Signs of the Times

The Origin of April Fool’s Day

April 1, 2017 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

Are you on red alert for pranks and fake news April 1st? It’s just an extension of centuries-old tradition to entertain and trick – or is it?

EDMONTON, Alta. Mar. 31, 2017 /Troy Media/ – On April Fool’s Day, we’re on red alert for pranks, hoaxes and fake news – and it’s been going on for centuries, from an era when court jesters were common.

With no TV, movies or Internet, jesters, jokers or fools were the entertainers of Medieval and Renaissance times. They often started out as travelling performers who, with minstrels, entertained at fairs and markets.

The fools who gained greatest prominence were those who entertained monarchs and noblemen, as part of the household staff.

Being a court jester was the career pinnacle for the quick-witted and talented few. They could rise above the simple nomadic existence, entertaining peasants living in filth, disease and poverty. Their new life was to entertain a captive audience, and enjoy stability, shelter and more to eat in one meal than others had in a week.

Read the full story at Troy Media.

You can also listen to the Podcast at Toastcaster.com.

Filed Under: GadgetGreg, In the news, Signs of the Times, Troy Media · Tagged With: April Fool, history, holiday, podcast

Razer launches gamer’s “Paid to Play” program

March 25, 2017 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

If you get paid for something you love to do is that really considered work? What if what you had to do was play games? The best of the best are probably making some serious coin, but what about us casual types? Well, you’re not going to get rich and you’re probably not going to get real cash, but Razer is launching a new “Paid to Play” initiative that can certainly add a little more incentive to playing games. Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Gaming, Going Mobile, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: Gaming, Virtual Currency

Indestructible Nokia Gresso 3310 costs a cool $4K

March 5, 2017 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

I’ve heard that some retro gadgets retain their value and then some, but this one really takes the cake. The old Nokia 3310 handset, not even a smartphone, is making a comeback. This one, a variation of the retro handset reimagined by Gresso will come in an indestructible casing, crafted from titanium but it will set you back a cool US $2990, or about 4000 loonies. Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Going Mobile, New Product, Signs of the Times, smartphone · Tagged With: Cellular, New product, Nokia, Retro

Looking good at 30, Happy Birthday Adobe Illustrator

March 1, 2017 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

When we think back to 1987, some may remember it as the year of Black Monday, when we saw the stock market crash and seeing the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping by over 500 points and losing over 22% of its value in just one single day. For Apple enthusiasts, we saw the unveiling of the Mac SE and the first modular and colour capable Mac, the Macintosh II. For gamers it was the year that we saw The Legend of Zelda released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. And it was 30 years ago this month, Adobe first shipped its flagship design software, Adobe Illustrator, an application that would allow designers to create and publish vector artwork, that would change the landscape of graphic design and the way we draw.
Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog

Filed Under: Apps Alive, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, In the news, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: graphic design, milestone, software

Renogy Phoenix Solar Powered Generator kit in a briefcase

February 11, 2017 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

For many people the briefcase is totally passé, as backpacks seem to be all the rage, but not this one. The Renogy Phoenix is not your typical business accessory but rather an all-in-one solar powered generator briefcase. It really gives you, pardon the pun, a whole new meaning to mobile energy.

Officially called the Phoenix Generator 20W All-in-one Solar Kit, it features an LCD display comes complete with a handle. It comes in a small compact and portable form factor measuring only 16.24″ x 11.95″ x 3.94″ and weighing 12.8 pounds.

It has two built-in efficient Renogy 10 Watt Monocrystalline Solar Panels that harness the power of the sun to charge its hefty built-in 16Ah lithium-ion phosphate battery (NMC). Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, New Product, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: battery charger, battery power, New product, Solar Power

Hey Alexa where’s my half-caf Venti Macchiato?

February 7, 2017 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

Do you like being able to order your Venti half-caf Caramel Macchiato with a twist, in advance, before you arrive at your friendly neighbourhood Starbucks? If so, you’ll be happy to know that Siri and Alexa may soon be able to take your order as Starbucks recently announced Voice Ordering coming soon to an iOS app or Amazon Alexa platform near you. Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: Apple, Apps Alive, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, New Product, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: app, starbucks

4 new gadgets from International CES 2017

January 4, 2017 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

As the International CES in Las Vegas 2017 is set to get underway tomorrow a number of companies, some of which we’ve looked at their offerings in the past have already announced new products short of the show’s official grand opening. So here’s just a sneak peek from a few including Elgato, Terk and Panasonic. Some will actually be released at the show, others are just being showcased and one is already available for sale.

If you like a clean workspace and heavy into Thunderbolt connectivity, Elgato has announced their new Thunderbolt 3 Dock. This new gadget will allow you to charge your MacBook Pro or Windows notebook with a single cable. Plus it will also allow you to smoothly drive two additional 4K displays at a 60 Hz frame rate. The dock features built-in Gigabit Ethernet, amplified audio output, a microphone input and three super-speed USB 3.0 ports. The unit itself will also have two Thunderbolts ports, one for your computer and another one as a pass-through. Read full post at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, In the news, New Product, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: CES, Gadgets, new products

Archive: Celebrating Christmas in 18th and 19th century Alberta

December 24, 2016 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

By Greg Gazin  Writer  Troy Media Corporation

EDMONTON, December 19, 2008 /Troy Media/ — Turn the clock back to the late 18^th century to the mid 19^th century Alberta and chances are you’d be eating fish, beaver tail and stewed moose, rather than roasted turkey and honey-glazed ham, for Christmas dinner.

Instead of rockin’ to tunes emanating from audio systems and iPods, you’re more likely to be dancing the jig to the sounds of a fiddle and perhaps a drum.

That was the height of the festive season celebrations during the period of the Fur Trade.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: GadgetGreg, Signs of the Times, Troy Media · Tagged With: Alberta, Christmas, history

3 new or novel last minute tech gifts

December 22, 2016 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

There’s always someone looking for a last minute cool or novel gift, so I couldn’t resist adding three more to the holiday gift list, two of which are hot of the press. Now it may be too late for Santa to get them under the tree, so lets consider them early Boxing Week ideas. Either way, they’ll certainly be enjoyed.

Nano guitar amp allows you to play anywhere

If you find it hard to find a gift for that mobile musician, then chances are he or she doesn’t have one of these – the new iRig Nano Amp by IK Multimedia, an ultra-compact standalone amp for the times they need just a little amplification for practice or rehearsal and don’t have a lot of space.

It has a built-in 3″ speaker with a 3-watt amp powered by three standard AA batteries (included). It has both a 1/4″ guitar input and speaker output along with separate volume and gain controls plus a bright sound enhancement switch. If they don’t want to use the built-in speaker, there’s a standard 3/8″ jack option to plug in a set of headphones for monitoring or alternately output the sound to a 4×12 external speaker cabinet. It also has a little built-in kickstand to prop it up. Read more…at Canoe Tech blog.

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Gift Ideas, New Product, Product review, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: gift ideas, New product, power, product review, security

iPhone 6s powers down but won’t blow up

November 23, 2016 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

Faulty battery leads to iPhone 6s recall

EDMONTON, Alta. Nov. 23, 2016/ Troy Media/ – Apple has announced a recall of some of its iPhone 6s due to a faulty battery.

There is no need to worry, however, as, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which are now banned on all airlines, the iPhone 6 batteries won’t explode or catch fire.

In fact, Apple says there is no safety concern; the defect may simply cause your phone to shut down unexpectedly.

The recall doesn’t cover all iPhone 6s phones, only some of those that were manufactured in September and October 2015 and certain handsets that fall within a certain serial number range. Read full post at Troy Media.