Bye bye downtown Vancouver stations. It was nice gassing up at you

Gas stations in downtown Vancouver are quickly going the way of the dodo bird, driven out by the city's astronomical real estate values.

Chevron announced last year it was considering selling off one of the last two remaining downtown stations on West Georgia Street near Bidwell.

That would leave the Esso at Davie Street and Burrard Street as the last downtown gas station standing, although word is a "for sale" sign may soon go up at that location as well.  

"My understanding is that station is also being marketed so we're likely to have zero in the near future," said Mehdi Shokri of Avison Young Real Estate.

"We've has such a bull market here on the residential land side ... the numbers are getting so incredibly high that gas stations can't make sense of their business model any more," he said.

The land value of the West Georgia Chevron was pegged at $32.8-million by B.C. Assessment earlier this month, more than triple the value of its 2016 assessment of $10.2-million.

New tax, same story

Mehdi says the drag that was expected on real estate prices when the 15 per cent foreign buyers tax was introduced this past summer hasn't materialized in the Coal Harbour neighbourhood where the Chevron station is located. 

"A block away [developer] Bosa went to market with their Cardero project just after the 15 per cent tax so everyone was looking at that project as a sign of where land and condos could be going," said Mehdi. "They basically sold out that project averaging $1,800 a square foot.

"You're still seeing presales at historic levels."

Mehdi says downtown grocery stores and banks are also changing the way they evaluate their businesses as the value of the land they occupy soars.

"Some of the traditional stores like Safeway are sitting on sizable properties ... and they realize there's a lot of value there. So you're finding a lot of pension funds and development partners giving them an understanding of how they can realize more value by not only selling it, but by becoming part of the development."

Gone for good?

While online banking is making brick and mortar banks less relevant, and grocery stores are moving into ground floors of new high rises, Mohdi believes the downtown Vancouver gas station may truly be on the verge of extinction. 

"There's been a trend here with a lot of the downtown condos that parking isn't being used any more. Most of the people who chose to live here do so because of the amenities and, frankly, they don't want to be in a car — they want to walk or ride their bike," he said.

"I really don't think there will be much of an impact from not having a gas station downtown, particularly for local residents."

Students choose Hitler as parade theme

To celebrate the 62nd anniversary of a school in northern Taiwan, students were invited to choose historical figures and “cosplay” them at a parade Friday.
Liu Hsi-cheng, a history teacher at Hsinchu Kuang Fu High School, suggested to his homeroom class that they go with famous people from Arabic culture, he told the Taipei Times.
But Liu's students had another idea: a theme based on Adolf Hitler.
Liu warned his students that such a theme would be “very controversial,” the paper reported — but ultimately “chose to respect the students' decision and did not veto it” after the class voted on it twice.
On Friday, students from the school in Hsinchu, about 55 miles southwest of Taipei, showed up to the festivities wearing Nazi uniforms and brandishing signs, arm bands and long red banners with swastikas on them.
In one photo that the school has since provided to the media, one student can be seen sitting atop a tank made from cardboard boxes, his arm (albeit his left one) raised in a Nazi salute.
As word of the school activity circulated online, the outrage was swift and widespread. On social media, people in Taiwan and abroad condemned the students' decision as “ignorant” and “a disgusting display of disrespect.”
The incident also drew sharp rebukes from both the German Institute Taipei and the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, which handle nondiplomatic relations between Taiwan and their respective countries.
Israel's representative office issued a statement Saturday that called the parade “deplorable and shocking” and noted that, less than a year ago, Taiwan had marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day for the first time with the participation of then-president Ma Ying-jeou.
“It is deplorable and shocking that seven decades only after the world had witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust, a high-school in Taiwan is supporting such an outrageous action as we witnessed yesterday at Hsinchu Kuang-Fu Senior High School,” the statement read in part.
“We strongly condemn this tasteless occurrence and call on the Taiwanese authorities, in all levels, to initiate educational programs which would introduce the meaning of the Holocaust and teach its history and universal meaning. Israel would support such endeavors as may be necessary.”
Germany's representative office also released a statement saying it was alarmed by the Hsinchu parade.
“In the course of Nazi rule, millions of people in Europe were persecuted and killed,” the statement read in part. “The Holocaust can be regarded as one of the most heinous crimes in human history. Unfortunately, it is clear that the students are not aware that the Nazi symbol means oppression and contempt for human rights.”
That day, Taiwan's Presidential Office ordered an investigation into the incident and the country's education minister, Pan Wen-chung, formally apologized and urged all schools in Taiwan to learn from the mistake, the Central News Agency reported.
The school's principal, Cheng Hsiao-ming, said Saturday he took responsibility for the incident and would resign from his position.
Holding a sheet of paper with both hands, Cheng read aloud a lengthy statement to local reporters in which he apologized to Holocaust victims and to the general public for what had happened.
“Educational institutions have a responsibility to teach students the correct values,” Cheng said. “We should teach students to learn from their mistakes.”
In that vein, Cheng said the school would organize a series of educational activities about the Holocaust, including watching movies such as “Schindler's List” and “Life is Beautiful.” They had invited staff members from Israel's representative office to speak at the school, he added.
Cheng also asked that the public not blame the teachers and students too much, as they had received overwhelming blowback from the public already, and vowed that they would turn this into an opportunity to teach understanding.
Cheng then bowed deeply to reporters.
Liu, the teacher, told CNS that his students deeply regretted their actions — and that he regretted allowing them to proceed with their theme.
“I should have immediately rejected [their vote] on the spot,” Liu told the news agency.
Teachers' groups in Taiwan lamented the incident as a failure of the nation's education system, the Taipei Times reported.
“We feel that we have not worked hard enough, and have allowed this absurd, ignorant and indifferent attitude toward the universal value of human rights to spread and become an international joke,” said a joint statement issued by Our Story Alliance of History Teachers and Action Coalition of Civics Teacher.

Why a CEO shortened company workday to six hours

In May 2015, founder and CEO of Acuity Scheduling Gavin Zuchlinski decided to offer his employees six-hour workdays during the summer months, while still offering full pay and benefits.
"I wanted to let everyone enjoy the summer, but it just worked out well enough that we kept it throughout the year," Zuchlinski tells CNBC. "We've been doing this for nearly two years now and we have the same productivity that we had during the eight-hour days."
The online scheduling company, which Zuchlinski built from scratch a decade ago, places an emphasis on customer service.
In fact, "the biggest role in our company is customer support, which can be emotionally draining," the CEO says. "We're not just trying to grind people out for hours. You need to be able to have your time off to really be fresh, show your personality, and actually be a human while offering customer support."

Acuity employees typically work for three hours in the morning, take a couple of hours off during the middle of the day, and are on for another three hours in the afternoon. 

What's more, each of the company's 15 employees works remotely, meaning they don't have to deal with a commute . 

Employees are scattered all over the globe from New York, where Acuity is headquartered, to Greece and Scotland. The geographic diversity works to the company's advantage, Zuchlinski explains: "Having everyone in different time zones means people can work roughly normal hours. Nobody is working crazy night shifts — but we're still able to provide about 15 hours of customer support throughout the day." 

The CEO doesn't advertise Acuity's 30-hour workweek in job postings. "It's just a nice surprise after you're hopefully attracted to Acuity through everything else we offer here," he says. 

Zuchlinski isn't the only one experimenting with a shortened schedule. Amazon is piloting a 30-hour workweek , and an online search optimization company based in Sweden, Brath , operates on a six-hour workday schedule. And then there's the San Diego-based start-up where employees work from just 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. , without a lunch break, for a total of 25 hours a week. 

"It's OK to give that time back to employees," Zuchlinski says. "Ultimately, it will make them happier and more productive — and if you're happy and enjoy your life, you're probably going to share that with all of our customers."

Blue Jays' silenced in ALCS Game 1 loss to Cleveland

Corey Kluber and two other Indians pitchers combined on a shutout and Francisco Lindor's two-run homer lifted Cleveland to a 2-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

Jumping on an 0-2 delivery from Marco Estrada, Lindor broke the pitching deadlock in the bottom of the sixth with a shot 412 feet to right-centre field after Jason Kipnis walked before a sellout crowd of 37,727 at Progressive Field.

• BOXSCORE: Toronto-Cleveland

It was the Jays' first loss in five games this post-season. Cleveland extended its playoff win streak to four.

Estrada (1-1) had cruised through the early innings, facing minimal resistance, and recovered after the home run in a 101-pitch, six-hit outing. He deserved better in posting the first complete game of his career and the first by a Jay this season.

Cleveland ace Corey Kluber (2-0), meanwhile, had to dig himself out of one early one hole after another before finding his groove. Andrew Miller came in with one out in the seventh and struck out five of the six hitters he faced.

Closer Cody Allen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, earning his third save.

Toronto, which outhit Cleveland 7-6, lost second baseman Devon Travis in the fifth. The second baseman, who had been nursing a sore knee, limped off after a play in which he covered first and was replaced by Ryan Goins.

Airbnb isn't hurting the Hotel Industry

Ever since Airbnb came on the scene, the hotel industry has been worried the home-sharing company could hurt the hospitality and real estate industries. 

It turns out that at least some of those concerns might be unfounded. 

Data research firm STR took a look at Airbnb data alongside hotel data in 13 US and international markets. STR compared Airbnb to the biggest hotel chains in the world, like Marriott and Starwood (which recently merged), Hilton, Intercontinental Hotels Group, and more.

The data found that Airbnb has more than double the number of listings worldwide than Marriott/Starwood and Hilton combined, but it's not actually replacing hotels.  

Comparing Airbnb and hotels in the first place is "apples to oranges," as STR senior research analyst Jessica Haywood notes in her breakdown of the data. Travelers who choose to stay in an Airbnb versus a hotel are often looking for an entirely different type of experience. They want to interact with hosts, want to be immersed in the local culture, or simply can't afford to stay in a hotel, so will only travel if they have free or very cheap accommodations. 

Beyond that, Airbnb offers accommodations that hotels don't, like shared spaces or more whimsical places like tree houses and tents. Haywood notes that those kinds of atypical lodgings may have skewed her findings. 

Still, hotels crushed Airbnb in terms of occupancy in every market measured in the study. 

Hotel occupancy was still significantly higher in major markets like Los Angeles and San Francisco — Airbnb's home town — and the gap was even larger in international cities like Mexico City and London. Haywood estimates that in US cities, Airbnb is picking up the slack when hotels are full. Hotels also saw higher growth than Airbnb in nearly every US city. 

While Airbnb may certainly be stealing a small portion of hotel guests, that portion isn't nearly enough to unseat traditional lodgings. And while the hotel industry has other qualms with Airbnb — many believe Airbnb is contributing to gentrification and impacting housing costs — there's no reason to think Airbnb will put hotels out of business anytime soon.

Five Earthquakes near British Columbia

There have been five earthquakes off the coast of British Columbia, since Saturday. All earthquakes have been at least 4 on the rector scale.

Apple says sees record demand for new iPhones

Apple on Monday said it had received record pre-orders for its new iPhone models, and that some customers will have to wait for the larger-screen versions of the smartphones.
The California tech giant said more than four million pre-orders were received in the 24 hours after the new devices went on sale last Friday.
"Demand for the new iPhones exceeds the initial pre-order supply and while a significant amount will be delivered to customers beginning on Friday and throughout September, many iPhone pre-orders are scheduled to be delivered in October," Apple said in a statement.
Apple last week unveiled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, in a move aimed at satisfying consumer preference for bigger smartphone displays.
The announcement means Apple may see shortages and long lines at its retail stores when sales begin on Friday.
"Pre-orders for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus set a new record for Apple, and we can't wait to get our best iPhones yet into the hands of customers starting this Friday,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in the statement.
Sales are set to open at 8 am local time in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Britain. Some 20 more countries will get the iPhone September 26.
Some of the new iPhones will also be available from carriers and other retailers.
Apple last Tuesday unveiled its first smartwatch and two large-screen versions of the iPhone, in a move to recapture its role as a trend-setter.
Apple added in a new mobile wallet that will allow consumers to simply tap their phones to pay retailers.
New iPhone 6 models boost screen sizes in what some see as the company catching up to a "phablet" trend combining features of smartphones and tablets.
The frenzy at Apple's website on Friday indicated that in the eyes of myriad iPhone lovers, bigger is indeed better.
Apple's main rival Samsung has long had a range of larger handsets and has tried to market a smartwatch of its own.
The iPhone 6 will have a screen of 4.7 inches and the 6-Plus will be 5.5 inches, allowing Apple to adapt to consumers' apparent preference for bigger displays.

Canadian Forces to school Kurds on ‘art and science’ of air strikes

The roughly 70 special forces soldiers Canada is deploying to Iraq have yet to start their mission, but these elite troops would be able to teach Kurdish fighters everything from marking targets for air strikes to operating high-tech communications gear.
Stephen Harper has committed Canadian soldiers to Iraq for a 30-day assignment, although it is widely believed Ottawa will ultimately extend what the government insists is not a combat mission. Canadians will operate in northern Iraq as military advisers to Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants who are wreaking havoc there.
Canadian special forces soldiers are not yet fighting in Iraq, but soldiers are already on the ground to conduct advance planning and determine what equipment troops need to bring.
Military sources say one benefit of sending members of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment rather than regular forces is efficiency: these troops are largely self-reliant and can operate without significant support staff.
The government has been occupied in recent days obtaining visas for the soldiers and hammering out a “status-of-forces agreement” with Iraq, the sovereign authority in the region. This agreement will be part of diplomatic notes exchanged between Ottawa and Baghdad and defines what legal protections and rules – Canadian military law or Iraqi law – will cover Canadian troops in various scenarios.
The government has not detailed what sort of military advice Canadians might offer the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, except to say it would include instruction on conventional warfare techniques. The Canadian Special Operations Regiment regularly works with foreign military and security forces.
“People keep saying Peshmergas don’t need instructions on how to fight. But that’s not what Canada would bring to the mix,” said an official with the Canadian military who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Marking targets for air strikes is an example of aid special forces soldiers could provide the Kurds, the official said.
“Planning for, co-ordinating and organizing air strikes is an art and science.”
The United States has been attacking Islamic State forces from the air, and Britain has not ruled out air strikes as allies ramp up their efforts to degrade and destroy the militia.
Other lessons Canadian soldiers could impart include instructing the Kurds on using more sophisticated communications equipment, global positioning system gear and infrared beacons that reduce the chances allied aircraft will mistakenly attack them, and help troops avoid shooting each other at night.
“They’re not used to operating in a coalition and with air cover,” the official said.
Canada’s special forces soldiers might also offer instruction in sophisticated battlefield first aid that, with medical advances in the past decade, makes it more likely injured soldiers will survive.
It is not clear what equipment Canadian soldiers might ship with them to Iraq to help the Kurds. Asked earlier this week whether Canada might bring Chinook helicopters or drones to Iraq, General Tom Lawson, the Chief of the Defence Staff, told reporters troops would bring neither.
The Canadians will work alongside U.S. military advisers, but will remain under Canada’s direction and control, the government says. U.S. President Barack Obama recently announced he would deploy 475 more soldiers to assist forces in Iraq fighting the Islamic State, bringing the total number of U.S. soldiers sent there to about 1,600.

Twitter tests 'buy' button

Twitter is testing a way to let users go shopping or make charitable contributions between tweets.
A small percentage of users will receive tweets from Twitter test partners Monday featuring a "buy" button that lets them make purchases or donate money. Initial partners include the musical groups Soundgarden and Panic! At The Disco, retailers Home Depot and Burberry, and nonprofits The Nature Conservancy and GLAAD.
On mobile and can't see the tweet below? Read it here.
After clicking the buy button, users will be prompted to enter shipping and payment information. Then the order will be sent to the merchant for delivery.
Users' personal information will be encrypted. And their credit card details won't be given to sellers without permission.

Ronaldo bows out of clash of the titans

Cristiano Ronaldo came to the World Cup as part of a holy trinity of world superstars alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar but he is leaving the party early after Portugal crashed out.
In bowing out he continues the curse of the Ballon D'Or winner never picking up the World Cup the same year.
Ronaldo, who has had a quiet tournament by his own dizzying standards, finally scored his first goal on Thursday -- the winner against Ghana in Brasilia -- but it was too little too late.
Portugal -- hammered 4-0 in their opener against Germany -- needed to win handsomely and hope the result in the other Group G fixture between Germany and the United States went their way.
But in the end a 2-1 win was not enough and the two sides playing in Recife went through.
Despite at last breaking his duck in Brazil the Real Madrid star missed a succession of chances that could have given his team the sizeable win they needed to make the last 16.
Towards the end of the match he kicked the air in frustration as yet another attack foundered with his team still clinging to an unlikely dream of qualifying for the knockouts.
Ronaldo, who only last month helped his Spanish club side win a 10th Champions League trophy, cut a disconsolate figure after the game, saying his side had deserved more.
"The match today was a match we tried to win and we did win," said Ronaldo, who was named man of the match.
"We created many opportunities but we could not finish them all," said the 29-year-old, wearing strapping around his right knee and moving gingerly.
"We knew it was complicated but what's left at the end shows that it was possible considering the number of opportunities we created," he added.
"We deserved more but that's how football is. We can hold our heads up high. We tried our best but couldn't do it."
The former Manchester United player has been the focus of much attention about how fit he was with endless speculation over his left knee.
Feted by huge crowds in Brazil -- even when training -- he arrived in Brazil as the alpha male of world football after finally wresting the Ballon d'Or from the hands of his Argentine rival Messi.
But his side, ranked fourth in the world, suffered a disastrous start, demolished 4-0 by Germany in their Group G opener.
Next came a 2-2 draw against the United States, with Ronaldo providing the cross that led to the equaliser in the final seconds -- a goal that kept Portugal in the competition.
And whereas Messi and fellow Barca star Neymar have benefited from strong players around them, Ronaldo has suffered from some sub-par performances from his team-mates.
Portugal coach Paulo Bento refused to pin the blame on his star player, who helped the team reach the semi-finals of Euro 2012, for his misses.
"No, I don't think it's fair," said Bento, who prior to the finals signed an extension to his contract taking him up to 2016.
"I don't think we should now make those things individual. We made a set of mistakes in the tournament during three different matches."
Taking responsibility for the failure, Bento said the defeat to Germany had hit his side hard psychologically and left them with a mountain to climb.
He said it was not right to criticise a player who is usually so effective in front of goal for his missed chances in the Estadio Nacional.
Bento acknowledged that Ronaldo had received physical therapy in the run-up to the World Cup but said he was only called in when 100 percent fit.

Two objects spotted possibly related to MH370: Australia

Two objects possibly related to the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have been sighted, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Thursday in a potential breakthrough.
Abbott told parliament "new and credible information" had come to light nearly two weeks after the plane vanished.
He said an Australian air force Orion had already been diverted to look into the objects with three more surveillance planes to follow. He did not specify where they were but Australia has taken charge of the search in the southern Indian Ocean.
"The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has received information based on satellite information of objects possibly related to the search," Abbott said, adding that he had informed Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
"Following specialist analysis of this satellite imagery, two possible objects related to the search have been identified."
But he warned against drawing any premature conclusions.
"We must keep in mind the task of locating these objects will be extremely difficult and it may turn out that they are not related to the search for flight MH370," he said.
AMSA was due to hold a news conference with more details at 0430 GMT.
Authorities in Kuala Lumpur on Monday asked Canberra to take responsibility for the "southern vector" of the operation to locate the Boeing 777, which disappeared on March 8 en route to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board.
The Malaysian government believes the jet was deliberately diverted and flew for several hours after leaving its scheduled flight path -- either north towards Central Asia, or towards the southern Indian Ocean.
Australian, US and New Zealand long-range surveillance planes have been scouring a vast tract of the southern Indian Ocean since Tuesday with the search focused on an area of 305,000 square kilometres (122,000 square miles), some 2,600 kilometres southeast of Perth.

Olympic rings mishap doctored by Russian TV

Smoke and mirrors? Russian state television aired footage Friday of five floating snowflakes turning into the Olympic rings and bursting into pyrotechnics at the Sochi Games opening ceremony. Problem is, that didn't happen.
The opening ceremony at the Winter Games hit a bump when only four of the five rings materialized in a wintry opening scene. The five were supposed to join together and erupt in fireworks. But one snowflake never expanded, and the pyrotechnics never went off.
But everything worked fine for viewers of the Rossiya 1, the Russian host broadcaster.
As the fifth ring got stuck, Rossiya cut away to rehearsal footage. All five rings came together, and the fireworks exploded on cue.
"It didn't show on television, thank God," Jean Claude-Killy, the French ski great who heads the IOC coordination commission for the Sochi Games, told The Associated Press.
Producers confirmed the switch, saying it was important to preserve the imagery of the Olympic symbols. But the incident could be seen by viewers outside of Russia, including CBC's presentation of the ceremony.
The unveiling of the rings is always one of the most iconic moments of an opening ceremony, and President Vladimir Putin has been determined to use the ceremony as an introduction of the new Russia to the world.
Konstantin Ernst, executive creative director of the opening ceremony, told reporters at a news conference that he called down to master control to tell them to go the practice footage when he realized what happened.
"This is an open secret," he said, referring to the use of the pre-recorded footage. The show's artistic director George Tsypin said the malfunction was caused by a bad command from a stage manager.
Ernst defended his decision, saying that the most important part was preserving the images and the Olympic tradition: "This is certainly bad, but it does not humiliate us."
NBC was to air the ceremony in the U.S. on tape delay later Friday, and said in a statement: "We will show things as they happened tonight."

Google provides glimpse at secret US requests for data

Google on Monday for the first time provided a glimpse into the numbers of secret requests for user data are made by the US in the name of fighting terrorism.
US officials used the authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to ask for information from between 9,000 and 10,000 Google user accounts in the first six months of 2013, and between 12,000 to 13,000 accounts in the six months prior to that, according to a blog post.
Release of such data was subject to a six-month delay under terms of an arrangement with the US Department of Justice to let Internet firms be slightly more open about how much information is sought under authority of FISA court orders.
"Publishing these numbers is a step in the right direction, and speaks to the principles for reform that we announced with other companies last December," Google law enforcement and information security legal director Richard Salgado said in a blog post.
"But we still believe more transparency is needed so everyone can better understand how surveillance laws work and decide whether or not they serve the public interest."
Google included the FISA request numbers in a routinely released Transparency Report about efforts by governments to legally obtain data from the California-based Internet titan.
Last week, US authorities agreed to give technology firms the ability to publish broad details of how their customer data has been targeted by US spy agencies. The agreement came amid litigation from tech giants Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft and Yahoo.
The companies have been seeking the right to release figures on vast surveillance of online and phone communications, in the wake of leaked documents from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Katy Perry sets Twitter milestone with 50 mln followers

Twitter Counter, a service for tracking Twitter usage, said Perry had picked up tens of thousands of followers since Thursday, as she roared her way to 50,025,667.
Perry, 29, whose "Dark Horse" tops the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week, opted to say nothing Friday about her online achievement.
Instead she tweeted thanks to Madonna for having invited her to curate the pop diva's Art for Freedom human rights project during the month of January.
Teen idol Justin Bieber dethroned Lady Gaga as the most-followed Twitter user in January 2013, but ceded the top spot to Perry in November.
On Friday, Bieber -- due in court on Valentine's Day over alleged drunk driving and illegal drag racing in Florida -- had 49,230,470 followers, followed by President Barack Obama with 41,219,748.
Lady Gaga, in fourth place with 41,025,492 followers, made Twitter history when she became the first to claim 20 million followers -- just under two years ago, in March 2012.
Perry's current album "Prism" entered the Billboard 200 chart at number one upon its release in October. Her goth-themed rendition of "Dark Horse" was a highlight of Sunday's Grammy awards.

RCMP Drone Patrols P.E.I. Skies

RCMP have a new drone patrolling the skies of P.E.I. to get aerial perspectives on crashes and perhaps help with search and rescues.
The miniature helicopter caries a camera and operates by remote control. The unmanned aerial vehicle, as it's officially known, was custom-built for $18,000 for Saskatchewan RCMP. They gave it to Island police for free.
“The helicopter is carrying a Canon stock camera, like you'd buy at Future Shop or Staples. It's plugged into a live, encrypted, down link," RCMP spokesman Greg McCormick explained.
"It's a multi-rotor helicopter. There are six blades. It's made of carbon fibre.”
It fits in the back of a police cruiser and can be deployed in minutes. RCMP have just one regular helicopter to serve all of Atlantic Canada, so mini-copters could assist by taking aerial photos of highway accidents for crash analysts.
It may also help find missing people, RCMP said.
15-minute battery life
Sgt. Andrew Blackadar tested out the craft this week. "Actually it's a bit of fun. It's like a remote-controlled car, but a bit more sophisticated and it takes two of us to operate it," he said.
McCormick said it wouldn’t work for covert surveillance. “We don't use it for covert work. As you can tell, it's quite loud. It would certainly be a giveaway to its purpose,” he said as the drone buzzed overhead.
Its rechargeable battery only lasts for 15 minutes and it struggles in high winds.

The Future of PIN could use Colour, Symbols to Boost Security

The PIN system is an ageing and not entirely secure technique, especially when it comes to ATMs. But a new system that uses color and shape may go at least some way to solving the problem.

With many ATM hacks recording PIN button presses using a small camera, TRI-PIN claims to have a solution that will foil such snooping tactics. Admittedly, it sounds a little like a child designed it, but hear it out. Here's how the idea works:A user chooses a PIN with a combination of numbers, colours and shapes;, for example: 3, square, pink, flag. Each time that the user has to input their pin, the colours and symbols randomly change position on the TRI-PIN keypad, so you're never pressing the same sequence of keys. 
That's easy to get working on touchscreen devices through software, perhaps a little harder to install as hardware on thousands of ATMs. Regardless, though, it's a pretty neat and simple solution to a complex and enduring problem. The system is about to start appearing in apps, and may at some point make it to hardware—though that might not be childsplay.

L'Isle-Verte fire survivors describe narrow escape

Nelida Pettigrew always had boots, a scarf and a warm coat ready at the door, just in case.
Her daughter made a point of ensuring that if Pettigrew ever needed to leave her room at the Résidence du Havre in a hurry, she would be properly dressed.
Last Thursday morning, when she realized the alarm bells echoing through the hallways weren’t triggered in error, Pettigrew threw on those warm clothes and escaped with the help of a neighbour.
She is one of only about 20 people authorities believe safely fled the burning seniors' residence in the heart of the small town.
The toll of the missing and dead in L’Isle-Verte stands at 32. Ten of those have been confirmed dead, Quebec provincial police said on Saturday. Three of those eight have been identified by the coroner’s office.
Police were initially reluctant to give a firm number of missing people, hopeful that some of the residents were away at the time of the fire and simply couldn’t be reached.
“We can assume the worst,” Lieut. Guy Lapointe of the Sûreté du Québec said at a news conference Saturday morning.
Police said, however, they will not confirm the deaths of any victims until their remains are recovered from the scene.
Survivors staying in neighbouring towns
On Saturday, emergency workers brought in extra equipment to help melt the 60-centimetre-thick ice that coats some of the rubble as the search for those still missing resumed.
Those who survived are now scattered between family members and other assisted living homes in neighbouring Trois-Pistoles and Rivière-du-Loup.
That’s where Pettigrew, 90, found herself after her home was destroyed in the blaze. Sitting in a room decorated with a vase of flowers and a few stuffed animals at a seniors' residence in Trois-Pistoles, she said she’s been well taken care of since the fire.
She escaped unharmed, but knows several of the people who didn’t make it out. She wiped away tears as she described one woman with whom she shared her meals who she believes has died.
“There’s others who died as well. I saw a few who had all their arms burned,” she said.
“I didn’t cry then, but I cried after.”
Pettigrew believes if she hadn’t been assisted by Arnaud Côté, a neighbour in the building's newer wing which sustained less damage than the older portion, she wouldn’t have made it out of the fire.
“He saved me,” she said. “If I didn’t have Mr. Arnaud Côté, I wouldn’t have known to take the emergency exit.”
Pettigrew went down two flights of stairs to safety, leaving her walker behind.
She was taken to a community centre and then to another location before she was moved to the room in Trois-Pistoles.
She hasn’t had the opportunity to talk to Côté, but said she’s immensely grateful.
“I want to hug him like he’s never been hugged before,” she said.
New wing saved by firewall
Other incredible stories of survival have emerged in L’Isle-Verte as more family members arrive at the scene to support their mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles who escaped the blaze.
Marie-Luce Dionne drove from Campbellton, N.B., to help her mother, who was also living in the newer wing of the Résidence du Havre. The flames were cut down by a firewall between the two sections. The newer portion is still standing. The older portion of the building is completely unrecognizable.
“I told my mom there were angels that night for her because she used to be in the apartment 206 [in the old section], apparently where the fire started,” Dionne said.
“She was moved down in the new [wing] on Dec. 27. There was a reason for that. She was saved maybe because she was moved there.”
Many residents and family members said they received exceptional care at the seniors home. Dionne said her mother has a very close relationship with one of the owners and she called once a week to speak with them about her mother’s care.
Dionne said her mother was assessed by medical staff, but didn’t require hospitalization.
“I’m pleased that she's OK,” she said. “She's my mom, I love her and she asked to go, but I said, ‘Mom, God is not ready for that. When you go I hope you go peacefully.’
“I'm so glad she was not in the building. I would not like her to die that way.”

Toy Story: Old Favourites Fight Rise of the Tablet

The big players in the traditional toy market have come out fighting in Britain as little fingers are increasingly occupied by iPad-type devices at playtime.
Previously seen as the preserve of grown-ups, tablets are increasingly top of children's wish-lists.
The best-selling toy in Britain last year was the Furby, the cuddly robotic "pet" that has irritated millions of parents with its constant chatter. But tablet computers designed specifically for kids came close behind, according to the NPD market research group.
With toddlers frequently more nimble on touchscreens than their parents, major players including Samsung are cashing in with tablets designed for the lucrative and tech-savvy youth market.
At this week's London Toy Fair, manufacturers of traditional toys insisted they face a bright future -- but admitted the rise of tablets means they're in for a tough fight.
"We have to recognise these days that there's a place for tablets and for technology," said Jamie Dickinson, marketing manager at Playmobil, the German-based brand that has produced some 2.6 billion plastic figures since 1974.
"When children grow up and go into the adult world, they need to know how to use the technology," he told AFP as he stood in front of a display of Playmobil figures at London's Olympia exhibition centre.
"But there are lots of other skills that they need to learn, which only traditional toys can give them."
Playmobil is resisting the digital onslaught, with its global sales increasing by 5.3 percent to 531 million euros ($726 million) last year.
In the British market, the building sets and action figures markets will enjoy a 10-percent jump in growth this year, NPD predicts, partly thanks to toys linked to the football World Cup in Brazil.
Many of the toy firms displaying their wares in London were counting on the support of parents with an instinctive suspicion of the Internet and, by extension, tablets.
Metal construction kits by Meccano have been a boys' favourite since they were invented in England in 1909 -- and are "still very popular, especially in the eyes of parents, grandparents and those who buy gifts", said Kevin Jones, European marketing director for the brand's owner Spin Master.

More Canadian Businesses are accepting Bitcoin, Despite Reservations

MONTREAL - Will that be cash, credit card or Bitcoin?
A small number of Canadian businesses now accept Bitcoin, the digital currency that made its debut five years ago, and has been gaining momentum ever since.
Among the retailers is Quebec bed-and-breakfast operator David Mancini, who expects the payment method will have a practical appeal for foreign tourists visiting his community of Baie-Saint-Paul.
"You do not have to transfer U.S. dollars to Canadian, or pesos, etc.," said Mancini, 30, who runs the Gite TerreCiel.
Bitcoin transactions are seen as more convenient than other forms of payments as they are sent directly and instantly from one person to another, avoiding processing and other fees usually charged by banks or third parties. Travellers can avoid avoid carrying cash, or paying fees on travellers cheques or for currency exchanges, said Mancini.
Mancini has already convinced a handful of other community businesses _ the local coffee shop, hair salon, gift shop, acupuncture clinic and Tai chi martial arts school _ to accept Bitcoin, too.
"So if there's a tourist who comes here, they can spend their whole trip in Bitcoin," Mancini said.
The half-dozen merchants in Baie Saint-Paul are among 143 Canadian businesses accepting the digital currency, according to the Canadian Bitcoin Business Directory.
To use Bitcoins, users must first set up a so-called digital wallet, which gets managed through an app. The transactions involve buyer and seller scanning each others' smartphones to transfer the Bitcoins.
Vancouver saw its first Bitcoin automatic teller machine go live in a downtown Vancouver coffee shop last fall, followed by Toronto and Ottawa. Consumers can exchange Canadian cash for the digital currency at the current exchange rate.
But there remain concerns for the business community, according to researcher David Descoteaux, who recently prepared a report on the currency for the Montreal Economic Institute.
Descoteaux points out is is almost impossible to have any legal recourse in cases of fraud as, once confirmed, transactions are irreversible.
The volatility of the value of Bitcoins, which is not regulated by any central bank, is also an issue. It jumped 50 per cent on Nov. 18 after regulators signalled that digital currencies could be acceptable but plunged 30 per cent on Dec. 5 after China's central bank banned Bitcoins as currency, according to the online exchange Mt.Gox.
Fans of the currency say that because there's a finite supply of 21 million Bitcoins, the currency will continue to appreciate.
But, for businesses, the value of transactions could fluctuate greatly before the Bitcoin transactions are transferred into a hard currency, such as Canadian dollars.
Bitcoin was recently listed at $885 on VirtEx, Canada's virtual exchange to buy and sell Bitcoin.
Descoteaux said businesses are also wary of the tax implications of using Bitcoin, as any sales would have to be declared as income.
The Canada Revenue Agency has said using digital currency must be included in the seller's income for tax purposes and the amount included would be the value of the good or service in Canadian dollars. It also notes that digital currency can also be bought or sold like a commodity and any resulting gains or losses could be taxable income or capital.
As Bitcoin becomes more popular banks and governments are likely to step in and regulate it, Descoteaux said, and there will be more fees as it becomes mainstream.
Montreal company Bokor Renovation has done one transaction with Bitcoin in the "thousands of dollars" and owner Drazen Bokor is eager for more Bitcoin customers.
"The set up was easy," said Bokor. "I don't pay any fees. This is a very fast way to get the money."prepared a report on the currency for the Montreal Economic Institute.
Descoteaux points out is is almost impossible to have any legal recourse in cases of fraud as, once confirmed, transactions are irreversible.
The volatility of the value of Bitcoins, which is not regulated by any central bank, is also an issue. It jumped 50 per cent on Nov. 18 after regulators signalled that digital currencies could be acceptable but plunged 30 per cent on Dec. 5 after China's central bank banned Bitcoins as currency, according to the online exchange Mt.Gox.
Fans of the currency say that because there's a finite supply of 21 million Bitcoins, the currency will continue to appreciate.

How do the Knicks Decide Who gets Courtside Seats?

The Knicks stink. But celebs still flock to Madison Square Garden to sit courtside at games. You see them every night: How do they get those tickets? Do they pay for them or are they free? And what if every celeb in the city wants to sit courtside to see LeBron? Who gets a seat and who gets a "sorry"? And who makes the decision?
Well, first off, some celebs pay for their seats. Even Carmelo Anthony's wife, LaLa. But for the rest of them, there's an entire celebrity-handling team with a SERIOUS system in place to determine who gets a seat, and where that seat is.
“If you’re an A-level person and we know the fans are going to go bananas when your picture goes up on the scoreboard, then there’s a value having you there,” Barry Watkins, the executive vice president for communications and administration for MSG's parent company, told The New York Times.
“We think it’s a big part of the brand. Win or lose, it’s one of the reasons people come to the games.”
So the A-listers get the seats on Celebrity Row, along with the celeb perks -- a special entrance and elevator, an usher who shows them to their seats, plus access to Suite 200, where they can enjoy an open bar, fine cuisine and other amenities.
Of course, nothing is really free. Celebs usually are asked to do promo spots for the team, appear at employee events or perform other small services. James Gandolfini appeared in character as Tony Soprano to woo LeBron James and Amar'e Stoudemire when they were free agents.
And if you don't play ball, well, prepare to face the consequences. Woody Allen apparently is banned from Suite 200 because he refused to film a short promo, according to his spokesperson. And Allen "understood completely," she added.