Written From The Elbow

This is a summary of the journey I took to significantly cut down on the amount of junk mail and flyers I was receiving. There is a lot of information out there and I was wary of it in case I was inadvertently giving in to scammers. All the options below are tried and tested, and took a while to figure out. First a bit of background. I didn't know when I embarked on this journey a few months ago that my bank, credit rating agencies (like Equifax and TransUnion), and any business I may have purchased an item from and/or shared my home address with, get to sell not just my address, but my other juicy demographic and financial details with other businesses or directly through third-party exchanges.  Privacy is a luxury these days. I know that. However what irked me were the dozens of useless, irrelevant, and FAT catalogs (with THIN models on them) and flyers I kept getting in my USPS mailbox that are not only a ****ing nuisance, but a waste of this planet's limited resources and a...

I often wondered if I should give my 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency WiFi networks on the same WiFi router the same names or different names. The answer is YES! You can and you should. The advantage of this is that it shows as just a single WiFi connection in the entire space, and not two different ones. There is just one login as well. More importantly, your device (if it's not super-ancient) has the sense to figure out which signal/ frequency is the strongest and uses that. If you're close to your router it favours the 5 GHz (faster, but less range) network and if you're further, it switches automatically to the 2.4 GHz (slower, but greater range) network. So go ahead and log into your WiFi router (which for many of you may be integrated into a single box with your modem). If you don't know how, this page helps you to figure that out for most routers. In the settings, make sure the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks are on. Give them the same network names and password...

I used it. It worked as promised. In short, the RT LAMP Test Kit @ US$118 / CAD$149 (no taxes applicable) is what all Canadian travellers have been waiting for! Scroll straight to the end of this post for unboxing photos and my experience using the kit. With an overseas trip on the horizon, I researched the daylights out of the announcement from Air Canada and Switch Health that one could buy a molecular test kit in advance that met Canada's entry requirements and saved one the hassle of finding a lab overseas, spending a day getting tested and often waiting days for the result. Switch Health has a video of the LAMP Test Kit online too. The only review I could find left me with questions - it seemed to read like a sponsored endorsement and the reviewer's trip also seemed to have been sponsored. So I'm sharing my step by step journey using the kit, as well as researching and purchasing to help fellow travelers on their own journeys. See the end of this post for unboxing ph...

With COVID-19 restrictions, finding and going to a notary was out of the question, so I dipped my toes into the new world of 24/7 online notaries to try and find a good one. I tried a few out when I had to have an affidavit notarized for use in the United States. Here's my unbiased opinion, and top two choices plus a runner up. My top choice is far ahead of the other two. I was a bit skittish using an online service because one has to upload and submit copies of one's driver's licence, passport etc., all of which can be a recipe for hackers who want to steal your identity. I did a lot of research for a few days, to satisfy myself of their authenticity, including searching domain registrations and looking for newspaper articles and the LinkedIn profiles of their staff and management. #1 NotaryLive.com Notarylive.com based in the state of New York was heads and shoulders above the rest. Their online support was responsive and well informed, and answered most of my questions ...

Most importantly, you can use Vonage Canada 's services on Beanfield Metroconnect 's network in Toronto. If you use Vonage 's services in Canada and are switching or have switched to Beanfield Metroconenct 's awesome service in Toronto, here's how to configure the router to allow Vonage's services to still work. Since Beanfield is a local service, Vonage's (helpful) tech support had no idea how to help me navigate the hardware, as they would have if I'd been with Bell or Rogers. Log into your Beanfield router. Beanfield uses a proprietary optical fibre router. If you don't know how to, call or email Beanfield's (helpful) support and they'll tell you. Once you log in, choose the "Zhone Router Rental" and click on it. Then choose the "Port Forwarding & Firewall" tab, and choose the "Add Rule" button on that page. Add a rule with information to get the outcome in the image below. Description: vonag...

Powerful poetry on the immigrant experience by @ jennymxie via @ POETSorg

If we are what we watch, then it seems we also vote that way. This growing rift between communities, mirrored in the media they consume, is redrawing political boundaries across the planet. The boundaries we took for granted in our geography textbooks, and on which national policy and governance are premised, may no longer hold true.   Photo: Shutterstock The outcome of America's recent presidential race sent shockwaves across the world. Donald Trump, a populist, wealthy, reality TV star beat the odds to win. As pundits of every stripe still continue to scratch their heads to explain the result, the  New York Times  posted a fascinating article  earlier this week that may explain his victory and how cultural preferences are redrawing the political boundaries within America and across the world. If we are what we watch, then it seems we also vote that way. This was most literally proven in the case of Donald Trump- best known for his television role in  The ...