Web Search Guide Canada

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online is now on the Web. http://www.biographi.ca/EN/index.html

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography begun in the 1960s has been a a joint project of the University of Toronto and the Université Laval. Through a licensing agreement with Department of Canadian Heritage and the work of Library and Archives Canada, the 14 volumes currently in print have been brought online. These cover people who were active and died between 1000 and 1920. They are searchable by keyword, and some by identity / profession or geographic region.

There is a plain box search for keyword searches. The HTML / Web page is better because it has selection by date range, gender, identification, geography. The Flash version does the same thing but is prettier (and slower).

Red will find Liefr Ericcson, who is believed to be the first European to land on the east coast of America, and who was son of Eric the Red. Results can be sorted by date range of death - ascending or descending.

Another approach is to chose geographic region, identification, and date range. Choosing Aboriginal People in 1801-1820 finds 17 matches, including the brave Tecumseh.

Internet Timeline

Birth of the internet Justin Thompson, CBC News Online (Oct 29) - timeline 1969 to 2002 that includes some Canadian events.

Character of internet postings

The slow arm of the law by Jack Kapica. Globe and Mail (Oct 27) - Comments on two legal decisions concerning content on the Web. "The B.C. Supreme Court ruled that section 329 of the Canada Elections Act is unconstitutional [Section forbade broadcast of election results from another province before the polls are closed]. And in Thunder Bay, Ont., the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that posting information on the Internet is not like broadcasting or publishing it."

Bill Against Spam

Bill aims to outlaw business spam by Kim Lunman. Globe and Mail (Oct 24)

"Dan McTeague, MP for Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge, east of Toronto, has tabled a private member's bill in the House of Commons to combat what he terms commercial "cyber wars."" Bill C-640 would amend the Criminal Code to make spam illegal, and "make it illegal to sell, offer for sale, barter or export an electronic e-mail address without the owner's consent."

Libraries and the Internet

Best Practices 2003: Innovative Internet Use in Canadian Public Libraries ibraryNet Best Practices Awards 2003 and Award Criteria -- Awards for Innovation, Community Engagement, Community Enhancement, Improved Service, User Friendly, and Transferability

Spam hits Sympatico

Spam slams Sympatico by Jack Kapica. Globe and Mail (Oct 17) The viruses in August, SoBig and Swen, seem to have infected many Sympatico user machines resulting in a huge increase in email sent. Sympatico is adding more spam protection on its servers and increasing the number of servers. Users are being advised to get and use anti-virus software.

Halifax Explosion

CBC will be presenting a television special on the Halifax explosion October 26 and 27, 2003. The explosion of the munitions boat in Halifax harbour occured on December 6, 1917 and was the largest explosion the world had ever seen, exceeded only by the atom bomb. CBC has also created a multimedia web site about the event. http://www.cbc.ca/halifaxexplosion/

PureTracks Online

Canadian firm launchs digital music service by Darren Yourk. Globe and Mail (Oct 14)

Thousands will be delighted. "The service features single tracks and full albums from major record labels as well as Canadian and international independents. Most songs are priced at 99 cents and most albums at $9.99. "

Canadian Business Tech 100

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Canadian Business has published online the 6th annual Canadian Business Technology 100 listing Canada’s largest technology companies. Sort the list by name, sales, profit, or sales per employee or get quick lists of the top 10. Can also customize the table and search the database.

Ontario Architecture

At home in cyberspace A new website catalogues Ontario's housing styles, and there's more variety in the province than you might think, by Simon Avery. Globe and Mail (Oct 3)

"Ontarioarchitecture.com catalogues 300 buildings representing the 30 most prominent architectural styles found in the province, from Art Deco to Victory Housing."

High Speed for Far North

Feds to pay to extend high-speed Net by Simon Tuck. Globe and Mail (Oct 3)

"The Canadian federal government is poised to announce that it will spend almost $200-million to expand high-speed Internet services to the Far North and other under-serviced regions, part of Ottawa's attempt to provide remote communities with the same electronic services as most other parts of the country."

Career Planning

www.nextsteps.org By Katherine Harding, Globe and Mail (Oct 1)

Nextsteps.org -- "Geared toward young people, the site allows you to use interactive "self-exploration" tools to evaluate things such as your lifestyle values, personality traits and job-related skills." Site is based in Calgary, Alberta.

Frequent Connectors

Canadians Are Frequent Connectors By Robyn Greenspan. Cyberatlas (Sept 30, 2003)

"Many Canadians log on, log off, log on, log off, and log on again, according to research from The Yankee Group that finds 48 percent of the nation's users access the Internet at least three times per day. Furthermore, 71 percent of those spend at least 15 minutes online during each session, and 5 percent of Canadians report they stay connected to the Internet throughout the day. "

Article has a chart of activities. 95.2% do email and 51% electronic banking.