New York Times as a Necessary Proof of the Worlds’ Existence

Page One: Inside The New York Times

“Each day, barring labor strikes or hydrogen bombs, [The New York Times] would appear in 11,464 cities throughout the nation and in all the capitals around the world, 50 copies going to the White House, 39 copies to Moscow, a few smuggled into Beijing, and a thick Sunday edition to the foreign minister in Taiwan, because he required the Times as necessary proof of the Earth’s existence, a barometer of its pressure, an assessor of its sanity. If the World did indeed still exist, he knew it would be duly recorded each day in the Times.” ~ Gay Talese, The Kingdom of Power

By many, The New York Times is heavily regarded as the quintessential outlet for journalistic truth – the barometer by which all other reputable news agencies set their standards and even their front pages. And despite the economic downturn of recent years, the emergence of new mediums and the heavy decline in print readership and subsequent ad revenues, The Times has survived, led by overworked and underpaid advocates of democracy and change.

I myself have balked at the idea that The Times can endure this changing landscape, soon to be replaced by the Huffingtons’ of this world. As Arianna put it, “I was not around when the printing press was invented but if I were around I would imagine that the people dealing with stone tablets would be making a similar argument.”

What I have come to realize is that this story of a dying medium, one too stuck in its ways to adapt to a changing time, is not by any means, nor will it ever be, the story of The New York Times. This is also not a story of people’s distrust with the mainstream media –a distrust perpetuated by the 24 hour news networks and media conglomerates whose struggle to survive over the last decade has effectively destroyed the integrity that they boast about in their company slogans.

Rather, this is a story about critical thought. “News organizations that deploy resources to really gather information are essential to a functioning democracy”, said Bill Keller, former Executive Editor of The New York Times. It is a story about an aggregate of all of the facts and Tweets and blogs and op-eds and commentary condensed into a single article and written with hours of seemingly un-biased research from sources sometimes deeper rooted in a story than anyone else.

A blogger in his parent’s basement writing a hard-hitting op-ed about the Obama Administration can seem much more efficient than a 24 hour news operation with hundreds of field reporters across the globe. A photo or a 140 character message from a local embedded in a civil war in Libya can seem much more real than any journalist covering the story from a desk in New York.

What we fail to realize is that a revolution independent of media is still a revolution but a story without context, without critical thought and research into its legitimacy is just that, a story. And in a world where more data is created every two days than from the beginning of human history until 2003, true, unbiased analysis of a story is more important than ever.

The story of the New York Times, the story that may someday grace your tablet or smart window or electronic paper screen further immortalizing one of the last genuine journalistic endeavours of our time, is one of integrity, dignity, perseverance and overall critical thought. An understanding that still, in an age where news is delivered as it happens, many of the stories that we read or hear today, whether it be on a 24 hour news network, an online news aggregate or David Carr’s Twitter account, are propagated by The New York Times. And it is the passion for telling a story as it should be told that has helped this print house survive two World Wars, a Great Depression, and the invention of the telephone, radio, television, personal computers, the Internet and mobile phones. Today the World does indeed still exist, and the New York Times is still the one telling its story.

Don’t give up on our future Ontario!

You’ve been seeing the attack ads on TV for months now. “Ontario can’t afford four more years of McGuinty”. The rhetoric throughout our social circles is the same. Two years ago in the midst of a great recession our Premier introduced a new tax, a notion that regardless of the outcome was bound to cripple the career of any politician.

Endeavour’s Final Flight

At 8:56am EDT today, the Space Shuttle Endeavour launched from the Kennedy Space Center marking the final launch for the soon to be retired orbiter. Almost 19 years to the day of its first launch, Endeavour has flown over 116,000,000 miles and spent over 280 days in space. It has gone to space 25 times, visited the International Space Station 11 times and has orbited the earth over 4,423 times. Endeavour was built from spare parts of the Challenger Space Shuttle which was lost at launch in 1986.

It was originally named after the HMS Endeavour, a ship chartered by James Cook in the 1700s to explore the South Pacific, a replica of which was launched this year and is currently on a voyage around Australia. In a letter from STS-134 Captain Mark E. Kelly to the captain of the replica HMS Endeavour, Kelly wrote, “maybe someday another Endeavour we now can only dream of will continue the spirit of exploration that the name represents, perhaps visiting new planets or even new star systems”. The original final launch date for STS-134 was scheduled to coincide with the original HMS Endeavour’s landing at Botany Bay in 1770.

Since the first launch of the NASA Space Shuttle Program on April 12, 1981 (the 20th anniversary of man’s first space flight), the five STS Orbiters have spent over 1,301 days in space, have orbited the Earth over 20,700 times and have flown and landed 131 successful missions. The Space Transports Systems are the only winged manned spacecraft to achieve orbit and land back on Earth.

What Will it Take to Survive in 2011?

We’ve long past the tipping point in the digital world; the proverbial moment when “Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread like viruses”. Newspapers haven’t been relevant for years. Cable television is strangling the consumer just like the music industry did to their artists. Over 90 million Tweets are sent out daily and 250 million people around the world login to Facebook. The most avid Apple supporters doubted that 10 million iPads’ could be sold by years end and PayPal saw over $1.5 billion in mobile transactions in just one day this year.

For a lot of us the digital revolution has come and gone leaving behind an expansive Cloud of new information so vast and changing that in just 2 days, we produce more information than we have in our entire existence up until 2003. We live in the information age, that’s a given – it’s user generated, it’s machine generated, a lot of it is crap. But the more information we produce, the more information is out there about ourselves, about our habits or about our surroundings and the easier it becomes for machines to categorize us into specific psychographic and behavioral targets.

Continue Reading…

Apple Delivers Final Blow to Two Industries Tomorrow

Tomorrow will be just another day that I will probably forget. Apple, while most times justifiably arrogant, will make an announcement that will have everybody scratching their heads. Streaming music? We’ve seen that a million times before and it almost always fails. You could argue that because Apple owns all relevant points of distribution it could work this time, but you would be missing one very important point…

I was at a conference the other day where the keynote, a man by the name of Michael Hyatt, talked about the three, billion dollar ideas that came out of the last century. The invention of the computer chip, the invention of the personal computer, and the invention of the Internet. He talked about our next billion dollar idea, the Cloud (I know it’s a fluff term but keep reading), and talked about the fact that while Mobile is an important industry, it’s still just a tool to connect you to the Cloud.

But there’s one major barrier to the Cloud in North America, the advancement that will likely make or break our ability to compete in a Global economy over the next decade. Much like the fight against net neutrality or the legalization of marijuana (that’s right, I put those two things in the same sentence), if you can’t tax it, ISPs, carriers or Governments aren’t interested. Apple, a company whose business model is deeply rooted in the Cloud (iTunes, Me, iPad, etc.) and just spent over $1 billion on a new iTunes data centre, has been lobbying carriers in North America for years with seemingly few results. AT&T and Rogers still have caps on their mobile data plans. ISPs are still throttling traffic (you know who you are).

With over 46% of Global mobile traffic coming from iPhones and millions of songs and videos being downloaded from iTunes daily, Apple is in the perfect position to utilize the collective power of their massive user base to force carriers to revise their business models. By adding unlimited streaming they’re adding to the data load, and in the next 5 years when your computer, your phone, your TV and even your microwave are IP based, governments, carriers and ISPs will be forced to upgrade their systems, turn off their throttling and offer customers the same experience that they would get if they lived in almost any emerging market in the world.

Streaming music from iTunes isn’t that exciting, but the ramifications of the massive data load that Apple continues to place on the existing Internet backbone will force North American suppliers and governments to invest in one of the most important infrastructures our continent can support in the next ten years.

And on a related note, today is the day that the music industry finally gave in to Apple… It only took 10 years. Let It Be… Welcome to iTunes!

UPDATE: So as it turns out, Apple did not announce streaming music today and I don’t think The Beatles are going to create enough of a strain on the Internet to force ISPs to upgrade their infrastructures. Today is definitely a day I will probably forget.

When Google Doesn’t Know the Answer

The smartest people I know don’t know much. They wouldn’t be able to tell you much about history or recite famous literature. They might not know how to spell and they certainly don’t have all the answers. But they know how to get them.

Google has changed the way we think and learn and research. We all know that. But what’s even more interesting is the permanent shift away from any other means of obtaining information. The general consensus, especially amongst tech enthusiasts, is that if Google doesn’t have the answer, there probably isn’t an answer. We change the search term, we scroll through countless forums, we even try different search engines – but if the answer isn’t there, it’s likely not an idea worth pursuing.

When Google doesn’t know the answer, there probably isn’t an answer.

Smile, Live, Wait

Every now and again an idea captivates us. A brilliant use of an existing something so simple yet so unique it makes us excited for the future. Our world is changing so fast that technologies that were born yesterday are out of date and ideas that were born a year ago are obsolete. It’s not enough for businesses to rebuild an old idea anymore – change the model slightly to adapt in new markets. Businesses need to reinvent the way that the consumer consumes. Change the medium, change the message, or change the solution.

Today Google changed the way that we consume media with an interactive experience like no other online. Initially I began this post (slightly tipsy from the half-bottle of wine) writing about Google Chrome and the shift to HTML 5. But as the wine sank in I realized that it took more than technology to build this idea.

But more importantly “The Wilderness Downtown” experience featuring the music of Arcade Fire asked you one question: to “write a postcard of advice to the younger you that lived there then”.  If you could go back and leave a note for the younger you, what would you write?

Thank you Adam for sharing this with me!

The Queen’s Visit to Toronto

There’s something still awe-inspiring about the Queen. Canadians have such great respect for the woman who has been looking over us for the past 58 years. On her most recent visit to Canada which wraps up today in Toronto, thousands of people lined the streets in their Sunday wear to greet the head of the Commonwealth.

I couldn’t get that close to her but here are a few photos of Queen Elizabeth II leaving St. James Cathedral after a Sunday morning service. What an elegant woman!

G20 Protests – Part Four

I should preface this by saying that I believe in free speech and the need to be able to voice our opinions in an open forum, as long as it falls within the laws that are set out to protect us. You asked for your civil liberties, you asked for free speech, and there are people that are listening, but our ancestors didn’t fight for our freedom so that we could run amuck in an anarchist fashion. They fought for a better, safer, richer, freer world. One where you could gather in large groups without being arrested. One where you could walk the streets without being robbed. One where you have endless opportunities to be amazing and have a positive impact on our society. If they knew you would take those liberties and yell and swear and spit in the faces of authority, they might not have been so gracious.

I went for a walk this afternoon, 24 hours after our Prime Minister gave his closing remarks at the G20 Summit in Toronto. The streets were quiet. Businesses had shut down for the day, people seemed too intimidated by the steel fences that still surround our city to stay around. Workers hurriedly tore down the three metre high steel barricade around Union Station. It’s always a lot easier to take stuff apart than to put it together. Police still occupied every street corner. Most stood by themselves, texting on their phones, eagerly awaiting the end of their shift. It had been a long week for them. Five thousand police officers guarded our city streets on twelve hour shift rotations all weekend.

Twitter was once again buzzing about a small gathering gaining speed somewhere in the city. Protesters had surrounded a police station and began calling for the end to a “police state”. I questioned their motives. They wouldn’t need to be here if you guys would just go home! As I approached an area around York and Lakeshore I saw a TTC bus loading up with riot police. A site that I didn’t expect to see in Toronto ever again.

What fascinated me most about this weekend was the control that police maintained over the core of the protests. It may have seemed chaotic, especially on the news, but from the ground it was clear that every movement of every major crowd was managed in just the right way to minimize damage to our city and our citizens. Police used embedded protesters, helicopters and even social media to confuse and contain the crowds. Saturday night was a perfect example of that.

On Saturday night, many people on Twitter were claiming that protesters were heading to Bloor Street (a far North part Toronto where many of our more expensive stores are). That was not the case. In fact, as I walked around the area the city seemed normal. No police presence, no protesters. They were no where near there but this rumour did manage to distract many people (including myself) and point them away from the real action. I began my long trek home. As I approached Bay and King (where the police car had been lit on fire earlier in the day) the story was much different. What looked like thousands of people stood attempting to get near the G20 security fence. They clashed with police and chanted “let us through”.

I was perched on a concrete planter box overlooking the crowd when suddenly, they began to walk.

Protesters begin to march on an alternative path to the G20 fance

Protesters continue to march down King Street. As you can see, there are a lot of onlookers in the front

Protesters take strange detour during protest

Something about these protester’s movements seemed off. Their objective was to get to the fence. They made that very clear as they marched. But with every empty, unguarded street they past as they winded through the baron streets of Toronto, they missed countless opportunities to get near the security zone. It was as if the protesters were buying the police time. They passed at least five empty streets with around four officers per street. Each time the lone police would stand back, hoping that the giant mob did not walk towards them. But as the protesters approached Front and Yonge from the east (remember they were several blocks west when they started), the police vans were waiting.

Police bolt out of their cars to block the intersection at Yonge and Front St.

Police form a line at Yonge Street to block protesters from approaching the G20 security zone

Protesters sit at Yonge and Front Street facing the police line

Protesters march south on Yonge Street towards the Novotel

As the rain began to pour, the police stood their ground, water drenching their heavy riot gear. They did not move but the protesters began to walk. They walked south on Yonge Street as if they were headed towards the Westin Harbour Castle, a secure zone where many of the delegates were staying. But as they approached the bridge they suddenly stopped. Half seemed to want to continue on but loud voices from the crowd rang out “to the Novotel”!

As the protest turned east down a condensed side road, I noticed the multiple Grey Hound buses sitting in the Go Bus terminal across the street. On a normal day, buses in a bus terminal would have not caught anyones attention but on Saturday, this bus station had been evacuated in the early hours. The buses were filled with riot police. The protesters were walking into a trap. As I followed quietly behind the angry mob I was confronted multiple times by police officers, warning me not to continue. I was naturally curious, excited by the opportunities to take a great shot, but I listened and creeped back to the edge of Yonge.

Within minutes the police, hiding at all corners of this controlled zone, had locked the protesters into an enclosed area for processing, right in front of the Novotel Hotel where several of the international press were staying.

Over 10 buses of riot police and countless police vans, ETF teams and court services teams arrived in minutes

Teams of riot police arrive at the Novotel for a mass arrest

Protests are only protests until they turn violent. Then they become riots. And from what I saw this weekend, any large gathering of people, even if it started as the “Christians for Peace” march, turned violent. It wasn’t every protester but by association, anyone who walked in that crowd after hours of unrest on Toronto streets, was arrested. Yes, many innocent people were arrested this weekend, but any logical human being knows that when you play with fire, you might get burned.

More to come from my G20 coverage this weekend! But while you wait, have a look at my previous posts!

G20 Protests – Part Three

As the final G20 leader rolls out of Toronto and the police board their buses back home, the city remains quiet. It’s a Sunday night here and cars are still blocked from entering the downtown core. The sound of helicopters has faded and the gates to the three meter high fence surrounding our city are beginning to open. Tomorrow, business in Toronto returns to normal, but not without stark reminders of a weekend in Toronto like no other.

Less than 24 hours ago our city was a war zone. Thousands of riot police blocked the streets, rioters in black balaclavas threw rocks and battled with police, authorities shot tear gas into a crowd for the first time in our city’s history, and windows and businesses across the city were shattered.

Yesterday afternoon when riots had cleared away from Yonge Street I went to survey the damage. An anarchist group called the Black Block who are notorious for instigating riots at global events such as these around the world had wreaked havoc on our city. Windows were quickly being boarded up and glass was being cleaned off the street.

Urban Behaviour on Yonge Street after protests

American Outfitters store window and manikin destruction

The Adidas Store on Yonge Street windows broken and shoes stolen

199 Bay Street (Commerce Court) after protests at King and Bay

Jewelery store was hit hard yesterday

Most of these businesses had no idea this was coming. Most were several kilometres away from the G20 red zone. And while businesses near the site boarded up their windows and shut down for the weekend, businesses as far North as Bloor Street ended up being on the main path of destruction. The cowardly, violent activists steered clear of the police and chose rather to destroy our city while no one was watching.

The biggest challenge from yesterday was seeing our police helplessly defending the G20 security zone (which was their objective) while the rest of our city was under attack. There were no police outside of the core of our city equipped to deal with the extreme violence that took place in Toronto yesterday.

As an interesting note, the anarchists seemed to target (for the most part) American multi-national corporations, banks and police stations. Every Rogers store near the zone was also smashed in but I get the impressions that was simply people upset with their wireless service.

It’s unfortunate that events like these attract some of the most ruthless, cowardly people this World has to offer. This is not our city. This was not our people. Torontonians are a proud bunch who truly believe we live in the best city in the World.