I decided to buy a drone (part one)

The original reason I wanted to buy a drone had nothing to do with art. I wanted to prove to the powers that be that the intersection by our house was as bad as I had been describing. I figured some decent drone footage would make my case.

But after seeing the amazing footage others had posted on YouTube, I realized that making some artistic video was also something I’d like to try. The next step was finding the right drone. Little did I know the giant rabbit hole I’d be diving into.

There are a lot of drones to choose from. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money, just in case I lost interest in the thing after a while. I still wanted decent quality and most importantly, intuitive use. I started to see a lot of people on YouTube crow about the newly released DJI Mavic Mini. DJI made this drone to get around the newly adopted laws for drones over 250 grams, which suddenly have a lot of regulations. You need to basically get a drone pilot certificate, register your drone with the government, and get authorization from NAV Canada any time you want to fly in controlled airspace (and there is a lot of controlled airspace let me tell you). It’s brutal!

So, the Mavic Mini, at 249 grams, was built to avoid all of these new regulations, as it is considered a micro drone, a toy. Regardless, local and federal regulation information online did not make it clear what is and is not allowed with a micro drone. In fact, federal regulations seemed to contradict each other, and municipal bylaws just made stuff up on the fly, like “you can fly where wildlife is NOT present, including birds”. Seriously? Is there any place where there are no birds? I wrote Transport Canada and got the real deal. “If you have a micro drone, you must never put people or aircraft in danger. Always fly responsibly." That seems both straight forward and is common sense. They also stressed that flying near emergency operations was prohibited. The list of points for safe flight follows:

To keep yourself and others safe, fly your drone:

• Where you can see it at all times
• Below 122 metres (400 feet) in the air
• Away from bystanders, at a minimum horizontal distance of 30 metres for basic operations
• Away from emergency operations and advertised events
• Avoid forest fires, outdoor concerts and parades
• 5.6 kilometres (3 nautical miles) from airports
• 1.9 kilometres (1 nautical mile) from heliports
• Far away from other aircraft
• Don’t fly anywhere near airplanes, helicopters and other drones

It's so easy

Outstanding covers

I love stumbling across YouTube covers of great music from the 1970s. Most times the covers are OK. Or really good. Some are creative in their interpretation of the original tunes. But sometimes I hope for a cover from a skilled group of musicians and singers that takes a song that suffers from the limitations of 1970s audio recording technology and lets us hear what it would have sounded like with today's equipment.

Well folks, if you're a fan of the quintessential group Chicago, let me introduce you to Leonid and Friends.

You should start with If you leave me now, then move on to Beginnings. There's more if you want. Like, I would go see these cats in concert.

Not always....

Things I learned lately 1 May

• Sweden did not lock down their economy like most of the rest of the developed world. They're banking on reaching herd immunity within weeks.
• Robin Hood haven't run out of flour, but they're running out of their trademark yellow bags. So we'll be seeing white or brown plain packaging of Robin Hood flour. 
• The oldest building still standing in Montreal is LeBer-LeMoyne House in Lachine, built in 1671.
• The only authentic Parisian Art Nouveau design metro station entrance outside of Paris is at the Square Victoria Metro entrance in Square Victoria, near Old Montreal.
• Bats crash into each other all the time.
• You need the Pope's permission to start a (sanctioned) crusade.

Drinking more during lockdown?

We know who you are....

Bird is the word

Small things 23 Apr

• If the police officer pulls you over and says "I think I smell alcohol" just say "That's because you're not respecting social distancing."
• Mars is inhabited solely by robots.
• At this rate, soon they'll be paying us to gas up....
• Will we be able to write off bath robes as a business expense this year?
• Previous civilizations probably weren't thrilled about isolation in the time of the Mongols either:

"Man, we've gotta open the gates."
"We've been through this Phil. The Mongols are still outside."
"But I've gotta harvest my turnips."
"MONGOLS."
"Ugh! But we've been here for WEEKS."
"That's how sieges work, Phil."
"But the Mongols have barely killed anyone in days."
"That's because of the walls, Phil."
"Are you sure? Maybe the Mongols aren't that dangerous."
"....."
"I'm just saying, how bad could it be? They can't kill ALL of us."
"That is literally the thing they do."
"But my turnips..."

Comedy gold

Explaining the pandemic to a past self.

My telephone provider

Here's how my conversation went with Telus on Monday:

When would you like us to send out a technician?
Me: Friday.
Any particular time?
Me: Afternoon.
How about 3pm to 5pm?
Me: OK.
Great. They will arrive sometime between 3pm and 5pm Friday.

5 minutes later I get a text from Telus:
See you tomorrow (Tuesday) between 8am and 5pm

Later in the day, I call Telus to get things fixed, and their computer says to me:
A technician will visit you today (Monday) between 8am and 5pm. See you soon!

Somehow the appointment was booked correctly, but then magically and inexplicably cancelled and moved. No explanation as to why.

I did manage to get the appointment reinstated for the right day and time after being on the phone for an hour.

Then after a get a confirmatory email, I get another email that was meant for a different customer with a different problem.

Gong show.

A pic from #covidiots

Things I learned lately 23 Apr

• The hashtag symbol is technically called an octothorpe.
• Boring, Oregon and Dull, Scotland have been sister cities since 2012.
• Bobbi Gibb ran the Boston Marathon in 1966 at age 23 as an unregistered runner because according to the race director "Women were not physiologically capable of running marathon distances and that under the rules that governed amateur sports, women were not allowed to run more than a mile and a half competitively." She hid in the bushes near the starting pen. After the starting gun fired, she waited until about half the pack had started and then jumped into the race. The men soon realized that she was a woman. Encouraged by their friendliness and support, she removed her sweatshirt. To her delight and relief, the crowds cheered to see a woman running. She finished in 3 hours, 21 minutes and 40 seconds, ahead of two-thirds of the runners.
• Apparently an Ethiopian airliner flew through a swarm of grasshoppers and the windscreen was so dirty the pilot had to open the cockpit window and scrape some off by hand while flying.

Willem Dafoe could totally play The Joker.....

Small things 16 Apr

• How are people with secret families handling Covid-19?
• We'll have 2020 hindsight next year.....
• I love gatherings of people huddling around an object on fire, chanting a repetitive song in unison ritualistically, until the fire is blown out by a person wearing ceremonial headdress and then they stab a knife into the object. Or as you might know them - birthday parties.
• If you change your mind about buying something you're carrying, but you're in another section of the store, do you return it to the section it belongs in or just discretely leave it wherever you are?
• I said no to drugs. They didn't listen.
• "The true test of society is how well it treats its prisoners and old people."
• Use me, just don't abuse me. ~Grammar
• Good leaders at work let you fail and yet not let you be a failure.
• Your body is an amazing sentient, self-repairing biological machine composed of 50 trillion custom molecules.
• Humans are awful at pricing out the net present value of a decision whose consequences are far in the future.
• Goofy is a dog whose best friend is a mouse who has a dog dog.
• Perrier. If you give your product a French name, you can charge way more money for it.
• The last time he stood in front of a mirror naked, all he could think was "I'm due to get thrown out of this IKEA pretty soon..."
• "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened" ~Dr. Seuss

Well, it's a good thing Covid-19 can't move sideways...

It sounds cavernous

Have you ever wished you could have a background ambient soundtrack that sounded like you were just chilling aborad the space freighter Nostromo from the movie Alien?

Yeah, there's a YouTube video for that. It's an hour long.

Greenland is recovered

A few words about radon in your home

There was a time when I didn't know anything about radon and its dangers. I don't even remember how I came to hear about it, (actually Darlene just reminded me that it was her) but once I got informed about it, I knew I owed it to myself to look into it.

The government of Canada says "Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil and rock. It is invisible, odourless and tasteless. When radon is released from the ground into the outdoor air, it is diluted and is not a concern. However, in enclosed spaces, like homes, it can accumulate to high levels and become a risk to the health of you and your family."

Radon tends to accumulate in your home at a higher rate in winter when all your windows are closed because there's less fresh air being exchanged. This is also why when you buy a kit to test your air in your house, the instructions recommend performing the test during the winter months to give you a better indication of the highest levels present in your house. I bought such a kit, at Home Depot, for about $30 and set the detector up in my basement for 3 months in the winter. Once the test period was done, I sent it off to be analyzed for another $30 or so and waited.

My results came back with an average level of 322 Bq/m3 (becquerels per cubic metre). The government says "Remedial measures should be undertaken in a dwelling whenever the average annual radon concentration exceeds 200 Bq/m3 in the normal occupancy area." So I decided to install radon remediation measures.

I was lucky to be able to use the services of a handyman I always hire to do stuff around the house that I'm not qualified or experienced enough to do and he offered to install the remediation for us. You can expect it to cost between $2,500 and $4,000.

In our case, we were lucky because we already had a hole cut through the foundation floor for a possible sump, so we were able to mount the exhaust pipe there. After that big cold spell this past January, we also realized that we needed somewhere for any condensing water to go, so we had a drain installed in the line between the fan and the outside wall.

The remediation helps a lot, getting our winter time levels below 150 Bq/m3, sometimes as low as 75 Bq/m3. How do I know? Because I bought my own portable radon detector. Many of our neighbours got tested too and at least 3 of them are either remediated now, or are about to be.

Radon remediation is now standard in new home builds, at least having the piping roughed into the foundation floor. In the near future, having it installed will probably be a selling point, never mind the good it does in your home to remove one more factor in developing cancer.

Things I learned lately 16 Apr

• There was supposed to be a sequel to the Beetlejuice movie called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. It almost happened a few times over the years but it's still shelved.
• The Chinese have created firefighting drones to fight fires in high-rises.
• Sweden hasn't bothered with a full lock down, although they do mostly practise distancing. Schools, stores and restaurants are still open. At last check, Sweden had less than half the cases Canada did, but they had 200 more deaths from Covid-19.
• Electric car owners in North America refer to their front trunks as 'frunks'. What do the Brits call them? 'Froots'. (Front boot)
• Mortgage payments can be deferred for up to six months at the request of the Canadian government. But the interest on those payments will be added back to the outstanding balance, resulting in customers paying interest on top of deferred interest. Canada's big 6 banks earned $46 billion in combined profits last year, the 10th year in a row their profits have gone up.
• There are people who, based on opinion they read on Facebook, think 5G cell technology is responsible for or contributing to, Covid-19. It has gotten so out of hand, some folks are burning cell towers in the UK.
• There are people who think that the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy is a loan.
• Remember many years ago when the government promised that Alberta would completely get access to high speed internet? Even in rural areas? Never happened.
• 'Orange' meant the fruit before it meant a colour.
• The word “PEZ” comes from the German word for peppermint – PfeffErminZ.

Pasta measure

Things I learned lately 10 Apr

• Only one McDonald's in the world has turquoise arches. Government officials in Sedona, Arizona, thought the yellow would look bad with the natural red rock of the city.
• Duncan Hines was a real person. He was a popular restaurant critic.
• The first recorded recipe for apple pie was written in England.
• You can make your own yeast.
• Reed Hastings is often quoted saying that he decided to start Netflix after being fined $40 at a Blockbuster store for being late to return a copy of Apollo 13. But this is an apocryphal story that he and Marc Randolph designed to explain the company's business model and motivation.
• Barry Manilow’s hit, “I Write the Songs”, wasn’t written by him.
• The Cookie Monster has a real name. It’s Sid.

How much food versus smokes you can get for the same price in Australia

Light in a time of darkness

I check into Tiny Desk every once in a while to see what's new.

Lately, I saw something classic. The Black Crowes unplugged. 

Just two brother's voices and a guitar. Incredible how so little can stir the soul.

Handwriting 50 years apart

What happens in your body on a cleanse

Adapted from an article by Thorin Klosowski and Beth Skwarecki

Fruit and vegetables are good for us, so that suggests that a diet of just fruit and vegetables must be super healthy. Not really. If you drink only juice for a week, you'll lose weight, because you're not eating, not because your body is detoxing. Water is stored in your muscles with glycogen. When you eat a low calorie diet, you use up those glycogen stores, and lose the water weight with it. You'll gain that water weight right back when your normal diet resumes. You'll also miss out on other vital nutrients like fat, fibre, and protein. In fact, some cleanses suggest avoiding exercise when you're on them because your caloric intake is too low, which leads to fatigue and dizziness.

After a few days, your body is running on fumes, and without protein your body might start to break down muscle tissue instead. Likewise, the lack of fibre in your diet can impact the function of your large intestine, which may be why people describe a juice cleanse as similar to the stomach flu.

The thing is, a juice cleanse doesn't do anything that your body doesn't already do on its own. Our bodies are pretty good at removing toxins. If you needed a yearly detox, we'd all probably be dead.

Will just juice for 3-5 days land you in the hospital or result in irreversible nutrient deficiencies? No, but it is also unnecessary. Our bodies remove toxins daily thanks to the kidneys, lungs, and liver. The whole point of going to the bathroom is to flush out toxins.

While most of these cleanses and detoxes aren't dangerous, they can cause problems. Juices don't include much fibre, so the body absorbs more fructose, which isn't great.

The good news is that it takes months to get any serious vitamin deficiencies. Most cleanses are useless but not seriously harmful, if all you're doing is restricting food for a few days.

As for eliminating toxins, in 15 commercial detox products, none could name toxins, agree on a definition of detox, or supply any evidence for their claims.

All of this is to say: the only thing a detox or juice cleanse actually does to your body is make you hungry and nutrient deprived for a few days. One kind of diet that does show promise however, is the daily intermittent fasting.

It's called “early time-restricted feeding,” where all meals are fit into an early eight hour period of the day (such as 7 am to 3 pm), or spread out over 12 hours (between 7 am and 7 pm). You likely won't lose weight, but after five weeks, you may have dramatically lower insulin levels and significantly improved insulin sensitivity, as well as significantly lower blood pressure. The best part? Significantly decreased appetite. No starving.

Just changing the timing of meals, by eating earlier in the day and extending the overnight fast, significantly benefits metabolism even in people who don't lose a single pound.

Nap early, nap often

Small things 10 Apr

• Right now, people with severe OCD are watching other wash their hands and wondering, "Are people mocking me right now?"
• Just think, nighttime is the natural state of the universe and daytime is only caused by a nearby, radiating giant ball of nuclear fusion.
• I want to see a movie scene where the hero tries to save the day with their computer only to be delayed by that window that asks if they want to update the Adobe Flash Player....
• My house will always be free of Justin Bieber music. Even if I have to frisk you on the way in....
• How come file-sharing is killing the music industry, but libraries aren't killing the book industry?
• Right now, Bigfoot is wondering, "Are people mocking me right now?"
• To all cops going on dates: Holding the car door open for your date is fine, just don't out of habit push their head down as they get in.
• "Very many people go through their whole lives having no real sense of what their talents may be, or if they have any to speak of." ~Ken Robinson
• If I'm to be killed, I choose to be killed with kindness......
• Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. ~Edgar Degas
• Message to kids about their education: "You have one life, and this small part of it will make all the difference." ~Tony Danza

It's just like Vegas!

Electric car myth busting

Whenever I talk to people about electric cars I hear pushback using the common myths about them. This post’s purpose is to dispel some of those myths and talking points.

There’s hardly any choice
That’s baloney. Tesla alone currently offer 4 models in various configurations. There are more models available in Europe and Asia, but we still have the Kia Nero EV, Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Hyundai Kona Electric, Volkswagen E-Golf, Mini Cooper SE, Porsche Taycan, Jaguar i-Pace, BMW i3, Audi E-tron, Mercedes EQC and many more coming.

They wouldn’t sell if they weren’t subsidized
This is wrong for two reasons. In some jurisdictions, there are no subsidies. Alberta is a good example. Yet I still see the cars. Not as many, this is true, but people still buy them.

Also, some manufacturers, particularly the ones who have been around for a while, won’t be getting subsidized much longer, if they are at all. That’s because companies like Tesla only qualify for the US federal subsidy until they sell more than 200,000 cars. That milestone was passed on 31 December 2019. For GM, that milestone is approaching very soon.

They’re slow
No. Even the slowest electric cars are not slow. The Leaf and Kona get to 100 km/h in under 8 seconds. The Tesla Model 3 slowest variant only takes 5.6 seconds and the performance model does it in 3.4 seconds. The next generation Tesla Roadster will get to 100 km/h in 2.1 seconds. Wear a neck brace……

They’re expensive
Compared to ICE cars, this is still true, but the gap is closing. A Chevrolet Bolt will cost between $45,000 and $50,000 depending on options, The Hyundai Kona Electric between $46,000 and $52,000. Granted for $50,000 I’d rather buy a Mercedes, but my operating costs will be much higher than an electric car.

They can’t go very far
Among affordable EVs, the Nissan Leaf can run for an average 150 miles on a charge, while the Chevrolet Bolt EV ups the ante to km, and the full-electric version of the Hyundai Kona boasts an operating range of 415 km. If you have deeper pockets, the top version of the Tesla Model 3 has 310-mile range, while its costlier sibling, the Model S maxes out at 335 miles on a charge.

Charging takes too long
That depends on many factors. If you try charging a Tesla Model 3 using a standard 110V plug, forget it. It will take 4 days. But that’s not how you do it. If you own an electric car, you should be installing a 240V charger in your garage or outside your house by your parking location. The rate of charge will also depend on the current capacity of the connecting 240V line. A circuit with 100A of current can give you at peak delivery 71 km of range per hour, versus a 50A circuit, which can only give you 60 km per hour. You can get from 40% to 80% in an hour. Bear in mind, you’re going to home charge overnight. And if you’re smart, pre-heat or pre-cool the car while it’s plugged in.

A Chevy Bolt will fully charge at home using 240V in 9.5 hours. DC fast charging, if you can find it, gets you fully topped up in 80 minutes.

If you’re lucky to own a Tesla, their supercharging network is not only ubiquitous (especially in the US and Europe), but their latest generation of superchargers can really get the Model 3 going again fast. You’re looking at charge rates at their peak of 1,000 km of range per hour. Keep in mind that charging rate is not linear. The peak charge rate usually comes between 10% and 60% and drops off dramatically to preserve battery longevity and prevent excess heat.

There aren’t many charging locations
There are 10 Tesla supercharger stations in Alberta, 4 of which are the 3rd generation 250kw ones. But Alberta is a bad example. There are 41 in Ontario. That’s stations, not individual stalls. Many of the newer stations have 20 stalls.

They aren’t any greener than ICE cars
Electric motors convert 75 percent of the chemical energy from the batteries to power the wheels. By comparison, internal combustion engines (ICEs) only convert 20 percent of the energy stored in gasoline. What’s more, EVs emit no direct tailpipe pollutants. Some argue they still pollute the atmosphere, at least indirectly, via the power plants that produce the electricity necessary to operate them.

EVs tend to fare best in this regard when charged in parts of California, New York, and the Pacific Northwest, where renewable energy resources are prevalent, and less so in central U.S. states like Colorado, Kansas and Missouri because of their greater dependence on fossil fuels to produce electricity. At that, a study conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists concluded that EVs are generally responsible for less pollution than conventional vehicles in every region of the U.S.

They cost a lot to maintain
Nope. Forget tune-ups, oil and filter changes, transmission fluid changes. No more worn out clutches. No coolant flushes. No muffler to replace. No starter to wear out. No drive belts to break.

There is one thing you will be spending more money on. Tires. Your tires are likely to wear much faster due to the added weight and the incredible torque always being applied to the wheels.

The batteries only last 3 years
Electric vehicles are federally mandated to carry separate warranties for their battery packs for at least eight years or 100,000 miles. According to published reports, Nissan Leaf models that were used as taxicabs retained 75% of their battery capacity after 120,000 miles on the road. A Tesla owner is said to be able to have 90% of their car’s battery life intact after 200,000 miles. Once depleted, EV batteries, like 99% of the batteries found in conventional cars, can be recycled. For example, used EV power cells can be used to store solar and wind energy, or they can be broken down with their more-valuable elements reused.

The grid can’t handle a lot of electric cars
According to a report conducted by Navigant Research, the nation can add millions of electric cars to the current power system without having to build any new power plants. Much of this has to do with the fact that most electric vehicles tend to be charged at night during off-peak hours when power demand tends to be the lowest.

Small things 3 Apr

• And the social distancing winner is................. BIGFOOT!
• You would think that with the toilet paper shortage, beans and prunes wouldn't sell much right now, and cheese should be sold out.
• This is a really awkward time to have bad allergies.
• Crows were gathered together in a group on the front lawn cawwing like "Look at us not practising social distancing hooman!"
• When they tell you to sneeze into an elbow, they mean YOUR elbow......
• Mosquitoes are coming alive from winter and going: "What's a mosquito gotta do to get a drink around here?"
• If you're one of those people who hoarded toilet paper and are feeling a bit guilty, stick a couple rolls in the nearest Little Free Library. People nearby who desperately needs some will love you for it.
• Tinder dates now be like: Meeting in your individual cars beside each other in a parking lot after a McDonalds drive-thru with your windows cracked. 
• Calories: Tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little bit tighter every night.
• Blood is thicker than water. But maple syrup is thicker than blood, so technically, pancakes are more important than family....
• A physicist studying atoms is really just atoms trying to understand themselves.
• Before naming your first pet, just remember that you'll be using it as a security question later in life.

School of Rock does Pink Floyd - Dogs

I did not have high expectations for this cover, even for the school of rock kids, who typically do awesome work. But wow. This is seriously hard stuff to play and there's a certain feel for the music that must be hard to replicate.

But they did a respectable job. Kids doing classic rock well. I could watch all day.

Corona Lisa

Things I learned lately 3 Apr

• Celtic is technically pronounced with a hard 'c' (like k).
• Islamic rule in the Kingdom of Granada in the south of Spain didn't end until 1492.
• In the United Kingdom, all citizens of Commonwealth countries (such as Canada and Australia) have full voting rights in UK elections so long as they are residents in the UK at the time of the election.
• A group of owls is called, depending on the region you’re in, a parliament, a wisdom, a bazaar, or a study.
• It's called 'pound' cake because in the original recipes, it calls for a pound of butter, a pound of sugar and a pound of flour.
• Kia has an SUV so large, it has a built in intercom system for the driver to speak to the passengers.
• As you get older, increasing numbers of your body joints really start trying to get your attention. Constantly.
• The Onagadori chicken, a Japanese breed, can grow tail feathers as long as 12 metres (over 39 feet).
• Deep in the forests of Indonesia sits an abandoned church shaped like a chicken.