Bird Muskoka folding bicycle, right side, made in China, Photo01 by Don Tai
A neighbour discarded this Bird Muskoka folding bicycle with 20″ wheels 7 speed, so I picked it up for review and tune up. I enjoy anything about bicycles and love to see how they are manufactured and how they ride. This is a Bird Muskoka folding bicycle, the paint job, including the Canadian flag, seemingly tailored to the Canadian market. Even more fitting is that I did most of the repairs on 2024 July 01, Canada Day. Fitting.
Caroma Tazman 270 dual flush toilet, front view, Photo 02 by Don Tai
My Caroma Tazman 270 1.6L dual flush toilet has been going strong for over 22 years, quite astounding when you think about our throw-away society. Made in Australia, it was well rated when I bought it. As I recall at the time the City of Toronto had a $150 rebate on for dual flush toilet replacements, so I replaced two. The instructions that came with the toilet date back to 2002 Aug 15.
I donated something to to Value Village (Canada) and they gave me a coupon. I had to input my purchase date and time, then do an online survey for a small discount. Unfortunately the online experience was flawed at best.
There are many different types of people that shop at Value Village, many of them over the age of 50. These people often do not carry nor rely on their smartphone for their existence. In other words, they are normal.
I am a high myopia patient wearing glasses, in Toronto, Canada, and it was time for me to have cataract surgery. As a monovision user I’ve long had one eye focused on near reading and computer work, and the other eye focused on far distance. This strategy has worked out well for me, with no perceived loss of function. Here’s my cataract intraocular (IOL) surgery journey notes.
I’ve always hated using hose clamps. I’d buy them from Home Depot and curse when they are installed and leak. I’d tighten them more and they’d deform and sometimes break. It did not dawn on me that, like everything else, there are different quality hose clamps than the crappy “All Gain” ones I use. This is particularly true for my compressor hose, which, over time, loosen and then leak. My compressor only needs 125psi.
The decimation wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 2022 Feb 24 has been immense. Ukraine has crumbled, its economy severely damaged and its people scattered across the EU and the Western world. On one hand Ukraine has a bully neighbour intent on destroying it, while on the other Western countries have continued to provide Ukraine with enough weapons to continue its fight, the result being even more destruction of Ukraine. Ukraine’s predicament has had many other global implications, almost all bad.
China is without a doubt the fake manufacturer of the world. They can counterfeit almost anything. Here in Canada the newest item I’ve found is the Canadian $2 coin, commonly called a toonie.
Look for the right paw of the polar bear, where the toes splay out like a camel.
Fake counterfeit Canadian $2 coin, or toonie, Made in China. Look at the splayed right toe of the polar bear, or camel toe
Real Canadian $2 coin, or toonie
Please be aware and examine all toonies you receive. It looks like these are common now.
You could see it coming from a long way: Omicron will overrun the Ontario healthcare system. While the system usually works for us in normal times. It’s internal partial collapse is imminent. The cascade of partial failure is very evident, and will continue until Omicron passes. We can only hope that another variant will not emerge. It is clear that we, as advanced as we think we are, are at the mercy of this little, persistent, virus. We could have done more, I think, but that may not have prevented the collapse.
Inglis RBF175RA fridge, brand name logo, right side lamp shade. Photo by Don Tai
Over twenty years ago I moved into my house, replete with an avocado coloured fridge, an Inglis model RBF175RA, and a bunch of other old appliances. Through the years most have been replaced, but this fridge lives on. Getting older, the fridge has had trouble controlling its temperature, but today I repaired it with a new cold control thermostat replacement.
