Showing posts with label stupid award. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stupid award. Show all posts

The stupidity of Steven Conroy and the Daily Telegraph
18 March 2013

See what I did there?

If you disagree with my title, your mind has probably already skipped to thinking how much you disagree with what I said. In fact, you might be tempted to skip down to the bottom of the page and just state your contrary opinion in the comments section without reading further. Perhaps your blood pressure has raised slightly...

On the flip side if you agree with my post’s title you’re probably experiencing feelings of smugness and perhaps even self-righteous congratulation and which will now shape how you understand and perceive what I’ve written...

My point is simple.

"The way in which an idea is communicated has an effect on how people respond." 

If it’s overly simplistic and inflammatory, this has the effect of causing strong reactions, which push people deeper into already intrenched beliefs. This low brow approach appeals to people who think more simply, with others having neither the education, skills or impetus to read deeply on an issue. Rather they adopt what seems “right” and fits with how they already think about the world.

There are also other problems with this. The more inflammatory the tone, the more polarised the debate becomes. Instead of working toward ideas we have in common, we move away from a more centrist position and wind up adopting an extreme positions. In my experience (and upon reflection) I have found myself fighting for extreme positions, which when I’m thinking calmly and rationally, I don’t really agree with. This approach also stifles discussion, so rather than sitting round a table discussing things like adults we end up shouting one liners and ad-hominem arguments at each other across the playground.

Now of course now provocative headlines and commentary can be ok. Good examples of this include blogging and editorials where opinion is designed to spark discussion. Often I’ve seen that very effect here on my blog. But that’s a far cry from the front page of a newspaper where an Australian Senator is compared to a bunch of Military Dictators.




Important aside - While inflammatory opinion is generally unhelpful, I don’t think the media should be censored from printing such stuff. Part of living in a free and democratic society is that we allow people to express views we don’t agree with and even allow them to be presented in ways that are unhelpful.

What I do want to see is for the media (in this case the Daily Telegraph), take seriously the responsibility to present news in a fair and balanced manner and tone rather then seeking to push an unhelpful inflammatory agenda. Personally I think that reform and regulation of some sort is needed in the Media industry in Australia (more here), however I also agree the timeliness and manner in which Senator Conroy has gone about the issue of reform is counter productive and silly (I haven’t actually looked at the detail of what’s proposed).

However it’s one thing to do something unhelpful, naive, even stupid, but it’s another thing entirely to respond in an even stupider manner. As is so often the case, two wrongs don’t make a right. In this case the Telegraph has overreached in a childish, unhelpful and irresponsible way. They’d do better to sit down at the table with a cup of tea, talk calmly, and treat people like rational thinking adults.

UPDATE: It's also worth watching Media Watch's take on this from Monday.

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Australia Day 2009
26 January 2009

Aussies in the cricket, check
Australian Open Tennis, check.... with...The Hottest 100 on the radio, check*

Beer, check
Vague attempt at looking patriotic check**

What did you do?

*in the photo of the TV above the radio is on
** I look like a tool

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Bad fashion... Jake Bevan
17 January 2009

Jake is one of the new MTS Apprentices* at Crossroads . Like I did, he has to raise all his own wage for his two year term. He needs your financial and prayer support... also a new pair of black socks for committing this bad fashion crime on Sunday night.

If you'd like know more or send him some dosh see here.


*The same job as I had.

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This is also really stupid
13 December 2008

Internet Censorship. My friend Seumas says why... and I agree.

I may add some thoughts of my own at some stage.

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It's really stupid to charge for sermon downloads
10 December 2008

Shane the man with the tats has gone and said what I've been thinking for ages. It's really stupid to charge for sermon downloads. And I agree. You can read his full post here. Here is my recent experience.

Back in August I had the pleasure of attending a conference now famous for Mark Driscoll's 18 theses. As I listened his sermons they were awesome. So I filled out the form to allow them to charge me 50 bucks (I think that was the only option) and send me a full set of DVDs for the conference. No option to download.

Meanwhile I and others blogged about his 18 points and interest went through the roof. The powers that be in Sydney released the 18 point sermon for free download. I waited for my sermons... and waited... and waited... and waited. Finally almost two months later I received my set of $50 DVDs in the post. So I paid 50 bucks and waited 2 months for a sermon that was released free anyway. Not good enough people! Not good enough.

If Crossroads can turn around a sermon recording and host it free online within a couple of days surely the all the powers of Sydney can do the same. I assume it's the 21st Century there too.

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Seriously? A load of...
02 December 2008

I wish this was a joke. It annoys me. This really annoys me. Why do people buy this rubbish? Praise Ponies? Faith Hope and Love? Are you serious?

The text reads...

"Every little girl wants a pony! Now she can have her choice of three, each named after one of the Biblical virtues - Faith, Hope and Love. Each Praise Pony pack includes 10 accessories plus memory verses, teaching biblical truths that will last a lifetime!"
Jesus. Race To Win trucks? What has that got to do with ANYTHING?

Honestly Koorong leave the junk to Chickenfeed. This is why I once told the girl in Koorong "I'm sorry don't get your catalogues because it just makes me feel depressed". Koo-Wrong I'm very sorry but for selling useless junk you've just got a stupid award.

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How long does it take?
07 November 2008

To get a refund from the Department of Transport/Service Tasmania...?

Since 23rd September 2008... and still waiting.

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There is so much wrong in this picture*...
14 October 2008

And I'm not talking about bad fashion.

*Picture from here

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Daylight saving...
05 October 2008

So who stuffed it up? Come on own up...

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Burglary
24 September 2008

Our church office got broken into on Monday just after Dan and I left to go home. They busted the door then broke open our locked filing cabinet before making off with around 20 bucks in petty cash. They didn't touch anything else which was nice. The most annoying thing is that we now have to buy a new filing cabinet.

The funniest part was the female detective who looked and dressed somewhere between Lara Croft and the chick from Alias and was fully equipped with a Stanley tool kit (very un-CSI). That's not her in the photo. Mikey got excited because he got to "give a statement".




Person who broke into the Crossroads Office you are a dumb tool.

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I don't like Spam
21 September 2008

And I have a lot of it. If you would like some and aren't feeling the spam love let me know I can forward it too you.

Oh and if you are a spammer you are a stupid tool.

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An epic tale of woe Part #2
17 September 2008

The tale continues. You can read Part #1 here
Having got the car down to Tasmania using David Allen's tried and true organizational method I made a list of the problems and projects I set about beginning to fix them one at a time.

I visited wreckers and managed to locate a stack load of the interior parts I needed.

Jonny and I then pulled out all the old ones and installed the "new ones". We got the central locking working and boot and bonnet opening smoothly.


We removed the old stereo that didn't work along with a car alarm that also didn't work.



Here Jonny models some sunnies that came free with the car... bonus!

Old interior parts perished by sun and age

Out they all go and in go the 'new' secondhand ones.

Next I had to locate the water leaks. I tore the whole interior out of the car. I literally took out everything including the seats carpet (which was beginning to rot form all the water leaks). I then located all the water leaks and sent the car went to the bodyworks. There they removed the front windscreen and the rust cut out of the roof and pillars at the back of the car. This all cost a bit but I figured I didn't really have a choice.

Here you can see the rust where the window joins the bodywork

and again

Meanwhile I cleaned every single piece of the interior making till it looked like brand new. (sorry no pictures of that)

The side strip was all messed up

That's what it looks like cleaned

Once I got the car back from the body works it looked wonderful. I set about getting the carpet cleaned and dry and began the task of putting the whole car back together.

I ordered another second hand rear wing from Sydney only to discover that it wasn't a whole lot better than the one I already had so this task remained incomplete. I also changed over the registration (beautiful new Tasmanian number plate) and got the car insured.

Things were starting to look good and the car was starting to come together... finally.

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An epic tale of woe Part #1
11 September 2008

A while back I bought a car. The eagle eyed among you may have noticed that I haven't really blogged about it since my mate Jonny brought it down about a month or so after I bought it. There's a good reason for this which explain under three headings. (Sounds like a sermon).

The Good

  • The engine is a ripper. It's a true sports motor revving out to nearly 8000 rpm. It has a low 180,000kms. Very good for it's age.
  • The car handles beautifully with it's front strut brace doing the biz.
  • It's faster, lighter, more economical, more way more fun than my old Camry (see below).
  • It's not been tinkered with by wannabe boy racers.
The Bad
  • The front wheel bearing needed attention.
  • The gearbox was slightly worn.
  • Some parts of the interior were worn.
  • The bloke lied in the online ad about the age of the car (It was 1989 not 1992).
  • Crap tyres.




The (very) Ugly
  • The rear wing fell off in Sydney while I was waiting to get the car down. It turns out that the dodgy bloke I bought it from had sikaflexed it back on when it had fallen off before.
  • One word. Rust. Meaning that the car leaked like a sieve (see above).
  • I paid too much for it. Considering the condition of the car it was worth closer to $2000 to $2500.

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Sydney people are...
04 September 2008


Seumas: This is my friend Mike
Person being introduced to: Right so where you from?
Me: I'm from Hobart in Tassie
Person being introduced to : Oh! Hobart (downward inflection in voice) ... right... insert joke about Tasmania here... hee hee hee.

It's been getting to the point where nearly every conversation I have here in Sydney has been like this*. Honestly people Tasmania isn't the end of the world. I mean have you visited? Nearly every person I know who has been down has loved it. And yes there are Christians in Tassie and they rock hard.

Sheesh no more Tassie jokes they have been done to death and it's painful. Ok rant over.

*I should note that most of these people aren't bloggers

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Question...
06 August 2008

Is Obama bashing the new trend on Facebook?

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Stupid waste of money
24 July 2008

Ok so I was being provocative in the title. I read this in today's Mockery;

The rate of road deaths has barely budged over the past decade despite millions of taxpayer dollars being spent on safe driving campaigns a national snapshot shows. In 1997 nine out of every 100,000 people died in car accidents. Over the past nine years that rate has hovered between seven and nine people.

To put this in perspective in Germany where the roads are better quality, the cars faster and drivers better trained, speed limits higher the number of road deaths per 100,000 people is around six and half. Yet we are perpetually told that speed kills.

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Tax is really stupid
14 July 2008

e-tax is not compatible with Linux or Apple Macintosh computers. However, e-tax has been tested successfully on an Apple computer running OS X v10.4.3 with Virtual PC 7 software emulating a recommended Windows operating system.
I'm going to have to do my tax on a PC. Honestly OS X 10.4.3 it's 2008 people... Do the people at the Tax Office live under rocks? I'm sorry Australian Tax office but you get a stupid award for this one.

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Bad fashion #1
11 July 2008

The worst fashion crime of them all. Jeans with runners/trainers/joggers (whatever you call them).




Explorer socks with runners a really bad look. Especially the clash in colour

Even worse with long trousers

So very bad...

...and yet so very common.

Please refrain from now on.

Here are links to the rest of the top 5

Number #5 White Socks with Black Shoes
Number #4 The Mobile Phone on Belt
Number #3 The Tucked in Shirt
Number #2 That Top button

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firefox 3
24 June 2008


is great except for...

  • The new interface...
  • it's too dark
  • there's not enough colour
  • it looks too much like safari.
  • there is currently a lack of compatible add ons.
  • the addons that are available are buggy
I just want firefox to look like it used to. Am I asking too much?

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Today I have been...
16 June 2008

...cleaning, vacuuming and tidying and I found $240 buried in a book on my bookshelf (which was nice).

Sweet! I don't have any recollection of putting it there but I usually hide money in crazy places and forget about it. I'll give myself a stupid award for this one.

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