Leaky administrations

On the subject of the leaking of diplomatic cables recently, Senator Joe Lieberman of the United States government says:

Wikileaks’ illegal, outrageous, and reckless acts have compromised our national security and put lives at risk around the world.

One could take this more seriously coming from the mouth of a country which hadn’t been quite so keen on going to war on spurious grounds to protect its national interests; wars which, I’m reliably informed, have actually taken thousands of civilian lives around the world.

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And here’s a classic piece of euphemistic spokesperson lingo, from a Gua…

And here’s a classic piece of euphemistic spokesperson lingo, from a Guardian article about how the NHS helps to ensure access to healthcare regardless of wealth. While we have better access to health, we don’t necessarily have the best results:

A government spokesperson said: “The UK lags behind many international healthcare systems on survival rates – for example, for diseases such as cancer or stroke – and the NHS must reform in order to achieve better outcomes.”

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I think my sub-conscious is trying to tell me something. I had a dream l…

I think my sub-conscious is trying to tell me something. I had a dream last night that I went for a curry and, upon entry, the waiter said, “welcome back, we didn’t expect to see you again so soon!”

Ten Reasons why the 11" MacBook Air is not a netbook

So this probably shouldn’t bug me as much as it does.

	1. A netbook is slow. The MacBook Air is not.
	1. A netbook has sub-par graphics. The MacBook Air does not.
	1. A netbook has a low-power processor. The MacBook Air does not.
	1. A netbook feels cheap. The MacBook Air does not.
	1. A netbook has a small, cramped keyboard. The MacBook Air does not.
	1. A netbook has a tiny trackpad. The MacBook Air does not.
	1. A netbook runs an old version of its OS. The MacBook Air does not.
	1. A netbook is too slow to play games. The MacBook Air is not.
	1. A netbook is cheap. The MacBook Air is not.
	1. **A netbook is not designed to be your main computer. The MacBook Air is.**

Who gets screwed?

£2 t-shirts. Who gets screwed?

£1 chicken breasts. Who gets screwed?

When I see a cheap deal I can’t help but wonder “who’s getting screwed?” With the t-shirts, it’s often the workers (though things are improving). With the chicken, it’s usually both the suppliers and the chickens (but things aren’t improving).

I like “who gets screwed” because it’s blunt; it reminds me to think. Notwithstanding the value technology can add—cheaper transport costs and supply-chain management being two big ones—if something is cheaper, the cost is elsewhere. “Who gets screwed” cuts to the chase.

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