Last Mountain Lake is nicknamed locally as Long Lake: stretching a slender 93 km from north to south, it’s the largest natural lake in southern Saskatchewan. The southern tip is only about 40 km northwest of Regina, earning it “beach within reach” status.
The area features sandy shores, rolling prairie hills, and native vegetation like Saskatoon and chokecherry bushes. Roughly 50 hamlets rim the lake, and a wide variety of road-access cottages are available, from modest lots with small cabins to more expensive four-season getaways. There’s also a decent selection of vacant lots on the lake.
Cottagers love the long prairie summer evenings; the watersports; summer and winter fishing for pike, perch, and walleye; and winter activities such as snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. Regina Beach offers grocery stores and once-weekly medical care (the closest hospitals are in Regina). The Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary, the first federal bird sanctuary in North America and a National Historic Site, at the north end of the lake, is home to more than 280 bird species. There are two small provincial parks on the eastern shore.
Regina, Saskatchewan-based 54e Studio’s OneShot Golf might just be the most engaging and enjoyable mini-golf game I’ve played.
OneShot Golf is a free-to-play mobile title that offers the authentic golf experience from anywhere, anytime, and it’s simple to learn — you just aim, set the shot power and try to hit an ace. So how exactly is it engaging, you might be wondering? It sounds like any other mobile golf game at first glance.
For starters, the game isn’t animated, and instead consists of a live stream of a real-life mini-golf course in a warehouse in Saskatchewan. The stream comes from a camera attached to a robot’s body, which also holds a putter that you control.
On the screen, you’ll see controls that let you move the putter to the left or right, along with power controls. If you move the putter in any direction in the game, it also moves in real-time. Similarly, depending on the shot power you set, you’ll see the robot winding back the putter. All the actions happen in real-time, and it’s surprising how accurate these robots can be, albeit, on your command.
The game was released in January 2021 and since has hit 4.8 stars on both Google Play Store and App Store.
The developers behind OneShot Golf are active on social media, and often post tips and tricks about the game, along with publically sharing winners of special events.
There are multiple golf course themes that you can play, including ‘Fun Factory,’ ‘Carnival Crazy,’ ‘Shifty Shapes,’ ‘Sunken Treasure’ and more, all with different obstacles to get through. Each course has five holes, and depending on how you score, you’ll be rewarded with points. Points can be used to claim merch, gift cards and more from the in-game marketplace, though it isn’t an overnight job to accumulate points, and will take a good chunk of your time if you want to claim a freebie.
As seen in the screenshots above, you need tokens (the ones in green) to play any course. It’s like an admission fee. The higher the entry price, the better the prizes. You get two free games per day, after which you’ll have to spend your tokens to gain admission to the course or wait until the next day. Micro-transactions are common in games these days, and like it or not, they’re a part of OneShot Golf.
You’ll also likely have to wait for your chance to play. 54e has close to a hundred robots installed in their warehouse, which means, if hundreds people are currently playing the game, you’ll have to wait for your chance. That said, in the past week, I haven’t had to wait longer than five minutes to get in.
While waiting is an annoyance, I can’t think of a workaround. Stepping in 54e’s shoes made me quickly realize that solving the wait issue would require exponentially scaling the game layout and adding hundreds more robots, and probably securing a bigger warehouse, all of which are easier said than done.
Happy #mememonday! How many of you have felt this pain?😩
Since the game takes place in real-time, you’ll also need a reliable internet connection to play OneShot Golf. Mobile data works fine, though you might occasionally encounter the stream freezing for a few milliseconds.
All-in-all, OneShot Golf is an innovative and well-thought-out mobile game, and even though traffic congestion can cause wait times to go up, it alludes to the fact that people flocking to play the title.
It’s worth noting that as of right now, OneShot Golf is only available to users in Canada and the United States for Android and iOS.
5G smart mobile telephone radio network antenna base station on the telecommunication mast radiating signal
SaskTel is rolling out its 5G network in Saskatoon for the first time.
The Saskatchewan-based telecom company says it has also given 5G access to 15 towers in Regina, including towers located in the downtown business district.
The company first announced the launch of its 5G services in parts of Regina in December. The company says its network will be further expanded to cover the majority of Regina and Saskatoon by year’s end.
SaskTel’s 5G network is powered by Samsung and delivers speeds up to 1.2Gbps. Once the network is fully deployed, there will be increased capacity and “ultra-low latency” allowing new uses of wireless technology for next-generation innovations.
“Today’s announcement is an important step forward as we strive to bring 5G service to our customers throughout the province,” Doug Burnett, SaskTel’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
“Combining unparalleled wireless data speeds with incredible network capacity and near real-time connections, our 5G network raises the standard for connectivity and paves the way for exciting technological innovations that will transform the way we connect to the world around us.”
To access the network, customers have to be within an area SaskTel’S 5G network covers, have a capable device, and use a compatible 5G wireless plan.
Berlin, Germany- September 6.,2017., Samsung exhibition pavilion
Samsung Electronics Canada is continuing to grow its relationship with Saskatchewan-based information and communications technology provider SaskTel by opening a new regional office to bring 5G networks to the province.
The office will be based in downtown Regina. Samsung is providing hardware, software, and expertise to deploy SaskTel’s 5G network across the province.
“The opening of a Samsung office in Regina underscores our commitment to ensuring a successful, end-to-end 5G network deployment for SaskTel, and enabling the foundation for next-generation innovations,” Jeff Jo, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics Canada, said in a press release. “We look forward to building on Samsung’s strong networks presence in Canada and around the world, and to delivering the unparalleled levels of performance and efficiency offered by 5G.”
SaskTel will start by providing the network on a “limited basis” by the end of this year and offer wider deployment next year in Regina and Saskatoon. This will bring faster data speeds, reliability, and capacity. It will help with remote work, virtual health care, and applications for the industries of agriculture, manufacturing, and mining.
“Collaborating with Samsung for 5G and having them now situated close to our head office in Regina will give us the chance to explore more opportunities that will benefit Saskatchewan people and the economy,” Doug Burnett, president and CEO of SaskTel, said in a statement.
Berlin, Germany- September 6.,2017., Samsung exhibition pavilion
Samsung Electronics Canada is continuing to grow its relationship with Saskatchewan-based information and communications technology provider SaskTel by opening a new regional office to bring 5G networks to the province.
The office will be based in downtown Regina. Samsung is providing hardware, software, and expertise to deploy SaskTel’s 5G network across the province.
“The opening of a Samsung office in Regina underscores our commitment to ensuring a successful, end-to-end 5G network deployment for SaskTel, and enabling the foundation for next-generation innovations,” Jeff Jo, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics Canada, said in a press release. “We look forward to building on Samsung’s strong networks presence in Canada and around the world, and to delivering the unparalleled levels of performance and efficiency offered by 5G.”
SaskTel will start by providing the network on a “limited basis” by the end of this year and offer wider deployment next year in Regina and Saskatoon. This will bring faster data speeds, reliability, and capacity. It will help with remote work, virtual health care, and applications for the industries of agriculture, manufacturing, and mining.
“Collaborating with Samsung for 5G and having them now situated close to our head office in Regina will give us the chance to explore more opportunities that will benefit Saskatchewan people and the economy,” Doug Burnett, president and CEO of SaskTel, said in a statement.
