THIS WEEK IN TECTORIA

A community blog celebrating Victoria's booming tech sector

CONTACT THE TECTORIA BLOG

Got a cool story about technology and creativity in Victoria? Email stories, tips, pictures, links and anything of interest to Tessa Bousfield at: tectoria@viatec.ca

Can You Help With Cool Aid’s Housing Development Plan?

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Can Tectorians rise to the challenge?

Innovative Victoria community agency Cool Aid needs an additional 360 apartments to be there when people need us, and we plan to build them in the next 5 years. Look at CoolAid.org/endhomelessness for details on how.

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In 1968 people said a bunch of college kids would never end homelessness in Victoria.

They hadn’t met Steve Jobs yet either.

For 46 years the Victoria Cool Aid Society has provided innovative solutions to help people experiencing homelessness, addictions, and mental health issues. Not bad for a charity started by students in the basement of an abandoned church.

That abandoned church is now the Belfry Theatre, and Cool Aid now operates 14 facilities across Greater Victoria, including a full-service health centre, dental clinic, three shelters, a community centre, and nine supportive housing buildings. Cool Aid provides over 90% of our city’s emergency shelter beds, and helps over 9,000 individuals each year to overcome or completely avoid homelessness.

You can understand why “avoid” is everyone’s first choice.

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Cool Aid is committed not just to helping folks struggling with homelessness, but putting an end to it by providing enough supported homes to have one ready when somebody loses theirs. When we talk about innovation, imagine a city without people sleeping on the streets, without families living in cars and tents in parks; isn’t that cool? It’s what Cool Aid is all about.

More homes are what our city needs right now. Cool Aid has 374 apartments supported by trained staff 24/7, but there’s a waiting list 9 months long to get in. That’s far too long.

Cool Aid can’t do it alone. Strong partnerships with the Coalition to End Homelessness and local government agencies will help, but the key to making it happen is individual backers. Once Cool Aid raises $5 million in community donations our partners will kick in the rest. Care to join us?

New Twitter Layout

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Twitter has been redesigned, and the new look and feel is said to resemble Facebook’s layout.

The Twitter blog announced the changes earlier this week, with the caveat that the redesigned profile pages are only effective for a select group of celebrity users for now, but will be rolled out globally in the coming weeks.

If you really can’t wait, you can sign up for a new account to take advantage of the new look.

While previously a user’s Twitter profile was a rather plain two-paned list of tweets, statistics, and hashtags, the new Twitter resembles a Facebook-style profile, with wide horizontal header images, bigger user pictures, and tabs for photos and videos, and followers.

Before and After

For example, here’s what Twitter’s design looks like right now for most users:

twitter before

And here is what Twitter’s interface is going to look like for everyone once the changes are rolled out over the next few weeks:

twitter after

There are several changes to how tweets appear on your user page, too. You can pin a tweet, forum-style, to the top of your Tweets as an extension to your bio, which is less visible under the left-aligned profile pic setup.

Your “best tweets,” defined by how much other users have interacted with it, will be enlarged to draw attention to them.

New accounts get the redesign straight away (so the best way to see what the new layout looks like might be to create a new Twitter account), and all other Twitter users will see their profile pages change in a few weeks.

Innovation Right Here: Andrew Wilkinson

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andrew wilkinson bc minister

We want to acknowledge the hard work of Andrew Wilkinson, MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena and the provincial minister responsible for growing BC’s technology industry.

Since becoming BC’s Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services about a year ago, Andrew has proven himself to be a champion for tech entrepreneurs and tech companies in Greater Victoria and the rest of the province.

In short, Andrew is helping grow and celebrate the success of innovation, right here in Victoria and every corner of BC.

We Tectorians think he deserves some recognition!

First, some background…

The other day, Dan Gunn, Rob Bennett, and Accelerate Tectoria’s very own Crowd Content attended Cascadia Startup Day in Vancouver. The event is organized by BC’s leading technology incubators, including Wavefront, one of Accelerate Tectoria’s partners in the BC Acceleration Network.

The BC Acceleration Network itself is funded and supported by our friends at BC Innovation Council, which itself works closely with Andrew Wilkinson in his role as the provincial minister responsible for growing BC’s tech sector.

So, Cascadia Startup Day features a high-energy pitch competition that connects tech entrepreneurs across the Cascadia region with investors, media, and industry professionals.

Dan, Rob, and Crowd Content worked hard all day to mingle, network, and spread the word about Crowd Content, and… it worked!

After a few hours, Crowd Content was selected from between 25 other start-ups to be among 5 “finalists” to give a public pitch to 500+ attendees. By the end of the afternoon Crowd Content was already talking with potential new customers.

While the Tectoria team was working the room, Andrew Wilkinson actually came looking for the VIATeC contingent, hoping to catch up with what’s happening in Victoria tech scene.

Government ministers are typically busy (and popular) people at events like Cascadia Startup Day, so it was really notable that Andrew was able to make time for Victoria’s tech community.

Then, when it was time for his presentation about BC’s booming technology industry, Andrew began by acknowledging the hard work of organizations like VIATeC and Kelowna’s Accelerate Okanagan in growing BC’s regional tech sector.

Andrew gave some highlights of a recent BC Stats report about the explosive growth of the tech sector in every corner of BC. Read the report here.

It’s great to be remembered and acknowledged, especially when there is so much good news already coming out of Andrew’s home turf of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

It can be hard to keep up, but Andrew Wilkinson has consistently championed tech companies in every corner of the province.

Building a strong, vibrant tech sector that creates plenty of high-paying jobs is truly a team effort, and we want to give a shout out to Minister Andrew Wilkinson, thanking him for his hard work!

How Amazon Fire TV Stacks Up To Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku

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amazon fire tv

Amazon has just announced its streaming TV media device: Fire TV is a yet another direct challenge by Amazon against other tech giants and incumbents.

So how does the Amazon TV compare to Apple TV, Google Chromecast and Roku’s lineup?

First-party content for a cheaper price

Amazon Instant Video library is huge and well-known, and offers a vast range of content from well-recognized sources. Amazon also features some exclusive streaming deals, and is also starting produce original content.

The price tag? $99 a year.

Apple TV is perhaps the biggest competitor with an equally vast amount of content, but to access all of it you are going to pay more than Amazon’s $99 a year.

Google Play does not feature nearly the same variety of content, while Roku relies on third-party content.

Third-party content

Third-party content in this context means being able to use a smartphone, combined with an app, to stream content to your television. Google’s Chromecast is designed specifically to do this, as are Roku, and Apple TV and Airplay.

However, third-party content provider Netflix competes directly with Amazon Instant, and for the moment Amazon Fire TV will have a lot of catching up to do… if Amazon is truly serious about facilitating third-party content.

Gaming

Neither Chromecast nor Roku currently offer a compelling gaming experience, while Apple TV offers no games at all. On the other hand, Amazon Fire TV looks like it is committed to providing a quality gaming experience.

Size and ease of use

Chromecast is a simple (and cheap) HDMI dongle, and Roku offers a similar “stick” device. Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV are more traditional boxes with cables and power cords.

All have their advantages and disadvantages when setting up, with no clear winner.

Price

Apple TV is $99; the Roku series ranges from $50 to $100. Google’s Chromecast is just $35. Amazon’s Fire TV is $99.

Makerbot 3D Tattoo Printer

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The days of terrible tattoo misprints caused by human error could soon be coming to an end.  Welcome to the do it yourself Makerbot 3D Tattoo Printer.

From a group of students led by Pierre Emm, the innovative idea grew from a competition called the “Public Domain Remix” hosted by the a The French Ministry of Culture.

Converted from a standard Makerbot 3D, original tests were done on an artificial skin material finding that it worked great!  The next step was to find a guinea pig that would allow them to test this procedure on a live human… surprisingly, there was no issue in finding a volunteer.

Want to build your own?  Here’s how to do it. 

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Tectorian of the Week

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Chatterblock LogoChatterBlock is the social network for parents looking to connect with community organizations.  In a nutshell, they are the site with local community programs, events, drop-ins, schedules, and happenings.

2014 has already been an amazing year for the local tech company. This year to date they have launched to:

  1. Austin
  2. Lexington
  3. Omaha
  4. Nashville
  5. Oklahoma
  6. Little Rock Arkansas

Earlier this week ChatterBlock announced that they have embarked on a major product overhaul that is about 1 month away from launch.  What does this mean?  It means the website will be completely redesigned for mobile using responsive design methods using the Twitter Bootstrap web UI framework, and the site will be fully geo-localized as well.

What to stay connected with your community?  Visit the ChatterBlock website specific to your location, or follow them on Facebook.

 

 

Skirmos – Open Source Laser Tag

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Skirmos Laser TagHave you ever dreamt of building your own laser tag course?  Imagine your favorite first-person shooter video game in real life. Welcome to Skirmos: Skirmish Open Source Laser Tag.

Skirmos is an open source laser tag system that can be used for any and every game possible. It has the flexibility to be played indoors or out; in small or large games. Its unique open source nature allows anyone to make their own creative gametypes. Whether it’s free-for-all or capture the flag, a realistic simulation, or a replica from your favorite video game, Skirmos can be played in any manner you can think of.

The Skirmos Kickstarter campaign has 13 days remaining.  Make your contribution today and bring this awesomeness to reality!

Tectorian of the Week

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2014 VIATeC Technology Awards – Nominations open Monday, March 17th

“The VIATeC Awards have become known as a unique event focused on entertaining the crowd with humor and irreverence while shining the spotlight on some of our awesome technology companies,” says Dan Gunn, Executive Director of VIATeC, the Victoria Advanced Technology Council. “It’s a great way for local tech firms to get increased profile with local media, policy makers and their peers which always helps when looking to hire new staff, find new customers or raise investment.”

Nominations will open at 9:00am on Monday, March 17th.  Click here to access the nomination form (will not open until March 17th). 

In total, twelve awards are presented at the evening gala

  • Technology Company of the Year
  • Emerging Technology Company of the Year
  • Startup of the Year
  • Product of the Year
  • Innovative Excellence
  • Executive of the Year
  • Employee/Team of the Year
  • Employer of the Year
  • Education Champion
  • Colin Lennox Award for Technology Champion
  • VIATeC Member of the Year
  • * Strategy of the Year

*New award category for 2014

More about the award categories:

Technology Company of the Year
Recognizes a Greater Victoria company that has demonstrated excellence in innovation and a commitment to the technology community while embracing sound business fundamentals.

Emerging Technology Company of the Year
Recognizes a Greater Victoria company that has the greatest potential to demonstrate excellence in innovation and a commitment to the technology community while embracing sound business fundamentals. This category is reserved for operations that have been established for less than 3 years.

Start-up of the Year
Recognizes a Greater Victoria company less than 2 years old that demonstrate significant potential to generate revenue, raise investment, or to have significant social benefit.

Product of the Year
Recognizes a Greater Victoria company that has achieved success in the commercialization of an innovative technology product (eg. market acceptance and sales).

Innovative Excellence
Recognizes a Greater Victoria company that has researched and designed an innovative service, process or product that is expected to revolutionize a sector, method of business or way of life.

Executive of the Year
Recognizes an individual who has had a significant impact on the success of an organization as a direct result of their leadership. For this award, executives are considered to be those that typically hold senior titles, eg. CEO, CFO, COO, President, Vice- President.

Employee /Team of the Year
Recognizes an individual or team in the technology sector who demonstrates outstanding initiative and service delivery, and has had a significant impact on the company for which they work.

Employer of the Year
Recognizes a company that has demonstrated its commitment to their staff and provides a pleasant workplace.

VIATeC Member of the Year
Recognizes a member of VIATeC who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the technology sector through involvement, volunteering and support of VIATeC. The recipient of this award is selected by VIATeC.

Strategy of the Year
Recognizes the best strategy implemented by or for a Greater Victoria organization. Nominated companies are required to provide a letter of support clearly explaining their strategy and milestones.  The judges will consider impact and results from the underlying strategy.

The Colin Lennox Award for Technology Champion
Recognizes an individual who has demonstrated passion and commitment to the Greater Victoria technology sector for at least ten years. Their long-standing support has been instrumental in Greater Victoria ‘s continued success on the world technology stage.

Education Champion 
This award recognizes a teacher who inspires their students using innovative tools and technology. We are looking for teachers that use 21st Century Learning techniques to help prepare student to thrive in a knowledge-based society.

Viatec-Awards-logo 2014

PonoMusic

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about_pono_update_01This is not just the next big thing in music. PonoMusic has the potential to completely re-shape the way creators create it and listeners experience it.

It all comes down to sound. As Neil Young (Pono’s founder and visionary) stated in his SXSW 2014 keynote speech, “Pono is a grassroots movement whose mission is to bring back the soul of music, which has been left behind in the evolution of       convenience.”

The quality of audio that we listen to is dependent on the bit rate at which it is recorded at. The MP3 audio files that we are accustom to today have a bit rate of 192kbps or 256kbps. These are highly compressed files, and are smaller in size than higher resolution music files.

PonoMusic files have about 6 times more musical information than a typical mp3. With ultra-high quality resolution recordings (24 bit/192kHz), the difference between a PonoMusic digital file and an mp3 is about 30 times more data from which your player reconstructs the “song”.

What does this mean for you, the listener? It means that you will soon listen to music from a completely new dynamic than you ever have before.

Pono recently launched a kickstarter campaign that raised over $1.5 million dollars in it’s first 48 hours.

Find out more about PonoMusic or donate to their kickstarter campaign here.

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PONO Kickstarter from pono on Vimeo.