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Interesting article on potential free broadband internet implementation in New Zealand. Kim Dotcom is proposing free broadband to all New Zealanders through an attempt to connect New Zealand to the United States via a $400 million Pacific Fibre cable.  Brings up notions of access to technology - and would be interesting to explore what this kind of access would mean for Canada - allowing all Canadians to access free broadband internet. 

A light read, but a really great insight into wireless networks in Canada. Funny how the market is "functioning well," yet there are still so many accessibility issues related to internet access which need to be adressed, especially with regards to rural communities. The issue of access was touched on in Dijk's readings.

Hi everyone, Given the PEW study we just read that highlighted the use of mobile phones, I found this article particularly interesting and relevant. Published by the World Bank, it explains how access to mobile phone use has reached to 3/4 of the global population. Pretty mind blowing stuff.

We've been talking about Wente in class so much recently, I thought it would be good to take a look at an article she wrote concerning a topic we are all familiar with: university. Interesting to see the rhetorical devices at play.

Really amazing rebuttal to her comments here: http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2012/10/22/wentes-university-prescription-is-misguided/ worth it if you can fit it in!

Thompson Reuters Foundation recently named Canada the best country to be a woman, with factors considered including access to healthcare and policies that advocate for gender equality.

This in an interesting study about newsletters and usability issues on a mobile platform, that came to me via some of my Linkedin contacts. I have been responsible for the office newsletter in several workplaces and making the newsletter accessible via mobile phones is definitely something to think about especially as more companies are providing smartphones for employees.

These data shed additional light on access and use.

"Their work often demands instant communication and analysis. Yet fewer than half of Canadian farmers have access to high-speed Internet" We've looked at the socio-demographic and psychological variables of the digital divide. Geography plays a role too. Here's quick look at the implications of a digital disconnect on innovation within the Canadian farming sector.

Pretty relevant to some of the discussions about digital access in Northern Canada! This might help to spark some interest in the Internet for residents of Cambridge Bay that are not yet online

Came across this well-written blog that says we should change the way students are assessed in the educational system. For instance, changing the way test questions are shaped can allow a student to think critically, test the student's ability to access resources and experts available online and provide them with practical, real-world experience.

Building off of Yates article...Union Square Ventures recently posted an opening for an investment analyst. Instead of asking for résumés, the New York venture-capital firm asked applicants to send links representing their "Web presence," such as a Twitter account or Tumblr blog. Something to think about when applying for internships and jobs in the future!

I agree with you Rya. While I appreciate such innovation, it's difficult for me to comprehend the privacy issues related with such a thing. Doesn't LinkedIn suffice anymore?

I agree with both of your comments Rya and Raman. There really does seem to be a privacy issue here. I suppose with all the recent competition for work, employers are looking for ways to distinguish candidates (doesn't seem fair). Although we started off building our "online presence" for personal reasons, there appears to be a need to build a public professional presence as well. Perhaps the trick is to keep your personal account private to maintain our sense of privacy and start building an online professional profile that is public. Blogging about a professionally related topic, linking field-specific articles etc. might be the way to get noticed.

Just in case you haven't seen this- google docs is now google drive. I'm an avid user of google docs and now there is an app that allows it to function what I imagine dropbox is like. It allows you to drop files into the app on your computer and access them anywhere through google docs.