All at once I stopped writing things on the internet. Will I pick it up again soon? Who knows.

What I do know is that I have a very busy couple of months ahead of me, which either means I’ll write often about the interesting and exciting things that are happening with me, or once again the internets will cease to exist for me. I’m hoping the former, since I really, very much want to share my adventures in Japan (Aug 12-21) and at the Toronto International Film Fest (Sept 10-19) with ya’ll (as per tradition on both accounts).

I’m trying to clear out my digital workspace of it’s cobwebs, as it were, I deleted about 1/2 of the people I was following on Twitter, and my Facebook is nearly down to only the people I actually, really, like. While these actions may limit my reading audience, I’m totally OK with that if it means that I’m not constantly bombarded with anonymous information about strangers or people I couldn’t care less about.

Right now I intend on going on a bike ride with my mother, if it doesn’t rain. Wish me luck.

[Edit to Add: I just noticed that today is Angelina’s Birthday, so here is a picture of a cake for her;

So I visited Tokyo and saw;
- Shibuya Crossing (and that dog statue that was on Amazing Race)
- Akihabara District (and went to a Maid Cafe there)
- The view from Tokyo Tower.
I also visited Kyoto, Osaka (and USJ specifically), Sang at Karaoke, Ate Shabu-Shabu, and generally accomplished everything I had set out to do. Even if I failed to actually blog about it all.

Not to mention getting to spend quality time with Angelina in her new home environment, meeting her fantastic friends, and generally enjoyed myself beyond my wildest expectations. Since I’d never planned to visit Japan (like, ever) in the first place, I considered this a resounding success and left it at that.

Until last week.

Her contract is expiring this summer, and she’s decided to leave the Land of the Rising Sun to return to The Great White North. Knowing that this is likely going to be a difficult process, I tried to think of ways that I could help. I mean, moving is hard (I should know I’ve done it over a dozen times in the last decade), and I can’t even imagine how hard it is going to be for her to move from some place you’ve lived for four years, that also happens to be a foreign country, back to the city that you haven’t lived in since high-school. Rough Gig.

Maybe I could help - by easing the transition, say, if I were to fly over to Japan, hang out for a bit, and fly back with her.

Well, yes, it’s a crazy foolish silly idea. But that’s what’s happening. It took some pretty strategic planning (attempting to redeem frequent flier miles = fail), having my own flight schedule, and her booking separately, getting her Board of Education to approve her flight, and me getting an entire week off in August. But it’s all done. Booked. Huzzah!

So, I’m heading back to Japan.
I’m going to get Angelina to bring her home.

I’m actually really, really excited about this trip. Even though it’s totally expensive, and frivolous. I make no attempt to hide how much I love flying, and airports, and who doesn’t love vacations? I’m extra excited because this time, with my Everything I’d Ever Want To Do In Japan already complete, I get to just hang out, and enjoy doing whatever Angelina wants to do in her last few days in Japan.

As an added bonus I will be able to break my current standing record for Longest Flight Ever of 11.5hrs (Newark to Honolulu) to 13hrs (Chicago to Tokyo). <sarcasm>Oh Yay</sarcasm>.

Hopefully I’ll be able to follow my own advice, and it won’t be too traumatizing.

First, Survivor, because something pretty neat just happened. Via FanCast, there was a live chat with the most recent booted contestant of Survivor: Martini’s (or whatever), Debbie, and guess who got her question put up FIRST?

That didn’t really answer my question - but still kinda neat, right?

Second up, BSG. Oh, not much to say here, except that I’ve been rewatching the entire series with my mother, we’re up to mid-season 3, and am very much enjoying reliving the experience while already having All The Answers. It’s like watching The Usual Suspects for the second time. The the absolute best part, however, is seeing how into it my mom is getting, which is extra exciting since she totally dislikes sci-fi (not counting Stargate, because that’s just a MacGuyver sequel for her).

Not only is it super-fun for me to figure out who her favorite (Adama, Chief, Helo) and most hated (Baltar, Baltar, Baltar) characters are, but also she’s gotten into the habit of talking to the TV which can be hilarious. Examples? Ok. “Don’t go over there, Chief, I think it’s Cylons”, “Baltar, you’re dreaming again!” and the most satisfying is that she repeats “So say we all” whenever it’s uttered. Awesome.

And now I shall provide you with a photograph of a Battlestar Galacticake that I found on Flickr:

Moving on to How I Met Your Mother. A few weeks back there was an episode in which Ted divulged his Murtaugh List. Every item on the list he had declared as now being “too old for this Sh!t”. Such examples given are Beer Bong and Crashing on a Friend’s Futon. To my very delight, the list has already started to penetrate the Public Vernacular.

In fact, my near and dear Angelina herself had recently added “Taking the (K)nigt bus from Takamatsu to Tokyo” on to her list. (I attempted to futilely add ‘Drink Jaigermiester’ to her list, but she would have none of it, apparently being in Japan gives her a 4 year reprieve so it’s on the back burner).  This obviously made me think about my own Murtaugh List, and things that I quite simply cannot, or should not do, at my age.

This is a work in progress, but brief summary of what I have, so far;

- Go camping without Air Mattresses

- Wear my hair in Pig Tails

- Put off seeing the Dentist (I’ve learned from Past Mistakes)

- Not drink Coffee

I don’t think there’s anything else, just yet, but I’m sure the list will grow. I”m super interested in other people’s Murtaugh Lists, so please share!

(PS: I’m still looking for members of Club ChantelleJoy, you can join by subscribing to my RSS feed. Membership is free, and apparently very exclusive!)

Reading this article, about the oldest known event EVAR, made me become entirely re-devoted to being intrigued, impressed and astounded by The Universe. Having the worlds most limited knowledge of astronomy (so adept am I that I almost typed astrology there), I certainly can’t grasp the finer points of the physics and scientific importance of this event, but one thing I can do is say; Holy Cow.

Holy Moly Cow - 13 Billion years ago is a really very long time ago, and it seriously makes me think of how out of sync we are with the rest of the universe, given how large it is. I’m not going to get into theological or religious debate here - I’m just going to sit back, be impressed and consider the vastness of the universe as perceived by me. Most people take events like this, or general news of the Giant Expanding Universe in general as a sort of defeat, making them feel small and insignificant. Not Me.

I find this sort of thing exhilirating, and inspiring. Knowing that our tiny blue  marble is just that, tiny, is liberating and celebratory to me. I’m stopping myself from going on a pages-long rant here about how Wonderful and Magical it all is, but rest assured, I’m in a happy place because of this news.  I’m happy I found a new interstellar interest, and that we’re now one step closer to finding the End of the Universe (because I’d really like to dine there).

(OH BTW. This week I launched iPhoneAppGirl.com, check it out! Also, please sign up for my RSS Feed too! Kthxbye!)

From the “Stuff You Already Know About” Department comes my run down on the best, and most awesome Google Search Features, as voted on by Me.

I’m not lying when I say that I use at least one Google Search Feature every single day of my life. I’ll also admit that a large portion of the time it’s at my job. (My real-life non-internet job). This list is by no means an accurate representation of all of the wonderful things that Google Search does besides actual Search, but these are the ones that I find most helpful, most often.

1. Define

You can actually use this feature in two ways either by typing “Define WORD” or “Define: WORD”, I usually use the latter as it provides definitions from various sources. I know it’s going to make me sound less intelligent to say this, but this is the feature I use most often.

Since it’s automatically tied directly into the Spell Checker feature, I’ll include that as one of the most often used tools, too. Everyone is familiar with the Did You Mean:, but it’s extra helpful when you’re trying to define something that you’ve misspelled.

That really does make me sound like a Winner.  OK .. moving on..

2. Time Zone

Completely invaluable for my job. I know all North American and most European time zones by heart, but if someone were to ask me what time it was in Kuala Lumpur I’d be stumped and immediately Google “Time in Kuala Lumpur” and ta-da it tells you. No fuss, No muss. Also very convenient for settling Time Zone Arguments - trust me, these exist.

3. Currency and Unit Conversion

Probably not something you should base your portfolio on, or anything, it’s quicker than going to XE.com even.

Also very useful for settling currency related arguments (which also tend to happen to me fairly often, Madbard).

As demonstrated in my 2006 Cooking with Chantelle featurette, the Unit Conversion can be quite helpful too. Like, when you’re trying to eat Local and don’t know if you should stick to 100 miles or 160 km.

So that’s my roundup of the Search Features that I use most often, a few others you might be surprised to hear about are Real Estate & Housing, Fill In The Blank and Package Tracking.
See all of the Search Bar Magic Features here.

Which is your favorite?

Since this site is still fresh, I hope you’d considering signing up for my RSS Feed. Please?

I read an article yesterday over at AppleInsider about iTunes scammers trying to hook in App Developers to profit from fake iTunes Gift Card Codes. Basically, since Apple offers 70% profit to App Developers the scammers offer to buy the App a bunch of times, and they’ll split the profit.

I found this very anger-making. Not only because they’re obviously not being up-front about the Gift Card Codes being totally fake, but also because no matter if they get caught our not, someone is the victim, and it’s not the scammer. If Apple finds that the (what I can only assume are fake) iTunes accounts used to make the purchases they’ll likely pull back the payment from the App Developer, and if they can’t do that they are out hundreds (or probably more like thousands) of dollars.

My first anti-reaction was basically “Oh, Chantelle, who are you to judge, you’ve been known to Bittorrent a few movies, and watch TV shows on Megavideo, isn’t that stealing too?”. Short answer, Yes.  Long answer is as follows;

Since the dawn of Internet Piracy, there has been, undeniably, a code of Conduct. An honour among thieves, if you will. For a tongue-in-cheek (but accurate) example see this Gizmodo Article. The above scam breaks this code, and hurts hard working iPhone Developers in the process. Please don’t think that I’m outraged because of some sort of misplaced loyalty to Apple… I understand that the overwhelming devotion that Apple users have for that company is an unrequited love.

Fake iTunes Gift Card codes are wrong to begin with, but trying to drag a hard-working App Developer into it with you is just evil. The simple fact of the matter is that they’re exploiting the open-development-revenue-sharing model that Apple built for the App store is the part that pisses me off the most.

So maybe I’m being a hypocrite for feeling OK if someone downloads Season 2 of Hell’s Kitchen instead of going out and buying the DVDs, but still being outraged at the mere idea of stealing money via the App Store. But as far as I am concerned, it’s Apples and Oranges. (Pun Intended).

Your Opinion?

In fact, most of the shows that I watch have little to do with creating Haute Cuisine, and focus more on the entertainment and fun factor of preparing and enjoying food. Here is my rundown of the best Food TV Shows for the average Geek (in no particular order).

Good Eats

I thought I’d list this first as it’s the most obvious. It’s been running for nearly a decade so if you’re not familiar with Alton Brown and his Science! meets Food! format you’re definitely missing out.

Why it appeals to Geeks: It’s funny, informative and entertaining. Alton often uses Hacked kitchen gadgets, and despises ‘unitaskers’ (a device that can only be used for one thing). He focuses on simple ingredients and even simpler recipe’s, and often uses scientific equations to explain certain baking or cooking principles (while also using funny characters, skits and superheroes). Also what other food show has guest spots by a nutritional anthropologist?

Hell’s Kitchen

Ok, not strictly a food show, but from my estimates 98% of average geeks love Gordon Ramsay, and in particular, Hell’s Kitchen. This reality show offers a group aspiring cooks/chefs the chance to become the head chef at a Top Restaurant (Season 4’s winner got the privilege of being hired by Ramsay himself), and $250k.

Why it appeals to Geeks: I’m not 100% sure on this one, it just does. It also appeals to non-geeks but the majority of geeks I know love this show. It might be that it’s a Reality Show, it might be that it has a cool video-game spin-off, or it might be some other reason. If you’re a Geek and you love Hell’s Kitchen, definitely leave a comment, because I’d like to get to the bottom of this.

Iron Chef

The great Japanese Chef vs Chef cook-off. Part reality show, part cooking show, with an odd sport-like overtone this show has been popular ever since they started importing it over from Japan in the late 90’s.

Why it appeals to Geeks: Well, firstly, it’s hosted by aforementioned Alton Brown, King of Food Geeks. But even before they imported and adapted as Iron Chef: America, Geeks have been watching Iron Chef. I prefer the Japanese version, and still remember the whole Bobby Flay/Cutting Board controversy. However, Iron Chef: America has much of the same appeal as the original.  And who could forget that the short-lived precursor Iron Chef: USA featured William Shatner at The Chairman. Also, this TV show had it’s own spin-off Reality Series and Video Game.

Ace of Cakes

I’m going to use the quote from the opening credits here to describe this show “After pastry school, I decided to make cakes my way. So I set up shop and hired the most talented people I know, my friends. We do it all, make it bigger, make it better, make it awesome“.

Why it appeals to Geeks: Watching geeks make giant, awesome cakes. What’s more appealing than that? This is my #1 favorite Food TV Geek show - and it has as much to do with the people in the show as it does the cakes. Duff,  Mary-Alice, Geof et al are hip thirty-somethings with a passion for cakes. Some of the best Geek Cakes they’ve made:  Super Mario Bros, Hogwarts, Stargate, and Star Trek.  Oh yeah, and lots of Star Wars. Chef Duff and the team are cake geeks and lucky for us they film it and put it on the TV for our viewing pleasure.

Honourable Mention:
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

A bit of a long-shot for this list, I felt I should include it anyways. Guy Fieri hosts this road-trip style show featuring local American cuisine and fast-food.

Why it appeals to Geeks: Guy himself is not very geekish, but I think this show appeals to geeks who like watching people eat food bigger than their head. At least several times a show you’ll see Guy trying to take a bite out of something that’s either a) Ginormous b) Oozing with Cheese  or c) Deep Fried Questionmark?! Plus the locations he visits are often unique or interesting such as a Hot Dog Restaurant built out of an old Bus. Not quite as on-the-mark as the rest of this list, I though it deserved a spot, near the end.

Geek Food TV Fail

I wanted to mention a couple of food shows that are trying desparately to market to geeks, but I just don’t get it.

Food Detetives
Ted Allen of Queer Eye, and sometimes-judge of Iron Chef seeks to solve life’s Food Questions. Sort of like Mythbusters, for food - with a dash of Good Eats science. I just don’t’ get it. The most obvious of the obvious wanna-be-geek shows falls flat with bad humour and uninteresting topics.

Unwrapped
How it’s Made, for food. This show wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t almost always focus on candy. There’s only so many times you can watch an assembly line of jars getting filled with liquid before you just don’t care anymore. And as much as I love Chocolate Enrobers, I can’t stand Marc Summers and it’s irritating ‘Did you know?’s

So that’s my life of the best (and worst) Food shows for Geeks. If I’m obviously missing your most-favorite Geeky Food show, please let me know. Happy NOMNOMNOMing.

I’ve filled the better part of a decade with Forums, LiveJournal, Facebook and now Twitter, not to mention writing for other people’s blogs, but still there’s not really a space where I can write about all the Stuff I Have Opinions About - so I’m starting this blog. It’s not that I don’t love my LiveJournal, but after 9 years of writing about my life I just felt that it wasn’t the space I wanted to use for the types of things I’ll write here.

Besides the interwebs have finally become so tightly integrated that I can write here, have it cross-post to LJ, and auto-import to Fbook and I don’t have to worry about anyone missing the really riveting article I’ll write about USB Thumb Drives or whatnot.

Also, I’ve found that tweaking WordPress Templates and fiddling with Plugins and Code is pretty much my most favorite hobby. In addition to reading Google Tech News and testing iPhone Apps. Writing for the iPhone sites the last few years has really opened up some strange quasi-creative outlet in me that I want to spill over into other topics. Now I’ll have a space for that, and I certainly hope that other people find it hilarious or informative.

Ideally, both.