Category: Global Issues

Will Cheap Tablets Drive The Next Internet Revolution?

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Politics, Society, TechnologyLeave a comment

In a recent article in Macleans, Jesse Brown was talking about the new Aakash tablet which is being made in India.  It’s not here yet, but it’s likely coming soon.

The first thing to know about it, is that it’s a bottom end tablet.  The processor is slow.  The networking is substandard and there’s no multi-touch.  But they sell for about $50 so who cares.  Those are the facts.  From there, it’s off to imagination land.

According to Mr. Brown, an influx of cheap tablets will get a billion more people on the internet.  I’m just curious who’s going to pay those billion monthly bills.  The fact is, hardware is the cheapest part of the online experience.  Access fees are the biggest financial disincentive to more widespread embrace of the net.

I doubt that cheap tablets are going to be the great democratizing force foreseen in this article.  Hardware is a one shot expenditure.  You buy your device and it’s yours.  Access fees recur every month.  Depending on what level of access you want, a couple of months fees will run you more than the cost of these new tablets.  Until we find a way to bring down ISP charges, widespread access remains a pipedream.

The true value of these types of products lies with people like me.  It’s not going to be my primary device, but if it was that cheap, I’d consider one for certain applications.  It would piggyback on my existing internet plan, and that’s the key here.  It would be an auxillary device.  If they’d been around when my daughter was younger, she would’ve had one.  Instead of a netbook which cost several times as much.

Of course, it ignores the larger issue.  We complain about the lack of manufacturing jobs but then get excited about how cheaply they build tablets in India.  We want $50 tablets, but we want $20 an hour to build them.  That’s the bigger issue.  The government needs to find a way to create incentives for that type of manufacturing in Canada.  We need to create entry level industries that can employ less skilled workers.  The resulting products may not be the bleeding edge, but they will be more affordable.

That’s what will lead more Canadians online.  Not affordable hardware, but real jobs that allow them to pay those monthly fees.  Without those jobs, and others like them, there will be less people online, not more.  That’s the real secret to the democratization of the internet.

Cheers, Winston

Two Reasons Canada Shouldn’t Buy F-35 Jets

On By WinstonIn Canadian Military, Global Issues, Politics, Society, Technology1 Comment

Actually, there are more than two, but I don’t feel like writing a twenty-thousand word essay tonight. So I’ll limit this to just a couple, or so.

First up of course is the idea of spending BILLIONS of dollars on new fighter aircraft. I’m going to assume that’s because we live in an unstable part of the world where we are constantly at risk of invasion. No? Maybe the Conservative government is correct and we need them to assert our Arctic sovereignty. Against whom?

Anyone who is likely to be trekking about in the high north isn’t anyone we’re likely to shoot at. Let’s face it. The only countries actively challenging us in the Arctic are the U.S. and Russia. It’s really unlikely that we’re going to shoot at either of them. I mean really. If the U.S. thought that might happen, they probably wouldn’t be selling us the aircraft to make that possible. Add to this Prime Minister Harper’s own comment. According to the man who wants to buy these planes, the greatest threat to Canadian sovereignty is “Islamicist Terror”. I think it would be nice if he decided which threat we’re supposed to address and who these jets will address either.

My next nit to pick regards a fairly simple question. Why don’t we build our own jets? We’ve got our own aircraft industry. We’ve got more than enough technical knowledge. The Conservatives keep talking about how they plan to create jobs. Seems like a no-brainer to me. It’s not like we have any imminent threat demanding we upgrade in the immediate future. Fact is this could be a long term investment in Canadian businesses, creating Canadian jobs and employing Canadian technologists. What a concept.

Lastly tonight, I would like to raise a point I noticed in an article in Maclean’s. The jets which Mr. Harper and his fellow Bedlamites want spend billions on to defend the Arctic from “Islamicist Terror”, seems there might be a little problem with that. Apparently they won’t be able to communicate from there. A lack of polar orbiting communications satellites renders these awesome beasts mute. Way to plan Team Harper!

If the same salesperson from the U.S. shows up and starts talking bridges, give me a call. For twenty bucks and a couple of beers I can do a better job of advising you than the “pro”s you had for this one.

Cheers, Winston

Corporate Resonsibility Shouldn’t Stop At The Border

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Politics, Rants, ValuesLeave a comment

Earlier tonight, I was reading an article from the Huffington Post.  It talked about a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals saying that corporations should be held to account for human rights violations overseas.

Specifically, the residents of the island of Bougainville in the Phillipines is looking to sue the Rio Tinto for the deaths of thousands during a civil war that started in the late eighties.  The people revolted against their treatment at the hands of this multinational mining conglomerate and it’s government stooges.

While this ruling favors accountability, there are several levels of court involved in the U.S. and just as many different views.  As a result, it’s going to the Supreme Court for a final decision.  What the hell do they have to decide?

A corporation abuses people on a tiny, resource rich island on the other side of the world.  The people revolt.  The corporation pays the government to involve it’s military.  A ten year civil war ensues and thousands die.  How is the corporation not responsible?  Why do the courts even need to debate it?  Especially in a country that invades others just because they feel like it?

So why shouldn’t a massive corporation be held to account in the courts?  How about because they are a massive corporation with enough capital to buy immunity.  In much the same way that the U.S. declared a few years ago that they wouldn’t be bound by international criminal proceedings regarding their involvement in various foreign wars.

Of course that’s one of the problems.  It’s a U.S. corporation, being ruled on in U.S. courts.  Who would’ve thought they might not rule in favor of the victims?  There’s no track record of that sort of favoirtism in their courts, is there?

Cheers, Winston

We Are The 90 Percent

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Personal Responsibility, Politics, Society, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

Rare though it may be, I agree heartily with a recent article by Andrew Coyne in this weeks Maclean’s magazine. In it, he argues that the problem isn’t with the super rich one percent. It’s them and the eighty nine percent under them.

Here in Canada, we don’t have the same issues as are motivating the Occupy Wall street movement in the U.S. The fact is, we’ve experienced a combination of good management and good luck. Every time I hear someone advocate for less government regulation I just point at our respective mortgage and housing industries and smile.

So the Occupiers in Canada make me laugh. It’s just more enjoyable and polite than swearing at them. Their main protest seems to be that other people have more than they do. Oh boo hoo.

As Mr. Coyne points out in his article, our housing market didn’t collapse, so our banks didn’t need to be bailed out. The gap between the top one percent and the next eighty-nine percent isn’t as serious as the one between those ninety percent and the bottom ten percent.

Maybe we can’t get that second car, but the bottom ten percent can’t necessarily get that second meal. I lose my job and we have to cut some corners until I find a new one. For the bottom ten percent, the only corner they have is the one they are backed into. They have nothing left to cut.

Probably the most telling comment in the piece was in the last paragraph. If the money went into the hands of the bottom ten percent, it would take only a two percent increase in the HST to bring their standard of living above the poverty line.

The poor aren’t poor because of the top one percent. They live in poverty because of everyone who believes that tax cuts are the way to create economic health. Sure they are if you already have enough. Sadly, if you have nothing to spend, HST cuts don’t actually help you all that much.

If you want to make the world a better place, how about making better for people who need it more than we do.

Cheers, Winston

Math For Protesters

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Media, Personal Responsibility, Politics, Pop Culture, Society2 Comments

The more I see of the Occupy This And That crowd, the more they annoy me.  One of their most annoying habits is claiming to be the “99%”.  Even the most math challenged should be able to understand that this is decidedly not the case.

I’m going to be generous (and lazy) and give them a total of 500,000 protesters in Canada.  Judging from the reports in a variety of media sources, there aren’t that many, but like I say, I’m feeling generous.  A quick Google search for the population of Canada reveals that in 2009 there were 33,739,900 people here.  If you divide the protesters by the population, you find out that the Occupy Whatever movement actually accounts for less than 2% of the available bodies.

Of course, “We are the 99%.” sounds much more impressive than “We are less than 2%.”  But hey, what do I know?  I’m not part of a magazine that specializes in inflammatory, anti-capitalist images and soundbites like AdBusters.  For those of you who hadn’t heard, that’s who’s behind the “spontaneous” Occupy Wall Street movement.  The nice people at AdBusters claim they were inspired by the Tahrir protests in Egypt.  Because of course we have so much in common with people living under a military backed single party system.  Sure we do.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.  The people in Tahrir square weren’t there because they were too lazy to get involved in the democratic process, they were protesting the total lack of a democratic process to be involved with.  The issue in Canada and the U.S. isn’t that people can’t change the system, it’s that they can’t be bothered.

The tragedy of Democracy is that you end up not with what you wish for, but rather what you deserve.  The system isn’t broken, it’s ignored.  It gets ignored for the same reason our personal debt is so high.  (If you said “Corporate Greed”, consider yourself slapped.)  It’s all because people want short cuts.  They want what they want, and they want it right now.  Thank you very much.

Instead of saving up to buy a house, car and big screen TV or pay their tuition, they borrow and then blame their debt on the “greedy banks” with easy credit and high interest.  Instead of years of political action and organizing and hard, slogging work, they expect the system to change because they spend a few weeks or months camping in a bunch of parks.  Yeah.  That’ll work for sure.

The biggest indicator of how the protests are failing is the media coverage they are receiving.  Think about who owns the major media outlets.  Those nasty, “greedy” corporations.  If the Occupy Yourselves Protesting movement offered even the slightest threat to them, do you think they’d give them any ink at all?  Sure, you’re reading this online,  but answer me this.  Who gets more voting eyeballs, YouTube, or CNN?  That’s my point.  Those big corporations don’t feel threatened because a couple of thousand people in a park are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

They are just another part of the Roman “bread and circuses”.  They occupy the attention of the people and repeat the message that the system is broken.  That means that people won’t engage with the system, and that ensures status quo, and that’s good new for all those evil corporate types.

So to wrap up, the math is pretty clear.  half a million (inflated to salve the organizers egos) divided by thirty four million is not ninety-nine percent.  Nobody voted for you, so you should stop saying you represent the ninety-nine percent.  Next time AdBusters decides to stir people up , it would be nice if they could do it during an election year and try to stir them towards the polling stations.

Oh yeah.  One more quick note.  When movie stars and directors show up in support of people protesting against the “economic divide”, it looks a little bit… what’s the word I want?   Oh yeah…. HYPOCRITICAL!

Cheers, Winston

Happy 40th Greenpeace!

On By WinstonIn Education, Environment, Global Issues, Green Energy, Personal Responsibility, Politics, Society, ValuesLeave a comment
http://www.greenpeace.org

Despite the fondest wishes of so many who opposed it, Greenpeace turned forty this year.  I remember as a child back in the early ’70s listening to all the talk about this group of “hippies” that were interfering with nuclear testing.  Because of the cold war, it seemed pretty obvious to a child like me that if no one could test nukes, maybe they wouldn’t be able to destroy the world with them.  Then I learned a little more.

From my late teens to my mid-twenties, I went through a more conservative phase where I believed they were a menace.  They hadn’t stopped nuclear testing to save me, but to save a bunch of wildlife.  I like wildlife as much as the next person, but let’s get our priorities straight shall we.  Then I learned a little more.

For the past fifteen years or so, I’ve been a dues paying member of Greenpeace.  I’ve watched the world stand by and allow the wholesale destruction of the natural world.  Only one group that I’ve seen has put out a consistent message backed by non-violent action to try an curb that trend.  That group is Greenpeace.

Contrary To Their Commercials, This Is What The Tar Sands REALLY Look Like

Yep, that’s beautiful northern Alberta in Canada.  The company’s that run the oil sands projects have been putting out commercials that make it look all clean and friendly.  (I was going to put a link to the ad here, but can’t seem to find that commercial anywhere.)

Greenpeace has been fighting for years to get some sort of environmentally responsible action from CAPP (Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers).  Activists have occupied sites, caused work stoppages and worked to make the rest of the world aware of this tragic rape of Canada’s wilderness.  It’s a slow process, made more so when the government at every level is on the side of those committing the crime.

They wanted to “save the whales” before it became a catchall phrase to describe anyone who cares about the environment.  They also worked to keep Antarctica free, to stop overfishing on the high seas, to stop deforestation in South America, stop toxic and nuclear waste from being dumped into high seas, to stop our society from creating toxic nightmares by selling our electronic waste to companies that dump it on impoverished, third world shorelines to be manually broken down, recycled and burned in open fires.

Yeah, I can see now why some people think they’re radicals.  Obviously, their opposition to genetically modified crops is just a ploy to cause famine.  It couldn’t possibly have to do with Monsanto and co. owning the genetic rights to an ever increasing slice of the worlds seed crops.   Nonsense, how could that possibly be a bad thing.  It’s not like they can claim the rights to seeds from plants which have been inadvertently been cross pollinated from a neighboring field.  Oh wait.  Yes they can.

So yes, I give money every month to Greenpeace.  I’m not out protesting or organizing or any of that stuff.  That’s not me.  Not at this time anyway.  Who knows what the future will bring.  I think it says enough that right now when money’s kind of an issue, I haven’t missed a payment.   Now I’ve learned a little more.

I’m still a dues paying member of Greenpeace.  Because once you learn some things, they can’t be unlearned.

Cheers, Winston

Occupying Protesters Are Taking The Easy Route

On By WinstonIn Enlightenment, Global Issues, Media, Personal Responsibility, Politics, Pop Culture, Self Awareness, Society, ValuesLeave a comment

Okay, you’ve finally got me. I can’t take it any more. Our society is caught in a feedback loop and just like the feedback at a live concert, the whining is driving me nuts.

Someone says, “One percent of the population controls most of the money while the other ninety-nine percent struggles.” and a media person likes it so they make a sound bite out of it.  People hear the sound bite and like it so they repeat it.  More media people hear it being said so they  make a story out of it and even more people hear about it.  Next thing you know, you can’t read a paper without hearing it, and you can’t throw a rock without hitting one of the alleged ninety-percent who are out protesting about it.

According to this movement, the super rich elites took all the money and used it to buy all the politicians and the only way to change it is by having these massive protests.  These three points are what I like to call, delusional; accidentally right, but not for the reasons they think and wrong because it’s bloody stupid.  Now that I’ve annoyed a bunch of folks, let me explain.

First off, the super rich didn’t “take” all the money.  We gave it to them, and we continue to do so every day.  They aren’t evil.  We are gullible.  Bill Gates never forced anyone to use Microsoft Windows or Office.  People chose to give Microsoft, and by extension, Mr. Gates lots of money.  Likewise, the late Steve Jobs didn’t wait for people in dark alleys, steal their wallets and replace them with iPhones.  No hedgefund manager ever came to anyone’s door begging them to invest in their funds.  Banks didn’t force mortgages onto people who had no hope in hell of ever paying them off.  People did those things to themselves.  Blaming the super rich is a way of deluding ourselves by taking up our cultural battle cry of, “It’s not my fault!”

The other favorite cause of financial hardship is “Corporate Greed”.  Talk about delusional, blaming that is like blaming the Easter Bunny for childhood obesity.  There’s no such thing people!  Corporations aren’t greedy because they aren’t people.  It’s called anthropomorphism.  It’s our habit of trying to understand things by assigning human traits to them.  “Corporate Greed” is another way of pretending that none of this is “our” fault.  Surprise!  It is all our fault.  Those greedy corporations are actually all about HUMAN greed.  Before you start thinking about agreeing with that, you need to read on.

It’s not just the executives that are greedy.  That’s the easy out again.  Here’s the truth.  It’s damned near every single one of us.  That’s the truth.  Yes, the executives are in a position to get a visibly larger share than those elsewhere in the organization.  Let’s stop kidding ourselves though, they aren’t the only greedy ones.  If the CEO suddenly decides to give a percentage of the profits to whatever random charity you like, how long do you think he’ll keep his job?  The shareholders are just a greedy as the CEO.  What about the rank and file employees?  Do you think they’d take a pay cut if they knew the money was going directly to fight world hunger?  Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Stop blaming other people.  Stop blaming some imaginary bogeyman.  Accept responsibility for your choices.  We can’t change other people, only ourselves.  If we don’t like our world, it’s up to us to change it.  But it’s almost like the tagline from season one of the TV series “Heroes”, only in this case it’s, “Change yourself.  Change the world!”  Which brings me to my next point.

Do rich and powerful lobbyists use money to influence politics?  Of course they do!  (See, I told you they’re right about that.)  We need to be clear about why they do it though.  No it’s not because they are corrupt, or politicians are weak, or because the New World Order told them to.  Nope.  The reason once again is closer to home.  All those people who whine that the system is broken so there’s no point in participating,  they give carte blanche to the lobbyists and the politicians to work out any deal they like.  The system isn’t going to change itself, it’s up to the voters to do it.  So if you can organize thousands of protesters all over the country, how come you can’t get them to the polls.  It’s votes that put politicians in office. Organize block voting, and you could have a huge impact on who gets into office and who gets out.  But it’s a hell of a lot easier to sit in a tent in the park and blame the super rich and corporate greed.  Which brings me to my last point.

Protesting may raise awareness.  I doubt it, but it might.  Do you really believe that everyone else is so stupid that they won’t realize there’s a problem if you don’t camp in a park?  I recently lost my job because of greedy people making bad decisions.  Do you think I didn’t know that was a bad thing?  The biggest annoyance out of all this is the massive self-righteous arrogance of the protesters.  The idea that they are more aware or enlightened than the rest.  If everyone else understood what they do, we’d all be out there.  Well, not all of us would.  I know I wouldn’t because I understand something they don’t.  The protests won’t work because shortcuts never do.  If you really want to change things, you have to do the heavy lifting just like everyone else.

They’ll find out that taking the easy route almost never takes you where you want to go.  What they should really be occupying are some political activism workshops.  Maybe someone can host a few in a tent in a park.  Have fun with that.

Cheers, Winston

Didn’t Vote? Shut Up!

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Humor, Personal Responsibility, Politics, Society, ValuesLeave a comment

So our provincial election is over.  Dalton McGuinty and the Liberal Party returned for a third round but with a minority this time.  That just gives them a handy excuse for anything they promised but don’t deliver on.  All of that is irrelevant because so few people showed up to vote.  We could have elected a totally imaginary party with an untouchable majority just off the no-shows.  The rest of this post speaks directly to those eligible voters who didn’t bother.

How Stupid Are You?

I get that you think the system is broken. The fact is, if you didn’t vote, you’re the one who broke it. That’s right kids. If you didn’t vote, YOU are what’s wrong with the system. Sadly for you, your whiny sense of disenfranchisement is now the mainstream.  You aren’t all special and superior because you alone see what’s wrong anymore.  Good news though, it’s not just the voices in your head.  Over half the people in Ontario are now officially as stupid and lazy as you.  Okay. Maybe you aren’t lazy and stupid.  I bet you’d prefer to think of yourselves as disenfranchised.

Well, suck it up buttercup, you aren’t.  The only person trying to disenfranchise you is you.  It’s not the government, or the corporations, or aliens, or the Illuminati/Templars/Bildenbergers, it is YOU!  It’s the truth.  You are your own worst enemy.  If there was a “New World Order”, and if I worked for it, I’d send out Thank You cards to everyone who didn’t vote.  You people are better than gold to an evil megalomaniacal group.

Did you ever hear of “Arab Spring”?  Those people gave their lives to bring down corrupt, repressive governments and dictators.  That vote you just threw away.  Someone in Somalia would have died to have it.  In the Middle East, thousands died so millions could have the freedom to choose their government.  Your refusal to vote spits on the grave of every person who died so others could have that opportunity.  An opportunity to get involved in remaking their world the way they want it to be.

The people of Syria, Egypt, Libya etc. didn’t protest in lieu of voting.  They protested so that they could vote.  They died so that next election, or the one after, other people could cast a ballot with more than one name on it.  They protested and died so that their children will have the freedom to select a government that reflects them.

So go ahead and whine, gripe, complain or whatever.  It doesn’t matter, because you don’t matter.  If you refuse to use your voice when it might make a difference, then the rest of the time, you’re just white-noise.  Annoying, but inconsequential.

Cheers, Winston

Anonymous Has A Plan To Save The World

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Media, Personal Responsibility, Politics, Pop Culture, Society, ValuesLeave a comment

Apparently Anonymous has a plan to change the world.  Yay!  I’m so excited I can hardly keep from gagging.  For those not paying attention, that’s called sarcasm.  Why would I not be more supportive of a group trying to change the status quo and make the world a better place?  Fair question.

If I thought they were likely to make the world a better place, I’d be more enthusiastic.  If I thought their plan might work, I’d be more enthusiastic.  If the guy wasn’t wearing a V for Vendetta style Guy Fawkes mask while reading his little rant/manifesto, I’d have less of an urge to kick him in the “man-bits”.

A Guy Fawkes mask, really?  I think that annoys me mostly because I enjoyed the movie so much.  I might also point out that the actual heroes of the movie didn’t wear masks.  Of course that isn’t what Anonymous wants to hear.  According to them, their power lies in the idea that they are anyone and everyone.

Well, I can tell you they aren’t everyone, because they sure as hell aren’t me.  Oh sure, I share some of their concerns.  Corporations should be good citizens and take a leading role in charity work and community building.  Consumerism is out of control and we care more about things than people.  We need to close the gap between the very rich and the very poor.  Elected officials should have the interests of ALL the people in mind, not just the ones who gave money to their “war chests”, and never put their party above the people.

There are some key differences though.  I don’t think their protests are going to do anything at all.  I don’t think their plan is going to make even the tiniest bit of change happen.  Why?  Because I don’t think they understand the problem.  They complain about the uber rich and corporate greed and the deficit and consumerism and all their other issues, and they miss the truth.

The truth is, it’s not “them”.  It’s “us”.  We are the problem.  One of the terms I hear in connection with this is “Kleptocracy”.  This is just the sort of delusional misinformation I would want spread if I was one of corporate heads they claim to hate.  The idea is that those running things are robbing the people blind.  That we are in fact being run by thieves.

Truth be told, it’s actually a “Meocracy’.  We’re  being run by people who put themselves and their interests first.  Whether it’s corporate heads, the shareholders who drive them, or the unionized employees who demand more, they’re all me.  “Meocracy” is screaming for tax cuts because you don’t need the services they pay for, then screaming when the services aren’t there when you want them.  “Meocracy” is talking about poverty and starvation from the comfort of your home, with a full belly, a cellphone, laptop and big screen TV.

“Meocracy” is what drives our society.  The reason Anonymous isn’t going to change anything is simple.  Anonymous is the pinnacle of the “Meocratic” movement.  They are the ultimate expression of the denial of personal responsibility which is the hallmark of a “Meocracy”.  They see everything as someone else’s fault.  “People don’t starve because I didn’t feed them.  They starve because corporations didn’t feed them.  Billionaires didn’t feed them.”  This is the Anonymous mindset.

You can’t demand change.  Well, you can, but it won’t work.  The protests and other drama won’t change peoples minds.  If you really want to change the world, I’ll help you get started.  Give up your cellphone and your cable and your internet connection.  Take that money and give it to a homeless shelter, or a soup kitchen, or a reputable charity.  Do that every month.  Only buy domestically produced goods.  Stop supporting third world sweat shops.  Get involved in grassroots politics. Stop giving your money to corporations who don’t treat their workers fairly, or their communities with respect.  Educate voters.  Educate candidates.  Educate yourselves.  Stop believing your own press.  You’re not more enlightened than anyone else.

Do all of these things for five years.  Consistently.  Then  you can come and tell me your plan to change the world.  Maybe by then you’ll have thought up something more useful than protesting against things that mean nothing.  Maybe by then you’ll understand where Anonymous has it wrong.  What’s needed isn’t to band together against some powerful and corrupt “other”.  Change will only come when understand that the powerful and corrupt are us.

Here is a simple fact.  Apple has more liquid capital than the U.S. government.  They are immensely wealthy.  Does this mean that I’m going to give up my iPhone and boycott them as punishment?  Don’t be daft.  They haven’t done anything wrong.  They are a corporation.  Their job is to make money.  They just happen to do it very well.  They didn’t force me to buy their phone.  Me, I made that decision.

It was “Me” because I live in a “Meocracy”.  Apple, Microsoft, Chrysler, Hitachi, Acer, none of them are responsible for where my money goes.  I could as easily give it to a soup kitchen, but I choose to give it to these and other corporations.  It’s my money, and my choice.  That’s the lesson Anonymous needs to learn.  Changing yourself is your prerogative, changing me is mine.

You can’t force people to change.  No matter how much you might think they need to.

Cheers, Winston

The Internet Isn’t The Last Haven Of Democracy.

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Media, Pop Culture, Society, TechnologyLeave a comment

Courtesy of a raging bout of insomnia, I was browsing some back stories on Maclean’s.  That’s when this gem caught my eye.  On Aug 12th, Peter Nowak posted this article: “Governments Must Adapt To Internet, Not Other Way Around”.  According to Mr. Nowak, democracy “is the de facto model that almost every online operation works on”.

“The popular and good rise to the top… the bad and unpopular is ignored or voted down.” It seems he is equating popular with good.  Hardly a supportable position given the current popularity of reality tv and Jackass movies.  Rising to the top isn’t necessarily a sign of quality, only of popularity and people’s urge to part of the “In Crowd”.  The fact that something gets 80,000,000 hits doesn’t mean that it’s good, only that nobody wants to be the one that doesn’t know what everyone else is talking about.  Popular doesn’t equate to good, more often, only to easy.  Lolcats get more hits than ethical debates.  Contestants on reality shows garner more votes than elected officials.  Yeah, popular is a sure sign of quality.

His next little piece of genius involves praising the hacker collective known as Anonymous.  These self appointed judges/juries/executioners are defenders of openness and democracy according to this guy.  He indirectly praises them for their attack on Sony in retaliation for their lawsuit against the person who posted an illegal hack for the PS3.  Peter seems to believe that it was wrong of Sony to take legal steps to protect their intellectual property.  On the other hand, he is perfectly okay with Anonymous using illegal steps to punish them.  There are a couple of details he leaves out in his paean to digital frontier justice.  The takedown of Sony didn’t just affect “Sony”, it affected the employees, the gamers, the people whose jobs rely on those services being up and running.  It’s like Robin Hood burning peasant huts so they can’t afford to pay taxes to the sheriff.  It sounds good in theory, but the sheriff is still going to want his taxes.

Anonymous is also the group who took it upon themselves to post the home addresses of members of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit police force.  This was in retaliation for BART shutting down cell towers to prevent protesters using them to organize.  Let’s deliberately endanger the live of the officers, their spouses and their children.  Way to pick your heroes Peter. If the persons responsible for that particular act are caught and convicted, they should be tossed into the deepest, darkest hole available and left there.  Pending further notice.

“The fundamental principles of the internet, therefore, are then same as democracy – each user is entitled to freedom and openness, so long as they don’t harm anyone else.”  Where he comes by these “fundamental principle” is never actually explained.  >he also doesn’t explain why Anonymous gets an exemption to the “don’t harm anyone else” part.  The fact is, the internet was created to share information.  Pure and simple.  Other people may have chosen to use it for their own purposes, but that doesn’t make it anything more or less than what it was designed to be.  Just because of bunch of spoiled children have decided that it’s easier to play “activist”as a way to act out when they don’t get their own way, doesn’t make them right.  When an allegedly serious journalist like Mr .Nowak buys into their fantasy, it just feeds into their bloated ego driven God complex.

His closing statement is the best illustration of his clearly delusional disconnect from the real world.  “Governments will inevitably have no choice but to acquiesce and adapt to what are ultimately basic human desires: to be open and free.  Otherwise, as advanced technologies make living in a virtual online world more realistic and palatable, people will inevitably abandon the real world and move into the ether permanently, leaving governments with no one to govern.”

If luck is with us, maybe Peter will be an early adopter of permanent virtualization.  Then any decent spam filter will keep his views in the junk folder where they belong.

Cheers, Winston