Pointless Studies
Posted by unluckydip | Filed under Culture, Media
Pointless studies, generally speaking used to annoy me. It wasn’t the studies themselves, or even the fact that they were being reported that annoyed me, but the fact that some people seem to take them seriously. But who is to blame for this? The news media, for misinforming the public and abusing there position of power, or the people that just accept what is printed as fact without questioning it. Well I’m not even gonna try to answer that here, nor do I wish to delve into it. But the use of “studies in the media” in all its various aspects is interesting in my opinion, and David Mitchell in his most recent article in the The Observer comically analyses new proposals by the Government to “weed out pointless studies”
A newspaper headline chilled me to the bone: “New panel to weed out ‘pointless’ studies,” it read. Pointless studies are meat and drink to columnists like me. Not the fillet steak and vintage claret of Gordon Brown audibly farting in the Commons or Jeremy Clarkson being attacked by a miniature poodle, but a Peperami and Fanta snack that keeps the wolf from the door in the leaner times. Without a constant supply of scientific research claiming that chocolate makes you romantic, white wine enhances sarcasm or automatic transmission makes your cock go floppy, I’d have to take a lot more weeks off.
I Just wanted to bring your attention to the article, and in fact his column which is consistently funny/informative, and while I’m recommending columnists that are entertaining to read, take a look a Charlie Brookers Column also.
Tags: Charlie Brooker, Columnists, David Mitchell, Media, News, Observer, Pointless Studies
Distractions = Creative Productivity?
Posted by unluckydip | Filed under News, Technology, opinion
For me, this Monday didn’t turn out to be the productive day I wanted it to be, due to various electronic distractions, but despite this I don’t believe that social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, amongst other various Internet delights, are in fact leading us to be less productive.
On Sky News last Sunday, they reported that a study from the University of Northampton suggests that people are becoming addicted to there gadgets.
The scenarios they give are worryingly familiar.
Interrupted from our primary task by a pop-up alerting us to an email, we stop what we are doing to read the email.
That then directs us elsewhere, perhaps to another link on the internet.
We may then check other emails stacked up behind the new one. A quick look on Facebook, Twitter or something else, and it may be half an hour before we’re back to that primary task.
“You can not any more do effectively the task you were originally doing, even if it was routine,” Professor Kakabadse said.
“You will suddenly feel low energy, you become clumsy and you have a spatial disorder. You become exhausted,” she said. (Sky News)
This sort of reporting regarding technology hardly new, neigh it is expected, take for example the scares around televisions. In relation to this story, which is nothing special; it seems to have only got coverage due to the PR department at the University of Northampton, I would suggest that you can find addiction in almost anything from cheese to stamp collecting from computer gaming to knitting.
It is of my opinion, and partly that of Russel M Davies from Wired magazine UK, that distraction may infact aid productivity. We were not designed to work solely on one task, as Davies points out, “we’re easily distracted creatures, evolved to be continually scanning for new stimuli…” I personally find that when doing creative work. i.e. not reading, it is much easier to do it with the occasional look at YouTube, the occasional bit of tweeting on twitter and the occasional stumble on stumble-upon. This personal affirmation seems to be proved plausible by a study pointed out by Davies who states that:
A study from the universities of Harvard and Toronto suggests that people with reduced latent inhibition are more likely to have original thoughts than the rest of us. Latent inhibition is “the capacity to screen from conscious awareness stimuli previously experienced as irrelevant”. I think this means that imaginative people are worse at screening out the world than you and me. Or better at being distracted. So maybe we mortals can increase our originality by deliberately and purposefully using distracting and unfocused tools. (Wired Magazine UK)
I must now end this blog post and get some work done, well, I’m going to have a quick look at facebook first, naturally.
Tags: Evolution, Facebook, Internet, News, Productivity, Reporting, Social networks, Study, Stumble Upon, Technology, Twitter, University, Web 2.0, work, youtube
An early start to Christmas, just like usual.
Posted by unluckydip | Filed under News, Rant, opinion
Every year, without fail, as another disappointing summer begins to fade, news outlets of all kinds, without fail; it seems to me, produce stories about christmas starting early. As far as I can tell, the award for the first story in this catagory this year goes to The Sun, who on 21st of August published the story entitled “Christmas lights put up in August (For, Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Pagans)”
“Rochdale Council say the lights in Milnrow, Lancs, will be used in seasonal celebrations for several faiths – starting with the Muslim festival of Eid on September 20. Other holy days include the Hindu festival of Diwali in October, the Jewish holiday of Hannukah in December – and even the Wicca festival Yule celebrated by white witches and pagans on the winter solstice. Yet the town’s decorations are traditional Christmas symbols including a giant Noel sign, an image of Santa Claus – and even a penguin on skis.”
It does seem a little odd, to say the least, that other relgions would want so called Christian symbols put up to celebrate there religious holidays. But the notion I find funny is that Santa Claus, holly, and in particular a penguin on skis are considered “traditional Christmas symbols” Maybe what I know about the story of birth of Jesus is wrong, but I don’t recall any refference to skiiing penguins or santa. Besides the penguin; although I’m sure you could make an argument for it, despite it being a bit odd, many of the symbols are in fact of pagan/old religion origin.
Two things erk me with this story; and admittedly being annoyed by such a trivial story is, I of course know, trivial in itself, are that firstly such stories come up every year, and I’m pretty sure news outlets have a template ready and waiting, but more “importantly” is the descirption of the decorations as being tradtionally associated christmas, they have become symbols of christmas, but they are most defenatly not traditional; assuming you see christmas as a christian festival soley, which this article obviously does and I would go on to guess is the overriding discourse regarding christmas in general, surely examples of tradional christmas symbols would be the manger, the star and the three wise men amongst other such things.
I’m not religious at all, but things such as this do annoy me at times. I’m sure The Sun, when publishing this story, wanted the reader to be annoyed at political correctness and the like, and without fail such comments have been provided. I’ll leave you with one, posed by “Dingley”
“I thought you can’t use the word CHRISTMAS. It has to be called interfere. Now these other faiths want to intrude on our religion and/or beliefs. Also our Christmas celebration. Why. We are not aloud to interfere with there tradition or faiths. Why should they with ours?”
Tags: Christmas, decorations, lights, News, pagan, rochdale, the sun, trends
Iraqi Oil – Mission Accomplished!
Posted by unluckydip | Filed under News, opinion
Hooray, what good news. The Allied forces are pulling out of Iraq after liberating them from a cruel dictatorship and feral insurgent forces. However at the same time as this announcement was taking place the Iraqi Government was auctioning of oil fields
BP, along with China’s CNPC, secured the contract for the Rumaila oil field on Tuesday, the largest of Iraq’s six oil fields on offer to foreign and state-owned companies. The contract race is the first opportunity for global energy giants to gain a hold in the country since the Baath party nationalised the Iraq Petroleum Company in 1972, seven years before former president Saddam Hussein took power. The Rumaila field is estimated to hold 3.3 trillion cubic feet of oil reserves, but also lies in Diyala province, which has seen some of Iraq’s worst violence in recent years. (Aljazeera via Huffington Post)
Tags: BP, Free Market, Iraq, News, Oil
Charlie Brooker’s Newswipe
Posted by unluckydip | Filed under Media, News, comedy, video
I really do enjoy watching/reading Charlie Brooker material, his latest TV series is called Newswipe, a program which provides a satyrical yet insightful look at the world of news, a spin off from his look at TV content called Screenwipe. Below are some youtube videos of the latest episode (episode two) that someone has handily, and swiftly put on youtube.
In this Episode “Charlie Brooker sets his satirical sights on news and current affairs. In charting the rise of the public’s role in making the news via vox pops and mobile phone footage, Brooker examines the good, the bad and the absurd in citizen journalism. Plus, reviews of two big stories making the news, controversial authored pieces, a poem and much more.”
If you do live in the UK and fancy watching it, (not that i’ve particularly sold it) i’ve handily provided a link the show on iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00jks6r/Newswipe_Episode_2
