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Please note that no newsletter will be published on
Monday, February 16, due to the Family Day holiday in New Brunswick.
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In this issue...
• Are landline telephones making a comeback?
• Will your next drink at Starbucks be made by a robot?
• By the numbers X 10 + 1
• CBC Radio's Under the Influence: Instructional jingles
• Are news links coming back to Facebook feeds in Canada?
• Valentine's Day is on Saturday, February 14
• Before you go: 7 things you may have missed in the news
• Trivia: Did you know?
• Quotes of note
• Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
• Let's Color Some Shoes and Purses by Rose Michaels
• Monday, February 23: Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night
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Are landline telephones making a comeback?
Last week, I included an item about how people are turning to hands-on hobbies such as knitting in order to get away from the non-stop digital blast of news, emails, text messages and notifications. And now, it seems like even the landline telephone - or a version of it - is perhaps making a comeback!
Article excerpt: "But just as the landline becomes endangered, a wave of young people have discovered it could be the easiest way to cure their brain rot, as young people are increasingly worried about the effects their screen time has on their mental health, attention span, and capacity for critical thinking. There are calls to bring back traditional landlines, but there's also a new approach to the analogue device. Catherine Goetze is an AI educator and online creator (she's better known online as @askcatgpt). Goetze has designed a landline phone called Physical Phone that connects to your smartphone, so you can take calls via your device without picking it up. The video she posted on Instagram sharing the concept has over 2 million views and even though the phone hasn't launched yet, the brand's Instagram account has over 38,000 followers.
The idea of the Physical Phone is to prevent doomscrolling and reduce your screen time. Think about it – the reason you tend to pick up your phone is probably a matter of practicality. Maybe you go to text your friend to make sure they're still on for plans or you realise you forgot to call your mum, only to find yourself in a doomscrolling hole 30 minutes later. The landline negates this – it still allows that communication without the temptation to dive head first into your For You Page.
Other people are finding new ways to embrace the idea of a landline. Erin Wakeland (@erinwakeland.studio) shared a TikTok video that now has over 50,000 views about her very literal approach to the landline. Wakeland's method involves attaching her smartphone to a chain on her wall, creating a literal landline. This means that any time she wants to use her phone she has to sit on a chair in one spot."
Maybe that cute little fella posing with that landline telephone back in the 1960s was ahead of his time, eh? (That's me in a restored photo, by the way. Remember when we actually had designated furniture for our telephones? And just for the record, I still remember my childhood telephone number, too!)
Read: The landline phone is making a comeback and your brain will thank you.
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Will your next drink at Starbucks be made by a robot?
I've always wondered how Starbucks employees could remember how to make all those complicated drinks. Yes, I suppose they would have access to recipes, but I've never seen any of them check recipes... they just go ahead and make them!
Now, however, they may have help... robots!
Article excerpt: "Americans pulling into a Starbucks drive‑thru may be greeted by a friendly staff member. But at some locations, it is actually an AI robot entering the orders.
Behind the counter inside the store, baristas can lean on a virtual personal assistant to recall recipes or manage schedules.
In the back of the shop, a scanning tool has taken on the painstaking process of counting the inventory, relieving staff of one of retail's most tedious chores, in a bid to fix the out-of-stock gaps that have frustrated the firm.
The new technology is part of the hundreds of millions of dollars the 55-year-old coffee giant has been investing as it tries to win back customers after several years of struggling sales.
And there are signs that the effort is working.
Last week, the company reported its first sales increase in two years at established stores in the US - its biggest and most important market, accounting for some 70% of revenue."
There's one thing for sure about having robots make your drink, you can't complain about it tasting different at every store. They would be consistent everywhere.
Read: Starbucks bets on robots to brew a turnaround in customers.
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CBC Radio's Under the Influence: Instructional jingles
Last week's episode of CBC Radio's Under the Influence with host Terry O'Reilly looked at instructional jingles.
• February 5, 2026 - Jingles: Rhythmic Instruction Manuals: "This week, we look at a sub-category of jingles. Most successful jingles are catchy little earworms. But these particular little ditties use lyrics to tell you how to use the product, or how to play the advertised game. They’re not just catchy... they’re rhythmic instruction manuals." Click here to listen to the episode.
Under the Influence airs Thursdays and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. on CBC Radio One; Tuesdays at 4 p.m., Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. on Sirius XM Channel 169. The show is also available as a podcast through your favourite podcast provider. Click here for the show's website and click here for the show's on-demand audio archive.
Please note: For some reason, not all episodes make it to both the CBC "On Demand" page and/or the website page for the show. Links are provided as available.
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Are news links coming back to Facebook feeds in Canada?
This has been one of my pet peeves forever! I've never understood why Facebook was being asked to pay for links to news sites. They were sending tons of traffic to websites for 100% free. Why would Facebook have to pay for the privilege to do so?
Anyway, when push came to shove, Facebook pulled the plug completely on news being shared on Canadian websites. This is perhaps an unpopular opinion: I don't blame them one bit! They were helping Canadian news sites, not hindering them.
Article excerpt: "The federal government says its willingness to speak with Meta about the possibility of seeing online news return to Facebook is part of an ongoing conversation Canada is having with the digital giant as the review of CUSMA nears.
'The door has always been open on our government's side to discuss these issues. We've been having regular discussions with platforms since the Online News Act was developed. This is nothing new,' said Hermine Landry, press secretary to Culture Minister Mark Miller, who is not taking part in the CUSMA review.
The Online News Act, which became law in 2023, requires tech giants like Google and Meta to pay media outlets for news content they share or otherwise repurpose on their platforms.
In the fall of 2023, Google and the federal government reached an agreement that saw Google continue to share Canadian news online in return for annual payments to news companies amounting to $100 million.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, decided to take the other route outlined in the Online News Act, and removed all news from its platforms to avoid paying fees to news outlets."
I spoke to a journalist who told me that traffic to their network's website was down very dramatically after Facebook stopped allowing Canadian news. All that FREE traffic? Gone. Again, I fail to see how Facebook owed anyone money when they were - in fact - helping to distribute factual information free of charge. The vastly diminished traffic to news outlet websites is proof of the positive impact they had.
Regardless, I hope that Meta and the federal government can come to an agreement on returning legitimate news sharing to Facebok.
Read: Canada in talks with Meta on return of news to Facebook as CUSMA review nears.
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Trivia: Did you know?
New Brunswick-based Ganong was the first brand to introduce heart-shaped boxes for Valentine's Day back in the 1930s. Since then, many other candy companies across the globe have adopted the iconic design. Who knew? It all started in New Brunswick!
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Quotes of note
• 1. "In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."
- Jane Austen (1775-1817), English author, Pride and Prejudice (see photo)
• 2. "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."
- Dr. Seuss
• 3. "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
- Lao Tzu
• 4. "If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
- Mother Teresa
• 5. "When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."
- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
• 6. "He stared at her, knowing with certainty that he was falling in love. He pulled her close and kissed her beneath a blanket of stars, wondering how on earth he'd been lucky enough to find her."
- Nicholas Sparks, The Last Song
• 7. "When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it - always."
- Mahatma Gandhi
• 8. "I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?"
- Ernest Hemingway
• 9. "Love is sharing your popcorn."
- Charles Shulz
• 10. "Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke. "
- Lynda Barry
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Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
In February, the group is walking in Centennial Park, meeting in the parking lot off St. George Boulevard.
The group meets for walks every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. New participants are always welcome! For more information, please contact Wayne Harrigan at 506-386-2187 or via email.
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Let's Color Some Shoes and Purses by Rose Michaels
Step into a world of style, sparkle and endless creativity! This fun coloring book is packed with gorgeous shoes and pretty purses just waiting for your colorful touch. From elegant high heels to chic clutches and glamorous handbags, every page is a runway for your imagination. Perfect for fashion lovers of all ages, check out the bold patterns and play with wild color combos! If you love fashion or just love to relax and color, this book is your ticket to some fabulous fun. No dressing room required! There are a total of 50 images in the book. Each image has a blank page on the other side for those who like to use markers.
• Amazon Canada: amzn.to/41p8x5f
• Amazon USA: amzn.to/3VeTwiO
To view the entire list of Rose Michaels' colouring books, visit her website or follow her Facebook page.
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Monday, February 23: Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night
The next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club Trivia Night will be held at St. Louis Bar & Grill, 1405 Mountain Road, Moncton, on Monday, February 23, beginning at 6:30 p.m. $10 per person (cash only).
Participants may play as teams or individuals. The winning team gets 50% of the door receipts as their prize.
It is strongly suggested that participants arrive by 5:15-5:30 p.m. for a seat. Trivia begins at 6:30 p.m. sharp and is usually over by 8-8:15 p.m. Everyone welcome!
Please note that restaurant reservations are NOT available for this event. First come, first served. Limited seating of approximately 50 guests.
Participants may bring an optional non-perishable food item (box of granola bars, Kraft Dinner, cereal, canned goods, etc.) for distribution at Krista Richard's Community Sports Program events, of which the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club is a sponsor. Any donations will be gratefully received and provided to Krista for distribution to her program participants (school-aged children from Moncton-area schools).
Since Rotary Trivia Nights began in 2016, the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club has donated more than $20,000 to Atlantic Wellness, Karing Kitchen, Ray of Hope Kitchen, Salvus Clinic, The Humanity Project, BGC Moncton (Moncton Boys & Girls Club), Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Project Linus - Moncton Chapter, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Children's Wish Canada, Krista Richard's Community Sports Program and Bicycle Program, Diabetes Canada's D-Camps for kids, and Anglophone East School District's School Supplies Drive, among others.
The Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club gratefully acknowledges the kind and generous sponsorship of our restaurant partner, St. Louis Bar & Grill.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a no telephone rule at these events. The answers cannot be researched except among discussion with your team members.
Facebook event listing: bit.ly/4a1gf8U
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About this newsletter
Brian Cormier's Weekly Update is distributed weekly from September to June. If you're reading this newsletter online and want to subscribe, please email me, fill out the subscription form on my website, or subscribe via the "Join Our Email List" button at the top of the newsletter (if you're viewing this in a browser.) This newsletter is not published in July and August and on holidays.
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