Identifier Code and Colour Printers

By Patricia Jordan



Most colour printers leave an identifier code on each piece of paper that is printed. Several years ago, the United States Secret Service asked manufacturers of colour printers and photocopiers to include technology in their products that would allow them to track the source of print material.

The technology behind the identifier code is clever and consists of a series of yellow tracking dots that are invisible to the eye under normal light. They are printed across the entire page, including blank portions of the page. These yellow tracking dots can be viewed with a blue LED light in a darkened room, under magnification or by using a high-resolution flatbed scanner. Zooming in will reveal the yellow dots when they are present. To enhance the dots more clearly, you can use software like Adobe Photoshop to show the blue channel of the image where the dots are more visible. The dots are printed in a specific pattern that allows authorities to identify the individual who printed a particular piece of paper based on the printer. The dots can identify the serial number of the printer and often includes the time and date the page was printed.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has deciphered many marking schemes used by manufacturers. EFF has published a list of colour printer and photocopier manufacturers that use this technology on their website at www.eff.org. Monochrome laser printers and inkjets do not appear to leave identifier code.



Seeing Yellow is a resource site created by the MIT Computer Culture Group that contains information about yellow tracking dot technology.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

By Patricia Jordan

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a term used to describe a process of improving the volume of traffic to a website from search engines. Webmasters utilize SEO in an attempt to measure the quality of visitor traffic and to identify how often specific keywords or terms are used. SEO can also refer to search engine optimizers. Search engine optimizers are employees who perform SEO services in-house or are consultants who conduct optimization projects on behalf of clients. 


It is important to use SEO methodology in the design and development process. SEO involves optimizing a site’s code, hierarchical structure and presentation. Most search engines use sophisticated ranking algorithms that utilize factors such as:

• alt attributes for images;
• domain name, URL directories and filenames;
• HTML tags and headings;
• meta and header tags;
• on page keyword adjacency, proximity and sequence;
• site maps and xml site maps;
• term frequency, both in the document and globally;
• text within the title element; and
• web content development.

To further complicate matters, most search engines use dozens of algorithms that change frequently, resulting in a web page that ranks in the top five in one search engine while ranking at 100 in another. Yahoo! recommends using a description tag and the description accurately fits the content of the page. Yahoo! ranks search results according to relevance to a particular query by analyzing the web page text, title and description as well as its source, associated links and other unique document characteristics.

eHOW has published a list of articles on search engine optimization.





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Crossing the Conversion Point: How to convert visitors to customers online
By David Mercer, Site Prebuilder
September 8, 2011

Most businesses tend to focus on driving traffic to their website or blog using SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or social media. While important, this is only one side of the coin, because once traffic arrives it has to be converted to meet your business objectives.

Read the full article.

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The Real-World SEO Innovations Driving Online Commerce
By Toby Evers, E-Commerce Times
August 30, 2011

Commerce platform providers can drive SEO innovation by keeping it in a running list of optimizations for their platforms. They must prioritize SEO continuously in order to keep up with the growing trends and constant evolution of SEO as things change every six months. To do this properly, they should embed key features directly into their platforms, as opposed to making them "a la carte" custom features.

Read the full article.

Loyalty Programs and Privacy

By Patricia Jordan

On a daily basis companies record our personal habits. That detailed personal information is used in ways that may surprise many. Most people are unaware of this process and how their information is used.

Loyalty programs reward and encourage loyal buying behaviour by providing discounts or points. Customers are required to provide personal information to retailers when they apply for a loyalty card. This information may include their name, address, birth date, bank account, credit card number, telephone number and other information by which they can be identified. While many people are aware that loyalty cards are used to compile profiles of their shopping habits and identify patterns that can be used for marketing purposes, they may not realize that this data is often shared with third-parties.

Supermarkets in Australia will soon be able to track shoppers via GPS as they walk through stores. Details of specials featured in the aisle the shopper is walking through will be sent to their mobile phone.

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Shoppers are spoon-fed
By Cosima Marriner
July 24, 2011

Each time you swipe that ubiquitous loyalty card at the checkout, exactly what you bought, when and where, is being recorded.

The major supermarkets, Woolworths and Coles, are using information about shoppers' habits to build detailed customer profiles attached to their loyalty programs.

Read the full article.

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Get the most from store loyalty programs

Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)

By Patricia Jordan

The use of RFID technology in loyalty and credit cards raises safety and privacy concerns, as owners may be unaware of the embedded RFID tag in their cards and how they can be read at a distance without their knowledge or consent.

Identity Stronghold states on their website that the embedded RFID chip in a credit card emits the account number, expiration date and other information. They also claim 100 million credit cards in the United States now have this contactless technology and that credit card issuers will replace single magnetic strip credit and debit cards with new contactless smartcards.

The Risk Inside Your Credit Card: Electronic Pickpocketing

Electronic Waste in Canada

By Patricia Jordan

We all have an important role to play in the stewardship of the planet and its resources. The United Nations estimates that 50 million tonnes of electronic waste are generated annually and a disproportionate amount of that electronic waste is exported from industrialised countries to developing countries. Electronic waste is the most heavily traded toxic waste on the planet. Visit BAN.org to view images of toxic electronic waste dumping sites in Africa and China.



Did You Know?

• Canadians throw out more than 140,000 tonnes of computer equipment every year.
• Many electronic waste recyclers export materials to other countries rather than recycling materials in Canada.
• Canadians generate approximately 31 million tonnes of garbage a year and only recycle about 30 per cent of that material.

Encorp Pacific (Canada) is a federally incorporated not-for-profit stewardship corporation that provides stewardship services on a contract basis to the electronics industry for the collection and recycling of regulated products. A province-wide end-of-life electronics recycling program is available to consumers and businesses.



The Recycling Council of British Columbia (RCBC) operates services that provide consumers with information and resources that are available in British Columbia. The RCBC Recycling Hot-line is a comprehensive, toll-free service that provides information on waste reduction, recycling, disposal and pollution prevention. The RCBC Materials Exchange Program and RCBC Electronic Materials Exchange Program are free province-wide services facilitating the reuse and recycling of products and materials.



Quick Facts

• Most rechargeable batteries can be recharged up to 1,000 times.
• More than 90,000 computers have been donated to libraries and schools in British Columbia since 1994.
• More than 43 per cent of cell phone users replace their cell phones every two years.

Site du Jour
Basel Action Network (BAN) is an organization that is focused on global environmental injustice and economic inefficiency of toxic trade and its impacts. BAN confronts issues of environmental justice and actively promotes sustainable solutions to consumption and waste crises while promoting green, toxic free and democratic design of consumer products.

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Kenya: Electronic Waste and the Need for Secure Disposal Mechanisms
By Esmond Shahonya
September 5, 2011

Technology is ever changing and, by so doing, improving lives.

However due to a proliferation of electronic gadgets and equipment, there is electronic waste resulting from discarded machines and obsolescence.

Electronic waste or e-waste is a growing threat in most economies as more gadgets reach the end of their lives or break down beyond repair.

Read the full article.

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Don't Forget Digital E-Waste in Your Green IT Endeavors
By Heather Clancy
September 1, 2011

Most of us define electronic-waste (aka e-waste) as all the stuff that literally goes into (and comes out of) a piece of computer or consumer electronics hardware. E-waste disposal is one of the hottest and most controversial topics around, especially as it applies to physical consequences. But researchers at Johns Hopkins have published a paper suggesting that many people overlook another major causes of e-waste: cluttered, ill-managed electronic files and applications that no longer justify their existence.

Read the full article.

Recycle for Education

Help raise funds for schools across Canada by dropping off your empty ink and toner cartridges at your local Canadian Staples store.

Staples Canada has donated more than 2.69 million dollars to the Recycle For Education program since its inception in 2004. Staples is the first retailer to partner with HP Cartridges under their Planet Partners program.

Staples Canada Recycle for Education: Dover Bay's Green Actions

Battery Recycling Resources in Canada

by Patricia Jordan

Hundreds of millions of rechargeable batteries and cell phones are retired each year. You probably use rechargeable batteries more often than you think. They keep your wireless products and cordless tools going for thousands of charges, but when they eventually die, it’s your responsibility to recycle them. Most rechargeable batteries can be recharged up to 1,000 times. The following businesses accept batteries for recycling.

Black & Decker
The Home Depot
London Drugs



Raw Materials Company - Battery Recycling

Dangers of Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries

By Patricia Jordan

If you use a laptop computer, then you are aware that they generate a substantial amount of heat. Rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries can generate enough heat to ignite a fire and cause injury. Since the early 2000s, there have been many battery recalls for millions of rechargeable batteries that power computers, cell phones and other electronic devices. As of May 18, 2011, the United States Federal Aviation Administration reports that there have been 118 air incidents involving batteries since March 20, 1991. These incidents include extreme heat, fire, smoke and explosions.

Read an FAA warning about rechargeable batteries published in May 2011.

The FAA released a training video about fighting laptop battery fires that is available for download under "training videos."



The rechargeable Li-ion battery is one of the most popular types of rechargeable batteries for portable electronic devices. Over time, the capacity of all rechargeable batteries diminishes and most will fail without incident. If Li-ion batteries overheat or are overcharged, thermal runaway and cell rupture may occur and, in severe cases, even combust. To reduce these risks, Li-ion batteries contain circuitry that shuts down the battery when its voltage is outside the safe range. While the risk with Li-ion batteries is real, I do not want to give the impression that laptop computers, cell phones and other electronic devices are unsafe to use.

In May 2011, as I was working with my laptop I heard a noise and felt the computer lift. After turning it over, I was surprised to find the battery was bulging, it had burst. Thankfully, the battery was not leaking and did not damage my computer and I was able to safely remove it. This experience alerted me to the dangers of rechargeable Li-ion batteries. Apple replaced the defective battery at no charge.



My online search for the cause of the rupture lead me to YouTube and several alarming videos of laptops in flames. Search for “Laptops in Flames.”



I now use electrical power for my laptop and only use the battery when I am away from a power source. It is important to disconnect your laptop power adapter as well, as they can also overheat and catch on fire. Cell phones and other electrical devices have also caught on fire because of rechargeable Li-ion batteries.

All rechargeable Li-ion batteries will eventually wear down and hold a charge for less time. A battery will work one day and lose its ability to maintain the charge the next day. Rechargeable Li-ion batteries usually last two to three years, even if they are unused. Check the manufacturing date on the battery to ensure it has not been sitting on a store shelf for several months.

A change in the Li-ion battery life span, such as not lasting as long as it usually does is an indication that one or more of the cells has failed. If a cell develops a short, it could damage other cells within the battery and your electronic device as well. When this occurs, it is best to purchase a new battery and recycle the used battery 
at a reputable recycle depot.

Visit How Stuff Works to learn more about lithium-ion batteries.

SeatGuru.com provides comparison charts that identify airlines and airplanes with in-seat laptop power. See “The Ultimate Guide to In-Seat Laptop Power Ports.”

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Passengers warned of lithium batteries causing fires on flights
By ANI | ANI - August 3, 2011

Melbourne, August 3 (ANI): Australian airline passengers are being told not to carry lithium batteries in their luggage, amid concerns that it may increase the danger of fire on the aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority says that the batteries - used extensively in laptops, mobile phones and music players - have the potential to short-circuit and burn under certain conditions and the preference is to have spare batteries carried in the cabin with their terminals appropriately insulated, The Australian reported.

Read the full article here.