17. februar 2005

New Google Toolbar Google Toolbar 3 beta is ready for download. New features are WordTranslator (from English), AutoLink for US addresses and SpellCheck for content in web text-boxes. The latter is a brilliant feature for bloggers (and commenters), if I can only remember to actually use it... First addition to my dictionary: bloggers! Sheesh. I've found that adding the "I'm feeling lucky" button to the bar actually saves time browsing. Mostly, it's faster to type in the short names of prominent sites than using favorites or typing the url. I type in, e.g. cnn or nyt and I'm lucky every time. 6:56:26 PM    comment []  trackback []

Too little too late, too much too soon - "We have to do something!" - "Well, this is something."  - "So let's do it!" Thus the Kyoto protocol was put into force, despite being extremely costly and achieving absolutely nothing. It is actually such a stupid idea that it is widely acclaimed in the leftist press, like a recent leader in the Guardian. So how do we actually produce lots of energy without emitting greenhouse gasses? An obvious answer would be nuclear power plants, lots of them. The Guardian cringes, and admits that we may eventually have to do that, but we should postpone development of new nuclear power plants because... wait for it! ...because they take so long to build! Hence, it is argued, the nuclear option should be taken up as in a "green" way to reduce emissions and save the world. This is seductive reasoning. It may eventually have to be acted on. But not yet. It ignores two things. First, it takes nearly a decade to build a nuclear power station (assuming local objections can be overcome quickly); yet we need action much earlier than that. See? I didn't make it up. The second reason? But, second, even if nuclear stations could be built overnight, their cost - at up to £5bn per plant - would have to be weighed against the benefits that would come from investing a similar amount in conservation and renewables such as wind, wave, geothermals and, most of all, underwater tidal turbines and lagoons. It is highly unlikely that an objective analysis would favour the nuclear option. It is not only likely, but virtually certain, that nuclear power would be way more effective than any "underwater tidal turbines and lagoons." We all know Guardian writers don't know math. Environmentalists have been denouncing nuclear power for too long, global warming be damned. If anyone could devise a method to convert all the hot air emitted by Kyoto proponents into environmentally friendly energy, we'd all be set. Link via the always excellent Daily Ablution. 4:04:01 PM    comment []  trackback []

More MSM vs Blogs Must read Peggy Noonan: "Salivating morons." "Scalp hunters." "Moon howlers." "Trophy hunters." "Sons of Sen. McCarthy." "Rabid." "Blogswarm." "These pseudo-journalist lynch mob people." This is excellent invective. It must come from bloggers. But wait, it was the mainstream media and their maidservants in the elite journalism reviews, and they were talking about bloggers! Those MSMers have gone wild, I tell you! The tendentious language, the low insults. It's the Wild Wild West out there. We may have to consider legislation. When you hear name-calling like what we've been hearing from the elite media this week, you know someone must be doing something right. The hysterical edge makes you wonder if writers for newspapers and magazines and professors in J-schools don't have a serious case of freedom envy. The bloggers have that freedom. They have the still pent-up energy of a liberated citizenry, too. The MSM doesn't. It has lost its old monopoly on information. It is angry. Excellent column. 3:40:26 PM    comment []  trackback []

Britain and political blogs Blithering Bunny takes on The Times taking on British bloggers. The latter has, true to self, not even bothered to look for British political bloggers. 2:57:44 PM    comment []  trackback []

The rise of the new Arab street For many years now we've heard about the horrible "Arab street." These brutish thugs, we were lead to believe, hated the US, hated Israel, and their favourite hobbies were burning American flags and exporting terrorists. Surely, western ideas like democracy and human rights were far from their minds. Just today we've seen a display of the Arab street. Outraged by the killing of Hariri, hundreds of thousands marched through streets in Lebanon in protest against the Syrian government, demanding Syrian withdrawal. If Syria should be forced to withdraw, it would put a serious damper on Iran's and Syria's chances at disrupting the Arab-Israeli peace process (which explains why today Iran was jumping to defend Syria, hoping it will not go wobbly in Lebanon). A few weeks ago, we saw Arab streets filled with proud Iraqis holding up their ink-stained fingers symbolising Iraq beginning a process to join the world of democratic, free nations. Even earlier, Afghans (who are not Arabs, but often lumped in the same category) had orderly elections for the first time, putting dire predictions to shame. Even the repressive Saudi leaders are trying to throw their people some bits of democracy. I bet now that they've tasted it, they will want more. The Palestinians, maybe the most radicalised Arab street, elected the (relatively) moderate Mahmoud Abbas, knowing he intended to put an end to war with Israel, and hoping he'll tackle corruption. The people in Iran (again, not Arabs) have for a long time voiced their strong protests against the ruling Mullahs in elections. The Mullahs have every reason to fear their own people more than they fear George Bush. Who would believe the "Arab street" would be acting as if it was choreographed by George Bush? Will Arabs and other Muslim populations elect politicians that fall short of western standards on human rights, that puts in place religiously repressive laws, that will be strongly at odds with western and US interests? Yes, undoubtedly and unfortunately. Will Iraqi gratitude to the US-led coalition last? Look to France for an answer to that question. Nations will pursue courses of real or perceived national interest. Gratitude is very low on the scale of national priorities. Moreover, the new democracies that I hope and believe will grow up in the Middle East will experience their share of corruption, embarrassing power struggles and mediocre (or worse) polticial leaders. The process will be less than perfect. When half the people of Iraq don't even bother to vote out of disgust with their elected politicians, I'm afraid we will have reached a level of maturity in their democracy. Yet, the checks and balances will remain in place, and some accountability will prevent the excesses we now see daily in the dictatures. The new, elected rulers will learn to fear the Arab street, because it is taking some amount of real power, and it will gradually learn to use it for the betterment of their nation, and for betterment of the world. 3:36:55 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2005 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.03.2005; 01:30:36.