This is for all the “CrackBerrys” out there: Today’s Globe and Mail has a list of the top ten downloadable applications for your BlackBerrys. The most popular ones include Google Maps, Facebook, Google Search and Sudoku Classic. . . . [more]

Last week we saw the unfortunate death of a toddler due to the 9-1-1 team being dispatched to Mississauga instead of his home in Calgary. His family was exclusively using VoIP–or Voice Over Internet Protocol, a telephone system using the Internet rather than the cellular or land line system–through ComWave. They had moved and their records had been updated, but their emergency records had not been updated.

I always wondered why, when I signed on with Skype (an international VoIP system that has some level of free calls), it cautions that it is not meant to be used as an . . . [more]

Last week I was invited, wearing my hat of law librarian, to participate in a round table discussion on art, the Internet and intellectual property with the group ArtMob. ArtMob is a group of artists, scholars and other stakeholders interested in the intersection between Canadian culture and copyright and intellectual property law, and how it comes into play with the Web. . . . [more]

You’ll have noticed that on the revamped Google Advanced Search page there’s a link that will expand into a drop-down menu, letting you select whether you want results from pages that have been indexed for the first time — i.e. pages newly discovered by Google, which will likely be brand new pages but needn’t be, of course — in the last day, week, month etc. (See the Research Buzz post from a year ago for more on what the dating means.)

You can customize your searches by altering the date range component at the end of the search string. The . . . [more]

On 30 April 1993, the European nuclear research lab CERN put the web in the public domain, meaning that the protocols of the World Wide Web would be non-proprietary and could be used by anyone free of charge.

To mark the occasion, the BBC talked with web luminaries about their vision for the future. . . . [more]

Hate speech laws have always come in for criticism, balancing as they do on the slack wire between freedom of speech and violence to others. The brouhaha involving Mark Steyn, MacLeans and some law students is only the latest wobble on the wire, and one that I won’t go into here. But I thought Slaw readers might be interested in a provision in the Alberta Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act that the venerable (and very pro speech, shall we say) LanguageLog poked fun at today. The provision is found in section 3(1) and the part that attracted their attention . . . [more]

The iPhone is coming to Canada. For sure. Ted Rogers issued an announcement today that Rogers Communications has struck a deal with Apple:

We’re thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can’t tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned.

No word on any of the details, such as how big the mortgage on all you own will have to be to pay for the service. . . . [more]

Tired, aching shoulders? Thumbs the size of zucchinis? You may need to ditch the laptop and the BlackBerry you’re using and plump for an ultraportable computer instead. Weighing in at something like 2 pounds, an ultraportable won’t do everything for you, perhaps, but a near full-size keyboard and a couple of hours of battery life should get you through most of life’s “got-to-write” situations with a whole lot less… well, a whole lot less. Simply.

Here’s a site with nearly two dozen of these submicros to choose from, some fresh on the market, others yet to come. And though I’m . . . [more]

So the University of Ottawa recently became a member of the New Media Consortium, “an international 501(c)3 not-for-profit consortium of over 260 learning-focused organizations dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies” based in Austin, Texas.

You’ll find some amazing content on their website which I have yet to fully explore. However, I might start off reading their 2008 Horizon Report [pdf], “that seeks to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have considerable impact on teaching, learning, and creative expression within higher education”.

With membership to this consortium, you can opt to join the Technical . . . [more]

I love hearing about libraries coming up with new innovative services. This is a great (local) example:

McMaster University Library is now using WordPress and PmWiki to host blogs and wikis for interested faculty and staff. As Amanda Etches-Johnson, the leader of the project, says in a news release, this new service responds to faculty’s growing interest in using blogs and wikis to extend and encourage class discussions, group work and collaboration. See Amanda’s blog post “A toolbox for faculty” for more details on this project. . . . [more]

The Stats Can Daily has a report on the 2006 survey of types of residential phones. The big shift is away from exclusive use of land lines to include cell, cable and VOIP phones as well: In 2006 29.6% of households (3.8 million) used only land lines; in 2007 the figure had dropped to 24% of households (3.1 million).

Only 6.4% of households report relying on cell phones only, up from the 5.1% of the prior year. Less than one percent of households report not having any phone at all.

What’s interesting to me is that the survey, which is . . . [more]

On April 17, 2008 IT World Canada published “The 10 Best Technology Bloggers in Canada” a list compiled by ComputerWorld Canada editor Shane Schick [currently accessible; may require free registration later to view].

Congratulations to Rob Hyndman of Hyndman Law for being included. Schick’s rationale for selecting him:

The Toronto-based lawyer works with both vendors and corporate enterprises to untangle the intricate contractual issues that come up in their relationships. His interest in IT is best expressed by a quote, attributed to Gregory Benford, that appears at the top of his home page: “Any technology distinguishable