Vancouver

This week is SID Display Week 2013 all the way up in Vancouver, where companies like Samsung, LG and Qualcomm have been unveiling some prototype displays that’ll be making their way into next-generation products over the course of ...
This week is SID Display Week 2013 all the way up in Vancouver, where companies like Samsung, LG and Qualcomm have been unveiling some prototype displays that’ll be making their way into next-generation products over the course of the next few years. While Samsung’s 3200 x 1800 laptop display looks amazing and LG’s flexible OLED screen looks pretty novel, the biggest reveal of the show thus far has been Qualcomm’s new Mirasol display. Mirasol is an upcoming screen technology, which boasts a few key advantages over traditional OLED or LCD displays, including battery life and visibility in direct sunlight. Of course, both of these factors are traditional weaknesses for smartphones and tablets. While larger batteries or reflective screen protectors can be helpful, neither approach really solves the problem, which is why Mirasol is so promising. But so far, we haven’t seen Qualcomm achieve any mainstream success with the display technology in the nearly 10 years they’ve been developing it. This new prototype does look pretty promising though, with an impressive screen resolution of 2560 x 1440 – the same as high end 27″+ desktop displays. At 5.1″ along the diagonal, that makes for a pixel dense phone display (577 DPI) that eclipses the current 1080p standard significantly (e.g. the Galaxy S4 at 441 PPI). The screen also sips far less power than competing technologies – Qualcomm representatives stated that we’d see a six times power advantage over both LCD and AMOLED. When you consider how much a smartphone’s battery is depleted through use of the screen, even with automatic screen brightness, it’s clear that there’s a considerable savings to be had there. Unfortunately, there are a few downsides to the prototype display – not least of which is that it won’t be available in a smartphone for a year or so! Probably the most noticeable are the colours of the display, which are less vibrant than both LCD and AMOLED. Engadget reported the screen having a “silvery tint”, and that’s quite evident from the photographs. That may mean that we see the displays used on devices where colour is less important – for example, e-readers, which typically have used e-ink displays with extremely low resolutions and refresh rates. Qualcomm will also be working towards achieving a more accurate display in the future no doubt – it wasn’t all that long ago that Mirasol displays were limited to black-and-white. I’m a big fan of high-resolution displays and long-lived devices, so I’m eager to see these Mirasol displays see more widespread use in the next couple of years. What do you make of Mirasol and the new prototype? Let us know in the comments below. Sources: Engadget, Qualcomm
29 minutes ago
Photo credit: kandyjaxx | Flickr Once upon a time, city tours highlighted all that was picture perfect about Vancouver: parks and beaches, bustling streets and vibrant shopping, museums and more. But it turns out that showing off the cit...
Photo credit: kandyjaxx | Flickr Once upon a time, city tours highlighted all that was picture perfect about Vancouver: parks and beaches, bustling streets and vibrant shopping, museums and more. But it turns out that showing off the city’s bad side can be just as fun. Over the last few years, a bevy of tours have cropped up that focus on exploring Vancouver’s dark and often tawdry past.  For anyone interested in learning a bit about the city’s dirty laundry, these five tours are wicked good fun: Lost Souls of Gastown: This tour from Forbidden Vancouver harkens back to the late 1800s, when Vancouver was still a violent frontier town.  Guests walk Vancouver’s oldest streets while trained actors in historical dress evoke the chaos of the early city, plagued by cataclysmic fires, smallpox outbreaks, filthy brothels and thuggish gold prospectors.  Learn more.  Vice, Dice and Opium Pipes:  Accompanied by a guide, guests troll the mean streets of Gastown and Chinatown, exploring the one-time opium dens and brothels of Shanghai Alley, learning about daylight murders and uncovering the police corruption scandals of the 1920s.  (This tour is the second coming of the Vancouver Police Museum‘s Sins of the City, which started the “bad” tour craze years ago.)  Learn more.  Prohibition City Tour: On this tour, guests are pressed into service as undercover newspaper reporters in  prohibition-era Vancouver.  When the province officially went dry back in 1917, organized crime and corruption exploded.  While peeking into some of the city’s iconic heritage buildings, visitors are called upon to track down Vancouver’s most infamous mayor, most exotic showgirl and most prolific rum-runner.  Learn more. Secrets of the Penthouse: Ready to venture inside of one of Vancouver’s oldest and most notorious gentlemen’s clubs?  Forbidden Vancouver takes visitors backstage at the Penthouse to hear stories from the club’s longtime owner and even sit in on a live burlesque show.  Since 1947, the club has seen more than its share of drama – from murders and robberies to fires, police raids and even a few visits from Frank Sinatra.  Learn more.   Gastown Craft Beer ‘n Bites Tour: OK, this last tour isn’t quite as dark and sinister as the rest, but it’s still pretty decadent.  In the company of a “passionate beer educator” from Vancouver Food Tours, guests pop into three of Gastown’s finest pubs for samplings of craft beers from Vancouver and beyond.  Drinks are paired with modern gastropub snacks and ample attention is given to the lurid secrets of craft brewing.  Learn more.  Did I miss any other sinful tours of Vancouver? Let me know below.  For more updates on Vancouver and beyond, follow me on Twitter @RemyScalza.
31 minutes ago
GAME RECAPS Encarnacion's slam helps Jays pummel Orioles - Sportsnet.caSportsnet's recap: Edwin Encarnacion's sixth-inning grand slam helped pave the way for a 12-6 Blue Jays rout over the Baltimore Orioles. Toronto Blue Jays blast Ba...
GAME RECAPS Encarnacion's slam helps Jays pummel Orioles - Sportsnet.caSportsnet's recap: Edwin Encarnacion's sixth-inning grand slam helped pave the way for a 12-6 Blue Jays rout over the Baltimore Orioles. Toronto Blue Jays blast Baltimore Orioles | Toronto StarThe Star's Recap: Edwin Encarnacion slam, J.P. Arencibia homer back Brandon Morrow in series opener. Kevin Gausman work in progress. Buoyed by Edwin Encarnacion’s grand slam, Toronto Blue Jays rout Baltimore Orioles | MLB | Sports | National PostThe National Post's recap: The eyes of baseball were focused on Toronto, for reasons having nothing to do with the local team Kevin Gausman shows flashes in debut, but Orioles fall to Blue Jays, 12-6 - baltimoresun.comA less happy recap: It didn't take long for Kevin Gausman to show why the Orioles have such high hopes for their prized right-hander. JAYS LINKS The Blue Jay Hunter: Jose Bautista: The One Man Wrecking CrewIan looks at Jose's amazing 1.000+ WPA night against the Rays with a shoutout to MinorLeaguer. Davis, Alford could join single-A Vancouver - Sportsnet.caTwo of the Toronto Blue Jays' dynamic young position players, D.J. Davis and Anthony Alford, are tentatively slated to join the Vancouver Canadians at the single-A level. Davidi: Stroman ready to resume climb to majors - Sportsnet.caAfter missing the first 50 games of the season due to suspension, Jays prospect Marcus Stroman is ready to return to the mound and begin his ascent to the majors, which could come sooner than later. Toronto Blue Jays’ Casey Janssen grateful for the long layoff | MLB | Sports | National PostCasey Janssen gave up a two-run homer. He figures that was a fair trade for eight days of rest MLB LINKS Visualization: Handedness through historyFrom Hardball Times: Good news for southpaws: there are now more LH batters in recent years than ever before. No Steroids, No Birthday Cake: Parsing MLB's Employee HandbookFrom Deadspin (NSFW sometimes) Congratulations! It's your first day working for Major League Baseball. You probably grew up a huge baseball fan, and while this isn't as good as actually playing, you're about to embark on a fun and rewarding career with MLB. But first, there's something you need to read and sign. Daily Notes: Kevin Gausman Preparedness Manual | FanGraphs BaseballIt seems the Jays read up on it before the game. Nickname Watch: The Baby-Faced Assassin | NotGraphs BaseballSometimes, it's better to get a nickname like Killer or Maddog or Boots. Hey, Shane Victorino, HIGH FIVE!From Deadspin (NSFW sometimes) Koji Uehara came on in the eighth inning and retired the White Sox in order. He was a little fired up when he returned to the dugout, where Shane Victorino got caught looking. Astros vendor fired after taking snow cones with him into the bathroom | MLB | Sports | National PostEw. Seriously, ew. If you've ever seen the comedy show, The League then you might have seen an invention known as the Bathroom Cubby or the Dump Locker. Someone in Houston should have used it before selling his sno cones A vendor at Houston's Minute Maid Park has been fired after a fan filmed him taking a tray of snow cones into a stadium bathroom TODAY IN LOB-ster HISTORY Baseball History - May 24th - National Pastime - Baseball History1994 At Busch Stadium, the Cardinals set a major league record when they leave 16 men stranded on the bases without scoring. The Phillies take advantage of the Redbirds' lack of timely hitting and beat St. Louis, 4-0. 2011 Jo Jo Reyes makes his 28th straight start without recording a victory, tying the major league record shared by Cliff Curtis (1910-11, Braves, Cubs, Phillies) and Matt Keough (1978-79, A's). The Blue Jays southpaw, who leaves the game trailing 5-0 to New York after just three innings of work, hasn't won a start since June 13, 2008. Poll Which will happen first? Kawasaki Hits a Home Run JPA tak
about 1 hour ago
With our last destinations in mind we set off towards Vancouver Victoria. As the highway goes all along USCanada border we crossed Princeton Hope on our way with a small halt at Manning Park where the eversofriendly Gophers greeted us ...
With our last destinations in mind we set off towards Vancouver Victoria. As the highway goes all along USCanada border we crossed Princeton Hope on our way with a small halt at Manning Park where the eversofriendly Gophers greeted us literally with open arms. These guys look right out of a Chip Dale cartoon and were climbing all over us to grab a bite. Finally our RoadT
about 2 hours ago
Janet E. Cameron was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and has also lived in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Tokyo and Dublin, where she currently lives. Her debut novel, Cinnamon Toast and the End of the World, was recently published by Hache...
Janet E. Cameron was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and has also lived in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Tokyo and Dublin, where she currently lives. Her debut novel, Cinnamon Toast and the End of the World, was recently published by Hachette. She will be guest editing The Afterword all this week. In 1991 I graduated from college and felt like I was free for the first time in my life. So when September rolled around I got myself off to a cabin on the bay side of the North Mountain in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. It was the only place I wanted to be. All through the previous year I’d been going on tie-dyed hippy quests with my best friend Marni: volunteering at the Earth Festival in Lunenburg, protesting the Gulf War (the first one), drifting away from meat and into the arms of tofu and chick peas…at times I could even be found clutching a crystal. The nineties were going to be just like the sixties, I’d thought, but better. Marni and I decided to test our pioneer-hippy-girl mettle by living in what everyone called the Dome, an empty cabin at the end of a dirt road across the way from a riding stable where I’d spent most of my Sundays as a kid. (The owner, Olga Comeau, now runs it as the Mandala Riding and Awareness Centre, and it’s still an utterly inspiring spot.) The Dome was just what it sounds like – a geodesic dome cabin built sometime around the late sixties, with no electricity or running water. The windows were sheets of clear plastic and the whole place was insulated by triangles of Styrofoam. There was an upper floor with two beds, a woodstove with an oven, a woven fabric swing hanging from the ceiling and an outhouse instead of a toilet. We settled in at the beginning of September. Everyone thought we’d last ten days. We were there until Christmas. The first few weeks were full of discoveries. Hey! We made a fire! There’s actually smoke coming out of that chimney! Wow! I just figured out how to cook oatmeal! Look! I’m chopping wood! (Yes, I weighed about ninety pounds in those days, but you should have seen me swing that axe.) We used candles for light. For water, we hauled buckets from the riding stable every few days. For heat and cooking, there was the woodstove. My dad, who lived ten miles away in the valley, would fill used milk cartons with water and freeze them for us; this was our version of a fridge. We’d stack the ice next to our perishable food, which we kept in the woodshed balanced on a stack of logs, high enough so that it wouldn’t be a temptation for the neighbouring dog, an Afghan hound the size of a pony who loved stealing things and prancing off with them for a joke – anything from sleeping bags to toilet paper. RelatedJanet E. Cameron: Throw yourself at the ground and miss When we wanted something to do, we visited with neighbours, made cookies, sat around in the sun or went for walks down to the bay, started and abandoned strange arts and crafts projects. Or we might go to see our respective fellas – mine lived in Halifax, and Marni’s lived in a tree. Or a tree-house to be exact. He was up there year round. I don’t remember ever being bored. Because of the dome structure, sound ricocheted oddly in our temporary home. Someone would mumble something on another floor of the cabin and you’d hear it as if they were standing beside you whispering in your ear. I threw the used-up water from the dishes into the sink one night and heard a scream from upstairs – Marni told me she’d thought the water was going to fall on her head. We’d get visits from more dogs from across the way, terriers who’d crouch low and wag their whole bodies at what a miracle it was to see us every morning. After a few weeks, we stopped looking at our watches. I loved the way the woods smelled. I loved finding new trails and making discoveries. At night I’d haul open the woodstove door and toast marshmallows over the fire. Once I woke up for an outhouse run and got very confused. Had my watch stopped? It was two o’clock in the mor
about 2 hours ago
Google has placed orders for OLED displays from Samsung, to be used in the consumer version of Glass, says a Korean press report. Google is gearing up to manufacture and sell the consumer version of the Glass wearable computer, which the...
Google has placed orders for OLED displays from Samsung, to be used in the consumer version of Glass, says a Korean press report. Google is gearing up to manufacture and sell the consumer version of the Glass wearable computer, which the company’s chairman Erich Schmidt said might happen sometimes next year. Samsung, one of Google’s most important partners, will be part of the supply chain for Glass, according a report from Korea Times. Samsung’s display unit will manufacture the microdisplays required to create the virtual image that Glass projects on the user’s retina. The current versions of Glass, which Google has so far sold to developers and enthusiasts through the Explorer program, is said to feature a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) microdisplay, though official technical information isn’t available. If the report is accurate, Samsung will provide OLED on silicon displays to replace the LCOS technology. OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) require no backlighting, as liquid crystal displays do, which may let Google save space in the Glass by removing the lighting source. In addition, OLEDs have lower power requirements than LCDs, which is important in applications where the size of the battery is limited, such as Glass. At the Society for Information Display convention in Vancouver, Samsung Display’s CEO hinted at this collaboration: “OLED on silicon may be used for glasses-type, augmented-reality devices much like the Google Glass”. The executive went on to say that Samsung’s flexible OLED technology could be used in other wearable devices, such as smartwatches and health bands. Sources told Android Authority ahead of Google I/O that the Mountain View company is working on a smartwatch that has been demoed internally in several offices. Last month, Google’s CEO Larry Page visited Korea to meet, among others, with Samsung’s VP and heir apparent, Lee Jay-yong, who later stated that Page was interested in Samsung’s OLED business. LG was also said to have discussed with Google an alliance in “futuristic projects” such as Glass.
about 2 hours ago
Bernie "Whistling" Smith, a legendary, no-nonsense Vancouver cop was the subject of this 1975. Oscar nominated documentary. Whistling' Bernie Smith spent 34 years in uniform, including a stint fighting prostitution and drugs on Hastings....
Bernie "Whistling" Smith, a legendary, no-nonsense Vancouver cop was the subject of this 1975. Oscar nominated documentary. Whistling' Bernie Smith spent 34 years in uniform, including a stint fighting prostitution and drugs on Hastings. "He comes from a different time of being a police officer in Vancouver when the officer himself had tremendous amount of responsibility as a single person watching and keeping an eye on what was happening on his own block," notes Vancouver author and historian Aaron Chapman.
about 3 hours ago
In the summer, tequila becomes a favourite of mine. Combined with rock salt, lime and grapefruit...you have yourself the perfect Saturday sipper....Serves 4...1 cup Grapefruit juice 2 Limes1 cup Tequila1/2 cup Agave NectarPinch of Rock ...
In the summer, tequila becomes a favourite of mine. Combined with rock salt, lime and grapefruit...you have yourself the perfect Saturday sipper....Serves 4...1 cup Grapefruit juice 2 Limes1 cup Tequila1/2 cup Agave NectarPinch of Rock SaltAdd the above into a blender and blend for 30 seconds. Stop and add 3 cups of ice -- purée until smooth.Pour into glasses and add striped straws for fun!
about 4 hours ago
Photo: instagram.com/lily_birchandbird Yay! The weekend is finally here and I'm really looking forward to the Etsy Pop-Up Shop at west elm on Saturday! I can't wait to see all the vendors displays we curated and to finally taste some ...
Photo: instagram.com/lily_birchandbird Yay! The weekend is finally here and I'm really looking forward to the Etsy Pop-Up Shop at west elm on Saturday! I can't wait to see all the vendors displays we curated and to finally taste some of those specially made cupcakes and treats from Butter Baked Goods. The Etsy Pop-Up Shop is this Saturday, May 25/13 from 1pm – 6pm at west elm and west elm market (right next door) in Vancouver. The address is 2947 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia. If you haven't already done so, feel free to RSVP at facebook.com/westelm/events. I hope to see you there and if you're looking for me, you can probably find me near those cute little Smegs they've got hanging around there (love them)! (Photo by Lily Ellis of Birch and Bird). Happy Friday! Copyright 2005 - 2013 Poppytalk. All Rights Reserved poppytalk.blogspot.ca
about 4 hours ago
about 4 hours ago