Sifting through the papers has made it apparent that something went weird in Monday’s election. Perhaps something went weird before Monday’s election. In any case, something went weird. Mar. 4 saw the crowning of a new king of Alberta–this time the much maligned Ed Stelmach. Prior to the election, this man was getting beat around… Continue reading Out with King Ralph, in with Emperor Ed
Tag: Column
Maximum bandwidth exceeded
I remember watching Saved By the Bell as a kid thinking Zach Morris’ mobile phone was totally awesome. I couldn’t wait until I could have a phone I could carry around wherever I wanted. The brick-sized phone from the early ’90s has since become an icon of the dawning of an era of increased connectivity… Continue reading Maximum bandwidth exceeded
[Cyber]space, the final frontier
The Internet has become one of the most popular media of communication in the world, allowing its users to develop, organize and exchange ideas. It has become a community that has its own dialect and etiquette, rules both written and unwritten. Many have come to love the freedom associated with the Internet. Anyone, anywhere at… Continue reading [Cyber]space, the final frontier
Students shut out of democratic process
With the sincerity of a pornographer in front of an obscenity board, students are encouraged to vote. Mar. 3, 2008 will see the first provincial election since King Ralph abdicated his throne. In addition to offering the province a chance to pass judgement on a leader who has elicited considerable controversy, this election presents students… Continue reading Students shut out of democratic process
Imprisoning academics isn’t write
With Europe already fussing over Turkey’s less-than-progressive freedom of expression laws, a Turkish court has decided to do the country’s hopes of joining the European Union a favour by… sentencing an academic? On Mon. Jan. 28, a Turkish court sentenced professor Atilla Yayla to a 15-month suspended jail term. He was charged with making defamatory… Continue reading Imprisoning academics isn’t write
Music industry almost comes around
If the idea of the music industry caving and giving in to the piracy community by providing free and legal music downloads sounds to good to be true, that’s probably because it is. Qtrax, a new website launched Sun. claimed to be doing just that this week, dropping the names of four major labels-Warner, Universal,… Continue reading Music industry almost comes around
The Monarch and the Military
For those in the army, disregarding the woman on the coins can bring a lot of trouble. Canadian Armed Forces Captain Aralt Mac Giolla Chainnigh found this out the hard way. In 2001, the officer–a professor of physics at the Royal Military Academy–attempted to gain exemption from the military’s mandatory swearing of loyalty to the… Continue reading The Monarch and the Military
Microsoft a leaky boat
Blogs and Internet forums were busy this week with rumours of a new Windows operating system codenamed Windows 7, following a report on news website TG Daily. The news site claimed “several industry sources” have confirmed shipment of the Milestone 1 code to key partners for validation. TG Daily also reportedly received a roadmap confirming… Continue reading Microsoft a leaky boat
The upcoming doctor dilemma
With the looming mass defection of baby-boomers from the whitewashed halls of hospitals to the white-sand beaches of retirement, a critical shortage of doctors is expected to hit a medical industry already scarily understaffed. The planned solution to this problem is to “fast-track” medical school. There are two facets to this proposal, neither of which… Continue reading The upcoming doctor dilemma
Svedeesh Puretes! Bork Bork Bork!
While the debate over copyright law rages on in Canada, elsewhere steps were taken in the right direction after seven Swedish members of parliament put forward a proposal to decriminalize file sharing altogether. In an opinion piece published in Swedish daily newspaper Expressen, the seven MPs defended their position.The article reported that last fall, the… Continue reading Svedeesh Puretes! Bork Bork Bork!