13 Awesome Things You Didn't Know Were Made in Canada

13 Awesome Things You Didn't Know Were Made in Canada

1. Did You Know Most of the World's French Fries Come from Mcain Food in New Brunswick? 

2. Did You Know The Original Maple Bat Corp at Carlton Place Makes the World's Best Baseball Bats?

3. Did You Know Saskatchewan Makes Most of the World's Lentils?

4. Did You Know Scarborough Makes Most of the World's Halls Cough Drops?

5. Did You Know The Royal Winnipeg Mint Winnipeg makes Coins for Over 60 Countries? 

6. Did You Know Maynards in Hamilton Makes the World's Swedish Fish Candy?

7. Did You Know Cervelo in Toronto Makes the World's Best Racing Bikes?

8. Did you Know Pollard Banknote Winnipeg Makes Most of the World's Scratch Cards? 

9. Did You Know the World's Best Cymbals made by Sabian come from New Brunswick?

10. Did You Know Research Casting International in Trenton Makes Tons of Dinos?

11. Did You Know Whitewater West Industries in Kelowna Makes Most of the World's Water Slides?

12. Did You Know Flying Colours Corp in Peterborough is the Custom Aircraft Capital of Canada?

13. Did you know Atlantis Submarines in B.C. Makes Tons of Submarines?

http://www.readersdigest.ca/travel/canada/13-awesome-things-you-didnt-know-were-made-canada

Genius Pack Intelligent Travel Backpack Review

Genius Pack Intelligent Travel Backpack Review

I like to be organized when I travel on business but I also like to be organized when I travel within the city and one problem that I was always trying to find some sort of solution for was a backpack. It had to be lightweight and allow me to be organized and quickly find anything I needed.

I came across across a company called Genius Pack (www.genius pack.com) and what they make is a whole range of different products for the traveller.  The product design team is very clever in what they created for being organized when traveling.

What caught my eye was the Intelligent Travel Backpack and this is for very extreme organization as it has lots of pockets and some innovative features.

One feature I found really interesting about the Intelligent Travel Backpack is there's lots of dedicated pockets. Most of the other backpacks I have don’t seem to have many pockets beyond the usual pen flap pocket.

Pockets, Pockets and more Pockets

On the outside we have great features with padded shoulder straps, outer mesh side pocket for a water bottle, and outside zippered pocket with a clip that you can put your keys on that gives you quick access.

There is another pocket in the front perfect for putting in your wallet or a Kindle e-reader in. Another front zippered pocket there is a pen pocket, one for your business cards,  a pocket for the Genius Pack Portable Mobile Charger and a pocket for your smartphone device. There is still room for some other things in there.

The Portable Mobile Charger has 12 hours of battery life and comes with 6 micro clips to fit different devices for charging.

Inside the bag in the main compartment, you have a padded laptop sleeve (with a safety strap) which can also fit my iPad in at the same time, mesh pockets for the laptop accessories and  cables and  a dedicated pocket for the micro umbrella. The micro travel umbrella from Genius Pack is a compact six-inch umbrella that slips into a dedicated pocket. It is the ideal size for a traveler that may encounter rain while they are out and about. I cannot say how often this was handy for me when it rained without having to carry a large umbrella around. There is dedicated eye glass pocket that is lined with fuzzy fabric preventing scratches. There is still ample room for books or file folders. Another device they make is a Loud Sound mini speaker that connects to your device to play back music. Yes, there is a dedicated pocket for that as well and it has a bass expander feature that provides a fuller rich sound.

The Intelligent Travel Backpack is extremely functional and is an ideal backpack for those that seem to travel with more than just a laptop and want to be organized.

Pricing is around $70 without the accessories

Dimensions: 12" x 4" x 16.5" (in.)

Road Warriors use VOIP and Internet Telephony for Cost Savings and Productivity

Road Warriors use VOIP and Internet Telephony for Cost Savings and Productivity

“Road Warriors” are those professionals who spend more time on the road than in the office, and they need a cost-effective, convenient way to stay in touch with customers and co-workers while they are traveling.

Hotels often charge for each call made and many don’t support basic telephony features like conference calling or even speakerphone. Mobile phones, are also a useful too but one can encounter dead zones and costly roaming and long distance charges. How can road warriors use readily available technology to communicate better?

Road Warriors today can leverage Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)—a process that converts voice into digital data packets and transmits it over the Internet—to cost-effectively bring the quality and functionality of their copper landline on the road. Internet telephony is a VoIP application that enables mobile professionals to use their laptop, a broadband connection, a softphone and a communications headset or other audio input device to place local and long-distance phone calls over the Internet.

Using VoIP or Internet Telephony, road warriors can simply and cost-effectively enjoy telephony service with features that significantly increase productivity on the road. Travelers can take advantage of flat fee Internet access or Wi-Fi that is offered in most hotel rooms, airports and even coffee shops—and make nearly unlimited calls from their laptop without incurring long-distance charges. Softphone and other software applications give travelers virtual desktop phone functionality, including the ability to conduct conference calls, transfer calls within the corporate PBX system, and receive calls forwarded from the corporate PBX system. Users can enjoy even greater mobility by pairing wireless headsets with Bluetooth-enabled laptops, tablets and other devices for wireless conversations.

In the past 6 months I have made more calls off my iPad than using my corporate desk telephone. My iPad has become my corporate cordless telephone and using Wi-Fi I can be in the basement or on the back deck in my home, at a hotel, at a customer site, Starbucks, a bank and even on a BC Ferry enjoying the simple convenience of the application loaded on my iPhone and iPad and laptop.

The problem with sales@stupidcompany.com in a internet world

The problem with sales@stupidcompany.com in a internet world

Retailers in this day and age still just don't get it when it comes to providing awesome customer service.

I am in search of buying something and the web site has no stock levels indicated and its outside of business hours so one hits the contact button and sends a quick email. It is a normal expectation to get an auto-sender saying that they have have acknowledged your email but its not a normal expectation to have to wait days. I have rarely gotten a response in the stated time-frame and 80% of the time I get no response.

The response is:

Thank you for your inquiry and interest in our company. 

We will process  your inquiry and will respond within two business days.

Kind regards,

The Stupid Company Team

Here is another one after 5 days waiting from another bricks and online retailer:

Hello John,

Your fastest solution will be to head in to our Toronto shop.  They have over 100 units available.  I can certainly request a transfer for you, but I have been waiting almost 20 days now for the last 3 I requested.

Thank You

Mr. Retail Sales Consultant