Should the Internet be open?
October 12th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The answer may seem obvious. Surely the great thing about the Internet was that anyone could do anything on it. In fact, this was never true. In democratic countries, what is illegal off-line is equally illegal online. And, in authoritarian nations, there are a whole host of controls that limit free expression.
Nevertheless most of us support and welcome the freest possible Internet consistent with the law. But there are powerful forces at work which are limiting what you can access on the Net and what you see when you go on the Web.
I’ve recently read two books which address this issue from different angles. Both works argue powerfully that our experience of the Net is becoming less open and less inclusive – one through the use of limiting devices and the other through the use of limiting software.
In “The Future Of The Internet And How To Stop It” by Jonathan Zittrain published in 2008 [my review here], the author is especially concerned at the move away from generative PCs attached to a generative network to a world of sterile appliances tethered to what he sees as a network of control – such as the iPhone and its app store.
In “The Filter Bubble” by Eli Pariser published in 2011 [my review here], the author expresses the fear that personalisation of the web means that we are increasingly accessing only a selected slice of the richness on offer –as a result of practices such as the tailoring of search results on Google and news feeds online.
The reason I raise this subject now is that this week Britain’s four largest Internet service providers agreed to provide their customers with the facility to block access to pornographic material. That’s fine – consumers should be empowered to exercise such a choice, specially if they have young children.
The problem is that 10 Downing Street caused confusion by initially briefing to the media that the ‘no pornography position’ would be the default option. This would have meant that customers had actively to opt in to access such material, even though this material – however offensive to some – is perfectly legal. The day that consumers have to make an active choice to see legal material on the Web is that day that the open Internet is dead.
Fortunately the Prime Minister’s office had it wrong to the great annoyance of the Internet community [see story here]. The default option is that you can access everything on the Net. If you want the facility to block certain forms of content, your ISP will provide you with the opportunity to have it blocked either at the server level or at the computer level.
But it tells us something that the office of the most powerful politician in the land thought that what would in effect have mean censorship of the Net in the UK was seemingly an acceptable policy position.
Posted in Internet | Comments (0)
Please may I draw your attention to this report on civility
October 10th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The Young Foundation has today published a report entitled “Charm Offensive: Cultivating Civility In 21st Century Britain” [full text here].
The report states:
“The available statistics confirm that Britain ranks either positively or average in international surveys of inter-personal trust, tolerance and politeness.”
The report concludes:
“First, civility is an issue that matters hugely to people. Far from outdated, it is something that people still value, and which is critical to overall wellbeing. While the term civility may not always resonate, people relate to the concept. Most recognise that as we wrestle with high density living, greater levels of cultural diversity and individualism, as we become less deferent and as technology begins to permeate almost every aspect of our social lives, civility becomes more rather than less important.
Second, our research shows that generalisations about declining standards of civility are inaccurate and problematic. While there are flashpoints of incivility, these tend to be contained to certain places or certain times. But in general Britain remains a well-mannered and courteous country. We still compare favourably to other developed nations. Most people still feel like they can trust others and that their neighbourhoods are free from anti-social behaviour.
Generalities about incivility pose a number of problems. They get in the way of a more granular understanding of the conditions that drive incivility, the character of a specific area or the qualities of specific people. They also inspire wider public unease and unhappiness, irrespective of people’s actual experiences. They can fuel prejudices against certain groups, particularly young people. Ultimately they can deter civil behaviour, as people are likely to live up to the negative generalisations rather than positive examples. More data and thorough empirical analysis on the state of civility in Britain are needed in helping to dispel some of the inaccurate generalisations, which dominate.
Finally, we argue that a lack of serious focus on this area has limited thinking about the best ways of tackling incivility and inspiring civility. The policy landscape around this area tends to rely on a very narrow set of responses, most of them focused exclusively on sanctions. Punitive responses have their place and will continue to be needed, particularly in areas where incivility has become the norm, threatening the most vulnerable groups and triggering wider criminality.
But overdependence on punitive measures is both costly and signifies a failure to establish a suitable balance between deterrence and positive steps designed to inspire civility: from respectful policing and public servants’ duty to provide high standards of service to the design of public space. A better understanding of civility should be important to both central and local government; particularly at a time of austerity where ‘hard’, expensive interventions are squeezed and when communities face additional pressures.
The findings of our research suggest that if we want to tackle anti-social behaviour and build stronger communities in the long term, a better balance is needed between punitive top-town policy and softer bottom up interventions based on local understanding of key tensions and perceptions. We already know, for example, that it is often our ‘everyday’ contact with public services that shape people’s sense of satisfaction with the state.
However, this report is very clear: incivility is a shared problem that cannot be tackled by state interventions. People care deeply about civility but are not always aware of when their own behaviour is perceived as rude or offensive. The evidence set out here is as much about how we – the people – change our own awareness of what it is to be civil, as it is about the way in which institutions, public spaces and services understand the largely invisible role that civility plays in individual and community wellbeing.”
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (1)
Who will run against Obama?
October 9th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
About five years ago, sections of the American media speculated that the election battle for the US Presidency could be an all-female affair: Hillary Clinton for the Democrats and Condoleezza Rice for the Republicans. In the event, neither was a candidate.
We seem to be in a similar state of excitement now in parts of the American establishment. There is speculation that this November’s race could be an all-black affair: Barack Obama of course for the Democrats and Herman Cain for the Republicans.
Herman Cain?!? If you’re not American, you’ve probably never heard of him. That’s not surprising since he’s never been elected to anything. But that’s not stopping some in the Republican Party considering the possibility of his candidature as you can read here.
Personally, I reckon that Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate and that Barack Obama will win (I certainly hope so).
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (1)
The wonderful world of graphene
October 8th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
My former University of Manchester was thrilled last year when the Nobel Prize for Physics when to two of its researchers Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov who discovered graphene in 2004. The university was delighted with this week’s announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne that graphene research will receive a £50 million investment.
But what is graphene and why is it so special? There is a technical explanation here and a popular explanation here.
In brief, graphene is a sheet of carbon atoms one atom thick arranged in a honeycomb lattice. The substance has some astonishing properties. It conducts electricity a million times better than copper and it is more transparent to visible light than any other known conductor. It is also stronger than all other conductors and more stretchable.
There could be an amazing number of uses and the UK could lead the commercial manufacture of the substance.
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
Remembering Karel Kuttelwascher (2)
October 7th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I did an earlier posting explaining how my wife Vee and sister-in-law Mari had gone over to the Czech Republic to attend an event to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the birth of their father. He was the Czech wartime night intruder ace Karel Kuttelwascher.
There is now available online a 15-minute video of the ceremony which includes Vee’s speech (in Czech!):
Posted in History | Comments (0)
The campaign to save Gaby’s Deli
October 7th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
A few weeks ago, I did a posting about the threatened closure of my favourite London cafe, a great place near Leicester Square called “Gaby’s”. I was there recently, enjoying their delicious baklava and talking to the owner about the plan to close the place at the end of April.
Roger lends support to Gaby Elyahou
A campaign to keep Gaby’s open is being run by Eleanor Lloyd, Sara Nathan & Sandra Virgo. The campaign has the support of the local MP Mark Field – see here.
You can check out the Facebook campaign here – there are now over 1,700 supporters. And you can sign the protest petition here – there are now almost 2,000 signatures.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (1)
What’s it like to be on benefits?
October 6th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I wrote in this posting about a friend of mine who is seeking the Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) and has been refused it (he has appealed). He has drawn my attention to this posting by a specialist benefits adviser working for the Citizens Advice Bureaux which gives a different perspective from the line in the Right-wing press that ‘most benefits applicants are scroungers’.
Incidentally the economic recession has dramatically increased the case load of the CAB and yet both nationally and locally government has cut their funding as part of its determination to eliminate the budget deficit by the end of this Parliament regardless of the impact on the economy and on vulnerable citizens.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
Where have all the atoms that constitute “you” been since the creation of the Earth?
October 5th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
“All of the atoms that make up your body were once parts of stars – the phrase “we are stardust” is not just poetic fancy. After that, they were part of the sterile planet (later to be called Earth) for some billions of years, and when life appeared, bits that were later to become “us”, began to be parts of the early forms of life on Earth – bacterial, plant, animal, fungal etc – all of it sharing atoms, especially carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms.
By a statistical certainty, many of the 7 billion trillion atoms that make up your body will have formed parts of many other organisms in the far past. Some of them have formed parts of living beings (plant and animal) in the recent past – you ate them. But some of those beings will be humans, still alive and sharing the planet with you as you read this; if by no other route than by the fact that the air others breathe out is the air you breathe in. The blood in your veins is red because of oxygen that was someone else’s last month, and will be someone else’s again next.
You may feel that your “self” is a solid, unchanging entity, but the matter which houses that self is a boiling mass, coming and going all the time.”
Contribution from Francis Blake, London N17 to “Note & Queries” in today’s “Guardian” newspaper.
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
A review of “The Debt”
October 4th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
So often, films are either entertaining or intelligent but rarely both in equal measure. “The Debt” is an exception, combining both qualities in satisfactory fashion – my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
The strange case of Amanda Knox
October 4th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I don’t know whether Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are innocent or guilty of the murder of Londoner Meredith Kercher. What is clear is that, on the basis of the evidence, it was an unsafe conviction and that Knox’s character has been represented by the prosecution in terms that are almost medieval.
There’s masses of material in the media today on the case. A very detailed – if understandably very partial – account of the case and examination of the evidence is on this site run by friends of Amanda Knox.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)