By David Farrell
Corus Ent. Inc’s share price under scrutiny at Jan. 19 AGM
Shareholders have not seen their shares grow in value, rather they have seen their shares decline. The fact that the stock price hasn't grown along with earnings may indicate that other issues may be affecting that stock. Shareholders would probably be keen to find out what are the other factors could be weighing down the stock. The upcoming AGM will be a chance for shareholders to question the board on key matters, such as CEO remuneration or any other issues they might have and revisit their investment thesis with regard to the company. – Simply Wall Street
Time to launch a government-run telco to force Rogers, Bell and Telus to lower prices?
… It’s time to think beyond what we have done in the recent past and create a nationwide publicly-owned telecom.
It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. Most telecom infrastructure was once in public hands: Telus was created out of publicly-owned operators by merging Alberta Government Telephones and BC Tel. Bell, for its part, acquired its maritime holdings by purchasing them from the government.
Public alternatives already exist… – Clement Nocos, Toronto Star
Bill Gates: The Year Ahead 2023
Bob Hoffman’s adieu
… “During the last days of 2022, I contracted Covid. Having fortified myself with 5 rounds of vaccine, I was lucky to get a mild case. Being a good citizen, I isolated myself for a couple of weeks. During that period, I had very little to do other than fiddle with my guitar (now there's a mixed metaphor for ya,) read, and write. But I found I couldn't force myself to sit down and write about advertising. I couldn't do it.
I think 2022 did me in. The big news in the advertising world was not about anything remotely interesting. It was about some of the world's biggest assholes -- Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. Writing about advertising is one thing. Writing about creeps like that is quite another.
I've decided it's time for me to hang this thing up. The ad business has passed me by, and I'm no longer very interested. I read a report recently about Norman Lear, the great producer of TV comedies, who, at his 100th birthday celebration, said that two of the least appreciated words are "over" and "next." I agree.
For a few years, I was energized by the fight to end the corrupt and dangerous influence of online tracking. But I've said everything I have to say about that. The "business" of the ad business is nothing more than huge corporations muscling each other. And the "art" of advertising is -- let's be kind -- uninspiring. We used to strive for new and stimulating ideas. Now we starting to turn our chores over to "machines."
This leaves me with one unpleasant option. It's the option that bloggers often default to -- whining and self-pity. I have no use for that. Over the years, advertising has provided me with far more than I deserve or am entitled to.
This weekly thing is coming to an end. I'll still do some writing and speaking about advertising, but the pressure to find interesting "ad things" to write about every week is no longer attractive. From time to time if I think I have something interesting to say, you'll hear from me. But not regularly. – Excerpted from The Ad Contrarian newsletter dated 15 Jan.
A history of broadcast hacks
Orson Welles' contrived The War of the Worlds news bulletin “interrupted” a radio broadcast in 1938 to advise terrified listeners that aliens had invaded the Earth. As many as 12 million people were tuned in, according to NPR – and perhaps a million of them apparently worried that it was actually happening.
We've gained historical perspective on the stunt, even while the way we consume media has vastly changed over the decades that followed. Critics would later downplay the impact of The War of the Worlds, with some arguing that newspapers purposely over-sensationalized the broadcast to cast doubts on the trustworthiness of then-new technology that was siphoning off ad revenue.
What's clear is that signal intrusions – including the unauthorized hijacking of radio, television, or satellite feeds – have continued ever since. They've served a variety of purposes, as you'll see on the following list. Many were a form of political protest, while others were just looking to have a little fun. All of them trace back in some way to Welles' fateful “interruption.” – Ken Kelley, Ultimate Classic Rock
Debunking the genius of ChatGPT
ChatGPT Explained: How does the platform work?
What is ChatGPT? How does it work? Who invented it? What are the risks it runs? WION’s Molly Gambhir tells you all you need to know.
ChatGPT and AI will disrupt these industries
How AI might make a lot of musicians irrelevant
Cameron Gorham is the video content creator for Bandzoogle, and also works as a member of the support team. Outside of Bandzoogle, Cameron works as a sound designer, runs a YouTube channel, works as a producer and mastering engineer, and is one-half of the electronic duo Venus Theory.
Is the economy broken?
Globalization and free trade won the day for decades. National governments made deals and opened borders to goods and capital, though not without skeptics and, in some cases, massive protests. It led to remarkable growth and fundamental problems, such as growing inequality. Rana Foroohar is a global business columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times and a global economic analyst for CNN. Her new book diagnoses what happened and offers a sober analysis of what should come next. The book is called: Homecoming: The Path to Prosperity in a Post-global World. She joins The Agenda from New York.
Who is the economy working for?
The Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) predicts that Canada will be the worst-performing advanced economy over the next decade. While the top 20% of households hold almost 70% of all the net worth in the country, wages have been virtually stagnant for 50 years. It begs the question: Who Does the Economy Work For?
Notable
CES 2023 tech you can actually buy now –ZD Net
In addition to being the patron saint of love, St. Valentine is also the patron saint of beekeeping, epilepsy, the plague, fainting, and travelling – History
Indie88, Central Ontario Broadcasting-operated CIND-FM Toronto, has introduced commercial-free mornings weekdays starting at 7 AM. The high-stakes move was announced on-air and through social media.
