Bell Canada Invests in High Speed Internet Access
Bell Canada has announced that it will invest $1.5 billion
over three years in order to expand and enhance high speed
Internet availability for both residential and business
customers. The move will see Bell accelerate its planned
high speed access program to reach five million homes, or
over 70 percent of its customers, by the end of the year.
That figure will rise to over 85 percent by the end of
2002. In addition, in some centers, including Toronto,
Bell's optical fibre mesh network will be built using
optical cables containing more than 800 fibres, enabling
rapid expansion of services that provide up to a gigabit
(1000 MBPS) connectivity services for large business
customers.
http://www.bell.ca/
Thomson Acquires a Content Mother Lode
Thomson has acquired Dialog's Information Services
Division (ISD) for US$275 million. The deal will provide
Thomson with access to a broad range of Internet and
intranet-based content. Dialog's "nine terabytes, or more
than six billion pages, of essential information in
business, science, engineering, finance and law" are
currently available to more than twenty thousand
professional and corporate customers in 120 countries.
Dialog will change its name to Bright Station.
http://www.thomcorp.com/
Broadcasters Call for Changes to Copyright Act
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is calling
for changes to the Copyright Act that would block any
future attempts to resell its content without payment. CAB
said it will push for amendments that would prevent
Internet companies, such as iCraveTV, from re-broadcasting
signals without first negotiating fees with the
originating stations. The association is seeking
"immediate changes to section 31 of the Copyright Act to
explicitly carve on-line media entities out of the
definition of retransmitter." (Source: The Financial Post)
http://www.cab-acr.ca/
E-TV: The Integration of Culture and Commerce
The Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) has
called on the government to "encourage the convergence of
distribution, programming, new media and e-commerce." The
report, entitled E-TV: The Integration of Culture and
Commerce, explores the "the economy and its implications
for economic growth, consumer choice, competition,
Canadian content and the regulated communications
industries." Of prime importance in the future will be
interactive digital communications, new enterprises
arising out of convergence and e-commerce to the home (E-
TV), a term denoting the broadband distribution of e-
commerce, entertainment and information to the home. The
report is available online and includes information
supplied by the fine folks at MultiMediator's parent
company, MMSG.
http://www.ccta.ca/
North America's First ITV Course Set for Canada
Toronto's FLUX: Media and the Bell Centre for Creative
Communications at Toronto's Centennial College have
announced an alliance that will result in an educational
course focusing on Interactive Television (ITV). The
program will apparently be the first of its kind in North
America and will encourage students to "experiment with
leading-edge technologies in a setting that fosters
creative learning and real-world training." ITV, which
twins broadcast TV with the Internet, is one of the
fastest growing segments of the high-tech field.
http://www.bccc.com/
http://www.fluxability.com/
Bell Mobility and Scotiabank Announce Wireless Deal
Thanks to an agreement between Scotiabank and Bell
Mobility, customers with Digital PCS phones will soon be
able to check their accounts, pay bills or transfer funds
anytime, anywhere. This new service will be delivered
using Mobile Browser, a Bell Mobility service enabling
users to log onto the Internet from their Digital PCS
phones. Customers using the '.com-ready' phones will also
have access to discount brokerage information, including
stock quotes, alerts, trade confirmations and personal
portfolios.
http://www.bellmobility.ca/
Wireless Talks for Rogers, AT&T and GoAmerica
An agreement between Rogers, AT&T and GoAmerica would
allow customers to browse and fully access the Internet
using Rogers AT&T Mobitex network. The nationwide Mobitex
network provides users with access to information on
standard computers, without the need for phone or cable
connections. The triad also hopes to develop Canadian
content for Go.Web in Canada. (Source: Canada Internet.com)
High Tech Haven Proposed for Toronto's Waterfront
The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Task Force has
announced plans for the Toronto Waterfront redevelopment
that includes a "convergence community that crosses all
disciplines of creativity to take advantage of Toronto's
unique position in new media, communications, music,
biotechnology, software and high technology." Robert Fung,
head of the Government of Ontario-appointed task force,
told The Globe and Mail that he would like to see a
"unified voice for Toronto, a knowledge port with the type
of organization, scope and scale that is associated with
Hong Kong's CyberPort and Singapore's Intelligent Island."
The Globe also quotes a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers
study (produced in collaboration with MultiMediator's
parent company, MMSG) that estimated that "Toronto could
be losing up to $3 billion and about 30,000 jobs because
its new media cluster lacks the organization and co-
operation needed to properly market itself." And Smart
Toronto has estimated that there are 3,100 high-tech
companies scattered throughout the Greater Toronto Area,
employing about 155,000 workers." (Source: The Globe and
Mail)
http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/waterfront/fung_report.htm
One Million Canadians Made Purchases Online in '99
A recent report has found that Canadians spent on average
$770 dollars online in 1999. One million Canadians, or
nine percent of the country's online population, purchased
goods or services online. The IDC, who surveyed Internet
users for Ernst & Young, also found that while Canadians
currently spend 5 to 6 percent of their retail dollars
online and would prefer to shop at Canadian sites, most
found sites in the US offered better choices. The top
three sites visited by Canadian shoppers are Amazon.com,
eBay and Canada's Chapters.ca. The report suggested that
Canadian retailers should move quickly to establish an
Internet presence in order to limit the current advantage
of US retailers. (Source: The Toronto Star)
http://www.eycan.com/
Canadian Videogame Developer Scoops Grand Prize
A family-owned Canadian multimedia company has taken home
the Grand Prize, Best Game Design and the Technical
Excellence awards for its videogame project, Tread Marks,
at the second annual Game Developers Conference
Independent Games Festival (IGF). The company, Longbow
Digital Arts, is a run by various members of the McNally
family from their home base in Providence Bay in Northern
Ontario. The game is an "off-road tank racing and combat
game featuring 20 different tank models, a destroyable
landscape and 23 different weapons." (Source: Spectrum)
http://www.longbowdigitalarts.com/
Wondrous Odors Part Two
Those readers who may have been caught sniffing their
monitors in our April Fool's prank (The New World Odor,
BitStream #17) may be justifiably reluctant to take this
report at face value, but we swear this one is true!
Oakland, California-based DigiScents has created iSmell, a
"digital smell technology" that it says will bring a sense
of smell to your computer. With iSmell, you can enjoy "
immersive games, realistic movies, and atmospheric music"
or "send e-greetings that smell like chocolate or roses."
No, really.
http://www.digiscents.com/
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[-- PLUG: INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS --]
E-Commerce Opportunities Highlighted in Detroit
The Canadian Consulate General in Detroit is inviting
Canadian e-commerce developers to take part in a trade
mission. The Canadian Consulate General and the Great
Lakes Interactive Association (GLIMA) are organizing this
event which will take place from May 16 to 17 and includes
a one-day workshop entitled Global E-business 2000. The
workshop will feature industry leaders discussing some of
the issues companies must consider when developing e-
commerce strategies. Registration is US$150 per person.
For more information, contact Nicole Hayley at
. (Source: SMART Toronto)
http://cvs.silvercube.com/glima/
IMAT's Advisory Council Wants You
The Interactive Multimedia Arts & Technologies association
(IMAT) launched its Advisory Council in January 2000. The
Advisory Council will bring together industry leaders,
leading edge content development companies and fee-for-
service companies in Ontario for a monthly forum designed
to "deliver high impact business intelligence." Other
goals of the Advisory Council include creation of a
strong multimedia industry alliance and partnerships,
providing strategic business skills to companies, and
creating and promoting industry innovation to capture mind
share. If your company is interested in participating in
IMAT's Advisory Council, please contact IMAT's president,
Aurel Langlois, by e-mail at president@imat.ca.
http://www.imat.ca/
New Media Centre Seeks Executive Director
The Advisory Committee of the newly established Liberty
Village New Media Centre (LVNMC) is seeking an innovative
and entrepreneurial individual to fill the position of
Executive Director. The Liberty Village New Media Centre
will service all of Toronto's new media clusters, and was
made possible through an investment of $1M by the Province
of Ontario. As the most senior member of the management
team, the Executive Director will play a key role in
refining and implementing the centre's three-year business
plan to support the advancement of the new media sector in
Toronto. This person will work with private and public
sector stakeholders to increase competitiveness and
innovation, attract and retain investment and stimulate
job creation in this dynamic industry. Please visit
http://www.sto.org/lvnmc/ for a complete job description
and more information on this exciting career opportunity.
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[-- DIGERATI DATEBOOK: UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS --]
Towards the Digital Media Institute
April 13 - June 15, 2000 in Toronto, ON
The University of Toronto's Knowledge Media Design
Institute, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Sheridan
College, and the Canadian Film Centre are presenting a 10-
week lecture series: Towards a Digital Media Institute.
Speakers will include Paul Hoffert (CulTech Research
Centre), Ronald Baecker (University of Toronto), Michael
Murphy (Ryerson Polytechnic University), Robin King
(Sheridan College), William Buxton (Alias| Wavefront),
Wayne Clarkson (Canadian Film Centre) and others and
should be of interest to anyone in the digital media
industry, including "the technical, cultural, finance,
government, and academic sectors." The series is free but
those interested in attending are asked to contact
dmi.info@utoronto.ca so they can arrange for sufficient
refreshments. For further information, live Webcasts, and
archives of the sessions, please see the DMI Web site.
http://www.rcc.ryerson.ca/dmi/
Is Technology Replacing Storytelling in Film?
April 17, 2000 in Toronto, ON
Join guest speaker William Buxton as he explores whether
or not technology is distorting the focus of creative
control in filmmaking. Buxton is a designer and researcher
specializing in human aspects of technology, human-
computer interaction, and technology mediated
collaborative work (Telepresence). He is Chief Scientist
at Alias| Wavefront Inc., as well as its parent company,
Silicon Graphics Inc. and an Associate Professor in the
Department of Computer Science at the University of
Toronto. For more info, call (416) 216-2160 or surf
http://www.dx.org/.
Sheridan Open House at Apple Media Centre
As mentioned in BitStream #17, the Sheridan College New
Media Design's annual industry Open House will take place
on May 2, 2000. Please note that the location of the open
house is Apple Canada's Media Centre; incorrect
information appeared in the previous issue. The Sheridan
Open House provides an opportunity for employers, alumni
and other program supporters to view the final Web design
projects by the graduating class of this post-diploma
course. For more info and to RSVP, please e-mail Gillian
Chubb at gillian.chubb@sheridanc.on.ca.
Trade Mission to Washington, DC
The World Trade Centre Montreal (WTC Montreal) and Team
Canada Inc., through the International Trade Centre of
Industry Canada have issued invitations to take part in a
trade mission to the World Bank (WB) and the Inter-
American Development Bank (IDB) to be held in Washington,
DC from May 3 to 5, 2000. The mission will be chaired by
Mr. Andre Gladu, Deputy Minister, Canada Economic
Development, and will focus on the Telecommunications,
Telehealth, Information Technologies and Software sectors.
For more information, e-mail aperron@wtcmontreal.com or
surf http://www.wtcmontreal.com/. (Source: IMAT)
Nominations for Canadian New Media Awards Close
Nominations have closed for the inaugural Canadian New
Media Awards. In all, over 250 nominations were received
via the Canadian New Media Awards Web site
http://www.multimediator.com/cnma/ with entries from as
far away as the Northwest Territories. The awards show and
gala reception will be held Thursday, May 18, 2000 at the
John Bassett Theatre in Toronto.
An awards show such as this couldn't be possible without
help from sponsoring organizations such as newMedia2000.
As Canada's leading international event for the multimedia
and digital content creation community, newMedia2000
showcases digital technology across all media platforms
through an exhibit hall with thousands of cutting-edge
products and 130-plus conferences. newMedia2000 takes
place May 15 to May 18 at the Metropolitan Toronto
Convention Centre. Visit the newMedia2000 Web site for
more information: http://www.newmedia.ca/
