Police 999
Fire 990
Ambulance 811
Anti Crime Hotline 555
Kidnapping Hotline 623-6793
Click here for list of POLICE Station Direct Numbers
Click here for list of FIRE Station Direct Numbers
Another link that has emergency contact telephone numbers listed
http://www.tntisland.com/police.html
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Best apps for Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (Symbian S60 5th edition)
Here is a reminder of the phone's basics:
- 3.2", bright nHD 640 x 360 pixels and 16:9 aspect ratio screen. (It is called the nHD screen because it is basically 1/9th of a HD screen)
- Resistive touch screen (you can choose different levels for the phone to vibrate when you touch it)
- Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR
- Accelerometer Sensor
- Battery: BL-5J 3.7V 1320mAh
I have been tryin out a few free apps for my phone and these are the ones I highly recommend.
UTILITIES
Opera Mobile Browser: A web browser that can have multiple tabs open and supports cut, copy, paste. The built in keyboard is well made and nokia should take a note of it.
Bright Light : It is an app that turns the two LEDS next to the camera ON or OFF with the control being the picture of a large switch, BRILLIANT! This should have been built into the phone but luckily you can get it on the net for free. The Ovi store had it for free last year but it is just under $10TTD now.
Phone Torch: An alternative to 'Bright Light' which gives you more options if you want it. The 'change color' button switches between the two white leds and the red led which is much dimmer. You also get a morse code blinker that you can type words into and it is supposed to signal it with the leds. I do not know how accurate the codes are but it does blink when you tell it to.
Y-Browser : This is a file manager that lets you see all files on your phone. There are multiple drives (partitions?) on your phone that File Manager does not let you see and also files that it does not show.
Counter: This is a running counter for the number of times you tap the big '+' or '-' in the app and it vibrates as you tap. Whenever you close and go back into the app it shows the last count you made and you can go up of down in it as you normally would. It is very responsive and can keep up with rapid tapping. There is space for a 4 digit number on the counter and it also has a '0' or reset button. Made by Offscreen Technologies Ltd.
Fring: A messaging app that can connect to multiple platforms (msn, google, yahoo, skype, fring etc.) and puts all contacts in one list. You can make free voice or video calls once the other person supports it. It uses a data connection so beware of when it connects if you use it on free wifi only else you will be charged.
GAMES
Minesweeper: Free from the Ovi store, this is the classic game with no frills really. A good way to kill time. The game only shows in portrait mode, landscape mode leaves the screen as it was so you can still play but with things tilted. I recommend plaing with the stylus for accuracy.
Bubble Bash!: Shoot different colored balls up to match other and when three or more meet you score until you clear the screen. You progress through stages on different sections of a tropical island and have to beat a boss after each section. For each stage you get a gold, silver or bronze trophy depending on how quickly you finish it. Your choices are a boy or girl to hit the balls up and they win clothes they can change into and pieces of a treasure map. I'm not sure what the map shows but I'm yet to see a treasure map that disappoints. You can replay the stages to get more points for your final score of to get a better trophy. The stages vary enough to keep you interested and the music is well made. The game only works in portrait mode. I recommend plaing with the stylus for accuracy.
Bubble Bash!: Shoot different colored balls up to match other and when three or more meet you score until you clear the screen. You progress through stages on different sections of a tropical island and have to beat a boss after each section. For each stage you get a gold, silver or bronze trophy depending on how quickly you finish it. Your choices are a boy or girl to hit the balls up and they win clothes they can change into and pieces of a treasure map. I'm not sure what the map shows but I'm yet to see a treasure map that disappoints. You can replay the stages to get more points for your final score of to get a better trophy. The stages vary enough to keep you interested and the music is well made. The game only works in portrait mode. I recommend plaing with the stylus for accuracy.
Very addictive and Made by Gameloft.
Boom Blox: You get to shoot cannon balls at blocks on steps. The goal is the shoot off only the blocks that do not matter or that count for points using a limited number of shots. You can choose how hard you fire and at what corner you hit the blocks. Choosing the right blocks and angles gives chain reactions that knock other blocks the right way and you score more points. Trophies are earned by the number of points you make. As you go left or right your perception of the blocks changes so it's like looking at it in 3D. This works in portrait or landscape mode. Use the stylus for accuracy.
Made by Electronic Arts Inc.
Made by Electronic Arts Inc.
Touch Popper: Are you a fan of bubble wrap? WHO ISN'T?!?? You get a screen full of plastic bubbles to pop. They regenerate (soft of in order) by the time you finish the current screenfull, about two seconds later. You can play in two modes: Free play or Timed mode. The first lets you pop until you drop, the second gives you 60 seconds to pop as many as you can and hopefully be listed in the High Scores table. The sound of the pop could have sounded a little more plasticy but it works. The phone also vibrates when you pop. This only works in portrait mode. The stylus for needed for accuracy.
Made by Activate.
For more apps and to solve your problem of the error message similar to "Application not signed" etc, go to this site and register, submit you IMEI and you can get the apps signed for free as well as download more apps for free.
Movie Towne Chaguanas Now Open
I went to see Legion at Movie Towne Chaguanas and was disappointed. The outside of the theatre was covered with dusty footprints made by people walking by the neighbouring unfinished sections of the building. There were open doors and doors missing with chemical containers and garbage in the same sections. The outside of the theatre looks nice and well done. I went into the glass doors to the confectionery and game room without showing my ticket. In there above you are four space men fighting each other on suspended platforms. The entire interior is a space or spaceship theme. The tickets are the same price as the other branches. In the theatre the seats were well spaced as I could leave the middle of the row while the movie was going on and not disturb any ones feet when I was going past them, I like that. The seats needed a little too much leaning back to get them to stay reclined but I'm sure that will change after enough use. The armrests between seats cannot be lifted up and hidden away as in Invaders Bay. There was still the scent of paint and/or new fabric in the air and I was a little uncomfortable with it. The atmosphere in the theatre was a watered down feeling of the POS feeling though, I don't know how else to explain it. It was clean and as it should be but something was still missing from this theatre. The wash rooms are a similar and smaller layout to the POS building as well.
On the way out of the parking lot I was confused by the arrows on the ground as they said go ahead but none pointed to an exit. There was caution tape on what I was going to call a main exit but I had to pass under two anchor lines from a pole at the far corner of the lot. There needs to be more directions for the traffic to know where to go. The road at the back of Price Smart is deplorable and I do not recommend using it unless you have a SUV or a high clearance vehicle. There is a bottle neck going back on the main road with the traffic lights as there is a four way intersection by the side of Rituals/ Super Pharm on a narrow street. When the rest of buildings are complete I am guessing the parking lot will have a second exit onto the main road and away from that intersection.
I am sure the increased traffic is welcomed by the fish and shrimp vendor who is still there bestowing the traffic with his aromatic delicacies.
Link to movies showing at the Chaguanas branch of Movie Towne:
http://www.movietowne.com/nowshowing-chaguanas.shtml
On the way out of the parking lot I was confused by the arrows on the ground as they said go ahead but none pointed to an exit. There was caution tape on what I was going to call a main exit but I had to pass under two anchor lines from a pole at the far corner of the lot. There needs to be more directions for the traffic to know where to go. The road at the back of Price Smart is deplorable and I do not recommend using it unless you have a SUV or a high clearance vehicle. There is a bottle neck going back on the main road with the traffic lights as there is a four way intersection by the side of Rituals/ Super Pharm on a narrow street. When the rest of buildings are complete I am guessing the parking lot will have a second exit onto the main road and away from that intersection.
I am sure the increased traffic is welcomed by the fish and shrimp vendor who is still there bestowing the traffic with his aromatic delicacies.
Link to movies showing at the Chaguanas branch of Movie Towne:
http://www.movietowne.com/nowshowing-chaguanas.shtml
Saturday, January 30, 2010
What is a Navigational Rally
There is a very good description of all the details you need to know about what a Navigational Rally is at the link below done by http://www.carstt.com. I have done a few of these over the past couple years and I recommend it to everyone.
Rallying is usually done on a Sunday when the roads are less busy and most people are free. It is normally around $100 ttd to register a car and you need at least three people in the car: a driver , navigator and a 'runner'. Basically, you drive around following directions from a map that you only see as you drive out of the compound and your time has started to run. All road rules are followed and you are not supposed to drive at high speeds. Along the course you have to answer questions on things you pass and collect treasure items for points. At random points on the course you will pass Check Points and your progress will be noted at those points. Whether you are the driver getting cuss for going to slow on the main road and stopping suddenly when the navigator misses a turn, or the navigator that is holding the map upside down, or the runner that has to use social engineering and/or quick reflexes to obtain the very valuable half ripe julie mango from inside a property with pitbull patrolling, you are in for a treat.
During the rally there are fun stops where you do something silly for points that usually go towards your final score. At the end your final score is tallied and winners are announced depending on categories of Novice, Intermediate, Expert etc. The prizes are not usually very fantastic but you do learn allot of back roads and make friends along the way.
Good description of a Navigational Rally http://www.carstt.com/navigational-fun.html
Lots of pics of 51 degrees Rally last year from www.trinituner.com.
How to repair radiator or air condition fan motor
This is a step by step guide on how to repair an electric radiator or air condition (a/c) fan motor for almost any vehicle. The motors are all made basically the same way inside. There will be variations is the shape of the parts depending on the space the motor is designed to fit. There may also be different arrangement of washers and/or bearings so pay attention to what is in your particular motor.
You would want to try this procedure if your car is engine or a/c fan is not spinning when it is supposed to. The easiest way to check if he fans are working is to start the car and put the a/c on. Both fans are supposed to be running now. If you have one fan being driven from the engine via a belt or shaft from the engine then once the engine is running that fan will spin. In this case there will usually be an electric fan running when the a/c comes on. If you have 2 electric fans and the a/c is off, usually one comes on and off when needed to cool the engine or let it heat up and this fan is controlled by a sensor. Having the a/c on forces both fans to run.
If a fan is not spinning when it is supposed to you can connect the contacts from it to a 12 volt supply like directly to the battery to check if there is a wiring fault and not the fan itself. Changing the polarity of the wires to the fan (switching red and black) will cause the fan to spin in the other direction. This is not desired since the blades on the fan are slanted to blow air in only one direction so having them spin the wrong way will cause no air to flow and overheating of the engine. Air is always directed towards the engine block, or from the front of the car toward the back. The motor can be either on the front side of the blade or the back side, and also the blades are slanted for a particular direction.
To get the fan out, there may be a plastic cover along the front edge of the engine bay that has to be removed to access the screws for the bracket which holds the fan in place. Keep all screws, nuts, bolts, washers, press clips etc. in a safe spot where you will not walk over them, kick them away or otherwise lose them. Some brackets are a large frame with the fan motors mounted. To take these out separate the connectors for the electric wires and unbolt the frame. The frame can then be lifted out and worked on.
If you motor cannot be repaired you can get a new motor but you have to make sure it is spinning the correct direction for the way your fan is mounted in your car.
You would want to try this procedure if your car is engine or a/c fan is not spinning when it is supposed to. The easiest way to check if he fans are working is to start the car and put the a/c on. Both fans are supposed to be running now. If you have one fan being driven from the engine via a belt or shaft from the engine then once the engine is running that fan will spin. In this case there will usually be an electric fan running when the a/c comes on. If you have 2 electric fans and the a/c is off, usually one comes on and off when needed to cool the engine or let it heat up and this fan is controlled by a sensor. Having the a/c on forces both fans to run.
If a fan is not spinning when it is supposed to you can connect the contacts from it to a 12 volt supply like directly to the battery to check if there is a wiring fault and not the fan itself. Changing the polarity of the wires to the fan (switching red and black) will cause the fan to spin in the other direction. This is not desired since the blades on the fan are slanted to blow air in only one direction so having them spin the wrong way will cause no air to flow and overheating of the engine. Air is always directed towards the engine block, or from the front of the car toward the back. The motor can be either on the front side of the blade or the back side, and also the blades are slanted for a particular direction.
To get the fan out, there may be a plastic cover along the front edge of the engine bay that has to be removed to access the screws for the bracket which holds the fan in place. Keep all screws, nuts, bolts, washers, press clips etc. in a safe spot where you will not walk over them, kick them away or otherwise lose them. Some brackets are a large frame with the fan motors mounted. To take these out separate the connectors for the electric wires and unbolt the frame. The frame can then be lifted out and worked on.
If you motor cannot be repaired you can get a new motor but you have to make sure it is spinning the correct direction for the way your fan is mounted in your car.
The pic above shows the top half of the motor casing after I split the top and bottom halves open. The bottom half has a couple kinks that hold the halves together. Use a flat head screw driver and pry the kinks away or use pliers and try to bend the kinks away. There is no easy way of opening them. The material the casing is made of is malleable enough to make a new kink if the original is damaged, but try not to damage the casing.
Note: It is very dirty inside the casing as all the carbon powder that comes from the brushes is trapped inside there. Open the casing in a spot that you can afford to mess up and clean easily. A small brush or blower can be used to clean out the dust. The dust is not harmful as it is similar to the carbon used in pencils.
The bottom half is a circular plate with the brushes, springs and appropriate electronics attached. The top half has magnets and the amateur when the casing is just opened. The amateur is held into the top by the force on the magnets on it. The amateur can be taken out by taking the nut off the top end (the end that takes the blade) and pressing that end upside down on the ground and into casing. The amateur should pop out. Make careful note of any washers that are in the casing and around the spine of the amateur. The order they appear is important. Mixing them up can cause either excessive friction which will put more strain on the motor and cause more heat which is bad, or the amateur will not spin at all.
Even before you pop the amateur out you should inspect it to see if it makes sense going further with the repair. You clearly see in my motor there is a groove on the amateur (centre of picture) where the brushes make contact with it. The ring that makes contact is made of many small plates that are close together. It is possible for some plates to be more worn than others. If any of them is worn all the way through then that amateur should not be used any more. The wire connected to the plate can become loose and short circuit the setup, and the extra space from the worn plate can cut away the carbon brushes excessively.
At this point if you amateur is damaged you can get a similar one from another motor or get a new motor entirely. Amateurs that look similar may have slightly varying lengths and diameters of shafts so inspect them carefully.
This picture shows the new carbon brushes in place just after I removed the old ones and soldered the new ones on. The wire on the new brushes can be trimmed down to an appropriate length is necessary. They should not be too long because they must not touch other metal parts to short circuit. When the brushes go into the slot the wires curl up and the coil can also short out so watch how the wires bend when you load the slots. Try to get them to bend horizontally and not curl. The springs can be loaded into the slot using either end first.
Also note here, you can see one of the kinks in the top right corner of the picture that is used to hold the top and bottom halves of the casing together.
This is another shot of the same thing but with the brushes more organised.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
AVG Antivirus 9.0.730
I recommend this antivirus as it has repeatedly won many awards for being a quality product and is totally free. There are no ads, spyware or malware from installing the program. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition may only be used on one computer for personal use
When you down load the executable file from the link below, it asks if you want the basic or comprehensive install. Choose Basic and the program then downloads the latest files from the AVG servers and installs the program. The comprehensive has a fee tied to it and you get more features which you do not necessarily need depending on what your PC habits are. About 100 megabytes are downloaded by the AVG Download Manager.
Novatel Wireless MC727 Windows 7 driver
I tried to install a Novatel Wireless MC727 on Windows 7 using the drivers that come with the usb dongle but those are not accepted. Use the following drivers from their site instead. Click it to download or copy this address into your address bar and hit enter. This zip file is 13.5 MB.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Toyota Trinidad (January 2010 recall of 2.3 million cars in US)
WOW! 2.3 millions cars?!!?! The biggest recall of cars in U.S. history.
From the links: Our investigation indicates that there is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position," Toyota USA group vice president Irv Miller said in a statement.
Only the following models can reportedly be affected:
• 2009-2010 RAV4,
• 2009-2010 Corolla,
• 2009-2010 Matrix,
• 2005-2010 Avalon,
• 2007-2010 Camry,
• 2010 Highlander,
• 2007-2010 Tundra,
• 2008-2010 Sequoia
• 2009-2010 Corolla,
• 2009-2010 Matrix,
• 2005-2010 Avalon,
• 2007-2010 Camry,
• 2010 Highlander,
• 2007-2010 Tundra,
• 2008-2010 Sequoia
This is a link to the toyota site for the press release. http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/toyota-consumer-safety-advisory-102572.aspx
This link is to a CNN story on it http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/21/autos/toyota_recall/
This is definitely cause for concern. I had my accelerator pedal stick down once in a Nissan Sunny (B14) and it was not something you ever want to happen to you. I realised what happened and pressed the brake pedal and after a couple seconds the other pedal released by itself so the situation ended well. This was a couple years ago and it has not happened since.
I have not been looking through the papers recently to know if Toyota Trinidad has issued anything on the matter but I emailed them and the reply was " The vehicles that were recalled were made for North America Market and are all left hand drive , So this will not apply to our market. " Good news, I think.
UPDATE on 22nd February 2010:
I wrote toyota again today and the reply was this -
"I am please to inform you only cars sold in the USA and Canada was affected (i.e. left hand drives vehicle). All vehicles sold by Toyota Trinidad and Tobago Limited were not affected.
Our cars come from Japan only but we received correspondence from Toyota Tsusho Corporation which clearly states-
“In light of the current news, surrounding the announcement in the U.S.A. on a recall of up to two (2) million units of different model types by Toyota we wish to advise that this is based on Left Hand Drive units for that particular market and our vehicles are Right Hand Drive units being manufactured and imported from Japan.”
“Please note that there is no such incident with our vehicles and at this time there is no cause for concern. Your Toyota is built with pride and includes the usual ingredients of Quality, Durability and Reliability that you have come to expect from the World’s Number One Brand!”
However, if you still have some concerns please give us a call to set an appointment to have your vehicle checked by our trained technicians."
UPDATE on 22nd February 2010:
I wrote toyota again today and the reply was this -
"I am please to inform you only cars sold in the USA and Canada was affected (i.e. left hand drives vehicle). All vehicles sold by Toyota Trinidad and Tobago Limited were not affected.
Our cars come from Japan only but we received correspondence from Toyota Tsusho Corporation which clearly states-
“In light of the current news, surrounding the announcement in the U.S.A. on a recall of up to two (2) million units of different model types by Toyota we wish to advise that this is based on Left Hand Drive units for that particular market and our vehicles are Right Hand Drive units being manufactured and imported from Japan.”
“Please note that there is no such incident with our vehicles and at this time there is no cause for concern. Your Toyota is built with pride and includes the usual ingredients of Quality, Durability and Reliability that you have come to expect from the World’s Number One Brand!”
However, if you still have some concerns please give us a call to set an appointment to have your vehicle checked by our trained technicians."
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
New York for Christmas 2009
I went to New York City for the Christmas Season 2009 with one of my friends and I had a great time.
I did not reach to check in at the counter early enough to get an emergency exit row or the bulkhead or first row seat which had amore leg room than normal so I was stuck with the window seat I chose from web check-in. The emergency row seats were not available to choose online, they are only given at the counter. The first seats in economy were already chosen online, I assume by other people using the same system. I'm not sure if those are only given at the counter also. Caribbean Airlines uses a Sabre based system which is pretty decent.
I flew there on a Caribbean Airlines flight which uses a Boeing 737. That plane has three rows on either side of the aisle in the middle. This particular plane had (faux?) leather seats and seemed to be a little more spacious than the polyester seats. The headphones jack was at the front of the armrest instead of the regular position on the side which would make it stick into your leg. The flight did have more turbulance than I ever experienced before but it was not severe, just for long durations during the second half of the trip. They give out headphones for free on their flights for you to listen to a variety of stations which you can select from the armrest. There is also a movie which is shown during the trip and this time it was '4 Christmases'.
A friend met us at the airport and brought us jackets to use for our stay. Looking outside through the glass walls I could see people with thick jackets on, walking around in the bright sunlight with small heaps of snow spotting the area. I was still in the controlled air of the airport terminal. When I stepped out of the airport building into the cold air for the first time it was interesting. The freezing air made the water vapour in my warm breath condense so I had a big cloud in my face while I was breathing and walking. The dry icy air seemed to burn my face and hands which is where had exposed skin, it was not a very bad feeling but one I'm not sure I ever felt before. I sat in the front passenger seat and it was not strange sitting on the 'wrong'(right) side because I was desensitised as I have done it before I think. 
During the trip I went to most of the tourist hotspots. The malls, the buildings, the food places. I stayed in Forest Hills and not too far from a subway stop. The subway system is well done and easy to use. I used a 7 day unlimited ride pass (for a little under $30usd) which worked out very well. Once I entered the subway gates and exited at any point of the system, I had two hours to go onto a bus and get a free ride. Yes, I know I said I had unlimited rides, but you get an automatic transfer from the subway to bus also with a pay-per-ride fee. I definitely depended on the public transport system and with busses and trains passing every few minutes it was all a comfortable experience. The hardest part was one night having to wait in the freezing cold at the bus stop. Eventually the bus was taking too long so I got home in a taxi from right around the corner.
I took over 1100 pictures and I will include of them here. Yes many of the are repeats but I did take over 1100 pictures in 12 days! I could have taken alot more but sometimes it was too much to have the camera and shopping bags and try to look for a good shot and watch where I was going along crowded pavements or in the cold air with my right hand out of my glove to use the camera properly. The seams on my leather gloves made it hard to find the buttons and controls on my camera so I took my glove off. 
Sometimes after walking outside and going into a store was funny because I could not speak properly because my face was numb and/or stiff from the cold. The only exposed skin was my full face and sometimes hands. The leather gloves did not work well as my fingers still felt very cold but putting my hands in my jacket pockets halped keep them warm. My ears got numb without my hood so I got used to wearing it outside. The hod does narrow my field of view so I had to get accustomed to turning my whole body to look at something instead of turning my head only. I usually had on either 4 or 5 layers of tops and 2 layers of long pants. One pair of socks was sufficient with my high top steel tip boots. Once I wore my low cut leather dress shoes for a 45 minute car ride and at the end my feet were very cold. The heat was on inside the car but it never really got warm enough to take my jacket off in the back seat of the car. I always went outside with a scarf on my neck and this helped me stay warm alot. I was always comfortable breathing inside or outside. My nose was runny most of the time and I am told that is normal for everybody. The first night I slept next to a radiator I woke up with a very dry throat and nose and the next night this was remedied by putting a bowl of water on the radiator. This reduced the efficiency of the heater but kept me happier. Sometimes when I went outside at night I saw halos or something similar around lights and I think that was from the cold air frosting my tears. 
The first time I went into Times Square was a real thrill because it was at night (its got dark around 4.30pm) so I had the full blast of the shower of colours and noise and crowds there. There was free wifi (sponsored by Yahoo!, according to all the signs) that I was able to use with my smartphone. All the stores and food places around were always busy with people going to see what freebies they could get. The times I went back I was not in as much awe and amazement but it was still impressive. I had a meal with friends at The Olive Garden there one evening and it was not fantastic, just a good time. We eneded up paying $40usd each after having a meal and dessert.
The Toys R Us store at times square was impressive with a real ferris wheel in the middle of the store. The store had three levels. You walk in at street level and are on the middle level with toys and some people demoing toys, like a giant frisbee disk, or a RC helicopter. Downstairs was toys, electronics etc and the line for the ride. UPstairs was - more toys and some figures hanging from the ceiling. There was Superman stopping a trailer truck from hitting the ground and Spider-man was swinging along. Optimus was waiting for you to take a pic with him. The best part was a 15 foot (BIG) T-Rex dinosaur that moved its head and roared. Do I sound like I enjoyed it? :-) Then the lego display had the Empire state building and the Statue of liberty in bricked models. 
Grand Central Station was a little smaller than I was expecting, but it IS a large area. When I went there was a laser show on the ceiling. There lasers traced and made the drawings of the different horoscopes come alive and run around the ceiling while music was played. Definitely a show for the tourists because it could have made you miss your train if you were not careful. The show ran for a few minutes but I could not watch the whole thing as my neck started hurting looking up for so long... maybe that is what people complain about when they talk to me face to urm, face. 
When snow fell early one morning it was a nice sight. An even layer of frost all over. Apparantly it is warmer when it snows though I was always comfortable outside. The coldest place I visited was the top of the Empire State building at night. The cheapest ticket to enter was a little under $25 usd which gets you to the the 'lower' viewing area on the 86th floor. The elevator ride up was pretty rapid, the numbers started going coonsecutively, then went up skipping numbers, pretty shocking if you were taking note. Your ears popped on the ride up too. After the elevator ride you get a photo taken in front of a green screen. The building is CGI'd (daz a word?) in behind after you come back down and you can purchase a print if you are happy with how it comes out. You can stay inside the center of the viewing floor which is enclosed and kept warm or go outside and get a better view and feel of the wind. It was 
At the American Museum of Natural History we were not there in time to get tickets for the IMAX show so we just went throught the museum. Tickets were about $20 usd. There were too many exhibits for one day (or evening in my case) so I chose what looked interesting. The dinosaurs were something else, my neck hurt watching some of them too. I would avdise anyone going here to reach early in the day, there is lots to see. It closed at either 7 or 8, I can't remember, although the site says earlier.There was sometimes many of the same stores in a small area, like two Radio Shack stores across the road from each other. I suppose that is the typical thing in US and Canadian cities. One advantage is they may be closed different times so you have more convenience. In a 2 minute drive you may pass a few of the same stores, like groceries, or pharmacies, and they all have people loaded in them.
The trip to New Jersey was easy, about a half hour train ride west of Manhattan. My unlimited ride ticket was no use on the train ride to get there as I had to use another card where credit could be taked out. I used change for the bus also, I am not sure if the Metro cad would have worked. I spent one day there visiting one of the malls and a couple parks. It is more laid back, slower, not as busy from what I saw. I did not check what attractions there were to check out. I know the big Colgate Clock is one but I saw it close enough from Manhattan.
At Central Park you can take a horse ride in a carriage but I preferred to walk. The lakes had a thin layer of ice on the. There were ducks and squirrels running around. You can spend the day there relaxing and exploring the differnt scenes of statues and people. This was where I saw one man eating an ice cream treat from a vendor. Yes, it would not melt as fast, but can you really enjoy it if you are cold on the outside already?
Chinatown and Little are close to each other in Manhattan. In Chinatown all you need are a few $20 bills because most items cost - $20. If they say $25 walk around a bit, think about it, then start looking at the neighbours showcase and you will be offered a few dollars off. You can get the best brands here *wink *wink, but only in the rooms at the back of the stores, you get imitation everything for only ,yes - $20. There are vendors selling food and accesories for phones and clothes on the pavement also. I got my name painted on a banner with the skyline in the background from an artist on the sidewalk. I can't remember the price but it was probably about $15 usd and it had a hard paper border on the front and put in a plastic bag to keep it clean.
New York was definitely one of the besy trips I have had and I recommend it to everyone.
Nokia 5800 with Software version v 31.2.101
I have had my Nokia 5800 Express music phone for about 2 months now. It came with firmware version 21.x.x (I can't remember). I updated to v 31.2.101 and I like the upgrade. The icons on the Home screen are a little larger now. I had it set on 'Shortcuts bar' Before the upgrade (btu) and it remembered most of the settings I had. The first two icons in the bar were changed and the second two are the same from btu. It was easy to correct this change using the same menu location as before. The keypad and contacts icons are also slightly larger now. The keypad still does not have letters on each number key, so disappointing. If i want to call 555-FOOD I still have to blindly figure out what letters correspond to what number.
The first day After the upgrade (atu) the battery ran down about 50% which was typical discharge btu so I charged the phone that night. Right now the battery meter still has six bars, meaning almost full charge and it ran all day yesterday and it is noon right now. That is impressive for the battery if it keeps that up. Yesterday I spent at least 40 minutes combined on calls and today probably 10. I did not have to use the phone at all for the battery meter to go down before.
Another change I noticed is the Maps app. When I opened the app atu the first message was that my 30 day trial of the Navigation service that came with my phone was started. I cannot remember the exact words now, but it was something like " 30 day trial activated" with two buttons on the bottom, 'OK' and 'Back', I think. My point is that it started the trial without me telling it to or even being aware it was going to happen. Obviously this is of no use to me as I am not in the USA and will not able to try out the feature, what a waste. It said the old map data could not be used and asked if I wanted to delete it, and I agreed. When it did open I see a new layout and different buttons. The '+' and '-' for zoom are now closer to each other and slightly below center left of the screen. There is a compass in the bottom left corner which tries to whow where the phone is pointing, but it usually jumps(spins) about wildly, as if it does not work properly. The gps location is usually spot on, but it still takes at least a full minute to show your location. With buildings around it may not lock on at all, just like btu.
The screen still takes a long pause when u switch between vertical and horizontal, and randomly takes a doubley long pause. The double pause may be when an app is being opened and the screen rotates together, I can only guess. I see a glimse of the Home screen in horizontal mode for a moment when you exit the menu in horizontal mode and go to the Home screen.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
'Girls Gone White' tickets on sale from Angie's Puja shop ???
I heard an ad for a Carnival 2010 fete taking place at Space la Nouba in south Trinidad and one of the places you could buy tickets was a puja shop, a little inappropriate, no?
(Image used from http://www.flickr.com/photos/72213316@N00/3440151417/ , no claims made for the picture)
Friday, January 15, 2010
Listing of Restaurants and Liming Spots In Trinidad
I came across this site and I think it does very well by having a cost guide for the restaurants and a list of items and prices from the menu. How accurate the prices listed are may be questionable, but I think they are recent. You can get contact info, address and reviews also. There is the option to submit your own entries which is always good. Right now the nightlife list is short with only 6 entries but I expect it to grow soon. There are lists for Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados.
LINK HERE http://www.cre-ole.com/home.php?country=Trinidad
Update 11 October 2011
I came across another restaurant review site, but not just that! There are current events listed and a listing of coupons and deals currently running, a sushi restaurant listing, and even where you can get cooking lessons! I recommend checking it out
http://trinichow.com/
Update 11 October 2011
I came across another restaurant review site, but not just that! There are current events listed and a listing of coupons and deals currently running, a sushi restaurant listing, and even where you can get cooking lessons! I recommend checking it out
http://trinichow.com/
Thursday, January 14, 2010
POTS may use ENUM in the future
This article describes the possible future of everyone having a single unique number for their ID in the world. ENUM is coming, mayb...
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)