Personal

Transcription Matt Refghi: I never expected to encounter this at Dragon*Con, it seems that Batman has met his end. So what are you going to do, Harley, now that Batman is gone? Harley Quinn: Well, now that the Bat is gone, Mr. J wants me to go after Robin, little nancy-boy. Matt: Well, Robin’s the only left right now. Harley: He is. Matt: So he probably has new tricks up his sleeve. Harley: Robin is a six-year-old loser, he can’t do anything to me. Matt: (laughs) Okay. So I was wondering, is this your first time at Dragon*Con? Harley: No, this is fourth year, and it’s just as amazing as always. Matt: Excellent. Is this the first costume you wear? … Read more

Transcription Matt Refghi: Alright, so I’m here at Dragon*Con 2012, and I just saw this gentleman. I have to ask: did you wake up this morning and think “today, I’d like the rabbit to carry me around?” Michael Mirth: (laughs) That’s ri – well, he said so, actually. Matt: Yeah. Michael: I didn’t have much to do with it, really. Matt: That’s – alright, that’s pretty elaborate. Michael: I’ve been wanting to bring this costume to Dragon*Con for about seven years, since I’ve made it. But I never had a trailer, because it’s so large – it wouldn’t fit in my jeep. Matt: Yeah, it’s pretty elaborate. Michael: Yes, there’s a lot of parts to it. Matt: Alright, so where … Read more

Transcription Matt Refghi: Alright, so we just arrived at Dragon*Con 2012, and we encountered Moss from The IT Crowd. How are you doing, Moss? Maurice Moss: (British accent) Doing well, thank you. Matt: Alright, I see that you have a cup there. Moss: (British accent) Absolutely, I’ve searched the canteen completely and most thoroughly, and I’ve actually found my cup. Matt: Woah. Moss: (British accent) It’s very, very distinctive because there’s a picture on the base. Matt: Okay, alright. How do you differentiate between that cup and the other cups. Moss: (British accent) Well, mainly the picture is what does it, although I do see Richmond drinking from it from time to time, which makes me a little bit vexed. Matt: I thought … Read more

It’s no secret that I’ve been less active with this blog, as of late. I won’t go into the details, but I’ve been putting a lot of time and effort into a certain project, one that I can’t yet reveal. What I can say is that it’s something that I’ve been working on for a very long time, and I’m really looking forward to introducing it in the near future. Today, however, I’m happy to announce that I’ll be releasing a series of interviews that I hosted from Dragon*Con 2012. I’ve always wanted to expand into video, and this turned out to be a great way to do so. You may recall that I’ve previously mentioned wanting to start a … Read more

It was around the time where I was getting to be too old for Halloween, so I didn’t do the whole candy collection thing. Instead, I served as a candy dispenser for the kids who wandered over to my parent’s place. I decided I would also dress up to entertain the children that passed, but I wasn’t exactly sure of what I would do. All I knew is that I had a mask, and a monk’s robe. The mask was designed to make my head look like a large, sinister skull. Not quite unique, I know, but this one was different – when I first saw it, it struck me as being particularly high in quality. As a result, I … Read more

If I were asked to identify one primary annoyance associated with a web development career path, it’d be the abundance of browser inconsistencies. From the consumer’s point of view, the web is an endless source of content, and they are given the ability explore that world. Browsers permit such exploration, but the resulting experience depends on a multitude of factors, most of them transparent to the consumer. There’s an organization known as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and their entire goal in life is to ensure the long term growth of the Internet. In accordance with this objective, the W3C took the time to define standards for the core technologies they created, such as HTML and CSS. Yet, the reality … Read more

After my second consecutive visit to Atlanta’s Dragon*Con, I decided it was time to give my hometown a chance. In Montreal, the closest we have to Dragon*Con is Montreal Comiccon, which was first held in 2006. Dragon*Con is a much older convention – it dates back in 1987, and comprises of multiple large hotels (lobbies, conference rooms, ball rooms), whereas Montreal Comiccon’s primary space is one large convention hall. As a result, the scale of Dragon*Con is far from being matched by Montreal – which means the celebrity guest list is also a bit disappointing, in comparison. Despite the differences, I attended Montreal Comiccon this year – and in my opinion, it’s worth doing so at least for the costumes. After all, it is still … Read more

While I was in Atlanta earlier this year, I tried to convince my sister to buy herself an iPhone. Though I consider myself a PC enthusiast, I can’t deny Apple‘s prowess when it comes to delivering a superior user experience. So, with a firm belief in the iPhone, I proceeded to explain the many benefits of the device. When my sister started showing concern for the inconvenience of re-arranging her cellphone plans, and the associated cost, I suggested first trying an iPod Touch. After all, that’s how I came to own an iPhone – I had first tried the iPod, and was amazed by the experience. I then realized that carrying a regular cellphone plus an iPod would be a … Read more

I was recently reminded of the existence of a particular Google service, one which I had completely forgotten. To my surprise, it turned out to be a significant discovery, as the product can be used to improve one’s privacy on the web, while reducing spam. The service, Google Alerts, allows users to choose specific search queries that they’d like to monitor. When new results appear in one of these queries, the user can be automatically notified by e-mail. Here are some suggested uses, according to Google: monitoring a developing news story keeping current on a competitor or industry getting the latest on a celebrity or event keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams All very interesting, sure – but what does it … Read more

While I was in Atlanta for Dragon*Con 2011, I found myself using their metro system on a fairly regular basis. Over there, they call it the MARTA, which stands for “Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority” – it happens to be the 9th largest metro system in the United States. Unlike Montreal, their trains use a combination of underground and outdoor rails, the latter made possible by the subtropical climate. On one particular day, I found myself waiting for a lift at a MARTA station. Since I had nothing else to do, I began reading a sign that described some of the rules and regulations behind the MARTA. I was particularly curious about whether they allowed eating or drinking on the … Read more