Sean Ross is a New Jersey-based radio consultant with whom I’ve worked in the past.  He has a love of many things Canadian.  He told me he was once stopped at customs in Edmonton because the officer didn’t believe that he’d fly all that way just for a vacation.

Sean’s Canadian interests extend deep into music.  Check out what he wrote in this week’s Ross on Radio column.

This is from my column in today’s Metro newspapers:

Back on the 19th, Bono felt unwell. Decompressing from the massive 360 Tour at his villa in Eze-sur-Mer in the south of France, his heart began rattling around in his chest like a drum machine gone insane.  The palpitations and discomfort were enough for his wife to rush him to Princess Grace Memorial Hospital in nearby Monaco.

After being examined by a specialist and subjected to a battery of tests, he was sent home with orders to get some rest. Bono’s 51-year-old body is telling him something: you can’t be on a world tour for two years, pausing only for major spinal surgery and not expect to suffer some physical consequences.

Dominque Garcia, the guy who’s getting all kinds of publicity for introducing “Denise,” the non-human radio “personality” wrote an essay explainging–and defending–himself.

The dude seems to think he’s performaing a service to the radio industry.  I say he’s contributing to its death.

The premise of radio is that it’s always been personal, intimate and real.  Getting a computer program to do the work of a real, live, empathetic, storytelling communicator is nothing short of perverse.

Canada finally gets 90-second song previews on iTunes.  (When did that happen?)  Go ahead and take a look.  I’ll wait.

Jon Stewart will host a special program on the SiriusXM channel Lithium on September 24th–the 20th anniversary of the release of Nevermand–with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and producer Butch Vig.

I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.  Really.

Lost in all the Steve Jobs news?  Take a break and see what’s going on in music this morning.

Just what we need, right?

If you’re following tech, you’ll know that the entire industry–Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Motorola, HTC, etc.–are engaged in a giant fustercluck of patent suits and countersuits.  

“Innovation be damned!  I’m suing for patent infringement.”  Great.

One of the more high-profile suits is Apple vs. Samsung over their Galaxy tablet.  “It looks too much like an iPad, the design WE came up with!”

Er, hold on, Apple.

Oh, RIM.  Why couldn’t you have done this sooner?  Why the Johnny-come-lately attitude?

As the Blackberry continues to lose market share to iOS devices and Android–and as Windows Phone 7 is starting to look like a player–RIM has launched a Hail Mary music play:  BBM Music.

“See?” the company says, “We’re more than just a business company that offers enterprise solutions!  We can play in the consumer space, too.”  Adorable.

Here’s what you’ll be reading about tomorrow.

I hate the whole idea.  In fact, it makes me nauseous and scared for the future of radio.

Michael Robertson, founder of MP3.com and MP3tunes.com, feels the same way.  Here’s what he wrote today in his blog about Denise, the non-human $200 computer program that made its debut on a Texas radio station today.