Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Vancouver real estate people whose names sound like Star Wars characters

Anny An
Anu Vaid
Fariba Soleymanieh Fini
Firoz Fiam
Foadfred Ahmadi
Ijaz Chatha
Joe Bhango
Lola Oduwole
Neha Kwatra
Rimpy Hothi
Tanvir Khera
Taylan Altiok
Vesselina Chela
Yash Chawla

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Something which is TOTALLY EPIC (no click-bait included)

Here is another example of how you can be clever, this is TOTALLY EPIC!!

These days many intersections with traffic signals (at least in Vancouver, where I live) are not on a cycle where they constantly run for a certain amount of time in each direction. Instead, these signals are controlled by wires under the street. Often these signals involve a special left-turn advance signal for cars.

You can see these wires, which are usually in a circle, as you approach many intersections. When your car is over this circle, because of some mysterious magnetic properties or whatever, the light will change if it is currently red in your direction.

Now, in many places, there is only one circle at the intersection, because it isn't deemed necessary to change the lights so you get an advanced left-turn. The people designing these intersections figure that you can just wait until the green light which you get turns to yellow. Or sometimes if there is only one circle, the advanced left-turn will ALWAYS come on.

BUT ... in many situations, where there would often be more than one car turning left at these intersections, there is a circle for the first car, and also a circle for the THIRD car (two cars do not deem enough attention; they can both wait until the light turns yellow).

Now, if someone is at the first circle and there is no one after them, and there is a third circle, and you stop over the third circle (assuming no one is behind you, in which case you should move forward and let THEM be over the third circle), then you will cause the advanced left-turn signal to be activated and you can get a priority left turn!

Isn't that GENIUS?!?

You too can be a GENIUS!!!

I think I should make big bucks generating ideas for those moronic click-bait web sites (usually with the word "genius" in their headline) about "things that people do not know." For example, do you know this:

On most DVDs, there is bullshit at the beginning like stern FBI warnings, company logos, and, worst of all, COMMERCIALS for other DVDs from the same company.

There is a simple way to bypass all this crap, by hitting the "next" button on your remote, usually used to go to the "next" chapter. Sometimes this does not work, because the companies want you to read the FBI warnings, etc.

If this method does not work, then try hitting the TOP MENU and/or POP UP MENU or their equivalents on your remote control.

There, now  you are a GENIUS!!

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Actually, I am wary of sites which give you a message like the following when you have finished your task with a "good score":

"YOU'RE A GENIUS! You have a passion for perfection, you like to challenge yourself, and you appreciate diversity. You are committed to personal aesthetics, excel in finding problems and solutions, and have a driving force to create. You have boundless imagination and an open mind. In simple words: You Are Simply A Genius!"

I'm waiting for a quiz which gives a response like "You got ONE out of TEN right, therefore you are a moron."


Thursday, August 25, 2016

iDNS: Domain slammers

If you have a domain registered, be aware there is a company called iDNS that is sending out domain name "expiration notices," the purpose of which is to get you to move your domain's registration to them.

Their prices are totally outrageous; one year renewal costs $40, as opposed to what it might be with your own provider, typically in the range of $10-$15.

What happens when many people receive these "expiration notices" is to just pay them, especially if payments are usually handled by someone in the front office.

iDNS's WWW site address is idns.ae (United Arab Emirates) which forwards to idns.to (Tonga).

The notices are very explicit that you do NOT have to move your domain to their service, so if you do this mistakenly, they will turn around and say words to the effect that "you were too stupid to read the conditions."

Trying to get a domain move undone under these circumstances can be a VERY big hassle.

In my opinion, these people are Class A dirtbags.

The address for their Canadian operation is

2900 Warden Avenue
Box #92090
Toronto [actually Scarborough], Ontario M1W 3Y8

According to the reverse lookup at Canada Post, this is an "RPO," or "Retail Post Office" box.