Wankergirl, a web designer and podcaster, and I have agreed to have her develop the next theme to this - your favorite -site. We are working out the specs of what I would like to see but in time a new theme will appear on this site. Hopefully with on a new host as well so I reduce any contention of a professional/personal site being hosted at Memorial.

Since I will soon be relocating the blog I might as well open it up to a total visual redesign. So I am calling on any graphic artists or web designers who are interested to let me know if they are interested in doing the redesign. I can pay, not much, but I am willing to part with a few dollars for the service. What I am looking for is simple but must fit these basic requirements

• Must be a Word Press template
• Must be a clean design that is easy on the eyes
• Must not contain any copyrighted images that would require some kind of payment or fees

What I will do:

• Pay you an agreed rate for the work
• Credit, recommend, and link to your site for the work
• You would be free to use my site as an example of your work for future contracts/employment

Any challengers? Just sent me a note via my contact info (on the contact page should you not know it) with a proposal.

Many thanks in advance.

Users of Facebook will now be able to instant message with one another though a built in message client. Unlike many other Facebook apps like “Movie Quiz”, “Scrabblous”, or , you will not need to install (Read: Add) this application to your profile. It is an automatic addition to your profile and available through any page you view on Facebook. Regardless if it is a group, picture, someone else’s profile you will be able to access your instant messages though a small bar across the bottom of your screen. It acts and feels much like using MSN in windows with a mix of Google’s chat interface. Check it out, log into your profile now.

Should MSN start worrying? Possibly, any thoughts?

Take my most recent snippet of work. The challenge – albeit a simple one – was to develop a script that read data from a database and wrote it to an excel file. Fairly standard fair. The challenge, for me, would be learning how to manipulate Perl to do this and then writing a working program. It took me a few days to get it down pat but after some research and a bit of mentoring from a more experienced Perl developer, I produced a nice little program. That is where the excitement ended. There was no feeling of accomplishment from producing a finished product.

I am quite happy to have saved several man hours of work a year by automating this little process and it was quite fun writing the script but now I am left with the feeling of “now what”. I feel like I need to feed an addiction of the next problem to solve. That is it! I am a computer science junkie! I need to find my next “score” and develop another tool.

Oh well, at least it pays well. It could be worse, I could have an actual addiction!

This has not grabbed mass media attention yet since it really, only affected users of programs like bear share, limewire, and torrent’s. Since the introduction of new policy on the Bell network on March 14, it has now expanded to Third Party ISP’s who wholesale buy their internet access from Bell. A notable example of this is an Ontario ISP, Teksavvy Solutions.

A few things are important when framing this conversation. One note to keep in mind is that the internet’s current foundations were built on public monies through grants to universities to become interconnected. Money the universities used to buy data connections from companies like Bell. This allowed an infrastructure to develop that eventually was taken over, and vastly expanded on, by telecommunication and cable companies. I doubt either would have taken place without that initial funding from the government.

Another thought to keep in mind is the inherent conflict of interest Bell and Rogers has by providing a data connection that can be easily used to avoid their other products. You can use your internet connection to get television shows, movies, make and accept voice and video calls. This would allow you to avoid watching Rogers or Bell Global Media (owners of CTV) channels, Bell’s telephone service, or either of their on demand movie services.

Now an annoying network management technique has turned into a business and potentially legal problem as it will affect the bottom line of another business. Since the options are limited as to where else you can get this access, any terms of service they [Bell/Rogers] require become default standard. Keep in mind, both companies operated in a federally regulated and permitted monopoly situation. One that could be pulled if it is seen in the best interests of the citizens.

They will argue that the reason for this network management is due to the pressure placed on their systems. Yet, neither company has done major increases in network capacity for a number of years. Another argument being batted around is the legality of such peer-to-peer services, even though major players like CBC have recently begun offering legal media over these services.

So what now?

The answer is clear. It is time to send a signal to the CRTC that Canadians desire more competitive solutions to what is vastly becoming a necessary communication an entertainment tool. It is time to send a signal to Bell and Rogers that such practices will not be tolerated and are wildly being viewed as interference not management.

Telephony companies were not allowed to discriminate against users who used their phones to dial into the internet – in a bygone era – over those who used it for voice conversations. It should also not allowed to discriminate against users who download every movie available or just casually surf. More transparency is needed in this service and more standards are required. How I use my connection, or how much, should not matter or come with strings

The above link in the Ottawa Citizen indicates that one of the largest employers in Atlantic Canada (the largest private employer in St John’s NL) will be closing up all it’s Canadian operations.

Comcast customers - which is one of Convergys largest contracts - will see support go from bad to worse. Including a very distinct cultural language barrier.

These two group are based out of the United States and are attempting to project their influence throughout the world by pressuring the worlds most powerful nation, who in turn are pressuring their trading partners. In this case, the true north strong and free.

Case in point: A recent Reuters story was published that accuses Canada of being one of the worst copyright infringers on the planet. Placing it in the top 10 and asking the U.S. Trade Representative’s office to place Canada and two other countries on a trade watch list. Now when you consider who published the report that the article was based on, it should fall under speculation. The International Intellectual Property Alliance is a lobby group comprised of – according to their own website – American based industry groups covering the spectrum of music, movies, and software.

So in summary –to be as clear as possible – an American industry association that is comprised of American companies is accusing just about everyone else of lax copyright laws. However, this is to protect the content producers [music, writing, video, etc], right? Wrong!

While the government argument to justify a copyright reform bill includes a point that businesses want it. The reality is much different and only a small select group of companies, which are based outside of Canada, will benefit from theses changes. In fact, some of the largest companies in Canada and a number who operate internationally have come out against the government’s stance. The list of companies includes: Google, Yahoo! Canada, Rogers, Tucows, Telus, and many of the industry associations they are members of.

These companies would effectively become the police and watch dogs for the music and movie industry, since they will have to monitor networks and develop technological measures to protect the content of another industry. This is not their place or job and it should not be thrust upon them. Instead, they argue for a more balanced copyright reform. Some of their major points are an ISP safe harbor, private copying, expanded fair dealing, rational and effective enforcement, among others.

This kind of balance still provides the tools content providers need to chase down infringers while allowing customers flexibility to use the materials they obtain legally. The question remains, will the government listen to these companies or bow further to American pressure and threats? Make sure your voice is heard and write your MP today, join the Facebook group to get more information about this very important issue, and ensure your rights are protected.

A WiMAX network could deliver highspeed data at up to 50Km from the tower but the more realistic deployment would be 2Km in urban settings. This is a vast improvement over existing consumer wireless standards that have 250m range and expensive EVDO or 3G mobile offerings.