“You don’t need to invent anything, you just have to do traditional research where you look at history and then compliment that with scientific research where you’re trying to do something new. That can lead to a lot in the business and technology sectors these days” – Bill Buxton
A chat with Microsoft Principal Researcher Bill Buxton, Part I
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney offered his appreciation today to the Windsor detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for their ongoing efforts to investigate immigration fraud.
“Unscrupulous consultants heap misery upon their victims and pose a serious threat to the reputation of Canada’s immigration system,” said Minister Kenney. “All levels of government and law enforcement must work together to ensure that those who commit fraud are dealt with appropriately.”
“I commend the outstanding work of the Immigration and Passport Section of the Windsor RCMP which resulted in these charges being laid,” said the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety. “This government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and we will continue to provide law enforcement with the tools it needs to disrupt criminal activity and protect innocent victims.”
Last week, an investigation by the Immigration and Passport Section of the Windsor RCMP resulted in criminal charges against an unlicensed Ontario immigration consultant. Francesco Salvatore Burgio, 45, of Amherstburg, has been charged with eleven counts of fraud. It is alleged that the head of the firm Burgio and Associates was paid by clients to submit on their behalf appropriate applications and accompanying fees to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, though victims later discovered that no immigration applications or fees had been submitted. The RCMP has identified eleven victims but believe there may be more who have not yet come forward.
Only members of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), a provincial or territorial bar, or Quebec notaries can advise, represent or consult clients on immigration matters before the Government of Canada for a fee. Mr. Burgio was a member of CSIC until 2006.
Minister Kenney noted his intention to pursue further measures on this issue. This reflects the Government of Canada’s Speech from the Throne commitment to take steps that would shut down unscrupulous immigration consultants.
Via cic.gc.ca
For those looking to get a REAL street view of the GTA, there is no tool like Google Street View. The quality and details provided are simply OUTSTANDING. Google Street View allows you to get an “in-situ” idea of the surrounding for a specific address, in this particular case, Toronto, Canada.
Additionally, if you pay closer attention, you will find that almost all people faces and license plates are automatically blurred for privacy protection purposes. I was able to experiment with Google Street View at the beginning but having it in a familiar “neighborhood” gives you an idea on how good, crisp and accurate this piece of technology is. There is so much potential – like embedding augmented reality technology in order to show ads from real stores. The possibilities are endless.
Another cool feature from Google Street View is the ability to post user’s photos from that address, providing up-to-date information on the constantly changing surroundings.
Can you imagine having a 360 virtual tour of your next vacation spot? Checking restaurants and attractions offers in real time? At a Street Level?
Anyone would like to play tennis at High Park? 
View Larger Map
There has been some buzz for quite long around the Dell mini netbooks. Even more now when Dell has launched the new Dell mini 10″ with tons of new features and at a decent price.
I had the chance to test one of these babies. Paid $289 for a Dell mini 8.9″ at BestBuy (Canada).
Quick Review:
Pros:
- Aesthetics: These “little creatures” are unbelievable nice. The finish and details are top notch
- The screen is one of the best. I could say that they are at an Apple level. No dead pixels or defects whatsoever. The view angles are really good.
- The netbook is super quiet. You cannot even tell if it’s on.
- The ones I got came with XP. They were white (only top cover)
- Boot up was super fast
- Wireless, SD and USB slots work flawless.
- VGA and Ethernet ports
- Everything works under OSX from the beginning.
- All packaging was perfectly designed.
- It is “really” a mini Dell (mini laptop from dell)
- Traditional Trackpad (buttons at the bottom)
Cons:
- No Webcam (these is supposed to be standard now)
- 8Gb SSD is insufficient. If you want to install Windows 7 or OSX, you will need to spent some time figuring it out. IT is not as straight forward as it should be.
- No HDD led. Sometimes, you don’t know if it is doing something
- Battery tops 3 hours max (4 cells)
- Keyboard is not as good as HP or Asus.
- Some glare outdoors – bearable.
That pretty much sums it all. Hope it helps on your decision.
Detailed Specs from Dell:
Processors
- Intel® AtomTM Processor (1.6GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
Operating System
- Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition SP3
Memory
- Up to 1GB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM.
Chipset
- Intel® 945PM / GS Express Chipset
Graphics
- Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950
LCD Display
- Glossy 8.9 inch LED display (1024X600)
Audio and Speakers
- One external speaker
Hard Drives
- Up to 16GB configured with a Solid State drive.
Optical Drives
- None
Ports
- USB 2.0 (3)
- Integrated 10/100 LAN (RJ45)
- 15-pin VGA video connector
- Audio jacks (1-line out, 1 mic-in)
- 4-in-1 Media Card Reader
- AC adapter connector
Power
- 4-cell 32WHr Li-Ion Battery
Camera
- Optional 0.3MP or 1.3MP webcams
Wireless
- 802.11g mini-card
Bluetooth Options:
- Bluetooth® Internal (2.0) mini-card
Ports, Slots, Chassis
- USB 2.0 (3)
- Integrated 10/100 LAN (RJ45)
- 15-pin VGA video connector
- Audio jacks (1-line out, 1 Mic-in)
- 3-in-1 Media Card Reader
- AC adapter connector Dimensions & Weight
- Width: 9.13″ (232mm)
- Height: 1.07″ (16.8mm) front / 1.25″ (31.7mm) back
- Depth: 6.77″ (172mm)
- Weight: Starting weight of 2.28 lbs. (1.035 kg)3(8.9″ display, 4 cell battery). Weights will vary depending on configurations and manufacturing variability.
