On Yahoo!, News, and Buying
Yahoo! is purchasing the technology behind the Artifact app. Om Malik provides an insightful commentary here: Why Yahoo bought Artifact’s leftovers “Legacy services (like Yahoo) must realize that they must evolve beyond their traditional information systems, that were predominantly subject- or tag-based, to be relevant. They need information…
An Odd Accusation of Bias Why I Ignored a Story Pitch
I receive many story pitches each week. They arrive in my inboxes and my direct messages. Most of them are outside of my primary beat – that is they are not a Hamilton City Hall story. As a reader-funded journalist, I must be clear about what I cover…
The Broken Democratic Contract: Doug Ford versus Lowest Paid Education Workers
I am watching the livestream of oral arguments at the Ontario Labour Relations Board this morning as the Government of Ontario seeks an order from the Board that Ontario’s lowest-paid education workers are engaged in an illegal strike. Presently, the government lawyer is arguing that CUPE’s ongoing strike…
Hamiltonians Logging Out of Twitter in Ugly Final Week of Municipal Election
Hamiltonians appear to be tuning out the municipal election in the final few days of the campaign. Exhausted by a barrage of negativity and bullshit from various people who claim an affinity for one candidate or another, the number of people tweeting about the municipal has steadily decreased…
My Personal Note on the Death of Peter Greenberg
A good man, a great educator, and a great community contributor died recently. Peter Greenberg was age 78. Peter Greenberg was a great educator. He made a positive impact on thousands of students, including me – and I wasn’t even a student at his school. I first met…
Using the A Poor Framing for a Follow-up Question
Hamilton mayoral candidate Keanin Loomis held a presser on Thursday to announce his housing platform. Following the announcement, Loomis took questions from the media. Another journalist asked Loomis what he thought of Premier Doug Ford’s plan to give the Mayors of Toronto and Ottawa as-of-yet unspecified veto powers.…
A COVID New Years Eve, Again
It is just over 5°C in Hamilton at 9:00 pm this New Years Eve. I am walking in Downtown Hamilton, going nowhere in particular. COVID has ruined New Years Eve, Again. The present Ontario COVID regulations require restaurants to close at 11:00 pm, indoor gatherings are limited to…
The Decline of Print Advertising: Sunday Boxing Day Edition
There is no special Sunday print edition of The Hamilton Spectator on this Sunday Boxing Day. It is the end of a tradition and another marker of the decline in the importance of print advertising. There have been special editions of TheSpec every Boxing Day Sunday since the…
Christmas 2021
I am finding joy in this second Christmas of COVID. Friends have delivered gifts to my porch; I enjoyed a beautiful walk on this warm Christmas Eve, had a good laugh watching tonight’s local evening newscast, and am enjoying the relaxation of this restful weekend. I sit beside…
Food Delivery Apps and the Hamilton Farmers Market
This post is inspired by today’s episode of CANADALAND discussing the impact of COVID upon restaurant, the rise of third-party delivery apps, and if restaurants have a future. No spoilers from me, listen here. The Hamilton Farmers’ Market, the City of Hamilton mismanaged commercial space at the centre…