Two record Labels to invest in social music site

I haven't spent much time on the social music sites lately (last.fm, ilike.com, imeen.com), but I do have a membership at MOG. Techcrunch is reporting today that Universal and possibly Sony are part of a $2.8 million dollar round of financing for the growing music community. This should bring even more music to these free sites. My worry is the music is becoming completely devalued, at one point a great song was a shared experienced, now music seems to becoming background clutter mashup of ringtones, commercials and festivals.

read more at Techncrunch

iPhone to be released in Canada

Start reallocating your food budget now, Rogers announced today that the iPhone will be coming to Canada this year. Well, except for knowing a cost and a date it's all a go. Now if Apple & Rogers can get those pesky folks at Comwave Telecom to go away - they just happen to own the iPhone trademark in Canada. I say, give them all free iPhones and a 3-year plan.

read the CBC story

Where is the Grand Theft Auto IV pre-release backlash?

A day on the couch with the flu had me tuned into the BBC and CNN and I watched in fevered rapture as BBC, CTV and CNN were gushing over the release of the latest Grand Theft Auto franchise. Interviews with the developers, gamers and shots of the midnight line-ups of folks who could not wait until the next morning to get their caloused thumbs on this baby.

Now my question is, where are the concerned parent groups, the religious nuts, and child psychologists. Those who wait in eager anticipation of the latest violent movie, gangsta rap hit, or adult video games to get their self-serving licks and facetime. They're really missing an opportunity to get plugs in for their latest books, self-righteous blogs and non-profit orgs.

Anyways, my unqualified speculations is that news network producers all booked off sick to play the game - but not me, I really have succumbed to a non-video game related sickness.

Read the BBC story

New Coldplay single available today for FREE download

In the spirit of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails... blah blah blah...

'Violet Hill' the first single from Coldplay's new "Viva La Vida' album is available for a week starting today as a free download to fans who visit their website. The site timed out on me twice, but I'll get my mp3 come hell or highwater.

Details of two upcoming free shows in London and New York will be announced this week also.

So, now where is my confirmation email with link... update: I got the link but its asking me for a password.

Amy Winehouse to record Bond Theme

Wowsers... between head butting bar patrons, divorcing her incarcerated hubby and falling off the wagon... everyone's favorite train-wreck of a popstar (British division) has found time to head in to the studio with Mark Ronson to record the theme song for the new James Bond movie 'Quantam of Solace'. Kidding aside 'Back to Black' and 'Frank' are still getting consistent play on my iPod.

read the BBC story

The Last Shadow Puppets

I'm a week behind on this, but The Last Shadow Puppets, made up of Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) and Miles Kane (Rascals) hit the UK top 10 with 'The Age Of The Understatement' a fuzzed-up chunk of yummy Brit-pop. And a sure-bet to capture the 2008 video award for best use of iconic Russian imagery. The boys look so tiny against those tanks, and yes dear scenesters... I know it sounds like Muse's Knights of Cydonia.

Web Page SizeTriples Since 2003

Dialup internet users be damned! The file size of an individual web page has tripled since 2003 growing from 93.7k to over 312k (233%). The number of objects in the average web page has doubled from 25.7 to 49.9.

Read more at WebPageOptimization.com

GO departures on your handheld

GO Transit passengers need no longer strain their necks by looking up at the electronic departure boards, now they can be disappointed before even entering the station. You can now view the live Union Station GO Transit departure boards on your handheld devices (and your computer if you want)

click here to view the live departure board

90 year-old Wisconsin Paper goes Online Only

Online-only newspapers are nothing new, but this past weekend 90 year-old Madison, Wisconsin daily paper 'The Capital Times' folded up its daily version of its print edition. An editorial announced the change stating - Starting tomorrow, The Capital Times will be a daily newspaper of the sort Americans will know in the 21st century. With shrinking circulation and skyrocketing production and transportation costs this will no doubt be the first of many.

Click here to read the story

Student Twitters himself out of an Egyptain jail

University of California-Berkeley grad student James Karl Buck was in Egypt to cover an anti-government protest when police arrested his translator and himself. Normally, his phone would have been confiscated, but luckily for James he was able to keep his. He quickly sent off a quick text message of 'Arrested' to his Twitter account.

Within just a few seconds friends who had been following his Twitter account were alerted to the crisis. Over the next few hours he sent several updates on his situation.

Read more now at CNN

Saturday Morning Wake-Up Call - Handlebars by Flobots

Denver hip-hop group provides a kick in the gut , check out the MySpace page for more. Strong stuff.

Kokanee Ranger Live or Die Campaign

Help choose the rate of everyone's favorite moustached park ranger. See alternate endings of the TV commercial, download a campaign kit and post your thoughts.
Link

How not to forget to remember everything... huh?

This month's WIRED features an article on Piotr Wozniak, a Polish software developer who has created a porgram called Super Memo. Its based on the idea that there is an ideal time to practice what you learn - too soon and it doesn't take hold, too late and you've forgotten everything and will have to try to re-learn. His idea is that the right time to practice and remember something is right at the moment you're about to forget. The variable is that this is different for every person and the particular thing they are learning.

SuperMemo is based on the insight that there is an ideal moment to practice what you've learned. Practice too soon and you waste your time. Practice too late and you've forgotten the material and have to relearn it. The right time to practice is just at the moment you're about to forget. Unfortunately, this moment is different for every person and each bit of information.

Read the full article here before you forget too.

How Twitter would look from space

It's the site you never knew you needed. Creating by Digitas France, wittEarth offers a global visualization of incoming twitters from everywhere on the planet. The globe turns and shows a new twitter every 10 seconds coming from what looks like a Japanese vinyl toy. You'll wonder how those 20 minutes went by. Although it is a little depressing seeing night time approaching your part of the world.

Link

Gossipgirl too popular online?

While everyone else is adding streams of their episodes to their websites, the CW won't be streaming any of the new season's episodes of the popular teen drama 'Gossip Girl'. Other TV network researchers have pointed out the online exposure of their TV shows acts as a marketing tool and only helps attract more viewers back to the regular TV broadcast.

Read the Hollywood Reporter story

Facebook Chat Enters My Network

After weeks of anticipations (well maybe curiousity) the Facebook chat function has appeared on my page. Sitting in the lower right corner of the window it shows a nice popup with a list of my friends who are online right now - click on the name/image of the friend and the chat window pops up. Nice, but of course it only works while I am within the Facebook site, which last summer would have meant several hours a day - but now really just adds up to a quick glance when I get an alert through my Firefox Facebook toolbar.

Dude... it's Dude Madness

Bud Light has launched a site for DudeMadness, to accompany their hilarious 'Dude' TV ads. Choose a dude mood and have a message sent to a friend - install the 'Check Your Dudeness' Facebook application (btw... I am a 'Righteous Dude') or watch videos of all the TV ads.

Visit the site

Ask a Legend at YouTube. Do you have a question for Mick or Keith.

Upload your video question for Mick and Keith. YouTube introduces the Living Legends channel with a collaboration with the the Glimmer Twins. Must remember to drop by the IMAX and see 'Shine a Light' - despite not recording any relevant music since 1982 the Stones still put on one of the greatest shows in rock'n' roll.

View the Living Legends channel.

GO to run double decker buses between York U and Oakville

I'm way behind the news on this one, but saw the picture on the cover of the Mississauga News.
I rode the (single-level) GO bus from Hamilton to Toronto for 2 1/2 years - it was a great experience. Lean back in the plush seats, position head against the cool window and drift off to my happy place. It was an hour of peace between the work version of me and the home (work) version of me. Now, I'm in Mississauga and its a quick 20 minute GO Train ride (well if it's on time and not delayed due to mechanical or switch issues) - hardly long enough to listen to a whole podcast or get any quality beauty sleep.

But anyways, these double decker buses look awesome even with the green GO livery. They have 12 in service now with another 10 on order. Not sure if I'll see them Downtown, might be a little tall for the Union Station track underpass.

iPod heavy rotation report - what I'm listening to

New stuff...

Black Keys - Attack and Release: down and dirty blues rock. Everyone knows its produced by the infamous Danger Mouse. Just listen to its because its good. Do not compare to White Stripes. And hey they're on Letterman this Thursday the 17th!
learn more

Counting Crows - Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings: Adam Duritz and crew are back. Great Rolling Stone article that everyone should read. Maybe Duritz isn't the drok he seemed to be. This is a tasty collection of tunes. I'm loving '1492' and 'Los Angeles' right now, but 'You Can't Count On Me'. Makes me want to dig out my cassette (yes, that's right) of 'August and Everything After' and relive those early 90s.
learn more

Old Stuff...
The Police - Regatta de Blanc: i dug this album back in 1979-80. What more can you say... 'Message in a Bottle', ' Bring on the Night', 'The Bed's Too Big...', 'Walking on the Moon' - this was back when they seemed to like each other and Sting wasn't that obnoxious.

Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge on Town: It's now a regular Friday night routine to play 'Racing in the Streets' as I walk from the GO Train to my building. But I always preface it with Candy's Room, awesome drumming from Mr. Max Weinberg. I was not into Springsteen in 1978 when this came out. I think my favorite albums that year were Meatloaf 'Bat Out of Hell' and Foreigner 'Double Vision' - don't be hatin' I was 16 years old. BTW, Meatloaf still rocks.

til next month, keep your iPods set on stun...

Where were you when the Cloverfield Monster Attacked?

I still thought the Cloverfield movie was loads of fun, the monster was freaky-scarey and the upfront viral marketing had me running around trying to connect the dots for weeks. Paramount now has a contest running in conjunction with the April 21 DVD Release. Viewers are invited to submit their own video of what they were doing when the Cloverfield monster attacked NY - no doubt I would have been sleeping, blogging or blogging in my sleep. Prizes are $4500 and a DVD prize package. Visit the site to check it out.

MySpace to launch new content series 'I Love Chieftown'

MySpace has tapped the production company 'Big Balls Film' to create a 60-episode of 'I Love Chieftown' - a story of an aspiring filmmaker, as she follows an up and coming band.

Big Balls Film is the production company behind MySpace competitor Beebo's online drama Kate Modern. Its reported that Kate Modern featured five major advertisers (Orange, Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Buena Vista/Disney & Paramount) who payed a minimum of £250,000 for their products to be incorporated into the four-minute episodes.

MySpace reports that the show will have plenty of opportunity for interaction with its viewers - they will be able to choose characters, meet the band, appear as extras or even help shape the storyline.

Scotiabank staff to use blogs and wikis for sharing information

The Bank of Nova Scotia has launched an internal initiative for its staff to collaborate and share information via blogs and wikis. It is being tested with 800 staff in its international banking division in Toronto before being rolled out to an additional 2000 employees worldwide.

The system is based on Microsoft's Sharepoint and is being reported as the first of its kind by a Canadian Financial institution.

Link to story

HarperColins to launch a web community for 'tweens'

HarperCollins is set to launch a new online portal for girls called Lola's Land, based on one of the publisher's fictioanl characters. The site will be aimed at girls in the 'tween' age bracket and will combine editorial, games, social networking and even a virtual world.

Users will be able to build their own custom avatars modelled after the illustrative style of the Lola Love books. Users will be able to connect with other as friends and move and interact throughout the Lola's land virtual world.

Roommates.com could face discrimination charges

reported in Online Media Daily, April 7, 2008

Web publishers beware, a judge in California has ruled that the roommate matching site Roommates.com could be sued based on their matching preferences which include race, sexual preference, whether the person has children or other aspects that are unlawful.

Roommates.com's position was that the Communications Decency Act immunized it from discrimination lawsuits based on user comments, but the 9th Circuit ruled that the roommate-matching site couldn't rely on that statute because it actively solicited allegedly unlawful information as part of the matching process.

The case stemmed from a lawsuit by the Fair Housing Councils of San Diego and the San Fernando Valley, Calif. They charged that the site was breaking the law by matching up roommates based on factors like their race or whether they had children.

A lawsuit accusing listings site Craigslist with violating fair housing laws was recently dismissed by another appellate court, the 7th Circuit, but that case had a crucial difference: Craigslist didn't structure questions in a way that elicited the objectionable criteria. Instead, users decided on their own to write ads that expressed racial or religious preferences.

Link to full story