There is no ‘Good Ruler’ in Game of Thrones

The ridiculous double-standards of Girls haters

“Blackwater” depicts war in all its lack of glory

Linkspam, linkspam, and yet more linkspam!

I’ve always spent a shocking amount of time watching television, thinking about television and reading about television, so now I’m going to try my hand at writing about television.

Sun Media has just launched a series of new entertainment blogs, among them Rabbit Ears about all things TV, for which I will be a contributor. My inaugural post explores the politics of hope on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. More recently, I offered some musings on Dan Harmom’s ouster as Community’s showrunner.

(If you have any critical feedback for me, please send it my way. I’m very new to this and am eager to improve.)

You can also check out Rabbit Ears’ sister sites: The Turn Table for music lovers and The Projectionist for film buffs.

And of course, I’ll still be blogging from time to time about my noob adventures in video gaming over at Button Mashers.

This week I’ve been covering the complex and tragic story of beloved Halifax gay activist’s Raymond Taavel’s murder, allegedly at the hands of a man who was supposed to be in a mental-health corrections facility, a fact which has now prompted a provincial review.

In covering a vigil held in Taavel’s honour Tuesday night, which drew a thousand people, I spoke to a woman named Laurie Murray, who sent me a beautiful e-mail about how  Taavel helped her feel welcome in Halifax’s gay community when she came first came out of the closet. 

No matter where we were, no matter what the circumstance, he always had this calming effect on me whenever we talked. He always made me feel so very safe.

Of course, I couldn’t publish her letter in its entirety. But Murray has since built on it and posted on her own blog. It’s beautifully written and a great example of how one person’s life was made better from having known Raymond Taavel.

Canoe’s new video game blog, Button Mashers, of which I am a contributor, has officially launched, and we’ve already got lots of great content up.

That includes my first of many planned Q&As with folks from the gaming industry or video game culture. This one’s with Katherine Curtis, a.k.a., The Naked Nerd from Naked News (where, fun fact, I used to be a writer).

Curtis made a really fun interview, chatting about women in gaming, playing games with your kids, turning nerdom into a career and more. Here’s one choice quote:

 And when I’m playing online, I’m not there to make friends or get dates. I’m there to kill things and collect loot.

Check out the rest here, browse the blog and join the comments!

Memorial University professor Dale Kirby won the riding of St. John’s North for the NDP in the recent Newfoundland and Labrador provincial election.

I know Kirby better as an expert in post-secondary education, whom I’ve been using as a source on PSE-related stories since my days at the Muse.

Most recently, I interviewed him for his perspective on a report by the Higher Education Strategy Associates (Warning: PDF) that suggests technology in the classroom is impeding, rather than improving, learning. 

Kirby offered thought-provoking insights on the application of technology in the classroom. 

We should not use technology just because we can do this. We shouldn’t do it because it’s possible. Do it because it’s practical and it’s value added and it has some benefits for the students.

In an attempt to reconnect with my hometown, I’ve been freelancing Labrador West-based stories to Labrador Life magazine for the last few months. This issue features a profile on a local figure skater, Joey Russell, who’s made a name for himself on the international stage.