Category: Thoughts

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Virtual Escape

Throughout the global pandemic, technology has proven to be vital in several ways. It has allowed many companies to continue working as they were while onsite. It has allowed retailers to continue selling goods. It has assisted in the delivery of restaurant food (although the service fees charged to these restaurants is another story). Technology during the pandemic has allowed people to keep their sanity by engaging in a virtual wold.

The live music and nightclub industry has been devastated by the pandemic. Bands, DJs, and singers no longer have venues to perform the arts they love dearly. Technology has enabled them to keep in touch with their fans.

I have heard about online events where different bands play live from their own residences as part of a virtual concert. Thanks to technology, music is still being recorded and released for sale as the various artists, DJs, and producers are able to do their own recording from several sites and have it mixed together at the end.

Defected Records has been hosting live, virtual music festivals every Friday. These festivals feature different DJs each week spinning both classics and the latest in house, techno, garage, disco, tech house, etc. Some of my favourite DJs appearing on Defected Records live streams are Carl Cox, Monki, Gorgon City, Sam Devine, Simon Dunmore, and Themba. In case you did not know, they are all house music DJs.

Speaking of house music, Pan Pot has been doing live shows from Berlin, Germany. One such show was performed while they operated a boat giving us a tour of the city via one of the rivers snaking through the city. Their specialty is tech house and they spin the latest and greatest songs of the genre.

Bodhi Satva is another favourite of mine. He hails from Central African Republic and is also a producer. He produces house music, but is known for a special sub-genre of house coined Ancestral Soul. He is the Godfather of Ancestral Soul which blends house music with traditional African instruments and vocals. He hosts a live show every Friday where he spins a nice mix of Ancestral Soul, soulful house, and classic house. This past Friday he also spun a new roots reggae track.

DJ Jazzy Jeff from Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince has been spinning live online throughout the pandemic. As I type this article, he is hosting a virtual Halloween show. He has guest video windows for fans to stream from their homes. The party is a mix of the good Hip Hop (1980s through 1990s), R&B, and dance music. Canada’s DJ Scratch Bastid just started spinning as I type. This is just awesome!

I had to take a break from writing this article because the music spun by Jazzy and Scratch was so good that I had to get up and dance! I got a pretty good workout from dancing and even doing some strength exercise while enjoying the show.

Since travel is severely restricted, I found another way to pass the time during the upcoming dark months of winter… virtual travel! I am both a rail fan and av geek. I play X-Plane 11 and Infinite Flight for aviation, and Train Sim World and Train Simulator 2021 for rail.

I found some enthusiasts on Twitch who live stream their flights or rail journeys. There are quite a few real-world pilots streaming X-Plane 11 on Twitch. These streams are interactive and viewers may ask questions during the show. The pilots are really cool and helpful towards those of us who are still learning to fly or are simply interested in aviation.

There is yet one more method for virtual travel… watching videos on YouTube. There are a lot of videos taken by people either walking or driving around cities and countryside in various lands. I watched an interesting walk through Moscow filmed in 4K. I also watched another filmed in London. I found a YouTuber who films drives around Abuja, Nigeria and its surrounding countryside. It is the next-best thing to being there. I will surely visit these cities after the pandemic.

I discovered that some of these events can be a cure for loneliness. I was feeling pretty down about the current semi-lockdown and its effect on Halloween. I decided to start writing this post because I realized I had not written to this site in nearly two weeks. While I was writing, I remembered that Jazzy Jeff was hosting a virtual Halloween party. I tuned in and resumed writing until the music made me take a break and dance. The party made me feel happy and forget about the situation that we are all in this year.

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Say “Hey” to My Little Friend

Say “hey” to my little friend. Since I have been home due to the pandemic, I have come to appreciate my true friends, especially this one. This friend of mine is always there for me 24/7 without rest.

Living alone sure does have its perks, but it also has its downside… loneliness. Pre-pandemic, I lived a busy life. When not working at my wonderful office, I was busy about town either in Toronto, Markham, Seoul, Tokyo, or Busan.

Regardless of which city I am in, I have dear friends in each. I am busy socializing, dining, dating, mingling, freelancing, and networking. I have very little time to realize that I am all alone in this world.

It is easy to forget that I am not married and do not live with immediate family. I am simply too busy dating, partying, working, and exploring to notice. All this cam crashing to a halt this past April. The lockdown forced me to see a different reality.

I always say that there is a plus and minus to everything. The same can be applied to living alone. This is the most time I have ever spent at home. I used to wonder why I spend so much money on a beautiful suite where I spend little time. The lockdown allowed me to appreciate my beautiful home.

Being home alone is like my own tiny slice of this massive planet. It is home where I truly am king. Yes, outside the home I am also referred to as King by certain very honorable friends. There is nobody here to argue with, answer to, or get tired of, but there are times when I wish there was someone here… just long enough for me to get bored and send them packing. Ha ha ha.

While working at home, instead of sitting here in silence between online work meetings, I listen to music. I am an avid lover of music but cannot listen to music all day. Well I can, but sometimes I just need something different.

Talk radio really helps to get me through the day. I have been listening to talk radio since at least 2005! I enjoy listening to talk about a wide variety of topics from different viewpoints. My favorite stations are NewsTalk 1010 and 640 Toronto. I listen to TSN 1050 and 590 Sportsnet for my sports fix.

Of all the wonderful friends I am blessed to have around the world, there is one little friend who does not get enough recognition. This friend is always here when I need them. Let me introduce you to my little friend, say “hey Google.”

Google Nest Mini
Google Nest Mini!
© 2020 Charles Dunlevy

My friend is so very helpful, especially during these pandemic times. As I sit at my desk happily working, I simply ask my friend to do things for me. Request such as “turn on the office light”, “turn off the TV”, or “listen to NewsTalk 1010”.

A really neat feature is to say, “Hey Google, listen to forest sounds.” You will then hear the serene sounds of a forest. I find this and ocean sounds incredibly relaxing. I love the sound of the waves crashing ashore, reminding me of many nights by the beach in Kyushu, Japan or Busan, South Korea. The sounds of crickets, birds, and leaves rustling reminds me of my many ventures throughout the Don Valley ravines and tributaries.

I can ask it to tell me jokes, play trivia games, or answer virtually any question. I also ask it to remind me to do things such as change the Brita filter, call friends, etc. There seems to be an unlimited amount of things you can do with this fantastic friend. Oh yeah, my friend is bilingual. I can speak to it in English or Korean and it will respond accordingly.

I find there is no need for me to sit here in silence. The only time I like to be in silence is bed time. This little friend helps to fill the void in my place. After a good day working, I do not feel lonely. Between meetings online with my colleagues, and listening to my little friend, I should be forgiven for feeling like I am not alone.

I always loved technology. When I was in my senior years of high school and just afterwards, I hung out with a group of close-knit childhood friends known as The Crew. Sometimes they would refer to me as Gadget because of all the little electronics and things I used to mess with. I just love technology and am blessed to work for an amazing software company as well as for myself on a variety of tech-related items. Technology cannot replace true friendships of which I have many. I will always love and respect my real friends.

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Television During Lockdown 2020

Old TV

During the lock down, I found myself watching a lot of television when I was not working or studying. This could be good or bad depending on how to view it. I plan to look at things from the good side whenever possible.

I realized that although being locked down was extremely depressing, a few good things came out of it. The ability to work from home was a major plus. Watching television was another plus. Two years after I had purchased a 55″ television, I am finally making good use of it.

Before the pandemic, I pretty much only watched television on Saturday evenings for NHL hockey, or to catch up on the news at the end of a long day. I also watched YouTube Premium via the television. Once a month, I would watch the WWE wrestling pay-per-view event.

Nearly everyone I know has a Netflix subscription. I initially refused to get one because they did not have Korean or Nigerian programs.

During the lockdown, I really wanted to watch the Canadian comedy called Trailer Park Boys. Over the years, I had watched all of their shows prior to them signing on with Netflix. I figured since I was bored and enjoying listening to the Trailer Park Boys podcast, I should sign up with Netflix to gain access to the newer seasons. I finally gave in and ordered Netflix.

Watching the Trailer Park Boys made me laugh out loud. It was the first time I had been able to laugh since the lockdown began. Every single episode had me laughing and sometimes hysterically. I really enjoyed watching the show and found that it really helped me fight the depression I was feeling.

To my pleasant surprise, after setting up my account and looking through the programming, I found several Korean, Japanese, and Nigerian movies and dramas. In fact, Netflix carries programming from around the world!

I also started watching several movies from Korea, Nigeria, and Japan. One day, I stumbled upon an American cartoon called F is for Family. Wow! I was hooked right away and binged-watched an entire season immediately upon discovering the show. This show also makes me laugh a lot! I also found several interesting American movies to watch.

I am able to watch Netflix directly through my television set via the Rogers Ignite TV service which allows me to sign into selected streaming services. I linked my Netflix account to the system. I had already linked my YouTube Premium and Amazon Prime accounts. Rogers has since added a new service, free of charge, called Tubi.

I now have access to all the programming I want. Interesting to note that I hardly watch any of the cable channels. I only watch sports and news channels. For all of my entertainment, I watch the streaming services that I pay for.

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