http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog I speak 'geek' - I speak 'human' - translating the two in Vancouver, Canada Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:49:16 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Celebration of Light 2008 - China Originally uploaded by andrew.wallwork We have good things coming for the Olympics in a few days with this kind of show. A very Olympic theme and it clicked. http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog/2008/07/30/celebration-of-light-2008-china/ Celebration of Light 2008 - USA Originally uploaded by andrew.wallwork The USA put on a serious contender too - less of a unified theme with respect to the music but well timed and synchronized The light on the water really makes for a wonderful photo. http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog/2008/07/28/celebration-of-light-2008-usa/ Celebration of Light 2008 - Canada Originally uploaded by andrew.wallwork Canada's show this year took a totally different theme than we've seen from Canada in the past by using a "Godzilla" theme. Weather conditions were pretty good - a slight wind to blow the smoke away and hence everyone got some pretty ... http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog/2008/07/24/godzilla-over-english-bay/ Crosswalk Signal Originally uploaded by j_stathakis Usability of minor little things can make a major improvement in our lives by improving the information available to us. The simple crosswalk signal is a great example of where you can make a minor change and improve usability considerably. At present most signals go something like this: Solid ... http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog/2008/07/21/pedestrian-crosswalk-signals/ Grouse Grind Map Originally uploaded by andrew.wallwork I managed to get an unbroken fix on my hike up the Grouse Grind yesterday - here's the tracklog. Needless to say, I also grabbed an altitude log here - it's a few meters out of calibration but it gives you a good idea of the ... http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog/2008/07/13/the-grouse-grind-from-the-gps/ In short, they have finally offered an "unlimited" data plan for $30/month. Ok - it's technically not unlimited but given the definition that we have seen by carriers in the US it is more or less. It's a concession but still not perfectly acceptable. The voice plans are still ... http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog/2008/07/09/rogers-wireless-realizes-that-consumers-are-finally-fed-up/ This is the first in a series of many as to what is messed about C-61. With most phones the price you see is a fraction of the wholesale price that the carriers get the phones for. Obviously the phone is not "free" or $50 to the carrier but it ... http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog/2008/06/16/fixing-c-61s-flaws-require-cellphone-providers-to-unlock-non-subsidized-phones/ There is a major confusion in the media about C-61 and they don't understand the core problem. The issue is not about people downloading music it's about the anti-circumvention provisions which make it illegal to break the digital rights management (Britannica - Wikipedia) which prevents you from copying ... http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog/2008/06/13/c-61-making-digital-paperweights-out-of-content-youve-paid-for/ The Canadian DMCA (ie C-61) also contains a provision that makes it illegal for security researchers to do their work. The legislation would make all security tools illegal - if it's capable of circumventing DRM it's no longer allowed. You are only allowed to attempt to crack / find security flaws ... http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog/2008/06/13/c-61-making-us-less-secure/ Today the much feared Canadian DMCA (err, "fair and balanced after consulting with Canadians" amendment to the Copyright Act) came out and it's anything but fair and balanced. You know when you go to buy an airline ticket and they show you a price of $199*. When you actually land ... http://www.andrewwallwork.com/blog/2008/06/12/c-61-aka-the-canadian-dmca-is-nothing-but-false-advertising/