Seeing Double

The last post has the same photo twice. It could be a metaphor for my lack of enthusiasm for computer work.

There are, in this new shiny world, many entrepreneurs who see us all working away for a pittance, lining their shiny capitalistic pockets as we use new technologies with mindless enthusiasm.

I have to admit I hate my computer less than was the case ten years ago. Then I was constantly reminded by Microsoft of misdemeanours that seemed beyond the pale of reason. "You have performed an illegal"... whatever... has ensured that I will probably never visit the United States. Signing a contract that included a political stance in relation to Cuba may or may not still be in place in relation to using many of the programs (I still think of them as "programmes") was bizarre in the extreme, as I have never been to Cuba.

Many younger friends find my ability to read contracts on the Internet as some sort of personal foible. "What contract?... there is no contract"... they assure me.

I wish I could share their innocence...

Laissons le Jolies Démocraties aux Hommes sans Imagination?

Guy Hermet's book about the lack of confidence that modern democracies inspire is a useful starting point for any discussion on the abandonment ordinary people now feel in relation to leaders.

Since, for quite some time, I have held the view that in order to have "leaders" and "led" one might be actually going somewhere, the recent develpments in our government have not given me much to think about. What is money, after all, except for a means of trading with others. If the Euro is about to implode, another, more functional, currency will have to be found. The media is full of news about how "Europe" must be placated, as if "Ireland" was not part of "Europe". It seems that the small minded 19th Century thinking of national interest has not gone away and is wearing out resources, both physical and mental.

We can't all emigrate, so it is worth wondering how the ordinary citizen might best protect themselves against mis-management.

That, I have to admit, gives me very much to ponder on, as I choose interesting colour tonings to cheer myself up...

Why Can't We Have Skyscrapers in Ireland?

I miss the Melbourne skyline.

Any attempt to reach for the stars in Dublin has been subject to planning limits.

Why?