Repatriate Me!

Goodbye Google Reader, Hello Feedly

May 17th, 2013 |

On March 13th this year Google announced that Google Reader was being retired. I love google reader and use it everyday. It is was a great way to organize all the RSS feeds for sites that I like to follow.

Naturally I started looking for alternatives. I tweeted about it and posted on facebook and got several recommendations. I also found this site Replace Reader which lists several alternatives in order of the number of tweets that they've received. I tried a few different options but the one that I like best is Feedly (currently number one on Replace Reader).

Feedly will immediately import all of your google reader feeds and folders. Additionally it provides a much slicker interface allowing you to organize your feeds into a list view, magazine view or single article view. Everything is super easy to find and very very smooth and slick to use. Additionally the Android App (iphone also available) is a work of art that is a pleasure to use.

If you are looking for a replacement to google reader I would highly recommend checking out Feedly.

Cable & Internet Provider

March 29th, 2013 |

This video has nailed how the ISPs in Canada behave and treat their customers, err victims. Enjoy and let me know in the comments if you agree.

H&R Block - disorganized & unprofessional

March 18th, 2013 |

Last week my wife and I  made an appointment with H&R Block to do my taxes. Today we showed up for our appointment about 15 minutes early and gave the guy at the desk our information and a couple of documents that he asked for. We then sat down and waited. While we were waiting some other people came in and to our surprise they were taken in to do their taxes before us.

Once 15 minutes had passed beyond our appointment and another person who arrived after us went in to see someone we asked what was going on. We were told that due to the nature of our returns we were in a category that only one person could see us. I then asked why that person was busy when we had an appointment already set up and was told that they do not know how long each persons tax return will take.

Winter - Game On Garth

February 17th, 2013 |

This winter is a much better winter than last year, our first winter in Canada. Last winter there was almost no snow and what did come melted in one or two days. We've had several snowfalls now and the snow keeps accumalating which is great. It's really nice to see a blanket of white over the yard. 

Even so winter's are not as cold as I remember them in Winnipeg. Either this is due to global warming or that Toronto is further south than Winnipeg and right next to Lake Ontario or possibly a combination of both. Regardless I like that it's warmer than I remember Winnipeg being but still cold enough to have accumulating snow.

Backing up Data and DVDs

January 19th, 2013 |

I'm concerned about backing up data on my computer as everyone should be. What happens when your harddrive fails, and it will fail eventually, or if your computer is lost/stolen? How will you replace all of your photos, videos, and files. Sure you might have some things saved on flickr, facebook or other social networks, but you won't have everything and you wont' even know what you're missing until you need it and if you don't have a back up available you'll be SOL.

My first line of defense is a Drobo - there are several Drobos available and all are expensive. The one I have, the Drobo S, is no longer available, but they are all good. There are also other raid style back up systems that you could invest in. Do your research and choose what is best for you and your budget. Now I'm going to talk about options that everyone should be doing, even on a low budget.