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A skeptic's take on the wireless debate

21 November 2010
Posted by Ian Chadwick in technology, Social values, Science, Collingwood life
I missed this post about the wireless debate when it was first written. Although a savvy reader brought it to my attention a couple of weeks ago, his email got lost in the cascade of email I get - 100 or more a day. When I was cleaning out my cache this morning I found it, and after reading it, thought I should share it because it relates to local...

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Tags: computers, wifi, Collingwood's Municipal Madness, Science, technology 3 Comments


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Why would anyone use "payday loan" services?

20 November 2010
Posted by Ian Chadwick in Collingwood life, Pointless legislation, Provincial folly, Social values
I received an advertisement in the mail box, last week, telling me the "Cash Store" would soon be opening in my area, and saying I was already "pre-approved" to borrow an amount of money as per the table on the back. Given that I never applied, that's a generous offer from a stranger. Or is it?

What struck me was the cost...

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Grrr! Excel 2007 can't save DBF format!

19 November 2010
Posted by Ian Chadwick in technology, Personal reminisence
Okay, so that's hardly news, since MS Office 2010 is already out, but I discovered this significant flaw in MS Office 2007 (what I have installed at home) today when I tried to save an Excel spreadsheet as a Database (DBF) format file. I used to do this at the store all the time, but this was the first time I needed to do it at home.

All...

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Tags: Microsoft, Excel, DBF 3 Comments


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A snowstorm on a comet

19 November 2010
Posted by Ian Chadwick in Science, technology
You think our winter is crazy here? Whiteouts, snow storms, blizzards... imagine a snowstorm in space - with snow falling up, instead of down! That's what's happening on Comet Hartley right now. Particles of ice and snow - frozen CO2 probably, and some as large as a basketball - are being shot from jets on the comet's surface. This...

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Tags: science, NASA, Comet Hartley 0 Comments


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Give your head a shake, America...

15 November 2010
Posted by Ian Chadwick
Headline from today's news: "Fla. dealership offers free AK-47 for truck buyers." Nope. Not a joke. It's a real promotion. A real, scary promotion.

Only in America would someone give away an automatic weapon with a vehicle purchase. You have to admit that's not just bizarre - it's insane in the clinical sense of the...

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A sappy Thoreau misquote becomes a viral meme online

14 November 2010
Posted by Ian Chadwick in Language use and abuse, Social values, technology
I came across a quote allegedly from Henry David Thoreau's work, Walden, today, and it bothered me that it rang false. The attributed quote was, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."

Humbug. What Thoreau actually wrote in Walden was, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet...

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Tags: meme, culture, Thoreau 0 Comments


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Damn! Another plant closes.

12 November 2010
Posted by Ian Chadwick in Collingwood life, Collingwood's municipal m..., Social values
Barber Glass has gone into receivership. Heard about this on the morning news. The brief story on the EB's website reports:

"On Wednesday, court-appointed receiver Grant Thornton LLP took control of Barber Glass. The company employs around 45 people at its Collingwood plant; it also has a facility in Guelph, where the company's head...

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Tags: Collingwood's Municipal Madness, industry, economy 4 Comments


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Pollution sources in Collingwood?

12 November 2010
Posted by Ian Chadwick in Collingwood's municipal m..., Collingwood life
Yes, everyone has them, but not necessarily severe or threatening. Still, it's interesting to see how others view our community in an environmental light.

A new website called emitter.ca shows air quality reports taken at numerous locations around Canada. You can search on any community, but the results are a bit spotty in places and depend...

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Tags: Collingwood, Collingwood's Municipal Madness, pollution, industry 0 Comments


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New baritone arrived yesterday

11 November 2010
Posted by Ian Chadwick in Music and ukuleles, Personal reminisence
New uke arrived yesterday - three business days from Nova Scotia, which is pretty good for Canada Post. Hadn't expected it until Friday, and the Canada Post site even said it wouldn't arrive until the 16th, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Only had a couple of hours with it, but I posted some preliminary comments on my ukulele review site....

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Tags: ukuleles, baritone uke, luthiery 1 Comments


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Hilarious political satire on YouTube

09 November 2010
Posted by Ian Chadwick in Politics outside Canada
Found two brilliant, political satire videos on YouTube today. And if you follow US politics, you really have to watch these two. You will be amused. First is a take-off on Gilbert and Sullivan's "Model of a Major General" for a defence of Obama's presidency that hits home quite...

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Tags: America, political satire, YouTube, US politics 3 Comments



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