north shor

Wednesday, October 20, 1999 — North Shore News — 17

enews

==H{IGH TECH

NEWS photo Mike Waketleid

JANNY. Cam Canada owner Linda Reavie heéds @ new North Vancouver compa-
ny that provides parents with tiny hidden cameras that can be: installed in com-

mon household items. .

may be a year too early

rding to the

The fact is; that as the ;
clock rolls. over ‘from 11:59
m: to 12:00 a.m. Jan. 1

00, milliors of peaple ‘will :

holding their breatl:, °
onitoring the world wide
effects of. the. time: mecha- ;

nisms built into every PC

: computer and programmable .
appliance known to mankind,

Pt will be the equivalent of

~ an electronic tsunami begin-
; ning in the Far East rolling

‘Moniters
-New-
Tyron 17”. .26...$259 wh $319

(3ye warranty) °

“ -Used- -
New shipiment - 18", 47" & 21". &
: Great value $59 end up”

its way around the globe.
And it will affect you’ and me.
My belief is that for the aver-
age North Shore resident, it
may be a non-event...

It’s been referred to as
Y2K, the Millennium Bug or
the Year 2000 Bug. It’s a -.
computer software and elec-
tronic hardware problem.
Back in the early 1960s com-
puter programmers who
designed the early computer
systems made a decision to
minimize memory processor
usage by designating the year *

‘as two-digits rather than
four-digits..._ .

Michael Becker

News Editer
Micheel@nusnews.com

YOU are at work, or cut for the
evening.

Your young child is at home in the trusted
care ofa nanny or babysitter. You have same
nagging doubts abour whether your child is
in a safe and nurturing environment.

if oniy junior’s favourite bear had eyes to
see. Nanny Cam Canada’s Linda Reavie can
have that arranged. The watchers can be
watched.

The North Vancouver woman began
researching the groundwork for her compa-
ny over a ycar ago. There was a lot of legal
research and technical research that needed
to be done.

Said Reavie, “When you taik about covert
cameras and invasion of people’s privacy
there’s a lot of issues that com: up. Under
Canadian criminal Jaw it is legat for a home-
owner to conduct video surveillance on

- their home. What’s mere important, your

chiid’s safety or the privacy of the caregiver?

“As a homeowner you are not under legal

obligation ‘under the Criminal Code or
under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
to disclose the use of video surveillance to

. employees, guests or visitors to your home.

This applies to nannies, babysitters or care-
givers of the elderiy. it also applies to other
visitors such as repair and delivery people. A
homeowner has the right to protect his or
her property and its contents and to defend
himself or herself and any family members.”

Reavie got into this area of covert technol-
ogy as a concerned mother. She says ihe
majority of her personal experience with
nannies has been positive, but her latest

nanny experience with a son who was three.

years old at the time led her to look into the
business she now finds herself in. “I didn’t

uncover criminal activity or abuse.’ ?’'m a

- Funny as it may be, the
problem could cause

very trusting person, so unfortunately it
wasn’t until she was gone that I found out
from neighbours and other people what was
really going on. It boiled down to inappro-
priate discipline. You think when your chil-
dren can talk, they will tell you, but either
they’re too afraid to tell you what’s wrong,
or they don’t want Mommy to know that I
was a bad little boy or girl. Most chiidren
are too afraid to say anything.”
Reavie belizves many parents have realistic
fears about tie quality of at-home care their
children are receiving.
“The reality is, based on research, in most
cases you are not uncovering criminal
abuse, you are uncovering neglect and inap-
propriate discipline. It’s kind of scary, but
the majority of people who use nanny cams
let the nanny go. You do your best to find
the best caregiver but when you walk out
the door in the morning, you’re taking a
real feap of faith,” said Reavie. .
The equipment she offers for rent, wircless ;
micro-cameras backed by standard VCRs or’
time-lapse VCRs, is not typically ava silable: av
the retail level.
“The people that we do. have to worry
about, the sharp ones, make it their job.to .
find out what’s out there. We have some-
thing as discreet as possible, There’s.a big
issue that I deal with a lot of customers. It’s
a discomfort level. Even though they put
their children first, they feel really uncom-
fortable about spying on, what we call mon-
itoring, a trusted caregiver.”
Initially her target’ market: is the- Lower
Mainland, but she does have a'1-800 num-
ber that people can call and the equipment
can be delivered anywhere in B.C.
“We like to keep it in-fairly close proximity.
because of some technical’concerns and we
have a network of trained personnel that we

can ship the equipment to and have them |.”

install it. All the parents have to do is turn .

-it offand on and change the tape. We keep :

it very simple,” said Reavie.:* ;

at home or in’ your email
business rhere are a few. ~

telecommunications, machin-
ery and all other electronic
systems throughout the

Hyundal PIH-450...$1799 ives st299)
TOGB/S4MB/SGR/AOK (2p werent)
-Used-
Assoried systems canying from

$99 and up.
Opersting softwere ret Included waless stated

For example, the year
1999 is recognized di digitally
in your PC by the code “99,”
The problem arises when the

date rolis over from “99” to

“60” oa Saturday, Jan. 1
2000. Many older computers
and embedded electronics

'. will recognize the date not as

Jan. 1, 2600, but instead as
Jan. 1, 1900. Last week state’
officials in Portland, Maine
discovered that their car reg-
istration system began issuing

owners of 2000 model cars
* "and trucks with ticles identi-,

fying their new vehicles 2 :
“horseless carriages.”

Toshika Latalite ZO0CDS...$505
PHOOAMB/S2Si0D (20 dey)
Toshiba Satelite 205008...$995
_ OnraayreaHnO Ovmess (samy

world to stop ‘functioning. In .

addition the global financial. :

management systems that rin’ .

continuously and that rely on:

accurate dates'and tines may.

falter. 7
For the most part.our

- Y2K fate is in the hands of. - ,

computer systems experts at-

* the various utility companies -

responsible for ensuring that’

_-our homes and businesses

will continue to be supplied”

. with electricity, gas and com-

munications beyond this Netw.
Year’s Eve.
However, as individuals,

’ whether you use a computer

“i eemeanines ea
arom
(Fully loaded/3yr warranty)

oe bur they sure. as’

° heck knew, that

was going to
:: Some ex)

‘test whether your PCis VK.

compliant is to simply adjus

* the time settings manually to

11:59 p.m. Dec. 315:1999
and-monitor wha happen

- See Ignore page 48:

Samsung aL856 Leser...$359 ws $19)

- Lexmark, Bbosees