National Philantrophy Day - what does it mean to you?
Posted At: Fri 28 Oct 2005	Posted By: Derek Nobuyuki信幸 Wallace
Categories:life , Video
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Philanthropy, what does it mean to you?

I don’t think this can really count as my first vlog entry, because I didn’t create it…
but it’s philanthropy… and philanthropy is important… but what does it mean to you? (Leave a Comment about what philanthropy means to you!)

http://shashin.interculturalism.com/bijutsukan/press/NationalPDay_Flash.swf

http://shashin.interculturalism.com/bijutsukan/press/NationalPhilantophyDay_Video.wmv

Today’s Piss Offs: Fishing Scams and Blind Cagers
Posted At: Thu 27 Oct 2005	Posted By: Derek Nobuyuki信幸 Wallace
Categories:Motorcycling , Stupid Cagers Rants , life
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Things that piss me off on the 27th of October, 2005.

1.) Stupid Fishing Scams.

it says, RIGHT on the page… Be Sure the website address above starts with https://signin.ebay.com/ HAHA yet people will still fall for it =(

2.) Stupid Ignorant Blind Cagers =(

on robson this afternoon… a lady decides to suddenly stop and backup and parallel park! First of all, I’m right behind her because of her sudden stop and there’s a very large bus right behind me! I give her the “HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING WATCHOUT” honk… she stops dumbfounded…. a bus going the opposite direction stops waiting for her…

She can’t go back because i’m there
I can’t go back because of bus behind me
I can’t go forward with bus in opposite direction

the only options are:
1.) Opposite direction bus goes, then i go around her, so she can back up
2.) Opposite direction bus waits, then i go around her, then she can back up
3.) Or by far the most reasonable solution, she goes forward and parks somewhere else or circles around the block…

She’s to fucking stupid and/or ignorant to take option 3, so i wave to the opposite direction bus for option 1. The Bus Driver shakes his head (i don’t know why…) so.. last option… option #2!

I start to go around her… AND SHE STARTS BACKUP UP AGAIN!!! AND TURNING~!!!!!!!! the FRONT of the CAR is now veering into the oncoming lane where I am!! GRRR!!!!!!!!! I start BANGING on the hood of her car… but i think she was still too stupid and/or ignorant to understand what was going on…

all the freaking time… Cagers are some nasty combination ignorant and stupid!
# of times in my life that i’ve stupidly aggressed from my bike to cars = 1
# of times in my life that i nearly got into an accident because i didn’t react soon enough = 3 (including the previous line)
# of times cagers do something really stupid, ignorant, blind, etc… putting me in danger because of it = several times a DAY!!

SERIOUSLY, if you stop being such ignorant and stupid drivers
we’ll stop being such jackasses towards you.

Derek Nobuyuki 菫｡蟷ｸ Wallace
http://press.derekwallace.com
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Gadgets for Vlogging!
Posted At: Wed 26 Oct 2005	Posted By: Derek Nobuyuki信幸 Wallace
Categories:life , Video Blogging Podcasting
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Like boys with toys… so many gadgets i wanna get

Toshiba Qosmio to replace my previous model Toshiba P10 (the 15.4″wide multimedia notebook) that hasn’t been working for about half a year at least it is in for repair now…

IPod Nano versus IPod Video… i dunno which one i want more… but soo tempting…

Canon GL2 Digital Video Recorder… i’ve wanted one of these for an awful long time (before that I wanted the GL1 for a very long time)… 3CCD camera is soo nice… but panasonic has a cheaper 3CCD camera available although the quality isn’t as high… it’s sure high *enough* (Actually Panasonic Canada has 5 different 3CCD cameras from $880-$2200 CDN$)

The Powerbook G4… It’s hard to argue against “The Powerbooks are freaking sweet”… i would definitely get one IF i wasn’t a software engineer… consequently… if i got one, it would have to be a second notebook (or 2nd non-server computer)…. which is obvious too much coin to justify…

ah well… so many cool things on the horizon…

now… drum roll please…

then anti-climatic moment

I’ve decided to join the vlogosphere…

back in the day…we used to do all these video projects… some way too ambitious…

but i’ve always been keeping a lot of these projects in the back of my mind…

however… i’ve become inspired by vlogging (video blogging)… short, sweet, and in motion photography… (okay… not really… since it’s digital video :P)

first… i came across Annie (http://annieee.blogspot.com/) who’s vlog/blog i instantly became addicted to!
especially her video entries are usually fun… but always very human… it’s these real lives of people who are not hollywood celebrities… but ordinary (yet cool) people who decide to share small pieces of their lives with us through a medium that i like… my favourites includePizza and Sty

from there, i came across Josh Leo and his vlog on vlogs, short films, homage to others, and in general just interesting posts (and Annie’s response to vlog on vlog…)

so what do i have so far?
5 year old crappy computer with ATI All In Wonder 128 and a Firewire card… a webcam and a really old crappy camcorder that can only record live (not to tape)
but i should be getting my laptop back!! but i still don’t have a real camera :(:(

what do i have planned?
the move… the commute… anecdotes… interviews….

“You don’t need to make a difference in the world, start by making a difference in someones world” -me

how are you making a difference? wait and see…

Derek Nobuyuki 菫｡蟷ｸ Wallace
http://press.derekwallace.com
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daylight savings time
Posted At: Sun 23 Oct 2005	Posted By: Derek Nobuyuki信幸 Wallace
Categories:life
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is it just me? or does it feel like daylight savings time is really late this year??
i know, i know… it’s always at the same time of the year… but still…
it feels like we would have had it earlier than now….
it’s so odd… 6:30 pm and it’s already dark out… after daylight savings kicks over.. it’ll be 5:30pm and dark!!
soon enough 5pm and dark?!?! it’s like the world is coming to and end or something!!!

in case you don’t know what Daylight Savings Time is… “Fall Back Spring Forward” then:
Daylight saving time is a system intended to “save” daylight, as opposed to “wasting” time (for example, by sleeping long past sunrise). The official time is adjusted forward, (usually) one hour from its official standard time, remaining that way for the duration of the spring and summer months. This is intended to provide a better match between the hours of daylight and the active hours of work and school. DST is most commonly used in temperate regions, due to the considerable variation in the amount of daylight versus darkness through the seasons in those regions.
…
One of the major reasons given for observing DST is energy conservation. Theoretically, the amount of residential electricity needed in the evening hours is dependent both on when the sun sets and when people go to bed. Because people tend to observe the same bedtime year-round, by artificially moving sunset one hour later, the amount of energy used is theoretically reduced. United States Department of Transportation studies showed that DST reduces the country’s electricity usage by one percent during each day DST is in effect.
…
When the U.S. went on extended DST in 1974 and 1975 in response to the 1973 energy crisis, Department of Transportation studies found that observing DST in March and April saved 10,000 barrels of oil a day, and prevented about 2,000 traffic injuries and 50 fatalities saving about U.S. $28 million in traffic costs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time

Derek Nobuyuki 菫｡蟷ｸ Wallace
http://press.derekwallace.com
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Coca Cola, C2, and Coke Zero and Artificial Sweetners
Posted At: Mon 17 Oct 2005	Posted By: Derek Nobuyuki信幸 Wallace
Categories:life
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the largest sales and marketing brand in the world… and marketing slogans such as Can’t Beat the Real Thing, Always Coca-Cola, and my favourite from Japan: No Reason, Coca-Cola… there’s no denying the power of this brand…

after a short trip to 7eleven where they were offering me “free” Coke Zero with purchase of a coke product… I decided re-delve into this cola product line not seen in my presence since C2 was released into the general market.

unfortunately, this process just reaffirms my disappointment that coke.ca, a Canadian site talking about dealing with cocaine addiction, is gone… and Coca-cola still hasn’t put anything up yet… still relying on their heavy investment into branding “icoke.ca”

First, let’s check out their current Canadian and US product line!

• Coca-Cola Classic
• Diet Coke
• Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola
• Caffeine-Free Diet Coke
• Coca-Cola C2
• Coca-Cola Zero
• Cherry Coke
• Coke with Lime
• Diet Cherry Coke
• Diet Coke with Lime
• Diet Coke with Splenda
• Diet Vanilla Coke
• Vanilla coke

and of course the rest of their beverage product lines just in case you didn’t know Coke was behind your favourite products.

• Sprite, Sprite ReMix, Diet Sprite, Diet Sprite Zero
• Dasani, Dasani Flavoured Water
• Alhambra
• Barq’s, Diet Barq’s
• Bright and Early
• Dannon
• Evian
• Fanta
• Fresca
• Five Alive
• Full Throttle
• Hi-C, Hi-C Blast, Hi-C Sour Blast
• KMX
• Mello Yello
• Minute Maid OJ, MM Coolers, MM Box, MM Lemonade, MM Light, MM Premium Light, MM Punch
• Nestea, Nestea COOL, Nestea ICE
• Odwalla
• Pibb Xtra, Pibb Zero
• POWERade, POWERade Option
• Seagram’s Ginger Ale
• Simply Orange
• Sparkletts
• Swerve
• Tab
• Vault

Coca-Cola:

“Coke” formerly Coke classic re-branded as Coke… hooking the sugar and caffeine addiction needs of the world. “Regular Coke” supposedly sets the standard to what a Cola product in Canada/US *should* taste like… but that’s open to debate… just not here… it IS worth noting that Regular Coke contains over 30 GRAMS (not milligrams) of Sugar per can!!

Michael Crouch points out that this number is too high. He says that a 12 fluid ounce can (that’s the 355ml cans for us not in the USA!) contains 40 grams… i probably meant to say “over 30 GRAMS” Thanks for pointing that out ^_^

Coca-Cola has been the target of urban legends decrying the drink for its supposedly copious amounts of acid (its pH value of 2.5 is midway between vinegar and gastric acid), or the “life-threatening” effects of its carbonated water. These urban legends usually take the form of “fun facts” 窶� for example, “highway troopers use Coke to clean blood from highways after accidents, “somebody once died in a Coke-drinking competition,” or “Coke can dissolve a tooth overnight”. All of these claims are false.
Coke is as a rust-control substance窶杯he phosphoric acid in coke converts iron oxide to iron phosphate, and as such can be used as an initial treatment for corroded iron and steel objects being renovated, etc
With increases in sugar prices, Coca-cola moved from questionable amounts of glucose/fructose to questionable amounts of high fructose corn syrup which is not too bad (unless you’re anti-GMed foods) except for the sheer amount of this sugar that is present. While the negative affects of it’s acidity is fairly negligible, the impact of sugar & caffeine on our bodies & minds and impact on our diets is a potentially serious epidemic. Our diets can be skewed by our cola consumption as we are less likely, for example, to drink as much milk and other calcium rich beverages as non-softdrink consumers. The bottom line is that with anything that we consume… we should know the risk and decide our much risk we can mitigate and how much we will challenge. That said, happy drinking =)

Interesting Link: Did Coke really contain cocaine?

Coke Zero:

They have just launched Coke Zero (at least it’s nothing like Crystal Pepsi) with its very own distinctive “Chill” themed marketing campaign. Coke Zero is new North America, however it has been marketed in Europe as Coke Light for some time. However, unlike some of Coke’s other products, Coke Zero is actually Coca-cola Classic! –using the same formula as coke classic– except with a blend of Aspartame and Acesulfame-K instead of regular sugars. Please see the section below on Aspartame, Splenda, Sucralose, and Acesulfame-K for more information on artificial sweeteners and their use & affect in Coca-cola products. Various resources show that a can of Coke Zero contains 85 mg of aspartame and 46 mg of acesulfame-k (So a 70kg/154lb person may be able may have 22 cans of Coke Zero a day before reaching dangerous levels of Acesulfame-K).The Live! TASTE test: Well, you can certainly taste the difference between Coke, C2, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero… while the taste isn’t as satisfying as coke or c2, it does not taste bad. It actually reminds me slightly of diet coke, but tastes many many times better. No negative lingering aftertaste like Diet Coke is a definitely positive… however, in the end, i still prefer C2…

Coca-Cola C2:

C2 Launched in 2004 with Low Carb Campaign but was blatantly overpriced… threatened to be pulled off the product roster… Coca-cola came back with a bigger, stronger, yet unsuccessful marketing campaign… trying capture the “carb”-conscious market that has been becoming increasingly trendy (don’t get me started about low-carb trend) over the past few years (Except this time at a price point identical to other Coca-cola products). C2, with 50-55% less sugar than regular coke, is supplemented with a combination of Aspartame, Sucralose, and Acesulfame-Potassium (Known as AcesulfameK). This blend of Sugar and artificial sweeteners hoped to capture the conscious market that refused to goto Diet Coke because of the linger aspartame taste and would not increase their regular coke consumption (if any) because of the high sugar, caloric, and carbohydate content (as you know this is all the same thing… the calories and carbs come *from* the sugar). In a blind taste test conducted conducted by derekwallace.com, subjects could easily distinguish the difference between Coke and C2, however could not readily identify which product was which. Furthermore, many subjects claimed that they would be satisfied with the taste of either product. However, with the introduction with Coke Zero, and options like Diet Coke with Splenda on their way, the future of this product looks grave. But with slightly more than half the sugar removed, only 5 mg of aspartame, only 5 mg of acesulfame-k and only 1 mg of sucralose, this product is my choice being that sugar-intake conscious cola consumer that i am. Please see the section below on Aspartame, Splenda, Sucralose, and Acesulfame-K for more information on artificial sweeteners and their use & affect in Coca-cola products.

Diet-Coke:

Launched in the early 80s, Diet-Coke tended to increasing “low fat” conscious market replacing sugar with a concoction of aspartame and/or saccharin. Diet-Coke was Coke’s bid to capture the no-sugar, low caloric cola market boasting approximately 1% of the calories of regular coke. Although Diet Coke is really only in UK/USA/Canada (but not necc exclusively to) and is actually based on New Coke (the North American failure that made coke go back to coke “classic”) where diet variants of coke in continental Europe and some other parts of the world are based on classic coke (As mentioned above, these more-true tasting diet variants are actually Coke Zero now). It is worth noting, however, that Diet Coke in the US is different that Diet Coke in Canada as our Canadian Diet Coke currently is blended with aspartame and Acesulfame-K. Diet coke has a linger aspartame and “untrue” taste to the displeasure of many cola consumers, however has been able to win over a cult following to become coke’s 3rd largest brand and the 4th largest soft drink brand in the world. However, the effects of aspartame have been extremely controversial being linked to numerous health concerns, as noted in the Articial Sweeteners Section. However, it is worth noting that Coca-cola is launching Diet coke with Splenda using Splenda’s sucralose sweetener rather than Aspartame (Nutrisweet). When this product is readily available, stay tuned for an update!

Artificial Sweeteners

Aspartame
The effects of aspartame have been extremely controversial (and notably connected in structure to MSG and it’s negative effects) in is connection to potentially harmful amino acids and potential links to “brain tumors, brain lesions, lymphoma” and the FDA has linked it to cause ” abdominal pain, anxiety attacks, arthritis, asthma, asthmatic reactions, bloating/edema, blood sugar control problems (hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia), brain cancer, breathing difficulties, burning eyes or throat, burning urination, can’t think straight, chest pains, chronic cough, chronic fatigue, confusion, death, depression, diarrhea, Dizziness Excessive Thirst or Hunger fatigue feel unreal flushing of face Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair Headaches/Migraines dizziness Hearing Loss Heart palpitations Hives (Urticaria) Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Impotency and Sexual Problems inability to concentrate Infection Susceptibility Insomnia Irritability Itching Joint Pains laryngitis “like thinking in a fog” Marked Personality Changes Memory loss Menstrual Problems or Changes Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake) Muscle spasms Nausea or Vomiting Numbness or Tingling of Extremities Other Allergic-Like Reactions Panic Attacks Phobias poor memory Rapid Heart Beat Rashes Seizures and Convulsions Slurring of Speech Swallowing Pain Tachycardia Tremors Tinnitus Vertigo Vision Loss and Weight gain.” While aspartame isn’t perfect, it does provide reprise for diabetics who cannot take the disturbing amounts of sugar contained in regular coke.Acesulfame-Potassium (Acesulfame-K)
An alternative to Aspartame… sort of… where found in coca-cola’s products, it is often blended with aspartame (and sucralose too for coke zero) so the artificial sweeteners can block out each others aftertaste… however, Acesulfame-K is considered to be much safer, much less controversial than aspartame… with very minimal aftertaste… and many Canadian, American, world, UN bodies have found Acesulfame to be relatively safe (within reasonable intake limits). Acesulfame-K isn’t digested.. it goes in and comes out when appropriate (therefore than be considered to contribute ZERO calories). Unlike some other sweeteners is much more stable under pressure and heat (able to be processed and used in a wider variety of applications), has a cleaner non-lingering taste with an increased shelf life. It does not “contribute to dental caries” (doesn’t cause cavities… but in cola products where it’s blended with sugars, the sugars still will^_^). However, more importantly: it “no effect on serum glucose, cholesterol, or triglycerides” making it diabetic safe!

The Bottom Line

These products are outright not good for you!
So if you consume them, just be aware of what you are consuming and now with such a variety of options, choose the option that’s right for you!
Regular Coke: Lotsa sugar!
C2: May be phased out, half the sugar… + aspartame and acesulfame-k
Coke Zero: their new baby, zero sugar, +aspartame, +acesulfame-k, and +sucralose
Diet coke: old cult, bad taste that has grown on many… -sugar + aspartame/saccharin
Diet Coke with splenda: may be an interesting -sugar +sucralose arternative

Derek Nobuyuki 菫｡蟷ｸ Wallace
http://press.derekwallace.com
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maiyahi
Posted At: Mon 17 Oct 2005	Posted By: Derek Nobuyuki信幸 Wallace
Categories:life , aiesec
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http://mysohko.up.seesaa.net/image/maiyahii.swf

maiyahii maiyahuu maiyahoo maiyahahha 繝槭う繝､繝抵ｽ槭��繝槭う繝､繝包ｽ槭��繝槭う繝､繝幢ｽ槭��繝槭う繝､繝上ャ繝擾ｽ�

Ever since visiting WRC this song has been in the back of my head…
(Dragostea Din Tei - Ozone) we’ve been singing it (horribly stuck in our heads) for four days now since friday!!

AIYA!!!

allo? ==> Arrow

the link above… the song (IN ROMANIAN!!) sounds like a bunch of other things in japanese…
and that flash animation illustrates those weird co-inciding word meanings…

Derek Nobuyuki 菫｡蟷ｸ Wallace
http://press.derekwallace.com
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