My location

I'm located in the geographic centre of Toronto. To the south is Downtown Toronto, the equivalent of the Sydney CBD. To the north is...I have no idea...the public transport system doesn't extend that far (I'm serious).

To the gym we go

Hit the gym today for the first time. I think my strength is down a litte bit but that may be because of the conversion from kilograms to pounds. Instead of using 20kg plates I now use 45 pound plates, which translates to 20.4kg. I was hoping for some good music but as I entered the weights room I was greeted by blaring speakers playing Kylie Minogue's "Locomotion". There must be some peer reviewed study out there that proves that listening to that song at any appreciable decibel level results in a testosterone and strength drop of at least 2%. Anyway what on Earth were they thinking when they put up this sign?

The Selfish Gene

One of the things that I have been doing is catching up on my reading list, at the top of which is "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins offers a compelling but ultimately flawed argument as to why behaviour can be explained in terms of gene propagation. His arguments apply to creatures such as the dung beetle, which lack the ability to reason. However his arguments do not apply to mankind, a creature thas has developed higher order cognitive functions.

As an example of Dawkins' reasoning, consider why humans display altruism toward kin but not toward strangers. Because there is a large genetic overlap with kin, a hypothetical "protect your family" gene would be "rewarded" by increased propagation in the gene pool. In contrast, a hypothetical "protect a stranger" gene would be "punished" by eventual eradication. Valuable energy is expended without any greater probability of your own genes surviving.

However, there are numerous examples in modern society of people acting in ways that are detrimental to the prosperity of their genes. For example celibacy and contraception are both examples of conscious human choices that have disastrous consequences for genetic longevity. In fact, to maximise gene propagation one would simply spend one's entire life visiting sperm banks. To the best of my knowledge, this activity is not practiced by any non-trivial percentage of the human population. Apparently numerous people read the book and wrote into Dawkins complaining about the futility of life. This is patently ridiculous as even a brief moment of introspection make it abundantly clear that in no way are human beings enslaved by the machinations of their genetic programming.

You must be kidding me

Are they really sure this device is suitable for all three of the purposes listed after "Can be used...". Also...would you really want to use it for the first purpose after using it for the second (click on image to zoom).

Doh

For the first time in a long time I checked in luggage for my flight. American Airlines managed to lose my luggage somewhere between San Francisco and Chicago. By the time I arrived in Toronto, they had already filled in a "lost luggage" form on my behalf. The other ten people had to fill in their own forms. They gave me the impression this was not an infrequent occurrence. I still do not believe in travel insurance. At least I am not doing it as tough as the guy below (taken in the leafy suburbs of Toronto).

Chicago Airport

I am currently in Chicago Airport and you know you are in America when McDonalds is the healthiest meal you can find. Already lethargic from the plane flight and not wanting to feel any worse, I make the decision to bypass McDonalds and go for the chicken breast sandwich. The label proudly proclaims that the contents contain fifty grams of fat, three grams of sodium and the same number of calories as two quarter pounders. I don't even get the chance to unwrap the little monstrosity before it finds itself flying toward the nearest bin. Even the sight of it was making me queasy. Slightly dejected I go back to the "healthier" option. God bless America.

Farewell Sydney

What exactly do you pack for a two month sortie into the arctic tundra? My first instinct was to jam all the essentials into my knapsack and be done with it. Sadly I had to abandon this plan when, one laptop and one jacket later I found myself completely out of packing space. I then reverted to one of my old faithful rules "When in doubt, throw it out". Unless I was unequivocally convinced that an item would be essential for my trip, it would be left behind or better yet thrown into the trash. Ultimately I managed to fit everything into two carry on bags. It was just enough baggage to keep the parents happy, although Mum was considerably distraught after I informed her that by morning, everything would be repacked to fit into my infamous "Whistler" backpack.

One of my final preflight tasks was to disconnect the electricity from my old unit at Pyrmont. In between bursts of typically annoying hold music, the prerecorded voice message blurted out insightful pearls of wisdom such as "If you suspect there is a gas leak, never inspect the area with a naked flame". Clearly this organisation does not have a lot of respect for the IQ of its average customer.