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Archive for 2011

My list of essential iPad apps

September 16, 2011 @ 20:08 By: gordon Category: Gadgets

I’ve had an Apple iPad since Christmas and I love it. I was a little skeptical when they came out, but that quickly passed. Since getting it, I’ve found a collection of apps that I consider essential and I thought I’d write about them because many of my friends are starting to get them.

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A couple of storm photos

September 13, 2011 @ 17:56 By: gordon Category: General

I happened to notice this storm passing through to the south earlier this afternoon and shot a couple of photos of it… XFT radar - 20110913 1640

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Cyclists on sidewalks

September 06, 2011 @ 08:30 By: gordon Category: Cycling, Out and about

IMG00050-20110902-1206It seems like there are more and more cyclists riding on the sidewalks rather than in the streets where they belong.

Aside from being illegal, it can be dangerous for the people walking on the sidewalk (where they belong).

I was out at lunch with some people from work one day last week and we were approached from behind by three cyclists – two women and a man – while walking along Parkdale. When I pointed out to them that they weren’t supposed to be on the sidewalk they responded that there “wasn’t room” on the street. Me and my friends responded that there was room and that regardless they shouldn’t be on the sidewalk.

The guy on the bike decided to respect the law and rode off the sidewalk and off in to the distance on Parkdale. The two women, however, continued to ride on the sidewalk behind us, so we eventually stepped aside to they could go past us. The picture above is them riding off into the distance.

The fact of the matter is that if you’re riding a bike, you belong on the road, either in the bike lane if it exists, or at the side if it doesn’t. It is illegal for you to ride on the sidewalk. If your comfort level is such that you don’t feel comfortable riding on streets that have traffic then you shouldn’t be riding on those streets. You, like the women I encountered, should be taking side streets and bicycle paths where you won’t have to deal with traffic.

Feeling the pressure (again)

September 02, 2011 @ 11:32 By: gordon Category: Weather

For most of the day, yesterday, I had a headache that just wouldn’t go away. I took a look at the hourly weather observations and noted that the air pressure had been steadily dropping for several hours, as you can see from the graph.

My headache finally started to fade around 1730, after the pressure had stabilized.

Nathan Phillips Square is being covered in chalk

August 26, 2011 @ 10:42 By: gordon Category: Current affairs, Photography, Seen on the 'net

This photo is  of Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, which is being covered in chalk as people express their tributes to the late Jack Layton. It’s one of several photos in a Flickr stream by Jackman Chiu.

A tip o’ the hat to Trashy for sending me a link to it.

Cute comment spam

August 17, 2011 @ 12:00 By: gordon Category: General

I abhor spam, especially comment spam, but I have to admit this one made me smile:

Did you know that dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish?

Les Grands Feux Day 2: Italy

August 11, 2011 @ 23:46 By: gordon Category: Fireworks, Photography

Though the weather at the beginning of the evening on Wednesday was rather damp, it cleared up and ended up being just about perfect for an evening of amazing fireworks at Les Grands Feux du Casino du Lac-Leamy courtesy the team from Parente Fireworks representing Italy.

The music was moving and energetic. One of my favourite pieces was the finale from the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini. This section of the display included a lot of low-level fireworks, like the bright ones in the picture, which fired almost continuously and sounded like a herd of horses galloping along, which complemented the music perfectly.

The display ended with a staggering number of fireworks filling the sky with light. Very pretty, but virtually impossible to get a good picture of because there was so much light.

Saturday’s show is featuring the team from APOGEE Fireworks representing Canada, which I’m really looking forward to!

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