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ME AND OPHELIA

Saturday, February 07, 2004

 
BLOGGING PAUSE
Computer problems

Due to computer problems, the last three posts are published in advance of a blogging break. They invite commentary so, while I am not able to post here, I will be able to interact via the commenting service and email which at least lets you know that I am still here (with you in spirit!) behind the screen - and, missing blogging :(

My computer goes into overdrive, gets overheated and shuts itself off, especially when capturing URLs for linking and publishing to my blog. It's taking me too many hours to publish posts. So, until the computer is sorted, I am taking a break from posting and do not expect to publish again until March 1st.

Over the next few weeks I'll be visiting my readers' blogs, exploring blogs outside of the UK, US and Japan, and catching up on replies to emails. Plus computer housekeeping and writing long overdue thank you notes and cards. In the meantime, please do email or comment anytime. I'm always here, happy to hear from any readers :) Love from Ingrid and Ophelia xx

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/07/2004  
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I AM 36! WHAT ARE YOU LIKE?
Friend emailed me this is 49!

Below is a copy of an email sent to me by a friend. Her test score is 49. And I can tell it is spot on, because I've known her for well over thirty years. She was one of my first bosses. It describes exactly the kind of person she is today, and was throughout those years.

Interestingly, even though I gave my answers for who I am now (a recovering invalid) and not who I was in the past (a so-called vibrant high flyer), my score of 36 also describes the kind of person I am now, as well as who I was in the past.

Take the test right now - it only takes a few minutes. Copy and email the test to your friends. It'd be neat if you shared your score - and your thoughts on it's accuracy - here in the comments box with a link to your blog. That way, when visiting your blog we'd know a little more about you. Here's the test:

Dr. Phil gave this test on Oprah. She got a 38. Some folks pay a lot of money to find this stuff out. Read on, this is very interesting! Don't be overly sensitive! The following is pretty accurate. And it only takes 2 minutes. Take this test for yourself and send it to your friends, including the one who sent it, and let them know who you are.

The person who sent it placed their score in the subject box. Please do the same before forwarding to your friends.

Don't peek but begin the test as you scroll down and answer. Answers are for who you are now...... not who you were in the past.

Have pen or pencil and paper ready. This is a real test given by the Human Relations Dept. at many of the major corporations today. It helps them get better insight concerning their employees and prospective employees.

It's only 10 simple questions, so...... grab a pencil and paper, keeping track of your letter answers. Make sure to change the subject of the e-mail to read YOUR total. When you are finished, forward this to everyone you know, and also send it to the person who sent this to you.

Make sure to put YOUR score in the subject box. Ready?? Begin...

1. When do you feel your best?
a) in the morning
b) during the afternoon & and early evening
c) late at night

2. You usually walk...
a) fairly fast, with long steps
b) fairly fast, with little steps
c) less fast head up, looking the world in the face
d) less fast, head down
e) very slowly

3. When talking to people you...
a) stand with your arms folded
b) have your hands clasped
c) have one or both your hands on your hips
d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking
e) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with...
a) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side
b) your legs crossed
c) your legs stretched out or straight
d) one leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with...
a) a big, appreciative laugh
b) a laugh, but not a loud one
c) a quiet chuckle
d) a sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you...
a) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you
b) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know
c) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted, do you...
a) welcome the break
b) feel extremely irritated
c) vary between these two extremes

8. Which of the following colors do you like most?
a) Red or orange
b) black
c) yellow or light blue
d) green
e) dark blue or purple
f) white
g) brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep, you lie...
a) stretched out on your back
b) stretched out face down on your stomach
c) on your side, slightly curled
d) with your head on one arm
e) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are...
a) falling
b) fighting or struggling
c) searching for something or somebody
d) flying or floating
e) you usually have dreamless sleep
f) your dreams are always pleasant

POINTS:

1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6
2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1
3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2
6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2
7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4
8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1
10. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now add up the total number of points.

OVER 60 POINTS: Others see you as someone they should "handle with care". You're seen as vain, self-entered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 TO 60 POINTS: Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 TO 40 POINTS: Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over it if that trust is ever broken.

21 TO 30 POINTS: Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS: People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions & who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything. They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you're boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren't.

Now forward this to others, and put your score in subject box. (Don't forget to share here too!)

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/07/2004

Friday, February 06, 2004

 
THE STRENGTH OF WEAK TIES AND THE HUMAN NODE
It's not so much who you know, but who you vaguely know

Many people don't have as much time as I do to read blogs. I've sure read a lot of blogs and comments these past seven months. And it's been a real eye opener. Seems that many bloggers do a lot of mindless Bush bashing and criticising on all manner of things, without providing alternative solutions. It's simple for us bloggers to talk. We are not professional journalists with bosses and responsibilities nor are we in the shoes of those in charge of running countries who have the thankless task of protecting us and the economy. It's easy for us to be armchair critics, taking pot shots and pontificating on what should and should not be done, criticising governments, people in their jobs and the way things are run.

Wouldn't you like to see professional journalists and citizen bloggers (including myself) becoming more responsible about what they write when they target something or somebody in the public domain? To see posts that involve and raise "issues" at least have an aim, an objective, a purpose or suggestion of alternative solutions? I know I would. Some days, I get quite down about the thoughtless stuff people write that could affect the thinking of others who are easily influenced, thus perpetuating misconceptions and creating even more 'anti this, that and the other, government or whatever'.

Many bloggers think they are thinking - but they are not. Really, they are just whingeing and venting, some coming across as unfairly harsh and cruel towards others. When I read all their anti-Bush commentary in particular, I don't think some even realise they are rubbishing the UK and its allies too. I've spent over 15 years in America and find Americans, generally speaking of course, rather insular and naive about the true reality of other cultures and how people think outside of America. The US is just over 200 years old and, apart from civil wars, has never experienced a World War on their land. In fact, Sept 11 was probably their first experience of being attacked from the outside, which could account for some of the naive commentary in American blogs.

Next time you look in the sidebars of American bloggers, notice and you will find that Americans mostly link to Americans. Of course, you may see some links to Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, and elsewhere - here and there. But not a lot, considering the size of Europe and the fact that its combined market is greater than that of the US. Why is that do you think?

This week, I drafted a post on "the Media and BBC post Hutton". I was in two minds whether to publish it or not. Basically, it ended by suggesting the UK TV license fee ought to be abolished and the BBC be freed up from its responsibilities as a public broadcasting service. This view tied into my previous posts on the professional media. Yesterday, after finding Melanie Phillips's Diary, and reading what she and her readers had written and discussed, I may have more confidence in publishing my post at a later date. So glad to have found Melanie's site, and look forward to following her work on a regular basis.

Some of my posts recently have been getting into controversial areas, which is not what I set out to do with my blog. Unfortunately, it's those areas that take my interest and where I feel I could have a voice; if anyone picked up on my posts - and agreed or disagreed - I'd feel that a dialogue had taken place, and the dialogue would be out there for anyone in cyberspace to pick up on and think about. Trouble with that is, one comes across as opinionated - and who cares about what I think anyway.

What I'm trying to say here, is that I am learning a lot through blogging. Reading what others think and how they convey their thoughts and opinions. It's certainly an art presenting one's case fairly, without hurting other people who may be trying their best to do good. Makes me realise just how much education, training, practice and skill goes into being a professional journalist. And, it makes me realise too that professional writers whose reports result in the ruination of other people's lives or reputations - even to the extent of trying to depose politicians, bring down governments or even our monarchy - must be aware of what they are aiming to achieve, and why. Which makes impartiality and errors of judgement even more serious. The global impact and effect that the professional media have on people and society today, needs to be treated as a deadly serious business, not like showbiz thrills and entertainment.

If bloggers put more thought behind their "issues" posts - and had an aim - instead of just lazy thinking, whingeing or criticising, I feel that citizen blogging could become a medium to be respected and could work well in tandem and cooperation with the professional media. And, if the professional media continued to sensationalise the news, slant the truth, and ruin people's lives and reputations - not to mention attempts at deposing politicians and bringing down governments - then citizens blogging could become a medium that keeps the truth afloat. Either way, citizen blogging is a win-win medium, IMHO! The key is, of course, for a cross section of society to be blogging. Not just 20-30 white American something's in IT ... with 30+ American white something's leading the way.

Yesterday, I noticed a blogger featured an icon supporting the BBC: "I believe in the BBC" (or something like that). The blogger wanted others to copy it into their sidebars to show support for the BBC. I suppose the reason why I thought twice about my BBC post, is that I don't want to turn readers off or alienate them. The purpose of my blog is friendship, to meet and make friends with new people anywhere in the world. To discuss and exchange ideas etc.

Like what happened with Jim's post, on how to hack your printer (it still makes me smile when I type those words!): I picked up on it. Pete picked up on it. Next thing you know: Google has given us a voice on their pages ... so, in the future, if any manufacturer, writer, student or reporter is doing work on the great "ink rip-off ... they may read our comments and take them into account. That's exactly the kind of good stuff I think nearly ALL bloggers can do, no matter how articulate or inarticulate.

This leads me to the question that I raised in my October 24, 2003 post on "The Europe Node - Why no European Node?" (see below). I'm planning on looking into this, and am re-organising my blogroll to promote European bloggers. Need to find a European node. Please let me know if you come across any good blogs in Europe. Yesterday, I created a new heading in my sidebar: "Rest of the world blogs". The new links, under that heading, are my starting point for spending the next six months looking at what's going on in the blogosphere outside of the UK, US and Japan.
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THE CONNECTORS, THE HYPERNETWORKED NODES WHO SECRETLY RUN THE WORLD
The Europe Node: Why no European Node?

Following on from my post above, here's a copy of my post dated October 24, 2003: "Joi Ito recently blogged about Jeff Howe's post in Wired entitled "the connectors, the hypernetworked nodes who secretly run the world". Some of us bloggers noted a glaring omission from Jeff's list: THE EUROPE NODE. Why no European Node? Where's our European Node? We must have a European Node! Here's Jeff Howe's list of names and descriptions (to which I have added links). Apologies for not finding a better link (except for this by Jeff Howe) for Martin Garbus (wonder why he is an entertainment node and not a law node?)"
_ _ _

Post update on Saturday Feb 06, 2004, 10.22 AM:

JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK SO
Doesn't mean that you are right

Someone's put a lot of work into this essay Why I Hate Personal Weblogs - and there's some heated discussion going on over at Why your Movable Type blog must die. Hehe. Don't you just love people?

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/06/2004  
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SHOULD MPs GET PAID FOR BLOGGING
What do you think?

Professional journalist Bill Thompson recently attended a meeting at Westminster Hall in London with James Crabtree, who runs the iSociety ICT research project, and three Labour MPs, Clive Soley, Tom Watson and Tony Benn (retired). The meeting, organised by the Hansard Society and chaired by Richard Allan MP, was to try to get a clearer idea of what was going on in the space where politics meets technology, and to look at the potential of blogs as a tool for MPs.

Towards the end of Bill Thompson's report on the meeting, he writes of James Crabtree: "He finished by pointing out that running a blog takes time and costs money – and we need to be willing to pay our MPs for doing it, or they will simply not be able to afford it. If we do, we’ll get MPs who are slightly more open and likeable, and a Parliament that is slightly more open and transparent."

I am happy to confirm it is not true that running a blog costs money. This blog, apart from my computer upkeep and internet access charge, costs me not a penny to run, maintain or store. It is a free BlogSpot Plus through Blogger.com. Note it has no advertising banners. It has unlimited archive storage, free permalinks and commenting service, Atom and RSS site feeds, plus several other features including two site meters and email notification. Award winning top British blogger Scaryduck also prides himself on proving that one can blog for free. His BlogSpot Plus at Blogger has no problems in handling 250,000 visits and two years of archives.

Yes, blogging takes time. But so does thinking, speaking, planning, organising, networking and communicating through letter, fax, email, phone, newsletter, internet, media and in person. Blogging is merely another great tool with which to communicate. Why suggest that the public need to be willing to pay our MPs for communicating, when MPs already receive office expenses to cover the costs of communicating with the public? In my experience, blogging helps to focus thinking and reduces costs on paperwork, photocopying, news cuttings, letterheads, envelopes, stamps, phone calls, websites, newsletters - and eliminates the need for extra computer storage space, software, webmasters, printing services etc.

Also, in Bill's report, James Crabtree says that "if MPs are paid to blog, we'll get MPs who are slightly more open and likeable, and a Parliament that is slightly more open and transparent." Huh? Seems to me that Clive Soley MP (described in Bill's report as ‘the first entirely non-geeky weblogger’ ) was the only person present at that meeting who "gets" blogging.

To my mind, Clive Soley's blog is a good example of an MP getting the tone right as well as maintaining a high standard all round, especially on things like moral issues. He writes clear and in-depth original, well thought out material, timely and eloquently. His tone is thoughtful and kind, and gives the impression of being someone solid who you can learn from and grow to trust. He kindly responds to readers' comments, always credits his sources and engages with his readers, from all walks of life, in a non-judgemental way with tact and diplomacy. And, he gets the same in return from his readers.

Although Clive is a new blogger, I really cannot imagine him considering the power of the blog as a weapon and, with that in mind, posting (as did Tom Watson MP) a list of forty bad things you should know about Michael Howard, the leader of the Conservative Party - or stating that it is justified because, quote: ‘believe me, he is a very, very bad man’.

Good luck Clive. Blog on!

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/06/2004

Thursday, February 05, 2004

 
TECHNORATI JOB OPENINGS
Great opportunities in engineering and marketing

Looks like exciting things are in store for us bloggers at Technorati when all these people come up to speed in their super new jobs!

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/05/2004  
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MAJOR ISPs PONDER POSTAGE TO STEM SPAM
Email Postage

American blogger Jim O'Connell at Wirefarm weblog in Tokyo blogs about email postage:

Yahoo! and Microsoft are giving serious thought to the idea of e-mail "postage" that costs senders a small fee, company officials said. The admissions come in the wake of Microsoft founder Bill Gates' January comments in Davos, Switzerland suggesting the spam problem will be defeated by a number of different solutions, but "in the long run, the monetary method will be dominant."

The monetary approach, known as "sender pays," has different variations and is currently being used by several anti-spam companies, including IronPort and Vanquish. The latest company getting buzz for advocating such an approach is a Silicon Valley start-up called Goodmail. Under Goodmail's model, bulk e-mail senders pay outright for "postage" that guarantees their e-mail will be delivered to participating ISPs, who are paid for accepting the mail. Understandably, ISPs are interested in exploring this idea, as it helps them defray the soaring costs of handling e-mail.

Jim invites his readers to discuss and comment on what they think. My first reaction on reading his post is: Commercial operators trying to muscle in and duplicate meatspace in cyberspace. Like the postal service controlling charges on each letter, telcos controlling charges on each phone call ... now ISPs want to control charges for each email? Sounds to me like commercial operators wistfully thinking out loud and worming their way into owning and controlling cyberspace.

My feeling is that it's a bad idea from our point of view, but a good idea from a commercial operators point of view. I sure would not buy it. If it came to ISPs gaining such control, I'd go without email and communicate via my blog. Our top man Sir Tim Berners-Lee gave up a fortune so that the World Wide Web could be ours. The web is ours, it belongs to us, we the citizens of the world. Wonder what he makes of it all.

Here's a reminder of my Jan 30 post on The Internet is the ultimate base medium and quote by Doc Searls: "The Internet is the ultimate base medium -- it will either undermine or support all other media. Think of the Internet as a phone system, a postal service, a library, a distribution hub and a yellow pages -- all in one. Only, unlike all those traditional institutions, nobody controls it. Anybody can participate in any of those roles."

Note also my post August 30, 2003 re email I treasure from Vinton G Cerf, Father of the Internet :)

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/05/2004

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

 
CHOCOLATE AND VODKA
Film script writer blogs from Dorset, England

Yesterday, Chocolate and Vodka, a blog by Suw Charman, appeared in my list at Technorati. Lovely surprise to see that she lives in the same county as me and ophelia. Thanks Suw. Look forward to following your blog.

Suw (pronounced ‘Soo’ not ‘Syew’) is 32 and has a degree in Geology from the University of Wales, College of Cardiff. She used to live in Reading but recently moved back to Dorset, where she is originally from.

Welsh is her second language. She has a large black and white long-haired cat called Fflwff. And loves music, film and comics - particularly anything by Neil Gaiman, of whom she is a huge fan (btw Suw: so too is Scaryduck - no doubt you'll enjoy his blog and sidebar).

Her first job was in science publishing for two years, and she's been self-employed in one way or another for six years. Used to be a music journalist/photographer and worked as a freelance for the Melody Maker. And has written for the BBC, but not about music.

When she stopped being a journalist, she became a web designer and ran her own business for a while: "Get Fluent", an internet start-up which provided learning material and support by email for adults learning French or Welsh. She hopes to expand to other languages and is writing film scripts now. And loving it.

[Note to three readers, that I know of, in Wales: Daisy-Winifred, Susanne and Artist Michael - Suw has a list of Welsh bloggers in her sidebar that you may enjoy reading. And, for those interested in learning Polish (or who can send Suw emails in Polish), check out her little blogging experiment.

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/04/2004  
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POWER SURGE EXPLODES 'SUPERLOO'
The perils of siting over high voltage cables

Shouldn't laugh, but ...

Early this morning, a so-called 'superloo' exploded in Hanley town centre when an electrical fault caused water to surge back into the toilet, blowing off its roof and lifting the pavement.

Police officers called to the explosion at 0445 GMT, found the roof ripped off and smoke coming from inside. Parts of the surrounding pavement had also been lifted. Nearby traffic lights may have been affected.

Energy bosses blamed a fault in high voltage cables underneath the toilet and said an investigation was under way.

Rebecca Jackson, from Aquila, said they had isolated the cable but were investigating the fault and the siting of the toilet. "This could have been quite distressing if not dangerous if someone had been in there and we are taking it very seriously," she said.

Huh? Sitting on a fault in high voltage cables underneath the toilet could be quite distressing, if not dangerous?

AND she went on to say, "We would like to reassure domestic customers this isn't something that is likely to happen in their own homes. "They have low voltage cables and lines going into their properties, their homes should not be sited over high voltage cables."

Phew, that's a relief for domestic customers. Can't help wondering though, about all those non-domestic customers...

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/04/2004

Tuesday, February 03, 2004

 
INTERNET RADIO STATION BLOG
Voyager Radio - a webstream radio station

Yesterday, in my list at Technorati, I found that Harold Johnson's Something That Happened blog had linked to little old me and ophelia. hehe. Thanks Harold. Nice to meet you. Harold (aka DJ Baraka) lives in Los Angeles, California, and has worked on a webstream radio station called Voyager for quite some time. His station was featured on Live365's web site. He also broadcasts live shows over the Internet.

Harold's Internet radio station VoyagerRadio provides helpful links: "need help tuning in to VoyagerRadio?... want more info about VoyagerRadio?...want your music heard on VoyagerRadio?" Readers are invited to join his new chat room to hang out with other VoyagerRadio listeners. You can find him there whenever he's webcasting live - he says the quickest way of getting his attention while he's on the air is via Instant Messaging. His AIM and iChat ID is VoyagerRadio. Harold's shown Invisible Factory how to set up an internet radio station - check out their station "retrodirective" and see how it works.

(Note to Wendy and Hazel, if you tune in to Voyager Radio, I'd be interested in reading your feedback in the comments box here. I avoid music and videostreams because I'm on narrowband dial-up and my notebook's having trouble handling such tasks).

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/03/2004  
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BBC CREATES AND REPORTS NEWS
And operates as a commercial enterprise - not a public broadcasting service

Yesterday, I wrote a very long post about the "Media and BBC post Hutton". Got cold feet on publishing it right away. Decided to sleep on it. This morning, I got sidetracked replying to emails and working on my letter to Michael Dell that has taken days to put together. Printed enclosures today and have envelope ready for J to take to the Post Office tomorrow. Registered post to Michael Dell in America.

It's been an arduous task and has set me back this week. More on what happened before that, at a later date. Right now, I can't see out of my eyes properly, muscles are on fire and throat is all sore again. Forgive if these posts sound disjointed. Concentration is slowing up badly. It may force me to take a blogging break this week.

So, after sleeping on it, I've decided not to publish my "Media and the BBC post Hutton" piece because it's contentious, which I did not intend for this blog to be. Plus, it may upset one of my *cough* most *cough* favourite bloggers who, on September 2, 2003, wrote this masterpiece “Oh Lordy - Not Another Over-Simplified Political Post!” - the very first post I'd read when I discovered his blog.

Let's just say that my piece ended by suggesting that the government stop making us go to prison if we refuse to pay £112 a year to the BBC, and to make the BBC stop sneaking around in unmarked vans, scanning the country for people to fine (it's £1,000 fine for owning a TV set and not paying the BBC £112 each year); or stop the BBC from operating as a commercial enterprise under the guise of a public broadcasting service. Commercial or PBS - can't have it both ways. It doesn't work.

Instead, here below is a piece on Hutton, written by British blogger Clive Soley, Labour MP. Please do read it. It's excellent.

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/03/2004  
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HUTTON
By Clive Soley, Labour MP - Saturday, January 31, 2004

The devastating effect of the Hutton Report on the BBC was an accident waiting to happen. I am a strong supporter of the BBC and I didn’t want Greg Dyke to go. The problem is though that the BBC had in recent years been moving into the print media role of campaigning journalism which inevitably becomes political campaigning.

It is bad enough that the press choose to do this but for a public broadcasting organisation to do it must be a serious mistake. The press looks for sensational headlines to boost flagging sales. This leads them to focus on individuals in Government in order to gain another scalp. This is fine if the stories are true but if they are not it simply undermines the democratic process.

The Hutton Report gives both politicians and media an opportunity to start again. We need to stop substituting insults for arguments. So no more ‘liar, liar pants on fire’ headlines or accusations unless well substantiated. No more cynical assumptions that everyone who enters politics is in it for personal gain. Far more openness within the political process would also help. This is easy to ask for but difficult to deliver. Only the wildest optimist would hope that politicians wont brief against each other or present their own story in the best light possible. That happens in every job but is more intense in politics.

Spinning is not new. It has been with us since the beginning of human society but it has got out of control in the last twenty years and none of us in politics or media are free of blame. The press attacks on Labour in the 1980’s were savage and highly spun. Our response was understandable at first but became institutionalised and outlived both its justification and its usefulness.

Look at the headlines today however. If Hutton had criticised politicians as strongly as he has the BBC every paper would be praising him and calling for resignations. Because he criticised the media they are attacking him for a “whitewash”. This reinforces the point I make about the media becoming like a political party. They take sides more strongly then the conventional parties.

One of the problems is that apart from blogging there is no way in which the media can be challenged. If they don’t think your views are worth publishing they don’t publish them. As they have their own agenda this is particularly destructive and is in itself a form of censorship.

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/03/2004  
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RUNNING A THOUSAND MILES FOR FREEDOM
A story by William and Ellen Craft

I'm copying here in full, Clive Soley's post on William and Ellen Craft. Hopefully, some readers may be able to help:

"William and Ellen were two slaves who fled to Britain from the US in the mid 19th. Century. They wrote their story called ‘Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom’ and toured the UK lecturing on the evils of slavery.

They were known to the anti slavery organisations here and I think to William Wilberforce. I believe the Quakers might also have known them.

They lived for a while in Hammersmith where there is a blue plaque on the office that stands on the site where they lived.

I recently picked up a contact in the US who was trying to find out more about their time in Britain. Anyone harbouring a relative out there? Or any special knowledge?

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/03/2004  
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GEORGE WILBERFORCE LOCK
A genius - and a great thinker

Wish I had not lost contact with my dear old friend George Wilberforce Lock (William Wilberforce an ancestor of his). George would have been able to help with Clive Soley's request (see above).

George and I were good friends for five years in London. He was one of the most interesting people I've ever met. We often met up at Westminster Abbey, one of my most favourite places in London. I lived in Pimlico, London SW1 and George lived in the Russell Square area of West London.

One day at the Abbey, George brought along a super camera with a tripod. Had special permission to research some papers, on Wilberforce, that were held at the Abbey - and was allowed to photograph the Abbey's magnificent statue of William Wilberforce.

As soon as I saw Clive's post, I thought of George. Good old George. A mine of information. I'm sure he'd have been able to provide some good leads on William and Ellen Craft.

If anyone reading this knows the whereabouts of George, I'd be most grateful to know. He moved from the Russell Square area of London to retire in Llandudno, Wales, in the early 1990's. I gave up trying to trace George years ago, when I returned from America. I've always hoped he is still alive. And have always regretted not replying to the last letter he sent to me in America.

(Note to my Quaker friend - if you are reading this (you know who you are) please give Clive's request some thought and ask around. Thanks :)

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/03/2004

Monday, February 02, 2004

 
INK RIP-OFF
Pete's Eat's makes page one of Google

Just received an email from Pete to check out first page at: Google Search: ink rip-off.

Well, I say, what about THAT in a few days eh? Proof that blogging is empowering. Hehe. Power to the people. Thanks Pete and Jim :)

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/02/2004  
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ELECTRONIC VOTING'S HIDDEN PERILS
A digital ballot box might miscount votes without anyone noticing

US Mercury News report extract: "Poll workers in Alameda County noticed something strange on election night in October. As a computer counted absentee ballots in the recall race, workers were stunned to see a big surge in support for a fringe candidate named John Burton.

Concerned that their new $12.7 million Diebold electronic voting system had developed a glitch, election officials turned to a company representative who happened to be on hand.

Lucky he was there. For an unknown reason, the computerized tally program had begun to award votes for Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante to Burton, a socialist from Southern California.

Similar mishaps have occurred across the country since election officials embraced electronic voting in the wake of the Florida vote-counting debacle of 2000.

To guard against error and fraud, the state requires that the companies only install approved software on electronic voting machines. But in California, one of the biggest voting-equipment companies, Diebold Election Systems, provided 17 counties with uncertified software that was used in recent elections.

When Californians go to the polls next month to choose a presidential candidate, many voters will cast a virtual ballot by pressing a computer touch screen that records their votes digitally. The only tangible proof that a citizen has voted -- and how he voted -- will be fingerprints left on the machine's screen.

Electronic voting removes the risk of election officials misinterpreting hanging chads. But it raises another electoral peril: that a digital ballot box might miscount votes without anyone noticing."

Note: Diebold's site states that some 33,000 Diebold voting stations are being used simultaneously in locations across the United States to assist voters in exercising their most fundamental constitutional right: The right to vote.

View: Diebold's January 2004 press releases on "Maryland Security Study Validates Diebold Election Systems Equipment for March 2004 Primary" and "Nineteen Additional Ohio Counties Select Diebold Election Systems as Electronic Voting Systems Provider".

[Link courtesy of Abstract Dynamics - with thanks]

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/02/2004

Sunday, February 01, 2004

 
O'REILLY EMERGING TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
And digital democracy teach-in forum, Feb 9, 2004, San Diego, CA

"Internet technologies are putting power back into the hands of the people. Using blogs, MeetUp, cell phones, websites, and plain old email, citizen activists have already altered the face of the next US presidential election. In a less-noticed but potentially seismic shift, concerned citizens are using the same tools to have more say in the day-to-day tasks of governing. Are we on the verge of a fundamental shift towards truer democracy, or will these new Internet-fueled tools be co-opted to maintain the status quo?

That question and more will be asked at the O'Reilly Digital Democracy Teach-In, a day that brings together the pioneers who are re-inventing democracy for our networked world. Those who are defying conventional wisdom and changing the rules of the game--whether they're supporting a political candidate, advocating for a cause, or pulling back the covers on the workings of their local government."

The O'Reilly Digital Democracy Teach-In will be co-located with the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference. The Forum is scheduled for Monday, February 9, 2004 from 9am - 5pm at the Westin Horton Plaza, San Diego, CA, USA.

View details for all sessions here. View details about speakers here.

[Link courtesy of James Crabtree at VoxPolitics]
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THE VOXPOLITICS BLOG
On net campaigning and e-democracy in UK politics

James Crabtree at VoxPolitics blogs that he's off to a conference in 'Calafornia' next week, and is hoping to gate crash this (see above) "high-powered looking wonk-in on e-democracy". Says he wishes the organisers hadn't set it up thus: If we think of democracy as a social/political operating system, advocacy is a key source of "application development" (yawn.. he's so right)

Extract from About VoxPolitics: "James Crabtree runs the Industrial Society's iSociety ICT research project (Indsoc.co.uk). He also helped to develop the Digital Futures project at the Institute of Public Policy Research. A former political consultant, he worked as a webmaster and press secretary for a congressional candidate during US Election 2000. He will shortly help launch the web presence for the policy journal Renewal."

# posted by Ingrid @ 2/01/2004