Thought Leadership

Unmistakably — and whilst the exact degree of requisite expertise remains to be determined — judges must possess some understanding of the fundamental notions of technology in order to grasp the related issues permeating cases and to adequately filter and assess evidence. As well, as online communication itself increasingly forms the subject of legal dispute, judges best acquire the aptitude for understanding not only by gaining some facility with (fundamental) technical aspects of the digital revolution but also through experiencing Internet culture. They are at the same time invited to avoid excessive reliance on and disclosure to support staff or ‘experts’, which can be problematic and threaten their independence to a certain degree. 

Retenir l’attention du public, voilà le mot d’ordre de toute entreprise qui cherche une clientèle, de tout artiste qui veut faire apprécier son art.  Désormais, pour accroître la visibilité d’une compagnie ou d’une personne, les réseaux sociaux sont des incontournables. Tous, entreprises, artistes, célébrités, gagnent à être présents sur les réseaux et les plateformes, qui se multiplient : YouTube, Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, Twitter, Yahoo, Hotmail, pour ne nommer que les principaux. En certains cas,  ce sont les recommandations des utilisateurs dans les réseaux sociaux, qui ont l’impact le plus grand sur la popularité d’un œuvre, d’un produit ou d’un service. Certains artistes d’ailleurs décident de s’occuper eux-mêmes de leur publicité, en devenant leur propre producteur et animateur radio sur les réseaux sociaux; finie la dépendance aux  méga-entreprises de l’industrie culturelle. 

The term “smart cities” refers to urban spaces that are networked and sensor-loaded. The data harvested in these ‘smart’ urban environments is used in analytics aimed at improving efficiencies, informing planning, and enhancing service delivery. Data sources are multiple and diverse, from data routinely generated by municipal operations to smart cards used in public transportation, smart metering of utilities, and the use of traffic cameras and other sensor networks.

Like it was yesterday (it was in fact 1990), I remember when I was a 1L studying the law of contract.

The inimitable G.H.L. Fridman stood front and centre at the podium, a little man with a big British accent and all pomp and circumstance of a royal coronation. There he was, ready to deliver an hour-long introduction to our year-long subject matter—a single sentence, it seemed, comprised of many subordinate clauses, peppered throughout by a series of parenthetical remarks.