Social media in 2006 had room for a thought that went absolutely nowhere. No grand argument. No chapters-long reply. Just something ordinary announced to a handful of people. The kind of post worth mocking then, and perhaps missing now.

The excitement was real enough for a radio boss to send an email encouraging everyone to get involved. The warning that came with it says considerably more about human nature than technology. Apparently, reaching an audience wasn’t the only attraction.

Meanwhile, Google was making a bet on YouTube that sounded staggeringly expensive. An old news report puts the uncertainty back into a story hindsight makes look obvious. Between the pointless tweet and the billion-dollar purchase, who really knew what was coming?

Topics: social media in 2006, Twitter nostalgia, YouTube history, Vine, internet culture

Originally aired on 2026-10-22

The Alberta referendum offers an answer to leaving, but what about staying unhappy? Rob Breakenridge gives voice to a position easily lost between separatist signs and Canadian flags: wanting the country to work without accepting how it works now.

“They’re not gonna listen, Dad.” That’s a different statement from wanting a new country. For a young person who still cares about Canada, resignation may be harder to recognise than anger. What would make another promise of change feel worth believing?

Then there’s the premier declaring the separation question finished while promising better outcomes. Closing that argument doesn’t close every argument inside her party. Rob considers whether the result gives Danielle Smith room to move forward, and what the loudest voices can still demand.

Topics: Alberta referendum, frustrated federalists, political trust, young Albertans, UCP politics

GUEST: Rob Breakenridge | http://robbreakenridge.ca | @‌robbreakenridge

Originally aired on 2026-10-22