The last few years have seen a steady erosion of the stuffy formalities associated with sharing information. If you haven't already heard, the lecture is yesterday's news. Young artists and designers would rather share ideas in a more relaxed and less hierarchical environment. You can see evidence the world over with "open-source" collectives like Dorkbot, Share, Pecha Kucha and Le Placard, which allow artists and the curious public to come together to perform, present......

The World Naked Bike Ride wants to make a point that there are many things more offensive than a bare bum. The indecent exposure is not to some guy's twig n' berries, but to our polluted environment. On Saturday, Toronto was among 70 cities around the world that took a spin au naturel as a celebration of cycling, a protest against car culture, a comment on pollution, or just to express some exhibitionist tendencies.......

“Desire” is the unifying theme behind most of the ten art and craft exhibitions currently on view at the York Quay Centre down at Harbourfront. In The Object(s) of Longing various artists present items that suggest nostalgia and yearning – Andrea Vander Kooij transforms an everyday fire extinguisher and hose into a uniquely appealing object by rendering it in plush fabric. Another group show lining the walls, Re-Collect showcases artists’ groupings of the collected objects......

As you may already know, Toronto is hosting the 2006 International AIDS Conference in August. While you may want to take a vacation during this important conference... those of you still in the city can enjoy a star studded concert with a veritable cornucopia of CanCon to keep your interest. The Time To Deliver benefit concert is part of the opening ceremonies for the conference, and is bringing big swimmers in the mainstream of Canadiana.......

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......