Blog – Page 464 – Stilgherrian

11 February 200724 September 2009

The Pointlessness of News

When I posted about the astronaut attempted kidnapping story the other day, I hadn’t realised it had already become a major global story. Now Freakonomics co-author Stephen Dubner asks: Why?

I realize the story represents a sort of perfect storm of media stickiness — a female perp and a female victim, lust, revenge, NASA, pepper spray, and of course the diaper — but I have to confess that I am overwhelmed that this has become such a round-the-clock story. Who cares, and why? They were even talking about the story on the two ESPN shows I saw pieces of last night (SportsCenter and Pardon the Interruption); in each case, the anchors sheepishly acknowledged that the story had zero to do with sports but… they simply couldn’t resist.

With 63 comments so far, there’s plenty of interesting ideas. Well worth the read. The highlights for me…

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10 February 200705 September 2007

The Pointlessness of Satire

That great satirist Peter Cook was once asked if he thought that satire had a political effect. He said:

Absolutely. The greatest satire of the twentieth century was the Weimar cabaret, and they stopped Hitler in his tracks.

Attributed to Stephen Colbert, in a Rolling Stone interview, thanks to Blog Them Out of the Stone Age.

10 February 200724 September 2009

Stupid long Microsoft product name

Microsoft was already well into their keep-the-customers-confused strategy with at least five different versions of Windows Vista rather than the two of XP. But does the world _really_ need — I kid you not — Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate UPGRADE Limited Numbered Signature Edition?

09 February 200729 July 2007

Say what you mean!

Most businesses are incapable of communicating clearly. They’re almost paranoid in the way they avoid short, direct statements.

Compare these two “positioning statements” from British companies, both in the business of writing.

Metia is a global provider of integrated marketing services and technology-based marketing solutions. We deliver services, programs and solutions that are relevant, smart and repeatable — and that generate measurable value for our customers.

And:

Our passion is communication. We help businesses talk about technology.

The second is from Articulate Marketing. Who would you pick to work on your communication?

I discovered this thanks to Matthew Stibbe, proprietor of Articulate Marketing. His blog Bad Language (“writing about business, technology and marketing”) is extremely readable.

08 February 200705 September 2007

In 2003, British solider Lance-Corporal Matty Hull was killed in Iraq and a colleague injured when an American A-10 aircraft opened fire on his vehicle. The cockpit video from the A-10 was leaked, and the transcript has been published.

I watched the video.

I cried.

08 February 200730 January 2009

Why The Greens won’t win Marrickville

By all rights, The Greens’ candidate for Marrickville in the forthcoming NSW state election should be a shoe-in. This is The Greens heartland, and Fiona Byrne is a local councillor and presumably knows her patch. Labor incumbent Carmel Tebbutt, the Princess of Marrickville (so-called because her husband Anthony Albanese, the Prince of Marrickville, is the Federal ALP member for the equivalent district, Grayndler) has to dissuade us from thoughts that the NSW ALP government is rotten to the core. And environmental issues are at the top of the agenda.

But it won’t happen. And here’s why…

Earlier tonight, my post-gym dinner-and-drinks led me to the Carlisle Castle Hotel. It was a quiet night, and my gym partner and I were almost alone in the front bar until Fiona Byrne and her entourage turned up after a candidates’ forum at the Newtown Community Centre.

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