Apparently ex-starship captains go on to become the local authority in small-town horror flicks:
* “Kingdom of the Spiders”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076271/
* “Slither”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439815/
Have Patrick Stewart or Kate Mulgrew done insect/reptile horror flicks yet?
bq. I’m sure if there’s something out there they’re wise enough to stay away from us.
— Gil Grissom, Las Vegas Crime Lab
bq. Change is mandatory, survival is optional; choose wisely!
atrributed to François Tavenas, but I think it’s actually older…
Collected from various sources.
Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing.
— Sir Ralph Richardson
Only an “S” separates laughter from slaughter.
I have found a marvelous technique for increasing the size of one’s member, which this subject line is too small to contain.
— Fermat’s Last Spam
bq. “We can tell when a technology has truly arrived when the new problems it gives rise to approach in magnitude the problems it was designed to solve.”
– Arthur Chandler, 1997 (quoted at the end of “Morality Play”)
[http://charon.sfsu.edu/MORALITYPLAY.HTML]
bq. “It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.”
РVoltaire [Fran̤ois Marie Arouet] (1694-1778)
Jeff K says: “What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now they are content with burning my books. ” Sigmund Freud
I’ve experience the problems described here: The Daily Whim: MT Plus Comment Spam Equals Dead Site
Several times we’ve woken up to a dead cfrq.net server, and (ignoring one disk crash) it’s always been runaway Movable Type comment scripts causing the system to thrash, until some important process gets killed because of the resulting out-of-memory condition. It invariably happens on a Saturday, which means we all get to wait until Monday morning for the server to get manually rebooted.
I’ve installed countermeasures in the past:
* I’ve renamed the comments script
* I close comments automatically after two weeks
* “Comment SPAM interlocking”:http://blog.cfrq.net/chk/archives/2003/10/14/comments-spam-interlock/
And still, I see a constant, steady stream of comment spam that gets posted, even to postings that are closed to comments!
So far my WordPress blog is getting fewer hits, but it’s only a matter of time until the spammers find that one…
*sigh.
Comments have been disabled
Due to a huge influx of comment spam, I have disabled comments on tnir. This affects all blogs hosted on tnir, including Luisa’s and David’s. If you try to post a ccomment, it will let you type it in, but when you click “post” it will give you some…
“This is one of the most arcane and irregular architectures still in use, but is undeniably the most popular.”
(“Linkers and Loaders”:http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/1558604960, John R. Levine)
The deal:
Grab the nearest book whatever it happens to be.
Open the book to page 23.
Find the fifth complete sentence.
Post the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
(via “The Nita”:http://www.livejournal.com/users/the_nita/37386.html
foo
Here we sit, teetering on the knife edge between light and dark.
Happy Spring :-)
Jeff K says: You should be a poet. Btw, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for creating your weight loss page. It was the single most important thing in my hitting my goal of 30 lbs down and breaking 200lbs, by Spring and before I’m 40. woohoo. [Well indirectly, as the little book of points and the 0-point soup from weight watchers is really what did it, but I would never have gone there without knowing it helped you].
I snapped this on the way out this morning. Spring is in 3 days!
On the plus side, the weather people are telling us that the next 30 days will be warmer than average. That should make up for the bitter January we had, although I’m a little concerned that everything’s going to dry out too quickly. We still haven’t recovered from the last couple of years of low-precipitation winters, and our holding capacity is way down, since we’ve paved over so many of the forests and wetlands around here…
It was very windy Wednesday night and all day Thursday; it sounded like the “new roof” was going to lift off and disappear!
I didn’t put my garbage out on Thursday morning, because I knew I’d probably find my garbage can about a mile away. I came home last night to find two recycling boxes on my front lawn! I’ll leave ’em there for a couple of days, and see if anyone claims them…
Something to add to my list of things to try: “French Press Coffee”:http://www.rohdesign.com/weblog/archives/000204.html (described here by “Mike Rohde”:http://www.rohdesign.com/weblog/). The thought of coffee that “tastes like fresh ground coffee smells” is intriguing, although it may get my wife drinking more coffee…
Yes! Yes! French press coffee. It’s great. (I broke the glass carafe of mine a few weeks ago and I’ve been missing it.)
Two things though to note about French press coffee.
It’s the type of coffee that you drink on a sunday morning while leisurely reading the paper since after you pour the coffee, you really can’t wait and do a refill from the same carafe. It’s not like a regular drip coffeemaker.
Also, you need to use high quality french roasted coffee. I’ve tried other types of coffee, but french roasted is the best to use.
It’s Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox. Day and Night are (temporarily) in balance. Summer has past; Winter has not yet arrived. Time to bring in the harvest, and get ready for winter.
Of course, you can try “balancing an egg”:http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030923.html instead…
From Daring Fireball: Good Times
bq. Most corporations now have a CIO (chief information officer), whose clout is directly proportional to the number of people employed in the company’s IT division. More IT staff means a larger budget, and budgets are the rulers used to measure wangs in corporate America.
bq. It is thus in the interests of corporate IT staff to deploy technology that requires a large IT staff for maintenance.
The next section comparing plumbing to IT is hilarious…
One caveat; I know quite a few perfectly rational, capable IT people who are stuck with Outlook and Exchange because that’s what management wants, not because _they_ think it’s the best solution. It’s not always the IT people who get to make these decisions…
I think that was pretty much the author’s point: that if the IT people had their way, Outlook and Exchange would be out the door faster than a cat on fire, but management doesn’t get it.
“Greg’s Digital Retouching Portfolio”:http://homepage.mac.com/gapodaca/digital/digital.html has a bunch of interesting examples of modern image retouching. Each image is a rollover allowing you to easily see the before and after versions of an image.
Look at this site, and then _remember_ it the next time you’re looking at a magazine ad or billboard image.
The “bikini-clad model”:http://homepage.mac.com/gapodaca/digital/bikini/index.html is particularly telling…
delimiter.org: Sweeping The Alley:
bq. As I get older (and hopefully, wiser) I’m discovering the value of keeping one’s mouth shut.
Followed by an interesting little parable on life; check it out.
Happy Birthday, Canada! 136 and still going strong…
Is there an equivalent to The Bike Doctor in Toronto (or the GTA)?
(via “chuqui”:http://www.plaidworks.com/chuqui/blog/000519.html )
After 22 years, John Rose has sold BAKKA Books, the local Toronto Science Fiction and Fantasy bookshop, to Ben Freiman. John writes:
bq. I had a lot of fun in the years I owned the store, but I’ve been behind the counter a long time, and it’s really time for a change. I owned BAKKA for more than twenty-two years. I sold a lot of great books in those years and met a lot of great people, authors, publishers and customers alike. I began to look for someone who could take over the store, to bring a fresh energy, a new attitude and a renewed interest, to keep it going. Ben’s offer came along in the fall and I decided to accept it.
In what _might_ be a timeworn cliche, the name has changed to “Bakka-Phoenix Books”.
Changes are happening already; the store has been re-arranged a bit, and is getting a new paint job. Ominously, while BAKKA has been an Apple-based store for the 17 years I’ve been a customer, there’s a new Wintel box sitting on the counter next to the old cash register <grin>.
On a more serious note Chris, Michelle, and Tara will continue at the store, and will probably be even more active in running the place than they were before. That continuity will be very important, and I’m glad to see it.
There’s more! John resisted the Internet for a long time, and with good reason (IMO); running an online catalog and ordering system is a full-time job, and puts one in closer competition with the behemoths chapters.ca and amazon.ca. Future Fantasy in Palo Alto made a name for themselves with one of the first online SF&F catalogs, yet they still went under (Granted, they had a crappy physical location). Anyway, the new store will have “a website”:http://www.bakkaphoenixbooks.com/. There’s nothing there yet, but I’m told of plans for both “coming soon” and “wishlist” sections, which will make me very happy…
All in all, it sounds like a good thing. I knew John was getting tired, and I’m happy that he found a positive way to move on. I’ve been a loyal customer of the store for 17 years, and so I wish Ben and the staff the best of luck with the new store, and hope it continues to be around for a long time!
*Update 20060125: Cravings now has their own website:* “www.cravingscheesecakes.com”:http://www.cravingscheesecakes.com/ . There’s even a copy of this blog posting on their “message board”:http://www.cravingscheesecakes.com/messageboard.html page. *I recommend that you comment on their guestbook instead of this page, since they’re much more likely to respond over there!*
*Update 20050324:* There’s a Canadian Food Inspection Agency alert out on the Cravings and Zarky’s Waist Watchers products; people with allergic reactions to soy protein should read http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2005/20050310e.shtml.
I can’t believe that a Google search doesn’t turn up information on these things; they’re sinfully delicious! (_Update: it does now_ :-)
A company called “Cravings” in Perth, Ontario (near Belleville; about 1.5 hours east of Toronto) makes a product called “Waist Watchers”; they’re mini cheesecakes with various flavour toppings. Each one is 60g, with 56.6 calories and 0.6 grams of fat, which makes them 1 Weight Watchers point each.
They’re _delicious_. The only complaint I have is that one isn’t enough :-). At only a point each, having two isn’t excessive. They’re light and airy; they appear to have come up with a mixture that captures many tiny air bubbles, allowing them to have the texture and flavour of cheesecake without a zillion calories.
Even better, the product isn’t packed full of chemicals; The product is made from: fruit, cheese, skim milk, flour, canola oil, egg whites, pineapple juice, lemon juice, cornstarch, baking soda, sugar, gelatin, flavouring, and colour.
*Update 2005/05/18:* There has been some confusion recently about the nutritional data for these products. I’m not an expert, but my understanding is that the data is allowed to be estimated, and (more importantly) is allowed to be rounded. So a product with “100 calories” can, in fact, contain anywhere from 76 to 125 calories :-). Both of these can easily explain why the nutrition data is the same for all variants of the product.
I highly recommend them. Flavours in the store today: Cherry, Rasberry, Blueberry, Lemon, Lime, and Chocolate. They’re all good! The chocolate is mixed through, and is more like chocolate mousse than cheesecake; the lemon is like lemon meringue pie :-). The company has recently introduced the Cravings Waist Watchers Chocolate Fix; I haven’t tried them, but reports from others are positive…
They are available at “Reid’s Dairy” and “Almost Perfect” stores in Southern Ontario; check the comments below for other locations, and if you know of others make sure you add to the list.
Cravings, PO Box 20053, Belleville ON K8P 5V1. (613) 264-8095
*Update 2003/11/11:*: Tanya (see comments) was able to obtain Craving’s phone number, which is (613) 264-8095. They will apparently take down your contact information and let you know about distributors in your area. If you do call them, please report back here so that other people can find them too. Thanks!
Terri says: I just tried the chocolate fix and they are fantastic. I’m near Belleville and find that you can find cravings at any I.G.A. They taste just like chocolate maccaroons. I’m going to try the receipe above and try to save a few bucks. Try weight watchers chocolate caramel bars. They’re a very tasty treat too.
Terri
deb says: The calories on the ones i have been purchasing have increased -so the different flavours do have different calories… some as high as 70 (not that its high but relative to the 56 we thought we were consuming)…. just thought i would let you all know…
I bought the chesecakes with the new labels. I don’t find they are much different in Nutritional values. The old cheesecakes had 60g and the new ones 70g. I believe that accounts for the higher calories etc. Instead of doing a general label, the label is now representing each flavour on it’s own. It is still a great product and I can eat them, have a scrumptious dessert and still stick to my diet. The other great thing is that my daughter, when we go to Reid’s, asks for Cravings Cheesecakes instead of ice cream and I can actually let her have them because there is no artificial sugars in them. My daughter, 9, really loves them as well as myself.
If you are looking for these fabulous little desserts in the Ottawa area, I live in the east end of Ottawa and have found them at the Loeb stores in the frozen food section. The Chocolate Fix is a fantastic cocoa, coconut and sugar treat that is so good. What a tasty treat for yourself at Christmas time when there is so much stuff around that isn’t a good choice to eat when watching your weight.
deb says: Anyone know if these are available in Mississauag area?
Someone mentioned that these cheesecakes can be found at Mac Million’s in Milton??? Where abouts in Milton is Mac Millions? I ask because when I did a 411.ca search I couldn’t find it.
Thanks.
Cravings now has their own web site.
http://www.cravingscheesecakes.com. It has a list of stores where we can purchase their products and ask questions. It is a great site, they incourage customer feedback. I found the people to be very friendly. Give it a try.
Hi Harald,
Greetings from Cravings Cheesecakes. Thank you for all the good words! Shame on me for misspelling your name. Please accept my apology. We would take pleasure in linking to your page. We appreciate all comments from your page or our page. Keep watch as we will be update our site frequently. All the best to you Harald in 2006.
Heather says: I have just started to love these little treats and came across them out of town…does anyone know where to get them in the Waterloo, kitchener, cambridge area I would love to find out. Thanks everyone
Crystal says: I am in Kingston Ontario, I have found them at IGA and a friend says she got hers at LOEB You have to look for them, they now have a haystack type treat, it is AWESOME and only 2 points per serving, if you need a chocolate fix that will do it…
Natalie says: The cheesecakes and chocolate goodness is also available at the Loeb by Hunt Club and Merivale in OTTAWA. I found them last weekend at the back of the store in an open-top refrigerated compartment. Enjoy the treats :)
Devon says: I don’t believe in promoting sales through blogs but I’m aware of many requests for Cravings products in Toronto/Mississauga and as a distributor for Cravings, I think I owe it to those people to let them know that both the cheesecakes and chocolate fixes have been available in the Toronto area for a couple of months. Sales in those stores have been surprisingly slow, in my opinion, so I think few consumers are aware that these stores carry the products. Since a Google search lists The Blog of Harald first and foremost, this seems to be the best method to get the word out. Here are the three newest venues: Beach IGA, 2040 Queen St.E., The Beaches (416) 694-3011; Thorncrest IGA, 1502 Islington Ave.(at Rathburn), Etobicoke (416)233-0621; Bruno’s Fine Foods, 4335 Bloor St.W.(corner of Mill Rd.), Etobicoke (416)626-9876. These last two stores are close to Mississauga.
Wow!So many comments and great info. I just disovered Cravings Cheesecakes this week and Chocolate Fix. They were served at a function called Celebration of Life Awards Ceremony at the Halton Regional Center. There was a lovely display of food after this event and a whole section was filled with these desserts.Each one had a big label telling about each flavour.I am a Weight Watcher and my husband is a recent survivor of heart surgery so we were interested. We each tasted one and couldn’t believe the delicious flavour. We “took” a couple home and spent a lot of time today searching for a store that might sell them.We did go to Mary Lou’s Market in Burlington but didn’t see them so we will go back there. We will also check the Sobeys here in Oakville and I will tell the manager to get them if they don’t have them.I also plan to try the recipe.Thank you !!!! My Weight Watcher group may be onto them too. Norma 6/5/2006 8:15pm
Kerri says: A comment to Norma that the Cravings products are available in Burlington at Zarky’s which is located just south west of Appleby and Upper Middle. They have all flavours and usually a good number in stock.
Also, I have made the recipe for the Chocolate Fix and to have a bar the same size as the Cravings Chocolate Fix (80g) following that recipe would be equal to 3.5 points per bar not 2 (and that was using low fat margarine instead of butter which makes a big difference to points). Out of that recipe, you can only get about 14 80g bars and the total points from all the ingredients is 48. It seems impossible to use this recipe to duplicate the 2 point 80g bars. You would have to cut the sugar in half, substitute low fat margarine and cut it in half and cut the oats in half to get it anywhere close to 2 points a bar and I have no idea how that would taste!
I really hope their labelling is correct!!
Tina says: We live up in Timmins, and have discovered these awesome cheesecakes in our Loeb store. They are sensational. Thank you waist watchers!!
Leslie says: I can’t believe how great these deserts are, it sure makes watching ones weight ALOT easier, I say keep up the good work and keep them coming.
Leslie
Lisa says: ok ok ok…..I am on a strict low carb diet….only 20 grams or less….I can’t find anything but jello to have for dessert,:( So it would be nice if I could find out what the carb and fibre count is on these million dollar treats. I need the carb count and then i have to subtract the fibre count to come up with the NET carb amount. I think they should still make them with the crust…cause all that the carb counter has to do is not eat the crust…right. The only problem with that is that i don’t know how many carbs is in the crust and how many are in the filling so it would be hard to count,,,,can someone pretty please tell me with a cherry cheese cake on top.
Even I’m hooked on the Chocolate Fix things! The grocery store is always sold out of them, when my wife and I see them, we usually just buy them all. It’s insanity. We have to make our own.
I’m going to try Heathers recipe, thanks a lot.
Leslie says: Hi again, just wanted to know if anyone has found a recipe for the Cravings “Cholcolate Fixs” that is closer to the calorie count that is on the “real one”, as I found the recipe on this site away higher.
Leslie
Karen says: I am in Ottawa and am an addict of these yummy 1 point desserts. I buy them at Loeb on Merivale, but perhaps they have them at other Loeb’s. FYI.
Katherine says: I buy them at all the Loeb stores in Ottawa. I usually get Chocolate fixes, and I’ve seen all of the fruit flavoured cheesecakes but not the chocolate ones. Is there anywhere in Ottawa that sells the chocolate cheesecakes?
Kristen says: Wondering if anyone has located Cravings in either Orillia or Beaverton area? I am leaving for the cottage for the summer and will not be able to live without my fix for 2 months??
Devon says: Katherine, the other flavours of cheesecakes (including Chocolate, Strawberry, Peach and Black Forest)can be ordered from Steven’s Creek Country Market in North Gower (613) 489-1100. YOu need to give them a couple of weeks lead time so they can order them in for you.
Suanne says: I found these at Dominion in Oakville at Neyagawa Blvd & Dundas St W
Maybe other stores of this chain will carry them…. They were located back with the regular frozen cheesecakes in the bakery section.
Pam says: We have been buying them for awhile. For anyone who needs a chocolate fix, their product is great. The coconut and rolled oats help and fibre add sweetness. The Cravings products were not moving that quickly when they started selling them at the Dominion on Neyagawa and thought we were the only ones buying them, and they were not being replenished. A couple of weeks ago, we noticed they are starting to move and the store was running out. As we had spoken to the store manager in past and he told us to let him know if we ever needed anything, we caught him and told him how much we like these and why and that they were out. He ordered more in so they are stocked up again. The Dominion on Upper Middle in Oakville now also carries them. My mother-in-law also tried them when she was here and is taking some “empties” with the labels on them back with here to Winnipeg to talk to a few store managers in Dominion and Safeway in Winnipeg to ask them if they can start stocking them too.
Lesley says: The brownies are sooo scrumptious. I only pray A&P here won’t stop carrying them. Please start selling to more companies like maybe Safeway so I can get them all the time. They help my chocolate and sweet tooth here in Thunder Bay Ontario
artsy says: You can buy them in Guelph, ON at the Ultra Food & Drug store. It’s open 24 hrs. I love them, there GREAT!!!!!!! Especially the Chocolate Fix and the Key lime pie cheesecake!
Sal says: Thanks for all these comments everyone. I had seen these treats at the Dominion near by and was a little cautious. I finally bought them and found them to be delicious. Looks like they are safe too, judging from everyone’s comments. The Dominion in the Iona Plaza on Central Parkway (Mississauga) carries it.
ashley says: For you Mississaugians: You can buy them at Dominion at Southdown and Lakeshore Rd.
Diabetes doesn’t win this time! Usually low-sugar treats are full of artificial sweetners and preservatives leaving diabetics with a choice between two products that are harmful to our bodies (sugar or chemicals)… These are actually a treat I can eat without all of the junky additives and sugar substitutes.. but not affect my sugars too much – weeee!
Traci says: I tried this for the first time tonight and LOVE it. I’ve only tried the lemon one so far. (70 cal)
My fav treat is cheesecake so I wasn’t expecting to like it but thought I would give it a try and I’ll totally buy them weekly or so now :)
Location wise: I’m in Toronto (Yonge/Eglinton) and they’re in the cheesecake freezer at my local Dominion. They’re in small pudding cup-like containers with bright wrappers. Keep your eye out for them. Def worth it.
Lisa says: I live near Lindsay, Ontario and you can get them at Valu-Mart on Russell Street and at the new Reid’s Dairy place called “Quickert” beside Blockbuster video in the Whitney Town Centre. they are awesome!
Debbie says: In Cambridge, ON you can get them at A&P on Frankling Blvd. Accross from cakes in a freezer bunker.
Misha613 says: ***In Ottawa try loeb in the Glebe.
Proud to be part of the club!!
Jessica says: For the person who asked where you can get the cheesecakes in Oakville..you can get them at Dominion in Hopedale Mall! They’re delish! :)
Brian says: Has anyone found a distributor for the Chocolate Fix in the St Catharines area?
Donna says: Just tried Cravings website and it is no longer in use. Anyone know why? I love these treats but they are getting too pricey at A&P’s here in Brampton where they are $1.89 now and increased several times over the last several months. They are also available at Molinaro’s Fine Italian Food at only $1.59 (or so) in south Mississauga so I try to buy them in bulk there now.
Most likely, someone forgot to pay the hosting bill… :-)
Donna says: Just checked and they are $1.50 at Molinaro’s.
Donna
Kim says: My husband discovered these in Dominion about a year ago ($1.89 now and getting up there). I love him for it. I do find over the last couple months their quality control has been lacking. Got a bunch of chunky one’s a couple months ago and now we have a bunch of runny ones, very icky. We’re thinking we can make them ourselves as the ingredients are basic and put them into the mini Ziploc containers, which are the same size.
Wendy says: I have heard through the grapevine that Cravings plan to open a retail outlet in 2009 and will offer on line orders. Watch for their announcement. If I get the word I will post it here.
Kim, did you notify Cravings of your concerns. I know they make every order as it comes in and have no stock. Every order is made fresh. E-mail them, they are down to earth, very nice people.
Jennifer says: I found these little yummies at Metro in Scarborough. They were in a freezer with other cheesecakes near the bakery. It’s the first time I’ve seen them and I only bought the chocolate fix because chocolate is what I always crave. I just ate my first one and it was delicious! Their website says they’re now at Costco so I’ll be checking next time I go there.
Janet Ruderman says: People who are trying to watch their weight should not eat the Chocolate Fix. The product label is incorrect. I contains closer to 300 than 110 calories. You cannot make an 80-gram product with sugar, rolled oats and margarine as the main ingredients for less than that. Science is science. Face it.
JG says: I bought $120 worth at Molinaro’s last week, since Quickerts went bankrupt and I thought I had no other options. They are all BAD – Shame on me for not checking the bottom of the containers, but the dates on them went back to march 2008! The woman at Molinaro’s told me that she gets new stock every Thursday and that she sell’s 10 cases per week – so no old stock! Cravings told me they hold NO stock and it might be a distributor problem. Beware – check the dates!
Deanna says: The Metro stores in Newmarket have stopped carrying these. The gentleman from the bakery department said that soon all Metro’s will stop carrying them. What is going on with this product and does anyone in the Newmarket area know where I can get them?
Devon says: There seems to be a lot of misinformation about Cravings in Metro stores. As their distributor, we can assure you that Metro is not discontinuing the products. There has been a problem with delivery lately and most stores seem to be out of stock, but will be restocked when this temporary situation is resolved. In the interim, Cravings products can be found at many other locations including Almost Perfect stores(www.almostperfect.ca) in Toronto, Oshawa, Ajax, Peterborough. Steven’s Creek Country Market in North Gower can order them for Ottawa area residents, and they are available at Somerville Frozen Foods in Brockville. We apologize to all you faithful customers for this inconvenience and especially to those who may have to travel some distance to buy the products for a while. Once the delivery issue is resolved, if Metro bakery staff continue to tell you the product will not be available at all it is because the store is not ordering it, and they should be, so you may need to demand it.
And only a “t” separates immorality from immortality…