Using your heartbeat to buy a cup of coffee

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Reuters says that a start up firm named Bionym has won an experimental trial with MasterCard and the Royal Bank to see if the heartbeat is distinctive enough to be used to verify a business transaction. Bionym’s product is a bracelet called Nymi which would somehow verify the identity of the purchaser by using his or her cardiac rhythm. The process is designed to eliminate the need for passwords, pin codes and even keys. The trial will allow Royal Bank (RBC), Canada’s largest bank, MasterCard and customers using the technology to test electrocardiogram-authenticated payments before the end of the year, Bionym said in a statement on Monday. 

Re-set clock? Easier to change time in your head

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At the Source Electronics Store in the Sunnybrook Plaza they say it is not uncommon for people, sometimes quite a few, to bring in their clock radios in the Spring and Fall to get an explantion of how to set the time. This insight into the semi-annual clock change may be mildly surprising, but it will be easily understood. Some of the common themes emerging this year during the job of changing the clock to Standard Time were: Symbols: Government forces industry to use symbols instead of English. This is so those who don’t speak English can change the clock too. The reality however is that non-English speakers dont understand the symbols either. The net understanding is zero. What is understood: Engineers imagine that you know what they know. If a clock has a button for “DST” you might know that it means daylight saving time but would you guess that the number which appears on the screen is your international time zone? But of course. The Greenwich minus five thing comes flooding back. Let’s correct the minutes and hours.  But wait, there are no hours. Of course not dummy. You roll through the minutes from 0 to 60 to get an hour. There are many other things to know. How? At the electronics store of course. The button that should set the newly chosen time keeps blowing the numbers away. Not if you wait long enough before pushing it silly. It is easy to see why some people leave the clock on EST all year and make the change mentally. And why in China, they just gave up on Daylight Time. It was all too much 

Leaside Sports Hall of Fame Friday, Nov. 21

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Leaside Sports Hall of Fame will honour its 2014 inductees on Friday, November 21, 2014 at the Leaside Arena and the public is invited to join the events. The speaker  will be Toronto Argos CEO Chris Rudge. The event will also honour speed skater and Athlete of the Year Ayanna Badali. Ayanna is seen above at high velocity and the inset portrait shot. Among the inductees are Joe “King” Krol (left above). As Wikipedia reminds us, Krol was an Argo quarterback, running back, defensive back, and kicker of the 40s and 50s. He was possibly the most versatile player in Canadian football history as a triple-threat to pass, run and kick. Krol also famously known as a “Gold Dust Twin” for his teamwork with Royal Copeland. Also among the inductees, the late Jack Caffery (1934-1992) of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, Christine Pellerin,  hockey official, coach, athlete and member of the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association and Dr. Sidney Soanes who at the age of 92 can look back on his accomplishments as founder of the Leaside Skating Club. The tickets are $25 and there is more information at their website 

Second Cup loss $26.2 million in third quarter

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Second Cup Ltd. has had a $26.2 million loss in the third quarter. The loss amounts to $2.65 per share, mostly due to a $25.7-million item that reflects the reduced value of Second Cup’s trademarks. The decline in Second Cup fortunes is related to the aggresive competition of Starbucks, Tim Horton’s and McDonalds.  News release  Changes likely for Second Cup on Bayview 

Starbucks in U.S. has plan to deliver coffee, food

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It’s very much outside the box for a coffee shop business like Starbucks to talk about delivering the drinks to your door but that’s what’s happening this weekend. Starbucks has announced plans for coffee and food delivery services. It would not seem to pay Starbucks to mount such a service but this may be the catch: the delivery will be available to Starbucks loyalty program members as part of a mobile order and pay app. What this means is that the coffee and food will be paid for in advance, maybe quite a lot in advance, with money loaded onto a card.  The scheme will launch nationwide next year. Will it do better than “lunch is ready?” Starbucks is good when it comes to coffee but many people would rather pay them to take the food away. CEO Howard Schultz called the service “e-commerce on steroids.” 

St. Cuthbert’s Fair is Saturday, November 8, 2014

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Next Saturday, November 8, 2014, will see the well-named “Fabulous Christmas Fair” at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church at 1399 Bayview Ave. It runs as usual from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and with any luck will spill out onto the church’s green. Organizers are urging you to drop in and check out the  jewellery, baking, toys and other goods. There is a yummy lunch scheduled too. Another tradition is the silent auction with contributions from local merchants.

Stintz denies taking money from Tory to quit

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A Tweet from Warren Kinsella has generated a lot of interest in just what if anything passed between Karen Stintz and John Tory at the time she stepped out of the race. Ms Stintz hustled onto CP24 to deny that she was offered money or anything else to quit the race. Her explanation of the “money” reference and “harmony dinners” seemed vague. One might draw from her remarks that Mr. Tory said he would help with what amounts to a passing of the hat for Ms. Stintz. At the time of her exit from the race, the South Bayview Bulldog did point out that cynics made a connection between the former Councillor’s interest in the commissionership of  the CFL and Mr. Tory’s history in that department. Of course there is no love lost between Tory and Kinsella after a life of political combat.

Nik Wallenda pushes the limits again in Chicago

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Tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Nik Wallenda will risk his life again, This time his sky-high walk without a harness will take the 35-year-old heir to his daredevil family’s reputation will wire walk his way between Chicago’s Leo Burnett building and Marina City West Tower – a personal record incline of 16 degrees. Then he’ll put on the blindfold for the second crossing, between the two Marina City Towers. They call him crazy and the fans, while wishing him well, think they may see him die. The women commenting hate him because they say his son will see him die. (Sunday, November 2, 2014).