Not The Hockey Player » Gary Roberts

I get email

Gary Roberts — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:52:10 +0000

Sometimes I get messages from people who think I’m Gary Roberts the hockey player. Today I got one from a coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins! See screenshot:

Strait-Jacket

Gary Roberts — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:21:31 +0000

There’s a small art exhibition currently showing at 778 King Street West, called STRAIT-JACKET. From the outside, you’d hardly know it existed; it’s housed in a very nondescript building and the only clue to its existence is the stainless steel plaque on the wall bearing the “Ydessa Hendeles Art Foundation” name, along with another, tiny plaque at …

Finally! Apoptosis explained, using nifty animation.

Gary Roberts — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:24:48 +0000

I’m sure you’ve spent many a night lying awake in bed wondering about your immune system; how it works and what would happen when one of the ‘soldiers’ in your immune system’s army encounters a diseased cell, right? Like, how exactly do your innards cope with these rogue, infected cells? Well, Drew Berry has created some nifty …

Coffee and people

Gary Roberts — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:40:37 +0000

I love my local coffee shop, where I sit and read as two guys on my right argue passionately in Russian, a little old lady sips her tea on her own and glances sharply over the top of her newspaper at the two guys arguing, and an ochre-robed Buddhist monk serenley sips an espresso as …

Wile E. Coyotes!

Gary Roberts — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:36:19 +0000

I used to love watching the Looney Tunes cartoon show Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner when I was a kid. In each episode, the two protagonists were placed in an predator/prey scenario in which the coyote would use all kinds of absurdly complex contraptions and elaborate plans to pursue his quarry, instead of relying on natural animal senses …

Ave Maria

Gary Roberts — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:11:26 +0000

My walk home after work tonight was completely different to yesterday’s. As I made my way, I had to pass by Roy Thomson Hall. As I approached the hall, I heard the sound of Ave Maria drifting through the air, and I could see an old Chinese guy across the street from me, playing this beautiful hymn on …

Neil

Gary Roberts — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:51:39 +0000

“Hi, my name’s Neil!” says the guy, loudly, as he turns the corner right in front of me and moves into my way. I’m walking home from work, it’s just after 5PM and starting to get dark. The temperature is 4°, unseasonably warm for January—a nice night to walk home. I have to stop, because …

Egyptian women cane morality police

Gary Roberts — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:54:21 +0000

You go, grrrlz! Post-revolution gangs of young men trying to enforce Sharia law in the Nile delta town of Benha, Egypt, found themselves on the receiving end this week. According to reports in the Egyptian news media: Vigilante gangs of ultra-conservative Salafi men have been harassing shop owners and female customers in rural towns around Egypt …

Corrado’s Barber Shop. Men’s Hair Stylist.

Gary Roberts — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:01:10 +0000

Adam is sitting in the steel and leather barber’s chair, his back to the small table displaying the tools of his trade and the large mirror on the wall, as he talks to an older guy seated across from him. The mirror competes for wall space with a number of vintage Playboy pin-up posters, the edges of …

Two kickass Canadians

Gary Roberts — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:47:22 +0000

I have a singer/songwriter friend named Andy Stochansky. He’s quite well known in the Canadian music scene, as well as in the U.S. and internationally. Andy’s lyrics have been sung by artists worldwide, including Australian Idol winner Shannon Noll. Some of his works are included on best-selling albums, like the soundtrack for the latest Twilight …