Welcome to the second installment of “A Vancouver Girl’s Guide to the iPhone“. The other morning I set out on a trusty #19 bus from downtown to Metrotown on a quest to find a case for my iPhone. Why didn’t I take the Skytrain? I had some time to kill and the direct bus 40 minutes straight up Kingsway is actually a very nice alternate route.
Upon arriving at the Crystal Mall [Google Map] I immediately felt like a hamster in some sort of maze experiment. The Crystal is one funky place.
Signs in multiple languages and smells of fresh cut flowers mixed with dried herbs and filleted salmon filled the air as I meandered through the circular passages to find a directory.
“Electronics” in the yellow zone – bingo! I headed over to that spoke in the wheel to find only one shop open. I peeked in and asked if they sold iPhone cases, which they didn’t but i was instructed to head over to J&K, which just happened to be closed that day. I wandered around the “Electronics” zone a little while longer and doubled back to where I started only to find Sim Star. For $10 I got a clear protector for my screen and a white silicone case.
NOTE: When purchasing a case make sure it’s specifically for the iPhone – not for the iPod Touch – otherwise it won’t have a hole on the back for the camera.
Unfortunately I didn’t have many more options as the other shops were closed for the day and I simply couldn’t wait to come back after the holidays. Otherwise I would have preferred a pink or blue silicone cover, but white will do for now. At least with the screen and body covered I won’t handle it as gingerly as before, and will actually put it up to my ear when I’m on the phone. However, I’m still a bit cautious and haven’t tried wearing diamond earrings cause those might scratch the glass. You know, if I had a pair of diamond earrings.
Cross posted from The Crazy Canucks website, our latest episode is now available for your listening pleasure.
So it’s been a while since the last episode. Big deal, wanna fight about it? And truth be told, the end of the year got really hectic for us to all link up and get a new one recorded. We tried a few times, but the real world kept getting in the way, not to mention a string of Canucks games. We love our podcast, but recording during the games? Not unless you’re buying the beer…. [Read More]
The Crazy Canucks Episode #54 – listen now, view the show notes, and subscribe. Run time 50:33.
Last February Tod Maffin’s photo outranked one of me in a bikini on my Flickr photo stream. This year, he was nominated as one of Wired’s “Sexiest Geeks of 2007“.
Welcome to the third annual Wired News Sexiest Geeks contest! Every year, we nominate the smartest, sexiest and most Wired men and women of the year… …Remember, geeks are not just computer nerds. They’re dedicated to the point of being obsessed, so smart they scare you, and hot in a possibly undefinable way. We know you know what we mean. [Wired]
Luckily, someone found me worthy (and geeky enough) to nominate me as well, which is pretty freakin’ cool.
As an erstwhile and once again Vancouver resident, Rebecca Bollwitt studiously documents the goings-on of the city’s burgeoning metropolitan and digerati scenes. As a result she’s developed quite a following among the local geek crowd, and bloggers in general. Her smart and sassy writing style combined with her penchant for wearing way-too small geek shirts makes Miss604 a must-read, and her honest-to-god technology credentials give her the chops to go a few rounds with the best of ’em. [Wired]
If I would have known I would have posted that photo of me in a g-string and a bra sitting on a zebra-printed bed. Oh wait, that’s already been done by the G4 chick. Regardless, I think the fact that folks think I’m a smart and computer-savvy cookie means more than anything.
If you feel like voting for me (or Tod), click the links above. I have no idea if there’s even anything to be won, but the incoming link love is pretty great now I need some new geeky message t-shirts eh.
Update: Apparently voting is still open and I’m in still in the Top 25, fun!
As a part of the happyfrog Testing Team I’ve had some cash at my disposal to go ahead and spend at local businesses or on local products. I came across a super neat handbag in a magazine a few days ago and although the bags aren’t handmade in BC (they’re from NYC) the store in which you can purchase them is 100% locally owned and eco-friendly so I’m hoping my listing on happyfrog is justified.
I took the 19 Metrotown bus over to Burnaby the other day (a great alternative to bus/skytrain connections) and on the way back I hopped off at Main and Kingsway. After meeting up with John, we skipped down to Lark, which is at 2235 Main Street. They didn’t have the Beck(y) Sk8bags out on display so I had to inquire about them. The sales girl was very helpful and emerged from the back room with an armful of styles, including the square tote, two clutches and about a dozen iPod cases.
Now the iPod cases are pretty clunky – seeing as how all these bags are made from recycled skateboards, so the Lark staff suggested they be used as a camera case and showed us how their Canon Powershot fit perfectly into the satin-laced pocket of the holder. I tried it out on my iPhone and decided that a leather case with satin on the inside and a wood plank on the outside would be pretty safe for whichever electronic device I wanted to store inside.
I’m actually pretty sure anything would withstand being dropped in this case. I was pretty much sold on the items before I waked in the door but after a couple of handy suggestions I sealed the deal and bought a nifty holder. Why not go with the clutch ($135)? I usually have too many things to carry and a purse with a strap is my best friend. The square tote would have been perfect but with a hefty price tag (more than the clutch), it just wasn’t in my budget.
I understand that I did end up spending a heck of a lot on a simple device holder but this is pretty much what the happyfrog assignment was designed to do. Get me out of the house spending dough on enviro-cool items at local retailers or salons and reporting back about how you can look up even more places on the happyfrog directory.
I’ll be creating a listing on happyfrog for Lark since they have locally designed merchandise, like handmade scarves from an organic alpaca farm but also environmentally-conscious doo-dads like the PO-ZU biodegradable slippers:
They come in boxes made of coconut and natural latex which is also used for the cushion inside the sole. With the box comes a packet of seeds which can be planted in the winter in your home and then in the summer you can take the whole box and plant it in your garden and it will biodegrade. [Lark’s blog]
Lark is located at 2315 Main Street, online at Lark8thAve.com and now on happyfrog under Fashion& Beauty.
The first thing we did in 2008 was smooch (yeah I know you wanted to know that). The next was hang out a bit more with the Carlsons, then we walked the 3 blocks home and snuggled into bed. The first thing we’re doing now that we’re up-and-atom for January 1st is snuggling on the couch, watching the Winter Classic. Even though the Pens and Sabres are playing, O! Canada is being sung since the game is taking place outdoors in Buffalo, which looks pretty darn cold since even the goalies and wearing toques over their masks.
After the chorus of “God Bless America”…. and the flyover by Blackhawk helicopters, the game will be underway. With the fireworks, excitement, and overhead shots of the PACKED stadium displaying our nation’s flags this game makes me wonder how on earth our 2010 Olympic ceremonies can compare (even to something like this) when they’ll be cramped inside BC Place.
This game is good for the America fans although we know most people watching right now are probably Canadian. The CBC’s coverage is pretty decent, actually calling the game while the announcers on NBC are talking about the weather. This is a real league game – not an exhibition – so we’ll see how it unfolds with the snow falling on the choppy ice, and how many more goals Sid can initiate since he just got an assist 21 seconds in.
Here are our first photos of 2008, taken with my iPhone:
Winter Classic 2008: Much needed warm up skate
Winter Classic 2008: Sid in Pens’ retro ice-blue
Lil’ hockey player Adam
Ariane organized a great event at the Alibi Room, where we had dinner
My new short hair for 2008
My Man
