Skyway Recommended August 12th to 18th

Each Monday we’ll pass on links to articles we thought were well worth reading from the previous week, for those who live where we do (British Columbia, Canada), work like we do (high speed business internet), and think about things we do (internet trends, internet privacy, internet censorship, 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…

Don Peppers, Linked In | The Hyperloop and Hyper-Innovation

By now we’ve all heard a great deal about Elon Musk’s new concept, the “Hyperloop,” an idea for transporting passengers in a way that will be even faster and more efficient than air travel. Described previously by Musk as a “cross between a Concorde, a rail gun and an air hockey table,” earlier this week he published a 57-page semi-technical document outlining the specifications and requirements for building the Hyperloop. Actually, it’s a kind of “design fiction” somewhat akin to a concept car in the automotive category. Not overly detailed, but sufficiently realistic to provoke serious thinking. Read More…

Phone Arena | Google to automatically encrypt Cloud Storage data, but this shouldn’t ease NSA fears

Ever since the news first broke about the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) using the PRISM program to monitor metadata on communication, and subpoena further data from various companies there has been widespread fear of (and jokes about) the NSA tracking everything we do online. In an effort to help quell those fears, Google has announced that it will automatically encrypt Google Cloud Storage data, but we’re not sure that will actually fix the problem. Read More…

Business in Vancouver | Metro Vancouver gets online traffic map using GPS signals

Drivers looking to avoid the often-unavoidable Metro Vancouver traffic jam got some help from TransLink on August 14 when the transit authority revealed a new online map that tracks traffic levels in real time across the region. The free map, available here, uses a colour-coding system on major highways and roads in Metro Vancouver to indicate real-time traffic conditions. Green means traffic is moving well, orange means traffic is slow and red means traffic is very slow. Read More…

Washington Post | NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds

The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents. Read More…

Business in Vancouver | Telus and Shaw Union against “preferential treatment” for Verizon cellular service

The Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU), which represents workers for Telus and Shaw across Canada, announced its opposition August 14 to what it says is preferential treatment for Verizon Communications Inc. in its entry into the Canadian marketplace. Read More…