All posts by Mike DeHaan

Public Service Announcement

Did We Ignore Vic Toews Preparing for an Emergency?

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Apparently the Hon. Vic Toews, Canada’s minister of public safety, had announced that May 6-12, 2012 is “National Emergency Preparedness Week” in Canada.

I certainly can use an annual reminder to re-stock my emergency first aid kit.

But I only noticed this because of the red banner on the Environment Canada weather site that I check almost every day.

Environment Canada with Red Banner Link
Environment Canada with Red Banner Link

Prepare for Emergencies during May 6-12, 2012

The important resource is the Government of Canada’s “Is Your Family Prepared?” site.

Read and heed, if you please!

A Gap in Online Coverage for Emergency Awareness?

This afternoon I ran a quick search for “toews safety emergency” in the Bing search engine. Other than official Canadian government web sites or historical news and articles, the only other top-10 reference that I noticed was that the MarketWire service did publish an advisory on May 2nd. Didn’t the media cover this event and publish it online? The announcement was to have been made on May 3rd.
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I know that I hadn’t noticed it in the news…so I assume most of Canada missed it, too.

Valuable Emergency Preparedness Information from the Canadian Government

The government site has links to a number of publications and articles.

We may think we know about storing emergency candles in the home, and keeping a sleeping bag in the car’s trunk. Do we actually keep some clean drinking water handy in case the water main breaks?

It’s a lot easier to read about emergencies and to prepare for them before they occur. As the Boy Scouts might say, “Be prepared”!

Feedback: Did You Know about Emergency Preparedness Week?

After being flooded with spam comments some time ago, I added a “captcha” and now receive very few. I just tried to make a comment, and received an “internal server error”. (Insert expletive of your choice).

Please send me an e-mail if you already knew about about “National Emergency Preparedness Week”, and your source of information. Thanks!

Fitness, Toronto Events

Try Cycling in Toronto via the 19th Annual Ride for the Rouge

The Rouge Valley Conservation Centre’s 19th annual Ride for the Rouge will take place on Sat. May 12, 2012.

(Updated April 6, 2013): The 2013 Ride will roll on Sat. May 11, 2013. Registration has begun!

(Updated April 6, 2013): One of the lesser known online shopping sites for bicycles and cycling accessories is Light in the Box. I like the look of their 11 or 16 function multi-tools: like a Swiss Army knife for bike repair. Also check for their daily deals, linked from their home page.

Cycling in the Rouge Valley in Toronto

“Ride for the Rouge” is an annual fund-raising event in the Rouge River valley. They offer four choices:

  1. Bicycle a 25 Km route
  2. Bicycle a 50 Km route
  3. Bicycle for 75 Km by following both the above routes
  4. Take a hike! 5 Km or so, with a nature interpreter (if you don’t speak “Nature”, ha ha…sorry, I’m back on track)

While both bicycle routes include parts of the parks, the maps indicate that they include city and suburban streets, too.

The Rouge River is in Scarborough, the eastern section of Toronto. The start/end point is the “Rouge Valley Conservation Centre located at 1749 Meadowvale Road” (north of Highway 401 and north of Sheppard Ave.; the Toronto Zoo is on the west side of Meadowvale, but the RVCC is on the east side).

Fitness, Fund-Raising and Food via Bicycle

There’s a clear fitness side to this event: you’re going to bicycle on sometimes rolling roads for anywhere between 25 and 75 Km. Or you can hike in the park.

The Rouge Valley Conservation Centre includes a pledge form on their site; your friends and relatives can support the cause and earn a tax deductible receipt by donating $25 or more. Their form mentions “prize giveaways”, so as a cycling participant you have an additional incentive to chat up your friends.

They promise “BBQ lunch and entertainment”. That’s both an incentive and also an idea for the time they expect you to return to base.

The RVCC is very serious about participants wearing certified bicycle helmets, following traffic laws, and generally keeping themselves safe during this event.

How to Register for the 2012 “Ride for the Rouge” Cycling Event

The RVCC web page has the details on how to register for the “Ride for the Rouge”. Allow me to point out:

  • Scroll down for the big blue online registration button…the “online” deadline is Friday May 11.
  • Beside this button is on online pledge button.
  • The right margin includes the same buttons, plus links to their bicycle route maps. (Hint: print and take along if you like the extra security of knowing where you are supposed to go).
  • A pledge form is also available through a link in the right margin.
  • You can spend as little as $10 for an individual hike, through $20 for each member of a corporate cycling team or $40 for a family.
  • You will need to sign a waiver; this is pretty standard for participants in almost all athletic events.
  • For those who wait for the last minute: you can sign up at 9am.
  • They like cash or cheque, so don’t expect to use a plastic card.

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This photo has me in a bicycle helmet…but I admit that it was not taken during any RVCC “Ride for the Rouge” event.

"Mike DeHaan as a Cyclist" by Roger Horst
"Mike DeHaan as a Cyclist" by Roger Horst

Rolling By the Rouge River: Cycling in Toronto

The annual “Ride for the Rouge” is a fun event for Toronto cyclists. It covers some scenic terrain, supports the valuable work of the Rouge Valley Conservation Centre; and is a great excuse for cycling in Toronto.

(Disclaimer: DeHaan Services has no relationship to the organizer, who does not reimburse me for writing this article).

Online Articles

Two Views of the Halting Problem

“Turing Machines and the Halting Problem” is the latest installment in my series on Turing machines in Decoded Science. It nears the finish line in Turing’s “race” to solve an important problem in mathematics, and explains why our computers sometimes “hang”.

The Halting Problem Came Before Actual Computers

"A Halting Problem, but Not for Turing" image by ell brown
“A Halting Problem, but Not for Turing” image by ell brown

Even before computers had been invented, mathematicians wondered about proving that an algorithm, or set of rules, would actually come to a conclusion. Alan Turing developed the idea of the “Turing machine” to explore what could, or could not, be expected from following such rules.

My article gives the background and explains two ways in which the Turing machine addresses the Halting Problem.

Promoting my “Turing Machine and Halting Problem” Article

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Professional Writing by DeHaan Services

DeHaan Services writes content or advertising copy for clients. Our skills are demonstrated in articles in Decoded Science, and other online sites. That’s why we highlight articles on this blog page.

To only see our Toronto events or fitness, please click on the appropriate category in the “Categories” section at the bottom of the left-hand margin.

Thank you for reading this promotion for my article about the Turing machine’s approach to the Halting Problem.