My workhorse Canon A70 finally died. It was on life support and I pulled the plug or more accurately I shorted it out.
It all started about a week ago when I noticed something rattling around inside the camera. I thought this was odd but didn't think much of it. Then the zoom jammed with an E18 error. I noticed it wasn't rattling anymore so I figured what ever was loose was jamming the zoom. So I smacked it around a bit and it started working again. I decided it was time to dissect it. After finding some disassembly instructions online, in Estonian mind you, I had it apart and found that my mysterious loose part was a screw. Well that can't be good but what the hell it still works right? So I put it back together, put some batteries in and... nothing. Hmmm... well I'll take the batteries out and wow they're warm. Uh oh. Oh no, whats that smell?! Yep, I had let the magic smoke out of the camera. It was dead.
I was sad for a while but then I realized I got to go shopping for a new camera! So I bought myself a Canon A720IS. It's an 8 mega pixel, which is a lot overkill but it is the same basic design so I'm still familiar with it.
I went from the A70:
To the A720IS:
The things I like most are how it feels in my hand, the huge 2.5" LCD, optical image stabilization, facial recognition and my basic familiarity with it. It is also much quicker than the old camear. I looked at some smaller cameras but they were lost in my hands. Also I felt that they would get lost in general. I'm also amazed with the video quality. I've uploaded one to google video and the compression really doesn't show the video the way it should but you can definately tell the difference between the two cameras.
A70
A720
A downside to the camera is it uses SD and not CF so I can't reuse my old cards but that's minor.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Well I got the table
Well I finally got my table last night. I found out why I couldn't get it the night before, they were being saved for a "sale". I put sale in quotes there because it is a scam. If you look in your current Canadian Tire flyer it will list the 8 foot folding table as a special buy at $64.99. Guess what I paid... $64.99. It's been that price on the website for two weeks. Special buy my ass.
Just another reason not to shop there anymore. Oh and I haven't had a response to my email yet. I don't expect one.
Just another reason not to shop there anymore. Oh and I haven't had a response to my email yet. I don't expect one.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
My Kingdom for a Table
Has anyone else noticed that Canadian Tire is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine?
I've been trying to buy a 8 foot folding table for two weeks now and I still don't have one. Here is the email I sent to customerservice@canadiantire.ca
Perhaps I am expecting too much from a bunch of 16 year olds that couldn't find their ass with a map and a flashlight. At least when I worked at London Drugs I knew what the hell I was doing.
Keep any eye on the papers for a story about a severe beating at the Confed Craptire. If you could pitch a bit in for bail that would be great too.
I've been trying to buy a 8 foot folding table for two weeks now and I still don't have one. Here is the email I sent to customerservice@canadiantire.ca
"I have to say my experience at the SASKATOON WEST, SK 301 CONFEDERATION DRIVE in the last couple weeks has been poor. I could sum up the customer service as atrocious. I have been trying to buy an 8 foot folding table Product #99-3599-4 for two weeks. I check the website before I go to the store and it always says it is in stock. Last week after having to convince an employee that you actually sell that table I was told they were out but more were coming in yesterday. I went to the store tonight to be told that they were “on hold” until tomorrow when they would be placed in the center aisle. I thought that a store was in the business of selling stuff but I guess only on certain days now. I was too tired to complain because I had to wait at least 20 minutes. I had to wait for the first aisle person to find someone else because he didn’t know how to look it up in the computer and then they had to go look in the basement to see if they could find the table. Interestingly enough while I was waiting another person was waiting at the electrical desk and had to push the button 11 times before someone would come help him. I know it was 11 because I counted while I was waiting. Perhaps I should have tried to find a manager but I thought they would be just as apathetic as the staff and wouldn’t be much more help anyways.
I can’t understand why it is so difficult to purchase a simple table. I am going to go back tomorrow to try to purchase this table again. If I am unable to I will no longer shop at Canadian Tire. The customer service has been going down hill for quite some time now and I might as well shop at Wal-Mart."
Perhaps I am expecting too much from a bunch of 16 year olds that couldn't find their ass with a map and a flashlight. At least when I worked at London Drugs I knew what the hell I was doing.
Keep any eye on the papers for a story about a severe beating at the Confed Craptire. If you could pitch a bit in for bail that would be great too.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Electronics deals
Wow I've been working the deals lately. I mentioned that Lindsay got me a XM satellite radio for my b'day but I didn't mention the deal we got on it. The radio was at London Drugs regular $99 on for $69 so she bought it for me. I looked online and XM had a $20 mail in rebate for it. Last night I'm in LD and they've dropped the price of the Xpress to $29.99 so we brought the bill back in and got it price matched. Effectively Lindsay will have paid $9.99 for the radio. That's pretty good.
The second deal is at Office Depot. I've been looking at Belkin's boom box for the XM Xpress radio but its $100. I didn't want to spend this much so I noticed that Office depot has a sale on the Teac R1 radio. Normally $99 on sale for $39. It has a built in rechargeable battery, can run on 12v DC and has an AUX port that I could plug a satellite radio into. All I need to do is get a home or car kit for the radio and I should be set. :)
The Scottish is strong in this one.
The second deal is at Office Depot. I've been looking at Belkin's boom box for the XM Xpress radio but its $100. I didn't want to spend this much so I noticed that Office depot has a sale on the Teac R1 radio. Normally $99 on sale for $39. It has a built in rechargeable battery, can run on 12v DC and has an AUX port that I could plug a satellite radio into. All I need to do is get a home or car kit for the radio and I should be set. :)
The Scottish is strong in this one.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Where did the summer go?
Holy sh*t its been busy! I last posted on June 18th and it's been non-stop since then. Lets see, where to start....
Well things are going much better with the new land lord. He's been doing a lot of work around here to improve the place. We've got patio doors now and a deck to put the BBQ on. The tenants below have left and he's put a new side door on that is all full of fuck for now. We've got a new floor in the bathroom as well as a new tub surround and a new toilet. I think that's about all he has planned for us until he's done fixing everything in the basement. Now begins the count-down to the rent increase. Man I'm negative eh?
Our little camping trip to Radium Hotsprings went off quite well. The only hitch was the hotel had no record of the reservations when the family got there. I thought my mom was going to actually kill the guy. Seriously. Anyways after a whole lot of bitching at him he found us some rooms next door at the next hotel. I was feeling quite invincible as we had reserved a camping site at Red Streak and I wasn't worried about having a place to stay. I was just worried about having to share the campsite with the whole family. ;)
Here is a picture to wet your appetite and the rest are on my putfile account.
The rest of the photo album
As you can see from the picture I had a lantern with me, a big one, I took a Coleman 236 from 1942 that puts out 500 candle power. I was lighting up the 3 adjacent campsites aswell! I also had a Coleman stove with me. You can see it in the photo album. It is a model 500 Speedmaster from 1938 that George gave me for free.
We took it easy and spent every day in the pool as well as going on a couple little road trips to other areas. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the rental car. We rented a 2007 Dodge Charger with the 3.5HO V6 and the 5 speed auto. Mmmm... 230 hp. I was absolutely surprised with the amount of power the V6 had in this large car. I had no problem passing and abusing the posted speed limit on many occasions. Even with me bag driving it we still averaged 31 mpg for the trip. I would imagine our mileage would have been a lot better if we didn't drive up and down the mountain from the campsite to the town a few times everyday.
After that trip we got to stay at home for a little while and then it was off to Delaronde lake to visit Lindsay's Mom and step dad Tim. We had a great time and I got to get some fishing in with Tim. He knows quite a bit about fishing so I'm hoping to learn some stuff from him as I love to eat fish. We had a great fish fry over the open fire on the first night. Mmmm.... is all I can say.
The next weekend we were in Emma lake with Lindsay's Dad and step mom Gloria. Well we were there with a shit load more of her family than that. It was basically a family reunion to mark the family being in Canada for 40 years. There was about 30 Edgars and various offspring running around causing shit. It was a great time. The only downside to the weekend was it rained everynight so the inside of the tent was a bit damp. Everyone was impressed with my sand dyke that I built infront of the tent to keep the water away. I do believe we were the only tent to have no water issues. We had a blast and spent some time relaxing as well as some time on the beach and on the boat. Melissa's got a great picture of me in the water drinking a beer and eating a sandwich that I'll post when I get it.
In between the two trips Lindsay got me an early birthday present. She got me a XM radio. An Audiovox Xpress to be exact. It rocks. I can't believe how great it was to have on the road. The next thing I want is a boombox that it fits into so I can listen to satellite radio everywhere. I've got a bid on a cheap one on Ebay as well as a cheap home kit. If I don't get the one on Ebay I'll put it on my b'day list as I can't affort too much right now.
On the Friday before the long weekend when I got home form work the city of Saskatoon had a present waiting for me in the mail box. They sent me a red light camera ticket! I should scan it and put it on here as I must have been on crack that day. It is verrrry obvious that I ran the light, it wasn't even close. Damn left turn impatience. Well I figure that 5 years of going through there atleast 2 times per day it was bound to happen eventually. So I'm $220 lighter now. Ouch.
Well its been a long post and I think I've covered everything. I've been addicted to crackbook(facebook for the noobs) lately so come check me out on there.
Well things are going much better with the new land lord. He's been doing a lot of work around here to improve the place. We've got patio doors now and a deck to put the BBQ on. The tenants below have left and he's put a new side door on that is all full of fuck for now. We've got a new floor in the bathroom as well as a new tub surround and a new toilet. I think that's about all he has planned for us until he's done fixing everything in the basement. Now begins the count-down to the rent increase. Man I'm negative eh?
Our little camping trip to Radium Hotsprings went off quite well. The only hitch was the hotel had no record of the reservations when the family got there. I thought my mom was going to actually kill the guy. Seriously. Anyways after a whole lot of bitching at him he found us some rooms next door at the next hotel. I was feeling quite invincible as we had reserved a camping site at Red Streak and I wasn't worried about having a place to stay. I was just worried about having to share the campsite with the whole family. ;)
Here is a picture to wet your appetite and the rest are on my putfile account.
The rest of the photo album
As you can see from the picture I had a lantern with me, a big one, I took a Coleman 236 from 1942 that puts out 500 candle power. I was lighting up the 3 adjacent campsites aswell! I also had a Coleman stove with me. You can see it in the photo album. It is a model 500 Speedmaster from 1938 that George gave me for free.
We took it easy and spent every day in the pool as well as going on a couple little road trips to other areas. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the rental car. We rented a 2007 Dodge Charger with the 3.5HO V6 and the 5 speed auto. Mmmm... 230 hp. I was absolutely surprised with the amount of power the V6 had in this large car. I had no problem passing and abusing the posted speed limit on many occasions. Even with me bag driving it we still averaged 31 mpg for the trip. I would imagine our mileage would have been a lot better if we didn't drive up and down the mountain from the campsite to the town a few times everyday.
After that trip we got to stay at home for a little while and then it was off to Delaronde lake to visit Lindsay's Mom and step dad Tim. We had a great time and I got to get some fishing in with Tim. He knows quite a bit about fishing so I'm hoping to learn some stuff from him as I love to eat fish. We had a great fish fry over the open fire on the first night. Mmmm.... is all I can say.
The next weekend we were in Emma lake with Lindsay's Dad and step mom Gloria. Well we were there with a shit load more of her family than that. It was basically a family reunion to mark the family being in Canada for 40 years. There was about 30 Edgars and various offspring running around causing shit. It was a great time. The only downside to the weekend was it rained everynight so the inside of the tent was a bit damp. Everyone was impressed with my sand dyke that I built infront of the tent to keep the water away. I do believe we were the only tent to have no water issues. We had a blast and spent some time relaxing as well as some time on the beach and on the boat. Melissa's got a great picture of me in the water drinking a beer and eating a sandwich that I'll post when I get it.
In between the two trips Lindsay got me an early birthday present. She got me a XM radio. An Audiovox Xpress to be exact. It rocks. I can't believe how great it was to have on the road. The next thing I want is a boombox that it fits into so I can listen to satellite radio everywhere. I've got a bid on a cheap one on Ebay as well as a cheap home kit. If I don't get the one on Ebay I'll put it on my b'day list as I can't affort too much right now.
On the Friday before the long weekend when I got home form work the city of Saskatoon had a present waiting for me in the mail box. They sent me a red light camera ticket! I should scan it and put it on here as I must have been on crack that day. It is verrrry obvious that I ran the light, it wasn't even close. Damn left turn impatience. Well I figure that 5 years of going through there atleast 2 times per day it was bound to happen eventually. So I'm $220 lighter now. Ouch.
Well its been a long post and I think I've covered everything. I've been addicted to crackbook(facebook for the noobs) lately so come check me out on there.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Been busy
Wow for some reason I've been really busy lately. It all started on Thursday. We usually go for drinks on Thursday after work but this Thursday was much drunker. A friend of Lindsay's is moving to Alberta so we all went for drinks after I had finished drinking with the guys from work. We didn't get home until about 3 am and I was up at 7 for work. A quick puke and a nap on the couch and I was ready to go. Friday we went to Georges for a BBQ and then Saturday at 7:30am I was at Tristan's to help him put the concrete pad down for his garage. Saturday afternoon was spent golfing for Dallas' bachelor party and we were up til 3:30am for that. Sunday was fathers day and I was at the acreage with my mom's family from about noon until 7:30pm.
This is about 800% busier than my normal weekend. I've just realized that I didn't send my Dad his fathers day card even though it is already purchased and I also just realized that I forgot about James' birthday. Jeez I'm slipping.
I learned a couple things during this weekend. First, if you're going to golf 18 holes after concrete work rent a damn power cart. Second, write important dates down on the calendar so you don't forget people's b'days. Lastly, I feel much older than I am right now.
This is about 800% busier than my normal weekend. I've just realized that I didn't send my Dad his fathers day card even though it is already purchased and I also just realized that I forgot about James' birthday. Jeez I'm slipping.
I learned a couple things during this weekend. First, if you're going to golf 18 holes after concrete work rent a damn power cart. Second, write important dates down on the calendar so you don't forget people's b'days. Lastly, I feel much older than I am right now.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Wanted: New place to live
Wow after the whole thing with Lindsay's aunt and uncle my ass was just starting to contract back to normal when the new landlord jumped right on in there and rode me like a rented mule.
There have been a few changes and lots of promises.
Changes:
We had to give up half the driveway, so this means the people in the basement now have 75% of the available parking and they have ZERO(0) cars. They have parking in the back which is home to a "car" and half the driveway in the front. At least at the apartment I didn't have to move my car so Lindsay could get hers out. Just one of the many perks of living in a house. We can no longer use the side door as he wants the people in the basement to have their own entrance. Ok this isn't a big problem except that the side door is the most convenient way to get to the driveway, backyard, garage, BBQ, mailbox, etc. I'm not 100% sure if it is an all out ban on us using the door or if he just wants us to mostly use the front door. They get to have a pet because they got a dog mere minutes before the landlord showed up but we can't have a pet. Life is not fair I guess.
Promises
The new landlord has promised to clean the ducts, roto root the drains, change the window in the bathroom, change the tub surround, change the rest of the windows and put in a proper shower. You can shit in one hand, and wish in the other, and see which fills up faster.
Well your thinking their must be a plus in all this, well there is, the landlord is doing the yardwork now. Well at least thats what he said was happening and he's mowed the lawn once in two weeks. Thats about as good as it was getting done when we were doing it for free.
At least things are going good with the other tenants.... well not really. The "shared" laundry room is being treated as their laundry room and I'm pretty sure they are either washing their clothes one piece at a time or there is 50 people living down there since they are always doing laundry. The washer was set on hot for quite a while so it will be interesting to see the natural gas bill. It will also be interesting to see if said bill causes some sort of full on freakout. We are going to have to get set laundry days because we've been trying for three days to wash our towels. Sunday saw them leave stuff in the washer for 5 hours. I'm also very concerned that the side door is running out of fuck. This is because they keep slamming the fuck out of it. Its like an episode of the Simpsons when homer forgot Marge's gift and he runs out fo the house to get one. You can hear the basement door get slammed, someone run up the stairs and slam the door and the screen door. It is bad enough that they wake us up when we are sleeping in the other end of the house. Maybe I should stop complaining and talk to them about it but I don't like confrontations. I am a little worried that I'm just going to lose it one day and burn the fucking house down. Wait... does that make it pre-meditated? Hmm... I guess I can't do that now. I also don't think that I should need to talk to them about these things since they are common sense but a smart person I know once told me that common sense is not that common.
We'll have to see if I can talk to the landlord about some of these things without going off the deep end. It also makes me wonder what kinds of annoying things we do as tennants. Some days I'd love to be able to walk a mile in someone elses shoes. My god I'm full of sayings and cliches tonight.
Well anyways I'm glad blogger was here to absorb my ranting and I hope that no one actually wasted time reading this.
There have been a few changes and lots of promises.
Changes:
We had to give up half the driveway, so this means the people in the basement now have 75% of the available parking and they have ZERO(0) cars. They have parking in the back which is home to a "car" and half the driveway in the front. At least at the apartment I didn't have to move my car so Lindsay could get hers out. Just one of the many perks of living in a house. We can no longer use the side door as he wants the people in the basement to have their own entrance. Ok this isn't a big problem except that the side door is the most convenient way to get to the driveway, backyard, garage, BBQ, mailbox, etc. I'm not 100% sure if it is an all out ban on us using the door or if he just wants us to mostly use the front door. They get to have a pet because they got a dog mere minutes before the landlord showed up but we can't have a pet. Life is not fair I guess.
Promises
The new landlord has promised to clean the ducts, roto root the drains, change the window in the bathroom, change the tub surround, change the rest of the windows and put in a proper shower. You can shit in one hand, and wish in the other, and see which fills up faster.
Well your thinking their must be a plus in all this, well there is, the landlord is doing the yardwork now. Well at least thats what he said was happening and he's mowed the lawn once in two weeks. Thats about as good as it was getting done when we were doing it for free.
At least things are going good with the other tenants.... well not really. The "shared" laundry room is being treated as their laundry room and I'm pretty sure they are either washing their clothes one piece at a time or there is 50 people living down there since they are always doing laundry. The washer was set on hot for quite a while so it will be interesting to see the natural gas bill. It will also be interesting to see if said bill causes some sort of full on freakout. We are going to have to get set laundry days because we've been trying for three days to wash our towels. Sunday saw them leave stuff in the washer for 5 hours. I'm also very concerned that the side door is running out of fuck. This is because they keep slamming the fuck out of it. Its like an episode of the Simpsons when homer forgot Marge's gift and he runs out fo the house to get one. You can hear the basement door get slammed, someone run up the stairs and slam the door and the screen door. It is bad enough that they wake us up when we are sleeping in the other end of the house. Maybe I should stop complaining and talk to them about it but I don't like confrontations. I am a little worried that I'm just going to lose it one day and burn the fucking house down. Wait... does that make it pre-meditated? Hmm... I guess I can't do that now. I also don't think that I should need to talk to them about these things since they are common sense but a smart person I know once told me that common sense is not that common.
We'll have to see if I can talk to the landlord about some of these things without going off the deep end. It also makes me wonder what kinds of annoying things we do as tennants. Some days I'd love to be able to walk a mile in someone elses shoes. My god I'm full of sayings and cliches tonight.
Well anyways I'm glad blogger was here to absorb my ranting and I hope that no one actually wasted time reading this.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
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Sunday, May 27, 2007
I am sick of this shit.
It has been said that nothing in life is certain except for death and taxes but I was hoping to add shelter to that list. Once upon a time we had a nice little apartment in the north end, I had my own parking spot and I felt secure. Then one day Lindsay got the crazy idea that we should move to a house and going against my better judgment we decided to move. So we moved and it was a good move, everything went smoothly and quickly. We had a small army helping us and it was good. I gained a garage, a back yard and a noisy neighbour; I lost my parking spot, three flights of stairs and 17 neighbours. It seemed like a good trade off at the time but the Sword of Damocles soon fell. Not two weeks into this we found out the landlords, Lindsay's Aunt and Uncle, wanted to sell the house. Unpacking stopped. I wondered how long we would have a place to live and life went on with even less security. After a week of having strangers waltz through our home, not our house but our home, willy nilly whenever they felt like it we were told that the house sold. Yay! We can start unpacking again. Everything was back to normal.
I now realize that this feeling of relief was premature. Our combined rent is covering a $90,000 mortgage but the house sold somewhere north of $185,000 and probably quite a bit north. So we wait for the ultimate conclusion of the rent increasing. Never do business with family.
If I knew they were going to sell the house we wouldn't have moved or at least not into this house. I can't imagine someone decides to sell a $200,000 house completely on a whim.
Depending on the rent increase we will probably be able to absorb it. I'm making more money and Lindsay has a new job so this should be no problem. But. Well Lindsay isn't getting as many hours as promised and true I am making more money but we now have to pay more utilities and the rent is higher than the apartment already. Why is it that everyone always has to live to the edge of his or her means? I used to think that I wasn't one of those people, I could accept living in a small apartment if it meant that I was more comfortable, well the comfort hasn't increased. On which side of the line is the quality of life better? Do we plan for the future or live in the now? It would appear to me that the now is more important to most people.
A wise man once told me to live without regrets. I can't say I've done that and now I've got another one to add to the list.
I regret moving.
I now realize that this feeling of relief was premature. Our combined rent is covering a $90,000 mortgage but the house sold somewhere north of $185,000 and probably quite a bit north. So we wait for the ultimate conclusion of the rent increasing. Never do business with family.
If I knew they were going to sell the house we wouldn't have moved or at least not into this house. I can't imagine someone decides to sell a $200,000 house completely on a whim.
Depending on the rent increase we will probably be able to absorb it. I'm making more money and Lindsay has a new job so this should be no problem. But. Well Lindsay isn't getting as many hours as promised and true I am making more money but we now have to pay more utilities and the rent is higher than the apartment already. Why is it that everyone always has to live to the edge of his or her means? I used to think that I wasn't one of those people, I could accept living in a small apartment if it meant that I was more comfortable, well the comfort hasn't increased. On which side of the line is the quality of life better? Do we plan for the future or live in the now? It would appear to me that the now is more important to most people.
A wise man once told me to live without regrets. I can't say I've done that and now I've got another one to add to the list.
I regret moving.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Let the unpacking commence
Sweet zombie jesus, its been 20 days since I posted last!
Well its been kinda stressful around here lately. We moved into a new place and then two weeks after being here our land lords told us they were selling the house. We have since found out that the house has sold and the new landlords want to keep the current tenants at the current rent. We'll see about that last one. I don't know if our rents will cover the mortgage on $185,000+.
I can now start getting back into some hobbies. I've been suffering lantern withdrawal since I didn't want to haul anything over here if I wasn't sure we'd be staying. Now I have a garage and a workbench I should be able to catch up on some projects. I was able to put together a rocket in the last few days. My uncle got my a rocket kit for my b'day last year, it is a cluster rocket. It uses two engines instead of one so I'm really interested to see it fly.
It is the white one in the center. If you look closely you can see two engine retaining clips.
Shipping on eBay is really starting to piss me off. I got a couple 500mhz P3 processors for free and I was thinking I'd find a cheap dual proc motherboard and make a dual system. I've found lots on eBay for $20 and under but they want $20-40 USD for shipping. How can it possibly cost $40 to send a motherboard from California to Canada?! It's ridiculous. I've had lanterns shipped for less than that. Needless to say my dual processor system is on hold for now.
I've been promising to put some pictures of the new place online but it won't be today. It is raining out and I don't want to go out there in the rain and take some pictures. I guess the teeming masses will have to wait a few days longer.
Have fun and stay dry.
Well its been kinda stressful around here lately. We moved into a new place and then two weeks after being here our land lords told us they were selling the house. We have since found out that the house has sold and the new landlords want to keep the current tenants at the current rent. We'll see about that last one. I don't know if our rents will cover the mortgage on $185,000+.
I can now start getting back into some hobbies. I've been suffering lantern withdrawal since I didn't want to haul anything over here if I wasn't sure we'd be staying. Now I have a garage and a workbench I should be able to catch up on some projects. I was able to put together a rocket in the last few days. My uncle got my a rocket kit for my b'day last year, it is a cluster rocket. It uses two engines instead of one so I'm really interested to see it fly.
It is the white one in the center. If you look closely you can see two engine retaining clips.
Shipping on eBay is really starting to piss me off. I got a couple 500mhz P3 processors for free and I was thinking I'd find a cheap dual proc motherboard and make a dual system. I've found lots on eBay for $20 and under but they want $20-40 USD for shipping. How can it possibly cost $40 to send a motherboard from California to Canada?! It's ridiculous. I've had lanterns shipped for less than that. Needless to say my dual processor system is on hold for now.
I've been promising to put some pictures of the new place online but it won't be today. It is raining out and I don't want to go out there in the rain and take some pictures. I guess the teeming masses will have to wait a few days longer.
Have fun and stay dry.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
TV and internet withdrawl
Well we're moved and I finally have tv and internet again. I don't have any pictures for you and I'm dissapointed that I didn't take any of the move because it was the best move ever. Actually the second best, you should ask mark about the best.
Anyways I have to send out a big thank you to everyone that helped, it was described as a small army. We rented a 16ft cube van and had 12 people helping us. The move was complete in 2 hours. Too bad for everyone who left early because my grandmother made lunch for us and it was spectacular.
I'll post more later as well as some pictures but I just wanted to post now that I have the internet again. Mmm.... internet.
Anyways I have to send out a big thank you to everyone that helped, it was described as a small army. We rented a 16ft cube van and had 12 people helping us. The move was complete in 2 hours. Too bad for everyone who left early because my grandmother made lunch for us and it was spectacular.
I'll post more later as well as some pictures but I just wanted to post now that I have the internet again. Mmm.... internet.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Been Gone
Well I know I haven't posted much lately but its been busy. We're working on getting ready to move on Sunday so its been pretty crazy around here.
Work has been busy as we try to get this solar crap off the ground. WSE Technologies. We have an interesting meeting coming up on next Friday with a customer who wants to build a solar house in Dundurn. I'm not convinced this is a good idea yet as you only get about 20% of the power you expect. Now that isn't saying that this isn't an interesting technology but its hard to justify its price if you already have a connection to the grid.
So I haven't had a chance to put my nitro car back together or work on anything Coleman but I do have a new body coming for the nitro car. Basically all the hobbies are on hold until after the move.
I'll have to post some pictures of the new place after we move in. Speaking of that anyone who wants to help move show up here Sunday at 9:30am. Did I mention that I'm sick of packing?
Work has been busy as we try to get this solar crap off the ground. WSE Technologies. We have an interesting meeting coming up on next Friday with a customer who wants to build a solar house in Dundurn. I'm not convinced this is a good idea yet as you only get about 20% of the power you expect. Now that isn't saying that this isn't an interesting technology but its hard to justify its price if you already have a connection to the grid.
So I haven't had a chance to put my nitro car back together or work on anything Coleman but I do have a new body coming for the nitro car. Basically all the hobbies are on hold until after the move.
I'll have to post some pictures of the new place after we move in. Speaking of that anyone who wants to help move show up here Sunday at 9:30am. Did I mention that I'm sick of packing?
Saturday, April 07, 2007
R/C car fun
Ever wonder what happens when a Traxxax Tmax uses a Nitro sport as a jump ramp? Well I found out and here are the results.
Here is the front end being held together with 5 zip ties and some epoxy.
This is with the zip ties removed.
Here are the parts that were broken. The front shock tower, the left front shock, the steering servo and one of the tie rods was bent.
The collision pulled one of the screws out of the steering servo.
In the end I'm going to have to replace about $20 worth of parts and I'm lucky that I have another servo around. It was quite a sight to see though. My nitro sport and Paul's T-maxx hit head on and his T-maxx got about 2 feet of air off of my car. Needless to say his came out as the winner.
Here is the front end being held together with 5 zip ties and some epoxy.
This is with the zip ties removed.
Here are the parts that were broken. The front shock tower, the left front shock, the steering servo and one of the tie rods was bent.
The collision pulled one of the screws out of the steering servo.
In the end I'm going to have to replace about $20 worth of parts and I'm lucky that I have another servo around. It was quite a sight to see though. My nitro sport and Paul's T-maxx hit head on and his T-maxx got about 2 feet of air off of my car. Needless to say his came out as the winner.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Red Colemans
Are you getting sick of lantern pictures yet? Well here is another one but this time they are running.
The one on the left is a run of the mill 200A and the one on the right is a Canadian 220E. The 220E isn't the rarest lantern but not everyone has one and one of the most obvious differences from the US version is the colour. The more common US version is green and this one is obviously red.
The one on the left is a run of the mill 200A and the one on the right is a Canadian 220E. The 220E isn't the rarest lantern but not everyone has one and one of the most obvious differences from the US version is the colour. The more common US version is green and this one is obviously red.
Friday, March 16, 2007
The China Syndrome
Better late than never but I just watched the China Syndrome and I have to say that it is a pretty powerful movie. I've always been interested in nuclear power, both the good and the bad side of it. This movie takes nuclear fear a little too far I think. Recently I read a book by Bernard Cohen that a friend lent to me that tried to look at the dangers of nuclear power from a scientists stand point. It was really interesting to hear from a scientific point of view that nuclear power isn't as dangerous as the media would have you belive. Reporters only want to report the bad news. The China syndrome that the movie is named after is an exaggerated result of a nuclear melt down. The idea would be that the nuclear core would get so hot that it would burn its way through the earth and come out the other side in China. Needless to say this is perposterous for many reasons and very unlikely. The movie recieved a fair amount of criticism because it falsly makes the nuclear industry look much less safe and more accident prone that it actually is.
The biggest boost to this movie was the fact that the Three Mile Island accident happened a mere 12 days after the release of this film. This is unfortunate as it makes the movie seem all the more realistic and gave the anti-nuclear people a real boost. The ironic thing was that the Three Mile Island accident happened in much the same way as the accident in the movie. There was a failure of the coolant supply and the core partially melted. The main fact that people seem to avoid is in the TMI accident the highest dose recieved by anyone was only one third of what they would naturally get in one year. A China syndrome would be unlikely because the containment building of the reactor is designed to contain a meltdown. In the only full melt down the world has seen, Chernobyl, the core didn't pass through the earth and pop through the other side. The reactor had a large positive void coefficient which means the reactors power increases as coolant boils away.Now a large amount of radioactive material was released but Chernobyl did not have a full containment building around the reactor. Considering the number of reactors in the world this just goes to show that nuclear power can be safe if it is designed to be safe from the start.
Another point the movie brought up was the disposal of nuclear waste. Everyone is afraid of nuclear waste from reactors but they create far less waste than a coal power plant. A coal fired power plant may release as much as 5.2 tons of uranium per year. The energy in nuclear fuel is very high compared to the size of the fuel. "One uranium nuclear fuel pellet the size of the tip of your little finger is equivalent to the energy provided by 1,780 pounds of coal; or 149 gallons of oil, as much oil as fits in three 50 gallon drums; or 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas." this means that in 40 years of nuclear power there has only been 50,000 metric tons of waste produced. The would be enough to fill "a football field to a depth of about six yards". You have to remember that Uranium is very dense so it is very heavy compared to it's size. We aren't in an urgent situation to find new places to store the waste. When we have to start putting the waste undergound there is a process being considered called "Vitrificaiton" which basically turns the waste to glass which makes it less reactive with other materials. it is still quite radioactive but it will not react with ground water etc.
You may be wondering why we do not have nuclear power here in Saskatchewan but that is a discussion for another time.
I guess I got on a bit of a tangent there but I had to get that out. In summary I liked the movie for it's movie characteristics but take the science with a grain of salt.
The biggest boost to this movie was the fact that the Three Mile Island accident happened a mere 12 days after the release of this film. This is unfortunate as it makes the movie seem all the more realistic and gave the anti-nuclear people a real boost. The ironic thing was that the Three Mile Island accident happened in much the same way as the accident in the movie. There was a failure of the coolant supply and the core partially melted. The main fact that people seem to avoid is in the TMI accident the highest dose recieved by anyone was only one third of what they would naturally get in one year. A China syndrome would be unlikely because the containment building of the reactor is designed to contain a meltdown. In the only full melt down the world has seen, Chernobyl, the core didn't pass through the earth and pop through the other side. The reactor had a large positive void coefficient which means the reactors power increases as coolant boils away.Now a large amount of radioactive material was released but Chernobyl did not have a full containment building around the reactor. Considering the number of reactors in the world this just goes to show that nuclear power can be safe if it is designed to be safe from the start.
Another point the movie brought up was the disposal of nuclear waste. Everyone is afraid of nuclear waste from reactors but they create far less waste than a coal power plant. A coal fired power plant may release as much as 5.2 tons of uranium per year. The energy in nuclear fuel is very high compared to the size of the fuel. "One uranium nuclear fuel pellet the size of the tip of your little finger is equivalent to the energy provided by 1,780 pounds of coal; or 149 gallons of oil, as much oil as fits in three 50 gallon drums; or 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas." this means that in 40 years of nuclear power there has only been 50,000 metric tons of waste produced. The would be enough to fill "a football field to a depth of about six yards". You have to remember that Uranium is very dense so it is very heavy compared to it's size. We aren't in an urgent situation to find new places to store the waste. When we have to start putting the waste undergound there is a process being considered called "Vitrificaiton" which basically turns the waste to glass which makes it less reactive with other materials. it is still quite radioactive but it will not react with ground water etc.
You may be wondering why we do not have nuclear power here in Saskatchewan but that is a discussion for another time.
I guess I got on a bit of a tangent there but I had to get that out. In summary I liked the movie for it's movie characteristics but take the science with a grain of salt.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Wedding Vegetables
Well another series of Top Gear has come and gone. It was good, but not great. I must say the last few episodes have had some great quotes coming out of them.
I was a little disappointed in Richard Hammond in the last episode. His head must still not be right because he can't figure out how HP numbers on a chassis dyno work. They tested the new Mustang GT-500 against his 68 GT 390 and put them both on a chassis dyno. He was disappointed to see the GT-500 only produce about 450 hp since it was supposed to have 500. He failed to realize that it produces 500 at the crank and a 10% loss to the wheels is normal. I thought a "car guy" on tv should know this. He was more disappointed to find his 68 had about 250 hp at the wheels. Well considering the original HP reading was a gross reading at the crank this is probably about right. I'm disappointed as it seems these guys get to drive the fancy cars and smash shit but they don't seem to know much about cars. That said, Top Gear is still one of my favorite shows.
Just a little update on those 2-way FRS/GMRS radios I bought. It would seem that their range in the city is about 600-900 metres. That's a little below their claim of 10 miles but I didn't expect to see anything close to that. I was hoping to get 1-2 kms though. I'm sure on the flat prairie they would do much better but through houses, trees, cars, powerlines and the like they only give 600-900 metres.
I put up some pictures of my last lantern but I noticed that I haven't put any up of my 242B that I rescued from a pawn shop for $14. Notice the metallic green paint on the vent, it makes a nice smell when its running.
This is a nice little lantern. It is built like a mini 236 or 237.
Well that's about all for this update but I will leave you this great link to the real live Calvin and Hobbes Snowmen.
I was a little disappointed in Richard Hammond in the last episode. His head must still not be right because he can't figure out how HP numbers on a chassis dyno work. They tested the new Mustang GT-500 against his 68 GT 390 and put them both on a chassis dyno. He was disappointed to see the GT-500 only produce about 450 hp since it was supposed to have 500. He failed to realize that it produces 500 at the crank and a 10% loss to the wheels is normal. I thought a "car guy" on tv should know this. He was more disappointed to find his 68 had about 250 hp at the wheels. Well considering the original HP reading was a gross reading at the crank this is probably about right. I'm disappointed as it seems these guys get to drive the fancy cars and smash shit but they don't seem to know much about cars. That said, Top Gear is still one of my favorite shows.
Just a little update on those 2-way FRS/GMRS radios I bought. It would seem that their range in the city is about 600-900 metres. That's a little below their claim of 10 miles but I didn't expect to see anything close to that. I was hoping to get 1-2 kms though. I'm sure on the flat prairie they would do much better but through houses, trees, cars, powerlines and the like they only give 600-900 metres.
I put up some pictures of my last lantern but I noticed that I haven't put any up of my 242B that I rescued from a pawn shop for $14. Notice the metallic green paint on the vent, it makes a nice smell when its running.
This is a nice little lantern. It is built like a mini 236 or 237.
Well that's about all for this update but I will leave you this great link to the real live Calvin and Hobbes Snowmen.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Antique and Gun show
Today I was out at the Collectors show at Prairieland to check out the antiques. I had a couple of things in mind while I was out there and did actually find something. As usual I'm on the look out for Coleman lanterns and stoves but I'm also trying to find a radioactive fiestaware plate. I packed my trusty russian geiger counter and I was off.
It is amazing how much junk can be put in one place at one time. I guess half the fun is too look through the junk and find something worth while, it's like finding a diamond in the rough. I was amazed as there was only 2 Coleman lamps in all of the antiques section but I did manage to find a fiestaware side plate that was indeed radioactive but the guy wanted $20 for it, why do I need a $20 plate? So I moved on. After finishing the antiques side I almost left, I'm not much into guns and I don't know a lot about them but I decided I might as well look around. I'm glad I did as I found a 5/64 220E in the back corner for $20. This 220E is made in Canada which makes it a little special as I don't think there were that many made and they are red instead of green as the American ones are. Here are a couple pictures:
I think it looks good along side my 200A in the living room. I need something to balance out some of Lindsay's decorations.
I'm not a huge fan of the double mantle lanterns but I couldn't pass this one up. I prefer Canadian made single mantle lanterns so if any of you spot a cheap one at a garage sale let me know ;)
It is amazing how much junk can be put in one place at one time. I guess half the fun is too look through the junk and find something worth while, it's like finding a diamond in the rough. I was amazed as there was only 2 Coleman lamps in all of the antiques section but I did manage to find a fiestaware side plate that was indeed radioactive but the guy wanted $20 for it, why do I need a $20 plate? So I moved on. After finishing the antiques side I almost left, I'm not much into guns and I don't know a lot about them but I decided I might as well look around. I'm glad I did as I found a 5/64 220E in the back corner for $20. This 220E is made in Canada which makes it a little special as I don't think there were that many made and they are red instead of green as the American ones are. Here are a couple pictures:
I think it looks good along side my 200A in the living room. I need something to balance out some of Lindsay's decorations.
I'm not a huge fan of the double mantle lanterns but I couldn't pass this one up. I prefer Canadian made single mantle lanterns so if any of you spot a cheap one at a garage sale let me know ;)
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Shaving 8 months later
Back in June I posted about my new Double Edged Safety razor and 8 months later I'm still using it. As a test a few weeks ago I tried using my Mach 3 and I was amazed at how bad it felt. I got an OK shave from it when I was done but it felt like it was pulling my skin off. I couldn't believe the difference. I'm happy with the shave I get from my DE razor and very happy with the experience. My girlfriend loves it too, she just wishes I would shave more often.
Back in June I pointed out the difference in price and today, 8 months later, I finally ordred some more blades for $20 CDN shipped. I'm getting 25 high quality blades for $20. Try that with your Mach 3 or Fusion, I dare you but I won't bail you out. Now I do agree that the initial cost of supplies is higher but as the leisure guy points out it is not that bad. A good starter set will run about the same cost as a Gillette Fusion and 27 cartridges. That does seem to be a lot of money but this set up will probably last you until you are too old to shave yourself.
He has another good article about how to shave without butchering your face.
I would reccomend anyone who wants to get started with a DE razor check out the two above articles as well as the links in my previous post. They are chalk full of good information and the MSN wetshavers group can answer any question you might have. If reading isn't your thing there is a good series on youtube that will teach you all about wet shaving.
One thing I have learned in 8 months is that I'm still learning. I'm going to try some differnt blades to see if I can get a better shave and I just learned a few pointers about how to improve my technique. This is a process of forever trying to better yourself and get a better shave. If you want to stumble in the bathroom at 6am half asleep and hack the hair off your face, this is not for you. You should stick to your Mach 3.
Whats next? Well I plan on getting more great shaves and eventually I'd love to learn how to use a straight razor but first I have to find someone who can teach me. I think trying to learn that through trial and error might be a bit dangerous.
Back in June I pointed out the difference in price and today, 8 months later, I finally ordred some more blades for $20 CDN shipped. I'm getting 25 high quality blades for $20. Try that with your Mach 3 or Fusion, I dare you but I won't bail you out. Now I do agree that the initial cost of supplies is higher but as the leisure guy points out it is not that bad. A good starter set will run about the same cost as a Gillette Fusion and 27 cartridges. That does seem to be a lot of money but this set up will probably last you until you are too old to shave yourself.
He has another good article about how to shave without butchering your face.
I would reccomend anyone who wants to get started with a DE razor check out the two above articles as well as the links in my previous post. They are chalk full of good information and the MSN wetshavers group can answer any question you might have. If reading isn't your thing there is a good series on youtube that will teach you all about wet shaving.
One thing I have learned in 8 months is that I'm still learning. I'm going to try some differnt blades to see if I can get a better shave and I just learned a few pointers about how to improve my technique. This is a process of forever trying to better yourself and get a better shave. If you want to stumble in the bathroom at 6am half asleep and hack the hair off your face, this is not for you. You should stick to your Mach 3.
Whats next? Well I plan on getting more great shaves and eventually I'd love to learn how to use a straight razor but first I have to find someone who can teach me. I think trying to learn that through trial and error might be a bit dangerous.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
I'm back
Ok I know its been a month since I posted last but it's been a busy/borring month. I thought I would share my latest bargin with all of you. I've wanted a set of FRS radios for some time now but I have never been able to justify it... until now that is. I've purchased two Uniden GMR1038-2 for $9.99, they're regular price is 39.99 I believe.
If you go to Uniden Direct's site they have the radios for $9.99. Yes they are referbished but so what. I've had good luck with referbished stuff in the past. Now I would recommend most people purchase the radios with the rechargable batteries and charging base as they are only $24.99 and these radios use 4, yes 4, AAA's each. Ouch. Now luckily I was able to pick up 24AAA Nimh rechargables from eBay for $12. Check out all-battery.com's eBay store. This should give me 3 full sets of batteries for both radios.
Well how do they work?
I just recieved them today but I've tested them from my Mom's house to my uncle's house and they work fine. That is across two streets and the next block down. I would say about 200 meters. I've also tried them with Lindsay in the apartment and me two parking lots away. Probably about the same amount of distance. They have nice clear reception and are easy to use. The real test will be this summer when we go camping in the mountains. I picked them up mainly for car to car communications. I'm going to take the radios to work tomorrow so maybe they'll get more of a workout.
Well thats it for now but I do hope to start blogging more often again.
If you go to Uniden Direct's site they have the radios for $9.99. Yes they are referbished but so what. I've had good luck with referbished stuff in the past. Now I would recommend most people purchase the radios with the rechargable batteries and charging base as they are only $24.99 and these radios use 4, yes 4, AAA's each. Ouch. Now luckily I was able to pick up 24AAA Nimh rechargables from eBay for $12. Check out all-battery.com's eBay store. This should give me 3 full sets of batteries for both radios.
Well how do they work?
I just recieved them today but I've tested them from my Mom's house to my uncle's house and they work fine. That is across two streets and the next block down. I would say about 200 meters. I've also tried them with Lindsay in the apartment and me two parking lots away. Probably about the same amount of distance. They have nice clear reception and are easy to use. The real test will be this summer when we go camping in the mountains. I picked them up mainly for car to car communications. I'm going to take the radios to work tomorrow so maybe they'll get more of a workout.
Well thats it for now but I do hope to start blogging more often again.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Wardriving
The subject of wireless security comes up a lot in discussions and it is interesting to see that more networks have security but it is still only about 50%. Here are some wardrives* that I have done over the last couple years from 10/11/05 to 01/16/07
The Green names are open, red are using WEP and Purple are using WPA. You should be using WPA with a long complicated password. If you think that annoying 128bit hex key for WEP is secure I suggest you watch this video
If you want a cool way to view my latest wardrive download this file test.kml and it will open in Google Earth. Another interesting file for you is found here Kismac Google Earth Plugin. This will let you view networks that people have uploaded for your area.
*Just a note, there has been some arrests and legal action regarding wardriving lately. These networks were found with my network card in passive mode so in no way were they accessed by me. It is not illegal to listen.
The Green names are open, red are using WEP and Purple are using WPA. You should be using WPA with a long complicated password. If you think that annoying 128bit hex key for WEP is secure I suggest you watch this video
If you want a cool way to view my latest wardrive download this file test.kml and it will open in Google Earth. Another interesting file for you is found here Kismac Google Earth Plugin. This will let you view networks that people have uploaded for your area.
*Just a note, there has been some arrests and legal action regarding wardriving lately. These networks were found with my network card in passive mode so in no way were they accessed by me. It is not illegal to listen.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
And it got worse
Here is an update on the blizzard of 07. The pictures below are taken off of my balcony facing west at about 3pm CST. Current conditions according to environment Canada are:
Observed at: Saskatoon Diefenbaker Int'l Airport 3:00 PM CST Wednesday 10 January 2007
Condition:
Snow
Temperature:
-18.7°C
Pressure / Tendency:
100.5 kPa / rising
Visibility:
0 km
Humidity:
91%
WindChill:
-35
Dew Point:
-19.8°C
Wind Speed:
ENE 61 km/h gust 78 km/h
http://www.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/city/pages/sk-40_metric_e.html
Observed at: Saskatoon Diefenbaker Int'l Airport 3:00 PM CST Wednesday 10 January 2007
Condition:
Snow
Temperature:
-18.7°C
Pressure / Tendency:
100.5 kPa / rising
Visibility:
0 km
Humidity:
91%
WindChill:
-35
Dew Point:
-19.8°C
Wind Speed:
ENE 61 km/h gust 78 km/h
http://www.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/city/pages/sk-40_metric_e.html
Blizzard!
Here are a couple pictures for your enjoyment. The top one was taken this morning at 9am out of my office window. The second one is an older picture I took after a previous snow storm. The difference is amazing.
Hmmm... Putfile.com seems to have changed the size of their thumbnails. Well you'll have to survive.
We are expecting the blizzard to last for today and tomorrow
I should have stayed home today.
Hmmm... Putfile.com seems to have changed the size of their thumbnails. Well you'll have to survive.
We are expecting the blizzard to last for today and tomorrow
I should have stayed home today.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Coleman 237 Empire
Here is a picture of my latest purchase. It is a 237 empire that I bought from a collector in Esterhazy. It looks spectacular.
Here it is alongside my 236. Don't they look good together?
I can't remember if I've posted these pictures. I got a new globe for my 200A that will prevent me being blinded while BBQing on the balcony. It is originally from a Winchester Trail Blazer propane lantern.
I've also got a Coleman stove coming from Regina. It is a 500 Speedmaster. If you look on Terrence Marsh's site it is about half way down. It is a nickle plated version. It doesn't look nearly that good but it will after some time. The only bad side is the generator is worth $30 USD. I only paid $24 for the stove. I'll put some pictures up when I get the stove.
Here it is alongside my 236. Don't they look good together?
I can't remember if I've posted these pictures. I got a new globe for my 200A that will prevent me being blinded while BBQing on the balcony. It is originally from a Winchester Trail Blazer propane lantern.
I've also got a Coleman stove coming from Regina. It is a 500 Speedmaster. If you look on Terrence Marsh's site it is about half way down. It is a nickle plated version. It doesn't look nearly that good but it will after some time. The only bad side is the generator is worth $30 USD. I only paid $24 for the stove. I'll put some pictures up when I get the stove.
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