Openness and self-censorship

"Instead of bringing us all together in an omnipresent, multi-faceted discussion, the internet instead has made sectarianism an almost default position. The nature of mass debate has become solely binary,"

says writer Patrick Ness in The Guardian. Funny enough he has a go at the comments in The Guardian's own website, but I really do think the comments apply elsewhere on the Internet. A culture of intolerance, fuelled by the (false) sense of anonymity that electronic communication provides, has a lot to do with it; astroturfing might well play a role, but I reckon any of us can be an idiot all by him or herself, regardless of someone artificially fanning the flames.
Not to self-censor is probably suicide these days. Intelligent people no longer need a censor's office to shut them up; that is the sorry state of public discourse these days. Sure, anyone is free to break ranks and speak his or her mind, but to do so all be him or herself may have even bigger costs. The age of transparency is fast becoming the age of the Panopticon.
How do we counter it?

Sorry, Ms. Jackson

 I have no idea why, but I like OutKast. Their stuff sits rather awkwardly alongside my usual diet of Dire Straits, Patti Smith and Credence Clearwater Revival.

Distraction

I have recently finished reading Bruce Sterling's 1998 cyberpunk novel, Distraction. There will soon be a review (busy days), and I am also creating a Wikipedia page for it - strangely, there isn't one already. That will hopefully soon be corrected.

Until then you might want to read Cory Doctorow's words of appraisal for the book, in Boing Boing. Or even better, just get the book and start reading.

Arctic sea ice coverage plunges to record low

Ars Technica has a good discussion article on the scary drop in Arctic sea ice cover. It is an interesting and thoughtful piece, and deserves reading; there are external factors at play here. However, this is the fact:

The obvious question on everyone's minds is where ice coverage will bottom out. The average from the first few decades of the satellite era is in the neighborhood of 7 million square kilometers, but this year is almost certain to see a bottom somewhere below 4 million. That's still a long way from an ice-free Arctic, but it's clear that we can't dismiss that scenario as being part of some distant, purely hypothetical future. A practically ice-free Arctic—one where shipping lanes consistently stay open for weeks—is likely to come even sooner.

Bets are off, and scenarios thought to be years away look around the corner. Time to pick up and re-read The World in 2050, and hope for the best

Neil Armstrong

Late last night I heard the sad news that Neil Armstrong, first human ever to set foot on another planet, had passed away.
The media will be full of praise by now, so I'll refer you elsewhere if you're looking for an eulogy. Instead, here is a nice compilation of those amazing days in 1969.

We'll remember, Neil.

How The Dark Knight Rises should have ended

9gag, that evergreen source of giggles and puerile humour, has just linked to How It Should Have Ended's The Dark Knight Rise's finishes.

It is predictably brilliant, much better than The Guardian's whiny take on the same issue.

Selling faith

From September on, eBay will no longer allow users to buy or sell spells and tarot readings. Boo.

The BBC found someone who acquired a spell and was happy with the results, and someone from a Skeptics Society who proceeded to diss the concept on the basis of unproven efficacy of the services. This covered all their bases, but the real issue is why do people have these beliefs in the first place.
At first I was surprised these things could be acquired over the internet, but then it struck me: if you buy tangible things online, what's wrong it buying faith-based items over a broadband connection? It certainly makes more sense than buying a pair of jeans you never actually saw or tried on.

Of course it makes sense for eBay to stop carrying these services, just as it makes sense for Tesco's not to offer fortune telling to its customers: retailers cannot risk being seen as ready to make a fast buck out of baloney. That's bad for business, and is likely to land you in court, smeared with accusations of profiteering out of the ignorance and misplaced beliefs of some of the most fragile people in our society. But the fact that retailers will not carry spells and such things doesn't mean they are not for sale out there - these are probably the only kind of small retailer which does not fear the opening of a big box next door. Expect spell exchanges to crop up rather quickly, with a conveniently catchy URL.

What the world wants

Apple.

Apple - the world's most valuable firm - is now the most valuable company of all time, with a market value of approximately $623bn (£397bn).

The consumer gadget and computer maker has now surpassed Microsoft's record of $620.58bn set in 1999. However that figure is not adjusted for inflation.

Amazingly, this does not happen after a successful product launch, but because of rumours that Apple might launch... the same things all over again:

The news comes ahead of the anticipated launch of the iPhone 5, and possibly a smaller and cheaper iPad.

With news that htc could be in trouble and the unshakable certainty that BlackBerry is going to buy the farm soon, one of these days I'll have no alternative but to get a Samsung. Or a second-hand Nokia 3210.

Participation: possibility and execution

The BBC's Technology Correspondent* has a short column on the possible changes to government being brought on by increased connectivity.

As the internet revolution sweeps through our lives, upending the established order in business and society, one area has been left virtually untouched. For all the eagerness of politicians to prove that they're digitally aware, government has been little changed.

...
Tom Steinberg - who has pioneered citizen engagement in the UK with sites like FixMyStreet and TheyWorkForYou - thinks there's still a long way to go but the best is yet to come:
"There are going to be old laws and old policies that get challenged and become irrelevant because of the internet - and so governments everywhere - or at least governments everywhere that there is the internet - are going to have to go through the next 20 years through a very rapid process of changing and reviewing laws and on a positive level introducing new policies, new good positive policies that can only exist because the internet makes the world a better place."

Interesting ideas, and a potential way to help tackle democratic deficit. One major concern: connectivity and the possibility of participation is one thing, actual participation another thing altogether. Better connected, motivated small groups are bound to speak louder, capture the attention of government, and be more effective at furthering their agendas. This is not necessarily a new thing (that's what interest groups do, day in day out), but it just adds to the discussion of whether or not government governs for everyone.

 ___
*Rory Cellan-Jones, an experienced and well-connected fellow. Worth reading.

Science fiction, yesterday's news

I once heard humans described as "technologically-enabled monkeys". I can't remember who I heard it from, but it is one of those interesting fictions that marketeers and (social-)media evangelists like to engage in. Technology, science, innovation are not the only reason why we, as humans, have gone beyond the limitations of life fully embedded in nature: humans are complex bio-socio-political-economic agents, bound to the vagaries of their bodies and the environment they live in. Humans are learning agents, producers and consumers of the the means to change themselves. Humans are sets of belief systems and ethical concerns. In short, humans are complex.

None of that means that we should ignore the technological aspect of that equation; the wired monkeys metaphor is probably useful, as long as we are aware of its limitations - in that sense, it is just like any other metaphor. This blog will attempt to look into those wired monkeys: humans in this technology-rich, media saturated world. There will be books and films, there will be music and fashion, there will be news and ideas. There will be science fiction, I am sure, often glimpsed in yesterday's news. Things move quickly, these days.

I have no intention of either going academic on any eventual readers or letting standards slide to the point where this blog becomes nothing but a repository of pop culture (valid and important though that it endeavour is, others do it better than I could ever hope to). I insist there should be some reflection and at least an attempt at connecting dots. Looks like one hell of a time to do it.