Hacked ServiceOntario Kiosks shut down

Some of Canada's leading privacy and security experts are in support of the government's decision to shutdown and investigate reported ServiceOntario kiosk compromises. The action, they say, is in compliance with Ontario's privacy laws as well as newly introduced best practices unveiled in an original publication: Managing Personal Information: Insights on Corporate Risk and Opportunity for Privacy-Savvy Leaders.

Primary author and security expert Claudiu Popa says "the recent compromise of four ServiceOntario locations is reminiscent of the fake debit and credit card readers and "skimmers" popular in the Greater Toronto Area over the past few years. These types of attempts on ATMs and kiosks are nothing new, so MGS acted appropriately in shutting down the other locations and notifying the public of the breach at the earliest opportunity."

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Artist's Canadian Mosaic Project focuses on 35,000 portraits of a nation

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

When photographer Tim Van Horn packed his belongings, camera gear and two dogs into a trailer, he set off for an epic art project. Called the Canadian Mosaic Project, Van Horn was inspired by the Canadian Flag and decided to create both the largest tapestry and the biggest portrait of a nation.

Tim Van Horn was in Toronto recently to continue his mission towards 35,000 Canadian portraits for Canada's 150th birthday in 2017. This number represents a seemingly miniscule .1% of the population of Canada but it will be the most comprehensive portrait ever created on the Canadian people.

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Video: Preview of Samsung Galaxy S III

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

I had the opportunity to check out the North American version of Samsung Galaxy S III which is coming to Canada on June 20th and will be available from most carriers. This is Samsung's flagship smartphone and will feature a 1.5GHz dual core processor, 2GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of storage (plus expansion via microSD).

The rounded design is reminiscent of 2010's  original Samsung Galaxy S and the Galaxy Nexus. Samsung has piled a long list of hardware and software innovations, just check the video above where we received a demo from Samsung's Director of Wireless Product Realization, Vlastimir Lalovic to see the new TouchWiz interface and features, NFC connectivity, peer-to-peer connectivity, great video playback and a huge, long lasting battery. 

Samsung is releasing a number of accessories including cases, battery chargers, a stylus (of course) and a universal vehicle mount that will work on multiple smartphones. Our review unit had a Rogers SIM card but needed to go back so I am writing up a full review once I receive a replacement. In the meantime here's a slideshow of the North American Galaxy S III.

Video: Nest Learning Thermostat now available in Canada

The Nest Learning Thermostat, the world's first commercially available learning thermostat, can help save Canadians up to 20 percent on their home heating and cooling bills by automatically turning itself down when you're away, guiding you to energy-efficient temperatures when you're home, and by creating a personalized temperature schedule based on learning your habits.

 Nest uses motion sensors, cloud computing and algorithms to learn about you, your home and your habits to automatically turn itself down when you're away and to be more energy-efficient when you are home – altogether programming itself to help you save money.

Starting today, Canadians can purchase their own Nest at nest.com/store for $249 USD, plus shipping. And yes, there is an app for it. Nifty, eh?