Shopping At Sears

Last week I bought a new lawn mower. End of the season, good time to buy. Saw a sale at Sears Clearance Center. 20% off and another 10% off with their card. I knew what I wanter before I got there. 6.5 hp, large rear wheels, rear wheel drive, and rear bag.  It used to be that the grass shot out the side, then it was a bag on the back. Now they come with both.
They had a whole bunch there and I found one I liked. Had everything I wanted plus a hose connection for cleaning under it. That's something new. Good idea. I wonder if I can install one on my other mower. I have two mowers. The other one just shoots out the side. Good for my back yard. Don't need to bag, easy to push, don't need auto drive.
So the original price with tax was $ 575.00. marked down to $196. less 20%, less 10%, no tax. Total price was $160.  So I wheeled it from the store. Used it yesterday, works great.

Robins and Snow.

  

I was looking out the front window and noticed a Robin on the front lawn. He lands back here every spring and has done so for years. He is attracted by the last apples that fell last fall. It seems to be his morning snack every day. As I watched him, I noticed snow flurries again. The 6th of April and still we get snow.

Although I bought a new snow blower a couple of weeks ago, I am certainly not hoping for more snow. I can happily wait till next winter. My neighbour gave me a key to his shed so I could have his snowblower when I needed it. I have a 32" - it is extremely heavy, and it only throws the snow a few feet. Needs a new belt, and again, it is just too heavy to manoeuver.

My wife and son went over to Sears Clearance one Sat. and saw they were getting rid of all blowers. They had a whack of them. They took photos, then came back and showed me. I finally capitulated and went over for a look. By then, there was only three remaining. So I picked up a 27". What I liked most about it was the new feature. There is another switch on it. Just squeeze it and it lifts the wheels and front off the ground. I can just slide it to the next row. There was also one screw missing which is not a problem.




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Tablets Provide Better Print Reader For Older Demos

from MediaDailyNews

Newspapers and magazines may find the tablet a saving grace with older readers.
They have an easier time reading text on tablet computers than print on paper, according to a new study by German researchers -- which may speed adoption by older consumers who enjoy daily news reads, provided that consumer electronics marketers can alter habits.
Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany studied the amount of cognitive effort required to read text displayed on different media, including paper, e-readers and tablet computers. After dividing participants into two groups, one consisting of 36 subjects ages 21-34, the other of 21 subjects ages 60+, the researchers tracked eye movements and brain activity with electrodes to determine how much neural power was required to read text presented in the various formats.

The older readers displayed a lower level of brain activity when reading text on an iPad tablet, the study found, and finished each page of text three to four seconds faster, on average. The researchers attributed this result to the tablet computers’ bright, backlit screens, which enhance contrast and make it easier to distinguish text.
Younger readers showed no appreciable differences in the amount of time or mental effort required to read a page of text, regardless of format.

In November, a study published by researchers at New Jersey’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School found that tablets could help people with moderate vision loss read. The study tracked the reading speeds of 100 subjects with moderate central vision impairment when using iPads and Kindle tablets, versus print. Subjects reading text in 18-point font on the iPad gained at least 42 words per minute in their average reading speed compared to print, while subjects reading the same size text on a Kindle gained an average of 12 words per minute compared to their print reading speed.

Patients with the worst vision (which the study defined as 20/40 or worse in both eyes) showed the greatest improvements when reading on tablet devices instead of print text. People with the worst vision loss also said the iPad provided the most comfortable reading experience.

According to data released by Pew’s Internet & American Life Project, in August 2012 27% of American adults ages 50-64 and 13% of adults ages 65+ owned a tablet computer. Those figures were up from 15% and 7%, respectively, in January 2012, and just 4% and 2%, respectively, in November 2010.


Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/193115/tablets-provide-better-print-reader-for-older-demo.html#ixzz2KayFjLn2


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Hurricane and Walmart

 

First of all, I would like to thank Dixon Rice for inviting me to submit an article for his Blog. Wrote up some of my background and he added it to his site Wredheaded Writer on Monday. Why don't you slip over and see what he has to say? Lots of other guest bloggers.

Today, we are going to get our share of the hurricane. I don't imagine it will be anything like New Jersey. Normally it would have come straight up and hit us here in Nova Scotia. This time it took a sharp left turn and will come around to get us on the backside.

We have a lot of tall maple trees in and around my yard, so that means a lot of leaves to rake. Last Friday we had five bags of leaves and Sunday nine more. Here are some before and after pictures from Sunday. I'm hoping the high winds will blow the rest away or I will have to do it at least once more.

We used to have a Walmart here in the city, a couple of miles away. It had been a Woolco. A few years ago, they decided to close down and move to the industrial park on the way to the airport. Everyone was upset about it and my trips

                                                    there decreased considerably.

 

                                                                                   Now they have decided to return to the city. They will move into a defunct Zellers, which will be smaller than a regular Walmart. So everyone is excited about it as it will be within walking distance, which could be a bad thing.                          

 

 

FEW SMALL MARKETS

by C. Hope Clark

WHEN 100 FOLLOWERS IS BETTER THAN 1,000They call it a tribe. I'm not crazy about that word, because
fans aren't a tribe. They are good friends, in my opinion.
But anyway, let's talk numbers.

When someone says, "Follow me on..." so he can build up
followers on some social network, what does that mean?
So he has 10,000 followers. How many of those read what
he has to say? How many of those look forward to buying
his work? How many of those belong to his "tribe" because
they feel they have to because there are 9,999 other
people who do? How many just delete?

While gobs of followers sound good, we both know that
what counts is how many care enough to come hear you speak,
buy your book, or tell their friends about you.

Finding these "solid" fans evades most people, mainly
because so many up-and-coming writers are looking over the
tops of them, hunting through hordes of strangers to build
that elusive platform.

Start with the lowest common denominator. Start with who
you know. Connect with them, keep in touch with them, and
they become your best allies.

The point is that starting with people who love and trust you,
is a huge jumpstart. They not only buy your work, but they
talk you up with vigor to their connections. That's planting
seeds that spread roots everywhere!

Bottom line, don't overlook everybody you touch or who touches
you when you need a platform. You can start your garden in
well tilled soil or you can start it in new ground. Guess
which one will give you the best results?


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Money Spent

Cooler at night, cooler at day.

Made arrangements to talk to a guy about installing a heat pump. One of the nurses that comes to the house has one which is where I found out about it. I saw a compressor outside a neighbors house, so I went to have a look at it.

The guy came while I was tarring the driveway. My son continued with that while I went with him to discuss. We got the size all figured out, where to put the stuff, etc and then he told me I needed a 220v plug outside. So it was call him when I have the plug.

The nurse knew a electrician so I called the company. I was told the office staff was away on vacation so they were letting the electricians pick their own jobs. The guy didn't come for two days. When he did show up, I told him the what and where of everything and the easiest way to do it. Told me he couldn't do it that way, which made me wonder if I knew more tham him. Remember, I used to be an electronic tech. in the air force. and quite used to laying cables. On one of my jobs I was in charge of installing cables in a new hanger.

So I never heard from him for two more days. When he finally called, he said it would cost $750. plus tax which would be about $850. Not in my life. Pick their own jobs?

In the neantime, the other guy had been calling back to see if I had the plug. Told him the problem and he gave me the number of someone he just met on another job. Gave him a call.

He came right away. He would do it the next day for $200. total. He could do it the next day at nine o'clock. The next day he was here at eight forty-five. Did the job plus some extra and supplied the parts.

Now, I had been thinking about upgrading my electrical box. Circuit breakers instead of fuses. Thought I should do it while I had a hold of this guy. Talked it over, he gave me a good price and can do it in the first two weeks of Oct.

And that is enough renovations for this year. New kitchen, new bathroom, new electrical and heat pump plus some other smaller items. Last week my son asks, "Do you want to install the laminate floors in the dining and living rooms? I have five days off at Thanksgiving." My answer was we should wait till spring.


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Muggy and Hot

Muggy, muggy, muggy. That's the only way to describe the weather. It's 10 AM and I have to go for my walk in a little while.

I was writing for the last little while. "Li'l Warsaw #2" It's at Halloween, so I can have some fun with it. Bullets will still have to fly.

"Britain warns Ecuador it could enter embassy to get Assange." What the heck is going on there? Seems a bit overboard. Winning so many medals at the Olympics has made them go stupid. For any normal size country, this would be war. You can never tell how how such a thing would turn out. Chavez in Venezuels might jump right on that.

Cut my lawn yesterday. Always bag the grass in the front so it doesn't mess up the driveway. That grass was wet and heavy. Didn't have to do a walk.

Took my daughter to the eye doctor yesterday. Found a good place in the mall, lots of room. Afterwards my wife and her went shopping. She was happy about that. They didn't need me dragging around, looking bored. I sat on one of the benches and read my Kindle.



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Humidity 35C

I'll start of with an interesting article I rad this morning.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/122466-schneidereit-new-technology-could-transform-world-again-proponents-say  So what do you think of that? I wasn't aware we were so far ahead. Sure sounds like Startrek. I take the info about the .22 with a grain of salt, but I suppose the time will come.

Don't Bump Me

The weather is the same everyday, warm and muggy.

Went for my run yesterday and almost got run over again. This time by two joggers. They passed me on the right and didn't even beep. I need a rear-view mirror attached to my glasses.

Watched the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. Everything was about their past and present, nothing about the future. Personally, I don't think they have a future. The present was kids having fun and texting. That says it right there. Man can not live on Harry Potter alone.

This was a bad week for losing people. First, my son's friends father died, Then it was my wife's uncle. On Thursday it was the wife of my best friend from high school. I guess I'm on top of that bell curve now. It starts of with hardly knowing anyone who dies, then it builds up to someone almost every week and then back to hardly knowing anyone.

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Walking For Your Health.

Went for my walk yesterday. There is only one crosswalk on my route. As I was crossing over, I saw a bus down the road. It was quite a distance away, at least I thought so. As it turned out, I was about five feet from the curb when he went flying by, behind me. Never slowed down a bit.

About three minutes later, a black guy on a bike went streaming by me, driving on the sidewalk. One misstep and I would have been toast.

Then, five minutes later, a crow yelled at me and then swooped down almost rapping my head.

After that I concluded walking can be hazardous to your health.



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One Way or Another.

On my walk yesterday, I helped a guy lift a lawnmower from his truck. He proceeded to tell me all about his new mower. He bought it at Canadian Tire for $330.00. It had rear wheel drive instead of the usual front wheel.

On this  street, the back yards on one side are particularly steep. He told me how he cut the lawn before he bought the new mower. My way would be to go from side to side, but not him. He told me he stood at the top of the yard, put a rope on the handle and let the mower go to the bottom, then he would drag it back and do it again till the lawn was mowed. I would loved to have seen it.

He then told me he didn't know which was worse, mowing the lawn himself or pulling the rope.


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It Is What It Is

Rained all evening and all night. Boom, boom in the sky, etc. I won't have to put the hose on today. Going up to 25C/77F. Humidity will be higher. It's already sticky.

Took my wife to the bank yesterday. She has a pension from Germany so every year the bank has to tell them she is still alive. So, I was sitting in my van, reading on my Kindle, when I hear this loud scream beside me. I looked out and this woman says to me, "Oh, I'm sorry, wrong car." Wonder what gave me away.

Looks like Halifax has come into the big time. We now have the second-highest homicide rate in Canada. In Canada the rate is at its lowest in four decades. I was going for a walk, maybe I better stay home.

Something to laugh at. The Atlantic Superstore is selling Replicas of the schooner Bluenose made in China. First off, the spelled Lunenburg wrong, added a h to it. There is also no wheel, plus a number of other bo bos. Lunenburg is the town where it was built. They make a lot of movies and tv shows there. "Haven" is filmed there.

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Olympics

Tuesday. Temp 17C/63 F. Supposed to rain. Believe it when I see it.

The garbage can was tipped over last night. Must be that racoon I've seen before.

"LONDON (Reuters) - In the shadow of London's gleaming Olympic venues, a quiet battle is under way over who gets to cash in on the Games.

Olympic organisers have enforced strict rules to protect official trademarks, deploying about 250 uniformed "brand police" on the streets of the capital to ensure businesses do not piggyback off the world's biggest sporting event.
The rules are simple: no one outside a small band of official sponsors such as McDonalds or adidas is allowed to make a profit by creating an association with the Games.
London is buzzing with curious stories of those who have found themselves on the wrong side of the brand police such as a stall owner who was told off for displaying the London 2012 logo and a butcher in a town hosting sailing events who had to remove a sign showing the Olympic rings made from sausages.
On a quiet side-street within walking distance of the Olympic stadium where the Games open officially on Friday, a cafe called Olympic has had to paint over the letter "O" to comply with the rules."

There you have it. You can only make money if you have big bucks.

Time Flies

Time passes fast. I just noticed it has been a month since wrote in here. I'll attribute it to the lack of excitement in my life. I could mention I went to have bladder stones removed last week, second time. I didn't go to the hospital for fifty years and all of a sudden, in three years, I've had four endoscopyies, two prostate operations, two bladder stone removals, and I have three other minor things coming up this year. It seems they have a hold of me now and won't let me go.

Raining out today. We need the rain and I may have to cut the lawn by the end of the week. I like it better than shoveling snow.

Last week I saw this woman parked out in front of my house. It was about 7:30 in the morning. I thought she must be waiting for the guy across the street. She seemed to be having her breakfast and after she finished up, she drove away. So I guess she parked there to eat. It's not like I'm of the main road, you have to drive another street before you get to mine.

I have a case of beer from my brother having twelve different types. Grabbed one the other day and reefed on the top. Found out it wasn't twist off. That's why we have two hands, the wounded one holds the beer while the other uses a bottle opener.

Hunger Games

Warm today. 25C/77F. I won't be jumping the gun and put away the snow shovel. It's only March. Sat it's supposed to be 6C/43F.

The newspaper is filled with "Hunger Games." No difference than the time of the Roman Empire. Entertainment to keep the nincompoops occupied. I think there are three books, catering to teenage girls. As Col. Klink would say,"You vill vatch this movie and you vill enjoy it."

You know when you get those pictures called "Wal-Mart people?" This morning I was in Wal-Mart. My wife was looking for something while I sat and had a coffee. As I sat there watching everyone, I became a firm believer that there are Wal-Mart people.

I just read the other day that in Sweden they are doing away with paper money. As a point of interest, they were the first to have paper money. So, to get on the bus, you'll need a ticket, or use your cell phone to make a payment. And in church? in church you'll have to swipe your card. Seems to me that might take some time. Then again, how many feed the collection?



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What's a Fag?

The temp yesterday was 12C/52F. Almost spring eh? Today back to normal. -2C/28F.

The new book I am writing is about bootleggers, moonshine and murder. I've picked my hometown in Cape Breton as the scene. Not because it's full of bootleggers and moonshiners, it'd just because I know the area. I've put it in the 1950's and also use some of the slang of the time. Don't know if they still use it.

One of the slang words is fag. What is a fag? It's a cigarette. Someone would ask, "Hey, you got a fag," or "Hey, can you lend me a fag?" That was a popular one. Which leads me to say, when someone borrows something, they usually return it. How would you return a cigarette you've smoked?

In my last post I wrote about an alternate bus company. Bottom line - it was a farce. It sure did heat up the news and blogs for that day. Big excitement, like the Romans throwing another group of christans to the lions. It was even exciting the next day with all the "I told you so." Everyone seemed to know it was bull except the reporters.

Read an interesting item this morning. Iceland is considering dropping their Krona and using the Canadian Dollar. We are taking over the world and this is the first move. Americans send in armies, we'll just be nice. Which reminds me, we had this opportunity before, when the Turks & Caicos Islands asked us to take them over. We declined. We were just too nice to take over someone.

It would have been a good idea, our own place in the sun. Canadian money, Canadian laws and we would be ripped of by Canadians, not some foreigner.

BUS STRIKE OR BUST

Today it is -7C/19F. But tomorow it is supposed to be 12C/53F. Spring is getting here. All it takes is time.

The bus strike is still on, but you would never know it by the news. The strikers are certainly having a hard time keeping this one in front. They did get some help yesterday. A new bus service is planning to jump in and fill some of the gap. So they get their first bus yesterday and what happens? Vandals stroke to the tune of $10,000. Of course we know who is suspect there. As far as this being legitimate service or not is yet to know.

They have their own website at http://busstrike.weebly.com/3/post/2012/03/bus-strike.html
What I found most interesting about it was the comments. The first noticeable point I saw. Education was not a priority on the bus drivers resume. Of course I'm assuming these comments are from them. Perhaps I was swayed by the frequent use of the word "scab." I think the unions have this one word trademarked. Legitimate or not, it's a place for people to air their comments. If you read the comments you'll get the drift.

As in the comment I made, the bus service is actually a shuttle service, not unlike the one from the Holiday Inn to the airport. For some people this shuttle will work, even after the strike is history, going from point A to point B. Cheaper than a taxi and no stopping every five minutes.

The strikers continued antics keep putting them on the wrong side of the public. Open fires, setting up tents, stopping Access-a-Bus, stopping snowplows have helped to downgrade their support. Warm weather on the horizon is certainly not going to help. Information about the strike will float from the back pages to the Obituary Column.


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I just put this on Facebook, but I'll put it here too.

Okay, I've seen it all. At least up to this point. At this side of the bridge going to Halifax, there is a Bus Treminal. Out in front is a number of strikers carrying their placards, "On Strike, etc,etc."

 Walking on the sidewalk in front of them, and among them, is a man protesting the striking transit workers. His placard reads, "Taxpayer: Who do these transit workers think they are?"

 Strikers can't do anything. Public sidewalk, Lots of witnesses.

So, last month we got our new kitchen installed. Kent Hardware said it would cost $14,300.00. Whoa to that. Contractors are just middlemen, who get someone else to do it. Paying for nothing.I knew a guy who could do it. I did the electrical, he did the plumbing, and I helped him with the rest. The whole thing cost about $7,000.00. So that's it for the kitchen.

Next is laminate floors in the dining and living rooms. My son and I will do it. After that it will be a new bathroom. Hopefully, all done by summer.

Busy writing my second book. Two guys just out of high school, running moonshine. Using my home town as the background. Thinking of calling it, "Beer On the Rocks."

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Boxing Day.

I awoke up to the sound of a big truck outside. Oh, oh. Garbage man. Wine and turkey doesn't seem to help a flagging memory. My wife had also heard the truck, a little earlier on, and ran out in her pyjamis, and did the job. I patted her on the back and told her she was a good trooper, after which she answered, "Yeah, sure."

I will tell you that I haven't been entirly lazy in this garbage fiasco. When I looked out the door on Sat. morning, I noticed everyone on the street had their garbage out, and me, being the little sheep that I am, quickly put mine out. But as the day dragged on, I had second thoughts, so I checked the garbage pickup flyer. And there it was in blue and red, Monday is normal pickup day. So I dragged mine back in. I couldn't help but notice, everyone left theirs out, even on Christmas Day.

Last week there was all that ranting about us having a green christmas. Well that didn't happen, got almost a foot of snow on Friday. We ended up shoveling heavy slush and got the driveway cleared out. The snowplow driver decided to give us another swipe, sometimes after midnight. A line of slush across my driveway, which of course was frozen by the time I got up. I hate driving over that ice, I've had ruined tires before.

My wife solved the problem of my Christmas coffee cup. She brought me a new one. It has a house that lights up when the cup gets hot. I guess I will be able to tell when my coffee gets cold.

I didn't do any writing yesterday and now I have all these words in my head I have to get rid of or they will become memories and I'll think they actually happened.

My brother Tony worked all weekend, so is coming over for Christmas dinner today. For him its Christmas dinner, for me it's leftovers. To be truthful, I do love turkey leftovers.

Jack Sakalauskas
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Lobster and a Happy Face.

Cold and crispy to-day. Temp about 0C/32F. Last Friday I took my wife out to look at countertop for our new kitchen. The cupboards are arriving the middle of next month, so we had to get on it. A lot of humming and hawing, but at one point she said, "I like this one, but..." That was good enough for me. I ordered it. Had to be done.

Getting all new appliances also. So far we have the dishwasher, fridge, coffeemaker, and toaster oven. Now we're looking for the stove and under the counter microwave. I'm all for getting he stove now. I can hook up the new one for Christmas and get rid of the other one. (Now say in a low woman's voice with a German accent), "No, we can wait till after Christmas."

I think she forgot about the countertop because she bought me two lobster for today. I cooked them yesterday, eat them today. And that is what a poor senior citizen, retired military, starving author will have for lunch. Hard to get anyone to believe the starving part when I am having lobster for lunch. Harder to believe the author part.

Have to go for a haircut next, then the bank, and then church. Going to drop off $100. for the food bank. My wife gives food all year long, but I always give them a cash gift. Then they can buy what they are short.

One of the first things I do in the morningis write something for my next book. Min. 500 words. What I find interesting is that it's like reading. I wonder what is coming next.

Having been an electronics technician and in the habit of fixing most things my self, people have the tendency to offer me things they are going to throw out. But that's going by the board now, as most things are not meant to be repaired. Where would you get the parts?

My brother gave me a Sony eReader because he has a new Kindle. The battery was getting weaker and weaker and would need recharging after an hour. It's $25. for a replacement battery and I know how to take it apart. The other day I decided to recharge, but I made a mistake and discharged it to the limit.

Then I remembered. Rechargeable batteries should be discharged completely before recharging. In fact, I built a small thing on my workbench to fully discharge the 1 1/2 volt batteries. We did that at the airport for our radios. So I recharged my dead eReader and have read on it for two days. The battery light is still green. Picture me with happy face.

What happens is, "I think," The new charge doesn't add to the residual charge. It just makes a new starting point. Over time, the residual charge gets larger and larger, ahile the new charge gets smaller.


Jack Sakalauskas
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