Cars that make the Grade

Posted on April 29, 2010 by admin

So your offspring has finally flown the nest for the world of higher learning. But now your university-bound teenager is constantly bugging you to buy them a car. Your immediate answer will be a firm no. But that’s when you will discover that there is no more effective lobbyist than an 18-year-old with a fixed idea.

Take it from a father: after the fiftieth dinner table discussion on the topic, you’ll be weakening. “Dad, aren’t you the one who is always telling me it’s not safe to linger at bus stops at night? Or, “Dad, how am I supposed to get good grades when I’m spending hours on public transit instead of studying?”

At some point, whether you agree to put down all the price or just help out your youngster, you’re likely to say yes. And that brings up the next question: what type of car?

Continue reading →

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Amazon Kindle2 or Sony Reader Touch? – A tale of two eBook readers

Posted on April 26, 2010 by admin

The next time someone asks what you’re reading, they may not be referring to the author and title. Instead, they may be inquiring about whether your current book is printed with ink or displayed on “electronic paper.”

More and more Canadians may be choosing the latter this year as digital readers continue their literary assault on the book business. Similar in size to a paperback novel but thin as a CD case, so-called eReaders look like gargantuan smart phones that are designed to store and display hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers.

The content can either be downloaded through a wireless connection or transferred from your personal computer. The words appear on an ultra low-glare screen using something called E-ink. This not only emulates the look of the printed page, but also reduces eyestrain associated with computer screens.

Best of all though, these gadgets allow you to carry an entire library of digital publications wherever you go. Try that on your next vacation without an eReader and you’ll soon exceed the allowable luggage weight.

I pulled two popular eReaders off the shelf and decided to thumb through the features of each to see how they stack up against each other. Continue reading →

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Banishing Airplane Ear

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Anna

I suffer from Airplane Ear, a condition the Mayo Clinic describes in the following paragraph:

The stress exerted on your eardrum (tympanic membrane) and other middle ear tissues when the air pressure in your middle ear and the air pressure in the environment are out of balance. You may experience airplane ear at the beginning of a flight when the airplane is climbing or at the end of a flight when the airplane is descending. These fast changes in altitude cause air pressure changes and can trigger airplane ear.

In my case the pain happens on descent and to alleviate it I’ve tried chewing gum, breathing exercises and sucking on candy.  Continue reading →

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Recycling Christmas Cards

Posted on January 4, 2010 by admin

Do you have a collection of Christmas cards gathering in a drawer since 1972?

Image: Raven's Magic Lantern

If you aren’t sure what to do with all those cards you received over the holidays there is a charity that’s actively looking for all those paper greetings.

The St. Jude’s Ranch for Children has been running a card recycling program for over past 30 years.  The program turns the fronts of used Christmas cards into new cards that are sold to the public.  The profits from the recycled cards go right back into this very worthy program.

Click here to learn more about St. Jude’s and their recycling card program.

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