The Internet may yet redeem itself

This was heralded as the End of the Internet.

This story might just save it.

Courtesy Joey Devilla and Metafilter.

The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal

I had the opportunity to visit the newly opened Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition of the Royal Ontario Museum (the ROM) yesterday.

Most people who comment on it typically either like it or hate it. I fall in the former category. If you're far enough away on either end of Bloor, the ROM looks like either an alien spaceship has crashed into the northern end of the building or someone's chemistry experiment has gone awry (or maybe even remind someone of the crystals exploding through Metropolis in the new Superman movie...but I guess that's too pop-culturish of a simile). Either way, it's a spectacular view that grabs one's attention on the street. It'll make a great landmark and Toronto certainly needs more of it.

The ROM allowed visitors to tour the crystal without the exhibits in place, which was a great idea because it really gives you a good sense of the space itself without the exhibits as a visual distraction. As mentioned in many news items, none of the walls and such are at right angles with each other, which is both an engineering and artistic feat. There's plenty of space, though because it faces north for the most part, it lacks natural lighting into the rooms, which I would've preferred. In certain areas of the crystal, there are portions of the existing building break through the new walls, which I really liked because to me, it reminds visitors that the crystal doesn't exist in and of itself but is a part of the overall museum.

There's also a certain sense of weightlessness in the building, particularly by the windows where it hangs over the street. Not that the ROM is dark and dank, but the contemporary design of the building certainly doesn't invoke the stereotypical notion of a museum. In fact, it's more reminiscent of a modern art gallery. This is certainly the case with the Sugimoto Hiroshi Special Exhibition already installed on the 4th floor. The room feels cavernous, even with the people walking in and out and around the spartan display cases. It'll be interesting to see how the permanent exhibits are set up.

Overall, I enjoyed my tour and am very excited to see it in its completion, with the permanent exhibits, new restaurant and new public space. Toronto architecture's certainly gotten more interesting.

What I love about Summer

You know what I love about Summer? Watermelon. And fresh corn on the cob. Fresh strawberries too.

There's something about the anticipation of seasonal foods that make them that extra bit better. While it's very likely a psychosomatic effect, I definitely get added enjoyment out of the few weeks when I can, well not gorge but more feast I guess, on these delectable items. I just tend to appreciate these foods more.

It's not limited to fresh produce either. Girl Guide Cookies, Cadbury mini-eggs are both worth the wait. I somewhat wish that mini-eggs weren't also available during Christmas nowadays.

Anyways, this was mostly a post about how much I love watermelon, if only because I just had some this afternoon (though now that I think about it, the one I had probably wasn't sold in season). Hmm. Kinda throws my whole premise out the window, doesn't it?