Hard News: Emma Hart is a werewolf
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I'm, oh fuck it, disabled. I hate that word.
Christopher, I assure you that I am championing an approach that is not about deficits or deficiencies, and I'll be writing more about that here soon.
I was discussing over the weekend with various people - including the head of IT for the whole government - how to remove senseless barriers that prevent a wide range of disabled people including the Deaf community from contributing fully to our families, communities and economy.
I agree we need meaningful results rather than talk. We must work together with both disabled and non-disabled people on a long process of change. I was talking at Foo with a smart disability activist from a US background about our disturbing local absence of strong leadership and of clear, shared understandings about what is needed.
Where were the voices reminding the guy in Christchurch that the business sector's part to play includes gradually upggrading all their buildings so they work for everyone (not just their current staff)? That includes simple things like visual fire alarms and larger signs. It needs to be explained better in less black and white ways, and I wouldn't be holding my breath for council building inspectors to be leading the charge.
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I was discussing over the weekend with various people - including the head of IT for the whole government
And ain't that what cutting through hierarchies is all about.
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cutting through hierarchies
Need sharper knives - maybe borrow Emma's new fangs. :)
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Stephen Fry just tweeted 92(A)!
We're saved!
Stephen Fry's Twitter icon just went black!
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And Emma's gravatar is probly close enough to just leave as is.
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Hi Emma.
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Thanks for seeing to the upload Russell. I'm not going to go into the racial overtones of your colour choice here ;D but aren't we getting this all wrong, didn't Ant say:
"section 92's about education, it's not about turning people's internet connections off"
More education/ less info.
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<quote>I did change it. If I hard-refresh the page it changes, otherwise it stays the same.
And I should mention that Sacha is indeed fabulous and I have a small part of my brain still mulling over stuff we talked about on the weekend and what I can do.
Which reminds me, I'm supposed to be following up some tips Lucy gave me...
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"Cache" must be the word of the day. I didn't make it to the final "what to do about 92" session - was anything proposed to make the gravatar thing count beyond the geekiverse?
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I was talking at Foo with a smart disability activist from a US background about our disturbing local absence of strong leadership and of clear, shared understandings about what is needed
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I agree about the shared understanding about what is needed (although there are definitely shared themes), but I disagree about lack of local leadership. As someone not yet disabled who works in the sector, I see strong leadership by disabled people, for disabled people, every day. They are advocating, teaching, lobbying, supporting, sometimes bickering around the edges, but always staunchly working for the ultimate benefit of us all. The problem is how to unite all this work so everyone in NZ knows about it and can join in.
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Are we able to get stats from Gravatar to show how many "blacked-out" people there are?
If the number is big enough, I guess that might be worth pointing out to the pollies. -
Somehow, i think getting ISPs to shut off the internet for a day would be more effective.
Yes it would. But we are not as irresponsible as the truck owning companies.
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the racial overtones of your colour choice here
I thought it was a fairly overt reference to the traditional symbol of anarchism, the black flag? As in, we're all exhorting to smash the state and replace it with a series of copyright-free anarcho-syndicalist collectives?
I may have my wires crossed, mind.
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Fry sez:
# Last thing I wanted to do was bring down the geekzone site. I did warn them, but they asked me to tweet the issue anyway. 10 minutes ago from web
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Just want to say a quick thank you for the weekend, and sorry I never got a chance to speak with you Russell. What a fantastic event.
Also – I had a good chance to speak with Rod Oram about the debate (as you may have noticed I’m no public speaker and was a little blown away by the other participants… I was the weakest link goodbye!)… I explained how for the rest of the evening I was kicking myself about the slightly-too-late comeback to his poem;
• pointing out that “team valium’s” rose tinted glasses may be on crooked
• speaking the opening lines of either a) Malcom McLaren’s “don’t worry be happy” or b) Monty Python’s “always look on the bright side of life”, and having the audience break spontaneously into a) achorus of dooo du do duudu do duu dadodoooo, doo-u-uuu-oouu, or b) whistling like Eric idle.It would have been a beautiful thing. Rod assures me that esprit de escallier is a common affliction.
Beautiful, but not as mind melting as seeing 100+ iphones lit up and waving in the darkened hall (David, you sir are a genius). But enough to swing the vote I’m sure of it. If only I was wittier, sharper and hadn’t been sweating quite so much.
Also - re: Vonegut's book - the boobies reference I made was in regard to the blue footed boobies in the Galapagos, not me being sexist...
To all those that came up afterwards and asked me if I’m really so pessimistic… not at all. I was press ganged into the debate (I’m blaming Roger Dennis for that). We may or may not be fucked, but bending over and kissing our collective asses good-bye is simply not an option. My 1 year old son demands fortitude in the face of any adversity. (Please… think of the children ;-)). If our parents had acquiesced under the certain doom of nuclear winter during the cold war where would we be? Giving up is just not an option. Besides, what’s the worst thing that can happen?
Bloody awesome weekend. Much to think about now.
Thanks again
Sam. -
Hilary, we were talking more about a lack of broad strategic leadership, not just individual silos, and not dealing only with the stuff that is in front of our noses or where the interests of the "sector" happen to coincide with others. Frankly I had to agree that is thin on the ground, even though the potential is huge. I want to continue my work to bring key thinkers and do-ers together, but the perennial problem is lack of resource and often confused mandates.
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er team valiums'...?
pesky apostrophes.
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Sam, I was glad to see another very important sector reprensented there and frankly I would have clammed up alongside those brilliant performers myself. As I said to you, knees life of own on that very same stage. And gosh I've never seen so many iPhones in one place. I felt very backwards, although superbly well illuminated.
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And David, I hope the weetbix thing went well. I'd still like to run stuff past you some time if you are able.
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Reports suggest that the rush to black out Twitter icons has locked up Twitter admin. You may have to form a queue ...
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Testing... testing...
What would black jesus do? -
OK, I'll try to avoid further cryptic comments..
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Just want to say a quick thank you for the weekend, and sorry I never got a chance to speak with you Russell.
And I'd like to apologise for introducing you as "sad ginge" rebutting "happy ginge" (Roger Dennis). I was actually born ginge!
Yes, do stay in touch. We are smart-people-friendly at PAS!
Ah, those phones. It was just like a U2 concert.
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as you may have noticed I’m no public speaker and was a little blown away by the other participants
No, I didn't notice that. Your point about the state of NZ agriculture was very well made. Still voted against you :-)
Then again, everyone was blown away by Rod Oram. His own team (who were not exactly terrible) looked pale shadows against his shining light.
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Rod Oram, the human iPhone..
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