Why Our Choice Of Language Prevents Us From Debating The Real Issues

Grok Headline matches for Why Our Choice Of Language Prevents Us From Debating The Real Issues

Real launches 'Freedom of Choice
Campaign'

Real launches 'Freedom of Choice
Campaign' 08/17/2004 03:36 AM
RealNetworks will tout its new Windows-only Harmony technology, which allows files from its music store to be played on Apple's iPod, in a series of print, radio and online advertising, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. In addition, Real will hold what it calls the biggest music sale in history selling songs for US$0.49 and albums for $4.99.

Real launches 'Freedom of Choice
Campaign' (MacCentral)

Real launches 'Freedom of Choice
Campaign' (MacCentral) 08/17/2004 01:54 AM
MacCentral - RealNetworks will tout its new Windows-only Harmony technology, which allows files from its music store to be played on Apple's iPod, in a series of print, radio and online advertising, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. In addition, Real will hold what it calls the biggest music sale in history selling songs for US$0.49 and albums for $4.99.

An Essay Toward a Real Character and a
Philosophical Language

An Essay Toward a Real Character and a
Philosophical Language 03/22/2005 07:23 PM
Essay

reliant.teknowledge.com/Wilkins
track this site | 2 links

meanwhile, in the world of real issues

meanwhile, in the world of real issues 09/15/2004 09:25 AM
Making Torture Legal, a story by Anthony Lewis about an issue that ought to be an issue in this issueless campaign, is the best of its kind that I've seen. It was referred to me by an Israeli friend. As he said to me, "of course there is torture in Israeli prisons, but there is nothing remotely as bad as this." Truth, and justice. May it again be the American way.

Accessibility Issues In The Real World

Accessibility Issues In The Real World 06/11/2002 06:52 AM
"To be honest, my considerations in regard to usability and accessibility extended to making sure sites were cross- browser compliant. That changed when I was handed the task of developing content for several sites that by necessity must be accessible to people with impaired vision. "

Readying Adobe Acrobat Pro 6.0 for
unattended/silent deployment - Update –
Non US English language issues.

Readying Adobe Acrobat Pro 6.0 for
unattended/silent deployment - Update –
Non US English language issues. 04/27/2004 05:29 PM

Recognizing The Real Issues Associated
With Trademarked Keyword Ads

Recognizing The Real Issues Associated
With Trademarked Keyword Ads 07/14/2004 01:21 PM
We've covered this topic many times before, but almost every article on the subject seems to ignore the real legal issues involved... until now. The question is about whether or not Google should be able to sell ads based on trademarked keywords. As we've pointed out before, trademark law isn't about giving the owner complete protection over the trademark, but rather about avoiding customer confusion. Thus, using trademarked terms in ads is only trademark violation if the ad somehow implies that the company advertising is a different company, or that it endorses the company in question. It's certainly possible that ads could constitute trademark infringement, but it depends on what the ads say. LocalTechWire is running a good overview of the real legal issues surrounding advertising on trademarked terms, noting that companies are likely to claim "initial interest confusion" -- saying, basically, that when a searcher first spots the ads, they may be confused. This may be a pretty difficult argument to make, as it's pretty easy to distinguish an ad from a search result on Google. Even more importantly, if they can somehow suggest people can't distinguish between the ad and the natural search results, they'll have to show that the ad is somehow confusing in a way that would harm their brand. This may be provable on a case-by-case basis, but it will be tough to make that claim across the board on all Google ads.

Debating Micropayments

Debating Micropayments 06/09/2004 02:03 PM
Clay Shirky got a lot of attention last year for his essay on why micropayments don't work - focusing mainly on the addition of "mental transaction costs" as an additional cost above and beyond the monetary micropayment cost. Not everyone has agreed (especially those involved with micropayment companies). Vin Crosbie has now chimed in to explain why Shirky is wrong about micropayments by saying that the mental transactions of micropayments don't always need to stop the transaction. As an example, he points out that people pay for water, telephone calls and electricity in micropayment fashion and never seem too bothered by it. This is true - but what's missing is that in all three cases these are both necessities and there are (or, in the case of telephone, were) no other options for providers. When there's no competition, you can charge and people will accept it - especially if it's a basic necessity. However, when competition does come about, the pricing starts to drop, and the idea of additional fees-per-transaction start to go away. Witness what is happening with the telephone industry. With the rise of VoIP systems, almost all telecom companies in the US are now offering some sort of flat-rate deal where there are no micropayments for each transaction. In the case of undifferentiated content, where there are plenty of other content providers online (with the possible exception of very specialized content), it will be very difficult to charge any form of micropayment.

THE REAL
ISSUES, AND WHY NO ONE TALKS ABOUT
THEM

THE REAL
ISSUES, AND WHY NO ONE TALKS ABOUT
THEM 09/07/2004 04:18 PM

As my regular readers know, this weblog is just a means to an end. The 'end' is a number of things: Getting people aware of and knowledgeable about and energized about the really important issues, not the ones they're spoon-fed by the pandering media; and exploring, and discussing out loud, and then acting on real solutions to those issues. These issues are all complex, and people appreciate that they are complex, which is why it's so infuriating to watch the candidates, the pollsters and the media attempt to reduce them to absurdly simple sound-bites and either/or decisions. Just to take one example: I'm convinced that a key solution to inequality in our society is teaching people how to establish their own small businesses. What 'issue' does that fall under: Employment, Education or Poverty? All of the issues are to some extent interrelated, and pigeon-holing voters' and candidates' positions on these issues is not only impossible, it impedes people from thinking holistically about these issues. What I find particularly outrageous is that pollsters very rarely even ask voters what they think are the important issues to be addressed, nor do they separate issues that can (or should) reasonably addressed by political bodies from those that need to be addressed by every one of us, as responsible citizens and individuals. This suggests, not so subtly, that we as citizens and consumers have no responsibility for dealing with issues, and that political actions are the solution to everything. And on those rare occasions when voters are asked (rather than told) what the major issues are, they are forced to pick from a pre-selected, and horribly biased, list of issues that the major parties have chosen for them. Here is an alphabetical list of all 43 issues that, from what I can find, the candidates in the upcoming US election have been asked for, or have expressed, an opinion on. In the 2004 polls I can find, the 28 in red italics have not been included in any lists of 'important issues' that people have been asked to choose the 'one most important' from: Mostly Political Issues: Campaign Finance Reform Civil Rights & Freedoms Defense Spending/Military Policy Foreign Policy: Middle East Foreign Policy: Rest of the World Gerrymandering Lobbying Separation of Church and State Term Limits Terrorism Mostly Economic Issues: Corporate Power & Regulation Deficits Fiscal & Monetary Policy Free Trade & Globalization Taxes: Flat vs Progressive Taxes: Overall Level Mostly Social & Educational Issues: Abortion Crime: Prevention Crime: Punishment Conservation: Drilling, Logging, Mining Policy Conservation: Programs & Incentives Education: Control & Funding Education: Curriculum Education: School Prayer Education: Sex Education Education: Vouchers Environmental Protection Global Warming Gun Control Health Care: Accessibility & Equality Health Care: Public vs Private Illegal Drug Policy Immigration Policy Overpopulation & Family Planning Policy Poverty Same-Sex Marriage Mostly Business & Technology Issues: Labour Union Policy Minimum Wage/Wage Gap Oil Shortages and Prices R&D/Innovation Funding & Support Self-Employment Options Stem Cell Research Unemployment Notice that the 15 non-italicized 'options' that pollsters give you to choose from as 'most important' issues are heavily biased towards (a) moral issues, and (b) issues with few options and little complexity. In fact, the 'selection' of these 15 issues makes the job easy for the pollsters, the media, the two main parties and dumbed-down voters, because: The positions of the two main parties on the 5 identified political and economic issues are virtually indistinguishable, The positions of the two main parties on the 10 identified social and educational and business issues are diametrically opposed, 'classical' liberal and conservative positions: Republicans Democrats Abortion opposed matter of choice Punishment of Crime stricter, more prisons, 2 strikes more focus on prevention School Prayer support opposed Sex Education opposed, kids should abstain support Vouchers support opposed Gun Control opposed support Health Care Accessibility basics for all, 2-tier for rest universal and equal Same-Sex Marriage opposed support Stem-Cell Research opposed support Unemployment 'the market' will fix it help you get back on your feet For the most part, a 'moderate' position on these 10 issues has been so well entrenched by previous lawmakers and by the courts that there is very little chance of any real change in laws in these areas, so both sides can posture safely to their constituencies knowing they'll never have to deal with the consequences (and political blow-back) of living with radical laws on any of these issues. No wonder so many voters believe that, despite the differences in policies, it doesn't really make any difference which gets elected. Meanwhile the 28 real issues listed in italics above -- the resolution of which (or our failure to properly address) will have far-reaching implications for the type of world we live in in the future, the quality of our lives, and quite possibly our survival as a species, get next to no attention in the campaigns and in the media. The candidates are free to talk about these at a very high level, speaking in platitudes about their importance but making no promises, taking no strong stands, and offering no plan of action for dealing with them. Why? Because of the tacit agreement by pollsters not to raise them, the media to talk about them as important and complex and difficult but not urgent, and to play down any solutions that might require a party to take a political stand, the major parties not to force the other's hand by getting into a no-win (for them) debate on these intractible and expensive problems, and we, the citizens, who won't call any of these three complicitous groups to account for their unwillingness to tackle these real issues in more than non-committal, hand-wringing ways. So what is the answer? Partly, we need a host of democratic reforms (campaign finance reform, voting system reform, an end to gerrymandering etc.) that will open up the political systems in the English-speaking nations to third parties and hence broaden debate to cover issues that any party considers important. Partly, too, we need media reforms (political independence from corporate ownership and control, local autonomy, less concentration of ownership, less dependence on corporate advertising) that will encourage and enable the mainstream media to cover a broader range of issues, educate the public about these issues, and challenge politicians to take clear and actionable positions on them. Ultimately, though, it's up to us to realize we're being had, to educate ourselves about the critical issues that face our world, and to take personal responsibility for addressing them. We can refuse to vote for politicians who don't take a clear stand on these issues, who fail to deliver on their promises, or who block the needed democratic and media reforms described above, abandon mass media that pander to political interests and public ignorance, in favour of independent media and public broadcasters that present fuller, better information, refuse to buy from corporation s that lobby for laws against the public interest, support dishonest and disreputable politicians, or exhibit socially or environmentally irresponsible behaviours, consume less, and recycle more, and in general take more personal responsibility as consumers, work for changes in the education system that will give future generations the knowledge and skills needed to understand and deal with these issues, using social pressure, technology and entrepreneurship, instead of waiting for politicians and regulators to do everything for us, become volunteers and activists, to bring about change person-to-person, at a level far more meaningful and effective than anything centralized government can hope to accomplish, and perhaps most importantly, engage each other in meaningful discourse, 'smarten each other up' by sharing information and ideas and engaging in critical debate on real issues and brainstorming on possible solutions when we meet socially, instead of letting the media dictate the subjects of our conversation. The current system works well for those with political power and economic wealth, protecting it and entrenching it. Big corporations (including the big media) and major political parties have no motivation to change the system. The dumbing-down of public discourse to simple, often trivial issues plays right into their hands. But their power depends on our complacency. Think about your children and grandchildren, decide what are your real issues, and start talking about them, and doing something about them. Don't wait for the politicians and other 'leaders' to catch up -- there's nothing in it for them. It's time to leave them behind, give up on them, and take matters into our own hands, before it's too late.

Fed Begins Debating Interest Rates (AP)

Fed Begins Debating Interest Rates (AP) 06/29/2004 08:31 PM
AP - Poised to raise interest rates for the first time in four years, the Federal Reserve on Tuesday began debating how fast and how high. But one issue wasn't in doubt — the man controlling the debate was still Alan Greenspan.

debating William Tucker about John
Edwards

debating William Tucker about John
Edwards 09/25/2004 03:11 PM
Sorry about the slow posting this week. But just so you don't think I'm lazy: I spent the week debating William Tucker in the Legal Affairs debate club.

Bush Takes Rare Step of Debating Bin
Laden

Bush Takes Rare Step of Debating Bin
Laden 12/29/2004 10:30 PM
President Bush declared that Osama bin Laden's call for Iraqis to boycott the elections "make the stakes of this pretty clear to me."

Experts debating case of online open
records

Experts debating case of online open
records 07/16/2004 04:58 AM
Chron.com - Fri Jul 16, 06:24 am GMT

Lock-in prevents landfill

Lock-in prevents landfill 10/31/2003 09:37 PM
The AP has run a good piece on cellphone recycling that is marred by an excitingly stupid lede about the likelihood that number-portability will cause many of us to throw away our phones once we get better deals under the new competitive rules, and that this will be an environmental disaster. Lock-in prevents landfill. Cheez.

The new rule that takes effect Nov. 24 allowing users to change wireless (news - web sites) companies without losing their phone numbers is expected to motivate as many as 30 million people to switch within the first year.

Those who do will need to buy new phones. That's because even carriers that use the same network technologies employ different encryption.

Link

AOL filter prevents anonymous email

AOL filter prevents anonymous email 01/22/2004 08:41 AM
ZDNet UK Jan 22 2004 12:58PM GMT

Korea: Beeping Prevents Peeping

Korea: Beeping Prevents Peeping 11/13/2003 06:31 AM
Camera phones, easily concealed, can be used to take pictures the shooter has no business taking. This is a particular problem in South Korea, which now decrees that all new handsets emit a beep whenever a picture is taken.

Space tech prevents spread of disease

Space tech prevents spread of disease 07/15/2004 11:44 PM
Just when we thought all that work in space was not really paying off, comes a new technology that will benefit us regular folks here on solid ground. Here on earth, hospitals have been battling microorganisms causing infections and spreading disease for as long as anyone can remember. Well thanks to technology originally designed for astronauts, hospitals will gain filtering technology here on earth to help fight the spread of airborne disease.

Friendly Dog Prevents Killing Spree?
(Reuters)

Friendly Dog Prevents Killing Spree?
(Reuters) 06/25/2004 08:43 AM
Reuters - A Canadian man, driving a car packed with weapons and ammunition, was intent on killing as many people as possible in a Toronto neighborhood but gave up the plan at the last minute when he encountered a friendly dog, police said on Thursday.

Friendly dog prevents killing spree
(Reuters)

Friendly dog prevents killing spree
(Reuters) 06/24/2004 04:12 PM
Reuters - A Canadian man, driving a car packed with weapons and ammunition, was intent on killing as many people as possible in a Toronto neighbourhood but gave up the plan at the last minute when he encountered a friendly dog, police say.

IOC prevents athletes from reporting on
experiences through webl0gs

IOC prevents athletes from reporting on
experiences through webl0gs 08/21/2004 12:53 PM
Canadian Press Aug 21 2004 4:15PM GMT

Department of Homeland Security Prevents
Terrorist from Entering the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security Prevents
Terrorist from Entering the U.S. 09/25/2004 11:32 AM
As we all know, since September 11, 2001 the U.S. has been much more vigilant in defending itself against terrorist attacks.  In addition to bombing the shit out of the Middle East, we have also established the Department of Homeland Security whose responsibility it is to defend us from terrorists. They have so far done a stellar job, as the U.S. has yet to be hit by another terrorist attack.  But the ever-vigilant Department of Homeland Security is not resting on its laurels. Recently, they prevented the terrorist supporter Yusef Islam from entering the United States.

Diaphragm Seal from Blacoh Prevents
Clogging & “Dead Leg”

Diaphragm Seal from Blacoh Prevents
Clogging & “Dead Leg” 07/12/2004 02:07 AM
Blacoh’s Flow-Thru Sentinel diaphragm seals prevent the dead-leg effect common in most piping systems and provide the ideal solution for viscous or thick slurries which clog appendage type diaphragm seals. Flow-Thru models are easy to clean and allow quick changing of process fluids. Furthermore, all Sentinel diaphragms and seal bodies unconditionally GUARANTEED for three years from your date of purchase. [PRWEB Jul 12, 2004]

LG tech prevents early burn-in on plasma
displays

LG tech prevents early burn-in on plasma
displays 01/05/2005 10:13 PM
LAS VEGAS - LG Electronics on Wednesday announced that it will incorporate its DoubleLife technology, which prevents early burn-in of images onto a plasma screen, into plasma display panels (PDPs) starting in 2005.

Puppy prevents Canadian killing spree.
25/06/2004. ABC News Online

Puppy prevents Canadian killing spree.
25/06/2004. ABC News Online 06/26/2004 07:32 AM
they can save lives, in the most unexpected ways: .. because he encountered a friendly pooch .. Puppy prevents Canadian killing spree .. stopped by puppy

abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200406/s1140162.htm
track this site | 6 links

ActiveState Awards ActiveState is
delighted to announce the second annual
Programmers' Choice and Activators'
Choice Awards. The awards honor the
unnamed heroes who actively contribute
to open languages and display excellence
in their programming efforts

ActiveState Awards ActiveState is
delighted to announce the second annual
Programmers' Choice and Activators'
Choice Awards. The awards honor the
unnamed heroes who actively contribute
to open languages and display excellence
in their programming efforts 06/06/2002 07:02 AM
A Beta version of PHP for NetWare is available on the Novell Developer Kit site. This version is based on the 4.0.8 (development) version of the PHP source code.

Does Size Really Matter? Debating The
12-Inch Vs. 15-Inch PowerBook

Does Size Really Matter? Debating The
12-Inch Vs. 15-Inch PowerBook 05/05/2004 06:36 PM
By Vincent Laforet, SportsShooter.com (via MyAppleMenu)

CyberGuard's Webwasher Prevents
Microsoft JPEG Exploit; Content
Management Products Filter Files for
Malicious Code Regardless of File
Extension

CyberGuard's Webwasher Prevents
Microsoft JPEG Exploit; Content
Management Products Filter Files for
Malicious Code Regardless of File
Extension 09/21/2004 10:36 AM

Email Sentinel Pro Protects E-mail
Attachments and Prevents E-mail Viruses

Email Sentinel Pro Protects E-mail
Attachments and Prevents E-mail Viruses 07/15/2004 03:05 AM
Email Sentinel Pro 2.6 prevents users from receiving dangerous e-mails, by blocking attachments, scripts, images and spamming techniques before they reach the Inbox folder. Viruses aren't the only reason to be concerned about HTML email. Spammers use email bugs, scripts and images hidden in the HTML to track anyone who opens their email. E-mail Sentinel Pro stops spammers from verifying an address. [PRWEB Jul 15, 2004]

REAL Software Announces REAL World 2005
Conference Dates and Location

REAL Software Announces REAL World 2005
Conference Dates and Location 08/27/2004 02:00 PM
AUSTIN, Texas (August 26, 2004) - REAL Software, Inc. announced today that REAL World 2005, The REALbasic User Conference, will be held March 23-25, 2005 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. Noted REALbasic authors and experts and REAL Software engineers will be presenting sessions at REAL World 2005.

"REAL World is the perfect opportunity for REALbasic users, both expert and novice alike, to get together to share ideas, information and techniques. Attendees gain critical content that helps make them better, more informed REALbasic developers," offered Geoff Perlman, president and CEO of REAL Software.

Virtual Real Estate Boom Draws Real
Dollars (Reuters)

Virtual Real Estate Boom Draws Real
Dollars (Reuters) 06/02/2004 03:30 PM
Reuters - Rising interest rates have yet to cool white-hot real estate prices. Perhaps that's why the concept of virtual home ownership has captured the imagination of a growing number of online gamers, who are plunking down real cash for their own slice of the digital frontier.

Virtual computing offers real benefits,
real challenges

Virtual computing offers real benefits,
real challenges 04/29/2004 10:42 AM
ZDNet UK Apr 29 2004 1:50PM GMT

Virtual Real Estate Boom Draws Real
Dollars

Virtual Real Estate Boom Draws Real
Dollars 06/03/2004 03:29 PM

Freedom of Music Choice :: Freedom of
choice is what you want!

Freedom of Music Choice :: Freedom of
choice is what you want! 08/17/2004 11:14 AM
Apparently, the freedom to choose whose DRM to use is what you want! .. Freedom of Music Choice .. blog

freedomofmusicchoice.org
track this site | 4 links

Real managers use real metrics

Real managers use real metrics 11/26/2002 02:10 AM
CNET Nov 26 2002 1:03AM ET

Hogzilla is real. And now, he's real
dead.

Hogzilla is real. And now, he's real
dead. 03/22/2005 05:00 PM
Xeni Jardin: A team of National Geographic experts with nothing better to do confirmed the existence of Georgia's monster hog, "Hogzilla."

They also noted the super swine didn't quite live up to the 1,000-pound, 12-foot hype generated when Hogzilla was caught on a farm last summer and photographed hanging from a backhoe. Donning biohazard suits to exhume the behemoth's smelly remains, the experts estimated Hogzilla was probably only 7 1/2 to 8 feet long, and weighed about 800 pounds. The confirmation came in a documentary aired Sunday night on the National Geographic Channel; it will be rebroadcast Wednesday and Saturday.

Link (Thanks, Mo)

Real Benefits, Real Risks

Real Benefits, Real Risks 12/30/2004 09:08 AM
Technology Review Dec 30 2004 1:24PM GMT

Santa Barbara Real Estate Information -
Free MLS Access, Local Real Estate
Listings and Over 50 Local Links are now
Available at Realestatesantabarbara.info

Santa Barbara Real Estate Information -
Free MLS Access, Local Real Estate
Listings and Over 50 Local Links are now
Available at Realestatesantabarbara.info 03/14/2005 04:41 PM
The most comprehensive source for Santa Barbara, Montecito, & Goleta Real Estate and general information is now available at www.realestatesantabarbara.info - the website was created and developed by Paul Luoma, a sales-associate with Century 21 A Hart Realty, Inc. [PRWEB Mar 13, 2005]

Free online Real Estate Listing Service
Introduces Free Integration with
Existing Real Estate Systems. Now,
Realtors Can Just "Set it and Forget
it." ™

Free online Real Estate Listing Service
Introduces Free Integration with
Existing Real Estate Systems. Now,
Realtors Can Just "Set it and Forget
it." ™ 06/24/2005 03:14 PM
Just Real Estate Listings™, an online real estate advertising company, has launched a new web site offering the Realtor™ community a free way to advertise real estate properties on the internet. This service also includes free data integration services which eliminates the need for users to manually enter data. [PRWEB Jun 24, 2005]

Screen Telephone Calls Over the Internet
In Real-Time - ThePhoneBOT.com
Releases New Version of Telephone
Answering Machine Software and New
Remote Client Application for Real-Time
Voicemail Screening Over Networked PCs

Screen Telephone Calls Over the Internet
In Real-Time - ThePhoneBOT.com
Releases New Version of Telephone
Answering Machine Software and New
Remote Client Application for Real-Time
Voicemail Screening Over Networked PCs 08/27/2004 01:57 PM
ThePhoneBOT.com announced today the availability of ThePhoneBOT version 4.0, the latest release of its popular web-based voicemail retrieval software. Also released today is the new PhoneBOT Remote Client application, an innovative new technology that allows users to expand the Windows-based answering machine and voicemail screening capabilities to serve multiple locations over networked PCs. Designed to replace a standard home/office answering machine or telephone company voicemail, ThePhoneBOT and PhoneBOT Remote Client software is now available for download at www.ThePhoneBOT.com [PRWEB Aug 27, 2004]
Grok Description matches for Why Our Choice Of Language Prevents Us From Debating The Real Issues
GrokA matches for Why Our Choice Of Language Prevents Us From Debating The Real Issues

Why Our Choice Of Language Prevents Us From Debating The Real Issues

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: