Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Macro Test Shots
I took a few test shots last night after unraveling my new Canon Ef 100 mm 2.8L Lens. The set is available for viewing on FlickR
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Macro is here
Thought I'd share the unraveling of my new Macro Lens: Canon EF 100MM f/2.8L IS USM. I've been waiting about 9 months to pick this up. It has arrived so excited stay tuned for pics. Thanks to Barry the man at Henry's for making this happen.
Trailer for Total Recall Trailer
I'm sure this is not the first but its the first trailer I've seen announcing a trailer so what the heck I thought I'd post since I'm the trailer man (well some people call me that anyhow). So here it is the trailer for The Total Recall (remake) Trailer. Sounds confusing.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Best Buy Express comes to Pearson
Best Buy has launched six new Express Kiosks at Pearson Airport this morning. The Kiosks will carry about 60 different products ranging from Ipods to Phone Chargers to Headphones. The product pricepoint is said to match that of their retail locations. The concept was launched at other International Airports in the UK and United States over the past couple of years. Toronto's Pearson airport in the race to catch up and improve its overall services has added the Kiosks to make travel more enjoyable and convenient.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Sign up for Android Instagram
Well it looks like Instagram is finally coming to Android. You can signup via email to be notified of the release. Visit the link below.
Instagram for Android • Coming soon!
Facebook warns Employers
Facebook has finally stepped up to bat regarding the violation of privacy rights being demanded by some Employers. Facebook has issued a warning to companies that they will be subject to lawsuits if they demand users to violate their rights to privacy which also violates Facebook's Terms and Conditions. Facebook's spokesman did not indicate that there were any planned lawsuits but are making it quite clear this is complety unacceptable and illegal.
Facebook warns employers not to demand passwords from job applicants - Yahoo! News Canada
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Foggy Saint Patrick's Day Photo Set
Last Saturday Mississauga was covered in fog for most of the day. Around 4pm I ventured out to City Centre the heart of the downtown core to take some pictures of the core covered in fog. After a short dinner break I headed over to Streetsville Village around midnight to snap some shots of the Main strip. Here are a couple teasers the rest of the album can be viewed at my FlickR page.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Snap shot but wait..
Ever been out somewhere and see something really cool so you grab your camera and go to take a shot then you think "Can I take a picture of that?"
Many people encounter the same feeling of unease when out in public and they want to photograph something. Photographers experience this on a regular basis but after a certain point you just get in the habit of taking the picture, afterall that shot will never present itself again.
I get strange looks all the time when I'm out in public with the Camera. Even Saturday when we had that crazy fog sweep through Mississauga I went around City Center taking pictures. I was at 10 and Burnhamthorpe taking pictures of the Manroe Towers a bunch of guys pulled up in their car to the light and started yelling something out the window. I had my headphones on just kept shooting.
But sometimes things can get ugly when you snap a person or cops. Knowing your rights is important. I came across a resourceful website which has as its aim helping people and pushing for a clearer standard in photographers rights.
http://www.zaprag.com/home
Many people encounter the same feeling of unease when out in public and they want to photograph something. Photographers experience this on a regular basis but after a certain point you just get in the habit of taking the picture, afterall that shot will never present itself again.
I get strange looks all the time when I'm out in public with the Camera. Even Saturday when we had that crazy fog sweep through Mississauga I went around City Center taking pictures. I was at 10 and Burnhamthorpe taking pictures of the Manroe Towers a bunch of guys pulled up in their car to the light and started yelling something out the window. I had my headphones on just kept shooting.
But sometimes things can get ugly when you snap a person or cops. Knowing your rights is important. I came across a resourceful website which has as its aim helping people and pushing for a clearer standard in photographers rights.
http://www.zaprag.com/home
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Fanshawe students set fires
Students in London terrorized a neighbourhood last night setting fires and attacking firefighters who tried to put it out. I thought London was wild in my day but this is just stupid, Project X wanna be's, which I haven't seen nor will I waste my time seeing (just throwing that in as a disclaimer). Anyhow here's the link to the Star's article.
PS The pictures from the Fog Shoots will be out by Tuesday. Blodgett Freeze Frame
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Total Recall First Teaser
There are some movies that don't need remakes but then again Hollywood has been doing it for years so nevertheless here it is the first teaser for Total Recall :
Who's to blame?
Who's to blame? A special report
The range of excuses is about as wide as a City Centre intersection.
"The sun was in my eyes."
"She came out of nowhere."
"He was listening to his iPod."
"My windows were frosty."
These are just a sample of the explanations given in local courtrooms in recent years by drivers attempting to justify why they struck a pedestrian.
But, in the aftermath of what was the deadliest year on record for pedestrians on Mississauga roads, Peel Regional Police Sgt. Craig Wattier, who runs the force's Major Collision Bureau, said there is one common thread among the reasons
"The overwhelming excuse is, 'I didn't see him or her,' which I find surprising," he said in an interview with The News. "Just because the pedestrian is doing something illegal or unwise, that doesn't mean the motorist is absolved of responsibility. The driver has a legal obligation to drive with care."
Last year, of the 20 fatal traffic collisions in Mississauga, nine of the victims were pedestrians, according to Peel Police statistics. In 2010, it was six of 17; in 2009, five of 15; in 2008, six of 13; in 2007, eight of 19; in 2006, seven of 18.
"I can't deny that in the last five years, that (2011) is the worst year as far as pedestrian fatals go," Wattier said.
So far, in the first two months of 2012, Peel Police have investigated 58 pedestrian/vehicle collisions in Mississauga and Brampton. That's almost one a day.
This year, there have been three pedestrian fatalities in Peel, one of which took place in Mississauga. It occurred March 4, when Caterina Lavecchia, 71, was walking home from church with a friend around 10 a.m. in the Central Parkway Mall parking lot, near Central Pkwy. E. and Burnhamthorpe Rd. E. She was struck by a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe being driven by a 79-year-old Mississauga man.
The driver has been interviewed by police, but investigators have yet to determine if charges will be laid.
Lavecchia leaves behind her husband of 51 years, Nicola, along with four children and four grandchildren. She was an avid church-goer and loved to cook, her children said.
Wattier and other safety experts said there are a number of reasons for the increase in pedestrian fatals. The main one is that Mississauga continues to grow in population.
Based on data released last month by Statistics Canada, the latest census numbers show that 713,443 people call Mississauga home, an increase of 44,844 from the last count in 2006.
"Mississauga's more dense. You have more pedestrians," Wattier said. "You have more areas that lend themselves to pedestrian traffic and, generally, the more pedestrian traffic you have, the more collisions are going to occur."
York Regional Police statistics show 10 pedestrians died in York in 2010, an increase from seven in each of 2009 and 2008.
Last year in Toronto, 18 pedestrians were killed, down from the 20 in 2010.
Brian Patterson, president of the Ontario Safety League, said all the deaths were "completely preventable."
"It only takes a few seconds of distraction on the part of either the pedestrian or the driver to lead to the problem," he said.
Patterson pointed to a combination of factors for the rash of recklessness — less daylight, impaired visibility from salt-covered windshields, mild weather spurring faster driving, and growing inattentiveness by both drivers and pedestrians.
Mohammed Cansai, for example, was hit while crossing one of Mississauga's busiest intersections, Hurontario St. and Burnhamthorpe Rd., last fall. He sustained a bruised thigh and several cuts and scrapes.
He takes full responsibility, saying he was chatting on his phone and didn't notice the advance green for oncoming vehicles.
"I was a fool. No question," said the 22-year-old University of Toronto student.
Ward 10 Councillor Sue McFadden said speeding is a constant complaint in her ward. Drivers and pedestrians must share the blame for the spike in pedestrian deaths, she said.
"There have been way too many pedestrian fatalities in Mississauga. As much as we want to always blame the drivers we have to also be aware that some of the pedestrians are crossing mid-block, not crossing at the lights or crosswalks," McFadden said. "I would like to see tickets handed out to pedestrians that do not obey the traffic laws.
"Of course, we are seeing an increase in speeding as well as running of amber and red lights, rolling through intersections and not giving pedestrians the right of way."
Peel Region and the City of Mississauga have installed several pedestrian countdowns at signalized intersections, increased pedestrian crossing time and launched public education campaigns. Peel has also painted white lines at some of the busy intersections and pedestrian crosswalks region-wide.
While studies have shown the lines, also known as zebra stripes, can reduce the number of vehicle-pedestrian crashes, particularly when a vehicle is making a right-hand turn, McFadden notes crashes still occur.
"I have them at all my schools areas but that still doesn't help the problem. I have seen mothers crossing (against) four lanes of traffic with a child in a stroller."
Wattier said that in the majority of cases police are unable to interview the pedestrians because they're deceased.
He said there are typically a few cases annually where his officers don't charge drivers involved in collisions with pedestrians.
"It's rare to get a true accident," he said. "In the vast majority of cases, somebody has made a mistake."
Henrietta Bushey, 61, is a rare case for the Major Collision Bureau because she is a living victim. The Etobicoke woman was left for dead last Dec. 8 at a Lakeview intersection.
The driver of the SUV that struck her remains at large. Police haven't received a single tip as to the motorist's whereabouts.
"He left me in the road; he just left me in the road," said Bushey, who's still recovering at home from a fractured leg and numerous facial injuries after she was hit while crossing the street at Lakeshore and Dixie Rds.
Bushey, a mother and grandmother, was walking to work and was only minutes away from Grohe Canada, where she works as an assembler, when she was struck at about 5:45 a.m.
She said a "Good Samaritan" stopped, helped her, and called 9-1-1.
"If there had been no one there to help me, maybe another car would have struck me and I wouldn't be here right now," she said.
Meanwhile, other victims never had a chance to share their story.
Alison Weeks, 42, of Mississauga, was struck and killed last July 19 by one of two cars that went airborne in a crash near Credit Valley Hospital. Weeks was one of two people at the intersection waiting for the light to change. Agnes Turley, 65, of Milton, has been charged with making an unsafe turn. Her case is still before the courts.
There have also been cases where family members of fatal pedestrian victims say justice haven't been served.
Roman Iwasjuk was acquitted of careless driving when his car struck and killed Wilson Leung, a prominent member of Mississauga's Chinese community, in 2009.
Iwasjuk, 42, testified that the sun was in his eyes and his windows were frosted that fateful morning on Jan. 26 as he turned onto Treadwells Dr. in the city's east end. When his view was blocked by the sunlight, Iwasjuk said, he slowed down his silver Acura fearing he was going to "hit something," court heard.
It was while he was slowing down that he struck the victim on the road.
Police testified Iwasjuk's car was going about 26 kilometres an hour when the crash occurred. Leung hit the windshield and was then catapulted 10 feet into a snowbank, according to Crown witnesses.
Leung and his wife were walking southbound on Treadwells Dr. The sidewalk wasn't designated for immediate clearing after a snowstorm. The woman wasn't injured.
Justice of the Peace Hilda Weiss conceded that Iwasjuk made a "serious error in judgment" that morning, but ruled it didn't constitute careless driving as the driver took steps to avoid a potential tragedy.
"Given the circumstances of that day, I'm not convinced any other driver would have reacted much differently," she said in her decision.
Leung's son, Jim Leung, said he was disappointed the ruling.
"I thought (the justice of the peace) would have focused more on the frosted windows and not so much on the standard of care while driving in sunlight," he said. "We were looking for a different result."
Leung and his wife had two children and five grandchildren. He immigrated here from Hong Kong and worked for Etobicoke Hydro for 25 years. He was a tireless volunteer for the Mon Sheong Foundation, a Toronto charitable organization dedicated to the promotion of Chinese culture, heritage, language and philosophy. Leung, a former member of the Mississauga Chinese Business Association, organized numerous fundraisers in the city for the Foundation.
Wattier and his officers are also concerned with the "disproportionate" number of elderly pedestrians being killed. Last year, six of the 13 pedestrians killed in Mississauga and Brampton were aged 65 and over. In 2010, it was four of 10.
"Older people tend to have reduced senses, reduced reflexes," Wattier said.
Wattier is pleased that so far this year the numbers are down. He and Patterson said many factors account for the early decline: enforcement, engineering, public awareness and education.
Drivers need to be aware that pedestrians are "a very real part of our society," he said.
Drivers must pay extra attention and look for pedestrians at all times. In poor lighting or adverse weather, drivers must modify their driving to ensure they are able to see pedestrians.
Pedestrians must also remember to take a defensive approach and not assume they can just walk out into traffic because they have the right of way, Wattier said.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
TMNT
T, U, R, T, L, E, Power T, U, R, T, L, E, Power
You guessed it Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Paramount has announced that TMNT can be expected to be in theaters Christmas 2013. We can probably also expect a new toyline (for all you collectors) just in time for Christmas too, although there is no official announcement yet from Playmate toys.
I am personally excited about the official announcement of relaunching Ninja Turtles. Since my childhood years is being relived through the big screen I've been wondering when they are going to give the Green Machines their over due screen time. The movie is going to be live action and CGI based. Personally I would like to see, along with a lot of other hardcore fans, a more accurate rendition to the comics, which would ultimately put the movie into R-rating as the Ninja's are quite violent and bloody in the comics. It is unlikely that this will happen as we have
little people to consider. And those little people are the ones who drive the sales of merchandise and ticket sales so us grown folk may have to settle with the toned down version. Overall pretty excited for this.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The British create life like Transformers
I am always fascinated not so much by the progress of technology but rather the mind set behind those who do spend million of dollars on research. Some of it in my opinion is useless research like the big bang fiasco from a few years back when over a billion dollars was spent trying to simulate the big bang. In the midst of our current economic situations throughout the world I find it hard to fathom where we are able to come up with 8 million (US) dollars to experiment with and create robots that can transform?
Well that's what the British are up to now.
British Scientists Take First Steps Towards Real Life Transformers! Of course as a huge fan of Transformers when first hearing this I am like "awesome" but then reality kicks in and I feel confused and sometimes angry. Angry because I want people to be able to eat and have medical care... Confused because I still can't get my head around why in God's name would anyone want a piece of metal walking around. I may just have to start my own resistance group in the near future. I haven't ranted in a while so forgive me. I have a sore spot for robots yet alone robots who can learn on their own and now these "researchers" want to create robots who can learn as well as assimilate into different robots of varying configurations???? Call me an alarmist but did any of these guys see Terminator? Dark of the Moon? Maybe not. Maybe someone should send them a copy along with a few newspapers showing the current rate of people starving to death too. I'm going to stop now before I have a hernia and open this up for debate in the combox. Bloggin B
Monday, March 12, 2012
Oakville Pics
Uploaded a few pictures that I took a couple of weeks ago when I was at the Lakeshore Strip in Oakville.
If you are ever down in Oakville make a point of stopping at Just An Olde Fashioned Butchery & Seafood.
they have some great sausages.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
New Cigarette Packaging
So I came across this new packaging on Canadian Cigarettes this weekend. Pretty ugly looking! Health Canada has released 16 new packages which made news in the fall and Christmas. The new packages are much more graphic and drive home the message a lot harder which is exactly the point. I have attached below a few samples which we're originally sourced from here.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Time change and fire alarms
Don't forget tomorrow night we change our clocks forward. Peel firefighters are also reminding residents to check their fire alarms and batteries that they are functioning properly.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Women's Day, Solar Storm, Hamburgers
Today is International Women's Day so a big hug from Bloggin Blodgett to all the beautiful women out there who make the world a better place. Also today is the big solar storm day. The Solar flare is expected to pass the earth today. A Solar Flare occurs as a result of when the sun erupts. Solar energy particles travel through space. Then end result is that it can harm some of our electronic devices (twitter may be in an uproar) It is also rumoured that the solar flare can expand the northern lights which unfortunately we are cloud covered today so there will be no chance to see much of the sky. But just in case have your camera handy.
In other news I made my first burgers from scratch last night and they were pretty good. I may tweak the ingredients a little but overall I was satisfied.
All you need is ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, seasonings (you can use anything you like), bacon and cheese for the stuffed hamburgers.
I made two types of burgers one plain and one stuffed with Havarti cheese and Bacon.
Mix it all in a bowl and then you make the patties into which ever size you like. For the stuffed burgers I made eight patties all the same size. Place the bacon and cheese in the middle of the patty and then place another patty on top.
Seal the edges so the burger is rounded and then throw it on the grill. Serve with toppings of your choice.
Cheers Bloggin B
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
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