ChownTown

My favorite animal posts on YouTube!

admin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:49:27 +0000

My friends are all sick of me showing these so its time to share them with the world

Gasland

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:05:54 +0000

This is an eye opening documentary about the natural gas industry. I had never heard of “fracking” before watching this. What these companies are getting away with is astonishing. The documentary is very timely as I’ve seen on the news that some US states have asked for a full list of the chemicals used in the fracking process and these companies are dragging their feet. The same process is also being used extensively in Canada. (I know people in New Brunswick that have lost their drinking water). Look for it in your city! … or on dvd when its released: http://gaslandthemovie.com/

Slow Death by Rubber Duck

admin — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:26:52 +0000

…and to continue my trend of cheery posts, here’s another uplifting item…Slow Death by Rubber Duck. I read this a few weeks ago. It was a well written discussion on the chemicals that surround us in everyday life. Unfortunately I was not surprised to learn that chemical companies are more interested in making money than preserving the health of people and the environment.

This is an especially good read for those of you planning on having a baby! A lot of the chemicals build in our systems over a lifetime so its good to limit exposure from the start!

Terrifying, yet essential, viewing.

admin — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 00:48:21 +0000

Dirt, The Movie

The End of the Line

I recently watched these documentaries and I think they should be required viewing for everyone on the planet. We’ve lost a massive amount of our topsoil to intensive oil economy based farming and we’ve fished our seas to the point of collapse. Watch these so you know how to make the right choices as a consumer. You might also develop the conviction to pressure your government into action before its too late.

Stupid Things Big Companies Do – Lysol

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:19:05 +0000

I watched CBC Marketplace this week and this story really pissed me off. You’ve probably noticed before that when companies can’t get recognized by prestigious organizations, they’ll sometimes make up their own organization that is nothing more than words on paper. For a prime example of this kind of reprehensible corporate behaviour check out this mom’s blog: http://thesupermom.com/lysol-busted-for-misleading-advertisements

Stupid Things Big Companies Do – SONY

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:13:07 +0000

I own a PS3. When I bought it, it came with a feature to install another operating system on it. I installed Ubuntu just for fun.

Well, Sony has decided this is a security risk so they’ve released version 3.21 of the Sony firmware. Now here’s the predicament they’ve put me in:

If I want to continue playing online games and a bunch of other stuff, I have to upgrade to this firmware.

To upgrade I have to uninstall Ubuntu.

To uninstall Ubuntu I have to FORMAT the PS3 drive.

Before formatting I want to save my game trophies and backup the data on the drive.

Well, in their infinite wisdom, Sony has made it impossible to backup my game trophies without installing the firmware update FIRST.

See the problem with the logic here? Well if you do, you’re obviously smarter than the entire technical staff at Sony! Give yourself a pat on the back!

Puffy’s Day

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:35:23 +0000

Ever wonder what your pet gets up to while you’re at work? Well I recently bought security software that turns your webcam into a motion detecting surveillance system. I turned it on before I left for work today. Here’s a time-lapsed video of what my cat got up to:

Slow Food, Real Food

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:18:18 +0000

I just finished reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan (thanks to Jennifer Vuillemot for lending it to me!). Before finishing this book, I also read his other book “In Defense of Food” and watched a documentary that he’s featured in called “Food Inc.”.

If you’re concerned about the food you’re eating, how its produced, how the animals are treated and how the land is used, these three are must read/views. If you’re a farmer, an animal rights activist, vegetarian, an environmentalist, a worker for a factory farm or slaughterhouse, or just a regular person, these books and documentary will speak to you.

None of these are extremist propaganda in case you’re worried. You’ll come away with the tools you need to make informed choices about the food you eat…and to support the producers you trust and respect.

Puffy’s Weekend

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:55:36 +0000

Well, I’ve had Puffy for a while now, and she just keeps getting cuter and cuter. Here are pics from yesterday. You can see one of her favourite pastimes: destroying Tim Horton’s wrappers. She also loves to be wrapped up in anything. She stayed in this cloth long enough for a nap.

In Defense of Food – Michael Pollan

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:18:35 +0000

I just finished reading this book. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone that eats. Hopefully that means you!

Its written from an American perspective but it still applies to our Canadian food supply. If you want to know how to shop for REAL food and how to stay healthy without memorizing all the “food science” out there, then its for you. It will serve you well for the rest of your life.

Here’s the author’s website: http://www.michaelpollan.com/indefense.php