I went to the Duke of Somerset today to see if I could find the Hairy Tarantula's monthly game scrum advertised on their website, but I wasn't able to find anyone. I wasn't really sure how you could have a game scrum at a pub restaurant anyway; but I asked the employees about it. The host, named Dave informed me first, that he was not the eponymous Duke, and also that the Tarantula guys don't really let anybody know when they're coming in. Indeed it did not appear as if anyone was despite the website. I guess either the site hadn't been updated for a year or they just scrubbed it without updating their page. How unfortunate.
I'll write up a bit about The Room later I think.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Room
Oh my god. By far a worse movie than I could have conceived. The audience really made this experience for me. There were a lot of very excited people in the theatre. I'll say more when I let it sink in a bit. BTW Tom and Steve, I saw the Nostalgia Critic video of this, but just watching a video review of the movie doesn't do the whole thing justice.
A theatre employee with a microphone introduces the movie and asks the audience to mind the spoons. One member of the audience asks the question on my mind; "What spoons?"
The employee chuckles and says, "Yeah. What spoons? Right."
I would soon find out what that was about.
A theatre employee with a microphone introduces the movie and asks the audience to mind the spoons. One member of the audience asks the question on my mind; "What spoons?"
The employee chuckles and says, "Yeah. What spoons? Right."
I would soon find out what that was about.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Big Screen
I had the opportunity to go to the new, (and still under construction) Maple leaf square outside of the Air Canada Center. I went to meet my land lady and her friend at Real Sports Bar. The bar is located in a new building: The structure features a tall residential tower on top of some office space and as well as a small mall. It's a pretty big building. Real Sports Bar is utterly cavernous, (didn't seem too pricey I guess) and I don't think the above picture really does that justice.
(Note to self: Something seems wrong with the text formatting for the blog today...)
I also got the chance at a Future Shop a week or two back to experience the future of 3-D television viewing. It wasn't so remarkable. Maybe that wasn't helped by the lackluster 3-D of a talking scene from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, but I wasn't thrilled all the same. I'd like to know how Nintendo managed to make a 3-D handheld game system. (That doesn't use glasses?)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Litany of Failure
So what did I do with my money?
Well I am working under the assumption that governments and central banks will not add additional fiscal or monetary stimulus into the economy. In fact, I believe with the end of the current round of stimulus there will perhaps some additional contraction. I do not believe there will be more inflation in the economy, as there will be little pressure from increasing demand.
I think this reduction in demand will mean that emerging markets will not grow as fast as they used to. I can't be sure if they will regress though. (If they start booming again I will feel really stupid for taking my money out of emerging markets after a month) Emerging markets are a big question mark for me.
Since I don't expect much inflation or much growth, I suspect that current bond yields and stock prices are higher than they will be. I suspect my yields are not as high as they could have been when the economy was at it's peak, but I'm sure that the stock market is overvalued right now. I have invested in fixed income securities.
My bond holding include strip bonds and regular bonds. The issuers are all Canadian, and include one corporation, (Bell) two provincial issues, and one municipal issue. All are long term bonds, to maximize yields, which also expresses my confidence in the lack of inflation and reliability of the government issuers. Presumably, I'll have to watch out for signals that governments may change their fiscal policies. If they go full on Keynesian, I may want to get into equity markets.
My yields range about 4 to 7%, which barring defaults, are now locked in. I don't think the extra safety of GICs are necessary and if the economy turns around, I'd like the chance to change my investments.
Previous to this I was investing in ETFs for Canadian banks and emerging markets, (Symbols GAF, ADRE, XTF) as well as some Latin American oriented mutual funds and strip bonds. I liked ETFs because I wanted lessor management fees and didn't feel there was much value in (most) heavily managed funds. But since I'm not confident in equities, I've bailed on them...at some minor expense.
Well I am working under the assumption that governments and central banks will not add additional fiscal or monetary stimulus into the economy. In fact, I believe with the end of the current round of stimulus there will perhaps some additional contraction. I do not believe there will be more inflation in the economy, as there will be little pressure from increasing demand.
I think this reduction in demand will mean that emerging markets will not grow as fast as they used to. I can't be sure if they will regress though. (If they start booming again I will feel really stupid for taking my money out of emerging markets after a month) Emerging markets are a big question mark for me.
Since I don't expect much inflation or much growth, I suspect that current bond yields and stock prices are higher than they will be. I suspect my yields are not as high as they could have been when the economy was at it's peak, but I'm sure that the stock market is overvalued right now. I have invested in fixed income securities.
My bond holding include strip bonds and regular bonds. The issuers are all Canadian, and include one corporation, (Bell) two provincial issues, and one municipal issue. All are long term bonds, to maximize yields, which also expresses my confidence in the lack of inflation and reliability of the government issuers. Presumably, I'll have to watch out for signals that governments may change their fiscal policies. If they go full on Keynesian, I may want to get into equity markets.
My yields range about 4 to 7%, which barring defaults, are now locked in. I don't think the extra safety of GICs are necessary and if the economy turns around, I'd like the chance to change my investments.
Previous to this I was investing in ETFs for Canadian banks and emerging markets, (Symbols GAF, ADRE, XTF) as well as some Latin American oriented mutual funds and strip bonds. I liked ETFs because I wanted lessor management fees and didn't feel there was much value in (most) heavily managed funds. But since I'm not confident in equities, I've bailed on them...at some minor expense.
Investing: The Long and Short of it.
HAHAHAHAHAAH! That post title is the funniest thing I've ever written!!
The following will be fairly long.
Dad wanted to me to write something with regards to my investment strategies, but I don't know how valuable it'll be. I don't really have a proven track record in picking any kind of winning strategy so far. Mostly it's just involved hitting my head against a wall and mumbling about a time machine. (We all know how hard it is to get one of those...)
The following will be fairly long.
Dad wanted to me to write something with regards to my investment strategies, but I don't know how valuable it'll be. I don't really have a proven track record in picking any kind of winning strategy so far. Mostly it's just involved hitting my head against a wall and mumbling about a time machine. (We all know how hard it is to get one of those...)
For investing, I just throw my money awa-...I use my online banking system provided by my bank. It provides screeners to narrow down what equities, funds, and bonds I'm looking for. There are also ratings provided and some historical and financial information. I don't know what's available to any of you when investing. Per-trade commissions are charged for equities trades, per-unit fees for bonds, and mutual funds can have different kinds of fees but I don't think there are commissions.
Mutual funds all have a expense ratio, where a portion of the value of the investment goes to the fund company. ETFs are like mutual funds, but are designed only to reflect the overall index and not a particular fund's investment strategy. They charge much lower expenses. If you don't believe that a mutual fund can consistently beat the market, an ETF may be a good pick. I pay commissions for buying/selling ETFs like I would an equity though.
Equities are stocks and fixed income products are things like bonds, t-bills, and GICs. Equities are shares in an investment or part ownership, while fixed income products are more like loans. Mutual funds and ETF could contain equities or fixed income products.
Equities usually are higher risk investments. In periods of high growth they offer some of the best returns, but if the market falters so does the investment. Fixed income products are more secure because they offer a steady rate of return and are higher in order of preference if an investment has to declare bankruptcy.
Fixed income products all involve investing a principle amount of money to buy the Treasury-bills, bonds, or GICs for a predetermined term. Interest is then paid on this either at maturity or at intervals. Bonds pay interest in cash and then return principle at maturity. Bonds can be bought and sold like stocks. Bonds have reinvestment risk, which means that you may not have an option for a similar yield as the bonds you already own when you get the interest payments. Therefore compounding your growth can be difficult.
Bond yields are a function of the bond's interest rate, payment periods, and purchase price. Two bonds with different prices and payments can have similar yields. Yield is like the value of the bond. But a bond with a high yield once purchased, will not see it's yield drop. (Unless there's a default) So when yields are dropping, bonds you already have are not less valuable. It means that your bonds now have a higher price, so if someone bought them from you, they would be less valuable to the new owner than they were to you.
Risk is identified by ratings, and yields are smaller for lower-risk/better rated issues. Governments usually have better ratings than corporations. Since there is more risk due to changing circumstances in longer terms, long term bonds (As well as other FI products) have higher yields.
GICs have terms which prevent you from redeeming or selling before maturity. GICs are gauranteed by the issuer and for CDIC members, (Like the big banks) they are insured against default as well. So they are very secure, but consequently offer less return in addition to not being liquid.(As you cannot withdraw the deposit)
Strip bonds involve someone splitting the interest from the bond principle and then selling the principle guaranteed separately from the interest at a discount. So you could buy $10,000 from the Province of Ontario in 2028 for $3,000 today for example. This prevents reinvestment risk, but default and inflation risk still exists.
While the value of a fixed income product in the market can vary, its' actual rate of return is fixed. (Barring defaults by the issuer, and excepting for the possibility of reinvestment risk for bonds)
Inflation creates pressure for more risk, because the eroding of value is proportionately worse for low return products. Growth also usually means that safety will not be as important. Poor business prospects mean that safer and more predictable properties are relatively more valuable.
Next I'll write about what I think about the market.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Viva Espana!
Score another one for the psychic Octopus. Spain defeats Germany 1-0 to enter the final against the Netherlands. The Netherlands has never won, and Spain has never been this far at all. The Teutonic Titans evidently were not as well matched against the deliberate passing of Spain as they were against more meat-headed opponents.
There was one amusing story. Torres, Spain's typically under-performing superstar was replaced by his understudy Pedro for this match. But Pedro was taken off the field by his coach when in the closing minutes he blew an excellent break away because he couldn't bring himself to pass the damn ball. I wonder if he'll get another chance to start in the final match, or if he's going back on the bench.
Are any of you watching the World Cup or is it just me and dad?
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
While we're on the subject...
Let's all just remember to keep fantasy and reality separate and not end up like poor Robbie.
The Sleep of Reason produces Monsters..and Mazes
Swords, poison, spells... Mazes and Monsters is a pretty far-out movie. But is it only imaginary?
I caught this on television today, though I missed the beginning. I was familiar with this Dungeons and Dragons inspired made-for-television movie, and I was happy for the opportunity to see it. This is Tom Hank's first movie by the way.
Four college kids play a popular Dungeons and Dragons stand-in game 'Mazes and Monsters' and none are particularly happy people. The main character Robbie, (Tom Hanks) flunked out of his last school because he played the game too much. But this time things will be different. Much different.
He doesn't get along with his folks too well, but mostly Robbie is affected by the disappearance many years ago of his brother Hall. Another player, (JayJay) for reasons of his own was thinking about committing suicide in a cavern, but is instead inspired to bring his fellow players out there so they can play their game on location instead of in a dorm room that smells like old pizza boxes.
This is the point where I joined our heroes; as they played Mazes and Monsters in the caves, directed by JayJay, the unseen maze controller. (The game's referee) After receiving direction from a skeleton to find some mysterious herb, blond guy (Daniel) suggests they split up. Robbie is against it, and when asked if he's afraid of he unfortunately doesn't respond, "Have you ever played a role playing game, watched Scooby Doo, Hawk the Slayer, or any slasher movie ever?" (Rule #1: Don't split the party!) and instead says he isn't scared.
Alone in the dark, Robbie loses it; we see him attacked by an imaginary monster which actually looks scary enough for a figment of the imagination in a dark cave in a low budget movie. Since I joined the movie 40 minutes in, I don't know if he was already this crazy or this just set him off. All I know is that he doesn't break character after the game is done. Robbie now believes he is Pardue.
The players enjoy the experience and Robbie's 'acting' and that JayJay didn't create fake paper-mache monsters. (Maybe that's what this movies' special effects department did) The last member of the group Kate, (Robbie's girlfriend) raises her lamp to her face while saying, "The most frightening monsters are those that exist in our minds." How ominous!
Robbie is now also going by the name of his game character, a priest named Pardue. He has a dream where his god stands at the end of a backlit tunnel and tells him he must be celibate, alone, and holy. Also he's a higher level now because he killed that cave monster.
So the next morning he advises Kate that he can't touch her anymore; but at least he's not talking like Pardue when he tells her. I can't help but think that no one would notice his mania were he not playing a cleric and trying to be holy. Probably the unpopularity of that roleplaying character type owes itself to the legacy of this movie.
Later, Kate follows Daniel into caves when she sees him poking around them at night. I started to really enjoy the directing of this movie at this point. The cave is really kind of threatening, and Tom Hanks' acting is good. The score sometimes uses a saxophone, but otherwise it's kind of creepy.
Daniel makes a move on Kate and wins her over with the admission that he thought he was like a Vulcan with 'no emotions' before he opened up to her. What a dork. Vulcans DO have emotions, they just control them well. EPIC FAIL
Shortly thereafter, Robbie mysteriously disappears on a quest to join with his god, 'The Great Hall'.
His friends find a map which references both 'The Great Hall' and 'The Two Towers'. Kate, JayJay, and Daniel try to enlist the police in the investigation of the caves, thinking Robbie's gotten lost in them. Props to the writer for keeping us in the dark about what Robbie is doing for a while after he's gone; though because we saw his dreams, we already knew 'The Great Hall' on the map he left behind was a person, (His missing brother) and not a place like everyone else thinks. That should have also been played a little closer to the chest, though there is something to be said for use of dramatic irony.
The police investigator immediately zeroes in on the game as the culprit, but can't find anything of Robbie in the cave. So the gamers are on their own.
This movie really owes its existence to a book which tried to sound the alarm about the dangers of games like Dungeons and Dragons, but in this movie Robbie is already unbalanced because of his parents and his missing brother and is saved by his gaming friends in the end. I guess you can't really just forget about it though because it is the plot that he's too into the game and it's not just some unseen macguffin. Maybe it's just because I have difficulty taking the warning seriously so I disregard it so easily. If you did a modern movie about Warcraft Online, guess I wouldn't say such a movie is not about online multi-player computer games, so I guess I shouldn't say it about this movie.
Robbie appears in New York, and gets into a fight with some muggers. He stabs one of them in genuine self-defense while he envisions himself as fighting a monster. In his ongoing delusions, he is directed to the 'two towers' by a homeless guy in the subway tunnels. I get the feeling the subway vagrant may not be enjoying the role reversal he experiences while listening to Pardue's crazy blather about dragons and treasure.
Between the clues left behind, and one desperate phone call from Robbie, (Who seems to have his good and bad moments when it comes to his delusions) the gamers are able to find Robbie and stop him from jumping off the World Trade Center. I notice that the scene on the roof of the tower seems to lack a lot of wind like you'd expect up there. Didn't really get a sense of danger or height in that scene. Plus he didn't require much convincing.
In the coda Robbie's mother forgives his friends saying that it's not their fault that he's nuts. It sort of is though, because they knew he was too into the game to begin with. We see that despite being saved, Robbie is still thinking he's Pardue and is still a ways away from recovery. This just to remind you that friends don't let friends play Dungeons and Dragons. Except that Robbie's friends humor him by making their pleasant walk around the grounds of his parent's home a daring adventure. So maybe they didn't learn anything.
The movie is well directed, seems to have good acting, and I like the story. It's actually a good movie even if it's message is alarmist. There is a truth here; that individuals who are unbalanced or alone can get lost in fantasy. Though tromping about a cave dressed like a wizard seems more like living than tapping a space bar over and over again to get enough fake gold to buy a fake mansion in fake world.
I caught this on television today, though I missed the beginning. I was familiar with this Dungeons and Dragons inspired made-for-television movie, and I was happy for the opportunity to see it. This is Tom Hank's first movie by the way.
Four college kids play a popular Dungeons and Dragons stand-in game 'Mazes and Monsters' and none are particularly happy people. The main character Robbie, (Tom Hanks) flunked out of his last school because he played the game too much. But this time things will be different. Much different.
He doesn't get along with his folks too well, but mostly Robbie is affected by the disappearance many years ago of his brother Hall. Another player, (JayJay) for reasons of his own was thinking about committing suicide in a cavern, but is instead inspired to bring his fellow players out there so they can play their game on location instead of in a dorm room that smells like old pizza boxes.
This is the point where I joined our heroes; as they played Mazes and Monsters in the caves, directed by JayJay, the unseen maze controller. (The game's referee) After receiving direction from a skeleton to find some mysterious herb, blond guy (Daniel) suggests they split up. Robbie is against it, and when asked if he's afraid of he unfortunately doesn't respond, "Have you ever played a role playing game, watched Scooby Doo, Hawk the Slayer, or any slasher movie ever?" (Rule #1: Don't split the party!) and instead says he isn't scared.
Alone in the dark, Robbie loses it; we see him attacked by an imaginary monster which actually looks scary enough for a figment of the imagination in a dark cave in a low budget movie. Since I joined the movie 40 minutes in, I don't know if he was already this crazy or this just set him off. All I know is that he doesn't break character after the game is done. Robbie now believes he is Pardue.
Tom Hanks: Just a dude pretending to be a dude pretending to be another dude.
The players enjoy the experience and Robbie's 'acting' and that JayJay didn't create fake paper-mache monsters. (Maybe that's what this movies' special effects department did) The last member of the group Kate, (Robbie's girlfriend) raises her lamp to her face while saying, "The most frightening monsters are those that exist in our minds." How ominous!
Robbie is now also going by the name of his game character, a priest named Pardue. He has a dream where his god stands at the end of a backlit tunnel and tells him he must be celibate, alone, and holy. Also he's a higher level now because he killed that cave monster.
...and Robbie's the quiet religious guy who ends up going crazy.
So the next morning he advises Kate that he can't touch her anymore; but at least he's not talking like Pardue when he tells her. I can't help but think that no one would notice his mania were he not playing a cleric and trying to be holy. Probably the unpopularity of that roleplaying character type owes itself to the legacy of this movie.
Later, Kate follows Daniel into caves when she sees him poking around them at night. I started to really enjoy the directing of this movie at this point. The cave is really kind of threatening, and Tom Hanks' acting is good. The score sometimes uses a saxophone, but otherwise it's kind of creepy.
Daniel makes a move on Kate and wins her over with the admission that he thought he was like a Vulcan with 'no emotions' before he opened up to her. What a dork. Vulcans DO have emotions, they just control them well. EPIC FAIL
Shortly thereafter, Robbie mysteriously disappears on a quest to join with his god, 'The Great Hall'.
Guess again.
His friends find a map which references both 'The Great Hall' and 'The Two Towers'. Kate, JayJay, and Daniel try to enlist the police in the investigation of the caves, thinking Robbie's gotten lost in them. Props to the writer for keeping us in the dark about what Robbie is doing for a while after he's gone; though because we saw his dreams, we already knew 'The Great Hall' on the map he left behind was a person, (His missing brother) and not a place like everyone else thinks. That should have also been played a little closer to the chest, though there is something to be said for use of dramatic irony.
The police investigator immediately zeroes in on the game as the culprit, but can't find anything of Robbie in the cave. So the gamers are on their own.
This movie really owes its existence to a book which tried to sound the alarm about the dangers of games like Dungeons and Dragons, but in this movie Robbie is already unbalanced because of his parents and his missing brother and is saved by his gaming friends in the end. I guess you can't really just forget about it though because it is the plot that he's too into the game and it's not just some unseen macguffin. Maybe it's just because I have difficulty taking the warning seriously so I disregard it so easily. If you did a modern movie about Warcraft Online, guess I wouldn't say such a movie is not about online multi-player computer games, so I guess I shouldn't say it about this movie.
Robbie appears in New York, and gets into a fight with some muggers. He stabs one of them in genuine self-defense while he envisions himself as fighting a monster. In his ongoing delusions, he is directed to the 'two towers' by a homeless guy in the subway tunnels. I get the feeling the subway vagrant may not be enjoying the role reversal he experiences while listening to Pardue's crazy blather about dragons and treasure.
Between the clues left behind, and one desperate phone call from Robbie, (Who seems to have his good and bad moments when it comes to his delusions) the gamers are able to find Robbie and stop him from jumping off the World Trade Center. I notice that the scene on the roof of the tower seems to lack a lot of wind like you'd expect up there. Didn't really get a sense of danger or height in that scene. Plus he didn't require much convincing.
In the coda Robbie's mother forgives his friends saying that it's not their fault that he's nuts. It sort of is though, because they knew he was too into the game to begin with. We see that despite being saved, Robbie is still thinking he's Pardue and is still a ways away from recovery. This just to remind you that friends don't let friends play Dungeons and Dragons. Except that Robbie's friends humor him by making their pleasant walk around the grounds of his parent's home a daring adventure. So maybe they didn't learn anything.
The movie is well directed, seems to have good acting, and I like the story. It's actually a good movie even if it's message is alarmist. There is a truth here; that individuals who are unbalanced or alone can get lost in fantasy. Though tromping about a cave dressed like a wizard seems more like living than tapping a space bar over and over again to get enough fake gold to buy a fake mansion in fake world.
That's not a world we want to live in.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Pride (In the name of Love)
I dropped by Pride today, and when I got back I was surprised to read that the newspapers were claiming attendance of over a million people. I'm not a great judge of numbers, but I'm not sure if that's what was there.
I looked for the Tall ships at the waterfront, and one was still there. I was disappointed however. It didn't seem any different or 'taller' than the sailing ship that's always docked at the Waterfront.
Also, I guess I'm going to have to swallow the post-G20 losses and just vacate the equity market before any more contraction happens. I'd be fine with risk... but virtually every investment I've made over the past two years has proceeded a market-wide contraction by about a month or two. Losses aren't huge I guess... maybe $500 dollars when including commissions for trades. Maybe I'll just convert to cash or maybe just move it all into bonds and debt markets.
Part of this result seems to come from my need to make investments, and 'get it over with' after months of delay and weeks of planning; only for my choices to voided by broad full-on market panic almost right after. Of course, I guess no one finds the 2008-2010 period a good time for any investing. Once bitten, twice shy now seems more like advice.
I looked for the Tall ships at the waterfront, and one was still there. I was disappointed however. It didn't seem any different or 'taller' than the sailing ship that's always docked at the Waterfront.
Also, I guess I'm going to have to swallow the post-G20 losses and just vacate the equity market before any more contraction happens. I'd be fine with risk... but virtually every investment I've made over the past two years has proceeded a market-wide contraction by about a month or two. Losses aren't huge I guess... maybe $500 dollars when including commissions for trades. Maybe I'll just convert to cash or maybe just move it all into bonds and debt markets.
Part of this result seems to come from my need to make investments, and 'get it over with' after months of delay and weeks of planning; only for my choices to voided by broad full-on market panic almost right after. Of course, I guess no one finds the 2008-2010 period a good time for any investing. Once bitten, twice shy now seems more like advice.
Friday, July 2, 2010
It's Over
Brazil's surprise outster from the World Cup pretty much ends me in the pool, but I think it was the heartbreaking loss by Ghana to Uruguay in a shootout due to cheating that really was awful. (it also prevented Ghana from becoming the first African team to make the semi-finals)
Uruaguayan player Suarez blocked two sure-goal rebounds on the goal in the final seconds of extra time, batting one with his hand. Sure he was spotted and Ghana awarded a penalty kick, (Usually a sure thing --but Ghana's player Gyan missed!) but it's still cheating.
Rule of thumb: If it ever goes to a shootout in any sport; the bad guys win.
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