Friday, June 26, 2009
The Original Thriller & The Media
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Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Here's Johnny!
I know you haven't heard from me in a LOOOONNNNGGGGG time and most people have probably started to stop making visits to the site because I haven't updated it in many months... BUT, I am writing to let you all know.. (whoever is listening) that I will be starting to post again just before Christmas Day! I know you all must be pretty excited...so I'll let you take a moment...
***intermission***
Okay, back? Alright! Seriously though, I will be back to my old posting habits... and I have all this pent up article writing to let out (although, I have done my fair share of writing/reading these past couple of months) I hope that you will enjoy reading my upcoming articles as much as I love bringing them to you.
Take care all.... I'll e-see you all later.. (do you see what I did there... huh-huh... I made an Internet joke... ...yeah, I know it is pretty lame... but it made you smile a little bit... right?)
:S
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Google's Polished New Toy
Monday, September 1, 2008
Georgian Cyberattacks Raise Important Questions
I have been following the Georgian conflict, as I am sure many of you have, and aside from the actual physical conflict there has been little attention paid to the cyberattacks that occurred prior to the Russian invasion. Tech analysts have stated that it does not appear to be sponsored by the Russian government even though it originated from somewhere in Russia. It has been pegged as an amateur attack because if Russia had wanted to stop the Georgian government from communicating they would have attacked their radio and television broadcasting capability. Instead, only websites were targeted which makes experts believe the attacks were carried out by 'paramilitary or militia-like organizations.'
While it is unsure whether this attack was sponsored by Russia or was done by independent entities, the fear of far more sophisticated cyberattacks has been heightened. In a recent Reuters article The U.S. Air Force General, Gene Renuart, asked what kind of cyberattack would lead to war:
"Is it degree? If you affect so many millions of people or so many millions of dollars or so many organizations, does that constitute a legal act of war?"
Renuart poses a very interesting question that high-tech countries such as the United States and Canada have to consider. Since most necessities are ran on computer systems, such as power grids, banking systems, air traffic and telecommunications (I have to use Live Free or Die Hard as an example here). But, what wouldconstitute an act of cyber-war? It is not an easy question to answer because it can often be very hard to pinpoint where the attack is originating. An attacker could make it appear that a cyberattack was occurring within one country but actually coming from a totally different one.
Aside from pinpointing the attackers, Renuart's original question is also noteworthy. What amount of damage would be designated as enough to go to war over? It is not an easy question to answer, and if warfare is soon to take to the cyber-battlefield rather than the physical battlefield, it would be important to specify the 'acts of war.' At this point it seems that we are still unsure of how to approach this new type of cyber-warfare, and so I think more attention needs to be paid to cyberattacks such as the one on Georgia. What would be the minimum damage from a cyberattack that you think a country should go to war over?
Source
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Prominent Newfoundland Historian & Personal Influence Passes Away
Not only has he influenced me, but his legacy at Memorial University of Newfoundland will never be forgotten. He was the head of the History Department, President, and even has a centre within the university named after him.
He will be greatly missed, but will live on through his legacy, and for me, through his articles.
DR. LESLIE HARRIS: October 24th, 1929 - August 26th, 2008
(see his official obituary here)
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Inciting Change: Mass Protest Is The Way To Go
On August 30th, 150 000 protesters marched through the streets throughout Mexico. The marchers were protesting the rising number of murders and kidnappings in the country. The main purpose of the march was to force President Felipe Calderon to crackdown on the increasing criminal activity.
It is unsure whether this protest will cause the President to scramble to please the public, but if the South Korean protest over U.S. beef is any indication, then at least SOME action should be taken in Mexico considering the South Korean government was willing to resign over the beef controversy.
In Canada, I hate to say it, but we hardly have any massive protests. For the most part, the only media covered protests we have are when G8 conferences are held here. I think if we had massive protests for a common cause we'd get more out of our governmental officials. If they can physically see with their own eyes that people are 'together' on an issue, they will almost surely have to take some action to alleviate the problem(s).
"Seeing is believing," and that is something we really lack. The only way that politicians make changes is when they are forced into doing so. They were elected by us, and unless we come right out and voice our opinions nothing is going to change. Now, while I am pushing for massive protests as a way to get our voices heard, there are also other avenues to explore. For instance, making petitions, writing to
If Mexicans and South Koreans can unite under a just cause, there is no reason why everyone else cannot. While I state that Canada needs to unite under a common issue, I think the U.S. is in more need of this same sort of objection to their government (ie: the Iraq War, protecting their personal rights, Guantanamo Bay prison rights, overseas foreign policy, the economy, etc.) What do you think?
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Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Russian-Georigan Conflict: Behind The Scenes
What I notice when I look at this map is that Iraq and Iran are very close to Georgia. Internationally Iran is now viewed as a loose-canon, to say the least, but even more importantly U.S. controlled Iraq is very close to Georgia. As far back as the days of the British Colonial Empire, major powers have wanted to keep other major powers at a distance (if at all possible). I see this as a possible reason why Russia has decided now to invade Georgia. If Russia controls the Georgian state then they have a buffer between themselves, Iraq and Iran.
Another important aspect to look at is the fact that a major gas-pipeline runs through Georgia. If you take a close look at this map, and then take a look at an excellent article by Michael Economides' on Energy Tribune, you will notice that an important pipeline that runs through Georgia. The scramble for oil is well on its way, and Russia is most certainly not being left behind in the dust.
Although, there can be no definitive answer to the question: Why did Russia invade Georgia? The evidence is leaning towards protection and oil as the incentives. With Russian-U.S. relations at a relative low over the Polish agreement, and Georgia being a 'roadblock' to Russian oil production expansion, it seems very plausible that this invasion was not over nationalism.
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Monday, August 25, 2008
Stress Relief
This game lets you build (sometimes crazy looking) machines. These 'contraptions' are used to move the 'pink gamepiece' from the white start zone to the pink finish-area. Some of the beginning levels are easy to finish, while the later ones are very... well... complicated. If you need any encouragement to complete the harder levels or some enlightenment check out youtube. There are various videos of people's creations. Some are fantastic, while others are duds.
Here is my favourite contraption on Youtube:
So stop what you are doing for a little while, and build your own crazy contraption. Who cares if it works, it's just for fun. I've built some interesting machines that have went nowhere, but it made me laugh just looking at it.
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Saturday, August 23, 2008
How Would You Like Your News? Filtered Or Non-Filtered?
The article on Forbes reads like this:

The Reuters article reads like this:

What you will find in comparing the two articles is that the Forbes article takes some creative licensing, and cuts out the last section of the original article. In the last part of the Reuters' article an oil deal with China is discussed, and then it states:
Foreign oil companies are keen to get access to Iraq's vast and largely untapped oil reserves, but high world prices are allowing Baghdad to drive a hard bargain.
It is almost as if the Forbes article purposely leaves this fact out of the supposed reprint of the article. Why would this information be left out? What agenda is Forbes trying to push? Personally, I do not think it was a mistake, and my gut instinct tells me that Forbes doesn't want the fact that a deal with China is being made and the fact that the Iraqi oversupply will give Iraq (and I am thinking most likely the US) an upperhand in the market.
As Seth Godin states, the news is not written to inform the public, it is written to sell newspapers or create controversy. This seems true in this case, as Forbes does not provide the whole truth and the real story is provided through a filter which is imposed on the public.
The point of this story is not to defame Forbes, but to warn people about sources of information. You must always be critical of where you get your facts. There is always some sort of filter which is imposed on information, and it is imperative that the person knows how to pick out what is relevant and what is not (Also, more importantly you should be able to pick out if the information is credible, like in the Forbes-Reuters example I mention in this article).
Be Critical. Be Aware. These are two ideas to live by.
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Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Academic Sidenote: Are Female Professors Viewed As Mother Figures?
The article states:
First of all, students demand much more emotional work from female professors than they do of male profs. If the women don’t provide it, they are often viewed as cold bitchy profs that don’t care about students. Although I don’t know of any systematic studies of what types of topics students bring up during interactions with professors by gender, I have heard plenty of anecdotal evidence suggesting that female profs get approached much more by students wanting to talk about life issues than male profs.I would argue that (and so does the first commenter on CrookTimber) that it all depends on the way the prof interacts with their students. If a prof portrays a personality that is more approachable I think that students will be more willing to approach them, despite their gender. I have had female professors that I have found approachable and unapproachable, and I have had male professors that were approachable and unapproachable.
If a professor answers students questions with respectability and offers themselves as a person that can relate to a student, they will be more likely to have students express 'issues' with them. While female profs can be viewed as 'mother-like figures' I believe that male professors can also be viewed in a similar way. Males and females can have personality traits that are very similar, and it is not gender so much as personality that can affect how students relate with professors.
The idea that you cannot mix caring and compassionate traits with academia is, in my opininon, an axiom that is accepted without actually being considered. I think it is just that people are very comfortable with academia being cold and uncaring, but does it really have to be that way? Can there not be a mix of the two? Educational teachers find a way to combine the both of these facets, why can't professors? (I do realize that 12 year olds are not the same as 20 year old university students) but some level of caring and compassion can be incorporated in teaching at a university level.
Update: I never realized when I was posting this article, but I made it seem like Eszter Hargittai, the author of the CrookTimber article, was arguing that female professors were seen as nurturers. Her article argues that women professors are not seen as authority figures. What I should have stated at the beginning of my article is that my posting is a response, not to Eszter's article, but to the debate that rises from the article comments. Thanks again for Eszter bringing it to my attention.







