I’m posting this in case others are having the same problem. For over 36 hours, I have been unable to contact any Google domain such as www.google.com, www.google.ca, blogsearch.google.com and so on. Nothing has changed here from the way I always contact Google but the communication doesn’t go through. I contacted Videotron technical service but they insist that this is a Google problem. I am only able to make this post using a Google service because I am using www.blogger.com
I’ve checked with others via the Cre8asite Forums and apparently others elsewhere in the world are not having problems.
I have done a tracert and on the 12th and 13th hops a contact with www.google.com does get to a Google IP but no communication is established.
It may be that this is a Videotron problem so many others may be affected too. I’ll post on what happens when the problem is resolved.
Diamonds are forever, they say, so it’s important that you know exactly what you are buying whether it’s a diamond engagement ring, diamond earrings or even loose diamonds. An article in today’s Montreal Gazette by Lynn Moore points to even more confusion in the Canadian diamond marketplace.
Canada is already the 3rd biggest diamond producer in the world with a production worth $ 1.4 billion and is growing strongly. Botswana is the biggest with $ 2.9 billion production and Russia is second with $ 2 billion. The total world production is about $ 8 billion and the associated transformation and jewelry sector is worth about $58 billion. So we’re talking large sums of money here.
In 2000, Robert Fowler, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, pointed out the dangers of “blood diamonds,” stones mined in war-torn countries or under exploitative conditions. Thereafter the UN adopted a resolution that eventually resulted in the Kimberley Process. Canada is a participant of the program, which requires diamonds to travel with certificates of origin.
There has been a National Diamond Strategy to promote the growth of the Canadian Diamond industry. Unfortunately the Canadian diamond market has been put into a state of confusion by the North West Territories (NWT), which has trademarked the terms, “Canadian Diamond” and other related terms such as “Government Certified Canadian Diamond.” The trademarks are being used exclusively for diamonds produced in the NWT. In consequence, in June 2005, the Canadian Jewellers Association announced its decision to pull out of the strategy, protesting against the exclusive use of the terms.
Polar Bear Diamond, the first Canadian diamond producer, is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. In 1999 the Polar Bear Diamond? was the first branded diamond to be produced in Canada. All branded diamonds by Polar Bear are 100% Canadian in origin from the diamond mine located in the Northwest Territories (NWT). So they have the right to use the trademark.
Since Quebec and Ontario will both be producing diamonds clearly in Canada, this inability to use the obvious descriptions is causing a real conflict. In consequence recently the NWT has also pulled out of the National Diamond Strategy.
It would seem that if all were united in promoting Canadian Diamonds, this synergy would likely ensure an even bigger slice of the world diamond market. To an outsider, this would seem to be the most mutually beneficial outcome.
Tags: Canadian Diamonds
Hidden cameras are everywhere. They’re used for surveillance in all kinds of places and in most countries. In the UK, they’re certainly developing into a Surveillance Society: Now it’s for Cars. This is not just a western phenomenon, as an item in the People’s Daily, Beijing, China, shows with its headline, Security camera network system moves on. The heightened need for security is the reason for this multitude of hidden surveillance cameras. In some cases, they are being used for nefarious purposes. The technology advances at such a pace that tiny pinhole cameras can be placed in the most inconspicuous places. Not surprisingly the criminal element is exploiting hidden cameras and there are reports throughout North America that ATM ‘skimming’ is on the rise.
The security concerns might be thought to justify the undoubted loss of privacy that widespread usage of surveillance cameras entails. Many may think it’s a price worth paying. However not everyone agrees. There is even a group in New York called the Surveillance Camera Players. Their tagline is ‘They Like To Be Watched’ They also state that they are completely distrustful of all government. So they go around play-acting before security cameras as a protest movement.
That’s one aspect to this increased transparency and visibility of modern life. Societies and institutions are more aware of what we are doing as they film our every action. However there is a reverse side to the coin. Fifty years ago in 1955, a film was issued called “I Am A Camera“. The title is taken from Christopher Isherwood’s account of the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1930′s. In 2001 the same title was used for an exhibition in London, UK, by Charles Saatchi. He is fascinated by the spoiled rich and the suffering poor. He was the man who marketed Margaret Thatcher and he and his brother once held the advertising account for the National Party of South Africa. However you might have come away from that exhibition thinking he was a Marxist.
That’s the power that each one of us has now. We are all cameras on the world. We don’t need to have Charles Saatchi’s money to rent an exhibition gallery. You can use free services to create and host your own view of the world. Large and powerful organizations sometimes forget that there are a host of ‘hidden cameras’ watching them. The Internet and the blogosphere are forcing a greater transparency in the way governments and companies act. Now that loss of privacy is much to be applauded.
Related: Hidden Cameras On The Internet
Tags: hidden cameras, surveillance cameras
Although nanotechnology is concerned with very, very small items, the associated industries are growing very rapidly. Nanotechnology has also been called molecular manufacturing. Canada and Quebec have invested in some good infrastructure for nanotechnology and there are some excellent researchers here. However the international competition is fierce and this investment may not be enough.
Lux Research, which calls itself the World’s Leading Nanotechnology Research and Advisory Firm has a recent study entitled, Ranking the Nations: Nanotech’s Shifting Global Leaders. Apparently the study describes Canada as a “minor player” and is ranked last in the list of 14 nations in the global nano race. China was also deemed a minor player. Canada was thought to be unlikely to move up to “ivory tower”, “niche player” or “dominant player” status.
On its website, Lux Research is not so pessimistic about China’s nanotech growth. It cites the following:
- China’s share of academic publications on nanoscale science and engineering topics rose from 7.5% in 1995 to 18.3% in 2004, taking the country from fifth to second in the world.
- China’s estimated government nanotechnology spending of $250 million in 2005, when adjusted for purchasing-power parity, is second only to the U.S.
- Within its chosen commercial fields, China is a world leader. Nanoparticle-enabled coatings and composite materials are being incorporated into commercial products much more rapidly in China than in Western countries or Japan.
What will it take to get Canada and Quebec into contention? Neil Gordon, President of the Canadian NanoBusiness Alliance, feels that the lack of a federal strategy is a serious hurdle. His organization seeks more government money or support for private companies.
If you want to know more about this industry, then NanoQu?bec is a good source of information on the industry. Here in Montreal, we also have one of the leading nanotechnology companies, Raymor, a public company with stock on the TSX Venture Exchange (Symbol: RAR). It is a producer of Advanced Materials and Nanomaterials. They recently set up a wholly-owned division, AP&C Advanced Powders and Coatings, which is a joint venture with PyroGenesis to market the PyroGenesis products. Both are located on the banks of the Lachine Canal in Montreal. Since China seems to have targeted the same field, we wish them well.
Tags: nanotechnology
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