Skyway Recommended October 29th to November 4th

Each Monday we’ll pass on links to articles we thought were well worth reading from the previous week, kind of a Digg-lite for those who live where we do (British Columbia, Canada), work like we do (high speed business internet), and think like we do (internet trends, internet privacy, cutting-edge technology, etc.). If you don’t want to wait ’til Monday, we usually tweet and link to these as we come across them

IT World Canada: Canadian Copyright Modernization Act set to come into force

The federal government’s Copyright Modernization Act is about to be put into force in early November, according to an order from the Canada Privy Council dated Oct. 25. Not all of the new law’s provisions will take effect immediately, including protection for ISPs from the copyright violations made by their customers. Read More …

Business Insider: Apple Carefully Explains Exactly How It Could Be Destroyed

With a market capitalization of $559 billion, Apple is the most valuable company in the entire world. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be destroyed. In fact – per SEC regulations – Apple itself has put together a list of “risk factors” that, in careful detail, explain just how Apple could come apart. Read More …

I, Cringely: Microsoft’s Dilemma, making too much today to truly embrace anything new

Napier & Son was the most successful British manufacturer of aircraft engines in the 1920s and 30s with their 12-cylinder Napier Lion powering 163 different types of aircraft between 1918 and 1935. Over that 17 year period the Lion grew from 450 to 1350 horsepower and was, for awhile, the most powerful aircraft, boat, and car engine in the world, holding world speed records in all three venues at the same time. And then the Napier Lion was suddenly gone — a lesson from which Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer could benefit if he and his company don’t repeat it. Read More…

Slate: The design battle that’s tearing Apple and the tech world apart

This week, Apple fired Scott Forstall, its longtime chief of mobile software. In the wake of the shake-up—which reportedly had to do with Forstall’s refusal to sign a public apology for Apple’s troubled Maps app—a strange, one-dimensional narrative has overrun the tech industry. The story goes like this: In addition to presiding over two big failures—Maps and Siri—Forstall was also responsible for the spate of goofy, even “tacky” designs that have wormed their way into Apple’s software. Read More…