Life
Mobile deposit makes depositing cheques easier without going to the bank
I love it that the banks that I am using now have mobile deposits available for their customers. To be able to make mobile deposits, what you need to do is, first, download and install the mobile app of the bank on your smartphone. Once you have the app installed, login with your account, take a picture of the front and back of the cheque that you received and upload these onto the app. It is a pretty straightforward process; just make sure you follow the instructions indicated in your bank’s app. Also, remember to keep the physical cheque in your possession (don’t shred it yet!) until you have confirmed that the bank has cleared the cheque to your account.
As of this writing, the Canadian banks that have this feature are the following:
- CIBC
- PC Financial
- Royal Bank of Canada
- Tangerine
- TD Canada Trust
So, what do you think of this feature?
Bloomberg Game Changers
One weekend a couple of months ago or so, my S.O. and I were looking for something to watch on Netflix and he found this documentary series called Bloomberg Game Changers. The series produced by Bloomberg TV features different business leaders and successful entrepreneurs who “climbed to the top and changed our world” in one way or another. There were a few there that really piqued my interest, namely:
- Apple Founder and former CEO Steve Jobs
- Google Co-Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page
- Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg
- Amazon.com Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos
- American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour
- Twitter Co-Founders Evan Williams, Noah Glass, Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone
The list above is hyperlinked to the series videos found on the Bloomberg TV website which I highly recommend to watch. The last one on my list above was actually not available at that time on Netflix and I had just watched it while writing this blog post.
It’s pretty cool learning about these people’s lives as told by their peers and colleagues leading up to the success in whatever they had created. Without these people, the world would definitely be significantly different than what it is today. All of them have contributed to making the world and its people more connected in some way. I think that’s something to be thankful for. (Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!)
Nuit Blanche 2014 #snbTO
October 4 from 6:53 pm to sunrise of October 5, 2014 was Nuit Blanche, an annual free all-night contemporary art event. This is the 9th year that this event, which is translated as “Sleepless Night”, has been celebrated in Toronto.
Here’s a little backgrounder from the Nuit Blanche Toronto website:
Nuit Blanche was originally conceived in Paris, France in 2002, in an attempt to bring contemporary art to the masses in public spaces… At its core, Nuit Blanche is a 12-hour event with a mandate to make contemporary art accessible to large audiences, while inspiring dialogue and engaging the public to examine its significance and impact on public space.
Nuit Blanche in 2008 and 2011 was much better, I think, compared to this year’s event. There were more exhibits, projects, street performers in those years that I remember. I still enjoyed the few exhibits that I saw this year though. The coolest project from this year’s event, in my opinion, was the Gap Ecology (Still Lives with Cherry Pickers and Palms) exhibit by David Brooks (New York, USA) at the Queen St. and John St. intersection, which showcased seven “cherry pickers” (crane-like aerial lift equipment) that were filled with palm trees/plants which made it like an “urban jungle” in the city.
One other interesting thing from the event was the Monument to North American Energy Security by the CanAmerican Energy Arts Team (Calgary, Canada) which featured two large oil barrels connected by a pipeline to represent Canadian-American energy independence. The sculpture they had looked like it was oil (or chocolate syrup) coming out of the fountain and floating above the water at the Nathan Phillips Square pool.
I didn’t get to view all the exhibits, so I may have missed some other good ones.
Let me share below just a few pictures I took from the event:
If you want to see more Nuit Blanche pictures from other people, search for the hashtag #snbTO or #NuitBlanche on Twitter or Instagram.
Also, there are ten extended projects that will still be around until October 13th for “Après Nuit”. Check out the list at http://www.snbto.ca/2014-event/extension.html.
The “earth” without “art” is just “eh”.
TIFF 2014
September 4 to 14, 2014 was the Toronto International Film Festival. Each year during this time, celebrities in attendance, especially the A-listers, are what attract people from all over to flock to this city dubbed as “Hollywood North”, of course in addition to the movies themselves. Every year since 2008, I have loved going to the theatres where the gala premieres take place, just to have a glimpse (and maybe a photo and/or autograph) of these famous personalities. I have to say it’s been getting crazier and crazier each year with more and more people becoming “celebrity seekers”. I’ve heard some people have even taken days off from work just so they can become paparazzis of their own.
This year, I watched the Toronto premiere of the horror-comedy movie The Voices directed by Marjane Satrapi, starring Ryan Reynolds and Anna Kendrick. I love horror movies and comedy movies, so having both genres in one film intrigued me. It was an enjoyable film, although how the movie ended could have been better. A big plus to going to the premiere was being able to see Ryan Reynolds and Anna Kendrick in person.
Anyhow, let me share below just a few pictures I took this year at TIFF 2014, and also from last year’s TIFF 2013.
Tennis, Anyone?
Today is the last day of the 2014 U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Congratulations to Serena Williams who won the Women’s Singles title, beating Caroline Wozniaki yesterday Sunday, September 7th. Congrats go out as well to the other title winners. Hopefully, one day, my fellow Canadians Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic will win as well.
So, speaking of tennis, I started playing tennis only this year, thanks to my co-workers one Friday in January; and ever since that time, I’ve been hooked. My only experience in tennis before this time was a short “game” with my best friend back in high school, and also playing the Nintendo Family Computer tennis video game when I was a kid. Game is in quotes since it barely counted as a game because I remember we barely could even hit the ball properly nor get it to one another’s side of the court.
The racquet that I currently use is a 2011 Babolat AeroPro Drive racquet loaned to me by my co-worker. Even after several months of playing, I still have not gotten my own racquet since I haven’t found one that I liked at the price point I have in mind. Anyway, after much thought, I’ve decided that I should just probably get the newer version of the Babolat AeroPro Drive racquet since I have gotten used to it and I like how it feels when I play. Oh and apparently, this is the same racquet that Genie Bouchard uses, so hopefully one day I get to play as well as her — wishful thinking!
There are some new technologies that have been developed to help tennis players in assessing and improving their game. One of these is the Babolat Play Pure Drive racquet. The racquet has integrated sensors inside the handle which collects your swing, motion, and other information and gives out an analysis of your game. The racquet would be nice to have, but I personally wouldn’t buy it due to a higher price of about $450 compared to regular racquets ranging from $100-$200 which are good enough for a beginner.
Another new gadget is the Sony Smart Tennis Sensor which is a small coin-sized device which you can attach to the base of a tennis racquet. Same as the integrated sensor in the Babolat Play Pure Drive, it gathers data on serves, ball speed, accuracy, and other information and will give you an analysis of your game. All these information can be displayed real-time on your smartphone via Bluetooth. This one, however, will not yet be available until January 2015 with a price of about $200.
The above are just a couple of the latest technologies that are available out there for tennis players. But really, if you’re not planning to be a tennis professional, I personally don’t think it’s really necessary to have these. I wouldn’t mind receiving any of these as a gift though!
By the way, here’s a picture of me with Roger Federer.
I wish.
Tech-Life in Pink 