Category: Misc Writing
-
Watching Mad Men à-la-carte
Like millions of people in North America, I’m looking forward to season five of Mad Men next week. But since I don’t have cable, I won’t be watching it live alone with everyone else on Sunday night. Instead I’ll wait a couple of days for it to be available on iTunes, and buy the episodes…
-
Journalists and Media Diets
Last week I wrote about my experience as part of a panel I took part in at the University of Guelph-Humber. One other key idea that came up was the concept of a Media Diet. A couple of students told me they were suffering the classic symptoms of information overload: they were overwhelmed by the…
-
The stress of airing my musical menu in public
My colleagues at CBC’s excellent new CBC Music service asked me to compile a list of some of the most popular songs currently on my iPod. I found it to be a stressful request. Finding my most popular music was easy: I went through my “most played” smart playlist to get an idea of what songs kept…
-
Are Canadians giving up on TV, or giving up on complicated setups?
A Canadian Press report caught my eye last week. It was about a study into the TV viewing habits of Canadians, and it focused on a small group that has apparently turned its back on television. Canadians who shun TV tend to be young and well educated, commute by walking or public transit and prefer…
-
Printing Out Seinfeld’s Chain
For all of the laptops and mobile devices in my house, I never quite got the hang of cooking from a recipe displayed on a computer screen. I’ve tried propping my iPad up in a cookbook holder, or using a recipe program that displays ingredients in large type (and even speaks the directions), but it…
-
Put your phone down…
Part diatribe, part public service announcement courtesy DJ Dave (via Facebook, and the Ministry to Motherhood blog).
-
Cut Back on TV: Lose Weight
My wife and I have both lost weight recently. We thought it was because our toddler keeps us more active (and eating healthier foods). It might be because we just aren’t watching as much TV as we used to. Researchers at the University of Vermont tracked the TV viewing habits of a small group of…
-
Stocking the Electronic Pantry
We had the first snow storm of the season this morning. While the amount will no doubt cause some fender-benders, it isn’t enough to cripple the city or keep people home from work. If it was, I know I would not starve, because we have a well-stocked pantry filled with extra groceries we’ve picked up…
Mike Wise 