THIS ISSUE'S STREAM:
[-- NEWSPEAK: MULTIMEDIA INDUSTRY NEWS --]
///// INDUSTRY //////////
+++ Selection Process for Canadian New Media Awards Begins
+++ OnTarget Provides Launching Pad for New Media Students
+++ Alberta College Multimedia Students Up for Grabs
///// CONTENT //////////
+++ CBC Launches Interactive Quiz Show
+++ Landview Online Offers Agri-Food Mapping
+++ Canadian Software Goes to UK Court
+++ Can Home Computers Be Used to Save the World?
+++ Naked News Becomes Equal Opportunity Employer
+++ Relapsed Catholics Find Home Online
///// MARKETING //////////
+++ Advergaming a New Marketing Technique
+++ Vycast Creates Internet-Only Commercials
+++ Rogers Fights the Law and the Law Wins
+++ Microsoft Finally Dumps Clippy
http://www.cnma.ca
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+++ OnTarget Provides Launching Pad for New Media Students
OnTarget, Ontario's new training and human resource
initiative for the new media sector, has launched the
first in a series of online resources aimed at high school
and post-secondary students trying to make sense of the
new media career maze. "This is an important step in the
industry's effort to bring a new generation of skilled
people to the exciting, yet sometimes confusing, world of
new media," said Mark Jones, OnTarget Program Director.
Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Energy, Science and
Technology, OnTarget offers free resources to young people
looking to investigate new media as a possible career
choice. OnTarget then guides them through the ins and outs
of successful training and career management, finally
helping them access a targeted position in the industry.
http://www.getontarget.ca
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+++ Alberta College Multimedia Students Up for Grabs
Need a helping hand around the office? At Alberta College,
the Multimedia students have, we are told, been working
very hard over the past nine months and are looking
forward to the "work site" training segment of their
program to complete their multimedia certificate. Now it's
time to match these eager students with companies willing
to provide hands-on work experience. If you're a
multimedia company that needs help with Web design,
programming, video production, or print media, please
contact Judy Robinson, Multimedia Placement Coordinator,
Alberta College, (780) 423-6284,
judy.robinson@abcollege.ab.ca.
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///// CONTENT //////////
+++ CBC Launches Interactive Quiz Show
CBC is getting ready to launch a high school quiz show
called Smart Ask! Created by Ralph Benmergui, the show
began on CBC Radio One on April 17 with an invitation to
high schools across the country to submit responses to a
skill-testing question. Beginning in September, qualifying
high schools will compete in a 15-minute quiz program. The
winning teams will head to Toronto for the National
Playoffs in December. In the meantime, cyberfans will be
able to play along via Smart Asks' Web site, which will
allow home players to not only play against the clock, but
submit questions for possible use in the broadcasts.
http://cbc.ca/onair/shows/smartask
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+++ Landview Online Offers Agri-Food Mapping
An Alberta firm has developed a new software and Web site
that will provide what it is calling "online agri-food
production management and mapping solutions," ranging from
basic record keeping modules for accounting and other farm
records management to sophisticated mapping features. The
system will also use the Global Positioning System (GPS)
to measure the size of fields, sloughs and creeks.
http://www.landview.com
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+++ Canadian Software Goes to UK Court
Canadian-based software will be used in a court pilot
project in London, England in what is being called the
first "virtual reality" hearings. Ontario's VoiceIQ will
provide the technology whereby defendants will be able to
e-mail their "not guilty" pleas. A court in West London
will be the first of 20 planned pilot centres to test the
new technology, which has been designed to "save time and
money (since) defendants will not always need to attend a
preliminary hearing." It is hoped to extend the system to
78 crown courts within four years.
http://www.voiceiq.com/newsreleases/nr_041201.html
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+++ Can Home Computers Be Used to Save the World?
It began with the SETI project, whereby thousands of
computers, all linked together, utilized their "downtime"
to search the heavens for E.T.. Now the Intel
Philanthropic Peer-to-Peer Program will be used for cancer
research, while FightAIDSatHome will accelerate AIDS
research by using Entropia's global Internet computing. On
the home front, CANARIE is developing the tools and
technologies to eventually allow the computers at schools
and universities to be connected together so that they can
be used for massive distributed computational tasks such
as testing vaccines for AIDS.
http://www.intel.com/cure/program.htm
http://www.fightaidsathome.org
http://www.canarie.ca
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+++ Naked News Becomes Equal Opportunity Employer
In a move that is, uh, being closely watched, Canada's
popular Naked News Web site has announced that they have
hired their first male anchor for their nude newscast.
Lucas Tyler is said to have started off his recent press
conference fully clothed before "stripping down" to his
waist. "Wow, last December I was an investment adviser,"
said the 33-year-old Montrealer. Wow, indeed.
http://www.nakednews.com
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+++ Relapsed Catholics Find Home Online
On the other side of the spectrum we find a Web site where
"the religious rubber meets the pop culture road." That's
the motto of RelapsedCatholic.com. Created by Toronto
author Kathy Shaidle, the site is the daily Web log of
faith, culture and media news, a self-confessed religious
version of the Drudge Report that covers everything from
the Taliban to the Vatican.
http://www.relapsedcatholic.blogspot.com
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///// MARKETING //////////
+++ Advergaming a New Marketing Technique
It's called "advergaming" and is the latest marketing
technique being used to "engage consumers and embed their
brands into entertaining content" according to Strategy
Magazine. The trend began in the U.S. with companies such
as Nike, Miller Brewing, Pepsi and others creating gaming
content for their Web sites based on brand-related
characters. Carole Green of Children's Creative Marketing
of Toronto told Strategy that "advergaming is a great way
to reach the very fragmented kid and youth markets. We're
always looking for new and innovative marketing ideas,
particularly for the youth audience." (Source: Strategy)
http://www.strategymag.com/articles/20010409/advergaming.asp
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+++ Vycast Creates Internet-Only Commercials
Montreal clothing company TXT Carbon has commissioned
Vycast to create a series of Internet-only ads designed to
introduce the company's new spring clothing line. The two
30-second "e-commercials" will highlight the "good
clothes, good karma" ad campaign and are geared for easy
e-mail distribution. "They created a brilliant campaign
from the e-commercials and through to the finished Web
site," says Frank Nicodemo, President of TXT Carbon. "No
one's seen anything like this before. I am confident that
visitors to our site will be blown away by the
presentation."
http://www.txtcarbon.com
http://www.vycast.com
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+++ Rogers Fights the Law and the Law Wins
Rogers Cable has lost its bid to prevent a Dutch video
distributor from using a domain name similar to its own.
Rogers had lodged a complaint with The Internet Corp. for
Assigned Names and Numbers after learning that Arran
"Roger" Lal was using the domain name rogersvideo.com to
sell videos and photographs of "an erotic nature." The
panel found that Lal was not a cybersquatter but "a
legitimate businessman they termed a specialist in one-off
productions made for specific clients." The panel further
scolded the cable company for bringing charges in the
first place. In a related story, Canadian Tire has taken a
London, Ontario construction worker to court in a dispute
over a domain name. Is the subject of the suit
canadiantire.com, you ask? Or even cdntire.com? No, the
Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization is
being asked to rule on ... crappytire.com. (Source:
National Post
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+++ Microsoft Finally Dumps Clippy
Microsoft's so-called help system, the ever-annoying
Clippy, is finally set to receive his well-deserved pink
slip. Lisa Gurry, a Microsoft Office product manager, said
Clippy has lived a useful life but is no longer needed.
"We think Office has so many new features for making it
easier to use that Clippy is no longer useful." [Talk
about an understatement. -- ED.] Microsoft has set up a
Web site that includes a mock layoff notice and resume for
the clumsy cad Clippy.
http://www.officeclippy.com
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///// DEALS //////////
+++ E-Cruiter.com Acquires Orlando Firm
When Ottawa's outplacement firm E-Cruiter.com completes
its all-share deal to buy Allen and Associates of Orlando,
Florida it will nearly double its staff and increase its
revenues five-fold. Allen and Associates currently has 11
offices across the U.S.. E-Cruiter had revenue of CDN$1.6
million for the first half of fiscal 2001 with a net loss
of $3.6 million. E-Cruiter says it hopes to weather the
current market by offering a broad range of employment
services. "The industry is consolidating," says Michael
Mullarkey, who became E-Cruiter's president and chief
executive officer as part of the acquisition. (Source: CP)
http://www.ecruiter.com
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+++ Interactive Youth Culture Expert Joins Delvinia
Delvinia, an interactive brand solutions firm based in
Toronto, has announced the appointment of Kate Baggott to
the position of Senior Interactive Specialist. Baggott has
worked in the interactive industry since 1995 and is a
leading authority on how children and teens use
interactive technologies. "Her expertise in the realm of
youth markets will help Delvinia's clients connect with
this much sought-after group," said Adam Froman,
Delvinia's President. In this key role, Baggott will
contribute to the firm's knowledge management, interactive
research and strategic consulting divisions.
http://www.delvinia.com
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///// INFRASTRUCTURE //////////
+++ The Highs and Lows of High-Speed Access
The dream of the ultimate home-based high-speed Internet
could become a reality as early as 2003, according to Bell
Canada. Bell says it could be offering fibre-optic
services directly to some homes, providing "up to a 100-
fold increase over current high-speed Internet access
rates." A home fibre connection would enable users to
download video files and watch broadcast programming over
the Internet in a fraction of the time it now takes.
Trials for the new service could being in 18 months. In
the meantime, there are some concerns that up to 40 per
cent of Bell Sympatico high-speed users could be
vulnerable to hacker attacks. The problem stems from an
apparent weakness in the Alcatel modem which could allow a
number of privacy and security breaches. A spokesman for
Bell told The Toronto Star that they are "determining the
validity of the study" that first identified the problem.
(Source: The Toronto Star)
http://www.bell.ca
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///// FACTS & FIGURES //////////
+++ Canadians Love to Love Their Technology
A new study from A.C. Nielsen suggests that Canadians'
love for all things technical continues to increase.
According to results published in The Globe and Mail, 69
per cent of Canadian households owned a personal computer
in 2000, up from 61 per cent in 1999. That figure accounts
for the largest yearly increase since Nielsen began its
survey in 1995. Part of the surge may be due to our love
of the Internet. When asked for the primary use for their
computers, 36 per cent of respondents indicated the
Internet, up from 27 per cent in 1999. Indeed 79 per cent
of PC-owning households had Web access, an increase from
68 per cent in 1999. Another deciding factor may have been
the price of PCs, which continued to fall. (Source: The
Globe and Mail)
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+++ Canadians Fearful of Cyber-Crimes
A recent survey by Ipsos-Reid indicates that just more
than half of Canadians say they feel "threatened or
concerned about illicit online activities such as hacking
and computer viruses." The survey also shows that many
Canadians, upwards of 49 per cent, noted that fear of
Internet crimes makes them "less likely to conduct
business over the Internet." "The research shows that
cyber security isn't just a business issue any more,"
according to Gaylen Duncan, president and chief executive
officer of the Information Technology Association of
Canada (ITAC). "Now the people who use Internet services
and are vulnerable to Internet-based crimes are adding
their voices too." (Source: The Globe and Mail)
http://www.ipsos-reid.com/services/p_inter.cfm
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+++ StatsCan Releases Networked Canada Profile
Statistics Canada has released a new publication entitled
Networked Canada. The publication provides what it calls
the first-ever statistical profile of Canada's information
and communications technology (ICT) sector. Produced under
Statistics Canada's Connectedness program, it examines the
growth and performance of the ICT sector on the basis of
such variables as economic output, employment, exports,
imports, revenues and research and development. It also
examines individual ICTs as commodities, notably the
Internet, analysing their penetration and use across all
economic sectors.
http://www.statcan.ca:80/Daily/English/010409/d010409c.htm
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[-- DIGERATI DATEBOOK: UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS --]
+++ Interactive Arena: Mobile Magic
May 1, 2001 in Toronto, ON
The Canadian Film Centre's Interactive Arena presents Kim
Binsted, Founder, CEO & Director of Japan's i-chara, for a
discussion of new advances in mobile technology.
http://www.cdnfilmcentre.com
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+++ Canadian New Media Awards
May 28, 2001 in Toronto, ON
For more information, visit the Canadian New Media Awards
Web site (http://www.cnma.ca) or e-mail info@cnma.ca.
The Canadian New Media Awards would not be possible without
the support of its generous sponsors:
A sincere thank-you goes out to the Liberty Village New
Media Centre. A Silver Sponsor, the Liberty Village New
Media Centre (LVNMC) is a non-profit corporation
established to act as a business and marketing hub for the
new media industry. Officially launching April 26th, 2000,
the LVNMC will provide resources and offer networking and
professional development opportunities to spur the
economic growth of the new media industry in Toronto and
across Ontario. Visit the Liberty Village New Media Centre
Web site for more information:
http://www.lvnmc.com
As a Gold Sponsor, the Canadian Cable Television
Association (CCTA) has also played an important role in
supporting the 2001 Canadian New Media Awards. CCTA is the
national association representing large and small cable
companies who deliver broadcasting, Internet and
telecommunications services to more than 7.4 million homes
across Canada. For more information visit the CCTA Web
site at:
http://www.ccta.ca
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+++ SIFT New Media Workshops
May 29 to June 3, 2001 in Ottawa, ON
Learn about where the cutting-edge of interactive
entertainment is going, explore the creative process
behind developing interactive new media, and delve into
the exciting new world of storytelling on the Net.
Register by April 30th and save $60 off the price of a
workshop. For details, surf http://www.cstc.ca or call
1-800-742-6016.
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+++ VentureFair.com
June 7, 2001 in Toronto, ON
Hosted by the Toronto Venture Group (TVG), VentureFair.com
is an Internet and e-business venture capital event.
http://www.venturefair.com
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+++ GlobeTech@Nation's Capital Conference
June 11-12, 2001 in Ottawa, ON
Hosted by CATA Alliance, GlobeTech is the place to be to
meet strategic business partners, showcase innovative
technologies, raise corporate profile, and access new
ideas and expertise.
http://www.cata.ca/globetech
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