Here in the online peanut gallery we tend to take particular notice of moves that shake the current dynamic of media and information delivery, and today’s tremor certainly has the potential to expand into a full-fledged earthquake. AOL, that stodgy and barely remembered provider of dial-up which used to litter our doorsteps with “free” installation CDs and tried to make the internet proprietary,has announced a $315 million purchase of the Huffington Post.
Month: February 2011
The Superbowl, a Canadian tradition?
Every year on Superbowl Sunday I like to open up a beer, plant myself down in front of the TV and continue the groove I’ve been working into the sofa for over a year. Ever so often, however, this former Canadian Lit student wonders why I feel so compelled to saturate myself with American programming? Then I counter, why can’t I just be entertained by the awesome power of the “bread and circus” of my day? But really I can’t help but think of the implications of being in a culture that is so heavily influenced by its neighbor. Although it has happen before; remember that time Carthage got jealous of Rome?
Viva La Muslim Revolution! (Part 1 of 2)
On December 20, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor tired of having his produce regularly confiscated and with no money to bribe municipal officials decided to burn himself alive in protest. Little did Bouazizi know at the time, his brave act of defiance would spread through Tunisia in a matter of days following his death on January 4th.
Pump up the bandwidth, pirate the Internet
When an invading army or the leaders of a coup want to assert their control over a country, the first stop is usually the local TV station. Take control of the airwaves and the rest will follow.