Results tagged “cellphones”

More good news from the TTC: the dream of cellphone service on the subway is now on its way. The Post reports that the transit system will have a plan for providing service within the next six months. "It’s not a matter of 'if,'" Adam Giambrone told the paper, "it’s a matter of 'when.'" The bill—likely footed by the cellphone carriers—will be about $30 million, and it could take about three years to fully install once a proposal's in place.

The legions of cyber Romeos and Juliets who are slaves to Craigslist's Missed Connections in the hopes of being wooed by a mystery someone can now declare their insta-infatuation via text message with MobileMoment.ca. The Toronto-based website, which had its soft launch Wednesday, hasn’t seen much action yet, but we’re pretty sure that the ability to gush about The Elevator Hottie or The Cute Cashier to all of Toronto in the hopes of scoring a date will take off quickly with the texting crowd.

Get little Timmy and Cindy-Lou on the horn, stat! Health Canada has contradicted last week's warnings from Toronto Public Health that children should reduce cell phone use, saying that the science doesn't support the conclusion that your kids' brains will mangled and cancerfied by cell phone heat and radiation. Well, except for this study. And this one. Oh, and these ones.

Ontario will spend more than $2 billion this year to improve provincial roads and highways, widening the QEW and 401 and repairing over 450 kilometres of highway, as well as building and repairing over 100 bridges. In related transit news, the government is spending $5 million on a commission that will study exactly how much cooler cars are than nerdy bicycles, and how many more chicks a guy driving a car gets as opposed to some cycling dork.

Remember when the town crier would stand on Yonge Street and shout his hear-say and hear-ye, passing out copies of the daily news for a penny a pop? Yeah, us neither. The fast-spreading news of today is a far cry from days of old (take us for example), and we'll bet you didn't see what was coming next. But tomorrow at the corner of Queen and John, you just might.

Bell is launching a preemptive strike before the much-drooled-over iPhone lands in Canada. The Star reports that Bell customers with the new HTC Touch phone (pictured right) could get unlimited wireless data for just $7 a month. (Data transferring is necessary to get music, games, television and the web onto your phone.) The Touch is similar to the iPhone in that both substitute a keypad for a touch screen and can run applications, but the...

The status quo for cell phone-using motorists in Toronto won’t be changing in the near future. Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty has decided not to follow Quebec’s lead in banning the use of cellular phones while driving. This despite warnings that driving-and-dialing is a dangerous distraction. Whether you’re walking, biking, driving, or taking the TTC, be warned, Toronto. There’s a cell phone driver out there with your number! Illustration by Kevin McBride....

To no one's surprise, yesterday's Ontario election (read our liveblog of the results here) was a big victory for the status quo, with voters giving the Liberals another majority and soundly rejecting Mixed Member Proportional voting. Dalton McGuinty was pleased, having given his acceptance speech the day before the election, while John Tory, having lost bids to become mayor of Toronto and Premier of Ontario, needs only an unsuccessful run at the PM-ship to complete the trifecta of Canadian political failure.

Kevin McLaughlin of Autoshare points us to this article in today's New York Times, about how New York City's subway system––encompassing some 277 underground stations––is to be set up over the next six years to allow for cellphone usage. Transit Wireless, the company that won the right to set up the network, will give the transit system at least $50 million over 10 years, and will incur all costs associated with building the network.

Equal Voice, a group which advocates for more women in government, reports that there are 22% more women running in this year's provincial election than in 2003. However, they also note that because many women are competing in ridings where they have no hope of winning, the numbers may not translate into more female legislators. You know, rather than spending time and money trying to elect more women, the whole inequity thing could be solved through a program of gender reassignment surgery on sitting MPPs.

Necessity is the mother of invention, so lacking a record deal or a video budget, the project was a cheap way to get some attention—and not always positive, as testified by the end of the clip. In typical T-Dot fashion, most citizens seemed confused, but tolerated the temporary concert in their personal space.

The experiences of the average Torontonian are largely passed over by the Toronto International Film Festival, which by its very nature has an international focus. However, a parallel festival has emerged that will bring exposure to Toronto-themed (and hopefully locally-created) films. The Toronto Urban Film Festival just put out a call for submissions to local, Canadian, and international filmmakers to create one-minute silent films. Ever wonder what it's like to have your work seen by thousands of bored commuters? This could be for you.

The City of Toronto's Community Environment Days combine a number of different worthwhile initiatives into one event. They began last month and continue until the end of September, with each Ward getting their own day.

Have you ever marvelled at the sheer partying power of a group of drunken bridesmaids? Now you can join those elite ranks without all the expense and bother of a wedding.

Remember Jean Chrétien? We haven't heard much about the former prime minister in some time (dude's been off the map ever since Paul Martin forced him off it). Well, Mizalaina of the Toronto LiveJournal community spotted Chrétien earlier today in downtown Toronto, and has one hell of a story to go along with it:

It seems like, all across the network, folks were up to no good. Maybe it was all the green beer from last weekend...

Could employees turned into corpses or members of the undead in secret government experiments conducted via unethical temp agencies in the late 1960s be the source of Toronto's love affair with all things zombie?

Just about one year after the last major Toronto (areaish) concert, Richard Branson announced that the Toronto Islands will host the Virgin Festival over a weekend in early September. This is the first time the Virgin Festival crosses the pond outside the UK. Note that this is the first time that Centre Island will be closed to the public.

Shanghaiist probably knows a little more about China than the Chicago Sun-Times. Giving them the benefit of the doubt on that one. The city does to have a music scene. Don't even front like they don't. They also have Dorito bananas and white guys shopping for wives. What they don't have is any more tolerance for jaywalkers.

When newmindspace put out a call for folks to come down to Kensington Market for a game of Capture the Flag, Kevin Bracken, one half of the heart of the operation, printed off 55 maps for participants. He thought he had overestimated how many people would show up, but figured he'd play it safe. To what was likely a combination of shock, delight, and ultimately being overwhelmed, 100 people came to play.

So tonight is the big opening of the Festival, with certain sections of the city all abuzz with poseurs yammering into cell phones, except now not in Canadian accents! All the staff and hardworking volunteers will be hoping it all goes off without a hitch, terrified and excited at the thought of nearly two weeks of celebrities, parties, networking… oh, and films, I guess. The opening night Gala tonight is Deepak Mehta’s Water, a film shut down by Indian extremists, forcing the director to film the rest of her examination of ostracized Indian widows in Sri Lanka. Torontoist, naturally, doesn’t have tickets, and due to Ontario’s severe laws won’t be scoring any on eBay either, so we're here with a look at the Contemporary World Cinema and Reel to Reel programmes.

Tonight is the 2005 Toronto Fringe lottery party, the event where the plays that will be appear in the theatre festival next summer are selected at random. Torontoist will be at the Tranzac club at 7 p.m. crossing her fingers that her one-woman show – Adventures of a Blog Girl in Search of God – gets picked and wishes best of luck to all local theatricals in the draw.

Torontoist Editor Josh: Oh snap!