All posts by karimkanji

blog, digital media, podcast

My Favourite Podcasts

Podcasts are what I refer to as the intersection between great radio and technology.

A few of the podcasts that I am going to list below can be originally heard on radio. However, most of the time I’m too busy to actually spend the time to listen to them live.  And that’s why I enjoy my podcasts. I can still enjoy great talk radio. But on my schedule – where ever and whenever I want to.

In no particular order…

  • Drunk Jays Fans. Published by The Score this podcast is digital heaven for Blue Jays fans. This no holds barred podcast includes everything a Blue Jays fan could want: stats, opinion and entertainment. The hosts are fans but they are also not homers.
  • ESPN UFC Podcast. Hosted from England this MMA-themed but very UFC-centric podcast is a must listen to for all fans of the fight game. A similar show from North America would not be able to lend the perspective that this show does. I think the distance from England to the UFC head offices in Las Vegas allows this show to lend more perspective and credibility.
  • Freakonomics Radio. If you’re a fan of the books and a reader of their blog you will love this podcast. Here’s what you can expect to learn from this podcast: the hidden side. Of everything.
  • This American Life. I got turned on to this podcast by Karim Awad, who is an avid podcast consumer himself. He also used to have his own podcast! Every week, This American Life brings to life stories from America. It’s not so much about flag-waving, red-neck gun-shooting America. It’s more about the neighbourhoods, people and stories that can be found in any city in any country. A recent episode, titled The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar will leave you hanging until the end more than any TV show has ever done.
  • This Week In StartUps. Want to hear conversations with some of Silicon Valley’s top entrepreneurs? Want to hear about the technology news of the week from the perspective of the insiders? Then this is a must listen to show.
  • Under The Influence. Get an insider’s perspective on the world of marketing and advertising and the implications for today’s company’s and consumers. The host’s delivery and the show’s production will leave you wanting more.
  • Wiretap. I stumbled across this program on CBC Radio. Ever since, I’ve been hooked. Wiretap, as I see it, is about how the world looks through the eyes of the host: Jonathan Goldstein. After just one listen you will feel like all the characters on the show are part of your family.

There are actually 13 podcasts that I subscribe to. But there are the 7 that I cannot do without.  What are some of your favourite podcasts?

digital media, social media

Busy But Exciting

Link

I know, I know. It’s been almost two months since I’ve last posted.  It’s not because I have nothing to talk about. I’ve just been terribly busy. Not to mention that WordPress.com has changed a bit which has thrown me off.

What has kept me busy these past couple of months? Work. And not in a bad way. This has been a great summer at thirdocean. We’ve secured new clients, are developing a new website and even building…something. 😉

I look forward to sharing more with you on a regular basis.

If you’re on Twitter follow me at @karimkanji. You’ll find I share a lot of interesting content. Well, at least I think so…..

social media, twitter

Securely Back Up and Index Your Tweets

There are many “shiny new tools” that come out to serve the social media industry these days.

Late last week one such tool was publicly launched in beta and actually grabbed my attention: qlouds.net.

Why do I like qlouds? As a heavy Twitter user it’s like magic to me.

First off, Twitter doesn’t “remember” all my tweets. Qlouds does. As soon as I registered my account, qlouds stores all my tweets. ALL OF THEM: Mentions, Tweets, ReTweets, DMs, and favourites.

And qlouds comes with its own search engine: I can search user name and even subjects.

If you’re interested in signing up for a free beta trial of qlouds, visit qlouds.net.

Uncategorized

Support Michael O’Connor Clarke because cancer really sucks

I don’t know Michael O’Connor Clarke. And I don’t pretend to. What I do know is that I’ve been touched in a positive way because of him. After doing a little bit of research I came to find out that Michael is a big supporter of events such as Third Tuesday and mesh.

Both Third Tuesday and mesh are two events that I have always supported over the past few years. In fact, I found out about Michael’s fight with cancer the same day I attended a Third Tuesday event in Toronto.

So who is this guy that all of Toronto seems to know and love? Take a moment to visit http://supportmichaelocc.ca/. While you’re there consider donating a little money, time, energy.

Thanks Michael for everything you’ve done – and will continue to do – for this great city and its thriving technology community.

I’m pulling for. And so is the rest of Toronto.

Uncategorized

CONTEST: The Art Of Leadership – Toronto

(Disclosure: my agency, thirdocean, is doing some work for The Art Of)

What Is The Art of Leadership?

Building on the success of the SOLD OUT national tour in Canada, this one day conference features six internationally renowned bestselling authors and visionaries, who will share an exciting blend of cutting edge thinking and real world experience on today’s most critical leadership issues. Don’t miss out on your chance to gain a competitive advantage and network with over 1,300 of Canada’s most influential leaders.

Today’s leaders have a dynamic role – integrating people and strategy to achieve sustainability and enhance organizational performance in a challenging business environment. The Art of Leadership responds to the fundamental changes that are impacting leadership functions, and the need for information and planning is critical. From practical tips, to innovative strategies, The Art of Leadership is designed to teach and provide leaders with directly related, easily applied, and important tools and techniques that can be implemented within any corporate culture.

When?

Tuesday, June 5, 2012
8:45AM – 5:00PM

Where?

Metro Toronto Convention Centre – South Building
222 Bremner Boulevard
Toronto, ON M5V 2W6

Take a look at Facebook.com/TheArtOf for video profiles on ALL the speakers.

Now to the contest!

The kind folks at The Art of Leadership have given me a ticket to give away to one lucky reader. To qualify to win all you have to do is Tweet out:

I want to attend The Art Of Leadership with @karimkanji http://bit.ly/taol2012 #TAOL

Winner will be announced on June 1st on my Twitter account: @karimkanji (Follow Me!)

Good luck!

Want to buy a ticket? Go to http://bit.ly/taol2012. You can save $50 by entering the code: TOSOCIAL

digital media, social media, video

My Raise 5 Contribution

1 Comment

By now you’ve probably heard the good news about my friends, Raise 5. If not, here’s the quick rundown: They just won Richard Branson’s Screw Business As Usual. Here’s a write-up about them from 680 News.

A while back I decided to contribute a service in return for someone donating $5 to Doctors Without Borders. My service? Singing Sweet Child O Mine and posting to YouTube. Well, someone took me up on my offer. Yikes!

For your viewing pleasure:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYTQw–BaoA&w=560&h=315]

digital media, social media

mesh coming back bigger and better than ever!

mesh – Canada’s premier digital conference is a chance to connect with people who are excited about the potential of digital — people who want to know more about how it is changing the way we live, work and interact with the world. And you won’t just connect with them in the hallways — at mesh, every session is interactive.

mesh takes place every year in Toronto. This year the conference takes place from May 23-24 at the Allstream Centre.

To register for this event please visit http://meshconference.com/registrationmesh12/. And if you want to save $100 off the price of admission enter the discount code: 100meshoff

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKcmYCwCZII&w=560&h=315]

Uncategorized

Should BlackBerry ditch their physical keyboard?

The following video was previously published on itbusiness.ca.

The way some BlackBerry fans reacted to the possibility that Research in Motion would ditch its physical QWERTY keyboard last week, you’d think it was blasphemy.

But with the most successful smartphones on the market offering larger touch screens and virtual keyboards, isn’t it time that BlackBerry got with it?

[brightcove vid=1628410915001&exp3=96976228001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=1815854478&pk=AQ~~,AAAAAGw7vY4~,MT1x6TzuB4-6gtolhFTaM4bruMSIwgr6&w=300&h=225]