So yesterday we bought an XBOX 360. We are not big gamers, but thought the kinect would be fun, along with some other XBOX Gaming. One other main reason we wanted it was for easy video streaming of Netflix in higher quality than our Wii can offer. We were also hoping to watch some network television from the various network websites.

Boy were we mistaken. The main thing we wanted was to watch shows from network websites and stream Netflix. The XBOX 360 can do only one of these two things, and that is at a cost.

We already pay $7 a month to Netflix, but in order for it to work XBOX and Microsoft require a GOLD member ship at a cost of $8 a month. Wait what? That is like me paying DELL a fee to allow Netflix to work on my purchased laptop! This is gouging at its best! You really require the GOLD membership to do just about everything! Can’t even view YouTube without it! This is a joke.

To top it off, there is no web browser either! Really?? Even the Wii has one!

I REFUSE to pay Microsoft a monthly fee to do things I can do for free on ALL my other devices. The XBOX was packed up and returned to the store. I will never buy an XBOX again unless things change significantly into the future.

At least I got my money back.

Today Red Flag Deals posted an old Canadian $1 Bill to Facebook. I left a comment that I have some old ones, one dating back to 1937. They said they’d love to see a photo. Well here it is below.

BUT I was wrong. I don’t have a 1937 $1 bill. I have a 1937 $2, and a 1937 $10. Right year, wrong denomination.

Anyways, here are a few samples of some old paper money I have kicking around, from oldest to newest
1870 $0.25
1923 $0.25
1937 $2
1937 $10
1954 $1
1954 $5

(CLICK FOR FULL SIZE)

Update Oct 01, 2012: I did not end up trying Just Cloud so cannot provide a recommendation of my own but after reading the many comments on this post, would probably recommend that users stay far away from it.

I have recently been searching for cloud storage options, primarily for photos, but also for important file backups. It seems that there are a ton of options available these days and its hard to find which solutions are the best bet.

One that I came across recently was Just Cloud. One thing that really caught my eye about Just Cloud is the unlimited storage. Most programs offer encrypted and secure, multiple computer syncing etc, but it seems that unlimited storage is something that can be rather expensive in many cases – and when it comes to backing up photos, storage demands grow constantly (especially when you have two kids!). The price is comparable to other cloud services at $4.95 a month but offers unlimited storage. Read the rest of this entry »

So I have set a goal for myself. I want to drop my weight to 220 lbs by July 21. I started this on Jan 21, and am giving myself 6 months to drop 43.8 lbs.

Well, 5 days in I am down 3.8lbs. What have I don’t to start losing weight? Nothing really. I am not on a diet, and I have not increased my exercise (although I will). All I have done is made a few small changes. For instance, when I go to get a drink, rather than grabbing a coke, I grab some water and when eating meals, I take slightly smaller portions. And that’s about it.

I have also cut out all fast food. I normally dont eat THAT much of it, but cutting out what little I did eat is certainly helping.

For me they key is weighing myself daily and charting it. I weigh myself not so much to look for progress, but as a daily reminder of what I am trying to do. Charting it helps a great deal also. I want to see the line graph drop day after day (so far it has dropped every day). This motivates me to stay on track. If I weighed in weekly, I could see myself caving in mid week and grabbing a burger, and justify it by saying, I have 3 days to burn this off before I weigh in again. Weighing in daily is what is keeping me accountable.

I still enjoy my bacon & egg omlettes with cheese, I still enjoy dairy, and even still the occassional coke, but by simply staying accountable and by cutting back slightly it seems to be working.

I’ll drop another post in a few weeks to share the progress and let you know if things are still progressing.

In 2008 my wife and I bought a 2008 Mazda 5. (Here is a review I wrote on the Mazda 5). We love our car. It suits our family perfectly. It is/was also the only vehicle on the market that has all the specific features we wanted. We had the odd warranty issue, though it never really deterred us as we understand things happen, besides, they were covered.

In early 2010 (or possibly late 2009) the left rear shock blew out and leaked all over. Courtenay Mazda replaced it under warranty. In September 2010 the right rear shock blew out. Mazda replaced it under warranty. Our warranty ran out in April of 2011, then in January of 2012, 16 months after it was replaced, the rear right shock blew out again.

We are pretty easy on our car, no off-roading or fast speed bumps. We take it pretty easy. There is NO way a shock should die after just over a year. There is obviously a problem with these stock Mazda 5 shocks.

To reinforce this fact, Mazda is now putting the beefier 2012 model shocks on all older Mazda 5’s when replacements are necessary indicating they acknowledge the previous part was insufficient. (Should this not have been a recall or TSB issue then?)

So here I am. Another blown shock. But the way I see it, even though my purchase warranty is up, the replacement shock Courtenay Mazda put in just over a year ago should be covered under its own warranty, so I take the car into Mazda.

I ask the parts guy about it. He looks me up in the computer and says no, it will not be covered. I am pissed. 16 months for a shock? He tells me he will give me a deal on parts and labour. The shocks are $149 each and the labour is about $100. He takes off 25% and quotes me about $300 plus tax. The shocks they will use are from the new 2012 model.

I tell the parts guy, no, I will take the care elsewhere and put aftermarket shocks on it. The Mazda shocks are not ones I can trust, and besides the warranty is terrible. The parts guy says, and this is an exact quote, “They don’t make aftermarket shocks for the Mazda 5. All shops have to come to us to get them”.

This pisses me off, but fine, if it is my only solution I will let Courtenay Mazda fix the car and shell out the $350 after taxes.

I go home and start researching. Wouldn’t you know it, Monroe makes an aftermarket shock that fits the Mazda 5! (Here it is). And guess what, it also has a LIFETIME Warranty! And Guess what else, they are on sale and cost only $50.54 each right now (regular price was $67.39). Canadian Tire can have them installed for $211 AFTER all taxes.

Not only is this much cheaper, the more important take away is that AFTERMARKET SHOCKS DO EXIST FOR THE MAZDA 5. The parts guy at Courtenay Mazda full out LIED to me. You’re Busted buddy.

My wife called Courtenay Mazda to complain about the whole situation and was forwarded to the owner (I am not sure what his name is). He said he would look into it and promised to call us by Monday. Well Monday came and went and we did not hear a word from him.

Even if the answer was still “no” we will not replace the parts for free, had the owner called us back he could have saved some face with us. While it may not have been enough to keep our business, it may have prevented me from writing this blog post which will hopefully rank well in Google for “Courtenay Mazda”.

Devils Advocate

Okay, while I am 100% certain, the parts guy at Mazda full out lied to me, I want to play devils advocate, because I do recognize that it IS possible that hey truly believed that there were no aftermarket shock options. I find it very hard to believe that this could be true, BUT it is possible.

It is possible that the parts guy did NOTHING wrong. After all, he is just following Mazda’s policies – its those policies that are the problem. In the parts guys defense, he did also offer me a discount on the repairs for what its worth.

So if we take the lie out of the equation, the whole thing is still pretty bad, that Mazda can’t warranty a replacement part that they know is insufficient. It wreaks of “evil doing”. Lets sell this guy a part we know will break soon, then sell it to him again, and again, and again, AND lets charge 3 times what a reliable warrantied part will cost him elsewhere.

The fact that the owner didn’t return his call like he said he would just throws gas on the fire and makes them look worse.

The Parts Guy

I want to add one more thing about the parts guy. I know his name, but am not putting it in here incase he truly did not lie to me, because if he thought he was telling the truth, the only thing he did “wrong” was follow policies set by the dealership. I have run into this particular parts guy a few times at parties, and he is genuinely a nice guy. Parts Guy, you know who you are, If you really believed that aftermarket parts did not exist then then you and I are good, if you really did lie, then you are dead to me.

UPDATES:

Jan 24, 2012: We had the new shocks installed by Canadian Tire. Car is running like new again. Guy at Canadian Tire told me that someone from “Courtenay Mazda” (cause it said so on the call display) called to ask about his “wifes” mazda 5. Certainly this was either the parts guy or the owner, probably checking to see if we could actually get it cheaper there. Funny that they wouldnt “*67″ the call or wait and call from home. Too funny.

Jan 26, 2012: The owner of Courtenay Mazda told us on Saturday Jan 21′st that he would call us back on Monday. Today is Thursday Jan 26, and still no word from him. I don’t think we will ever hear from him, but its too late anyways.

Feb 13, 2012: Well, still no-one has got back to me. I kind of thought someone would have by now. I have added a poll below as well, so please vote, and comment with more details!

Have you dealt with Courtenay Mazda in the past?

Please answer our unscientific poll below. Also, please post more info in the comments (Both GOOD & BAD will be posted – I want to see stories from both sides)

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Mazda 5 Suspension Issues

Also, here are some places where people are noting that the shocks in their MAZDA 5 are insufficient. I am posting these links to help show, that it is not just my car, but a known Mazda 5 issue.

• Edmonds: Mazda 5 Suspension
• Mazdas257: Strut and shock replacement ideas
• Forums.RedFlagDeals: Mazda 5 Suspension Issues
• MPV Club: SICK of Suspension issues on my 2006 Mazda5 GT
• Yahoo Answers: Does anyone else have 2008 Mazda 5 Suspension/busing issues?
• Have a related link? Please post in the comments!

As a Canadian I of course have no influence on the upcoming American election, but I can say this. Anyone who votes for Santorum is a fool if what I have read is at all true. This article “Rick Santorum’s Top 10 Most Outrageous Campaign Statements” pretty much says it all for me – stay away from this guy.

Be sure to check out Santorum – I guess this is what he gets for. With the internet the way it is, you definitely dont want to get on the bad side of certain people.

Some reasons why I don’t like Rick Santorum:

• - Anti Abortion (Even in cases of Rape etc)
• - Anti Birth Control! (Wants to allow states to make birth control illegal!)
• - Anti Gay Marriage (says he will anul ALL same sex marriage if elected)
• - Anti Food Stamps (Says high obesity rates in the US make food stamps unnecessary)

Todd Tweedy

UPDATE: Todd has been found, and found alive. Great news for everyone who knew Todd. Few details have been released at this time other than he was found in Baldwin WI.

source: myfoxtwincities.com

A Minnesota man, Todd Tweedy, yesterday posted about his depression in an apparent suicide note onto his Facebook timeline. Since then hundreds have commented on his post and friends, family, and fans are on a full out search to find him before it is too late. His facebook status, as of around 7pm EST last night read: “One illness I’ve never been able to defeat is my own depression. I have to say goodbye now. I wish each of you a wonderful New Year!”

If you have seen Todd, or his car, you are asked to contact the St Paul police department – hopefully he can be reached in time. He drives a Red VW Passat, Minnesota plate 545 BLM.

So far only a couple online news agencies are covering this story:

• CBS Minnesota – Search for Missing Man takes to Facebook, Twitter
• TwinCities.com Pioneer Press - Friends organize search for missing St. Paul man via social media

A VERY cool ted talk

First I will admit I know very little about the whole US Debt crisis etc etc. I do know that (Correct me if I am wrong) that essentially the Republicans do NOT want to tax the rich, but instead want to pull money from social programs.

I think this is a load of shit.

Lets think about this. A single mother working minimum wage to try and support her kids NEEDS that funding for daycare, and other social programs etc. Millions rely on this sort of thing. It is incredibly important.

So why pull from them, when you can take money via tax increases for the rich? Someone making $1,000,000 a year will hardly (if at all) notice the tax increase.

“Oh No, This tax increase will mean one less trip on my private jet next year”. or “I guess I will have to wait a few extra months to buy that new Porsche I want”. Don’t you think that putting food in the mouths of those in need is just slightly more important?

Frankly it makes me angry. It is this mentality that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. Where is Robin Hood when you need him!

How much money does one person really need? There are some people who could literally spend a million $$ a day and NEVER run out of money! What is that?? They have so much money they couldnt spend it if they tried.

Sure, not all the rich have THAT much money, but even a salary of $500,000 a year is far more money than anyone NEEDS. Those that have this kind of money – those making huge unreasonable salaries got there on the backs of the poor – it is time they said “Thank you for making me super-duper rich, here are a few $$ back to try and pay down the debt”.

Grr. It all just makes me angry to see this.

When I first heard of and started to see friends playing Farmville, I thought. This is so stupid.

When I first saw and tried Cityville, I kind of liked it. I was a big fan of SimCity and I thought Cityville may bring some of this to the world of facebook. While it does to a degree, it is really nothing like Cityville, and after just a couple weeks of playing it off and on I have abandoned the game.

The biggest problem with the game is the excessive reliance on your friends (Neighbors). For every Community building you build you need your friends to staff it. Dont have enough friends playing the game? Well, then you will just have to fork over cold hard cash, and a lot of it! Seriously? I would rather pay a one time fee of $40 or whatever and be done with it. This ongoing charging to my credit card is NOT for me. No way Cityville, you are NOT getting my cash.

With just about every move you make in this game, Cityville wants you to SPAM your facebook friends walls with notice after notice (the same as farmville did, only worse). I have blocked all applications that do this, and in some cases even some friends!! And, if you dont spam your friends, you simply can not reach certain accomplishments. Top open certain buildings you need certain items. You have to post to your facebook wall that you need the item in the game, then someone else has to click the link for you to get the item. If nobody is playing from your friend list, then you can not proceed. (without spending real cash).

This problem is compounded by the fact that to open certain new buildings you may need 50 different items and 12 friends to “staff” it. Seriously? What a joke.

Playing this game is incredibly frustrating due to this strong dependance on others. If you have 100 facebook friends that like being SPAMMED all the time, and play the game, perhaps you can actually make some progress, but its simply not worth it otherwise.

I have to say I am shocked that so many people are falling for this game. Sure the makers of Cityville need to pay their bills, but they are seriously ripping off their players. If you want to buy say $150,000 in coins, it will cost you $100USD of REAL MONEY. The cost of building a house in the game can cost as little as 450 coins, or as much as a million!!! So to build that million coin house, you would have to spend about $650 of REAL MONEY. Seriously??? (Or you could just play the game for a LOOONG TIME with your 500 other friends who are all playing it.

Forget it. I didn’t make it very far in the game, and I blocked the app. Don’t waste your time with this one.