You could think of Slyce’s latest acquisition as a pair of glasses – albeit, in software form. The Calgary-based visual search company, which is developing a mobile app that can identify consumer products using a smartphone’s camera, announced on Tuesday that it had acquired computer vision technology developed at York University to help augment and improve the accuracy of its existing tech, reported the Financial Post Feb. 4. Read full story.
John Tory's comments on why women earn less don't tell the whole story
The pay gap between men and women has persisted for decades, experts say. It stems from the days when men were typically the sole breadwinners for their families, while women in the workforce were typically single. In that context, higher wages for men seemed acceptable, said Dirk Matten, professor of strategy at York University’s Schulich School of Business. “The fact that [John] Tory says these things shows how deeply entrenched this view of women in the workplace still is,” said Matten in the Toronto Star Feb. 4. The holdover attitude is, “they just can’t hack it. They’re not tough enough. They’re not men, basically, and that’s the key impediment for them to be successful.” Read full story.
Long-life laptop battery the tech industry doesn’t want you to have
By pairing batteries with their own special printed circuit board, Nick and Tim Sherstyuk were able to increase a battery’s capacity by 30 per cent and boost the number of recharging cycles available. In 2012, the Ottawa-based father-son duo patented the technology under the company Gbatteries Systems Inc. . . . Does Mr. Sherstyuk risk torpedoing the success of his company if he holds too firmly to his ethical beliefs? . . . “I would advise Gbatteries to partner with whoever will help them sell the most units of their new battery device,” said York University Professor Mark Schwartz in The Globe and Mail Feb. 4. “I don’t see this as ‘selling out’ of one’s ethical principles. Both the founders and whoever distributes the device will make money, and a greater number of consumers will presumably benefit by needing to purchase fewer batteries. The natural environment will benefit as well through less toxic waste. No one is being deceived in the process.” Read full story.
How Ryerson plans to strengthen Toronto by partnering with Indian institutions
Agreements between postsecondary institutions in different countries – particularly when it comes to research – are increasing in popularity. In 2013, for instance, Minister Moridi flew to Germany to sign an agreement between McMaster University and the Fraunhofer Institute for Technology and Innovation Management that would see the latter start construction on a research centre in Burlington, Ont. In fact, all the major Greater Toronto Area universities, including York University and the University of Toronto, have agreements with institutions outside of Canada, reported Yonge Street Feb. 5. Read full story.