Blog Posts by Tori Floyd

If you live in Canada's most populous city, chances are you pass the same old streets day in, day out without giving them much thought. But a new app is going to have you looking at those areas in a whole new way.

The Toronto in Time app, released last week, will let users go through 'then and now' photos, slideshows and stories from over 150 sites around the city, CTV News reports.

Using the in-app map, you can see what sites are closest to you, then explore the numerous historically significant spots, ranging from burial locations for soldiers who fought in the War of 1812, to the story of the club that hosted U2, The Rolling Stones and Marilyn Monroe.

[ More Right Click: Angry grandmother tries to shut down Microsoft event ]

While the app from the Historica-Dominion Institute might not sound exciting at first, Torontoist explains that it actually proves very entertaining, especially when you use the app for self-guided historical walks through the city. By clicking on the 'trail'

Read More »from See Toronto in a whole new way with Toronto in Time app

Time to get in the spirit of Halloween, everyone! And with this week's must-see videos, we'll have you entertained and educated. This week, we've learned that pumpkins can be carved with a gun (if you've got the right equipment), a pet gerbil can be dressed up as a world record holder, and a prank can scare the daylights out of anyone unfortunate enough to get involved. Throw in an obligatory baby and U.S. presidential race video, and we've got you covered for this week in videos!

1. Pumpkin Carving With a Gun

Carving pumpkins isn't easy, but chances are you aren't going to resort to a Colt 45, like this intrepid gourd gouger, to get the job done. YouTube user Hickok45, who has also posted a video in which he carves a pumpkin with an Arsenal SGL 21 rifle, showcased his pointing-and-shooting prowess by giving this pumpkin the requisite two eyes, a nose and a mouth to qualify it as a correctly carved jack-o-lantern. SPOILER ALERT: it's double-sided!

2. World's Smallest Dog?

Read More »from Must-see videos of the week – Oct. 26

Not everyone has been overjoyed with the release of the new Microsoft Surface tablet. But most people take issue with the Windows RT operating system, and not generally with the launch itself.

However, that's not quite the case for one Chinese grandmother. At an open-air event in Beijing, China on the evening of Oct. 25, Microsoft held an apparently very noisy launch party to celebrate the release of the new tablet.

[ Related: Microsoft Surface RT review roundup ]

You can see for yourself how that grandmother reacted — and how Microsoft reacted to her:

As Kotaku points out, you can see that the woman is actually dragged off the stage by security, along with her husband (in red).

The reason for her outburst? Her grandchildren were being kept awake by the noise, and they had school the next day.

[ More Right Click: The 25 most popular passwords of 2012 ]

Maybe next time, Microsoft will plan their events for earlier in the day. Or ban senior citizens from them entirely.

Need to know

Read More »from Angry grandmother tries to shut down Microsoft Surface launch event

It's finally official: The newest Windows operating system, Windows 8, is now available, and Microsoft is ready to crow about it.

Microsoft kicked off the launch with a live webcast by CEO Steve Balmer in Seattle, Washington, eagerly extolling the virtues of the new operating system to a crowd of tech journalists.

"Windows 8 will help you do everything, and it will make it fun to do nothing," Balmer told the crowd.

And if it lives up to the promise, Microsoft may have found that perfect balance between being able to work hard and play hard.

That is, if everyone can figure out how it works.

[ Related: Microsoft builds momentum ahead of massive Windows 8 launch ]

During today's launch, Balmer detailed some of the key software additions and improvements to the new operating system. There's the integrated Bing search built into Windows 8, along with the Bing Apps designed to consolidate the best News, Finance, Weather, Sports and other specialized content from around the web. There's an

Read More »from Windows 8 launches with a bang, but will users get it?

The new Surface tablet computer by Microsoft. REUTERS/David McNew/FilesAfter a big push to get the word out, it's almost here: Microsoft's new Surface tablet, designed to showcase its new Windows RT operating system, a simplified version of the upcoming Windows 8.

On Friday, everyone will finally have the chance to get their hands on Microsoft's first tablet offering: At least if you've pre-ordered one through Microsoft's online store, or plan on being in line at one of the four Canadian pop-up stores.

[ Related: Microsoft pop-up stores coming to Canada ]

As with all big tech launches, among the Microsoft fanfare are the voices of tech journalists who have actually had a chance to go hands-on with the device, and it seems like it's been met with some mixed reviews. We've got a round-up of what some of the biggest voices in tech are saying about the Surface, in case you're still on the fence about whether it's worth the $519 CDN (starting price, without the seemingly-integral keyboard cover).

For starters, here's a rundown on what it looks like and all the

Read More »from Microsoft Surface RT review roundup: What people are saying about the new Windows tablet

Sometimes, it seems like people never learn.

The Canadian government is spending millions of dollars to beef up cybersecurity. Researchers are developing split passwords to help protect personal accounts from hacking attacks.

And yet, for another year in a row, what's the most popular being used online?

"Password."

Password-management application provider SplashData has released its annual list of the 25 most popular passwords used by people online. The company collected the data from the millions of stolen logins that were posted online by hackers in 2012, TechSpot reports.

[ More Right Click: Apple announces the new iPad Mini ]

If your password appears on this list, strongly consider changing it ASAP:

1. password (unchanged)	2. 123456 (unchanged)	3. 12345678 (unchanged)	4. abc123 (up 1)	5. qwerty (down 1)
6. monkey (unchanged)	7. letmein (up 1)	8. dragon (up 2)	9. 111111 (up 3)	10. baseball (up 1)
11. iloveyou (up 2)	12. trustno1 (down 3)	13. 1234567 (down 6)	14. sunshine (up 1)	15.

Read More »from The 25 most popular (i.e. worst) passwords of 2012

She hasn't quite netted the record yet, but a Yorkshire Terrier in Poland is well on her way to being called the smallest living dog in the world.

At a miniscule 3.25 ounces (about 92 grams), Meysi is so small, her owner Anna Pohl of Jarocin, Poland has to keep her in a cage when she's not around so the tiny dog doesn't get caught underfoot.

As a comparison, Meysi weighs about 20 grams less than the iPhone 5.

Pohl, who has had Meysi since birth, said she wasn't sure if she'd even survive when she came into the world at a mere 1.58 ounces.

[ More Daily Buzz: Mourners flee in terror as Brazilian man turns up alive at his own wake ]

"It's a miracle Meysi is even alive. When her mother Pusia started giving birth to her litter, I thought at first she had passed a piece of placenta and was about to throw it away when suddenly it started moving," said Pohl to local paper the Gazeta Jarocinska.

See just how tiny this pooch is for yourself in this video:

"The worst was the first six weeks,"

Read More »from Polish pup Meysi vies for title of smallest living dog in the world

The new iPad mini is projected on a screen during an Apple event in San Jose.Two weeks ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed the company had sold its 100 millionth iPad. Today, the tech giant is hoping to snap up even more of that market share with its highly-anticipated iPad Mini.

The announcement came at the same time as the fourth-generation iPad, also announced today (probably much to the chagrin of those who bought the new iPad when it was unveiled just six months ago).

The 7.2 mm iPad Mini weighs only 0.68 lbs, which makes it 53% lighter than the fourth generation iPad. The screen measures 7.9 inches, larger than many of the competing small-form tablets like the Nexus 7 (as Schiller enjoyed explaining at length in his presentation).

In an extensive side-by-side comparison with the Google Nexus 7, Phil Schiller explained how there was 49% more viewable area when navigating web pages, as well as a host of other reasons why the iPad Mini was superior. If you're a budget shopper, that might not make enough of a difference: while Apple was announcing the iPad

Read More »from Apple unveils iPad Mini at October 23 announcement