that canadian girl

Recently, I’ve been falling in love with inanimate objects. I self-diagnosed I had a problem when I found myself talking to said objects while home alone. Either it’s cabin-fever from having spent the past few days in the house or I’m just losing my marbles. (Generous reward if marbles are returned)

First gadget I’m in love with is my new Senseo coffee machine. I bought it from Amazon about a month ago, and literally picked the cheapest single-serve coffee machine I could find.

In the past, my dilemma with making coffee at home was that, with Andrew not being a coffee drinker, it was difficult to find the right coffee maker. Normal filter coffee machines made too many cups at once, Bodum coffee makers were out of the question because of the amount of grinds at the bottom of my cup (some people disagree on this one, and it’s possible I’ve been doing it wrong all along, but I just don’t like the one-person Bodum), and we live in a small town with no Starbucks or coffee shop within any reasonable distance (thank god, or I’d be very broke).

So I thought for £45 (doh, it’s even cheaper now, it’s down to £35!), it wasn’t a great loss if it turned out to be rubbish. I only tend to have one cup of coffee a day, and only in the morning, so after settling myself down for a day working from home, I made my first cup. And I have to say, it makes great coffee, and takes no time at all.

Before seeing the pods, I was somewhat concerned of the waste I’d be causing, but it turns out that the pods are nothing more than a paper filter, wrapped around pre-ground coffee. While snooping around SingleServeCoffee, I heard about the Ecopad, which was presented as both a more environmentally-friendly solution and a way to use ANY coffee type you liked instead of the few that are offered in pod form. Promptly ordered two Ecopads, but have yet to use them, as I’m still using up the pre-made pods I ordered on CafeCo (Great site, but they forgot to include the little coffee bean stressball in my order!)

I haven’t tried very many coffee machines, but based on my experience, not only is this coffee very drinkable (and strong!), it’s also easy to make and the machine is easy to clean - Just press both cup size buttons at the same time and let it run a water cycle through. So highly recommended for the casual coffee drinkers who might like to cut down on the share of their salary they donate daily to Starbucks.

The second gadget I’m in lurve with these days is Asimo. I think I even had a dream where I was running in a field of flowers holding hands with my best friend Asimo… Ok maybe I should’ve kept that to myself. That’s ok, AWESOM-O-lovers will understand me.

This one stretches beyond just Asimo, though. I’ve been talking to Keira, my little Nabaztag/tag bunny, and she’s been responding. She even sang me “Au pays de Candy” last weekend, and my family knows how much this means to me (put that video online and I’ll have to kill you!).

Mmmmkay, I’ve probably spent more time with non-sentient, robotic little beings this week than I have with real people, and it’s sending me loopy. So of course, I’ll communicate this via my blog, while listening to music via the Airport Express, then Twitter some work colleagues who are at SxSW and check the latest YouTube videos I’m subscribed to…

Right, I think I need to get away from technology, go live in the woods, do some camping and hunt for my own food for a while.

Subliminal messages in this video:

1. Bunnies are sentient beings (and they’re evil, just look at the Raving Rabidds for example!)
2. Donate to Comic Relief, even Keira the bunny contributed by buying a big red nose… ear… thing…
3. Giving the bunny’s email address to my nutty old housemate was a bad idea. (This one’s not so subliminal, it’s more like… abusive!)

Since Christmas, we’ve had little time to play Wii, but one game we’ve had for about a week has definitely got Andrew excited again. Wario Ware: Smooth Moves is even nuttier and more unbelievably fast-paced than Rayman was.

Those who owns the game will understand this: THE best bit has to be the intro on how to make each move. The tone and pace of the voice is just such a classic!

Turn the Form Baton sideways and grasp the ends firmly in both hands. Like riding a bicyle, perfecting this stance requires grace, steadiness, and tight shorts.

For those who don’t own it yet, I strongly encourage you to get it. However, don’t expect slow-learners and mothers to get to grips with it without significant frustration. It hasn’t quite got the learning curve of Wii Sports.

[tags]Wii, Nintendo, Wario Ware, Smooth Moves, videogames, Rayman, fun stuff[/tags]

No, don’t worry, I’m not announcing we’re having a baby! We’re having a bunny!

That’s right, Keira, my Nabaztag/tag has been with us since before Christmas, but only recently has it become usable. First there were all the server issues at Violet in Paris. Then there was the unavoidable busy times with the holidays, Pepsmedia and well, being sociable for a change?

But yesterday, I was working from home and gave a work colleague instructions on sending messages to my bunny. I later found myself in fits of laughter when Keira started humming Jingle Bells Rock for me.

I’ve yet to write any clever services for it (read: Get Andrew to write them) but it definitely has potential in that area. In the meantime, it’s just a nutty entertaining talking clock, who occasionally also does a bit of Tai Chi, and loves to sing Philippe Lafontaine - Coeur de Loup when given the opportunity!

• Knitting: I don’t know why, I just want to knit something painfully kitsch. I think it’s a mix of watching Ugly Betty, coming across an old blog entry by Katie mentioning crocheting, and just wanting one of those really soft scarves but never finding one I like.
• Get a Wacom graphics tablet: I’ve had a few short flashbacks to my teenage years when my right wrist was hurting so much I could hardly type. Hasn’t been bad so far, but it does concern me a bit. Plus I wanted to get some basic image editing software for Mac, and it looks like the tablets come with either Photoshop Elements or Corel Essentials (which on their own cost about the same price as the tablet) so … why not?
• Wanting to write services for the Nabaztag: So she’s officially called Keira (much to Andrew’s great pleasure), but she hasn’t done much so far other than telling me what time it is and doing a bit of tai chi. Longer post on this topic in the next few days.
• I soooo want these: A shoe rack wheel, the b00tiful iPhone (not bizarre, just droolingly nice!), a little dog like Spudgy and a kitty like this.
• Gingerbread house: At Christmas, I put together a gingerbread tree, but it was a total cheat and I’d like to do a full house from scratch. It’d be pretty, with lots of jelly tots and candy windows, iced sugar snow and a little house number by the door.

I’ve been playing Rayman: Raving Rabbids, and I’m loving its complete insanity. However, one minigame, “Bunnies have natural rhythm”, is a bit rubbish. You’re meant to kick four coloured stereos to turn them on, then get rid of the bunnies while they’re dancing. After a dozen attempts, you realise your Rayman simply isn’t kicking when he should and you’re getting seriously pissed off.

No, your Wii Remote isn’t faulty, you’re not incompetent (not really, anyways!), it’s a bug in the game. According to GameSpot, the best way to solve the problem is to change your Wii settings to 60hz*, at which point the game becomes easy again… Otherwise, you can always just skip that minigame, since you only need three minigames and one “boss” to move on.

We’re about halfway through the game, I think, and I feel this is a bit like a school play - everything early in the play is well-rehearsed and nobody makes any mistakes, but the end of it hasn’t had its share of attention and rehearsal, things are more improvised and flukey the closer to the end it gets.

Did anyone else get this impression?

[* It’s my understanding this only affects those playing on 50hz tvs]

Cabel’s been playing Saints Row, and has produced what is possibly the most entertaining bug review in history - a Musical review.

“For starters, it was literally, down to almost every detail, an exact clone of Grand Theft Auto. (I couldn’t believe Rockstar didn’t K.C. Munchkin all over their faces.)

It also has some bugs. The world’s most awesome bugs.”

Or visit Cabel.name for the better quality Quicktime version.

On the way back from Kent a few days ago, I spotted Tom Toms on a couple of cars’ dashboards as we drove by them. Thought it would be funny to play yellow punchbuggy to pass time, but we would’ve been black and blue by the time we get home!

Just how many people got Tom Toms for Christmas!?

Our Nintendo Wii arrived safe and sound from Amazon.co.uk this afternoon. No need to sleep in the gutter or outside PC World to get my hands on one, just a comfortable (if slightly anxious) wait in the office until Parcelforce dropped it off around lunchtime.

My impressions so far… Creating the Mii was fun, but as-expected since there is a Flash version of the Mii Channel available online. The interface is generally easy to use and reasonably fast, but anything on the network is sluggishly slow - for a good reason, there are undoubtedly thousands of Brits and Europeans online tonight all trying out the Shop Channel!

Now, the games. Keeping in mind we only own Wii Sport at the moment, it’s been a good laugh but a limited experience. I first tried Tennis, which was extremely easy to get to grips with. There’s no need to move very far, but I developed the urge to jump around anyways, making me look like I was swatting giant imaginary bees.

Second, I went on to bowling, which in theory wasn’t hard at all, but it took a few turns before really managing to let go of the B button at the right point. Once you get it, it’s like going bowling, but without the sweaty mingers in the next aisle and the uncomfortable shoes!

Third, I gave boxing a go. I knew this was going to be a good one, because I’d seen a number of You Tube videos showing guys punching like girls or girlfriends kicking ass. Within an instant, I was hitting with all my strength, jabbing my opponent in the kidney and roaring with pride when winning.

I was dreading trying baseball - being Canadian, I’ve never been a fan of this all-American sport - so I had a go at golf first. There’s no question that I’d be rubbish at real golf, I can’t even finish a game of mini-putt without getting aggravated! It turns out that the game of golf is a whole lot easier than in real life, especially when following the visual and audio cues it gives. I cleaned up at this one, with my husband constantly going overboard with power.

So finally, we had to try baseball. Let’s just say, it really was a non-event. It’s not the most exciting game when you’re batting, and when you’re pitching, it’s just plain dull. So we only played that one once.

All in all, the Wii Sports is a great demo of what the Wii can do, but it leaves you wanting much more. It’s a shame Amazon.co.uk didn’t manage to send out the other games we ordered - Zelda, Rayman and Wii Play - on the same date as launch, but I can only be thankful that my Wii showed up on time. I can comfortably see a long, prosperous and evolutive future for the Nintendo Wii.

And now, I raise a wiimote to all my fellow Brits and Europeans who are getting a first go at it this evening. Enjoy yourselves!

[Note: Cross-posted to the WiiWii blog]

A few links to prove the world’s still going ’round and people are still doing their thang…

• Need to stock up on plonk for Christmas? Thresher is offering 40% off all wine and champagne from 30th Nov to 10th Dec. Print the voucher and pass it on to your friends! Viral marketing at its simplest.
• The ban has finally been lifted on the Griffin iTrip and similar short-distance FM transmitters. Common sense prevails!
• Amy Winehouse is a bit too drunk to sing on the Charlotte Church show. Now, I’m a fan of Amy’s albums, but everything I’ve seen of her live so far makes me quite happy I didn’t bother to go see her live in Cambridge a couple of weeks ago. I think I would’ve fallen out of love, just like I did with LAL last year.
• I’m getting incredibly antsy, waiting for delivery of my brand new Macbook. It should arrive within the next few days, and hours seem to stretch the closer it gets to delivery date. Unfortunately, it’s not stretching my hours of sleep.
• Ouch. The Zune gets a poor review from Andy Ihnatko at the Chicago Sun-Times. Anyone bought one? I’m interested in seeing some opposition’s reviews as well.

This sounds like the alarm clock from hell.

“Hit the snooze button on this carpet covered Clocky and it will scoot off on its pram wheels, seeking out a suitable hiding place (which will inevitably be right under the bed). When your snooze time is up, Clocky’s alarm will make merry hell under you, panicked and disorientated, locate its hiding place and switch the alarm off.”

I don’t use the snooze button much (usually set the alarm for 6:45am, and get up at 6:50 when the first snooze ends), but it doesn’t sound like a nice way to start the day. Might as well wash your face with hot chilli oil and brush your teeth with toilet cleaner while you’re at it.

Plus it kind of looks like a poop on wheels, which can’t be a selling point, really!

[Found via Katie at Shiny Shiny]

I’ve been itching to tell you about this for a while, but wanted to keep it under wraps until it was really happening. But now, I can officially say it - I’ve started writing for Shiny Shiny: A Girl’s Guide to Gadgets.

First post about women and gadgets went live this morning, so have a look and tell me what you think! And have a look at all the funky gadget reviews on Shiny, there’s some good stuff in there.

Today was one of the first truly sweltering hot days of the week-we-will-call-Summer in Britain.

As somebody at work pinched my desk fan, will one of my faithful readers buy me this USB piggy fan, please? It’s just too cute! “The fan/tree bit wobbles from side to side, swaying in the self-made breeze, while the little piggy acts as an on/off sliding switch,” says Shiny Shiny. It may not compete with a proper full-size blow-your-head-off desk fan but it’s got a little piggy which makes it all better!

Ok, I think the sun is getting to my brain (or maybe it’s the margaritas…) We now return to our usual posting, sorry for the distraction!

Ce matin, j’ai découvert que TechCrunch, un blog sur Web 2.0 et les PME en technologie, existe aussi en français. Alors, pour ceux qui préfèrent leurs nouvelles techno en français, certains des articles publiés sur TechCrunch anglais sont aussi traduits.

Il reste à voir si certains articles sont écris avec le public francophone en tête ou au sujet des PME Web 2.0 de langue française, mais ça fait plaisir de voir que cet excellent site est disponible dans plus qu’une langue!

So the MacBook Pro comes with motion sensors… What purpose does that serve, other than protecting your hard drive in case you have the misfortune of dropping it?

Someone has written a script to make use of the motion sensors on the MacBook Pro, so he’s developing in what looks like Eclipse (correct me if I’m wrong!) on one screen, then switches to the “other one” to view the work he’s done!

How cool is that!? (As long as you don’t get pissed off at your code and start whacking it a bit too hard!)

Watch it for yourself:

[Found via TheRegister]

Haven’t got time to scan the secret documents you just stole? ScanR can turn your phone’s camera into a scanner - Take a photo of a document and it’ll return a searchable PDF.

It’s a free service so I fail to see how they expect to make their money, but TechCrunch has all the details (and some examples of the returned results, not bad!)

Ok, forget the spy idea. It could come in handy for those meetings where there’s so many whiteboard scribbles, you wouldn’t know where to start to jot those down in sensible notes!

[Edit: Reason #1 ScanR sucks - It takes ages to send your image back. It’s been +36 hours since I sent mine, not received anything. And no it’s not in my spam folder, I checked.]

The hungry programmer has the option to either learn to make this recipe or to work with me.

Because I’m nice. And I make cookies for my team. Sometimes, anyways… Maybe Thursday if they’re good boys (and girls).

PS - find the three errors for me, I couldn’t write a line of code to save my life, let alone spot the errors the author points out at the bottom of the post!

(Found via Digg BBC JP at work…)

I’ve had the same old phone for a couple of years, the Nokia 6100, a simple but sort of featureless little phone. It did me well, but I desperately wanted a camera phone as a way to spice this blog up a bit (and to quiet my mom down about not sending enough photos home ).

So I treated myself to a Nokia N70 (warning, god awful minisite, just go look at the specs), as it had the 2 megapixels camera I wanted and plenty of funky features like Symbian OS, mp3 ringtones and an easy-access upgradable memory card.

I haven’t had a huge amount of time (or sunlight) to try the camera in different lighting conditions but so far so good. It does video as well, but I can’t imagine that’ll come out too well!

Otherwise, it’s also got a highly addictive version of Snakes. Ok, I know most people don’t care, but I’m easily entertained, especially when sitting on the bus to work when it’s either playing mini-games or watching miserable people fall asleep.

At this point in time, the N70 comes highly recommended if anyone’s looking for a new phone! More photos on the way!

TechEBlog presents the top 10 strangest Lego creations. I suspect my dad would love the Lego harpsichord, but the Pinball machine is the one that does it for me. I have a hard time believing someone would manage to put a working Pinball machine together using only Lego, but it’s a pretty cool (and brave) idea!

Special mention to the USB stick is well deserved! I mean, if you’re going to lug a USB key around, might as well make it interesting and unusual!

Remember when I was complaining about being unable to read Yahoo Mail’s verification image a few weeks ago?

Looks like I’m not alone getting frustrated with this trend of adding Captchas to every booking form you fill in or comment you want to leave on someone’s blog. Seth finds himself fighting with the Ticketmaster site, trying to guess their awful captcha!

How user-unfriendly can a site get? Keeping in mind that sites like these have as main goal to take bookings. This type of mindboggling image can’t be helping their conversion and would be enough to convince me to book my tickets elsewhere, if possible.

Michael, from figby.com, also points out an idiotic registration captcha. “If you want users to sign up, please don’t use a CAPTCHA system in your site unless it’s really easy for ordinary people to read without pulling the graphic into Photoshop for sharpening and enlargement. If you don’t want users to sign up, you could just remove the registration page rather than torturing people with one of these MENSA-level CAPTCHAs.”