Wednesday Night Salon #962

9 August 2000

INTRODUCTION OF NEW GUESTS:

This Wednesday was memorable for two reasons. First, there were more new - and younger - faces around the table than there were "Regulars" and, second, the topic of young "tekkie" entrepreneurs is one that our Chairman has wanted to bring to the Salon for many months. Thanks to Jeremy Jonas MBA, Pres. (or Jeremy Peachtree as our scribe refers to him), we welcomed Clive Hooton MBA, CFO of www.peachtree.com; Luc Sirois MBA, McKinsey & Company, expert in incubation of small high-tech companies; Christopher Koppe, Director, Wireless Business Development, www.speedware.com , Martin Cloutier of Propage interactif - www.propage.qc.ca and Robert Gordon, President, www.article19.com Denis Martineau CEO of www.aptilon.com;

THE BRAVE NEW WORLD

The last quarter century has seen digital technology move from the era of the vacuum tube and hard-wired computers to a global network of youth-oriented, unregulated, multi-dimensional, world of wireless technology. It has changed totally, if not rendered obsolete, our traditional views of censorship, copyright and patent laws; it has changed our way of teaching, our view of privacy of information, our buying habits, our way of investing, our way of doing business; it may in the process, be making traditional television obsolete.

DISTANCE EDUCATION

Many students throughout the years have developed an aptitude for borrowing the works of successful authors, but the Internet has rendered it so easy that an investment of thirty dollars has the potential of enabling a student to acquire a competently written Master's thesis, saving him or her endless hours of research while keeping the Academic staff alert to the scientific writing of young graduating students, in an effort to thwart that practice. More importantly, in classroom work, the Web enables students to acquire sufficient prior understanding of upcoming topics in their own time, to enable them to enter the classroom better prepared to discuss the matter intelligently. The Internet also has the potential of permitting teaching of students simultaneously around the world. [Ed note: Gazette Aug 12, 2000 on Education 2000 with a peice by Monique Polak Learning goes the distance N/A day missing on Gazette site. Rare! DTN]

An unresolved issue remains that of clearly communicating course content and ideas across the multicultural, multilingual barriers. As communications technology in the developed world speeds up exponentially, our verbal communications skills appear to diminish. When ungrammatical shortcuts and abbreviations reign on the Internet, it becomes increasingly difficult to convey ideas clearly to people of different cultures for whom English may be a second, third or fourth language.

PIRATING, PATENTS AND COPYRIGHTS

Pirating of music has proven a mixed blessing. While depriving the composers of royalties, it enables new composers and artists otherwise unable to break into the commercial music business to be heard, judged at no cost by a wide audience, and perhaps becoming known, to an extent otherwise impossible for them.

June 14, 2000 Piracy is the act of stealing an artist's work I'm not talking about Napster-type software. ...They spend half a million to record their album. That leaves the band with $500,000. They pay $100,000 to their manager for 20 percent commission. They pay $25,000 each to their lawyer and business manager.

That leaves $350,000 for the four band members to split. After $170,000 in taxes, there's $180,000 left. That comes out to $45,000 per person.

That's $45,000 to live on for a year until the record gets released. Courtney Love does the math
Thanks to Martin Cloutier

PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL INITIATIVES

E-Commerce is rapidly overtaking the imagination of young entrepreneurs, investors and the public. Developing at a rapid pace, it has prompted the government of Québec to take measures to attract these creative individuals to Montréal. While the government is to be lauded for seizing this opportunity, its involvement in the related real estate development may prove to have been an error. The principle is right but the whole approach is wrong.

FINANCING OF E-BUSINESS

The Chairman, asked some probing questions of the "Incubating" expert. As in traditional business, E-entrepreneurs raise capital based on a creative idea and a business plan. Amounts required vary from the need to build a warehouse, purchase equipment for manufacture, distribution or sale, to the Peachtree Network [PCH] concept of small capital needs and contracting with existing established, reliable, independent distributors. During its short lifetime, Peachtree, has experienced steady rather than spectacular growth - but is launching operations in Manhattan this week, and sees a bright future ahead. Online-grocery company picks Mourelatos as its Montreal partner to serve West Island, Laval, Westmount, LaSalle, Nuns' Island, Outremont, St. Laurent, Notre Dame de Grace and downtown Montréal for pick up or home delivery. see also 4 May 2000 Web grocers deliver Forget the crowded aisles and killer carts. Pour a martini, cast your list on the Net and relax
in the World

THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

While Wednesday Nighters are divided on the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections, most saw George Bush jr. as the next president. They largely agree however, that both candidates for vice-president outshine the presidential candidates in those qualities most sought by the electorate. One experienced voice predicted Al Gore's election, stating that as the election approaches, the public will become increasingly aware of Bush's lack of substance.

QUOTE OF THE EVENING

THE ONLY THING CANADIANS BOAST ABOUT IS THEIR MODESTY.

Notes by
Herbert Bercovitz Sculptor Scribe
Very little Editing by Diana Thébaud Nicholson required!

John Ciaccia

BEST-SELLING BOOKS.

We saluted the success of John Ciaccia's book about THE OKA CRISIS, A MIRROR OF THE SOUL Un Miroir de l'Ame, noting that it was number two on the English language best-seller list and number four on the French-language list. (clich for photos and details)

The Players Page

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