NorthGeek

Sony Ericsson calls on EU to help save our planet

NorthGeek’s good friends at Sony Ericsson have informed us of an announcement made today by an alliance of global companies, including Sony Ericsson, demanding that the EU further restrict hazardous substances in consumer electronics. Joining forces with Sony Ericsson are Acer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and the public interest organizations ChemSec, Clean Production Action and the European Environmental Bureau.

Sony Ericsson has made products that showcase more sustainable materials available through their GreenHeart™ strategy which takes a holistic approach to reducing negative environmental impacts and positively affecting those who use its products. Sony Ericsson’s Naite™ handset is the first GreenHeart™ product available in Canada. Some of its environmental benefits include:

The official press release follows:

Sony Ericsson calls on EU to further restrict hazardous substances in consumer electronics

Sony Ericsson joins forces with an alliance of public interest organizations and global technology brands to persuade the European Parliament to ban the use of hazardous substances in consumer electronics from 2015 onwards.

Brussels 19 May 2010 – In a partnership announced today Sony Ericsson joined Acer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and public interest organizations ChemSec, Clean Production Action and the European Environmental Bureau, to call for a strengthening of the EU Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.

Currently the RoHS directive restricts some heavy metals and two types of BFR. However, Sony Ericsson along with other members of the alliance is calling for restrictions on all brominated flame retardants (BFR) as well as PVC. When BFR and PVC are incinerated under substandard recycling conditions, they form halogenated dioxins that are potent toxic chemicals. Sony Ericsson believes these brominated flame retardants and PVC should be phased out from electrical and electronic products as soon as possible. Over the past 18 months Sony Ericsson has been developing products without these unwanted substances and believes that substitute materials are available and could be rolled out across the industry with little disruption.

“Sony Ericsson is committed to a complete phase-out of halogenated organic substances from its products, and at the current time has phased out almost all brominated flame retardants (BFR),” said Daniel Paska, Environmental Expert at Sony Ericsson. “We believe the electronics industry has a responsibility to move proactively to find substitutes to replace BFR and PVC and are therefore calling on EU legislators to show leadership on this issue by voting to tighten the RoHS directive.”

Sony Ericsson along with the other members of the alliance will lobby EU legislators who are currently in the process of debating whether to tighten the existing RoHS directive and invites other members of the industry to join them.

“Sony Ericsson is committed to delivering products with the best possible environmental performance in the industry”, said Mats Pellbäck Scharp, Head of Corporate Sustainability at Sony Ericsson. “That is why we support strong environmental legislations. We have also introduced a range of GreenHeart™ pioneer phones that showcase more sustainable materials like recycled plastics, waterbourne paints and energy efficient chargers. We have also committed to making the majority of our 2011 portfolio compliant with GreenHeart™ requirements.
Sony Ericsson has to date phased out all PVC in its products and nearly all halogenated flame retardants.

For more information on GreenHeart™ and our environmental work, please visit the Sony Ericsson GreenHeart™ web page at http://www.sonyericsson.com/greenheart or the Sony Ericsson Greenheart™ blog at http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/greenheart/

Cliff Your Ride contest winner VIDEO

AutoTrader.ca’s Cliff Your Ride contest was won by a Montrealer with a 1992 Volvo 240 Wagon. I’m not sure why he says Sherbrooke is 2,000km from Montreal, but hey – if I’m going to see a car fly off a cliff, then I’ll watch! Enjoy:

Google’s IO can be viewed LIVE on YouTube (go figure)

You can watch the live stream right here on NorthGeek, or you can head over to the Google Developer’s channel on YouTube, to catch all of this week’s IO action LIVE, in beautiful HD (if you want). Enjoy!

[Note: If nothing is live right now, prerecorded content will be posted here.]

Winners of the BC Beer Awards 2010

To cap off the enjoyable Vancouver Craft Beer Week, the first ever BC Beer Awards were handed out on Friday at Vancouver’s Heritage Hall. Each category was awarded with Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners in a blind-judged beer competition for local commercial brewers. NorthGeek was at Hoppapalooza to savour some of these very beers ourselves, including (Yaletown Brew Pub) Iain Hill’s Brick and Beam IPA, the big winner: “Iain Hill has this beer dialed in right now. HUGE tropical fruit nose from the addition of Amarillo & Simcoe hops in the dry hop. Delicate. Incredible” (in the words of the Alibi Room).

Session Ale
1st Saltspring Golden Ale
2nd Howe Sound Garibaldi Pale Ale
3rd Whistler Honey Lager

Wheat Beer
1st Yaletown Hill’s Special
2nd Driftwood White Bark Wheat
3rd Steamworks ipanema Wheat

Lager
1st Vancouver Island Herman’s Dark Lager
2nd Okanagan Springs 1516 Lager
3rd Longwood Pilsner

Amber/Brown
1st Granville Island Nut Brown Ale
2nd Canoe Beaver Brown Ale
3rd Tree Brewing Hophead 45 Red Ale

Pale Ale
1st Central City Red Racer ESB
2nd Driftwood Ale
3rd Central City Red Racer Pale Ale

Other Dark
1st Phillips Skookum Cascadian Dark Ale
2nd Okanagan Spring Black Lager
3rd Fat Cat Bunny’s Black and Tan

Fruit Flavored
1st Storm Black Currant Lambic
2nd Phillips Longboat Chocolate Porter
3rd Swans Coconut Porter

IPA
1st Yaletown Brick and Beam IPA
2nd High Mountain Wodward’s IPA
3rd Central City Red Racer IPA

Stouts / Porters
1st Phillips The Hammer Imperial Stout
2nd Lighthouse Keeper’s Stout
3rd Howe Sound Diamond Head Stout

Spiced / Seasonal
1st Yaletown Oud Bruin
2nd Tree Brewing Spiced Reserve
3rd Driftwood Farmhand Ale

Strong Beer
1st Driftwood Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine
2nd Central City Thor’s Hammer Barley Wine
3rd Swans Scotch Ale

BEST OF SHOW
Ian Hill’s Yaletown Brick and Beam IPA

Iain Hill, Head Brewer Yaletown Brewing Company, via yaletown.ca

NFB Online Short Film Contest – Love and Theft

Love and Theft is Andreas Hykade‘s entry into The National Film Board of Canada’s Online Short Film Contest. Wow, truly mesmerizing:

Check out the other 10 short-listed entries here. Public voting for this contest ends May 17, but don’t forget how much amazing content is available for free always on the NFB.ca site!

This entry appears to be the only Canadian one — The Technician by Simon Olivier Fecteau:

Beer can chicken – yummm!

Our good friends over at Broil King, the BBQ experts, have provided us with a delicious recipe for making beer can chicken. We hope to get some video footage of us making this recipe on a sweet new 2010 Broil King (I’m personally hoping for the Porta-Chef Pro – click on the image below for full-size).

The steaming beer keeps the meat moist while the high heat crisps the skin, delivering a perfect bird each time, every time. Genius Tip: Make sure that the bird is well balanced before closing lid. Otherwise your bird may tip, spilling the beer. When removing cooked chicken from grill, use oven mitts and be careful not to spill contents of beer can as it will be very hot. Let the bird rest 10 minutes before removing can.

1 whole chicken about 4 lbs. 1 can beer (16 oz – tall boy) 2 tablespoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 3 tablespoons of your favourite dry spice rub 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Remove neck and giblets. Discard. Rinse chicken inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with oil then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub. Set aside.

Preheat barbecue on HIGH.

Open beer can and pour off half of the beer. Place beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can.

Turn one side of the burner completely off and the other side to MEDIUM. Place the bird-on-a-can on the side that is turned off to use the indirect cooking method. Balance the bird on it`s two legs and the can like a tripod. Make sure it is well balanced before closing the lid.

Cook the bird over MEDIUM indirect heat for aproximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature reads 170 degrees F (77 degrees C) in the breast area and 180 degrees F (83 degrees C) in the thickest part of the thigh.

Carefully remove from grill using oven mits. Let rest for 10 minutes before removing can. Becareful not to spill, contents will be hot. Carve chicken and serve immediately.

For more great BBQ recipes visit Broil King’s On the Grill website.

NorthGeek tour of R&B Brewing Co. in Vancouver

This week, NorthGeek went to the R&B Brewing Co. headquarters and master brewery for a free tour of the facility. As part of Vancouver Craft Beer Week, Rick (the “R” from R&B) gave us a great (and FREE) tour. Afterwards, we caught up with Aly, Rick, and Barry from R&B and discussed what’s next for the small Vancouver brewery, what VCBW means to them, and what advice they have for beer enthusiasts looking to start brewing their own masterpieces. Here’s the video:

R & B Brewing – Hoppelganger IPA (NorthGeek Beer Review Series)

We drank Hoppelganger earlier this week, from the bottle, then got to enjoy a tour of the brewery as part of the Vancouver Craft Beer Week. And then, yes, we had more Hoppelganger.

Name: Hoppelganger IPA
Style: Northwest style India Pale Ale
Brewery: R & B Brewing Co
Brewery Location: Vancouver, BC

Color: Amber, slight red
Apparent Flavours (according to DW & NB): Slight hoppy, orange, floral, some bitterness (fits with the slight hoppy)

NB Summary: Formerly called Hop Goblin, the Hoppelganger is a very drinkable IPA. It’s a nice combination of five hop varieties and premium english malt. For someone new to bitter IPAs, this is a great start and easily likable, as it’s well balanced and not overly bitter or hoppy. The first impression is that it’s sweet and pleasantly malty and would easily accompany lots of meals. It’s not as distinct or strong willed as some other Northwest style IPAs, but I will definitely drink this one again, especially considering the brewery is just a hop from where I live (support local).

DW Summary: As a fan of true (American-style) IPAs, I was quite pleased with R&B’s Hoppelganger. It’s a really easy-drinking bitter beer – not overly bitter, and the hops are not overwhelming – just right, in my opinion. Very refreshing. After seeing the brewing process at the R&B brewery (great tour led by Rick – the “R” in R&B), my appreciation for this beer in particular is stronger than ever. Looking forward to opening up another jumbo bottle soon.

~~

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 8/10
Aftertaste 11/15
Bottle/Packaging 4/5
I would recommend this beer 9/10

TOTAL: 64/80

DW’s NorthGeek Beer Taster Ratings:

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

Taste 18/20
Smell 8/10
Goes down easy 8/10
Head consistency 6/10
Aftertaste 13/15
Bottle/Packaging 3/5
I would recommend this beer 10/10

TOTAL: 66/80

NORTHGEEK TOTAL: 65/80

What are your thoughts on this beer?

TIMEX Canada Wants to Hear Your Greatest TIMEX Stories

Here at NorthGeek, we get a lot of requests to promote contests and events that would be of interest to Canadians in general, tech geeks, outdoor enthusiasts, and more. We were recently sent this press release from TIMEX Canada – makers of innovative timepieces – and thought that our fellow NorthGeeks would be interested in taking part in this fun contest that comes with a chance to win a trip to either Paris, St. Lucia or Costa Rica. Not too shabby!! The official press release (including full contest details) follows:

Toronto, ON (May 13, 2010) – For the last 150 years, Canadians have collected stories about TIMEX timepieces that have survived bear attacks, thousands of volts of electricity and decades under water. TIMEX Canada, makers of the most durable and fashionable watches, wants to hear about your favourite TIMEX story. From extreme adventurers who constantly attest that their TIMEX takes a licking and keeps on ticking, to those who rely on their favourite timepiece to keep them on schedule – we want to hear your story.

TIMEX is asking Canadians to go to www.TIMEXstories.ca and share your TIMEX story with the rest of Canada. One lucky entrant will win a trip to either Paris, St. Lucia or Costa Rica.

“TIMEX has a long and rich heritage of providing Canadians some of the most dependable and durable timepieces ever created,” said Adam Mintz, Brand Manager for TIMEX Group Canada Inc. “For years now people have been quietly sending us their stories of how their TIMEX kept them on time, helped them find their way home or just wouldn’t stop working. We wanted to create a forum for both long time TIMEX users and new users alike to talk about their adventures and see just how far other Canadians have taken their favourite TIMEX timepiece.”

“TIMEX has been the dependable timepiece that people have insisted on having with them. TIMEX has been with you for birthdays and getaways for your grand adventures and great nights at home and now we want to hear all about it,” continued Mintz.

Canadians can visit www.TIMEXstories.ca to share their stories and an image of their favourite TIMEX timepiece, read stories from others and rate their favourite stories. The overall winner will be chosen by TIMEX Canada based on the Top 10 entries as rated by Canadians. The overall winner will be announced in late June 2010.

How you can win –
There are three of ways that you can be a winner in the TIMEX Stories contest. First, you can throw your hat into the ring by submitting your own TIMEX story and letting the rest of Canada rate your story for your chance to win your choice of one of our three amazing vacations. Secondly, by submitting your TIMEX Story at www.TIMEXstories.ca you are automatically entered for your chance to win one of five random draws for a $200 credit towards the purchase of your next TIMEX timepiece. Finally if you don’t think you have a story that will get you to the top of the charts, don’t worry. When you go to www.TIMEXstories.ca and rate some of the great stories we have received, you will be entered into a secondary draw for one of five $200 TIMEX prize package – so you can start creating your own TIMEX stories.

Habs win game 7 vs Pens, televised at Bell Centre

Our friend Chris took this video tonight at the Bell Centre. In his words: …during the televised Game 7 of the Montreal & Pittsburgh series. Montreal wins the game 5-2 and wins the series in 7 games 4-3. After the game, see footage of fans spilling out of the Bell Centre onto the streets of Montreal and taking over Ste-Catherine. Go Habs Go!

Well done, Chris!