Category Archives: Blog

Did I Just Hear Maelle Ricker’s Voice ?

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It took me about 20 minutes to realize I was sitting right next to super star snowboarder Maëlle Ricker this afternoon in Edgemont Village.

This was doubly embarrassing considering she’d actually stopped to talk to me, inquiring about the camera I had mounted to a park bench. See, I was experimenting with shooting some time lapse photography with my GoPro camera, and I was sitting there, with the camera, when she walked by to grab the adjacent outdoor table.

She asked about the camera and mentioned she’d seen quite a few of them.  I, like a dope, totally didn’t realize who she was – and blathered on about a project I’m doing for one of my clients, and how I needed to experiment a bit with the time lapse feature on the camera.   She sat down to meet with her friend, and I sat with my coffee and muffin.

I didn’t meant to eaves drop – but they were sitting right next to me, and as I sat there, I realized that I recognized the voice.

Where Do I Know That Voice ?

It’s probably because of a long career in radio, but I always lock in on people’s voices and vocal patterns.

In any event, it finally dawned on me, remembering her countless interviews after her amazing success at the Olympics.

So now what ?

I eventually got up and got her and her friend a glass of water from inside Delaney’s (it was hot this afternoon).

I offered them each a glass, with an awkward: “Um, I feel really silly, but I just realized who you are. I recognized your voice. Here’s some water”.

I’m pretty anyone else would have run screaming the other way, but they took in in stride, and after their meeting ended, I asked if I could get a picture with her. She didn’t even hesitate.

I didn’t have my Nikon with me, so used the GoPro to take the picture.

We had a lovely chat – she’s very very nice – and that makes her even a bigger super star in my books.

Finding Denatured Alcohol in Canada

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Who knew that finding alcohol could be this hard !

My little sailboat Madsu has a non-pressurized alcohol stove made by Origo.

I love the stove – it’s super hot, needs zero maintenance, and compared to pressurized gas, is super safe.

The stove is responsible for making coffee, hot water for shaving, and all my cooking that isn’t BBQ;  in short, one of the most important items on the boat !

Up until this year, I’ve been able to buy denatured alcohol for the stove at one of my local hardware stores - Rona used to stock it with solvents and turpentine – and it was relatively cheap.  It was simply called Denatured Alcohol – a no brainer.

This year, I haven’t been able to find it anywhere.

So, I did a quick crash course on alcohol for stoves.

A search on the web shows that other people in Canada have trouble finding denatured alcohol.  Other than for use in stove, apparently bike folks use it to clean gears etc.

Denatured alcohol is Ethanol – grain alcohol that’s been treated to make it undrinkable.  It burns super hot and while not great for the environment, burning it is slightly LESS bad that burning other types of fuel.   Most places I went to looking for this fuel, including my local marine store (Martin Marine in North Vancouver) sell Methyl Hydrate, which will also work in the stove.   Methyl Hydrate is wood alcohol – if you’re old enough you probably remember using it in Bunson Burners in high school chemistry.

In any event, I was bent on finding denatured alcohol rather that burn methyl hydrate.

I thought I had found what I was looking for over at West Marine. They sell something called blue flame stove fuel, and though there was very little information on the bottle, I assume this is some type of ethanol mix.  I almost had heart failure when I picked up the small bottle (less than a litre) and saw the price tag:  $30.00. Burning EverClear would be cheaper.   Meanwhile, in the US, West Marine sells a gallon of  “soot-free alcohol” for 29.00 !

I’d almost given up, when I stopped by Steveston Marine just off Granville Island. They now stock something called Captain PHAB Marine Alcohol, from a Peterborough Ontario company, Captain PHAB.

It sells for $19.99 for a 4 litre bottle (that’s 1.14 gallons) and it’s a 90-10 mix (Ethanol and whatever they use to make it undrinkable).  The staffer told me that one of the reasons denatured alcohol has been hard to find is that one of the main suppliers either went out of business or stopped carrying it.

So, for all you sailers, campers and bikers – try Steveston Marine in the lower mainland, or check your local marine store and if they don’t have it, get them to order it for you from Captain PHAB.

As for me, I’m heading down to the boat right now to fill up my stove and perk up a pot of coffee.

I’m so damned pleased with myself, I might even shave.

Great Vancouver Office Space Opportunity

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My friend Andrew Gregory emailed to ask if I’d spread the word about some office space they have available, as they’ve moved part of their team to their other office in Ottawa.  Here’s the low-down:

50% share of penthouse office on the 6th floor of 23 West Pender.  270% views of Vancouver with windows that open to allow fresh air.

Includes wi-fi, alarm system, full private bathroom with shower, boardroom for meetings with North and East-facing windows, and full kitchen.  Cleaning service 2X monthly.  Sublet will share space with another social games company.  Over 1,000 sq. ft available for sublet.  Space comfortable for 6-7 person company…developers preferred.  Available immediately and will extend to end of year.

If you’re interested, contact Andrew directly at 604-783-4962.   They’re a great bunch to hang out / work with.