Of the Week

Best of the Week – 1513

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Here we go with this weeks edition of Best of the Week.

Movie Trailer of the Week: 

42 – In theaters April 12th, 2013

Synopsis: The life story of Jackie Robinson and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey.
I may not big a big fan of Baseball, or a lot of other sports, but the Jackie Robinson story is important. It not only changed baseball, but a lot of other sports as well. The biggest name to star in this film is Harrison Ford, and he is joined by one of my favourites, Alan Tudyk and Chadwick Boseman, who will take on the main role.

News Article of the Week:

Researcher hacks aircraft controls with Android smartphone.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/11/hacking_aircraft_with_android_handset/
I’m and android user and I’m a pilot. This hits close to home, well, sort of. The gentlemen that did this is also an android fan and developer, and also a pilot. His main reason behind doing this little experiment was to open the eyes of the aviation industry to the fact that a lot of the systems used to monitor commercial aircraft are not secure. His presentation is great, but does leave out a lot of key information that will keep your everyday users from taking over the flight your on. If it helps, the FAA and EASA ere made aware of his findings months ago and are already working on fixes.

Meme of the Week:

Dogs wearing Pantyhose
This is an odd little fetish isn’t it. This fad seems to be taking China by storm.  After the original image from Chinese social network Weibo user Ulatang on April 2nd, hundreds of these photos have started popping up all over the internet. It’s almost like a strange new version of dogshaming.

Pantyhose dogs, meme of the week
The image that started it all.
More panythose dogs
A notable example, this one at least gets Zebra print boots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, I’m still open to suggestions for other categories, and for nominations to get included on the list. You can let me know at: oftheweekATleighcDOTcom

Of the Week

Best of the Week – 1413

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Here we go with this weeks edition of Best of the Week.

Movie Trailer of the Week: 

Scary Movie 5 – In theaters April 12th, 2013

Synopsis: A couple begin to experience some unusual activity after bringing their newborn son home from the hospital. With the help of home-surveillance cameras and a team of experts, they learn they’re being stalked by a nefarious demon.
Oh look, another spoof movie, though I will admit that the Scary Movie series does a decent job of poking fun at main stream films. This latest film in the series stars Ashley Tisdale, Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen.

YouTube Video of the Week:

Bubba Watson gets a new golf cart

2 weeks with golf related videos? I must be getting anxious for the courses to open here in New Brunswick. Golf carts haven’t changed much in years, though some people do customize them and add bling, but Bubba wanted something different. Oakley and Bubba came up with the BW1 Hovercraft.

Bubba Watsons hovercraft, video of the week
Yes I want one.

News Article of the Week:

Radio hosts back from suspension after ‘Dihydrogen Monoxide’ prank.
http://www.ihaveabuzz.com/articles/weird-news-104673/florida-radio-hosts-back-after-suspension-11142527/
Ok, so on April 1st, if someone on the radio is making claims that a chemical called Dihydrogen Monoxide has contaminated the water supply, do you believe them? If you live in Lee County Florida, you do. Although it is not the officially recognized chemical name, it does follow basic chemical nomenclature rules, it translates to H20, or as we normally call it, water.

Android App of the Week:

GPS Status & Toolbox.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2
It is a basic app that gives you a plethora of information. Satellite position and strength, speed, acceleration, battery level, compass (magnetic and true north), altitude, pitch, roll, a level, reset A-GPS data, and the ability to mark your present location and return to it later. It runs nicely in the background whenever another app requires GPS data, and I have found that lock on time and accuracy is increased.

As always, I’m still open to suggestions for other categories, and for nominations to get included on the list. You can let me know at: oftheweekATleighcDOTcom

Of the Week

Best of the Week – 1313

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Here we go with this weeks edition of Best of the Week.

Movie Trailer of the Week: 

Jurassic Park 3D – In theaters April 5th, 2013
http://youtu.be/2jH9iAHSKds?hd=1
Synopsis: A wealthy man has created an island amusement park filled with dinosaurs cloned from fossilized DNA. When he invites experts to endorse it, nature takes over.
This film was one of the biggest blockbusters when I was younger, and now it’s back in 3D. Now, I’m not a big fan of 3D as it tends to make me sick, so I probably will not see this in theater, but it should be a good one for everyone else to go see.
The cast does include Sam Neill, Samuel L. Jackson and Jeff Goldblum.

YouTube Video of the Week:

Sergio Garcia climbs a tree to hit one-handed second shot

This has to be one of the most amazing golf shots that I, and probably you have ever seen or ever will. His first shot some how lands in a tree, so he scales the tree, finds the ball, asks for a wedge/high iron, then hits the shot one-handed and backwards. Talk about skill! I have a new respect for this man.

News Article of the Week:

Niceville women back in jail after shoe attack.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/weird/Niceville-Woman-Back-in-Jail-After-Shoe-Attack-Report–199876571.html
Did Austin Powers predict this or something? So this woman is released from jail after serving time for threatening to kill her father. While she is in jail, he gets rid of her dog. Now she’s out, and what does she do when she finds out? Yeah, unleashes the Rebook assault weapons.

Shoe Throwing news of the week
That really hurt! I’m gonna have a lump there, you idiot! Who throws a shoe? Honestly! You fight like a woman!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, I’m still open to suggestions for other categories, and for nominations to get included on the list. You can let me know at: oftheweekATleighcDOTcom

Of the Week

Best of the Week – 1213

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Here we go with this weeks edition of Best of the Week.

Movie Trailer of the Week: 

G.I. Joe: Retaliation – In theaters March 29th, 2013

Synopsis: The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.
There are only a few returning cast members from the last film, but they do include Channing Tatum as Duke, Ray Park as Snake Eyes and Byung-hun Lee as Storm shadow. This time around we add a few new Joe’s into the mix including Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as Roadblock, Bruce Willis as Joe Colton and Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye.

YouTube Video of the Week:

Social Farter – Quit The Denial.ca
http://youtu.be/fb5q2eie4ko?hd=1
Although the content does not apply to me, I do find the message of this ad to be rather amusing. I think it would be great to see people actually doing this in public or at parties. Props to the agency that put this one together.

YouTube channel you should be subscribed to, of the week:

ScreenJunkies
https://www.youtube.com/user/screenjunkies

These guys do a wonderful series called Honest Trailers, where they take movies and voice over the movie trailers with more honest descriptions of what actually happens. Be sure to check out their trailer for The Dark Knight, Skyfall and Twilight:Breaking Dawn.

News Article of the Week:

Man finds knife in his back, 3 years after stabbing.
http://www.modbee.com/2013/03/22/2633942/man-finds-knife-in-back-3-years.html
Talk about meanwhile in Canada. I am still trying to figure out how someone does not notice a knife in their back for 3 years, and this may reflect poorly on health care in Canada… how did they miss the knife when doing x-rays.
X-ray Knife, news of the week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, I’m still open to suggestions for other categories, and for nominations to get included on the list. You can let me know at: oftheweekATleighcDOTcom

Of the Week

Best of the Week – 1113

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Here we go with this weeks edition of Best of the Week.

Movie Trailer of the Week: 

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone – In theaters March 15th, 2013

Synopsis: When a street magician’s stunt begins to make their show look stale, superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton look to salvage on their act – and their friendship – by staging their own daring stunt.
2 movie trailers in a row about magicians? Maybe magic is making a come back. Not sure this is going to rank in my list of films that must be seen in theater  more likely it will rank in the “I’ll wait for it to come out on Blu-Ray” category.
The cast is led by Steve Carell and Jim Carrey, and features Alan Arkin, Steve Buscemi and the sexy Olivia Wilde.

YouTube Video of the Week:

Pepsi Max & Jeff Gordon present: “Test Drive”
http://youtu.be/Q5mHPo2yDG8?hd=1
Yes, I know it’s a fake… it’s not really Jeff Gordon (debatable) and the car sales rep is a paid actor, but who cares. Pepsi has put together one of the best and most original advertisements I’ve seen recently. I would so love to this myself, but I’m not skilled as a driver, if I was… I might be The Stig‘s Canadian cousin.

News Article of the Week:

Twinkies buyer says cakes could be back by summer.
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/12/4116788/twinkies-buyer-says-cakes-could.html
You might remember how the USA almost imploded back in November 2012 when Hostess, the company that makes Twinkies, Ding Dongs and those awesome cupcakes with the white icing twirl on them, declared bankruptcy and stopped operations. Well, there is hope, someone is buying up the tasty little treats and hopes to have them back on store shelves soon.
Twinkies, not back this week, but soon.

YouTube Channel you should be Subscribed to, of the week:

Robbaz
https://www.youtube.com/user/Robbaz
Holy crap… this guy does some of the best, and by best I mean funniest, video game reviews I have ever seen. He looks at some new, some old, and even some games that are still in beta and gives an honest and hilarious overview of the game, or parts of the game, and his accent is awesome. Subscribe today, do it, you know you want to.

As always, I’m still open to suggestions for other categories, and for nominations to get included on the list. You can let me know at: oftheweekATleighcDOTcom

Blah

Another one of my crazy ideas

I’m sometimes really good at coming up with crazy ideas. Here’s another one.

Owning a car can be expensive, and when you drive as much as I do, you start to look for ways to lower your costs.
Some things I do, or have done include:

  • Maximize time between oil changes. My driving is mostly highway, so I should be able to get 9,000 – 11,000 kilometres between oil changes, and I always get a synthetic blend for high mileage engines.
  • Drive the speed limit. I’m a male, and well, most of us like to drive a little fast, in fact I normally do a speed limit + 10% cruising speed, but I have found that I can change my L/100KM (MPG) just by slowing down to the posted limit.
  • Proper tire inflation. I check them every 2 – 3 weeks to confirm that they are within 0.5 PSI of the manufactures recommendation.
  • Tire rotation. Every 10,000 km, lines up really nice with getting an oil change.

Now, I know that I could probably get better economy by bumping my fuel grade up from regular to extra/mid grade or even going to premium/top grade… but I drive close to 48,000 km each year (or did last year and am on track to do it again this year), so getting the best bang for my buck with gas prices where they are is important.
Here’s my Fuelly Badge, and I’ve tracked every fill up since I bought my 2008 Ford Escape in August 2011.
My Fuelly Badge

 

 

And in MPG too: My Escape in MPG

I’m going to be going through a set of tires every 2-3 years, assuming I’m not overly crazy with my driving, and get 10k – 15k from my winters and 30k – 35k from my summer set, so that is going to be an extra cost, plus the cost of the oil changes, the extra for the better oil, and the fun of getting shock and struts and other front end parts replaced more often thanks to living in New Brunswick, where roads are often littered with pot holes in the spring.

I guess it is finally time to get to the real point of this dialogue. I want to get sponsors for my vehicle, real people and businesses willing to pay or give time/parts towards maintenance, and in return, they can advertise on my truck. Now I’ll have to do some more research to see if this is practical, and how it might impact my tax returns in the future, and if anyone would want to advertise on my vehicle, but it’s worth a shot.
Picture the vehicle below sporting some stickers that don’t add horsepower! (Not my real Ford Escape)
2008 Ford Escape - My crazy truck needs sponsors

Blah

Oh Ford, I am not amused.

Ford Logo

Originally I was going to reiterate my pains with the slow fuelling issue that continues to plagued me when it is below 0’C, but now I have met what appears to be a more serious problem. Before I jump down to the real issue, Ford did issue a Technical Service Bulletin for the filling, hence why I’m done with that annoyance. It is available here.

Now, on to the latest and greatest problem.

It started only a few weeks ago, after a weekend where my 2008 Ford Escape was parked in my drive way the entire time. I started my drive to work around my normal time and noticed that the steering wheel had a strange vibration that had not been there before, but it seemed minor so I figured I would check it out when I got to work, after a drive of almost 100 km. I had to stop for gas, and with the early February weather we get in New Brunswick, it was cold… damn cold, so filling up took almost 10 minutes to dispense 55 litres of fuel. When I started up my truck after gassing up, I had no power steering at all. Lucky for me, my drive is mostly highway without many turns, and I figured that I could check the power steering fluid when I get to work, of course, after I get to work I get distracted and forget about it.
Work day ends and it is time to go home, again I have forgotten about the power steering. I start it up and notice the vibration is back in the wheel and remember my situation from earlier. The entire drive home I had power steering, but the wheel continued to vibrate. Now being the person I am, I immediately jumped on the internet to start researching my problem and found out something that was new to me… the 2008 Ford Escape had Electric Power Assist as opposed to the normal hydraulic steering system, so no fluid to top up for an easy fix. Further research seems to show that I am not alone with this problem. Numerous owners in the US and Canada have experienced the same problem, and it seems Ford has only 1 answer for them… replace the Steering Column… not diagnose and repair what is probably faulty software or bad sensors in the EPA system, but replace the entire steering column, and based on what others are paying will cost between $1,400 and $1,800 for parts and labour.
Until I can get the money saved up, I will continue to putter along with this random annoyance, the some times I work and try to shake your arms off while pulling to the left all the time and may or may not shut off whilst you are driving along at highways speeds or attempting to go around a corner at 80 km/h (think 50 MPH… 49.7097 if you want to be exact)… or I just don’t want to work today and you will have to strong-arm the entire drive and develop forearms the look like Popeye. Once I am done paying off the Escape (or it dies, which I hope it doesn’t), I am going to look at down sizing, and now, I’m not sure Ford will be on my list of potential manufacturers to consider.

Some further resources for anyone else that might be experiencing the same issue:

Transport Canada Active Defect Investigations – 2008 -2011 Ford Escape is listed for power steering failure.

CBC The National piece that aired on March 5th, 2013: http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV+Shows/The+National/Canada/ID/2340987438/

AboutAutomobile.com 2008 Ford Escape Steering Complaints list.

CarProblemZoo.com Ford Escape Steering Problems. This list is filled with a lot of 2008 Escapes with steering failures.

And if you need to get the steering column, you can price it up here… if you live in the US. Check page 3 (using default number per page) and select the part the matches up to your vehicles build date.

If you wish to add your vehicle to the list of affected ones, submit a complaint to either Transport Canada (in Canada… duh) or The Office of Defects Investigation , an office within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (in the USA).

And if you happen to own a Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute or Mercury Mariner from any year, you should check out Escape City.

Of the Week

Best of the Week – 1013

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Here we go with with this weeks edition of Best of the Week.

Movie Trailer of the Week: 

Oz the Great and Powerful – In theatres March 8th, 2013

Synopsis: A small-time magician arrives in an enchanted land and is forced to decide if he will be a good man or a great one.
Have you ever wanted to know what happened before Dorothy took her magical trip to the Land of Oz? Well, Disney is going to help us out with this prequel that tells the tale of the wizard, also know as Oscar Diggs. This story is based upon L. Frank Baum‘s Wizard of Oz, the author himself never penned this prequel.
James Franco steps in as the lead character and is joined by Michelle Williams as the good witch of the north, Rachel Weisz as the wicked witch of the east, and the gorgeous Mila Kunis as the wicked witch of the west.

YouTube Video of the Week:

Homer Shake – The Simpsons
http://youtu.be/YNrn-7zjmYw?hd=1
We are only a few months into 2013 and we may already have this year’s equivalent of Gangnam Style. Meet the Harlem Shake, not to be confused with the dance that originated in Harlem in the early 1980’s, so popular that even The Simpsons have jumped on board. Personally, I prefer the original full length song by Baauer.
http://youtu.be/Bk1_DbbzSdY

News Article of the Week:

Waitress handed her own stolen ID by alleged thief.
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/weird/Woman-Arrested-After–195911981.html
So you lose you purse almost a month ago, losing cash, credit cards, etc. The last thing you probably expect to happen? Having your own drivers licence handed to you as proof of age when ordering drinks… well it happened, and the odd part is, that the suspect is listed as being 26 years old, and should have their own licence. Almost Darwin award worthy.

Awesome Software of the Week:

StudioTax
http://www.studiotax.com/
It’s tax time up here in Canada, and in the US also, but since I don’t live there, I don’t trouble myself with understanding their tax system. StudioTax is a CRA and Revenue Quebec certified program to help you prepare and file your federal and provincial taxes. At this time StudioTax is only available for computers running the Windows operating system. The app is secure, and allows you to file up to the 20 return personal limit, and saves your completed returns as PDF’s and in the required NetFile format. The best part, no activation, no registration and it is free, and you are welcome to make a donation to the developers should you wish.
StudioTax - Software of the week

 

 

 

As always, I’m still open to suggestions for other categories, and for nominations to get included on the list. You can let me know at: oftheweekATleighcDOTcom

Of the Week

Best of the Week – 0613

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Here we go with this weeks edition of Best of the Week.

Sorry for the lack of a post last week… we were out buying a new car for my wife.

Movie Trailer of the Week: 

Top Gun 3D – In theatres February 8th, 2013
http://youtu.be/LZaRCEI4Hr0?hd=1
Synopsis:As students at the Navy’s elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young flyer learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.
I really want to take a road trip to my nearest IMAX to see this, even if it is a 27-year-old film, and 3D tends to make me vomit. Top Gun is one of the films that drove a love of flying deep down into my core, and made me want to be a military aviator… I say military, since Canada has no naval aviation. The film stars a young Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and Anthony Edwards, along with Tom Skerritt, Micheal Ironside and Kelly McGillis.

YouTube Video of the Week:

Hitchhiker gives Psycho the ax, the raw footage.

Well, the video above is the raw, uncensored footage of 2013’s biggest viral sensation so far. Kai with no last name was hitchhiking, when the driver of the car he was riding in went nuts and ran into a utility worker, pinning them against their vehicle. Kai, decided to step in and make a difference. Now the internet has another catch phrase/meme to play with… Smash, Smash, Smash!

Original from KMPH Fox 26:

News Article of the Week:

Man tattoos his name across his lovers face.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/9850234/Man-tattoos-his-name-across-his-lovers-face.html
There is just too much wrong about this, I can’t even…
Tattoo Face, news this week.

Game of the Week:

Firefall
Firefall is a sci-fi MMO shooter set in a future Earth. A starship disaster unleashes a titanic energy storm called the Melding. It envelopes the earth, wipes out most of the planet, and spawns hostile creatures who self-proclaim themselves the Chosen.
Players must band together. Uniting in the form of armies, players will need to collect resources to craft weapons and vehicles to fight back the apocalyptic threat of the Chosen invasion. Special Nano-technology suits of armour called Battleframes enhance the human race in this future Earth and allow players to jumpjet across battlefields, wield a variety of exotic weapons of heavy destruction, and use special abilities to reclaim the world.
Created by seasoned developers including the team-lead for vanilla WoW and the lead-designer of Tribes 1 and 2, Firefall’s combat is fast paced, furious, and plays like a top-tier action oriented shooter. But Firefall is equally an MMO, plunging hundreds of players into an all-out Player vs. Environment war against the Chosen army. It is the largest co-op shooter made to date and offers a unique gameplay experience not found anywhere else.

As always, I’m still open to suggestions for other categories, and for nominations to get included on the list. You can let me know at: oftheweekATleighcDOTcom

Of the Week

Best of the Week – 0413

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Here we go with this weeks edition of Best of the Week!

Movie Trailer of the Week: 

Movie 43 – In theatres January 25th, 2013

Synopsis:A series of interconnected short films follows three kids as they search the depths of the Internet to find the most banned movie in the world.
I’m not even going to attempt to name any of the cast of this one, but if you’ve seen a film of any kind in the last 5 years or so, then you will be able to name over half of this ensemble. I don’t think the trailer does it justice either, and I really hope they didn’t plug up the trailer with all the good parts, I hate when they do that.

YouTube Video of the Week:

Mission Impossible – Lindsey Stirling and the Piano Guys

Lindsey Stirling makes another appearance on my YouTube video of the week list with a new take on the Mission Impossible theme. This time she team’s up with The Piano Guys and a chap with a cello. I am moving closer to the conclusion that any musical compilation that Lindsey comes out with, will be pure awesome.

News Article of the Week:

Norway goat cheese fire shuts down road tunnel.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/23/bring-your-fries-and-gravy-traffic-meltdown-as-massive-goat-cheese-fire-shuts-norway-road-tunnel/
Yes, you read that title correctly, a fire that consisted of gourmet goat cheese shut down a road tunnel in Norway. Not only did it shut the tunnel down, but it burned for 4 days and is expected to take weeks to clean up the mess. In Norway this particular goat cheese is known as Brunost, which is a caramelized brown cheese. I may have discovered an alternative fuel source.

Goat Cheese Fire, big news this week.
Expensive alternative fuel source.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, I’m still open to suggestions for other categories, and for nominations to get included on the list. You can let me know at: oftheweekATleighcDOTcom