by cameron | Jun 17, 2011 | Uncategorized
- “every pencil David Rees sharpens is shipped with a signed and dated certificate authenticating that it is now a dangerous object.”
- Chrissy and I had a great time catching up with @lelaissezfaire last night. If you don’t follow him on Twitter, you should start now. Read his blog, too.
- Yeah Weiner had to resign. But, as Taibbi says, it’s NOT about sexting. It’s about lying his ass off about it for a week. When you have a job like that, you have to know that if you get caught lying about shit, it’s going to mean people don’t trust you and that’s kind of a bad thing for a politician. So don’t feel sorry for him. He knew the rules when he took the job.
- As @danmc reminds me, “its also about politicians not putting themselves somewhere they can be blackmailed”. Rule #1 when you take office should be “don’t get caught doing stupid shit while you’re in office”.
- How awesome is this TARDIS prop? It’s the opening shot from the 1964 Hartnell-era episode “The Aztecs”.
by cameron | Jun 16, 2011 | Cuba, geopolitics, Podcast, Wikileaks
In the news today…
- WikiLeaks Haiti: The Earthquake Cables – The Nation has some background (via Wikileaks) on what was happening in Haiti after the earthquake. Remember all those troops that the USA sent in with the excuse of “security”? Well it turns out the US troops weren’t there at the request of President Préval or the Haitian government. They might have been sent to protect the assets of US manufacturers with operations in Haiti. Or, just as likely, they were there to prevent a revolution against the US-backed puppet government of President Préval. As I discussed in NIP05, the US has a long history of over-throwing Haitian Presidents who don’t tow the US line, such as democratically-elected Jean-Baptiste Aristide who was ousted in a US-backed coup in 2004. Interesting quote: “But other countries carried out rescue and medical relief efforts without the presence of military troops. For example, in the six months after the quake, the Henry Reeve Medical Brigade, a 1,500 member contingent of doctors who graduated from Cuba’s medical school, treated 70,300 patients, and performed more 2,500 operations, all without deploying soldiers or bringing in weapons, according to a Henry Reeve Brigade report in June 2010.”
- Bitcoin – A Scam? Or Brilliant? – An interesting analysis from various people (some pro-, some con-) about Bitcoin. Worth reading if confusing. Still trying to get my head around Bitcoin. Had to stop running the app yesterday as it was totally taking over my CPU. (HT @willozap)
by cameron | Jun 15, 2011 | Australian politics, geopolitics, Podcast
My guest today is Virginia Balmain who is the President of the United Nations Association of Australia (QLD) and the Vice-President of the UNAA in Australia. We chat about Australia’s role in the UN, our obligations as a Member Nation, and some of the contentious issues surrounding the UN – the veto power of the permanent members of the Security Council, the rise of the “Islamic Bloc”, how it is funded and whether or not it is a “toothless tiger”.
by cameron | Jun 9, 2011 | Podcast
Veteran crime reporter Adam Shand joins me again on the show to talk about the TWO films being made based on his book KING OF THIEVES, as well as about diamond heists, the HELLS ANGELS, police corruption and just how lazy the lamestream media have become.
by cameron | Jun 8, 2011 | Melbourne, science, singularity, transhumanism
Adam Ford, who invited me to speak at last year’s Singularity Summit in Melbourne, is also organising this year’s H+ Summit in Melbourne, June 25 – 26. He asked me to post some info about it:
The H+ Summit @ Melbourne brings together an eclectic mix of rationalists, futurists, science fiction writers, AI experts, scientists, biotechnology experts, philosophers and theorists to pursue deep philosophical, scientific and technological inquiry, with the aim of being able to discern those changes which are likely to have profound impacts and those which are merely transient and or fashionable.
Technological innovation permeates all aspects of society — from tiny water purification packets and 3d printers, to GPS tracking devices, wearable smart devices, decision support systems, replaceable body parts and personal genome tests. Because technology and society evolve together, it has become increasingly important to develop a greater understanding of how technology is shaping the course of our lives. We are faced with the challenge to continuously become innovative in harnessing and controlling technological development as it accelerates on many diverse fronts. The “pioneers of the future” are faced with the necessity to become ever more resourceful. Even the most conservative thinkers agree that we have already stepped into an era of a profound change. The good news is that our human diversity continues to spawn both inventiveness and novelty.
This conference is brought to you by Humanity+ @ Melbourne (Victoria, Australia). Humanity+ explores how society might use and profit from a variety of creative and innovative thought. Join us for this adventurous journey into the future where you can make a difference! This conference will challenge and enhance your view of the future.
Seating is limited, so Secure your tickets now! >>
www.humanityplus.org.au
Partial list of Speakers and subjects:
Unfortunately I can’t make it due to Perdomo Lounge responsibilities, otherwise I’d be there with bells on.
