fried farts & vinegar

1 Year Ago Today

2011-03-17T14:22:00.000-03:00

Well yes, it was my birthday...but if anyone remembers it was also the day that I posted on this blog that I would like to start a band.

Well here we are 1 year later and that band has been formed. Bad Habits have played a ton of shows, hosted a very successful fundraiser for Toys for Tots, took part in the CBC Turkey Drive, recorded a demo disk, had a single of that disk receive radio play, and we just broke the top 50 for blues bands in Canada on ReverbNation. We've made some wonderful friends in the blues community, met some fantastic people at our shows, and had more fun than should be legal! Those are a few of the highlights. Pretty crazy year!

I couldn't be more proud of the friends I call "my band". They totally rock in every sense of the word. I am honored to be surrounded by such talent. Now what do I want for this birthday wish? I'll have to think about that, I didn't realize that blogs made wishes come true.

Thanks so much to everyone who really did make last year's wish come true! Special thanks to my wonderful wife Carla who put up with this crazy schedule and life altering experience we call Bad Habits. You truly are the best!

No Time...

2010-07-19T15:25:00.000-03:00

Wow, feels like forever since I posted anything here. I have been crazy busy with the band and just haven't had much to say here that wouldn't be band related...

Which is a nice segue to let you know that Bad Habits will be playing at the Al!bi Lounge in Charlottetown on August 5th. We'll be doing 3 full sets of blues, so come check us out if you can. It would be fantastic to fill the place!

We'll also be opening for Ottawa band, The Autumn at Baba's Lounge on August 19th. We'd love a good turn out!

Hopefully I will get back to posting some stuff here again soon, I am sure everyone is missing my cantankerous comments on Charlottetown life ;-)

EWTA

2010-05-18T13:05:00.007-03:00

Enough with the Acronyms!

I am so sick of Acronyms. I hear/see them all the time now. It's hard to read an article or have a conversation without acronyms taking up 1/4 of the words. For example here is a line from an article I just finished reading "a PNR is created in the database of a CRS in the USA". Does anyone know what that means? I am sure most of you got USA. Even in the context of the article there was some confusion as to what the acronyms actually stood for. Thankfully by the end of it they had actually used the full words and you were able to put it all together.

I am trying to understand why people feel the need to use them? Does it make you feel more important to talk in code? Do you actually think acronyms save time somehow? Generally speaking they don't. For example here are few acronyms that annoy me and I'll explain why.

FYI - can be shortened to For Your Info and only uses one more syllable. Is that 1/1000 of a second that it takes to "fo" really going to save you any real time? I guess if you say FYI enough times it could add up a full second of your day.

TTFN - Ta Ta For Now! Same amount of syllables, just say the words damn it. Or even better just say bye and actually save some time on this one for real.

LOL - Easily the most overused acronym in existence. I blame MSN...oh there is another one! Is everyone really laughing this much? I don't think so.

LMAO - ok not as popular as LOL, but just as annoying, in most cases the person using this one isn't even laughing at all...they may be smiling and we have a nice little symbol for that :-)

ROFL - I don't think I have ever seen anyone actually rolling on the floor laughing...passed out on the floor drunk POOFD would be one I could believe in.

ASAP - if you actually use this as a word ASAP when talking to people you will sound like a dork and they will secretly LOL behind your back. Don't do it.

OAC - I think most of the people going for the no money down, no interest plan don't even think about what that means. Do we really need OAC after every advertised deal. I think people understand that if they have no credit they don't get the deal.

Last but not least, any of those many acronyms that get stuck after your name after you finally finish University. No one cares...honestly...I know it took you 14 years to finally decide what letters you would get and you partied and worked hard to get them, but they only matter to you, your mom and dad and maybe the gold digger that you met at the club last night.

To top it off, many of the acronyms are now getting recycled so we can't even be sure what they mean anymore. Take for example the common PEI acronym CFA. Here on the Island, if you were born here it means Come From Away, a term for people not born on PEI. However if you don't know the local lingo it could mean: Candian Field Artillery, Cascade-Failure Analysis, Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canadian Forestry Association, Centre for the Arts....and about 23 other things in Canada alone.

Technically most of the examples I gave are actually examples of initialism but we have come to refer to them as acronyms so that is what I will call them. Regardless of what we call them Acronyms are so overused at this point they no longer serve the purpose they were intended for, they certainly have no place in the spoken language. I will admit there are times in writing where they may be acceptable and may even be time savers, but are they worth it?

TTYL! (annoying isn't it?)

I Got A Few Bad Habits

2010-04-13T11:15:00.001-03:00

Things are really coming together. First rehearsal was a smashing success as far as I am concerned. I couldn't be more pleased with this group. They brought a lot of talent to the room and I can't wait for the next rehearsal!

We made it through 5 songs last night. Four of those five are shaping up pretty well and one in particular is pretty polished already. Liam is rock solid on the drums and Joe is right there with him holding down the bottom end. Mimi really has the perfect blues voice and Jay was pulling off Albert King guitar licks at all the right spots. This band thing may not have been such a crazy idea after all...

Oh and we have a name. We are Bad Habits.

I have a sample of Son of a Preacher Man from our first run through, but I will get everyone's permission before I post it.

Making the Band

2010-04-09T11:39:00.002-03:00

Well it's been less than a month since my post about starting a band and a lot has happened since then.
Our first rehearsal is Monday night!

The line up as of now is:

Mimi O'Bryan - Vocals
Jason Condon - Guitar
Dale McKie - Guitar
Joe Pigeon - Bass
Liam Kearney - Drums

We're going to try our hand at rockin' some blues tunes. Jay and I got together last night and did a reworking of Dusty Springfield's Son a Preacher Man. Not to be immodest but I think this one really grooves! Can't wait to get the whole band on this one!

This is gonna be fun! I also think if anyone is interested I would like to try to document our progress...maybe I'll post some pics/video/mp3's or whatever. We'll get this first rehearsal out of the way and see how things go.

Next step...finalizing a band name!

Are you crazy?

2010-03-17T13:02:00.002-03:00

Since about the middle of last month I have had a crazy idea stuck in my head. I have tried to let it go, tried to not think about it, tried to ignore it, but it's still there. Today I turned 37 and decided it was time to confront this crazy idea head-on.

I am obviously old enough to know better. Life experience, and friends and family would all tell me I probably shouldn't do this. I have had my share of self doubt...perhaps I am too old, perhaps I don't have the ability, perhaps it will just never get off the ground...but none of that is going to stop me from trying!

I want to start a band.

I am looking for other musicians who, like me, just want to have some fun, maybe play a few gigs on the weekends here and there. Anyway if you are interested in putting something together with this aging, mediocre guitarist, that has a firm love of classic rock and blues, let me know.

Bowling For Bros.

2010-03-09T17:12:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I took part in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake event. I have been involved for several years now and it is always a great time and a wonderful fundraiser for the organization. I look forward to this event and this year it got me thinking about the time I spent as a big brother. It's been years now, but I often think about my little brother and wonder how he is doing.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am really very terrible at staying in touch with people. It doesn't mean I don't want to or I don't care about them or how they are doing; I am just bad at picking up the phone and calling/emailing/texting/facebooking etc. This was the case with my little brother. After I left Big Brothers Big Sisters, I did a terrible job of staying in touch. I feel bad about that. Aaron was a great kid and we had a lot of fun together. I should have been a better big brother to him, I hope he enjoyed the time we did spend together. I know I did.

In an effort to be better at staying in touch, I tracked him down on Facebook today and put in a friend request. Hopefully that will reconnect us as I would love to know how he is doing and what he is up to now.

If anyone reading this has a little free time and thinks they might be interested in becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister I recommend it.

I also want to put out a big THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored me this year!
In another effort to be better at staying in touch I'll call on you all again next year ;-)

Google It Up!

2010-02-09T12:04:00.000-04:00

Google is putting PEI on the map! Literally.

The super cool Google StreetViews of PEI are now live. They drove around last summer in the crazy Google car and took full 360° photos of most of Prince Edward Island. I saw them as they drove through Charlottetown and lo and behold they even captured my motorcycle parked outside work!

This is very cool technology, and I have used it on my iPhone in several times while travelling. It is wonderful to finally see PEI getting added. It's also a little creepy. If you head up University Ave. just in front of Robin's Donuts you can see the MeterMaid (I know he's a guy but I like to call him the MeterMaid) writing up a ticket for some poor unfortunate soul who is trying to shop in downtown. I wonder what else got captured on cam as they drove around? Let me know if you find anything crazy/funny/interesting.

Olympic Fever Vaccine

2010-02-08T14:58:00.001-04:00

There must have been a flu shot clinic some time in the past where they were offering vaccination against Olympic Fever and I somehow signed up for it. Either that or perhaps I am just a bad Canadian. At least that's how it feels.

It's becoming difficult to find a product or service that isn't somehow pimping itself with an Olympic tie-in. Add to that the unending stream of Olympic advertisements and the fact that my co-worker told me she has turned her house into an Olympic village, and I am starting to feel like perhaps I am missing something. I don't have one ounce of interest in the Olympics. Don't get me wrong, I respect the hard work and determination that these athletes dedicate to their chosen sports and I certainly feel a tinge of pride when I hear that Canada wins a gold medal, but overall I just see the Olympics as "that 2 weeks where it becomes difficult to find anything to watch on TV other than sports."

Let me know if you share in my disinterest, or perhaps let me know why this is a fever I might want to catch. Please use the comments below.

Design Tips for Non Designers

2010-02-02T14:10:00.000-04:00

I have been busy at work all morning, and it's been a good design day so far. I like a morning that starts with a quick illustration and some photoshop work. I'm in a good creative frame of mind, and I thought that while I sit here waiting for an appointment, I might share a few tips with the non-designers out there who have decided to tackle their own design projects.

Too often we see these "would-be-designers" fall into the same traps, and we sit and laugh about how they should have hired a professional. While this may be true...many won't, or can't afford to. So as a public service I offer up the:

Top Ten Tips to Avoid Being Mocked by a Designer:

1. The Island is not a beautiful shape.
Never include this shape as part of your logo. No one cares about the shape of the province, it will not entice people to buy your product or service. No one says "Oh my look dear, that business has a logo that looks like a giant chicken finger we need to do business with them!".

2. Comic Sans is fine for comics...
...well you know what, no it's not even good for that. Don't use this font. EVER. It looks like it was hand drawn by a child. Do you want potential customers to think a child handles your marketing? I guess the one exception to the rule here is, if you are a Clown College, this could be your corporate font.

3. Clipart is evil.
Sure you got 1,000,000 pieces of clipart for $4.99 at Walmart in the bargain bin, but trust me you got less than you paid for. Clipart is useful for charity fund-raising coupon booklets and that is all. I understand that sometimes you feel you need an illustration and you aren't able to draw. If you can't afford to have a professional do the drawing, give some serious thought to how badly you need it. Some of the greatest designs of all time have been text only.

4. Script fonts are supposed to simulate handwriting.
With that in mind, please note to never use a script font in all capital letters. Would you write in all capital letters? You might print in all caps, but "writing" in caps looks ridiculous and it is difficult to read. Don't do this.

5. All menus should be easy to read.
You want customers to order something don't you? Why not make it easier for them by making a menu that is easy to read. Make your type large enough, don't use a dark background unless you are going to use a white type face, and don't put pictures behind the text unless it leaves the text clearly visible.

6. Your logo does not have to be a literal representation of your name.
For instance if your company is Western Septic Services, you don't need to have a picture of a cowboy sitting on a toilet in your logo. Although, that would be funny and might actually work...bad example, but I think my point is made.

7. Stock photographers are better than you!
Local professional photographers may be better still, at least to provide photos that will work for your project. If you are going to use photos, don't use your own unless you are a trained professional. The saying "a picture is worth a 1000 words" is very true. Therefore a bad image equals 1000 bad words! Do you want to spout 1000 bad words at a potential customer all at once?

8. Your favourite colour may not be mine.
Just because you like Shady Lane Green, does not mean it is a good colour to represent your steak house. Colour theory is complicated and is a very important element in your design. If you aren't sure what colour works for your business, use black. Black is always safe. There is nothing wrong with a nice black and white design. The design should stand on it's own and the colour should be like icing on the cake.

9. PMS, it's not what you think....
If you are going to ignore my last tip and use colour, make sure you select colours that are from the Pantone Colour Matching System. This way you can be sure that your colour will always be your colour no matter where you get your design printed. If you use the PMS colour model for your design, your company colours should be consistent. You can find the pantone colour swatches online very easily.

10. Be consistent.
If you get through the first nine rules, this one will be the most important. Once you have your design, and font, and colour all ready to go. Use it. Every time you create something to market your business try to have it look somewhat similar to the last thing you did. It's called building brand recognition. If you use a different type face and different logo every time you send something out, how will anyone ever recognize you. Imagine your logo as the face of your business. People will get familiar with that face and will recognize it very quickly, if they see it often.

There are many more tips I could offer, but hey this isn't design school! I like having a job so I can't give away all my secrets. Actually now that I think about it, the best tip I could give would be:

HIRE A DESIGNER! We like to eat.

Would you believe...

2010-01-22T16:35:00.001-04:00

During this morning's news updates on K-Rock there was a segment on a recent study that had been conducted. Researchers have determined that sitting for long periods of time, such as 8 hours per day, may be bad for your health and could be a factor that would lead to obesity.

I hope we, the taxpayer didn't pay a lot for this research. I have a feeling we did.

As a public service to taxpayers everywhere I am offering up the following research results free of charge. No studies will ever need to be conducted on the following.

1. Breathing will prolong your life.
2. Eating has been shown as a possible cause of excrement.
3. Water prevents dehydration.
4. Sleeping is an effective treatment for tiredness.
5. Not spending money on stupid research projects will save tax payer dollars.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled 8 hours of sitting.

The Kindness of Islanders

2009-12-22T15:04:00.001-04:00

Much to my amazement in less than 24 hours from my time of posting about my Eastlink experience I received this very helpful email from Derek MacEwen:

"Hi. I passed your "Huh?" blog post re Eastlink's HD service on to Marty Stewart, who is Eastlink's PEI Operations Manager (and my son's hockey team manager). He says that if you are the Dale McKie who lives at (my address), you should be able to get full HD service. He asked me to pass along his cell number: xxx-xxxx. His email is xxxxxx@eastlink.ca. He'll fix things up (he sure did for me when my Internet connection died last Thursday and the call centre told me they couldn't get there until Monday morning!)."

I spoke with Marty and he has suggested that within 24 hours I will be enjoying HD in my home again!

This is one of those times where I am marvelled by the benefits of living in a small province like PEI. Everyone here knows someone who knows someone who can help to solve your problem.

I would like to thank Derek and Marty both for taking the time to read about my problem and going above and beyond to help resolve it.

Please take note Eastlink, this is what customer service is all about. Perhaps you could give Derek a free month or two of internet for saving one of your customers? While you're at it, how about a nice Christmas bonus for Marty?

Huh?

2009-12-21T16:49:00.001-04:00

I just don't understand some companies!

Last night we noticed a message on our Eastlink HD PVR. It was informing us that 2 HD channels are available right now for a free preview. We checked them out and they worked and looked great.

Sounds good right? Two HD channels for free for a month, hard to complain. But wait....

Since we moved to York in May we have been reassured that HD should be available in our area. However, after several failed attempts to sign up for the service (each attempt requiring a long conversation that usually involved tech support and supervisors being contacted, as the nice sales person couldn't understand why it wasn't available), we had resigned ourselves to the fact that HD wasn't available in our area and we would need to look at alternatives to Eastlink. Until last night...

Suddenly we were watching the Super Chanel in HD. As if by some miracle it just worked...we suddenly had 2 HD channels working in our home. Of course this motivated me to contact Eastlink and request the HD package we have been missing so badly.

So here is how it went:

ME: Hi I would like to sign up for the HD channels please.
EL: Sure, can I get your name and address?
ME: Sure (name and address given)
EL: OK let me just make sure it is available in your area.
ME: Great, thanks.
(Several minutes on hold)
EL: Oh I am sorry sir but HD is not available in your area yet.
ME: Hmmm, that is what we have been told in the past as well, but last night we received a message about 2 free HD channels being available. It was on our HD PVR and when we checked to see if they were working, we were pleased to see that they were.
EL: That's strange, so you were able to view the Super Channel?
ME: Yes, and we would like to have the HD package we used to have before we moved to York if you could just add that to our account.
EL: But I am afraid that HD isn't available in your area sir.
ME: But I was watching HD on the free HD channels last night. So is there some reason that these packages aren't available?
EL: I am not sure sir. I can check for you with my supervisor.
ME: OK but before you do, are these two free channels HD channels?
EL: Yes they are sir.
ME: OK, and I am receiving them right now perfectly. So would you agree that there is HD available in my area technically?
EL: Well, yes. Do you mind holding while I check with my supervisor.
ME: Sure.
(another long hold)
EL: I am sorry sir, but I checked with my supervisor and she checked into this issue, and I can assure you that HD is not available in your area at this time. We don't have the lines in place to carry HD channels to your area.
ME: Hmm, but before you put me on hold we had just agreed that I am currently able to watch HD in my home for free on 2 channels for the next month. Therefore HD must be available. I would just like to add other channels that I pay for to these 2 free channels and I will be a happy customer.
EL: Yes, I understand, but HD isn't available in your area at this time and we aren't sure when it will be.
ME: Is it possible for you to just add the HD package to my account and I will start paying for them and watching them even though they aren't available like the 2 free HD channels that aren't available that I am currently enjoying?
EL: No, I'm afraid not, because HD is not available in your area, we can't add HD channels to your account.
ME: But you did, you added two free HD channels that work perfectly.
EL: Yes that is strange, I am not sure why they are working.
ME: OK, so is there anyway to find out when the other channels can be added.
EL: No I am sorry but we don't have any information on what areas will be getting upgrading to HD at what time.
ME: So there is no way for you add HD channels to my line, but I am getting 2 HD channels that you added for free, is that correct?
EL: Yes it seems to be.
ME: OK well I think I may need to switch to satellite, thank you for your help.
EL: Thank you sir, would you like to speak to technical support about this?
ME: No thanks, I am pretty sure it won't help.

I never thought I would say this, but...

2009-11-03T12:56:00.000-04:00

We need stronger legislation on video games.

I am now of the belief that we need to apply the same legislation to video games as we do to alcohol and tobacco. If the game is rated Mature or Adult, I propose it should be illegal to sell this game to anyone under the age of 17. Furthermore, it should be illegal for someone to purchase this with the intent of giving it to someone under the approved age.

I fully support game developers rights to create a game with whatever content they feel will sell, so long as that content doesn't violate established laws. However, I don't feel it is appropriate to sell certain games to minors. Let me fill you in on why I am suddenly convinced we need this legislation.

Over the past weekend I was doing some game trading/buying and I spent a fair amount of time at our local game vendors. During my time in these stores I witnessed a couple of incidents that led me to this decision.

The first was a mother who was looking to pre-order the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare II for her son. I couldn't help but overhear the conversation between her and the store clerk as she was very concerned that her twelve year old son would not be able to come in and pick the game up on the day it arrives. Since it carries a rating of 17 or older, he would need a parent with him. She was clearly upset about this. The store clerk held his ground and said that he could not sell the game to someone under 17. Now for those of you who are unfamiliar, the Call of Duty series fairly accurately recreates war as a video game and puts you right in the action. Much like you would expect, this game is violent, bloody and probably not appropriate for a 12 year old boy, but that decision is up to the parent right? If she wants to buy it for him, that's her call to make. But wait...

The second incident was the next day, when I was at the counter making a trade and a lady around my age came in to trade in 3 games in exchange for Grand Theft Auto Episodes from Liberty City. The clerk made some small talk and she mentioned that the game wasn't for her but for her son. She went on to say that he's only FOUR YEARS OLD but he has a Playstation 3, an X-BOX 360 and a PSP and he really wanted this game so he was willing to trade these 3 for it. This sickened me and convinced me that we need to do something about enforcing the game ratings. The GTA series has worked hard to set the standard for overuse of violence, gore, sex, nudity and overall morally questionable content. Isn't it great that four year olds will get to benefit from that?

So perhaps you argue that she has no idea what the content is...I would argue that with a name like Grand Theft Auto and a large Adult rating logo on the package that perhaps she would have a clue. Either way, it seems clear that some parents simply aren't smart enough to keep this type of content from their pre-schoolers. The game store clerk can only do so much. There is no law against him selling to the moms even if they are giving it to a four year old. Don't you think there should be?

Ultimately it would be great if we could just assume everyone is a good enough parent to protect their children, but I have seen enough proof to know this isn't always the case. I am sure that 4 year old had a great weekend of game playing, killing prostitutes and stealing cars.

Anyone have any thoughts? Please share in the comments.

Sounds like a bad idea...

2009-10-27T11:48:00.000-03:00

I haven't had much time to blog lately and I miss it. I pretty much use this blog as a way to let ideas out of my head. It's a crazy place in there filled with tons of random ideas, by typing those ideas on these pages I sort of set them free and move on to other ideas...

This post is just to get rid of a random idea that popped into my head last night. I realized that are tons of things that just plain sound like bad ideas and yet they are fairly successful. I am not saying that these things are bad ideas...they just sound like bad ideas especially when heard out of context.

You be the judge.

Recycled Toilet Paper (...but I know where it's been!)
Hot Pockets (ouch!)
Polar Bear Swim (don't feed the bears!)
Fast-acting Laxatives (best to take these while already on the toilet perhaps?)
Ant Farms (our cattle farmers can't make a go of it, but someone farms ants?)
Permanent Ink (this one speaks for itself)
Light Beer (all the beer with less of the goodness)
Income Tax (this seems like an oxymoron as well as a bad idea)
Self Serve Gas (because we don't trust the gas attendant?)
Powdered Milk (yuck, do you eat it with a spoon?)
Liquid Paper (I poured a sheet out but it just doesn't seem to go through the printer well)
Angry Whopper (I think the original was mean enough)
Head Cheese (what the hell!!!)
Decaf Coffee (see light beer, similar idea...)
Pre-arranged Funeral (it just sounds wrong, kinda like a suicide note)
Divided Highway (they seem easier to drive on when they are in one piece)
Solar Powered Lights (umm if the sun is shining...)
Baby Oil (corn oil from corn, peanut oil from peanuts, I'm just sayin'...)
Garbage Collection (I've seen stamp collections, coin collections and card collections...)
Computer Dating Service (I know some geeks who are practically married to their computer! I wonder if they met through one of these?)

That is all for now...feel free to add more in the comments!

Are you going to wait in line?

2009-10-22T14:36:00.002-03:00

Well, it's almost time for people to line and up start getting their Swine Flu vaccinations. I believe that I will skip this when it becomes available.

Flu vaccinations are the subject of some debate and vaccinations for H1N1 in particular do not have a very good record.

I guess each person needs to decide what is right for them, but I honestly have avoided every flu shot so far and haven't been seriously ill with the flu since since 1990, so for me the risks of the vaccine seem to outweigh any benefit I may receive.

If I end up contracting H1N1 this season, every last one of you can say "I told you so!".

Armed and Educated

2009-10-14T11:58:00.000-03:00

What the hell is going on? Just the other day I was commenting on how we will soon have metal detectors at the entrances to our schools. There was a news story about a knife threat at one our Island schools. Now today a shooting threat.

I am troubled by the fact that lockers, kit bags and lunch boxes weren't searched today at the Rural. I would love to hear the reasoning on this. I have heard rumours that searching a students belongings violates their rights, but surely this can't be the reason. Every student has the right to an education, and also the right to safety. No child should be sitting at school worried that the emo kid or the class bully may pull out a gun and start shooting.

I hate the idea of guards and metal detectors at Island schools but what else can be done. I feel this would only be a band-aid solution to a much larger problem. Why are kids showing up at school with weapons? Is society to blame? Is it bad parenting? Is it TV? What has changed?

During my time in school, I never once worried about getting shot. We had a few weirdos, and of course there were bullies, but the threat never usually got much higher than being locked in a locker or getting a swirly at recess.

I think every parent needs to take some time to think about this issue. Discuss it with your children. See how they feel about it. Find out what they know. Often times, they know about problems long before the police, or even school authorities. I also think that parents should be pushing for random locker searches at school. I think once a week a number of lockers should be randomly chosen and searched. I bet you'd be amazed at what might turn up.

I think the real issue is understanding why this is happening. If we can find the reason behind this, we have a much more likely chance of solving this problem, than if we just punish the offenders. Perhaps this was just a prank as the Guardian article implies, but how long before someone really does show up with a gun? Our wonderful little laid-back Island really isn't that different from anywhere else except we supposedly have better gun control.

I'd love to hear some thoughts.

It's Alive!

2009-10-06T20:57:00.000-03:00

I am very happy to say that the new City of Charlottetown website has gone live!

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of several city employees, as well as my coworkers, our fine City has a fancy new home online.

Let the critiquing begin ;-)

A Phone for the Rest of you.....

2009-10-06T20:51:00.002-03:00

It's coming. The iPhone for Aliant customers! I haven't seen any announcement yet but I have noticed a new 3G Network available in my iPhone along with the Rogers one that has always been there. Plus this website showed up today.

Telus rents their cell access from Aliant, so if Telus is going 3G and carrying the iPhone, you can bet Aliant will be too!

I don't know how soon it will happen, but my money is on "before Christmas". By the end of the year, the rest of you will be able to try out the "Phone" we have all been raving about!

I think this is going to be a good thing. While I am a happy Rogers customer at this time (as any of my regular blog readers know), I am a firm believer that competition in the marketplace is a good thing for the consumer.

The Spirit in the Sky?

2009-10-02T08:51:00.000-03:00

This is an issue I have been struggling with lately. I am not struggling with how I feel, I am struggling with how this might make friends and family feel, but it needs to be said.

I don't believe in God.

At least, I don't believe in the God we are all taught about through church. For that matter, I have many problems with organized religion. I respect the beliefs of others and firmly support everyone's right to religion. I just can't believe in it for myself.

Let me explain.

I have grown up in a world and time of great discovery and advancement. Our level of knowledge and global communication has expanded at a tremendous rate. With all this knowledge available to us, I just can not in anyway believe that there is a "man-like being" sitting on a throne up in the clouds somewhere looking down on all of us and watching our every move. Honestly, that is pretty hard to believe isn't it?

Furthermore we are supposed to believe that this Supreme being wants representatives here on earth to spread the word of how great he is. In return we have to go to a building erected in his honour and lay down some cash and some prayers in order to show our respect and appease this god. We are taught that if we step out of line and don't follow his rules we will end up spending our afterlife in eternal damnation somewhere beneath the earth! Come on, how was anyone convinced this is true? We all know that there is no underworld beneath the surface of the earth…oh it's hot in there, but there is no horn-headed, cloven-hoofed, pointy-tailed creature ruling over it waiting for our naughty souls…

Now, having come to terms with that and realizing that organized religion is one of the best money scams every perpetrated…I have a few questions.

What do we do about our legal system if people stop believing in God? We are taught that the criminals will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help them God…but what if like me, they don't believe that God is up there waiting to punish them if they lie? Isn't the whole legal system supposedly based on a belief in a supreme being..that regardless of what happens in the courtroom, we will ultimately be punished for our sins?

What will war-torn countries do to occupy their time if everyone comes to the realization that believing in imaginary beings and fighting about which one is the "real one" is counter productive and downright stupid. I suppose perhaps they could spend a few years rebuilding the destroyed cities and disposing of weapons of mass destruction.

What will everyone do on Sunday if we no longer feel the need to worship our wonderful make-believe friend in the sky? Perhaps we should revisit that Sunday shopping thing eh?

Bottom line is, I personally don't understand how any educated person can truly and honestly believe in their heart and mind that the teachings of the church are the truth. However, if you can somehow over-look all the obvious shortcomings of religion and get past the craziness of miracles, magic tricks, immaculate conceptions and resurrections, and find comfort, peace and happiness through organized religion, then I say "God Bless You".

For those wondering…
Yes the story of the child pornography obsessed bishop was the straw that broke this camels back…but I haven't really believed for most of my life…I never was big on imaginary friends and who needs imaginary foes!

Not bad at all...

2009-09-30T16:59:00.002-03:00

My coworker Jon recently created a new site that allows you to easily search UsedPEI, Kijiji, and Craig's List all at the same time. It only searches for PEI ads and you can sort them pretty well anyway you like. It is really very useful and a time saver if you frequent these sites! Good job Jon!

On the subject of fonts...

2009-09-30T16:52:00.001-03:00

Never, ever, ever set a script font in all caps! It is a major pet peeve of mine. I have seen this dozens of times on menus of local restaurants. It is an automatic strike against them in my books! No matter how good the food is, I will most likely avoid that establishment because in my opinion they don't care about fine details!

A Myriad of Fonts

2009-09-30T16:44:00.006-03:00

I work with fonts everyday. Over the last 18 years I have seen and used thousands of fonts. I find it fascinating that our alphabet can be displayed in so many creative ways. I have had a few favourites over the years, but I really come to love Adobe's Myriad Pro font. It is simple, elegant and legible; all good qualities in a type face. It may be slightly overused, but I truly appreciate it's clean simple lines. It's a great sans serif font. Now if we are talking serif fonts, I would have to go with Century Old Style...a timeless classic!

What fonts do you love? Let me know....

I have a bad feeling about this....

2009-09-25T11:43:00.003-03:00

Well, with a 12 minute wait and an over $3.00 price tag for a Grande Café Americano Decaf, I doubt that the new STARBUCKS will be putting our local coffee shops out of business anytime soon. That being said, this is by far the best damn coffee I have had since I was in Florida, back in April. It was worth the wait and worth the price!

If you don't mind high prices, fancy names, long lines and slow service; and you enjoy a fantastic full flavoured, high quality coffee, you should definitely check them out!

Wii Fit....Not a game!

2009-09-23T16:35:00.002-03:00

The Wii Fit is a ton of fun! We recently picked one up with the intention of losing a few pounds before our upcoming wedding. If we continue to keep up our current work-out pace we'll be able to pull a sled full of our guest through 3 feet of snow to assure they arrive to our New Year's Day wedding.

This "game" is a serious work out tool. It presents exercises in a fun and engaging way that encourages you to challenge yourself to push just a little bit further. The Wii Fit board is one cool piece of tech that senses your weight and balance and it works in combination with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck to also track your motion and location. With exercise mini games ranging from boxing and snowboarding to yoga and hoola-hoop there is something for everyone.

We have worked out every day since we purchased it (now 7 days) and so far I am down 2lbs and every muscle in my body is aching. Perhaps video games finally are good for you! Let's see if I can get that 15 lbs off before Jan!

Look Who's Talking

2009-09-17T00:52:00.001-03:00

I have noticed a new social dilemma that has resulted from the iPhone.

The headset on the iPhone looks exactly like the famous iPod headset with one minor difference...it has a tiny little microphone and button embedded in the right earphone cord. So when I am walking down the street with my iPhone, on a call, people look at me very strangely because I seem to be carrying on one end of a conversation but they don't see a phone anywhere...not even a bluetooth headset or anything. They assume I am talking to the voices in my head I guess. (see post below to see that that I really do have voices in my head)

Today it took a new twist. I was at a store picking up something for Carla and was speaking with her on my iPhone to be sure I got the right thing. The cashier at this store knew I was on the phone so she didn't think I was talking to myself, but because she couldn't see the "phone" she couldn't tell when I was talking to her and when I was talking to Carla...

I never realized how important a social gesture the phone to your head has become...it is a clear sign for no one to talk to you because you are talking to someone else....remove the "phone to head" gesture from the equation and mass confusion ensues.

It's strange and I never noticed it before the iPhone. Anyone else having this problem?

We Stand On Guard

2009-09-15T16:01:00.000-03:00

I often get songs stuck in my head. In fact it's sort of like a radio station in there, there is almost constantly a song playing. Friday night after the Rocket game I had Oh Canada stuck in my head. Does that mean I should have remained standing at attention until it was replaced by another song?

Tweet Tweetly-Tweet

2009-09-11T12:22:00.001-03:00

OK, I consider myself fairly tech-savy but I must be missing something about Twitter.

Everyone seems to love it. The tech industry seems to think it is a big deal. Tons of companies are quickly jumping on board the Twitter Wagon. However, as far as I can tell, it is just an app that does glorified status updates. Isn't it pretty much exactly like updating your status in facebook? What am I missing? What is so special about Twitter?

Help me to "get it".

An open letter to all drivers

2009-09-08T21:55:00.007-03:00

Dear driver,

I really have a few favours to ask. Please understand I am not trying to be judgemental, we all make mistakes out there and there is a lot going on in everyone's lives these days. I think if you take the time to read this and give it a moment or two of thought, you will agree these requests are very reasonable.

Please be courteous to other drivers
Please watch out for school zones and crosswalks
Please look both ways before pulling away from that stop sign
Please don't run the yellow light if you have time to stop
Please put your cellphone away while you drive. If you really must use it get a headset or pull over
Please never, ever text while driving
Please realize there are no right hand passing lanes on PEI
Please realize that right hand turning lanes are marked. If it isn't marked it isn't a lane.
Please stay on your own side of the road at all times, unless you are safely passing another vehicle
Please slow down if only a little
Please concentrate on driving while you are driving
Please never drive while impaired. That includes many prescription drugs as well.

I guess that's it. I realize that's a lot of favours and some of them are rather large. I hope you will consider them though. A friend of mine lost his life very recently because someone didn't take the time to
think about these things. Now, with many Island children back in school and everyone rushing a little more, it seems even more important that we try a little harder to drive safely and watch out for each other.

Thank you so much and I promise to do my best,
Dale

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News

2009-09-03T12:40:00.004-03:00

Back in January, people on the PEI Patient Registry List received good news. Seventeen new doctors had been recruited to work in PEI. I received a phone call to let me know that Dr. Wayne Cox would begin practicing in Cornwall at the Medical Clinic, and he would become my new family doctor.

I am very pleased to say that Dr. Cox has turned out to be an excellent doctor. He took my very painful, and long standing stomach issue seriously. I was sent for the necessary testing, and he was then able to prescribe a solution. Since then, I have been visiting his office every 3 months and for the first time in years, I can honestly say I have been feeling great.

That is why I am so disappointed by the news that Dr. Cox is leaving PEI and moving back to his former home in the United States. Later this month he will leave the Cornwall Medical Clinic, and the rather large patient load he was caring for will return to the bottom of the PEI Patient Registry List. The advice I received from the clinic was that I will need to call and get my name back on the registry, and in the meantime I should go to walk-in clinics to make sure my prescription does not run out.

I can't blame Dr. Cox for leaving, I know for a fact that he had a house that he was trying to sell and he has a wife and children who have to try to acclimatize to PEI life. In short, he has his own life and concerns to take care of. However, our government has been promoting the advances they have made in health care and has been working to convince us that doctor shortages are being looked after. It is great that we managed to recruit 17 new doctors this year. My question is what are we doing to keep them?

I suggest that as part of new doctor recruitment we set up a contract that guarantees recruited doctors will stay in PEI for a minimum of 3 years. If they leave early, they pay a monetary penalty. The penalty should be large enough that the decision to come here would be one that was well thought out and the likelihood of their leaving would be low. At the end of the contract if they wish to renew there would be a suitable incentive for them to stay for another 3 year term. This could be extended to offer larger incentives for longer terms.

That's my complaint and my idea towards a solution...I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I should be too old for this...

2009-09-02T12:50:00.001-03:00

I am excited about the news that Disney has bought Marvel! I have been a huge fan of both Walt Disney and Marvel Comics for as long as I can remember. I will never forget the excitement I used to feel when we would gather around the TV on Saturday mornings to watch Spiderman or Sunday evenings for Wonderful World of Disney. I wanted to be Spiderman and I wanted to live at Disney.

This past April I was fortunate enough to finally visit Disney World (and I still think I would like to live there). It was like stepping back in time and revisiting those wonderful memories. All the familiar characters were there. They will now be joined by Spiderman, Iron-Man, the X-Men....I can't wait for my next visit!

It's been a long time coming, but my dream of Spiderman living at Disney seems to have happened....I wonder if there will be an attraction where I get to feel like I am swinging from rooftops?

IRAC...there's just nothing funny about it.

2009-09-01T13:15:00.002-03:00

While I won't be contacting Oliver Stone to make one of his famous conspiracy movies just yet; it's becoming difficult to believe that IRAC is looking out for the best interests of consumers.

I can't help but notice that Island gas prices took a considerable jump at the pumps of approx. 3 - 4¢/litre only days before visitors began arriving for the Canada Games. At that time I made a prediction that the Commission was attempting to gouge visitors with higher gas prices and that we could expect a drop once the games concluded and everyone returned home. Sure enough, this morning, 2 days after the closing celebrations, we receive a 1.6¢/litre gas price drop.

These sort of price hikes are becoming all too common. It may not be a conspiracy, but cons and piracy are definitely involved somewhere.

It's a Kinda Magic

2009-08-31T21:45:00.005-03:00

Yes, I am talking about the iPhone again. This little device has actually proven to be the most incredible piece of technology I have ever had the pleasure of owning.

Over the weekend we used this "phone" to rent a movie that we were then able to watch on our HD TV. The quality was as good as any up-converted standard DVD (I would say better) and at $4.99 the price was very reasonable. The best part is we didn't have to leave the house and we got the movie we wanted without waiting in lines or hoping it was "in". We didn't even have to worry about returning it. The movie removes itself automatically from the iPhone 48 hours later. Very cool!

The next evening we arrived at a party where the host had setup iTunes DJ on his laptop computer. Every guest at the party who had an iPhone or an iPod Touch (or could get their hands on one at least) was able to vote for songs and influence the playlist that became the soundtrack for what turned out to be a fun filled evening. I thought it was a neat idea when I first saw it in iTunes but the reality is truly amazing. Even people who had never used an iPhone before were easily able to swipe and scroll through lists of music and vote for the song they wanted to hear. Songs then magically arranged themselves based on numbers of votes. Each phone can only vote for each song once...so no one can rule the music all night. A great idea, that turned out to be great fun.

Congrats Chantelle and Stewie! The engagement party was a blast! Play some RUSH wouldya boys!

I wonder...

2009-08-29T19:09:00.001-03:00

If someone thanks me for my patronage have I been patronizing?

Soaptastic!

2009-08-28T15:23:00.002-03:00

I am very pleased to say that within a 24 hour period of my sign going up, the soap dispenser is fixed. I would like to think that I played a small part in the war against germs.

Signs, signs, everywhere signs....

Technophobia!

2009-08-27T15:54:00.006-03:00

I started this blog as a way to discuss things I see as issues, and to share thoughts and ideas. Today I am hoping it can help to resolve an issue at the Atlantic Technology Centre; where I work.

For the last two weeks (at least) the soap dispenser, in the men's bathroom on the second floor, has been broken. These dispensers are pumps that are built into the counter and bottles of soap screw into the pump from below. At least they are supposed to screw into them. This one doesn't. The solution? Place the bottle of soap on the counter and have people pour it on to their hands (and also all over the counter).

There are several problems with this.

It is messy.
It is wasteful.
It encourages people to not use soap (This one bothers me the most as I already have a bit of a phobia about public washrooms).

Astonishingly, there is another soap dispenser right beside the broken one....and it has been out of soap for the entire time this one has been broken.

This isn't the first issue in this bathroom either. Two weeks previous to the soap dispenser breaking, one of the "automatic" sinks stopped working. You could wave your hands under and around it as much as you wanted, it just wouldn't turn on...except sometimes it did...all on its own, and then it would run continuously until it decided to stop.

I have waited patiently for this to get fixed and I have no idea who to talk to about it. The Tech Centre Administration have moved to another building, and I can't find any maintenance people. I decided to leave a friendly note. It reads:

To Whom It May Concern,

Please fix this.

It has been broken for over two (2) weeks.

It would seem that a place called the “Technology Centre” should be able to figure out how to fix a soap dispenser.

Thank You.

Sincerely,

Mr. Clean Hands

I am hoping someone will take notice.

Your Political Correctness Offends Me!

2009-08-25T21:26:00.006-03:00

Is it just me or has the whole world gone too far with political correctness? Seriously come on!

I am taking a stand right now. I will no longer allow society to dictate to me which words can be used at which time; which jokes can be told when; and what T-shirt I can wear to what function. I will however, continue to use common-sense and go out of my way to not be rude or hurtful.

This is a list of the top 5 words I am taking back! Who decided we can't use these words? I will probably add more as I think of them. I would love to hear suggestions. Remember, I don't want to be rude or hurtful, just realistic. I think if we take back these words they can no longer be hurtful to anyone.

1. Gay - homosexuals can't have it all to themselves! In a time when being homosexual is becoming much more accepted and common, the word gay should go back to it's original meaning and use. When I was growing up, gay simply meant different, strange, and generally not the norm. ie. "man that Warrant song is so gay!" On this note I also declare that we are taking back the colour purple. It is a good colour that everyone can look good in. Sorry to everyone who is homosexual, you can have pink and the rainbow but purple is for everyone again.

2. Retard (or retarded) - come on..this word simply means to slow something down...look it up. It should not be offensive and I can't imagine anyone is still using it as a put down to someone who is of lower IQ or suffers from a mental illness. I will no longer feel bad if I say to someone, "geez, stop being so retarded...". It is not offensive.

3. Handicap - this word has been used for decades to refer to someone at a disadvantage, ie. in golf or bowling. I can't see how this term could offend someone with a disability. Is someone in a wheel chair not at a disadvantage? Have you ever tried being in a wheel chair? Trust me, it's not easy and you ARE at a disadvantage. Don't like it? Sorry it's just the truth.

4. Midget - ok this one certainly is targeted at certain individuals but can you seriously tell me that it is less offensive to be called "little people" than midgets? Please! I would hate to be called a little person, it sounds like "less of a person" which we all know isn't true.

5. Bum - how the hell did this word come to mean homeless person? My bum is my ass, it's what I sit on. I will not feel bad for using the word bum. When I mean homeless I will say homeless, when I mean bum I will say bum, ass, butt or arse.

While on the topic here are a few other things I think we need to stop.

No scent policy - ok I understand allergies, and I respect that perfumes are a real problem to certain people but we can't have the whole world go unscented. You must admit that you would rather have a sneeze attack or a headache from that nice smelling deodorant than have to sit next to that smelly, sweaty guy on the bus.

Peanut butter - it's good. When we were kids every single person in the school took peanut butter sandwiches at least once a week. Now it is banned from the school entirely? If being in the vicinity of peanuts may kill you, you have some serious worries my friend because they are everywhere in the real world. You may as well learn to deal with them while you're young, perhaps carry an epi-pen if you are deathly allergic. This ban makes as much sense as banning wasps or bumble-bees from the playground. It's just not practical and out in the real world it's impossible to enforce.

OK, well I have ranted enough for this post. I am sure others have suggestions and I am sure I will blog about this again.

Bottom line: I think we have gone too far! It's high time we stop being so damn sensitive! If I say something that can be taken one of two ways, assume that I don't mean to offend or hurt! It's common-sense really. In the words of my childhood friend's father, "stop being such a pansy!".

Stop in the name of......Save The Parade?!?

2009-08-21T09:07:00.004-03:00

UPDATE: They actually did have people walking around with collection baskets as well...

OK, this is something that has been a pet peeve of mine for ages! I understand that it is very difficult to raise money for good causes. There are "do not call" lists, sceptical people if you collect door to door, costs involved in outsourcing, and an overall negative attitude towards fund-raising efforts in general.

However, DO NOT BLOCK THE STREET WITH BUCKET IN HAND ASKING FOR MONEY.

How is this legal? I would like to know if these fund-raising events receive permission from the City? From the police? Surely they must get permission from someone to stand in the middle of the road and stop traffic right?

I find it bold, rude and downright annoying! Generally, I like to donate money. I have even been known to do my fair share of fund-raising, but I will never, NEVER donate money to someone who is collecting in this way.

Today topped the cake though. As if it isn't bad enough that many of the streets in Charlottetown will be closed for the parade, we also have to deal with traffic backing up on main streets into the city while these goof balls with buckets beg for spare change? The cause of choice? SAVE THE PARADE!

Is the Gold Cup and Saucer Parade dying? If it is, no one told the people lining the streets at 8:30 this morning. What exactly does this money go towards? How will it be used to save the parade? If it is really needed perhaps you could ask that each person who comes to see the parade make a donation during the parade. You could send some clowns around with collection baskets instead of letting them stand in the street at 8:30 am while people try to get to work!

If anyone has any info on how this is allowed, and what permits are required please let me know. I would love to find a way to stop this type of fund-raising. If it can't be stopped, I suggest we all just grab a bucket and pick a silly cause! Together we should be able to bring traffic to a complete stand still.

I think my cause will be SAVE THE FOOLS WHO STAND IN THE STREETS WITH BUCKETS, you can bet sooner or later one of them is gonna get clipped by an idiot driver who is sending a text message instead of watching the road.

What Up G.?

2009-08-19T10:06:00.004-03:00

OK, I'll admit that I have never been a huge fan of organized religion. I have my own personal beliefs and I try hard to respect the beliefs of others. Religion in my mind is a very personal thing between you and your God. That being said, I heard a story on the news this morning that just makes me shake my head in amazement. You would think that with all the troubles in the world today God has bigger worries than keeping you from wearing pants on Sunday!

Honestly this is just another example of the problems I have with organized religion. For those heavily involved in the church of their choice, don't you ever stop to think, "Hey if this God of mine is real would he/she/it really be worried about silly little things like what I wear on Sunday, whether I eat meat on Friday, how and when I use his/her/its name, or what Madonna is singing about now"?

Like I said, I try hard to respects the beliefs of others, I just have to question why anyone would blindly follow directions that seem to be so arbitrary and absurd. If I was a regular church goer, I would be very, very concerned if this is what my God was worried about! I am pretty sure that God's competition is focused on bigger issues! Perhaps this Sunday everyone should pray that God stops worrying about pants and uses that time more constructively.

Just my 2 cents.

Not so Mighty Mouse

2009-08-17T16:22:00.002-03:00

As any Mac owner knows, Apple makes some of the best hardware out there but even Apple gear has problems occasionally. Behold the Mighty Mouse! This otherwise excellent mouse has a tiny little scroll nub that is probably the best and worst designed scroll wheel I have ever used. It is small, it is placed exactly where you want it, it scrolls in all directions and most of the time it just works. Until it doesn't. Today it didn't.

This is a fairly common problem from what I am hearing. Seems dirt eventually gets in around that tiny little rubber ball and gums up the works. Thankfully there is a really simple and inexpensive fix and it restores this mouse to "like-new" functionality.

You need:

Rubbing Alcohol, cotton swabs, a sheet of clean paper and a hard surface

Unplug your Mighty Mouse.
Dip the swab in the alcohol
Soak that little rubber ball with alcohol using the swab to roll it around. Get it good and wet.
Lay the piece of paper on a smooth hard surface
Turn your mouse upside down on the paper & apply pressure so that the scroll ball pushes in.
Roll it around for a while on the paper. Really give it a good roll in all directions.

That's it. Your Mighty Mouse should be scrolling again! If not, you may still have some dirt in there. Just repeat the above steps.

Globe trotting...

2009-08-16T13:15:00.001-03:00

Last night we tried out Charlotettown's hottest new restaurant, The Globe. I would have to describe it as fantastically mediocre. We had wonderful service and the location benefits from the truly un-Charlottetownesqueness of Victoria Row. However I am sorry to say that the food was merely "good". There was certainly nothing to complain about but also nothing that would encourage me to recommend it to friends or family.

Charlottetown has an amazing selection of dining choices and in this price point there are simply better options. It's great to see someone try to do something unique and different but I am afraid they just fall a little short. There's better curries at Churchill's, better steak at Sims, and better drinks at Pat and Willy's.

With it's "interesting decor, great location and varied menu The Globe could be GREAT. Sadly it is just good in a town where great is right next door or at least no more than a block away.

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A dog day afternoon...

2009-08-15T16:55:00.002-03:00

Even Carter seemed to be enjoying himself.

Saturdays here in the yard...

2009-08-15T15:02:00.002-03:00

It's days like this that make us happy we bought a house in the "country". What could be better than a lazy summer day lounging in the back yard?

Sent from my iPhone

Rogers Revisited

2009-08-14T12:11:00.001-03:00

Since I am usually the first to complain I felt that I really needed to post about the great service I have received from a Rogers employee over the last couple of days.

I usually just pick up the phone or visit the Rogers website when I have a problem or need to add or remove services or discuss phone plans. Actual visits to the Rogers Store, two floors below my office, are reserved for the days when Apple has released a new model iPhone. However, when I picked up my new iPhone back on June 19th, I dealt with a sales rep named Adam. This guy was super helpful and pretty much jumped through hoops to get me setup.

So, after my dilemma of: there is no plan that would give us all we wanted and nothing more at a reasonable price, I figured I would pay Adam a lunchtime visit and see if he somehow had a map to navigate the puzzling world of Rogers cell plans. As it turns out he did! He worked with me to go through the assorted plans, read the fine print, and compare the details. We think we found a nice little combination of plans and add-ons that by-passes the usual "You Get All These Features You Don't Need Or Want and Two of the Four Features You Actually Want, But Hey It Only Costs $10 Extra" plans.

With Adam's help, Carla and I now each have an iPhone with 300 local daytime minutes + unlimited local evenings and weekends + data plans + visual voicemail + call display + unlimited picture, video and text messages, + unlimited Canada Wide Calling to any 5 people we choose (and we can choose 5 new people each month if we like) for the same price we paid last month. That's right we just added a ton of features and will spend the same amount.

Thank you Adam! You have restored my faith in Rogers and you have two loyal customers. It's really nice to see a sales representative who understands that happy customers are more important than the up-sell. See you next iPhone day ;-)

Hey Rogers people who make the cell plan packages...talk to Adam! He has worked out what may be the perfect iPhone package for Canadians (still not quite as good as the deal our friends to the south get with AT&T). This package could go a long way towards creating happy loyal customers. You need those.

What kinda party?

2009-08-14T12:01:00.000-03:00

Can you believe this ? The NDPs have wasted time and money deciding if they need to drop "NEW" from their name. Is this really the most important thing they should be worried about with a possible election coming up this year? Wow!

Now I am not up on all the latest kid-speak but I am pretty sure that "DP" means something very different than Democratic Party to the younger crowd (look it up on urban dictionary if you dare). Perhaps this is how they plan to attract new voters.

Well, let me save you a ton of wasted time and money and offer up the following suggestion:

Keep the "NEW". If I were doing your marketing, I would be putting a spin on the "New" stands for a new way of thinking, a new government, new ideas in a time of turmoil. A NEW party to lead this country heading into a new decade. But perhaps you aren't really new at all...

As a side note, I wonder if that is what the DP stands for in DP Murphy?

The Devil You Know

2009-08-13T11:45:00.005-03:00

Today I am working on a couple of ads for a product that involves Angels and Devils and it brought back a memory of the first Halloween party I ever went to.

I couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old. Our local community centre and the fine folks from the Women's Institute and United Church were hosting a party for all the children in the area.

I showed up dressed as Satan himself.

I wonder how many people were shocked and or bothered? From what I can recall everyone was very nice and I had a great time.

I do think there is a lesson to be learned here though....
It is very important to understand your target audience! While shock and awe can sometimes be a good thing, it is probably best to do a little research and get a basic understanding of what you are getting involved in.

I am trying to keep that in mind as I work on these ads.

On a side note what ever happened to Hot Stuff the Little Devil? I used to love those comics!

Standing outside the fire...

2009-08-12T10:58:00.003-03:00

The Canada games torch went past my office about an hour and a half ago and there were only about a dozen people out to cheer the runner on...is it just me or does it seem like this should be a bigger deal?

Google Gets it.

2009-08-11T22:37:00.006-03:00

I am constantly amazed at just how well Google services work.

For instance this post was created by email from my iPhone using a GMail account. I sent the email to a secret address @blogspot and it automagically gets posted to this blog on blogger which is also owned by Google.

It all just works!

More for less, and less for more....just not what you want.

2009-08-11T20:23:00.000-03:00

I just don't get it.

In the last two days I have had two different "tech" companies explain to me that they just don't offer the services I want...but they will give me more than I want for less money!

Let me explain.

Company 1 : ROGERS

We have two iPhone 3Gs with Rogers. We have fairly expensive cell plans. One of the phones has data and one does not. iPhone 1 has 6GB of data available. I would like to share that data with iPhone 2. Rogers says that isn't possible. They do offer a data sharing plan, but it is on their 1GB of data package...and it costs more money!

Now after some discussion and a brief lesson basic math (that even Jordan from Big Brother could understand), I had them convinced that 6GB is more than 1GB. I also had them convinced that with all the services I currently have + my 6GB of data, I am saving at least $20/month over what they are currently offering with the 1GB shared data plan.

Now, as crazy as it sounds, I tried to convince them to take away my wonderful 6GB of data and my grandfathered in Rogers to Rogers free calling, and put me onto their new 1GB Data sharing family plan for the same price I currently pay. They can't do it. So I then offer to pay the extra and go to the 1GB Data plan with all of our added services so that we can finally both have data (5GB less mind you!) on both of our phones...and that is when she tells me there is no way we can have all the services we currently have if we take that new plan....they no longer offer all of these services and some of them "conflict" with the text messaging plan that is included with the new plan!

This makes no sense to me. So despite my best efforts and a half hour of time on the phone with ROGERS, I am back to the unlocked iPhone and thinking about installing an app through Cydia which lets you share your 3G connection with anyone over wifi...I guess if I am not paying for it, I may as well make sure I use that 5GB of data somehow.

Now even better

Company 2: Eastlink

Now I would like to start by saying that Eastlink has some really great people. They also have some really, really terrible people who should never speak to customers. Ever. You know who you are. Tonight we had a good one. It's not his fault that his company can't do math.

They called to offer us a new package with home phone + internet + digital cable for a considerable savings over what we pay now. The kicker? We don't currently have a home phone and we don't want one. This deal offered a home phone with a ton of features, cheap long distance calling and a battery backup at our house so that in the event of a power outage we would still have home phone, and internet. Sounds good. Except we don't want the home phone.

Now I am sure that sending someone to my house (which is included) must cost them money. Putting that phone connection and battery backup in must cost them money. Talking to me on the phone about it must cost them money. So I offer to save them a ton of money! Leave everything exactly the way it is...no home phone, no battery backup, no tech to my house to install it all....just lower my bill to the new price.

They can't do that.

I must be missing something. It seems to me that companies in their race to figure out how to attract customers with tons of features and wonderful discounts have forgotten that perhaps customers just want a good service that meets their needs at a reasonable price. Hmm, perhaps there is a market for a company that offers just that.

Fried Farts and Vinegar

2009-08-11T12:15:00.000-03:00

First post on the new blog.

I finally decided to give blogging a try. I seem to always have lots to say, and I was ready for an alternative to facebook.

For the curious, the name of this blog comes from something my Grandmother used to say. I'd ask "nanny what's for supper?" and she would often reply, "oh I don't know, maybe fried farts and vinegar." It seemed like a pretty random and curious combination of things. I suspect this blog may well live up to that description...