Use your iPhone to know what berries can keep you alive in the wilderness; Indigenous groups take responsibility for high-speed internet to northern communities.

Using your iPhone to identify the world around you this summer

Despite inflation and the high cost of gas and travel, I expect many of us will be looking for ways to get away this summer. Those of us using iPhones will be using the camera lenses to take pictures of the fun and games we’re having, and if you’ve got a connection to the internet wherever you are, you can also get information about what it is you’re taking pictures of.

Over the Victoria Day long weekend, I wanted to know what my wife was planting in our garden but I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been paying attention when she told me her plan, so instead of asking her what that cute purple-blue flowering plant was, I took a picture of it, I tapped the “i” icon at the bottom of the screen, and tapped “Look up – Plant”.

We’ve got a bluebell in our garden. Did you know that it’s Latin genus name is “Hyacinthoide”?

You use this same “Visual look up” feature to identify landmarks and pets, too. I already know that our family dog is a golden retriever. My iPhone confirmed it.

And if you’re in an area where you don’t understand the written language, you can take a picture of text with your iPhone, highlight it, and have Apple iOS translate that text for you.

Just another way you can use your pocket computer to live your best summer.

Yukon fibre network sold to Indigenous development corporations

Northwestel, which provides telecommunications services to northern communities in Canada, has sold its Yukon fibre network to a group of Indigenous development corporations across the territory.

The partnership puts ownership of the high-speed networks that get internet connections to communities in the hands of 13 First Nation development corporations.

“We’re showing that by working cooperatively, First Nations can make these types of major investments and create more opportunities for investment and ownership in infrastructure and communications projects that impact the lives of our citizens,” said Fred Koe, Da Daghay Development Corporation Chair and designated spokesperson for the newly formed Yukon First Nations Telco LP, in a release. 

The initiative is part of the effort to get high-speed internet connections to every community in the Northwest and Yukon Territories.