This probably won’t come as a shock, but I’m something of a nerd when it comes to technology. Yeah, I like gadgets and devices and toys and machines that go “ping,” but I’m especially interested in the tech that affects music—and vice versa.

Back around 2013, I got involved with a company that created a touring museum exhibit that went to science centres around North America. The owner of the company came up with the idea when he heard an “Ongoing History” program called “Format Wars,” which looked at all the different ways music was captured, stored, and distributed: vinyl, tape, CDs, and so on.

We called the exhibit “The Science of Rock’n’Roll,” and it explored how science and music have influenced each other, not just over the years, but over the centuries. The two things go hand in hand, each affecting the other and providing ways for creativity to expand into directions that were once thought impossible.

The exhibit did okay, too, booking runs at science centres in Toronto, Boston, Kansas City, Detroit, Cleveland, and a few other markets.

“The Science of Rock” spun off into a children’s book I co-wrote called “The Science of Song.” It’s aimed at kids 13 and under and STEM teaching: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

It’s been a minute since the book, the museum exhibit, and that original “Format Wars” show, so I thought it might be time to revisit the subject. And with that in mind, here’s a timeline of the biggest technological advances in music.

Prepare to geek out.

Songs heard on this show:

• Beck, Where It’s At
• Bjork, Headphones
• The Kills, Tape Song
• Kraftwerk, The Model
• SSQ, Walkman On
• Red Hot Chili Peppers, Give It Away
• Evanescence, Bring Me to Life
• Sarah McLachlan, Building a Mystery

Here’s Eric Wilhite’s playlist.
The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on these stations:

• 102.1 The Edge/Toronto – Sunday night at 7pm
• Q107/Toronto – Sunday night at 9pm
• Live 88-5/Ottawa – Saturdays at 9am and Sundays at 6pm
• 107.5 Dave-FM/Kitchener – Sunday nights at 11pm
• FM96/London – Sunday nights at 8pm
• Power 97/Winnipeg – Sunday nights at 10am and 10pm
• 107-3 The Edge/Calgary – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
• Sonic 102.9/Edmonton – Sunday at 8am and 8pm
• The Zone/Victoria – Sunday at 9am and 9pm
• The Fox/Vancouver – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
• The Goat Network/Interior BC
• WAPS/WKTL The Summit/Arkon, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown – Mon-Fri at 9pm

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Hollerado is a weirdly creative bunch of guys. Take the case of their album, 111 Songs.

Someone in the group came up with the idea of writing a song for every fan who wrote in and asked for one. The initial concept was to release a special promotional bundle with the record, a T-shirt, a poster and a custom song that would go with their second album, White Paint. Fantastic.

But so many fans wrote in—more than a hundred people paid to be a part of this—that the project took two years to complete. The result is equivalent to more than five full-length albums and was finally released on March 24, 2015. Hollerado went to iTunes who then refused to sell a five-hour collection for nine dollars.

The band wouldn’t compromise—Apple wanted to sell it for $35—so the 111 Songs album has gone down in Hollerado history as a fantastic money-losing passion project.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

On November 18, 1993, Nirvana went to Sony Music Studios in New York to perform an unplugged gig for MTV.  It was broadcast on TV and turned into a CD that came out after Kurt Cobain died. At first, MTV and the band’s label thought it was going to be a disaster because Nirvana insisted on playing some of the band’s more obscure stuff along with a couple of covers.

Kurt refused outright to do “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which freaked everyone out.  There were also concerns about Kurt’s health because he was going through withdrawal and vomiting blood.  Only a standby supply of Valium kept things on the rails.

At the end of the day, though, it was a magnificent performance.  Unplugged in New York is available in its full form on DVD and Blu-ray.  If you’re a Nirvana fan, it’s definitely worth it.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Think buying music is too expensive? If you look at things from a historical point of view, music has never, ever been cheaper.

If you go back to the 1950s, the average price of an album was about $5.50–and that’s in 1950s dollars. If you adjust for inflation, that’s over 60 bucks today.  Single digital albums sell for around 10 dollars on iTunes today. A CD certainly goes for less than 20. In the 70s, a 7-inch single sold for between 99 cents and $1.29. Adjust that for inflation, and that’s equivalent to over $7.50 at the high end.

Today on iTunes, singles go for between 69 and a buck twenty-nine. Talk about DEflation.  And that’s for physical and digital product. When you look at the free streaming from Spotify and YouTube, music costs nothing.

So, is it worth less or worthless? That’s where the discussion gets interesting.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Dennis Haskins, the actor best known for playing Principal Richard Belding on the hit sitcom Saved by the Bell, has died at the age of 75.

Haskins’ death was confirmed early Tuesday by his agent, Jay Schachter, who told Variety, “It’s a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr. Belding and those of us who got to know Dennis, loved him even more.”

“He was a great person, and he loved, I mean absolutely LOVED his fans. He always had time for them, no matter what. He was my client and dear friend for over 20 years, and I will miss him terribly. I’m heartbroken,” Schachter added.

Further details of Haskins death were not revealed.

Saved by the Bell, which ran from 1989 to 1993, followed on the antics of a group of students at the fictitious Bayside High in Southern California. The school often appeared to be run more by the teens than their principal, Mr. Belding.

Haskins reprised his role as Mr. Belding on Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which aired from 1993 to 2000.

His other acting credits include Magnum, P.I., The Twilight Zone and How I Met Your Mother.

Lark Voorhies, who played Lisa Turtle on Saved by the Bell, took to Instagram to share her condolences once news of Haskin’s death spread.

“Knowing Dennis Haskins for almost 40 years has been one of the truest blessings of my life, which makes losing him hurt so deeply,” her post began.

“We shared so much history together from our earliest days, and through it all, he remained a fabulous person, a loyal friend, and someone with such a kind, gentle heart. I am truly heartbroken by his passing and will miss his warmth and laughter more than words can say,” she continued.

“Rest in peace Dennis, you will always hold a special place in my heart,” Voorhies added.

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The official Instagram account for Mario Lopez’s radio show, who played A.C. Slater on Saved by the Bell, shared a photo of Lopez and Haskins with the caption, “RIP Dennis Haskins. Everyone’s favorite principal.”

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—With files from The Associated Press

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A BASE jumper died in Utah over the weekend after his wingsuit malfunctioned, Salt Lake City authorities confirmed Monday.

Gabe Reilly, 27, was a firefighter with the city’s fire department, his colleagues wrote in a Facebook statement.

“Gabe proudly served the Salt Lake City Fire Department for the past four years, following in the footsteps of his father, who retired from SLCFD in 2024,” it reads.

“Gabe was known for his infectious smile, kind-heartedness, and his free-spirited nature. Gabe’s commitment to the department, his fellow firefighters, and the community will not be forgotten,” the statement continued.

The accident happened near Leetham’s Hollow in Millville Canyon, in northern Utah, a popular BASE jumping location known for its mountainous landscapes, local media outlets reported.

NBC News said he jumped from about 700 feet and described the area where Reilly was found as having “walls and cliffs not unlike the Grand Canyon’s.”

Cache County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Doyle Peck told the U.S. outlet that search and rescue crews were called to Leetham’s Hollow at 9:10 a.m. Sunday, where he was declared dead at the scene.

“On today’s jump, something went wrong and he did not have enough lift with his wingsuit,” Peck said. “He impacted the ground at a high rate of speed, resulting in his death.”

Global News reached out to the Cache County Sheriff’s Department for comment but did not receive a response.

This is not the first BASE jumping fatality in Utah to occur this year.

In June, Andy Lewis, an extreme athlete and daredevil best known for performing onstage with Madonna at the 2012 Super Bowl, and another individual died in a tandem jump, the Associated Press reported at the time of the incident.

Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins confirmed the other person who was killed was Danny Joe Kregle, a 68-year-old father and grandfather who was described by a family member as an accomplished businessman.

Lewis owned BASE Jump Moab, a business that offered tandem jumps to inexperienced thrill-seekers who would be harnessed to a guide wearing the parachute.

Promotional videos on the company’s social media show people stepping off the edges of cliffs and skyscrapers and briefly freefalling before their parachutes open.

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BASE jumping is a dangerous sport that involves parachuting to the ground after jumping from a tall fixed object such as a building, a bridge or a desert cliff overlooking a deep canyon.

There have been 15 BASE jumping fatalities in 2026, according to the BASE fatality list, and 548 deaths since official tracking records began in 1981.

— with files from the Associated Press

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Election day is less than a week away in Quebec.

Candidates have six days left to pitch to voters ahead of election day on Oct. 5.

Advance polls closed on Monday evening.

Talk of possible U.S. interference in the elections continued to swirl going into the final week of the campaign.

Rivals criticized claims by Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette that American officials might try to support the sovereigntist Parti Québecois to weaken Canada.

Fréchette tried to distance herself from the controversy that has dogged her for days on Monday by blaming members of her own party for trying to get journalists to pursue a story about foreign interference.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A British Columbia Supreme Court judge is expected to rule today on a constitutional challenge from two harm-reduction activists convicted of drug trafficking who argued they were doing it to reduce the harms caused by toxic drugs.

Jeremy Kalicum and Eris Nyx founded the compassion club know as the Drug User Liberation Front and were found guilty last year after Vancouver police raided the club in 2023.

Justice Catherine Murray put their convictions on hold to hear the constitutional challenge, where their lawyers argued that forcing drug users to rely on unregulated street drugs violates the Charter of Rights.

Murray said in her ruling that Nyx and Kalicum’s intentions were good as they tried to save lives, but buying pure drugs on the dark web and selling them to members was not covered by an exemption that allowed for drug storage and testing.

The judge said they were “agitators” who wanted to make change and were aware that they ran the risk of a trafficking prosecution.

Their lawyers had argued that closing the club violated the rights of those who are disabled by addiction and raised their risk of death from an unregulated, illicit drug supply.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A high-profile legislator who says she was “threatened, spat at, disowned, and abused” for crossing the floor to the British Columbia NDP this summer won’t be running again in the provincial election.

Amelia Boultbee, who was first elected as a B.C. Conservative, says in a statement she can’t marshal the necessary resources to give the B.C. New Democrats a “fair shot” in her Penticton-Summerland riding.

Boultbee says she’s stepping aside “to make way for a more winnable candidate” in the Oct. 24 election.

The legislator from B.C.’s southern interior was first elected in October 2024 as a Conservative, only to leave that party a year later over ideological disagreements to sit as an Independent, before joining the New Democrats in July.

Boultbee’s move boosted the NDP caucus to 48 members, increasing Premier David Eby’s parliamentary majority to two seats, but it also drew criticism from her constituents.

She says in her statement that crossing the floor was incredibly difficult and carried considerable consequences, personally, professionally and politically.

“I have been threatened, spat at, disowned and abused in ways both public and private,” she said.

She says her primary reason for crossing the floor was to “join a credible and stable party,” something the B.C. Conservative Party lacked.

“I’m confident that I did the right thing for the right reasons when I made that decision,” she says.

“Not only that, but I was able to marshal the better resources for my community during the Bald Range wildfire, because I was able to access the deep bench of seasoned staff available to me through the (B.C. New Democrats).”

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate from Summerland and surrounding communities in August as the fast-moving fire raced through the area.

She is the sixth member of the governing NDP caucus to announce that she won’t run in the election, following announcements by Lana Popham, Ravi Kahlon, Kelly Greene, Brenda Bailey and George Chow.

Boultbee says she would have liked to continue as legislator, but “politics is hard and it’s not always fair” in framing her decision as a necessary move in the current political climate.

She says her decision to step down is about “ensuring this community and province are protected from the kind of right-wing, Trump-style populism and grave dysfunction on full display” among the Conservatives.

“My full confidence continues to rest with Premier Eby and his caucus,” she says.

“While the economic policies need work, this is being done and can be done. It’s fixable.

“The problems with the B.C. Conservatives are not fixable, maybe not ever and certainly not on the timeline British Columbia needs.”

B.C. Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay quit just days before David Eby called an election after more than a dozen of her caucus members left, citing her leadership.

Lorne Doerkson took over the job as interim leader of the party.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

An Ontario woman found guilty of manslaughter in the death of her infant son more than 20 years ago is asking the province’s top court to quash her conviction.

Jennifer Gaskin was convicted in 2002 in the death of her 2 1/2-month-old son Joeseph after two medical experts testified the child had died as a result of shaken baby syndrome.

Significant concerns about that medical evidence emerged years later as the province examined shaken-baby cases from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, and Gaskin’s legal team eventually retained three more experts to look over the file.

Court documents say the three experts couldn’t rule out the possibility of an inflicted injury, but found Joeseph — a premature baby who spent the first two months of his life in hospital — could also have died from sudden infant death syndrome.

In its submissions ahead of today’s appeal hearing, the Crown says the new findings should be admitted as fresh evidence and Gaskin should be acquitted.

It says the original expert evidence supporting her conviction has been “wholly undermined and placed in grave doubt.”

© 2026 The Canadian Press