The Cult of Apple
The world stopped turning on Tuesday as Apple unveiled its new gizmos. Then U2 came out and performed, proving it’s no longer what rock and roll is all about. …
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Working
Success Explained
There are social media members who do nothing but post and repost happy little sayings about staying positive and chasing success.  It can be a full-time job to weed through it all but eventually, you figure out who is a good curator and shares only things worth sharing. …
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Voicing My Concerns
As I’ve mentioned before, I audition like a maniac for all sorts of voice gigs. And I only win a fraction of them but I consistently get a fraction and I’m told that makes me successful! Â …
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Brandt’s Randt – Feed the Kids
I read an advisory from the Ontario government that just got my goat. Â Earlier this week, the province released its new Strategy to End Homelessness. They’ve said this before and whenever a government says they’re going to end something complex you know it’s just a whole lot of hope and a bunch of money. Â So I randted. Â …
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Hot Dogs in Hot Cars
Did you enjoy our one day of summer on Tuesday? I went back and checked and at 29.6C in London it was our hottest day of the season. We did top 30C twice in June but it was officially spring then, not summer yet. I’ve been gloating a little bit because I love the cooler weather and it gives me a sliver of revenge on those who go on and on about wanting it steamy and hot. Â …
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Brandt’s Randt – Social Media Debbie Downers
A study came out from Pew Research that claimed those on social media are less likely to give their opinions, especially when they’re pretty sure their friends will disagree. They say the perception that grumpy contradictory people flood Facebook, Twitter etc is flawed. I say perception is reality. So I randt. …
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Cutting the Cable and Dish
It looks like the country’s broadcast regulator is finally catching up with the wants of the people, at least in one regard. They’re getting down to the finer points of changing the way we subscribe to cable and satellite television channels. Â …
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Suicide is Painless
That’s the title of the theme from M*A*S*H and I always wondered why it was appropriate for a TV show about a war, but that’s a topic for another day. Now that we’ve had time to absorb what Robin Williams has done, I’m really hoping the dialogue around suicide and mental health will change a bit. I hope Williams’ universal appeal is enough to make some people learn more about depression and how it differs from ordinary feelings of being down or sad. Â …
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Hating on the Haters
It’s so COOL to be negative about something everybody loves. We saw it with Robin Williams. In every stream expressing understandable surprise and sadness about Williams’ death, there was at least one fly in the ointment. My favourite? The guy who wrote, “my uncle killed himself last year. Where was the worldwide outpouring for him?” That’s what the social media BLOCK feature is for.
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Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
On Monday we slathered a fresh coat of paint on the ol’ radio station. If you listen to radio, you know how often announcers say the call letters or slogan. Perhaps you can imagine how tricky it is to start saying something different all of a sudden. More on that in a moment. Â …
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The Ice Bucket Challenge
Bill Gates has done it.  So have Oprah, Ricky Gervais, Martha Stewart and a host of other internationally famous people. Finally, ALS – Lou Gehrig’s Disease – is getting some much-deserved attention and donations.  And it’s all through a bucket of cold, icy water that has gone viral, quickly. …
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Fly Away Little Bird!
A bright light in my workday is going to shine somewhere else soon. My colleague Avery Moore has resigned to move on to a new job and eventually a new city with her new husband. …
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Brandt’s Randt – Cool Me Down!
I try very hard not to crab and whine when it’s hot and sticky but I can’t help but celebrate this stretch of weather that everybody else seems to be complaining about! …
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Sometimes They Get Caught
The news releases we get from OPP detachments fascinate me. Many times they have no relevance to our audience and the issues they concern are so small, they’re not newsworthy.  But once in a while one comes in that’s so unusual, it bears some sort of mention. …
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Rock The Park 11
As I write this, I wonder how I’ll ever talk on the radio this week! My throat is shot, my neck is killing me, my feet are swollen and I’m grinning like an idiot. Rock the Park 11 was a huge success as one of London’s most-beloved annual events and a fundraiser for an important charity founded by two of the most wonderful people I’ve ever been lucky enough to meet.
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A Friday Moment of Zen
This is Rock the Park weekend here in London. For those of us on The Big Show on Free-FM it means a five-hour live broadcast from Harris Park followed by band intros, meets and greets and such.  We have appointment with Huey Lewis & the News, Burton Cummings and the band whose big win in our contest got them the right to open the day, Highway Jones. …
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Brandt’s Randt – Google Me!
My fellow Ontarians disappoint me. We have the world and beyond at the click of a mouse! And this is what we’re Google-searching???? I must randt. …
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Sucking It Up
When you do voice-overs, you always hope to land a big one. The smaller one-at-a-time jobs are your daily bread and butter but the major campaigns are what everyone hopes to get. I got lucky this year and hooked me a big ‘un in Dirt Devil. …