Do you like dots? And colours? And buttons you can click on? If yes, Slate Magazine’s News Dots social network map is for you!

The map, which uses tagging software from Thomson Reuters, connects people, places and things mentioned in stories based on how frequently they appear, and presents the results as a social network web bonanza. It might not be the most functional tool unless you’re conducting topic analysis research, but it promises at least six minutes of distraction time—guaranteed!

In other news, Shaw Communications won the court battle yesterday for 20 percent of equity and 80 percent of voting shares for Canwest’s broadcast division. Beating out a competing bid from Catalyst Capital Group, which was backed by Goldman Sachs, the Asper family and former Rogers Communications CEO John Tory, it’s interesting to note that carriers are increasingly becoming owners of the channels as well, and raises the question of how this increase will affect broadcasting in Canada. Although the Aspers might not be the best choice to lead Canwest (to put it lightly), it remains to be seen whether this sale will be a win for anyone involved.