Month: December 2017

What Is Bitcoin? Here’s What You Need To Know About It | Digital Trends

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Bitcoin. It’s a word that was once merely discussed as an academic idea among technology enthusiasts, then became a hushed mention among law enforcement tackling online drug trades – and most recently it’s the latest craze for those looking to make a quick buck. But what is bitcoin? Why are people so interested in it? People buy bitcoin for all sorts of different reasons. It’s a store of value, a transactional medium, and an idea that some claim could change the future of economics entirely. Most notably, it’s not a…

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Driverless Cars Became A Reality In 2017 And Hardly Anyone Noticed | Ars Technica

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On November 7, Waymo announced it would begin regularly testing fully driverless cars—without a safety driver—on public roads. It was a momentous announcement. A technology that had seemed like science fiction a decade earlier became a reality. And the announcement was greeted with a yawn by much of the media and the public—if they noticed at all. Consider this December 7 article by Eric Adams, a writer for The Drive. Adams wrote that “Level 4 technology”—that is, a car like Waymo’s that can operate with no driver in a geofenced area—”is…

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Renewable Energy Growing In Canada But Solar Installations Lagging Behind – CityNews Toronto

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by Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press OTTAWA – Although the cost to build solar power has plummeted over the last decade, a new report suggests Canadians aren’t rushing use the sun to make electricity. The National Energy Board today released its annual look at the state of renewable energy in Canada and it says solar energy accounts for just 0.5 per cent of all Canada’s generated electricity. And almost all of that exists entirely in Ontario, the report notes. NEB chief economist Shelley Milutinovic said the trend in Canada is…

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Bell Says CRTC Promise Of Free Phone Unlocking Doesn’t Apply To Everyone – Business – CBC News

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Canadians were supposed to be freed from cellphone unlocking fees come Dec. 1, but some with a Bell-locked phone have found they’ve had to fight for their freedom. That’s because the telecom giant will only unlock phones free of charge for current and former customers. Its policy excludes anyone who never signed up with Bell but acquired a second-hand phone that happens to be locked to its network. Bell also turned down Laura Train-Fraser even though she says she was once a customer. Because the telecom couldn’t confirm this, it refused to…

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Air Canada’s ‘Ancillary’ Fees For Customers Add Up To Big Bucks – Business – CBC News

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Global airlines are expected to earn a record $82 billion US this year by charging customers extra for everything from seat assignment to baggage fees to travel commissions. And Air Canada is among the top ten airlines in the world when it comes to earning this so-called ancillary revenue, racking up nearly $1.18 billion US last year, according to reports from IdeaWorksCompany, a U.S. research company that tracks airline revenue. IdeaWorksCompany reviewed 138 airlines and examined in detail 66 airlines that publicly disclose extra revenues in their financial filings, which Air…

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Cash Will No Longer Be King At Bell Aliant Stores Come The New Year – Nova Scotia – CBC News

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A Nova Scotia man is unhappy that Bell Aliant won’t be accepting cash or cheque payments at its stores beginning Jan. 1, 2018. Instead, the company will only accept payment by debit and credit card. “It’s difficult to understand how legal tender is not good for business these days and my concern is for those who perhaps don’t have a credit card or a debit card and the inconveniences this will cause them,” said Maurice Rees, the publisher of The Shoreline Journal, a monthly paper in Bass River, N.S. He thinks…

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