This is awesome. I used to be against these kinds of things that pretend that girls are actually made of sugar and spice and nothing else, but framing a puzzle game in this way may be a superficial but effective way of interesting girls in puzzles, which lead to math, which lead to Cory Booker-style deliciousness. I’m downloading the gender-neutral version as it’s also free today, but if you’d like a version that’s pink and in English, check out BrainFreeze Puzzles For Girls.
Update: Rats. I was a little late on the free download. My point on pink math awesomeness stands, however.
So I have an iPod Touch now. I was going to sell it, but then I kept it, because that’s what I do. So I’ve been obsessively downloading apps of all shapes and sizes. Today’s review: pointless apps that search for free WiFi but require WiFi to operate if you don’t have an iPhone. Spoiler Alert: I kept WiFi Get.
WiFi Get: I found 3 free hotspots within 5 miles of me, and 4 paid hotspots. The interface is clean and simple, and it took 2 button presses to get what I needed. When you select one of the options, it shows the location with Maps. It uses miles rather than km which makes me think that spots are closer than they actually are, but that’s a little nitpicky. This app also offers the option to mark your current spot as a free hotspot. I found a random hotspot when I was walking around and added it; it didn’t show up right away when I searched again but it may show up the next time I check.
Wireless Toronto is ad-supported. I found 3 free hotspots within 8 km (5 miles). It automatically searches, so that’s zero button presses, and when you select one of the options, it shows the directions to that spot with Maps. All this means that it’s slightly more intuitive for the majority of folks, but it gives slightly fewer options for those that don’t think the way the program does. Personally, I really like it. The only problem is that it’s specific to Toronto, and I’m not. But if you’re the sort who’s in Toronto 99% of the time, this is a great one to get.
William Lyon Mackenzie King has always kinda been my secret favourite Prime Minister. This is due 100% to my awesome high school history teacher who told us all sorts of crazy stories about him. He was absolutely batty and I loved it. So today when I was bouncing down a wikipedia rabbit hole through the various Prime Ministers of Canada, I learned quite a few things that I did not know about him.
First of all, at 21 years, he was the longest-serving Prime Minister in British Commonwealth history. That’s pretty hefty. Sir John served 18 years, Trudeau served 15 years, Chretien served 10 years; all child’s play. Don’t waste my time, guys.
Secondly, and more awesomely, you can read his diaries on the internet. This is awesome, because you get to read great stories like the ones that my high school teacher told me, like this one:
When British parliament was bombed, WLMK had some of the stones from the old buildings sent to Ottawa. He proceeded to touch each of the stones and then Canadian parliament in turn, in order to imbue our buildings with British history.
I look forward to reading many similar stories in this archive. This may be the first time that the Canadian government has actually done some good on the internet.
Please do not print wacky alliteration in your headlines if your headlines are about a woman who committed suicide in prison. You may have changed the headline on your website, but the paper on my kitchen table is still highly wacky and inappropriate. I know it was 3am and you thought you were very clever, but for a clever headline such as “Avenging Anguished Ashley”, it was pretty dumb.
