get into my pants – MEC Breeze

On January 14, 2007 By Rick McIn product endorsementsLeave a comment

I’ve favoured unlined nylon pants for years.

There are many available these days, but I’ve found none better than those sold by the truckload at Mountain Equipment Co-op in Canada. (C$33)

I could live without the Velcro closure at the cuff, but otherwise they are perfect. Throw them in a day pack and they emerge without a wrinkle.

The polyester used in the Breeze Pants is now made from recycled materials. Let your conscience run free!

These affordable and lightweight wind pants are well-suited for trail running. The calf-length zipper makes it easy to pull these pants on and off over shoes. The polyester fabric has a soft drape and is less noisy than other fabrics – no more ‘swishing’ when you run. The fit is slim and articulated, with enough room for a pair of tights or long underwear underneath.

Breeze Pants – MEC

want to get even with a “bad” professor?

On January 10, 2007 By Rick McIn internet, product complaints, product endorsementsLeave a comment

This is what I like about the internet.

Who is less accountable to anyone than a tenured University Professor?

There is no escaping the scrutiny of the Rate My Professors website. Check the page dedicated to my mentor Keith Russell at University of Saskatchewan.

Or visit Keith on his far less exciting official web page on the U of S site.

recycling Apple products – works !

On January 10, 2007 By Rick McIn Apple, product complaints, product endorsementsLeave a comment

UPDATE:

Further to my hassles getting Apple to recycle their products as promised …

Once I got the attention of Big Apple and their recycling partner Metech with a critical blog post on Dec. 15th, 2006 — I have been treated very well by both. Personal attention.

Environmentalists have been critical of Apple. I’m not at all sure those complaints are valid.

Is Apple worse than Dell? Than Nokia?

I do not trust any of them. My assumption is that all the “green initiatives” are for PR. Perhaps even meaningless public relations theatre. I hope I’m wrong.

I finally shipped 60lbs of old Apple product (free rather than the standard US$30, courtesy of Apple) to Metech in Massachusetts. (By UPS at a cost in carbon emissions, I know.) Metech promises to properly recycle the precious metals and other toxins. I assume they will — otherwise some other blogger with time on his hands will be posting it.

I had far more than 60lbs. The rest I dropped off at my local computer store. They threw them in a recycling dumpster out back, part of the local electronics recycling program that is far more convenient for me, free, but probably not as thorough.

It took time and perhaps 20 emails to organize the “official” recycling, but Apple and Metech did come through. Thanks to both!

Fact is I have always got excellent service from Apple in the dozen or so times I have needed it.

Calgary airport #3 in the world

On January 9, 2007 By Rick McIn product endorsements, travelLeave a comment

Calgary does have a good airport. But service has declined over the years. There is no way it is better than Changi, Singapore (#4).

When Calgary first opened, luggage would be on the carousel by the time you got there. Those days are long gone.

Many travelers find themselves passing through Canada’s Calgary International Airport on their way to Banff and the Canadian Rockies in ski season, but there’s fun to be had no matter what time of year you find yourself in this airport.

Sign up for a “white hat welcome ceremony” and be greeted at your gate by a group of white-cowboy-hat-wearing volunteers, who’ll present you with your very own hat and Calgary-style welcome.

Proceed to baggage claim, where conveyer belts are anchored by rotating exhibits ranging from life-sized local animals to dinosaurs (all stuffed, of course). If you’ve got some time to kill, the airport also touts over 110 shops and restaurants with a “street-pricing” philosophy, guaranteeing prices won’t be padded.

Top 10 airports in the world – MSNBC

book – Shackleton’s Ross Sea Party

On January 8, 2007 By Rick McIn books, product endorsementsLeave a comment

On a long drive to Saskatchewan I was rapt with a book on CD: The Lost Men: The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton’s Ross Sea Party.

I knew well the story of Shackleton’s miraculous escape with no lives lost. I thought.

What I didn’t know is what happened to his second ship. The 10 men he sent to the other side of Antarctica to lay out his stock pile provisions for after he crossed the continent.

Shackleton never even reached Antarctica in 1915. His Ross Sea party crew had a horrible experience. Three died. In vain.

$The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton\'s Ross Sea Party$

what does Google have against photos? – Picasa

On January 7, 2007 By Rick McIn Google, photos, product complaints, product endorsementsLeave a comment

UPDATE: Warren showed me how he uses Picasa for Windows. The desktop app (which is NOT available for Mac) works very well. The only downside is that it takes up a lot of hard disk space.

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originally posted Dec. 23, 2006

I thought they wanted to organize all the world’s information.

Google has a great product in Google Videos. And also bought YouTube. They are by far the biggest player in internet video.

Google is clearly committed to video.

But why is their photography software so lame? Yahoo is killing them with both Flickr and Yahoo photos.

Google’s photo software is called Picasa:

Find, organise and share your photos.

… a free software download from Google that helps you:

* Locate and organise all the photos on your computer.
* Edit and add effects to your photos with a few simple clicks.
* Share your photos with others through email, prints and on the web: it’s fast, easy and free.

Windows XP only
System Requirements
Microsoft Windows 2000/XP

Picasa

Is it XP only? Google has been very confused on this product.

Fact is, Mac users can also store photos on Google though you would not know it from the Picasa home page.

I tried it. And was disappointed.

Flickr had just announced unlimited uploads and storage for photos for US$25 / year.

Picasa gives you only 6Gb for $25 / year.

Warren Long uses both Picasa and Flickr for different things. But between the two, Flickr is far superior.

Free video tutorials on Picasa.

wireless remote control for laptop display

On January 6, 2007 By Rick McIn Apple, product endorsementsLeave a comment

I am looking for a way to display photos, videos, Powerpoint, etc. from my old Apple PowerBook on a TV. (My new Apple MacBook comes with a remote that seems to work well.)

UPDATE: Rockin’ tells me this device works with Powerpoint.

Remote Control for Itunes

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Keith is happy with the SmartDisk product which works plug-and-play with his PowerBook.

SmartDisk PowerPlay Pro Wireless Remote for Microsoft PowerPoint with 32 MB Flash Drive

A competitor product is sold by Logitech:

Logitech 2.4 GHz Cordless Presenter

“Top 10 Lift Ticket Deals” – Banff

On January 5, 2007 By Rick McIn health & fitness, product endorsementsLeave a comment

Banff & Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada – The Ski Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine Tri-area Lift Ticket includes unlimited use of all lifts at Ski Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise; one free Friday Night Skiing at Ski Norquay (January through April 2007); direct to lift access at some areas; and free shuttles from area hotels. Prices start at $198 for three out of four days (Canadian dollars, plus tax).

Get Outdoors – New Top 10 Lift Ticket Deals – Getoutdoors.com Outdoor Blog

Stephen Colbert – 2006 Media Person of the Year

On December 31, 2006 By Rick McIn government, humour, miscellaneous, product endorsementsLeave a comment

I’m agree.

Colbert hits the nail on the head night after night with rarely a misstep.

He has far surpassed mentor Jon Stewart.

Stephen Colbert, the host of “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central, is the 2006 Media Person of the Year, according to the annual online poll held by I Want Media.

… The winner last year was CNN newsman Anderson Cooper, who followed Jon Stewart, Colbert’s partner in “fake news,” in 2004.

The popularity of Colbert’s spot-on, satirical cable-news pundit character already led him to be honored as of one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2006.

The Comedy Central star sent shock waves through the news media early in the year when he keynoted the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and skewered President Bush to his face: “I believe in this president. Guys like us … know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in ‘reality.’ And reality has a well-known liberal bias.”

Colbert’s routine “unplugged the Bush myth machine — and left the clueless D.C. press corps gaping,” wrote Michael Scherer of Salon.com.

A clip of Colbert’s speech instantly became a viral video hit on the Web. New York Times columnist Frank Rich later described Colbert’s performance as the “defining moment” of the 2006 midterm elections.

Stephen Colbert – 2006 Media Person of the Year

Representative Press thought Colbert should have been Time magazine Person of the Year, as well. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.