Join the Pirate Party now! 17 Jun 2009 As Pastafarians know, global warming is inversely related to the number of pirates in the world. But slightly more seriously, the Pirate Party in Sweden has gained a seat in the EU Parliament. They stand against the encroachment on individual privacy by the increasingly draconian Intellectual Property activists of industry. Their sudden success follows the jail sentences for the administrators of the Pirate Bay website. I am increasingly concerned at the advent of democratic governments using these provisions to control what can, and cannot, be said in public forums like the internet. It basically means that culture is owned. That is as bad, in my view, as patenting ethnic DNA or some plant that grows naturally. So I have “joined” the Australian Pirate Party. This gives me better cred than PZ ArrrMatey. Via Crooked Timber. Also, see Wired. Censorship Freedom Politics
Politics On a lack of assistance for depression 22 Jun 2010 I have suffered from chronic depression since I was about 11, when my father died. He committed suicide, I later found out, so he probably also wrestled with depression. So I am completely in agreement with Professor John Mendoza, who has resigned as head advisor to the Australian government on… Read More
Academe Attack of the Unlibrarian 15 Dec 201115 Dec 2011 I am generally fairly IT savvy (I even have an ancient IT degree), but at the same time I am rather unconvinced that the future is as digital as everyone says. In particular I have been appalled at the constant destruction of physical books by university libraries. Now I am… Read More
Censorship Feet of clay problem 23 Nov 202223 Nov 2022 What to do with historical bastardry in our heroes? This is republished from my substack. Henceforth such posts – the equivalent of a magazine article or an essay – will appear first on the substack and then on the blog evolvingthoughts.au. After a distance of time, they will end up… Read More