Seanthebond

Netflix Sailing to Canada: Will it Cull the Pirates?

Posted by Sean Joudry | Posted in entertainment, technology | Posted on 10:48 PM

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Netflix, the popular movie rental service which has seen success over recent years in the United States, has updated their website declaring their intentions to launch the service in Canada this coming Fall. With Canada declared a nation with "alarming levels" of piracy, will this service see a reduction in the willingness of Canadians to turn to bit-torrent to watch the latest DVDs?

The service acts as a competitor to traditional movie rental services like Blockbuster and Rogers Video. With Netflix a user can log onto their website, select movies they wish to view, and have up to two sent to their home through the mail at a time. When the user is done watching, they simply send them back through the mail and the next available movie is sent out. In the United States, this is done for a low fee of $4.95 per month.

More expensive packages, such as those for $16.95 a month allow for Netflix streaming. This allows subscribers to instantly stream thousands of movies instantly to their computer, or Netflix enabled device such as the Xbox 360.

This ease of access and acceptable price create an incredible value for consumers, and may prove tempting to pirates who currently have to go through the process of downloading movies before being able to view them. The ability to instantly stream media to their TV for only $17 a month may be the service that converts thousands of pirates across Canada to legally obtained films.

It will be interesting to see how successful the service is when it launches in Canada this Fall. It will be even more interesting to see how video rental stores respond to this juggernaut of a threat.

The Pirate Bay lends support to the 'Anti-Prorogation' movement

Posted by Sean Joudry | | Posted on 8:27 PM

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The notorious torrent tracker 'The Pirate Bay', based out of Sweden, has lent its support to the 'anti-prorogation' movement taking place in Canada.

The Pirate Bay, has changed its logo from its normal pirate ship to a morphed version of the frigate controlled by Stephen Harper, looming over what appears to be the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. Clicking on the image leads one to an anti-prorogation forum where the topic can be discussed.

Due to TPB being based out of Sweden, its surprising to see thing image plastered on their home page. Stephen Harper is quickly becoming an international star.

Apple's 'iPad' a student's dream companion?

Posted by Sean Joudry | | Posted on 3:56 PM

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs has announced the much speculated 'iPad'. Apple's new tech product is essentially a 9.7inch iPhone, sporting Wifi, a speaker, Bluetooth, and 16, 32 or 64GB starting at $499 USD.

Upon seeing it, I immediately thought of how perfect this unit will be for students on the go. While lacking the ability to multitask between windows, due to the unit's use of the 'iPhone Operating System', the iPad allows one to check email and browse the web with a full screen QWERTY keyboard, and act as a media player weighing in at 1.9 pounds. Not only that, but the 'Pad' will feature support a mobile version of Apple's 'iWork' suite, allowing students to type notes in class, or prepare Keynote presentations.

Instead of lugging around a heavy laptop to school, students can slip this little device into their bag, check the web and email between classes, and then go about their day without the burden of a bulky computer weighing down their bag. While on the bus, students can catch up on their reading through the Apple 'Book Store', downloading full novels onto the device for a slim price, comparable to Amazon's Kindle. Best of all would be the ability to load PDF's onto the unit. Research papers and articles can be read on the go on a .5 inch thin display.

Apple will need to have a good advertising campaign behind the iPad in order for it to find its market, but the possibilities are magnificent. We'll have to see how successful Apple is when it launches the iPad in late March.

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Ignatieff really should embrace his Vulcan heritage

Posted by Sean Joudry | Posted in politics | Posted on 9:14 PM

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It may give him a much needed boost in the polls

Karzai begins looking for more Warlords to add to his Facebook

Posted by Sean Joudry | Posted in politics, worldnews | Posted on 2:40 PM

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Last night Obama announced that, despite adding an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, troops will begin pulling out by 2011. This morning, upon hearing the news, Afghan President Hamid Karzai sent out party invitations to all of the warlords and thugs in Afghanistan.

With news that U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan in 18 months, Karzai will need to do one of two things: Greatly increase the pay, training, and loyalty of the Afghan Army and police, OR give government positions to as many warlords as possible in hopes that they will protect him once the Taliban pour back into Afghanistan in 2011.

To be fair, Obama said that they will evaluate the situation in 2011, and they will further decide what to do from that point. This could see the U.S. Army continue combat operations in the country beyond that date, or the Obama administration may want to wash its hands clean of this affair for a fresh start going into the next election.

Whatever Washington chooses to do, the 2014 Afghan elections are going to be interesting. The country could have a peaceful and legitimate vote; or the outcome could be similar to the last election.

Obama: Change you can.. Oh to Hell With it

Posted by Sean Joudry | Posted in image | Posted on 12:52 PM

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PSA: Al Jazeera comes to Canada

Posted by Sean Joudry | Posted in entertainment | Posted on 6:39 PM

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The old blokes at the CRTC have decided to allow Al Jazeera English entry to the Canadian satellite airwaves.

I was surprised upon hearing this. I was under the impression that the network would not be allowed to broadcast in Canada due to, what was claimed to be, graphic subject matter.
Alas, Al Jazeera will be in Canada; At some point.

A year ago I began tuning into the live internet streams of Al Jazeera in English. I was shocked with the lack of coverage regarding Brittney Spears, Brad Pitt, and Twilight. The network didn't even cover "Balloon Boy" a few months back.

If those are people and topics you feel the need to know about, then Al Jazeera English is not for you. On the other hand, if you like real news with interesting, in-depth journalism, then Al Jazeera will likely float your boat.