Our newest family member is here

Sorry for the lateness of the post but Anne had the baby! Nathan Michael Kantor was born on Sunday July 6th, 2008 at 7:15pm. He weighed 9lbs 8oz. Nathan is beautiful and healthy. Anne is doing really well and she may even be able to come home today.

Baby update

Anne is so ready to have this baby. (I am too I guess, fully understanding what that means this time) We were at the hospital yesterday because her Doctor wanted to check up on the baby. She had to do a test where she pressed a button every time the baby moved. That went well and they let her go home.

At this point we are just counting the minutes till Tuesday at 1pm. That's when the C-section is scheduled for. I seriously doubt she wants to deliver this baby at this point, seven weeks ago they estimated the weight at about 7lbs meaning that right now the little guy could weigh up to 9 1/2 lbs. As a man I may not know much, but I do know that pushing anything that big out of any place on the human body would probably hurt, a lot!

Eat drink and be merry...

Last week my father had double bypass surgery. 24 years ago he had what was supposed to be quadruple bypass surgery, but they added another bypass when the doctors opened up his chest. Needless to say the time my father was in the hospital was stressful, but I never got the sense that he was really in true danger.

The whole time I was prepared for the worst but hoped for the best. The surgery went well and he was home two days later. That's right, surgery on Tuesday, home on Friday. Dr. Kiaii, an excellent surgeon from University Hospital in London performed the surgery using a robot. They made three small incisions in my dad's side and went in with robotic arms to perform the bypasses. Since the incisions were so small he recovered very fast. He was barely out of ICU and he was being discharged.

What I find very interesting about all this is that if looked at in a certain way it deflates the scare of heart disease. Bypass surgery is so common now that I guess you could compare it to having your teeth cleaned. Sadly I feel that this gives the impression that no matter how badly you treat yourself, medicine can fix you. For example you might as well eat whatever you want because you can have some heart surgery to fix the blockages and be back to the buffet in no time.

I don't like that medicine is slowly becoming a cure for the general neglect of our own health. When I saw my Dad's speedy recovery the first thing I jokingly said was, "I guess I don't need to give the fatty foods". It was only after I said it that I realized that someone may not see that so much as a joke, but as a true option in their health care plan.

Heart disease does run in our family so I really have to start being careful. I say start because I am overweight, I used to smoke, and my physical activity level could easily be set somewhere above sloth but yet slightly below fat guy who prefers TV. I enjoy fatty foods, and I love deep fried food. It's time for some changes.

By the way, I can't blame my Dad for his health. I blame a lifetime of Hungarian food. If you know anything about Hungarian cooking I am sure you can understand.

I am probably not the Adam Kantor you are looking for...

FYI, I am not the Adam Kantor staring in Rent. Although I am jealous that another person sharing my name has achieved fame. All I'm famous for is, well, nothing...

So the Adam Kantor bravely taking the stage to entertain the Broadway crowds.... kudos!

Score 1 for Xbox Turn around time...

Recently I got fed up with the DVD drive on my 360. I sent back my original 360 (purchased a few months after launch) because of a RROD. The one I got back wasn't quite perfect. For example, the DVD tray wouldn't close when you pressed the button on the front. Since the tray would close if you pushed on it I really didn't care. But then it stopped reading discs. I called up support, talked to an awesome agent (who frequently called me 'man') and I had my generic white Purolator shipping box.

I boxed up the drive Monday evening and dropped it off Tuesday morning. By Friday afternoon I already had a replacement 360!

Kudos Microsoft.

So long and thanks for all the fish

Hi Brian,

I go by ADAM on Kotaku and I was recently banned for voicing my opinion that I am tired of reading articles about violence against children related to video games. The specific story was http://kotaku.com/377447/toddler-dies-following-game-controller-beating.

I knew full well that my comment would get me banned and I did it intentionally. Here's why. I fully endorse banning users who are disruptive or offensive. I saw users making glib comments about the above article and were banned as a result (good). Then I saw someone questioning the validity of the post also get banned (not so good).

I have a two year old son who I love very much. Before I had Simon, articles about violence against children didn’t impact me the way they do now. Whenever I read about severe neglect or abuse, as a parent, I simply can’t describe the feeling I have inside. This is why, despite seeing someone getting banned for questioning the post, I did the same.

I understand and respect that Kotaku wants to stand out from the rest of the video game sites by finding the news that other sites don’t report. My main issue with your posting of these types of articles is that they only ever seem to generate three types of responses:

1. Those making off colour remarks about the post thinking they are funny.
2. Those calling for whoever is responsible to the killed/beaten/hurt etc.
3. Those calling for the commenters who made the off colour remarks to be killed/beaten/hurt etc.

Since this is the result, what purpose does the post serve? It is my belief that these articles are posted for their sensationalistic properties alone, specifically to generate the three types of comments listed above. Often times the only element that differentiate one gaming site from another is the style sheet, so how better to stand out against the tapestry of video game sites on the internet?

What I honestly don’t understand is the need to ban those commenters who questioned the purpose of the article and it’s relation to video game news. What I do however understand is that I want no part of a site that bans someone for those reasons.

Sincerely,
Adam Kantor

Yup, no one cares...

I finally heard something back from the CRTC. I guess as long as I get "CBC English- and French-language channel, CTV, CPAC, TVA and APTN" then Star Choice is free to do whatever they want with my bundle.

31 March 2008

Mr. Kantor:

Thank you for taking the time to contact the CRTC.

Your concerns are appreciated, but once a tv service provider such as Star Choice has fulfilled its mandatory channel carriage obligations, we don't get involved in the packaging decisions of licensees. All that remains is that they ensure that all subscribers are in receipt of a preponderance or majority, of Canadian services. This is likely a major reason why it would not be likely that any dth or cable company, could offer true "pick and pay" to their customers. If they did, they would have no way of ensuring regulatory compliance with the above.

Satellite TV companies mandatory channels include a CBC English- and French-language channel, CTV, CPAC, TVA and APTN. Once these requirements are met, such companies are generally free to determine any remaining services which may also be included on the basic service, and the composition of any discretionary packag(s). They have a degree of flexibility in designing their menus of services.

Given that we do not regulate any of the the rates charged by direct-to-home satellite tv companies like Star Choice, we don't get involved in packaging changes even those resulting in increased prices.

I realise this may not be the answer you were hoping for but trust it helps you to better understand our position in such matters.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your concerns with us.

Regards,

Forrest Greene
Client Services