Canadian astronaut, space enthusiast, educator, social media sensation, and now entertainer? Yep, those are just a sampling of the roles that Commander Chris Hadifeld fulfilled during his 146 day posting to the ISS as Station Commander.
His Soyuz capsule returns to Earth tomorrow evening, but as a last surprise, the Commander released this video reworking of David Bowie’s Space Oddity. Enjoy, and thank you Commander Hadfield! Have a safe journey home!
via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/efK6A7
A Canadian TV icon today was honoured with a Google Doodle (on the .ca Google page anyway) on what would have been his 85th birthday; Ernie Coombs was better known as Mr. Dressup.
Very cool of the fine folks at Google to recognize the 31st anniversary of the Canadarm’s use in space with today’s Google Doodle.
Like many of you, I’ve been watching the events in Japan continue to unfold, and perhaps thinking to myself, “I’m glad something that devastating didn’t happen here”.
But what if it did, would you be prepared? I like to think that I am, but sadly, I’m probably not.
Yes, I have a first aid kit, and I’ve got some camping supplies, but it’s not organized nor is it handy. And it’s likely not enough, which is why the Canadian Red Cross created these handy plans.
Getting Prepared
The Canadian Red Cross has this excellent resource for building and maintaining an Emergency Preparedness Kit listing what you need to survive for 72 hours or more.
Ok, step one is taken care of…or is it.
In my case, I’ve got pets so I need to extend my kit and plans a bit with this Emergency Pet Plan & Kit
Now I’m set, except for some of the tech. Usually tech is the last thing you want in your kit; it requires power, isn’t easy to fix when it breaks, and doesn’t fare well when wet. Yet there are some exceptions.
Gearing up
These plans and kits all call for a battery or hand-crank flashlight and radio. And I’ve found one that suits my needs perfectly.
The Etón FR160 self-powered safety radio uses hand crank or solar power to re-charge the internal nickel metal-hydride battery and features AM/FM radio and Environmental Canada weather band channels to provide emergency weather information/public alerts. In addition, the FR160 has an integrated LED flashlight, 3.5 mm headphone output and a USB port for charging cell phones.
The unit is small, lightweight, and won’t take up valuable space in any emergency kit.
Of course, I tried it out, and yes, it does work well. Radio reception was fine, and the crank, while a bit noisy, did charge well.
And as a bonus, Etón Corporation contributes a portion of every Canadian Red Cross branded unit sold to support the mission of the Canadian Red Cross.
If you’re looking for more information on the FR160, you can check out the manual here (pdf).
And yes, this will find a home in my soon-to-be-complete emergency kit.
But I’m sure you’ve got some tech-thoughts on additions to my kit — what tech would you pack in your kit?
This post of is one of many I publish weekly at the Future Shop Techblog. Read more of my Lifestyle Technology articles here.
Canada isn’t the only nation having an election in May. Folks in the United Kingdom go to the polls on May 5th — and when they do, they’ll not only be selecting their leaders, they’ll be voting on a referendum to change they way votes are counted. And this has the chance to really make your trip to the polling station, and the act of casting a vote, much more valuable.
You see, I find this interesting as I’d never really considered weighting my vote before. Yes, it makes perfect sense to rank your candidates in order of preference, but for some reason, it’s just not done here. If it were, I’d have much more interest in finding out more about the candidates in my riding and voting for the person, instead of the party or the leader.
If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, check out this video explaining the United Kingdom referendum on the voting process.
Note, this is a paid post (I get pennies per view; but only if you’re viewing the video from the UK) but frankly, I think it’s an interesting enough concept that we in Canada should look at and consider this type of system. I think it would make me feel that my vote is more meaningful.
Your thoughts?
If you’re going to South by South West (SXSW) in March, then consider checking in to the Maple Leaf Digital Lounge — a new concept that helps promote and highlight Canadian technology to SXSW attendees.
We are creating a cluster of Canadian technology that will be promoted at this event. This is a unique concept and Canada is the only country to host a lounge at this conference. It will act as a catalyst in promoting Canadian innovation to a large technology and media audience.
The MLDL will feature Canada’s top Interactive digital media technology companies from the following industries: social media, mobile, marketing, multi-media, game development, web development or any related IT areas. At the event, each company will have a table set up/booth to showcase their technology over a two-day period.
So if you’re heading down to SXSW, the Maple Leaf Digital Lounge should be on your must-see list. And if you’re a Canadian tech. company, you may want to look at partnering.
