Google Reader - Play

Google Reader - Play

xkcd: Tradition

xkcd: Tradition

Happy Halloween!

BOB - a race around the globe

BOB - a race around the globe

Costco cordless telephones

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my attempt to replace the battery in a cordless telephone. Well, this week I purchased a new set of four cordless telephones from Costco for about the same price as three replacement batteries. The existing phones that they replace are now so much electronic junk. There's a problem when buying new is more economical than replacing a consumable component in an existing product, whether that be a phone battery or a printer cartridge. Either someone is taking a loss on the new product or else they're ripping us off on the cost of the consumable components. One time this only happened with razors, now more and more consumer products are following this path.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Canada Post

I ordered something on-line last week and because it is quite large and heavy and I'm in no particular rush, I opted for the cheapest shipping method - Canada Post parcel post. According to Canada Post's own tracking info they received the package in Scarborough at 13:06 on Wednesday, September 28. By 03:51 on Saturday, October 1 the package had made its way across Toronto to the Canada Post facility in Mississauga. Over 2½ days to get from one building to another in the same metropolitan area! Not only that, but the package is now further away from me than ever.

Update: (Tuesday, October 4, 2011) 27 hours after the parcel was "processed" in Mississauga it arrived in Ottawa where it was "processed" twice more before being sent out for delivery at 09:33 this morning, That's 3¼ days from Mississauga to a local delivery truck in Ottawa. Delivery came at 13:49 this afternoon - 6 days 43 minutes door to door. I'm guessing that Canada post thinks that's not bad and it's probably within their delivery guidelines, but it's nothing to brag about.