Posts tagged technology
Canadians prove wise on creating healthy tech startup atmosphere
Nov 18th
Canadians think the government is doing a decent job of offering technology startups support, but almost nobody thinks this nation is a world leader when it comes to giving entrepreneurs a hand.
And they’re right on the money. With the help of AskingCanadians, we polled 1005 respondents from Nov. 8 to 11 about how Canada
Brian Jackson, Associate Editor, ITBusiness.ca
compares to the rest of the world in terms of the ease of starting a technology-based company here. Then we asked them to rank what they thought were the most important things to do in order to make Canada a world leader in this important pillar of economic development.
What the Chilean miner rescue capsule can teach us about bringing technology to market
May 25th
By Linda Forrest
A few weeks ago, my family went to the Canada Science & Technology Museum. I’m ashamed to admit that I hadn’t been there since I participated many, many moons ago in Encounters with Canada, but was pleasantly surprised that some of the things I remembered and liked were still there but that most of the museum had been updated since my last visit, nearly 20 years ago.
My young son marvelled at the train cars and the space exhibits, but the display that most moved me and will always stay with me is that of the Phoenix capsule, the feat of engineering and proof of the power of human determination that carried 33 trapped Chilean miners from over 2,300 feet below ground to the surface as the world watched. The men had survived for a record 69 days underground.
When we initially made plans to go to the museum, we didn’t know that the capsule would be there. It’s a travelling exhibit and kudos to whomever was responsible for getting Ottawa on the tour. Read the rest of this entry »
The ITBusiness.ca story we’re still waiting to tell
Apr 28th
By Shane Schick
Enough with the nostalgia already.
Yes, we are celebrating 10 years of ITBusiness.ca this week, and yes, I am incredibly proud of the stories we’ve told in that time, but there’s plenty of elements in our coverage already that will have us looking back on the biggest news events, the site’s origins and the evolving nature of online journalism. I want to take a moment instead to look forward 10 years.
Shane Schick
Not so that I can make any predictions – I’m notoriously wrong when I do that – but to talk about the one big thing that didn’t happen over the last decade. Despite all the mergers, breakthrough products and unexpected innovations, the biggest problem facing SMBs has not been resolved. They’re still mired in legacy IT issues.
The new risk capital reality: What now?
Feb 18th
By Francis Moran and Leo Valiquette
In our previous post, we explored the massive changes that have occurred in North America and Europe that have led to a contraction of traditional venture capital investment.
These long-term trends have left early-stage companies in a tight spot. They must become increasingly creative to shorten time to market, become more capital efficient and generally figure out how to do more with less. The cash-burn of years past is no longer an option, if it ever was.
Rise of the super angels
All is not bleak, however. While traditional VCs may have become easily spooked by the prospect of sinking cash into an unproven startup, many angel organizations have stepped up to fill the void. Ronald Weissman, chair of the Software Special Industry Group at one of Silicon Valley’s oldest angel organization, Band of Angels, said many angel organizations have come to act like early-stage VCs. Read the rest of this entry »
Canada’s Atwood ahead of Lady Gaga, will.i.am in bringing sexy back to tech?
Jan 26th
It’s no longer just a matter of Avril Lavign vamping for Canon versus Ashton Kutcher’s antics for Nikon.
Tech companies seem bent on recruiting celebrities not just to pose for their products but actually “star” as designers of their gadgets.
Nestor Arellano
The latest recruit in this recent trend in Black Eyed Peas front man will.iam who was named Director if Creative Innovation for Intel. Will.i.am’s appointment came at the heels of Polaroid’s announcement at the CES 2011 that Lady Gaga was the new creative director for the company.
The practice of hiring celebrities to front for tech products is nothing new. But as far as marketing celebs as product designers, Canadian literary icon Margaret Atwood probably had the jump on Will and Lady Gaga in helping tech get its sexy back. Read the rest of this entry »
The Golden Gobblers Awards
Nov 26th
By Robert X. Cringely (InfoWorld (US)
Think of it as an appetizer before the big meal on Thursday. For the fourth year, I’m trotting out my nominations for the biggest turkeys of tech.
Last year’s winners included Fox News’ Glenn Beck, everyone’s favorite skank gracefully aging cover model Liskula Cohen, Apple tablet fiends, and Mr. Crunchy himself, Michael Arrington. In the past I’ve honored such notables as rocker Axl Rose, Chief Yahoo Jerry Yang, escort-friendly AG Eliot Spitzer, and everybody’s favorite capitalist-communist-tyrant-Facebook fanboy, Chinese Premier Wen Jaibao.
Surf’s up at the Ex – thanks to mobile, computer automated, perpetual wave
Sep 1st
Surfing and Toronto’s waterfront don’t often go hand-in-hand.
Brian Jackson
It’s not that some desperate beach bums don’t try to catch a wave on Lake Ontario every now and then, but there’s just not much wake to ride on. Surfing, most North Americans know, is best left for ocean beaches along the west coast. Unless the FlowRider drives into town – as it has for the Canadian National Exhibition.
New Brunswick releases 21st century learning plan
Jun 8th
On May 14th the Anglophone sector of the New Brunswick Department of Education released its proposal on how to shift our public education system to a 21st Century learning model. The plan was developed using a co-leadership model with principals and district leaders, and the consultation document will now be used to engage our teachers.
John Kershaw
As New Brunswick teachers were each allocated a notebook computer, for the first time in history we were able to forward a copy of a draft learning strategy to every teacher, for their advice and counsel.
The plan, entitled 21st Century Learning (NB3-21C) is available for review at our departmental website: http://www.gnb.ca/0000/index-e.asp.
While the three year plan is quite comprehensive, four key elements are emerging as critical pillars to success. Let’s call them the CRT2 formula, where C is Creativity, R is Relevance; the first T is Time and the second, Technology. Read the rest of this entry »
The Coolest Stuff in Digital Media: Checking Out Ryerson’s Digital Media Zone
May 5th
I’m often asked at IDC what the coolest technology is that I’m seeing in Canada from tech startups. In the Digital Media space, and in Toronto specifically, a good place to source out hot new digital media technology is at Ryerson’s new Digital Media Zone (DMZ), which officially opened on April 7, 2010 (http://www.ryerson.ca/dmz/).
Located on the 5th floor overlooking Yonge-Dundas Square, the DMZ connects Ryerson students, graduates and alumni from different disciplines to take digitally inspired concepts and make them real solutions and marketable products. Ryerson’s President Sheldon Levy explained that Ryerson does not take a stake in the technology being developed; instead it provides the space and equipment for students to test and try their ideas in a safe environment supported and funded by the school.
The result? Some pretty cool and marketable technology. Examples include: Read the rest of this entry »
