paulyblog

It’s estimated that 6 out of 10 Canadians have a cellphone. It shocked me when I learned that the average Canadian pays about 33% more for their rate plan than the average American. High usage Canadians often pay 50% more than high usage Americans.

The federal government plans to auction off 105 megahertz of new wireless spectrum in a 3 week auction starting May 27th of 2008. Of the 105 megahertz 40 megahertz will be reserved for new providers to the Canadian broadband wireless market. The only catch is that the company has to be Canadian or has to partner with a Canadian company and has to have less than 10% in current market share. That means Rogers, Telus and Bell can’t have part of the 40%.

The federal government is hoping that larger companies like MTS Allstream and Quebecor will enter the wireless market. Quebecor has already indicated that it would like to invest $500 million to build a state of the art broadband wireless network. Toronto Hydro has also expressed interest in obtaining some of the spectrum.

What I find interesting is that newcomers to the wireless market will be able to roam through other carriers towers for at least 10 years with this new deal. This means that new carriers can take their time to build their own towers. This also means lower operating costs and cheaper rate plans. I would start my own broadband wireless company also if I could run most of it from my direct competitors equipment.

Canada’s three deep pocket wireless providers are Rogers, Telus and Bell. The larger spectrum means that bandwidth intensive technologies like video chat, mobile tv and perhaps even the Apple iPhone will be streamlined and readily available here in Canada.

Ultimately this will lower wireless rates making it more affordable for Canadian customers.

Canada, Cell phone, News, rates 111, 119, 122, 126, 135, 142, 145, 34, 47, 57, 58, 8, 97

I was on the Competition Bureau of Canada website earlier to get the right info for my previous post and something caught my eye, the “Guide to Made in Canada Claims“.

image by WickedSunshine.com

From the Guide to Made in Canada Claims

In its analysis of a declaration claiming Canada to be the country of origin of goods incorporating foreign raw materials or components, the Bureau applies the following rules:

(1) the last substantial transformation of the goods must have occurred in Canada, and

(2) at least 51% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the goods is Canadian.

So when you really by something that is “Made in Canada” your actually buying something that is at least 51% made in Canada. The other 49% can be made anywhere else it the world, most likely China.

Canada, News, Useless 103

With the Canadian dollar being so strong now many people are crossing the border to buy cars. It’s estimated that over 150,000 cars will be imported to Canada from the U.S. this year alone. To make sure you’re not getting screwed though you should do all your homework. For instance if you buy a Honda in the states the warranty is not valid in Canada but if you buy a Ford you’re good to go. The other thing that was mentioned was cars sold in Canada are often different than those sold in the states. Often the Canadian cars have bigger windshield washer fluid tanks and bigger batteries because of the different environmental conditions. You may also have to make modifications to the vehicle in order to pass the Canadian certifications. In example, you don’t need driving lights in the U.S. but you do in Canada.

If you are planning on making such purchase you should visit the Registrar of Imported Vehicles to get all the right info and print up their checklist to avoid any surprises.

Cars, News, Save, money

According to the star a man is facing charges today for killing his pregnant common-law wife and stabbing her 44 year old mother.

Police responded to a call at a north-end Toronto home around 1 a.m. Tuesday and found Aysun Sesen, 25, and a 44-year-old woman with stab wounds.

Turan Cocelli, a carpenter on worker’s compensation, has been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault.

Det.-Sgt. Gary Grinton said there is no law under which a person can be charged for killing an unborn child.

Sesen, who was seven months pregnant, was rushed to hospital for an emergency caesarean, but she died and the child was stillborn.

Cocelli’s mother suffered a severe stab wound to her arm and was to undergo surgery, Grinton said.

Police have not been able to determine a motive.

My question here is why would someone do this? I don’t care how pissed off someone can get, you just don’t stab a pregnant women. You hear of people stabbing people almost everyday but something like this is not as common. I wonder what triggers extreme rage like this? Who is to blame? Is it because people are so exposed to violence with the war or with the ultimate fighting that is broadcasted on TV almost daily? People now see violence as a form of entertainment. What’s happening here?

It’s also ridiculous that there isn’t a law that exists for killing an unborn child. She was 7 months pregnant.

News

In 2003 Metallica refused to put their songs in the iTunes store.  I guess they realized that iTunes has over 70% of the digital music market. They obviously made a huge mistake mistake. I think they probably learned the hard way…now available in the iTunes store, Metallica.

Apple, Metallica, News, Useless

April 22nd, it’s Earth day.  My calendar says it and so does Google (fancy Earth Day logo).  I took the Earth Day quiz this morning and it wasn’t too good.  Click on my results to take the quiz and post the results on your blog.

The least one can do for Earth Day is pickup a few pieces of garbage outside, which is what I am going to do. You can also sign the stop global warming online petition from my links on the right.

Ideally you would sell your car, 2 stroke snowmobile / seadoo, and take the bus or your bike or buy a hybrid, no longer eat any packaged goods that can’t be recycled, get rid of your A/C, do laundry at 11pm, change all of your household lights to the spiral ones that don’t take up much power and never use them unless it’s really really dark, change the 30 year old beer fridge with the cool handle that you have in the garage to a new expensive energy efficient one, conserve water by taking 2 minute showers (with the water saver head, of course), if it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down….you get the point.

Canada, News

How many people get junk mail everyday?  How many people get mail that looks like it come frome eBay, Royal Bank, Paypal, etc.?  Well the mayor from a nearby community received an e-mail from the Royal Bank asking him for his pin number… I know what you’re thinking.  Delete the damn message it’s just junk, they are phishing for your pin number.  What does he do?  Call the OPP (police). So now police from all over the province are investigating this “problem” because a mayor was asked for his PIN number through an e-mail. How many wasted dollars do you think this will result?  Do you really think they will find the person behind this?  Probably not, I’m sure they covered their tracks. Here is the news article, they make it sound like it’s the first time it happens.

News, Useless

Like Google Earth wasn’t enough already, they decided to come out with Google Mars (http://mars.google.com). The only thing missing is the driving directions feature?  Need I say more?

News, Technology, Useless

Auditions begin today for the new Rock Star reality show. The Star is giving ideas on which band you might be auditioning for and tips on what to take into consideration;

“Queen: Shop for tightest pants you can possibly fit into, then buy pair two sizes smaller than that. The pain helps with hitting the high notes.”

“Van Halen: Work on yowling. Practise grins, leers and high kicks in the mirror. Vocal range nearly as high as Queen’s could be useful, but hint of gravel (or tequila damage) in voice is welcome. Look like you’re having more fun than anyone alive but accept that in the modern world, no job is permanent.”

“Camp Freddy: Show producers promise an all-star supergroup, and this low-profile L.A. project — featuring Rock Star host Dave Navarro and friends from Jane’s Addiction and the Cult — sort of fits the bill. Any vocal style could do with this amorphous jam band, but you’ll need a dark, jaded demeanour; try to project history of drug abuse. Tattoos help.”

“Tommy Lee: The hot rumour (tinyurl.com/krvj7 has details). See Camp Freddy for hints, but be more lighthearted. Prepare to play along with rock’s famed man-child; make sure singing does not obscure thumping of one of rock’s better drummers. Several topics off-limits; you know what they are.”

“Joy Division: Pasty-voiced Bernard Sumner has sung like he wants to fade back into the background ever since Ian Curtis’s 1980 suicide forced a recalibration into New Order, and gossip has it he and fellow survivors will be recording new material for an upcoming Curtis biopic. The stage could be set for anyone capable of lamenting the state of his life in a joyless baritone whilst rocking spastic-robot dance moves. Penchant for early self-destruction an asset. For a while.“

News, Web

I was surfing the net and found that this winter was Canada’s warmest winter on record. That’s nuts! A recent global project called the Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study suggests global warming has already caused irreversible damage. Click to read the full story

Canada, News