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(Image: Chris Hadfield)
As if being the first Canadian to walk in space wasn’t enough, astronaut Chris Hadfield has become a social media phenomenon, amassing over 912,000 followers on Twitter and over 311,000 Facebook fans, all while making the Magnum P.I. moustache cool again. To celebrate his return to earth last night after 144 days on the International Space Station, we count down the eight coolest, weirdest and awesomely-nerdiest things Hadfield did while in orbit.
In May, a self-professed Samsung fanatic from London, Ontario, named Shane Bennett fired off a message to Samsung Canada’s Facebook account, politely asking if they’d give him the then still unreleased Galaxy S III phone for free (hey, if you don’t ask, you’ll never know, right?). In case being an ardent Samsung fan wasn’t enough to persuade the company to dole out the pricey phone (similar models retail for around $800), Bennett attached a homemade drawing of a green dragon emitting a cute and fiery “Rawr.”
(Image: Facebook)
(Image: Still The Oldie from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)
At some point, most drivers have wondered whether they really have to pay parking tickets on private property—it turns out, probably not. The Toronto Star looked into the case of Jonathan Sutcliffe, who was hit with a $250 “parking invoice” from something called the Parking Control Unit after leaving his car in a Tim Hortons lot in Scarborough. The invoice looked like the yellow tickets issued by the City of Toronto, save a few details: the fee dropped to $25 if paid within 10 days or to $50 if made within 28 days, and there was no information about how to contest it. Sutcliffe did some research and took to Reddit with his findings. His police division told him to rip up the ticket, saying, “It’s a scam, take it easy and have a great day.” Apparently, according to Toronto’s bylaw, only municipal enforcement officers are allowed to issue parking tickets on private property. (The only exception is Impark and other lots that are clearly commercial.) If there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s Google first, pay later. [Toronto Star]
This morning, Police Chief Bill Blair briefed the media about last night’s gun fight in Scarborough that killed two and left 21 others with gunshot wounds. He confirmed that two shooters began firing at each other around 10:40 p.m., sending a block party near Morningside and Lawrence into chaos. Blair also said there are “strong indications” that gangs were involved and that the threat of retaliations is high. Those looking for more details may want to consult this incredibly detailed account of the night, pieced together by a Redditor who scoured Twitter for relevant tweets. As the user points out, the information in the tweets can’t all be verified; however, the account forms a clearer picture of whose party it was, what happened, who was hurt—and why retaliatory shootings seem likely. [Reddit]
(Image: twosolitudes)
A sharp-eyed Redditer spotted a model of a very familiar-looking building in Max Payne 3, the third title in the game franchise about the police officer/vigilante/extreme introvert (just try to ignore that bleeding guy on the floor). Sure, the towers appear to have been switched, and the square is a heck of a lot greener than Nathan Phillips, but we’re pretty sure that’s Toronto’s city hall—especially since Rockstar Games, the company that developed the game, has a studio in T.O. (Incidentally, there were also some prime Toronto shots in the 2009 Max Payne movie starring Mark Wahlberg. And who could forget this?) [Reddit]
(Image: Brian Cartwright)
It’s probably safe to say those “What people think I do” memes are nearing their expiration date (so say the folks on Reddit, which has a whole section devoted to them). Still, that couldn’t stop us from LOL’ing just a bit at this Rob Ford–inspired foray into the genre. Thanks, Internet.
(Image: Christopher Drost)
After his transit plan was defeated at yesterday’s special council meeting, Rob Ford hopped on the TTC and rode straight into the open arms of his supposed supporters: the good people of Scarborough. According to some late-night tweets from a Ford staffer (who else?), the mayor was riding the Eglinton SRT until 1 a.m., followed by a ride on an Eglinton bus around 2 a.m. We know talking to the people—and occasionally moving their sand—energizes Ford, so perhaps this is his photo-friendly way of licking his wounds (hey, it’s better than pounding back a bottle of Wild Turkey in his undies). Or maybe he’s trying to rally his Scarborough troops while he “forges ahead” with his defeated transit plan—for some reason, there’s already talk of a referendum. Either way, we like the good folks at Reddit’s idea for his next transit trip: a ride on the Finch bus during rush hour. Read the entire story [Toronto Sun] »
Pending approval from council, city will start slapping drivers who park illegally during rush hour with $150 fines. The proposal to hike fines from a measly $40 to $60 passed the city’s public works committee by a 3-2 vote and is now set to go before council. But while nobody likes gridlock, and cyclists, of course, will appreciate anything that discourages people from parking in their designated lane, we’re skeptical of the fine’s efficacy. The Toronto Star spoke to one truck driver who said his company thinks of tickets for blocking traffic as “the cost of doing business” (though he did speculate that heftier fines might change that). Meanwhile, a thread on Reddit explores whether fines geared to an individual’s income might be more effective. After all, $150 is basically pocket change to a fat cat in a Porsche. Plus, it’s kind of delicious, in a twisted sort of way, to think about somebody getting hit with a million-dollar fine. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
Reddit.com has “Ask Me Anything” threads (more here), where users bombard a willing participant—like a children’s author or comedy heartthrob Aziz Ansari—with questions. On the site’s Toronto page, there’s a back and forth going on between users and an Occupy Toronto organizer who’s volunteered to take their questions. Like most Reddit posts, there are a ton of comments to sift through, some more interesting than others. But so far there’s been discussion of corporate media, the public image of the occupation and electoral systems. In other words, it’s a more compelling read than most of what the daily papers have to say about the Occupy movement right now. Read the thread [Reddit.com] »
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