Ivory Vikings, a Book Review

By C. Moffat.

As someone who has been into woodcarving since the age of 8, and even recently got into carving antler, I found this book to be fascinating. I also am into archaeology, Viking history, and Scottish history. So this book was good on all these topics.

I also as a kid played chess competitively, and can, in my opinion, hold my own. When I resumed playing chess in university I discovered I had only gotten better with age.

The book we are discussing here, "Ivory Vikings" by Nancy Marie Brown, is about a selection of Viking-era Chess pieces found on a beach in north-west Scotland. The majority of the pieces are carved from walrus ivory, and are believed to have been carved in Iceland roughly 600 - 700 years ago.

This is not a storybook. Rather I would classify it as a complete investigation into the mystery surrounding these marvelously carved chess pieces. The total number of chess pieces suggest they were once in a sack containing a total of 4 - 5 complete sets, but sadly many of the pieces are missing and if you mixed and matched the sets you would only get two complete sets.

Reading the book you will however learn lots about the carver(s) of the chess pieces. It is my personal suspicion that like all great artists, the artist who created the chess pieces had apprentices who would do the work on the lesser pieces. Reading the book you may come to a similar conclusion to mine. The author has her own theories so I won't spoil it and let the reader make up their own mind when they read the various theories on the topic.

Now you might be wondering - Wait, why is it a whole book about some mysterious ivory chess pieces? Well these particular chess pieces are the most famous and valuable pieces in the world, they are considered to be invaluable. The value of a single face piece is in the millions. The pawns less so.

While reading the book I even daydreamed of writing a movie script about stealing the chess pieces and a Sherlock Holmes-esque caper to get the pieces back. Perhaps the chess pieces could even be reunited with the full set in the film... With some villainous character having found the missing pieces and deciding they wanted the full set.

Anyway, I think I made my point. Ivory Vikings is an inspiring book to read. It tantalizes the imagination.

Replicas of the Ivory Vikings were used in one of the Harry Potter films.

Also while I am at it the TV series "Vikings" (an action drama produced by the History Channel) is fantastic. I definitely recommend watching it. Below is the trailer for Season One. Season Four will likely begin airing in February 2016.

How to Judge Restaurants based on their Restroom

This post came about by accident.

My girlfriend and I went out to eat at the Indian restaurant "Amaya" on Bayview Avenue in Leaside - and upscale area of Toronto. Which you would think would mean the food is good and the restrooms are clean.

Before ordering I went to use the restroom and discovered a little surprise. A cockroach, live, swimming in the toilet. The rest of the restroom was equally disgusting. As was the basement where the restroom was located. The stairs to the basement were also a tripping hazard, I tripped once on the way down and once on the way up. Wow.

Needless to say we left almost immediately.

We went down the street to "Kama Sutra" instead, another Indian restaurant in the same neighbourhood. The restroom was so nice it had music, smelled of air freshener, and was super clean.
What this tells you is that you get what you pay for. At Amaya the food might be cheaper, but it might also contain cockroaches or their droppings. At Kama Sutra it is pricier, but the food is excellent and cockroach free.

Also I should note the service at Kama Sutra was excellent, the butter chicken was awesome, there is a large selection of beverages to choose from - and they have live music on Thursday nights.

We shall have to go back again sometime.

Behold, the live cockroach in the toilet at Amaya, 1574 Bayview Ave.

Behold, the sparkling clean (and amazingly fresh smelling) toilet at "Kama Sutra", 1522 Bayview Ave.

Aerodynamic components and Industrial Inventory

Looking Online for Industrial Inventory

When you are in charge of keeping your company's industrial inventory replenished, you want to know what options are available that will let you satisfy your duties to your employer, but also give the workers in the factory the best materials with which to work. Rather than restrict your choices to local suppliers, you may enjoy a better selection when you shop online. By shopping on the Internet, you can find materials like aerospace metals and alloys that your employer can use to create its line of products. You also can determine in what format you would like to have this inventory shipped to your factory.

If your employer specializes in making aerodynamic components like wings or fronts of airplanes, you need a material that is lightweight and capable of surviving high altitudes. You could learn more about aluminum and why this material still remains one of the most popular to use in this industry. When you shop online for aluminum, you can learn about its weight and dimensions. If it meets your employer's needs, you can then order the appropriate amount.

Other metals available for you to consider include copper and stainless steel. Both of these metals are heavier than aluminum. Nonetheless, they have their place in the industrial arena. If your factory produces accessories or equipment used in the aeronautic field, these materials may provide the durability that your clients expect when ordering such items from you. You can read up on these materials and learn more about their weights, dimensions, and other specifications online as well.

If you are new to ordering or working with any of these materials, you may be well served by reading the blog found on the supplier's website. The blog can fill you in on key information such as why these materials are popular, how they are produced, and for what purpose they can be used. You can also learn in what format they are available for shipping. For example, if your factory has a narrow, but tall door, you may prefer that your metals be shipped in roll form instead of sheet form. The rolls can fit through the doorways better. Likewise, if your factory has a wide, expansive dock area you can ask that the metals be shipped in sheet form. Sheets of metal are unblemished and ready to cut right away to make products.

iHome Wireless Go+ Splashproof Portable Speaker

A portable bluetooth water-resistant speaker - handy, reliable, difficult to break.

By C. Moffat.

I have been meaning to write this review for several months now. About time I finally got it done.

I purchased the iHome Wireless Go+ Splashproof Portable Speaker at a Best Buy months ago and very quickly discovered it is an awesome little speaker with great sound quality and LOUD for such a small speaker.

Its small size belies its incredible power, it is rechargeable using a standard cellphone USB, can communicate with any BlueTooth device - I use it mostly with my cellphone, but I have also used it with my tablet and laptop for added volume.

The device is also very durable. Its rubber / steel outer layers means this speaker simply bounces off of any surface it falls onto. You would basically have to deliberately attempt to break the speaker in order to prove it can be broken. I have dropped it countless times, not so much as a scratch.

Oddly enough Best Buy no longer seems to sell this particular product, however iHome makes a variety of other BlueTooth speakers in a range of sizes and shapes which are also available at Best Buy.

Other websites have given the iHome Wireless Go+ Splashproof Portable Speaker four stars out of five, but I give it five stars out of five because it does exactly what it is supposed to do, is incredibly good quality, and was a pretty fair price.

I have seen it advertised at other stores for $39.99. According to my receipt from June 20th I paid $54.99 + HST, so the price has also come down a bit since June.

Why does Amazon not accept PayPal?

By C. Moffat

Amazon is one of the world's largest online marketplaces for ordering pretty much anything you want.

PayPal is basically the world's largest online bank, the preferred way to pay for things online because it is safe, secure and fast. In 2014, PayPal moved $228 billion in 26 currencies across more than 190 nations.

So you would think it would make sense that Amazon would accept payments via PayPal...? Wouldn't you?

It would, except that PayPal used to be owned by eBay - an online rival marketplace, but one that focuses on auctioning off used items to the highest bidder.

Now you would think Amazon, which sells new items, and that eBay, which sells mostly used items, would not be rivals, but for whatever reason they are.

In order to better facilitate eBay's users they started the company PayPal to make it easier for people to pay for things online - and PayPal spread across the internet, becoming one of the best ways to safely and quickly transfer money to pay for things, send money to family/friends, etc.

Below is a Live Chat conversation I had with a "Help Representative" from Amazon. He deliberately avoided the real answer as to WHY Amazon doesn't accept PayPal.

The funny thing is that eBay doesn't even own PayPal any more. They are now separate companies, and have been completely separate since July 18th, 2015.

So admittedly the split was very recent. But still this would be an opportunity for Amazon to finally step up their game by accepting PayPal - and what is more they had roughly a year to prepare for the July 18th split, as eBay announced plans to split PayPal off from the parent company back in 2014.

So will greed finally win out and consumers will finally have another option instead of credit cards (which are notoriously problematic to use online)...?

Only time will tell.

What I will tell you is that I have 6 items in my eBay Shopping Cart waiting to be paid for - and I am not going to bother buying them until eBay gets their act together.

Creed

On November 25th a new film is coming out featuring 'Rocky Balboa', except the film isn't about Rocky for once. It is about Apollo Creed's son.

If you are familiar with the Rocky film series you should know who Apollo Creed is - he was in 4 of the films after all and was killed during the 4th film by Soviet Union boxer Ivan Drago. What they don't talk about in that film and the films that follow is what happens to Apollo Creed's wife and son - and thus we come to the new film "Creed", due out in November.

Oddly enough the new Creed film sets the franchise up for more possible films in the future, with Rocky potentially coaching other boxers to success. One I would like to see: Rocky coaching a female Olympic boxer for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Timing wise the boxer in question could actually be his granddaughter.

Trailer Below



For fun here is a YouTube clip of the fight between Ivan Drago and Apollo Creed.

Forbidden Empire

"Forbidden Empire" is a horror / action film produced in Russia / Ukraine and it was released in the USA in May 2015.

However it never got a theatrical release in Canada, for some unknown reason.

That doesn't mean that this movie isn't very good however. It just means it didn't get a lot of press or media coverage in Canada. In the USA the film received mixed reviews, with some people really liking and others less so. In Russia the film set a new box office record, which gives a good indication that the film is actually good - despite it being an English film made in Czech Republic that was then dubbed into Russian. (Yes, I agree, that is weird.)

Truth be told, it is difficult for movies made in Russia, Asia, Europe, Africa or South America to do well in the USA - mostly due to poor distribution, and having almost nothing to do with the quality of the plot, the actors, the computer graphics, etc. It has a lot to do with the fact many of the film companies in Hollywood are part of conglomerates which also own television stations, traditional print media such as newspapers and magazines, and have access to a vast network of resources to advertise, promote and get their films into the theatres.

Also name wise the name "Forbidden Empire" sounds too much like the Chinese film "Forbidden Kingdom", and the two films are really nothing alike. But it does seem to cause confusion when trying to Google the name.

Below is the trailer for the film. My goal here however is not to review the film. It is to tempt the curious to watch the trailer, go "Whoa! This looks really good!" and then make an effort to see the film. If you end up liking or disliking the film please post your reviews in the comment section further below.

Blood Song, a Book Review

Review by C. Moffat.

• ISBN-10: 0425268284
• ISBN-13: 978-0425268285

I purchased a copy of "Blood Song" over a month ago at an Indigo. At the time I knew nothing about the fantasy author, Anthony Ryan, what I did know is that it was part of a three book trilogy called "Raven's Shadow" and the 2nd book "Tower Lord" had a recurve bow on the cover. That was basically it. I bought the first book of the trilogy just because of the cover of the 2nd book.

So reading the book I didn't really have high expectations. I knew zero about the author, and I had basically bought the book on a whim.

What I got however was a five star book that within the first several chapters made me wish someone would make a film based on the book. Half way through the book however I determined that "Blood Song" was too complex a book to be made into a film. Let me elaborate and hopefully I won't give away too many spoilers. 

"Blood Song" is about a young warrior monk named Vaelin Al Sorna who as a boy is left at the door of the Sixth Order - an elite order of warrior monks. The first several chapters feel a bit like reading Harry Potter books as the boy grows and is trained as a warrior, learning skills like swordsmanship,  archery, hand to hand fighting, wilderness survival/tracking/hunting, stealth, etc. By the time he is done his training Vaelin is basically part ranger, part warrior-monk. However this only provides you with a better understanding of Vaelin's childhood and training - and introduces you to several key plot points that come back later in the book.

The world of the "Raven's Shadow" trilogy is low magic, but what little magic does exist is called "the Dark" and is innate abilities that only a few possess. Combined with this is "the Faith", which is the dominant religion of the United Realm. The Faith is the belief not in a god, but in the Departed (dead souls) that speak to mankind from the Beyond. The Faith operates six orders dedicated to different topics, the sixth of which is the elite warrior-monks mentioned above.

Within the United Realm all is not well however, as they were united against their will and many parts of the realm are restless, which in turn causes skirmishes and wars. Outside of the realm is also the Alpiran Empire to the south, a wealthy region of city-states separated by vast deserts - and another source of potential war thanks to scheming and greedy leaders.

I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone reading this, so instead I am trying to give more background on the setting rather than spoil anything for would be readers. What I will say is that I was very happy with the storytelling and the ending. I can't wait to read the next two books.

UPS Vs USPS / Canada Post

I went to UPS earlier this evening at approx. 7 PM to pick up a package (a notice was left on my mailbox when I got home). Behold, the UPS location near Bayview and Eglinton was closed. They closed at 6 PM.

These are their hours.

Monday - 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Tuesday - 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Wednesday - 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Thursday - 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Friday - 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Saturday - 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Sunday - Closed

I also went to Canada Post on Bayview around the same time to pick up a separate package. Behold they were open!

These are their hours:

Monday - 10:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Tuesday - 08:00 AM - Midnight
Wednesday - 08:00 AM - Midnight
Thursday - 08:00 AM - Midnight
Friday - 08:00 AM - Midnight
Saturday - 08:00 AM - Midnight
Sunday - 08:00 AM - Midnight

Now think about this a bit.

Most people work 9 to 5 jobs. That means that if UPS closes at 6 PM and they want to pick up a package they need to rush to the UPS location after work, DURING RUSH HOUR, and try to get the store location before 6 PM so they can pick up their package.

When you order something online from the United States and have it sent via USPS (United States Postal Service) it gets transferred to the care of Canada Post when it arrives in Canada. And vice for Americans ordering things online from Canada, having it sent via Canada Post and then ultimately delivered by USPS.

I have NEVER had any problems with the quality of service or speed of Canada Post / USPS. In fact I have learned to trust them more than conventional courier companies. eg. I HATE DHL Express Courier.

I also really dislike how couriers charge extra for shipping across the Canada/USA border, even though the distance they are shipping might be less than shipping from say Florida to Texas. See my old post Courier Shipping Prices: Canada Vs USA. 

But what REALLY annoys me, on the topic of UPS versus USPS/Canada Post is that UPS is slow, has annoying hours when their location is actually open, and has the gall to charge people extra for what they claim is faster service...

However as shown by my recent purchase of three items of identical size and shape from two locations in the USA and from one location in Canada, all paid for around the same time, and shipped around the same time, the first item to arrive was USPS Priority Courier from the USA.

In contrast the UPS item showed up a day later but I decided to try and pick them both up the same day - earlier today.

The third item, shipped from Quebec, was the last of the three to be paid for and shipped and will likely arrive tomorrow. Oddly enough I will probably receive it before the UPS package simply because Canada Post has much better service/hours than UPS.

UPS might have a nice slogan and those brown uniforms their employees wear, but their service is horrible in my opinion.

Note - For reference the three items I purchased were three vintage bows on eBay.

A 1975 Browning Wasp Recurve Bow from Pointe-Claire, Quebec. [Canada Post]

A circa 1972 Black Hawk Avenger Recurve Bow from Vintondale, Pennsylvania. [USPS]

A circa 1966-67 Ben Pearson Cougar Recurve Bow from Cameron, Wisconsin. [UPS]

Three packages identical in size, all paid for within a 24 hour period and shipped within 24 hours after being paid for. The Black Hawk from Pennsylvania arrived first via USPS/Canada Post, the Ben Pearson from Wisconsin is currently being held in storage somewhere by UPS with its horrible hours, and the Browning from Quebec will likely arrive tomorrow via Canada Post because it was the last to be paid for and shipped.

The Browning and the Black Hawk were both paid for at the exact same time and shipped less than 24 hours later. Yet it was the USPS/Canada Post package that arrived first.

Also on the note left on my mailbox by UPS earlier today it says they are expecting C.O.D. (Cash On Delivery) of $37.68. Which is odd because I already paid for the shipping ahead of time when I purchased the item. I know this because I have the online receipt for it when I paid for it.

Therefore I am left with an odd conclusion. Either the person shipping it didn't pay for the shipping and sent it C.O.D. (even though I paid for the shipping ahead of time and he knows I paid for it because I have the online receipt). Or UPS has made an error and is claiming it was sent C.O.D. when it was not, either because they are greedy jerks who like to overcharge people or because their company is so shoddily run that they don't keep track of such things.

So is it:

Greedy / incompetent sender from Wisconsin.
Greedy courier company.
Incompetent courier company.

I am curious to know which. I shall try to find out on Friday when I attempt to pick up my package during the middle of the day. To be continued...

UPDATE!

UPS did eventually deliver the package and they left it in the mailroom of my apartment building leaning against the wall. A notice was left with it asking for a COD, but after a chat with the seller on eBay they ended up contacting UPS and getting rid of the COD and vowing never to use UPS ever again. On this we are both agreed upon.

Regarding the bows in question, as a separate review I must remark that the Browning Wasp is the one I enjoy the shooting the most. The Black Hawk Avenger is a bit small for me, but still enjoyable. And the Ben Pearson Cougar is likewise an enjoyable bow to shoot. Overall I am very happy with all three.

Man from U.N.C.L.E. Review

By C. Moffat.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the new Man from U.N.C.L.E. movie - in contrast to my girlfriend who refused to even go see it, so I went alone. I give it 4 stars out of 5.

The film was excellent and without ruining the plot I would say it was one of the best / funniest spy thrillers / action films in recent memory. I would rank it up next to the last James Bond film, "Skyfall".


I had never watched the original TV series Man from U.N.C.L.E., but having seen the new film I now want to.

Film remakes of spy thriller TV shows are sometimes pretty hit and miss. Here are two examples:

The Saint (1997) = Awesome. 5 Stars.

The Avengers (1998) = Pretty dismal and ridiculous. I give it 1 star.

I should also note that sometimes even James Bond films are pretty dismal - and sometimes get worse over time. Let me give you an example:

Goldeneye (1995) was an awesome film when it first came out, and did well financially, but over time you start to realize all the plot holes and some parts of the film are downright boring after you've seen them X number of times.

Various other James Bond films also suffer from a touch of the boring, especially "Thunderball".

Which brings me back to Man from U.N.C.L.E. and why I gave it 4 stars. It was a great film. Thoroughly enjoyed it. However will it stand the test of time now that I have already seen it and know the plot twists??? Hmm. Not so sure.

The film did set itself up for sequels however and I would watch those too.

Maybe someday someone will redo the Matt Helm series (originally starring Dean Martin). The Austin Powers series is basically a rip off of Matt Helm, but I think a more sophisticated actor could do a better job.