Skip to content

  • Home
  • Subscribe / donate
  • Events calendar
  • News
    • Local
    • National
    • Israel
    • World
    • עניין בחדשות
      A roundup of news in Canada and further afield, in Hebrew.
  • Opinion
    • From the JI
    • Op-Ed
  • Arts & Culture
    • Performing Arts
    • Music
    • Books
    • Visual Arts
    • TV & Film
  • Life
    • Celebrating the Holidays
    • Travel
    • The Daily Snooze
      Cartoons by Jacob Samuel
    • Mystery Photo
      Help the JI and JMABC fill in the gaps in our archives.
  • Community Links
    • Organizations, Etc.
    • Other News Sources & Blogs
    • Business Directory
  • FAQ
  • JI Chai Celebration
  • JI@88! video

Search

Follow @JewishIndie
image - The CJN Magazine ad

Recent Posts

  • Enjoy the best of Broadway
  • Jewish students staying strong
  • An uplifting moment
  • Our Jewish-Canadian identity
  • Life amid 12-Day War
  • Trying to counter hate
  • Omnitsky’s new place
  • Two visions that complement
  • A melting pot of styles
  • Library a rare public space
  • TUTS debut for Newman
  • Harper to speak here
  • A night of impact, generosity
  • Event raises spirit, support
  • BC celebrates Shavuot
  • Ex-pats make good in Israel
  • Love and learning 
  • From the JI archives … yum
  • “Royal” mango avocado salsa
  • מחכים למשיח
  • Arab Zionist recalls journey
  • Bringing joy to people
  • Doing “the dirty work”
  • JI editorials win twice!
  • Workshops, shows & more
  • Jerusalem a multifaceted hub
  • Israel and international law
  • New tractor celebrated
  • Pacific JNF 2025 Negev Event
  • Putting allyship into action
  • Na’amat Canada marks 100
  • JWest questions answered
  • A family of storytellers
  • Parshat Shelach Lecha
  • Seeing the divine in others
  • Deborah Wilde makes magic

Archives

Tag: computers

Specializing in safety checks

Specializing in safety checks

Verify Digital’s Fred Ullrich, who served as sergeant of digital forensics at the Vancouver Police Department until his retirement this year, has extensive experience in search techniques. (photo from Verify Digital)

These days, especially, you can’t take any chances when you’re hiring someone to work for you, bringing them into your home as a service provider or taking them on as a tenant. What do they really think about Jews, about Israel and about the world? Are they a safe bet or a threat to your family and business? Most of us would do a Google search to check, or look at someone’s social media handles. What we don’t realize is that the information our searches reveal barely scratches the surface of what might be out there.

That’s why Vancouver-based Verify Digital was created by Fred Ullrich and Jewish community members Jamie Wosk and David Wosk: to conduct in-depth searches into individuals’ digital footprints and deliver a full perspective on their background and beliefs. 

The new business partners go back a long way.

In the late 1980s, David Wosk – who established and ran Wosks Coffee Service for almost 60 years – became one of the original members of the Vancouver Police Department’s Community Crime Watch, which is where he met Ullrich, who was a Crime Watch volunteer before becoming a police officer.

photo - David Wosk is as a business advisor at Verify Digital
David Wosk is as a business advisor at Verify Digital. (photo from Verify Digital)

The Vancouver Police Department awarded Wosk the 2024 Community Safety Leader Award for his decades of dedication to community service, crime prevention and public safety. He has received many other awards, such as the Attorney General’s Award, and commendations for his helpful role in various incidents.

Jamie Wosk – David’s son, who was general manager of Wosks Coffee while also serving as a Vancouver Lifeguard for more than 33 years – also has received recognition for his life-saving actions over the years.

In Verify Digital, Jamie Wosk oversees sales, while David Wosk acts as a business advisor. Ullrich, who served as sergeant of digital forensics at the VPD until his retirement this year, brings his extensive experience in search techniques to the company. He was tasked with doing some 1,500 pre-employment background files for the VPD.

“There were only a few where I was unable to find an online footprint, either because they were much older, or because they’d previously been involved in police services and knew they had to be covert online,” he told the Independent. “But, today, there’s not one young person without a social media footprint. And, if they’re not there, it’s because they’re using secret names or have deleted their profiles to prevent future employers from looking into their past.”

photo - Jamie Wosk oversees sales at Verify Digital.
Jamie Wosk oversees sales at Verify Digital. (photo from Verify Digital)

Verify Digital’s main clients are institutions who hire many new employees each year. But, out of care and concern for the safety of the Jewish community, Ullrich is offering basic and in-depth searches to individuals, too. 

“As a patrol officer, I spent many nights guarding synagogues and I responded to calls at Vancouver Talmud Torah regarding suspicious people on the school grounds. I also saw the firebombing at Schara Tzedeck,” he said. “The reason we’re doing this is that there’s a need, and it will help the Jewish community know who they are dealing with.”

Ullrich conducts all the background searches using a proprietary software that searches across some 28 social media platforms. It yields results you’d never find on a Google search, he explained, because Google is a marketing tool that provides results based on what it thinks you’re looking for.

“There’s a huge science behind finding material,” he said. “And, there’s a consistent percentage of people who have social media content that is embarrassing, inappropriate, highly offensive or simply does not align with the views of their potential employer, especially if they are hired to be in a position of trust.” 

Ullrich has had many of what he calls “OMG moments.” One individual who was applying for a position of trust had started a business in Richmond and was taking customer money while not providing a product. She was looking to extend her fraud through the new employer, and they were on the cusp of hiring her until they learned this information.

Another had a clean social media presence until Ullrich discovered he was using a secret username. That revealed six years of racist and misogynistic comments on social media that more accurately depicted his beliefs.

The cost of Verify Digital’s services depends on the kind of screening you need and ranges from $99 to $199 per person, with a two-to-three-day turnaround time. 

Ullrich said the “old way” of reference checking just doesn’t cut it anymore. “Social media tells a more complete, telling picture of a person’s character and beliefs,” he said. 

“I encourage my clients to do a search themselves, and compare what they find to what I find using proper systems, because there’s a big difference,” he added. “To find information, you really have to know where to look.”

For more on Verify Digital, visit verifydigital.com.

Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond.

Format ImagePosted on October 25, 2024October 24, 2024Author Lauren KramerCategories LocalTags computers, David Wosk, employment, Fred Ullrich, hiring, internet, Jamie Wosk, safety, security, social media, Verify Digital, World Wide Web
מפגש בוונקובר

מפגש בוונקובר

שגרירת קנדה בישראל, דברה לאיונס. (צילום: Twitter)

שגרירת קנדה בישראל, דברה לאיונס, נפגשה לאחרונה עם ראשי הפדרציה היהודית של ונקובר, נציגים של ארגונים יהודים ואנשי עסקים בוונקובר. השגרירה לאיונס כתבה בעקבות הביקור מכתב לפדרציה ובו אמרה בין היתר: “קנדה מאמינה בפתרון שתי המדינות והיא תמשיך לעבוד לקראת מטרה זו, כדי להשכין שלום בין בין ישראל לפלסטינים. לדברי שרת החוץ הקנדית לאור הכזרתו של נשיא ארה”ב” דונלד טראמפ, “מעמדה של ירושלים יבוא לידי פתרון רק במשא ומתן בין הצדדים. אנו ממשיכים במחויבות שלנו להשגת שלום במזרח התיכון, הכולל הקמת מדינה פלסטינית לצד ישראל”. אני עובדת מקרוב עם שגריר ארה”ב בישראל, דיוויד פדרמן, כדי שלקנדה יהיה תפקיד יעיל לתמוך בישראל ובפלסטינים, לצד הקולגות האמריקניים.

קדימה אחורה-אחורה קדימה: בית קפה בוונקובר אוסר להכניס מחשבים בסופי השבוע

בבית קפה בדאון טאון ונקובר החליטו לחזור אחורה ולעצור את הטכנולוגיה בסופי שבוע, כדי לאפשר לקהל הלקוחות כמו בעבר לנהל שיחות עם אחרים, במקום להמשיך ולהסתתר מאחורי הלפטופים שלהם.

הבעלים של קפה מוסאט ברחוב בורארד פינת רחוב הארווד, החליט בשבועיים האחרונים לשנות את המדיניות של המקום ולהנהיג טרנד ישן. מעתה נאסר על הלקוחות לבוא עם מחשבים ניידים בשבת ובראשון. במקביל חלות מגבלות על השימוש בווי פיי לחצי שעה בלבד. וזאת רק למי מהלקוחות שרכשו מוצרים בקופה. השימוש בווי פיי מעבר לכך אינו בחינם עוד בסופי שבוע. שלט על החלון בכניסה לקפה מזכיר ללקוחות להשאיר את הלפטופים בבית בשבת ובראשון.

מעבר לכוונה לאפשר ללקוחות לדבר אחד עם השני כמו פעם יש גם היבט עיסקי מאחורי המדיניות החדשה: לאפשר תחלופה גדולה יותר של לקוחות. לפני השינוי במדיניות רבים מהלקוחות שבאו עם מחשבים ניידים בשבת ובראשון העמוסים יותר, ישבו סביב השולחנות שעות רבות והתמקדו במסכים. המתבונן מהצד ראה “ים” של מסכים אלקטרוניים כאשר המשתמשים בלפטופים שלהם, פשוט הפכו את המקום למשרדם הפרטי, בזמן שאף אחד לא מדבר עם רעהו והמקום היה שקט להחריד. מעתה מאמין המנהל של בית הקפה, קולטר ג’ונס, כי התחלופה של הלקוחות תגבר ואף אחד לא יתפוס מקום לזמן רב מדי.

קפה מוסאט הפך כבר מזמן למוקד מפגש קבוע של רוכבי אופניים חובבים ומקצועים מרחבי העיר. ג’ונס חושב שהאיסור על שימוש במחשבים ניידים בסופי השבוע, יאפשר לקהל הלקוחות לנהל מפגשים של שיחות והתקשרות של אחד עם השני, בצורה נעימה יותר. הוא מציין כי הלקוחות אוהבים את השינוי המרענן ורבים יותר פוקדים את הקפה. רק מעטים כועסים והודיעו כי יחפשו לעצמם בתי קפה אחרים. והם אלה שבוודאי מסוגלים בעזרת המחשבים שלהם לכתוב ביקורת שלילית, על המדיניות החדשה של מוסאט, שלא מתאימה לאורח החיים “האלקטרוניים” שלהם.

בתי קפה נוספים בוונקובר בודקים מקרוב מה נעשה במוסאט, וגם הם שוקלים להנהיג את המדיניות החדשה-ישנה ולאסור על השימוש במכשירים האלקטרוניים בסופי שבוע. חלק מהם פנו למוסאט וביקשו לבדוק לפרטים את המדיניות החדשה שלהם.

בבתי קפה בערים אחרות בקנדה כמו טורונטו, מונטריאול והליפקס כבר נוקטים במדיניות דומה, ומגבילים את שעות השימוש במחשבים הניידים בסופי השבוע וכן בחגים, ואפילו גם בשעות אחר הצהרים העמוסות בימי השבוע הרגילים. חלק מבתי הקפה בערים אלה אף מונעים מהלקחות להטעין את הסלולות של הטלפונים הניידים שלהם. כך נעשה גם במדינות שונות באירופה בהן בריטניה ודנמרק, כאשר הטרנד הישן צובר תאוצה והלקחות מסתבר אוהבים זאת.

Format ImagePosted on March 28, 2018March 25, 2018Author Roni RachmaniCategories עניין בחדשותTags coffee, computers, Deborah Lyons, Israel, Jewish Federation, Musette, דברה לאיונס, הפדרציה היהודית, ישראל, מוסאט, מחשבים, קפה

A technical love affair

I knew the printer wasn’t working when no typed pages flew out of its up-front opening where typed pages are supposed to fly out. Great! I spend a week feeding it $18 cartridges of yellow, magenta and black, and now that its appetite had been sated, no output. And, by the way, what marketing genius conceived of the scam where the color “black” demands yellow and magenta. It makes as much sense as filling your car with gas but the car won’t go unless you also buy a six pack of beer and two bags of potato chips.

Clearly, I needed a new printer. This clever machine announced its death in a dialect that even I understood. After some 10 years of service, it had gone to that junkyard in the sky where you could print black without magenta or yellow.

I needed a new printer. Even worse, I would have to properly introduce the printer to the computer. I’m a scribbler not an engineer. But then relief, as I thought of my great-grandchild in kindergarten. He was already 6 – he knew all about ’puters, as he called them. No, not a good idea – better my third-grade grandchild – much more experienced.

That thought cost me a quart of strawberry ripple ice cream, and alarm at his mature and loud vocabulary as failure followed failure. Then inspiration lightened the room as I thought of an engineering friend who loved key lime pie. My wife, who didn’t know a printer from a nuclear reactor either, had just made a key lime pie! What followed was the shortest marketing phone conversation on record.

“Henry, come on over and help me share a key lime pie.”

He came. Ate three pounds of key lime pie. We finished. The pie was as dead as the printer. Henry, though, full of pie, was – as I planned – in a jovial mood. I showed him around our house. And, somehow, we ended in the computer room.

“Hey Ted, the wire between the computer and printer isn’t connected.” (My third grader never noticed that! Public schools today are atrocious.) At this point, I hung my head and confessed the whole key lime pie inducement scheme. Nonetheless, my friend – what a friend! – jumped in the driver’s seat. He pushed buttons, tied wires, cursed, sweated. He condemned every printer you could imagine, as my chaste computer wouldn’t mate with the printer.

I didn’t get the whole picture but it had something to with it being a new printer and the ’puter having an old operating system. Such snobbery. It was age discrimination. That lousy printer should end up in court for rejecting the advances of my senior computer.

Not to worry, however. As in most fairytales – though this story is the absolute truth – we somehow found a happy ending. My friend, his forehead wet with frustration, mentioned that he saw another printer in my bedroom.

“Yeah, it’s an old one,” I said. “Somebody gave it to me.”

The word “old” rang in the room like a bell. His eyes lit up like he’d just drained a fifth of champagne.

“Go get it!” he screamed.

Sure enough, the old printer loved that old operating system. The two devices mated in front of our eyes. In fact, together they made this love story.

Ted Roberts is a freelance writer and humorist living in Huntsville, Ala. His website is wonderwordworks.com.

Posted on December 23, 2016December 21, 2016Author Ted RobertsCategories LifeTags aging, computers, technology

K-12 teachers learn coding

On Oct. 22, 200 teachers from across British Columbia and Ontario participated in Code Class, a one-day coding and computational thinking crash course.

The inaugural class was hosted by coding education experts Lighthouse Labs, which partnered with Kids Code Jeunesse, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering kids and teachers through code, and Computer Using Educators of British Columbia (CUEBC).

Code Class is a free, full-day workshop designed specifically for K-12 educators that aims to introduce educators to computational thinking and inspire them to bring code into the classroom. It supports teachers by removing barriers and fostering an understanding of computational thinking, technology and basic code.

Computational thinking is problem solving; it’s understanding larger structures with both human and technological systems. It could be as simple as following a recipe, or as advanced as coding a website. Computational thinking is to computers as astronomy is to telescopes; it’s about how people conceptualize information, and how they put those concepts into practise.

With the introduction of code into the new ADST (Applied Design, Skills and Technologies) curriculum across British Columbia, Code Class organizers believe that it is more important than ever to invest in teachers and to give them the tools and resources needed to bring code into the classroom.

“Lighthouse Labs is proud to support teachers across Canada,” said Jewish community member Jeremy Shaki, co-founder of Lighthouse Labs. “We believe that great education starts with great teachers and grows from there. The best solution for incorporating technology into the classroom is to provide teachers with the tools and resources they need to inspire their students.”

“By educating children with the tools needed to create and communicate within the 21st century, we are providing them with the skills needed to build their own future success,” said Kate Arthur, founder and co-director of Kids Code Jeunesse, which is based on the belief that coding is a basic literacy as important as reading, writing or math.

K-12 teachers of all subjects who attended the 2016 CUEBC conference could participate in the free-of-charge one-day workshop held at School District 43’s École Riverside Secondary School in Port Coquitlam. More than two dozen software developers from local technology companies mentored participants during the workshop, and no previous coding experience was required to attend.

Computational thinking already exists within some key aspects of teachers’ classrooms, said Jon Hamlin, president of CUEBC, an organization of volunteer teachers in the province dedicated to promoting the educational uses of technology in schools. “We hope to reframe their understanding of the subject, see how it connects in cross-curricular ways, and see computers and coding from a new perspective. Together with Lighthouse Labs, we aim to support all K-12 teachers in their adoption of the new ADST provincial curriculum.”

For more information about Lighthouse Labs, its approach to teaching web and mobile software development, and the courses it offers, visit lighthouselabs.ca.

Posted on October 28, 2016October 27, 2016Author Lighthouse LabsCategories LocalTags computers, education, technology
Proudly powered by WordPress