Social Media, Mobile phones and Ego

Being a bit of a geek, I am always quick to investigate the latest technologies.

I love to be competent in any software that is around and so, I have taught myself web programming, as well as the various social media and other online trends.

Things like Foursquare excite me and make me want to get involved, but I wonder what it is about Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook, MSN and all the other recent tools that attracts so many of us?

I remember reading/hearing once that 75% of all human communication can be summarised as "I'm still here. Do you care?" When I think about it, I think that is probably fairly accurate. The thing that all of these things have in common is that they are all attempts for us to become more connected with others. But is that connection a genuine connection where we are attempting to build each other up and encourage the other to be their best self, or just an attempt to gain the reassurance that someone does care?.

For all the ways we now have to connect with each other, do we feel better for it, or just as inadequate as before, or worse, even more so. I need to remind myself to slow down, stop, reflect and consider what is it that I am looking for when I try to connect. Hopefully, when I do that I will remember that I already have what I think I am looking for.

in reference to: How I became a Foursquare cyberstalker (view on Google Sidewiki)

What a sad state of affairs

Tony Abbott, who proclaims himself a christian, is boasting about how little compassion he has, in the hope that Australians will think that makes him worth electing.

What makes it even more sad is that Julia Gillard feels the need to sink to similar levels.

in reference to: We're tougher on asylum seekers, says Abbott (view on Google Sidewiki)

Challenging Stereotypes

One good thing to come from the ascension of Julia Gillard is the way it has challenged so many stereotypes.

As this article says, Kevin Rudd, with his working wife started the process, but having an unmarried aetheist with a de facto partner is definitely a challenge to many people's thinking.

I have been pleased to see how little negative attention this has received in the media.

in reference to: Gillard defends partner's job (view on Google Sidewiki)

I'm amazed at the Google bashing!

What amuses me is that Conroy and others who are bashing Google are not saying, "If you are concerned about your privacy, encrypt your wireless network."

It seems incredibly irresponsible that they are not using this as a lesson to people about their own responsibility to protect their privacy.

Google did not decrypt wireless communications, they did not linger to collect more data.

Anyone with a laptop and some free software downloaded from the net could have gotten far more data than this. Anyone who cares has already protected their network.

in reference to: Google Wi-Fi snooping not so bad: privacy commissioner (view on Google Sidewiki)

Interesting standards

This whole female circumcision thing is a fascinating example of double standards.

I am not advocating female circumcision by any means, just observing the double standard.

Our society still engages in male genital mutilation with only a small amount of criticism.

We have no problem with abortion.

We actively encourage female mammary mutilation, face lifts and stomach tucking, in the interests of 'beauty' but we become moralistic and self righteous when it comes to female circumcision.

Am I the only one who thinks there is a degree of hypocrisy happening?

in reference to: Pru Goward blasts female circumcision by doctors (view on Google Sidewiki)

Scientists playing God?

In many ways, this is no different from any other technological advance in the history of the world.

Germ warfare, dynamite, the atomic bomb, and so on. There is always the potential for technology to be used for good or bad.

Where the problem seems to be at the moment is that the potential size of the impact of a bad use of technology is enormous.

It may be difficult for society to come up with ethical principles for the use of these technologies until after they have been used for evil.

There will always be scientists and entrepreneurs looking to use new technologies for their own benefit.

Our strongest defence against this is for people to make the effort to understand the issues as best they can, and to develop a strong ethical framework. The more intelligent, rational discussion we have about these issues, rather than narrow and uninformed proclamations, the better.

in reference to: Making life is easy: now for debate on whether it is right (view on Google Sidewiki)

Homophobia alive and kicking.

Would this really have played out this way, if the sex club was a heterosexual one? I doubt it.

Clearly, behind all the political correctness, there is still a veneer of homophobia that runs deep in the public consciousness.

When Kevin Rudd visited a Strip Club, he was given a pat on the back by the media and considered a good bloke.

I doubt if the scandal is just that he used his government car to do it. I would bet that every minister uses their government car for personal purposes at times (and that seems reasonable).

No, seems like homophobia to me.

in reference to: Sex scandal rocks Labor (view on Google Sidewiki)