OnePlus 5t Review

Life is what happens when your cellphone is charging.

Unknown

I’ve been the proud owner of the OnePlus 5t since November 26, 2017 and I couldn’t be happier. Truth be told, I was a little nervous when I ordered it online because I’d never made such an expensive “sight unseen” purchase before, but I couldn’t be happier.

Price: At $649 Canadian, it’s half price of the other flagship phones I was looking at. And, it has everything I want or need, so there is no compromise.

Size: I was an early adopter of the phablet so a big screen is a must have for me. The OnePlus 5t has a 6 inch screen.

Feel: It’s very thin, very light and feels great in my hand.

Display: I can’t believe how crisp and clear the display is.

Camera: The camera takes wonderful photos. The colours are incredibly vibrant and true to colour.

Battery: In a 24 hour period I haven’t gone below a 50% charge and I use the phone a lot.

Charging: I can charge it in about ½ hour which means that I can charge it in the morning before I leave for work.

Responsive: I’m shocked at how responsive the phone is. I’m sure the fact that it doesn’t come loaded with bloatware has a lot to do with it.  

User-friendly: The phone is simple to use and intuitive. The only thing I found odd is that to answer the phone you swipe down. Unfortunately I hung up on my friend Pam several times before I figured it out.

I would absolutely recommend the OnePlus 5t. I can’t find one negative thing to say about it, which is a complete shock to me! The only drawback that I can see for some is that you have to buy the phone outright from OnePlus; you can’t pay for it with your plan.

Everybody in society these days just walks around with their heads down, staring at their phones. Chiropractors must be making a fortune!

Keith Wynn

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Geri

Are Flagship Smartphones Worth the Money?

We live in the era of smartphones and stupid people.

Anonymous

Let’s face it; we’re almost all addicted to our smartphones. They’ve become an appendage. And, sadly for many people they’re a more important form of communication than human contact. How many times have you been in a restaurant and observed two people sitting across the table from each other, interacting only with their smartphones? Doesn’t it make you wonder why they went out for dinner in the first place?

But I digress… My beef is with the cost of flagship smartphones, not that they exist. In fact I was an early adopter and bought the first “phablet” on the market. The current crop consists of the new iPhone, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the Google Pixel 2 XL. They’re all priced within a hundred dollars of each other – in the $1,300 - $1,400 CDN range. This is ludicrous for a smartphone! It seems as if these makers have banded together and realized that as a group they control the market and the pricing. The end result is that they have a stranglehold on the market and the ability to fix pricing.

I prefer to buy my smartphones outright and there’s no way that I’m spending this kind of money on a smartphone. But, thanks to my techie friend, I learned about www.oneplus.net. It’s a flagship smartphone made in China and sold only directly from the company – no advertising, no middlemen, no retail outlets. The latest model is the OnePlus 5t and it cost $649 CDN – half the price of the others. I just bought the OnePlus 5t and I’m more than impressed. My phone was delivered 5 days ahead of schedule – this company under promises and over delivers. What a refreshing change!

For those of you who think you’re getting a free phone on a 2 year contract, think again. Firstly, they’re giving you old models and $25/month of your plan pays for your phone. So, in two years your “free phone” actually cost you $600 for an old model while I bought brand new technology for $50 more. If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, have a look at the OnePlus 5T.

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.

Warren Buffett

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Geri

5 Things You Should Never Say To Someone Who’s Lost a Loved One

Sometimes you have days when only your middle finger can answer questions.

Pinterest Platitudes

One of my friends recently lost her Mom. We were chatting this morning about the stupid things that people have said to her in the last week that really made her angry. I heard the same platitudes when I lost a loved one, and I’m sure you have too. Here are 5 things that you should never say to someone who’s lost a loved one.

1. They’ve gone to a better place: The Four Seasons is a better place. To the best of my knowledge my loved one is not spending eternity at the Four Seasons. So, unless you’ve gone and come back to give me a report on how fabulous the afterlife is – SHUT UP
2. It’s a blessing: Today is not a day I feel blessed; I’ve just lost a loved one. What I feel is broken hearted and shattered. There is no blessing involved, you idiot! 
3. You’re lucky you’ve had them for so long: Are you completely off your rocker to even remotely suggest that I feel lucky today???? What world are you living in that you can equate loss with luck, by any stretch of the imagination.
4. They’ve lived their lives: Who the hell made you the judge and jury on whether my loved one has lived enough years? I’ll never be ready to lose someone I love, no matter how old they are. And, you’re a complete moron to think differently.
5. It must be a relief: It’s a relief to pass an exam. It’s a relief to get the new job you really wanted. Losing a loved one is never a relief, you imbecile!

Instead of all of these ridiculous platitudes which are stupid and hurtful, say something honest:

• ·         I’m sorry for your loss.
• ·         It sucks!
• ·         I know how you feel (if you do).
• ·         There’s nothing that I can say to make it better.
• ·         If you want to talk, or cry, or vent, I’m here for you.

Raise your hand if you have had quite enough unsolicited advice about what should be done with any lemons life may or may not give you.

Kathy R. Jeffords

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Geri

Get Rid of Automatic Flushing Toilets!

They had to install automatic toilets in public restrooms because people can’t be trusted to flush a toilet.

Hoopoe Quotes

Of all the things in the world that mankind needs, does the automatic flushing toilet immediately leap to mind? It certainly doesn’t for me. And to be quite frank, before this great technological advance, the majority of people understood that they had an obligation to flush the toilet. Now with the automatic flushing toilet, they feel absolved of all responsibility and simply walk away whether or not their automatically flushing toilet has automatically flushed.

I work in a lovely, modern office building with many conveniences, including, unfortunately automatically flushing toilets. The problem is that although they flush, their timing sucks! How many times have you sat on an automatically flushing toilet and wondered whether or not you were on a bidet? For no apparent reason, the toilet flushes; but after you make your deposit, NOTHING happens. Instead of manually flushing, people feel no obligation to flush away their deposits, because it’s not their job; it’s the toilet’s job. This makes for very unpleasant experiences on a regular basis.

Ladies and gentlemen, whether your toilet is automatically flushing or requires manual intervention, it’s your obligation to make sure your deposits get flushed away. Let's end our dependence on the automatic flushing toilet.

Dear automatic flushing toilet, I appreciate your enthusiasm but I wasn’t finished.

Anonymous

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Geri

The Retail Hustle

Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game.

Tony Allesandra

I recently purchased and new box spring and mattress. Truth be told my old mattress was 20 years old and should have had a decent burial long ago; but there are always so many other things I’d rather spend my money on.

Before I made my purchase I checked out two stores – a major department store and a chain of mattress stores with a stellar reputation. As a matter of fact my first mattress came from the very same mattress store. I went first to the department store. They had a large selection of beds to choose from, but not much on sale. A salesman approached me and launched into his spiel – whether I was interested or not. I wasn’t. I asked where the sale mattresses were to which he replied (and I paraphrase), No one should have to pay full price for a mattress. No one should even have to pay 50% off. You see this mattress; I can give it to your for $899 (which was more than 50% off and not marked anywhere). On the tag with the original price it said free local delivery. I asked him if delivery was included to which he replied that delivery (which costs $75) was included if I bought an extended warranty plan for $69.99. And if I wanted my old mattress removed it would cost an additional $30. I asked how long the sale price was good for and this sleaze-bag said as long as he was in the store. What a hustle! I hate being hustled!

My next stop was the mattress store. I walked into a sea of mattresses – all neatly lined up. Each had a large tag with all the mattress sizes and the original prices. When you flipped up the tag there was another tag with all of the mattress sizes and sale prices – no mystery, no hustle. A salesman approached me and asked if I wanted help or if I preferred to browse on my own. I asked for help. I told him that I was a side sleeper, preferred a firm mattress, didn’t want a pillow top and didn’t want to sell my car to pay for the mattress. He gave me a pillow and said to try each of the mattresses with the same pillow so that I would be gauging my experience on the mattress alone. He suggested that I try four mattresses based on my criteria and I found the perfect bed for me (number four was the hands-down winner). A 10 year warranty, delivery and mattress removal was included. It was a lovely experience!

The moral of the story is that there are a lot of people out there doing the retail hustle. If you feel like you’re being hustled, walk away. There are retailers who understand how to create a great customer experience. Don’t settle for less!

Don’t try to tell the customer what he wants. If you want to be smart, be smart in the shower. Then get out, go to work and serve the customer!

Gene Buckley

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Geri

Canadian Banks Running Scared of Credit Unions

The one thing that offends me the most is when I walk by a bank and see ads trying to convince people to take out second mortgages on their home so they can go on vacation. That's approaching evil.

Jeff Bezos

Over the years I’ve banked at most of the “big banks” and eventually after particularly bad service and/or a major screw up on their part (for which they accepted no responsibility) I told them to go screw themselves. After one of these episodes I had a colleague who told me how happy she was at a credit union. She gave me the contact information for the person looking after her account, and the rest is history. I’ve been a very happy credit union member for over 20 years.

What’s the difference between a bank and a credit union? Credit unions are full service co-operatives, which means that they are not-for-profit organizations. Unlike the banks whose primary goal is to produce dividends for their shareholders, the goal of a credit union is not to make a profit but to further the operations of the credit union and benefit its members. Like other financial institutions they provide chequing accounts, saving accounts, foreign currency accounts, credit cards, lines of credit, mortgages, personal and business loans, investment advice... And your money is just as safe in a credit union as in a bank. What has always differentiated the credit unions from the banks is the exceptional way that they treat their members – not customers.

Over the last few years I’ve been noticing that more and more of the “big banks” are bombarding the airwaves with commercials promoting how much they care about their customers. They’re staying open longer (some bank branches are now open 7 days a week) and each one is trying to convince you that they’re the bank that cares.

Now the banks are running scared of the credit unions. Why else would they have lobbied the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to prevent the credit unions from using the words bank, banker and banking? The Canadian Bankers Association actually got the feds to agree to enforce an archaic regulation from Bank Act of Canada from 1871 that governs who, or what can use the words. The act has never before been enforced – until now. How can the OSFI have prostrated themselves in this way? It’s nothing short of a national disgrace.

The words bank, banker and banking have always been used generically for all financial institutions. I don’t say that I’m going to do my credit unioning; I say that I’m going to do my banking. I don’t do online credit unioning; I do online banking. These are generic terms for financial transactions. Credit unions are not trying to fool people into thinking that a credit union is a bank by using the words. People who come to a credit union are making a deliberate choice.

Banks have put credit unions in the penalty box. Canadian credit unions will have until December to remove the words "bank," "banker" and "banking" from their websites. They'll have another two years to remove the word from all signs and marketing brochures as the federal government cracks down on any institution that offers traditional banking services.

I am totally disgusted with federal government for kissing the asses of the Canadian Bankers Association. Enforcing this archaic regulation is the height of idiocy! If I wasn’t already a member of a credit union, I’d be joining one now.

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.

Thomas Jefferson 

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Geri

Free of the Hostage Tax at Last!

I finally realized it. People are prisoners of their cell phones. That’s why they’re called cell phones.

Spirit Science

Canadians pay among the highest cell phone rates in the world because we’ve been held hostage by the Big 3 - Bell, Rogers and Telus. These bandits operate as a cartel, supported and sanctioned by the CRTC. Not only are we ripped off on our cell phone plans, but on the actual cell phones themselves.

In Canada all cell phones are locked to a certain carrier (unless you get a Google phone). There’s no such thing as free enterprise when it comes to the cell phone industry. You can’t just go out and buy a phone in a competitive market and go to any carrier and get a plan. If you’re on Bell, you have to buy a phone that’s locked to the Bell network. And I’m sure you guessed by now that the cartel also controls the prices of cell phones which are astronomical. If you want to change carriers, you have to pay a $50 dollar fee to unlock your own phone. It’s legal extortion! This fee is affectionately referred to as the Hostage Tax or Ransom Tax.

The CRTC has finally come to the aid of the consumer, and over strenuous objections from the cartel, are removing the hostage tax. As of December 1, 2017 the hostage tax will be gone and all cell phones will be sold unlocked from that day forward. For those of you longing for a time when you could shop around for a deal on a cell phone, your day will soon be here. I can’t wait to see retailers offering legitimate sales and specials on cell phones. Bye bye hostage tax. Hello free enterprise!

We live in the era of smartphones & stupid people.

Keywordssuggest.org

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Geri

Decaf Doesn’t Mean Caffeine Free

An espresso chain in my area serves a decaf espresso. It's called the Why Bother.

CaffeinatedGuy

In spite of all the decaf jokes, I gave up caffeine many years ago. My hot drink of choice is herbal tea (naturally caffeine free) or decaf green tea. I will occasionally have a decaf latte at one of my local, overpriced coffee shops. Recently after enjoying a decaf latte I told my friend I was sure that my coffee had caffeine in it. I didn’t think much of it but the next time I had a decaf latte at the same coffee shop I felt exactly the same way. So, I decided to do a little research and the results shocked me!

I pride myself on my command of the English language so imagine my surprise when I learned that decaffeinated and caffeine free mean two entirely different things! There is no regulation around what can be called decaf. It is widely reported that the decaffeination process removes 94% - 97% of the caffeine in coffee beans. However, the reality is that the amount of caffeine you get in a cup of decaf can vary wildly and it’s next to impossible to find a cup of decaf coffee that’s caffeine free.

According to the caffeineinformer.com:

• Starbucks grande (medium) decaf coffee contains 26 mg. of caffeine
• McDonalds medium decaf coffee contains 11 mg. of caffeine
• Dunkin Donuts medium decaf coffee contains 10 mg. of caffeine
• Tim Hortons medium decaf coffee contains 9 mg. of caffeine

To put this into perspective, a cup of caffeinated green tea has 25 mg. of caffeine, less than Starbucks decaffeinated coffee! All this time I thought I was drinking coffee that at most had trace elements of caffeine, not 26 mg. You may think that’s nothing, but my body noticed it, so it’s not nothing, is it?

I’m not suggesting that you stop drinking decaf coffee (although I have); I’m just letting you know that what you’re drinking is not even close to being caffeine free. Knowledge is power and now you can make an informed decision.

The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, et cetera. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing, or who on earth they are, can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.

From the movie You’ve Got Mail

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Geri

Does Anyone Actually Believe that Open Workspaces Increase Productivity?

The open office movement is like some gigantic experiment in willful delusion.

Jason Feifer

Why do corporations think we’re idiots? Open office workspaces don’t work! They don’t increase productivity, or anything else for that matter. They’re a colossal FAILURE! The only thing they actually do is reduce real estate costs for the corporation. So let’s cut the corporate BS and double-talk. You can’t spin this. Speak the truth please. You don’t give a shit about your employees or what’s good for them. The only truth is that open office workspaces are good for your bottom line.

Mr. Corporation, have you read the research on how open office workspaces actually affect your employees?

• 95% of workers say working privately is important to them. (Steelcase research)
• 62% increase in extra sick days taken in open-plan office. (Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 2011)
• 50% of people with a completely open office floorplan are dissatisfied with their sound privacy. (Professors at the University of Sydney)
• 32% drop in workers' well-being and 15% reduction in productivity. (Exeter University study)
• 31% of workers had to leave the office to get work completed. (Steelcase research)
• Office workers lose an average of 86 minutes per day due to distractions associated with open-plan offices. As a result, many employees are unmotivated, unproductive, and overly stressed.  (study funded by Steelcase)

Do people communicate more in an open office environment? “Open offices increase communication, but not all communication is a good thing,” said Jennifer Veitch, an environmental psychologist with the National Research Council of Canada. “A lot of the time, the conversation is more about what’s on TV than about actual work.”

Open office workspaces significantly decrease productivity and are probably costing more than corporations are saving in real estate, even in high rent cities. So Mr. Corporation, what on earth were you thinking???? All you’ve accomplished is that you’re pissing away money and pissing off your employees – not a good combination. Who’s making these decisions anyways?

An open plan can easily fit 300, 400 people in one room -- it’s a little bit like chicken factory farms. These are not places you want to spend much time.

Organization Psychologist Matthew Davis

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Geri

Starbucks, Wifi Squatters Are Driving Away Paying Customers

I saw a guy at Starbucks the other day. No iPhone, no tablet, no laptop. He just sat there drinking coffee like a psychopath.

imgrum.club

How many times have you gone into Starbucks and left before you made your order because all of the seats were taken up by people not drinking coffee or eating food, but fixated on their laptops, tablets or Smartphones? This problem exists because Starbucks gives unlimited free Wifi. So for a $2.00 cup of coffee you can rent a virtual office for the day. This is ludicrous beyond words!

I understand the original idea; Starbucks brought Wifi to its stores in 2002 when many people still connected to the Internet via Ethernet cable. Starbucks idea was to turn the company into what they referred to as a “third place” – somewhere people could go to socialize, work, or relax outside of their home or office. Great idea for 2002, but now in 2017 everyone around the world – even in third world countries - has Wifi. And most data plans come with more gigs than we need or use. Unfortunately Starbucks has created a culture of Wifi squatters who drive paying customers away.

Starbucks should start limiting the amount of time that you can have free Wifi, or limit the free Wifi to non-peak hours. After all, Starbucks is actually a coffee shop, not a free virtual office or a library. Believe it or not there are still people who go to Starbucks for an overpriced coffee and we’re the ones you’re driving away. Wake up Starbucks before all that you’re left with are Wifi squatters.

It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity. 
Dave Barry

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Geri

How I Almost Became a 62 Year Old Fashion Model

The leading cause of death among fashion models is falling through steel grates.

Dave Barry

A few weeks ago I was out shopping on a Sunday afternoon with my mother at The Bay – a major department store in Toronto. I was having a look through the racks when I was approached by two people wearing credentials around their necks and carrying clipboards. Immediately I assumed that they were fundraisers (they all have credentials and clipboards) because you can’t walk on any downtown Toronto street without being asked to donate to one charity or another. I’d never seen fundraisers in a store before, but there’s always a first time. Needless to say I tried to dodge them, but short of breaking into a trot (in heels) in order to escape, I decided to hear what they had to say.

As it turns out they weren’t fundraisers, they were representatives of a well-known modeling agency scouting potential models for a new campaign. I actually burst out laughing at this point because as those of you who know me will attest I’m a short, slightly dumpy, 62 year old who could never be mistaken for a model. They explained that they were looking for real people who had a unique style for a billboard campaign for a major shopping centre owner. I still couldn’t stop giggling and was preparing to walk away until they told me that if chosen I would earn $1,500 for four hours work. Suddenly I found this discussion interesting. They took a few photos and my contact info and left.

A few days later I got an email inviting me to a casting call. It was an entirely pleasant experience. Truth be told the other people waiting were all quite boring except for one chap who turned up with a jewel encrusted motorcycle helmet. When my name was called I was ushered into a studio with enormous lights. A very lovely photographer introduced herself and took several photos of me. And, that was it – my 15 minutes of fame. They were doing these casting calls from 9am – 7:30pm so I have no idea how many people were being photographed or how many would ultimately be chosen.

I never got a call back so I so my modeling career ended as quickly as it began. I guess I’ll have to continue to earn my living as a writer.

Inside of you there’s a fashion model just waiting to throw up.

Robin Williams

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Geri

Posting a Job Doesn’t Make You a Recruiter

A recruiter added me on LinkedIn so I guess it must be getting serious.

memegenerator.net

I just finished a contract with a Fortune 100 company. As with most enormous companies, contracts go through a recruiting firm, so unfortunately recruiters are part of my life.

Recruiters continue to amaze me. A month before my contract was due to end I contacted the recruiter who had been making at least 5% of my earnings for administering my contract (in addition to the recruitment fee). I let them know that I’d be in the market for another position and their answer to me was “Check our website for opportunities”. What’s wrong with this picture? I just finished my 5^th contract with the same company and had stellar references, so wouldn’t you think I’d be top of mind if an opportunity came up that would be a good fit for me? Or at least I'd come up in a search of their database? After all, I’m a cash cow for them. Apparently this isn’t the way it works at all.

Recruiters post jobs on a variety of external sites and on their websites. As a job seeker I have to let the recruiter know if they have a job on their website that’s a good fit for me. Clearly they don’t use relational databases or are just too lazy. They just sit back and wait for resumes to be emailed in. The relationship that they pretended they had with you ends the minute your contract ends and your cash value ends.

Last week there was a job posted on an external site for which I was a perfect fit. Of course this is no guarantee that you’ll ever get a call… The poster was a recruiter that I’ve had no previous contact with. I sent my resume; the recruiter called within five minutes and then forwarded my resume to the employer. A day later I noticed that the recruiter who had administered my last contract posted the same position. I found it interesting that they’re working the same position, have a copy of my current resume which is a perfect fit for the job, and never called me. I’m still trying to figure out if it’s laziness or stupidity. If I did my job as badly as the recruiters I’ve had contact with I’d never work.

We’re pretty sure we won’t hire you but not so sure we won’t stop wasting your time.

someecards.com

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Geri

The Trucking Industry is Out of Control

It turns out that speeding irresponsibly in a large truck, placing personal wealth ahead of the welfare of others, is one of the greatest sins in the Universe.... 
Craig Ferguson

Last weekend I drove out to Kingston to spend a weekend with friends. It was a very rainy day with poor visibility. I drove the speed limit which is 100 km/hour on the 401. Occasionally I inched up to 105 km/hour, but not more than that. As per usual there were lots of big rigs on the road. For the safety of all concerned the big rigs driving in Ontario and Quebec are required to uses electronic speed limiters that cap their speed at 105 km/hour. This applies to commercial motor vehicles that:

·         were built after December 31, 1994

·         are equipped with an electronic control module
AND

·         have a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of 11,794 kg or more

Exemptions apply only to a limited number of vehicle types, such as ambulances or fire trucks.

If these big rigs are legally mandated to have speed limiters which cap their speed at 105 km/hour, how was I getting passed like I was standing still when I was driving 105 km/hour? These potential weapons of mass destruction were driving like bats out of hell and it wasn’t just a one-off situation; I was passed by at least 6 big rigs in my 2.5 hour journey to Kingston. And to add insult to injury before they passed me they were hanging 6 inches off my bumper. If I had to slow down suddenly I would have been killed instantly.

Every driver has the right to feel safe on our highways and byways and that’s not possible with a trucking industry out of control. What good are speed limiters if no one is enforcing the law? The problem is that the speed limiters can be turned off and when law enforcement is nowhere to be seen, they speed at will, endangering all of vehicles around them. The only way to solve the problem is to have the speed limiters permanently on with no option to disengage. Only then can the rest of us be safe from these weapons of mass destruction in an industry that is clearly out of control.

The driver behind you wants to go 5 miles per hour faster.

Highway axiom

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Geri

Bye-Bye LinkedIn

What’s this ‘LinkedIn’? Is that like Facebook for old people?

Someecards

I’ve been on LinkedIn since it was in beta. In the early days it really was an online business networking site, but that didn’t last too long. Social media became a numbers game – whoever has the most, wins! And so a new crop of LinkedIn members devoted themselves to gaming the system – connecting with the most people, joining the most groups (this was later capped at 50) ... It’s value as a business networking site quickly became diluted.

Gradually LinkedIn morphed into a quasi-Facebook site full of political commentary and feel good stories. Instead of fulfilling its promise as a business networking site, it became a site of shameless self-promotion. And it became a fertile hunting ground for recruiters who make up the lion share of LinkedIn’s revenue. In addition to recruiters, LinkedIn became very attractive to cybercriminals using fake LinkedIn profiles to connect with legitimate business people; many with access to sensitive information. In fact it’s estimated that LinkedIn has over 35 million fake profiles. LinkedIn does absolutely nothing about this large and growing problem. Over the years I reported fake profiles, with proof that they were fake, to no avail. Remember, it's a numbers game and the more members that LinkedIn has (even if they are fake), the better it looks.

Like it or not, it’s necessary to maintain a LinkedIn profile for credibility purposes, especially if you’re job hunting. Unfortunately LinkedIn’s job board has a very poor relational database; it just spews jobs that have no bearing on the parameters or time frames you select. And none of the jobs posted are exclusive to LinkedIn. They can be found on other sites like Indeed and Workopolis which are much easier to use and have much more effective relational databases.

The death knell for LinkedIn came after the purchase by Microsoft. They immediately changed the user interface and made a cumbersome site now impossible to use. I could collect pension by the time it loads; when it finally loads it doesn’t recognize me and many of the search features that actually had some value no longer exist. I’ve spoken with friends and colleagues who have all had the same experience. If you’re using Chrome apparently there is a work-around to get you back to the original interface but not for any other browser yet (I use Firefox).

All I have to say is Bye-Bye LinkedIn. I’ll leave my profile up but not waste my time on the site anymore. I can do my job hunting on Indeed and Workopolis.

I wish all social media was as non-addictive as LinkedIn.

someecards

Make someone smile today.

Geri

How I Learned to Respect the Flush Toilet

NASA asked me to create meals for the space shuttle. Thai chicken was the favorite. I flew in a fake space shuttle, but I have no desire to go into space after seeing the toilet.

Rachael Ray

Toilets are things we take for granted (unless they stop working). They’re also the subject of a lot of frat-boy humour. No one needs instructions on how to operate a flush toilet; the process is simple. We go into a cubicle (some are tiny and some are spacious), lock the door, hope for toilet paper (preferably 2-ply), flush, wash our hands and exit.

Quite frankly I haven’t given the flush toilet a second thought since the last time I encountered a squatter in Turkey (not a happy day). I recently spent a joyful trip sailing in the Bahamas with friends who are the proud owners of a 43-foot Jeanneau. Everything on a boat is very compact including the bathroom which makes airplane bathrooms seem spacious by comparison. A toilet on a boat is called a head because back in the day of sailing ships the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the ship. Flushing a toilet on a boat is an interesting process and George was kind enough to give me my training. It’s not just flush and walk away because a head on a boat doesn’t just flush; it macerates. It involves a minimum of 10 plunges in one direction, flipping a lever and another 10 plunges in the other direction. I’ll spare you the details about maceration but in case you’re really interested here’s a YouTube video that shows how it’s done. Never-the-less there is work involved with this humble process.

I was thrilled to find that at the marinas there are spacious washrooms with flush toilets! I availed myself of these modern gifts of technology at every possible occasion and never ceased to revel in the sound of whoosh, as I effortlessly flushed.

Now that I’m a land lubber again, I’m sure the joy of flushing will wear off soon, but in the meantime I have developed a new respect for the flush toilet.

The flush toilet, more than any single invention, has 'civilized' us in a way that religion and law could never accomplish.
Thomas Lynch

Make someone smile today.

Geri