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Showing posts from 2016

RECOMMENDED: Puffin Mobile Browser

If you're looking for speed in a web browser, most people immediately go to Chrome. But between Chrome, Safari, Firefox, most don't really find a big difference between browsers on your mobile device (phone or tablet). When testing a web site, I tried to grab as many different browsers and devices as possible. And that's where I found Puffin . In a word, WOW!! Our web site was operating behind a separate firewall but even then, Puffin delivered pages at least 2-5x faster than Chrome or Safari and this was on an iPhone 5C. Even on an iPad 2, Puffin's speed is incredible. It also supports Flash if you need it. Maybe more so - it's download mechanism is powerful too. On your phone, the chances that you are downloading something directly to your phone for use on your phone is unlikely. Instead, you likely want to refer to it later. Puffin has cloud-to-cloud drive support so when you want to download a file, it will send the link to your cloud drive (like Dropbo

RECOMMENDED: Torch Browser for Media

http://torchbrowser.com If you consume media through your desktop web browser, you should consider using Torch. Torch is based on Google Chrome ( Chromium , Google's open source version, to be exact) so it feels very similar. It is based on an OLDER version of Chrome (since Chrome updates on Google's schedule and Chromium not so much) however, it really works well. They have both Windows and Mac versions - although the Mac version isn't being supported anymore, it's still super functional. Why Torch? If you are watching a video and want to keep it for later, you can simply click the "Video" button and it downloads it for future use. Myself, I'm not that big on video. I don't mind watching it but what I really care about is listening to it - it's easier when driving (also a lot safer). When you click the Video button, it attempts (since it would be site-specific) to find the original source and downloads it. If it's successful, i

Recommended: Roger Varette (Ottawa - home siding)

We recently worked with Roger Varette on a small siding job at our home. We had previously been delayed by a contractor who kept us waiting for 5 weeks. We found Roger on Kijiji. Instead of having to come out for a prolonged estimate process, he sped up the entire task asking for pictures to get a general idea as to what was required. This was over a weekend where we weren't expecting responses until the Monday. He requested a deposit for materials and was ready to get the work done on the Tuesday - so only 48 hours notice, which was great for us! He had some transportation issues so we were concerned the delays would immediately start (we're used to that with contractors) Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by a call saying "I'm here". He checked the colours of siding and his eye for the color was extremely good, especially just from two pictures. Our big concern was getting the job done. He had both walls done in less than 6 hours and the results were pe

NOT RECOMMENDED (for dogs): Azaleas

For those with pets who have gone through this before or for those who are proactively searching for potential problems, I can appreciate a "duh!" response but if we did it, others may as well. The wonderful spring and summer and many people look to improving their outdoor landscaping.  After going through a lot of deck work, we wanted to add a shrub to our garden. From the local gardening store, we picked a shrub thinking it would be a good addition - an azalea. Our dog loves to play in the backyard and every now and then may nip at some grass. A week after planting the bush, he had a bad day. We came home and found he had thrown up a fair bit (and the other way as well). As long-time dog owners, we thought "ok, he may have eaten something , we'll see how it goes". His attitude was great and didn't seem that distressed by it. The NEXT night, however, was a different story. His attitude was great coming home but overnight the vomiting started and then