Kevin Daoust (dot) Com

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Even I, as a bit of a skeptic after hearing and reading everything in the media about Axl Rose and the Chinese Democracy record (from the delays to the sound of the record, not to mention the fact that Axl is the only original member left), dig the title track…

PromArt - $4.7 million cut
Trade Routes - $9 million cut
The Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada - $300,000 cut
The Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund - $1.5 million cut
The National Training Program in the Film and Video Sector - $2.5 million cut
Stabilizing Projects and Capacity Building - soon to be cut
Two new media research funds - soon to be cut

Canada slowly removing its means of creating and preserving its cultural identity - Priceless (as far as very bad ideas go…)

…and I’m not buying an iPhone.

At least not yet.

When I heard that Rogers was going to be the carrier for the iPhone in Canada, I was happy. All of my services are with Rogers, so the idea of not having to switch companies to get my hands on one of these marvels was fantastic. Until I saw the prices and plans for the iPhone (no unlimited data and 3-year contracts). Ouch!

The public has made their opinions clear (one only needs to visit www.ruinediphone.com). The media coverage that Rogers has been getting over this isn’t too flattering either. And, on top of that, Apple is not pleased. Rogers did cave somewhat to the pressure by revising their data plans (the biggest cause for outrage) to $30 for 6GB of data. A step in the right direction, but not enough for most, and especially myself. (The fact that this data package is only available until August 31, 2008, seems more like a way to diffuse some of the bad press than anything else.)

Frankly, I don’t want to have to keep track of how much I surf. I don’t do that when I’m at home and I surely don’t want to do it with any other device. Considering that everything is online in today’s culture, I’m sure that I’m not the only one.

If I buy the iPhone, it’s because I want to take advantage of everything it has to offer, without worrying about going over limits and ending up spending way too much for service. I really don’t care about cell phone minutes or text messages (I barely use my phone as it is and I never text anybody) but considering that the iPhone is made for web use, the data limits and prices are ridiculous. Rogers is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in Canada, but what’s the point about having an exclusive product if customers are not going to buy it and buy into your service? Over 60,000 people have signed the ruinediphone.com petition, and that’s a big chunk of potential customers that will not be lining up at the store tomorrow.

I’m sure (or hoping rather) that the plans will improve someday (shorter terms, unlimited data, etc.) if Rogers wants to stay competitive with the possibility of new competition and better plans on other phones from other companies (Telus advertises a smartphone package that has unlimited web, e-mail and IM’ing for $30).

But, in reality, people will go and buy one, sign up for the long contracts and pay the ridiculous fees. If somebody doesn’t buy the phone because of that, somebody else will.

As for me, I’m going to wait for either the prices and packages to improve at Rogers, or get a better deal with a different carrier. Until then, I’ll just surf the web old school.

I awoke this morning to the news that comedian George Carlin had died from heart failure. He was 71.

I have been a fan of his for a long time. His brand of comedy really stood out with me because of it’s honesty. He always knew what words to use (his mastery of the English language is second to none) and what buttons to push. He was able to make us laugh at the absurdity of society, as well as take a long hard look at the world around us. I remember taking a road trip to Orillia to see him at Casino Rama with two friends. He performed the show that would become Life Is Worth Losing and, as always, he made you laugh and he made you think.

I don’t think that there is a comedian today that is or was as fearless and as honest as he was. Along with Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, he was a member of what many comics have called the Holy Trinity of Comedy.

We’ll miss you George.

If you don’t see a video above, click here.

Human beings do amaze me sometimes.

I find that when I interact with most people, they are, at the very least, polite and courteous. Conversations are often pleasant, and most people stay in check. I might not agree with their opinions all the time, and I’m sure that they don’t often agree with mine, but we do keep it civil. I’m also happy when this applies to people I interact with online (either blog comments, messages on Facebook, etc.)

However, this doesn’t apply to everybody.

Recently, CBC.ca started allowing people to post comments on news stories allowing people to share their opinions. While I agree that sharing opinions with others has a real value, I can’t stand to read most of the pages worth of comments on some stories. It would seem that, behind the anonymity of an Internet handle, most people take the opportunity to say things they wouldn’t if people knew who they really were. And it can be bad…

I cannot believe some of the things that I’ve read on these comment boards. Some people have been using this system to post things that are highly argumentative, unfounded, inappropriate and sometimes just plain stupid. Some of the comments posted on certain stories also make me turn my head in disgust because of the shallow or rude nature of them. The last thing I want to read on a story about something tragic are comments that are far from appropriate. (Yes, it can be THAT bad.)

The term “Internet Troll” has been adopted to describe such people. Arguing with Trolls on the comments board doesn’t help the situation since all we end up with is something equivalent to a shouting match that takes the focus away from comments made that are more appropriate or legitimate. And, if the Troll is only looking for attention by posting such stuff, arguing back only encourages him.

While this is nothing new (Trolls have been around as long as there has been an Internet for them to post on), it never ceases to amaze me what some people are capable of saying. I don’t even read comments on news sites anymore. While a few comments might catch my attention, I just don’t want to land on the one that ruins the rest of it for me. I noticed that CBC has disabled the comments function on certain stories, and I really can’t say that I blame them. Considering how sensitive the subject matter of some stories can be, there really is no place for shenanigans like this.

I do applaud the CBC (and other news sites) for allowing people the opportunity to chime in, but let’s remember to be civil with one another. I certainly don’t want to single out the CBC either (considering that they are the source of most of the news I get during the day) because I’ve seen other sites (news and otherwise) that have the same problem. And while I might expect this kind of behaviour in some places, there is certainly no room for it on others.

I don’t mind reading an opinion, as long as it’s informed.

Let’s keep it civil here folks.

And, above all, don’t feed the Trolls.