Interesting Links for 28-6-2011

[andrewducker]

• Hidden card charges for travel tickets to be banned
  (tags: travel money epicwin)
• Movie/TV/Distribution networks finally get together to do online TV properly
  (tags: technology media drm digital streaming)
• Higher state pension would not cost more and would help more poor people, while encouraging savings
  (tags: pension welfare uk)
• Addiction is a situation, not a disease
  (tags: addiction drugs health rats science happiness psychology)
• Competition really does improve the NHS
  (tags: healthcare competition nhs uk)
• Chinese Democracy - Coming Soon?
  (tags: democracy china economics politics)
• Wormworld creator goes full-time. Awesome, I want part two now!
  (tags: wormworld comic writing art)
• E-reader ownership doubles in six months - now at 12%. Tablets at 8%
  (tags: ebooks books technology tablet usa)
• California violent video game law struck down by US Supreme Court
  (tags: law usa games freespeech)

Comments

[matgb]

firmly advance the political reform and build socialist democracy under the rule of law

I give you the People's Democratic Republic of China. About as democratic as the German Democratic Republics. Or indeed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, with one meaning of 'soviet' initially being a form of assembly democracy.

[bart-calendar.livejournal.com]

I love that one of the editor's notes made it into the travel story.

[andrewducker]

I'm clearly going blind. Which bit?

[bart-calendar.livejournal.com]

"The OFT's announcement comes in response to a super-complaint by the consumers' association Which?."

The "Which?" was put there by an editor to tell the reporter to name the association before posting the story online.

[kerrypolka.livejournal.com]

Which? is the name of the consumers' association, I'm afraid.

[khoth.livejournal.com]

More likely, it's referring to the consumers' association with the name of "Which?"

[bart-calendar.livejournal.com]

Oh.

My bad. If you don't know that such an organization exists it looks just like an editor's note. (Having been a journalist and having had editors insert "Which?" many, many times on story drafts that was my reading of it.)

[andrewducker]

They're so named because they produce publications with titles like "Which washing machine?" and "Which car?" which give unbiased advice. Less useful in that regard now the internet exists, but used to be very popular.

[bart-calendar.livejournal.com]

Gotcha.

Thanks!

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Unbiased maybe, but often quite uninformed. Whenever I've seen reviews of products where I do know a bit, I often find their analysis simplistic and their results consequently less than optimal.

[andrewducker]

Oh yes. I think I bought one of their publications once and wasn't impressed, so I never went back.

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

My parents have subscribed for decades so I read every copy when I visit. They're good for things like dishwasher powder that I can't be arsed to actually research, and long-term reliability surveys for stuff like fridges and toasters that noone on the internet talks about because it's so dull, but they aren't much cop for serious technology.

[khoth.livejournal.com]

The stuff about Wen Jiabau saying pro-democracy things reminds me of "We believe we are already within a democratic system. Some factors are still missing, like the expression of the people's will, but nevertheless we still think we are within a democracy."

[andrewducker]

That's a fantastic quote!

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

I wonder what you would call a democractic system with all the features of a democracy but without the will of the people bit.

[andrewducker]

A dictatorship?

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

Aye – a dictatorship but with the rule of law, due process, habeas corpus, civil liberties, freedom of speech, respect for property and personal rights just with no right to have anyone listen to your opinion on what the law or policy should be.

[andrewducker]

Aaaah.

I'd call that "unlikely" or "short-lived" :->

It's basically a benevolent dictatorship. You get those occasionally. And then either their successor decides that sometimes the rule of law goes a way they don't like, or the people demand rights.

After all, if you have respect for the law and freedom of speech it's tricky to deal with a populace loudly shouting for the right to vote :->

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

I’ve forgotten my Aristotle who’s Politics spoke of changes from forms of government.

I think he’d call the situation I’m thinking of as a Lawful Kingship or Monarchy.

After all, if you have respect for the law and freedom of speech it's tricky to deal with a populace loudly shouting for the right to vote :->

Unless you’re prepared to enforce the constitutionally valid anti-democracy laws and start locking people up until they learn the error of their ways.

For their own good you understand.

Nothing but their best interests at heart.

[andrewducker]

And then you've abandoned free speech. Which you made a point of endorsing. If you're talking about a government that _claims_ to have respect for Free Speech, but actually doesn't then that's known as a "dictatorship".

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

I did.

I was thinking in my head, but not writing with my fingers, that the protesters were allowed to stand in front of the governor’s house all day chanting and waving placards but that they weren’t allowed to physically threaten the status quo through riots, with holding of labour or assassinations.

The population can bitch all they want but they can't do anything.

I think benevolent dictatorship or, as Aristotle would term it, Royalty is the right answer.

Obvously inherently unstable in practise whatever the theory as it becomes difficult to separate the common good from partial good when your are the one doing the deciding.

[mair_in_grenderich]

ankh-morpork?

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

Yes, very much Ankh-Morpork.

[a-pawson.livejournal.com]

Chinese Democracy - Coming Soon? - a headline we have been reading in NME for the past 15 years. When it finally arrived the result was rather disappointing.

[andrewducker]

That's what happens when you put an artist in charge of your deliverables!