$30,000 STAR TREK BASEMENT

$30,000 could be spent on a lot of things and could go a long way to doing things needed in your home. You could get a new kitchen, add value with a number of upgrades such as a loft extension or you could spend it all on a partial recreation of some of the internal areas of the Starship Enterprise!

That last option is exactly what social worker Line Rainville did to her basement recreation room! The room is in the basement of her Notre-Dame-des-Prairies home. As a bit of trivia the Qubec town is just an hour North of Montreal, the birthplace of none other than Captain Kirk’s alter ego William Shatner!

So what do you get for $30k?

In 60s era Star Trek style she has created a partial Enterprise bridge, some of the transporter room, a themed recreation room, an observation deck, and fairly good version of Spock’s quarters! It looks like a fun place for any trekkie to hang out and I am sure she’ll be receiving a lot of emails for visit requests!

Now I guess you want to see the place, right?

Well CNet has pics and more details here - http://cnet.co/1lEw6vX

So, would you ever spend this kind of money on anything like this? Have you ever wanted to recreate the Lost bunker in your basement, Yogi bear’s cave or anything else crazy?

Originally published on my site: The Random Forest.

Canadians have new patriotic swagger

Canadians have new patriotic swagger - Canadians have long been known to be coy about bragging about how great their country is and displaying nationalistic symbols but a recent survey says that is changing.

Canadians have new patriotic swagger

Canadians have new patriotic swagger

The survey was conducted by Ipsos-Reid online. It polled 1,100 people between 20-22 June and was produced for the Historica-Dominion Institute. Results suggest that Canadians are getting brash and proud about their country and in-your-face patriotism is becoming far more normal.

Of course much of this centers around the use of the famous flag symbol, the Maple Leaf. Apparently One in five said they would consider getting a tattoo of it somewhere on their body. This was heightened in the under 55's and strongest in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

From my years in Canada I recognise the red leaf as a distinct Canadian symbol. Like Canadas image it appears non-offensive, does not symbolise war or oppression and looks far cooler than most flags. It's a lucky piece of branding for a country to have!

The years of people saying things good about Canada and celebrating the leaf must be rubbing off if the results of this survey are to be believed.

As a non-Canadian I like the symbol too and like that Canadians don't feel bad displaying it and are ever more interested in going beyond using it just as a flag. Of course if you are not careful nationalism can go too far the wrong way but I think as a whole that is a long way off.

Interestingly the maple tree where the symbol comes from only grows in Eastern Canada but the West seem to love it just as much!

More details of other findings from the survey, including where Canadians rate Poutine as a national food and what they think of Beavers, can be read  in this article over at MSN.

Are you Canadian, how do you relate to your national symbols and patriotism? Do you see a problem with it and would you prefer the old more humble Canadian style to be on the rise instead?

Republished from The Random Forest.

Do you want to work in Customer Service?

I have never worked in customer service but a good friend of mine did for years and he eventually built up to a magerial level and moved into private banking. He enjoyed his days of customer service overall even though some days and customers are very tough. Getting customer service jobs depends on you being a presentable and good person to work with people. If you have these traits and you are confident then you have a good chance.

Working with customers can be very rewarding and if you enjoy the daily interactions and helping to solve peoples problems then why not go for it.

Even the traditional hand dryer is changing!

I remember as a young boy going to a working man's club (a pub with membership requirements) with my dad and when i would use the bathrooms I always enjoyed the bellowing hand dryers spitting out warm air that blew all the water into my face when I tried to dry my hands.

I used to pay so much attention to the energy guzzlers back then but then I did not really think about them for years. Recently with the awesome Dyson hand dryers that are popping up I realized things had even started to modernize in the world of hand drying devices!

The new types and models are much more energy efficient, streamlined, create less noise and in the case of the Dyson like air blade types they don't even use heat!

What other every day objects have you noticed modernizing?

How would you furnish your living space?

Everyone has very different taste and that is a great thing. Your personal living space is often where you get to exercise this and it's important to make a place that you feel comfortable relaxing and socializing in. I was just wondering exactly how you would furnish or have furnished your ideal living space?

I like the modern look so I would go with some cool contemporary sofas, a good quality varnished wooden floor (no cheap veneer) and solid colored walls with no borders or paper.

I would try and pick natural lighting and no fancy fittings. Possibly going for daylight bulbs if my budget allowed. My television would be very big and ideally one of the new 3d ones even though there is not much available to watch yet!

Let me know what you think :).

Get the right gear before you run.

I love running, sadly I can't run much here in Cairo for multiple reasons but when I can, I do!

I think almost everyone could benefit from running but people don't treat it with enough respect. You have to have good gear.... Not necessarily expensive, just right!

First up you need the right shoes. For this you should visit a running shop, talk to the assistant, try shoes on and go for test jogs, get this 100% right! While you are there get some thin double layered running socks.

There are loads of men's running shorts and women's running shorts available and I always choose baggy ones that allow free movement. I wear lycra sports boxers underneath and this helps reduce chaffing possibilities.

For your shirt I would advise a lightweight running shirt that disperses sweat. There are many cheap but good brands available.

What do you wear to run and what tips do you have?

Does HCG Weightloss Work?

I have never used HCG but do have a friend who has. She personally lost weight with it and loves the product but she cannot be 100% sure if the weight loss came direct from HCG or from the ridgid diet and guidelines that come with it.... The jury is still out for her but she will use it again and again until she reaches her desired weight. Her clinic was HCG weight loss Austin but I know she has moved around a lot in the past few months so no idea where she is going now. It's available every where so if you feel like trying it then seek medical advice first and then go see what it is all about.

Have you ever tried HCG? I would love to know your thoughts and experiences.