A successful start

I'm nicking this from Luna 17 coz he has written it so succinctly that it is hardly worth me re-writing (good ole creative commons!)

All I shall add at the mo is that if you want to get involved, DO. You can send any thing of interest to content@counterfire.org, you can come to events and you can suggest things for us to do differently. Do keep looking out for changes-this is a Work in Progress and, due to the nature of the new technologies we have at our disposal, always will be.

A successful start

I'm part of the editorial team for the Counterfire website which was launched last Monday. During its first week the site had around 10,000 visits, an extremely promising start.

News stories include new revelations of abuses of migrant workers, the decision to allow BNP members in teaching, left-wing campaigner Clare Solomon's victory in the London student elections, and the truth behind media myths about NATO operations in Afghanistan.

Feature articles includean insightful look at 'Why kids kill kids' (in the wake of controversy about Jon Venables), Michael Moore's new film reviewed, an overview ofthe crisis in Greece and why it has global implications, and an account of how the internet was used to mobilise against Berlusconi in Italy.

There'slots more already in the pipeline, which will be working its way online in the coming days and weeks. And if you have a report, pictures or video footage to contribute yourself, please get in touch.

Hello iPad, Goodbye Internet As We Know It

Cheers to Richard from the excellent Third Estate blog for alerting me to this fab piece. He promises he's going to write more in the Internet, and from an Arendtian position (?!) - is that a sort of post-Heideggarian technology/nature stance then? Anyway, totally looking forward to it.

The US launch of the iPad marks a historic moment. Not ‘the end of books’ as some doomsayers would have it, or the even the start of the great Books vs Internet wars. No, today Apple has reversed the flow of their business model. And with it, the internet.

Some explanation. Ever wondered why most people have PCs, even though Apple Macs look nicer, work better and are more cutting edge technologically? There’s a very simple answer. It’s because when Microsoft and Apple were starting up, they used two different business models. Microsoft franchised: they’d produce the software, and would actively help anyone else build the hardware. Apple, on the other hand, was to always make the software and the hardware together, and allow no sharing or copying of either part of the design. This is exemplified by the iPod and iTunes.

This started to change a few years ago with the release of the MacBook (bear with me here, all will be revealed). The switch from Motorola to Intel microchips means that any Mac can run Microsoft Windows as well as Apple’s own software. Today, the iPad is released on the US market – and expressly enables other companies to develop their own software (‘Apps’) for the iPad. While Apple has got its own ‘iBooks’ (yes, really), there’s also going to be Apps from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and, when the iPad gets released in Britain later this month, undoubtedly iWaterstones and eFoyles will make appearances as well.

All those best sellers just lining up to be best sold

As you can tell, the big plus about the iPad is that it supports ebooks like never before. Even though Amazon released the Kindle last year, whose screen is actually seen by many as superior to the iPad’s, the book über-emporiorum stated that they “look forward to making Kindle available for iPad very soon.”

What? ‘But Kindle’s a piece of hardware!’ I hear you say. ‘How can a piece of hardware be made available on another piece of hardware?’ A very good question indeed. What Amazon means by this enigmatic little nugget is that they’re going to be releasing software called something naff like iKindle, to be used on iPads to buy eBooks. This burgeoning market of small letter software is about two main things: adverts and publishers.

What the Times sees as a great deal for consumers, in which a price war makes ebooks cheaper and cheaper, is actually a really good method for ensuring that big publishing houses increase their control in the market, not just be being able to offer ebooks at a price that cuts below that needed by any publisher to support writers and researchers. I don’t want to give an impression here that this is about starving novellists, poets writing in the garret by the light of the moon and the glow of the screen. This is about journals, newspapers, magazines. It’s about high quality independent research and cutting comment.

Already we’ve seen over the past 6 months alone all sorts of clamp downs on the unadulterated free content promised by the internet. From the Digital Economy Bill to Google Books, from Sky News to the New Yorker, the days of free online content are coming to an end. ‘Hey, there are always ways to get round these things!’ I hear you interject again. ‘I mean Napster and Pirate Bay might be hounded by big governments and corporations, but we’ll find a way, right?’

Wrong. Because, just like with big book stores, most people aren’t going to be using the small independent software on their iPad – their going to be relying on big business to give them access to the world of words. But this time it’s all digital, which means its a lot, lot easier to control and manipulate.

When I read history essays or NEF reports online, no one interferes with my experience at the moment. But just as we’ve seen that change with music, so it might well change with books. Youtube videos now come with pop up adverts and dollar signs; Spotify seems to be increasing its advert to music ratio each day. All these new ebook reading applications are going to support these kinds of tie-ins: buy three volumes of Freud and get a pop-up ad for Lady GaGa.

The Communist Manifesto ebook: now with added rotation!

But most importantly, the technological control of information allows for the clawing away of that access in a state of emergency. This doesn’t just mean the effective banning of radical texts, something which, remember, we’ve seen in the last few years both on the left and on the right. It can also be for the smallest, most ridiculous-seeming reasons: it’s worth recalling that the first call for state monopoly of the printing presses came from an Italian humanist to the Pope in 1471 (a mere ten years after Gutenberg’s invention), complaining that the quality of the Latin texts produced were so poor that the Vatican should legislate all printing activity immediately.

While the rest of the world is Pope bashing, maybe we should stop and examine the activities of our own growing church of ideas – all hail the Corporations of the Text! Maybe to elucidate a bit more where I’m coming from on this, here’s the excellent James Boyle:

“I care about the Web not because I want to live my life there, but because of what it has allowed us to achieve, what it represents for the potential of open science and culture… In place of what we have today, I think…we are trying to reinvent a tamer, more controlled Web and to change the nature of the underlying networks on which it operates. We would restrict openness of access, decrease anonymity, and limit the number of actions that a network participant could perform.

“The benefits would be undeniable. It would cut down on spam, viruses, and illicit peer-to-peer file sharing. At the same time, it would undercut the iconoclastic technological, cultural and political potential the Web offer, the ability of a new technology, a new service to build on open networks and open protocols, without needing approval from regulators or entrenched market players, or even the owner of the Web pages to which you link.”

I’m not saying there’s anything in particular we can do about all this: at least, no one’s told me a course of grass-roots action we could take yet. I’m certainly not about to go on a bout of boycotting. But at the least we should be aware of this almost inevitable drive towards the restriction of the free information age.

Related Posts:

• How can philosophers change history if they can’t read it?
• Coercion and the defunct
• Murdoch’s proposals are good for journalism and good for us
• The Price of Philanthro-Capitalism
• We need to talk about the future of the creative industries.

Tansy Hoskins on sexism, war, & awfullness in *that* Rhianna video

New left-wing blog in town, it's Tanzle Town! HERE.

And what a great first article talking about the strange, if not down right perverted, video by Rhianna depicting war, sexism & violence as if it is empowering and something to be proud of.

Well done Tansy, I look forward to many more of your musings.

So, her premier, premiere article goes as follows:

"If you haven't already seen the music video for Rihanna's new single 'Hard' you can view it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qMIyGOFhZ4

My problems with this video are threefold. Firstly, this video is pure old fashioned misogyny masquerading as empowerment. The second is that the position of female soldiers has been completely distorted – US State Department figures report that one in three women in the US military will be raped or sexually assaulted by her male counterparts. And the third is that riding around on a colonialist expedition with America’s army does not make you ‘hard’ and that war is not something to be glamorised.

It saddens me to see the route that Rihanna has taken with this video, particularly since she has herself recently been the victim of domestic violence by her former partner. It appears that this video is in part a reaction to that period of her life or at least a reaction to the media circus that sprung up around her since. The fact remains that we live in a world where one in six women are raped and even greater numbers suffer abuse – stopping this should be a priority in the world today but it isn’t. It is no wonder therefore that there is still a market for the false empowerment in this video, that the music industry can tell women that sex is the real way to be respected by men. Unless things change more young women will remain both lost, exploited and unempowered.

“Its not for her specific feminine virtue that gives women a place of honour in human society, but the worth of her useful work accomplished for society, the worth of her personality as a human being, as a creative worker, as citizen, thinker or fighter.” So wrote Alexandra Kollantai almost a hundred years ago. Sadly not much has changed in this respect. Women are still valued primarily for how they look. This is not to say that women can not be fighters. They are. Across the world they play their part in conflicts, fighting and dying along side men. And at the other end of the spectrum they take their place on the sporting field, becoming known for their strength, courage and endurance."

Read more HERE.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qMIyGOFhZ4

[Posted with iBlogger from my iphone ]

5 things Vestas sit in is teaching us...

From the great blog River's Edge found HERE.

1. Capitalism is such a crazy profit-driven system that it does utterly ridiculous things, like closing a plant producing wind turbine blades at the precise time when the need for such technology has never been higher. If capitalism is allowed to continue in this unplanned and chaotic way, we will never achieve even the weak climate change targets agreed by world governments.

2. The social class that is most conscious of the threat to our environment, and best placed to do something about it, is the working class, because it does not share the insane lust for profit at the cost of anything else that is driving the owners of industry and the oil and energy companies to pollute and despoil our planet.

3. Workers who take militant action, like occupying a closing plant, are winning massive support and understanding from their community, and solidarity from around the world.

4. While the police, courts and legal system are designed to defend the right of a company to make profits ahead of the right of workers to work, and the need to save our planet by reducing carbon emissions, a strong campaign mobilising thousands can win victories, even here.

5. The Labour government has utterly failed to defend these jobs, or the plant, despite all their professed policies on climate change and the environment. Labour has abandoned the working class and is in the pocket of the big business polluters. Labour's commitment to the environment is an empty husk. We need a political alternative to Labour, and the Vestas workers could be key players in building and leading such an alternative.

MET CHIEF WARNED "RIOT COPS WILL KILL" BEFORE TOMLINSON

MET CHIEF WARNED "RIOT COPS WILL KILL" BEFORE TOMLINSON

EXCLUSIVE on The Sauce

BRITAIN'S most senior policeman, Sir Paul Stephenson, was warned in writing that police violence would lead to “serious injuries or even deaths” just three weeks before Ian Tomlinson was pushed to the ground and killed by an officer.

The Met Police commissioner was warned by senior organisers from the Stop the War Coalition that riot officers were so out of hand they were putting the lives of "at serious risk" in a formal letter - backed up by a dossier of evidence.

Read more from Brendan HERE

Another cop abuses his power. Down with police brutality

We have been asked to spread this video and find out who he is. Up with 'citizen' journalism: up with democratic coverage of demonstrations



Clearer pics can be found at Indymedia HERE

Hossein Derakhshan and Virtual Iran-Free the Blogfather

My friend Hossein who was at SOAS with me has been imprisoned in Iran for now 163 days. He was arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel. Please help spread the news annd help get him released.

** Hossein Derakhshan has been nominated by Index On Censorship for "the Economist New Media Award 2009" for it's contribution to the Iranian blogosphere. May this nomination help to more to raise voices on his behalf.

- http://awards.indexoncensorship.org/

1. Please Sign the petition, available in 4 languages, asking for his immediate release. (FYI-GB is Royaume Uni in French. It took me ages to work it out!)

2. For bloggers and journalist. Please help spread the word.

3. If you have personal story to tell about Hossein Derakhshan, or if you want to contribute by writing something that we will post on freetheblogfather' site.
--------------------------------------
The Iranian blogging phenomenon was triggered after the contribution of Hossein Derakhshan on how-to to write blogs in Farsi and one of the most recurrent themes analysed by academics interested in Iran's youth culture.

Hossein Derakhshan now imprisoned since last November 2008 contributed in establishing bridges of communication between a country with a limited public sphere like Iran and the rest of the world. The phenomenon he contributed to represents the need for alternative platforms of expression and is a vehicle for social development and assertion of Iranian Identity both within and outside the boundaries of the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, the usage of new media technology sets Iran the challenge of global free-flow of information.Hossein’s arrest is the prove of the danger that new media set to the I.R.I. This leads one to question: is Iran ready to use those media to develop its own “Neither East nor West” particular political, social and economical non-western-like model in setting the country back into the race of worlds most influential country? Or is it going to use them to increase its isolation from the international panorama by threatening the safety of Iranian online journalists and bloggers hence contributing to it’s own demonization?

Hossein Derakhshan is an Iranian-Canadian blogger and journalist and a fellow student at SOAS, University of London, who spent the last eight years between Canada and the U.K before his return to Tehran in the past month of October 2008. Hossein, aka Hoder, is hailed as the "blogfather" of Iranian Blogging because in 2001 he published guidelines of how to blog in Farsi on the site blogger.com. contributing to the boom in blogging that has led to Iran being today amongst the ten biggest blogging nations of the world according to Technorati statistics on the State of the Blogosphere.

According to Derakhshan (Khosravi 2008:157), the popularity of blogs among young people in Iran symbolises the great changes that Iranian society has undergone during the past two decades. The Iranian blogosphere is a reflection of the increasing tolerance in Iran’s society, he says. (1) His blog Editor:Myself or Rooznegar blog by Sina Motallebi his fellow blogger and journalist, were held by the Online Journalism Review as powerful tools for free-speech that linked Iran with the West.

Read the middle section HERE

Let us hope that Hossein Derakhshan's passionate quest for a progressive and tolerant Iran does not fade with his arrest and – for now – uncertain future.

If you want to contribute to the Request of the immediate release of Hossein Derakhshan visit the website freetheblogfather.com and sign the petition.

By Maria Rijo Lopes da Cunha.

Egypt announced expected Israeli F16. Check out this report from Gaza

Good luck Stewart and Patrick-hope you are ok.

Solidarity from SOAS

Video blog by our friends on The Road to Gaza

good luck guys and keep up the good work

http://www.theroadtogaza.org/

Follow them on Twitter HERE

NEW, but still, provisional line-up for Internet for Activists Conference 2009

See blog HERE for more info.

Provisional Line up for conference
	Room G2	Room B102: workshops
10.00-10.30am	Registration
10.30-11.45am	Opening plenary: On the political uses of the internet Speakers: Hicham Yezza. Ex-Nottingham student and Guardian columnist Fiona Osler of Red Pepper and author of "The Activist's Guide to the Internet" Dr. Kevin Gillan, Sociologist, http://www.antiwarresearch.info/
11.45-12.00	Break
12.00-13.00	Internet Security Speakers: George Danezis, Microsoft Research Security Group Rep from the Open Rights Group	Effective online organisation: Widgets, live and micro-blogging & co-ordination Speaker by live link-up from Egypt: Hossam el-Hamalawy of Arabawy blog
13.00-13.30	Lunch. Available in common room
13.30-14.30 Please arrive by 13.00 as there may be unscheduled changes to this session.	Free Our Books Campaign Launch: Speakers so far: Toni Prug. More soon. See http://www.freeourbooks.org.uk/ More info will be added soon	Workshop: Using Humour Effectively Online Speaker: Kate Smurthwaite, Cruella Blog
14.30-14.45	Break
14.45-15.45	Blogging for Building Campaigns Speakers: Richard Seymour of Lenin's Tomb Tim Ireland of Bloggerheads Laurie Penny of Penny Red	Workshop: Video Activism Speaker: Ady Cousins Bring equipment if you want to get started straight away
15.45-16.00	Break
16.00-17.00	Effective Online Campaigning - Success Stories Rep from Encyclopedia Dramatica on the anti-Scientology movement David Semple from ThoughCowardsFlinch and Liberal Conspiracy Karin Robinson, Political Consultant, blogger and regional director of the Americans Abroad for Obama campaign.	Workshop: "Be the Media" With members of Indymedia UK.
Laptop surgery will be run all day in SOAS JCR. Please bring your own equipment to participate in the workshops and your own experiences or questions to participate in the plenaries.
17.00-22.00	Entertainment, food and networking in SOAS bar
Stalls and bookshops all day

Internet for Activists conference at SOAS. All activists welcome

We would like to invite you to our conference on the 14 March entitled "The Internet for Activists 2009". We are students who have seen internet tactics build successful campaigns and gain publicity for important issues.

Our aim is to set up a free conference where advanced internet activists can share their expertise with others and different activist groups can meet to share their own experience, both

of the web and the street.

A one day conference on how to effectively use the internet for activism. Experts in their fields will give seminars, workshops, Laptop urgery and there will be stalls and food. 

Full programme to be published once it has been finalised.

To book a stall or for further details please email 

See our blog for details

Does social networking media curb activism?

Article by Alexandra Sandels

New services good for bloggers...

12 Second TV-works a bit like Twitter/Jaiku and allows you to post 12 second video clips. Although, i haven't worked out how yo use it properly-i'll keep you posted.

And another one called Qik.com

Current/12 Election Challenge: Sing a campaign song for Obama or McCain. on 12seconds.tv


Current/12 Election Challenge: Sing a campaign song for Obama or McCain. on 12seconds.tv

Egyptian blogger Hossam el-Hamalawy discusses the state of independent journalism and free speech in Egypt.

I'm an ideological terrorist-it's now official

Tipped off by my friends in China - the Chinese censors have now decided that my content is not suitable for a "peaceful socialist society" (as they call it) - which is quite ironic really ;-) Basically if you try to load my site from Mainland China it just gives you a "Network Timeout" / 404 Error. Which means that it is most likely censored...

Facebook has also placed similar, although not so severe, restrictions on this site.

1) I can not send the url address in facebook messages unless it has another page at the end of the url because apparently my site contains 'abusive material'

2) I have to enter an annoying security code every time I paste my status to prevent me from spamming!! Also ironically, words I've been asked to submit so far: of occupying, crazy russian; I kid you not... 

I'm glad; it confirms that I am/we are doing enough to worry them or at least piss them off!!