The business section of the Globe and Mail today was something of a bonanza for pieces on information technology, and I thought that I’d pass the links along for those of our readers too busy to digest the (or that) morning paper.

First off, of course, is the story about the launch of Windows 7 in Canada. Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer, showed up in Toronto to give a talk to a bunch of IT professionals, hoping to help them forget about the Vista disaster. The Globe has a whole section online with a dozen or so articles about Windows . . . [more]

I don’t make a practice of taking others’ copyrighted images to show you, but I’m going to make an apologetic exception here, because I love what Stephan Pastis does with some of his Pearls Before Swine comic strip, particularly his delightful pink porker. Today’s strip was about the Google, and I often feel rather like the pig, so I thought I’d share. Click on the image to see the full strip.

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The cloud computing, or software as a service model has compelling attributes – such as low cost, ease of use, and scalability. But the downside is that there are issues around the security, integrity, and longevity of both the data and the software behind it.

Google has taken a step in the right direction with its promise that any cloud application it provides will have as a prime directive the ability of the user to pack up their data and take it anywhere, including a competitor.

At least that helps solve the issue of the risk of losing data, as . . . [more]

More than twenty years ago, Canada was on the cutting edge with its newly minted Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act. Since then, we’ve seen each of the provinces step up to implement similar regulation for their public sectors. Though the federal laws set the benchmark at the time, they have both remained frozen in time. Despite calls from various sectors for significant reform, the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics asked the Information Commissioner and the Privacy Commissioner for their “quick fixes” or patches that may help the laws hobble along into the current . . . [more]

As I used to say to my students from time to time, lawyers aren’t allowed to use their fists: it’s all done with language, so develop a love for that tool. And I think that somewhere along the line, most lawyers do in fact wind up if not exactly loving language, then certainly caring about its use. This is why I like the blog Language Log, and have recommended it a number of times on Slaw.

But all that jaw-jaw, as Churchill might have said, can pall. So as a break I like to cook (and to eat). It . . . [more]

ReadWriteWeb has a post this morning on new YouTube comments search. For those of us interested in reputation monitoring/management, this could be a very nice development. . . . [more]

About two years ago, we were following the progress and release of the One Laptop Per Child program, an organization that was developing a cheap laptop that it wanted to put into the hands of schoolchildren around the world.

While at the time of its release, the XO laptop (as it was called) made a great toy for adults and children alike here in Canada, now that two years have passed, we can start to see the results from the real-world experience of certain countries.

One country that took a lead in distributing this machine to schoolkids was Uruguay. . . . [more]

Gigaom has an article about a speech Michael Dell gave yesterday.

He had very positive things to say about Windows 7 – which officially debuts next Thursday the 22nd. I concur with that. I’ve been the test case for Windows 7 at Harrison Pensa, and have found it faster and more stable. It also has features that can make you more productive. Enough so that I often find it frustrating when using my home computer with Vista.

He doesn’t like netbooks, even though Dell makes popular models – citing their small screens and slow performance. Anecdotally I’ve heard comments from . . . [more]

Robert Ambrogi at law.com just posted on West’s decision to make 29 law books available on the Kindle. As earlier SLAW posts have noted, we Canadians continue to miss out on new technology.

Do I really need a Kindle to keep my Ipod Touch and Blackberry Storm company? Do these gadgets really improve efficiency? Will I find time to read books on a screen when I can’t find the time to read the paper versions? Insights from those who have figured this out are welcomed! . . . [more]

When I was a kid we had a blue Bakelite radio made, I recall, by Western Electric. No TV. Just a radio. And that was okay because, for one thing I didn’t know about TV, and for another, every so often during the week I got to listen to some great radio programs. The Lone Ranger, Sgt. Preston of the Yukon, Hopalong Cassidy, the Shadow and others kick-started my imagination and taught me the power of a narrative.

Thanks to the marvellous Internet Archive, you can now listen to some of these “Old Time Radio” shows. The basic start . . . [more]

Industry Canada has published a new version of its Canadian Consumer Handbook. It is actually quite a good summary of things that the average consumer should know, including how to complain to a vendor, various scams to be aware of, cellphones, charities, collection agencies, fraud, digital TV, door to door sales, gift cards, misleading advertising, telemarketing and travel. It also has a long list of contact information for various organizations.

Lawyers might find it useful to share with clients having those particular issues, and as a resource for contact information. . . . [more]

There is no practical obstacle whatever now to the creation of an efficient index to all human knowledge, ideas and achievements, to the creation, that is, of a complete planetary memory for all mankind. And not simply an index; the direct reproduction of the thing itself can be summoned to any properly prepared spot. . . This in itself is a fact of tremendous significance. It foreshadows a real intellectual unification of our race. The whole human memory can be, and probably in a short time will be, made accessible to every individual. And what is also of very great