September 2010
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Board games and coffee
Board Games and Coffee, Hold the Internet
Castanie and Peynet moved to Toronto from France four years ago. The idea for the cafe came to them when they were browsing a game shop in Chicago. For the last two years, they have scoured the Internet, Value Village and toy stores to create a collection of 1,500 games, including obscure classics like Fireball Island, and other delights like Mall...
August 2010
4 posts
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Total Annihilation for $5.99
I just discovered GOG.com (Good Old Games) and promptly made my first purchase: the Total Annihilation Commander Pack.
Total Annihilation is one of my favourite video games ever — no surprise, since Ron Gilbert and Chris Taylor were involved.
Just a sec. I’m reading about TA on Wikipedia…
…and now I’m off to the Xbox Live Arcade to see if there’s a demo...
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Great Wolf Lodge - we're going!
Kids like fun hotels. Kids like water parks. Great Wolf Lodge offers the best of both and more. We’ve been talking about going there with our kids for a while, and we’re finally taking the plunge (no pun intended). Watch this space for a full report from the Majestic Bear Suite, coming soon.
July 2010
4 posts
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Cheeseburger cupcakes
My wife and daughter made cheeseburger cupcakes on the weekend. We got the idea from the set of photos here and followed the How To instructions here.
My photo isn’t great, but they tasted delicious.
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Starro the Conqueror
Just in time for DC Comics’ 75th anniversary: it’s a Starro the Conqueror action figure, complete with tiny Justice League characters. Mattel has this plus Justice League Unlimited and more fun toys at Comic-Con in San Diego.
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The Monster at the End of this eBook
The Monster at the End of This Book, narrated by loveable furry old Grover, is now available online:
ebooks.sesamestreet.org
See also this version and this from the artist, Michael Smollin.
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Scavenger Hunt Cards
Your kids are bored. You’re tired of hearing, “Are we there yet?” Something has to be done. Time for a car game!
Give each player a handful of Scavenger Hunt Cards and their attention will turn to the windows. The deck of 54 cards features common roadside sights, sounds and smells. The back seat bickering will soon give way to fun‚ or blissful silence. Either way, you can...
June 2010
14 posts
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Water warfare
Water fights are a summer tradition in my family, thanks to my brother Peter. As the weather gets warmer we break out the hoses, sprinklers, squirt guns and water balloons, and we begin to dream about the epic (and soggy) battles ahead. This year, I’m thinking about the Little Tykes Beach Ball sprinkler, and the Super Soaker Arctic Blast, which has a chamber for ice cubes, so you can...
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iPad on a budget
No plugs. No charging. Not an actual iPad.
PixelPads are 100% paper — pads of graph paper with fat paperboard backs shaped like Apple’s “magical” and “revolutionary” new device. Originally designed as a tool to help iPad software developers, PixelPads have become popular with regular folks who want to pretend they own and use a shiny new iPad.
The price...
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LCD postcards
Another geeky gift: LCD message cards from upon a fold give you the chance to write your own messages in the style of a liquid crystal display.
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World Cup 2010 on CBC.ca →
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World Cup 2010 game schedule →
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Napkins you can wear
Not every dinner is a formal dinner, but there is such a thing as too informal. A plain white t-shirt is not always enough.
What to do if you find yourself underdressed at a semi-formal dinner party? Here’s one answer: Dress For Dinner napkins. Tuck one in under your chin and you’ll feel like you made an effort to dress appropriately. The napkins have a fake tie drawn right onto...
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Power Bug Swatter
Summer BBQs and flying insects go together like, well, like picnics and ants. You want your grilling to attract an admiring crowd, but you often get a cloud of bugs as well.
The time-honoured response to flying insects is a rolled-up newspaper or a fly swatter (or a big stick — anything you can smash them with) but this is the 21st century. Perhaps you should get a bug zapper —...
May 2010
12 posts
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Auto-swing for music
The Swinger is a bit of [software] that takes any song and makes it swing. It does this be taking each beat and time-stretching the first half of each beat while time-shrinking the second half. It has quite a magical effect.
Here’s Sweet Child of Mine with Swinger:
For more examples, go to Music Machinery, Paul Lamere’s blog about music technology.
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Pac-Man on Google.com
Google celebrates the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man by giving you a playable game at google.com
Insert Coin to begin. Insert Coin twice to add Ms. Pac-Man.
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Portal (great game) for free
Portal used to cost money. Until May 24th, it’s free.
Portal, a fun game for PC and Mac, is available free via Steam.
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John Nese is the Willy Wonka of soda pop →
I want to go to there.
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Razer gaming mouse →
Steam for Mac is coming May 12. I need to get ready.
I want one of these.
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Incredible butter tarts →
Just came home from Costco in Mississauga with two dozen pecan tarts from an outfit called Grandmother’s Pie Shoppe. Turns out they’re here in Ontario, in Sudbury. Absolutely excellent tarts. Check ‘em out here: grandmotherspieshoppe.com
April 2010
9 posts
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Flight Control
I bought Flight Control for 99 cents on a whim more than a year ago, and I’m not tired of it yet. This simple, addictive game is still one of the most popular apps on my iPhone.
Flight Control casts you in the role of air traffic controller. Aircraft appear at the edge of the screen, one at a time. Your job is to direct them to a safe runway, by tracing a flight path on the screen with...
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The Story of Bohemian Rhapsody →
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“I’m an East-Village dweller. Espresso drinker. Too-many-text-messages sender. I...”
– The quote is from Melanie Penn, and yes, she sings. I ordered Wake Up Love a few days ago, based on a recommendation from my friend Darryl.
It’s blasting right now. Great music. Check out Melanie Penn.
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Iceland's volcano is on Twitter →
Updates from Eyjafjallajokul contain ash puns a-plenty, and bits of glass and rocks.
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March 2010
7 posts
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Wake up or else
Do you have trouble getting up in the morning? Do you push the snooze button more than once? You need Clocky, the alarm clock that can’t be ignored.
If you snooze, you lose; one minute after the alarm sounds, Clocky springs into action, rolling forward and beeping madly like an angry droid. Your alarm clock is now on the floor and on the move. You can pull the covers over your head and...
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Yes, Wii exercise
I remember the first time I played Wii Sports on the Nintendo Wii. Specifically, I remember how sore my muscles were the day after I played Wii Boxing. Sure, I was out of shape, but it felt like a real workout.
Nintendo has since capitalized on the idea of gamer-cize (“exer-gaming”?) with popular video games that use your entire body. Wii Sports Resort features sword fighting,...
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Astronaut chair
If you enjoy buttery-soft leather upholstery and gentle G-forces, this luxurious chair is for you.
The Astronaut’s Powered Recliner takes its name from its special seating posture (“developed by NASA”) that elevates your feet above your heart to reduce stress and facilitate oxygen and blood flow. Sit back and relax while the seat slides gracefully from upright to its fully...
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Bruno racing car
UK-based Playforever Toys makes gorgeous, high quality toys that beg to be touched and played with. The roadster, aeroplane and motorbike may remind you of your own childhood and the adventures you shared with toy vehicles.
The bright colours and swooping curves chosen by designer Julian Meagher make these vehicles very friendly. They somehow communicate joy and fun, whether you’re...
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Onion ring mints
Are you tired of the boring, minty taste of breath mints and mouthwash? Try Onion Ring Mints instead.
Conventional wisdom says you should eat a breath mint after consuming onion rings, but who wants to be conventional? Onion Ring Mints combine the great taste of onion rings with the idea of a breath mint to produce a unique breath freshener.
Guys, this is the product for you. After all,...