Facebook makes the naughty list after ruining Christmas

By Christian Louden

Over 50,000 people protested Facebook’s invasion of privacy last month following the release of the Beacon advertising platform. The controversial program tracks the browsing and purchase history of Facebook users on over 40 websites, and publishes them in the user’s news feed. Many users of the social networking site were unaware the advertising program even… Continue reading Facebook makes the naughty list after ruining Christmas

The Internet is a dark and terrible place

By Christian Louden

The hot topic of the opening day at this year’s Internet Governance Forum in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 12 was all about the United States’ control of core Internet systems. Although much of the day was concerned with the rules around domain naming services, countries like China, Russia, Brazil and Iran are still a… Continue reading The Internet is a dark and terrible place

End of the line

By Christian Louden

In an era of people concerned about protecting themselves from identity theft, it’s surprising that many don’t read contracts before agreeing to them. With an average 250,000 new users signing up with Facebook every day, the volume of personal information that is being collected, organized and archived is difficult to imagine. News Corp. launched a… Continue reading End of the line

Potential changes to Alberta Mental Health Act cause concern

By Cam Cotton-O’Brien

The recently proposed changes to Alberta’s Mental Health Act are causing controversy in the province–well, as much as anything without the words “royalty” and “oil” can these days. In Nov., the Provincial Legislature will vote on whether or not to adopt Bill 31. The bill proposes changes to the Mental Health Act that would increase… Continue reading Potential changes to Alberta Mental Health Act cause concern

Colbert’s presidency ambitions totally awesome

By Cam Cotton-O’Brien

The voters are desperate for a white, male, middle-aged, Jesus-trumpeting alternative.” Last week Stephen Colbert–or rather, the conservative lobotomy case that he plays on the Colbert Report–declared his intention to seek the office of the President of the United States. On Tue., Oct. 16, Colbert made a surprise appearance on the Daily Show with Jon… Continue reading Colbert’s presidency ambitions totally awesome

Calgary cab chaos causes confusion

By Cam Cotton-O’Brien

The list of things more infuriating than waiting around in the freezing cold for a cab is scarce. Unfortunately, given the city’s inability to provide adequate public transportation (especially late at night), its chronic lack of workers, and the asinine system limiting the number of taxi plates available, this is all too often a reality.… Continue reading Calgary cab chaos causes confusion

The Nobel prizes are still needed

By Cam Cotton-O’Brien

As another pleasant fall slides into an awful and cruel winter, the kids prepare for Hallowe’en, their parents prepare to ignore another local election, a bright light shines as the Nobel Prizes are handed out. But should they matter? The first prizes were awarded in 1901, the result of a large endowment left by Alfred… Continue reading The Nobel prizes are still needed

EMS workers are right to demand increase

By Cam Cotton-O’Brien

As Calgary continues to experience a population influx that outpaces the ability of infrastructure to keep up with demand, it would seem that everything possible should be done to make sure that emergency services are affected as little as possible. Unfortunately, this logic is apparently not as straightforward as it should be. At the end… Continue reading EMS workers are right to demand increase