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He reached 200 regular season wins faster than any other NHL coach. He would add 1 more to his totals before being fired by the Washington Capitals. Bruce Boudreau wasn’t unemployed for long, however. Less than 72 hours later he found himself on the opposite coast inking a new gig with Anaheim. He didn’t even get a chance to enjoy a weekend with his family. That is another NHL record for shortest unemployment stint for a fired coach.

Just a half-dozen others can brag about coaching 2 teams in 1 season. And they are:

2006-07 KEN HITCHCOCK PHI, CBJ
Days between jobs: 1 month

2002-03 BOB HARTLEY COL, ATL
Days between jobs: 1 month

2002-03 DARRYL SUTTER SJS, CGY
Days between jobs: 1 month

1986-87 TED SATOR NYR, BUF
Days between jobs: 1 month

1983-84 ROGER NEILSON VAN, LAK
Days between jobs: 15 days

1971-72 FRED GLOVER CAL, LAK
Days between jobs: 17 days
*Note: the “CAL” stands for the old California Golden Seals. Few memories of that team, other than they used to wear white skates.

Does your smartphone appear on this list?
1. Samsung Galaxy Mini
2. HTC Desire
3. Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
4. Sanyo Zio
5. HTC Wildfire
6. Samsung Epic 4G
7. LG Optimus S
8. Samsung Galaxy S
9. Motorola Droid X
10. LG Optimus One
11. Motorola Droid 2
12. HTC Evo 4
Those are the least safe smartphones you can find.
If you’re asking, “did researchers only study Android phones?” Nope. Androids are just that bad and the popular operating system (OS) is to blame.
Remember pulling that Android phone fresh out of the box? Bad news: your software may have already 300 days old. Out-of-date versions of OS leaves your personal and business data accessible to hackers.
The reason no iPhone appears on the above list is Apple’s ability to push software updates to all of its mobile devices simultaneously. They detect vulnerabilities and quickly correct them.
Of the top three Android manufacturers–Samsung is the worst offender by far, then HTC, then Motorola.

My phone is the safest of them all; it’s attached to a wall.

Lethbridge East MLA Bridget Pastoor did what is considered by many to be political betrayal.  Bridget is no longer a Liberal after “crossing the floor” to join the rival Tories. 

Bridget insists it’s the right thing to do - she’s doing it for her constituents.  Her constituents aren’t ready to thank her yet.

Rock listener Brent Poole says, “She got elected with a liberal set of values behind her.  Didn’t she used to be a nurse? Now she’s with a party that want’s to gut out the system and replace it with a for profit setup.”

Some will argue it’s more difficult, nearly impossible even, to achieve goals from the opposition position.  When you’re surrounded by that many Tories in the legislature, yes, of course that’s true.  But is jumping ship the answer?

Another Rock listener, K.E.McIntosh was more empathetic and perhaps optimistic: “ I think it’s the only valid move for Liberals beyond her. Their leader is a conservative whereas (Prem. Alison) Redford is likely the most left the Tories will ever have in leadership.”

When dealing with the devil, to get something you have to give something up.  For your new political power, do you not have to surrender the general ideologies that got you elected in the first place?  Are the Tories suddenly interested in helping you achieve your Liberal-branded goals?  Doubtful. 

A 3rd Rock 106 listener, Ralph, declared that Bridget Pastoor was, “throwing democracy in the face of the people.  It’s unacceptable.  It goes against what the intent to vote is all about.”

So, is this political betrayal?  Ultimately, Bridget Pastoor’s actions will be the answer.  If she delivers on the promises that got her elected, does it matter what political flag she’s waving while doing it?

It’s a lot of trust to ask of consituents.  Too much, perhaps.

-Vince-

Hell hath no fury like a kid in costume scorned.

A dude in Oshawa, Ontario elected not to hand out candy this Halloween which prompted a letter from the kids in the hood expressing their displeasure.

Clearly parental editing was involved.

But the story doesn’t end there. Then came the retort via kijiji:

“Dear Children of Entitlement (and likely their parents), you have gone ahead and reminded me of why I do not want children and why I weep for the future.”

Good for him.

I for one enjoy Halloween: the costumes, decorations and the goodies. However, where is it written that every homeowner needs to be home, stocked with junk food.

Participation in Halloween is voluntary, not compulsary. You have the freedom to dress up. Others have the freedom to not dress up. You have the freedom to go door to door begging for candy. Others have the freedom to deactivate their doorbell and hide in the den. Neither action is wrong. There’s no need to ridicule those who participate and there’s no need to harass those who opt out.

Same goes for another tradition soon approaching: Christmas.

Listen. I celebrate Christmas. I’m not offended if you don’t so don’t be offended by those of us who do.

I guess what I’m trying to say is… check yourself; before you wreck yourself.

The beaver is a “19th century has-been” and a “dentally defective rat.”  Those hateful words are from Conservative Senator Nicole Eaton. 

To Nicole Eaton the beaver is no good. 

Nicole Eaton wants the polar bear to replace the beaver as an official emblem of Canada.

She says the polar bear is Canada’s “most majestic and splendid mammal” and is an appropriate symbol for modern-day Canada.

Eaton.  The beaver.  Who do you support?

Upon hearing this story on the Vince N’ Rosie show, Ian Van Seters immediately emailed:

Laughing my ass off about the “Senator” who wants to get rid of the beaver…

What the hell does it matter what a “Senator” wants anyway?  They are nobody.  We all know the Senate is where political appointees go to die, and that’s exactly what will happen to this “issue”.  Dead on the table at the senate.

Clearly, Ian loves the beaver.  So do I.  So do you, I know it. 

No disrespect to the mighty polar bear but they’re already the mascot for Coca-cola.  

What this story is really communicating is that every other issue with our country as been resolved and we can now focus solely on debating our mascot.

Sorry, Nicole Eaton the beaver is good.

Good news.  If you’re tired of paying over a $1/litre of gas, there is a solution. 

Unlike Canada, some countries give gas away.  

COUNTRY            Canadian cents/litre

Qatar                          19

Libya                          19

Saudi Arabia                16

Iran                             10

Venezuela                    2

Yes, people of these countries make less $ on average than us; 3 and half times less in Venezuela.  However, their gas isn’t 3 and a half times less than ours.  If Venezuela is paying 2 pennies per litre, then we should be paying 7 cents.  So let’s throw that rationale out the window.

We can have cheaper gas her in Canada.  All we need to do is two things. 

1.  Un-develop our economy.  Countries with cheap gas have that in common.  Let’s start undermine our economic growth and we’ll be on the path of cheap gas.  But wait, there’s one more step.

2.  Democracy: get rid of it.  Or, at the very least, weaken it.  Countries with cheap gas have either weak or no democracy.  This ‘right to vote’ thing is costing us big time.  So let’s surrender to tyranny and our reward will be cheap trips to the gas pump.  Fair trade?

Personally, I like strong economies and strong democracies so allow me to present an alternative solution.  I checked mapquest and it appears a trip to Venezuela is a mere 64 hours in length.  So hop in your vehicle, saunter down the United States of America, into Mexico, over the Panama canal, through Columbia and voila, you’re in the land of 2 cent gasoline.

You’re welcome.

Our Russian cosmonaut brethren have an ambitious goal: colonize the moon as early as 2030.

The living arrangements would be primarily the volcanic tunnels of the moon. Cozy.

So, would you like to abandon your above ground abode on Earth for a brand new subterranean condo?

At the turn of the century I called Sudbury, Ontario home for nearly 3 years. I was told that NASA astronauts used to train on the desolate Canadian Shield rock and slag fields of Subdury because the terrain was so lunar-esk. Therefore, symbollically, perhaps I already have lived on “the moon.”

It’s not a bad place. “The moon” had a great movie theatre I used to go to escape the high humidity. “The moon” has a OHL team called the Wolves which makes sense since (according to the cool graphic t-shirts I’ve seen) wolves love howling at the moon.

So, how does NASA win this space race? Beating the Russians to the moon again isn’t enough this time. If you really want to win the star war, as cosmonauts kick up their feet in their moon caves, NASA astronauts can claim victory by pitching a flag and swinging a golf club on Mars.

Good luck to both competitors and may the best space program win.

Kirk out.

Welcome to today’s edition of Good Parenting… with Vince.

Came across a list of “10 things you should never say to your children.”

1. I know you can try harder.
2. Are you sure you need that second cupcake?
3. You always… or, You never…
4. Why can’t you be more like your bother/sister?
5. I told you waiting until the last minute was a mistake.
6. You’re the best at soccer.
Don’t worry-the first day of school will be fine.
Because I said so.
9. I wish you didn’t hang out with Jack; I don’t like that kid.
10. That’s not how you do it! Here, let me.

Personally I think there are worse things you can say to kids. Here are 10 examples:

1. You agree your brother is better than you, right?
2. If babies were like puppies your mother and I would have put an ad in the paper for people to provide a ‘loving home’ for you.
3. You’re the reason we’re getting a divorce.
4. Drugs are fun.
5. I wish you were good at something.
6. Thank God I’m not your real dad.
7. Your zit makes you look ugly.
8. Jesus hates you.
9. I didn’t drink as much before you were born.
10. Every time I spend time with you it makes me happy to be a weekend dad.

I’m sure you could come up with 10 more of your own in less than a minute. The point is, while you may agree the top 10 are not the best things to say your kids, there are a lot of worse things you can say. I guess the lesson in all of this is don’t speak to your children at all. That way you’ll never say the wrong thing.

The prairies can expect an early and cold winter. Yes, a 5th consecutive deep freeze will move in and it apparently will stay. Sure, we’ll get chinooks, but it may be so cold that those chinooks never push the mercury above zero. I present exhibit A:

Regarding snowfall, good news. I draw your attention to exhibit B:

The good news I refer to is that Lethbridge looks to have normal snowfall whereas the mountains that many love to ski and snowboard are expecting above average snowfall.

My ideal winter is +5 with brown grass around Lethbridge with 25cm of snow weekly out at Castle Mountain. Am I asking too much?

The only “5” associated with the Apple iPhone yesterday was the drop in stock: 5%… all because Apple cultists wanted the iPhone 5 but instead got the 4S (fours?)

Most of the rumoured upgrades appear in the phone and even some extras but is it worth the upgrade?  Let’s examine.

No Design Upgrades

Rumours promised a slimmer design, more rounded.  Instead, it looks virtually the same as the 4. 

GBs

The 16GB model starts at $199 with a contract and 32GB costs $299.  And, introducing, the new 64 GB model.  It will be a whopping $399.

Hardware Improvements

Under the hood is where you find the upgrades including the dual-core A5 processor that iPad 2 users have been enjoying.  Use of apps, games and the net will be faster – up to double the speed. 

It can also switch between GSM and CDMA cellular networks which makes usage overseas much more convenient. 

Camera

An already great camera in the iPhone 4 just got a lot better. 

* 8 mp camera sensor
* 3264 x 2448 maximum resolution
* f/2.4 aperture lets more light in for low-light shooting conditions
* High performance in very bright and very dark conditions
* Zero shutter lag lets you snap images in quick succession
* Hybrid IR filter allows better color accuracy, more color uniformity.
* Refined LED flash
* 5 element lens assembly that’s 30% sharper
* Improved multi-face detection
* Camera app accessible from the lock screen for fast shooting
* 1080p video recording

Some feel it’s worth upgrading to the 4S for the Camera alone… if you’re a photo-fanatic.

Siri

The newest toy within the iPhone is Siri – a voice command and dictation app.  This allows you to be more hands free.  By voice commands you can:

* Set a reminder
* Set your alarm
* Send a text
* Check the weather
* Set a meeting
* Send an email
* Look up directions
* Find a phone number
* Conduct a web search

iOS 5

October 12^th it debuts.   Features:

* Drop-down notification menu rather than pop-up alerts
* Improved Safari browser
* Location-triggered reminders
* iCloud, Apple’s new media syncing service for music, photos, videos, and apps
* “PC free” wireless updates that don’t require you to plug your device into a computer
* Newsstand for keeping your digital magazine and newspaper subscriptions in one place
* iMessage, a messaging app for communicating with other iOS 5 users

You can get this without getting the 4S by downloading a free upgrade if you have a iPhone 4 or 3GS or kickass iPod touch 4^th generation.

Hardware That’s Missing

Personally this doesn’t bum me out at all but for some the absence of Near Field Communication – technology that lets you make mobile payments by using your cell phone as a credit card.

“True” 4G is also missing.  If you don’t know what that means then you won’t be missing it

BOTTOM LINE

This is a great upgrade… if you’re a 3GS user (or an earlier model).  While some ‘4’ users will no doubt get the upgrade, the consensus is to keep waiting for the ‘5’ – release date TBD.