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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…
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Netflix: For people who love TV, not those who are cutting back
A new study by the Media Technology Monitor (MTM) is challenging some of the early worries many broadcasters had about the arrival of Netflix. When the streaming-TV service was launched, there were predictions from some business analysts that one-third of cable consumers might look to cut their cable television packages. Netflix was seen as an ideal service…
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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…
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3 reasons I don’t read on my iPad
Last week I spoke before a journalism class on a panel at the University of Guelph-Humber. It was a spirited discussion about media ethics and practices. Towards the end of the class, one student asked for advice in how to do a better job of reading all of the material he has to go through.…
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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…
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My technology will go silent March 24th. Will yours?
I have officially signed up for this year’s Sabbath Manifesto National Day of Unplugging. It is based on the biblical idea that “on the seventh day he rested from all his work (Genesis 2:2)”. The idea is simple: try to go an entire day without using, or more importantly, being distracted by your technology. Just what…
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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…
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The 11 Commandments of Screen Hygiene
In her highly entertaining book “The Winter of Our Disconnect“, author Susan Maushart details the lessons her family of 3 teenagers learned when they lived without technology for six months. At the end of the book, she sums up her lessons: The 11 Commandments of Screen Hygiene Thou shalt not fear boredom Thou shalt not…
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I don’t want to be this kind of dad
I’ve seen myself in this picture: I came across this image when I was reviewing some of my material. It is from a 2007 advertising campaign for the United Church of Canada’s Wondercafe.ca site. It has always stuck with me as a powerful image of the divided loyalties that can come into a family when…
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Mike Wise 