dare to think

Words Matter

Last week my son was enrolled in a baseball summer camp for the week.  The camp is sponsored by the local University and is lead by the head coach of their baseball team, along with a few of the players of said team.  At the end of the first day my son was absolutely ecstatic.  He could not wait to get their the next day.

The next day I was unable to pick my son up so my wife did the honers and soon after she called me to inform me that our son had been in a fight.

Obama's Guns

In a Politico.com article today Kenneth P. Vogel says that Obama is starting to take a more pragmatic approach to controversial issues.  It seems that the change agent is trading-in hope for pragmatism.

In speaking about the Supreme Courts' ruling on D.C.'s gun ban, Obama said:

"[I] always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures."

The question here is; how has the ban protected DC citizens?  The city has one of the worst gun related crime rates in the country.  It seems to me that Obama is trying to ride the fence on this issue and sooner or later he will need to be clear on what he believes on issues like the right to bear arms and abortion.

This piece on The Atlantic.com raises the question of whether Obama really believes in a womans right to chose or not.  He urge to reachout to evangicals is of concern to me and should be to others.  Again, he is trying to ride this one out and he is going to have to make a choice.

Web -1.5: or The Internet Microsoft Style

I was reading this 2006 post from Christopher Hitchens on Slate in which he is commenting on Francis Fukuyama's book, America at the Crossroads.  Hitchens links to an article in the Washingtonpost.com and I get the following:

"We are unable to locate the page you requested.
The page may have moved or may no longer be available"

Basically, pay or you don't get crap!

This really bothers me because there is no reason for this cheap attempt to make money.  The post seems to "move" many of its old stories and require you to buy them (others like the times are just as guilty).  Is this an effective way to work on the web?  This is something Microsoft would do.  It defeats the whole purpose of the web.  Most of the stories, especially if international, can be accessed for free from sites like the BBC.

The reason newspapers are doing so bad is because they still are running their industry like they did back in the 30's.  Traffic = visits.  Your job is to turn those visits into longer browsing and eventually into ad clicks!

I hate the post!

 

To Save the World or Not: Might the Consequences be Worst?

In the current issue of Loft: The Nordic Bookazine (Spring 2008, Vol 5), Editor-In-Chief, Pio Barone Lumage, makes a compelling case for a re-evaluation of priorities of the global agenda.  In the editors note, Lumage makes the case that while global warming is an issue to be reckoned with, there are too many variables and unknowns out there for anyone to be rushing into harsh solutions which may cause more damage than good.  While the solutions for climate change are still in the abstract stage, there are many approaches to problems like malaria and HIV/Aids that can yield higher results for less money.

Lumage states that many of the solutions for global warming have taken a "quasi-religious tone" which ignore conflicting evidence or "common sense."  In short, he makes the case that climate change (global warming) is not as simple as many have been made to believe and that to rush into anyone set of solutions is not very prudent.

Web 2.0

In this article for MIT's Technology Review, Jimmy Wales speaks about the fact that Web 2.0 is not over yet; it is still at its beginning stages.

Wales points out that the collaborative projects which are now possible with products like Wiki's and YouTube are just getting off and running.  He gives an example of a documentary film which needs to be shot throughout the world.  Normally such a project will run into the millions of production dollars.  But with Wiki's and video editing software, a well coordinated production can cost only thousands of dollars, perhaps even less.

Power to the people!

The Great One is Gone

George Carlin passed-away yesterday.  He truly was one of the great thinkers of his generation.  He used comedy to point out the contradictions with our use of language.

Below are two routines he did on: global warming & religion being bullshit.

Paul Otlet

Alex Wright wrote a great piece on Paul Otlet and his legacy.  This article is a great introduction to the visionary Otlet.  Hopefully this will inspire more interest in the man.

I would love to see a well produced documentary on him here in the U.S.

The DADA Movement

As a follow-up to my previous post, here are a few videos on the DADA movement.

When it comes to change, Festina-lente

DADA

America does not have a culture that is static like those of Europe and Asia, but a dynamic culture.  (Truth be known, I do not believe cultures are static, even European ones.  Cultures, in my opinion, are living, breathing aspects of humanity, much like languages).  American cultures is one that changes with every generation and one that is a credit to its founding principles.  Why did the founders not make English the official language?  Perhaps in order not to dictate to the generations of the future what our culture was to be.  After all, the ideas of the American Revolution were ideas that broke with tradition and customs; ideas that were experimenting with a new concept in a new world; removing the shackles of the old and embracing the uncertainty of the future.

Two years ago I saw the DADA exhibit at the National Gallery of Art and New York's MOMA.  DADA was a cultural movement which its founders referred to as anti-Art.  The inspiration for this form of art was the irrationality behind World War I.  The artist who participated saw a contradiction in the claims of civilization by the European powers while they butchered their children in the trenches.  The artist wanted to break away with traditions which dictated norms and behaviors, even when they contradicted themselves.

Priorities; Easier Said Than Done

Bjorn Lomborg spoke at TED  back in February of 2005.   Some of the solutions for curbing or reversing global warming are astronomical.  Add to that the fact that many of these "solutions" do not guarantee any measurable success.  All the while tens of millions of people die as a result of malnutrition, contaminated water, and diseases like: malaria, tuberculoses, and HIV/Aids.  Many of the causes of death for these faceless millions have been conquered or tamed by the developed world.  Obviously, HIV/Aids being the exception.

Lomborg (and others, as you will see from my next post) argue that there is a moral/ethical debate which must be had regarding prioritizing our efforts and resources; namely, do we spend the resources on feel good, unproven climate change "solutions", or do we focus on  approaches we know will save lives (treated mosquito nets for malaria stricken areas).