Category Archives: Communications

Communications

Now That Most Web Traffic is Non-Human

In 2024, more than half of all web traffic came from bots — a shift most people didn’t notice until this year.

The word ‘bot’ is short for ‘robot,’  which originates from the Czech term “robota,” meaning “forced labour” or “drudgery.” It was popularized by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play ‘Rossum’s Universal Robots,’ which premiered in 1921.

Most bots are helpful, unless they unintentionally overwhelm a small website with sudden bursts of requests. When you watch videos online (on platforms like YouTube or Netflix), recommendation bots suggest content based on your preferences. When you shop online, bots help with customer support, product suggestions, and even process your orders. These systems make experiences smoother, faster, and more personalized. Every time you interact with a website, app, or service, there’s a good chance a ‘helpful bot’ is working behind the scenes.

Continue reading Now That Most Web Traffic is Non-Human →
Communications, Community

Launch of the new Cortes Island Map Series

The Cortes Community Mapping Project recently launched its Cortes Island Map Series in Linnaea’s Lakeview Room. This morning’s program consists of gleanings from the three speakers: Sabina Leader Mense, David Shipway and Eve Flager. 

Sabina Leader Mense: “I want to give you a little bit of background on how we got this project started. In a nutshell, the project is best described as putting community maps into community hands. That’s been our goal. I’m just one of the team members working on this project.

Continue reading Launch of the new Cortes Island Map Series →
Communications

Hallucinations- The Quadra Project

Cultures persist because of a confidence in themselves. Common agreement binds them together, and they endure for as long as their collective understanding is based on reality. But what happens if the assumptions that they make are faulty? The incongruity between the beliefs motivating their behaviour and the actual reality in which they live instigates increasing conflicts until reality asserts itself with a dispassionate shrug and the culture experiences the discomfort of a minor reset or the trauma of a major one.

Continue reading Hallucinations- The Quadra Project →
Communications

From Lanzhou to BC: Bots Overwhelming Cortes Currents

There have been numerous reports of cyberattacks, bots, and hackers this month. On November 13, the Wallstreet Journal reported what is reputedly the world’s first cyberespionage operation largely carried out using AI. The makers of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Claude subsequently revealed that they detected this operation in September. The attacks were carried out by Chinese hackers targeting large tech companies, financial institutions, chemical manufacturing companies, and government agencies.

Google Chrome is the world’s most popular browser, holding two-thirds of the market share. Consequently, it is also a frequent target for cyberattacks.

What does this all mean for a tiny website like Cortes Currents, located in a remote corner of British Columbia?

Continue reading From Lanzhou to BC: Bots Overwhelming Cortes Currents →
Communications

Addye Susnick joins Manda Aufochs-Gillespie to talk about Community and Dissent in a Digital Age

Tune in on November 14th, 2025, for a conversation that explores how queer and trans zine-making can become an act of joyful resistance and connection. Addye Susnick joins host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie to chat about their PhD dissertation and their deep dive into zine culture, uncovering radical histories, underground networks, and continuing power as a tool for community and dissent in a digital age. Together, the conversation weaves zines, trans joy, and creative defiance into a reflection on how small acts of creation can ripple outward into meaningful social change.

Continue reading Addye Susnick joins Manda Aufochs-Gillespie to talk about Community and Dissent in a Digital Age →