Updated @ 12:32 PM, 16 April, 2008

So what's the deal? For the last couple of weeks, there have been little snippets of "pirate" video sneaking their way into MuchMusic television broadcasts, which has people all abuzz wondering if someone is actually hacking into a live broadcast.

Credit for the "heist" is being taken by one Phreak615, who is telling the world how brilliant he is in his own blog, literally referring to himself as "the second coming." He claims to play guitar in a band called The Nunnery, but they appear to be the only local act without a MySpace page.



So, how does one hack into a televised broadcast? According to Phreak615, you have to have access. That's right; it's an inside job. "I have direct access to our digital media server," he boasts in his blog, allowing him to hack in with a WIFI laptop from his car when he's not at work.

One of the great topics of discussion that came out of Metronauts Transit Camp this past Saturday was the integration of different modes of transportation for commuters. Right now, there is no central place a commuter can visit to find out about transit schedules, parking fares, and bike paths, all intersecting with each other.

StopFinder is setting out to change all that. Using Google Maps technology, StopFinder is making it easier to access information about public transit and parking in the GTA, and most importantly, making it easier for commuters to make their travels around the city as efficient as possible.

FITC, one of North America's most anticipated annual festivals covering new media, design and technology, is back in Toronto for a seventh year starting April 19th. Once again, the event is jammed packed with presentations, demonstrations and panel discussion featuring the world's finest tech geeks and designers who are at the forefront of creating some of the interactive world's most cutting edge stuff. Sessions cover all aspects of the creative process, explore the latest developments in rich media technology, and provide insight into the ups and downs of running an interactive business.

There's also an awards show at Revival and parties each night at spots like the Burroughes Building, Wrongbar and Tattoo.

Advance tickets for the three day event start at $325 for students to $699 for regular folk. But since blogTO is a sponsor this year we've managed to land a festival pass that we'll be giving away to one lucky winner. Keep reading for details on how this pass could be yours!

On Monday I got mail from Rogers that made me curse, and on Friday I got mail from Rogers that made me (for a microsecond) think they're not so bad after all. Only a monopolistic telecommunications company that owns you (and a sports stadium) could possibly pull this off.

So what do I have to whine about and cheer about? Paying more when exceeding bandwidth caps and free tickets for baseball games, apparently.

Nobody likes paying $0.75 per call just to get a phone number while on the road and getting nickel and dimed all the way to the bank by the phone companies. For me, it's always frustrating when I just want to make a reservation at a restaurant and can't remember the number, having to resort to finding a nearby phonebook in an age where wireless data is so freely available.

Thankfully, Google are doing what they do best: giving free access to information. Right now, you can call 1 (800) GOOG-411 (4664-411) and get access to every number Google has indexed on the Web, and instantly be connected (for free) to any number of your choosing. This includes any number from Toronto to across Canada and the US. It sounds too good to be true, but Google has pulled it off in such a seamless, slick way that really makes you wonder how this service can be free.

Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa Law School professor and internationally renowned expert on law and the internet, outlined new distribution methods of information, what he terms "the new normal" during a talk at the MaRS Centre in Toronto March 6.

"People are creating not because of copyright, not because they are looking for compensation, but instead because they have the power to create, the desire to create, and the ability now to share it with the world," said Geist.

Things have changed a lot since Torontonian Cory Doctorow released his first science fiction novel and gave it away for free on the Internet as Creative Commons licensed download.

While Geist is perhaps best known for championing copyright reform legislation, his talk highlighted a number of new ways the internet and new technologies are playing in creativity and knowledge sharing.

He also identified some of the business and policy challenges that this creates for journalists today. A Q&A moderated by Sally Armstrong followed the talk.

Geist touched on some of the initiatives he wrote about on his blog, showed on a YouTube video and outlined on a Facebook group he started which together put copyright reform in the forefront of the minds of journalists and consumers alike.

This newfound interest was prompted by legislation that was supposed to be introduced Dec. 11, 2007, largely mirroring the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Geist's talk described many open source initiatives that are changing the way people think about access to information and services. Read on to discover what Geist terms "the new normal" in today's ever-evolving world....