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waring-popcorn-maker

January 23, 2012
by Ray
0 comments

The Popcorn Shoppe

Discovered, by fluke, that there’s a popcorn shop not too far from home!

Was grocery shopping at the Capilano Safeway, and on the back of their till receipts, are coupons – which typically go unnoticed. However, one stood out from the rest – The Popcorn Shoppe – and it was just a few blocks south on 50th street!

I stopped in there this past weekend, as our supply of popcorn was done. Brian, the owner greeted me as I came in, and showed me around the shop. He stocks a variety of kernels, coconut oil, butter flavoured canola oil, seasonings, dishes, and more. He also sells popcorn that has already been popped, including carmel popcorn and a variety of specialty items.

Ended up just picking up a bag of his regular popcorn ($10/2kg) It was a little pricier than the popcorn I bought in bulk from a shop on Whyte Ave., but it popped far better – was lighter and fluffier, and there were substantially fewer unpopped kernels.

He also sells popcorn poppers – from the little stovetop kettles, to larger theatre type machines. Might have to upgrade the 4oz kettle model we have one of these days ;^)

Popularity: 1% [?]

categories_jeep

January 19, 2012
by Ray
0 comments

Fun with car starter :/

Been very cold the past few days, the remote start hasn’t been working. Turns out that I must have inadvertently put it into ‘valet’ mode!

Pressing the lock and trunk open buttons simultaneously for a half second, and then pressing the start button and I have remote start back!

Popularity: 1% [?]

2nd generation Apple TV

January 11, 2012
by Ray
1 Comment

Jailbreaking the AppleTV

We’ve really been getting a lot of use of the 2nd generation Apple TV. Particularily since the video rental shops in our neighborhood have closed down. Have also enjoyed the integration of my iTunes collection with the home entertainment system – but now I want to take it a little further, and expand the video playback options, and also get better control of device using my iPad.

seas0npassEnter Seas0nPass :^)

This package allows you to jailbreak the AppleTV, and install other applications, such XBMC, VNC, and some remote helper programs that enable you to use iPhone/iPad apps such as Rowmote Pro.

After running Seas0nPass, install nitoTV. This allows you to easily install other applications via the AppleTV gui, using the Apple Remote.

I purchased Rowmote Pro for my iPad, but had problems getting it working. I was also having a problem with getting AirPlay mirroring working, and in the course of troubleshooting, it turned out that ports were being blocked only wireless LAN. I installed an upgraded version of firmware onto my router, and both Rowmote and AirPlay immediately responded.

Found this site, xctechs.info, to be of great help along the way in getting the jailbreak installed and then getting XBMC etc installed, with installation steps and some excellent videos.

Popularity: 1% [?]

category-comp

January 9, 2012
by Ray
0 comments

WiFi upgrade time?

Wifi is definitely getting a workout at home.  With a couple laptops, a netbook, Apple TV, an iPhone, and a couple tablets all after their bits of bandwidth, I think that my old Linksys WRT54G Linux router is doing an admirable job - but I think it’s time to give it a rest.

Before upgrading, I’ve been researching a bit into Wifi optimization, and came across METAGEEK.net  This site has some great information, and also a couple very useful tools to analyze your WiFi network. I’ve used INSSIDER to determine the amount of Wifi activity in the neighborhood, and what channels are being used the most.

I’m trying to decide between a couple routers – the Linksys E4200 and the D-Link DIR-827

One of the biggest differences between the two is the USB 3.0 port on the D-Link router – and I just happened to purchase a USB 3.0 drive bay to add a couple extra drives for media storage onto my computer… SmallNetBuilder.com has a lot of great information on home networking, both wired and wireless – well worth checking out!

Popularity: 1% [?]

categories_jeep

December 15, 2011
by Ray
0 comments

Air Compressors

titan air compressorThe overseas built Titan compressor that I had bought a couple years ago worked well when it worked, but when it quit, there wasn’t much I could do with it. Thankfully I didn’t pay a bundle for it – and owning it highlighted a couple features that I’ll definitely take into consideration when deciding on a new compressor. I definitely miss not having one!

I came across an air compressor review over on the Overland Journal site that compared a number of compressors, in a variety of sizes. The review is a little dated, but I don’t know that much has changed in the last few years anyway. A couple things they tested was resetting a bead, and another feature they highlighted was compressor volume. The volume is of interest as I also have a pontoon boat that I would like to be able to quickly inflate (although I do have a cheap one from Canadian Tire that is doing a great job!)

tyrepliers beadbreakerI think that an ExtremeAir Magnum is definitely going on my wishlist ;^)   Extreme Outback Products also has another tool that I think would be a pretty handy addition to the tool kit – Tyrepliers Beadbreaker.

Popularity: 1% [?]

category-comp

December 8, 2011
by Ray
0 comments

Inkling

I saw this on a segment of Daily Planet, and thought this was a very cool device.  Using a tablet isn’t as convenient sometimes, having to look at the screen all the time.  Scanning doesn’t cut it all the time either – as you end up with a flat raster image.

The one concern that I might have is with the pen itself.  Pens vary in how they feel when using them – look forward to seeing these in some local shops to try out!

Popularity: 1% [?]

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