Was reading through Digg when I came across an elegant official black theme for Windows XP that was developed by Microsoft but never released to the public.

Sometime after the launch of XP, somewhere in Redmond, someone on the Microsoft design team was in the progress of developing something for Media Center. It was believed to be too powerful for public consumption and forever archived in the servers at 1 Microsoft Way. Now 3 years later, a young hobbit man by the name of W3bbo saw light of this unheard of theme, and traveled far and wide to uncover its mysteries. One theme to find. One theme to upload. One theme to rule them all. read more here

Click here to download the theme

Extract files to “c:\windows\resources\themes\royale noir” and double click on “luna.msstyles”. Select “Noir” from color scheme and enjoy 🙂

Update: Khristopher posted a better new Windows XP theme that’s also by Microsoft. You can get it here

A Creative Zen Nano is a splendid Christmas gift for someone interested in listening to music. According to JimmyCanuck, the Zen is still on sale for $44.96 at Wal-Mart which is a good price compared to iPods. Here’s what Jimmycanuck had to say:

For those of you who read my review of the Creative Zen Nano and were disappointed you didn’t get one while the getting was good, fret not. While I was at Wal-Mart, I discovered that not only do they still have them in stock, but they’re still at the price they were during the anniversary sale – $44.96. This looks to be the new permenant price, so if you’re in the market for a cheap but decent mp3 player, this is probably the way to go. I’m enjoying it so much that I’m actually starting to lose interest in picking up a Zune.

If there was anything else on at a great price during the sale that you regret not grabbing, I say go an check the price. After all, those awful Digitec DVD players are still going for $24.76.

You can’t go wrong with 10% off at Home Depot. Fill out this form and the 10% off coupon will get delivered to you in the mail 🙂

Get your Home Depot 10% discount coupon here

Not that great of a deal but just in case you were going to buy a kitchen from IKEA soon anyway, don’t forget to make use of their current Kitchen Event: basically purchase an IKEA kitchen and receive 10% back in IKEA gift cards.

More details on the IKEA website here

Jimmycanuck I’m sure you’re glad hear this news 🙂 Are you going?

What?
Be among the first to play Nintendo Wii (pronounced we) before it’s official November 19 launch and experience videogames a whole new way.

Where?
Atlantis, Ontario Place
955 Lakeshore Blvd. West
Toronto, Ontario

When?
Tuesday, November 14, 2006-10-30
Lineup begins at 11:00am
Doors open at 1:30pm
Admittance to lineup ends at 4:00pm

Limited space available and by registration only.
Reserve your spot by emailing your name to [email protected].

All attendees will be automatically entered into a draw for a chance to win a Nintendo Wii.

Registrations accepted on a first come, first serve basis. One registration per email address. Confirmation and additional details will be sent via email.

More details at the Nintendo Canada website here

If you have no idea what the Nintendo Wii is check out this awesome video of the Wii:

[youtube]7Nxi7ib-Wew[/youtube]

via Games & Gadgets

Never miss an NHL Game!

Now you can download full-length NHL games and watch them on your time. Whether it’s a memorable game or a keepsake of your first in-arena experience, NHL Video is always available on Google.

Watch the NHL games for free on Google Video here

Here’s a freebie from the Fashion magazine:

Click here to print a copy of the free Angel sample coupon

Why is Microsoft offering a lot of free downloads nowadays? 😯

Call me crazy if you will, but unlike any other software manufacturer, I always feel ecstatic when downloading a free copy of any Microsoft program! I remember my first free “legal” download of a Microsoft product was Frontpage 98 beta. Anyone remember the ads for it?

Anyhow, back to our topic… Microsoft has this new product for small businesses called Microsoft Office Accounting 2007. This is the final “express” version (not a beta). You can download Microsoft Accounting here

Free screening of Fast Food Nation on Wednesday, Nov 15, 2006, 7:00pm at the AMC Forum, Montreal. Click here to reserve your seats now. Promotional screenings are on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed seating.

Fast Food Nation is based on Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal” book. You can read an interesting summary of the book on wikipedia. The movie’s trailer represents fast food chains in the typical, disgusting way we’ve seen in previous movies. This whole anti-fast food campaign is getting sort of boring and I doubt that Fast Food Nation will be any different. We’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime you can watch the Fast Food Nation trailer here.

Yes! Deal or No Deal is coming to Canada! The application form and details are online here. It’s a very long form with 39 questions! If you’re going to fill it in, make sure you’re relax and patient… the better you fill in the form the better your chances of getting accepted I guess.

Hosted by Canada’s own Howie Mandel, the hugely popular Deal or No Deal comes north for 5 special episodes next Spring. Don’t miss this great opportunity to be a contestant and play this exciting game of odds and chance. 26 sealed briefcases containing cash amounts from a measly penny to 1 million dollars are yours to choose. Will your case hold your dreams? Are you willing to deal it away? Don’t delay! Deal or No Deal is now accepting contestant applications from across Canada. Be part of one of the most exciting television events in Canadian history.

Click here for more details on Deal or No Deal Canada

Thanks to David V. for digging deep into my old posts and then doing some Internet research until he came across this coupon! So it looks like you won’t be the only one using this coupon David 😉

The Photographic and Digital Imaging Show will be held in Ottawa on November 3rd, 4th, 5th 2006. Regular admission price is $10 but you can get complimentary admission on the weekend using this coupon.

Click here to open and print the complimentary admission coupon
(Print Page 2 only)

This coupon is sponsored by Henry’s. More details here

Get 25% off everything at H20 Plus online on November 2nd, 2006 only.
H20+ sells sea-derived skincare products. H20+ focuses mainly on the benefits of water. Interesting concept:

H2O+ Concept

It’s water, but it’s so much more. It’s the thrill you had when you were seven and played “Marco Polo” in the deep end. It’s the roar of the ocean at night. It’s blue. It’s mysterious, deep and wet. It’s where you wish you were going. It’s personal, comforting serene.

I’ve never personally used H20+’s products before and I always thought water wasn’t exactly the most useful skincare component, until I tried out Vichy’s Thermal Spa Water. The Vichy Thermal Spa Water magically helps soothe my skin especially in summer. No other product helped my skin as much as the thermal spa water. I wouldn’t mind trying out H20+’s products now. I find it remarkable how water can notably solve skin problems! My only concern now is the huge amounts of money cosmetic companies expect us to pay for their water products. I thought water wasn’t that expensive 😉

More details on this H20 sale here

I just got an email from one of my visitors, John G. C., saying that he spoke to a Wendy’s manager and the coupon is fake. I’ve therefore removed the coupon from SmartCanucks.ca. Thanks for pointing this out.

Hi Boo Radley,

Im a concerned viewer of smartcanucks.ca and I just spoke to Wendy’s marketing manager alice and she said that the coupon was “fake”. Please update the website and if possible to remove this coupon as it misleads alot of people.

Thanks, John

cndlady also posted in the forum mentioning that it’s fake:

Just got a phone call from the local Wendy’s Manager, Owen Sound, Ontario. HE SAID THEY GOT THE EMAIL WARNING THIS MORNING AT ALL WENDY’s …
THE COUPONS ARE BOGUS !!

We cashed 3 of ’em in last nite, noproblem.
Then I got the phone call 2:00 p.m. today… because
I gave one to the Canpar Guy for a “trick or treat”
… the manager honored it … but told me
ALL WENDY’s GOT AN EMAIL THIS MORNING
NOT TO HONOR THE COUPONS ~~~
any Wendy’s that did accept the coupons …
WILL NOT BE REIMBURSED FOR THE $6.00 VALUE
ON THEM….
SO PLEASE HE ASKED
GET ON THE SITE where I found them…
AND TELL PEOPLE NOT TO
USE THE COUPONS….
THEY WILL NOT ACCEPT THEM.
Not only that, but all the coupons the Wendy’s accepted
are “out” the $6.00 … and those are privately
“locally owned” franchises (so it is the individual
store that is out the $$$)

If you’ve already printed out the coupon please don’t use it.

If you purchased a Vista Capable Dell system on or after October 26, 2006 you’ll be eligible to a free Microsoft Windows Vista upgrade when it comes out 🙂

You can visit http://www.dellvistaupgrade.com beginning on November 13, 2006 to get your free Windows Vista upgrade.

If you have no idea what Windows Vista is checkout this wikipedia article on Vista

Click here to print the coupon

Please let us know if it works in your city. So far this coupon worked in:

Toronto, ON (some branches)
London, ON
Kingston, ON
Ancaster, ON
Brampton, ON
Hamilton, ON
Barrhaven, ON
Nova Scotia
Bayers Lake Halifax