Qed » Freedom

Can we afford democracy?

david — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:50:40 +0000

Today the Age had this on Italy’s new PM.

As a highly respected economist and bureaucrat, Mr Monti is certainly a sterling exemplar of his kind. For critics worried about democracy, though, there has been a question about an unelected person running a nation.Concerns about the will of the people are low on the radar of [...]

Bolt calls it “the gloating sound” from the left polemicists

david — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:07:12 +0000

Andrew Bolt, outspoken shock jock for the Murdoch press in Oz is keen to defend Christianity against the charge that Breivik’s religious and political beliefs somehow contributed to his decision to commit mass-murder in Norway. However in true Bolta style his article is long on opinion while short on facts, he seems far more concerned [...]

Phone hacking | Media | guardian.co.uk

david — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:00:04 +0000

News of the World, part of Rupert’s empire has been well and truly caught out. On so many levels, but particularly with regard to their role in the Milly Dowler case we see the unfettered appetite for sensation and a complete absence any ethical or moral behaviour. Quoting Michael Wolff (via Crikey) who sums it [...]

Facebook – a blip on the road to world domination

david — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:48:47 +0000

Could it be true, people are switching Facebook off?

On the Reg, which covered this tale in slightly more detail, some anonymous Facebook spokeswoman is quoted

“People have been speculating about this for years and have been wrong. Every. Single. Time!,” an alarmed Facebook spokeswoman told The Register, without offering any firsthand data to back up [...]

Facebook, the most appalling spying machine ever invented

david — Tue, 03 May 2011 23:57:12 +0000

Julian Assange’s words…

Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented…here we have the most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations, their communications with each other, their relatives all sitting within the United States, all accessible to US intelligence. Facebook, Google, Yahoo…have built in [...]

Backlash as God forced into schools

david — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 22:36:52 +0000

God is Back! OMG! Sweet Jesus how could it come to pass that the gubberment could do this to its own?

Christian Education is once again obligatory in Victorian schools (although we have moved on from the Victorian age in other regards). Whether they like it or not.

The political concerns of the right seem inexplicably [...]

Facebook is not my friend

david — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:07:09 +0000

The other day someone asked me how to do something on their computer, I told them “Google is your friend”. Google is also my friend, it helps me in numerous ways to keep track of my busy life. stay in touch and most importantly, it is a research bonanza. If it’s public knowledge you are [...]

Freedom In the Cloud

david — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:18:57 +0000

The human race has susceptibility to harm but Mr. Zuckerberg has attained an unenviable record: he has done more harm to the human race than anybody else his age.

Strong words although I doubt they will ever dent the meteoric rise of Facebook Inc. If you have any doubts about Facebook and its capacity to invade [...]

Arrests and warrants as FBI targets ‘hacktivists’

david — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:30:05 +0000

Consider…

The attacks did no long-term damage and in most cases only lasted a few hours. But legitimate would-be users were unable to contact the sites while the attacks were under way.

and this

The statement said that attacks, known as distributed denial of service attacks…violate US law and are punishable by a prison sentence of 10 years.

Something [...]

iTWire – OOXML kerfuffle similar to that of 2007

david — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:29:39 +0000

what Australians are being asked to do by their own government is to adhere to a closed format and pay an American company for the privilege of doing so.

via iTWire – OOXML kerfuffle similar to that of 2007.