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Review: L'hiver de force

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Sun, 13 May 2012 13:27:00 +0000

L'hiver de force by Réjean Ducharme

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Réjean Ducharme continuously surprises me with the richness of his text. Every sentence in the book is thick with meaning, playfulness and a dark sense of humor that I cannot help but enjoy.

The main characters are enigmatic and unpredictable but completely consistent in their rejection of everything that can be considered the norm. They escape being discarded as angry 30 somethings thanks to a few displays of innocence brought forward by their inability to navigate adult situations. Much like L'Avalée des avalés this story celebrates the impetuousness of childhood but brings it forward in the shape of a young adult couple living in Montréal during the early 70s.

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Review: Le Grand Meaulnes

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:14:00 +0000

Le Grand Meaulnes by Henri Alain-Fournier

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's been a while since I've read anything in French. Picked up this book as a way to improve my language skills. Not the best of books but worth the read. Nothing like a sad love story to get reacquainted with French literature.

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Fitness gear to sell

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:06:00 +0000

**SOLD**

I've got some fitness gear that I am no longer using to sell for 100$. First come first serve. Buyer must come pick it up within a week of closing the deal.

York space saver workout bench
2 x dumbbells
1 x Bench Press bar
Assortment of Weights

2 x 25lb
6 x 10lb
8 x 5lb
8 x 2.5 lb

ATF Training Bag & gloves

Cognitive Biases Mnemosyne Deck & Wallpapers

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:50:00 +0000

In an attempt to improve my ability to recognize cognitive biases in myself and others around me I've created a Mnemosyne deck based on the Visual Study Guide to Congnitive Biases that is derived from the Wikipedia page on the subject. I use the iSRS iPhone app to do a quick review of the cards when on the go. I've also created 11 wallpapers from the visual study guide and use them as part of the image pool in my desktop background slide show.

Download Cognitive Biases Mnemosyne Deck (104 cards).
Download Cognitive Biases Wallpapers (11 images).

Spiderman@Harvard

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:38:00 +0000

I've been slowly going through the Michael Sandel Justice lectures at Harvard and enjoying them tremendously. I was knocked off my ass laughing when I noticed that Spiderman was in the audience during lecture #6 on Immanuel Kant .

Spiderman attending justice lecture at Harvard

Bear Bells aren't as awesome as they sound

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:27:00 +0000

I first came across the idea of a bear bell when I was researching what gear I should be taking with me on a hike in the Mont-Tremblant national park. The idea that I could have something with me that could generate enough lethal noise as to ward off a bear conjured up images of something along the lines of a sound canon similar to what was recently used during certain Occupy Wall Street protests in the states.

Imaginary Bear Bell

So without actually looking up what a bear bell looks like I ventured off the the hardware store to pick one up. Needless to say I was sadly disappointed...

Actual Bear Bell

This thing looks more like a diner bell than anything else. If I was a bad ass bear in the woods stompin' around and I heard this I'd probably think it was snack time.

Review: You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 65 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:03:00 +0000

You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 65 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really enjoyable read. I particularly liked the way McRaney prefaced each bias/effect/illusion/fallacy with a simple The Misconception vs. The Truth explanation. The chapters are brief and to the point easily making this an enjoyable reference book to casually return to when needed.

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Some new Panoramas

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:22:00 +0000

From my time at Mont-Tremblant and Lac-de-L'Orignal.

First Strip

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:11:00 +0000

Here is my first go at making a strip. The humour is a little dark but that seems to be how my head works. I created the strip using the tools at Toonlet.com if anyone is interested in trying their hand at it.

Planning the Mont-Tremblant Hike

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:21:00 +0000

Nancie and I will be heading out to Mont-Tremblant soon and I'm in the beginning stages of planning some of the hikes I'll be doing there. So far I've identified "Le Carcan" as the most likely trail. It sports 14,4 km of trail with an estimated time of completion of 5h-6h. Most notably it leads you on a climb of the second highest peak available in the park (883m) while visiting several waterfalls along the way. I just hope I'm in good enough shape.

Trapeze Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:43:00 +0000

Finally made use of my trapeze lesson at Le Voltigeur coupon with Shawn over the week-end. Re-posting the videos here to facilitate sharing with family and friends. This is the most intense and demanding activity I done to date. Dangerous too as a couple of people got dinged pretty good. The sequence we perform in the videos below is the most advanced one we managed to execute properly. We each had two attempts at being thrown back to our starting trapeze but neither of us got a proper hold of it.

And here is the one of Shawn doing the same sequence.

Omen in Yukon

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:29:00 +0000

Re-posting a video of the Youth Leadership Training 2011Omen participated in. It's nice to see so many people taking the time to do good deeds.

Zip lining

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:28:00 +0000

Went zip lining with a bunch of friends for Martine's birthday. Great way to spend a few hours!

End of an Era...

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:09:00 +0000

I've recently started to discover the awesomeness of space geekdom by viewing old episodes of Carl Sagan's Cosmos television series. To the point where I am developing an obsessive fascination for it. Too bad it comes at the end of the manned space mission era.

I just finished watching Reid Gower's latest installment of The Sagan Series. So awesome to be hearing Sagan's voice narrating and commenting on this milestone of human development...

Hardcore History: Death Throes of the Republic

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:28:00 +0000

I just finished listening to the last podcast in Dan Carlin's series titled the Death Throes of the Republic on his Hardcore History show. Really well executed and fascinating to listen to. Dan's got a way of making over 12 hours of ancient Rome history fly by. I even managed to consume the last podcast (nearly 5:30 long) in a two to three day period. I highly recommend the series to anyone who is even remotely curious about ancient Roman history.

Death Throes of the Republic I

Death Throes of the Republic II

Death Throes of the Republic III

Death Throes of the Republic IV

Death Throes of the Republic V

Death Throes of the Republic VI

Google+

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:46:00 +0000

Can Google really pull off something decent in the social media space? After the fiasco with Wave I'm not sure what to expect. However, I'm so boooored with Facebook these days I think anything different may be good and from what I can see of the features Google+ will be putting forward I think its worth a close look.

It even seems like some of the features have crept up on my blogs already. I just noticed that the Google+ is now part of the share widget on my blogspot hosted sites. I like the fact that this is already in place. Now I just to wait for the sign ups to start after the field trials are over.

Sky Venture - Round II

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:16:00 +0000

Some footage of my second visit to SkyVenture in Laval. Had a great time with everyone. Look for Joey's spin in the first clip and Shawn's bomb in the second clip.

Seeing through a claim

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 02:55:00 +0000

So Nancie and I were horrified when a certain company's product that we applied to our pets actually ruined our less than four month old couches. What is worst is that the documentation that came with the product made no mention of this possible side effect. Nancie had the good sense of calling them to let them know what had happened, ask why there isn't mention of this potential problem in their documentation, and to see if they could do anything to help us out. The representative at the company told Nancie that we could file a claim. What follows is the email exchange I had with the representative afterwards. I am only posting my side of the correspondence and have made some slight modifications to the text respect confidentiality clauses.

Initial email to confirm my understanding of the procedure we were asked to follow. This is after having the specialist from the repair shop over to do his initial assessment.

Sent: 05/30/2011 07:17 PM
Dear Ms. Smith,

I am contacting you with an update regarding our upcoming claim for damages to our new leather sofa and love seat caused by coming into contact with our two dogs after having been treated with your company's product. I beleive that you have had phone conversation with my partner, copied here, on May 17 regarding how we should be proceeding with our claim submission.

As instructed we have contacted a repair service to request an estimate and have had a preliminary visit by one of their specialists to asses the damages. The specialist has assured us that he will be able to provide us with a final estimate at some point in the coming week after having verified the availability and cost of parts. Please note that we have already disbursed $142.41 in fees for this visit. These fees will be applicable towards the cost of the repair should we proceed with it.

We hope that you will find the steps we have taken to date to be satisfactory and in line with your expectations of how we should be handling the claim. Please let us know if we are missing anything needed for a quick resolution to this unfortunate incident.

kind regards,
Paul Fournier

Ms. Smith responded that I should also include some pictures of the couch damages with my claim and reminded me that it would take 3-4 weeks to process the cheque once the claim had been approved.

Sent: 06/07/2011 05:34 PM
Dear Ms. Smith,

I have just received the estimate from Atelier Johnson regarding the repair. Unfortunately it seems that it is not possible to order the necessary parts and Mr. Johnson advises that a complete replacement is the only possible way of restoring our new sofa and love seat to their former state. I have attached his insurance claim form to this email for you to review and I invite you to contact him directly should you have any questions about his findings. You will be able to find the estimate on the second worksheet of the excel document which also acknowledges that we paid $142.41 for the inspection and report.

As requested I have also attached a zipped archive of the pictures we took of the damages that were caused by our pets after being treated with your company's product. Also included in the archive is a scanned copy of the receipt for the sofa and love seat at the time of purchase, totaling $2,751.22 (incl. delivery).

Please let us know if you require any additional information or if you would like us to take additional steps. We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,
Paul Fournier

Ms. Smith then informed me that the company imposed a limit of $2,500 for a repair claim and asked for confirmation of whether or not we wanted to accept their offer. I debated seriously whether or not I should try to pursue the matter or if I should just accept. I opted to at least try to politely point out some of the flaws in their thinking.

Sent: 06/09/2011 06:04 AM
Dear Ms. Smith,

Thank you for getting back to us so promptly.

While we appreciate the fact that the final figure of $2,893.63 (including the cost of the estimate) may be unusually high we are not sure we understand the logic of limiting the reimbursement to $2,500.00. In the end we still find ourselves, should we accept your offer, in a position where we are "out of pocket" for $393.63 as a direct result of the lack of warning in the documentation that comes with your company's product.

I should also point out that we are not discussing a repair but rather a replacement due to the fact that we are unable to obtain the necessary parts as reported in Mr. Johnson's estimate. This, despite the fact that the couch is only 4 months old.

Again, we are not necessarily trying to negotiate a higher reimbursement. We would simply like to understand the logic that is being applied in making the decision of limiting the maximum claim amount as you propose. If the explanation is sound we will gladly accept.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,
Paul Fournier

Finally, a happy ending to the exchange with Ms. Smith letting us know that they have agreed to pay the full amount.

Sent: 06/10/2011 05:46 PM
Dear Ms. Smith,

That is good news. We thank you for the consideration you have shown our request regarding this matter. Please extend our appreciation to your Marketing manager as well.

We have no objections to your proposed method of payment.

Kind regards,
Paul Fournier

Overall I was very pleased with the company's response. Nancie and I are considering what to do with the old damaged couches before putting in teh order for some new ones. Maybe a charity would like to accept them as a donation.

Damon Horowitz calls for a "moral operating system"

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:00:00 +0000

I really like the way Horowitz is calling for a focus on basic philosophy as a means of guiding our decisions on how we should use our new technologies. This talk ties in nicely with a piece in the New Yorker I heard about through the latest Common Sense podcast from Dan Carlin. The article quotes a crypto-mathematician, Bill Binney, who developed software called ThinThread used by the US security services as deeply regretting his involvement. I wonder if a better understanding of basic philosophy would of helped him make better decisions...

Modern day Pagliacci - Anthony Griffith

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Thu, 26 May 2011 01:51:00 +0000

Pagliacci has always been one of my favorite operas. There is just something inherently heart wrenching and touching about a clown that has to put on a happy face to mask an inner turmoil of epic proportion.

I listened to this podcast of The Moth where Anthony Griffith recounts a heartbreaking time in his life during his rise to success as a stand up comic and couldn't help but to be deeply moved by it.

WARNING! Not for the faint of heart!

Anthony Griffith: Best of Times, Worst of Times by The Moth on Mixcloud

Sky Venture Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:04:00 +0000

Had lots of fun at Sky Venture with Shawn today. The two minutes of flight time went by way too fast but it is still a ton of fun. We're looking to go again in the next few months.

Why I'm glad to see the Harper government go

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:56:00 +0000

I'm the first one to admit that I'm not the most well informed of voter out there. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I've completely missed a few elections in the past. Yes, I'm predisposed to be that oblivious. Some people actually suggest that people like me do more harm than good in the democratic process and should just not get involved. I am trying to do better, I am trying to be a responsible and informed voter because I think it is important and it does matter.

Now you may wonder why am I so happy to see Harper go? Beside the obvious lack of transparency related to the cost of his programs I have the following two reasons.

The unnecessary changes to the mandatory Canadian census (long and short forms), irreversibly jeopardizing years of consistent data collecting from which we can make informed decisions.
Prison privatization. Even if it is unconfirmed and bordering on conspiracy theory paranoia I shiver at the thought of converting our prison system to a business model that needs a steady supply of criminals.

All in all I'm concerned enough to get off my rear and get informed and involved.

Buh Bye

Mont-Tremblant Hike

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:23:00 +0000

Just completed my first official snowshoe hike in the Mont-Tremblant National Park today. I opted to tackle the most difficult of the trails, Mont-des-Cascades (R3 & R1 below), to give myself a challenge. The skies were clear and sunny but the -22 degrees Celsius temperature was a little daunting.

First leg of the hike.

A very challenging 2.2km hike up the mountain to about 700m elevation. I opted to go to the first lookout even though the trail looked very raw. Saw lots of bunny and what I assume to be wolf tracks on this leg of the hike. Even though I had snowshoes on I managed to sink into a snow drift to about waist high.

Second leg of the hike.

A nice 1.4km hike downhill for the most part but I was starved and ready for a break. I came across the Refuge du Geai-Bleu where I found some shelter and provisions to build a fire so I could eat my two granola bars and thaw out my bottle of Gatorade. Stayed put for about 30 minutes, just enough time to warm up.

Third leg of the hike.

Hit the second lookout of the hike after about 1.3km of mostly climbing. At this point I was pretty much out of energy and ready to call it a day...

Final leg of the hike.

The rest of the hike was a very pleasant and leisurely 1.7km downhill. I was actually able to enjoy the view of the woods and the temperature had risen to about -13 degrees Celsius. I was back at the car for about 1:30pm.

Sprained Thumb

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:44:00 +0000

First casualty of the slopes. The left hand thumb is about 1.5 bigger than the right. I'll take this over a broken rib any day of the week.

The Fournier Brothers Get Choked Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Fournier) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:52:00 +0000

This was a joint birthday gift for our older brother Eric for his 40th birthday.

Had a great time at H2O gym with Justin as our trainer.

http://h2oma.com