The router cost more at Staples, but when I went to pay for it, I said, “This router is $20 less at Future Shop. Can you match their price?” They said yes, and that was it. Done deal.

I hate going to Future Shop.

A few flying tips based on my initial experience: 1) Practice going up and down and adjusting the trim; try to land softly. 2) After that, practice taking off, going forward and then landing again. 3) Don’t try to go forward and turn at the same time. An easier method: Go forward. STOP. Turn left or right. Then go forward in the new direction. Save the fancy moves for later. 4) Avoid air conditioners, any kind of fan or rooms with hot and cold air pockets. The helicopter is sensitive to air currents and will easily crash. It’s not an outdoor helicopter.

The controller takes 6 AA batteries. A wire from the controller charges the helicopter. It takes about 20 minutes to charge. The charge will last between 5 and 10 minutes. That might not seem like much, but it’s enough to entertain most beginners. I recommend rechargeable alkaline batteries.

LEDs on the controller are supposed to flash while the helicopter charges, then stop flashing afterwards, but my LEDs don’t do anything. I call that a defect, but I’ve crashed my helicopter too many times to return it, and the non-functioning LEDs don’t effect the flight of the helicopter, so I don’t care.

The instructions are horribly translated (from Chinese, I assume). Exhibit A: “In if the flight does not have the impetus to change the operating lever, but the helicopter still in airborne spun, by now might adjust in your hand on remote control’s vernier adjustment knob, balanced does not spin until the helicopter.” That’s fabulous.

Replacement parts, mainly rotor blades, can be ordered online (something like $5 each). That’s a good thing because I know mine will have more than a few nicks in them before I master the controls.

The helicopter sure can take a beating, which is excellent news for anyone who wants to learn how to fly remote control helicopters without spending much money. If I wanted to buy a larger outdoor model (and some of them are pretty damn cool), starting off small and cheap is a smart way to ease into it. Just don’t be fooled into thinking you can control the helicopter as well as the guy in the mall. (I still don’t know how he managed to do what he did.)

I’ll post updates and perhaps a video in the comments — except for this update:

Jan. 13/10: The helicopter finally died on me. I put it through its paces. Although I did get better at controlling it, none of it was precision flying or landing, and I crashed it over and over again. It probably would have lasted longer if I was more careful with it. It still operates, but the helicopter shakes like crazy and doesn’t get off the ground. It was fun while it lasted. I was just hoping it would last a bit longer. I’m not sure it was worth the money.

• Basset hound
• Bichon
• Cavalier King Charles spaniel
• French bulldog
• Greyhound, or the smaller whippet
• Maltese
• Papillon
• Poodle
• Pug
• Sporting dog (pointer, retriever, setter)
• Yorkie

All dogs that require little exercise, although all dogs should be walked daily.

We’re considering getting a Greyhound (yes, another dog) when our ancient cat dies: they’re supposed to be nice, lazy dogs, despite their reputation for being athletic pets. Greyhound Pets of Atlantic Canada is an excellent resource for those looking to adopt a Greyhound; we’ll be getting ours from there.

1. Anesthesiologist: $292,000
2. Physician/Obstetrician/Gynecologist: $222,000
3. Psychiatrist: $177,000
4. Nurse Anesthetist: $157,000
5. Sales Director: $140,000
6. Actuary: $129,000
7. Finance Director: $121,000
8. Software Architect: $117,000
9. Attorney/Lawyer: $115,000
10. Insurance Broker: $114,000

Software Architect?! That’s what I am and I’m not close to that!

“Mastermind”. I like that.

I wonder how many takes it took to come up with the final cut. The out-takes would be interesting.

Update (Aug 18, 2009): The video is available here, too.

It’s a spoof of the atheist bus campaign stating similar sentiment about a God.

(via Friendly Atheist)

I’ve been using Microsoft Money since it came free with Windows 95. They stopped providing yearly upgrades in Canada a few years ago, thankfully: their upgrades were a waste of money; however, it is (was) a good product.

I posted about Microsoft Money years ago.

We have one of those. Pain in the ass to push, but the kids love it.

You put a couple teaspoons of oil in the bottom, then 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels, put the cover on and turn it on. A metal rod that sits on top of the hot plate revolves, mixing the kernels so they don’t burn. Within a few minutes it’ll start popping. It’s quiet – just a low hum for the motor that turns that rod. EVERY kernel will pop if you have good kernels.

The popcorn maker costs about three times as much as the cheap air-blown ones, but it’s worth it.

I haven’t heard of any of them except Larry King.

What happened to Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Charlie Pride, etc. They all dead?

Holy crap – I just looked at Willie’s website: he’s 76. Christ.

Two things have been holding me back from buying one:

• Its effectiveness. You have to mow frequently since tall grass will be a choir, and plants with thick stems can be difficult, such as dandelions.
• Its maintainability. How often does one have to sharpen its blades, and can you sharpen the blades easily by yourself.

Time to do more research. I’ll create a new post if I get one.

(Photo credit)

Should I take advantage of their offer? If so, what should I ask for? My intention was just to make them aware of the shitty service.

I waited a long time for my order, so I emailed the corporation about my experience:

They replied within a couple of hours:

Their email address was from Yum, which I never heard of before. They’re “the world’s largest restaurant company”.

A couple hours later I received the following:

This email came from Priszm, “one of the largest operators of quick service restaurants in the world” – not the largest.
My response:

Their response:

See? They seem to EXPECT me to ask for some compensation.