Archive | From the Drainpipe RSS feed for this section
Graffiti Mural Time-Lapse in Victoria
I recognize this wall from a visit to Victoria last September. At the end of the video, the camera pans the wall and you can see a face by the KWOTA crew on the side of the building. That tipped me off that it’s near Douglas and Bay St. There used to be circus themed [...]
Continue reading...Can Farm Animal Pasta be Vegan?
25. January 2012
Friends who know about my intolerance to gluten (and my love of irony) brought over a box of gluten free Farm Animals Rice & Corn Vegetable Pasta which is a vegan product. But is it really vegan? Once you cook it up and put it in a bowl, aren’t you eating animals? And how do [...]
Continue reading...Box of Books
17. January 2012
While walking my dog, I passed a box of books by the curbside. As is my habit, I paused to scan the titles and three caught my attention, not because I want to read them, but because my heart goes out to anyone who needs to. All three concern bereavement for the death of an [...]
Continue reading...My Neighbour’s Christmas Tree
16. January 2012
Early last year, I had posted a photo of a neighbour’s lawn done with astro turf. The grass is indeed greener on the other side of the fence, even in winter. However, he has put out a real Christmas tree for the chipper this year. I would have thought a man who has an astro [...]
Continue reading...Writing advice from Bo Catlett (Elmore Leonard)
11. January 2012
Almost two years ago, The Guardian published 10 Rules of Writing from Elmore Leonard. Leonard is famous for his allergy to adverbs and his advice in The Guardian includes the usual harangue. But Leonard goes further and issues a fatwa against the word “suddenly” and against adverbs that specifically modify dialogue words like “said”. Being [...]
Continue reading...Annual Literary Housekeeping
3. January 2012
Every year begins with certain literary rituals. The first is to pay homage to Public Domain Day – the acknowledgment of literary works which have passed into the Public Domain and therefore are no longer subject to copyright law. Because copyright terms vary from country to country, one must be careful. In the U.S., for [...]
Continue reading...The Vox – Kobo Launches a Tablet eReader
7. November 2011
A year and a half ago, Toronto-based Kobo launched a bare bones eReader to give its biggest competitor, Amazon, a run for its money. It was a decent offering supported by a decent library (2.2 million titles and counting) especially when you consider the behemoth it was battling. See my review here. Kobo followed up [...]
Continue reading...You Can Observe A Lot Just By Watching
18. October 2011
I observed this sign on the wall beside the door at 457 Bathurst St., Toronto. The location looks to be abandoned or at least between tenant/owners. In that tautological Yogi Berra sort of way, these are words to live by. Now pay attention!
Continue reading...Occupy Toronto – Day One
15. October 2011
So it begins. The Occupy Movement rolls into Toronto. I couldn’t get to the kick off in the financial district, but went to St. James Park in the early afternoon. Below are a few photos and comments. You can view more photos on my flickr space. Early on, I saw a sign I liked: “Let [...]
Continue reading...RIP Steve Jobs
6. October 2011
At the news of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ death, I pulled out my very first Mac and held an interment ceremony. This is one of the original 128k RAM Macs. No hard drive. It boots from a 3.5 inch floppy disc. I bought it in 1984 after I saw one at a trade show. I [...]
Continue reading...Dollhouse – New Novel from Kardashian Sisters
15. August 2011
The Kardashian sisters, whose sole claim to fame is that they are famous, can now claim novel-writing as another of their accomplishments. Dollhouse will be coming out in November under the Harpercollins William Morrow imprint. In an unrelated story, the big six publishers have agreed to stop ridiculing writers who choose to self-publish or to [...]
Continue reading...Moby’s Dick
28. July 2011
Moby Dick is one of those classics everyone knows but few have ever read. We know it because it has given us iconic images that have sunk to the rock bottom of our culture: the whale; the whiteness of the whale; Ahab’s rage; Queequeg worshiping before his idol; and the opening line: “Call me Ishmael.” [...]
Continue reading...Doug Ford Discovers Book
27. July 2011
Toronto City Councillor, Doug Ford, has found himself in a battle of wits with local area resident, Margaret Atwood, who has mounted considerable opposition to his efforts to close branches of the Toronto Public Libraries. When he first opened his mouth (always a dangerous move on his part), he claimed not to know Atwood. He [...]
Continue reading...Marshall McLuhan Centenary
22. July 2011
To mark the Marshall McLuhan centenary (a day late), I offer a photo I took on Wednesday (a day early). It’s a sign on the U. of T. campus and reads: “Faculty of Law – McLuhan Program In Culture & Technology (Rear)”. What is a Program In Culture & Technology (Rear)? What does this sign [...]
Continue reading...Michel Foucault discovered leather SM in Toronto
5. July 2011
Yes, you read that rightly. The famous French philosopher, Michel Foucault, had his introduction to leather SM in Toronto. He discovered bathhouses here too. I learned these two historical tidbits from Edward Shorter’s Written in the Flesh: A History of Desire, which I reviewed here. On page 187, Shorter writes: Parisian philosopher Michel Foucault, who [...]
Continue reading...New eFiction from David Allan Barker
Hogtown is my gift to the Occupy Movement. Download from Smashwords for free.
Sex With Dead People is an ebook collection of short stories. Download from Smashwords for free.
The Land is an enovel. Preview here or buy for your favourite ereader. Also available as an audiobook.
From The Gallery
Social Links
25. January 2012
0 Comments