TODAY'S SUNDAY TIMES includes more long reads per inch than most issues I've purchased during the past 12 months. Its contents today will keep the paper on my kitchen table for most of the next week.
The Backlash Against SOPA
Camilla Long talked to Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia to find out why he shut down the global encyclopedia to protest against privacy laws. Perhaps a more compelling piece comes from Adrian Weckler in the Sunday Business Post. [2] Weckler believes "the Irish government's new statutory instrument threatens to do some of the same things as SOPA, mainly introducing the power to force ISPs to block websites suspected of having copyrighted material on them." This is wrong-headed mainly because of its lack of due process. If this Irish law is rammed through the Dail without the benefit of primary legislative review, it will damage the attraction Ireland has held out for companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter. In my mind, the legislation outlined to Adrian Weckler by the Minister for State Sean Sherlock gives major record labels Gestapo-like powers in Ireland. In the world defined by draft Irish legislation, when a content creator issues a complaint to an ISP, there is no discussion. There's only a takedown (or shutdown). This is bad legislation for Ireland and as toxic to innovation as SOPA and PIPA in the States. These points percolate out in discussion at Boards.ie.
Creativity in a Quiet Place.
A new book by Susan Cain argues teamwork might actually be stifling the creativity it was meant to engender. [3] [4] Susan's work is available in all formats, including audible and Kindle.
Costa Concodia Sinking.
A local couple survived the sinking of the cruise ship Costa Concordia last week. They stood on the boat as it slipped more than 30 degrees off its hull, choosing carefully to walk on metal surfaces and not on the restaurant's glass windows as the boat slipped further underwater. A full page Sunday Times article offers an insider look at some documents that have leaked from the initial investigation. The back story has hints of ego and sex. [5]
Ireland's Sinking Austerity Fortunes.
It is clear that the troika wants a success story and Ireland is the poster child. [6] The problem, seen by our household, is a steady decay of State services, higher taxes, lower wages, and despondent local trading.
More Love for Quick Response Codes.
Where I work, we're looking at ways to make QR codes part of a major exhibition. Sandra O'Connell continues a series of articles about QR codes, this time looking across restaurants, produce shelves and application developers. She talked to Dermot Daly about his views. [7]
If you subscribe to my flow on YouTube, you'll get these long reads as a 13-minute video clip.
1. Camilla Long -- "Hi! I'm the guy who blacked out the world" in the Sunday Times, January 22, 2012.
2. Adrian Weckler -- "This piracy debate will have lasting consequences" in The Sunday Business Post, January 22, 2012.
3. Margarette Driscoll -- "Do not disturb: loners do the best work" in the News Review section of the Sunday Times, January 22, 2012.
4. Susan Cain -- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, 2012.
5. John Follain and Jon Ungoed-Thomas -- "The Showboater" is the Focus article in the Sunday Times, January 22, 2012.
6. Brian Carey -- "Off to See the Markets" in the Focus section of the Sunday Times, January 22, 2012.
7. Sandra O'Connell -- "Better sales are just a text away" in the Small Business section of the Sunday Times, January 22, 2012.
