From the "here and now" Department ::

The latest provincial economic report from the Toronto Dominion Bank would suggest the boom in Western Canada has peaked, and it may well have but there are still hundreds of jobs going unfilled. A large part of the reason the jobs are going unfilled is that the housing situation is a bit tight. The situation is worse in the larger centres of Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Medicine Hat, and Lethbridge. Of course that's where most of the jobs are but there is still lots of work available for the taking amongst the hundreds of communities scattered throughout Alberta.

So just how do you go about finding accommodation if you're several hundred if not thousands of miles from the action. If you can afford the luxury of sending out a friend or family member to do the scouting you likely have a good chance of wedging yourself into the Alberta economy. If that isn't an option then you're going to have to check out the Canadian Community Newspaper Association database of newspaper websites to see what's happening. Many of these are only published once a week so it may be more effective to find the place where you want to live and then post a job wanted or accommodation wanted classified ad. Google Earth will give you a pretty good bird's eye view of Alberta and can help you get your bearings when going through the community newspapers.

One other solution to finding accommodation would be to join a freecycle group in the community or communities you're interested in and post an accommodation wanted ad to the newsgroup. You'll have a pretty good chance of finding something that may not be on the market yet avoiding the annoyance of fighting the crowds of others scrambling for the somewhat scant listings of accommodations available in the classifieds. Contacting real estate agents advertising in the community newspapers might get you results too. Real estate agents often know of rental properties as they usually trade hands through the agents. The key here is to get creative with your search and research.

Unskilled labour shouldn't have any problem getting CAN $12.00 to $17.00 an hour but be prepared to pay at least a thousand dollars a month for modest accommodations. Smaller centres will likely give the best chance of finding a decent paying job coupled with somewhat better housing availability. If it's oilfield work you're after then you're going to have to have what they refer to out here as safety tickets. This link to the Grande Prairie Regional College explains exactly what safety tickets are all about. They are, generally speaking, pretty easy to get and it's relatively easy to find a weekend course throuout Alberta that will ultimately provide you with the necessary tickets. Other than your safety tickets, steel toed boots are a common requirement. With your new boots and your freshly minted safety tickets you're ready to hit the pavement and land that dream job. Pack a lunch while you're out job hunting as it's not uncommon to get hired on the spot.

As for skilled tradesman the market is pretty much wide open no matter if you're interested in the larger cities or if smaller communities are more to your liking. CAN $20.00 to $60.00 or more an hour is generally what a skilled tradesman can expect in remuneration. Union jobs are a bit of a rarity in Alberta compared to the rest of the country but companies here tend to be a lot more generous as well. The ambitious will have no trouble making a good living in Alberta while slackers are more than likely to get skidded - (fired) - in short order.

Those seeking jobs or careers in the financial, business, legal, and technology sectors have much less choice when it comes to places to work as this kind of work is pretty much confined to the larger cities. Jobs in education and or the medical sectors of the economy are often available in smaller communities and the pay is generally on par with what you would expect in the larger cities with the added advantage of cheaper accommodations and living expenses. If you're thinking of moving to Alberta for work don't overlook the smaller communities as there is plenty of work available in rural Alberta. Many of the smaller communities in Alberta are often right in the middle of the oilfields.

To aid those searching for work in Alberta I've put together a couple of directories that many people have put to good use. The employment directories I've compiled point directly to the job opportunities page of many of the best companies to work for in Alberta. Check out the links below for a gold mine of Alberta job opportunities.

• Corporations Now Hiring - a directory of some of the best companies to work for in Alberta with the links pointing directly to jobs available. I don't know of another list like it.
• Education Jobs Available in Alberta - a directory of all the school divisions in Alberta with links pointing directly to jobs available.
• Employment Agencies and Job Boards - an extensive directory of links to job seeker sites and employment agencies with a presence in Alberta.
• Job Hunting Resources - a directory of links pointing to sites offering government assistance, resume writing, example cover letters and things of that nature. Well worth checking out for the serious job seeker.

Although this is by no means a comprehensive way of getting a job in Alberta it should point you in the right direction and give you a bit of an advantage over the masses migrating to Alberta to take advantage of the still booming economy. Alberta offers a lot more than just good paying jobs and has benefits not found anywhere else in Canada. Some of the lowest taxes in Canada would likely take the top spot on the list while outdoor recreation wouldn't be too far behind. Hope to see you soon and lots of luck with your job and accommodation search!

From the "Heavens" Department ::

Tagish Lake Carbonaceous Chondrite Meteorite Acquired by University of Alberta

::UPDATE::  More Information on the Tagish Lake Carbonaceous Chondrite Meteorite

The University of Alberta has managed to acquire a hugely important meteorite to add to it's already impressive meteorite collection. What makes the Tagish Lake carbonaceous chondrite so rare is its pristine condition. Jim Brook, a resort owner, with a scientific background, from Atlin, BC found the meteorite fragments a week after the fireball lit up the Northern Canadian winter sky, as he was driving his pick-up truck across the frozen lake.

When he discovered the celestial rock laying on the frozen surface of Tagish Lake he was careful not to touch it and made sure it was kept frozen, assuring this rare to begin with meteorite would be rarer still. Six years later this rarity of meteorites has earned Brook $750,000 on the meteorite market.

Carbonaceous chondrite meteorites are a rare class of stoney meteorites that are carbon-rich and don't usually survive a trip through earth's atmosphere. The Tagish Lake Meteorite is rarer still as it's chemical composition is quite primitive compared to other meteorites of this class.

Dr. Christopher Herd, the Curator of the University of Alberta Meteorite Collection, will lead future research on the University's approximately 650 grams of this rare meteorite and it is expected the research will shed light on the origins and early years of our solar system.

It's a good thing this important meteorite is staying in Canada as it will no doubt prove historically and academically significant.

Hand Picked Headline News
    - Served Fresh Daily -

This was just way too ironic to pass up. I receive an interesting newsletter from Marilyn Jones of Mediamag e-Zine, a well done site out of Edmonton geared towards media interests in and around the Capital City.

It's quite a lengthy newsletter and as I was scanning the various headings I ran across this one:

OCTOBER 19 TO 21
NETSPEED CONFERENCE for librarians, technicians and knowledge workers. Presentations on SuperNet, digital production, copyright, privacy and more. Sponsored by the Alberta library. To be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Edmonton. For more info see the "Conference Website".

The mere mention of "librarians" and "privacy" in the same paragraph immediately grabbed my full and undivided attention. Should you be interested in finding out exactly why this would have been so noteworthy to me, check out this site I put together regarding my involvement in the unfortunate keystroke logging incident at Parkland Regional Library.

While checking out the link to the "Conference Website" I noticed that one of the plenary speakers was Dr. Michael Geist from the University of Ottawa - Faculty of Law. A quick scan of the Adobe Acrobat PDF linked from the Alberta Library website indicated, on page four, that Dr. Geist would be speaking on a touchy subject considering Parkland Regional Library is a member of the Board of Directors at the Alberta Library consortium. From the conference program I provide the following:

Dr. Michael Geist   Room: SALON A
Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law University of Ottawa

Michael Geist will identify the challenges that lie ahead for Canadian privacy law in light of emerging new technologies. A pending Parliamentary review of Canada’s national privacy legislation in 2006, combined with a growing number of existing provincial privacy laws, have created a challenging national privacy patchwork. New technologies such as radio frequency identification tags, web cam video surveillance, keystroke logging, and Internet telephony are stretching the boundaries of current privacy legislation. Michael will focus on how policy makers can adjust to emerging technologies and how organizations can anticipate the future shifts of the Canadian privacy law landscape so that they can be ready for future privacy compliance requirements.

I sat back for a moment to absorb some of the irony this provided and that's when I noticed that the "contact for more information person" was Mary Jane Bilsland, whom I worked with at Parkland Regional Library and who was also the sister of Parkland Regional Library's legal counsel, John Bilsland. Throw some more irony on the irony blaze why don't ya! I just about flipped my chair over backwards when I leaned back laughing.

Anyhow..., I would have loved to have been there in some shape or form. For one thing, I respect Dr. Michael Geist for his tireless pursuit of privacy rights for the individual but from the personal entertainment angle, being there would have been priceless.

Check back regularly, no telling what little nugget of gnarled knowledge or whimsical wisdom you're going to unearth here but it could be a 'Foul Smelling Nugget' - and the odour appears to be coming from behind some library bookshelf.

Hasta La L8r Señor Gordo Low-life Scumbag

Anyhow..., a friend of mine gave me a newspaper clipping today and going by the degree of fading I would say it would have to be about three weeks or a month ago when it was published. OK..., so here's the deal:  This is right off the printed page or what I have of it tagged:

Doing doughnuts at Police HQ puts pair in hole

Journal Staff, Edmonton

• "Two males face multiple charges after they were caught doing doughnuts in the downtown police headquarters parking lot on Saturday.?
  Police spokeswoman Karen Carlson said police spotted two males in an Eagle Talon doing doughnuts in the parking lot just after 9 p.m.
  
  Doughnuts are created by rotating the rear of the car around the front wheels continuously, creating circular skid marks and causing tire smoke.
  
  When police stopped the vehicle, they noticed a weapon in the car and searched it. They say they seized $6,000 worth of methamphetamine, $500 worth of cocaine, cash, various drug paraphernalia and an imitation Uzi machine gun loaded with BBs.
  
  Charged with drug and weapons offences are Andrew Cory Reid, 43, and a 17-year-old male, both of St. Albert.
  
  The youth was also wanted on four outstanding warrants."

I guess my question would be, "How the hell did that 43-year-old stay alive that long?" Natural selection should have de-circulated him a lot sooner than that.

So..., that's it for tonight. Check back regularly, no telling what little nugget of gnarled knowledge or whimsical wisdom you're going to unearth here but it could be a 'brilliant criminal nugget' - definitely not the brightest of the bunch.

Hasta La L8r Señor Mafioso Gangsta Mara Salvatrucha d00dster - Watcha-u-ass or ah gonna pop a BB een eet!

Hand Picked Headline News
    - Served Fresh Daily -

Privacy ::
The "E-Commerce Times" Commentary

Decent commentary from a Toronto E-Lawyer who also does the Laws of Dot Com site.

Privacy ::
"Lacombe Globe" Story on the Keystroke Logging Incident

It's a sad day when libraries decide to spy on their employees!

Privacy ::
"Red Deer Advocate" Coverage on the Parkland Regional Library Keystroke Logging Fiasco

Ladies and gentleman, your tax dollars at work!

Privacy ::
Another Take On the Use of Keystroke Loggers in the Workplace

I just can't help but agree with this guy!

Privacy ::
A Primer on Keystroke Loggers

Do you sleep well at night?

A couple of weeks ago the Privacy Commissioner for the Province of Alberta published his ruling on the use of keystroke logging software for employee performance monitoring.(PDF) His decision clearly indicated that keystroke logging software was excessive, intrusive, invasive, and indiscriminate in the information it gathers. Curiously, Parkland Regional Library's flawed logic attempts to defend keystroke logging as an objective measure of employee performance. For anybody interested on why this is flawed logic I would suggest a scan of the comments on Slashdot concerning this matter.

Anyhow..., the Privacy Commissioner for the Province of Alberta ruled that the information collected by way of the STARR keystroke logger was stored in a secure manner. Unfortunately, a wee bit of research into this matter would have clearly shown that the information gathered was, in fact, stored as "clear text" html files easily viewed by anyone with a web browser contrary to what's been reported. That would be just about anyone with a computer hooked to the Internet these days. As far as this genre of software is concerned I would have to say that the IOPUS STARR product is amateurish at best and if nothing else, sleazy.

The deployment of the STARR software on the Parkland Regional Library network was poorly implemented and completely unnecessary. Curiously, software I provided for Parkland Regional Library network in the form of the Request Tracker trouble ticketing software provided PRL with everything they needed to monitor employee productivity and much more. Unfortunately, inept management completely missed the opportunity to exploit Request Tracker for 'Human Resource' purposes. This is clearly an example where IT staff have no business whatsoever dabbling in 'human resources' matters.

Check back regularly, no telling what little nugget of gnarled knowledge or whimsical wisdom you're going to unearth here but it could be a 'Breaking News Nugget' - and you can say you saw it here first. Others will just have to wait for the rest to catch up.

Note:: These headlines rotated, updated & barbecued throughout the day. Enjoy!

Hasta La L8r Señor Headline Hunter

This is the third time in 21 days that the Sheep River has breached it's banks and spilled out into the streets. To say it's getting a tad weary would be an understatement at best. On top of all this we are moving out of the house we're in and don't have a house to move into. It's a downright ugly situation!

As soon as things get back to some semblance of normalcy I'll be continuing with the "Daily Headlines". Until then I'm fighting the flood and moving to I don't know where. I appreciate your patience!

Oh yeh..., the Privacy Commissioner for the Province of Alberta has made his ruling on an 'incident' where a former employer of mine thought it would be a 'brilliant' idea to install a keystroke logger on my workstation. The Privacy Commissioner's ruling is available [HERE](pdf). I suppose the thing that amazed me the most was the FACT that my former employer concocted an elaborate lie to cover their butts. If you read the ruling I'm certain you'll get the impression that the Privacy Commissioner detected a fabricated story but didn't have the 'smoking gun' to pin a perjury charge on them. Oh well..., justice generally catches up with pathological liars!

Check back regularly, no telling what little nugget of gnarled knowledge or whimsical wisdom you're going to unearth here but it could be a 'Fish Nugget' from a flounder found flopping in the streets.

Hasta La L8r Señor Moronic Network Administrator Wannabe

Hand Picked Headline News
    - Served Fresh Daily -

:: BREAKING ::
Tornado Rips Up Farmyard in Peace Country

• Sure would like to see one myself someday - and live to tell about with pictures to prove it!

:: SEARCH ::
Yahoo Allows Search Sorts

• A 'slider' allows you to sort your searches for commercial content of informational content. Interesting!

:: INTERESTING ::
Blogging For a Living

• OK..., I surrender! Anyone out there that wants to hire me as their blogger is free to call at any time of the day or night with offers of fame and wealth. Blogger for Hire - have keyboard - will travel!

:: EARTHSHAKING ::
Can the Gravitational Tug of the Moon Cause Earthquakes?

• A thought provoking article from National Geographic.com on using the information to predict earthquakes. Also included is way to check the classifieds for missing dogs and cats in your quest for earthquake prediction.

:: EUROPE ::
Dutch Say No to EU Constitution

• So much for the laid back Dutch!

:: SPY ::
Flawed Keystroke Logger Trips Up Would Be Israeli Spy

• Keystroke loggers are for spy wannabes. Real spies don't stoop that low!

:: LANDSLIDE ::
Landslide Sends 17 Muti-Million Dollar Homes Down the Hillside

• Fortunately only 5 people suffered minor injuries.

:: AVIATION ::
Steve Fossett Geared Up for Transatlantic Open Cockpit Flight

• I've been for a ride in a stunt plane - way too much fun! Sure would like to go for a ride in a Stearman or something of that nature. Maybe I should fire off an e-mail to Steve!

:: HUH ::
$350,000 Laptop Appropriately Named the E-Go

• So just exactly what do you get for your $350,000? For starters you get 80 carats of top quality diamonds set in the inlaid palladium plates. The E-Go logo sports a pair of rubies. It also appears that you can skin this thing with a multitude of quick-change covers. I would guess these laptops aren't mass produced and require a hefty deposit to get one made. I think I'll e-mail them and ask if I can have one to try out.

So..., I'm trying a little different format for the headlines just to space them out a bit and keep the lines 'left justified'. Should make it a little easier to read as well - not so jumbled up. It will require more scrolling but that's the price you pay for beauty.

Anyhow..., that's about it for today and tomorrow I'm on a road trip looking for new digs. I'm really hoping I get lucky cause it's about time I did!

Check back regularly, no telling what little nugget of gnarled knowledge or whimsical wisdom you're going to unearth here but it could be a 'Breaking News Nugget' - and you can say you saw it here first. Others will just have to wait for the rest to catch up.

Note:: These headlines rotated, updated & barbecued throughout the day. Enjoy!

Hasta La L8r Señor Headline Hunter

Hand Picked Headline News - Served Fresh Daily

[EARTHSHAKING] - Mexican Calimo Complex Volcano Goes Active

• This is right off the wire folks. And that's not your syndicated news wires - it's the moccasin telegraph! Exclusive video footage of the eruption from "Observatorio Vulcanológico de la Universidad de Colima" at the link above!

[POLITICS] - Chretien Drops Legal Proceedings Against Gomery

• Fore!

[STRANGE] - Man Sets House on Fire to Get Guests to Leave

• Would these be the guests from hell? What happened to the good old fashioned double barrel shotgun?

[NON] - France Votes Against EU Constitution

• Those French are an independent bunch aren't they?

[MOTORSPORTS] - Danica Patrick Shows the Boys How to Drive a Race Car

• OK..., she didn't come in first at the Indy 500 but she darn near did. I'ld keep an eye on this young lady! Sorry boys, but I believe she's engaged - you wouldn't have a hope in hell of catching her anyway!

[POLITICS] - Canadians Don't Trust Their Politicians

• So it's a pointless poll with an obvious conclusion. It does give an indication of the pulse of the nation though.

[MOTORSPORTS] - Robin Miller of Speed TV Just Can't Say Enough About Danica Patrick

• I'm kind of curious as to why her list of favourites includes Canadian actors, Canadian musicians and Canadian race car drivers. Good to see she's getting noticed for her talent instead of her gender.

[FUNNY] - Israeli Finance Minister Catches Fire

• Why on earth would anyone want to stick a stinky cigar in their jacket pocket - either lit or unlit! A flask maybe - but of course that can get you lit too! Anyhow..., jackets and ties are for those with an aversion to physical labour.

[POLITICS] - Chretien Drops Legal Proceedings Against Gomery

• Fore!

Just in case you're wondering, "Earthshaking" news is bigger than "Breaking" news. Of all natural disasters, earthquakes, volcanos and tsunamis are the largest contributing factor in keeping the population explosion in check. Domineering geopolitical oligarchies are generally more effective at population control but lack an overall unbiased approach. Natural disasters excel at eliminating all bias and prejudice.

Check back regularly, no telling what little nugget of gnarled knowledge or whimsical wisdom you're going to unearth here but it could be a 'Breaking News Nugget' - and you can say you saw it here first.

Note:: These headlines rotated, updated & barbecued throughout the day. Enjoy!

Hasta La L8r Señor News Junkie

It's serious stuff when our government doesn't work but another matter entirely when our beloved beer industry starts going flat. The Globe and Mail is reporting that trouble is brewing with the recent merger of Molson and Coors. The blame is being pointed at a lack of hockey, buck-a-can beer, and bad weather. I've never really thought about it but brewing bad weather could be counterproductive to brewing beer revenue.

Anyhow..., all I have to say is thank the almighty beer gods that beer doesn't go through the same pump as the gasoline in this country. That would probably kindle a revolution!

Check back regularly, no telling what little nugget of gnarled knowledge or whimsical wisdom you're going to unearth here but it could be a 'brew nugget' - don't mix them with whistle berries (beans).

Hasta La L8r Señor Brewer