That Time of the Year
The CBC's list of top tech news of 2011. Definite Canadian slant, with usage-based billing being the top issue of the year. Also making headlines: the death of Steve Jobs, Sony's Playstation Network breach, and the RIMpocaypse. SOPA didn't really crack the list here, though we will have our own bad copyright law returning. The odd thing about our bad copyright law is that the conservatives keep proroguing before it comes up for debate in the Commons.
Speaking of UBB…
Bell is backing off from Internet throttling. Starting March 1, 2012, Bell will cease using equipment to throttle file transfers. CRTC regulations and policies may be the reason for the telecom company ending its controversial throttling. Eyes can now be turned to Rogers to see if they will follow suit.
Cyberattacks
South Korea is on alert for hacking attempts on military systems by North Korea. North Korea denies the allegations. The fallout from Kim Jong-Il's death is going to take time to settle. We may be seeing the start of a new battlefield here.
Wireless Mergers?
The CEO of Wind Mobile believes that consolidation may happen in the wireless industry. His reasoning is that the deep discounts by new wireless providers is not sustainable. However, right now, competition is starting to give Canadian wireless users real choice outside Bell and Rogers.
TCP/IP Off the Corner
Researches at UC Santa Barbara, working with Intel, are working on a method to increase signal speed by 30%. To improve transmission speed over that through wires, researcheres looking into bouncing the signal off data centre walls. The research should prove useful for anyone working with large data centres.
When a Problem Comes Along, You Must Print It
3-D printing is coming along as a technology. General Electric is using the process to manufacture jet parts, items that require high tolerances. Niche markets are also jumping on to the 3-D printing bandwagon as it provides accuracy without high costs compared to traditional methods of manufacturing. Although it might be too expensive still for the tabletop minis niche.
–Scott D
