Tootfinder

Because I constantly hear myths about the good old compact cassette here's a longer post dispelling them:
1. They can sound as good as CDs
2. They don't wear out
3. You can't use a pencil to wind them
4. You can go to specific tracks automatically
5. You don't need to carry around extra batteries
I will elaborate below:
1. Sound Quality
Many higher-end decks can record cassettes on metal tape with various Dolby noise reduction settings; especially the combination of metal tape and Dolby S will make tapes that are pretty much indistinguishable from listening to a CD.
Even normal or chrome tape with Dolby B (around since the 1970s) will give great results; likely indistinguishable from a CD when played in a car or while out and about with a personal player.
Some extremely high-end tape decks produce better than CD results in some regards (for example some Nakamichi models go to 26KHz with frequency response, while CD are inherently limited to top out at 22KHz).
It's true that the dynamic range of CDs is much better than either vinyl records or tapes. However, unless you're super into classical music there's likely not much music for which this truly matters, as 99% is mastered to use much less dynamic range than provided by any audio media format. (If you're super into classical music you probably want SACD or other high-res lossless sources anyway, not CDs.)
2. Yes, it will wear out mechanically but you will wear out mechanically before it does. Please watch VWestlife's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dgJ4hRHBiw
3. European and American pencils are too thin to engage the cassette reel cogs. (You'd need to get a Japanese pencil. People mostly used BIC pens for this purpose which have the right thickness.)
4. Most (nice) decks and personal players from the early-to-mid nineties onwards have track skip features (e.g. Sony has AMS, Automatic Music Sensor), which allow precise winding to a specific track.
Some decks even did this in the early 80s!
5. My late-90s Walkman has seventy-eight (78) hours of playback on one (1) single AA battery.
Anyway, the main reason why I like them is they're fun to use and recording them is very deliberate instead of algorithms selecting music for me. :)

“2025 In Review: The Year The US Changed Sides”
#usa

2025 In Review: The Year The US Changed Sides
Amongst many stories, one stands out

Balcony solar power has been a growth industry across Europe for a few years and consumers can pick up kits at retail stores, take them home and plug them in, and get immediate benefits. The U.S is slowly changing legislation to make these easily installed with no issues from the power companies, and Utah is the 1st to allow them.
Are there any provinces or territories that are considering legalizing these kits?
#SolarPower
https://youtu.be/0yIfh_i1Z08

Big New Crane Between Gates Hall and the Construction Site that used to be Phillips Hall and will be part of Duffield Someday
#photo #photography #crane

Good Morning #Canada
Just a few years after we were married my wife and I rented the upper half of a duplex near High Park. The East-West road we lived on was considerably higher than the one south of us and we could see Lake Ontario through gaps in the houses across the street. I learned this week that a few years ago I could have had beachfront access out my front door.
Glacial Lake Iroquois was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed at the end of the last ice age approximately 13,000 years ago. It was essentially an enlargement of the present Lake Ontario that formed because the St. Lawrence River downstream from the lake was blocked by the ice sheet near the present Thousand Islands. The level of the lake was approximately 30 m above the present level of Lake Ontario. Being born 13,000 years too late probably saved me from paying a lakefront premium on my rent.
#CanadaIsAwesome #History #Geology
https://youtu.be/v5ApDf97RZI

Out for a 6,000 step hike on this glorious Wednesday. Sunny and 7°C means a light unzipped spring coat. Lots of melting going on but snowbanks on the sreets are still 4 to 5 feet high. A warm weekend with considerable rain might bring some flooding.
The ice on Lake Simcoe is apparently still pretty thick. We stopped at a couple of shoreline parks used as on-ramps and snowmobiles were active today taking advantage of the weather. About half of the fishing shacks on Cooks Bay have been hauled in to shore but lots left that need to be removed.
#DogsOfMastadon #SpringThaw #GetOutside

I mentioned previously that my son-in-law's sister and her husband are working on the new Cadillac #F1 team that will compete for the first time in 2026. The couple are both engineers who met over a decade ago while working for a racing team in Europe. That experience was why they were recruited and became one of a handful of rare Canadians working on the project team.
I'm not really a #Formula1 race fan but I am following this team because of the connection. They were recently at the auto show in Toronto where the race car was displayed. They shared a photo of them pointing to their names on the chassis, along with the names of the entire team. Track testing is now underway and it will be interesting to see how they stack up against the legendary manufacturers in this sport.
https://youtu.be/d7BDA7JGamk

Good Morning #Canada
Last week I registered with Ontario's Healthcare Connect program to help us get a family doctor in the Barrie area. Our previous family doctor retired in November and we were still covered by the clinic but it's in Brampton, more than 90 minutes away. So I'm now relying on Dougie to keep his promise to find a family doctor for all Ontarians by June 2026. I mean he's done so well with housing, environmental goals, Eglinton Crosstown....
Did you know that 83% of Canadians now report they have regular access to a family doctor which means an approximate 500K improvement in the past two years. That still leaves about 6M of us without a family physician. Family physician shortages are the highest in the territories (>55%), Quebec (21.5%) and British Columbia (17.7%), and the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia have the fewest family physicians per 100 000 persons in the population.
#CanadaIsAwesome #HealthCare
https://www.cihi.ca/en/taking-the-pulse-measuring-shared-priorities-for-canadian-health-care-2025/primary-health-care-2025/most-canadians-have-a-regular-health-care-provider

Good Morning #Canada
Tomorrow one of Canada’s largest winter events kicks off in Ottawa. #Winterlude2026 runs from January 30th to February 16th, and may be considered in the top 2 winter festivals in Canada. Somewhere to the east, Bonhomme looks on dismissively.
A million plus attendees are expected to attend, assisted and pointed in the right direction by several hundred volunteers. The full 7.8 km length of the Rideau Canal Skateway, the equivalent of 90 ice rinks, is open for skating. The festival's mascots, the Ice Hogs family of Mama, Papa, Numa, and Numei, are opening their home in the Snowflake Kingdom and are ready to give hugs to all Winterlude visitors. Ice sculptors from around the world will compete in (checks notes) ice sculpting.
I think it's time for a #MercerMemories ...
https://youtu.be/GYgNY3xywCA

It's early, and perhaps the results are not significant with only 4 participants out of a potential 8.2B on the planet, but it appears not a lot of #NewYearsResolution2026 are being considered.