NorthGeek

We faked solving a Rubik’s Cube

Not so well, but thought it was fun anyway. Have a look-see:

We all love those early mornings

Our friends over at yourKloset have put together a great little video (with two ‘average’ looking individuals, if we do say so ourselves) making light of the early morning struggle so many of us face. If I were that dude, I’d have a tough time leaving the bed after waking up with her, too… This short is called a “Fashion Film” and is really well done. Enjoy!

Motorola Droid can solve a Rubik’s Cube

Howe Sound Brewing – Devil’s Elbow India Pale Ale (NorthGeek Beer Review Series)

Here were are kicking off our love of beers through some pre-Vancouver Craft Beer Week reviews. Stay tuned for more!

Name: Devil’s Elbow India Pale Ale
Style: IPA
Brewery: Howe Sound Brewing
Brewery Location: Squamish, BC

Color: Mid-dark golden brown
Apparent Flavours (according to DW & NB): Nutmeg, dry hops, bitterness, orange rind, grapefruit, grass, copper

DW Summary: This strong IPA sticks to its BC roots (or Western North American roots, really) by having a large amount of hops, and offering a very bitter beer that I find difficult to categorize as a “pale” anything. A great meal companion, this beer goes down easier with spiciness or saltiness, otherwise it is a bit of a harsh (yet very tasty) beer. The light but dense foamy head makes for a nice preview as you take your first sip!

NB Summary: Here’s a big bitter West Coast IPA from Squamish, in a big 1L “resealable” bottle. Actually, it’s made with English and North American barley and hops, so the IPA is a bit of a misnomer. It’s got a unique sweet aroma, not hoppy at all, but the taste is anything but. Good things: citrus, more than average hoppy, frothy head, local. Not as good things: a little too carbonated. I will drink this again.

DW’s NorthGeek Beer Taster Ratings:

This beer is a: Casual drinking beer / Meal companion beer / Dessert beer

Taste 16/20
Smell 8/10
Goes down easy 6/10
Head consistency 9/10
Aftertaste 13/15
Bottle/Packaging 5/5
I would recommend this beer 7/10

TOTAL: 64/80

NB’s NorthGeek Beer Taster Ratings:

This beer is a: Casual drinking beer / Meal companion beer / Dessert beer

Taste 15/20
Smell 9/10
Goes down easy 8/10
Head consistency 9/10
Aftertaste 13/15
Bottle/Packaging 2/5
I would recommend this beer 8/10

TOTAL: 64/80

NORTHGEEK TOTAL: 64/80

What are your thoughts on this beer? On bitter West Coast IPAs? Share in the comments below.

NorthGeek Review: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

By now you all know that we have been in possession of a brand spankin’ new, white Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 courtesy of Sony Ericsson Canada (@SonyEricssonCA on Twitter). This cool new Android handset, running Google’s OS in version 1.6, comes in a sexy casing with a solid 8 megapixel Sony camera built-in, LED flash, a truly impressive 4″ touchscreen (at a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels), and boasts Qualcomm’s blazing fast 1GHz Snapdragon processor. To enjoy your various media in Sony Ericsson’s proprietary Mediascape media browser, they even throw in an 8GB microSD card. If you’re an online social maven, then you’ll enjoy Sony Ericsson’s own Timescape – an aggregated timeline of you and your friends’ Twitter, Facebook, and email updates.

We played with the device for nearly a week and put together this video review for your enjoyment and education. Let us know (in the comments or by tweeting us at @NorthGeek) if you have any questions! Enjoy:

Create your own view – anywhere!

Now, this is pretty cool stuff. According to uncrate.com, the Winscape is “based on two 46-inch Panasonic TC-P46G10 plasma screens, a Mac running specialized software, a Wii remote, a custom-built IR-emitting necklace, and an iPhone app, Winscape creates two virtual windows, which can display static images up to 4096×4096 resolution, or 1080p video — with sound — and tracks the necklace wearer’s movements around the room, realistically changing the view out of the ‘windows’ accordingly.”

Vancouver Schools to rally community to recycle E-waste this Earth Day

NorthGeek has been made aware of an excellent initiative involving a few Vancouver-based high schools – we wanted to help spread the word. BEST OF LUCK to the students involved, and be sure to help out, NorthGeeks!

Students aiming to recycle more than 30,000 kilograms of E-waste through Best Buy’s Tech It Away program.

To help divert some of the 270,000 tonnes of electronic waste that end up in Canadian landfills each year, Best Buy Canada has teamed up with three Vancouver high schools to lead a city-wide E-waste recycling drive through its Tech It Away program on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22. On that day, Vancouverites can drop off their used, broken or unwanted personal electronics for free and safe recycling at one of the three schools and do their part to help keep Canada green.

The official event site can be found here: http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/techitaway.aspx

The participating schools – Eric Hamber Secondary, Killarney Secondary and Sir Charles Tupper Secondary – will each receive $10,000 in grants in honour of their environmental effort. Plus, as added incentive, the school that collects the most electronics for recycling will receive $2,000 to fund a student-led environmental initiative. Last year participating schools recycled 30 tonnes of E-waste and this year the students are aiming to beat that benchmark.

What: Students from three Vancouver secondary schools will host E-recycling events for their communities at large
A variety of electronics will be accepted including: TVs, Computers, Laptops, Printers, Cell Phones, Batteries, DVD players and more. A full list is available at http://www.bestbuy.ca/techitaway

When: Thursday, April 22, from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Where: Best Buy Tech it Away events will take place at:

NorthGeek Unboxing: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

Thanks to Sony Ericsson Canada, we have our paws on this slick little device. Stay tuned for some hands-on impressions in the coming days. In the meantime, here’s a quick unboxing video to whet your appetites:

Please be patient, the video may still be processing so its FULL HD delight might not be there yet…

UQAM’s got a feeling!

How is this video from my own backyard and getting over 5-million views, but I just find out about it today??

Google loves sponsoring talent for YouTube videos

I posted recently about the amazing Ninja Unboxing video that Google sponsored. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should! Check this one out, too – another Google-sponsored video, quite impressive: