Posts by Kyle Matthews

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  • Hard News: Wikileaks: The Cable Guys,

    The most likely effect of this, as Yglesias (forgive me) put it, was that US diplomats will communicate confidential stuff over the phone from now on.

    I doubt it. 99% of these communications are fairly standard, and need to be available to hundreds of people so that they can analyse them later on and write reports. Writing them down is the only way to do that. Even when they happen over the phone they normally get written down to get into the system.

    Recordari, I'm not sure RB would have invented Wikileaks; I'm not sure he quite gets it, after all 'Cryptome' is his preferred outfit it seems.

    Christ, Wikileaks isn't a complex idea. The fact that Russell expresses some concerns about the organisation and its founder doesn't mean he is stupid.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: What about that Welfare…,

    I recall the responsible Minister in Shipley's gummint, think it was Katherine Regan, making a similar offer for *one* week. Advocates suggested it might be a better challenge for a beneficiary to handle her weekly Ministerial salary of about $1600 instead.

    I recall thinking how meaningless that was at the time.

    I could survive easily for one week with the food in the closet and the petrol in the car. The dole money would go on the mortgage and... some change in my pocket. It's the 51 weeks after that which would be difficult.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Public Address Word of…,

    would you feel better about #twatcock then?

    I can't say it's crossed my awareness. But if you want to start a trend...?

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Public Address Word of…,

    I'm thinking outside the square in that the WOTY isn't a word in itself, but the bit that came before so many of them: #eqnz, #pikeriver, #outrageousfortune, #allwhites.

    To me it felt like the year when twitter hashtags became part of the parlance, even for those of us who don't really use the thing.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: What about that Welfare…,

    But for the sake of argument, what ideas are out there assuming we do give a fuck

    I wouldn't have minded if a Welfare Working Group had gone and made substantial reforms to progress these sorts of people, and people who have gotten stuck in a hole where they struggle to progress their lives and their family.

    I don't think it's a money saving thing, indeed I'd imagine it would cost money. But finding incentives, money for training, individually tailored assistance, or indeed a kick up the bum for someone who is a genuine 'bludger' would be all good, for them and society as a whole.

    Instead what we'll get is a little bit more screwing down on the 95% to target the perceptions of the other 5%.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: Where nature may win,

    Nice tribute in parliament to the miners today.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: Where nature may win,

    :(

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: Where nature may win,

    I'd prefer the media to hire reporters, editors and subs who are scientifically literate and numerate.

    Yeah, but going through the SMC and talking to actual experts and reporting what they say is always going to be a good thing for the media to do, whether or not they have reporters who have scientific literacy or not.

    A reporter with a good general science knowledge still isn't going to know enough about coal mine disasters and the gases and dangers inside them so will still need the experts.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hard News: Where nature may win,

    Another unhappy analysis from the Science Media Centre.

    That's about the third time I've seen them make informed comments on the current situation. Good to see them doing the job that they were set up to do, hope the media pick up on them and their experts.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Up Front: The Up Front Guides: How to Be…,

    That was a reference to an opinion column in The Australian about the Australian Greens:

    That's great stuff. An argument against gay marriage on the premise that if we continue to stop gays marrying, they're more likely to marry women and produce children.

    Toilet paper is too good a use for that section of the paper apparently.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

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