Matthew Laird
@matthewlaird.ca
tech-geek. former bioinformatics grunt worker. political addict. trying to improve the world around him.
The spontaneous peak saver events are creating perverse incentives. It's now in my benefit to schedule laundry, charging, etc during peak times to maintain a higher evening rolling average which I can then cut when a saver event is announced. It doesn't cost any more to do these in the evening.
December 18, 2025 at 4:58 AM
The spontaneous peak saver events are creating perverse incentives. It's now in my benefit to schedule laundry, charging, etc during peak times to maintain a higher evening rolling average which I can then cut when a saver event is announced. It doesn't cost any more to do these in the evening.
It's a very New West day, now off to Cockney King for lunch.
December 14, 2025 at 9:56 PM
It's a very New West day, now off to Cockney King for lunch.
Wtf is up with parking at Royal City Centre? Ask on the QR code and there's no option to register for the 4 hours free. How the fuck do I do it? Do I need to do it? Fine print says I do.
December 14, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Wtf is up with parking at Royal City Centre? Ask on the QR code and there's no option to register for the 4 hours free. How the fuck do I do it? Do I need to do it? Fine print says I do.
I'm seriously considering applying for a public sector job and taking a 30% pay cut (but gaining a pension) because this tech industry bullshit of "am I going to have a job in 6 months" is really taxing my mental health. I'm constantly stressed and snippy.
December 13, 2025 at 8:04 PM
I'm seriously considering applying for a public sector job and taking a 30% pay cut (but gaining a pension) because this tech industry bullshit of "am I going to have a job in 6 months" is really taxing my mental health. I'm constantly stressed and snippy.
Using my office window as a note board with a dry erase marker, do I need to worry about industrial espionage?
December 11, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Using my office window as a note board with a dry erase marker, do I need to worry about industrial espionage?
If governments start further mandating RTO there needs to be a coordinated boycott of commercial centre businesses to send the message, "No, we do not exist to be your captive consumer-base. This is not a justification for RTO."
The world has changed, we don't all need to be in offices.
The world has changed, we don't all need to be in offices.
December 8, 2025 at 10:30 PM
If governments start further mandating RTO there needs to be a coordinated boycott of commercial centre businesses to send the message, "No, we do not exist to be your captive consumer-base. This is not a justification for RTO."
The world has changed, we don't all need to be in offices.
The world has changed, we don't all need to be in offices.
New job title, prompt engineer. Just call me George Jetson.
a cartoon of a man in a white shirt holding a remote control
Alt: a cartoon of a man in a white shirt holding a remote control
media.tenor.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:25 PM
New job title, prompt engineer. Just call me George Jetson.
CBC Listen app has become unusable for casting music streams. It consistently gets stuck between tracks.
December 7, 2025 at 4:27 PM
CBC Listen app has become unusable for casting music streams. It consistently gets stuck between tracks.
I can't think of a more deserving peace maker.
December 7, 2025 at 4:18 AM
I can't think of a more deserving peace maker.
I'm getting very annoyed wife might lose out a job because this public sector organization is insisting on a "supervisor" reference, digging back over a decade they've either retired or corps have "no references" policies. How do you win in that situation. You literally can't provide what they want.
December 5, 2025 at 2:54 AM
I'm getting very annoyed wife might lose out a job because this public sector organization is insisting on a "supervisor" reference, digging back over a decade they've either retired or corps have "no references" policies. How do you win in that situation. You literally can't provide what they want.
Kent's Kitchen is still one of the best deals in town.
December 4, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Kent's Kitchen is still one of the best deals in town.
I really need to start carrying a bat with a nail in it while walking the kids to school, to swing at the cars who racing through the red at the pedestrian signal. Every. Day.
December 2, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I really need to start carrying a bat with a nail in it while walking the kids to school, to swing at the cars who racing through the red at the pedestrian signal. Every. Day.
I keep giving myself headaches from all this coughing. It's getting tiring.
December 2, 2025 at 3:47 AM
I keep giving myself headaches from all this coughing. It's getting tiring.
Interesting, BC Hydro has an open position for doing a poc of automated inspections using Spot, lidar, digital twins, etc. I was on a team building exactly that for a US telecom a few years ago. There's diff ppl in this city with exactly those skills and have basically solved this problem.
December 1, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Interesting, BC Hydro has an open position for doing a poc of automated inspections using Spot, lidar, digital twins, etc. I was on a team building exactly that for a US telecom a few years ago. There's diff ppl in this city with exactly those skills and have basically solved this problem.
Walking Planet Earth III with the children, it simultaneously makes me raging angry and cry.
December 1, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Walking Planet Earth III with the children, it simultaneously makes me raging angry and cry.
Never trust the prior electrician. I was changing a thermostat for my parents, I trusted the wire going to what was labeled load on the thermostat actually went to the load. Not as important for analog thermostats, a lot more important for digital ones.
November 30, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Never trust the prior electrician. I was changing a thermostat for my parents, I trusted the wire going to what was labeled load on the thermostat actually went to the load. Not as important for analog thermostats, a lot more important for digital ones.
The cat is fraggle hunting.
November 30, 2025 at 4:24 PM
The cat is fraggle hunting.
Wife while looking at the curling on tv, "Is this considered a sport?"
I'll let some of you give her your opinion next time you see her. 😜
I'll let some of you give her your opinion next time you see her. 😜
November 30, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Wife while looking at the curling on tv, "Is this considered a sport?"
I'll let some of you give her your opinion next time you see her. 😜
I'll let some of you give her your opinion next time you see her. 😜
BBQ steak, curling, on a late fall evening, life isn't bad.
November 30, 2025 at 12:54 AM
BBQ steak, curling, on a late fall evening, life isn't bad.
It's Christmas again and this is why Canadian retailers are going to die. Out of stock at my local store? Fine, put it on your next truck to the store, I can wait. No, you don't offer that? My only option is buying things I don't want or paying for shipping? Sigh, I can probably find $35 at Amazon..
November 29, 2025 at 8:51 PM
It's Christmas again and this is why Canadian retailers are going to die. Out of stock at my local store? Fine, put it on your next truck to the store, I can wait. No, you don't offer that? My only option is buying things I don't want or paying for shipping? Sigh, I can probably find $35 at Amazon..
Must people my age have piles of things still stored in their parents' garage/basement. We have the opposite issue, a basement full of my father's stuff.
November 29, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Must people my age have piles of things still stored in their parents' garage/basement. We have the opposite issue, a basement full of my father's stuff.
Extended health provider overpaid me on a claim, I told them, they sent a letter with how to repay them. "If we do not receive the payment we will deduct the amount from future claims."
Can that just be the default solution? That sounds easier.
Can that just be the default solution? That sounds easier.
November 29, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Extended health provider overpaid me on a claim, I told them, they sent a letter with how to repay them. "If we do not receive the payment we will deduct the amount from future claims."
Can that just be the default solution? That sounds easier.
Can that just be the default solution? That sounds easier.
Listening to The Rest Is Science, choice quotes, "Water is a rock smoothie." Or "water is lava" (because ice is a mineral. I figure these will trigger @pjnewwest.bsky.social 😂
November 29, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Listening to The Rest Is Science, choice quotes, "Water is a rock smoothie." Or "water is lava" (because ice is a mineral. I figure these will trigger @pjnewwest.bsky.social 😂
Ugh this cold that won't go away. Time to use our fancy claw foot tube,. probably the first time in a year it's been used. I had to give it a good clean first.
November 29, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Ugh this cold that won't go away. Time to use our fancy claw foot tube,. probably the first time in a year it's been used. I had to give it a good clean first.