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Links for 12 September 2008 through 14 September 2008

Stilgherrian’s links for 12 September 2008 through 14 September 2008, arranged thanks to a raspberry muffin:

  • Beecher v Devine: The threat to public trust journalism | Crikey: Crikey publisher Eric Beecher’s response to Frank Devine’s attack. Today’s class exercise: compare and contrast the two styles of argument, with particular reference to the “straw man” argument and other logical fallacies.
  • Keep Beecher from the hack lagoon | The Australian: Estimable columnist Frank Devine attacks Crikey publisher Eric Beecher. Today’s class exercise: identify and describe all of the logical fallacies and rhetorical techniques he uses.
  • The Future Of Journalism | TPN :: GDay World: One take on yesterday’s Future of Journalism conference in Brisbane. Here Cameron Reilly makes the point that the industry is changing mnot because of a technological revolution but an economic revolution.
  • 2008 NSW Local Council Elections | ABC: Full raw results for the NSW local government elections held yesterday. Enough votes counted so far to indicate trends, but thanks to proportional representation preferential voting most councils’ results won’t be known officially or a week or two.
  • Semi Automatic Ground Environment | Wikipedia: Wikipedia’s artice on SAGE, the first computer-assisted nuclear defence system.
  • On Guard! The Story of SAGE | Internet Archive: A lovely 15-minute promotional film about SAGE, the Semi Automatic Ground Environment, the first computer-assisted nuclear defence system. Be astounded by the technological breakthrough of the Visual Display Unit!
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“Trouble at t’paper”

[I wrote this essay “on spec” for Crikey a fortnight ago, just when the Fairfax journalists were going on strike. It wasn’t published: Crikey had commissioned other yarns about this story, and some bloke called Obama had just given a speech. I’ll publish it now because it informs an essay I’m writing today and it needs to be online first.]

Australia’s Fairfax media empire is sacking 550 staff, including 120-odd editorial staff, and the journalists went on strike. Well, off you go, petals. You can stamp your feet and turn blue in the face too, for all I care — because a strike is just plain wrong.

The MEAA‘s Chris Warren reckoned the anger behind the strike was driven by not just the jobs cuts, “but the clear view that there’s no strategy behind the job cuts.” Agreed. As Crikey reported, Fairfax’s message to staff didn’t articulate any kind of vision, and didn’t even mention journalism.

But journalists haven’t exactly provided vision either.

Continue reading ““Trouble at t’paper””

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The Digital Economy: just for big business?

Crikey logo

[This article was first published in Crikey on Wednesday, based on Senator Conroy’s keynote speech to the Digital Economy Forum. See below for updates.]

“The Rudd Government is focused on creating a platform for economic growth and is committed to leading and growing our digital economy,” generalised Senator Stephen Conroy as he opened the Digital Economy Forum in Melbourne [on Wednesday morning].

His keynote speech regurgitated budget promises, generously sprinkled with doubleplusgood words about “encouraging” figures and “driving innovation”.

Uh oh. A “Digital Economy Forum”? Already I’m seeing blokes in suits jostling for room at the trough of government largesse. So who’s at this all-day talkfest? Aha! The CEO of Fairfax Digital; reps from Cisco, Google and Intel; a past president of the Australian Computer Society, the CEO of the Australian Internet Industry Association (which overwhelmingly represents big players); the Research Director for Ovum (presumably representing their big clients)… all the usual suspects.

But if the government is truly committed to supporting innovation and economic growth, where’s the involvement from small business?

Continue reading “The Digital Economy: just for big business?”

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Episode 26 online!

Last night’s episode 26 of Stilgherrian Live is now online for your viewing pleasure.

In a disorganised episode which started late thanks to Art — I’ll write more about that later — former Treasurer Peter Costello was voted “Cnut of the Week”, narrowly beating controversial Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej (สมัคร สุนทรเวช) and journalist Mark Day for his backward-looking story Blogs can’t match probing reports.

There was also an impromptu interview with Crikey cartoonist First Dog on the Moon wherein we discuss, inter alia, deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop and rabbits.

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Episode 26 tonight!

Cnut of the Week graphic

Oops, I almost forgot! Stilgherrian Live is on again tonight from 9.30pm Sydney time. That means I need nominations for “Cnut of the Week”.

It’s the same rules as usual. We’re after people who’ve been in the news this week, futilely trying to hold back the tide of digital change.

Maybe journalist Mark Day is a contender for regurgitating the journalists versus bloggers “debate” in The Australian today with Blogs can’t match probing reports. No, Mark, they can’t, no more than cheese on toast can “match” an 11-course degustation menu. “A does not equal B” is hardly an insight.

But who do you nominate?

P.S. I may be “on air” slightly late, as ’Pong and I are going to the launch of the Marrickville Contemporary Art Prize exhibition. We’ve been told that we should be there, so it sounds like he’s won something.

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Links for 11 September 2008

Here are the web links I’ve found for 11 September 2008, posted with melons and a sprig of parsley.

  • What “Battle for Australia”? | Unleashed: Remembering the sacrifices of our WWII servicemen and women is a Good Thing, but do we have to invent a spurious “Battle for Australia” to do so?
  • I’m So Totally, Digitally Close to You | NYTimes.com: A fine overview of the impact which (especially) Twitter has upon how our social lives work. The term “ambient awareness” is put into context nicely. Robin Dunbar gets a mention, as he should. [This article may now be behind a registration-wall, but registration is free.]