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Posts tagged with "stand"

Internet Honesty

This entry was prompted by <a href=http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2009/...om-the-thieves>Joe Saward's blog</a> writing an entry on some rather blatant plagiarism between <a href=http://formula-1.updatesport.com/new...site/view.html>Update-F1</a> and <a href=http://www.f1-daily.com/news/article...site/view.html>F1-Daily</a>. The fact that F1-Daily has a story bearing the headline:

 

F1-Daily is rogue website
Not related to F1-Daily

 

perhaps suggests which party is the guilty one in this instance. F1-Daily also went down during the typing of this entry...

 

<a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_scraping>Web scraping technology</a>, which has been partially prohibited in Australia since 2003 under <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_Act_2003>The Spam Act</a> but has ambiguous legality elsewhere, appears to be the cause. Surely such behaviour is against copyright if nothing else, considering that graphics and verbatim news items were copied and uploaded to the internet with only the briefest (and most unintentionally amusing) of edits.

 

Theft is also implied in the act. Not only is that the root of the anti-web scraping laws, but UpdateF1 had paid for material from GMM, which was scraped and published without permission. Since the information was GMM's and it was licencing it out to UpdateF1, F1-Daily was committing information property theft when it scraped that part of UpdateF1's site...

 

...or was it? You see, GMM, for all that it purports to produce "between 10 and 20 original, highly researched and professionally compiled Formula 1 news articles for publication every day", doesn't own much content of its own. Rather, it looks through a quantity of journalistic output relating to F1, makes edits at most and then dumps it into an information stream. It doesn't apply the "two sources" rule that, for example, the BBC generally does. It's not clear how GMM acquires permission to re-publish such stories this way, but even if it did so by the expensive-but-legal method of agreeing article distribution rights, the theft would not be against GMM but its source publications (except, of course, for the aforementioned edits). Sometimes the edits might be enough for it to be considered distinctive content and therefore GMM's own material, but that simply raises it to the level of blogger.

 

As far as I can see, the main problem with GMM isn't the sourcing methodology, though I might question its legality (depending on how GMM came by that information in the first place). It is that it is not entirely honest about the nature of its output (this may be an understatement). If it was honest, fewer people would purchase its output. Those who did would not only be completely aware of what they were getting and make that clear to readers, but they could better hold GMM to account. For one thing, I'd like to see anyone acting as a professional information filter (i.e. taking other people's money for the privilege) to have at least some basic information literacy so that they could do their job properly. Simply dumping stories onto a feed and relying on feed recipients to do the hard work of filtering is not only amateurish, but fairly simple to replicate for free with Web 2.0 technologies such as Yahoo! Pipes.

It shouldn't be complicated. Everyone knows (or should know) that the journalists on the scene are necessary to understanding what's going on in F1. Logic suggests that they are the ones most likely to know the truth (or something close to the truth, where stories are at the guesstimate stage) and therefore the most authoritative sources. Sometimes other sources can come up with creative takes on a situation that shed more light on it - but they shouldn't be taken as gospel. For that matter, stories that sound completely ridiculous generally warrant further investigation before being believed.

Different circumstances affect the story. If you're in a paddock, you will see different things compared to being at the race but watching from the stands. In turn, someone watching from the stands will have a different perspective from someone watching at home. Indeed, the country "home" is in and (in some cases) the availability of broadband access or quality paper journalism can significantly affect what someone understands about a situation, for each country has a different combination of people analysing the typical race.

 

Furthermore, each of us has a particular talent for looking at different parts of the sport and for seeing it in different ways. When we write accordingly, our work improves and we help spread understanding and strength between one another. When we feign an expertise that belongs to another, we confuse ourselves and reduce the quality of everyone else's experience.

 

So let's acknowledge who and what we are. Let us try to fulfil the role(s) we claim to have to the best of our abilities, let others fill the roles we cannot and act with due respect to one another for helping build the F1 community. Some of us fill several roles - in fact most of us when we note that reading, commenting and posting replies can also be roles. In no particular order:

 

Journalists are journalists.

Bloggers are bloggers.

Podcasters are podcasters.

Forumites are forumites.

Commenters are commenters.

Media filters are media filters.

Thieves are thieves.

 

It's when we pretend to be what we're not that the troubles begin...

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Say hello to my little friend... ...Meme

Date: November 19 2009

Currently: Reading F1 Racing (October 2009 edition)

Mood: Contemplative !:l

 

Warning! Long entry alert!

 

Nothing I saw in F1 today particularly inspired me, so I'm doing this 100-item meme I spotted in Laraine Creech's Facebook notes.

 

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET It?

I don't think I have got any scars.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?

One wall of wallpaper and three of bright yellow paint*. On the paint, there are nine bookshelves piled high with books, a big poster featuring a map of the Silverstone circuit dating from 2002 and a framed photograph of me and my two best friends from secondary school/sixth form.

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOU SLEEP?

I don't snore or grind my teeth, but apparently I'm nearly as talkative during some parts of my sleep cycle as I am when I'm awake. Fortunately few people are in a position to find out first-hand.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?

Pop, rock, metal and selected tunes in other genres.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?

6:30pm. Apparently I took most of the day to turn up - I wasn't exactly in a rush to make an appearance in the world.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?

To finish this blog entry in an interesting way!

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?

I don't really understand this question...

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION(S)?

Difficult one. Among actual possessions, probably my PDA. But I try not to get too attached to particular items because everything is transient.

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU?

1 metre, 72 centimetres.

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?

Not unless the space is stuffed full of people. If it's stuffed full of inanimate or slow-moving objects (or the space just wasn't very big in the first place), I'm fine because I know where the remaining space will be.

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?

No.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?

My ex-supervisor, who thought that persistently shouting bad names at someone with sensitive ears was a good idea. Eventually, my ears (and brain) protested too loudly for resisting to work.

13. WHAT'S YOUR WORST FEAR?

I'm not sure.

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?

I have absolutely no preference.

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF PROPOSING AT?

I have enough trouble seeing myself proposing in the first place...

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?

If I must have one, energy drink - I dislike the taste of the former and find the latter too sugary-tasting for anything except swimming galas (and even then I usually dilute it).

17. FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?

Hawaiian (pineapple and ham).

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Ice cream.

19. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME?

Blue. It is such an expressive colour...

20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH?

I've had goldfish in the pond before, but I left the job of eating them to the local heron.

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?

When I was very small (I think I was four, but I might have been three), my great-grandparents gave me a knitted grey rabbit. It meant a lot to me because it was a tangible symbol of their love for me.

22. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH?

No. Never had one.

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?

If I am, I don't know about it.

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?

Bon Marché. They seem to be one of the few brands that do clothing that feel practical and fit without looking ugly.

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:

26

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES

Either.

32. FAVORITE QUOTE?

"Million-to-one chances occur nine times out of ten" - Terry Pratchett, "Guards! Guards!"

33. FAVORITE PLACE(s)?

My local library (and every other library I've ever visited), Sheffield College, Silverstone

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA?

I've never been in the USA in the first place, but I've been to Switzerland, Belgium and France as well as the UK (where I live). The first two for swimming galas and the latter on a school trip.

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?


I am a creature of habit who can be somewhat inflexible, struggle with interpreting the world at times... ...and also is rather messy!

36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS?

Quite a few people. I've had autographs from Eddie Jordan, Matt Neal, David Coulthard, Allan McNish, Martin and Alex Brundle.

37. FIRST JOB?

Assistant librarian in a local-ish library.

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?

Only on Sims 2!

39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOULMATE?

No, but I think a significant minority have got a soulmate. The concept exists but some people are equally (or nearly-equally) compatible with multiple people and others aren't really compatible with anyone.

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT?

Looking through the F1 news on the internet, re-reading F1 Racing October 2009 in the process.

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?

No. Nearest I've had is having my head glued back together five weeks ago (what a way to fill a Sunday morning...)

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?

My writing.

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES?

No.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?

A book (I'm not picky...)

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT AND THEIR NAMES?

I don't know if I want kids at the moment, largely because I wouldn't have a clue how to bring them up if I had any. I have lots of potential names, but as yet no faces to attach them to...

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

My real middle names were also my mum's and grandma's middle names, but my first name wasn't named for anyone (apart from a religious figure - ironic since my parents aren't religious). My psuedonym's first name is from a book called "Dragonsbane" by Patricia C. Wrede - the character originally bearing that first name was a princess.

47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?

I have no idea.

48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU LIKE(D) ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL**?

Learning stuff.

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?

Cheap supermarket shampoo, in the "anti-grease" category. "Anti-chlorine" and/or "anti-dandruff" are bonus features. I use a separate conditioner, which is typically the fanciest one in the local pound shop.

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

I do - it's legible and fairly stylish in cursive format and cute in separated-letter format. Block capitals come out slightly strange, but never mind...

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?

Gammon.

52. ANY BAD HABITS?

Lots - disorganisation being perhaps my worst.

53. JEALOUS PERSON?

No.

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

If I was someone else, being friends with myself would still be an automatic impulse, wouldn't it? Would make for an interesting philosophical question.

56. DO LOOKS MATTER?

No. I have the aesthetic sense of a house brick.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?

Depends a lot on the circumstances...

58.WOULD YOU RATHER GAIN 58 POUNDS OR LOSE 58 Pounds?

Lose 58 pounds (but I wouldn't want to lose more than that).

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?

A red stuffed stegasaurus with a yellow tongue slightly sticking out and no eyes called Grinny. It's still my favourite toy.

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?

34.

62. WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID?

Barney was after my time. I watched lots of Sesame Street as a little kid though.

63. Do you use sarcasm?

Not very often, which catches people out a lot when I do deploy it.

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?

Macaroni and cheese, though mashed potatoes are also nice.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY?

I don't.

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?

My psuedonym's nicknames are "Alia" and "Ali". The former is my formal nickname while the latter is preferred by internetters with tired fingers.

67. FAVORITE SUPER POWER?

Telempathy.

68. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?

Formula 1 :)

69.WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES?

Explain to them the error of their ways, roll the eyes if they don't get it, then vacate the area (unless they're doing something that needs stopping, in which case you stop it).

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?

Strawberry.

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES?

I have all the ones I was born with connected to my body at this moment and do not anticipate repositioning any of them in the near future.

72. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM?

The one I'm typing on, and at the moment my PDA (a mobile phone that pretends to be a computer) is in here being charged as well.

73. PLANS FOR TONIGHT?

Blogging (wikiing?) and catching up with my internet friends.

74. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE WHEN YOU ARE OLDER?

In a cheap house somewhere quiet but well-connected.

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?

Only the people who want to.

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

At this exact moment? Kelly Clarkson - a live version of "Beautiful Disaster".

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK?

Orange-and-lemon squash.

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

Someone from a local JobCentre referring a client to the organisation I'm placed at (which provides assistance to unemployed people),

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?

That they're there (usually).

80. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

Reading, swimming, various forms of computing and listening to music.

81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?

Prejudice.

82. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR?

Autumn. Somehow it seems to be the gentlest season, F1 increases in tempo and lots of new stuff starts in my personal life (for example, it's the start of academic years).

83. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CANDY?

Fairtrade orange-flavoured, spice-infused dark chocolate.

84. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY AND TRULY HAD A BEST FRIEND?

Yes. Twice. The first one between nursery and sixth form and the second one during my university years.

85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?

Dark brown.

86. EYE COLOR?

The same shade of brown.

87. SHOE SIZE?

Size 7-9, depending on the make.

88. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?

Subway.

89. FAVORITE RESTAURANT?

BB's in Sheffield (the Italian restaurant, not the coffee shop)

90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI?

I do, and I've eaten it a few times.

91. WATCH TV TODAY?

15 minutes of news, about an hour of music channels, plus most of Golden Balls (it happened to be on when I was visiting Grandma). Unusually high amount for me.

92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?

This changes every year. This year it was September 3 (with June 21 and January 10 being a close second and third), last year it was 21 June, the year before it was 12 June...

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?

I play the guitar, keyboard and recorder - none of them particularly well, but I can get a tune out of each of them. I prefer singing though.

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?

If I were American, I'd vote Democrat. As it is, I vote Labour in general elections because my constituency happens to have a brilliant MP right now who deserves support (among other things for not agreeing with his party on certain key topics) and Liberal Democrat otherwise.

95. KISSES OR HUGS?

Neither, unless it's a really unexpected special occasion or you've warned me first. In which case either is fine.

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?

Relationships. I don't see the point of one night stands.

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?

A packet of fruit Polos on Tuesday from the train station.

98. WOULD YOU EVER BE A HOUSE WIFE?

No. I have absolutely no talent in that direction.

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?

That should be a plural. I am reading "Making Time" by Steve Taylor downstairs, F1 Racing (October 2009 edition) and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J. K. Rowling upstairs and "Nightwings" by Robert Silverberg when I'm out. I usually have at least three books on the go simultaneously, due to my bookworm-like nature.

100. DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE?

Easy. I don't have one and don't want one right now.

 

* - Believe it or not, this paint scheme was decided the year before I became a supporter of the extremely yellow-coloured Jordan team.

 

** - Sixth form is the nearest British equivalent to high school.

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