While in Vegas this trip, we went to the Price Is Right Live show at Bally’s hotel. I had a feeling before I went in that I was going to be picked. Well. I was.

They try to maximize the winners so you only get one round to go up, get to a stage game and then you are done. So different people are selected every time for contestants row, the Showcase Showdown and the Showcase. The prizes are of course not as luxurious as the Teak Dining Room set that you see on TV but they do allow you to take money instead of the prize.

So we were ready to play the first Contestant’s Row and who was called fourth? Me! Steven Ishiwara, come on down! So I ran up to contestants row and was ready to play. Although I was a little shocked that I was picked… but like I said… I had a feeling.

So what I had to bid on was a beautiful no-name digital camera. I guess we all thought it was more expensive then it was (which was a common theme throughout the night). So we had to do another round of bidding. This was funny… I said $139. The guy next to me said $99 and then the woman next to him said $98. It  was so funny. I was turning around the boys to mouth how stupid that was!

So the actual retail price of the camera was $150! So I won. I got to go up with the host… who is the same host of Supermarket Sweep fame… a show I have never seen.

He asked me a few questions, I answered, as you will hear in the video. So I had to play this game where I had to run and put the price tags on four beautiful items. Then whatever I got right, I won! After placing the items I pulled a lever and it will tell me how many of the prices I got right. So I put the tags on the four items ran back… and I got 2 right. I then ran back swapped two ran back and got 0. So through my powers of deduction, I figured that I needed to swap back the two I changed and then change the other two. I was quickly running out of time… so I made the swaps just after the buzzer sounded. During which I tripped over my foot and twisted it. But when I pulled the lever that last time I won all 4 items!

When he was going over the game I was trying to figure out the prices, but when I got the tickets in hand to start, I blanked out and basically dropped them wherever. People were yelling, and I tried to turn to the audience, but you really can’t hear anything. You just hear a lot of people yelling.

So I won! They give you the option at the end to take the cash, so of course I did ($775 minus $250 for taxes) . I really didn’t need pots, a vaccum, an exercise bike or a small TV so the cash was the best option.

I actually wasn’t the only one who was lucky at the table! David got called to spin the wheel. But he didn’t win. He got a t-shirt, that is actually quite hideous.

So the show was quite fun, and the fact that David and I got to go up totally made the night even more enjoyable or we would have just been sitting there watching others win.

Before you watch the video… we really weren’t supposed to be taking video. So the iPhone camera had to be hidden and the lighting was not great but at least you can hear everything. And thankfully, my slip was not captured… phew.

So here I sit. I’m hiking through the bowels of Ontario trying to find a lookout over pen lake. Nothing says nature like walking through the forest, Rihanna and TI blaring live your life for inspiration on the iphone and having the ability to check my email and blog about the hike at the same time.

I find in nature my sense of hearing is sharpened and I hear all nature sounds. Or maybe I’ve been in the city for too long.

Alas, the lookout. Now to take some pics.

Animal count: 1 deer, 1 chipmunk and a lot of deer poo.

And here we go, some pictures from my new camera. Playing around with the settings and trying to figure this thing out!

I was just reading some Mac blogs and there was a post about some very cool and creative advertising that is going on. So I thought I should share also…

First of all there is the http://games.yahoo.com page. I don't know how long this one will be up, so you may want to check it out sooner than later. I find it best with the sound on, somehow, Apple always have such a great talent to pick the right music for their advertising. (Rumour is that Steve Jobs picks the music himself). I have found myself watching it over and over again and it is flawless…

Secondly, the article also referenced an add for the Wii Wario game. This one is very cool also, I think in most part because we so used to the YouTube page… and again, it is pretty flawless in its execution.

When we first got into Barcelona this past trip, we noticed a bunch of people on funny looking red bikes. Instantly I was curious to know what sort of system it was, was it free? where did you get the bikes from? how do they keep track?

Well after walking around the city for the next couple of days I got all the goods on this great program. It is through a company called Bicing. There are over 100 stations across the city with rows of bikes that sort of hang off a metal bar. These stations could be down a side street, by schools, or metro stations. Everytime I saw a station I thought how conveniently located it was.

To get a membership with Bicing you need to provide them a credit card and sign up. Once signed up you get a Bicing card. There is a post at the end of the rack of bikes where you scan your card and it simply tells you what bike you are to check out. We watched some user check out a bike, so we saw how this worked first hand.

The bike sits on the rack on two little knobs that are under the basket in front of the handlebars. Once you have checked out a bike, a light goes green and the rider pulls out the bike. Probably about a 30 second process.

Returning the bike looked pretty easy too, you simply ride up to a Bicing station and drop in the two knobs where there is an empty space and the light turns red. Done.

The cost for a yearly membership is 24 euro. When you check out a bike you are charged 0.30 euro per half hour up to 2 hours. After 2 hours it is 3 euro per hour. I guess this system is in place because they aren’t leisure bikes that you take to the park, you ride the bike to where you need to go and return it. If the bike isn’t returned in 24 hours you are charged 150 euro. This pretty much guarantees that there are always bikes available at all the stations. We never saw an empty station.

The bikes are outfitted with a wire frame at the front for your bag and many of the bikes, but not all, were outfitted with lights so you could ride at night. I guess in a climate like Barcelona’s this system is useful all year around. If we had this system in Toronto I would definitely use it to get around the city. It just seemed so convenient and efficient.

We saw Bicing trucks around the city that must travel around to the stations and make any Bicing repairs and general maintenance.

We saw a lot of people using this transportation system. At times we
wished we had accounts so we could hop on and get to where we needed to
go. It is environmentally friendly, cheaper than the metro and a heck
of a lot better for you than driving everywhere. Barcelona in the past years has added great bike roads everywhere in the city that makes riding a bike a lot safer than it used to be. I don’t know if there are any systems like this in North America, but I wish someone would do something like this. Even if it was just between March and October it would be useful here in Toronto.

One sight that I really wanted to see ever since I stepped off the plane and saw a model of it, was the Vizcaya Bridge. It was declared a "World Heritage" by the UNESCO in 2006.

This isn’t really a bridge per se, it is actually a Transport Bridge, and the oldest at that, built in 1893. What it looks like is a bridge, but you don’t drive across the top of it, you park your car or walk onto a gondola and the gondola is moved to the other side. The gondola hangs via wires just above the river. The platform hold six cars and has people compartments on either side. It is a very short ride across the river to the other side and very smooth. I went back and forth…

Now comes the fun part, you can take an elevator to the top of it and walk along the support beam along the top. I was the only one go up and be at the top when I was there. An elevator operator comes out, takes you up and leaves you up there. You have to push an intercom to get him to come and get you.

The walkway is 17 stories above the water and it was a little windy. If you are scared of heights, probably isn’t the best thing for you. The walkway is like a boardwalk, boards. And you can see directly down into the water way below. The iron structure doesn’t sway that much but as you are walking the boards creak which doesn’t give you the best feeling. Also the whole thing vibrates as the gondola goes by since the rails are just underneath your feet. It cost 5 euro to get to the top. I’m glad I headed out there.

Puente was a simple 20 minute metro ride from Bilbao.

To view my pictures of Vizcaya Bridge click here.

Oh Dubai. Again thinking outside of the box. This building isn’t a reality but the Ziggurat is being proposed by a company as a way to move forward to a structure that is self sustainable and environmentally friendly. Even though it is just a thought, it is a neat concept. And who knows, Dubai will probably make it a reality. I always dreamed about a city where there were no cars and moved by people movers, but I never thought it would be in a pyramid shaped structure. It almost seems sci-fi to think that up to 1 million people could live in this thing. Plus they want to add biometrics and facial recognition technology for security. Movies like Minority Report are becoming a reality quicker than I expected!

Click here to read the full article.

This building is really quite amazing. Take a look at the slide show too. There are some new Dubai structures including the new Atlantis and a mansion built on an island, that looks to be completely man made.

I am amazed. Almost as amazed as I was with Shazam (the song recognition iPhone software), actually maybe more amazed. I could imagine the technology in my mind, but the fact that it actually works is amazing.

What am I talking about? This nifty little program called Simplify Media. What this little gem does simple, but so beautiful. You install a program on your computer that is free and create an account. 10 second process. Then you tell it what music you want to share. Great. Next you simply invite friends and/or install the software on your iPhone and now your friends can listen to your music on their iPhones and computers through iTunes. Freakin’ amazing.

So here is a simpler scenario… I have the program running. Anyone who I have invited can listen to my music that is on my computer through their iPhone either through the cell network or WiFi. Or if you are at home, you can listen through your iTunes.

I can even see who is listening and what they are listening too! Afterall, it is my music.

One downfall is that DRM protected music or music you bought through the iTunes store can not be played on an un-authorized computer. So I only have about 1,216 songs for your listening pleasure, most of my new stuff is purchased legally and not ripped.

You can get the desktop software here.

You can get the iPhone/iPod Touch software here.

I am watching swimming but I am more of a fan of gymnastics and beach volleyball. What I am really interested in is the technology behind the swimming. Those Speedo LZR suits are pretty freakin amazing. At $550 a piece they aren’t for the average swimmer. Plus I’m not really built for a seamless skin tight wet piece of fabric wrapped around my body.

I read somewhere that they are only good for 5 swims. I wonder what happens on the sixth swim. Does it simply melt away? It would be nice if they melted away right at the end when the swimmers are cheering.

Anyway, I digress.

The real question that is on my mind is just how good the world record will get. It seems that Phelps has beat a lot of world records these games but just how far can man go? There has to be an absolute minimum time that will ever be reached. It is interesting because when they talk about world records they always mention the suits. So is it really a true world record if they are being helped by technology? When will they introduce little propellors? I may even have a chance at that point!

I really don’t want to replace walking, but I guess some people do. Toyota is developing a moving device just like the Segway that they are testing. Don’t know what a Segway is? It is the 2 wheeled person mover that you steer by shifting your balance. (When I think of Segway, I think of Gob in Arrested Development).

The Winglet is a little smaller and a little slower, it is touted as going the same speed as a pedestrian. So if it doesn’t move any faster than walking? Why do you need it?

The article I read said that it will help with the elderly, but I don’t see Nana riding around on one of these anytime soon. I like technology and robots but at some point we are all going to be so lazy we’ll be just like those folks in Wall-E. Moving around in lounge chairs and getting fat(ter).

One thing that a Toyota executive said:

Toyota envisions a future in which Winglet will be packed with wireless
technology so it relays shopping information at stores. Or it may move
on its own to recharge its batteries, or collect its owner when summoned.

I like the moving on its own to recharge a battery and it is pretty cool if it would come collect me, just like Knight Rider or the Batmobile. Although, I don’t know how you would carry a lot of stuff after shopping, maybe they’ll make a red wagon that will automatically follow you with all of your purchases.