Village Gamer

Ferndale, Washington-based URL shortening service TrafficShaping has collaborated with British Columbia artist Wes Giesbrecht to create interactive wall sculptures that utilize QR codes to deliver custom messages.

The partnership with TrafficShaping allows collectors to modify the destination Internet address for their artwork. Viewers can enjoy the beauty of the fine wood tiles as a modern-day mosaic or scan the artwork with their smart phone. When scanned, the viewer will be redirected to an Internet destination of the collector’s choosing.

Each piece is constructed of thin one-inch aspen and thermally enhanced oak tiles. The one-inch tiles are each hand finished and secured to burlap canvas. Each sculpture hangs from a french cleat system located along the upper edge creating a special flow to the work.

“The ability to edit the destination Internet address for the pieces created by Wes is truly unique. A collector can change the destination based on current events, trends or interests as a form of artistic expression,” observed David McInnis, owner of Fairhaven Originals Gallery, in Bellingham, WA.

“TrafficShaping was selected as a collaboration partner for this project because their service allows the collector to make unlimited edits to their destination Internet address,” commented Mr. Giesbrecht.

The art is further enhanced by the use of TrafficShaping’s rules-based filters that allow the collector to redirect viewers based on a number of variables including time of day, day of week and device type used to read the QR code.

Each piece is tied to a custom domain name pre-paid and registered to the collector for a period of ten years. Each piece includes unlimited access to the TrafficShaping service and a script to allow the collector to host the technology on their own server resources should they desire.  Collectors can purchase these pieces from Fairhaven Originals Gallery online or through the gallery directly in Bellingham, Washington.

Hatch Inc., a North Carolina provider of classroom technology innovations for early learning and SMART Technologies Inc. have announced the creation of CoreFocus by Hatch^TM. The content solution, designed to work within SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software, includes more than 2,500 research-based math and literacy activities for kindergarten and first grade and is aligned with the new U.S. national Common Core State Standards.

The robust set of activities will assist teachers in integrating SMART Board interactive whiteboards into their daily lesson plans and curriculum and also provide a content management system for all of their existing interactive whiteboard content. Early learning experts designed CoreFocus by Hatch to provide critical math and literacy skill development for young learners.

“Hatch is excited to work alongside SMART Technologies to develop a comprehensive content solution that supports teachers in accessing research-based math and literacy activities, with a focus on Common Core State Standards for kindergarten and first grade. The team who developed the TeachSmart® Learning System, the first interactive whiteboard solution proven to impact math and literacy outcomes for early education, led the development of CoreFocus. This product will have a definite impact on the development of children and provide teachers with proven strategies for success,” said Hatch President Ginny Norton.

“We are pleased to enter into a new phase of our relationship with Hatch, collaborating with their research and development experts in the creation of standards-based activities for SMART Board interactive whiteboards that educators can easily integrate into their curriculum,” said SMART Products Vice President Linda Thomas. “CoreFocus by Hatch supports our commitment to meet the needs of educators with innovative products and services to further engage their students with high quality content made in SMART Notebook software and fully aligned to Common Core State Standards.”

The Defence Family is celebrating the official launch of two new services: the FamilyForce.ca website and the Family Information Line, which will keep military families better informed, connected and involved. The announcement was made in the company of several military families who regularly frequent the Military Family Resource Centre of the National Capital Region.

“The loved-ones of Canadian Forces members play a critical role in the success of Canada’s men and women in uniform,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “We, as the Defence team, are committed to ensuring that military families are provided the information and services that they need to support their unique, and often demanding, lifestyles.”

Under the “Voice of Families” banner, these two new services are a tangible and true demonstration of the Canadian Forces’ commitment to military families. These new initiatives will connect military families to a wealth of existing programs and resources, as well as help increase their awareness and access to services. With frequent moves being a way of life for many military families, getting acquainted with a new community and finding out what services, programs and resources are available to them is very important.

“Through these new services families will be able to reach out to the large support system both here in Canada and abroad,” said Rear-Admiral Andy Smith, Chief of Military Personnel. “From this day forward, support to military families will be more easily available to them over the telephone and the Internet.”

The FamilyForce.ca website is intended as a central “one-stop shop”, easy-to-use directory that connects families to their local Canadian/Military Family Resource Centres (C/MFRCs), and to national information, services and resources. The website will allow families to find relevant information about programs and services offered in their location, regardless of whether they live on or off base, in Canada, the United States or Europe.

The Family Information Line is an expanded service that builds on the former Mission Information Line originally set up to give CF families deployment information. This expanded service will now offer information, support and referral services to all CF families, irrespective of whether a family’s loved one is deployed or not.

“The new FamilyForce.ca website and Family Information Line will go a long way in helping families get the information they need quickly, through one centralized toll free number and website,” said Celine Thompson, Director Military Family Services. “The distinct voices of Canadian Forces (CF) families will resonate through these new services.”

Established in April 1991, the Military Family Services Program has grown and evolved over the past 20 years and continues to meet families’ changing needs. The Director Military Family Services manages and funds the Military Family Services Program on behalf of the CF and DND.

Many people think that protecting themselves from identity theft is as simple as not giving out their Social Insurance Number (SIN), keeping their credit card in their sight and not using passwords as simple as a birth date. But there’s a lot more to it than that, according to Ontario Chartered Accountants.

“Criminals are out there, right now, looking for information about you,” says Chartered Accountant Rudy Duschek, a senior consultant with chrismathers inc., a Toronto crime and risk consulting firm. “Identity thieves are perceived as being opportunistic and fast workers, but the opposite is true. They are extremely patient.”

There are steps you can take to protect yourself. “You may never be able to completely prevent identity theft, but you can make it as difficult as possible for the thieves,” advises Chartered Accountant Ryna Ferlatte, MNP LLP’s investigative and forensic services practice leader in Toronto.

Here are 11 tips from Duschek and Ferlatte on how people can protect themselves from identity theft.

1. Don’t disclose personal information – “You shouldn’t disclose any personal information, especially if you didn’t initiate the contact,” says Ferlatte. “That includes your SIN, credit card or bank account numbers, passwords, employer, home address, birth date and e-mail address.” The same goes for social media sites, such as Facebook. “I had a client whose identity was stolen and used to steal securities from their financial institution,” says Duschek. “It turned out that the person’s social media pages were filled with names, birthdays and travel itineraries that anyone could access.”
2. Don’t carry important documents with you – “Don’t carry your passport unless you are travelling,” advises Duschek. “Never carry your SIN card, birth certificate or more than two credit cards. I see people walking around with a wallet full of cards and it is identity theft waiting to happen.” Be sure to keep the cards you don’t carry with you in a safe place.
3. Protect your credit and debit cards – “When you are using your credit card, try to make sure it doesn’t leave your sight,” suggests Ferlatte. “When you are in a store, look at how protected the debit card terminal is – you may want to use cash instead.” When you are entering your Personal Identification Number (PIN), cover the pad with your other hand. “Don’t ever loan your Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card or credit card to anyone,” says Duschek. “If you do, and if you give them your password, you may negate any protection your financial institution gives you from liability for the consequences of identity theft,” he says.
4. Keep track of your bills – “If your bills aren’t arriving on time, it may mean that someone is stealing them or copying them to get information such as your account numbers and financial holdings,” says Ferlatte. “If you bank online, you may want to opt to receive your bills through a secure online billing feature offered by your financial institution.” Read the rest of this entry »

Cineplex Entertainment has announced that Christie Digital Systems has been selected as the exclusive digital cinema projector provider, and Doremi Cinema as the exclusive provider of DCI Compliant digital cinema playback server and Integrated Media Block (IMB) for Cineplex theatres across Canada. As Cineplex continues its conversion to digital cinema, it will install more than 900 Christie digital projectors and Doremi playback servers over the next 18 months, in addition to those already installed.

“Cineplex selected Christie and Doremi Cinema because we believe their technology is the best in the business and both companies have continuously provided us with tremendous customer service,” said Ellis Jacob, President and CEO, Cineplex Entertainment. “Christie projectors provide the sharpest onscreen images so our guests can enjoy the latest movie with the clearest picture. We are also proud to support a Canadian manufacturer as the Christie projectors are built in Kitchener, Ontario. Doremi digital cinema playback servers will offer the security and stability we need to ensure we provide an uninterrupted experience.”

“As long-term business partners, we are proud to be a part of Cineplex Entertainment’s growth and impressive reputation,” says Dave Muscat, Senior Director of Canadian Sales, Christie. “Selecting Christie Solaria Series projectors shows their commitment to providing their audiences with the best movie-going experience available. They also benefit from the latest generation of high performance projection systems with the lowest cost of ownership.” Read the rest of this entry »

The Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice and the Honourable Shirley Bond, BC’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, commended British Columbia’s Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons (OCTIP), on the launch of a training curriculum aimed at enhancing the ability of first responders and service providers to identify, assist and protect victims of human trafficking in British Columbia.

“The Government of Canada is committed to continuing its efforts to combat human trafficking both at home and abroad and to supporting our partners with the tools they need to prevent this terrible crime,” said Minister Toews. “This partnership is just one example of our commitment to protect victims and to bring those who traffic in persons to justice.”

“We remain committed to combating the exploitation of vulnerable persons and will continue to take steps to ensure that all Canadians can live in safe and healthy communities,” said Minister Nicholson. “First responders must be in a position to identify, support and protect those who have been victimized by human trafficking. I commend those who work so hard to put an end to this heinous crime.”

Support for this training initiative is the latest example of the Government of Canada’s ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking. Other measures have included:

• Enabling immigration officers to issue short-term temporary resident permits (TRP) to trafficking victims;
• Allocating $6 million per year to strengthen existing federal efforts to combat the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children by enhancing current enforcement responses and public awareness activities;
• Supporting the creation of mandatory jail sentences for persons convicted of child trafficking;
• Launching two national awareness campaigns to better inform the public about human trafficking; and,
• Hosting regional, national and international roundtables aimed at preventing human trafficking.

“Human trafficking is unacceptable, and this is the reason the BC Government created the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons,” said Minister Bond. “Since we established the BC office in 2007 we’ve made it a priority to develop partnerships with all levels of government, First Nations, police, and other community organizations to fight this terrible crime. I am pleased that we can now offer this unique training program online to help identify and protect victims, and in particular help prevent the exploitation of Aboriginal people.”

The curriculum was developed through a contribution agreement of over $106,000 between Public Safety Canada and Justice Canada with in-kind support from OCTIP.

If you have information concerning a human trafficking victim, please call the local police, or report it anonymously to Crime Stoppers at: 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

In BC, OCTIP operates a toll-free 24/7 telephone line to assist trafficked persons to obtain services at: 1-888-712-7974.

Announcing Unilytics Managed Services for Webtrends, a hybrid solution for web analytics with the best features of both the “on premise” and “on demand” versions of Webtrends. There is no requirement for costly hardware or specialized IT expertise, the data is fully accessible, secure, and managed by Webtrends experts.

Until now, the only options available were a costly on premise deployment or a restrictive on demand service with limited access. The drawbacks of an on premise Webtrends system include costly hardware, network support, access control, spec review and verification, internal costing, and lack of expertise with hosting tagged web analytics solutions. On demand (hosted) services also have inherent drawbacks including lack of control over data location, no access to reanalyze log files, and extra costs associated with usage.

“With Unilytics Managed Services for Webtrends, clients get the full flexibility of the on premises software version as well as a hands-off approach to infrastructure management costs” says Peder Enhorning, President of Unilytics, “This ‘best of both worlds’ scenario makes Unilytics Managed Services a very shrewd choice for enterprises looking to significantly cut costs, enhance service offerings, and ensure data is securely stored.”

Key Advantages:

• Exceptional cost savings
• Network is more robust and reliable
• Data is securely stored with a hosted service
• Full data access without costly investment in hardware or dedicated internal staff
• No additional cost to create profiles, translation tables, custom reports or to reanalyze data
• Full system access to incorporate other data elements and integrate with other marketing systems
• Unilytics experts will manage the hardware and Webtrends installation

Unilytics Managed Services for Webtrends offers two fully redundant data centers for unsurpassed data security. We use standard industry technology to ensure that even in a regional disaster at least one data centre will be online and collecting your critical web activity data.

Web-based software solutions provider for media publishers AdPerfect has launched Postmedia Network’s Community Publishing group on its industry-leading classified platform to offer Your Community Marketplace.

Serving the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley regions of B.C., Postmedia Community Publishing, comprised of 12 community newspapers including the Vancouver Courier, Burnaby Now, and Chilliwack Times, is now providing their local communities a trusted classified site.

Since putting the site live “we’ve seen a ten-fold increase in revenue,” says Mike Rutigliano vice president advertising sales and digital media at Postmedia Community Publishing. “Community newspapers need to invest in online and world-class technology. We need to give consumers what they want when they want it, and AdPerfect’s self-serve is a big part of it.”

Fully powered by AdPerfect, Your Community Marketplace offers an online self-serve order entry, available 24/7, for advertisers of any type to create their own print and/or online ads. The site also offers an online marketplace that displays advertisements and announcements.

With the ability to syndicate classified content to additional online verticals or vendors and social media channels like Facebook, AdPerfect’s solution generates additional revenue for publications like Postmedia’s newspapers while streamlining internal processes.

“As community papers, we are all about hyper-local. From a community perspective newspapers have a good opportunity in online classifieds, and can take advantage of the fact that they are trusted,” Rutigliano explains.

AdPerfect offers its self-serve classified platform as a performance-based free model, giving publishers, particularly smaller communities like those belonging to Postmedia Community Publishing, the opportunity to change their classified strategy to digital-first with a comprehensive solution and without having to incur expensive setup fees. “AdPerfect’s free model is great, it’s helpful in achieving our goals,” Rutigliano notes. Read the rest of this entry »

Ontario document management company MES Hybrid Document Systems has received a Controlled Goods Certification allowing them to handle and convert documentation relating to controlled goods and ensures the highest level of security while handling this information.

Controlled Goods Certification also ensures that MES Hybrid Document Systems complies with the Controlled Goods Program, a Canadian industrial security program that helps strengthen national defense trade controls and prevents the proliferation of strategic and tactical assets including military equipment, weapons, communications equipment and global positioning systems and related intellectual property.

“MES Hybrid Document Systems’ Controlled Goods Certification ensures the highest level of security of controlled goods and related technology by regulating possession, examination and transfer within Canada,” said Kevin D’Arcy, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of MES Hybrid Document Systems. “In addition to ensuring a high level of security, this certification allows controlled goods organizations to consolidate all their document management services with us as opposed to outsourcing a portion of their document management services and managing controlled goods information internally.”

MES Hybrid Document Systems Inc. has been successfully supplying and supporting document scanning solutions in public and private organizations across Canada since 1971. MES provides document management solutions to improve business processes, reduce paper-based tasks and focus key knowledge workers.

KPI Dashboard provider Klipfolio Inc. has made its first announcement regarding Klipfolio Dashboard for the cloud – a browser and mobile accessible real-time key performance indicator (KPI) dashboard delivered as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution.

The public beta program seeks community feedback on the application’s usability, speed, scalability, and robustness. Participants have the opportunity to influence Klipfolio’s roadmap and vote on upcoming features.

The mobile and web-based product roadmap benefited from the collaborative effort of a dozen enterprise customers. These contributors helped shape the cloud-based dashboard’s requirements, priorities, and commercial model as well as being active participants in three months of alpha trials.

To qualify for beta-program participation yourself, please visit the beta information page. A limited number of Beta keys are being distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.