THIS ISSUE'S STREAM:
[-- NEWSPEAK: MULTIMEDIA INDUSTRY NEWS --]
///// INDUSTRY //////////
+++ Alan Rock Loves Broadband
+++ Wireless Dispatch Service Launched
+++ MTS Offers Discount DSL
///// CONTENT //////////
+++ Rogers Introduces the Holy Grail
+++ Some Cell Phone Users Addicted to Games
///// MARKETING //////////
+++ Radio You Can See?
+++ Ulterior Emotions Now Online
///// INFRASTRUCTURE //////////
+++ High Speed Internet Comes to First Nation Communities
///// DEALS //////////
+++ Canadian VC Investments Still Strong
///// FACTS & FIGURES //////////
+++ Nua Counts Internet Users Online
///// GREAT IDEAS //////////
+++ CBC Asks Public for Critical Input
[-- DIGERATI DATEBOOK: UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS --]
+++ LVNMC Partnering Forum
+++ Engaging BC Communities in a Digital World
+++ FlashinTO Festival
+++ Canadian New Media Awards
[-- GEEKERS' CORNER: EDITORIAL --]
+++ Is Ontario the Only New Media Cluster Left in Canada?
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[-- NEWSPEAK: MULTIMEDIA INDUSTRY NEWS --]
///// INDUSTRY //////////
+++ Alan Rock Loves Broadband
Minister of Industry Allan Rock recently told a Canadian Chamber of
Commerce meeting that "broadband access is still an important
component if Canada is to transform itself into a world leader in
innovation.... We will ensure that high-speed broadband access is
available to Canadian communities from coast to coast by
2005," he is quoted as saying in ITBusiness. "Broadband to me means a
physician in a northern community being able to use telemedicine to
access a consultation with a specialist. Broadband to me means
enabling a small or medium-sized business operator in a rural
community having access to the tools that person needs to compete,
not only with Canadian companies, but with the world. There's no
reason why those opportunities shouldn't be spread equally among
Canadians." (Source: ITBusiness.ca)
http://www.itbusiness.ca/index.asp?theaction=61&sid=47733
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+++ Wireless Dispatch Service Launched
Bell Mobility and Nextair have joined forces to offer what they are
calling the next level of dispatch applications over the wireless
Internet. mdispatch.com is a dispatch solution designed to meet the
needs of couriers, workers in field service, transportation and
healthcare. Dispatchers will now be able to assign new tasks from
their PCs, while allowing staff to respond in the field, in real
time, using their wireless devices.
http://www.bce.ca/en/news/releases
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+++ MTS Offers Discount DSL
Manitoba Telecom (MTS) has launched a competitive Internet plan
tailored to dial-up customers living in DSL service areas. Priced at
$24.95 for unlimited use, the "DSL Starter plan employs the same
leading edge technology that serves DSL High Speed Internet
customers, and includes free installation, a free modem kit and a
30-day free trial period. "MTS is offering DSL high-speed Internet
access in Winnipeg, Brandon and 34 rural communities throughout the
province, including four northern communities.
http://www.mts.mb.ca/dslstarter
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///// CONTENT //////////
+++ Rogers Introduces the Holy Grail
Rogers Cable has announced plans to provide video-on-demand (VOD) on
a trial basis in the Toronto area. Sometimes called the "holy grail"
of TV options, VOD has been on the back burner since the 1980s but is
only now feasible after spending billions on systems upgrades. Rogers
will begin the service with about 1,000 customers who will be able to
access a library of video titles 24 hours-a-day. Viewers will retain
use of the "video" for a 24-hour period via the set-top box. Rogers
plans to roll out the service to 90 per cent of their Ontario
customers over the next 18 to 24 months.
http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/February2002/19/c3172.html/12634-0
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+++ Some Cell Phone Users Addicted to Games
The man in the three-piece you see staring at his cell phone while
riding on the bus might not be waiting for a call, according to an
article in The Globe and Mail. In fact the odds are pretty good that
the man killing time is completely engrossed in one of the many games
now available via cell phones. "Bell Mobility says more than half of
wireless browser use is now games-related, compared with 14 per cent
just one year ago." In fact, Telus says the game AtomicDove is so
popular with the upwardly mobile mobiles that the phone company
sponsored a tournament late last year, complete with cash prizes.
(Source: Globe and Mail)
http://www.atomicdove.com
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///// MARKETING //////////
+++ Radio You Can See?
Surf Media Group is extolling the virtues of radio you can see. The
Rich-Radio Content System "provides radio stations with a vehicle to
extend on-air advertising through the use of the Internet."
Advertisers will have the opportunity to offer interactive coupons
and other promotional incentives, tickets, location maps, online
surveys and conventional banner advertising. "Radio is the one media
that can most easily incorporate the Internet into its current on-air
system and be truly empowered by it," says Paul Dowling, founder of
Surf Media Group.
http://www.surfradioads.com
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+++ Ulterior Emotions Now Online
If you watched the Olympics at all on Canadian TV, you probably saw
the beer ad featuring the fictional CD about guys and their ulterior
emotions. Well, it turns out the CD itself is not so fictional after
all. In fact the collection of would-be hits from yesteryear is now
available online for the price of shipping and handling. These are
full-length versions of such hokey treasures as "It Takes a Special
Kind of Woman to Make Sandwiches for the Guys" and "You Said It Was
Okay to Go to the Game (I Should Have Known It Wasn't)."
http://www.budlightinstitute.ca
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///// INFRASTRUCTURE //////////
+++ High Speed Internet Comes to First Nation Communities
Imark has announced a new two-way high-speed satellite Internet
service for three First Nations Communities. In partnership with
Donna Cona, a leading Aboriginal information technology firm,
thousands of households and businesses in Maliseet-Madawaska First
Nations, the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake and the Six Nations
communities now have access to LinCsat's two-way high-speed Internet
service. "This is a major step in our vision for the evolution of our
First Nations Communities," said John Bernard, President of Donna
Cona.
http://www.donnacona.com/LinCsat-Feb15-2002.htm
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///// DEALS //////////
+++ Canadian VC Investments Still Strong
Is it a Recession or a recession or something in-between? Never mind.
A new report indicates that while US-based venture capital firms
"have pretty-much turned off the tap for new deals," their Canadian
counterparts are continuing to invest at "a healthy pace." US-based
VCs cut back 73 per cent in the amounts they invested in the first
three quarters of 2001, while Canadians saw their levels drop by a
mere 14 per cent. What's more, the report says, "the amount of money
Canadian VCs are investing in the United States has more than
doubled" during that period. (Source: Red Herring)
http://www.redherring.com/vc/2002/0204/1528.html
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///// FACTS & FIGURES //////////
+++ Nua Counts Internet Users Online
The figures vary, of course, from one source to another, but one of
the most authoritative counters is Nua. Their How Many Online?
feature offers an estimate of global Internet users based on
extensive surveys and reports from around the world. The latest has
just been released and it quotes Nielsen NetRatings as indicating
that as of July 2001, 14.44 million Canadians were online, equaling
45.71 per cent of the population. In the US the same source indicates
that as of August 2001, 166.14 million were online, or 59.75 per cent
of the population.
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/how_many_online
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///// GREAT IDEAS //////////
+++ CBC Asks Public for Critical Input
It is only fitting, perhaps, that Canada's public broadcaster should
consult the public when it recently aired two pilots. The CBC ran
episodes for two possible new series and invited viewers to "vote"
for their favorite via an email address or a special toll-free
number. The response, according to George Anthony, creative head for
comedy programming at the Corp, was "phenomenally successful." So
much so, in fact, that they are considering asking the public to don
their critics' hats again in the future.
http://www.cbc.ca
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[-- DIGERATI DATEBOOK: UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS --]
+++ LVNMC Partnering Forum
March 8 to 9, 2002 in Toronto, ON
Liberty Village New Media Centre
A two-day intensive workshop and discussion forum on partnering
strategy, development and implementation.
http://www.lvnmc.com/partneringforum
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+++ Engaging BC Communities in a Digital World
March 16 to 17, 2002 in Richmond, BC
Vancouver Airport Conference Resort
This event will feature a number of sessions and workshops of
interest to organizations and individuals involved in running
Community Access sites or learning networks
http://www.prcn.org/2002CAP
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+++ FlashinTO Festival
March 25 to 26, 2002 in Toronto, ON
The Design Exchange
The first-ever Canadian educational and inspirational festival
dedicated to supporting and showcasing the Flash community.
http://www.flashinto.com
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+++ Canadian New Media Awards
May 27, 2002 in Toronto, ON
Bluma Appel Theatre, Saint Lawrence Centre
Have you submitted a nomination for the 2002 Canadian New Media
Awards? You can nominate your colleagues, friends and even yourself
for any of 12 categories including Lifetime Achievement, Designer of
the Year and Company of the Year. A nomination form and full
explanation of each of the award categories is now available at the
Canadian New Media Awards Web site. Nominations close March 18, 2002.
http://www.cnma.ca
The Canadian New Media Awards would like to thank two of its
Gold Sponsors, The Canada Council for the Arts and Sheridan College:
The Canada Council for the Arts is a national arm's-length
agency whose role is "to foster and promote the study and
enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts." The
Council offers a broad range of grants and services to
professional Canadian artists and arts organizations in dance,
interdisciplinary and performance art, media arts, music, theatre,
visual arts, and writing and publishing. In 2000-2001, the
Council awarded 5,700 grants to artists and arts organizations
and made payments to 12,740 authors through the Public Lending
Rights Commission. Grants, payments and awards totaled $117 million.
http://www.canadacouncil.ca
Sheridan College is at the forefront in providing advanced technology
education in computer animation, multimedia, telecommunications, film
and television, and broadcast journalism. Founded in 1967, Sheridan
has earned a reputation for excellence in a wide range of subject
areas, including digital technologies, visualization design,
business, manufacturing, and community services. In September, 2000
Sheridan opened the Sheridan Centre for Animation & Emerging
Technologies, which houses 10 dynamic post graduate programs in
digital media. Visit the Sheridan College Web site for more
information.
http://www.sheridanc.on.ca
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[-- GEEKERS' CORNER: EDITORIAL --]
+++ Is Ontario the Only New Media Cluster Left in Canada?
By Adam Froman, Executive Producer, Canadian New Media Awards
afroman@delvinia.com
2001 was the "Year of Survival" with not a lot of good things to talk
about in the new media industry. Yet out of the rubble, we are seeing
signs of life. Our Awards are a great indicator of this, as we watch
the number of nominations coming in. So far, we are ahead of where we
thought we would be. However, 75% of the nominations so far are from
Ontario! Where the hell are the other provinces? Everyone knows about
the Awards, and it only takes two minutes to nominate someone or a
company. So, have the other provinces simply imploded? If they
haven't, it's pathetic how few nominations are coming in from them.
All the provinces have been invited to participate, and unless my
earlier statement is true, now the ball is in their court to prove me
wrong....
[Nominations for the 2001 Canadian New Media Awards are being
accepted until March 18th, 2002 at http://www.cnma.ca. - ED]
/////
Adam Froman is Executive Producer of the Canadian New Media Awards
and CEO of interactive brand solutions firm Delvinia. The statements
and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author
and not BitStream's publisher, its affiliates or advertisers.
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