To celebrate its 25th anniversary, The Coast is dipping its toes in this whole podcast fad the youths are talking about. Welcome to 25 for 25, our new weekly podcast. It’s a year-by-year look back at the stories and people that have shaped Halifax over the past quarter century. Our first episode came out today […]
Internet
Posted inNews + Opinion
Anti-social media: Why are academics like Rick Mehta so bad at Twitter?
Acadia University psychology professor Rick Mehta is in hot water over his social media posts about residential schools and multiculturalism. He’s not the first academic to find himself in this position. In October, a Drexel University professor was placed on leave after posting on Twitter that a “narrative of white victimization” was to blame for […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Fight the power at Cybersecurity for Activists
[IMage-1] This Saturday’s free Cybersecurity for Activists workshop at the Halifax Central Library will show how to fight the power while staying protected online. 
“In the wake of the Snowden revelations lots of people are feeling this to be a matter of concern,” says Max Haiven, co-director of the Radical Imagination Project and one of […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Failure to connect: Nova Scotia’s digital divide
[Image-1] In the heady early days of the internet, the players were few. But among that small group, there was one pioneering Canadian province: Nova Scotia—the first place in the country where the internet was widely available. On face value, we’re still doing well. In Nova Scotia, broadband internet is technically available to 99 percent […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Yes, this giant shark was caught off the coast of Nova Scotia
[Image-1] Just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s true. Unless we’re talking about Carla Allen’s shark photo, that is. Earlier this week, Halifax’s Peter Lively shared a photo of a massive shark which he claims was caught off the coast of Nova Scotia. It’s since been shared nearly 7,000 times. Some people are […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
With online dating, you get what you pay for
[Image-1] With the advent of technology, you can now flirt, proposition or even make plans to meet someone from the comfort of your home, your car and if you are really short on time, while you are relieving yourself. Progress at its finest. There are plenty of dating sites out there, but if you want […]
Posted inLifestyle
How (not) to date online
[Image-1] This advice was unscientifically gathered from men and women ranging from 21 to 49 years old. Some were looking for quick hookups, others a relationship, some both. Whether you want to clean up your profile or give online dating a try, these pointers can help you better navigate today’s virtual meat markets. The Bad […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
There are already Ottawa shooting conspiracy theories
[Image-1] Proving again the Internet was a mistake, several actual people, who all probably have jobs and things to do, have taken to the web arguing last week’s shooting on Parliament Hill was a government conspiracy. The theories stem from this repurposed video of live CBC footage. For some, a heavy RCMP presence captured by […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Can social media be an agent for change?
What if Facebook wasn’t just for gawking at pictures of now-pregnant acquaintances from high school? Or your Twitter feed wasn’t just for following Tracy Morgan’s day-to-day musings? What if the internet and its addictive spawn, social media, could be harnessed for loftier purposes? That’s the sentiment behind ChangeCamp Halifax, a one-day “unconference” bringing together creative […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Wifi Spot
There are a lot of reasons why a coffeehouse such as The Wired Monk would win Best Wifi spot. Consider location, windows facing both Hollis and Morris Streets. Consider loungability, sipping your cup of java for extended periods while you fingers enable browsers, write dissertations, answer emails. Consider atmosphere, a friendly staff, organic slow-roasted coffee, […]
Posted inArts + Music
Niedzviecki watches the watchers in The Peep Diaries
If Broken Pencil founder and new-media thinker Hal Niedzviecki needed proof for his theories on “peep culture,” he should thank Michael Jackson. The circumstances surrounding Jackson’s death—the almost instantaneous delivery of news via celebrity gossip pariah TMZ and the subsequent traffic toll it took on social networking websites—is a perfect example of our obsession with […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Expecting privacy in public places
Michael Jackson’s passing last week at the tender age of 50 shocked me right down to my shoes. “It’s getting deadlier and deadlier for celebrities like us,” I was overheard to remark. The King of Pop’s demise was likely brought on by the stress of rehearsing for 50 concerts starting this summer in London. In […]