NorthGeek

Artists for Haiti – We Are The World 25

Some Canadians in this one, as well!

When I get older, I will be stronger, they’ll call me freedom

This is a beautiful, inspirational song written and originally performed by K’naan, a Somalian-born Torontonian musician. This rendition showcases an incredibly impressive roster of Canadian talent, making up Young Artists for Haiti. Have a look and listen, it gave me the “proud to be Canadian” shivers…

Special thanks to our boy, Alfredo.

Shut up. You had me at “Steaming platter of spaghetti!”

Who says NASCAR fans aren’t into book-learnin’ ?

Deadspin has a hilarious ongoing series where they post excerpts from NASCAR-themed Harlequin romance novels. Yeah, that’s actually a thing. It’s amazing stuff. The comments are pretty good, too.

http://deadspin.com/5492213/tailpipe-she-looked-as-sexy-as-hell

NorthGeek Product Review: Sony Ericsson Naite eco-friendly GSM mobile phone

Sony Ericsson recently launched their GreenHeart™ initiative, with the aim of offering an environmentally friendly option to mobile phone users. As the company puts it, GreenHeart™ “introduces green innovations that reduce the overall environmental impact of the phone without compromising on style or features.”

We think they did a great job with the Naite. The Naite is a $25 (with plan) compact phone, now available from Fido in Canada, that does pretty much what you’d expect from any compact candybar phone in 2010 – it has a solid 2.0 megapixel camera, and another mini cam on the front of the phone for video calling; is 3G compatible; has a solid TFT screen with excellent clarity, brightness, and color; and is email ready, with a WAP browser as well.

For more details and a closer look, check out our video [sorry, we lent our HD video camera to a friend at SXSW, so please enjoy this standard def review]:

To keep the video under 10 minutes for YouTube, we had to cut out some parts… Here’s what you missed:

Available colours:
– Vapour Silver
– Ginger Red

Dimensions: 108.0 x 47.0 x 12.6 mm

Leave it to the Germans to be logical

Bucking the industry trend of making every new version of a car or SUV heavier than the last, VW’s new SUV has gone on a diet. That alone is not exactly newsworthy, until one realizes how substantial that diet has been. Indeed, it seems “Frau VW” has been hitting both the elliptical trainer and Activia yoghurt like a fiend, and it’s showing.

VW appears to have come to their senses and asked themselves, “If ze customers don’t vant to go off ze road, zen vy do vee keep building our cars like zis?” Then they answered this question by ridding the Touareg, VW’s biggest SUV, of its burly, off-road-specific mechanical bits, decreasing the vehicle’s price and weight in the process.

For the tiny fraction of current Touareg owners who actually venture off-road, VW will still offer the complicated, heavy, off-road gear as an extra-cost option. For the rest of the pavement-bound customers, VW will employ a less heavy-duty AWD system, one that’s more suited to on-road performance than to rock crawling up the side of a mountain. All in, this eschewing of unneeded 4wd mechanical complexity translates to a 450 lb. weight savings. That’s the weight of 3 people, or 2 decent-sized bratwurst platters.

With the lower weight, the Touareg’s already-impressive on-road performance will undoubtedly improve. Factor that in with the typical Volkswagen/Audi 1st class interior and exterior design, and this truck is sure to be a sales success.

So to review, the Touareg will weigh 10% less, will be more fuel efficient, thanks to new Hybrid and diesel options, will drive better, and will be even better looking. This is around the time I realize it’s too good to be true, and my Jewish self reminds me these guys were, in darker times, the industrial apple of Hitler’s eye. Even still, VW builds some nice cars.

Thanks to Autoblog for the photo

Our friend, Phil – Part II

One of our first posts on NorthGeek.com was a short film starring our good friend, Phil Dubrovsky in an elevator. It was funny stuff. This video is a bit different, as it shows our buddy Phil outside, and it’s a TV commercial, not a short film. It’s a great ad! That’s my unbiased opinion.

Stellar performance, Phil. Enjoy:

The Phantom HD camera, high-speed filmography, music, & Stephen Hawking – all very cool things.

This is a very cool clip of some high-speed footage captured with the impressive Phantom HD camera (in my opinion, a RED with uber-cool high-speed capabilities), and interesting music which I am assuming is taking either actual audio from, or at least quotes from acclaimed theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking. Enjoy!

[UPDATE 03/09/10] — For those of you interested in purchasing this beast of an HD cam to capture your home videos, you’ll have to prioritize your purchases… If you’re into nice cars, don’t buy one, you’ll need your $118K for this Phantom HD camera. If you want some kick-ass HD capabilities in a smaller form factor and smaller budget, I would check out the RED Scarlet – here.

For those interested in high-speed filmography, check this video out, too – also shot with the Phantom:

NorthGeek at the Olympics

It has been quite the memorable two weeks for us during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. We hope you enjoyed it too. Here are some highlights!

Without a doubt, seeing Jenn Heil rip down the Cypress mogul course for a silver medal on day two of the Games was a highlight:

Perhaps the most exciting events in the Winter Games is the men’s 5000m short track speed skating relay. The result did not disappoint:

The winner of the men’s 500m (that is SHORT and FAST!) short track speed skating final crossed the line BACKWARDS! Check it out:

During an “intimate” concert at Molson Canadian Hockey House, Sam Roberts was joined onstage by none other than the Canadian and his-great-quirkiness Shaun Majumder. He is quickly dragged offstage until he probably says something to stay and dance as a true Canada hockey superfan:

Check out our other Olympics videos here!

Some pictures from NorthGeek’s adventures. The morning after the Opening Ceremonies, here’s the torch at Canada Place:

A view of the Olympic torch and Vancouver skyline from Stanley Park — what a photogenic city:

Day 1 of the Olympics, here’s Daniel and Noah at the women’s moguls, getting slightly wet but not distressed:

NorthGeek with Canadian darling Jenn Heil:

NorthGeek at men’s moguls for Alex Bilodeau gold, Canada’s first gold on Canadian soil!

Sam Roberts Band covered in Canada:

Noah with Canadian skeleton golden boy Jon Montgomery. What a phenomenal guy:

A wet Jet with fireworks at the Whistler Celebration site:

The short track women’s relay team from Canada jumps for silver:

The Robson street crowd after Canada hockey gold:

Here are more photos our Flickr Olympics set.

Noah’s personal Facebook photo album is here.

Nesters Contest Series: Win Cake (contest #1)

Yes, it’s very true. NorthGeek and Zedmo won free groceries for a year from Nesters in Vancouver. This means we’re going to eat well and have some fun with it all. First off, a contest! Stay tuned for weekly adventures and prizes to be won (from our bounty, that is).

Contest #1 details:
What: the most imaginative photo posted online (err perhaps on Twitpic or Flickr or Facebook) of you with this sign declaring our win at Nesters

Who: anyone willing to collect your prize around Nesters in Gastown Vancouver
When: we’ll decide on the best entry by Friday March 26 5pm PST
How: share it with NorthGeek’s Facebook page, post the link as a comment below, hashtag it with #whatyoutweat, or @reply @NorthGeek

The prize: a dozen St Patrick’s Day themed cupcakes (or equivalent).

Come out and win some CAKE!

Dan goes to the Olympics

Our famous writer Dan shares his Olympics experiences here at NorthGeek. Check out his other blog TheWordShow.com!

My Dad invited me to join him for a trip to Vancouver to watch the tail end of the Olympic games. Sure, one might say, that sounds like an amazing opportunity and a splendid father-son trip. Fact is, joining him out West not an easy decision. There was a lot of important work to be done back home in Montreal. Besides my laundry piling up, there was the matter of my hyper-stressful day job, which involves helping rurally located, plus-sized clothing shoppers ensure they are receiving the best possible customer service experience – all I‘m saying is air traffic controllers and hostage negotiators should spend a day in my shoes.

I had also been putting off teaching myself the entire Lynyrd Skynyrd song catalogue on my acoustic guitar, and felt that the time had come to pick up my dusty “axe” and make good on this commitment. Bode Miller might have been lying in agonizing wait for 4 years for his elusive gold medal, but I would not watch him compete until I had mastered the guitar solo on “Free Bird.”

Finally, I had just purchased my first set of cross country skis, and before Pops presented me with the offer to join him in Vancouver, I had every intention of using the days of late February to break in my skis, perfect a decent waxing technique, work on my upper-body form, etc., etc.

Sure, one might argue, cross country skiing is an enjoyable hobby, but it pales in comparison to watching Olympic-level cross country skiers battling out on the world stage. For most people, yeah, I guess so. Not for this guy. So it was with a heavy heart that I begrudgingly accepted the offer to go see the Olympics.

Of course, I’m kidding. The Olympics were incredible. That they were in our home country and in beautiful Vancouver made it a truly unforgettable experience. On top of that, we were invited there as VIP guests of a big Canadian company, who had pulled out all the stops for us, putting us up in a swank hotel, feeding us food and drink at every turn, and affording us special access to meet various athletes, celebrities, luminaries of Canadian business, and, of course, tickets to see the events themselves.

Indeed, what I learned about corporate-sponsored events is this: if viewing a concert given by a c-list Canadian pop star is merely bearable, then viewing said concert whilst downing free cocktails and edible-by-hand lamb chops, all served by pretty waitresses who are forced to banter with you, makes the concert amazing. Really amazing. But more on that later.

The next few days, I’ll be describing to you the highlights of what I saw, who I met, what I ate, and where I went. If at any time you find this dull and not entertaining, feel free to log out and not read anything I write ever again – honestly, I won’t be upset: I saw the Gold medal hockey game and watched Canada win in overtime – I’m not going to be upset about anything for a long, long time.

Stay tuned, amigos.