Linked is a great posting by Seth Godin. We all have been in the situation where the best outcome is controlling the fall. Here he identifies this mechanism, and why change and being brave (don’t forget pragmatic and diligent) are essential and why development and reinvestment with less nostalgia is actually defensive.
Death Spiral – http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/07/death-spiral.html
Continuously rebirth or fade?
Take a look at this post from Robert:
http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2009/06/what-can-i-do.html
At the same time as encouraging us to participate, he is describing is the next evolution of government – when it is in conversation with the plebs – using the internet. There is no reason that the government can’t enter, it will be incremental, the Internet Age. Not all companies, in fact only a few, have embraced the capabilities, but many if not the majority are experimenting.
An example of an experiment of this, is Ignatieff’s twitter – I subscribe, and believe it or not he subscribes to mine.
There is no reason we can’t continuously respond to the government on our reactions, and they on their ideas, thoughts, efforts, focus, information. The Internet is information. The conservative party website is very 90’s I have to say. The Liberal party website is just a little better.
There is nothing to stop us from starting the conversation (if only one-sided) as conveniently as we can right now – email.
Prime Minister Harper would like to hear your comments at this address: pm@pm.gc.ca
Yesterday’s announcement by Obama to tighten fuel economy rules in the US wasn’t that inspiring.
In the end I don’t think the CAFÉ ratings are going to do much (but are an essential part of a solution) because they don’t address behaviour. These ratings as an only solution, serve to enhance car (hence oil) dependence in society. Car companies will use these cost claims to justify increase pricing for fuel efficient cars, which is a complicated consumer proposition. The cost inclusion in the announcement rung like a concession to the leaden, bean-counting, ex-industry.
Notice how it is couched as $1300 per car increase in cost based on double digit billions of required investment…this is a lifeline thrown towards the GM/Ford/Chrysler argument that the Big3 can’t afford to invest in the (their own) future.
So…the alternative, or better, further, and essential component of getting off the foreign oil addiction, that also does something material towards reducing climate modifying emissions, and is an essential component to traveling the road to a successful civilization, is to raise their gas tax. US has the lowest fuel taxes in the world, and yet the highest consumption of gas. This would provide the pricing signal to start behaviour change. Behaviour by far is the best source conservation of fuel, and reducing household costs.
Telling people that they have the most fuel efficient car on the planet only promotes its use – if I am only sipping gas, what does it matter if I enjoy riding it everywhere, and for everything!?
So as it stands, ‘these new and improved cars’ will allow you to grocery get from your suburban castle both tirelessly and economically. With the little lime green wash, people will continue driving 40k km a year with a self-congratulating smile on their face not unlike the one they get from turning on their frosted CFL Christmas lights.
Enright today has a great discussion titled Canada’s democracy in Peril.
You can listen to a stream of it at this link:
http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/
Major point discussed is the increasing centralization of power in the hands of the PM, in a system that was not designed for or have a tradition of it. This power is being used to control elected representatives to such a degree that today they represent the leader of their party, and not the citizenry. This political partisanship is the all consuming interest of parliament, and hence parliamentary democracy is not functioning. As such, the ability of the PM to exercise his/her will is unfettered.
Clear examples of representatives not being able to focus on the citizenry’s interests include: free speech is not allowed in party caucus meetings, pre-approval from the PM’s Office is required for speeches and to answer directed questions in parliament.
This is not a partisan issue – it is not focused criticism on Conservatives or Liberals, or… – it is a conversation about Democracy and having a government that is responsible to the interests of the citizen they historically have represented.
The solution or evolution of our system would include the characteristics of proportional representative in elections, and greater communication between the leadership and citizenry whether in the form of direct addresses (a conversation with the market -Drucker/Godin), and through greater openness of debate in parliament.
I really don’t need to expound on how entertaining Star Trek is, because everyone else is, and they are not wrong or exaggerating.
One Major Flaw (its good enough that I need to be really picky): Red Matter - while a single drop carefully dispensed with a syringe easily collapses a massive planet, gallons of it only consumed a Romulan space ship and caused a lack-of-thrust issue for the Enterprise! – they should have let the Enterprise escape to warp speed only to then suffer deceleration as the well expanded. The crew would desperately calculate the effective-edge of the black hole, and have to do something very last second – a count down – to escape its pull.
It has been used in Star Trek in the past to turn into high gravity objects, to go where no man has gone before, achieve massive speed, and then use their power to steer clear of doom!
I can’t hold’er together Capt’n.
Scott, Warp 5 in 3 seconds or we’re all dead.
I would have been neat if they went beyond Newtonian physics for the escape of the gravity well of the story. I realize this simplicity is part of the appeal, but a little taste of relativity and subspace would have been a new twist (no magic solution please).
The Romulan space ship was magnificent.
BTW – in Next Generation tradition the mass of the Red Matter would have been identified as a massive risk, everyone worried. Oh no, how will they survive? But in the end, and magically, the RM would create its own portal into a further dimension and disappear. Sandwiches anyone?
Thank Vulcan they used the original Kirk Star Trek for inspiration!
TWO: OK, so I have another suggestion for the movie, an opportunity lost. Given our world of necessarily committing to something(s) and aspiring to goals, something that we all go through, and which Kirk lacked to start, there could have been a thread in the movie where Kirk is questioning his own participation in StarFleet. In the end, he sees, as others clearly did, how natural and essential his participation with StarFleet is for himself and as part of his true identity. Yes a space-opera coming of age theme; a contribution to the making of the man Kirk! As it stands the yahoo kid doesn’t exactly grow up, StarFleet just accepts his roughness.
PS.
There is a lot of conversation content in the new movie from Wrath of Khan – take a gander at the quotes – quite entertaining.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084726/quote
Looking forward to the next one!
Definitions:
Points:
So as a result it is just too much to ask for a constructive change, and it is futile to wonder if there wasn’t a way to say No to FPTP – immediately. The wish is that Elections BC make a change and everyone suffers kicking and screaming to their benefit in the next election. Then under force of an election experience (because nothing can be worse than FPTP), Elections BC can subsequently be challenged by facts to further adjust the system for greater utility, if needed.
At least we would be moving forward then.
Yesterday was the British Columbia Provincial election. Predictably, BC Liberals won for the third straight term due to their calm confident demeanor and their strong administrative capabilities. For me this is where their benefit to BC stops as I feel they side too much with the interests of special interests of development companies (Ledcor or Keiwit are clear examples).
BC, like Canada you see, lacks an ‘industrial plan’ identifying the goals and direction, proposed by the government, that set a course for present and future prosperity – sometimes risk management. Given this vacuum of purpose, the great ideas of a few find public funding, vote buying is easier, and accountability is challenging. Counter-punch!
In my mind, Obama has taken steps to propose appropriate goals and applying fuel in beneficial directions. In BC/Canada the government is reactionary and plans like the Olympics and Gateway are more beneficial to the developers than they are to the tax paying society – i.e. good for a few. I am not looking for inquiries but I am calling for a government that has a plan that doesn’t singularly benefit firstly the development companies veiled as benefits to society as a whole and considers future standard of living – where is the status of Education spending; diversification of industry; what is BC going to be #1 doing; what are we going to guarantee and how are we going to pay for it?
(Always the comparisons used to assess our progress and status are against other non-performers inside Canada but not against the best in the world.)
BC/Canada progresses despite the elected government who are at best described as janitors as opposed to strategy whizzes. We are very rich in resources, and we are very rich in our stable institutions, and we are very rich in people and healthy attitudes. But there is no direction or steering to something better and as a result BC/Canada is tyke hockey and unfortunately satisfied only with what we did. The source of this maybe that Canada and BC don’t aspire as if there is nothing left to do. The BC Liberal government promoted this in their “the best place on earth” campaign.
But what else is happening?
The BC NDP unfortunately, as they are in the federal version, don’t seem to the have the confidence and administrative excellence to take the leadership position. A further weakness they have added is a direct result of their application of medium voter theorem on environment dissing the carbon-tax. It infuriates many when political parties argue to replace rather than tune even if the policy is completely aligned with their goals.
The Green Party of BC was the only other choice, but in today’s electoral system (FPTP) there is no reason to vote for them. This is where my vote went nonetheless, which I cast knowing the fate of my selection (dust bin), but I did so because I don’t support Ledcor though I could with a stock purchase, and don’t want a boondoggle of good intension, but want to be able to write this posting knowing that I ‘participated’.
Live long and prosper, I doubt my interest in elections will be any higher than now.
Diffuser vs. KERS – I don’t know what is going on yet. It seems that there is a penalty in performance that can be addressed for many teams. Get ready for a shake up in the design at a number of teams and quickly. Come to think of it, they should change the rules drastically every 4th year. Next years should be the same as this year pretty much but the 4th year following they should be limited to 1/2 of the gas they used per race this year but with unlimited aerodynamics. Then the following stint would go electric as they have to run electric drive with maybe batteries that they can change as many times as they like. Chaos! Nothing better. Oh, almost forgot, with electric I would like to see active suspension to come back because they will run narrower tires.
McLaren is lacking downforce – ummm they didn’t know this before? I think they should just sack their driver. Ferrari in shambles still? With Kimi drinking too much VB down in last place in practice I am restless waiting for his shaky attempt. I wonder if Kimi and LH decide to play bumper cars. Look out for Toyota – yeah right. I think the EU teams are going to get something right before too long and we’ll see great things from Ferrari, McLaren (unfortunately), and BMW – yeah!
In the radio news today there was an interesting complaint described. Vancouver’s fledgling transit system will soon see a major addition in the form of a new train line that will connect satellite city R to Vancouver downtown.
Another local city, satellite city D, will see their direct to downtown bus link changed – in fact deleted. Instead of directly connecting to the important Vancouver downtown, the bus will now connect to satellite city R and the new train line. Heavens to Murgitroyd – we are loosing our direct link to Vancouver! We have been demoted! We deserve better!
This is jealousy.
So its great that transit, or lack of, with its link part of civic identify, can generate any such positioning – this is without a doubt. BUT, tell me why isn’t it time for amalgamation? Why is there a city major in a position to complain in such a situation? There are many examples of this silliness in city of Vancouver et al.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aszOFsl8bGOA&refer=news
Cisco acquires Pure Digital who makes a blogging/youtube/fb camera – low resolution – for about $150. Slightly odd move for Cisco, but it does translate to a possible increase in internet traffic and is consistent with Cisco digital home interests.
All things digital converge. This is a singularity, fueled by internet standards and common consumer practices. Just the new automobile it could be argued.
