I just witnessed the longest play in NFL history - a 108 yard missed-field-goal return by the Baltimore Ravens. Wow. Everyone on the field thought the play was over, as the clock ticked down to 0:00 in the first half. Smart play by McAlister. Wow! My mouth is still open, 5 minutes after the play is over!

There is a new TV show called the "Jamie Kennedy Experiment", and it is hilarious. (I say new because tonight was the first time I've seen it. I just discovered it's in its second season.) The basic theme has been done before --- place a hidden camera, throw in an actor acting weird, and watch people's reactions. Like Candid Camera has been doing for 50 years. But this guy, Jamie Kennedy, takes it to a whole new level.

On Candid Camera, the premise isn't that funny but people's reactions generally are, so they play the same joke on 30 people. "The coffee cup starts moving mysteriously... Oooo!"

On this new JKX show, it will take 10 minutes for me to explain the joke they played on ONE person. The episode I saw was hilarious. Not just a chuckle either, this was a good "belly of your stomach" laugh. I hope more people discover this unique show.

Brevity is an art form.

I saw a blind man today, leading an elderly gentleman through the Toronto subway.

Old man: "I don't know where we are supposed to get off."
Blind man: "Don't worry - it's only two stops. First its Wellesley, and then its Bloor."
A few moments later...
Blind man: "We make quite a team, you and I."

I had to laugh - they did make quite a team.

Second episode of Enterprise tonight - can't wait.

The governments of North American and Western European countries should enact a new law. All cars maufactured must meet some minimum fuel efficiency requirements. Period. Let's set the limit at 25 miles per gallon. I don't know how realistic that is, but I think thats reasonable to start.

If you want to buy a car that does not meet that minimum requirement, there is an additional $10,000 tax imposed by the dealership. So baseball players can continue to drive their Ferraris. This money would not just be consumed by the government. The money would be directly transferred to offset the cost of hybrid/electric cars, and the more efficient models. So while every SUV loving city-dweller would pay an extra $10,000, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Average can afford a nice hybrid car for $40,000 off the sticker price. Not a bad deal I say.

And perhaps gasoline taxes should increase for the consumer. We have to find a way of doing this without hurting airlines and truck transport (let's say they're exempt). But Regular Unleaded gas is $1 per gallon more expensive. The money from this would go directly into public transit - so they can buy environmentally friendly buses, increase service, and build more train/subway stations.

Don't get me wrong. I don't hug trees, and I am a city-dwelling SUV driver. But I would pay the $10,000 more up front, plus $1,000 a year for the privelege. And if I don't like it, I can switch to a VW Golf or something.

Scott

I am mildly looking forward to Survivor: Thailand tonight, but not for the reasons the producers might think. For the last couple of Survivor series, I didn't really care who won. The "contest" of Survivor was not so important to me. I will tune in to:
- see Thailand
- see a bunch of Americans starving (i.e.: the survival aspects, hunting your own food, etc.)
- see the social interactions (i.e.: an old Navy Seal becomes best friends with a gay man, Whoo-hoo!)

I will say that I don't like it when it appears "fixed" -- i.e. when the producers obviously don't want some "mean or lazy" alliance to win, so they throw in an unannonced rule change. That's just not fair sportsmanship.

The first episode of Season 2 of "Enterprise" aired tonight. I thought it was excellent - the story proceeded at a brisk pace. One Internet reviewer complained about how easy last season's cliffhanger was resolved, but I didn't mind it at all. In fact, if it took too long to resolve, I'd be complaining how long and/or complex the plot was for what could be a simple solution.

All in all, a 9 out of 10.

You know what, the television coverage of Sept 11 2002 was not so bad. I found myself watching the ceremonies, and generally interested in the documentaries that were aired that day. Our local network (the CBC) did a respectable job with the view from the Canadian perspective.

And by September 12th, it was all over. We were talking about bombing Iraq once again. Back to normal!

So, forget most of what I posted on September 6th. It all worked out fairly well.

Scott

OK, we're coming up on the anniversary of September 11th.

This year, I only have one hope for that day. I hope the TV networks don't go overboard. I mean, there should be ceremonies and tributes, and I will be among the millions tuning in to watch. But I will bet that every TV station (both Canadian and American) plans to cover these ceremonies repeatedly from 6am til mindnight.

Now, I am all for "complete coverage" of important events, but there should be an element of viewer choice in the matter. I should be allowed to tune away - watch something else. Why should every TV channel from 3 to 33 devote a dozen or more programming hours to the same event? What's the point? What's the difference between one network covering the event and dozens?

Yes, I understand it's in a competitive environment, this is an opportunity too good for the TV networks to turn down. Hundreds of millions of people will watch some part of the ceremony that day. And the programming doesn't cost the networks one penny (unlike the Super Bowl or World Series, which costs hundred of millions of dollars to license from the sports leagues). And you can say that any network that has any "news" credibility will have to cover it like any important news story - why should CNN get all the glory (and ratings)?

Anyways, this has nothing to do with the tragedy itself, but the asinine way tv networks all "need" to be there to cover it, leaving us the viewer with no real choice (but to turn the TV off I guess).

This is what I love about living downtown (and on the waterfront)...

This weekend there's an air show. As I type this, all types of jet (and non-jet) aircraft are flying past my window. I'm going to run to the roof of my building in a second to catch some of it.

A few weeks ago there was an Indy auto race. The sounds of high-rev engines waffling through my window.

And after today, all the tourists will go home and I will have the waterfront to myself for a few weeks before it gets too cold...