Category Archives: Web & Tech

Black Friday Almost Over, Cyber Monday On Its Way

fixin to die rag, Jude and Megan, VanRamblings, Web & Tech

The Google Home Mini and the Acer Aspire i5 desktop computer

In 1957, my mother gave me a transistor radio for my 7th birthday!
We lived at 2165 East 2nd Avenue in Vancouver, just off Garden Park, on Vancouver’s eastside. I knew my neighbours, a polyglot amalgam of “displaced persons” (displaced from WWII), refugees from a Europe of destruction who had arrived in Canada to pursue a life for their families.
Although the television had been around for almost a decade in common use by the more well-to-do among the population, no one on our block had a TV — there were doctors, plumbers, nannies, seniors, construction workers, and no one thought to purchase a television, particularly given that TVs were going for around $400, or about 10% of a man’s average annual wage (the average hourly wage for women: 35¢). When times were tight, and families were large, and folks were just simply trying to find a way to scrape by, purchasing a $400 TV (with an outlay of another $50 for a rooftop aerial) was simply beyond the means of the common folks.

1957. Watching television through a shop window.

If we wanted to watch television, we’d head up to Commercial Drive, and watch the TV in the Magnet Hardware window.
Of course, all the kids on our block clamoured for a new TV (not that any of their friends owned one, mind you) — but, alas, that was not to be. Fortunately, the price of a black-and-white TV dropped dramatically in 1958 with the introduction of the colour TV (introduction of a new technology always results in a price cut for “older” technology), and most families, including mine, bought their first television that year, parents finally capitulating to the incessant, heart-rending pleas of their gentle children.

1957. Transistor radio and leather case.

1957. I was about to go into Grade 2 at Lord Nelson Elementary School. My birthday fell on the 223rd day of that year, on August 11th, an otherwise inauspicious Sunday, except for the fact that at midday, thanks to my mother, I found myself in the possession of a brand new $49.95 (plus tax) leather-cased transistor radio! That’s right, my mother worked more than 150 hours to get me my much-prized 7th birthday present — making me the only boy on the block with a portable transistor radio. I was thrilled!
On another day, I’ll tell you what the impact of being the first to own a new tech toy had on me, what it meant for a career that I would pursue less than a decade later, and how it came to be that over the past 40 years, I have continually found myself on the cutting edge of new technology, as an early adopter. As I say, though, I’ll leave that story for another day.

Black Friday 2017

All of which brings me to Black Friday, a day I cannot resist even if it is Buy Nothing Day. On Friday, I purchased a new Acer Aspire Intel Core i5 desktop computer (even though I can’t afford it, cuz I’m a pauper) — as a consequence of my 8-year-old, once state-of-the-art custom-built computer having been on its lasts legs for some months now. A friend assured me today that my new computer is a piece of junk. Oh goodie.

A fairly mundane picture of my new, much-needed computer may be found at the top of today’s column — alongside my brand spanking new Google Home Mini which, truth to tell, I don’t really need but it was half price at only $39.95, and I’ve been falling behind on my cutting edge tech persona. At about $40, I think I can indulge my techy side this holiday season.
As you may know, I love radio (even to this day). Just by saying, “Hey Google, play BBC Radio One“, within seconds BBC Radio One will begin playing through the Google Home Mini speaker. The same is true of hundreds of other radio stations. I’ve used my Google Home Mini to set alarms and reminders, check sports scores, stream music from Spotify, or from my iTunes library (of more than 5000 songs) employing Bluetooth.
If I purchase a Logitech Harmony Hub I could control my home theatre by voice command. Or, if I purchase the Phillips Hue Starter Kit, I could also control all of the lights in my house, and set the lights to turn on at a specific time, so when I enter my Co-op apartment, I won’t be entering into darkness. I could even set each individual light to a specific colour.

Yep — an indulgence. I won’t be purchasing the Phillips Hue system or the Harmony Hub anytime soon, but it’s nice to know that they’re available.

Best of 2013: Music, Spanning Genre and Critical Recognition

A & E, Best of 2013, Cinema, Music, Pop Culture, Television, VanRamblings, Web & Tech

Best of 2013

VanRamblings’ two favourite times of year occur from mid-July through the end of August, a six-week celebration revolving around the anniversary of our coming to this Earth (at least in this incarnation, in this time and place and history of life on our planet), and the period beginning in mid-
November through until December 31st. We have long been a romantic about most aspects of life, and love the idea of simply taking a bit of time off from the hurly burly of our everyday, and often too busy, life to reflect on the conditions of our existence, a deep and abiding reflection, a process in which we seek to provide meaning, context and, perhaps, resolution.
Within that contextual framework is contained our love for the arts — dance (we love the ballet), music (mostly of the pop culture variety, although we love progressive country), film, anything tech-related, literature, television, and the art of politics, which is to say, the political maelstrom that is public engagement early in this new millennium.

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In this first of five columns on the Best of 2013, we’ll survey a cross-section of critical opinion on the best music of the year, much of which art you may have been utterly unaware of prior to the writing that’ll appear below. As a means by which to introduce new music into your life, there is no more salutary event than that which occurs at year’s end, as you (and I) become aware of the music of our age, through a survey of informed critical opinion — always a life-enhancing event offering steadfast insight, in the most propitious, enlightening and expedient manner possible. Yippee!

Best Music of 2013

There was a time, in recent years, when we turned to Salon (in its heyday, in the late 90s through 2005), Rolling Stone, the now defunct and the much-missed Blender magazine, but since 2009, Popmatters has been the go-to place for insight into the Best Music of the Year. Yes, we know there’s NME and Paste (now available online only), Q, Pitchfork, Mojo and more, but we’ll stick with Popmatters, at year’s end, for our annual hit of unexpected and oh-so salutary musical insight.
Here’s Popmatters ‘best of music’ home page, detailing the 75 Best Albums of the Year, Best Canadian, Country, Metal, Indie-Pop, and more …


Popmatters' 75 Best Albums of 2013

Making Popmatters’ 75 Best Albums of 2013 list, at 72. The Boards of Canada; at 63. the ever-present Lorde; at 47. David Bowie’s The Next Day; 42. Julia Holter (a favourite of our friend, J.B. Shayne); 38. Rhye, to whom we introduced you earlier in the year; 27. Queens of the Stone Age; 24. Our very own Tegan and Sara; at 9 and 8, the breakout bands of the year, Haim and CHVRCHES, and at number one … well, who else would you expect? But you’ll have to read through to be sure you guessed right.
One of our favourite discoveries is a duo out of England, with whom our son Nathan has long been familiar, but is new to us this year: 4. Disclosure, who represent the very best danceable British garage house music of 2013.

Now, make no mistake, there’s more, a great deal more …

And, of course, much, much more.
In the The Best Country Music of 2013 category, we discovered a couple of artists with whom we were not previously familiar, Brandy Clark, and our favourite roots, working class, progressive country find of the year, Kacey Musgraves, who’s making a whole tonne of Best Of lists in 2013.

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We leave you, dear and constant reader, with a survey list of the Best Music of 2013, critical reception from some of our favourite publications …

Lots to listen to, lots to grok. Good luck. Enjoy. Merry Christmas!

VIFF 2013: Apple’s iOS 7, Transformative New Functionality

Web & Tech

Apple introduces a transformative new operating system, iOS 7

At the 32nd annual edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival, smartphones were more prevalent than had ever been the case, previously, at our Festival, the iPhone seemingly the smartphone of choice.
One could see the occasional Blackberry, a few Android-based Samsung phones were in evidence, but no Windows 8-based Nokia Luminas (actually, a great phone). Yes, it was the Apple iPhone in all of its platinum glory — and version 5, at that — the so-called ‘smartphone for dummies’ (they’re so easy to use, seamless in their operation, VanRamblings employing an iPhone 5 as our means of social communication) that held sway at VIFF.
Social media, and twitter use in particular, was up, way up (how else to discover, in real time, the VIFF winners this past Friday night — a big thank you to the Globe and Mail’s Marsha Lederman), VIFF patrons plugged into the news online prior to the unspooling of VIFF cinematic splendour, text messaged their friends — and moreso than in previous years, kindly observed the instruction of those VIFF staff introducing films to “shut off your smartphones, so as not to disturb your neighbours”). All to the good.
Just prior to the start of VIFF 2013, Apple introduced a near revolutionary change to the iPhone: the introduction of the iOS 7 operating system, a transformation of functionality and process greater than any that has occurred since Apple first introduced the iPhone into the market, in 2007.
Apple has decided to do away with its skeumorphic app design, the “traditional” look employed in the design of Apple’s mobile apps — a design which mimicked “real world” objects — as it moves away from the three-dimensional candy-coated icons with which iPhone / iPad users had become familiar, in favour of flattened icons and a more minimalist design, the “new” flat design of iOS 7 closer to the new industry stand in the mobile market, a style employed by Google on all its Android-based phones.
In fact, the “new” iOS 7 — featuring uncluttered interfaces, and the deliberate use of white space — ought to make use of the iPhone and iPad faster and more intuitive (and more likely than not, prolong battery life). Apple is getting rid of the bloat attendant in the skeumorphic graphical user interface. Of course, a major change of design such as that undertaken in iOS 7 involves something of a learning curve, and an adjustment for users, and as we noticed at the Festival, many iPhone owners were struggling with their adjustment to iOS 7 (whereas, VanRamblings loves the new, almost poetically slippery, Apple operating system).
During the run of the Festival, VanRamblings had promised to publish an introductory column on iOS 7, directing readers towards a few tips, tricks and innovative changes that are incorporated into iOS 7, replete with links galore, a complete explanation on the nature of iOS 7’s innovation.
Today, we’ll go some way to fulfilling that commitment.
19+ Tips, Tricks & Innovations iPhone/iOS 7 Users Ought to Know

As above, in this post we’ll commence our exploration of iOS 7, with the 19+ new and innovative features that will be of most interest to iPhone users. In addition, here’s a link to an article on iOS 7 battery saving tips, and another link on how to resolve petty iOS 7 annoyances. We intend that this article will help iPhone / iPad users ease their adjustment to iOS 7.
1. Disable the activation lock code on iOS7
A built-in security feature, not necessarily new to iOS 7, but definitely more annoying, is the default setting that insists iPhone / iPad users establish a passcode for entry into the Apple device. Most users employ the passcode lock for their iPhones, but if you pretty much use your iPad as a stay-at-home device, with very little or no sensitive information stored on your tablet, you’ll want to disable iOS 7’s activation lock code. Here’s how:
Settings > General > Passcode Lock - Turn Passcode Off
2. Silence Is Golden: Blocking Calls / Texts in iOS 7
Users can now block calls, which is a great way to avoid unwanted contacts. Just go to a contact’s entry and scroll down to the bottom and select “Block this Caller” to block a certain number or contact. Tapping this “button” will prevent the person from being able to call you, send you text messages, or reach you over FaceTime, as well. A handy new innovation.
3. Undelete e-mails
If you accidentally deleted an email, simply shake your phone to undo it.
4. Settings: make iOS 7 easier on the eye
We like the new interface, but it isn’t for everyone. If you have problems with your sight or just want to make iOS 7 more legible, you’ll find some useful settings in Settings > General > Accessibility. You can make all system text bold, increase the size of text in apps that support Apple’s Dynamic Type, scale down motion effects such as the parallax effect, or invert the colours to make iOS 7 look like a 1980s electro-pop album cover.
5. Disabling the Parallax Effect, and Why
Are you, as an iOS 7 user, experiencing vertigo, headaches or nausea while using the recently-launched iOS 7? Surely, most users won’t have a problem with iOS 7’s latest innovation, but reports are already coming in that the new parallax effect in the homescreen (making the background move as if it’s far behind the icons) is making some people experience a similar feeling to having car-sickness.
Although the effect of the moving background is quite cool, there’s no doubt that if it’s going to cause users some discomfort while using their iPhones and iPads, they’d gladly do away with it. And thankfully, there is a way to disable the iOS 7 parallax effect! You just have to follow these simple steps to disable parallax in iOS 7, simply navigate to …
Settings > General > Accessibility, and turn the “Reduce Motion” option on.
One simple setting and you can use iOS 7 Gravol-free!
6. Apps: Automatic Updates
With iOS 7, users can now update apps automatically, a great new functionality for those with a decent data plan. Control this function either way by going to …
Settings > iTunes > App Store, and slide the Updates option under Automatic Downloads.
7. Swipe Down For Search
Gone are the days of having to swipe or tap your way to iOS’ dedicated search page. You can now access Spotlight search from anywhere on the homescreen. Just swipe down in the middle of the screen to quickly search across your device’s apps, e-mails, and contacts — but curiously, it seems that Apple has removed Spotlight’s ability to search the web. We’re pretty sure we never actually used that now missing functional capability, but this is the Internet so we’re supposed to complain now that it’s gone.
8. Siri: now reads your e-mails, and much, much more
Siri makes light work of not only listing e-mails in your inbox, but also reading them out to you. Hold down the Home button and say, “Read my e-mails” and Siri will give you sender, time and date sent, and the subject of each in turn. When asked if you want Siri to read out your mail, just say “Yes”. Or you could simply say, “Siri, read my last three e-mails”, and voilà, that’s what Siri will do.
And, Siri does even more. If you have your hands really full, you can ask Siri to access apps and features in your iDevice such as Settings.
One of the new changes to Siri that came along with a host of technical upgrades is the chance to switch between a male and female voice for your digital assistant. If you’re interested in trying out a different voice behind the same info, go to the Settings app, and then navigate to General > Siri > Voice Gender, and tap on whichever gender you’d prefer.
9. iOS 7’s Control Center: Swipe Up For Toggles

iOS 7's Control Center: Swipe Up For Toggles

Fixing what is perhaps one of iOS’ most glaring, long-lasting omissions, iOS 7 puts one-click access to things like Airplane mode and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth toggles just one swipe away, instead of hiding them in Settings.
To get to the new Control Panel, just swipe up from the bottom of the screen anywhere you might be. You’ll get buttons for Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, Orientation lock, and sliders for brightness and media control. Oh, and there’s a readily accessible flashlight — much used in recent days by VanRamblings, as we searched for our cap after the end of VIFF films — available to you, as well. The Control Panel is also accessible from the lockscreen.
10. Flashlight as notification
Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > scroll down and tap “LED Flash for Alerts”.

Continue reading VIFF 2013: Apple’s iOS 7, Transformative New Functionality →

Weekend Post: Fracking, the BC NDP, and Promised Land

BC Politics, Cinema, Web & Tech

Matt Damon stars in Gus van Sant's new movie, 'Promised Land'

British Columbia’s New Democratic party, under the leadership of Adrian Dix, has enunciated a policy position in favour of fracking, a dangerous, environmentally unsound, and wholly unsafe natural gas extraction process.
In 2010, Josh Fox’s Gasland, a Special Jury Prize winner at Sundance, documented the health concerns of citizens affected by the fracking industry, and featured a flammable water scene which caused quite the stir.

The Huffington Post published this story last April …

“The feasibility of protecting the health of Americans while conducting hydraulic fracturing operations is debatable. Dimock, Pennsylvania has been at the heart of this discussion. The small town’s wells were tainted by fracking operations, and the drilling company and the EPA have (at times) delivered clean water to the residents. According to ProPublica, recent EPA tests of Dimock’s water reveal “dangerous quantities of methane gas” and “dozens of other contaminants, including low levels of chemicals known to cause cancer and heavy metals that exceed the agency’s “trigger level” that could lead to illness if consumed over a period of time. The EPA’s assurances suggest that the substances detected do not violate specific drinking water standards, but no such standards exist for some of the contaminants and some experts said the agency should have acknowledged that they were detected at all.”

We would imagine that should recently-nominated Vancouver-Fairview NDP candidate George Heyman be elected to government next May, that inside the NDP caucus, Mr. Heyman will emerge as a powerful voice against the destructive environmental practice. Fracking arose as an issue dividing the two candidates seeking the NDP nomination in Vancouver-Fairview. Candidate Vancouver City Councillor Geoff Meggs didn’t rock the boat …

“The party position is we will allow fracking,” Meggs explains. “I personally don’t like it. I wish we would examine and study it. But I accept that our party has taken a position on it. George [Heyman] is saying he wants to change the party’s position. And while I might prefer a different position, I’m not campaigning to have it changed.”

Meggs’ opponent in the race, George Heyman, has this to say …

“I’m not proposing that we don’t sell any gas,” says Heyman, who is currently the Executive Director of Sierra Club BC. “I am proposing that we stop the expansion of new frack wells until we have an appropriate public study on the health impacts, the community impacts, the water impacts, and the climate, greenhouse-gas-emissions impact.”

Note should be made that Heyman quite handily won the contested Vancouver-Fairview nomination. A shot across the bow to the more conservative interests in the provincial NDP, a message to the party elite that in a democracy it is the members of the party who direct policy, not the electeds divining policy from on high, ignoring the wishes of the people?
Sometimes, though, if reason fails to convince, film has the power to transform political positions, that despite all evidence to the contrary, are wrong. Film can inform, and cause a person / political party to change an enunciated — and, perhaps, not fully considered — position on an issue.
To that end, for the first time since 1997’s Good Will Hunting, actor Matt Damon and director Gus Van Sant have re-united, this time to produce a screenplay written by Damon and co-star John Krasinski, based on a story by Dave Eggers. The film Promised Land tracks the work of two corporate salespeople who visit a rural town in an attempt to buy drilling rights from the local residents, in order to commence a fracking operation — although the salespeople are not upfront about the consequences of the ‘rights’ sale by farmers — a decision that would destroy the townspeoples’ livelihoods.
Promised Land will be released in the United States in December — in New York and Los Angeles — in order to qualify for Oscar consideration. The film is set for wide release, opening in Vancouver, Friday, January 11th, 2013.

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RebelMouse

Earlier in the week, and we can’t remember how, we became aware of RebelMouse, a social media aggregator that connects your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media accounts all together on a dynamic and very graphically pleasing web page — created absolutely free-of-charge by the folks who both created and operate RebelMouse.
Ben Popper, from The Verge, writes …

Paul Berry is famous in tech and media circles as the brains behind The Huffington Post’s incredible success with social media and search engine optimization. On June 6th of this year, he took the wraps off RebelMouse, a social publishing platform that hopes to replicate that success on an individual level. “People are getting very good at Twitter and Facebook, but they are embarrassed about their personal websites,” says Berry, when we visited him recently at Soho Labs. “RebelMouse takes all the content from your social streams, and transforms it into a dynamic homepage.”

Users sign up for RebelMouse and connect it to their Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram accounts, the service pulling all photos, text and links from these feeds. The page updates with each new social media post, arranging the posts in an easy-to-read format. RebelMouse also affords the user the opportunity to rearrange, edit items, or remove them entirely if that is their wish, the editing not restricted to the 140 character limit often placed on social media forums, such as Twitter.
Here is our RebelMouse page, a compendium of our recent Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds. Convenient, gorgeous: you may want to try it.