Movie reviews aren’t something that I would typically blog about… I enjoy watching movies, but I’m definitely not a film critic. However, I felt compelled to say something after I got home from seeing An Inconvenient Truth last night. This is, quite honestly, one of the most compelling documentaries I’ve seen in a while, and I highly encourage everyone to see it.

An Inconvenient Truth is a call to action about global warming. The film is both informative, and startling. I’m pretty sure everyone is aware of global warming, and a lot of the information contained in this film shouldn’t come as a surprise, however I don’t believe the general public realizes where we – and by we, I mean mankind – are headed if this continues. It’s eye opening.

Now, I understand you shouldn’t form an opinion on a single source of information, and yes – there’s been a lot of debate regarding the validity of some statistics presented in the film, but ultimately I have to agree with Gore; Environmental reform is a moral issue. Morally, I think we must make an effort to repair the damage we’ve caused to this planet.

Congruent to the ecological perspective, I would also add that this is very much a political film. Al Gore clearly states the scientific evidence that proves the ongoing trend of global warming, and the impact it’s having (and will continue to have) on the planet. However, he also highlights the political hurdles that stand in the way of making these environmental issues a governmental top priority. What I found even more startling (if not predicable), was how various lobby-groups and corporations manipulate political leaders and the mass-media to maintain their interests against improving environmental legislation. For instance, Senator James Infole recently went on the record saying Gore Is Full of Crap, but upon further investigation, you’ll notice Mr. Infole’s top campaign contributors have an interest in keeping things the way they are.

But is that really surprising?

It’s insights like this that put “reality” into perspective for me. I really do believe the general public thinks that the government is looking out for our best interests, but it’s becoming increasing clear that this is exceptionally far from the truth. Greed is very much a part of human nature, and as quoted by Upton Sinclair “_It’s difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on him not understanding it._”

When I look back at what this current US administration has accomplished, it’s hard for me to think of how different the world would be had Al Gore actually become president. Think what could have been accomplished with the $315 Billion that is being spent on this pointless war… not to mention the $1 Trillion that is estimated to be spent in total. Perhaps we could be focusing our attention on helping the environment (and bettering the world as whole), instead of pissing of the world at large, destabilizing the entire Middle East, possibly causing World War III, and chasing after these terrorist boogeymen.

In any event, I thought I would do my part and at least spread the word. See this film. See it, and tell your friends about it. I think it’s important that more people become aware of these issues, and the potential impact they will have on our future.

Even though he says he’s not, I really hope Al Gore is taking at least some of the proceeds from this film, runs for office again. On screen, he comes across as honest and sincere, intelligent and well-spoken. And after seeing this film, and judging by the current polls, and how close the 2000 election was, I have a feeling he might actually win. Besides, I think he’d do a far better job running the most influential, powerful, and environmentally damaging country in existence today.

Describing our cottage as “remote” may be an understatement. It’s located on Logan Lake, which is about 90 minutes up highway 400, and then another 60 minutes completely off-road. As you can see, it’s in the middle of nowhere.

There are only 15 cottages on the lake (most of which don’t have direct road access) and each is quite a distance from its immediate neighbor. There is also a horsepower restriction for all boats on the lake which prevents water skiing, wake boarding and the like. It’s quite and peaceful, and when you’re here, you feel like you’re all alone. This is, without a doubt, not Muskoka.

Because of the remoteness, most people think we’re roughing it up here. And while I suppose there is a hint of accuracy in that assumption, it’s really not the case. We are completely off the grid – this is true – but we’ve got solar power and propane to run everything. Water is pumped in from the lake, most lights are electric, the fridges are cooled by propane (counter intuitive, I know), and we have an old 3-watt analog cellphone for phone calls. We’ve made a conscious decision not to have a television (it takes away from the charm I suppose), so daily activities usually include reading, fishing, eating, drinking and sleeping. And to that list, we can now add surfing.

Thanks to Galaxy Boardband, we are now hooked up to the internet through a satellite connection. And connected to the satellite modem is an Airport Express, so the cottage is also blanketed with WiFi. I’m such a geek.

Satellite technology is definitely interesting. Obviously, I’m impressed that we can get “highspeed” access in such a remote location… but it’s not without a few quirks.

1. It’s not slow, but it’s not exactly fast. Once the connection is made, things download relatively quickly, but there’s a slight delay as when transmitting. Apparently it takes time to beam things into space. Who knew.
2. Maintaining a signal is temperamental. We’ve currently got the dish sitting on the ground, and that was a mistake. We’re going to build a concrete base for it soon, as I think the ground has settled since the installation, and even a small gust of wind sometimes disrupt the connection.
3. Because our lake is meant to feel as “rustic” as possible, we didn’t want a bright-gray satellite dish in open view. This obviously causes some issues, as the dish needs a clear line-of-sight to work. So, with a little research and a few dollars spent at the Bass Pro Shops, we found our solution. I painted it with special camo paint . And then covered it in a special camo netting. And if you ask me, it did the job well.

Painting the dish was surprisingly easy, and doing so will not affect the signal quality whatsoever. Anyone with satellite TV who might want to paint their dish, take note. There are a few things you may want to take into consideration.

1. You MUST use a non-metalic, flat-matte paint. Anything else will cause interference with the signal, and if you use a glossy paint, you’ll actually melt the reception lens (the thing attached at the end of the arm).
2. Use spray paint, and spray on light coats until you get the desired color. You want to preserve the smooth surface texture of the dish.
3. Cover the reception lens with something prior to painting to ensure no over-spray gets on it (I zip-tied a bag over it).

Keep that in mind, and you should be able to completely blend your dish into its surroundings. I mean seriously, can you see the dish from the lake?