The StupidFilter Project is building a filter that will remove stupidity from online content in the same way that spam filters deal with email. Apparently it’s going to use the excellently-named CRM114 Discriminator. Hat tip to Bad Language.
Everyday poetry
My Facebook status says: Stilgherrian is considering. All things considered. Suggest three.
My friend Matt says: Three huh? Pop Rocks; Hopscotch and a Stopwatch.
He’s pretty clever, I think. Now, whatever happened to Pop Rocks?
Comments, anyone?
Someone (it was probably Meg) said that it’s a good idea to invite people to comment occasionally, especially people who haven’t commented before. So, if that’s you, I encourage you to take a look around, perhaps the popular posts or perhaps those which I like, and add your bit.
A better Top 10 for 2007
Being very disappointed with my most popular posts during 2007, here’s a list of 10 posts which I think are a better, more intelligent read. Enjoy.
Actually make that 15. In no particular order…
- The Inaugural Paul Neil Milne Johnstone Award goes to…
- It’s the little details which matter…
- Oops, there goes privacy! So now what?
- Scaring the shit out of clients
- Releasing the Black Hawk crash video was A Good Thing
- Thoughts on “Earth Hourâ€
- Stay alert, ye nameless, toiling animals
- Why The Greens won’t win Marrickville (about the last state election, but still relevant)
- How can Microsoft stop us hating them?
- Burnt out sofa, burnt out life
- “Let’s just write that down…â€
- Human Rights: a reminder
- A Meditation at 11,700 metres, 719km/h
- Saturday Night at The Duke
- and everything I wrote for Crikey (is that cheating?)
Most of that’s reasonably serious — suitable for a reflective Sunday morning, though. So you might want to check out the entire Humour category too.
They’re also the longer pieces, but I reckon there’s a whole swathe of little comments which are wonderful contributions to the sum total of English literature. Don’t you agree?
Review: Exit Right
Quarterly Essay has provided me with plenty of in-depth analysis over the last couple of years, and Judith Brett’s “Exit Right: the unravelling of John Howard” is no exception.
Brett presents Howard’s downfall through the prism of the “Strong Leader”, one of three leadership types put forward by political psychologist Graham Little. (The others are the Group Leader and the Inspiring Leader.) Howard failed, Brett says, because his leadership style was ill-suited to the political environment of 2007.
Reuters pictures of 2007
Reuters Pictures of the Year 2007 collection is well worth a browse.