Voting Age

I neglected to celebrate its 18th year! I always try to wax the old truck in the spring. A container of Turtle Wax had been sitting on the hump over the transmission. It mocked me for my lack of attention each time I got in to drive anywhere.



Today it is about 28C degrees with brutal sunshine. What better day to give it a wash and wax! Our buildings have a designated car wash area near the parking entrance. I spent a few hours there, only once coming up to get some necessary iced tea and the bottle of forgotten Windex. First, I had to wash the grime off and then apply the wax. Now, it's set for another year. I will probably be sore tomorrow.

Is a KIA E-Soul Ready for a Test Drive?

By happenstance, I noticed the link to this video today. I've never been a big fan of Smart cars. I have for a decade, however, felt as though the replacement vehicle for my 1996 Ford Ranger would be an all-electric. Fifteen years ago I figured that at this point we'd have reached a tipping point in technology and acceptance. I guess I'm still waiting although things such as the West Coast Electric Highway Project means I could successfully get to to Los Angeles without using a drop of petroleum.

It was strange that I discovered this video this afternoon, as when I was leaving the BCIT parking lot #7, I stopped to snap a photo of free charging station of the EV project with its huge solar cell array. Also, for a long time, there have been several quick-charge plug-ins near the NE 1 Building where I teach. As well, today I noticed several EV charging signs along the street right out front of my building. We've had free charging stations on the downtown parkade and up at city hall for quite some time.

So perhaps in two years when my truck and I get ready to part ways, an electric vehicle might be a possibility. Did I read in 2017 that Tesla will have its reasonably-priced Model 3 in production?

Out Near UBC

I don't think we went to Wreck Beach last summer. We generally try to go, not so much for the swimming but for the short hike down to the water and back up to the road. The Pacific Spirit Regional Park is nearly 20 miles from New Westminster and is part of the University of BC Endowment Lands. Wreck Beach is posted as clothing optional.

We brought sandwiches so we could sit and eat looking across the end of the North Arm of the Fraser River and across the water towards the mountains on Vancouver Island. The weather this week definitely merits getting out when a chance presents itself.

More Disruptions of Business Models

These are two captured images from my Nexus tablet.



The only reason I am posting them is because I have been investigating Android apps which could run on the media server which will be arriving by post from China. I am not encouraging the use of these apps as, in both cases, the software makes it possible to illegally view copyrighted material. I am not even suggesting I shall actually use them myself. However, I do wish to approach Popcorn Time and Show Box for their amazing technological underpinnings. Torrents are not evil, in and of themselves. File sharing protocols could have all types of legitimate uses. In fact, the only thing keeping them from widespread use has been the difficulties and complexities of setting them up.

Now, clever front-end apps can make streaming a torrent as easy as clicking on an image. The mechanics of connecting to hundreds or thousands of other computers for a file are completely hidden from view. The complexity issues have become mute.

This is an Internet protocol which could do so much more than allow one to access blockbuster movies for free. I cannot help but think that if Hollywood copyright owners had had a bit more foresight, they'd be using the underpinning protocols for their benefit. Now it may be too late. They simply wish to spearhead impossible efforts to stamp out a clearly superior method of consumption.

I'm the Slow Tortoise

There are loads of things I could be doing today. The sky is so blue and cloudless that I almost forgot myself and had ambitions.

I did run to Walmart at 8:30 am to pick up a few items, and returned with a can of flat-black spray paint. I am proud of myself for not running out to buy a new home-theatre system. My 12-year old Onkyo hasn't got HDMI inputs but I am sure I can manage with a few optical ones. This equipment is on a great deal of the day either streaming Internet music or being used for TV or movie viewing. It works just fine.

The only thing that was starting to bug me about the sound system was the appearance of the speakers. The main ones are near the TV and the surround speakers near the walls on either end of the sofa. The foam speaker covers had started to fade. The pure black had gone a little reddish due to exposure to light. I was going to try to buy some clothing dye but couldn't find any at the store today. Instead, I picked up the $5 aerosol can of paint. I sprayed all four speaker grills outside on the balcony. (The sub-woofer didn't require any touching up.)


The whole job took all of 15 minutes, but after doing that I felt as though I'd accomplished enough for the day. I am getting better and better about not feeling guilty when I demonstrate laziness. Actually, that has never really been something that caused me much anguish. Moreover, I have often felt a twinge of pity for those who feel as though they have to constantly run hither and dither.

I do have to be ready for when my tiny college pension payments start this November. So, I dedicated the rest of the day for sitting and enjoying the view.

Thankfully, I Sleep with My Eyes Closed

There's generally a valid reason for an item to be on sale. Umm ... in this case the fact it was a deal is probably due to its ugliness. I got dizzy spreading it out. I was seeing stars. Perhaps that won't matter as it will most often be used in the dark.

The Spice Trade Continues to Flourish

I've decided to try to see if I can locally source this product.


This bottle of Salsa Lizano was a gift from friends. They brought it back from their vacation in Costa Rica. I decided that I really like the flavour. At first, I thought perhaps it contained tamarind. I never really read the label thoroughly nor looked up the ingredients. Well, to be clear, I never looked it up until recently.

I guess this type of vegetable sauce is very typical for Costa Ricans and that most homes there contain a bottle or two. It has a bit of a following as it can be ordered online and shipped worldwide. I saw some references to local places where I might be able to find some. An advantage of multicultural Vancouver is that just about any type of food from just about anywhere can be found. Now, I'm on the hunt.

Spotting Cranes in a Local Park!

I just happened to be in the area at the right time. I was walking along the east end of the municipal parkade, when a key component for the walkway to the Westminster Pier Park was being put in place. The cranes were the mechanical type. A new walkway above the rail tracks, stairs, and an elevator should be completed later this year. It will greatly enhance the accessibility from this end of downtown.

I have a very thorough collection of the park's construction on Flickr. The first main phase of Westminster Pier Park was completed several years ago, so I've not added pictures for quite some time. I did add today's photos.

I Have the Greatest Job!

As a student, I never had to go to school on my birthday. Similarly, during the majority of my teaching years I have been off on July 23rd. Yet, during the past few years, I have been teaching summer courses at BCIT. This means the date can very well fall on a class day.

It did today.

I generally get to the class at around 8:15 for my 8:30 class. With the present group I'm teaching, I have never gone into an empty room. Strangely, the lights in NE 1 Room 403 were still off when I got there. I figured this might have to do with the day itself. The session following our midterm examination can be a little lower-key than usual. It's not an exciting point in the term. Still, no one had arrived as 8:30 approached. Strange!



I walked to the elevator to head downstairs. I heard quite a ruckus from the shaft. The doors opened and my entire group exited, carrying a cake, and singing, Happy Birthday! I cut the cake which we ate during breaktime. How thoughtful! I really am blessed with the greatest groups at BCIT. Oh, and the chocolate cake was great too.

A Crowned Jewel of Parks?

On the way to the vegetable shop, we wanted to relax bit in Queen's Park today. It ended up being a rather trying time for me. First, I wanted to hug a goat at the Petting Farm enclosure. Unfortunately all the bratty, little kids had chased the animals into the off-limits resting zone. The pigs were hiding in the shady mud as well. The peacocks wouldn't come within six feet of the wired-walled shelter. There was one slightly-deranged turkey running around available for contact. It would probably have been deemed safe, but it had a rather rather wild look in its eyes. The look indicated it, for some reason, had a personal vendetta against just me. I stayed far away.

I had to be satisfied poking my fingers through some wires to touch several of the dozens of rabbits. I really felt as though I left them unimpressed.




At least the next-door Rose Garden area was pretty. Sadly, there were posted signs, however, stating that some sort of blight had crews spraying chemicals.

Why do I love visiting that park so much? LOL.

Happy Birth(day) Week to Me!

Some cakes are too much for just one day.

Its 4 U! - "You no U Wannit"

It is nice knowing that even though Weird Al has been around for forever, he can still go viral. You will probably see this video a lot over the next few days, especially if you know pretentious English teachers.

Celebrating Diversity

Today, the weather wasn't the greatest but it didn't actually rain! We try not to miss at least one day of Surrey's Fusion Festival. Getting there by taking the SkyTrain is easy as Holland Park is a quick walk from the end of the Surrey line.

We got there in time for the Sri Lankan cultural dancers. The Festival has three main stages for a variety of cultural shows. Many booths are run under the flags of different nations. These represent some active immigrant communities in the Lower Mainland. A main attraction is the foods sold through a ticket system. Some tents have tourism information or items for sale from the particular area.





We weren't there a very long time. As I was watching the Peruvian dance troop, a Chinese guy wearing a Sikh turban stood next to us. It seems a very Canadian value to encourage immigrants not to cast aside their former identities to adapt to a new country. Respecting and even enjoying each others' diversity is a core belief. I am very comfortable not wanting everyone to jump into a homogeneous melting pot.

Choose, Order, and Wait

I wish I were putting a photo of my own equipment here. Unfortunately, this image is simply from the Internet. I ordered it yesterday through an ebay seller. I didn't wait to win an auction preferring instead to simply buy now.


Making the order didn't provide a whole lot of instant gratification. My Minix NEO X8-H has been shipped from Hong Kong. I have ordered other equipment, such as phone batteries, directly from China in the past. Standard post is generally efficient and I never had anything damaged while in transit over the Pacific. My most recent order states in print that it should arrive between July 30th and August 21st. That's a pretty big window! I surely hope it is closer to the former than the latter.

It was coincidental that on the same day I ordered an Android TV media box, Microsoft announced layoffs of 18,000 employees. I was just thinking that I used to be excited about software created from down the road in Redmond. That surely happens far less frequently nowadays.

Casa Cass

I get email notifications from the MLS system in Puerto Vallarta when new listings match some of my pre-selected criteria. I got one of these messages today.

Usually dreams of property in our Mexican city occur when the local weather is up to its usual crappy self. I cannot claim any of that this week! There is a pretty sure bet for rain this weekend, but it has been quite some time since the wet stuff was around.


I noticed a previous favourite has hit the market again. It is the tiny, dark orange, private house in the El-Caloso district. It looks as though a little work has been done, but still remains a rather artistic hovel. It's exactly what I want and where I'd like to spend winters, be it ever so humble. Here's what it looked like when Google Street View passed by. This home was mentioned here 28 months ago in an entry called, Just Add Tequila and a Little Ice!

Unfortunately, real estate never really crashed in that market. Well, maybe the market did crash a little but as there wasn't a mortgage meltdown, owners have just waited it out without considering dropping their prices. It's a shame. If this were 50% less than the present price, I'd fly down and throw the money on the table in a moment's notice. Then again, if pigs could fly ...

Reflections on the Porch

It feels as though I am just being lazy with blog entries now! This week, I seem to be happy in letting the photos take centre stage, so to speak.

Summer has a way, perhaps, of doing this to me. I can sit back and contemplate. I am like the old person in a rocker, except the view is from the balcony and not a porch.

I think that old New England porches deserve a poem or literary tribute. Having just typed that phrase caused me to run to Google. There's a sad fact of having so much information on hand at effortless beck and call: one can avoid sustained self-directed thought because of the, oh so simple, diversions. In fact, I ended up listening to this NPR podcast only because of the words that escaped extemporaneously from my fingers. It ended up being about southern porches.

Sigh. I guess I'll go back to sit on my balcony.

The Weather's Peachy

I know it's summer by the recent days of warm weather we've seen. Today, there was another reminder. I saw local peaches with the vegetables for sale at our Langley Farm Market in Burnaby.


This got me thinking about how long it has been since we were in the Okanagan during fruit season. In fact I cannot remember the last time at any time of year. Teaching a summer course does sort of interfere the chance for a quick British Columbian get-away. Oh, wait! Last year, we passed through Osoyoos on the first day of a 5-day roadtrip in August.

A New Product Category

I have recently recycled the old PC which used to be wedged between the TV and the wall. It worked well for watching Netflix via heavy component cables and digital output into my ageing HTS for DTS or Dolby. I only felt brave enough to chuck it after discovering my tiny, cheap, travelling netbook provided great quality through its HDMI cable. The only problem with this solution is I still often want to use my netbook when teaching at BCIT.

I now have a small, empty space in the TV stand because the new Telus PVR is substantially smaller than the old Bell satellite receiver. Hum. I used to think it'd be fun to build out a mini-PC based on one of the multitude of tiny footprint motherboards now available. Some of the cases are, well for the lack of a better word, cute! As I want to stream media from some US sources I have to hide my Canadian IP. I am a huge fan of Hotspot Shield as it allows up to five devices to VPN to other countries for a very reasonable annual fee. I can use the software directly on Windows as well as on my Android devices, such as my phone and tablet.

That prompted me to search for "Android box" on Google. Oh, the things you learn when you have a few minutes to research! I can probably live without another licensed copy of Windows 8.1 now. I learned about the following product.


The nerdy fun never stops! I want one.

Street Closed for Cars!

There was definitely a lot of shine in today's Show & Shine. It was probably the warmest day I can recall for the annual car show on Columbia Street. Yay.

Can we please keep Columbia Street closed permanently?

Handing Over the Dinner Ducks

Ah, summer!

The fantastic weather was made more enjoyable by having friends over for dinner. SkyTrain trouble made getting here difficult for the guys from the West End. Traffic from Richmond, though, was reportedly light. Songza playlists were chosen and even changed by a quick app download to Tim's iPhone. Margaritas were served from the blender before a walk to the Westminster Pier Park.

Jay had created a simple rice and curry dinner. Oh, and the sockeye salmon were here! We never made it to the swimming pool nor the hot tub, but watched a bit of the YouTube video of our recent Near East trip. Ice cream smoothie bars and a kind of custard were eaten as the super, full moon rose over Mt. Baker.

Ah summer!

The Awesomeness of July

I hate to take a lot of space yapping about the local weather, but when it turns gorgeous here, it takes my breath away. Again, my yearly dose of awe may have to do with the contrast to the dark days of Vancouver's winters. When a summer high-pressure system finally builds over the province of British Columbia, the world seems more perfect. It seems well worth the wait.

Apparently we are in for at least a few weeks of hot sun. Bring it on! As I walked through the Burnaby Campus of BCIT, I couldn't help but notice the rather ugly campus is at its very best.

Mechanical and Electronic

I dropped off my truck for an oil change and radiator flush this morning. The employees at Hyack Tire often do work for me. It is almost literally across the street from me which makes it very handy. My truck has 92990 miles on it. I cannot help but sometimes look in the paper at the many vehicle advertisements. I vowed to make the old Ranger last 10 years when I bought it. Now, I have doubled that number. I will not buy another vehicle until 2016.


I'm pleased to have had the upgrade to TV from Telus today. My service technician was named Susan and a veteran of the company for 35 years, she said. She was pleasant and helpful. She even drilled a hole through the wall to replace rather inadequate telephone wiring I'd once placed across the floor prior to installing wall-to-wall carpet. I like the idea of my channels coming in over IP. Getting used to the new PVR's remote after 12 years of satellite service might take a bit of time. I have much less clutter behind the TV after throwing away my old PC and putting the PlayStation in the closet.

Margaritaville on the 10th Floor

This week has been extremely sunny and warm and these conditions promise to stay through the weekend. I realized we have friends coming over for dinner on Saturday. This can only mean one thing: blender drinks!

I'm sort of fascinated in the whole idea of Tiki bars although I've never been in one, nor do I ever have much booze in the apartment. A quick search of the Internet, though, confirms that Margaritas are the most popular way to consume tequila in North America. In fact, they may be one of America's most popular cocktails. I associate them with winter vacations in Puerto Vallarta in glasses like this:



Okay, I have not seen any blue-rimmed drinking glasses here in New Westminster. Instead, I will pick up some tacky, plastic Margarita glasses. I saw loads of dollar-shop ones which have an inner layer containing water. When frozen, this helps to keep the liquid cool. My guests will be required to take home their neon-hued plasticware when they leave. Oh, and I must remember to pick up some Triple sec.

Old and New Juxtaposed

I started my day with an 8:40 appointment to have two small cavities filled. I have to say that dentistry has come a long ways since getting a swig of whiskey for the pain. Not that that ever happened to me, mind you. Today's curing of composite resins is better than getting the old, toxic amalgams of my youth. Yet, I'd rather not waste this space by recalling an unpleasant experience.


Allow me instead to add a photo which I took when walking in downtown New West. this afternoon. I've always liked the old foreground building on Begbie Street. Its windows remind me of an old San Franciscan abode. The newer SkyTrain tracks cutting by the historic structure adds to proof of change in downtown New Westminster. Even more blatantly, large glass walls of our new Civic Centre have snuggled in in close proximity. This photo represents the old and new of my neighbourhood.

Sustained Summer Studies

This was the morning view as I walked from BCIT Lot #7 toward my class in NE 1. I wondered how class would go today. It surely felt as though summer had arrived. Who wants to miss out on a day with prime, Vancouver sunny skies? It's not as though we witness cloudless days all the time! I trudged on towards the class. One of the topics for discussion was the social media site of Twitter. In order to prep an online search, I added the comment with a hashtag of #BCIT.

My COMM 0005 students are at #BCIT on a perfect summer day. Yet, they are still able to focus on the material. They rock!

— DennisSylvesterHurd (@DennisSHurd) July 7, 2014

It turned out to be quite true. In fact, it could well be they showed greater concentration than I did. At least time went quickly as we hit the textbook and group work hard. After the class finished at 12:30 pm, I walked to my pick-up truck. Before I made it out of the parking lots, I stopped though. I had to stop by Guchon Creek for a quick photo.

Peeling the Orange

I finally know these characters. What a crazy crew! We once caught the initial episode but never ended up watching the series. I admit to binging a bit today. I just watched up through, The Chickening from the first year. They've been great on an overcast day at home. Now, I have many more hours to look forward to. Hasn't it been renewed again for a third season?

Downsizing and Modernizing

Today's entry continues a discussion of changes in our TV situation.

Knowing that we are going replace the old Bell PVR receiver with a new Telus Optik PVR, I peered behind the flat-screen. OMG! There were dust bunnies the size of .. well .. bunnies! About a hundred miles of cables and wires were covered from view by a well-placed board too. What a mess! It has been a jumble of wires and equipment since the end of 2009. That was the time I decided to use our old computer as a media server and get a laptop for the table for everyday use. It has served us hundred and hundreds of movies over the years!

Throwing the old PC box behind the television was supposed to be a temporary situation until I found a stand with enclosure enough to tuck everything inside. I never did. The old thing has been acting weird for years and was still running the pre-release evaluation copy of Windows 8. It no longer updated and would frequently shut down after a few hours of use. It had gigantic component cables running into the back of the TV. Today, when I blew the dust off it, I wondered why we were still using it. Some of the innards are almost a decade old.



In the spring, I bought a tiny Acer V netbook for vacations and to use during classes at BCIT. It has a small screen and is light enough to carry around easily. It runs Windows 8.1 but is surely no powerhouse. I have to wait and wait for it to boot up. The most intensive thing it usually does is PowerPoint presentations and a bit of web browsing.

Yet, it has an HDMI port for 1080p, a licensed copy of Hotspot Shield, and the Netflix app. Could the little underpowered device replace that ageing boat-anchor? Time to try. We're streaming from my American Netflix account presently. Consequently, I am a tiny bit sad by the realization the old box will soon go into the recycling bin. It has outlived its usefulness.

I have owned a procession of traditional, desktop PCs since 1985. It's a little difficult to imagine there will be none in the apartment.

Bye, Bye, Bell.

Some relationships outlive their usefulness. Our connection with Bell ExpressVu Satellite has been long-standing.

We first got satellite TV when it arrived in our building twelve years ago. In 2002, we started right out with a standard definition PVR which quite literally changed our viewing habits. No longer were we tied to the broadcasters schedules. That seemed so advanced at the time. Our dealings with the east-coast company continued with the advent of HDTV. In fact, if I remember correctly, they offered the most HD options back in 2006. (Have we really been watching high-definition for 8 years?)

Poor Bell cannot deliver good service. In fact, we've been having trouble in our building for more than a week now. The company kept me with them during our winter away several years ago by providing credits for the months we weren't using the system. That kept me with them until today. Enough.

The Telus installer will come next Thursday for installation of Optik TV. As Telus customers since 1996 for a land-line phone and Internet for nearly as long, I guess we can work out a deal to bundle in IPTV. Getting television over IP seems logical. All this change is making me re-evaluate channel selection. With Netflix and other streaming options, we really only need a basic channel selection for time-shift recordings, right?

I just hope the company doesn't send along that dork from the Optik TV television advertisements.