The Random Thoughts Thread

[GTAmissions1]

13 hours ago, MCIBUS said:

I see this also effecting CD sales. With You Tube, Spotify and others offering music for about the same price a single CD, while you get 100+ optiond for the same price of a CD, it's not worth itany more.

Especially I haven't bought a physical album in years. The only ones that do sell are the limited edition ones. For me, I am not the kind of person who buys 4 different versions just to get the content from those 4 purchases. 

12 hours ago, T3G said:

Anyone who remotely cares about any of their favourite media would do well to own a copy of it. Streaming services are fickle, and there is no telling when your favourite movie or TV show will be taken off that service, or modified. Remember when there was the very real threat of Arrested Development being removed from Netflix, including the seasons that Netflix themselves produced?

Own your own media, folks.

I agree especially since years ago, I used to have a subscription to CBS All Access which included all CSI shows including the spin-offs CSI: Miami and CSI: NY. That series alone is hundreds of episodes that trying to purchase it would cost a lot of money.

Of course, CBS All Access got repackaged to Paramount Plus and eliminated a lot of the content library. Considering how streaming services tend to operate on a loss leader system by offering discounts or incentives to subscribe and pay a monthly fee. Especially with how the payment system is created to compensate writers and actors via residual payments for when their content is used on a platform or syndicated on a television network.

Feels like we have reached the digital age, but there is still people who will always want physical copies and own the media versus relying on a digital marketplace not knowing if it can be taken away at anytime. 

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

On 10/14/2023 at 3:44 AM, GTAmissions1 said:

Especially I haven't bought a physical album in years. The only ones that do sell are the limited edition ones. For me, I am not the kind of person who buys 4 different versions just to get the content from those 4 purchases. 

I agree especially since years ago, I used to have a subscription to CBS All Access which included all CSI shows including the spin-offs CSI: Miami and CSI: NY. That series alone is hundreds of episodes that trying to purchase it would cost a lot of money.

Of course, CBS All Access got repackaged to Paramount Plus and eliminated a lot of the content library. Considering how streaming services tend to operate on a loss leader system by offering discounts or incentives to subscribe and pay a monthly fee. Especially with how the payment system is created to compensate writers and actors via residual payments for when their content is used on a platform or syndicated on a television network.

Feels like we have reached the digital age, but there is still people who will always want physical copies and own the media versus relying on a digital marketplace not knowing if it can be taken away at anytime. 

Speaking of physical CDs - I remembered the old days of "mail order CD subscriptions" - back in the 1990s. A company called Columbia House was one of the lead players back then (sadly, my parents fought a long battle against the company back then - but at that time, I was a kid and couldn't figure out where to get my music back in childhood days).

Here's one video about the practices back then regarding how Columbia House tried to lure customers for it's promotions:

 

 

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

Lately, I've been using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) not only for my smartphone (whenever I connect to a public wifi), but on my home laptop (even while at home). What's more interesting, I can even connect to a VPN server of another city (i.e. I live just outside of Toronto, ON, Canada but I tend to connect to a VPN server - based in Montreal, QC, Canada). It's like you're actually visiting the city while connecting at home!

Another thing about VPNs is that you can also bypass the geographic restrictions - for example, if you want to view a movie/show on a US version of Netflix, you can connect to a VPN of an American-city and boom, you can get access to the library found in the US version of Netflix (or something like that).

DISCLAIMER:  I do not endorse this practice, but it should be used at your own risk.

[Transitfan2022]

Happy Halloween, what are yall up to for Halloween this year? I definitely have a creative costume! 

[captaintrolley]

Happy Halloween..

Wish we didn't have to keep setting the clocks twice a year.

[81-717]

2 hours ago, captaintrolley said:

Wish we didn't have to keep setting the clocks twice a year.

Agreed, wish every place just had standard time (when the local solar noon/midnight is as close as possible to 12:00 / 00:00) all year round.

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

(VIEWER ADVISORY: The views expressed on this post below may not suitable for young people.)

Some food for thought at this hour: a lot of Ontario-centric online gaming casino ads on TV (and to the less extent, radio) have been aired outside of Ontario (but within Canada) despite the fact that the online casino sites are not available outside of Ontario (not even outside of the province and outside of the country).

I heard somewhere that online gaming ads will be banned from airing on TV and on the radio starting in the new year (2024).

From what I remembered, this measure prevents young people from getting hooked on a celebrity endorsement promoting the product not destined for young people.

Reminds me about a PSA that had aired a while back something about the dangers of "edibles" (at first, I thought it was a Sour Patch Kids commercial):

 

 

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

One of my favourite teams in the Overwatch League (an E-Sports league dedicated to the video game Overwatch) - has made an exit from the league: the Toronto Defiant.

The owners who owned the team (Overactive Media) has decided to make a sortie and collect a $6 Million USD ($8.25 Million CDN, €5.6 Million EUR) payout from Activision Blizzard, the publishers of Overwatch (which was since acquired by Microsoft).

This is not the first time the Toronto Defiant has made a sortie from the Overwatch League. Another Overwatch League team, the Chengdu Hunters (based in China) has been disbanded earlier this year.

Back to my topic about OWL (Overwatch League), the only Canadian team that remains in the league is - the Vancouver Titans (only time will tell if that team will leave OWL). I went to the OWL Playoffs and Grand Finals in Toronto, Canada a couple weeks ago (it was held down at the venue where Maple Leaf Gardens used to be - though the building is now owned by Ryerson - ahem, Toronto Metro University) and it was a great experience to see some of the OWL teams that qualify to participate play in front of the crowds (sadly, the host team - the Defiant didn't get their opportunity to play).

With the recent announcements, the future remains uncertain about the proposed E-Sports stadium down at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada. The city also has another E-Sports team, called the Toronto Ultra (a team in the "Call of Duty League" and the only CDL team in Canada).

Making a diversion (pun intended), Icelandair is returning service to YHZ (Halifax Stanfield International Airport) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada starting in May 2024. I don't recall when the airline based in Iceland first made its debut in Halifax, Canada, but currently - the airline serves YVR (Vancouver International Airport) and YYZ (Toronto Pearson). At one point, Icelandair used to fly to YEG (Edmonton) and YUL (Montreal Trudeau)...

[Transitfan2022]

2121 Orion X that flies on route 99999

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

Journie Rewards - a loyalty rewards program in Canada that is used at a Pioneer, Ultramar, Fas Gas and Chevron-branded gas station in Canada - has recently teamed up with Air Canada's Aeroplan rewards program on enabling customers of both loyalty programs to earn more rewards at those retailers.

This reminds me when Esso stations in Canada used to be the place for collecting Aeroplan miles (as they call them back then, but now they're "points") almost 20 years ago - alongside with the Esso Extra rewards program (in which has since discontinued in favour of PC Optimum) back in the days. 

I myself, don't drive - but like to buy some snacks and treats inside just for that reason. Sometimes, I help pay for gas for my mom and dad as well. Still on the loyalty program front, the parent company of the Air Miles rewards program in Canada, LoyaltyOne - had filed for bankruptcy early this year. It wasn't until BMO (Bank of Montreal) to "throw in the lifesaver" on taking control of the Air Miles rewards program in Canada.

I've remembered the time that you can collect Air Miles Reward Miles down at the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) stores in the Canadian province of Ontario many years ago. It has since been replaced with Aeroplan.

While two loyalty rewards programs have decided to put their "pedal to the metal" (pun intended), a once-popular furniture store chain Canada (once owned by the former (and late) mayor of Toronto, Canada - Mel Lastman) has "put the brakes on" (also pun intended). Lastman's Bad Boy has filed for bankruptcy recently and customers who were waiting patiently for their orders to be delivered (from furniture to appliances) won't be getting their items (unless they paid their orders using their credit cards).

Edited November 16, 2023 by FutureHeartsJunkie
added a few clarifying points to this post.

[GTAmissions1]

3 hours ago, FutureHeartsJunkie said:

A once-popular furniture store chain Canada (once owned by the former (and late) mayor of Toronto, Canada - Mel Lastman) has "put the brakes on" (also pun intended). Lastman's Bad Boy has filed for bankruptcy recently and customers who were waiting patiently for their orders to be delivered (from furniture to appliances) won't be getting their items (unless they paid their orders using their credit cards).

I read about how Bad Boy furniture has declared bankruptcy considering the long turnaround times to receive products. I know my brother ordered a stove a few months ago and Bad Boy was dragging out the delivery timelines. Considering that they don't allow refunds and having to pay upfront to receive the products along with back and forth.

To be honest, I don't think that is really how they could run a business. Especially with the flak of how furniture and appliance stores run. Trying to push a more expensive product versus the cheapest and basic for the customer's needs. Plus hoping that it can be delivered in a timely manner once the full payment is received. 

Feels like some businesses are really thin margin and willing to do fancy marketing tricks or deep discounts to get customers into the door. Despite how actually delivering on those promises is a different story. 

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

After much speculation, Yonge-Dundas Square (a popular public square in the Canadian city of Toronto) is being renamed to "Sankofa Square".

There's a lot of debate in which the city of Toronto wanted to stop using the "Dundas" name for example. As for the renaming of Dundas Street - it's being place on hold for now.

I remembered over twenty years ago in which the public square was proposed to be renamed to the "Pierre Elliott Trudeau Square" (after the late Prime Minister of Canada).

As for the nearby Dundas subway station, it's being renamed to this: TMU station (named after the nearby Toronto Metro University). 

This reminds me: we have the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), but so far there's nothing came up so far regarding "King Charles". If I had things my way, I would have named Ontario's Highway 412 or 418 (both of which were toll-free as of April 2022) to the "King Charles Highway".

[81-717]

If they're gonna rename it, might as well rename it Times Square (Toronto edition), since that's the PR it tends to have, lol

[T3G]

The PR Toronto wishes it had.

[captaintrolley]

Jut for fun, how many vehicles, persons, objects can you identify?

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

One of the popular films by George Lucas, "Star Wars" - is being dubbed in Ojibway for the first time. ICYW, Ojibway is one of the First Nations (Aboriginal) languages.

This reminds me when the "Hockey Night in Canada" games were broadcasted in a similar language many years ago.

I really wished that HNIC should be dubbed in Chinese (and even Korean). Sure we already have those broadcasts in Punjabi but I could imagine if HNIC were to be dubbed in Chinese and even Korean - in a whole new (hockey) game!

Remember my thought on having the popular Santa Claus Parade in Toronto dubbed in a different language many years ago? I'm hoping that something like that can happen - someday.

Further reading:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/star-wars-ojibway-translation-dubbed-1.7062799

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) has officially got the green light on acquiring the Canadian operations of HSBC. This was announced a few days ago, but it appears that it'll (eventually) mark the end of HSBC's tenure in Canada.

Both RBC and the Canadian operations of HSBC have a long history on serving the Asian- population (mainly the Chinese population in Canada). Hoping that RBC will maintain that clientele base after the deal closes.

Changing gears, what would it take - have a CFL (Canadian Football League) team in Quebec City and Halifax? This brought me memories when there is a "pitch" to have an NHL (National Hockey League) team franchise back in Quebec City. That city had a hockey team called the Quebec Nordiques over 30+ years ago, but was later disbanded and moved to Denver, Colorado - to become the Colorado Avalanche.

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

A random thought for this final day of 2023: the temporary work from home (WFH) tax credit in Canada (the simplified method in which you must claim $2CDN per day) - will not be valid for the 2023 tax year. Those who work from home most of the time - will need to use the detailed method when it comes to claim the expenses during the WFH period for the 2023 tax year.

Final Takeaways: While the COVID-19 pandemic is in the "endemic" phase (or something like that) and with people finally going back to the office part-time (if not, full-time), it appears that the temporary WFH tax credit (for the simplified portion) had served it's use.

Still with taxes/levies, I wish that the federal government (of Canada) should offer a special staycation tax credit (this time, on a national scale) for claiming expenses for hotels and vacation properties in Canada.

The Canadian government of Ontario had introduced such credit for the 2022 tax year but sadly, it wasn't in place for the 2023 tax year..

 

[captaintrolley]

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

New Year - but scammers are still the same.

There's a lot of scams going on that had a lasting impact on our lives - especially the CRA/IRS robocall scams. 

As a tech-savvy person, I had to be cognizant on who's calling my phone and even seeing a lot of spam emails (some with modified e-mail address (legitimate ones too!) that claimed to be from that e-mail).

This is why I don't leave my email address whenever the store ask me to subscribe to their newsletters. The similar case is true when I wanted to leave my mobile (cell) phone number when subscribing to such lists.

[TransitCurling]

Random thought? Easy! I wish I could throw my curling rock on ice made in a bus!

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

ServiceOntario, the goverment agency in the Canadian province of Ontario that handles government services likes driver's license renewals (we don't have a "DMV"-like agency in Ontario but they function similarly or something like that), health card services, etc. - has announced that it's shutting down it's centres in certain areas of the province and will be moved inside Staples in the Canadian province of Ontario later this year (2024).

Final takeways: While this will definitely bring convenience to some and (hopefully) offer expanded hours, it's announcement comes with negative feedback and thoughts about the government of Ontario's move. 

I remembered the days in which there were self-service kiosks that allow you to get a license plate renewal sticker on the spot (however, the license plate renewal fees have since been eliminiated), but sadly those kiosks were permanently shut down due to security reasons (notably, there was a credit/debit card skimmer at one particular kiosks at an unknown location in Ontario at that time).

I myself, don't drive - but a little nephew of mine asked my father the other day on why I don't drive. Not sure if I should follow my nephew's advice (despite being a younger age - he's in the single digits, though)? Sadly, it's my decision - I shouldn't be called up for driving (in the same matter as calling up for service in the military or navy)! 

Further reading:
https://globalnews.ca/news/10217537/serviceontario-closure-staples/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/serviceontario-locations-closing-1.7080079

[samui]

I need new desk for my job  lol The best adjustable desk canada has truly transformed my work life. Opting for an adjustable desk brought a perfect blend of comfort and productivity. The flexibility to switch between sitting and standing not only alleviated back strain but also infused energy into my work routine. The customizable height settings allowed me to create an ergonomic setup tailored to my preferences. The impact on my overall well-being and productivity has been remarkable. For anyone seeking a game-changing addition to their workspace, investing in the best adjustable desk in Canada is a decision that pays dividends in both health and work performance. 

[MCIBUS]

I need a new life, my life totally sucks right now. I wish I was dead.

[captaintrolley]

55 minutes ago, MCIBUS said:

I need a new life, my life totally sucks right now. I wish I was dead.

To be honest, I don't think there is a person on earth that has the perfect life going for them. If they say they do, they're lying. There is something very positive in your statement though.. You said right now. By admitting that, you are also admitting that this is a phase and that 'right now' is not forever. Please hold onto that mindset. A bad year, two or five, is NOT forever.

Please watch this. 3 1/2 minutes. Worth the time.