Not surprisingly, a KPMG worldwide survey has shown that Canadians are behind the curve when it comes to more sophisticated use of mobile phones.

My viewpoint: the lack of standards, carrier locking, and the high cost are the main hindrances, stifling competition and dragging the market.

The study is published here.

Via the CBC.

The Record has a great article with many pictures on a Baden, Ontario man who bought and restored an Amphicar. It is a nice technology marvel, despite being on Time's list of 50 worst cars of all times.

Since I use Linux exclusively, and have to interface with clients using various Windows technologies, open standards are an important aspect of our tech-life. For example, we use OpenOffice to read Word/Excel/Powerpoint files, and so on.

One thing that comes infrequently is the need to login to a corporate virtual private network (VPN) that uses Cisco's Easy VPN.

According to this AP article, the U.N. says that the number of people affected by the Pakistan floods of 2010, worse than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined.

Yet, the coverage in the media is not as big as those events have got, and consequently, less aid is being donated for them.

Here are some charities that you can donate to in Canada. Similar charities exist everywhere.

The BBC has a very nice slide show titled: In the eyes of Saudi Women. Worth watching ...

One of the things Egypt has excelled in for millennia is bureaucracy.

Ever since Egyptian scribes learned how to write, and use that skill to became a servant of authority rather than toiling in the fields, they took that a step further and used their skill and position to exert control over the peasants.

Now, we see another example where the Egyptian customs officials are demanding $40,000 for allowing a fossil to be returned where it originated!

Calgary is the 14 priciest city for downtown parking, and the number 1 in Canada! It has reached $453.38 per month!

Even Toronto with all its high cost of living is at $336.25 per month, and Montreal is $280.62.

Back here in Kitchener/Waterloo, it only costs $116.94.

Via CBC.

The mobile market in North America is badly fragmented, due to
different carriers using different technologies (CDMA vs. GSM), different frequencies for different companies (AWS, 2100), and locking of phones to the carrier.

This fragmentation strengthens the stranglehold of the carrier on the customer, who has a higher barrier switching from one company to the other.

Industry lobbyists still call for more balkanization of the market, by adding more frequencies, against standardization.

Southern, Central and Eastern Ontario is under a smog and heat alert. Temperatures are in the 30s Celsius, and smog from the USA is passing by.