Posts by Bart Janssen
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
It seems like HNZ was wrong and now finds itself unable to admit that and so is just digging it's heels in to justify the obviously flawed policy.
To be fair given the way the media react I can see why HNZ would hate to admit any mistake in its policies. But that's part of being a grown-up, if you make mistakes you need to admit them and work to fix the damage.
If you were a cynical type you might suggest a bunch of people are making a ton of money from testing and cleanup contracts and some of that money might directly or indirectly driving this policy. But in this case I think it's just an error of judgement that they should simply reverse.
-
Hard News: Obscuring the News, in reply to Nik Dirga,
Paywalls for quality, sure.
Yup.
But the key point is the news service has to demonstrate quality first. You can't spew drivel onto your webpage and then promise "oh if you pay you'll get real news".
-
Hard News: Obscuring the News, in reply to Stephen Judd,
not enough local stories are produced
You're right, we just aren't doing enough weird shit. It's our responsibility to provide strange bizarre behaviour for The Herald to report back to us. There are only four and half million of us so it will require some effort but we're kiwis, we can step up to the mark and do what's needed, no matter how stupid or trivial.
We need a national campaign, do more stupid stuff, preferably with videos, so The Hearld can fill it's web page.
... oh wait you meant real news.
-
Hard News: Obscuring the News, in reply to Robyn Gallagher,
shared on Facebook three days ago
Yeah this is the thing that bugs me too. When I look at Stuff or The Herald I frequently get the weird deja vu feeling of didn't I see this in my twitter feed a weeks ago ... oh yes I did.
So not only are they plagiarizing twitter they are really slow and bad at it - it pretty much defines digital media failure - the kind of thing thought up by OWGs in suits over an expensive lunch on the viaduct.
-
Hard News: LATE: From #Slacktivism to Activism, in reply to Dennis Frank,
Just trying to make a nuanced point about the unacknowledged role blind faith plays in providing us with a social reality based on the supposedly sound basis of science.
Yup I do get that. I really do understand the role interpretation can play in conclusions drawn from observations and I'm very aware that it's possible to have systematic errors that thoroughly distort the data.
The problem is that for those not embedded in the scientific system there is a tendency to go from seeing scientists challenge and test each others observations to assuming all observations are suspect. And also to assume all opinions about observations are equal.
It is not reasonable to say scientists are like lawyers I can always find one with another opinion. It also isn't reasonable to base activism on thoroughly debunked experiments simply because they fit preconceptions.
There really are facts, with enough experimental data to be certain they are real. Activism in opposition to facts is just stupid.
That's not to say there aren't areas where the data really isn't certain. Or much more importantly the response to the facts is not subject to the needs of society.
For me that's where Sasha's comment has it's greatest importance - the experiences and knowledge of society need to be considered and incorporated into responses to the data. Society informs the response.
... I believe someone born a couple of months after ...
I really hope you're not suggesting his age, or gender, or race has anything to do with his intelligence and knowledge.
-
Hard News: LATE: From #Slacktivism to Activism, in reply to Dennis Frank,
But was this information fact?
To quote Brian Cox
Yes
-
Hard News: LATE: From #Slacktivism to Activism, in reply to Sacha,
Information is not always drawn from data as such. Experiences and ideas can also be conveyed to drive action.
I do understand what you are saying but in my experience when people use experiences to drive activism without supporting those experiences with data then you end up with anecdote driven actions.
Experiences are observations of the world, ideas are hypotheses that allow you to predict future events based on the past observations. In a structured (data driven) environment you test those hypotheses and you are always prepared to reject your hypotheses if new observations (experiences or data) contradict those hypotheses.
What happens all too often is people develop a theory based on their observations and then never accept any new data, that is my fundamental problem with many activist groups, they are unable to change when new data proves them wrong.
BTW that's pretty much exactly the scientific method, come up with an idea, test it, and when you are wrong, change the idea. And get used to being wrong a LOT.
-
Hard News: LATE: From #Slacktivism to Activism, in reply to Sacha,
data and research and facts
information is broader than those things
Which is fine, but information (as you are defining it) that contradicts the observed data is simply a lie and that is the constant problem.
By all means add the nuances of culture and societal needs but the moment you sacrifice the actual data then you are doing more harm than good.
-
information is at the heart of activism
Really?
Yeah there have been some cases where folks got data out there for the public to see and that spurred action. But there are many many other cases where folks have got very active based on no facts at all ... cough Greenpeace cough.
I LOVE that some folks are using data and research and facts to base form their opinions and then spread those data to spur others on, but it isn't universal or even common.
-
I personally prefer those swears that lend themselves to shouting, generally single syllable but also with a good hard consonant to build up pressure behind before you let rip.
Bugger is always good - but to be fair I like that one mostly because the teenage American student helpers in the lab said they really like the sound of it when I swore at myself for doing something stupid, then they asked "what does it mean?" and I told them ...