Scarves

Concept: 2 out of 5
Execution: 4 out of 5
Yeah, but: April 6 is National Tartan Day.

The Long Version: Scarves are something of an odd idea. Creating a strip of fabric specifically for wrapping it in the gap between ones' collar and chin hardly seems like a functional idea. Despite growing up watching "Dr. Who" episodes that prominently featured scarves, I never saw much point to them. Stylish accessories, perhaps, but more trouble than they're worth.

Being of (fractionally and nominally) Scottish descent, the last time I was in Ottawa I took the opportunity to visit a tartan shop on Robertson street. How could I not? The photo above is of the Robertson Hunting tartan, while the one below is a standard Robertson. So my first scarf purchases as an adult were simply as accessories, without too much regard for function.

Of course that was before I knew that this winter would be one of the coldest in recent memory, and before I knew just how much warmth a scarf would add to my usual winter outfit. I still never took to scarves for all-purpose wear, though, since they are much more difficult to add or remove quickly than the typical toque and gloves. I'll certainly want to keep them handy for next winter, though.

Today, April 6, just happens to be National Tartan Day. The lead photo is the 'Maple Leaf', the official Tartan of Canada.

last updated 1 dec 2013

Drink Toque

Concept: 4 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: Quick, guess which country it's from.

The Long Version: Humour counts for a lot, and The Drink Toque makes the most of it. It's really just a can cozy, but it's knitted instead of being made out of the ubiquitous neoprene and foam rubber. It's perfect for lounging around in our typical Canadian weather.

To compliment this fairly simple idea, there are loads of colours and patterns available, and they come in different sizes as well. Mine's a small, designed for 355ml containers, but it's a touch tall for the coke cans that I usually prefer. I don't suppose that it's an accident that the website shows them on bottles, but it's easy enough to snug down a touch. I doubt that these will keep cans as cold for as long as some of the more hard-core designs, but that's okay. Humour counts for a lot.

last updated 24 dec 2011

The (Black) Pod (camera beanbag)

Concept: 2 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: Just as useful as the yellow one - but for much bigger cameras.

The Long Version: Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy. When I write a review I can talk myself into something that might not otherwise occur to me. It happened with a flashlight, and it happened with the Yellow Pod. The Pod (dot ca) makes beanbag camera supports that are a little different from the usual lumpy bags, and after spending time with their smallest one under my little Hasselblad, I started to think about how useful their biggest one would be for my big Fuji. Five and a half months later I bought it.

The Black Pod is the largest model, and has a centred 1/4" camera mounting screw. (The Silver model is the same size, but with an off-centre mount, making it better for SLRs with long lenses.) It's about eight inches across and three inches high, and it weights better than two and a half pounds. It has velcro pads on the mounting surface, and includes little velcro 'buttons' to match, as well as four lash points. Those look a lot like shoelaces, but I'm sure they're much fancier than that.

I picked up the Black pod so that I can use impromptu support instead of carrying a massive tripod. When it won't fit inside my backpack it can be clipped to the outside via its lash points, and its squishiness makes it easy to fit inside my bike pannier. It's certainly not small, but any equipment that needs it will also be big enough to keep it in perspective.

My Black Pod's first outing was to the Leslie Street Spit, which is a combination nature reserve and construction landfill site. Naturally, I head to the side with the old power poles and rebar. I'm pleased to say that the day of perching on broken bricks and concrete slabs left its tough base dirty but undamaged. Shifting the camera into position with the black pod is easier than it is with the little yellow one, and while I occasionally missed having my tripods' ability to pick and choose my position, I wouldn't have wanted to carry one instead.

The proof of anything photographic is in the photos, and the Black pod is absolutely able to hold such a big camera. I can see crisp details in the scanned negatives that I never noticed when I was taking the photos. I did use good photographic hygiene – the day was bright enough that I kept the shutter speed at 1/125 or 1/250 (at f/22 or f/32) and used the mirror lock-up most of the time. Something as supportive as the Black Pod shouldn't have any problems with that, and now I'm looking forward to seeing just how far I can push it.

last updated 20 july 2011

NFB's Log Driver's Waltz

Concept: 5 out of 5
Execution: 4 out of 5
Yeah, but: The word is "birling".

The Long Version: There are a few things that always make me feel Canadian: American attitudes towards firearms, their Republian party, and my fond memories of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. When I was a kid in the `80's, CBC-TV would play the Log Driver's Waltz, a short film from the National Film Board, in between my saturday morning cartoons. I loved it then, and still smile when I see it today.

Watch it on the NFB's web site here.

Seeing it now – as an adult – I have a better appreciation for its opening cheekiness, and I wonder what sort of reaction it received in 1979. ('If you ask any girl … what pleases her most from her head to her toes, she'll say "I'm not sure that it's business of yours…') The now-classic animation is playful and fun, and I can't imagine any way that the latest computer technology would make it any better.

Something that would benefit from modern technology is the NFB's store; they sell their collection on DVD instead of allowing digital downloads. I'd happy buy a high-resolution digital copy even though it's streamed for free, but I just can't bring myself to pay the premium for yet another plastic disk. Instead I've had to make do with downloading just the song by Kate and Anna McGarrigle, which is good but not quite the same thing.

last updated 1 July 2011

The Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches

Concept: 4 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: Why was I surprised?

The Long Version: The "President's Choice" brand is one of the major successes of marketing. Dave Nichol made himself a household name and completely changed the perception of store-brand food, something that many companies have tried since but without being able to match Loblaw's resounding success. "PC" products now dominate their shelves, giving them both a huge differentiator and a major advantage when it comes to selecting the competitor's brands that they allow on their shelves.

PC products remain the only reason why I go out of my neighbourhood to reach a Loblaw supermarket. Their "Memories of" line has some excellent sauces and marinades, the the Memories of Montego Bay is my favourite Jerk sauce. (It's a pity that the mild version, "Vague Memories of Montego Bay", is no longer around.) And with the striking exception of the Chocolate Black Cherry Cola, I can't say that I've ever been disappointed by something that they put their name on.

But the cookies – ah, those cookies.

Calling a cookie "The Decadent Chocolate Chip" seems a little overblown, but they are good. One of the signature products of the President's Choice line, they've been around for a very long time. When Penny saw that there's a new ice cream sandwich version, they joined the list for our upcoming Canada Day party, where they'll socialize with dozens of PC hamburgers, chicken breasts, and a handful of tubs of President's Choice ice cream in interesting flavours. Good times.

But not all of the Decadent Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches are making it to the party. I don't know why I was expecting something else, but these little 100mL sandwiches are two of the actual chocolate chip cookies, each facing out, with a thick slab of vanilla ice cream between them. The ice cream is good, too: it's a hard combination to get wrong, and they didn't.

There's a chocolate chunk cookie version with chocolate ice cream, as well – something else that may not make it to the party.

last updated 26 June 2011

On Sight Equipment's Money Belt

Concept: 3 out of 5
Execution: 2 out of 5
Yeah, but: It only costs eight bucks.

The Long Version: There are two completely different things that are called a "money belt", and it's important to choose the right type. Some are large flat pouches that are sized to hold passports and a considerable wad of euros. These go under various articles of clothing, and aside from having a strap on them, look nothing like belts. The other style is, deceptively, an actual belt: they just have a long flat pocket on the inside, closed with a really long zipper.

The On Sight money belt is the second type, and holds bills when they're folded into quarters lengthwise. It has a minimal capacity, so don't expect to hide much more than a half-dozen pieces of your favourite currency, and it won't hold any ID or travel documents at all. Instead I keep a small strip of paper in mine with the numbers of my important documents, a mnemonic sequence for my credit card, and the phone number for the Canadian government.

The belt is made from nylon webbing material with a simple cam-lock buckle, and its ability to securely lock at any position is a kindness for travelling. The inner compartment runs nearly the full length of the belt, ending before the portion that threads through the buckle. When closed, the zipper pull is at the buckle end of the belt, making it easy to check but hard to get into. A little privacy goes a long way if you ever need access to its contents.

While there is some metal in its zipper, it's hard to imagine it setting off a metal detector. That's not to say that it's a good idea to wear clothing with concealed pockets though a security checkpoint, but since some scanners can see through clothing anyway, I'm sure we're all safe from every threat if we ever take the risk of leaving home. Use your judgement and remember just how complicated life becomes if you break the rules. (If you're not Canadian, make that "how complicated life can become if you're caught breaking the rules.")

If you typically wear clothes that need to be ironed, the On Sight money belt isn't an appropriate stylistic choice. Aesthetically it's very casual and nondescript, suiting backpackers and the sneakers-and-jeans crowd without drawing attention to itself. There's no external branding, and just the faintest wisp of visible stitching to give away its true nature. I've used mine for a couple of weekends, and the diagonally cut end that fits through the buckle is showing some minor fraying, but I choose to think that it adds to the nothing-special camouflage.

I'm comfortable with my current level of paranoia to keep me safe within North America. Rather than depending on a Type I money belt to secure all of my valuables against pickpockets or muggers, the On Sight belt serves as my last-chance get-out-of-trouble kit. It doesn't hold much, but that's enough for what it needs to do: remember to stay calm, be brave, and wait for the signs.

last updated 4 may 2011

Rowe Farms (Annex location)

Concept: 4 out of 5
Execution: 4 out of 5
Yeah, but: It's mainly because of the meat.

The Long Version: Rowe Farms is something of a contemporary butcher's shop, and reflects a move toward specialty retailing that targets customers who are seeking locally sourced and/or organic meats and produce. The Annex location at 468 Bloor West is a fairly new store, and it's a good fit in an area that already has a high concentration of health(y)-food stores. It replaces an organic fruit and vegetable seller that wasn't quite so successful, though, so nothing is guaranteed.

I've been a supermarket shopper all of my life, and there's nothing I like more than the "Freezer" section – growing up in the suburbs will do that to you. But Penny is more likely to shop at the specialty stores, such as Yorkville's Whole Foods, so when Rowe moved into the neighbourhood she was there to give it a try. She brought home some ground beef to make chili with, and even with all of the competing flavours and ingredients, the difference in quality and taste was inescapable.

I'm a little embarrassed now to admit that I used to just buy boxes of frozen steaks. They were convenient, I could get two month's worth at a time, and they were just as good as the unfrozen stuff at the local grocery store. I just didn't realize how low those standards are. I spend a bit more now – although see my two-year update below – but even without bringing in the personal issues of natural and/or local food, it tastes much better.

The big grocery stores are the prototype "Big Box" retailers – acres of parking lots spanning the suburbs to support massive stores that people go to because they have everything. But success in one extreme often creates a vacuum elsewhere, and Rowe Farms has local stores that really are worth an extra stop.

Updated two years later: Never ones to leave a new market uncontested once others have proved that it's viable, the big grocery stores in my area are now offering various meats that are intended to compete with the quality from specialty shops like Rowe Farms. This comes in various guises – free range, traditionally raised, hormone-free, homeschooled, and so on – and they're priced at a premium that makes Rowes' quite competitive. The product itself, however, simply isn't up to the same standard; it actually makes me a little sad to see what's being passed off these days. Rowe Farms remains my store of choice for evert product that they carry.

last updated 13 june 2013

Picquic Sixpack Plus

Concept: 4 out of 5
Execution: 4 out of 5
Yeah, but: It's even Canadian.

The Long Version: I grew up with an interchangeable-bit screwdriver. It had a hollow plastic body with a spring-loaded top, and any time it was gripped overhead it would pivot open and cascade the loose bits down on the unfortunate user. Over time the bits got lost, and since they predated the universal hex-bit design they couldn't be replaced. I hated that screwdriver: it was the worst combination of bad design and minimal function that made it not quite worth replacing and miserable to use.

I haven't thought much about interchangeable-bit screwdrivers for years, and there's a good set of traditional screwdrivers that I theoretically keep in my tool box. They're nice to use, take up a lot of room, and are never where I need them. So they end up scattered around the house, with different sizes left where I use them the most; the #2 Philips is in my pencil mug on my desk, the red Robertson is on a shelf in the storage room, and the largest slot-head is around here somewhere. A screwdriver set is good, but it's not the ideal solution for household use either.

The Picquic is a multi-bit screwdriver done right. It uses three-inch long hex bits that fit into one of six slots inside the driver handle, and the seventh bit pushes out the next one. This makes it hard to lose the ones that aren't in use, but on the other hand if you lose the loose one then it'll be a challenge to get the next one out.

The screwdriver handle is just about perfect for me, so I wasn't surprised when I went on-line and discovered that I have average-size hands. The shaft meets the handle with a wrench-friendly hexagonal cross-section, allowing considerable torque to be applied. The bit in use isn't clamped into place, but rather is held by the magic of magnets, which let it wobble a tiny bit from side to side. Convenience wins out over that one-piece feeling, but that's really the point.

 

While I bought mine for home use, I have spotted one of these in the tool belt of a TTC maintenance worker, and Picquic makes additional models as well. Additionally, the different regions – Canada, USA, Europe – come with different bits that are tailored to the type of loose screws that are most likely to be encountered, giving them international utility.

There are similar designs out there from the big store names, but the original is frequently a few dollars cheaper. I have to say that I'm pretty tired of the mimics and clones that invariably emerge once someone else has had a good idea, so I'd probably stay with the Picquic regardless, but it's nice that it's an easy choice.

last updated 28 apr 2012: ratings increased.

Spacing's Toronto Subway Buttons

Concept:  5 out of 5
Execution:  3 out of 5
Yeah, but:  But it's not like subway stations are pretty.

The Long Version:  It takes a certain amount of faith in Toronto to come up with a merchandising idea for the Toronto Transit Commission, and an even bigger leap to produce them yourself when the TTC rejects it. Over five years ago the crew at Spacing Magazine took it upon themselves to make and sell these buttons that take their themes from the tile patterns and names of each of Toronto's subway stations. Available directly from Spacing or through a who's who of the coolest stores in the city, they report that over 120,000 have been sold to date.

The buttons themselves are an inch across – even us metric-for-life types still measure in inches – and the colours are a good match to the original stations. There's not much to say about them mechanically; they're decent little buttons, and won't disappoint anyone who has seen one before, but they don't really advance the state of the art of bottondom either. The brilliance is in the concept and the variety, and indeed they've gone on to make buttons of highway signs and the emblems of some of the original towns that are now part of Toronto as well. In a further advance, these subway buttons are sold individually, as a complete set, by lines, and even by "ends". The set that I have is the middle end of the system, comprising the lines that cross through downtown.

It just happens that this button set comprises pretty much my entire world within this city. In fact, with the sole exception of Bathurst, I pass through each one of these stations every time I commute to and from my day job, including both levels of St. George and both platforms at Spadina. And while I will occasionally venture into the eastern arm of the Bloor-Danforth line, my west-end experience pretty much ends at Bathurst station. Toronto is an unusual city in that its psychology is divided in half by Yonge Street, and people typically stay on one side or the other, rarely crossing it when it comes time to move. Despite our currently living on the western side of Yonge, Penny and I are both east-enders at heart, and being included in Spacing's downtown subway set further insulates me against the hard reality that the street numbers are going the wrong way.

While it's beyond the scope of this review, Spacing has also put their button factory to other good uses. Toronto's inner suburbs have recently elected a mayor who campaigned on the idea of depriving them of decent public transit, so it's no surprise that this has been an entertaining few months of city politics. For example, His Worship decided to kick off his term with a flourish by inviting Don Cherry, hockey's answer to Rush Limbaugh, to be a guest speaker at what should have been a largely administrative event. Nattily attired as always, Cherry's speech began: "Well, actually, I’m wearing pinko for all the pinkos out there that ride bicycles and everything… I’m being ripped to shreds by the left-wing pinko newspapers out there — it’s unbelievable. One guy called me a jerk in a pink suit so I thought I’d wear that for him too today."

The answering buttons were inevitable, and available in two versions.

Ah, Spacing – where would we be without you?

last updated 16 Feb 2011

The (Yellow) Pod (camera beanbag)

Concept:  2 out of 5
Execution:  3 out of 5
Yeah, but: THE annoying website needs to be forgiven.

The Long Version: Beanbags aren't exciting, and the Pod is no exception. I bought mine many years ago and have only used it sporadically since then. In fact I've forgotten that I own it for months or years at a time, only to rediscover it at the back of the cabinet, look at it, and then put it away again.

As a review, this must not sound too promising, but my point is that sometimes I'm not too bright.

I didn't have it with me last christmas, when I had to balance a camera on the back of a couch because I was away from home and neither of my two (2) Gorillapods would fit in my camera bag. I didn't have it when I was on a trip with my long Sigma 180 Macro lens, where its vinyl base wouldn't have been affected by the dampness left over from a weekend of drizzle. And I haven't thought to use it for any of the impromptu product photography for this blog, even though holding the camera still(er) and just a little above the table is usually what I need to do.

Despite its unglamorous and unassuming nature, the Pod can be a handy thing to have.

Yellow Pod holding a Hasselblad and CF 150mm f/4 lens

The Pod is a little different from a conventional beanbag, which is usually nothing more than a small lumpy pillow. Instead the Pod is a squat fabric cylinder with a tough vinyl-ish bottom and a threaded mounting screw on the top. It can be used as a monopod replacement, stabilizing the camera to give an extra couple of stops on a long lens or slow shutter, where it has the combination of movement and stability that you'd get from a squishy ballhead. Any beanbag is just an intermediary between the camera and its improvised support, and for this job the Pod doesn't need to be large since it stays with the camera as it moves.

But if the camera is balanced properly, the Pod is also a light-weight travel-tripod replacement, able to hold the camera securely on rough or sloped surfaces as much as 30 degrees off horizontal. To this end there are a half-dozen different models with various sizes and mounting methods, but the one that works for an SLR with a prime lens may not suit the same camera with a basic zoom. Of course there's no rule that says that you must have the camera attached to the tripod mount, but if the Pod's going to be used with one particular camera and lens, it makes sense to get the right one. Choose carefully to avoid disappointment – ideally from a local store with a good exchange policy.

In a possible nod to its compatriot, the Robertson screwdriver, each model is identified by its colour. The yellow version that I use is the smallest size with a centered tripod screw; the Red is their medium size and is probably the best general-purpose pod for cameras that balance near their tripod mount. The most-popular Green model has an offset tripod screw for cameras with longer lenses. Black is their biggest size - like the screwdriver - and it would make an interesting companion for my GX680. Blue and Silver round out the collection, and like the Green they feature off-centre mounting for various sizes of camera.

The bottom of the Pod is tough and grippy, and has a seam that's secured with a velcro-like material. Inside are billions of little plastic pellets that are just waiting to escape, so don't open it unless you have to. But if you're traveling and space is critical, this gives the option of carrying it empty and filling it with sand, dried beans, or little plastic pellets once you arrive. I've had to open mine up and empty it so that I could tighten the mounting screw, which had retracted into the Pod over its years of occasional use. A #2 Philips screwdriver was all I needed to snug it back up to the solid plastic disk that forms the camera platform, and with patience I was able to get almost all of those little plastic beads back in.

I've brought my Pod out of retirement because it's a good match to my little travel camera, and it lets me take photos in places that wouldn't allow tripods. Now that I'm using it again I can see many times when it would have been helpful in the past, and I don't think I'll make those mistakes again. I'm not going to run out to buy any of the other sizes, but I have to admit that I've been considering it, if only a little. Having a Red or Black one would be pretty handy.

last updated 30 jan 2011

The Robertson Screwdriver

Concept: 5 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: No relation.

The Long Version: The Robertson screwdriver is a Canadian touchstone, somewhat like the RCMP, moose, and poutine. As something that's demonstrably superior but under-appreciated across the rest of the world, well, if it wasn't Canadian by birth we'd probably adopt it.

We're funny that way.

The Robertson screwdriver has a square head that provides an exceptional grip on the screw, but without the over-tightened bite of its American replicas. Like Helvetica and Arial, the Robertson and square-drive screwdrivers look a lot alike, but where one is a refined design of elegance and function, the other one just looks similar. A proper Robertson screw will cling to the driver without it being magnetized, and yet it disengages smoothly when the job is done. There's enough power in the tapered fit that a Robertson driver will still extract a screw that's been painted into place, and they don't strip or jump the way Philips screwdrivers will.

Robertson sizes are denoted with colours instead of numbers. The medium-size that's most common is red; anyone who calls this a "#2 Robertson" deserves arched eyebrows and a thorough looking-down-on. Black is the largest size, with green being smaller; yellow and orange are smaller still but much less common. Typically the handles of a fixed-bit driver will show the colour of the size, while interchangeable bits should be painted to suit. Picking the right driver out of a clutter of tools is quick and easy.

While they're ideal for almost everything, Robertson screws are most likely to be found in woodworking and electrical - if you're lucky enough to find them at all. In America and elsewhere in the world these are either unknown or a small niche (rhymes with quiche) for specialty manufacturers. Even in the country where they were born over a hundred years ago, the genuine Canadian invention is almost completely subsumed within the sea of knock-off products imported from all over the world.

It's hard to get more Canadian than that.

last updated 23 feb 2013

Canada Post Permanent Stamps

Concept: 4 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: The UK got to it first.


The Long Version: Canada Post's Permanent Stamps are almost two year old, and have been a tremendous improvement over having to add those annoying 1-cent stamps every twelve months. Canada Post printed some 430,000,000 of those little cheapies in the six years before they went to the new system.


Known generically as a "no-value indicator" stamp, these little gems make life so much easier. Envelopes look better without a gaggle of little ones tagging along, and I get to forget all about how much our current postal rate is when I find a few stamps hidden at the back of the drawer. Canada Post gets to print far fewer stamps, and everyone wins.


Good ideas spread: the same basic system can also be found in a couple of other countries, like the United States, Singapore, Finland, Israel, Belgium, France, Norway, Monaco, and Sweden.