Baaa Baaa Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Whoa,
When did New Zealand become better than Australia?
Did I miss something? Is this Bizarro world?
"Goodbye, I'm Braddy Dane"
For the best couple of weeks there have been two issues that I've found very hard to think about, let alone write about.
Firstly, Steven Conroy still persists with the anti democratic, liberty violating ISP Filtering scheme. This would make Australia the ONLY developed country to have MANDATORY moral filters on the internet. This is an insult to adults everywhere and an extremely dangerous idea.
If you are Australian, and reading this, I implore you to visit this site and sign your name, GetUp! appears to be only organized movement that has a hope of getting the point across.
There has been a supposed version of the blacklist floating around, I have seen it, and yeah - there is ALOT of stuff that nobody should be looking at, exploitation, incest etc. However there are sites on there that are not illegal. I don't want to advertise some of them because they are in poor taste, even by my standards - but they are not illegal, and finding entertainment from them are purely a moral choice and something that NO government ANYWHERE should intervene over.
I would hope that to anyone who peruses this site would have enough common sense to know when something just isn't right, so I shouldn't have to expand on this too much as I would be preaching to the choir.
One of the pages on this list includes the following Wikipedia user profile !NSFW! now this page isn't really "tasteful" but there is NOTHING ILLEGAL - why the hell is blocked? some of the "pornographic" sites that are blocked are the standard web portals (don't think I don't know that you know what I'm talking about) - the same type of portals I visit from time to time (or daily, hourly) and there is nothing on those sites a consenting adult should not be able top view in the privacy of their own home.
The second thing that has been bugging me is the new Victorian legislation to ban iPhones as a gps unit in cars. This would include not being able to use them even if they are mounted in a cradle, you know LIKE A STANDARD GPS. And what is the reasoning?
"The Primary function of the phone is a phone, not a GPS"
What? So we are only to use devices based on their PRIMARY FUNCTION now?
OK then, I would expect ice trays banned from freezers, gaming banned from PCs, radios banned from cars, dvd functionality banned from the Xbox and all permits for home businesses revoked as we ONLY now use things based ONLY on their primary function. While we are at it, what is the primary function of a human being?
This law is so technophobic and ass-backwards that I'd laugh if I thought there was any hope of quashing it, but alas I know this will pass.
The iPhone, HTC whateverthefuck and any number of "smartphones" are rapidly adding new features and uses that are quickly making them integral parts of our lives. In fact, I'd say the feature I use the least on my iPhone is the phone. To me, the primary function of the device is a portable internet client.
I do not condone the use of mobile phones whilst driving, but utilising the phone as a GPS unit whilst NOT touching it and having it cradled shouldn't be an issue.
I started today's post by mentioning New Zealand, and saying that they are better than Australia.
Do you know why I've said that?
New Zealand has said they won't introduce a MANTATORY filter.
New Zealand also have NO plans to ban using one's phone as a GPS unit.
Even if they did, I would expect it I mean - they have sex with sheep - and that is a FACT - I read it on the internet.
I have said it once and I will say it again.
If the ISP filter passes government and is forced upon myself on anyone in my family, I will prepare to leave this country and will not return.
I won't leave without a fight though and will do everything I can to get such legislation reversed.
Failing that, I will leave this country.
I hope I am not the only one who feels this way.
- db
