Class Warfare, Marketing Consultant!, The Odyssey, Gaming, CDs!

[tcpip]

greylock has pointed me to insightful reports on the matter; an interview with Kerry O'Brien and John Howard. Given that these changes aren't about increasing productivity (indeed, there's a good argument they'll cause a loss of productivity) one is left with the obvious conclusion that they're about increasing profit at the expense of wages and conditions.

In international politics, Schroeder shows ineptitude in losing the Chancellorship of Germany that, if he were prepared to deal with his natural allies (the Left, the Greens). Of course that would mean he'd have to admit he was wrong about welfare and IR reform.

Pakistan earthquake toll looks like it'll be over 30,000. The Australian government donates $500,000 which compares rather poorly to the $10 million given to the American Red Cross after Cyclone Katrina.

Gave my second presentation to Prosper Australia on the principles of marketing last night. Started off my giving my opinion on people who engage in marketing without having a personal commitment to a product; I quoted Bill Hicks (expletives deleted of course). How about that? I'm a marketing consultant. I better take up cocaine or something.

lokicarbis, caseopaya and I went to see a modernised version of the Odyssey last week after a quick visit to 2600. Loki's comments that they were trying too hard was appropriate. The presentation of Circe as a naked dominatrix didn't work either, which is kind of surprising.

envoutante is visiting soon with a whole bunch of EMB, industrial and 90s goth CDs she's selling. Excellent!

Have been debating the relative benefit of randomness in game design. _fustian? I haven't forgotton. I'll send an email tomorrow with more on the Outbreak of Heresy game. Damn writing is time consuming.

Oh, and Rogue escaped under a nine foot wire fence and was almost eaten by a cat earlier in the week. He's safe now. Silly rat.

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well that's better news. Any links?

As part of my shit-stirring activities I'm thinking of writing a neoliberal article in the style of Johnathan Swift which blames the people for living in such silly earthquake, tsunamni and hurricane prone areas. After all, people have to take responsibility for their own decisions.

[greylock.livejournal.com]

God's punishing them for being Muslims/Non-Christians.
And sheltering terrorists.

Obviously.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but that article has been done a few times already... And not as parody, either.

http://www.godhatesfags.com/featured/20050831_thank-god-for-katrina.html

[greylock.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, I blogged about that.

Let me make it all better:

Dumb: Alabama State Senator Hank Erwin thinks Katrina was God's way of punishing sin.

Dumber: Erwin admits this publicly.

Dumbest: One third of Alabamians polled agree with him

http://www.wkrg.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WKRG/MGArticle/KRG_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785332905&path=!news!surveyusa!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Ow, ow, ow... My brain hurts. One third. C'mon surely that's a typo.. Every third person you meet in Alabama is a moron?

Mmm... Didn't Bill Hicks have something to say about Alabama?

[antayla.livejournal.com]

Apparently you don't know the american south :P. They call it the "bible belt" for a reason.

It's about as bad as an about.com poll I saw a few years ago where 47% of about 3000 respondents said using torture was okay if it might prevent terrorist acts.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Hell, we have academics over here that argued for that and worse still were published...

I'm probably unpopular enough to say that I understand where they're coming from (use of situational ethic over moral principle to prevent a greater moral crime).

The obvious problem is this will not will not prevent terrorism, but encourage it - and the use of torture.

[zey.livejournal.com]

Yep. Stuff like that breaks my brain too. It's bizarre how the US is somehow managing to be both a First World nation technologically, yet becoming a Third World nation on an educational level.

In a few years time, they'll be arranging witch trials using their mobile phones, I'm sure...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Once upon a time the enlightenment and it's heirs believed that technological and political progress went hand in hand.

Now we know that all technology does is amplify moral reasoning.

Witch-trials by web-cam, here we come.

[jennifergearing.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think I may have posted it closer to Katrina, but this is a crude but very amusing look at that idea. :)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

That's the spirit!