New Music Site from Vancouver.

Project Opus launches
This has got a lot of promise. A new music site slid onto the scene in the last couple of days. Project Opus looks like it’s going to be hot.

It’s early days yet and they’re working out a few small bugs. Why do you suppose the best music sites come out of Vancouver ?

Would you like a book of those ?
I can see all my Christmas spending going to one place. Qoop’s got a short but sweet hook - Digital to Print, all from your browser.

If you’re using Flickr for your photos (who isn’t ?) with a few quick clicks you’ve got a printed book on the way. Do you think they’ll gift wrap ?

My Dose of International News
It’s a bit addictive. Wi-FiTV.com offers up a few hundred sites from a dozen or so countries. Nothing really new there, but the site works well and even though the odd stream doesn’t show, who cares - there’s tons to select from.



I’m still not watching TV if I’m watching on the Internet, right ?

Cell Phone Number Portability - Gotta Have It.

Richard Branson has taken out a full page ad regarding cell phone number portability in Canada. This one’s in the Globe - not sure where else it ran.

click for a large version
or grab a pdf version here.

At issue is the ability to keep your cell phone number when you switch carriers. For most of us, keeping a number is important. But, as Branson’s ad points out, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association has recently released a plan that will only see number portability available in Canada in late 2007. Huh? 2007 ?

We’ve had limited number portability for land lines – I moved my Telus landline number to a mobile carrier. But that’s it – do that once and you’re done. And don’t even think about moving a cell number. Not in Canada. The CWTA is also the same group that makes getting a short code (for texting) in Canada some kind of medieval ritual.

In the US, you can get a short code just like registering an URL at http://www.usshortcodes.com/ it’s not cheap – 1,000 USD for a number you pick, 500 USD for a randomly assigned short code. Not so in Canada.

In the full page ad in the Globe, Branson points out that in every other country in which they operate, number portability increases competition. In Canada’s phone business, the ‘c’ word is a dirty word.

Branson’s ad says its not too late to light a fire under these guys. How? Speak up if you want number portability.

Email mynumberismobile@virginmobile.ca .

The mail link will get you started, just add what you want to the message.

And pass this page along to your friends - here’s the permalink to this page: http://blog.bigsnit.com/index.php/2005/09/14/51.

Quick takes on what’s hot today.

KK at the podCast hotel.
Kris Krug, one of Vancouver’s web 2.0 advocates has an excellent report on the podCast Hotel in Portland. I’m ticked I couldn’t be there, but look for more of these kinds of events to pop up. If you’ve got one planned, let me know.

Now That’s What I Call a Mobile Community.
Vancouver’s AirG has been quietly making it big in mobile communities. They just hit the 5 million mark - that’s some community. Wait a minute ! That’s some audience.

Nokia Eating Blackberries for Lunch?
Well, it’s worth a try I guess. Nokia wants to put corporate email on every cell phone. Take your pick of reports:
Reuters, InfoWorld, or Yahoo.

Global Turtle Positioning System?
Turtles in the deep sea. Where do they go ? Story Here. Turtle’s location here.

Kicker.
Just a quick note on the heading here. In the news business, a ‘kicker’ is one of those cute, funny stories at the end of the newscast. You know, when the TV anchor, or radio reader, changes his/her voice to all soft and cuddly, with a barely perceptible smile and says…” and finally tonite…” That’s a kicker. Here’s mine:

…And Finally (smile) the food inspection folks at HK Disneyland are scaring the customers. It’s something about those masks they’re wearing. Now I ask you - this is more scary than a person in a giant fluffy cartoon animal outfit ?

Catching up on the CBC Lockout

Those Rotten Managers?
Despite what the locked-out bloggers are saying, CBC management isn’t the evil empire.

They’re doing the right thing in regards to Vancouver R3 contractor Alexis Mazurin. Alexis was at Burning Man last week when he suffered a massive heart attack. Since then, he’s been in a coma in a Reno, Nevada hospital, and his family has been racking up hotel and travel bills while there taking care of him. Today, in an email distribution, R3’s manager Steve Pratt says:

“I wanted to let you all know that Krista Harris [CBC radio director of operations]has talked to both Alexis’ mother and his sister, Nathalie, on the phone. Krista let them know that CBC will be covering all of the family’s travel and accommodation costs.

As far as bringing Alexis back to Vancouver, we have assurances that he will not be moved until the doctors there say he is ready. And all medical expenses will be covered as long as he is there.”

Of course this is the right thing to do, regardless of whether Alexis is permanent staff or not (he’s not).

The Gem Gets Gutted.
The CBC usage police must be squirming. CBCers out on the picket line have been wreaking havoc with the CBC Gem - that’s the official name of the corporation’s logo. It’s also their registered mark, and as such, is protected by copyright. CBC lawyers are usually pretty quick to send cease and desist orders to anyone futzing with it, and under normal circumstances employees aren’t allowed to shave a whisker off the old Gem. Interesting no-one is saying squat about the unholy concoctions being created to adorn picket signs across the country.

Locked out podCasts? Oksurefinebye.
In the old days at CBC, before DNTO was even a glimmer in C. William Smith’s mind, there was a fine Saturday afternoon show called The Radio Show, hosted by Jack Farr. oksurefinebuy was Farr’s way of ending any conversation, no matter whether his guest was at the beginning, middle, or end of his story. A very handy device, for Jack.

In any event, reading the Toronto Star’s summary of the locked-out CBC podCasts brought it all back to me. Says the Star: Oh My Pod. Don’t Give Up Your Day Jobs, then goes on to eviscerate the podCasts posted by out of work CBCers. The review’s bad enough - but it begs the question. If these folks don’t actually have a day job to not give-up, what are they to do ? Oksurefinebye.

Good things come in 3’s - video proof.

Three things you need to have fun.

Put it all together, and you’ve got a sure fire recipe for fun with a capital F.



Still don’t believe me? Here’s the video to prove it:
Quicktime format - medium. 3.6 meg
Quicktime format - large. 6.7 meg
runs: 1:05
(Quicktime Player required to play the videos - it is free from Apple)

Satellite Radio Good to Go.

Despite heavy lobbying from some arts groups, as I had predicted, the federal cabinet will let stand the CRTC’s decision on satellite radio. This is good news for Sirius and XM of the US who now can roll out subscriptions and gear to Canadians. All that publicity around the pros-cons of the licenses put the services back in the mainstream press, which might actually help get them more subscribers out of the box. Get me an mini-dish for my iPod nano and I’m there.

The New Face of the CBC.

5 Things I’ve Been Meaning to Say.

1. At Large Media in Cambridge.
My business partner , Emma Payne, is off to the UK. She’s speaking in Cambridge on Thursday 15 Sept at the Cambridge Entertrise conference. If that isn’t sufficiently nifty, how’s this: she’s staying in a hotel that has a Moat.

2. Sorry, No Truth Today…

3. Writers who Blog: New Medium or New Genre.
Meanwhile, also at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, this workshop on October 1st at Harbour Centre. I promised my pals at SFU I’d get the word out.

4. Wrangling the Bird.
More action on the satellite radio front today. A story today in the Globe and Mail about the latest group to jump in. I had a few things of my own to say right here last week.

5. The New Face of CBC.

This happy guy is Guy Fournier. Guy’s 74 years old and loves to cook. This Guy is now the new chairman of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Maybe this Guy listens to the Radio 3 podCasts while he cooks. Then again, maybe not.

The CBC is embroiled in a labour dispute at the moment, having locked out 5500 of their employees August 15th. Many locked out employees hope this Guy will save the day. Then again, maybe not.

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