Author Profile

  • Ronen Shay
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  • About the user: Ronen Shay is a certified project manager (PMP) from Toronto, Canada. He completed his bachelor studies in communications and information technology at the University of Toronto. His professional experience focuses on coordinating internet-based projects for major Canadian telecoms. The projects he has managed focused on video podcasting, IP video, and social networking. Independently he has produced numerous concerts in the Greater Toronto Area, and has worked on a variety of events by North By Northeast, Random Sounds, and Open Roof Films. He is currently studying at the University of Amsterdam, in the Masters of New Media program.

Author Archive

The Missing Link: Google Alternatives

“In the greatest leverage of the common user, Google turns traffic and link patterns generated by 2+billion searches a month into the organizing intelligence for a new economy.” – Kevin Kelly (Bruns 2008, 174)

Whether users realize it or not every Google search produces metadata that makes small incremental contributions to maintaining and improving the accuracy of Google’s…

I Played Kinect, and I Liked It

During my recent travels I came across a demonstration for the Xbox 360 Kinect in the Zurich Hauptbahnhof railway station. For those that don’t know, the Kinect is Microsoft’s latest peripheral for the Xbox 360 that allows gamers to interact with the console without the need of a controller. The Kinect is a sensor bar with a built in…

Digital Comics: Not as Invincible as They Could Be

As a Toronto born comic book fan, I’ve probably visited my local comic book shop, Cyber City Comix, once a week for the last fifteen years. Every Wednesday I would go by and pick up the latest issues of Batman, Green Lantern, and the Avengers. The owner of the store, Darryl and I would shoot the shit, discussing our…

Educate Me in 140 Characters or Less

When packing your bag for school, make sure you have your lunch, books, and favorite Twitter client. The social network is making great strides as an academic tool, as more and more educators realize the benefit of fast, transparent messages that are updated in real time. Twitter allows teachers to announce changes in class schedules, homework, or study tips in…

A Canadian Wikipedia Adventure

When contributing to Wikipedia it is always best to stick to what you know. The concept behind the world’s largest online encyclopedia is that everyone has valuable accumulated knowledge that should be shared, on what is essentially a global knowledge base with a fancy title. Writing about what you are unfamiliar with, or something that requires you to conduct research…

The Customer is Always Right (or at least able to convince the Internet masses they are)

With the dominance of social networking, user generated content, and the ability to comment on just about anything, web 2.0 has changed the way consumers interact with corporations, especially when they are pissed off. Many corporations are performing the role of laggards, as they do not realize the impact of web 2.0 on their business models until it is brought…

Book Review: Network Power – David Singh Grewal

     Globalization is reintroduced to society in David Singh Grewal’s “Network Power”. A volume that contains so much information, it can easily be viewed as a contemporary globalization handbook. Grewal’s perspective is fresh and bold, albeit not empirically substantiated. The lack of empirical evidence is easily overlooked, by the sheer intelligence of Grewal’s arguments, and the historical validity of his…

Television Viewership and IP Video: Adopting a New Business Model

“From 2007 – 2009, I coordinated website content and online initiatives for a community television station. In this time I was able to experience first hand the fear traditional television stations have of losing viewership to the Internet.”

The traditional television business model generates revenue through commercials and advertisements. This revenue is in turn used to finance…