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8 Year Old Kids Are On Devices Way More Than You Might Think And More On This Week's CTRL ALT Delete Segment On CHOM 97.7 FM

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Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 5 to 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on iHeart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away about what’s going on in the digital world. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up on listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed: 

  • Gord Downie, singer from The Tragically Hip, passed away last week. 
  • We often talk about kids and their mobile devices. Their usage is increasing. Check this out: “On a daily basis, children under the age of eight now spend an average of 48 minutes with mobile devices, according to a new survey. That’s up dramatically from 5 minutes a day in 2011, and 15 minutes in 2013. 42% of children have their own tablet device – up from 7% four years ago, and less than 1% in 2011 according to the study.” The biggest problem? We have close to no data/science on what this really does to children, because the tech is so new. Ugh.     
  • As the world awaits to hear where Amazon will break ground on their second HQ (a process that has seen many cities – including Montreal and Toronto – make ridiculous promises to lure the company to their turf), Google just made a huge announcement called: Sidewalk Toronto. It is a joint effort by Waterfront Toronto and Alphabet‘s Sidewalk Labs to create a new kind of mixed-use, complete community on Toronto’s eastern waterfront, beginning with the creation of Quayside. “Sidewalk Toronto will combine forward-thinking urban design and new digital technology to create people-centred neighbourhoods that achieve precedent-setting levels of sustainability, affordability, mobility, and economic opportunity.” In short: the city of the future.
  • App of the Week: tbh.