mklang | writing notes

The blogger as social debater

On Friday I will be attending a meeting for green bloggers in Stockholm arranged by the Swedish green party (wanted to write Swedish greens but there was too much temptation for bad vegetable puns). During the meeting I will be giving a lecture on the role of the blogger as a social debater and I am looking forward to presenting some ideas on this topic.

Beyond the obvious short intro (minuscule) on what is a blog? and why is it different anyway? the question that must be addressed is whether or not the blogger has a role as a social debater? Naturally there are blogs that impact highly on the broader social debate but many of these belong to individuals or groups who are naturally part of the social debate and in these cases the blog is simply a different technical platform. The easiest example of this is a politician with a blog where the technology does not really create the social debater but only provides an alternate platform.

In the latter category I also want to add corporate blogs which are basically (but not exclusively) marketing tools.

But then there are plenty of blogs which seem to have created new social debaters, individuals who previously had no voice now have been empowered (ugly word, but valuable concept) and enabled into presenting their views. The question here is – what is their social impact? The blog gives them voice but does this shape social change?

Then there are the blogs which have masses of hits but low social impact. Fashion blogs, sex blogs, voyeur blogs, athletes blogs etc etc these generate masses of hits but can a million hits be the same as a social debate?

Finally there are the mass of unread blogs highbrow, lowbrow, academic, quirky, personal, public, exhibitionist and therapeutic. It would be easy to attempt to claim unread = no social impact but these may be the potentially important social movers. From the unread backwaters of the internet ideas have spread before and therefore it is difficult to simply sweep aside the masses of unread bloggers as socially unimportant.

As I said I am really looking forward to Friday… and if you are in Stockholm why dont you drop in? Here is the invite on Facebook

Posted on January 21, 2009 by mklang

Welcome President Obama

Like many others I watched President Obama’s inauguration. He was calm and collected, unsmiling, powerful – almost too much so. And then he slipped up twice while being sworn in – a human touch.

His inaugural address was magnificent and despite my skepticism I was impressed by the level of trust, sincerity optimism and gravity Obama delivered in his speech.

Here are some of the best bits (from a transcript):

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man…

Here is a fundamental point which must be addressed. For too long we have been fighting terror with methods that are destroying the very liberties we are supposed to be defending. I almost did not believe that a man in power today would say such a thing. With great power comes great responsibility.

We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers.

Did you hear the last part? “and non-believers” Exclude non! Religious discrimination is evil and must be stopped everywhere.

…know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

This part of the speech was addressed to other countries but in stating this principle it is an important recognition that it applies to the states as well. The last eight years have been all about destruction and fostering more destruction.

…we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

A lovely phrase. Powerful.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you…

We pledge…

All in all it is very hopeful to have a thinking man in such a position of great power and I am looking forward to the change he promises.

Posted on January 20, 2009 by mklang

The 2009 idea award

The Foundation for Free Culture and Software (“Föreningen fri kultur och programvara”) is a local initiative whose goal it is to “spread awareness about free culture and free software, as well as support organisations, individuals and projects with the same goals.” We’re organised around our many activities, which are run by the members of the foundation. Oh, and disclosure I am a board member.

Anyway, in order to promote creative thinking and to show that results can be achieved even with limited resources the foundation has now announced its Idea prize for 2009. We will be awarding two prizes of 10 000 kr each for innovative ideas.The prizes will be judged on doability, innovation, relevans and creativity. The money will be awarded to enable the project to be carried out.

Posted on January 20, 2009 by mklang

Productivity & bachelorhood

Not being part of a relationship obviously frees up more time for work (actually the same applies to being in a bad relationship but lets not go there) and Christopher Orlet has written an interesting article on this topic:

“The bachelor’s very capacity to avoid marriage is no more than a proof of his relative freedom from the ordinary sentimentalism of his sex, in other words, of his greater approximation to the clearheadedness of the enemy sex. He is able to defeat the enterprise of women because he brings to the business an equipment almost comparable to their own.” Who can argue that a brief catalog of famous bachelors reads like a roll call of the architects of Western Civilization?:

Pierre Bayle, Robert Boyle, Johannes Brahms, Samuel Butler, Robert Burton, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Giacomo Casanova, Frederic Chopin, Nicolaus Copernicus, Eugène Delacroix, Rene Descartes, Gustave Flaubert, Galileo Galilei, Edward Gibbon, Vincent van Gogh, Oliver Goldsmith, Thomas Hobbes, Horace, David Hume, Washington Irving, Henry James, Franz Kafka, Immanuel Kant, Soren Kierkegaard, Charles Lamb, T. E. Lawrence, Meriwether Lewis, Philip Larkin, Gottfried Leibniz, John Locke, Michelangelo, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sir Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Alexander Pope, Marcel Proust, Maurice Ravel, George Santayana, Jean Paul Sartre, Franz Schubert, Benedict de Spinoza, Arthur Schopenhauer, Herbert Spencer, Adam Smith, Stendhal, Jonathon Swift, Nikola Tesla, Henry David Thoreau, Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec, Leonardo da Vinci, Voltaire, Ludwig Wittgenstein

Similarly the contributions of the many (ostensibly) celibate medieval monks and theologians (Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, Desiderius Erasmus, Michael Servetus) were essential in dragging Europe out of the dark Age of Faith and paving the way for the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.

But bachelorhood is not enough – you have to be willing to sacrifice to time and energy. On my part I have decided not to sacrifice everything anymore. In the final period of writing my thesis I was prepared to do anything to finish. I remember thinking, after working ludicrously long hours, not sleeping, eating crappy food that everything was ok as long as I got my heart attack – after I graduated. Today I will not do this. I work but I also exercise and attempt to enjoy life outside work. So I read the list of bachelors with interest but still see them as a long list of failures… I hope they were happier than I think they were.

Posted on January 19, 2009 by mklang

Big Currency

Zimbabwe’s central bank has introduced a new 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar note. That’s one note for one hundred million million or 100 000 000 000 000 which is about 300 US dollars (ZimOnline). The level of inflation is mind boggling – how do you keep up in situations such as these?

Inflation in Zimbabwe is officially estimated at 231 million percent as of last July but which independent analysts say could be anything in the trillions.

Posted on January 16, 2009 by mklang

Wanted: FRA integrity lawyer: An unpopular but easy job

The Swedish Försvarets Radioanstalt (FRA) or in English the National Defence Radio Establishment is looking for a lawyer. After a recent change in Swedish legislation (the FRA law, or FRA-lagen in Swedish) that came into effect on 1 Januarythe FRA is authorized to warrantlessly wiretap all telephone and Internet traffic that crosses Sweden’s borders. This obviously includes much of internal Swedish communication.

Anyway the FRA now are looking for a lawyer to

Funktionen svarar även för frågor om etik och integritetsskydd i signalunderrättelseverksamheten… Funktionen har även till uppgift att se till att myndigheten behandlar personuppgifter på ett lagligt och korrekt sätt.

The position is responsible for questions of ethics and integrity protection in relation to signals intelligence… The position also has the responsiblity to ensure that the agency treats personal data in a correct and legal manner [my translation].

Wow! Considering the task of the FRA is to eavesdrop on all traffic this job must be a doddle. Once you have made it legal to wiretap all internet traffic without the need for warrents – what integrity concerns can be left for the lawyer to deal with?

Posted on January 15, 2009 by mklang

Scooby Doo is ancient and Chinese

Scooby-Doo was a childhood favourite of mine the cowardly, hungry dog always getting into scary situations provided lots of memorable occaissions. Common knowledge was that the characters in the series were created by Hanna Barbera in 1969 but I have made an important discovery on the streets of Göteborg today.

Photo Chinese Scooby Doo by Wrote (CC by-nc)

This stone statue of the great Scooby was, according to its dating certificate, fired somewhere between 1500 – 2400 years ago according to the Thermoluminescence Analysis Report. So here finally the massive conspiracy has been unmasked 🙂

Posted on January 14, 2009 by mklang

Why would sub-democratic leaders blog?

Listening to the radio this morning and heard that Karim Massimov, the Prime Minster of Kazakhstan started his private, yet official blog on 9th January and apparently has been so happy with the result that he has ordered his minsters to start personal blogs.

A politician starting a blog is hardly worth mentioning and starting in 2009 seems even to be a late starter but this one is a bit interesting.

According to the American State Department Country Report on Kazakhstan

The Government’s human rights record remained poor, and it continued to commit numerous abuses. The Government severely limited citizens’ right to change their government and democratic institutions remained weak. On some occasions, members of the security forces, including police, tortured, beat, and otherwise mistreated detainees; some officials were punished for these abuses. Prison conditions remained harsh; however, the Government took an active role in efforts to improve prison conditions and the treatment of prisoners. The Government continued to use arbitrary arrest and detention and to selectively prosecute political opponents; prolonged detention was a problem. Amendments to several laws governing the authority of procurators further eroded judicial independence. The Government infringed on citizens’ privacy rights.

Reporters sans frontières begin their 2008 report on Kazakhstan:

As well as the usual problems journalists get when they expose corruption or criticise President Nazarbayev, the media was the victim of power struggles inside the regime. Three opposition journalists died in suspicious circumstances and coverage of the August 2007 parliamentary elections was biased.

So the idea that the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan starting a blog and praising the way in which it allows citizens to communicate more directly with government is surprising to say the least. Either the whole thing is a propaganda attempt gone wrong or a total misunderstanding of the power of online communication.

Or maybe those in power just don’t get how bad they are?

Posted on January 14, 2009 by mklang

Was Tintin gay?

What causes controversy? Well I was surprised to find out that Matthew Parris’ article Of course Tintin’s gay. Ask Snowy in The Times has caused a bit of a stir. Perry begins his article

A callow, androgynous blonde-quiffed youth in funny trousers and a scarf moving into the country mansion of his best friend, a middle-aged sailor? A sweet-faced lad devoted to a fluffy white toy terrier, whose other closest pals are an inseparable couple of detectives in bowler hats, and whose only serious female friend is an opera diva…

. . . And you’re telling me Tintin isn’t gay?

The wonderful part is that this has actually upset some people! A spokesperson for the Studio Herge is quoted in The Sun: “Just because there is an absence of women does not mean that Tintin was gay. “When the comic strip was created, women rarely featured in any stories of that time in the 40s and 50s. “Tintin is not at all gay – he was very macho in fact. He has many friends who are boys but they are not boyfriends.”

In the comments section of the Times article there are lots of people who seem genuinely upset over the thought of this sexual orientation in a cartoon character. The real response should be: Who cares! but I must admit I did enjoy reading the annoyed responses to the article. It’s amazing what people have the energy to get worked up about. Tintin is fiction, daubs of ink, enjoyable reading no matter what his sexuality.

Posted on January 13, 2009 by mklang