Author Archives: Mike

Automation dependency

Posted on 14 December, 2011 by Mike

I’d encourage anyone with more than a passing interest in the events of AFR447 to take a look at the new Popular Mechanics piece making the rounds. If this is an accurate depiction of what happened on that flight deck, … Continue reading →

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For love of the game

Posted on 16 November, 2011 by Mike

It’s that time of the year again: the time when frequent flyers everywhere start looking at their mileage summaries for the year, checking their numbers against the officially-published lists of requirements for elite status, and everyone wonders what next year’s … Continue reading →

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Soundcheck Sunday: Jake Shimabukuro, “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Posted on 23 October, 2011 by Mike

So there’s this Hawaiian dude who is, like, really good at the ukulele. See?

Posted in High Fidelity | Comments Off

Misogynists in the frequent flyer lounge

Posted on 19 October, 2011 by Mike

While I’m on the subject of Air Canada flight attendants, I’m absolutely horrified at the blatant level of misogyny coming from posters on FlyerTalk. In almost every discussion about North American airlines and the in-flight service standards, someone will make … Continue reading →

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On the littler guys

Posted on 19 October, 2011 by Mike

You might have noticed recently there are a bunch of protests erupting all over the place. The arguments of the protestors are, to be sure, unfocused and confusing. I have some level of sympathy for these guys as a group, … Continue reading →

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Soundcheck Sunday: Dan Mangan

Posted on 16 October, 2011 by Mike

“About as helpful as you can be without being any help at all”:

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Soundcheck Sunday: Katie Herzig, “Wish You Well”

Posted on 9 October, 2011 by Mike

Please don’t judge Katie Herzig’s music by the fact that it has made it into a great many shows that you like making fun of. (“Private Practice,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” etc.) And it’s really OK if that’s where you found her. … Continue reading →

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Fail on fail

Posted on 7 October, 2011 by Mike

Vancouver Sun, Ex-MLA queries Christy Clark’s cleavage. This is the stupidest “controversy” I’ve seen or heard about in eons — it’s light-years beyond the whole Obama birth certificate nonsense — but the single worst part about it, in my mind, … Continue reading →

Posted in Friggin' Politics | Comments Off

New York

Posted on 2 October, 2011 by Mike

When I first got off the train in Paris at Gare de Lyon five years ago, I felt like I was home. It was the sort of place that was immediately familiar, even though I’d never been there before. I’m … Continue reading →

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Soundcheck Sunday: Oliver Swain, “Big Machine”

Posted on 2 October, 2011 by Mike

“Who?” This guy: I first encountered Oliver Swain this past summer. Stephen Quinn was talking about CBC Vancouver’s series of lunchtime concerts — at which Swain played sometime in July — and played this track by way of introducing his … Continue reading →

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