Tom posted a recent conversation with his parents:

Parents: have you seen that annoying commercial on the television?

me: I haven’t seen a commercial on the television in a few years (downloaded tv doesn’t have commercials)

well what about the radio commercial?

I don’t listen to commercial radio (just CBC and/or podcasts)

So what else do you listen to when you drive, just CDs?

I don’t own any CDs (switched to exclusively mp3, vinyl years ago)

So you just plug in your iPod when you’re driving?

Oh, I don’t drive anywhere (except in summer. To get where I need to go I take bikes, taxis, transit or airplanes not my own car)

parents: [no small skepticism] hmmm

Do you get the feeling the world is changing. Do you get the feeling that it’s not yet affecting everyone equally? am I an oddity or the prototypical future consumer? (I suppose I could be more-than-a-little of both)

Among my peer group, there is definitely a strong move away from traditional broadcast media. They are a new generation of Richard Florida’s “creative class”, who want their content when they want it in the form they want it. Ryan’s got a nice HDTV over-the-air tuner USB device which plugs into the new 24″ iMac beautifully. PVR functionality without paying Rogers $100/month.

The television business model is going into a challenging period. NBC has been talking about getting away from scripted TV for the 8:00 primetime slot, because they’re just too expensive and advertiser interest is waning.

Meanwhile, audience tastes are rapidly evolving. Shows like Lost, Weeds, Dexter and Battlestar Galactica are demonstrating an increased intensity in their relationship with the audience. Writers have been able to tap into that relationship to maintain dramatic intensity and complex story arcs that evolve over multiple seasons, gaining significant incremental revenues from DVD sales and iTunes episodes. In this new model, the creative content becomes all the more critical to success. Old style attempts to define and target mass market appeal through focus-grouped crap will become less sustainable, at least for scripted television.

I’m looking forward to HD quality downloads paid for by subscription.  That would be an innovation that I’d pay for.

Technorati Tags: futureoftelevision, media, digitalboy

Ok, I won’t be adding a lot of social bookmarking/tagging links to the Remarkk blog. This is getting ridiculous:

Technorati Tags: Web2.0, blogging, socialmedia

Having been stuck at home sick far too much lately, I’ve been following political news more than usual. Garth Turner’s banishment from the federal Conservative caucus is a fascinating story. With all the optics of a heavy-handed reaction to control independent thought and expression by a draconian and communications-obsessed Harper PMO, John Ibbitson argued that the move could blowback on the Conservatives.

Garth’s blog is central to the whole episode – he spoke his mind, freely, openly and with total transparency like a good blogger should. Passionate about the possibilities of “digital democracy”, now Independent MP Garth of Halton is a socially-progressive libertarian. But party politics, particularly in a highly centralized policy shop like Harper’s Conservative government, makes such independence, transparency and openness a career limiting move. I’ve found it fascinating to follow his story and inside perspective of parliament, including today’s post about the often infantile, frequently entertaining drama of question period and the continuing saga of Belinda and Peter’s star-crossed love. (Seen here in happier days.)

The Garth Turner episode is a fascinating collision between two sets of values: those of openness, transparency and accountability and the values of political power and control. Are blogs a solution to responsibility and accountability failures in politics? Maybe, to a point. Political action and party politics require a degree of control over message in order to maintain the power necessary to move an agenda forward. It appears that blogging (and the conversations it enables) tends to come with those values of openness and accountability firmly embedded. But I think that widespread adoption might just turn politicians’ blogs into just another mainstream medium for messaging and spin without authenticity – just like bad, boring corporate blogs. It is Garth’s independence, and the controversy it sparked, that makes his blog worth reading for a wider audience today. With that national platform and audience, Garth’s blog and the story of his turfing from caucus has released a couple of memes into the wider culture. How can social media change politics? Is central party control the only way to govern this country?

Politics and blogging are strange bedfellows. Because of my role as an independent consultant who has been doing work for the Ontario government, I have avoided writing about politics on this blog. I have tried to focus my writing on my interests in public policy, technology and business in a politically neutral way. But everything is political, so drawing those lines becomes more and more difficult. So, I added a Politics category and I’m letting myself venture into the issues of the day in the hope of encouraging conversations on topics neglected in mainstream media.

Technorati Tags: blogging, Canada, garthturner, politics

Good news for the Toronto web 2.0 scene, the meshies are doing another conference at MaRS. Get the details here. If you can’t wait until next May, there will be a meetup at Irish Embassy on November 15th. Take a trip down memory lane here.

Technorati Tags: mesh06, meshconference, mesh2007, Toronto, Web2.0

Nuit Blanche was a huge success on Saturday night, despite uncooperative weather that started the evening off with rain. Or maybe that damp fall cool added to the atmosphere of Toronto in an altered state of itself. Some of the art was spectacular, some less so, but the event overall was very engaging. It’s biggest contribution was to captivate urban dwellers into a new way of thinking about their city and their relationship with public space. I look forward to next year.

This is exactly the kind of project that Torontonians need to support and develop further to enhance Toronto as a creative city that inspires creative people with a high quality of life. My congratulations to the organizers. For a complete rundown of what happened where, what you missed, etc. check out Torontoist, and check out the Flickr photos.

While Nuit Blanche began in Paris, and occurs in a number of cities around the world, I think it has particular meaning and importance in Toronto right now. Toronto is a young city that is redefining itself in a rapidly changing world and Toronto continually struggles to step outside of its historical modesty to do something remarkable. Nuit Blanche wasn’t invented in Toronto, but perhaps it will be the place that shows how art can transform a community.

Technorati Tags: art, nuitblanche, Toronto, culture