First, apt-build. Admit it, the idea of compiling packages optimized for your CPU is appealing. With Debian, it is easy:

[Welcome to "apt-build world"].

Second, cryptoloop. I moved my home directory over to a crypt'ed filesystem using [cryptoloop].

Complexity is something my industry deals with. We write software for machines that execute billions of operations per second, so complexity comes with the territory. We've got so much power to burn, there's an entire industry based on a machine simulator (the JVM).

Many attempts have been launched to deal with the problem by abstracting problems to libraries, and in some cases it helps. Then along comes some coder who needs to whip up some protocol handler and goes crazy integrating every damned library they can get their grubby hands on. JMX. Servlets. EJBs. All for a silly little protocol handler that could just be wrapped up into some simple plain old java objects.

J2EE should be distributed with a license that reads "Warning: Contents might feed featureitis. Seek professional help now." Gah, I'm as guilty as anyone I suppose. I run a heavy desktop and I like it. I've been known to thrash myself into a tangled mess in response to new problems.

Maybe that's why the best is so expensive.

I went to A&B Sound to buy the Bony M Christmas album. We had a copy but lost it somewhere. According to the helpful staff at A&B, the publisher is not providing the album this year!

So I'm downloading it right now from an unnamed bittorrent source. Call me a pirate, but honestly, no Bony M?

So, Edmonton is no longer the goal. Vancouver is my new post-graduation destination!

Goal: Get real-time Canucks coverage. TV and Radio are not an option, so my remaining choices are find an Internet source or go to the local pub.

So I go the Internet route.

• CBC: not an option, as they use Real Media. There is no Real Media player that will work on my Linux system.
• CKNW (Vancouver radio station): Hosts their stream through a 3rd party... the 3rd party uses complex javascript that is not compatible with Mozilla, so I can't even find the URL to the stream
• Canucks.com: Provides a link to "NHL Radio" but that ends up on a Microsoft site. The MS Site embeds the stream URL via an ActiveX control, so again, no dice. If I could only get the stream link, I could get mplayer to play it.

So frustration. I guess I'll wander over to the local pub, maybe I'll even enjoy it.