Author | Lightnews

Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · 8d

Ah yes, the Homer Principle

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · 8d

Also: maybe technology without constraints is *bad*?

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · 8d

On a recent podcast about BBM, The Verge's @reckless.bsky.social correctly summarized BlackBerry as a company built on navigating technical constraints.

For the newsletter, I wrote a few words about why Gen Z is looking for new constraints in their tech use. betakit.com/gen-z-wants-...

Gen Z wants BlackBerry back. Why?

A few weeks back, a bunch of gadget heads descended upon a Brooklyn café to kick off the campaign to Bring Back BlackBerry.

betakit.com

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Reposted by Douglas Soltys

Josh McConnell @joshmcconnell.com · 14d

Hey look, it's me referenced by my friends at BetaKit.

BetaKit @betakit.com · 14d

Big #CDNTech stories in The BetaKit Newsletter:

💵 Open banking rules coming in #Budget2025?
🏙️ Lyft to hire hundreds in Toronto
🤖 Alexi's "war" to dominate the #AI legaltech market

PLUS: Bring back tech that's "human-scaled, not habit-shaped" 🤳

Gen Z wants BlackBerry back. Why?

A few weeks back, a bunch of gadget heads descended upon a Brooklyn café to kick off the campaign to Bring Back BlackBerry.

betakit.com

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · 19d

Also what domain should I map it to?

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · 19d

Also what domain should I map it to?

Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · 19d

I disagree but happy to have this convo. Right now my read is you saying the equivalent of ‘downloads solves the MAU problem’

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · 19d

But what if I also want @trondizzle.gandersocial.ca?

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Reposted by Douglas Soltys

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 19d

“It’s one thing to say ‘let’s do this in a sovereign way.’ It’s another to actually do it.”

^Ben spoke to @trondizzle.bsky.social from @betakit.com about being children of CanCon, giving people control of their feeds, and why sovereignty doesn’t mean isolation.

More👉 betakit.com/canada-gande...

Can Canada build its own social network? | BetaKit

Gander CEO Ben Waldman explains his vision for sovereign social media.

betakit.com

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Reposted by Douglas Soltys

Amber Mac @ambermac.bsky.social · Sep 15

Thanks so much for having me on this week's episode of the @betakit.com podcast 🇨🇦!

BetaKit @betakit.com · Sep 15

OpenAI added parental controls. Meta faces lawsuits. Some schools mandate AI, others are suing platforms.

The debate over kids and chatbots is heating up.

@ambermac.bsky.social breaks it down on The BetaKit Podcast. 🎧

Amber Mac wants parents to know their kids are talking to AI | BetaKit

A new event focused on digital wellness for teens has launched as the dangers of unsupervised AI use become clear.

betakit.com

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · Sep 18

Working in #CDNmedia can be fun AND interesting AND important.

@betakit.com wants to tell every #CDNtech story across the country.

Come join us. ⤵️

BetaKit @betakit.com · Sep 18

📢 #CDNmedia hiring alert 📢

Want to shape how Canadians see tech in the Prairies?

As @BetaKit.com’s next Prairies Reporter, you’ll cover the startups, scaleups, and policies driving the national conversation.

Join our award-winning newsroom ⤵️

www.jeffgaulin.com/jobs/JobDeta...

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Reposted by Douglas Soltys

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Sep 13

wrote on charlie kirk for the newsletter this weekend

Opinion | Charlie Kirk Didn’t Shy Away From Who He Was. We Shouldn’t Either.

www.nytimes.com

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · Jul 26

tagging in @criseyde.bsky.social because she's always heading to Berlin and gets up to stuff.

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · Jul 23

Big @betakit.com scoop on changes at @omersventures.bsky.social.

One #CDNtech #VC just told me that the "pensions are all retreating back to Canada."

@madisonmcla.bsky.social has a first file with more coming from her and Josh Scott.

BetaKit @betakit.com · Jul 23

Michael Yang to depart OMERS Ventures as pension fund refocuses on Canada in “strategic shift.” #VC #CDNtech

Michael Yang to depart OMERS Ventures as pension fund refocuses on Canada in “strategic shift”

Saar Pikar now head of ventures and growth, with Laura Lenz promoted to managing director.

betakit.com

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · Jul 22

Is this abundance?

Reposted by Douglas Soltys

Bruce Arthur @brucearthur.bsky.social · Jun 28

Goodbye to Masai Ujiri as president of the Raptors. The dreams stayed big: it was the owners who got small. www.thestar.com/sports/rapto...

Bruce Arthur: Everything Masai Ujiri did — his dreams and his success with the Raptors — was big. Maybe too big for the team’s owner

MLSE CEO Keith Pelley said the decision to replace Ujiri was his, without explaining why. We can put the pieces together.

www.thestar.com

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · Jun 26

Ambition is the word of #TorontoTechWeek, but #CDNtech ambition didn't start on Monday.

For more than a decade, @ericmigi.com has been chasing a specific dream. He won't let anything get in his way.

For #MostAmbitious, the rise and fall of Pebble, and why this time will be different.

This time, Eric Migicovsky won’t let anything get in his way

A decade after the death of Pebble, the company's founder is still chasing his dream smartwatch.

betakit.com

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · Jun 24

I’m deadly serious about my feeds lol

Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · Jun 23

Was great chatting with @aaron.bsky.team today (twice!). Looking forward to dropping our podcast next week.

BetaKit @betakit.com · Jun 23

“Bluesky has this very controversial concept within us, which is to treat the company as a future adversary. Everything we do in house is to keep users in mind.”

Bluesky head of trust and safety @aaron.bsky.team speaks on the nascent social media platform’s philosophy. #MostAmbitious

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Reposted by Douglas Soltys

BetaKit @betakit.com · Jun 23

Breaking: Toronto Mayor @mayoroliviachow.ca kicked off BetaKit Town Hall #MostAmbitious by announcing 50 percent off city bike share for @TOtechweek attendees all week!

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · Jun 7

They kick you out so early!

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Reposted by Douglas Soltys

Jennifer Robson 🇨🇦 @jrobson.bsky.social · May 28

In the US, money is speech.

Canada has robust laws to regulate political fundraising & spending by parties, candidates & 3rd party groups. They ensure free & fair elections, & help protect against foreign interference in our politics.

Rubio doesn’t mention Canada, but we should worry.

utopia deferred @utopia-defer.red · May 28

Global Sovereign Citizenship

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · May 28

Do you guys shop for shirts at the same store?

Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · May 28

Speed to posting was a Buffer issue. Might spend more time on Bluesky after listening to @jay.bsky.team talk tonight.

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Douglas Soltys @trondizzle.bsky.social · May 28

Let us know how you think we did: betakit.com/web-summit-v...

Web Summit Vancouver’s kickoff offers thoughtful critiques and alternatives to current tech

Gary Marcus and Bluesky CEO Jay Graber discuss the limitations of LLMs and the future of the open web as Web Summit’s first West Coast edition kicks off.

betakit.com

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