Toronto Electricians and Electrical Contractors

Article 13: If You Want To Force Google to Pay Artists More, Force Google to Pay Artists More The European Union is fumbling towards a final draft of the new “Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive,” including the controversial “Article 13,” which requires all but the smallest online platforms to set up crowdsourced databases of copyrighted works and censor anything a user posts that matches (or partially matches!) the contents of these databases. This is a system that’s ripe for abuse. Where more modest versions of these blacklist systems exist, artists find themselves targeted by fraudsters who remove their work from the platforms they rely on to earn their livings, impersonating them and sending copyright takedowns in their names. And yet, Article 13 has no penalties for this kind of abuse. It doesn’t even let tech companies refuse to accept future database entries from fraudsters who get caught repeatedly abusing the system. Transparency will let us agree on what...

What We’re Thankful for at EFF This Year Thanksgiving is a time to take stock of what’s happened in the past year and focus on the things that we appreciate most. In the spirit of the holiday, we here at EFF are taking some time to name some things that we’re giving thanks for this year—from victories that protect the rights we hold dearest, to allies that work with us, to the supporters who make our work possible. A Great Win for the First Amendment The freedom of speech is an important right to protect, and we’re thankful that a federal judge ruled that it is unconstitutional for government officials who use their Twitter accounts to conduct official business to block individuals simply because they disagree with their views. U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in May ruled that President Donald Trump could not block people, and therefore prevent them from seeing his communication with the public or interacting in the otherwise public spaces created by each of his tweets....

I’m responsible for the Data Center Science Center (DCSC), a small group of research analysts at Schneider Electric, whose mission is to understand new data center technologies and trends and advocate how they should be applied. Over the years we’ve tried to answer your data centers questions by writing white papers , which has proven to be helpful based on their popularity. However, we realize that sometimes you don’t have the time to read a 30-page, data-rich document; and videos are becoming a popular, alternate way to learn. That’s why we’ve started a mini video series, Ten Minute Insights . The video series answers your commonly asked data center design and operations questions in 10 minutes or less. You ask ‘em, and we answer ‘em. Our goal is to tackle your questions in simple, easy-to-understand terms. Data Center Design Tips in “10 Minute” Bites In the course of our work, we’re constantly meeting with data center professionals, so we have our finger on the pulse of the ind...

After attending the 2018 Open Compute Summit in Amsterdam, I was impressed by its clear success and asked myself, “What do the Europeans know that we don’t here in the US?” Attendance at the summit exceeded expectations, the engineering workshop breakouts on the second day were full, and as the exhibitions were breaking down, attendees were still there asking questions and learning. In comparison to what you typically see in the afternoon on the last day of a show, it was rather lively. I attribute this to Europe’s keen focus on all things sustainable and emerging solutions like OCP that bring about the next wave of efficiency in the data center market . My Top Takeaways from the Open Compute Summit If you didn’t go, what did you miss? Here are a couple of my favorite topics: Liquid Cooling : I realize you might be rolling your eyes right now with the mention of this buzzword, but hey – at least I’m not going on about blockchain! If you follow liquid cooling, you know that if feel...

Electrical fires continue to put human lives, property, and revenue at risk. In my last post we looked at examples of how common and how devastating these events can be. We also looked at how loose and deteriorating connections in electrical switchgear cause a large number of these fires, and how the resulting increase in contact resistance can cause this to happen. To reduce the risk of fires, regulatory bodies require regular thermal surveys, with infrared (IR) thermography being the common method used. As mentioned previously, this method can be very effective but has a few potential shortcomings. For example, a quickly deteriorating connection could be missed if it occurs between scheduled surveys. And the need to access the tight spaces of live equipment with thermal cameras can potentially put technicians at risk of arc flash . Continuous thermal monitoring technology is now emerging, which can offer a safer, more comprehensive, and more cost-effective way to detect thermal r...

The Senate’s Liberty Act Helps Close the “Backdoor” Take the language of one NSA surveillance reauthorization bill and add a few strong reform proposals from another, and what do you get? A bill that helps protect Americans from the warrantless search of the content of their emails, text messages, and digital communications. On November 17, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the USA Liberty Act (S. 2158) into the Senate. It is based on legislation of the same name introduced in October by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI).                                                    EFF supports this legislation and welcomes the additional protections i...

Today—and Every Day—We Fight to Defend the Open Internet Today, we heard from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about its plans to devastate Network Neutrality.  Instead of responding to the millions of Americans who want to protect the free and open Internet, the FCC instead is ceding to the demands of a handful of massive ISPs, like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T. EFF will be analyzing the full plan when it is released.  But based on what we know so far, it’s clear that Chairman Pai is seeking to reverse the 2015 Open Internet Order that established clear but light touch protections for Internet users and Internet innovation. The FCC’s new approach invites a future where only the largest Internet, cable, and telephone companies survive, while every start-up, small business, and new innovator is crowded out—and the voice of nonprofits and ordinarily individuals are suppressed. Costs will go up, as ISPs take advantage of monopoly power to raise rates on edge p...

Treasury Department Concludes Fraud Investigation into ComputerCOP “Internet Safety” Software Three years ago, EFF exposed how hundreds of law enforcement agencies were putting families at risk by distributing free ComputerCOP “Internet safety” software that actually transmitted keystrokes unencrypted to a third-party server. Our report also raised serious questions about whether the company was deceiving government agencies by circulating a bogus letter of endorsement from a top official in the U.S. Treasury Department.  This month, our suspicions were confirmed. A document obtained through the Freedom of Information Act shows that, in response to EFF’s research, the Treasury Department’s Inspector General launched an investigation into ComputerCOP. The final report concluded that the company had, in fact, doctored a government letter to improperly convince law enforcement agencies to spend asset forfeiture funds to buy the product. Read the Treasury Department’s investiga...

Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) technology has changed quite a bit over the past several years, with newer devices offering far more intelligence and energy efficiency than previous generations. Electrical contractors charged with helping customers choose the right UPS for their various applications would do well to understand the various features and functions that UPSs now provide – so they can help customers choose wisely. Let’s start with energy efficiency. So-called “eco-mode” UPSs have been around for more than a decade, but only now are beginning to gain traction, thanks to some advancements in the technology.  The idea is to reduce the power loss involved in the double power conversion process – from AC to DC and back again – that’s involved in “cleaning” utility power. In eco-mode, UPSs bypass that process most of the time, until it detects a power quality issue. That technology never caught on in a big way because it took a few milliseconds for the conversion proces...

2007 was the tipping point for smartphones and probably the last time bandwidth needs on college campuses were fairly predictable. Business requirements then meant supporting administrative offices. Learning mainly called for connecting student and teacher computers. And on game day, people just watched the game. Today, IT pros are scrambling as unprecedented digital demand strains networks and overwhelms unprepared data centers. Digital Drain Things have really escalated in the last 5 years. I’ve heard a few IT pros from mid-sized colleges estimate a 900% increase in the number of connected devices they have to support. Campus Technology reports that higher education IT leaders are also preparing for the use of robotic telepresence and artificial intelligence, and reimagining education via immersive learning through VR and AR. Some universities are setting up highly connected innovation labs to enable “experiential learning.” These emerging, connected technologies will soon beco...