Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Slater Jnr – If bullshit were music, he’d have a brass band
Earlier some genius said this: What it’s useful to know about Cameron Slater is that he’s not an original thinker, or a leader, or ‘creative’ in anything but in an aping, derivative way. …History, and his own testimony, shows us that Slater Jnr is a shallow puppet, a ball-boy, a caddie, someone who does other […]
Guest post: The history of Propaganda
Paul Bieleski from Nelson sent this in as a comment on the last post … I found it interesting. – P Propaganda The “Congregation for Propagating the Faith” founded by the Catholic Church in 1622 is where our use of the word propaganda has come from. Its activity was aimed at “propagating” the Catholic faith […]
“We love surveillance”
On the day it’s announced that Ian Fletcher is to depart from the GCSB, a few thoughts about surveillance … British PM David Cameron is already making the appropriate noises … nicely framed by John Gruber at DaringFireball.net. And, for context, here’s Mr Fletcher’s rather soothing speech to the 2014 Privacy Forum …
Eric Clapton’s ‘Edge of Darkness’
Some Twitter buddies discussed a movie of Dirty Politics … … which reminded me of the spooky music Eric Clapton composed/performed for the tv series ‘Edge of Darkness’.
Umm, before you download that PDF from the NSA’s website …
I skim-read, and was just about to download the Transparency Report Regarding Use of National Security Authorities from a web page run by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, when I remembered spotting this: [McAfeee] attributed the trend to Adobe’s greater popularity in mobile devices and non-Microsoft environments, coupled with the ongoing widespread […]
About that Blackshades RAT computer malware thing in the news …
Here’s a line that recent news reports about this worldwide malware infestation might usefully have mentioned more prominently … Blackshades malware affects Microsoft Windows-based operating systems. But I guess they got hung up on the Shock! Horror! ‘Miss Teen USA nude photos’ angle, huh? Click to read the FBI bulletin here. – P
Spoofing the use of Photoshop to distort the reality of women’s bodies in ads
I spotted this wonderful ‘defacement’ of a fashion billboard image (in Germany?) It looks like the activists have pasted on a Photoshop toolbar. How wry. Given our discussions before about the use of Photoshop to create impossible-to-attain ‘role models’ (bleurgh) and the negative effects on women and girls of such distortions, it’s good to see […]
Wonderful
Kinda like: Heads we win, Tails they lose …? – P Via James Clark
Watch this MacBook’s fate and try not to wince
– P via tastefullyoffensive.com. Thanks to AK.
Emmerson – Palino’s diner
This, from Rod Emmerson in the NZ Herald, is one of those cartoons with plenty of subtlety* … it rewards scrutiny. – P *Like, for instance, the ‘speciality’, the puddle under Banks, and, is Slater junior wearing pants?
Farewell Paul Holmes RIP
My old workmate Paul Holmes has died. I learned a lot from his example, good and bad — but never indifferent. My condolences to his family and those who also loved him. RIP. – P
Save this for when you need directions from Tokoroa to #Hobbiton
Maybe the staff got tired of giving directions …? – P
Superman to become a blogger
He may as well, since some legend-in-their-own-lunchbox bloggers seem to imagine they’re super villains. – P Pic via Circa
Rights, rights, everywhere, but not a drop to drink
From this morning’s NZ Herald editorial about the National-led government’s political machinations around heading off court action by Maori against its flagship asset sales policy*: ‘Too clever’ risk in Govt shares plan Crown lawyers have acknowledged that pre-colonial iwi and hapu had customary control of rivers and streams in their area and those rights were […]
