I’ve always been a proud (and yes, like we all are, slightly snobbish) grammar geek. I’m proud to know the difference between a jail and a prison, that to evacuate hundreds of people would be reeeeeally messy, and that they actually feel “nauseated,” not “nauseous” by my grammar snobbish behaviour.

But one definition that has always eluded me is the difference between “more than” and “over.”

My gut feeling tells me that you use “over” when it’s in reference to physical measurement properties (over six storeys high, over eight feet tall, etc.) and use “more than” for non-physical references like (more than 600 people, or more than $400,000, etc.)

Anyone want to weigh in with their understanding of the right way to use these two?

	12 Comments »	Email This Post
	In Plain English	Posted at 5:25 pm (30 Apr 2008)

Photo by Melanie Watts, used under Creative Commons licence.

	Add Comment »	Email This Post
	Archives/Vintage Media	Posted at 2:45 pm (30 Apr 2008)

The CBC has re-launched its YouTube Channel.

Even though full-length shows are available, for the most part, on the CBC web site, the YouTube channel ensures that those searching for things like the Rick Mercer Report end up getting the videos from the source, not from some reposting hack.

The new YouTube channel incorporates lots of functionality allowing users to personalize their content. Users can favorite videos, subscribe to shows and share videos with their friends.

It’s all part of our evil plan to take over the Internet. Mwahahaha! Actually, truth be told, we probably decided to re-launch when that last bastion of stodginess, the Royal Family, launched their own channel on YouTube. Can’t hold out much longer after seeing that exciting content going live.

	Add Comment »	Email This Post
	On-Demand TV, Other Internet	Posted at 1:50 pm (30 Apr 2008)

What’s that weird Facebook thing on the left hand sidebar on cbc.ca? And why is it taking up so much real estate on the screen?

The web gurus over at cbc.ca have seen the future, and it is Facebook, or Crackbook as most of us know it. The application is called Seen This? and by adding it you get a news feed on your Facebook profile that looks like the image on the right.

If you add it off of the CBC site, and not from within Facebook itself, you will get CBC content. You can choose to add other news agencies if you wish, but why would you. Really.

Now you can access your news headlines from your Facebook profile, meaning you never have to leave Facebook unless you are interested in a story. At which point, CBC.CA web gods have smartly ensured that you end up on their site.

Facebook has moved in a few short months from an idle curiosity to our main method of communication. Now in addition to e-mail, there are Facebook messages. Facebook has also just added a chat program to ensure that your convos don’t leave the site either. Our Facebook pages have become what our e-mail used to be before it got all filled up with spam and work. Seen This? gets so much real estate on the site because the site producers know how much eyeball time Facebook is getting among web users.

	5 Comments »	Email This Post
	CBC.ca web site	Posted at 1:13 pm (30 Apr 2008)

You’ve gotta hand it to him. Znaimer knows where to place his advertising…

Hat tip to Pat Martel. Photo: Peter Rukavina (used under Creative Commons licence)

	1 Comment »	Email This Post
	Changes to CBC Radio Two, Fun Stuff	Posted at 1:04 pm (30 Apr 2008)

According to this Facebook event, CBC employees responsible for the continuance of Jpod will be getting hundreds of lego figures in the mail.

Timing their campaign to coincide with the LEO awards, these eager Jpod’ers are asking all and sundry to mail CBC staff Lego figures with a short note begging the CBC to not cancel Jpod. Yes, it’s true; the tech-loving fans of the show are actually using snail mail to launch a campaign!

The fans of the show have chosen Lego both as a homage to the cover of the book that the series has been based on, and as a tip of the hat to Douglas Coupland’s apparent love of the Lego.

The date of the guerrilla mail-in has been set for Monday, May 19th. Jpod’ers have been instructed to keep the tone light and keep the figure happy, so get ready to be bombarded with little Lego men and women. Ideas for how to use the Lego figures should be submitted to the Interior Design department no later than Friday May 16th.

	19 Comments »	Email This Post
	Shows (Not In Production), jPod	Posted at 12:11 pm (30 Apr 2008)

We learned yesterday that the Corp has inked a deal with APM for the Canadian rights to its extensive catalogue of library music — currently at 250,000 tracks. (The agreement lets us use APM music on all CBC/Radio-Canada platforms and on any third-party “platform” with whom CBC has a contract.)

At first, I was super-excited! ‘Finally,’ I thought, ‘We can download the songs right from our desktop!’

See update, below.

Because the current process of getting music on air seems downright quaint by today’s technology standards. Here is the process.

• Search for it in a slightly temperamental database (but a huge improvement over the past days’ Prolog, which was invented in 1725)
• Write the spine number(s) down on a little piece of paper
• Walk to the music library in your building (down four storeys for most CBC Radio shows in Vancouver)
• Find the CD
• Take it into a little booth and record it manually (i.e., in real time) into Dalet or check it out and rip it at your workstation
• Walk back down to the library to return it.

No, it’s not arduous work, but when you’re under deadline and you need a five-second SFX cut of a hockey crowd, it can be painstaking and often those fine production values you know you’re capable of get dumped because there’s just not enough time.

So when I saw the announcement of us licencing APM music, I figured — great! Most music is digital already (read: iTunes) so now we can just download the tunes!

No dice. We can download “sample” tracks (i.e., not broadcast-quality) and get metadata. But when you need the actual song, get on your walkin’ shoes because they’re on CDs in Toronto (and regions that asked for them).

Why, in this digital world, is this still happening? I’m assuming it’s because of some obscure set of rights the publishers maintain, but really, I’m stumped. It makes sense for the publishers (huge savings from not having to distribute CDs) and licencees (huge convenience improvement.)

What am I missing here?

UPDATE: Turns out the licence agreement is for production music only and not commercial music. That’s certainly a huge step forward — not just that we can download needledrop to our desktop, but more importantly the rights we have now extend to every platform. This includes, finally, both podcast and broadcast rights. (Many radio producers, including myself, made two versions of their pieces — one for broadcast and one for podcast because we had separate rights agreements for each platform.)

	6 Comments »	Email This Post
	Licencing	Posted at 11:24 am (30 Apr 2008)

UPDATE: Temporarily disabled until a software conflict with comments is sorted out. As one of the commenters noted, this site and every other web site still works on iPhones and iPod Touches… this enhancement simply makes it much more readable.

With the iPhone coming to Canada later this year, I’ve started a bit early and launched a special iPhone version of InsideTheCBC.com. Just visit the site with any iPhone or iPod Touch to get this special version.

(Programmed by Canadian firm BraveNewCode which is giving the theme away for free.)

	1 Comment »	Email This Post
	About This Blog	Posted at 5:41 pm (29 Apr 2008)

From CBC Vancouver comes this great tip-sheet on erasing your Marantz cards:

1. Turn power on.
2. After the machine is finished booting up, hold down “Shift” button while simultaneously pressing the “Menu/Store-EDIT” button. Let go
3. Then Press “>> Track Jump” button until you see “Format” in the display window.
4. Press “Play/Pause-ENTER” button. “Format ok? (flashes).
5. Press “Play/Pause-ENTER” button again. “Executing” will read ondisplay.
6. When “Completed” reads on display, your Marantz card has been completely earsed and re-set and you now have maximum record time available

	Add Comment »	Email This Post
		Posted at 11:10 pm (28 Apr 2008)

There has been lots of talk recently about the forthcoming changes to CBC Radio 2, the dismantling of the CBC Radio Orchestra, and more.

So last week, I sat down (via phone) with Chris Boyce, CBC Radio’s director of programming, and Mark Steinmetz, director of music, to get some more details and address some of the concerns raised.

The interview text is below and the audio of the interview is coming soon.

Please note: There are some crappy edits in the audio — all were from my end (coughing, taking a phone call, and editing out my mangling of questions and stumbling over words <grin>). At no time has Chris, Mark, or anyone at the CBC asked for anything to be taken out.

Maffin: There’s been lots of chat these days on the blog, and in the media, and inside the CBC around the changes to CBC Radio Two, specifically the reduction of classical music being played, the addition of a streaming classical music station online and closing the closing the CBC Radio orchestra. It’s been very contentious, and I’ve got a couple people with me from the CBC who will hopefully shed some light and maybe explain some of this. One is Mark Steinmetz. Hi Mark.

[Read more →]

	21 Comments »	Email This Post
	CBC Radio 2, Changes to CBC Radio Two	Posted at 4:16 pm (28 Apr 2008)

This is the final week of voting for the Webbys People’s Choice and CBC Radio 3 needs your help.

For public broadcasters like CBC Radio 3, we are not judged by how much revenue we take in (which is none), but by how relevant we are to our community of listeners. And an award like the Webbys People’s Voice is a great way to document community support.

If you like what Radio 3 is doing, and you want to help us champion independent Canadian musicians in this country and on the international stage, than please take the time to vote. (Once you’ve confirmed your registration, you’ll find R3 under Website / Media / Radio.)

	Add Comment »	Email This Post
	Awards, CBC Radio 3	Posted at 2:52 pm (28 Apr 2008)

It seems the CBC’s digital vice-cop, Websense, considers CBC’s Exposure program to be a “Malicious Web Site.” Really? I didn’t think the films were that bad…

(No, the headline wasn’t a typo. See LOLspeak.)

	2 Comments »	Email This Post
	The Odd File	Posted at 2:47 pm (28 Apr 2008)

Having lived just north of Gibsons, B.C., where the CBC Television hit show The Beachcombers was shot, I got used to film crews, ferry disruptions, and traffic jams (read: three cars) held up while a shot was done.

So it was nice to dig out this CBC News story covering the last show of The Beachcombers.

	1 Comment »	Email This Post
		Posted at 2:26 am (28 Apr 2008)

YouTube has activated mobile access for its partners, so CBC Television’s YouTube clips are now available to be viewed on your mobile phone at m.youtube.com/cbc [punch that URL into your cell phone].

The site even checks with you to confirm that streaming video ain’t cheap in Canada (hmph) so be sure you want to stream.

So far, it’s confirmed to work on Rogers, Fido, not so much on Bell…

Any other reports?

Hat tip to Danny.

	2 Comments »	Email This Post
	CBC Mobile, CBC Television	Posted at 1:11 am (28 Apr 2008)

From Television At Its Best to Canada’s Own, CBC Television changes its positioning statement (what some people call a “tagline”) every couple of years.

Back in 1986, it was Best On The Box and was illustrated by, well, a blank box, as seen in this ad.

So, what was the best CBC Television tagline and the worst tagline you remember?

If you could write the next tagline, what would it be?

	4 Comments »	Email This Post
		Posted at 11:47 pm (26 Apr 2008)