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March 18, 2012 in City

OLYMPIA Im not going to negotiate in the newsmedia.

Politicians at all levels love to utter that sentence when its to theiradvantage.

But lets get real. If they think it will help their cause, their legislation or their budget, they like nothing better than to negotiate in the media. If they get angry, frustrated, boxed in or closed out, they negotiate in themedia.

Last week, Senate Republicans and their three disaffected Democratic allies didnt just negotiate, they presented, explained and defended their brand-new budget proposal in Olympia. This annoyed some other participants in ongoing closed-door budget negotiations, who were taken by surprise at getting that proposal at the same time as the news media and the rest of thepublic.

Among the most irked was Gov. Chris Gregoire, who has been the chief cat herder of the Legislatures overtime budgeting process. When she took questions from reporters a few hours later, its a wonder the video didnt show steam coming out of her ears. She didnt negotiate, mind you. She did say that one thing Senate Republicans were proposing, charter schools, is DOA and lobbyists who want to see their bills signed better be calling legislators to give them a not-so-gentle push towardcompromising.

But when it came to discussing what options shes proposed for legislative leaders to consider, her answer was emphatic: IM not going to negotiate in themedia.

Protestations about negotiating in the media are a corollary to another theorem of public officialdom: that elected officials must discuss some things behind closed doors so they can speak freely. Makes one wonder what theyre self-censoring from their normal publiccomments.

In truth, everyone negotiates in the news media when its to their advantage and complains about it when its not. Like John Kerrys stance on the war in Iraq, theyre against it until theyre forit.

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Spin Control: ‘Media’ negotiations are only problem when they don’t work - Sun, 18 Mar 2012 PST

We often are asked if it is possible to block or control employee use of social media and digital communication. The technical answer is yes, but the follow-up question is: Why would you want to go through the trouble?

Instant messaging, Facebook, LinkedIn and other forms of digital communication and social media regularly are used by todays best and brightest employees and they would just as soon find a new job than give up their way of life.

This is just one issue associated with finding, managing and incentivizing a new generation of workers. This new workforce is the most technically adept age group to enter the workplace, and their approach to work, pay and quality of life is significantly different from their older peers. Because of this, a new set of management tools and human resource strategies will be necessary to attract and retain this valuable pool of talent.

The business use of social media and alternate means of digital communication is growing. I dont know of any company that is not thinking about how they can best leverage these technologies to help grow their business, attract talent and increase productivity.

Lets take a look at a few ways that these tools and the new generation of workers are influencing the way business is done today.

Hiring: The traditional methods of advertising job openings are being replaced or enhanced by the use of social media. Posting a help-wanted ad on an electronic job board may attract a few candidates, but the existence of the post is enhanced by using social media to find potential candidates.

The instant communication and the speed at which news of a new job opening can travel though social sites can help uncover great candidates that may not be actively looking.

Managing: Working 9 to 5 is out. The new normal is working when it is convenient and when work does not get in the way of life. Its not that the latest generation hates the regimented work routine, they just dont get it. They want to work whenever they can from wherever they are. Building the technology, processes and capabilities to enable flexible work schedules and virtual office capabilities will help attract and retain talent.

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Incentivizing: Its not that money and the job are not important, they are just not more important that life. With a flexible work environment and incentives tied to productivity and creativity, it is much easier to motivate the younger generation of employees.

Originally posted here:
Embracing social media helps businesses

TORONTO (Reuters) - Bell Canada's parent has agreed to buy Astral Media, its largest content provider, in a C$3 billion ($3.02 billion) deal to lock up more of the programming carried over its media platforms and expand its presence in French-speaking Quebec.

Complementing BCE Inc's C$1.3 billion acquisition of CTV last year, the deal announced on Friday highlights the company's drive to control the costs of the content distributed through its cable, internet and telecom properties.

BCE's strategy is part of a global trend - the growing popularity of tablet computers and smartphones as platforms to view content has blurred the lines separating telecom carriers, media and cable companies. That has forced providers to venture outside their traditional domains to boost revenues and win a competitive edge.

"All telephone companies are trying to reinvent themselves," said Macquarie analyst Greg MacDonald. "Carriers, cable and telephone companies are buying content providers, and even going so far as to buy the content itself."

BCE, already Canada's largest telecom provider, will acquire more than 20 television services operated by Astral, including HBO Canada, the Movie Network, Canal Vie and Disney Junior. In radio, the deal gives BCE 80 stations, including Virgin Radio, EZ Rock and Boom.

In an important aspect of the deal, Astral positions BCE to compete more effectively against Quebecor Inc, which owns a rich array of French-language content and rival telecom company Videotron that operates in the province of Quebec.

Astral - based in Montreal along with Quebecor - has a strong presence in Quebec, Canada's francophone heartland. Its assets will enable BCE to raise its profile in one of Canada's biggest media markets and broaden out its national footprint.

"Bell's acquisition of Astral firmly establishes our company as Qubec's media leader," said BCE Chief Executive George Cope. "The acquisition also represents content cost certainty for Bell, as Astral represents Bell's single largest content cost in our TV business today."

Astral also owns digital media assets and nearly 10,000 outdoor advertising signage locations spread across Qubec, Ontario and British Columbia. It employs about 2,800 people across Canada, with about half of them located in Qubec.

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Canada's BCE to acquire Astral Media for C$3 billion

14-03-2012 05:51 Journalism is not restricted to just writing or blogging. It has become an integral part of our existence. But sometimes information on the media get out of control and that's when governments try to shut it down.

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The Faisal Qureshi Show - Pakistan mein media ka kirdaar - Video

One of the biggest modular synthesizers on the planet lurks in the halls of MIT.

Photo: Brian Mayton

Now, anyone can play one of the biggest modular synthesizers in the world, thanks to a new project, code-named PatchWerk. With PatchWerks simple web interface, users around the world can control the colossal rig in real time, from its current home at the MIT Museum.

This is the Paradiso Synthesizer, named for its creator, Joe Paradiso an associate professor at the MIT Media Lab, who built and fine-tuned the synth over the course of nearly four decades. The massive analog synth, which contains nearly 200 homemade modules, looks like something out of a vintage sci-fi film. Custom-built cabinets encase dozens of custom-designed circuits; a riot of red and blue patch cables conceals row upon row of mysterious knobs, switches, and buttons.

The synth might look intimidating, but the sounds that come out of it can be positively peaceful. Listeners can follow the synth on Twitter for poetic updates on its latest sounds, which make reference to legendary composer Terry Riley, Japanese bliss-rockers Boredoms, and 70s French band Heldon. The synthesizer burbles with new music 24 hours a day (you can listen to the synth at any time, day or night.)

By manipulating various toggles on the web interface, users around the world can turn on a sweeping oscillator sound, activate the chaotic sequencer, turn on drum machines and a growling speech synthesizer sound, control frequency and tempo, and much more. Letting anyone play the synth in real time could potentially lead to chaos, but the current design of PatchWerk which has a small group of users experiment with sounds while other users wait a queue is meant to help control for that. I tend to think about the synth as running in its own space, where I adjust everything meticulously to give the effect and balance that I want, said Paradiso in an e-mail exchange with Wired. All of the previous patches that I have posted off the site are of this ilk. My students Gershon Dublon, Brian Mayton, and Nick Joliat, the designers of the PatchWerk module, convinced me to try letting people over the net interact.

In the era of glossy iPad apps and slick soft synths, there is something strangely romantic about being able to work remotely with a hulking mass of analog hardware, which weighs hundreds of pounds and fills up an entire room. People have been finding some beautiful spots in it, and also many garish ones but its never boring now, because theres always somebody somewhere in the world trying something different on it, said Paradiso.

With PatchWerk named, of course, in homage to Kraftwerk everyone can fulfill the dream that Paradiso had as an undergraduate at Tufts University in the 1970s. I always wanted [a synthesizer] as long as I can remember and they were too expensive, so I needed to build one, said Paradiso. As a kid motivated by electronics, science, and music growing up in the 60s and early 70s, the modular synths had a strong allure. They still do.

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Control a Giant Modular Synthesizer From the Comfort of Your Home