Brian Parkinson
@whatevernot.com
Motorcycle trips, building things, Canadian ephemera from the 60s & 70s, computational nostalgia, rhubarb pie, ferries and trains.
Happy Monday. Leaving the harbour at Havre-Saint-Pierre QC on the north shore of the St. Lawrence - scattered around are the many islands making up the Mingan Archipelago national park reserve (est 1984) which is home to the largest concentration of limestone monoliths in Canada. #BlueSkyMonday
January 19, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Happy Monday. Leaving the harbour at Havre-Saint-Pierre QC on the north shore of the St. Lawrence - scattered around are the many islands making up the Mingan Archipelago national park reserve (est 1984) which is home to the largest concentration of limestone monoliths in Canada. #BlueSkyMonday
Happy Monday. Remains of RCMP Bache Peninsula Detachment on Ellesmere Island; if you happen by, a bottle is stashed in a cairn and you can leave a note adding to the many already there. Began with a 1933 letter listing the men (both RCMP & Inuit) posted from opening in 1926 to close. #BlueSkyMonday
January 12, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Happy Monday. Remains of RCMP Bache Peninsula Detachment on Ellesmere Island; if you happen by, a bottle is stashed in a cairn and you can leave a note adding to the many already there. Began with a 1933 letter listing the men (both RCMP & Inuit) posted from opening in 1926 to close. #BlueSkyMonday
Happy Monday. If you take the train to Churchill MB to see the polar bears, a lot of the journey will look like this. This is morning sunrise after a good sleep on the train north from Winnipeg - winter is for polar bears (be sure to check out the bear jail) and summer is for belugas. #BlueSkyMonday
January 5, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Happy Monday. If you take the train to Churchill MB to see the polar bears, a lot of the journey will look like this. This is morning sunrise after a good sleep on the train north from Winnipeg - winter is for polar bears (be sure to check out the bear jail) and summer is for belugas. #BlueSkyMonday
Happy Monday. Náįlįcho (Virginia Falls) is on the Naha Dene (Nahanni) river NT with a total drop of 96 meters, making it about twice the height of Niagara Falls. Lug all the gear down the hill and put in here - the majestic south section of the river is just ahead round the next bend. #BlueSkyMonday
December 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Happy Monday. Náįlįcho (Virginia Falls) is on the Naha Dene (Nahanni) river NT with a total drop of 96 meters, making it about twice the height of Niagara Falls. Lug all the gear down the hill and put in here - the majestic south section of the river is just ahead round the next bend. #BlueSkyMonday
Happy Monday. This here is the post office in Carlyle SK. #BlueSkyMonday
December 22, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Happy Monday. This here is the post office in Carlyle SK. #BlueSkyMonday
Tonight's listening.
December 21, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Tonight's listening.
Happy Monday. Haa Island sits at the junction of 3 fiords - the Beitstad, Hayes and Jokel which converge at 79° on eastern Ellesmere Island NU. The big ol' icebergs being calved off glaciers here in Beitstad fiord will eventually float out the Hayes and on down towards Newfoundland. #BlueSkyMonday
December 15, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Happy Monday. Haa Island sits at the junction of 3 fiords - the Beitstad, Hayes and Jokel which converge at 79° on eastern Ellesmere Island NU. The big ol' icebergs being calved off glaciers here in Beitstad fiord will eventually float out the Hayes and on down towards Newfoundland. #BlueSkyMonday
Running Light Without Overbyte.
December 9, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Running Light Without Overbyte.
Happy Monday. I love a good roadside motel. #BlueSkyMonday
December 8, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Happy Monday. I love a good roadside motel. #BlueSkyMonday
Happy Monday. Took this picture of Kamloops lake just off the trans-Canada back in 2007 on my first cross-Canada trip ... only a few hundred kms to the coast from here. Who are these people and what is their story? #BlueSkyMonday
December 1, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Happy Monday. Took this picture of Kamloops lake just off the trans-Canada back in 2007 on my first cross-Canada trip ... only a few hundred kms to the coast from here. Who are these people and what is their story? #BlueSkyMonday
Happy Monday. People sometimes wonder why anyone would want to schlep a heavy backpack through the tundra without access to refrigeration or wifi for a couple of weeks. It's hard to say. #BlueSkyMonday
November 24, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Happy Monday. People sometimes wonder why anyone would want to schlep a heavy backpack through the tundra without access to refrigeration or wifi for a couple of weeks. It's hard to say. #BlueSkyMonday
Happy Monday. Above the town of Revelstoke BC is the 'Meadows in the Sky' Parkway, a scenic 26 kilometer twisty fun road that climbs Mount Revelstoke gaining 1,365 metres altitude to the top at Balsam Lake. Up top there are marked trails and lookout points; a great place for lunch. #BlueSkyMonday
November 17, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Happy Monday. Above the town of Revelstoke BC is the 'Meadows in the Sky' Parkway, a scenic 26 kilometer twisty fun road that climbs Mount Revelstoke gaining 1,365 metres altitude to the top at Balsam Lake. Up top there are marked trails and lookout points; a great place for lunch. #BlueSkyMonday
Eight-sided whispering hallelujah hatrack
Seven-faced marble eye transitory dream doll
Six proud walkers on jingle-bell rainbow
Five men writing in fingers of gold
Four men tracking the great white sperm whale
Three girls wait in a foreign dominion
...
Now is the time of returning
Seven-faced marble eye transitory dream doll
Six proud walkers on jingle-bell rainbow
Five men writing in fingers of gold
Four men tracking the great white sperm whale
Three girls wait in a foreign dominion
...
Now is the time of returning
November 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Eight-sided whispering hallelujah hatrack
Seven-faced marble eye transitory dream doll
Six proud walkers on jingle-bell rainbow
Five men writing in fingers of gold
Four men tracking the great white sperm whale
Three girls wait in a foreign dominion
...
Now is the time of returning
Seven-faced marble eye transitory dream doll
Six proud walkers on jingle-bell rainbow
Five men writing in fingers of gold
Four men tracking the great white sperm whale
Three girls wait in a foreign dominion
...
Now is the time of returning
Happy Monday. Sirmilik ("the place of glaciers") national park takes up the majority of Bylot Island NU which is a short boat ride across the Tasiujaq (ᑕᓯᐅᔭᖅ formerly Eclipse Sound) waterway from Pond Inlet on Baffin Island. The park features glaciers, lots of wildlife and hoodoos! #BlueSkyMonday
November 10, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Happy Monday. Sirmilik ("the place of glaciers") national park takes up the majority of Bylot Island NU which is a short boat ride across the Tasiujaq (ᑕᓯᐅᔭᖅ formerly Eclipse Sound) waterway from Pond Inlet on Baffin Island. The park features glaciers, lots of wildlife and hoodoos! #BlueSkyMonday
The premier (and only) issue of "Dr. KiloByte's Creative Popular Personal Recreational Micro Computer Data Interface World Journal" (aka DKBCPPRMCDIWJ) from April 1980. 150 pages of superb nonsense - fake ads, bogus editorials, insane circuit diagrams and code samples - impressive work for a parody.
November 7, 2025 at 2:48 PM
The premier (and only) issue of "Dr. KiloByte's Creative Popular Personal Recreational Micro Computer Data Interface World Journal" (aka DKBCPPRMCDIWJ) from April 1980. 150 pages of superb nonsense - fake ads, bogus editorials, insane circuit diagrams and code samples - impressive work for a parody.
Sunrise (Live at Pembroke Pines, FL, May 22, 1977)
YouTube video by Grateful Dead - Topic
m.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Happy Monday. This is the fully restored dock area at Battle Harbour NL, a national historic site where you can stay a night or three in one of the refurbushed centuries old houses. No cars, phone lines, cell towers, with good food, peace & quiet. The ferry is from Mary's Harbour. #BlueSkyMonday
November 3, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Happy Monday. This is the fully restored dock area at Battle Harbour NL, a national historic site where you can stay a night or three in one of the refurbushed centuries old houses. No cars, phone lines, cell towers, with good food, peace & quiet. The ferry is from Mary's Harbour. #BlueSkyMonday
It's alive! The stereo - rust code cross-compiled to raspberry pico which controls 4 audio inputs (bluetooth, radio, vinyl, line-in). The UX is controlled by 1 dial and 2 switches - with volume control, radio station select, etc managed by rust. Haven't had this much nerdy fun programming in years.
October 31, 2025 at 12:31 PM
It's alive! The stereo - rust code cross-compiled to raspberry pico which controls 4 audio inputs (bluetooth, radio, vinyl, line-in). The UX is controlled by 1 dial and 2 switches - with volume control, radio station select, etc managed by rust. Haven't had this much nerdy fun programming in years.
Happy Monday. The trans-Labrador highway used to be entirely gravel - it's since been completed and the 1700 kms from Baie-Comeau to Blanc-Sablon is now paved. The transport trucks drive like hell - we'd have get right out of the way, stop, wave, and then wait for the smoke to clear. #BlueSkyMonday
October 27, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Happy Monday. The trans-Labrador highway used to be entirely gravel - it's since been completed and the 1700 kms from Baie-Comeau to Blanc-Sablon is now paved. The transport trucks drive like hell - we'd have get right out of the way, stop, wave, and then wait for the smoke to clear. #BlueSkyMonday
Now listening - 1972 folk-gem "Upon Velveatur" by Montreal's Roger Rodier.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRLf...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRLf...
Roger Rodier - Listen to These Chords I Play (Celeste) (Official Audio)
YouTube video by RogerRodierVEVO
www.youtube.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Now listening - 1972 folk-gem "Upon Velveatur" by Montreal's Roger Rodier.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRLf...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRLf...
Happy Monday. The arctic can be inhospitable and harsh but is also a place of unparalleled beauty and tranquility. This is the Bache peninsula on northern Ellesmere island NU which features archaeological remnants of Pre-Dorset, Dorset and Thule cultures dating back 1000's of years. #BlueSkyMonday
October 20, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Happy Monday. The arctic can be inhospitable and harsh but is also a place of unparalleled beauty and tranquility. This is the Bache peninsula on northern Ellesmere island NU which features archaeological remnants of Pre-Dorset, Dorset and Thule cultures dating back 1000's of years. #BlueSkyMonday
The first issue of Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics and Orthodontia (Running Light Without Overbyte) from 1976. The name comes from the founders Dennis Allison and Bob Albrecht - the orginal focus was on TinyBasic but soon covered many nerdy aspects of the industry.
October 16, 2025 at 6:18 PM
The first issue of Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics and Orthodontia (Running Light Without Overbyte) from 1976. The name comes from the founders Dennis Allison and Bob Albrecht - the orginal focus was on TinyBasic but soon covered many nerdy aspects of the industry.
Happy Monday. Watching the fog roll in on Cape Breton Island. Happy Thanksgiving. #BlueSkyMonday
October 13, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Happy Monday. Watching the fog roll in on Cape Breton Island. Happy Thanksgiving. #BlueSkyMonday
Byte Magazine visual archive - the zoomable map shows every page of every issue of BYTE starting from the front cover of the first issue (top left) to the last page of the final edition (bottom right). There is search over the full text of all 100k pages. Nerd out.
byte.tsundoku.io
byte.tsundoku.io
Byte - a visual archive
byte.tsundoku.io
October 9, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Byte Magazine visual archive - the zoomable map shows every page of every issue of BYTE starting from the front cover of the first issue (top left) to the last page of the final edition (bottom right). There is search over the full text of all 100k pages. Nerd out.
byte.tsundoku.io
byte.tsundoku.io