My Akismet comment spam filter has been working fine except to a few Russian (cyrillic) posts and links getting through. But these have always been easy to spot and delete / mark-as-spam. Today I noticed a bunch and went through deleting them, only to discover that each deleting of a spam comment also deleted one [...]
Entries from January 2009
Viral Spam in Comments
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January 30, 2009 at 2:41am
by Psybertron
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Solidaire
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January 30, 2009 at 2:28am
by Psybertron
Only yesterday I noticed this image of protesters in Nice carrying “Solidaire” banners (solidarity presumably ?) and had John Martyn’s “Solid Air” going round my head all day as a result. Spooky to hear at the end of yesterday that John had died. First saw John Martyn in my student days, ’74/’75 ish, backed by [...]
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Public Support – Private Criticism
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January 29, 2009 at 2:29am
by Psybertron
Equals R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
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More on Trust
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January 26, 2009 at 12:36pm
by Psybertron
I keep pointing out that the World Wide Web model of information is enlightened enough to actually have trust at the top of the stack – ie however information is organized and presented on the web (or anywhere for that matter) it ultimately depends on trust in people in enforceable authority, even if the expert [...]
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Blogging Trash ?
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January 25, 2009 at 10:31am
by Psybertron
Perhaps a little harsh, but this cartoon posted by Georganna, rings true. Blog post writing can barely do justice to the impulse to “hold that thought” or “capture that link”. Quality writing might need a different vehicle. (The cataloguing, categorizing and linking of thoughts is of course a very Pirsigian approach to writing, and he [...]
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Cor baby, that’s really free.
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January 25, 2009 at 8:53am
by Psybertron
One of my pet subjects is the fact that in (free democratic) systems of governance, there must be institutions that are not free and democratic, not in the sense of the popular “one man one vote” mantra. OK, so most people quickly see that total freedom for popular decision-making is a recipe for anarchy, not [...]
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Plus Ca Change
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January 25, 2009 at 7:25am
by Psybertron
Plus c’est la meme chose. Vive l’Anglais. It’s a memetic evolutionary loop, but English is a very expressive language because it is used for global communication above and beyond trans-atlantic drivel, and yes it will evolve into “Globish” in the process and even lose the tag “English” if it offends the French. Defenders of English [...]
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Wrong Again BBC
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January 25, 2009 at 7:14am
by Psybertron
The BBC is right to express concern at the potential mis-use of the fundraising behind this Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, but is getting its priorities back to front and making more of a partisan stance by not carrying this humanitarian appeal. (Same issue as the Pogues Fairytale fiasco – need to separate political correctness in negative risk-taking, [...]
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It Is (Not) Written
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January 25, 2009 at 4:04am
by Psybertron
Went to see “Slumdog Millionaire” last night not having an inkling what it was about. Had detected the Oscar buzz and noticed the poster image of the lead couple, but genuinely had managed to miss reading, seeing or hearing anything like a review or a trailer. I had even failed to connect some recent Bollywood media references [...]
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Received Wisdom Wrong Again
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January 21, 2009 at 3:22am
by Psybertron
Interesting quote in this piece on rising fish stocks in the Med off the Nile delta as a result of increased agricultural run-off nutrients in the river. We’re programmed in the West to think of …. Those darned memes again.
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This Much I Know
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January 19, 2009 at 8:27am
by Psybertron
Thanks to Sam for the link to this Grauniad piece. A series I didn’t know, featuring in this edition Niall Ferguson, a historian I’ve barely heard of. We historians are increasingly using experimental psychology to understand the way we act. It is becoming very clear that our ability to evaluate risk is hedged by all [...]
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And what is good, Dilbert ?
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January 18, 2009 at 8:06am
by Psybertron
Priceless.
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The Monster Club
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January 18, 2009 at 6:29am
by Psybertron
A 1980 film that passed me by, of a genre that I wouldn’t normally be looking out for anyway … but I discover includes footage of Stevie Lange performing The Stripper with Night, as well as performances from UB40, Pretty Things and B A Robertson. (A track not published in any other recording, except the [...]
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The ever quotable Einstein
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January 18, 2009 at 4:43am
by Psybertron
Another great Einstein quote, provided by Steve Peterson in the Hildebrand / Dewey / Rorty thread mentioned earlier on MoQ.Discuss. “Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world. In our endeavour to understand reality we are somewhat like a man trying [...]
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Darwinian Boredom
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January 17, 2009 at 7:03am
by Psybertron
I linked earlier to the BBC resources aimed at celebrating the 200 and 150 year annivesaries of Darwin and the Origin. When I saw the “In Our Time” schedule for Darwin last week I had to yawn however. So I also had to smile also when Melvyn in his own newsletter decided not to mention [...]
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The Letter Of The Law
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January 17, 2009 at 6:28am
by Psybertron
Debating the legal niceties never helped anyone but lawyers. Glad to see the Israel Gaza conflict back in proper focus after the inordinate coverage of the feel-good Hudson Hero story over two days. Of course phosphorus weapons are legal battlefield weapons, but that gives Israel absolutely no moral right to use them in the densely [...]
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Keeping It Real
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January 17, 2009 at 6:18am
by Psybertron
Sign this petition at No.10 Downing Street if you want live music to continue at venues in the UK. Direct intervention by fitting technology based control is rarely the best solution to any human problem. [Post note - and as Tom pointed out something like a non-amplified brass-band concert can be as loud as an [...]
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Rorty Grounded in Dewey
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January 16, 2009 at 7:41am
by Psybertron
Two excellent articles by Danny Postel, one the last interview with Rorty before his death in 2007, and one shortly after on his brand of atheism. Links from Steve Peterson commenting on a great thread on Dewey and Hildebrand on MoQ-Discuss, posted by Dave Buchannan and debated again with Matt Kundert. {Post Note : Hildebrand’s “The Neopragmatist Turn” [...]
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“You wait for ages for an atheist bus, then 800 come along at once.”
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January 7, 2009 at 6:56am
by Psybertron
Interesting reporting on this campaign, on the use of the word “probably”. Some implying Dawkins was against it in his quip “about as likely as the tooth fairy” and suggesting the word was enforced by advertising regulations against Dawkins wishes, whereas others indicate that the campaign organiser (not Dawkins) had no intention of being dogmatic. [...]
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YouTube Propaganda
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January 5, 2009 at 2:24pm
by Psybertron
I guess this kind of cynical PR use of TV images of war arose first in the Gulf War and then the post 9/11 assault on Bagdhad, but YouTube extends its reach and potency, though I would guess (hope) a greater proportion of consumers are now educated to interpreting this kinda stuff.
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Arabic Science
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January 5, 2009 at 2:10pm
by Psybertron
Interested previously in Arabic philosophy (Averroes / ibn Rushd and Avicennes) between the Greeks and the Western moderns, and now find Arabic science in the same window. Must check the alchemists and Bronowski’s Ascent of Man.
