Tag: Reality
From the Figurative to the Literal
As recently as this past January, I was using the phrase “arms race” with respect to malware in the metaphorical sense that Udi Manber had originally intended.
The Consequences of Avoiding Questions of Internet Governance
Within the culture of the Internet, there seems to be a general inclination to avoid even the mention of governance, let alone actually discuss the matter. As I observed when writing about WikiLeaks having become the new platform for whistle-blowing, such head-in-the-sand tactics only go so far: Then something ugly happens (as was the case with the death threats directed at Kathy Sierra); and we get a lot of throat-clearing and a paucity of clear thinking. In many respects the very thought of the United Nations convening a conference on Internet governance is as disconcerting as all that throat-clearing that took place when the Internet revealed itself as a medium for death threats, rather than some idealistic “republic of letters.” It is hard to imagine that an organization, which cannot engage in anything more than similar throat-clearing over current conditions of Syria, can take on a matter with consequences as worldwide as the role of government in Internet activities.I would suggest it is time to revisit those words of Henry David Thoreau that Internet evangelists embrace so readily: “That government is best which governs not at all”; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have
The Meaning of “Less Than Nothing”
The new (July 12) issue of The New York Review of Books has the highly reputable philosopher John Gray taking on SlavojŽižek, with particular attention to Less Than Nothing: Hegel and the Shadow of Dialectical Materialism, which runs over 1000 pages. The title of the review is “The Violent Visions of Slavoj Žižek;” and, as might be imagined, Gray has a tendency to play up the irrationality of those visions.
13 UK Universities Receive Funding Boost for Turning Ideas Into Business Reality
Thirteen of the UK’s most innovative Universities have been awarded more than £750,000 to support outstanding projects that are helping to develop new ideas from the drawing board into the market place.
Direct Import of Air Turbine Fuel By Indian Carriers to Become a Reality Very Soon
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has written to the Ministry of Commerce to take steps to allow direct import of Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) by Indian carriers in pursuance of the decision of the Group of Ministers’ (GOM) on Civil Aviation, which was taken in the GOM meeting held on February 7th 2012. The GOM [...]
The X Factor Live Final Weekend to be Held At Wembley Arena
Kicking off the sponsorship program for The X Factor 2011, title sponsor TalkTalk, and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) has announced that for the very first time this year’s live finals will be held at Wembley Arena in front of an audience of thousands including many lucky TalkTalk customers.
No Compensation for No Work!
Last Saturday I suggested that members of Congress be punished for their inability to negotiate and compromise by depriving them of compensation. This was when it was unclear whether or not any progress on the debt ceiling was forthcoming, but it probably serves as a good rule of thumb for assessing whether or not our elected representatives are actually doing their jobs. Consider the opening of the following report , which just appeared on the BBC News Web site: The US could lose up to $1bn (£610m) in airline ticket taxes, officials say, amid an impasse in Congress over the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The agency has been forced into partial shutdown after its operating authority expired on 23 July
On the Danger of Devaluing Conversation
I seem to have spent a fair amount of time recently brooding over Max Weber’s warning about the “ loss of meaning ” in a society that becomes too preoccupied with marketplaces.
Common Sense And Human Nature
This morning Peter Cohen used his Gamification column for ZDNet to express his opinions on the Supreme Court ruling against criminalizing the sale of violent video games to minors. He summarizes the background nicely in his opening paragraphs: It’s plain to see that some parents – many, in fact – aren’t doing their job when it comes to keeping violent video games away from their children. But is it time for laws to do it instead
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