Overview of the Canadian Gaming Industry

Canada has had a long history of gambling. Prior to 1970, gambling needed to occur under certain conditions and was more restrictive. However, in 1970, the codes were changed to give the power to the provinces when it came to gambling regulations. Following this, the gambling industry grew significantly. The country’s first commercial casino opened its doors in 1989 and was quickly followed by others. The casino industry is still flourishing today.

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Emergency siren hacking in Dallas brings ‘Watch Dogs 2’ scenario to life

Fisherman’s Wharf in Watch Dogs 2 (Image Credit: Ubisoft)

It can be amusing when life imitates art. But that’s not always the case, especially if seen as a possible threat to security. On Friday night, Dallas found itself under attack by hackers who took control of all emergency sirens in the city. All 156 sirens in the city started blaring at 11:40 p.m. and continued to do so for the next 40 minutes. Of course, this caused panic in the city with residents worried about the attack. Dallas officials won’t name the nature of the breach for security reasons but they acknowledged that the attack originated locally and that they were being “continuously” hacked because every time they turned it off, the alarm would sound again after.

This type of attack seemed to have taken inspiration from Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs 2 video game. Debuted back in December, the game showed how it was possible to hack “smart cities” and the Internet of Things. And while the game seem to have taken a simplistic approach to this, this attack on the US city shows that it is possible. And we have to be on alert now more than ever.

Source: VentureBeat

Netflix’s long-time product chief leaves the company

Neil Hunt, Netflix’s long-time chief product officer, is stepping down from his post after 18 years with the company. After joining the company in 1999, he has led the development and launch of Netflix’s streaming service back in 2007. And he as even led development efforts from Netflix’s office in Tokyo since 2015. Hunt will be replaced by Greg Peters, who has been with Netflix for the past nine years. “Greg and Neil have collaborated through the years to make the Netflix experience all over the world absolutely incredible,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings says in a statement. “I look forward to having Greg take on this role and to celebrate with Neil our 100 millionth member.”

At the same time, Netflix’s Chief Talent Officer Tawni Cranz will also be leaving the company to “pursue other interests.” Netflix hasn’t said who will replace Cranz. Hastings comments, “Over the last decade, Tawni has played a formative role in developing our business culture as well as developing an amazing talent team. We deeply appreciate her contributions.”

Source: Variety

Japanese creatives get the spotlight in web documentary series

If you’re a fan of Japanese comics, video games, art, or design, then this ongoing web series might be something you’d want to check out. Called Toco Toco TV, this series has already featured many Japanese creatives in 10- to 20-minute documentary style interviews. Its latest video features director of Nier: Automata, Yoko Taro. The video delves deep into the game designer’s creative process and how his games feel a bit more offbeat and human than others. While the episodes are in Japanese, you can turn on subtitles for either English or French.

Source: The Verge