In this paper we address the increasingly complex constructs between power and the practices of seeing, looking, and watching/sensing in a networked culture mediated by mobile/portable/wearable computing devices and technologies. We develop and explore a nuanced understanding and ontology that examines 'veillance' ('watching') in both directions: surveillance (oversight), as well as sousveillance ('undersight'). In this context, we look at some new possibilities for computationally mediated veillances. In particular, we unpack the new relationships of power and democracy facilitated by mobile and pervasive computing. We differentiate between the power relationships in the generalized practices of looking or gazing, which we place under the broad term 'veillance'. Then we address the more subtle distinctions between different forms of veillance that we classify as surveillance and sousveillance, as well as McVeillance (the ratio of actual or permitted surveillance to sousveillance). We start by unpacking this understanding to develop a more specialized vocabulary to talk not just about oversight but also to about the implications of mobile technologies on 'undersight' (e.g. who watches the watchers, who watches the watchers of the watchers…ultimately the people at the bottom of the hierarchy). We argue that the time for sousveillance as a social tool for political action is reaching a critical mass, facilitated by a convergence of transmission, mobility and media channels for content distribution and engagement. Mobile ubiquitous computing, image capture, processing, distribution, and seamless connectivity of devices such as iPad, iPhone, Android devices, wearable computers, Digital Eye Glass, etc

BackgroundThe rising costs of healthcare delivery globally and the increasing research production rate create immense opportunities for implementing novel and more effective medical interventions that significantly benefit patient outcomes. However, the successful uptake of medical innovations is complex and often extremely contextual based on many sociopolitical and economic factors. These barriers to implementation can delay or derail new practices, procedures, products, and pharmaceuticals. Understanding the barriers to the successful implementation of medical innovations and the best practices and strategies to mitigate them is an extremely important area for translational research in health sciences.This study examines the barriers and potential challenges in implementing medical innovations and the possible preemptive measures that can be addressed early to increase the use of life-saving medical innovations. We consider the importance of appropriate, timely, and user-defined implementation techniques as a critical component of the successful uptake of medical innovations and use the uptake of transcatheter valve replacement therapy (TAVR), which is an alternative life-saving intervention for patients at risk for surgical complications, in Ontario, Canada as the practical case study of the challenges and potential instructive opportunities to establish best practices for systematic and effective innovation uptake. MethodologyIn addition to contextual and informal investigations, a small pilot survey of decision-makers across the University of Toronto-affiliated teaching hospitals helped compare and contrast the barriers to medical innovation uptake (in the literature) with the suggested barriers to the successful implementation of TAVR. This study looks primarily at the role of funding, physician preference, clinical guidelines, and patient comorbidities as decision-making factors contributing to TAVR uptake. The study also explores how the differences and similarities of TAVR uptake related to the decision-making factors above can help develop recommended strategies to address future implementation barriers. ResultsWe observed that the decision-makers across the surveyed institutions refer patients with intermediate to high risk for surgery for TAVR. Funding and physician preference were identified as possible barriers to TAVR uptake, with underlying comorbidities of patients being a primary decision determinant for TAVR referral. Physician preferences were based on multiple factors such as clinical judgment, patient comorbidities, clinical guidelines, knowledge, TAVR, and surgical valve replacement skills. ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this study is one of the first to use the Toronto Translational Thinking Framework to assess an innovative treatment uptake in the Ontario healthcare system. Although the study sample size was 11 and did not reflect the views of all decision-makers regarding TAVR use in Ontario, the survey reflected participants who directly make decisions regarding TAVR use, str...

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Madam Speaker, I would like to refer the member to page 14 of the throne speech where it says that the government is planning to introduce a new biometric passport that will significantly improve security.. .. Before the government is able to do something like this, it will need to negotiate on a worldwide basis with the organization that deals with and approves the form of passports. If it does not, we will have a biometric passport that will not be able to be read by any country that our citizens visit. I think the government is talking about the biometric being a fingerprint, an iris scan or face recognition. I am really not sure just where it is headed with this. .. On the new biometric passport, the hon. member is correct. We will need to ensure that it meets international standards. It is very important, of course, for our continuing trade with other countries. We have a lot of people crossing borders and we need to move forward on this. Hopefully, we will do it expeditiously and have those agreements in place so we have mechanisms and means to ensure free trade in our country.