Internet – Page 6

Google Voice mail searchable online, amusing

October 19, 2009 Doug Groves google, Google Voice2 Comments

If you haven’t already heard about Google Voice, the service promises one number for all your needs, and includes a voice message service, which can transcribe audio message into text. An interesting, and probably unwanted side effect of this is that a small number of these can be found in a google search… site:https://www.google.com/voice/fm/* Into a standard google search. Some of the messages contain the phone number of the sender, and since Google also transcribes the voice mails to a readable form, when the caller leaves a new reply number,…

The Finland model: A chicken in every pot and Broadband in every den

October 14, 2009October 15, 2009 Danny X 3 Comments

For a democratic nation, Finland sure plays it like a socialist. First they have arguably one of the best health care systems in the world. Then they throw in free day care. Sure they’re taxed heavily and the job market is described as “inflexible”, but all in all, the standard of living is pretty damn fine. And to sweeten the pot, they’ve just made broadband internet a legal right.

Network Outage

September 30, 2009September 30, 2009 Doug Groves 1 Comment

Just wanted to send out an apology to our readers about the down time today. Our ISP had a major networking issue which kept the site offline for about 6 hours.

The Canadian Broadband Wars Heat Up

September 24, 2009September 24, 2009 Doug Groves Bell, broadband, CRTC, net neutrality, online rights, Telus2 Comments

A new initiative was recently launched to battle the CRTC rulings regarding Bell and Telus and access to network infrastructure. Competitivebroadband.com, which is comprised of a wide range of independent ISPs and coalitions, is aiming squarely at making the consumer aware of, and getting them involved with, the proceedings. From their mission statement… Following the decision by the CRTC, which was released on 11 December 2008, MTS Allstream decided to petition the federal Cabinet, which has the power to reverse this decision. Others have also made their views known in…

87 cool things: A presentation by Google’s Creative Labs

September 21, 2009September 30, 2009 Danny X 0 comment

I’m at Advertising Week in New York City, and I just left the theatre at the Times Center on West 41st after a brilliant presentation that was led by Andy Berndt, the managing director of Google’s Creative Labs. The point of the discussion was to talk about how devices like home-brewed APIs, webcams and video have all contributed to the success of digital campaigns, collaborations, and events. Berndt’s points were illustrated by what he considered to be the 87 most creative, unique, exciting and interesting online creations Google could find….

Facebook becomes profitable. Mark Zuckerberg orders pizza to celebrate.

September 16, 2009 Danny X 0 comment

For the first time ever, Facebook is making money. In a blog post by CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg, the site generated more money than is spent last quarter, putting them half a year ahead of their own projections: Earlier this year, we said we expected to be cash flow positive sometime in 2010, and I’m pleased to share that we achieved this milestone last quarter. This is important to us because it sets Facebook up to be a strong independent service for the long term.

Canadian Copyright Consultation: Deadline Extended

September 14, 2009 Doug Groves copyright, Michael Geist0 comment

The deadline to make submissions to the public copyright consultation has been extended until Tuesday night. In case you haven’t already voiced your opinion, there are a number of ways to do so… If you missed last night’s deadline, there is still time to craft your own submission, use a form letter, or send out a quick email. [via speakoutoncopyright.ca] The speakoutoncopyright.ca link also has a number of recent submissions, links to public roundtables and much more.

OnLive Goes Beta In US

September 3, 2009September 14, 2009 Doug Groves OnLive0 comment

The Onlive gaming system has gone into an open beta in the US. The service was announced back in March, and aims to remove the hardware requirements for gamers, by running and rendering games on centralized servers and streaming the resulting video to the player. To get a 720p gaming experience, the end user would need a 4mbit connection, and the games could be played either on the computer, or using their micro console hooked up to a TV or monitor. No word on when this will hit Canada, so…

Facebook Bows To Canadian Privacy Commish

August 27, 2009August 27, 2009 Doug Groves canada, facebook, privacy8 Comments

Just over a month ago, we talked about Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart’s ruling that the ubiquitous Facebook was indeed violating Canadian privacy laws, including making personal information available to 3rd party Facebook application developers. Well, during a press conference today, Ms. Stoddart has announced that Facebook has indeed agreed to all the changes… “This is an extremely important change,” said Ms. Stoddart. “I would like to thank Facebook for its co-operation throughout this investigation.” Facebook will provide new notifications for users, additions to its privacy policy, and technical changes…

The Copyright Consultation

Remember Bill C-61, and how that ultimately died on the vine of Parliament, in large part because of public outcry? Well, the Canadian government recently launched it’s first public consultation on copyright in almost a decade, and will be taking public input until September 13th. The above movie, produced by Michael Geist and Dan Albahary, focuses on copyright issues, and more specifically how they affect Canadians. It’s definitely well worth the watch, and after it’s done, you can go here for ways to have you say with the copyright consultation.

Canadian Government Brings Hammer eBay Sellers

July 31, 2009 Doug Groves CRA, eBay, internet tax1 Comment

Sellers who make use of eBay and other online sales sites will come under the scrutiny of the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA). The CRA will begin contacting eBay sellers at the end of summer to ensure compliance. In 2007, the federal court ruled that eBay must turn over information on its high volume Canadian sellers, and although eBay tried to appeal the ruling, it was rejected in April. Now the CRA is getting serious. In court filings, it appears that the CRA, for now, focusing on eBay Power Sellers from…

Will Zip.ca be Netflix For Canada?

July 17, 2009 Doug Groves digital download, Zip.ca2 Comments

When it comes to digital film and TV distribution, one of the most popular services out there is the US Netflix.com rental site. Netflix started as a DVD rental company, allowing monthly subscribers to rent as many via mail as they could handle. More recently, Netflix added digital ‘rentals’, so that current subscribers could instantly watch any movie available online using a variety of methods, from the desktop computer to embedded players found in a multitude of devices. In Canada, Zip.ca has been operating under the Netflix DVD model for…