Monday, September 29, 2008

CP Empress 2816 Steam Train Vancouver to Mission BC trip

On Saturday October 4, the CP Empress 2816 Steam Locomotive will be making a special 4 hour trip from Vancouver to Mission to help raise money to send some special kids to camp. Tickets cost $25 and include lunch. To order tickets, contact 604-873-1865.

Check in at Pacific Central Station at 10:00 am, Train departs 11:00, Returns at 3:00 pm.

Presented by VIA Rail and Canadian Pacific. Proceeds to Easter Seals...


2816 Steam Train in action: Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge BC

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Schwinn Electric Folding Bikes at Canadian Tire

Here's a cool folding bike with electric assist that can go up to 20km/hr and up to 20 km on single charge, with normal pedaling. Check it out - you can order it online from Canadian Tire here:




Schwinn, iZip and other electric/folding bikes are available in the USA from Amazon.com Bike Store:


Sunday, April 06, 2008

YouTube HQ Audio tips: Stereo, mp4, 44.1 KHz download and save FLV, MP4 videos

YouTube has started to create better quality versions of many videos, adding links that say, "Watch this video in higher quality." Adding &fmt=6 to the end of any Youtube video's url will give you Youtube's new high quality setting.

Getting iPod compatible mp4s:
Using &fmt=18 generates an mp4 using h264 with AAC stereo, which is compatible with video iPods. Using fmt=18, you get a video transcoded from the original clip the user uploaded. The bitrate is lower on the mp4 version, but since the resolution is smaller it compensates. The h.264 codec has better looking videos at lower bitrates. We finally get stereo on youtube with the mp4 version. It has a widescreen 16/9 aspect ratio rather than 4/3.



If you want to download HQ videos from YouTube, use the Better YouTube Firefox Extension from LifeHacker.

Embed High Quality Youtube Clips

This code works fine to embed the mp4 version. The query string var is "&ap=%2526fmt%3D18" specifying format 18.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

How to make Paneer: Indian cheese you can easily make at home

Paneer is an Indian cheese which is used in many recipes for appetizers, main courses and desserts. It does not melt when heated. Paneer is very easy to make at home. Try this easy to follow recipe. Using whole milk, paneer contains about 20 - 25% fat. (To make a low fat version, try using 2% milk). Unlike most cheeses, paneer is also low sodium, unless you add salt when making it...



Here's another instructional video on how to make Paneer (but use lemon or lime juice instead of vinegar!):

Friday, March 21, 2008

Amazon Canada DVD Sale: Get Free Shipping and Save up to 30%


Top Selling DVDs at Amazon CanadaAmazon DVD store Canada, sale prices, free shipping
Get Free Shipping on a $39 purchase and save up to 30% on best selling DVD titles. This week's top sellers and discount prices are:
1. Battlestar Galactica: Season Three
CDN$ 44.99
2. Stargate: The Ark of Truth DVD ~ Ben Browder
CDN$ 19.99
3. Planet Earth: The Complete Series on DVD
CDN$ 64.99
4. Enchanted (Widescreen)
CDN$ 22.99
5. Atonement (Widescreen)
CDN$ 22.99
6. Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity DVD ~ Jeff Dunham
CDN$ 12.99
7. Dexter - The First Season DVD ~ Michael C. Hall
CDN$ 29.99
8. 101 Dalmatians DVD ~ Clyde Geronimi
CDN$ 22.99
9. I Am Legend [Blu-ray]
CDN$ 29.95
10. I Am Legend (2-Disc Special Edition)
CDN$ 27.99
Prices subject to change...
Shop online now at Amazon Canada

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Westjet seat sale: Half price flights today only. To and from Vancouver BC

50% off Westjet flights. Today only.

- Book by today, March 13, 2008 (23:59:59 MT) for travel from April 1 until June 25, 2008. Advertised fares are for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and may be slightly higher on other days of the week.


For example, One-way flights starting from:

- Vancouver to Las Vegas $104
- Vancouver to Maui $199
- Vancouver to Honolulu $184

Cheap Flights, seat sale at westjet.com
Westjet Seat Sale

Special fares departing from Abbotsford Calgary Charlottetown Comox Edmonton Fort McMurray Grande Prairie Halifax Hamilton Kelowna Kitchener / Waterloo Kona, Hawaii Las Vegas Los Angeles (LAX) London Moncton Montreal Orlando Ottawa Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Prince George Quebec City Regina Saskatoon Saint John
St. Johns Thunder Bay Toronto Vancouver Victoria Winnipeg
Book online now at Westjet.com

Monday, March 03, 2008

Folding bikes: Dahon, Schwinn, electric bikes ...

I've had a folding bike for a few years now, and it's a great way to get around in spring or summer. If you get a 20" aluminum frame model, they only weigh around 25 lbs., so they're easy to carry around, throw in the trunk of your car, or carry on public transit or in your boat! Check out this cool video of a Dahon folding bike:



Best place to buy a folding bike online is Amazon.com , or in Canada: folding bikes on eBay Canada or Canadian Tire .

Friday, February 22, 2008

Turmeric is a wonder spice: May prevent heart disease, cancer, alzheimers and more


Curcumin from Turmeric Extract
The spice found in most Indian curry dishes might also help prevent the ravages of heart failure, a new Canadian animal study has concluded.

Researchers at Toronto's University Health Network found that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, both prevents and dramatically reverses enlargement of the heart in mice.

According to Dr. Weil, Turmeric is useful for all inflammatory disorders and for autoimmune conditions. It also may have a role in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. (Elderly villagers in India appear to have the lowest rate of Alzheimer's in the world, perhaps due to the fact that Indians eat turmeric with almost every meal. Some animal studies have shown that curcumin blocked the formation and accumulation of the plaque that characterizes Alzheimer's.)

Overall, turmeric appears to have significant anti-inflammatory and cancer-protective effects. These seem most evident at doses well below pharmaceutical strength, which suggests that it would be wise to consume more foods spiced with turmeric.

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