- Canada has done gotten itself some fancy new currency. The
new Canuck cash is a printed-polymer $5 bill and because no self-respecting frozen tundra
of a nation can just announce new money at a lame-o press conference, Canada
elected to give the redesigned $5 bill a miles-high sendoff. Canadian hero and International
Space Station commander Chris Hadfield unveiled the new paper money earlier
this week and as the country’s best-known spaceman, he was a logical choice.
Hadfield is an accomplished photographer, a musician and composer and has
demystified such outer-space phenomena as vomiting in zero-G. The Bank of
Canada tabbed him to introduce one of the last currency notes to be converted to
counterfeit-resistant polymer and judging by the number of people who had no
idea what had happened, the decision wasn’t exactly a home run. One side of the
new bill recognizes Canada's contributions to space exploration, including the
space station's Canadarm2 and DEXTRE robot, so rolling it out live from outer
space made sense. The other side of the bill features a rather boring portrait
of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who was Canada's prime minister from 1896 to 1911."I
just want to tell you how proud I am to be able to see Canada's achievements in
space highlighted on our money," said via a space-to-Earth video link. As
he addressed his fellow man from thousands of miles above, he plucked a bill
from the wall of the station's Destiny laboratory and let it spin in zero
gravity in front of the camera. Bank of Canada spokeswoman Julie Girard
described the launch ceremony as "quite a few months in the making."
In what can only be described as an incredibly efficient use of time and
resources, the polymer note was flown up to the space station with Hadfield
back in December. It was held in reserve until this week because you never know
when some sticky-fingered Russian cosmonaut might thieve it. "We wanted to
be the first to unveil a bank note in space," Girard added. Both the new
$5 bill and Canada's new $10 note, which was unveiled at the same time in
Ottawa, complete Canada's conversion to polymer-based currency. They are equipped
with transparent areas and hologram markings to make them more difficult to
counterfeit and as an added bonus, the Bank of Canada says these notes should
last two to three times longer than the country's cotton-based paper bank notes……..
- The San Diego Chargers were not good last season. They finished
7-9, missed the playoffs and endured arguably the worst season of quarterback
Phillip Rivers’ career. Their meltdown led to the firing of their coach and
general manager and also appears to have inspired the team’s new management to
reach out to one of the greatest players in franchise history in an attempt to
convince him to come out of retirement and play again. LaDainian Tomlinson
pulled the lamest ploy in all of professional sports, playing his final game
with another team – the New York Jets – then trying to pretend he was retiring
as a member of the Chargers by signing a one-day contract with them and then
leaving football. He didn’t play last season, but he claims that new Chargers
general manager Tom Telesco and first-year coach Mike McCoy tried to convince
him to make a comeback in 2013 when the three of them spoke at the NFL scouting
combine in February. “At first I thought
they weren't really serious, but they kept talking about it, and I realized it
was real. They said, 'You can
come back and carry it 10 or 12 times a game. We'd like to have you
here,'" Tomlinson said. In Telesco and McCoy’s defense, Tomlinson is the
Chargers' all-time leading rusher (12,490 yards) and their team was 27th in the
NFL in rushing last season, so they need to consider all options if they’re not
satisfied with an injury-prone backfield depth chart that includes Ryan
Mathews, Ronnie Brown and Danny Woodhead, who signed with the team as a free
agent this offseason. However, Tomlinson has made it clear he’s not coming back
and has no interest of returning to the NFL grind. “When I made the decision to walk away, I wrestled with it long and hard,
and I knew it was final. Once I retired, that was it. My mind is in a
different place. Mentally, going back would have been too hard," he concluded…….
- Kickstarter strikes again. It has been used to fund
feature films and new businesses and it has made significant inroads in the
technology world, where would-be investors are plentiful and their need for
startup cash inescapable. The makers of the Stinky Gaming Footboard are the latest to
use the online funding website as a means to their desired end. The Stinky
Gaming Footboard is a USB controller that features four buttons with screens
that allow the player to adjust resistance and more and while the concept and
name are slightly odd, the product is an interesting departure from a gaming
world where virtually everything is centered around the hands. Systems such as
Xbox Kinect have gotten other parts of the body involved in the gaming
experience, but there seems to be concrete support for the Stinky Gaming
Footboard based on the Kickstarter response to the initial funding request. The
project began with a $75,000 goal and managed to bring in $79,562
before the donation period ended Thursday. With the funding goal met, the Stinky Gaming
Footboard can now go into production and move toward its slated release in
June.
Those who donated to the campaign and pledged at least $89 will receive one of
the first Stinky Gaming Footboards to roll off the production line, although Kickstarter
projects are known for production delays and later-than-projected releases………
- Icelandic indie rock is finally breaking through. Sigur Ros, the
(probably) one and only Icelandic band anyone who isn’t a hardcore
indie/hipster dork knows – apologies to Of Monsters and Men and their fans –
knows, is about to get cartoonish with it. The band will make a guest
appearance in an upcoming issue of long-running adult cartoon “The Simpsons,”
which is wrapping up its 24th season. Sigur Ros will appear in the season
finale in which the show will take a fictional trip to Iceland. As part of
their visit to cartoon land, the band has also composed original music for the
episode. Their appearance puts them on a long and distinguished list of
recording artists who have made a guest appearance in the series, including U2,
Tom Waits, Daft Punk, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, The White Stripes, Red
Hot Chili Peppers, Lady Gaga and The Decemberists. Their appearance will get
some extra air time as well, with the episode airing in two parts. Titled “The
Saga of Carlson,” it will air on May 19. Oh, and in what can only be described
as an incredible and wholly improbably coincidence, Sigur Ros just so happens
to be releasing their new album, Kveikur,” on June 17. It’s not as if an
appearance on a hugely popular network show just one month before the release
of a band’s new album and the resulting exposure to millions of potential new
fans who have never heard of said band before could have any impact whatsoever
on the sales figures for that new album. Sigur Ros will also tour the United
Kingdom and Ireland this fall to further support their new release…….
- What does a person have to do to find affordable housing
in Manhattan? The answer is relatively simple: be displaced by a construction
project and have an annual household income between $37,284 and $55,000. The
folks who fall under that heading have a unique opportunity to snatch up a
prime piece of New York City real estate, right in the heart of the East
Village. A tony new building called Jupiter 21 is being built at the corner of 2nd
Avenue and First Street, where the legendary Mars Bar used to be. It’s the sort
of address that should cost millions of dollars, but the developer behind the
project has dangled the nine apartments for a mere $10 to those who fit very
strict guidelines. Nine folks who were displaced by construction will be able
to buy an apartment in the building for $10 and tax free as part of way to
balance luxury rentals and commercial space with much needed affordable housing,
explained Joseph Ferrara, principal owner of developer BFC Partners. Not
surprisingly, the $10 apartments have all been spoken for even though those
taking them must pay maintenance fees between $500 to $1,000 per month,
depending on the size of the apartment. In New York City, where people pay
twice that much for domiciles half that size and in much shadier locations,
chipping off $750 for maintenance fees in a good location is a reasonable price
to pay. The cheap apartments are gone, but Jupiter 21 does still have four
other apartments available at a mere $150,000, much less than market value, so
act now……..
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