2011 Avening and Glencairn Cleanups.... NOT!

I haven't been to Avening or Glencairn parks much this year and hadn't done any cleaning so I decided last week to check out he status of the 2 parks. Below is the results, what a contrast.

Avening
This park is always a dream to clean. It is maintained by the community and they have people that care. I haven't  cleaned this park since last year and was impressed with how little garbage there was. After going through the entire maintained area I only ended up with a very small amount of garbage. It was hard to even find a cigarette butt ;) This community should be proud of their park, it is very nice.

This as all the garbage I found in the entire park. Next to nothing ;)

This is Avening park. One of the cleanest parks around.

Glencairn

And now for the other side...

This park is not maintained at all or at least not regularly. Like Avening I haven't cleaned this park since last year(cleaned both parks on same day). What a mess. If you read previous years entries on this park you will remember I already removed over 10 tires from the woods and water. Guess what.... there are now 6 more tires in the water and garbage throughout the park. I was so frustrated I just took pictures and left. I spent so much time to keep that park clean and it was destroyed by only a few people. Here are some pictures of the crap that is everywhere... Keep in mind this just shows the big stuff, there are a lot of cigarette butts and beer bottle tops as well...

Might be able to excuse this junk. It was at least in the fire pit.

 Tire #1

 Tire#2

 Tire #3 & 4

 Actually quite a solid table. would be great for putting heavy plants on in a greenhouse.

 Part of a tent just thrown in the woods.

 Very large plastic tarp stuffed away.

 Somebody decided to create their own firepit.

 This is what virtually the whole property looks like now... garbage everywhere ;(

 Tire#5

 Tire#6

 Lots of hidden garbage around every corner.

 Even the small beach is a mess.

 If I had a truck I would have taken this table. Looks in great shape.

 Some kid is looking for their chair right now ;(

 Just more crap in the woods.

The biggest stock market screw over

So you thought Bernie with his $50 Billion dollar scam was taking advatange of poor investors? Have a look at just one of the things brokers can do to investors LEGALLY!

How many of you know what "shorting" is and how is it allowed? Read below and you will get upset over how this works and even madder that it is even allowed.

"Shorting" a stock is selling a stock that you don't own anticipating the stock will go down so you can buy it cheaper later... but how can you sell a stock you don't own... That is illegal isn't it???? Well technically you can't sell stocks you do not own, that is called naked short selling and that is illegal. So how do the brokers do it? THEY LOAN THE STOCK THEIR CUSTOMERS BOUGHT!!!! For a fee of course.

So here is how it works... The brokers charge you fees to buy a stock for you and they hold the actual stock certificates. The broker then "loans" those stock(for a fee of course) to someone else who wants to short the stock. The broker is making money off BOTH customers and the broker has no risk!
 
 So now you gotta ask... What the F*(&*&**^!!!!! .... Your broker is actually using the stock you bought against you. Allowing others to "borrow" your stock to short in effect drives the price of the stock DOWN! That is totally against your best interests. 

Are you a littl upset now? You should be. What can you do? If you purchase indiviual stock you can request the actual certificates which ensures the broker can't loan your shares. This unfortunately creates headaches for you to manage your stock certificates. When it comes to mutual funds you can't get the individual stock certificates so you have no control.

If this ticks you off start asking questions of your brokers. The reason I got on this rant is one of my mutal funds is applying to be able to do this for the entire fund of stocks. If you are wondering which company.... AGF is about to do it on all their funds.

Supporters of shorting will tell you it stops irrational exhuberance of stock going through the roof. However, they don't mention that shorting causes stocks to drop much faster because it is almost a self fullfilling prophecy. Shorting can easily take a company with a little difficulty and wipe it out. Look at what was going on with AIG nd CITI during the crash. There was huge volumes of shorts almost causing both these companies to collapse. 

SHORT SELLING SHOULD BE ILLEGAL FOR EVERYONE!!!!!

Kinect Games - EA Sports Active 2

Other than a heart rate monitor this game is junk as far as being Kinect enabled. You need a controller at several points which defeats the benfits of Kinect.

I did not find the program itself to have as many features as Your Shape and if possible I would have returned this game because of it's cost($100) and my disappointment in the quality.

Of the 9 games I have tried this was the one I felt I really over paid. I do not feel it has been worth the money.

However, if you need to integrate a heart rate monitor into your exercises this is still better than the WII and Move versions. The reporting on heart rates was interesting ;)

Kinect Games - Your Shape

If you don't care about the hearrt rate monitor this exercise game is much better than EA Sports Active 2 game. You can see it was built for the Kinect and really helps you perform exercises properly.

It will show you exactly which parts of your body are positioned right for an exercise(they show in green) and which are not(shown in red). From the start a controller is not needed. It also provides several exercise games, TiBo and Zen exercises. There is a lot to this exercise game.

If you want to get into shape this is a good game to get. It is much better than EA Sports game except it doesn't come with a heart rate monitor.

This was the frst game I purchased and it still is very good. Expect to sweat and feel good that you are performing exercises properly.

Kinect Games - Kinect Adventures

This game came with my Kinect controller. It is simple yet a lot of fun, especially for multiple people. None of the included games require any special skills.

When I show people the Kinect quite often I use this game first because it is easy and fun. Anyone can understand the games yet they are challenging for experienced players.

I like all the games but I prefer the white water rafting as it provides a high level of interaction. Although it can be frustrating when playing with 2 people for serious gamers(One person goes left, the other goes right ;) It is just so much fun.

However, if this game did not come with the Kinect I am not sure I would buy it. I prefer the games that specialize in one thing because they are much more detailed and the quality is usually better.

Kinect Games - Kinect Joy Ride

Of the 9 games I tried this was the simplest to play yet among the most fun. Since I like racing games anyway me liking this is no surprise.

If you are looking for an advanced racing game this is NOT it. You do not control brakes, gas or shifting. However you do get Turbo boost, and you can do tricks when in the air.

I am not sure if it is me but I notice no difference in upgraded cars in regards to performance or handling. Maybe I should read the manual(that thingy no one reads) more about cars ;)

This game is just fun. Especially with 2 or more people. You can compete against each other in certain races and need to work together in others. There are lot's of race types including tricks, run over stuff, race each other, race online, race computers and more.

Getting into tricks can really rack up the points and I found this takes up a lot more energy and makes you glad you don't have to shift, brake or accelerate.

Of all the games I have played I have spent the most time on this game. I have virtually every car now and most tracks I have gold. Sometimes I wonder why... then I play it again ;)

This game could certainly benefit from being able to control braking and acceleration but I found I got used to it. Also I found standing all the time does get tiring. I never tried sitting down while playing it might have worked.

Kinect Games - Deca Sports Freedom

Of the games I tried this was the cheapest and quirkiest of them all. Although several sports are similar to the other 2 all in one sports games there just seemed to be a lot of delays and problems in movement recognition. Further I found the quality to be lower than the other 2 all in one sports games. However it does have a lot of sports to try and probably had the best selection of interesting sports.

Overall I found the all in one sports games to be good for group playing because of their simplicity but not very good for the serious gamer. Regardless, they are all still more fun than stupid controller games.

Kinect really makes you feel you are part of the game.

Kinect Games - Fighters Uncaged

Of all the sports games this is the most realistic and challenging. There are around 70 moves you can do. They include using your legs, knees, elbows, fists, and head.

You better expect to get in shape if you want to play this game. Of all the games I have played this is the most intense and you will break out in a sweat... but it is a lot of fun.

This game really shows the Kinect off. You really get more of an idea of the games that will be coming in the future. This game will really benefit when they come out with a "force feedback" suit that will have you feeling the punches.

As it is this is by far the best sports game if you really want to get into the game. However if you don't like the fighting you won't like this game.

I can tell you I get very tired playing this game for even 15-30 minutes. It really requires a lot of energy as you get further into the game.

If you are a real gamer that likes great detail this is the game for you. Don't waste your time on the all in one games that have boxing... They just don't have the advanced details and options.

Kinect Games - Kinect Sports

This all in one sports game is the best for smaller kids but is still good for adults. Although not quite as good as MotionSports for adults this game is very similar. Whatever you do don't waste your money on more than one of these all in one sports games.

If you have 5-10 year old kids around get this game. If not get MotionSports. The 3rd all in one game is not worth the money as far as I am concerned.

This is a great game to get up and running quickly. No real time learning anything as movements are rudamentary and as long as you know the basics of the sport you will have no problems mastering the game.

Of the 3 all in one sports games this is a close second to MotionSports.

Kinect Games - Dance Central

If you are looking for a dance game this one is pretty good but if you are a good dancer this can be frustrating... Everything has to be done the way the game wants it done.When talking freestyle dancing I find this defeats the whole concept of "freestyle".

If you are a newbie or are willing to do things the way the game demands this is actually quite fun. However you can't just jump into the middle and expect to do well. You have to learn the moves that the game knows in the way the game wants them done.

If you want to learn to dance this can actually show you a lot of moves as you get further into it. Another good game for small groups of 2-4 people.

I did not review the other dance game so I have no reference if this is the best one. I have found it to be fun once I realized I had to start from the beginning... I had thought I could start in the middle with all my dancing experience... I was wrong ;)

If you like line dancing or following someone elses lead or you just wat to learn this is a great game. If you like to dance "freestyle" this will not let you... You must dance the way it says to do the move. 

Kinect Games - Motion Sports

Of the 3 sports games I reviewed this is probably the most adult version. In all these sports games I fnd they are at best limited but are very good for group play. These games are great for getting 4-8 people together and having friendly competitions.

You need a lot of room for these games because they involve a lot of movement. The first time I played this game I hit my foot on my metal framed bed when playing soccer... It recorded the video of me hopping around after kicking the bed ;) Quite humerous.

I was not impressed with any of these all in one sports games as each game is limited. If you want sports games go for ones of the specific sport you are interested in. For example Fighters Unleashed is a fighting game that has over 70 different moves and is very complex and full featured.

These all in one versions really stand out in groups. They are easy to get started and do not take a lot of training. Virtually anyone can do well right away. Games like Fighters Unleashed take some time just to learn all the moves that are available.

If you are thinking of the all in one sports games for adults this is probably the best choice. If you are looking for kids this is good but Kinect Sports is better.

Internet TV.... Not yet

I have been waiting forever for Internet TV but it still isn't quite there yet. Sure you can watch TV via the web now but the infrastructure is not there to support all of us watching web TV.

Just look at bandwidth limitations currently in place.... Even the high bandwidth providers limit bandwidth to around 60gb per month which is fine for most current users but if you are watching basic digital TV you are looking at approximately 600mb per hour of TV... Watching 2 hours per day on one TV will take up more than half your bandwidth... If you watch 4 hours you are going to be paying overage charges... If you have 2 TV's get ready to pay big time even if you watch the same shows. If you are like me and are on wireless highspeed you haven't got a hope... It costs a fortune for anything higher than 10gb per month on wireless. My house runs 3 TV's at least 4 hours per day so even with the best available options I would have to pay a lot for bandwidth. What if we talk about HD quality with 7.1 sound.... the bandwidth goes through the roof.

The infrastructure is not in place to support all of us getting on at 9pm to watch our favorite show. Just think of the bandwidth required for everyone to watch something like the Superboal in full HD? The entire system would collapse under the strain. We can't handle anything close to the required bandwidth yet but that is just a technical problem that will be resolved.
There is also the issues of content quality, availability and management. However, all the big players are setting up their own systems for content at a furious pace.

Whether we like it or not the web is merging all communication mediums. Soon we will laugh at the way people used phones and had to be home to watch a TV show. How did they do it...  ;)

Just think, YouTube users are apparently posting 31 minutes of video to the web every minute... and that is just one video content system... Many more are coming soon. Question is do we want to watch it?