June 14, 2005

Scientists discover earth-like planet

"Earth's Cousin" just 15 light years from here A pair of American astronomers believe they have discovered an earth-like planet orbiting a nearby star. Until now, most exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) discovered have been gas giants or have... More...

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June 8, 2005

Feds to end right to backup software

New law to be introduced next week: CTV Ottawa plans to give into pressure from the record industry next week when it introduces legislation that will ban file-sharing and effectively make it illegal for consumers to create backup copies of... More...

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Filed in: Business Politics / Canada Science and Technology

May 20, 2005

Star Wars in ASCII

I found this little animation of Star Wars Episode IV. It is long-ish, so don't start it if you don't have some time to watch it right through to the end.... More...

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May 12, 2005

From the science and technology file...

Here are a few science stories that caught my eye this week. Hmm, so size matters in getting the girls, but also makes it more likely you'll be lunch. In fish, sexy mates can be easy meals, study finds ST.... More...

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January 14, 2005

A bad breath bomb?

The New Scientist reports that the US Air Force looked into some rather interesting chemical weapons. The military looked into creating a chemical that would result in "severe and lasting" halitosis (bad breath) as well as a weapon that would... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

January 5, 2005

This is a great idea

While the Toronto Star was pulling publicity stunts in today's edition, the National Post was offering a constructive suggestion. In its editorial the Post suggests governments use mobile phones to put out the word about potential emergency situations like the... More...

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December 28, 2004

Oops!

Okay, I got taken in... It turns out the the home computer in 2004 (as seen from 1954) was a hoax. It's funny, now that I know what to look for I can't believe I fell for it. Many thanks... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

December 23, 2004

Google's top ten for 2004

What do Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Christina Aguilera, and Pamela Anderson have in common? Well they were the top 4 search queries on Google this year. Google has published its top searches for each of the last four years and... More...

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December 17, 2004

A place to debate the language

Perhaps you are an English teacher concerned by the incredibly poor use of the language displayed by your students and the increasing creep of slang into serious writing. Maybe you think the gatekeepers of the language (the dictionary publishers) have... More...

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December 10, 2004

Desktop search war begins next week

You may remember the First Browser War in the mid-1990s (Microsoft won that one), the Search Engine War has subsided (Google came out ahead) despite the periodic sabre rattling from the various factions, and the Second Browser War is underway... More...

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December 8, 2004

The home computer in 2004 (as seen from 1954)

This clipping from a 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics shows how RAND Corporation scientists thought the "home computer" would look in 2004. So they were a little off... Take a closer look and read the caption. Hmmm, teletype and... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

November 11, 2004

Microsoft launches new search engine

The new MSN Search was launched today (as a beta product). According to reports the new search engine will give all of us free access to Microsoft's Encarta encyclopedia and will attempt to distinguish between keyword web searches and factual... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

October 27, 2004

Google Desktop Review

If you are like some of my more obsessive-compulsive friends, you carefully organize your email and files into relevant folders using a system that makes sense (even if it only makes sense to you). You developed this system in response... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

Lunar eclipse tonight

Where will you be between 8:00pm and midnight (Eastern Time) tonight? I'll be out watching the Earth cast a shadow over the Moon (if the sky is clear). The lunar eclipse will be also be webcast from various locations (Space.com... More...

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October 23, 2004

Hackers attack two universities

Just when you thought it was safe to head into that campus computer lab... Yesterday Purdue University in Indiana and Nipissing University in North Bay both reported they'd been stung by hackers. The Nipissing attack involved the installation of a... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

October 1, 2004

SpaceShip one to launch on Monday

After successfully completing the first of the two sub-orbital flights required to win the Ansari X-Prize, the SpaceShip One team has announced it will attempt the second launch on Monday, October 4th. You can catch the flight on a live... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

September 27, 2004

Another reason to drop Hotmail

Do you use Outlook or Outlook Express to access your Hotmail account? If you do, you might want to start looking for a new provider. Starting this week Microsoft, operator of Hotmail, is forcing new account registrants to pay extra... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

Branson Announces 'Virgin Galactic'

Fancy a trip to space? Adventurer/billionaire/businessman Richard Branson has decided to add space travel to the list of services the Virgin Group of companies offers. Branson has signed a deal with American Mojave Aerospace, the team behind SpaceShip One (the... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

September 26, 2004

Are computers conservative?

An article posted Friday on the Online Journalism Review (OJR) observes Google's news portal seems to be kinder to George W. Bush than John Kerry. The article notes a Google News Search on John Kerry tends to yield far more... More...

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September 25, 2004

John Kerry swift boat game

Do you believe John Kerry when he says he's a war hero or do you believe the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" who say he turned tail and ran from combat? Whatever you believe, a new game can let you... More...

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September 22, 2004

So you think you are an artist?

If you ever thought you were artistically inclined or thought, "That Picasso was too lazy to paint properly," this site is for you. Test your skills at Mr. Picassohead. Here's my contribution, "catasso."... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

The Globe on Blogging

The Globe and Mail has two interesting articles on the potential rewards and downside of blogging this morning. The moral of their stories: don't expect to get rich (advertisers haven't warmed to the medium) and avoid being critical of your... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

August 26, 2004

Need 30 pounds of scissors? Have I got a deal for you...

California Governor and non-girlie-man Arnold Schwarzenegger has been looking for ways to cut his State's massive deficit. His latest tactic is something called the "California Garage Sale." Up for sale this weekend in Sacramento and on eBay is a host... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

July 28, 2004

da Vinci team to launch in the Fall

Yesterday, the SpaceShipOne team, which launched the first successful privately funded visit to space, announced it will make an attempt at the X-Prize in 60 days. The X-Prize was inspired by the Orteig Prize that prompted Charles Lindbergh to fly... More...

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July 12, 2004

Scamming the scammer

Many of us have received email messages requesting assistance in moving large amounts of money out of foreign countries. We read them, laugh out loud and delete them. Today's Toronto Star has a story about people who have decided to... More...

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July 7, 2004

Patched Internet Explorer still vulnerable

ZDNet reports that - even with the patch Microsoft released last week - your Internet Explorer is still vulnerable. M'soft claims that all of the vulnerabilities will be dealt with when it releases Service Pack 2 for Windows XP in... More...

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June 29, 2004

Computers marking essays?

This is unbelievable! Indiana is having a computer mark the essay tests of more than 48,000 students this year in a pilot project. The International Herald Tribune has more on what I had originally thought was a joke.... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

June 17, 2004

Microsoft wants you to pay to fix their mistakes

Microsoft Corporation is getting into the computer security software business. The software hegemon has been accused in the past of being lax on the security of its Windows operating system because millions of users are forced to download Windows patches... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology

May 22, 2004

Tech on the Trail

As Canada's political parites gear up for an election, the media are doing the same. The National Post and Global TV have teamed up with the wireless phone companies to get your views on the election via your text-enebled cellphone.... More...

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Filed in: Science and Technology