Re: Case Notes - I applied for mine when I was living in the UK. I'm a Canadian citizen, I had no trouble getting mine. I was not physically in CAnada when I applied, I applied online using the form in the links, while physically present in the UK, and it was not a problem. So hopefully that solves that.
Re: Spreadsheet - some people aren't great with reporting back that they have updates, but those of us that update the spreadsheet do follow-up with some people, and those who have disappeared are removed so that there's not tons of blanks throwing things off. (If you scroll to the very bottom of the 2013 thread under the stats, you'll see that.) We work hard at updating the spreadsheet and keeping it current and accurate. I can't speak for the other editors, but personally I care very much about the spreadsheet... I put a lot of work into making it as user-friendly as possible, as useful as possible, and as current as possible. I know the other editors do the same. We take a lot of pride in the spreadsheet - and we are glad when people find it useful.
Let's all play nicely now...