Is the Internet REALLY a human right, now?
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dawmail333 wrote:
...there wouldn't be any 'less fortunate'.
Not everyone is above average! Doom! Iain.
I am one of "those foreigners coming over here and stealing our jobs". Yay me!
Well obviously. What exactly were you trying to say?
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I remember last year, getting a question on my IPT exam about the responsibility of 3rd world governments in providing their citizens with Internet access. Now, after reading about Finnland adding laws to classify it as a right, and all that's happening in Britain about it (including that 3/4 of the population call it as important as water!), I'm here, asking you guys, is it really a basic human right nowadays? Anyone in Australia will probably have a chuckle about that, just try us: we get 1.5Mbps (max) on ADSL1, 12GB a month. We pay $55/month. We could get ADSL2, if we decided to shell out $80 a month, which is kinda not doable for out family. Australia's kinda badly off for Internet access. So do you think Internet is REALLY a right?
No more than television. Regarding regulation and stuff I wish more effort was made on making sure new residential complexes have better network infrastructure in place. I've rented two flats, both in pretty new builds only a few years old, and can't get cable in either (plus the phone lines seem dodgy as hell so even the 2 mbps asdl I get really goes a lot slower and is always cutting out). Seems to be a problem in most multi occupancy buildings.
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Well obviously. What exactly were you trying to say?
I was partially being silly, but mostly thinking of (eg) schools being rubbished for being at the bottom of a league. Well, someone is always at the bottom of a given league. We don't usually get to hear the relative difference between the top and bottom. But answering your original point, how are governments meant to help the less fortunate without classifying them? Big bucket of my (and your) money outsite their office with "help yourself, but only if you REALLY need it" written on the side? There's a valid argument to be made that decades of aid have done more prop up kleptocracies than they have helped the "unfortunate". And what's the UK doing giving aid to India, when they have a space program!? Yours ranty today for some reason, Iain.
I am one of "those foreigners coming over here and stealing our jobs". Yay me!
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Bang on the money. If they stopped classify everything and just got in and helped the 'less fortunate', well then, there wouldn't be any 'less fortunate'.
dawmail333 wrote:
If they stopped classify everything and just got in and helped the 'less fortunate', well then, there wouldn't be any 'less fortunate'.
That goes totally and completely against the principles of capitalism! The function of the less fortunate is to give everything they have (money, time, blood, etc.) to the more fortunate!
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I was partially being silly, but mostly thinking of (eg) schools being rubbished for being at the bottom of a league. Well, someone is always at the bottom of a given league. We don't usually get to hear the relative difference between the top and bottom. But answering your original point, how are governments meant to help the less fortunate without classifying them? Big bucket of my (and your) money outsite their office with "help yourself, but only if you REALLY need it" written on the side? There's a valid argument to be made that decades of aid have done more prop up kleptocracies than they have helped the "unfortunate". And what's the UK doing giving aid to India, when they have a space program!? Yours ranty today for some reason, Iain.
I am one of "those foreigners coming over here and stealing our jobs". Yay me!
I kinda meant if they used their COMMON SENSE (which is ironically uncommon), rather than spending weeks debating over it, more could be done... If India are misspending their treasury, that's their business. It's the fortunate who should be making sure others have money to work with.
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I kinda meant if they used their COMMON SENSE (which is ironically uncommon), rather than spending weeks debating over it, more could be done... If India are misspending their treasury, that's their business. It's the fortunate who should be making sure others have money to work with.
dawmail333 wrote:
If India are misspending their treasury, that's their business.
I have no trouble with India spending their own money howsoever they wish. I'm sure I'd be critical of parts, and enthusiastic about other parts. Pretty much like spending is most other countries. My objection was more at the UK being daft enough to give aid to a country that can afford space rockets. Iain.
I am one of "those foreigners coming over here and stealing our jobs". Yay me!
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dawmail333 wrote:
If India are misspending their treasury, that's their business.
I have no trouble with India spending their own money howsoever they wish. I'm sure I'd be critical of parts, and enthusiastic about other parts. Pretty much like spending is most other countries. My objection was more at the UK being daft enough to give aid to a country that can afford space rockets. Iain.
I am one of "those foreigners coming over here and stealing our jobs". Yay me!
Yeah, but I mean, it sounds like they are not allocating their treasury too well, and I think that's why Britain is stepping in. I could be wrong: I'm not too familiar with world status TBH.
modified on Friday, July 2, 2010 12:15 AM
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I remember last year, getting a question on my IPT exam about the responsibility of 3rd world governments in providing their citizens with Internet access. Now, after reading about Finnland adding laws to classify it as a right, and all that's happening in Britain about it (including that 3/4 of the population call it as important as water!), I'm here, asking you guys, is it really a basic human right nowadays? Anyone in Australia will probably have a chuckle about that, just try us: we get 1.5Mbps (max) on ADSL1, 12GB a month. We pay $55/month. We could get ADSL2, if we decided to shell out $80 a month, which is kinda not doable for out family. Australia's kinda badly off for Internet access. So do you think Internet is REALLY a right?
No. Life can be lived without the Internet. It is more of a crutch than anything else.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." --Stephen Crane
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No. Life can be lived without the Internet. It is more of a crutch than anything else.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." --Stephen Crane
I would actually disagree. Seriously. It seems to be a bit more than a crutch, many business etc. rely on the Internet.
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I would actually disagree. Seriously. It seems to be a bit more than a crutch, many business etc. rely on the Internet.
dawmail333 wrote:
many business etc. rely on the Internet.
Like a crutch. However, they do not need it. Very few businesses actually need the Internet. Just like I don't need my car. I want it. I don't need my big screen T.V., I want it. Want is not a basic human right. The Internet being a need is tantamount to the rat needing the cheese to be in the same place in the maze because he (or she) has not developed the necessary skills to search the maze.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." --Stephen Crane
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dawmail333 wrote:
many business etc. rely on the Internet.
Like a crutch. However, they do not need it. Very few businesses actually need the Internet. Just like I don't need my car. I want it. I don't need my big screen T.V., I want it. Want is not a basic human right. The Internet being a need is tantamount to the rat needing the cheese to be in the same place in the maze because he (or she) has not developed the necessary skills to search the maze.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." --Stephen Crane
Sure, I can understand what you are saying. But lets just say that all the DNS servers go down for 3 days. What would happen then???
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Sure, I can understand what you are saying. But lets just say that all the DNS servers go down for 3 days. What would happen then???
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Sure, I can understand what you are saying. But lets just say that all the DNS servers go down for 3 days. What would happen then???
I might be able to get a good pick-up basketball game at the part and the U.S. 30% obesity rate might dip a little. Shares of Starbucks would skyrocket. And, best of all, I would no longer have to field calls from overseas trying to sell me stuff.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." --Stephen Crane
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I read that as:
Is the Internet REALLY a human, right now?
So I wasn't the only one!
Cheers, Vikram. (Got my troika of CCCs!)
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And who would know? Actually, probably wouldn't make a difference, the Chinese can't use the 'net anyway... :doh:
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I might be able to get a good pick-up basketball game at the part and the U.S. 30% obesity rate might dip a little. Shares of Starbucks would skyrocket. And, best of all, I would no longer have to field calls from overseas trying to sell me stuff.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." --Stephen Crane
I see you're not really sold on the whole internet thing ;P I personally think that it is a lot more important than most people think, as it's behind the scenes. A lot. :^)
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dawmail333 wrote:
If they stopped classify everything and just got in and helped the 'less fortunate', well then, there wouldn't be any 'less fortunate'.
That goes totally and completely against the principles of capitalism! The function of the less fortunate is to give everything they have (money, time, blood, etc.) to the more fortunate!
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
I think you are referring to the LEADERS in capitalism. After all, without a number of those, our economy wouldn't look any different nowadays. Apparently a massive portion of the wealth in the world belongs to a minority of people. And unfortunately, I don't think it's Mensa.
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Richard MacCutchan wrote:
Whereas the reality is that people in the west continue to believe that they can get more for less while the rest of the world struggles to feed itself.
Really? Based on what evidence? Where, for example, in Asia are people struggling to feed themselves? Most of Africa is doing well at feeding itself. In fact the real shit holes of the world are mainly run by Theocracies, Communists or Corrupt Fuckers who need to be put against the wall and shot. The west gets what it works for, it does not have civil wars and despots stealing all the money, and it is certainly not putting a stranglehold on technology because of what some goat herders wrote in a book thousands of years ago. Look at places like Pakistan that employs massive departments to go through the internet and ban sites that do not conform to the Koran. Well that's every piece of Science bollocksed in Pakistan then, for they disavow Evolution, are against certain medicines because of the alcohol or fungal ingrediants and demand that instead of being productive you have to stop and pray 5 times a day. Central Africa is riddled with Tribalism and Corruption, where despite most of it being fertile and producing enough food, the theiving magpies at the top steal all the money and shoot those who disagree with them. The Far East and South America are becoming the powerhouses of the new world economy, and they want what we have got, would you deny them fast internet and cheap hardware? Let them that wish to remain stuck in the Bronze Age do so, but by god do not compare us. We have moved on, we look forward not back, and all technology becomes cheaper and better with time. It is just a shame that they use it to beat people, control them, or kill them with it.
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
Whoa, whoa, whoa. People are struggling to feed themselves all over the world. I can walk less than five hundred metres from my house on any given night and probably run into someone going hungry. And praying five times a day does not slow productivity. They just do things differently. On a side note, Muhummad, according to their stories, originally thought praying twenty times a day would be a better idea. Apparently, when he was visited by him in a dream, Moses said something along the lines of "Ok, let's not get carried away here, people have other things to do, how about five times a day?". They pray so often, to ensure that God is always first and foremost in their minds. It's a bit like wearing a WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelet. It's not just Islamist countries restricting the internet, the Australian government is planning to restrict content regarding suicide, pornography, etc. Basically, content that goes against christian ethos.
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I remember last year, getting a question on my IPT exam about the responsibility of 3rd world governments in providing their citizens with Internet access. Now, after reading about Finnland adding laws to classify it as a right, and all that's happening in Britain about it (including that 3/4 of the population call it as important as water!), I'm here, asking you guys, is it really a basic human right nowadays? Anyone in Australia will probably have a chuckle about that, just try us: we get 1.5Mbps (max) on ADSL1, 12GB a month. We pay $55/month. We could get ADSL2, if we decided to shell out $80 a month, which is kinda not doable for out family. Australia's kinda badly off for Internet access. So do you think Internet is REALLY a right?
Including a stat like "3/4 of the population call it as important as water" should be a tell... let's see how all these people would feel stranded somewhere with a crate of Oreo's, highspeed wireless access, and NO water! Second, you commented yourself on how your internet access (at least in terms of speed) options are limited. So if someone does have a "basic human right", is that guaranteed at dial-up access only? Seriously, it's not that simple... this would be a moving target because what was considered fast years ago (wow - a 56k modem!) is grotesquely slow today. Finally, and most importantly, I think we as the human race (and not just those people that we elect), really have to focus more on the "real" basics like clean food, clean water, health, medicine, education, and the hundreds of other more immediate causes (energy crisis, environment, etc. - take your pick), before squandering our time on this type of foolishness. I'm sure their is good intent (and believe me - I'd suffer without my daily dose of TCP!), but even in non-third world countries there are pretty significant reasons to be concerned more with the aforementioned list as opposed to things like internet access. How many people are there living below the poverty line in North America right now? What do you seriously think their primary concern is?
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I remember last year, getting a question on my IPT exam about the responsibility of 3rd world governments in providing their citizens with Internet access. Now, after reading about Finnland adding laws to classify it as a right, and all that's happening in Britain about it (including that 3/4 of the population call it as important as water!), I'm here, asking you guys, is it really a basic human right nowadays? Anyone in Australia will probably have a chuckle about that, just try us: we get 1.5Mbps (max) on ADSL1, 12GB a month. We pay $55/month. We could get ADSL2, if we decided to shell out $80 a month, which is kinda not doable for out family. Australia's kinda badly off for Internet access. So do you think Internet is REALLY a right?
No- But as far as getting a deal on the your access, they should look into getting a phone card, My parents save 30$ a month and have faster access by using a some company Air-card! over getting even dial up where they are.. Which is sad, I live in a metropolitan area, High speed ~20$, parents rural non-dedicated low speed Dial-up (yes they do make the distinction at the provider) is 30$, but the phone line also costs 20$...= CRAP service 50$ Air-card+Service 30$
I'd blame it on the Brain farts.. But let's be honest, it really is more like a Methane factory between my ears some days then it is anything else...