Unlock Your Car Radio For Only $2.49

Today is one of the happiest days of my life because I was able to listen to the radio in my car for the first time in a year. I have a 1999 Saturn SC2 that I bought used 5 years ago. Everything has been great with my Saturn up until a year ago when I had to replace my battery. The battery switch went fine, but when I got into my car to drive to work the stereo display showed LOC. When I bought the car the user manual didn’t come with it so I did some research on the internet and found out that the Anti Theft system kicks in anytime the stereo is disconnected from the power.

I figured this wasn’t all that big a deal I would just call up the famously friendly Saturn customer service and they would have my stereo fixed in a jiffy with a smile on their face. However that was not the case. They told me that they do not have that information and the only way to unlock my radio was to go to a Saturn dealer and take it in for service. I thought that was an odd way of doing things since all that needed to be done was enter a 4 digit code in the stereo and it would unlock. Regardless, I called my local Saturn dealer and said I needed my stereo unlocked. They told me that it would cost 1 hour of labour $80 CAD and they would still not provide me with the code so I would have to go back to them next time it happened! I was furious! There was no way I was about to agree to that kind of extortion and I decided I would rather not have a radio then pay those crooks.

Yesterday I found the best website I’ve seen in a long time www.radiounlock.com. They will provide you with a working unlock code guaranteed or your money back. How much does this cost? $2.49US! I figured for that price if these guys were flat our lying and just stealing my money it was only $2.49. But they did exactly what they promised to do. I sent them the money via PayPal along with the stereo code and the make and model of my car and within 3 hours they responded with a code that worked. It was a great joy for me to drive to work today listening to the radio.

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Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End

Weekend Movie Review

Last time we saw the swashbucklers they had enlisted the help of Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Tia Dalma to bring Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) back from Davy Jones’ locker. To do this Barbossa has to navigate the crew to the end of the world. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) still believes that Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley) is in love with Jack and the tension between the two builds throughout the movie. Will must choose between Elizabeth and his Father, Bootstrap Bill, who is enslaved by Davy Jones.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3 - At World’s End

Sticking true to the pirate way of life the script has each of the main characters working together, but only doing so to reach their individual goal. There is backstabbing and plot twists galore, which is a credit to the writers. This could have been a very linear movie to write, save Jack – defeat Davy Jones – escape from Cutler Beckett and the army – marry Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner – The End. As it turns out you don’t know what will really happen until it has happened.

I also give credit to the writers for keeping this movie from getting too campy. I felt the second movie rehashed the same jokes as the Curse of the Black Perl and made Captain Jack look more like a clown then a pirate. There was humour in this movie at the right times, but didn’t cross the line of being goofy. I found the special effects to be a little more impressive then the other two movies. The battle scenes on the boats seemed to be sharper. Cannonballs, splinters, flames and smoke filled the screen in great detail.

The one thing I didn’t think worked was multiple Jack’s. It just seemed too abstract and obscure. Just a guess, but I think it was about more face time for Depp then anything else. The movie is so involved with all the characters that I think the director wanted to remind everyone that Johnny Depp is the star of this movie.

I made the assumption going into this movie that this would be the last of the trilogy, but once again we find it open ended allowing the Priates franchise to continue. Whether it’s with the same characters or the same actors who knows, but if they keep up this quality I will certainly continue to watch them.

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Baked Lamb Samosas

Here is another appetizer recipe from the LCBO the is sure to keep your guests coming back for more. I made these last weekend and people could not keep their hands off of them. Thirty of them were gone in a matter of minutes. Guess I should stop making a full meal and concentrate on appetizer’s.

All this talk about food is making me hungry!

Baked Lamb Samosas
 By: Lucy Waverman

This makes lots of filling. Serve some over rice for dinner. Serve as an hors-d’oeuvre with chutney or combine grated cucumber and yogurt together with some coriander to make a raita dipping sauce.

3 tbsp (45 mL) butter
1 cup (250 mL) Spanish onion, finely diced
1 tbsp (15 mL) ginger, finely grated
1 tbsp (15 mL) garlic, chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) chili powder
1 tsp (5 mL) turmeric
1 lb (500 g) ground lamb
4 medium plum tomatoes, chopped
2 cups (500 mL) Black Oak Brown Ale
1½ tsp (7 mL) garam masala
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Two 14 oz (397 g) pkgs of frozen puff pastry, thawedEgg Wash
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp (15 mL) water		 Baked Lamb Samosas

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC).

2. Heat a large skillet on medium heat; add butter, let it sizzle, then add chopped onion and fry until translucent. Add ginger and garlic and fry for 3 minutes. Add chilli powder and turmeric, and fry for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add lamb and fry for 2 minutes or until browned. Add tomatoes, let cook for 5 minutes and add beer.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the lamb is cooked and the mixture is fairly dry. Sprinkle in garam masala and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

4. Roll out the puff pastry until approximately 1/16-inch (1.5-mm) thick. Cut out as many 4-inch (10-cm) rounds as possible, re-rolling scraps to make more if desired (if you re-roll you can make as many as 32; if you don’t re-roll, you get about 24). Combine egg and water to make egg wash. Brush each round with wash and place a heaping tablespoon of filling mixture on each round. Fold rounds in half and seal sides closed with tines of a fork. At this point samosas can be refrigerated and then baked on the same day you want to serve them.

5. Brush outside of each samosa with the egg wash. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until brown and crispy.

Makes approximately 32

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What the Heck is a BUNGY?

As you may have already figured out I like playing games, poker being one of them. Often when I am playing poker with a new group of people and we are playing Dealer’s Choice (the dealer decides which poker game to play) I like to introduce Bungy. You won’t find this game being played at any casino or online poker site. It is a game that was shown to me when I was a kid and there has only been one other person I have run into that knew about the game before I told them about it.Bungy really isn’t a poker game per se it is more of a memorizing strategy card game and can be enjoyed with or without money.

Game Play:

  • Everyone puts 5 chips out in front of them. These chips represent your ‘lives’. When you run out of lives you are out of the game.
  • Everyone is then dealt 5 cards face down
  • The person directly to the left of the dealer starts each round by placing one of their cards face up in front of them.
  • Player 2, to the left of Player 1, will do the same however if Player 2 has the same numbered card as the one Player 1 laid down then the Player 2 has to play that card.
  • When Player 2 plays the same numbered card as Player 1 this is called a Bungy!
  • Player 2 yells out Bungy and Player 1 has to place a ‘life’ into the middle of the table (the pot).
  • Play continues in the same manner around the table until all 5 cards from each player have been laid down.
  • Only the player directly to the left of you can bungy you. There are no cross table or to the right bungy’s.
  • Once all the cards have been played they are collected and put on the bottom of the remaining deck and the next player to the left deals the next round.
  • NOTE: DO NOT SHUFFLE THE DECK!
  • No shuffling forces players to remember how the cards were laid out in the other rounds.
  • There are times when a player can be double or triple Bungied. If Player 1 plays a 9, then Player 2 plays a 9, Player 1 would put in one life. If Player 3 then plays a 9 Player 2 would put in 2 lives, and if Player 4 plays a 9 Player 3 would have to put in 3 lives!
  • When there is only one player has lives left they are declared the winner and collects all the lives in the middle of the table

Give this simple yet fun, and surprisingly intense, game a try next time you are playing cards.

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Proline Week 12 NFL Football Picks and Odds

Well it’s Thanksgiving in the US and that means one thing…Football!  I missed out on last weeks selections and I have a season record of 25-29.

Here are my picks for week 12 of the NFL.

New Orleans Saints to win by 4pts.  The Saints are an up and down team right now.  Some games they shine other games they are playing in the dark.  This week they are on the road and face the Carolina Panthers.  The Panthers haven’t been a good team since Jake Delhomme went down.  Carolina WR Steve Smith is questionable as well.  Take the Saints. Odds 1.90

Jacksonville Jaguars to win by 4pts.  Jacksonville has is at home to face the Buffalo Bills and the Jag’s starting QB is back.  The Jaguars are looking like a team to be feared in the playoffs.  They should win this week. Odds 1.40

Indianapolis Colts to win by 4pts.  The Colts have not looked good the last two games, but these are the Superbowl Champions right?  Indianapolis is in Atlanta this week and I anticipate Peyton to right the ship. Odds 1.20

Dallas Cowboys to win by 4pts.  The Boys are at home to face the Jets who beat Pittsburgh last week.  However Dallas QB Tony Romo threw 4 TD’s to Terrell Owens.  I expect the same thing to happen this week. Odds 1.15

Green Bay Packers in by 4pts.  The annual Thanksgiving matchup in Detroit is on and with Green Bay only losing 1 game this season it’s hard not to pick them.  I think it will be a closer game then most are predicting, but Favre will come out on top. Odds 1.80

Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win by 4pts.  Tampa has not been a flashy team this year.  They don’t score a lot of points, but have a excellent defence and rarely make mistakes on offence.  Washington comes into Tampa Bay this week with a lot of inconsistencies.  Some weeks Clinton Portis and the offence are rolling other weeks they are stumbling.  I think Tampa will take this game. Odds 1.90

This week’s payout based on a $2 bet is:  $2 x (1.9×1.4×1.2×1.15×1.8×1.9) = $25.10

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Sony MPK-THD Marine Pack

The Sony MPK-THD Marine Pack

November is the time I usually go on vacation to the Caribbean. Prices are relatively cheap compared to the rest of the year and it’s a nice way to extend the summer as November brings dark days, cold winds, rain and snow. As I’ve mentioned one of my favourite places to go in the Caribbean is Punta Cana of the Dominican Republic.

I won’t be able to make a trip this year, but hopefully next November I’ll be able to go. Now that I’ve got my Sony Cyber-shot T100 I’ll be able to take some amazing HD pictures and videos. Something I would like to get before making a trip like that is the underwater case for the T100. The MPK-THD marine pack let’s you take breathtaking underwater photos of fish, reefs and other extraordinary sea life. You can dive up to 132 feet.

I know there are disposable underwater cameras for a lower price, but there is no way they can match the picture quality of the T100. At $136US it might be a little pricey, but I guarantee you friends will be amazed with the pictures taken.

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What Does It Feel Like To Get Shot?

Third Space Vest (What it’s like to get shot)

I saw the inventor promoting this product on TV the other day and had to share this with everyone. It’s called the 3rd Space Vest. The technology was originally developed to virtually treat inmates at a prison in Texas. Now it is used so that gamers playing first person shooting games actually feel the bullets hitting them. TN Games have developed a Doom style first person shooter for the PC called 3rd Space Incursion. I’m not sure if the vest is wireless or not, but when you play Incursion on your PC and you are shot, blowup, or hit, the vest’s air pockets quickly expand so that you actually feel the hit! This is an incredible piece of technology that brings gaming one step closer to reality.

Unfortunately right now the vest only works on the PC and I believe only with 3rd Space Incursion. I’m sure this won’t be overlooked by Microsoft and Sony. Just imagine playing Halo 3 with this vest on! It would be amazing.

For more details and pricing go to www.tngames.com

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Robot Guitar from Gibson

Gibson has created a robot guitar! It’s absolutely amazing for anyone that plays guitar. All instruments go out of tune do to use, wear, temperature, any number of factors and it takes a bit of time to retune them. Due to the time and frustration of getting the proper pitch many guitar players in bands have multiple guitars tuned in different keys for different songs. All that is a thing of the past with Gibson’s Robot Guitar.

This guitar will tune itself by the touch of a button. Not only will it tune to E, standard tuning, but it has a number of presets so you can go from E to D to A and back again in seconds. The release date is Dec 7th and is only available in limited supplies. The price isn’t listed, but you can imagine this is not going to be cheap.

Take a look at the demo video below.

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LED Lights

Headlights are led lights that can be worn on your head using adjustable bands. The advantage of a headlight over a flashlight or lantern is that it leaves you hands free for carrying other items and the light is always shining in the direction you are looking. Originally headlights were used for camping and have been available here in Canada within the last 5 years. Recently however headlights have become more popular and are being used in more applications then just for seeing your way through the woods at night. I’ve taken 3 brands of headlights to see if one headlight is better then the other.

Dorcy Headlight:

Dorcy LED Headlight

This headlight has 3 LED lights and is able to change it’s angle direction 180 degrees. The band is a simple nylon stretch band that is adjustable and fits comfortably around your head. The light has an on/off switch and it is detachable from the head band if you need to put the light down to light and area such as a tent.

LED Lenser:

LED Lenser

This headlight has only one LED light, but is extremely bright when at full power. The angle direction has three distinct positions, straight ahead, 20 degrees down, and 45 degrees down. The band is a single nylon stretch band that sits comfortably around your head. There is one on/off switch and, as you can see from the picture, there is a pack at the back of the head band. This pack is a dimmer switch that allows you to set the brightness to your preference given your situation. Many times I have had a headlight on looking for something in the dark and then I turn to speak to someone and blind them with the intense LED light directed right in their face. This dimmer switch allows me to adjust that strength of the light and avoid that situation.

Petzl:

Petzl

This is the Tikka Plus model. It has four LEDs and is brighter then the Dorcy light, but not as bright LED Lenser at it’s most powerful. The light tends to give off a blue-ish hue as compared to the intense white of the other two headlights. The Petzl light has a starting angle direction of 15 degrees down and has 5 distinct positions that angle downwards at 5 degrees each. There is one on/off switch, but if you press the button more then once quickly you will find that the light dims on the second press of the button, dims again on the third press, and then flashes brightly on the fourth press. The advantage of the flash is that it can be used as a warning light while jogging or biking at night when worn on the back of your head. This light can also be detached from the head band and the LED lights can be replaced.

Conclusion:

I think the Petzl LED headlight is the best of the three. It has all the functionality of the other two brands as well has having the flashing function. The blue-ish hue provides the same brightness as the other white lights, but isn’t as harsh on the eyes if you find yourself “caught in the headlights”. With the multi touch dimming button you are able to set the light intensity without having to wear a large dimmer pack on the back of your head like the LED Lenser.

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The Simple Game of Darts

Dartboard

Another gift that I got from my birthday yesterday was a dartboard in a case. I’ve always enjoyed sports/games of accuracy and anything that you can play while holding a beer is a game for me! As frustrating as it was to get the case mounted on the wall it was well worth the effort. The nice thing about darts is it takes a lot of concentration which means there is no room for distracting toughts like work. So it is a pretty good stress reliever. It is also a very social game allowing a number of people to play with plenty of time for conversation.

The case came with two sets of darts with British and Canadian flag flights and has the game Cricket setup on the white boards. For those of you who are not dart players Cricket is by far the most entertaining games for a casual darts player. The object of the game is essentially to get hit each of the following targets 3 times before your opponent: 20, 19, 28, 17, 16, 15, Bull. Another couple of notes the Bullseye should be 5ft 8inches from the ground, which is surprisingly high, and the players should throw 7ft 9inches from the board.

If you haven’t played in a while dust off the old dart board and throw a few darts you’ll be surprised how much fun it is. If you don’t have a dart board head down to your local pub. Many pubs have dartboards and let you play for free. Enjoy.

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