6th
January
2019
Consider me warned. This year might be “the year of the
listening robots”, as Alexa, Siri, Cortana, Google (who really needs a catchier
name) and probably a few others that I don’t realize are standing quietly
behind me, are all expected to take on more important roles in the constant
surveillance of everybody else. Please note, none of the above are human, but
they have the nosy neighbour thing nailed.
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posted in technology |
3rd
January
2019
Fixing things can be fun. A hobby,
for some. But what if your desire to repair and economize interferes with the
game plan of the rich?
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posted in economy, technology |
26th
December
2018
Online, I have been subject to frequent reminders: Today is Boxing Day. Supposedly the chance to find bargains, now that the rush for retail is over. OK. Not here. In this province, we do things differently. Boxing Day is a day later.
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posted in technology |
21st
December
2018
t’s a miracle! On Tuesday, what with the stormy weather and
our need to travel, I decided to keep my monthly collection of recuperables at
home, safe. Today I learned that even
the sanitation trucks get time off for snow, and so the pickup has been rescheduled
to tomorrow morning. I’m on time! A little rain shouldn’t interfere. (Yes, the
rain has started.)
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posted in environment, technology |
8th
December
2018
A special shout out to the DJ on the radio. Not only did he mention the time, but he threw in the day of the week. A small thing, perhaps, but when you are retired and relatively housebound, such things go by quickly. I’m now good for another few days.
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posted in environment, technology |
5th
December
2018
I wasn’t in the room, but the wonders of social media came through. Today, the beer met the can (I think). First test run on a brand new production wing at son #2’s world of soaked barley, so to speak. Again, without getting wet and sniffing my wrist, I have to assume that everyone involved is pleased.
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posted in politics, technology |
22nd
November
2018
Someone posted an article recently, that seemed to be satire: “How to diagnose your home appliance errors by the sounds they make”. Sure, we’ve hear the fridge do some weird things under cover of darkness, but satire, surely.
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posted in economy, technology |
18th
November
2018
If this was “in the time of my childhood”, I’d be getting a little antsy. The post office labour argument soldiers on, and we could be in a country-wide shutdown soon. Just in time for Xmas. If you depend on someone in a sleigh to get the presents into place, good on you (although, technically, he’s a bit of a scab). But for anyone waiting on parcels (that means me, a bit); best to accept that the holiday calendar might stretch into a new year. And if the mail is carrying any perishables (other than fruitcake), be prepared to pitch. The time for military rations passed date, eons ago.
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posted in technology |
12th
November
2018
When it come to the choice of the right tool for a given job, I’m going to “go out on a limb” with this premise. There are two kinds of tools for any situation: the “proper” one, procured through the dictated channels and kept around in case the job is required another time. And then, there’s the tool that is created, ingeniously, to fill a void.
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posted in technology |
4th
November
2018
Somewhere before midnight, the winds got the better of our electrical network. I awoke when the generator started, and when it finally stopped in that hour before dawn, I was relieved. Turns out that our neighbourhood got off with the easy end of the storm. Fully twenty hours later, whole sections of the Island are preparing for a cold and dark night. No major storm, mind you. Just a good autumn blow. I suspect that the electrical system is a finely tuned instrument; one tree in the wrong place (across the wires) and everything stops.
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posted in technology |
