Category Pointers

We cannot resign ourselves to Europe being no more than a huge market or a free trade area

And while I am in total agreement with this statement, I don't believe that the 27 member EU in existence today is capable of any more integration. There are so many countries that disagree with the idea of a United Europe; it's not just the Brits anymore. The EU of 2007 is too heterogeneous, too large and there is lack of political will. Two-Speed Europe here we come...

Is (Un)FairPlay condemned?

If Norway's ruling is followed by EU members France and Germany [1] it might. On the other hand, Johanssen's work on reverse engineering FairPlay might push Apple towards licensing its technology to third parties anyway. But then again all this might just be wishful thinking.

Searle on the Philosopher's Zone

John Searle, arguably one of the most interesting philosophers of our time (well, philosophers are very seldom 'interesting' anyway) gave an interview on his views and 'fascination' on the topic of consciousness on Australian Radio's (ABC) "The Philosopher's Zone". (Thanks Olga)

The Corporation (2003)

The Corporation is a 2003 Canadian documentary on the importance of the business corporation in modern society. While it had a very limited theatrical release in Europe it was acclaimed for its rational, well-thought out presentation and the important concerns it raises with regards to the nature and power of corporations in our days. The film is based on Joel Bakan's synonymous book. While the book is well-written and concise (although no match for Naomi Klein's 'No Logo'), the expressive power of the film far exceeds that of the book and is complemented by interviews and on-the-field footage that makes the message crystal clear. I watched the film in autumn 2004 and I found it to be a rational, convincing portrayal of the effects of megacorporate power. In November 2006 the producer of the film, Mark Achbar, released it for free via BitTorrent, although he'd appreciate a donation. You can also buy it on DVD. It's definitely worth seeing.

This all in one abomination is an insult to gadget lovers

Stephen Colbert comments on the iPhone. Wow! :)

[Apple is like] Moses showing the way to the promised land, but they don't actually go there.

Back in 2004, in a previous incarnation of this blog, I wrote a small piece on how I believed that Apple was gradually losing their newfound 'Open' policy and returned to their 'old' practice of total control, a closed platform and proprietary technology. Like many others, I always believed, and still do, that Apple's closed, monopolistic approach is one of the main reasons that caused their demise in the 1990s, and the reason why it may hinder the huge potential that its current hardware and software offerings have this decade. Tim O’Reilly puts it very succinctly in this late 2004 interview, when he describes how Apple promises computing 'nirvana' and lets economics and marketing screw it all.

OSS has better economics than proprietary software

...according to a recent EU study. And from its perspective, i.e. that of a multinational organisation aiming towards technological independence, low cost and high-quality software for specific tasks, I agree. Now, all that's left is for the Commission put its money where its mouth is and really sponsor (and promote) Open Source software. No, I mean really.

Um Filme Falado (2003)

Μόλις τελείωσε στο σινέ+ (ΕΡΤ Ψηφιακή). Μια εξαιρετική παρουσίαση του (δυτικού) πολιτισμού από τον 95χρονο (τότε) Πορτογάλο σκηνοθέτη Manoel de Oliveira μέσα από ένα ταξίδι με κρουαζιερόπλοιο με αφετηρία τη Λισσαβώνα και προορισμό τη Βομβάη. Βαθιές αποχρώσεις αυτού που αποκαλούμε Ευρώπη, λεπτές αντιθέσεις μεταξύ των λαών, μια αργή αλλά όχι βαρετή ταινία με τραγικό, απρόσμενο τέλος.

Brimming with potent anti-Americanism

Absolute BullIn a prime example of blather, the BBC (cf. some Murdoch-owned-fact-twisting medium) engaged in a smearing generalisation of the Hellenic population's sentiments on the U.S., by invoking parts of the history of the 20th century where U.S. policy harmed Hellas and its people. And while it is true that many Hellenes, like most of 'Old-Europeans' (and, indeed, many Britons) have strong feelings on many U.S. foreign policy and military actions ('insanity') witnessed in recent (and not so recent) times, that in itself in no way implies or signifies 'widespread anti-Americanism'. Furthermore, the implication of any association between the intent of a terrorist attack by a small extremist group of people with the generalised feelings of one nation towards another is, at least, unprofessional, if not sensationalistic and offensive. I'm inclined to think that Malcolm Brabant's writing is brimming with potent bull.