Techbuzz

Canada makes the U.S. piracy list, again

JD Speedy — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:21:00 GMT

Hey guys! We made the list! We made it! I know some people said we couldn't do four years straight, but we did it!

Ok, ok. I'll stop with the goofing, but seriuosly, who isn't a little giddy at the fact that we've annoyed U.S. privacy policy makers enough to add us to its "priority watch list." We once again join the ranks of Russia, China, Chile and the Ukraine, the worst offenders in failing to prevent copyright theft.

Luckily, for both the states and Canada, that list doesn't really mean anything. It's an attempt to shame countries into following copyright practices and enforcement set in the U.S. No sanctions are attached so it's really just business as usual.

For an example, Russia has made the list for a record 16 years in a row and it's had seemingly little effect on its financial standing or reaction to piracy.

According to the U.S. Trade Representative - via the FP Tech Desk entry - this years figures are...significant.

"This year’s Special 301 Report is more significant than ever in light of recent U.S. Government data showing that IP-intensive industries support as many as 40 million American jobs and up to 60% of U.S. exports,” U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a statement.

What we should do with this information, aside from ignoring some of the key issues that keep pushing piracy forward - like digital locks and outdated piracy laws - is not clearly stated but at least we're on a list!

Then again, maybe Bill C-11 was in part a reaction to our condemnation.

Original article: Canada lands on U.S. ‘priority watch list’ for copyright piracy for fourth year (FP Tech Desk)

RED calls out entire industry for shoot-out

JD Speedy — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:07:00 GMT

Things are getting pretty salty in Hollywood. The CEO of RED - the all-digital camera that is wowing in part due to its price and also because of the amazing quality it can shoot - has invited "every camera company," to join RED in testing their best cameras and equipment side-by-side.

From the post in the RED user forums:

Each company can bring their own cameras and techs to supervise the testing. Each camera company can take their resulting footage and process the best way they know possible.

It's not completely unheard of for these kinds of challenges to be issued but it's a little startling just how clandestine Jim Jannard, CEO of RED is about it. He seems to honestly want to inform the public as to which camera performs best in which environment, though with a bit of confidence, naturally.

Now, that said, the footage will be screened not on 1080p quality screens - which are in every living room in America right now - but new 2k and 4k screens. I'm not sure if this gives any one company an advantage, as I'm sure they're all at least experimenting with the new formats, but it would seem to lend itself to RED's massive input lens.

Lannard also mentions in a later post how he'd be disappointed if other camera companies don't sign on for the June 4th shootout at RED's studio but it might take a bit more publicity than a forum post to guilt or shame other companies into participating. When it's just the CEO calling out other companies on the Internet, it's easy to ignore.

Original article: RED proposes camera shoot-out on June 4th (SlashGear)

Barnes and Noble, Microsoft, join for eBook deal

JD Speedy — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:42:00 GMT

Coming in just after the ebook pricing scandal is underway, Microsoft has joined with Barnes and Noble to secure its own stake in the ebook industry.

The first project of the agreement is a new arm for Barnes and Noble, hosted by Microsoft, for college textbooks.

The latter part will see a Nook app for Windows 8 - hinting at Microsoft toeing the water of ebook sales and Nook getting more ties to Windows platforms.

According to the Canadian Press article - posted to CBC - there has been increasing scrutiny of the fiscal viability of the Nook hardware lines from B&N shareholders, so getting in to bed with Microsoft might be exactly what it needs to assuage those concerns.

No doubt any agreement of this type will involve an exchange of money and, if there's enough, might secure some type of exclusivity.

But for now, it's just interesting to see Microsoft choosing this particular point in ebook history to get involved. Seems like the wrong time to me, but maybe it was the right deal at the wrong time.

Original article: Barnes & Noble, Microsoft join to sell e-books (CBC Technology & Science)

Blackberry 10 prototype showed off at Blackberry World

JD Speedy — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:22:00 GMT

While Blackberry's annual event - Blackberry World 2012 - has a lot of draws, there is a bit of a pallour on this year's festivities.

RIM hasn't had the best last couple of years so it's understandable that it might be harder to draw a large crowd of developers to their event and to the platform in general.

To combat this, RIM promised that developers who attend its Blackberry 10 Jam - which promised hands on time with the new OS - would walk away with a more handheld version of a Blackberry 10 device for testing apps in the new environment.

Mobile Syrup got some pictures of the prototype BB 10 device from an attendee and it looks...very different.

Admittedly, this is definitely just a prototype, mocked up for the event so that devs can start playing around with the new unified OS, but it looks pretty slick. It resembles, in many ways, a Playbook but scaled down to the size of your standard smartphone size. The only RIM branding is a bright silver Blackberry badge on the back. Subtle.

If RIM gets some decent touch tech in there, and capitalizes on the strengths of the brand, the looks and functionality could be a winning combo.

Either way, if you're curious, click through to see the very unofficial first BB 10 device.

Original article: BlackBerry 10 prototype device gets pictured, looks like a small PlayBook (Mobile Syrup)

One in five Macs have some type of Malware: Sophos

JD Speedy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:10:00 GMT

If Sophos can be trusted - and as a maker of security software, that's debateable - one in five Mac computers is infected with some kind of malware.

The good news, for Mac owners at least, is that the malware most of them carry is Windows malware. Much like how a cold for birds can be a crippling illness in humans, Windows malware can lie dormant on Mac systems, only to infect Windows systems they make contact with...or that same computer if they're running an instance of Windows using bootcamp.

Now, that's not to say this isn't a problem. Computers carrying malware are an issue anywhere, no matter what the symptoms are. Just be aware of where this advice is coming from.

As Macs get more popular too, it's a good idea to think about having some sort of security software, no matter who makes it. And trust me, as Macs get more adopted, options will start popping up.

But these stories are happening more and more often and it's getting tougher to root out the real scares from the trumped up stories.

That Flashback Trojan turned out to be an exploit in Java and not a vulnerability in the Mac platform, as it was initially reported.

Security firms have an interest in scaring users into buying their products, even if a lot of the information they utilize is true.

It's just easy to get swept up in it and disregard any kind of careful eye for why someone is warning you about viruses. Mac's aren't immune, that's for sure, but they're also less susceptible to viruses by the nature of being a closed platform.

That much is still true, no matter what anyone says.

Original article: One in five Macs infected with Windows malware: Sophos (FP Tech Desk)

A medical lightsaber?

JD Speedy — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:25:00 GMT

While my dreams of weilding an incredibly dangerous and potentially world ending - what would happen if you dropped a lightsaber straight down? - weapon are still fiction, it appears lasers that can make tiny, ultra-precise cuts is a reality.

Researchers at the Unversity of Texas, Austin are presenting a new endoscopic laser device at the Conference on Lasers and Electro Optics next month.

Surgical lasers aren't anything new, however, but getting one that is precise enough for the kinds of cuts required in more intensive surgeries has been an unreachable goal up to now.

The new mini laser technology developed by the researchers can deliver short, very powerful laser "shots" - my words, not theirs - lasting a mere 200 quadrillonths of a second.

That may sound less useful, but it actually is more useful as it lessens the effect on healthy tissue around the affected area.

The mini laser is mountable to endoscopic equipment - like the cameras used in colonoscopies - as it's a scant 23 millimeters long.

But don't get too hopeful. While it's hilarious to think of someone weilding a 23 millimeter high-powered mini laser as a weapon, it'll be five years before it can be approved as a mass-marketed laser scalpel. For now, we can still just picture the end result of this research. World domination, naturally.

Original article: 'Lightsaber'-like laser scalpels developed for surgery (CBC Technology & Science)

Canadians want Blackberry a lot less these days

JD Speedy — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:14:00 GMT

According to a new Ipsos Reid poll, Canadians just don't want a Blackberry anymore. Or at least they want one a whole lot less than previously.

The polls were taken betwen January 2011 and 2012 and found that, as opposed to January of 2011 - where 58 per cent of the surveyed planned to buy a Blackberry - a year later that number was reduced to 40 per cent.

Those figures are best understood in relief against the number of smartphone owners in Canada growing from 24 per cent of the population polled in August 2011 to 34 per cent in January 2012.

That means that while the number of smartphone owners grew a substantial amount versus the total population, Blackberry is seeing a steep decline in popularity. People want to buy new smartphones but RIM has lost its grip.

Bearing that all in mind, this doesn't mean RIM is totally out of contention, but gains made by Samsung Android phones and the continuing popularity of everything Apple is pushing them to the brink.

JD

Original article: Share of Canadians who want a BlackBerry slips dramatically in survey (Globe and Mail Technology)

Riders on Boston transit will get to pay with smartphones

JD Speedy — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:35:00 GMT

While it's becoming common practice in Europe to pay for things and prove payment with smartphones, in America we're still playing catch up.

Well, a test project in Boston might push that innovation - and comfort level - a bit faster.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is planning to launch an all-new smartphone ticketing pilot project this fall. That means that for Boston commuters, instead of having to rely on machines, or line up for ticket windows, they can buy their travel tokens on their smartphones. And when tickets need checking, they can use the ticket app to display a barcode that will verify paid travel.

The initiative will start on Blackberry, Android and iPhone smartphones, which make up most of the market at this time.

The good part for Boston commuters, and worth taking note for city planners everywhere, is that expanding to users phones means less ticketing machines need to be created.

If you've ever tried to buy tokens or a Metropass in Toronto on the first of the month, I'm sure you've experienced the horrific lines, angry people and constant dread of low stock. If you could buy that same stuff from your phone, the one piece of tech you always have on your person, likely infrastructure costs would drop and some of that fervent mob mentality on the first might be assuaged.

But I guess we'll wait to see how the program goes this fall.

Original article: Boston train riders to be the first in US to get smartphone tickets (SlashGear)

Nova Scotian gov't weighs in on Facebook passwords debate

JD Speedy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:12:00 GMT

The controversial business tactic that's been getting more widespread in the U.S. - of asking for Facebook account passwords during the vetting process for job applicants - has met further resistance in Nova Scotia.

The new democrat N.S. government is looking to adopt a Liberal sponsored bill that would make it illegal for bosses to ask for Facebook passwords.

Much like anyone with a shred of a conscience, they've realized that asking for the password to someone's private Facebook page is an absurd request.

From the CBC story, Andrew Younger, the Liberal MLA who tabled the bill:

"It would be no different than somebody saying, 'Listen, can I go back and look at the letters that you wrote in high school to your love in high school? Can I go and root through your mail for a few weeks so that I can decide whether I can hire you?'
"We don't accept that kind of stuff in Canada and I think this is a matter of having the Labour Act catch up with the digital age."

This adds yet another voice to the crowd shouting down this practice.

A few weeks ago, Facebook itself spoke out in defence of employees being asked for their passwords. Spokepersons for the social networking site said the company was considering going after terms of service breakers themselves in court if no legislation was enacted to stop it.

I still can't believe this even has to be entered into law. Who thinks it's alright to look at information you can't find in a Google search?

If your potential employee has the propriety to manage their privacy to the point that you can't find anything incriminating without using their own password to hunt it out, chances are they pose no risk to your organization anyways.

In reality, this just looks like snooping for snooping's sake. And bully-ish when that employer knows a candidate feels compelled to say yes rather than forfeit their chance at a job.

Gross.

Original article: N.S. joins debate on employers demanding passwords (CBC Technology & Science)

Swiss mind-control robot has 100 km range

JD Speedy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:46:00 GMT

Maybe that title is a bit misleading. It's a robot that can be controlled using the mind. Not a swiss robot that can control minds. At least not yet.

For this experiment, the aim was to help paralyzed patients interact with the world. A patient in Sion in the south of Sweden was able to control a robot's actions over a 100 km away at Switzerland's Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.

By just thinking about lifting his arm, the robot reacted by lifting its.

While there isn't much practical about this particular scenario, or special due to the range, it is an interesting premise when you tease it out to its natural conclusion. If an avatar were constructed and enough feedback delivered through cameras, sensors and other haptic feedback, it's possible to give back (simulated) mobility to a bed-ridden patient. For instance, in this experiment the patient was Tetraplegic. If just a few features were added to a finished robot design, this could a much needed outlet for patients with little to no contact with the outside world.

But this particular experiment is not the first of its kind, only the first to use non-invasive techniques to control said avatar. Instead of an implant to register brain activity and intent, signals were received using only a skull cap.

Ideally, projects like this could greatly improve the quality of life for patients who are often overlooked. There's only so much you can do for someone who has no control over his or her limbs. Perhaps a robot skeleton could be contrived to help people paralyzed partially or fully to get around. Or just allow them to sample outside life from the comfort (and safety) of their hospital room.

Original article: Swiss robot moves via mind control from 100 km away (CBC Technology & Science)

Here's how that crazy space-mining venture will (theoretically) work

JD Speedy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:26:00 GMT

Not sure if this was as big news as it was just plain crazy to hear but it sounds like some rich people might have watched Armageddon too many times.

A collection of billionaires and distinguished "advisors" - like Marians Trench explorer and 3D pioneer, James Cameron - have decided to conquer the last frontier, space.

Planetary Resources Inc., a new venture founded in Seattle, Wash., intends to mine asteroids for valuable resources. That's right. They're going to build a rocket, fly to outer space and come back with space minerals.

In a means of explanation for this new endeavour, the group issued a release detailing the methodology for this Indiana Jones-level of crazy:

Planetary Resources, Inc. announced today its plan to mine Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) for raw materials, ranging from water to precious metals...Resource extraction from asteroids will deliver multiple benefits to humanity and grow to be valued at tens of billions of dollars annually. The effort will tap into the high concentration of precious metals found on asteroids and provide a sustainable supply to the ever-growing population on Earth.

Ok. While in theory, this sounds a bit like a rambling interpretation of the future, there is some science behind it. According to the release, a single 500 meter asteroid could contain the as much Platinum Group Metals as has been mined in the history of earth. That, and water.

See, exploring space is complex in part due to the whole water issue. Humans need water for nearly every facet of life and it's already been proven that frozen water can be found in asteroids. By mining this water, deeper space exploration might be possible as one can theorize spaceships could "refuel" on asteroids when water is getting low. That, and it could help assuage the water problems here on earth.

Personally, I just can't wait for the next natural step after space mining; Moon colonies. If we can grow crops and mine water in space, what's to stop someone living out there like Sam Rockwell in Moon. I mean, without the whole conspiracy angle...

Original article: Here’s How Planetary Resources Plans to Mine Asteroids (Release) (AllThingsD)

U.K. funding elderly driving assist programs

JD Speedy — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:20:00 GMT

In the U.K., things are a bit crowded. It's hard to buy a house, it's hard to find an apartment and it's hard to just up and move.

So, for the growing senior population, it's a bit optimistic to ask them all to hand over their licenses the minute their eyesight starts going.

In light of this unavoidable truth, the program nicknamed "Granny Nav" is being developed to combat this. It uses visual cues to help better inform the driver (and the car) of where they are in order to avoid the necessity of last second decisions.

Researchers at Newcastle University tricked out an electric car with all of the sensors and monitors you'd want to outfit a mobile lab with and took the DriveLAB through it's paces. The result of that research is going to be the aforementioned "Granny Nav."

It's interesting to note that the rationale behind throwing tech at this problem, instead of the obvious solution - taking seniors off the road - is losing the ability to drive, and the independance attached, can be one of the first stages to "giving up". Seniors who can't choose where and when they go places are more liable to just settle in to a prescribed routine and fall into worse health than when they had the ability.

By giving them the option to drive longer - and hopefully safer - the idea is that they might maintain their independance and social life longer than seniors who were stuck living in an assisted care facility.

Hopefully the end of this story is a few seniors who are now driving safer if they drive at all, and not that this was a poor replacement for a young set of reflexes.

Original article: U.K. funds ‘Granny Nav’ tech to help elderly keep their cars (Globe and Mail Technology)

Woman caught smuggling iPhone's in empty beer bottles

JD Speedy — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:57:00 GMT

I guess, according to App Chronicles, iDevice smuggling in China isn't a new thing.

But this case was pretty novel.

An elderly woman tried to cross the border from Hong Kong to Shenzhen with over 200 iPhones. So how did she attempt to get them past the wily guards? In recyclables.

Since poverty is pretty widespread in China - hence the ongoing demand for factory jobs - transporting that amount of bottles is not all that surprising. What was surprising is that since the iPhones wouldn't fit through the mouth of the beer bottles selected, each bottle was carefully split in the middle, iPhone inserted and then sealed up with clear tape.

When officials spotted the tape, however, and noticed the wildly varying weights to the "empty" bottles, the whole lot of the contraband was found and seized.

The most interesting part, to me, is how this is a money-making scheme for anyone? How do the goods increase in value across borders?

Either way it's an interesting side to the Chinese situation for Apple.

Original article: Crafty Chinese Smugglers Put iPhones inside Beer Bottles, Still Failed to Cross the Border (App Chronicles)

Skype for Windows Phone now out of beta

JD Speedy — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:39:00 GMT

Despite the fact that Microsoft owns Skype, the app for Windows Phone has long been lacking in functionality.

As a nod to that fact, the version of the Skype app released on Microsoft's own mobile OS platform just reached 1.0 status, finally coming out of beta.

As a historical note, however, Microsoft completed its purchase of Skype in October but didn't release any form of client for WP7 until February.

Besides the fancy "1.0" moniker, however, the app itself doesn't seem to have received a lot of care yet. For instance, the ability to run it in the background while you perhaps check on a movie listing, look for a restaurant review or do any other kind of activity that might be handy during a call, you can't. This is kind of a deal breaker to make it a useful app for smartphone owners, especially those with a decision still left as to which platform will best support their activites.

The Skype apps for iPhone and Android have not been without criticsm, but at least have the minimum functionality in tact.

Original article: Skype for Windows Phone No Longer a Beta, but Still Missing Some Key Features (AllThingsD)

Healthy video games a fix for depressed teens

JD Speedy — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:40:00 GMT

Gamification is and has been a hot topic in the IT sector for a while. We know now that game elements, if properly harnessed, can be impressive teaching tools for skills of any kind. A bit of a new hook is using those tools to teach coping skills.

In my feature on games training, it was posited that emergency scenarios can be safely navigated to build confidence for IT staff in a video game world. The only trick is finding the tools to build it.

Researchers at the University of Auckland, New Zealand have used that type of rationale to build SPARX. It's a 3D fantasy world in which the player must create order out of chaos. The hook, however is that CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) skills for coping with the games' big bad - GNATS, or gloomy negative automatic thoughts - are peppered into the gameplay to help adolescents better identify their own triggers.

The results of the research conducted using SPARX vs. traditional talking therapy are actually kind of astounding. Kids who navigated at least four of the seven worlds of the game had a 44 per cent success rate treating their symptoms and "recovering". Obviously, a game won't fully replace meds or a good support structure, but that's still a good 18 per cent better than just traditional therapy (which has a 26 per cent success rate).

The goals of the project are simple. Utilizing games as a therapy tool has two distinct benefits; it's cheaper and easier to distribute than face-to-face care and it might be a better tool to promote looking inwards than forcing an already awkward and anxious teen into talking to a complete stranger. That, and games are a medium that most kids already understand.

It's really interesting to see these kinds of applications gain a foothold. Not only can video games be excellent training tools, and help sick kids feel better, but they can be experimented with as alternative therapies and cures.

It seems that the relatively new medium will have a whole different meaning to everyone born after 1980.

Original article: Computer game effective in treating adolescent depression (CBC Technology & Science)