Archive for the ‘product endorsements’ Category
my Jabra sport headphones
So far, so good.
They work. They stay while exercising.
… Jabra SPORT Bluetooth Stereo Headset. You can wirelessly stream music, take calls, listen to the radio, and more.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Amazon – $99 or less
Apple frustrations with .MTS video files
grrrr … 
Every once in a while I try to edit video in the .MTS format on my MacBook with the built-in free software iMovie.
Sometimes it works. Most times not.
Lessons learned:
• on a Mac you can watch .MTS video using free, open source VLC software
• if you MUST edit, an excellent way to convert MTS files for Mac is using free, open source Handbrake software
details – Handbrake can convert MTS files for Mac
• if you MUST edit (and have money) higher end software like Final Cut does import .MTS
… first try using a cable directly to the camera, rather than simply the SD card via a card reader. That sometimes works.
If you’re an Apple person, best not purchase any camera that saves video in the MTS format. Check.
Lastly, I’ve ended up with some SD cards with old video files that cannot be deleted. For those it’s best simply to reformat using Apple Disk Utilities ERASE. The best format in 2012 seems to be exFAT — readable by almost all modern Windoze and Mac devices.
External Hard Drives should be formatted in exFAT, as well.
Game Change – a review
Many recommended this book:
Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime (2010)
… In 2008, the presidential election became blockbuster entertainment. Everyone was watching as the race for the White House unfolded like something from the realm of fiction. The meteoric rise and historic triumph of Barack Obama. The shocking fall of the House of Clinton—and the improbable resurrection of Hillary as Obama’s partner and America’s face to the world. The mercurial performance of John McCain and the mesmerizing emergence of Sarah Palin. …
It’s the definitive account of what happened.
You learn that you’d NEVER want to run for President of the USA. It’s ugly. It’s dirty.
Of the lead characters, John Edwards (in prison, I hope) and his wife Elizabeth (1949-2010) come off worst. A horror show.
Bill Clinton won’t be going to Heaven. I wouldn’t share a beer with him.
Michelle Obama comes out of the slime pit cleanest.
Actually, my opinion went UP for John McCain and Hilary. I personally campaigned against McCain in 2008, thinking him spawn of the Devil. He’s not as bad as I thought. I particularly liked how he backed Sarah Palin even after it became obvious that she was an insanely bad choice for VP.
Hilary would have been a great President.
If this stuff bores you to tears, you might want to wait on Game Change – the movie:
… an upcoming (March 2012) Jay Roach film based on the book of the same name by journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. The film will primarily track the actions of the Republican Party during the 2008 Presidential Election.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Staring Sarah, I assume it’s a comedy. 
Antwerp Train Station
Antwerpen-Centraal (Antwerp Central) is the name of the main railway station in the Belgian city …
In 2009 the American magazine Newsweek judged Antwerpen-Centraal the world’s fourth greatest train station.
It’s gorgeous. Interesting photos on Flickr.
Click PLAY or watch a flash mob at the station on YouTube. One of the best ever.
I’d totally join in one of those.
Today the Channel Tunnel Eurostar to Newsweek’s #1 train station — St. Pancras, London. At 300km per hour (186 mph).
ferry Victoria, B.C. to USA
Clipper Ferry – Victoria to downtown Seattle
$75 + tax
Black Ball Coho Ferry – Victoria to Port Angeles
$15.50 + tax
… That’s a BIG differential for a walk-on passenger. Yeesh.
bamboo irrigation pipe
I saw this in the northern Philippines, irrigating the famous rice terraces.
Who needs rubber hose or plastic pipe?
Bamboo is used this way in many parts of the world. For example, the Muktapur region of India bordering Bangladesh:
… Attempts have been made to introduce modern pipe systems but farmers prefer to use their indigenous form of irrigation. The new systems have met with suspicion. Local farmers do not trust the new materials nor the people who supply them. …
people are awesome
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Mexican Train dominoes
The favourite game of my family.
Mexican Train, also known as simply Trains, is a game played with dominoes. The object of the game is for a player to play all the dominoes from his or her hand onto one or more chains, or “trains”, emanating from a central hub or “station”. …
… Because of its simplicity and interaction, it can be played by nearly anyone, anywhere. Depending on the type of game you play, it can last from a single, 20-minute game to a 12 round game lasting hours. …
It’s the #1 Domino Game on the market today.
World Parrot Refuge, Coombs, B.C.
Boxing Day the McCharles clan headed for one of the highlights of Vancouver Island, the World Parrot Refuge.
The Refuge has over 800 parrots, a dedicated team of staff and volunteer carers, and 23,000 square feet of heated indoor free-flight aviaries with plans for 16,000 square feet of easily accessed outdoor flights for the warmer months. ..
It was a blast. Only $12 / person entrance fee.
Virtual Adoption is one way to sponsor a parrot. Another is to buy a parrot painting (VIDEO) … that’s a painting painted by a parrot, by the way.
I got a MAGIC MUG for Christmas
The only thing better than coffee, is coffee in a MAGIC MUG.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Thermochromic paints are (supposedly) how it’s done. I prefer to believe it’s MAGIC.
