6 crucial police guidelines for stopping social media vigilantes

Yesterday, Vancouver was treated to the first court appearances by alleged participants in the 2011 Stanley Cup Riots. It was a snapshot of one of the most profound and valuable institutions in our society: a system of justice to which we have collectively delegated...

Learn to listen online by lurking silently on one social network

Today’s practice:  Practice your listening skills by choosing one social network where you’ll pay active attention, but not actually contribute. My friend Jason Mogus likes to say that we teach what we need to learn. I have long taken this as the single...

Learning about online graffiti from bathroom graffiti

Today’s practice: When you find an online comment or contribution that truly annoys you, put it on your desktop or bulletin board. It’s your own personal classroom for learning about difference, and practicing tolerance. When companies, organizations or...

What is an ebook? 6 questions about the future of books

Tonight Emily Carr students presented 5 ebook prototypes developed over the course of this semester in an ebook design course. As the students presented their work, and members of the local business, tech and creative communities responded to them, it was clear that...

The 6 great tech religions, and how to resist them

It’s Friday night again: time for good Jews to light their sabbath candles, or  in our family’s religious tradition, to feel vaguely guilty for not even thinking of it. We lead highly secular lives, not because we’re techno-centric geeks, but in...