Rolandt

Just a reminder.  The extensive changes and improvements to Point Grey Road (despite the silly charges regarding the rich and real estate) is because of this:

The natural foreshore between Kitsilano and Jericho Parks is going to remain this way.  It was never really an option to extend the seawall along here.  And yet without some connector that met a reasonable definition of safety, accessible to all ages and abilities, the missing link would have become intolerable.

So yes, Point Grey Road is essentially a piece of the seawall and the Seaside Greenway.

 

Samsung took an iterative approach to designing its 2016 smartphone lineup, and it appears the company will do the same with its flagship wearable.

According to SamMobile, Samsung’s next Gear wearable will incorporate the same rotary bezel display found in the Gear S2. Not surprising given that the S2’s rotary bezel was one of its most successful elements.

SamMobile also notes Samsung plans to officially announce the new wearable at its upcoming IFA 2016 keynote. The annual event, scheduled to run from September 2nd to 7th this year, will likely see a number of other smartphone manufacturers, including Sony, announce new devices.

If the company follows its script from last year, Samsung will devote a small segment of its upcoming Note 7 announcement event to tease the Gear S3 and confirm that it will officially reveal the wearable at IFA 2016.

Related: Samsung’s Q2 2016 earnings post most significant profits in two years thanks to S7 sales

Beautiful jazz standard Take Five being played in Woodwards Atrium on the start of BC Day Long Weekend

 

I’ll never forget the first time I got my hands on the MacBook Air, at its debut in January 2008. “This thing looks like it’s descended from a spatula,” I wrote in my New York Times review. “It’s a stunningly beautiful aluminum slab, three-quarters of an inch thick. Its edges are beveled to look even thinner. When it’s on a table, you might mistake this laptop for a placemat.”

At the time, the price of the sleek computer from Apple (AAPL) was $1,800, the hard drive held 80 gigs, and the battery lasted five hours. (Today, $1,200 gets you 3.2 times as much storage — flash memory, not a spinning hard drive — and 12 hours of battery life. And the speed is much, much better.)

But I also wrote, “You can’t make a three-pound laptop without sacrificing something, however.” And on the Air, that part hasn’t changed.

So today, as a public service, I’m going to review three obscure but absolutely ingenious add-on products that address those sacrifices, and that turn the MacBook Air into the dream machine it deserves to be.

The storage problem

Flash storage like the Air’s has its advantages: It has no moving parts, so it’s far more rugged than a traditional hard drive. It also offers better battery life and speed, especially in starting up and opening programs.

The downside is that flash storage is much more expensive than a hard drive, which is why you don’t get much storage on the MacBook Air. The base model comes with only 128 GB. You can pay several hundred dollars more to get 256 or 512 GB instead, but that’s still nothing like the 1 or 2 terabytes available on some laptops.

One quick, cheap, easy solution is this: The SanDisk Ultra Fit flash drive. It’s a tiny, tiny flash drive, so small that you can pop it into your Air’s USB jack and leave it there. You’ve got a second “hard drive” of 128 GB for only $30. (There are smaller ones, too, for as little as $10.)

The Transcend JetDrive Lite is a similar idea ($150 for 256 GB), except that it goes into your MacBook’s SD memory-card slot.

The Ultra Fit and JetDrive are great for offloading files you just want to carry with you, but they’re not fast enough to be a main “hard drive.” You wouldn’t want to use one as your video-editing “scratch drive,” for example.

That’s where the weird and wonderful TarDisk comes in. (The name sounds gooey and gross, although I guess it’s supposed to be a pun on the Tardis machine from “Doctor Who.”)

It’s way, way more expensive — $150 for 128 GB, and $300 for 256 GB — but it’s a whole different ballgame. It’s a tiny, finely crafted aluminum flash-memory drive that you insert into your Air’s SD memory-card slot. (It’s also available for the MacBook Pro.)

There, you can use it just like a second hard drive. But the real magic is when you “pear” it with your main drive. (Is that supposed to be a pun on “pairing” it? Weird.)

Pearing is quite a dramatic bit of surgery. You have to back up your Air, erase it, “pear” it using an included utility program (a technical, disorienting process), and then copy all your stuff back onto it.

When it’s all over, you don’t see two icons on your desktop; the TarDisk has actually joined souls with the main drive, forming one new, gloriously spacious, single new entity. If you started out with 256 gigs, now you’ve got (for example) 512 gigs. If you started out with 512, now you’ve got and incredible 768 gigs. And you haven’t lost any speed.

It’s a fascinating idea, and it works well. You are, of course, giving up your card slot forever; you’ll have to come up with some other way of importing photos from a camera (like using a USB cable).

Even more frightening: Once you’ve expanded your storage with a TarDisk, you can never remove it. Pulling it out of your slot once it’s been “peared” is a bad, bad idea. (The only way it’s safe to remove the TarDisk is to reverse the pearing process — once again backing up, erasing, and restoring your whole Air.)

But if you’re looking for a way to expand your “hard drive” without opening up the machine (as you must using the non-Lite JetDrive kit), that compromise may be worth it.

The docking station

If you use a laptop as your main machine, you may already appreciate the beauty of a docking station: a contraption full of jacks. You plug into it a big second monitor, full-size keyboard, real mouse, external hard drives, and other gear. Then, whenever you’re at your desk, you pop your laptop into the docking station, and you’re ready to get to work with all the convenience of a desktop workstation.

For the longest time, no MacBook Air docking station existed; now, I’m happy to report, one does. It’s called the LandingZone 2.0 Docking Station. (It’s also available for the MacBook Pro.)

It’s white and beautiful and a little pricey ($160), but it’s fantastic. It offers even more jacks than the Air does: Four USB, one Ethernet (requires downloading a driver), a mini Display Port (doubles as a Thunderbolt jack), and a security slot.

The four USB jacks are powered, which explains why the Docking Station requires a power cord of its own. Your memory-card slot is left open and available. So is your headphone jack — meaning that if you like to connect speakers, you have to do that part manually every time.

You set your laptop against the back posts and then push the sides of the Docking Station inward (see my video above). Most of the time, all of the jacks and prongs line up perfectly and snap against your MacBook. Sometimes, it takes a couple of tries, which is the biggest knock on this device. (Oh — also, the Air won’t fit if it has a case on it.)

And that’s it: All the gadgets on your desk are now instantly connected. No fishing for cables, no plugging in, no fussing. Your second monitor pops on, and you’re ready to work. Your desk looks much tidier, whether the laptop is present or not.

To disconnect, you pull a lever on the back; the “wings” pop apart so that you can grab your laptop and go.

Windows laptop luggers have enjoyed the convenience of desktop docking stations for years, but they still seem weird and alien to Mac fans (the docking stations, not the Windows users). This one isn’t as effortless as the best PC docks, but it does the job well and looks great doing it.

The MagSafe 2 problem

Back in 2006, Apple introduced its brilliant MagSafe connector: a magnetically attached laptop power cord. If someone trips on the cord, it snaps out harmlessly instead of dragging your $1,000 laptop to the floor.

And then came the MagSafe 2. This “improved” connector, born in 2012 and now standard on all Apple laptops, features a thinner, weaker, magnet. Much weaker. It falls out all the time. Uncross your legs — it falls out. Turn to reach for a beverage — it falls out. Yell at the TV — it falls out.

That problem goes away when you buy the Snuglet ($20 for two). It’s a tiny metal liner for the laptop’s power jack; it’s got all the weight and bulk of a staple. Somehow, this thin band of additional metal amplifies the force of the MagSafe 2’s magnet. Without adding anything visible at all, the Snuglet gives you a cord that doesn’t fall out (until someone actually does trip on it).

The Snuglet comes with a removal tool, but I’ve never in my life used it; the whole idea is that the Snuglet shim stays forever inside the power socket, fixing the annoyance of the too-weak connector.

If you have cats, children, or morning coffee, I also recommend a keyboard skin to prevent unauthorized fluids from getting inside your laptop.

Otherwise, though, that concludes my tour of Things Your Air Really Should Have. Here’s hoping you pounce on the ones that sound useful — and that your Air thanks you.

David Pogue is the founder of Yahoo Tech; here’s how to get his columns by email. On the Web, he’s davidpogue.com. On Twitter, he’s @pogue. On email, he’s poguester@yahoo.com. He welcomes non-toxic comments in the Comments below.

Nev Holtzmann-Park @neville_park
A Bike Share station has popped up at the #Parkdale library and someone has already parked their bike there lol pic.twitter.com/M29rF8L9YT

Diana Kimball @dianakimball
“What’s the best email address for me to send a calendar invite to?”: a question I ask via FB message or Twitter DM at least 5x a week.

erdalinci:

When we think about the Berlin Wall, despite having an idea of how its length, we can’t easily envisage its real size. With this question in my mind, I decided to create a computer generated 3D model of the wall compiled together in a single frame.

I started by conducting some research on Wikipedia:

“The “fourth-generation wall” (Grenzmauer 75) , known officially as “Stützwandelement UL 12.11″ , was the final and most sophisticated version of the  Berlin Wall. Begun in 1975 and completed about 1980, it was constructed from 45.000 separate sections of reinforced concrete, each 3.6 metres high and 1.2 metres wide. The concrete provisions added to this version of the Wall were done so as to prevent escapees from driving their cars through the barricades (“L” shape structure). The top of the wall was lined with a smooth pipe, intended to make it more difficult to scale. This version of the Wall is the one most commonly seen in photographs, and surviving fragments of the Wall in Berlin and elsewhere around the world are generally pieces of the fourth-generation Wall.“

The next step was to make a 3D model of a single segment from its blueprint and then duplicate it 45 thousand times. At that point I needed to decide how to compose all the pieces, so I ended up placing them together in the same proportions all from of a single segment. Doing this ensured that we are able to see both the shape of a single segment, on a larger scale, with more detail and the entire quantity that makes up the wall (exactly 45K pieces) together.

To envisage the actual size of the wall, the colossal structure (240 metres high) was placed in Alexanderplatz in true scale.

Photograph Copyright : © F1online digitale Bildagentur GmbH

Another step of the project is to have a 3D printed version of this fractal design in 1:1 scale (3,6 meters). So the viewer can easily recognise its form from a distance and upon closer inspection the wall can be viewed in its entirety. I am in search of commissions or sponsors to have it printed. Please contact me if you are interested.

To demonstrate the 3D printed structure in real scale, it was virtually inserted next to original wall segments at Berlin Wall Gallery of Newseum in Washington, D.C. Photo Credit: Sam Kittner/Newseum

In this animation you see the whole fractal structure (exactly 45.000 segments) with a collapsing simulation. The original full length animation piece is available in 5+1 editions and FullHD resolution.

Please check my site for more info! >>> erdalinci.com

AWESOME

Mike Hager in the Globe and Mail  on BC’s new foreign buyer tax, and what the Prov Gov’t will do with the revenue.

After trying to tamp down demand in Vancouver’s superheated housing market with a tax on foreign home buyers, British Columbia is now tackling supply, promising to use the tax revenue to fund affordable housing.

It is not known how much revenue will be generated from a 15-per-cent property transfer tax on foreign buyers of Metro Vancouver real estate, but Finance Minister Mike de Jong said it could be considerable.

mkalus shared this story from Nfes2005's YouTube Videos.

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One of my ulterior motives in coming to Glasgow was the opportunity to visit Kinetics, which is a shop specializing in folders and recumbents, and is specifically known for its custom builds of Bromptons.  A quick ride northwest from the centre of town, and here we are.

Parked out front is an 8-freight, a Mike Burrows designed cargobike that looks like the lovechild of a longtail and a long John.

This one has e assist.

The monoblade fork that is typical of a Burrows design.

The rear is also one sided.

Once you step inside, there are an overwhelming number of things to look at packed into a very small space. Up front is a fully equipped machine shop. Ben is busy working on a Rohloff equipped Brompton.

Fitting either a Rohloff or an Alfine hub to a Brompton requires a new rear triangle with wider dropout spacing, and these are made right here. Here are three pairs of triangles and forks. Custom forks allow for the installation of a front disc brake.

A closer look at the copper plated frame in the corner that was a special request.

This is as close to a smile that I could get out of Ben.

This bike has the version of the rear triangle with an integral rack. It is stronger and lighter than the original.

This particular bike was also being built with components from the Brompton black edition.

The back room is filled with a variety of folders and recumbents.

On the floor, an Alleweder, and on the wall, various HP Velotechnik bikes, a Birdy, and a bright blue Brompton that is his demonstrator.

On the opposite wall, a Moulton, and some other bikes nearer the ceiling.

The demonstrator has a Rohloff rear hub and front and rear disc brakes. Ben is now partial to this hybrid front brake that is cable actuated, but has the hydraulic advantage of being self adjusting as the pads wear.

The rear triangle with Rohloff, and an Avid disc brake. There is not enough space in the back for the hybrid.  On the green bike, there was a TRP mechanical disc that is better than the Avid since the pads are actuated on both sides of the disc.

This plaque is a nice touch.

Do I look happy riding the bike?

Overall impression was very good. I haven’t had that much time on a regular Brompton, but compared against my Tikit, I would say that the stem is much stiffer on the Brompton, and the gearing and brakes were terrific. What I thought was the rear brake was particularly strong; I almost lifted the rear wheel the first time I used them, but upon further reflection, what I was using must have been the front brake. I forgot that the brake levers are reversed in the UK. Both brakes were much better than on my Tikit. First time on a Rohloff equipped bike, so all I can say is that the shifting was reliable. My Alfine is a bit out of adjustment after many times of folding and unfolding the bike, although nothing I can’t put up with even on a long ride. Ben explained that the indexing on the Rohloff is in the hub, so it can’t get out of adjustment due to a change in cable length.

The new rear triangle makes the folded bike about an inch wider than the regular bike, and it still ships in the regular cardboard box. It will still fit in the hardcase if a little foam is carved out.

For a more comprehensive review of the bike, see this link to Velovision.

My visit came to a close as another customer rolled up with a Nexus equipped Brompton that needed some attention.

Thanks to Ben for all the explanations. You’ve given me much food for thought…..

 

When I recently wanted to find out which network operators have which and how much spectrum assigned in a country I found an incredibly cool website that has up to date information on this topic. Have a look over at spectrummonitoring.com! Not included in the charts is the US, probably because in this part of the world spectrum assignments vary quite significantly even between cities. But for Europe, Asia and the Americas a huge number of countries are present on the site.

Reply to this post

 

 

 

 

 

Alphabet and Amazon both have a good night. 

• Good Q2 16A results from Amazon and Google but a muted market reaction underscores that their valuations are both already pretty full.

Alphabet Q2 16A

• Alphabet reported good results as usage of Google Mobile Services (GMS) continued to underpin search revenues which combined with improving cost control benefitted the bottom line.
• Q2 16A revenues ex-TAC (traffic acquisition cost) / adj-EPS were $17.5bn / $8.42 compared to consensus at $16.9bn / $8.03 and RFM at $16.7bn / $7.50.
• Mobile was responsible for almost all of the surprise as the number of users of GMS has continued to grow but also the time that people spend using Google services.
• This is a strong contrast to Apple which remains dependent on the sale of the device to monetise its ecosystem.
• While hardware is a much more effective method of monetisation, there is very little growth left in the market raising the spectre of flat revenues for some time to come.
• In contrast there are still well over 3bn people who do not have a smartphone meaning that there is still scope for Google to grow its revenues albeit at a much slower pace going forward.
• I have long called this phenomenon the second derivative (see here and here) and it will also underpin the business case for Facebook, Baidu, Tencent, Alibaba, Amazon and so on going forward.
• The other half of the good results was driven by expense control where Alphabet continues to make slow but steady progress in reducing General and Administrative expenses.
• These are now down to 7.5% of revenues which I think is still much too high, but it is better than the 8-9% that has been the norm over the last few years.
• Consequently, the outlook for the rest of 2016 is good but there are some clouds on the horizon that keep me from feeling positive about the shares.
• The inherent fragmentation of Android and Google’s inability to distribute its updates still hamper usage leaving Alphabet far more dependent on iOS than it would like.
• Furthermore, if the EU comes down hard on Google, it could lose the ability to control the distribution of its services on Android putting almost all growth in revenues at risk.
• This combined with an already high valuation and a very strong rally in 2015, leaves me preferring to look elsewhere.

Amazon Q2 16A

• Amazon reported another profitable quarter where profits from Amazon Web Services (AWS) allowed investments to continue without returning the company to loss making territory.
• Q2 16A revenues / EPS were $30.4bn / $1.78 compared to consensus of $29.6bn / $1.12.
• AWS put in another mighty performance with revenues growing to $2.9bn with EBIT of $718m (24.9%).
• This alone made up 55% of EBIT despite being only 10% of revenues.
• 4% operating margins in North America made up the rest of the $1.3bn EBIT reported compared to consensus of $832.
• Faith is beginning to build that Amazon can maintain profitability despite continuing to invest very heavily in growth.
• It is clear that its experiments in hardware which have cost many billions of dollars are faring much better as the Echo is clearly a success and I see Amazon focusing much more on software and services going forward.
• A good example of this is its relationship with Motorola which is installing parts of the Amazon ecosystem on its devices at the factory and ensuring that these devices work well with Amazon.
• This is long where I have suspected that Amazon would go as its mindset has never been to make money out of hardware but rather the content and services that the hardware delivers.
• These things together lead me to believe that Amazon can continue to grow both its top and bottom line but the shares still leave me cold.
• This is because at 70.8x 2016 PER and 47.2x 2017 PER I think that all of these improvements have already been accounted for in the share price.
• The small upwards move in after-hours trading is a further indication that this is the case.
• Consequently, I expect to see Amazon’s PER continuing to decline even as it finally begins to fulfil its promise.
• I would be much more comfortable with Amazon trading with a forward PER of 20x – 30x meaning that I continue to look elsewhere for better value.
• Microsoft, Samsung Baidu and Apple are all more attractive and represent much safer investments.

Want to have this awesome Mozilla L10n shirt? It’s very easy. Just follow the simple instructions below. From today until the end of this month (that is 0001H of August 1, 2016), participate in the translation efforts of the Mozilla Philippines Community (MozillaPH), particularly in Tagalog Firefox. If you’re new to L10n, you may follow these steps: Login (or create an account if you still do not have one) to Pootle. Click on Firefox 49 (Aurora) — Tagalog (TL). Choose… Read the rest

In Vancouver’s downtown east-side, nestled between tent city and numerous buildings, lies an unassuming urban farm bursting with nature. This farm is the home base of Hives for Humanity, an organization that builds character and community through beekeeping. Their bee hives not only produce delicious honey, but create opportunities for at-risk populations to be involved in a meaningful experience, gain valuable tools, and foster supportive relationships. Their Therapeutic Mentorship Program has and continues to bring positive life change to countless individuals.

 

Although the Hastings farm is their flagship location, they have hives in 7 other neighbourhoods throughout Vancouver: Strathcona, Commercial Drive, Main Street, Mount Pleasant, Kitsilano, Hastings Sunrise, and Renfrew. When producing honey for sale, they keep the neighbourhood batches separate, which preserves the unique flavour created by bees from the different locations. With this, they’re able to create honey flights, allowing you to know exactly where the honey came from and to compare flavours between each jar. All of the honey is unpasteurized, meaning the natural nutrients and enzymes remain intact.

 

When we visited the farm, we were able to suit up and get hands on experience with the beekeeping! Being calm and gentle is key when handling the bees; the experience truly is therapeutic. We also learned an incredible amount about the nature of bees and their resilience to multiple environmental stressors. The bees lives revolve around the queen; if the queen is killed or disappears, the whole hive is aware and springs into action to nurture a larvae into a new queen. As well, bees are able to handle temperature changes by regulating the temperature inside the hive.

Despite their resilience, there are a few major factors contributing to the worldwide bee crisis. With an increase in monocultured crops and industrial agriculture, we’ve seen an alarming drop in numbers in the bee population. The urban settings of Hives for Humanity provides multiple and constant sources of nectar and pollen from March to October, resulting in no stress and good health for the bees! So while this operation nurtures the individuals living in the community, it also fosters good health and reproduction for the pollinators.

 

To learn more about Hives for Humanity, check out their website, visit them in person, or contact them online! There are plenty of ways to get involved whether it be volunteering, attending workshops, or simply supporting them by enjoying their delicious honey and spreading the word! To see all photos from our day at the Hastings Urban Farm, head to our Facebook page.

The post Hives for Humanity appeared first on Edible Canada.

Since Kaz Hirai took over as CEO of Sony, the legendary electronics company has been on a quest to return to profitability. Following the sale of its VIAO PC division, the company announced today it intends to sell its battery division.

Established in 1975, this is the same battery division that helped make Sony the first company to commercialize lithium-ion batteries back in 1991.

As Engadget notes, despite the storied history of its battery division, Sony has good reason to want to sell it. Over the past number of years, the division has fallen behind other, more capable competitors. Since 2010, Samsung has claimed the industry’s top spot. Moreover, other East Asian competitors like LG Chem and Panasonic outsell Sony on a regular basis.

Should everything go accord to plan, Sony will sell its battery division to Murata, a Japanese company that makes, among other things, an unsettling robot cheerleader. As part of the deal, Sony will transfer its battery-related manufacturing operations in China and Singapore to Murata, as well as all the research personal that work for the division.

Currently the two companies have a memorandum of understanding signed. A more binding agreement is expected be negotiated by the end of this fall, with the deal set to be completed, transfer and all, by March 2017.

Related: Sony is developing smartphone batteries that last 40 percent longer

“

Trump has abandoned the deep and pervasive optimism that has always energized the American nation.

He left the ground open for Michelle Obama to embrace the underlying chorus of hope that runs through the American story: that our national history is an arc toward justice; that evil rises for a day but contains the seeds of its own destruction; that beneath the vicissitudes that darken our days, we live in an orderly cosmos governed by love.

”

-

David Brooks, The Democrats Win the Summer

Brooks has a much deeper and broader view now that the collapse of the GOP has torn a hole in his heart. He’s been Grinched.

Inner Vision is a weekly digest connecting the dots between great everyday objects and the cultures and techniques behind living well with them. Here, we move beyond recommendations and ratings, because just as important as knowing what to buy is knowing what’s possible using the products you’ve purchased.

An Intro to Interior Design: To the layperson, interior design can seem like decorative alchemy, a confusing mixture of furniture and paint. In reality, interior design is less about decorating and more about spatial optimization guided by human psychology. The Curbed Handbook is a beginner’s course for anyone seeking a little help designing a room beyond spare utility or unplanned clutter and into the realm of personalized aesthetic functionality.

Eggs by Gandalf: “These scrambled eggs are perfectly cooked and dee-licious!” “Thanks! Jean Luc Picard taught me how to cook them on YouTube!” We discovered our friend had confused two of the world’s most beloved senior thespians for one another. Nevertheless, Sir Ian McKellen’s scrambled eggs recipe is no “yolk.”

Keep Calm and Carry-On Luggage: Travel often enough and you’ll either witness or participate in the struggle to meet carry-on or check-in luggage allowances. These guidelines can vary wildly between carriers (a few airlines even charges extra for a pillow or blanket!), so keep this handy carry-on and check-in guidelines PDF to avoid excess baggage fees and the annoyance of holding up the line.

Press Play: Some of the most genuinely revealing playlists you’ll ever put together are the ones you’ll curate for running. Think about it: These collections of music are specifically designed to motivate and energize without the usual filter of cultural relevance or concern about cool factor. These songs exhibit the most playful and enthusiastic sides of our personalities, filled with favorite songs spanning years, even decades. Outside magazine asked some of the world’s best ultrarunners to share what’s currently playing through their headphones, just in case you’ve ever wondered what motivates the fast to run even faster.

The Unified Theory of Deliciousness: Culinary enfant terrible David Chang equates a perfectly seasoned dish to an M.C. Escher creation, an infinite loop of taste: “Normally we think of a balanced dish as being neither too salty nor undersalted. I think that’s wrong. When a dish is perfectly seasoned, it will taste simultaneously like it has too much salt and too little salt. It is fully committed to being both at the same time.” I’ll never eat a bag of Honey Butter Chips the same way again.

Caffeine Cubed: What’s better than a glass of cold-brew coffee on a hot summer day? A cup of cold brew served with coffee cubes rather than regular ice cubes. Fellow morning smoothie devotees, take note: These flavored cubes are deliciously potent thrown in with hemp milk and chocolate protein powder for an extra “good morning” kick. Photo: Emma Christensen.

The Invention of Reinvention: “Change doesn’t have to be a onetime, cataclysmic, do-or-die event. One of the teachings of Buddhism is that we become new with each breath we take. Even the smallest increments of time produce change. By balancing the three boxes—considering what to preserve, what to destroy, and what to create—on a daily basis, you are inventing a new future as a steady process over time.”

Kill Your Phone: Tech-savvy car thieves have been circumventing late-model auto security systems, intervening in the communication between your car and the passive keyless entry and start fobs (PKES, the kind of “smart” keys that don’t require you to press a button to get into your car) that are supposed to secure them conveniently and safely. All it takes is a laptop and a $17 amplifier. It’s happened a few times in my own Los Angeles neighborhood: Thieves accessing cars without leaving any signs of forced entry. If your car has a PKES system, one solution is to store your keys inside a giant Faraday cage: the refrigerator. Or you can take some advice from Kill Your Phone and sew your own signal-blocking phone pouch. And maybe a tinfoil hat isn’t all that crazy sometimes.

Waste Not, Want Not: According to figures reported by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Americans throw away the majority of fruit and vegetables purchased for consumption—52 percent—totaling $165 billion annually. That’s a staggering amount of food waste that could be easily replanted and reborn in the backyard or in a balcony planter, turning kitchen scraps into an edible leftovers garden.

Got an interesting story, link, resource, or how-to you think we should check out for consideration for our next issue of Inner Vision? Drop us a line with the subject “Inner Vision,” and we’ll take a look!

(Top Photo: Gregory Han)

With less than 5 days left for Samsung to unveil the Galaxy Note 7, @Onleaks has now posted the complete specifications and feature set of the handset. The Note 7 will be based on the Galaxy S7 edge, though it will sport a slightly larger 5.7-inch curved Super AMOLED display and a S Pen. Continue reading →

 

A tragedy occurred yesterday on Vancouver’s federally controlled Granville Island. Three pedestrians were struck by a vehicle apparently trying to exit one of Granville Island’s parking lots. One pedestrian died.

As a pragmatic and sympathetic colleague stated, this accident could have happened anywhere. But should it be happening on Granville Island? Should we be allowing cars coming for a daily shopping trip to be accessing Granville Island? Should we be encouraging cars to be parking off site, developing a tram service, or upgrading bus service to the island?

Granville Island was created in 1915 by the Harbour Commission and morphed into a 37 acre island of dredged land. The history of the island and its industrial past is available here. Early tenants reflected the industrial history of Vancouver with the forest, mining, construction and boating companies located here, close to water access.

One of the earliest tenants, Ocean Cement which arrived in 1917, has a lease which expires in 2046. The island still retains some of its industrial past, and the open houses hosted by Ocean Cement are legendary for children of all ages.

As befits a working waterfront, Granville Island was developed without sidewalks, curbs or pedestrian amenities specifically to ensure that loading and unloading of cargo was not fettered.

Under federal jurisdiction, CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)  manages Granville Island and has an advisory trust which provides guidance to CMHC’s Granville Island Office.  Towards the future, the Granville Island 2040 Plan will look at the uses for the next several decades, with an advisory committee chaired by Simon Fraser University’s vice-chancellor, Michael Stevenson. The recently announced advisory committee panel is a polyglot of passionate place makers in architecture, industry and the arts. As Dr. Stevenson notes:

“Granville Island enjoys a world-renowned reputation as the epitome of successful mixed use development. Its future success is of great significance to the citizens of Vancouver as well as to our many visitors.”

As part of this visioning process the use of Granville Island for day tripping car traffic should be re-examined. While there is historic industrial traffic that will continue to serve the location, the 21st century should also reinforce sustainability, by having consumer and tourist traffic come by foot, bicycle and transit. For some reason the car has maintained  a 20th century dominance on Granville Island, with covered parking and open parking lots. Is it time for a more friendly reboot to active transportation and accessible convenient transit?

Telus sub-brand Public Mobile has recently made some major changes to its offerings, including now providing global text on all plans.

The company is also now touting a 90-day plan with 6GB of data for the same price as their previous 4GB 90-day plan. The plan costs $120 for approximately three months and includes province-wide talk and unlimited global text.

Other noteworthy additions are a 2GB 30-day plan and 3GB 90-day plan. Meanwhile, aiming for simplicity, Public has cut the 1GB and 4GB data options for 90-day plans, as well as the 6GB 30-day plan. In a candid post in its forum the company stated this was because as “very few customers were taking advantage of this plan.”

Public Mobile is a prepaid-only carrier that requires customers to bring their own phones, or directs them to buy inexpensive factory-refreshed phones through partner Orchard.

 

Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

The High Line is usually one of the more peaceful places tourists seek out when visiting New York City. But when six visual and audio artists took over the elevated strip between Gansevoort and West 18th Street just before midnight, it transformed from a tranquil path into an eerie, eclectic experience.

It might have remained an undiscovered event, but for the first signs of the immersive show, Up Late on the High Line, hosted by Friends of the High Line, floating down to street-level from above. At the event, Yael “KAT” Modiano and Ursula Sherrer perform electro-flute music, while costumed improvisers drip with glitter and flowers and dance back and forth across the path. As the space begins to fill with curious visitors, the music fades under the swelling noise of excited explorers.

Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

They almost overwhelm three other sets: Merche Blasco’s “Sonic Bloom” offers everyone a chance to take a flashlight and sweep light through the Chelsea Grasslands, looking for sensors that send up musical notes (there are no extra flashlights at any moment). Rob Roth provides a silent disco to a soundtrack based on the history of “Jackie 60,” the legendary Tuesday club-night that gave birth to MOTHER, the nightlife hub. And The Dance Cartel takes over one of the biggest tunnel-like sections of the path, filling it with music, DJ’s, and dancers as performers with glowing hula-hoops spin near the entrance.

But two acts steal the show.

Jordan Eagles is an artist/activist whose creations in the wake of the Florida Pulse shooting protested the FDA gay blood ban. He encases, suspends, and illuminates preserved blood, using glass and old-fashion projectors, into different spaces. The High Line’s arched ceiling at 14th Street is his largest venue yet. He originally used the unique liquid and light show in his 2015 project, Blood Mirror, also aimed at addressing the discriminatory blood-donation policy against homosexual men.

Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

“Tonight, the display uses cattle blood,” he tells The Creators Project. “The High Line used to be how they would transport cows to the Meatpacking District; the slaughterhouses were right around here. So it references the history of the neighborhood—there are still meat hooks hanging right over there.” With the eerie glow and blood patterns shining into the space and onto the walls, people look turned inside-out. Everyone seems reluctant to the leave the reverberating redness.

Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

While Eagles’ show is set in one space, the Carte Blanche Performance Ox Prowl features silent actors gracefully gliding around the other exhibits at Up Late. The glowing dancers capture all attention as they float gently through the spectators, undisturbed by attempted conversations. Several rush to get selfies or close-ups of the human fireflies, but their glow wards off all touches as the crowds part around them.

Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

As the night drifts on, the performers are seen less and less. But at the end of the path, on the lawn above 18th street, they gather for a silent dance. Some of them pull willing viewers into a waltz—one reaches out and gently lowers the camera of an onlooker before inviting her to dance as well. As their movements slowed, one by one they freeze in position, their lights dimming to darkness, before they collectively dart off the lawn and back down into the city.

Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

Jordan Eagles. Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

Up Late on the High Line, 2016. The High Line, New York City. Photo by Hannah Smith.

Up Late on the High Line took place July 21st at 10pm. Click here for more events from Friends of the High Line.

Related:

NYC's High Line Park Introduces Rainbow City

Sky Bridge Robot Sculpture Responds to Nature

19 Artists Hijacked the Hallways of a Brooklyn High-rise

I’ve been in Glasgow for a few days, and the bikeshare system has allowed me to explore a bit more of the city that I could have on foot.

First step: getting a bike. I noted that Tammy Thorne had reported some issues with the bikeshare system on the Dandyblog, so I prepared by loading the Nextbike app. Here is one of the bikeshare stations.

If you have the app, you can scan the QR code on the bike and it will let you know if it is available for rental. This seemed to work better than manually keying in the number on the phone or the keyboard on the bike. The app responds by giving you the combination to the lock.

and we’re off. Here is the bike on one of the pedestrian and bike bridges across the Clyde. It is a chunky bike with a Shimano 3 spd Nexus hub, but it strikes me as being less heavy than our bikeshare bikes in Toronto.

There are some nice paths along the north side of the river. In some sections, there are separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists. Here it is multiuse.

To get around some buildings, the path sometimes becomes a glorified sidewalk.

Approaching the Transport Museum, which was designed by the late Zaha Hadid.

The museum holds a sample of everything on wheels, plus some models of ships. I’m going to concentrate on the bikes.

Unfortunately, many of the bikes were suspended on a round track that was hung from the ceiling.

You could use a touchscreen display to get descriptions and pictures of each bike, but it wasn’t the same as being close up to them. I guess the advantage is that you can provide text in different languages, and that you could provide more text than on a static display, but it was a little disappointing none the less. Here are a Moulton and Raleigh 20 on the track.

A USS recumbent dating from the 30’s.

A display of trikes, with a Windcheetah in the foreground.

A vintage tandem trike on the same display. The front person has the option of not pedaling, and just using the footrests.

A view out the front of the building, with a huge wall of cars to the right. The same complaint applies to the cars: you can’t see them very well.

From another angle.

A special edition Raleigh chopper that was released for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. It didn’t sell very well. Perhaps the really heavy mag wheels had something to do with it.

A display of touring bikes. You could object to the fact that 2 out of five were not human powered, but one of the two motorbikes was used by Ewen McGregor, so I guess that’s OK.

This is allegedly a model of the first working bike in the world. Made in Scotland, naturally.

Finally, the thing that I really wanted to see was the replicas of Graeme Obree’s bikes.

One had the original narrow bars meant to be under the rider’s chest, and the other featured the extended superman position. Both positions were banned by the UCI.

Here is a shot of the narrow bars, with my hand barely in front of them, to get a sense of just how narrow these are.

Overall, I was underwhelmed by the Obree display as the replicas were rather crude, with no attempt to show the ultra narrow Q factor or the special cranks that the real bike had.

Nevertheless, it was a fun visit, doubly so because I got there by bike. Here I am biking back as the weather turned rainy.

These wayfinding signs were helpful, with timings given for both cyclists and pedestrians.

It was often difficult to tell if a given sidewalk was part of a bike route. It was more clear where the pavement was a special colour, such as red which seemed to indicate multiuse.

Elsewhere, blue signage was helpful.

When you return a rental bike, you just pull up to a bike station, lock the bike and then indicate the return on the app. One thing is that if you are on a roaming data plan, it would be inadvisable to keep the app running for the whole time that you have the bike. If you turn off the app after you check the bike out, it is helpful to note the combination beforehand, especially if you plan to lock up the bike during your rental period. I got into the habit on taking a screen cap as soon as I rented a bike.

When you return the bike, relaunch the app and it will figure out where you are.

Note that this screen is also providing you with the lock combination. Press return, and then you can select the actual location where you are doing the return. You will be rewarded by this screen.

The app also lets you review your rentals to make sure all your returns were successful.

On our second day in Glasgow, the weather was much better and it was great to see so many people out and about on the two main pedestrian streets downtown: Buchanan and Sauciehall.

A cool non US model Cannondale with small wheels and a kid seat.

This is Mitchell St, which runs parallel to Buchanan but one short block west. This street seemed to be used for loading into the backs of buildings that fronted on Buchanan.

The pedestrianization of a good deal of downtown has transformed these streets into a big, outdoor shopping mall. There was definitely a huge amount of foot traffic, but I’m not sure that this would be the best model for revitalization. I would hope that the second floors and above of the buildings would be given over to offices and such so that employment as well as retail activity could anchor downtown.

More Glaswegians enjoying the sun. You might wonder about the slogan posted in many places: “People Make Glasgow”.  Well I must say that everyone we’ve met in Glasgow has been very friendly!

Some flaggers in the Merchant City district, practicing for a street festival that starts tomorrow. This section of the city had pavers put down in 2011, and it gives this area a distinct character, along with all the old buildings with their impressive stonework.

and here are two Dutch bikes belonging to the owners of a very cool jewelry shop, with one of them trying to get out of the picture.

All in all, an enjoyable visit, but all too brief. I also went by a special bike shop, but I’ll write that up in a separate post.

 

 

 

Together with Nokia, Bell claims to have successfully demonstrated Fifth Generation mobile technology (5G).

According to a statement, the trial was conducted using Bell’s Wireless Innovation Centre in Mississauga and leveraged spectrum in the 73 GHz range to reach consistent data speeds that were six times faster than top 4G mobile speeds currently available in Canada.

5G data speeds are likely to be commonplace in Canada within the next five to seven years. Specifically, 5G provides a better foundation to meet the needs of the emerging IoT market related to connected vehicles and city-wide IoT solutions.

“Bell’s strategic focus on driving broadband network and service innovation has been key to our transformation into Canada’s wireless leader. The success of the first 5G trial means we are well positioned to lead the way to the next generation of mobile technology,” said Stephen Howe, Bell’s chief technology officer and executive vice president in a statement.

“Bell is working closely with Nokia and our other partners in North America and worldwide to create the network, device and application ecosystem required to ensure Canadians will be able take full advantage of the 5G opportunity,” Howe continued.

Bell currently operates research and development centres in Dorval (Quebec), Mississauga and Toronto. Bell is also a member of the Next Generation Mobile Networks consortium — the international group defining the requirements for a 5G technology ecosystem. This global body is focused on delivering commercially-available 5G around the world by 2020.

Talk of 5G testing has been rampant among the Big Three Canadian carriers. Rogers, Bell and Telus have all committed to investing in and developing a 5G ecosystem in Canada, though it looks like Bell is pulling ahead.

In addition to local carriers, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has committed significant investments towards developing Canada’s 5G infrastructure. The company announced in March of this year a $303 million investment over five years into Ontario’s 5G acceleration program.

“Canada’s ability to compete in a digital world will be defined by our culture of innovation,” said the Honourable Navdeep Bains, the minister of innovation, science and economic development, in a statement sent to MobileSyrup.

He continued, “This successful trial of next-generation 5G here in Canada is one example of how our country can become a global centre of innovation by being early adopters of emerging technologies.”

Related reading: Rogers, Bell and Telus are ramping up testing 5G network

GIFs and screencaps via

A YouTuber called Limit Breakers has created a Dark Souls 3 texture mod that is the Dark Souls of Dark Souls texture mods: He's replaced all the surfaces and textures in the game with pictures of everyone's favorite ogre, Shrek. In a game notorious for being difficult but fair, the decision to cover not only the player's entire body, but the texture of every friend, enemy, and the whole damn landscape with Shrek, is a bold one. The only possible follow-up might be to replace every surface in the game with Nicolas Cage's face—which he's also done. But like onions and ogres, this game has layers, and one of those layers is that it's wildly amusing to watch someone storm Farron Keep while shouting, "What are you doing in my swamp?!" and mowing down jailers in Irithyll Dungeon to a soundtrack of remixed Nic Cage quotes. In the video's description, Limit Breakers writes, "Some people say games are art, I like to think we have proved otherwise..."

Here's Limit Breakers' tutorial for how to override the textures in Dark Souls 3 with whatever meme you want. You can see his full demo video, which includes four other memetic textures, below, but first check out a couple of our favorite moments below.

See more Limit Breakers videos on YouTube.

Related:

The Top 10 Game Mods Of All Time

Modder 'girlplaysgame' Talks Reshaping Video Games

Play 'Doom' with Instagram Filters and a Selfie Stick in This Amazing Mod

An open letter regarding the use of design-guidelines, and the proposed down-zoning of RT lots in the Grandview Woodlands Plan

Is this tax, which I’m told the province decided to implement after looking at some pretty disastrous polling stories three weeks ago, really our version of Brexit?

Could it be our (tamer) version of the British vote where people rebelled against the prevailing tide of globalization favoured by governments and the corporate world?

(I’m not going to bother linking here to all the stories documenting the ripple effects of this tax that have unfurled in the last four days. I presume anyone here as seen them all and there are far too many. Stories about many people who had bought in pre-sales caught by this, from students due to arrive from India to Americans who had accepted jobs here. Letters from construction companies and developers about the dire impacts they are seeing. This morning, people opining that this violates NAFTA. But, wow, what a drama. A tragedy for some but, I have to say, a gift for reporters.)

 

The third stage of cycling infrastructure includes the build-out of a network of separated routes without a lot of controversy (other stages here).  There’s more evidence on Burrard Street south of the bridge:

This separated extension south of First Avenue, heading up to the Arbutus greenway, came as a surprise to a lot of well-informed advocates in the cycling community.

The opportunity arose with the renovation of Burrard Street.  So, rather than just a painted line, the City spent a bit more to make this a safer and clearer link between two of the major components of cycling infrastructure in Vancouver.

It’s also a demonstration of how a separated route can be built along a retail street.

The Lancet (an independent medical journal) has produced a series (“Physical Activity 2016“) to update their 2012 findings. It seems the authors of this series care a lot.  And yes, urban planning has a big role to play.

In 2012, The Lancet published its first Series on physical activity, which concluded that physical inactivity is as important a modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases as obesity and tobacco. Four years later, the second Series presents an update of the field, including progress in epidemiological research, global surveillance, intervention strategies, and policy actions. The papers will also feature the largest harmonised meta-analysis on the joint health effects of sedentary behaviour and physical activity, and the first global estimate of the economic burden of physical inactivity.

The Series encourages policy makers to take physical activity more seriously and to provide sufficient capacity and funding to implement national policies. Without a rapid increase in action, the WHO target of a 10% reduction in physical inactivity by 2025 will not be reached. We must continue to strive towards the longer term goal: the integration of physical activity into our daily lives.

The Series contains around 13 articles, perspectives and related content.  Those I read required free registration but not payment.

From “Scaling up physical activity interventions . . . “”

Background:   Since the publication of the first Lancet Series on physical activity in 2012—which recognised physical inactivity as a global pandemic and urged all sectors of governments and societies to take immediate action— the demand for effective strategies to increase population physical activity levels has grown. A substantial body of evidence resulting from decades of research in the fields of exercise physiology, public health, epidemiology, and the behavioural sciences has shown that physical activity has broad economic and health benefits and that under scientifically controlled circumstances, behaviour change is achievable for increasing physical activity in diverse groups. . . .

. . .  Urban planning and transportation policies should prioritise actions that promote safe, equitable, and environmentally friendly active mobility and leisure options for all citizens

Caution:  this is rigorous scientific material, for the most part. Those with a low tolerance for depth and complexity, or for opinions contrary to their own, need not dig into any of it.

From HUB:

1. Prizes, oh so many prizes! Everyone who registers for Bike to Shop Day will be entered to win a trip for two to the Okanagan! Plus we have great prizes for people participating in the celebrations downtown. Register before July 31st to win a Classic Bike Suit Bag from Two Wheel Gear.  Check out all the prizes here.

2. Ride and receive discounts at stores across the city. Over 20 stores are offering promotions to people that arrive by bike on August 13th. From yoga classes to bike accessories to cheese, there’s something for everyone – check out our discount map below! We encourage you to support these businesses because they support cycling.

3. Discover new stores with new friends on our free rides . Join our Pet Parent or Picnic Paradise guided rides to visit unique shops around the city. Rides will be friendly to all ages and abilities and will end at Bike to Shop Day celebrations – so you won’t miss out on the fun Downtown! Confirm your space today. 

4. Learn tips from the pros. Is it your first time biking to shop? Unsure how to juggle bringing the kids along and making space for your groceries? Visit a HUB celebration station to learn from experienced community champions like Jordon Miller from Dandy Lion Cargo and Lisa Corriveau from Spokesmama. You can also read our tips to get ready for the event.

5. Grow HUB’s voice and show bikes are good for business. Help us showcase the benefits of biking to shop. We know people on bikes tend to make more frequent stops, and spend more than those arriving by car. By participating in Bike to Shop Day you’ll help us collect new data to support this message and grow the support of local businesses.

Volunteer at the event Want to get involved with Bike to Shop Day? We’re still looking for amazing volunteers like you to help at our Celebration Stations. Shifts are 10am-1pm and 1pm-4pm. Interested? Contact mathieu@bikehub.ca with your availability.

The exhaustive and exhausting G-W Community Plan process came to an end Thursday when council approved the last iteration (with only Adriane Carr opposed due to the accelerated, mid-summer final-approval schedule). The amended plan reflected much of what the innovative Citizens Assembly had recommended but parted company with planning staff on the controversial Boffo-Kettle site at Venables and Commercial. The Vancouver Sun story is here.

The process itself will probably be mined for years for ideas about public engagement and attempts to hear the voices of citizens other than “the usual suspects.” What united the community was a concern about displacement of renters; the plan has a “pace of change” provision in which only 5 rental buildings, of a maximum of 150 units (out of about 4,000 in the area), will be considered for redevelopment in the first three years. It’s interesting the city has the power to do that within the framework of the Vancouver Charter.

 

A city graphic from The Plan.

An uncontroversial part of the plan involves zoning on Commercial Drive itself – keeping the existing 3 FSR and resisting lot consolidation to try to keep its streetscape of small storefronts alive and vibrant. Changes to the RT duplex heritage/character area east of The Drive sailed through, too; changes to that zoning to make it more like the successful RT8 zoning in Kitsilano will penalize with a reduced FSR any owner/builder who wants to tear down a pre-1940 house, and reward retention with infill, multiple-suite conversions, and other goodies. However, a group of architects and fellow-travellers under the title “Dynamic Cities Project” opposed the reduction of the outright FSR there to .5.

Is there any innovative mechanism to retain and renovate the small, affordable apartment buildings without renovicting the tenants? If so, I haven’t spotted it. It seems everyone has drunk the Kool-Aid of Affordability and Supply to such an extent that they’re willing to tear down buildings that would sell at $400/square foot and replace them with larger ones at $800/square foot. However, there is much new rental density, especially along Hastings and on Broadway, which most people supported.

Open space in park-deficient Grandview was an issue for many, but the plan only offers “enhancements” and new “plazas” to soothe the 35% population increase predicted by the plan. Is this the new normal for dog-abundant, child-friendly Vancouver? Will the city say okay, this new ratio of greenspace/person is enough for the 21st century, and let’s decommission parks elsewhere in the city and build affordable housing on them? Doubt it.

In the hearings, the sweep of the plan was hijacked, to a degree, by the split in the community over Boffo-Kettle led by the No Venables Tower group. Supporters of the project, including a carefully curated, heartwarming video of the Kettle’s clients, were encouraged in chambers by Councillor Jang and clearly won the day. Much of the controversy about the project focused on building height (12 storeys) rather than its proposed FSR of around 6.7 in an area where the highest density so far is about 2.5; staff’s response, presumably reflecting urban design concerns and the impact of such a large condo component on the nearby low-income apartment area, was to recommend 9 storeys, a lower streetwall and an FSR close to 4. Cllrs. Carr and Affleck voted against the amendment.

I spoke to council in favour of the plan (as presented, not as amended) but didn’t find the amended outcome surprising. This is a rich country which increasingly supports its mentally ill population (in the case of Boffo-Kettle) and impoverished renter population with private-sector bonusing. The din of the cash registers while property-transfer taxes flow into provincial coffers and the city increasingly stratifies is never matched by increasing public investments in social services.

To me the major sour note was Councillor Meggs, at the end when words of reconciliation would have been appropriate, chiding the community for its reluctance to accept what he considers to be adequate density for public transit. A 35% population increase is not enough? In a community of transit users, many of whom are poor renters, with the highest cycling rate in the city? Of course, he is the point man on the Subway to Nowhere, aka the Broadway line that will terminate at Arbutus Street. Did I say I tried to stay neutral?