Digg censoring comments

I'll write more about this later but I have just discovered half a dozen of my comments removed from Digg...either by Digg or people reporting them as offensive. More likely the later, but who knows? For example the following comments have been removed:

How Not to Interview John Cusack
Comment in Videos - on 12/29/2007
I love Gen Y. So much potential. So much talent. So dumb.

Creeping Fascism: From Nazi Germany to Post 9/11 America
Comment in News - 10 hr 25 min ago
Lets look at just a few parallels....USA today: illegal surveillance, empire-building (Iraq, Afghanistan), loss of rights, government spreading propaganda and even consolidation of power (Bush's recent statements about Congress are dangerously close to th...

Top Ten Signs Your Country May Be Going Fascist
Comment in Videos - 6 hr 30 min ago
This should be compulsory viewing in every Western classroom. (see comment)

Science vs. Faith flowchart [pic]
Comment in Images - on 12/29/2007
As Jimmy Carr once said (British Comedian) "When I was a kid, I used to have an imaginary friend, who used to go everywhere with me, and I'd could talk to him and he could hear me, and he could grant me wishes and stuff. Then I grew up and stopped going to church. (see comment)



I mean really...how the hell can you censor or report the Jimmy Carr quote?

BBC 606

I like getting involved in pointless on-line debates. I mean, I like getting involved in debates full-stop. I'm frequently on Digg these days having a pop at the strange people that inhabit that world - if I read another Ron Paul story I might actually go bonkers.

But one thing that mystifys me completely are these instructions on the bbc.co.uk's 606 comment board:

Sorry, but you can only contribute to 606 during opening hours. These are 09:00 until 23:00 GMT, seven days a week.

One of the golden rules of the internet in this day and age is that to flourish and be a success, you need to give the viewer what they want, and more importantly, WHEN they want it.

606 don't do this. They deliver comment boards around their business hours, ignoring the massive population outside of GMT time zones that may want to deliver some witty chat when they want they have the inspiration, and not when a BBC nerd finally makes it to his desk and can moderate the text.

I'm all for the moderating. The last thing the BBC needs is spamming idiots on their boards (although both Digg and YouTube for example have software that allows the user to identify those posts that are rubbish) making the site look like a playground, but to only deliver that moderation when they want to do it, and not when the consumer wants to post, is just plain ignorant.

It must actually even be annoying for those living in the same time zone. Say you go and watch a game with an 8pm kick-off, get out of the ground at 10pm, get home at 11pm and want to make a comment about the game? Nah. Sorry. Come back tomorrow when we're ready.

Believe it or not, I have actually pointed this out twice to the BBC, once in a survey they asked me to do, and once via the 606 site. I'll keep you updated if I get any response.

On a slightly related note, I was on 606 because of the 6-4 Spur's win over Reading last night. I went to bed when Reading went 2-1 up thinking I couldn't sit around and watch Spurs lose again. I didn't even bother to record the thing despite the HD/DVD recorder sitting there doing nothing. GAH.

Science vs. Faith flowchart [pic]

This is good. I've never been one for organised religion but this sums it up for me...

read more | digg story

The 10 Most Underreported Humanitarian Crises

I feel the need to send this one on...as it's an extremely important item and one that actually makes Digg worthwhile. I made a couple of comments about other Diggers criticism of Islam being the catalyst for this, and pointed out that the Catholic Church and their untold wealth could put an end to much of this suffering in an instant...but that they don't. I also managed to get caught up in a 'government-by-bloodline' discussion, talking about the fact that America, should Hilary be elected for the next two terms, will have been controlled by the same two families for 27 years. But that shouldn't over shadow the fact that there are some incredible crises occuring around the world today, and that we should step in and make an effort to help these people. Just because they have no oil, doesn't mean to say they're not deserving of a new and just government.

read more | digg story

iPod RIP

It finally happened. After three long and happy years together, me and my original generation iPod (with monochrome screen) have parted company. It was a sad day when I tried to plug him into the mains power and he went a bit mental, made some funny wiring sounds and then choked. Immediately I ran upstairs for the life-support of the main PC but attempts to revive him were doomed. Even the neat trick of pressing various sequences of buttons failed to remove the unhappy iPod icon from his screen.

We looked at his little lifeless body laying there...tears welling as he stared back at me. But we knew it was the end. Three years of servitude and it was time for the little fella to say goodbye, take up a space in my bottom desk draw and life out the remainder of his years next to the APS camera and a couple of mobile phones.

Convenient one might think, with him dying three days before Xmas and without my wife having any idea what to buy me for a present!

Welcome in the new iPod Classic...80 Gig of sexy sleek lines, colour screen and black plastic casing. Sends shivers down your spine.

But why didn't you repair the other little fella I hear you crY?

Well, this is the simple reason - repair costs outside warranty for his generation of iPod = $349+P&P. New iPod Classic? $345.

20 Worst Album Covers of All Time [NSFW?]

Love them all.....well, I say 'love'....

read more | digg story

Banks vs. Technology

This one will be brief...again I think the actions speak louder than words.

Technology:

Two companies and other Japanese researchers have developed technology that they believe will start to appear in the commercial gaming market in 2008 that will allow you to control computer games with your thoughts, emotions or facial expressions. All groups are developing controllers that sit on your head and allow you to immerse yourself in a game without moving a muscle.



Banks:

The bank my car loan is at, Macquarie, want me to set-up a direct debit to pay them every month. Fair enough - it used to come direct from my wife's salary but we decided to change that. The direct debit comes from our account on 24th of the month. That is inconvenient to us - so we asked for it to be changed to the 15th of the month. Here is the response from the bank:

We can't draw the payment on the 15th as the cycle date (interests, etc.) is calculated on the 24th, the day the deal settled. The system automatically draws the payment on the 24th of each month, or the next working day if the 24th is a public holiday or week-end.

So technology fails the banks again.

In a Comic Book Guys voice: Worst service industry EVER!

UPS saved 3 Million Gallons of Gas-- By Not Turning Left

Absolute genius....

Mapping out routes for its drivers, drastically reducing the number of left-hand turns they make helped the company shave 28.5 million miles off its delivery routes, which has resulted in savings of roughly three million gallons of gas and has reduced CO2 emissions by 31,000 metric tons.

read more | digg story

BP's bullshit Solar Power claims

BP are currently running an advertising campaign entitled 'talk stopped long ago' in attempt to, after polluting the world since 1908, to assert its green credentials. One of these billboards runs the hook 'the biggest manufacturer of solar panels in the world', with the campaign tagline across the bottom.

'Wow,' you think when seeing this and the other adverts. BP have been doing a lot to save our planet.

Here's an alternative opinion:

Only in Feb 2007 did BP grant $8 billion over ten years to research alternative fuel sources. $8 billion is less than 3% of the company's revenue in 2006. Over 10 years it will be 0.3% of their revenue.

Further to this, they have owned solar panel company Lucas Energy Systems since 1980, but waited 27 years to grant further research into solar power. How many break-through developments in solar have BP made in that time?

BP was named one of the "ten worst corporations" in both 2001 and 2006 based on its environmental and human rights records. (http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/mm2006/112006/mokhiber.html)

BP started a scheme for car owners to purchase carbon offsets called Target Neutral. By 2007 it was running in a huge number of countries around the world - 2.

In March 2007, BP unveiled its Helios fuel station on Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles.The station has radical architecture for a fuel station, and is a "living lab" for green technologies. Five months after the launch the solar panels were still nonoperational.

I could go on. But I think that's the point made.

The Future Of Brisbane Radio?

I'm going to write down the name of eight bands/artists here:

Pink
Gwen Stefani
Plain White Ts
Snow Patrol
Jack Johnson
Silverchair
Evermore
Missy Higgins

And now I'm going to write down the name of 4 Brisbane radio stations

Nova 106.9
B105
Triple M
97.3

Can anyone guess the connection?

Irrespective of whether you live in Brisbane, Australia, or another city somewhere around the world, the link that all the bands feature on rotation at all of the stations will be a familiar story.

All of the stations claim to position themselves for a different market and a different demographic, but the stark reality is that within core listening times, they are all clones of each other.

Sure, the music offerings aren't exactly the same - Triple M concentrate on delivering more of a 'rock' angle (although they did play Fat Boy Slim the other day), Nova offer a more 'youth' direction (which means house, R&B and hip-hop) and 97.3 flog the 80s to death too (which is something Triple M also make a play with), but the problem is, there are a number of artists on rotation on all stations.

Take for example the Plain White T's and their song 'Hey Delilah'. As an acoustic ballad the song fits into any demographic and any station. Put it in the middle of a song by Pink and say, Silverchair, at 11am, have a random announcer doing competition phone ins for free tickets to see the local sports team and you could be listening to any station in Brisbane...or any station in the world.

So, what's the problem? If listeners are still tuning in, where's the issue?

The issue is a similar problem that the recording industry faced back in the late 1990s. Technology and listening patterns were starting to change, and they weren't preparing for those changes. And by the time everyone realised what had happened, iTunes had swallowed up massive market share, effectively controlling the market to such an extent that the record companies couldn't afford NOT to be iTunes, leaving Apple to dictate the pricing, distribution and promotion of a song.

The internet has an estimated 100,000 audio streams. Brisbane has half a dozen major radio stations. What happens when the average car driver suddenly gets access to those 100,000 audio streams? Sure, people driving cars will still want news, traffic reports and so on. But imagine one of those audio streams JUST delivering traffic reports for your city?

Here's the scenario:

You get into your car at 7am. As you're pulling out of the driveway, you have the audio stream for traffic reports on for 5 minutes. You then flick it to the news audio stream - maybe some days you listen to the national, some days the state, some days the international streams - for another 5 minutes. Then for the final 20 minutes into work, you select a pop music stream.

No adverts, no DJs, no inane banter, no thickie phone-ins. Glorious, eh?

But who pays for it? How is it funded? Audio streams don't come for free.

Of course not, but lets look at another scenario for a moment. I pay $90 a month for my Broadband. Telstra approach me and offer me for another $30 a month, not only wireless broadband for my car, but also offer to install the receiver and equipment needed to not only listen to those audio streams in my car, but also for the kids in the back-seat to watch YouTube, the wife to check out our destination on Whereis.com.au and for us to upload Google Street Maps to check we're heading in the right direction.

Radio is no longer a part of the equation.

I had a similar conversation with someone from Channel 10 the other day about how, with TV moving closer and closer to being under total control of the consumer, advertisers continue to survive?

THe solution is simple: subscription. Charge me $100 a month and remove my adverts. Charge me $60 a month and drop bite-sized ads in the shows - twenty second ad every, say, 10 minutes. Charge me $30 a month, drop more ads in. Give it to me for free and make me watch all the ads.

How about this model:

Desperate Housewives Season 8 With No Ads: Download for $200
Desperate Housewives Season 8 with Fast Forward Ads: Download for $180
Desperate Housewives Season 8 with Locked Ads: Download for $140
Desperate Housewives Season 8 with Locked Ads & Promo Slots: Download for $100

Which would you pick? The point is...there's a choice.

Back to the original problem of the radio stations. Is there a solution? Maybe, maybe not. Myabe I'm just too fickle in my music tastes to really embrace any commercial music station, but the point is, unless they act now and work out the next step for their industry, they'll end up like the record companies, scratching their heads and wondering how they lost control of what they had.

And Pink won't care...she'll still be being streamed into cars...

1408 Review

To be fair, after the last John Cusack film I saw 'The Contract', which set all-time lows for both this great actor and Morgan Freeman, there was probably no-way it could get any worse for the 41-year old American.

'1408' is based on a short story by Stephen King about a haunted hotel room and was transferred to the big screen by director Mikael Håfström, the man behind the surprisingly-good 'Derailed' a couple of years back.

The problem with short stories is, well, they're short. And in the 104 minutes of the film you can't help but think that maybe we're getting a quick fable pulled out at either end to help fit it onto the cinema screen.

Cusack's character performance moves backwards and forwards from the suitably disdainful Mike Enslin to the terrified and apologetic Mike Enslin, at the instant sight of the ghosts he's been hunting for the past years since the death of his daughter. One would question why, when faced with something he's been looking for, does he turn into a nervous wreck so quickly? Given his profession, an element of fascination would probably have been more suitable, but Cusack's character breaks down mentally as soon as he's faced with his first real test.

Samuel L Jackson also makes an appearance as the hotel manager, warning Cusack not to enter the room that has claimed 56 lives as he arrives for his overnight stay. Jackson's character is amusing, if a little one dimensional.

But this film is really all about Cusack and the terror. And of course, with any Stephen King story, it's about the twist in the plot. Sad to say those that haven't read the book will most likely still see both twists coming a mile off.

The other things that let the film down is that we don't see the connection between what's happening in the room and its history of deaths. We don't get to understand how/who invited Cusack to the hotel in the first place, other than a weak postcard connection. We get a soft conversation between the room and Cusack that frankly delivers a 'get out of jail' card so big it spoils the horror. And any background about Cusack's disturbed state of mind is shoved in haphazardly to try and explain to us what's going on in his head.

When you look back at Cusack's work, you struggle to see past 2000's 'Hi-Fidelity'. There's been 6 or 7 years of fairly low quality films and had the script-writers on 1408 offered us a better and cleaner insight into the character of Mike Enslin, we might be looking at a Cusack revival...

Is Europe a country?

I mean really...? I believe the girl here is a former American Idol contestant. They should test their IQ before they're allowed to sing.