Recent  Stories

Slow Lane: Canadian consumers are paying a premium price for the dubious privilege of being stuck in the slow lanes of the information highway. Figures provided by global telecommunications analysts TeleGeography Research shows international Internet speeds – the rate at which data moves to and from a computer – Canada may not be the slowest, but we’re far from the nimble speeds offered in Japan and Europe.

Plans go electrnonic: An Ontario-wide Electronic Plans Room is set to roll out in the New Year. John Mollenhauer, president of the Toronto Construction Association (TCA), said things are on track for an agreement between the 11 Ontario construction associations by Christmas.

Black Gold: Where most people see obsolete computers and electronics, Alfred Hambsch sees more than gold, he sees black gold. As the president of the largest eWaste recycling company on the planet, Mr. Hambsch has built not just a business but a calling, taking obsolete electronics and processing them back into useable raw materials including gold and diesel fuel.

Take Charge of Your Website: In the beginning there was the Webmaster and he was God. And the Webmaster said, let there be a domain for this business and there was; Then the Webmaster said let the home page be divided from the other pages, and it was. And then the Webmaster said: If you need to make any more changes, I bill by the hour and I don’t work nights or weekends.”  Ouch.

Videoconferencing: Dennis Sandow chuckles recalling his “Halo moment” – the illusion created by the videoconferencing system that a colleague was in intimate proximity even though they were thousands of miles apart.

Party Favours: If you’re going to crash a party, it’s best to bring something along to smooth your entry, like a keg of beer, or risk a humiliation and rejection. It’s a strategy businesses should consider as they seek to leverage the virtual block parties evolving from virtual communities and social media.

Silicon Valley, Calif Imagine picking up your Toronto Star and seeing the headlines  update before your eyes. Science fiction? Don’t bet against it. ePaper as it’s often called, is a quest being funded with millions of dollars in research and development by some of the biggest names like Hewlett-Packard, Phillips Electronics and Xerox.

Social Media: Andy Warhol was half right: Fifteen minutes is just the beginning. Social media – the collective of blogs, forums, e-mail, Instant Messaging and text messaging – makes us all celebrities, all the time.

Getting there half the fun: “Kate” is not happy.“In 500 metres, make a U-turn,” she insists, the Irish lilt in her voice clear on the “ur” of the word “turn.” “Kate” as I’ve nicknamed her, is my newest traveling companion, a Ground Position Satellite guided navigation program running on my mobile phone.

 

Word Wizard!

This web site showcases the work, capabilities and personality of Ian Harvey, a freelance journalist, multi-media producer, writer, editor and photographer. That's me!

Please, come on in and take a few minutes to browse the site or read my Blog, a place where I aim to amuse, confuse and muse on life, footie, relationships, parenting, technology, and Toronto.

Look a tie!

Whether in my Blog or on the main site here, you'll discover I cover a variety of topics, much of it grouped around how technology - especially mobile technology -  is changing the way we work, rest and play.

I also offer corporate seminars on better communication, how to clear the clutter from your writing and insight into how news media works and how you can get your story told. Heck, you can even hire me to ghostwrite your story.

Whether coaching writers or writing myself, I enjoy an eclectic range of subject areas. From VoIP to Bluetooth, social media to virtual worlds, alternative energy to recycling and how mobile phones are being used in innovative and far reaching ways, I track trends and write about them.

I also write about entrepreneurs, the retail industry, quirky, unusual people and places and follow the odd social, crime and justice issue such as marijuana laws. And, finally, my expertise also runs to home design, decor, construction, renovations and technologies associated with daily living, such as furnaces, roofing, siding, and windows.

Check out some of the articles I've written and look over my credentials. Learn a little about what makes me laugh, get angry and what I do for fun.

There's some personal stuff, including pictures of my kids, my family, my friends, places I've been and the goofy things I've got up to over the years. Oh, and did I mention, the Blog?

Learn more about me, or what Pitbull Media can do for corporate clients or just e-mail me with a question or comment.

All of the articles here are available for resale at reasonable rates since they are second run licenses. Rates vary according to the article, usage and media. Drop me a an email to discuss specifics.

Best of The Loop

Funny e-mails, poignant links, clips, sound bytes, pictures and stuff which generally makes you smile, laugh or give pause.

Toronto FC: Finally some decent footie in Toronto. Hail the boys in red! We sing, we scream, we drink beer. Then we scream, we sing and drink more. Great fun!

Toronto Sun Family Blog: It still amaze me that a group of cynical newspaper reporters, editors and photographers as still so passionate and engaged about a newspaper most of us don't even work for anymore. But the decline of the Toronto Sun and the erosion of the brand under Quebecor's ownership is nothing short of tragic.

CFU: I never thought I'd be a union man, let alone help organize one. The Canadian Freelance Union is working to improve contracts and pay for Canada's freelancers.

Boardsmag: If you believe some of the best entertainment on TV is between the actual shows, you'll love these examples of advertisements at their best.

Ladysitters: Hey guys, the perfect solution when you want to hang out with the boys and she wants to talk about "the relationship."

Football Badgers: I've seen this one go around a couple of times and it's just as funny the second time.

Icon Wars: What happens when you sign off for the night?

Monkey Biz: Check out what this little guys does.

More Links: Some other interesting places on the Web.

Mobile Watch

Don't think of the cell phone as a phone; Think of it as a mobile computer which puts the power of the Internet in your hand.

In this space I'll track stories I've written on the subject and point to other pieces worth looking at such as:

 

High Tech Cops: At the end of the long arm of the law these you’ll probably find a mobile computer. Toronto and Ottawa police, for example have issued their parking control officers with wireless handhelds and portable printers. Instead of just issuing tickets, the devices also check for stolen vehicles, adding substantially to their recovery.

Getting there half the fun: “Kate” is not happy.
“In 500 metres, make a U-turn,” she insists, the Irish lilt in her voice clear on the “ur” of the word “turn.” “Kate” as I’ve nicknamed her, is my newest traveling companion, a Ground Position Satellite guided navigation program running on my mobile phone.

Money Talks: How big is the future of Mobile TV? Big. Bigger than big. Big enough that the World's largest mobile phone company will end it's sponsorship deal with the world's biggest soccer club two years early.

Mobile Video Warms Up: U.S. Carriers bet big that video to mobile phones is ready for take off.

Smile, you're on camera: That video phone has the power of the world's media behind it as new enterprises spring up offering instant channels for selling pictures of news events or celebrities moments after they've been captured in a still of video clip.

Mobile Watch Page

 

Photo Gallery

Really, officer, it's research! See more pictures in the Gallery...

Blog:
Byte with Bark:

Print media going, going, gone? Where’s our bailout?

The hits just keep coming.

Wave after wave of layoffs continue to ripple through media this week but the most depressing hit came Thursday when venerable institution Reader’s Digest pink slipped Editor in Chief Peter Stockland and 14 others, most from the Montreal headquarters and two from Toronto.

The layoffs leave but one editor at RD based in Vancouver and will likely have two ripple effects: One, unique Canadian content will fall by the way side and two, we will see more reprinted material from other magazines and more U.S. derived stories.

 The fact is that not only was RD an icon on the Canadian magazine landscape with nine million readers every month and rated the most trusted brand in the nation, but its editors truly cared about content. They were obsessive, detailed and uncompromising about quality.

The news is but another nail in the coffin of print media and is a serious threat to Canadian culture.

Read my Blog
 

Other Stuff Worth A Look:

Archives:  Most, but not all, of the material I've written since starting freelancing.

Lists: Books, tunes, thoughts and other stuff organized into one place.

Links: Just what it sounds like, web links to sites that are funny, interesting, informative or just plain useful.

Rants N' Rockets: Everyone likes to vent. Sometimes I get paid for it. Sometimes I just vent for the heck of it and post it on my Web Site.

Mobile Watch:
Don't think of your cell phone as just a phone; Think of it as a powerful  computer which puts the power the Net in your hand
 

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