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Mississauga Streetsville NDP Candidate … tough luck

Sep 29, 2008 No Comments

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by Dan Ho

“Look, there are times when candidates can’t appear for whatever reason,” said Dheer. “We made every attempt to accommodate them, but they wanted all the debate times to be changed.”

The president of the NDP in Mississauga-Streetsville, Chris Erskine, said in a release that the 27-year-old Pinto works two jobs to support his studies and wasn’t able to make it for the scheduled time.

“We didn’t feel that it was fair and we were looking for more flexibility,” said Erskine. “Not all candidates are wealthy enough to take time off work. I wish that was the case but financially, Keith is unable to do that.”

Candidate not shut out, says RogersTV official – The Mississauga News – Mississauga.com.

I think this is pretty silly that Pinto wants to campaign, but can’t take the time off to do just that. I think the NDP made a bad choice for him as a candidate, because of his availability … or lack thereof.

In this race to win an election, there is no way other candidates are going to work around his schedule.

Besides is his workplace not confident enough to support him that they would let him take time off work to go to the debate? Or at least get his co-worker to switch shifts if money is an issue?

If he can’t convince a co-worker or boss, people who know him well, to support him in the campaign, then he’s pretty much doomed because what are the chances that people who don’t know him will vote for him?

 

Rodeo rides into Mississauga

Sep 28, 2008 No Comments

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by Dan Ho

The Hershey Centre traded it’s ice surface for sand today as the Dodge Rodeo rode into town!

Dodge Rodeo at Hershey Centre
Dodge Rodeo at Hershey Centre

The girls were pretty good with roping! Unfortunately, they were only competing in speed type events and a bit of roping. The 10 or 11 year old girls who were riding the little bulls seem pretty tough though.

Dodge Rodeo at Hershey Centre
Dodge Rodeo at Hershey Centre

The guys on the other hand, were riding wild horses.

Dodge Rodeo at Hershey Centre

Getting thrown off them …

Dodge Rodeo at Hershey Centre

Handling crazy bulls … I think some guy broke his leg after a bull he was riding stepped on his leg after he jumped off.

Dodge Rodeo at Hershey Centre

Steer wrestling looks pretty intense.

Dodge Rodeo at Hershey Centre

And here too …

Dodge Rodeo at Hershey Centre

And I love the expression on the face of this little guy!

Dodge Rodeo at Hershey Centre

This guy is running for his life after falling off the bull. lol.

It was pretty interesting as it was my first time I have ever been to the rodeo. I did not even know they offered rodeo scholarships!

 

Google’s Challenge: Get Buyers to Really Use Android

Sep 27, 2008 No Comments

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by Dan Ho

“Hardware on mobile phones has been outpacing the software capabilities,” Miner declared, noting that 80% of mobile phones being sold today have cameras on them, yet the number of people who actually know how to use them or get the images off the phone is between 10 and 50%, depending on the model. “The capabilities on these devices are not being leveraged by people,” Miner added. He blamed small screens, bad UIs, and closed systems for the current state of affairs.

PC World – Google’s Challenge: Get Buyers to Really Use Android.

Oh yeah, let’s not forget high phone plan rates! I’d take a picture with a three megapixel camera and send it straight to the website … if it did not cost me so much. If it did and I can’t afford that capability, I’ll simply use a regular camera which gives me more creative control.

 

ERG Log

Sep 25, 2008 No Comments

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by Dan Ho

I will update my ERG times on this, as well as post periodical stories and more details on each attempt. Well, a lot can happen over 5000m. When I no longer have anything else to say but “it was a smooth 5000m” that means I achieved my goal of 20:00 on the 5000m!

9/29/2008 – 24:21 (recap)

9/25/2008 – 24:06

9/22/2008 – 23:39

9/15/2008 – 24:28

 

ERG Try 3

Sep 25, 2008 No Comments

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by Dan Ho

Today was not a good day for me on the ERG. To start it off, I was feeling really tired and had already put off going to the gym this morning.

By nightfall, I realized that I would be lazy if I did not do something at the gym. I decided to go for round three of the ERG 5000m challange. Even though I was planning to go only once a week and I was already there on Monday.

To tell you the truth, when I looked at that machine today, I thought of it as a torture chamber. I had to block out the thoughts of pain that occur through that last 1000m. What I looked forward to was to get “used to it” over time and thus the pain is no longer felt. Yet, it is a necessary pain … I take it for the team.

I started off the first 1000m on pace actually to crack 21 minutes. It was a breeze and I was enjoying myself. By 2500m however, I ended up with a stomach cramp. At 3000m, I was basically powerless as I could barely feel a resistance from each stroke. I looked at the meter and was on pace for a pathetic 26 min finish.

Despite the stomach cramp and numbness, I pushed through at 4400m and tried for a 600m finish. I got all of about 150m through to about 4550m when my body shut down again.

By the last 1000m actually, the stomach cramp was bad enough that I could not take a deep breath. In fact, I paused a few strokes just to stretch my stomach to get a bit of air in.

Still, I never say quit. Even though when my body was shutting down a few times through 5000m, and through a few of the paused strokes to stretch out my cramped abs, I had to use every ounce of will power to stay on the rower. I essentially tried to ward off all the pain and negative thoughts by focusing on technique and timing my strokes.

With 200m left, I again tried for a finish. I could normally do about 10 metres per stroke but today, it was more like … three. I counted off 30 strokes which took me down to about 50 metres then just shut off my mind, closed my eyes and put every ounce of energy towards that last 50m.

Time to finish: 24:06.

That’s about 28 seconds more than my last time, but still about 22 seconds better than my first time. Again, not bad for feeling weak even before sitting on that ERG.

My goal is still 20 minutes for the 5000m. It looks like it is not going to be as easy to attain as I thought, but at least the goal is there … if I don’t kill myself trying to reach it!

 

Could Cellphone companies bid for your business?

Sep 25, 2008 No Comments

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by Dan Ho

Devices using the system would send networks a description of their requirements – for example, a phone call or access to the internet – and receive back bids with a per-minute cost, or flat rate, at which those needs could be met.

Instant auctions could replace cellphone contracts – tech – 25 September 2008 – New Scientist Tech.

Hey, this would totally put the control of communication pricing into the hands of the consumer! It’s ridiculous how telco companies gouge the consumer. In fact, there was this issue lately of text messaging prices rising by 100% even though the cost of transmitting text messages has not increased.

Prices for phone text messages have risen 100 percent in the last three years, and Congress wants to know why.

Congress Questions 100 Percent Rise in Texting Prices – Yahoo! News.

I think having cellphone companies bid for our business would be great! I think it is about time that communication costs drop, especially in Canada where our communication costs are higher than even some third world countries!

 

T-Mobile G1 (Google Android Phone)

Sep 25, 2008 No Comments

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by Dan Ho

The G1’s contacts, calendar and e-mail apps all sync with Google’s online services, T-Mobile reps said. The calendar is sleek and simple. The contact book includes presence information on Google Talk, and lets you dial, e-mail or IM with a tap.

[...]

Android’s browser, which T-Mobile reps described as “Chrome Lite,” looks great. It had the best JavaScript performance of any mobile browser we’ve seen yet, popping down even complex JavaScript calendars that the iPhone struggles with.

[...]

There are separate Gmail and e-mail icons, though the e-mail program can also handle Gmail. It pushes Gmail and pulls IMAP accounts. The IM program handles AIM, Google Talk, Windows Live and Yahoo!. Once again, it prefers Google services – Google Talk online status is integrated into the contact book, but none of the other IM statuses are.

T-Mobile G1 (Google Android Phone) – The G1 As a Smartphone – Reviews by PC Magazine.

After reading this review, I think the Android Phone is not the super iPhone killer that I was hoping it would be. It’s not that I want something to kill an iPhone, I’m actually quite liking everything that’s a Mac, but it was just that I expected a lot more from Google.

That being said, from a marketing point of view, I think they needed to release this handset asap to compete. Blackberry has the corporate market, with the iPhone being a sensation in the consumer market. If they did not release the handset now, they risked the iPhone saturating the market by Christmas time. Even that is not including all the other competitiors that will come into the market.

Since neither started out all that spectacular, I guess we will have to see if Apple or Google improves at a better rate. Perhaps that means I can hold off getting either the iPhone or the Andriod phone until Rogers’ ridiculous rates drop even more.

On the side, why do we need a separate data/phone plan? Mobile phones, if anything, are the best VOIP candidates! People buy mobile phones so often that new technology can be introduced in a couple of years, as opposed to having to dig up all the old infrastructure for land base VOIP.

 

Google: Project 10 to the 100th

Sep 25, 2008 2 Comments

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by Dan Ho

A Couple of things that should be brought to your attention.

To mark our 10th birthday and celebrate the spirit of our users and the web, we’re launching Project 10^100 (that’s “ten to the hundredth”) a call for ideas that could help as many people as possible, and a program to bring the best of those ideas to life. CNN will be covering this project, including profiles of ideas and the people who submit them from around the world. For a deeper look, follow along at Impact Your World.

Official Google Blog: Project 10^100.

and

We’re committing $10 million to implement these projects, and our goal is to help as many people as possible. So remember, money may provide a jumpstart, but the idea is the thing.

Project 10 to the 100th.

I’m all for promoting Google Project 10^100. If you have some idea that you think will save the world, don’t forget to participate in this! You never know, even the most simple idea could save the world!

Imagine the first time when someone managed to kick a stone or a log around, then realized, it could’ve turned into a wheel!

Personally, I’m all for commiting this to some kinda alternate power/fuel source! Low cost, easily implemented and abundant.

Good luck! Our futures could depend on it!

 

COGNITO ERGo SUM!

Sep 22, 2008 No Comments

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by Dan Ho

I think therefore I am. And it couldn’t be more true today as I was way too tired to head to the weights, but forced some kinda workout upon myself.

My endurance is lacking far behind my strength and power production when it comes to sports, but I have decided to use the ERG Rowing machine to rectify that weakness.

Last week, I did a paltry 24:28, my first time ever doing 5000m on the ERG machine. I had never done anything more than 1000m and really, about 1500m into it, I was ready to call it quits. I finished purely through mental endurance. Cognito ERGo sum. I thought my way to the finish and my body followed.

Today, I was actually at a comfortable pace through over 3000m. Unfortunately, while I was acutally on pace for a low 23 minute mark, I couldn’t sustain it through the last 500m. My finish wasn’t the best and ended up with a 23:39.

No worries, my second time ever on a 5000m and I beat my previous time by 49 seconds. Not bad considering I was too tired to head to the gym really so this can’t be counted anywhere close to being a “good day”.

I’ll continue to blog my 5000m erg experience here. The goal is to reach 20:00 by the next dragonboat season. Better if possible.

 

Building a Ship: How long does it take?

Sep 22, 2008 No Comments

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by Dan Ho

After a construction period that lasted twice as long as planned, and cost twice as much as originally budgeted, the San Antonio was belatedly placed in commission on 14 January 2006.

But the ship was not ready for service and, after two and a half years of being “fixed,” the San Antonio was to deploy with an amphibious group.

Defense Tech: Ships that Won’t Sail.

I found this entry rather interesting. The fact that a “simple cargo ship” encountered cost overruns and twice the amount of time alloted.

I have recently been watching the Top Ten Fighting Ships on my iPod as podcasts. The more amazing ships were from World War II.

It is noteworthy that this simple cargo ship took so long to build, when new Naval technologies were being developed and then implemented throughout the six years of World War II.

In contrast, the Iowa-class Battleship, served from World War II all the way to the Gulf War. That’s over 50 years of service. It was conceived in 1939 – 1940 and built by early to mid 1940 for World War II.

The Iowa-class battleships were a class of six fast battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940 to escort the Fast Carrier Task Forces that would operate in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Four were completed in the early to mid-1940s; two more were laid down, canceled prior to completion, and ultimately scrapped. They comprised the final class of U.S. battleships to be built.[7]

Iowa class battleship – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Are people getting lazy, greedy and losing the focus for quality, precision and reliability?

 
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