many careers, in IT you start at the bottom.

blue lagoon

02 Jul 2008 03:40:59 +0700

I've been to the blue lagoon in Fiji. I even brought my camera gear. If I'd brought just one more crucial component, I'd have some photos to show!

my Oma's funeral

02 Jul 2008 21:37:01 +0700

I spoke at my Grandfather's funeral, but could not do so at my Oma's funeral.

...with a chainsaw

02 Jul 2008 21:53:16 +0700

My grandfather once sliced open his foot with his chainsaw, and wound up teaching the young doctor how to sew him up.

turning thirty

02 Jul 2008 22:36:12 +0700

And then, quite suddenly, I turned thirty.

turning thirty-six

02 Jul 2008 22:38:01 +0700

Years ago, I wrote on turning 30. Now I'm reached another milestone (mill stone?).

swimming in food

02 Jul 2008 22:46:32 +0700

I saw something strange in the water while walking on a beach in Fiji. So I decided to wade in and see what it was.

swimming with a shark

02 Jul 2008 23:01:56 +0700

I went snorkelling one morning in Fiji and found myself alone with a reef shark. It made quite an impression on a guy who grew up in Alberta.

origins of 'Canuck'

02 Jul 2008 23:10:10 +0700

A reader's question into the origins of the word 'Canuck' got me thinking....

the autoGoogler

02 Jul 2008 23:12:33 +0700

I accidentally invented a way of getting in touch with old friends: mention them on your website and wait for them to Google themselves!

lost friends

02 Jul 2008 23:16:13 +0700

In the course of life's many years, you tend to lose touch with people with whom you were once close. Here's my attempt at reconnecting (which by far predates StalkerB-, er, FaceBook)

health articles

02 Jul 2008 23:29:47 +0700

Everyone has some health issues. As a lifelong sufferer of allergies, migraines and asthma I've decided to share a few of my experiences.

autobiography

30 Jun 2008 22:59:20 +0700

An abbreviated tale of my life to date. (re)Written for the sake of my son, Ken.

travel tips

13 Jun 2008 09:37:40 +0700

Some basic tricks on making more out of your travels.

travel tips for single people

13 Jun 2008 09:45:57 +0700

These are the travel tips I wrote .. before I had a child in my life.

travel tips for dads

13 Jun 2008 10:00:30 +0700

And then there are guys whos travels are now done with one or more children.

support

12 Jun 2008 21:28:49 +0700

Early in my career, I worked on the IT help desk. A thankless and repetitive job, but one occasionally good for a laugh.

early screw-ups

12 Jun 2008 21:29:06 +0700

When I first started in the world of corporate IT, I was fresh from the sticks. Many of the norms of corporate behaviour were alien to me. So was the equipment.

night crawler

12 Jun 2008 21:29:19 +0700

When I 'had to' break into the office.

entitlement

12 Jun 2008 21:29:35 +0700

Sometimes, the only word to describe the behaviour of management is entitlement. That is, the believe that executives are entitled to whatever strikes their fancy.

icebreaker

12 Jun 2008 21:29:49 +0700

Management is a difficult gig. I've only ever dabbled in it myself, during many long years in IT. But you can see signs of the wear and tear that it places on someone by the bizarre result

page this!

12 Jun 2008 21:30:17 +0700

A story in which a pilot in my family chucked his pager out the window, thousands of feet above worldly concerns.

the smuggler

12 Jun 2008 21:32:17 +0700

my grandfather was a smuggler during WWII

inventions

09 Jun 2008 20:46:52 +0700

These are my inventions.

science fiction

09 Jun 2008 20:50:52 +0700

I'm a fan of science fiction, and this is what I have to say on the topic.

sci-fi to avoid

09 Jun 2008 20:53:11 +0700

Not all science fiction is worth reading.

office stories

09 Jun 2008 21:49:29 +0700

Stories from my long and checkered career as an IT drone.

a career in IT

09 Jun 2008 22:33:19 +0700

You'd have to love IT to pursue a career in the field, today. Because a career in IT is a thankless one of only limited duration and scope.

tales of IT woe

09 Jun 2008 23:07:32 +0700

These are stories of IT-specific adventures.

hardware symmetry

09 Jun 2008 23:09:54 +0700

People like symmetry, it's true. Even if it is too late.

the u.p.s.

09 Jun 2008 23:11:37 +0700

When an idea gets in someone's head, it can't always be dislodged.

thieves!

09 Jun 2008 23:14:18 +0700

When thieves descended upon our office....

lego: set 891

18 May 2008 00:49:57 +0700

Instructions for lego set 891.

lego: set 357

18 May 2008 00:53:46 +0700

Instructions for lego set 357

lego: set 6824

18 May 2008 01:16:47 +0700

Instructions for lego set 6824.

lego: set 6825

18 May 2008 01:17:13 +0700

Instructions for lego set 6825.

lego: set 928

18 May 2008 01:20:13 +0700

Instructions for lego set 928

lego: set 8844

18 May 2008 01:29:49 +0700

Instructions for lego set 8844.

lego: set 924

18 May 2008 01:43:56 +0700

Instructions for lego set 924.

lego: set 926

18 May 2008 01:46:09 +0700

Instructions for lego set 926.

lego: set 6861

18 May 2008 01:48:16 +0700

Instructions for lego set 6861.

lego: set 6842

18 May 2008 01:50:30 +0700

Instructions for lego set 6842.

lego: set 6872

18 May 2008 01:51:48 +0700

Instructions for lego set 6872.

lego: set 8845

18 May 2008 02:01:18 +0700

Instructions for lego set 8845.

lego: set 722

18 May 2008 02:04:07 +0700

Instructions for lego set 722.

lego: set 6400/6406

18 May 2008 02:08:33 +0700

Instructions for a small lego set: 6400 & 6406.

lego: set 6851

18 May 2008 02:12:15 +0700

Instructions for LEGO set 6851.

favourite toys & games

17 May 2008 23:38:00 +0700

These days my favourite toys are all cameras. But it wasn't always so.

career adventures

15 May 2008 00:15:08 +0700

My adventures while pursuing a dazzling career in Information Technologies.

living in Australia

15 May 2008 00:18:06 +0700

All about my time living in Australia as a foreigner.

tattoo designs

13 May 2008 22:20:21 +0700

These are my humble tattoo designs. What's amazed me is how many other people have written to tell me they've used one.

tattoo requests

22 Apr 2008 04:47:21 +0700

People send me requests for tattoo designs, which I do not do for good reason (no talent). But I do offer some suggestions

taking better photos

21 Apr 2008 03:53:34 +0700

My thoughts on how to take better photos

personal articles

21 Apr 2008 08:51:29 +0700

A few personal articles.

my grandfather's funeral speech

21 Apr 2008 08:52:27 +0700

This is the text of the speech I gave at my grandfather's funeral, along with some notes for anyone who has a speech of their own to right.

camera gear fallacies

20 Apr 2008 10:14:39 +0700

Photography equipment is a hobby unto itself quite separate from photography. Here are some of the things I've seen people do in the name of this other hobby.

a tale of three SLR cameras

20 Apr 2008 21:52:29 +0700

I spent several years using only one camera. I didn't realize how frustrated I was with my progress until I bought a body with a better light meter....

photo equipment

20 Apr 2008 22:19:08 +0700

A collection of articles on photography equipment.

what I carry and why

20 Apr 2008 22:44:15 +0700

An outline of the gear I carry when pursuing various types of photography .

I am Canadian

26 Mar 2008 13:22:07 +0700

I am Canadian. Here's what I think about that.

family tales

26 Mar 2008 13:24:09 +0700

These are tales from and of my family.

wood carvings

25 Mar 2008 22:42:38 +0700

I've been fiddling about with wood carving for several years. I've only ever made a couple of decent pieces, but I enjoy it as a hobby.

the joy of photography

25 Mar 2008 22:44:51 +0700

Photography is a constant hobby of mine, I usually go about my life with camera in hand. So I've got a couple of things to say about it!

creations

25 Mar 2008 23:19:20 +0700

All of my various creations, from fiction to tattoo designs to wood carvings.

wallet card

24 Mar 2008 13:31:51 +0700

The wallet-card. One of my inventions that everyone else invented, too.

camping lamp

24 Mar 2008 14:03:16 +0700

One of my favourite inventions—a camping lamp that has no weight, but which makes a nice soft glow.

the nature of reality

24 Mar 2008 22:35:04 +0700

I am very wise. I mean I must be, I have a website!

hello, world

21 Mar 2008 03:19:47 +0700

My home page, gateway to madness.

writing

20 Mar 2008 13:14:58 +0700

My adventures in writing.

living in Japan

20 Mar 2008 13:17:26 +0700

It's been an amazing ride. Since arriving in Japan, I've met and married a local, and we now have a son. This is about my time living in Japan as a foreigner.

guide to living in Japan

20 Mar 2008 13:18:08 +0700

A guide to Japan, for residents. Written by someone who's doing it.

adventures in parenting

20 Mar 2008 13:32:36 +0700

When you become a parent, it's like the first volume of your life is closed, and a whole new volume begins.

adventures in living abroad

20 Mar 2008 13:51:31 +0700

I've lived most of my life in Canada, the land of my birth. But I've also lived in Australia, and I currently live in Japan.

photography tale: mountain top and meteorites

20 Mar 2008 21:52:42 +0700

In the Spring of 2002, I joined some friends in photographing a meteorite shower. But we didn't do it half-assed. We did it from a remote mountain-top.

articles

14 Mar 2008 15:10:40 +0700

views and observations by m. werneburg

jobless in Tokyo

31 Jan 2007 08:08:00 +0900

Today I got a call from my boss. He'd missed an email from his boss indicating that my contract was not being renewed!

things are getting serious

07 May 2006 08:08:00 +0900

Things are moving quickly with my girl Mari.

tripped up

20 Apr 2006 08:08:00 +0900

Once again, my naïve nature has caught up with me.

in praise of my girl

10 Mar 2006 08:08:00 +0900

Been thinking about everything that Mari's done for me during the exile crisis.

today I moved to Tokyo!

08 Mar 2006 08:08:00 +0900

I've taken the plunge, and among the newest residents in this city of 30+ million.