While I was doing my bit on the local radio, I played the Dixie Chicks song "Not Ready to Make Nice" every hour during my 3 hour show, and urged listeners to buy their cd's as one way to show their support for both the Chicks stand and as a way to show their own stand against the US aggression in Iraq.  I urge our readers to do the same.

You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation. ~~ Marian Wright Edelman

In her opinion piece "Technology of human extinction" (SMH, 27/07/05) Miranda Devine explores something that has been at the centre of philosophical thoughts for millenniums... Thus I hope she wrote this in jest for us — the easily baited — to respond in ways in which we will trip ourselves on our own devices... I'll give in to this fraught desire...

""""The geeks may well inherit the earth, but will mankind survive cyber evolution? writes Miranda Devine.

""""""THE way technology has stealthily colonised our brains was brought home the other morning when I was reading the newspaper and found my right hand reaching for a mouse to click. Then a friend arriving home one night took out his car keys and started pressing the remote button in a vain attempt to open his front door.

He also regularly finds himself trying to change TV channels with his mobile phone, ringing his girlfriend with the remote control, and answering the iPod when the mobile rings. Another friend tried to swipe her work ID card to get into her front door.""""""

-----------------------

Yes, Miranda, the wheel was invented a long time ago... Technical confusion may be rampant amongst the young geek, but for old ones like us (I mean me and my ancient fighting buddies), who have coped well with the evolution of technology from steam engines and flimsily-clothed aeroplanes to silly ring-tones on phones the size of a minute chocolate bar... (I draw the line at the size of these midgets, my fingers are too big!), life is still very technologically exciting and RARELY confusing... A hip replacement here, an eye-laser treatment there and bingo, refit as a fiddle. To let you know on a little secret: we're the ones who invent the stuff!

The end of the road being near, we hope that senility will be delayed as long as possible so we still can run more ring around the young folks... Sure we've been garaged, but there, in the heart of retirement gadgetland, we create more things to annoy you...

We've got you under our magic technological spell... Miranda...

But in fact the interaction between object that we create and our usage/understanding of it is at the core of the "idea"... There is a resonance between our creation and what we do with it. A drinking glass, for example, only exist as a glass for the purpose of being picked up in our hand and being filled with whatever liquid we chose... A glass cannot exist without the "idea" of it being there for us to interact with it. Sure the object may be there but if we do not learn what to do with it, it is "useless" and cannot be named as a "drinking glass"... this conundrum has plagued philosophers for yonks... Ideas, language and objects joined in purpose, can also joined in the non-purpose of our choice...

Ideas are our oysters, the technology can be used in many ways, with good or self-serving intents or no intent at all — or destructive intent.

"""""""The Sunday Times of London recently reported that an international team of scientists is writing a "code of ethics" for machines, along the lines of Isaac Asimov's fictional 65-year-old Three Laws of Robotics. Some scientists believe "conscious" machines will exist before 2020 and that people will be having sex with robots within five years.

This could lead to a dire gulf between the sexes, as the point of affinity and reconciliation between men and women has always been sex. On the other hand, sex has also been a source of discord, so perhaps nymphomaniac cyborgs will improve things.

Either way, humanity will never be the same again."""""""""""" concludes our Miranda...

Sure I thought vibrators did not think much.... A new code of ethics had to be invented for them... nymphomaniac cyborgs will improve things? Talk for yourself... but then on the other hand....

May the useless plague our little world for ever... at least it would be preferable than "useful wars"...

If an Australian artist of significant profile went public.. or a few, we might have a chance.  Michael McMartin, manager of the Hoodoo Gurus, had a go a couple of years back with the Rock Against Howard campaign.   If there was a better time than now for another campaign to arise,. I've got a bull that needs milking.

 

The ONE Aussie rock star with any influence, former lead singer of Midnight Oil and now Labor MP Peter Garrett has betrayed all that he claimed to believe in by not standing up to Beasley and his flip flop on Uranium mining.

 Shame.
 

You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation. ~~ Marian Wright Edelman

Agreed, Flea, there will be a lot of peeved Oils fans this week. 

I heard yesterday just one report that Garrett had strongly opposed Kim Beazley on the uranium issue but he was not reported later on by the media... Garrett and Albanese have vouched to fight the issue at the Labor conference but, they are not pinning their hopes too high... I may be wrong...

Heard Garrett on the ABC where he said that although he did not "necessarily agree" with Beasly, he was Labor to the bone.  In other words, "my party, right or wrong". Seems he traded his backbone for his seat on the backbench. But then this seems to be the norm. Once elected all ethos go out the window

 Kinda like "core promises".

You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation. ~~ Marian Wright Edelman

 I remember, when Garrett was campaigning for election, his statement that the Nuclear Disarmament Party had run its course.  Mollification of Garrett's supporters would've made Bob Dylan's electric performance at Newport seem like a "take out an ad in Murdoch" by comparison.   Dylan seems to be back on an acoustic guitar these days.

Peter will be a force for good..  However, his cave-in to the nuclear debate will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many.

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