This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, and as such, Canada Post has decided to mark the occasion with a couple of high-tech commemorative stamps.

The stamps, designed by Calgarian artist Xerxes Irani, are yet another example of using augmented reality (AR) to give customers a more interactive experience.

When used in conjunction with the Canada Post Stamps Alive app for smart phones and tablets, one stamp depicts a virtual horse you are able to interact with, pet, and change its colour, while the other stamp reveals a barrel-racing game, where you are able to try and beat your own time, or submit your score to facebook and twitter.

All in all, Canada Post seems to be innovatively looking for alternative revenue streams.

According to Report Linker, the global market for baby products is worth an amazing $7 billion annually, taking into account an estimated 4 million babies born each year (works out to ~$1800/baby/year).  Rogers, it would seem, would like to branch into that market.

In partnership with a U.S. biomedical products company, Exmovere Holdings Ltd., Rogers will provide the Exmobaby, a smart-pyjamas that monitor your baby’s vital signs and movement.  Using a range of sensors, and powered by a AAA battery, the Exmobaby will measure your baby’s temperature, perform electrocardiograms (ECGs) on your baby to monitor heart rate, and use an accelerometer to detect movement.

The data can be monitored from your mobile devices wirelessly, and Rogers will be the exclusive provider of this service at a cost of $9.99/month.  Currently, only evaluation kits are available for retailers that want to carry the product, but the outfits should be available this fall for $149.

It’s seems that it’s not just Android phones that could do a better job protecting your data. The report, provided by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and conducted by Phoenix Strategic Perspectives, surveyed 1,000 businesses in various industries in order to measure their habits when storing personal data on digital devices.

While it was determined that 77% of the businesses polled consider it important to protect the privacy of customers (this seems low to me), it was also revealed that 48% of them store private data without any form of encryption whatsoever.

Halifax-based Ad-Dispatch have been making a name for themselves in the augmented reality (AR) arena. In January we told you about Ad-Dispatch getting $250,000 in funding to make AR clothing. Now it seems that more and more companies are interested in using AR to interact with their customers.

SuperHero AR, the latest app from Ad-Dispatch, was created at the behest of both Marvel and Walmart USA. The app allows the user to interact with their surroundings, shooting down Loki’s army, take pictures with life-size characters, and unlocking characters by finding certain signage at various locations inside Walmart.  The app allows a whole new level of interaction, driving consumers not only to Walmart stores, but to specific areas whithin the store.

A Regina-based aviation company, Avro Aircraft, claims to have developed a ramjet engine that can begin operating from a standing start. With few to no moving parts, ramjet engines compress air before ignition, increasing the power output of the jet engine.  The faster a jet moves, the richer the oxygen content in the fuel.

While ramjet engines have been around since the early 1900s, they have to be going fairly fast to start working.  This means a more conventional jet engine is required to get them up to speed, adding weight and expending more fuel, explaining why we rarely hear of them.

I grew up watching Star Trek.  It wasn’t really the story lines that hooked me, but the science.  Teleporters, phasers, tricorders, they were all so very “futuristic”.  It seems that the future isn’t exactly as far off as it once felt.

Dr. Peter Jansen, a graduate of McMaster University, has been developing tricorders since 2007.  A strong believer in the open-source movement, you can get all the blueprints and plans to build one yourself at his TricorderProjectwebsite, though the learning curve is quite steep.

While there are definitely reasons to worry about the “copyright modernization act” (Bill C-11), comparing it to the American Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), is a little grandiose.  In fact, the bill contains some positive changes for Canadians.  The main backlash to the bill, and rightfully so, is due to the overly severe digital lock provisions.  These provisions will “go the extra mile” to stop Canadians from breaking digital locks to content they’ve already paid for.

While the consequence of such a bill to consumers is evident, there are other indirect implications as well.  Here are three you probably hadn’t thought about: