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TV’s new normal

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By Mark Leiren-Young “The DVD legitimized TV as an art form,” Glen Mazzara, executive producer of the monster smash “The Walking Dead,” told an audience of TV creators and broadcasters during an onstage Q&A at the Banff World Media Festival earlier this month. The DVD also changed the TV viewing experience — a change that’s becoming […]

Why the Best Gore owner shouldn’t be arrested

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By Frank Moher Now that Luka Rocco Magnotta has been arrested, the biggest danger posed by his alleged murder-dismemberment spree is that it will be used to push through internet surveillance measures by the likes of Vic Toews. The Public Safety Minister has already used the incident to try to revive his stalled and widely-derided […]

U.K. assaults Pirate Bay — and digital rights

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By Saskboy Children learn how to use computers and work around restrictions by experimentation and reading. So too must adults when they are confronted with restrictions. It’s a good idea to learn how to evade censorship before the flow of information is shut off — otherwise, working around the problem becomes much more difficult because […]

Snoop dogs

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By Alison@Creekside So remember how the Cons withdrew their just-tabled internet surveillance bill, the Lawful Access Act, on Feb 14 and replaced it an hour and 15 minutes later with the identical but renamed Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act , a bill which mentions neither children nor predators? Coincidentally, the US Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011 – sponsored by Texas teabaggin’ Rep […]

Canada’s startups get the flag

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By Mark Evans Canada’s startup landscape is healthier than ever, as evidenced by the recent International Startup Festival in Montreal. Putting aside the ambitious name (I would have selected something like the Canadian Startup Festival), the fact that it was well-organized and well-attended suggests there might just be some real traction within the startup community. […]

Rebecca Black: Voice of Today’s Youth

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by Rachel Krueger Rebecca Black’s “Friday” has been making the internet rounds to guffaws and heaps of ridicule, and there’s no denying that it’s that bad.  But is it not ALSO a scathingly accurate anthem for our disaffected youth?  To wit: The opening lines of the song have taken heat for being needlessly and idiotically […]

McLuhan saw this coming

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By Dave Brindle Lost in all of the hum online about Egypt and the CRTC was that 2011 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Marshall McLuhan. He was right. When I tweeted that, my friend Rod Mickleburgh of The Globe and Mail shot back: @davebrindleshow mcluhan was certainly right when he gave my […]

Clement leads anti-UBB forces down slippery slope

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By Frank Moher So, all you digerati who are celebrating this morning because the Conservatives have told the CRTC to rescind its decision on user based internet billing, or else: do you really want the federal government calling the shots on this? The Tories especially? One can’t help but admire the campaign run by openmedia.ca […]