Not available in Canada, Part 1

I was under the impression we were living in a global marketplace. After all, someone living in the U.S. can call India for a technical support problem or order the coolest laptops from Japan. But if you live in Canada, your choices are unfortunately limited. I have come across many sites where not only am I treated like I have infiltrated the CIA (cease & desist), I have no choice but to conclude there is a conspiracy theory to prevent Canadians from getting access to the coolest ideas on the Net.

In this first part of a series of posts, I will try to find out why this is. Right now, my hunches point to one source: the government. Canada appears to be over-regulated, especially in the field of telecommunications and anything related to transmission of information. By now, most Canadians in the Ottawa area are aware of data throttling being performed by the almighty Bell and Rogers. If this continues, the big cable companies (with help from strict CRTC regulations) will continue to thrive, while new technologies will slide by the wayside.

I, for one, am fed up with this "U.S. Only" attitude. One such example is Hulu HD. Hulu, unlike other video streaming sites, offers free, full content in High Definition. Upon entering the page, I immediately get a pop-up, saying that I can browse the site all I want, but if I need to be a U.S. resident to be able to watch anything. Thanks, but I think I'll pass.

Ever hear of Woot ? Here, you can find cool electronic gadgets at up to 60% off the retail price. Even in U.S. dollars (especially now that the dollar is almost at par), this is a significant savings, especially since the markup on electronics is extremely higher than it is in the U.S. Nope - not available in Canada.

We, as Canadians, must constantly fight for the survival of our unique culture. How can we fight when we don't have the tools to do so ?

If you know of any other Canadian-excluded sites or offers, please let me know about them, and I will make sure to publish them.