Tag Archives: steve paikin

Analysis, Video

BlackBerry Near the End

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I returned to The Agenda with Steve Paikin to discuss the pivot that BlackBerry hopes to make with the release of their new BB10 operating system. We touched upon the new operating system, the Z10 device, and the challenges BlackBerry faces moving forward.

I enjoy going on The Agenda and talking with Steve as there are no commercials and the long conversational format allows for a smarter and deeper discussion. For example we were able to get into the mythology that technology companies tend to foster and the impact this has upon their success.

This episode was shot during a massive snow storm in Toronto (and most of the North East of the continent), and the subway shut down three times while I was going to and from the studio. The Agenda has another panel set for the show but had to cancel it because the participants couldn’t make it due to the snow. Goes to show that often just showing up is enough to get in on the action, although it doesn’t help if you say smart stuff too

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Analysis, Event

2012 Keith Davey Forum on Public Affairs

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The 2012 Keith Davey Forum on Public Affairs, moderated by Steve Paikin and featuring Lee Rainie and myself, was held on October 17th 2012 at the Isabel Bader Theatre at Victory University at the University of Toronto.

We addressed the question, Is Social Media Good for Democracy? Neither of us answered a complete yes or no, but instead offered nuanced answers that encourage both cautious optimism and chilling alarm.

The discussion overall was far reaching, and fascinating. In particular it was a treat to spend time with Lee Rainie who is the Director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit, non–partisan “fact tank” that studies the social impact of the internet. Lee is also a co-author – with a close friend of mine and University of Toronto sociologist Barry Wellman – of Networked: The new social operating system, which was released in 2012.

The event was recorded by TVO’s Big Ideas, and the audio is now available. I’ll update this page if and when the video surfaces.