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Spectators of different ethnic groups attacked each other at the Australian Open (Tennis) yesterday. Wow. I didn’t imagine this could happen at the tennis. I’ve written about this sort of behaviour before. I’m over writing about it, really. I guess it is a sign of the times, and a sign of the sick problems this society has to deal with.

Except I don’t think this society can deal with it. Sad.

Doc Searls has a great post on the ongoing spreading of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) regarding Net Neutrality. Check it out.

Apparently any Australian resident travelling to the USA may soon have to submit to having all of their fingerprints stored in an FBI database. There is nothing official yest, but according to the Sydney Morning Herald, it could happen soon. Furthermore, there may be nothing in place to prevent this information to be widely distributed amongst the many US law enforcement agencies. This doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in me, and could seriously make me not want to visit the US while such a law is in place.

In other news, if you are willing to risk your life in ‘conflict zones’, there are apparently lots of business opportunities for the adventurous entrepreneur.

I’ve made mention of it in previous posts, but I have a casual fascination with Autism & Autistic people. I haven’t looked at it myself yet (I’m currently at work), but I wanted to link to this video so I can view it later. Apparently it tells the story of an Autistic woman who has an uncanny ability of understanding animals.

Link via BoingBoing.

[Bonus Link] I learnt Morse Code as a 12 year-old (but since forgotten it) as I was aiming to get my Ham Radio License with my father. BoingBoing has a link about this, although it may be specific to the USA (I’ll have to read this properly later).

Hugh MacLeod has taken a leaf out of John Dodds book, and condensed his excellent HughTrain Manifesto into the HughTrain Minifesto. According to Hugh, it has only about 400 words compared to the 4,500 in the original.

I like this trend…it makes it easier to read this stuff, as we’re all short of time. Especially when it is something as worthwhile reading as the HughTrain is.

For those who may not know, the whole xTrain meme kinda originated with the ClueTrain Manifesto a few years back, a book/website I and many others regard as one of the best books written on how to conduct business in the ‘internet era’.

Check this out - it is a really cool thing in my opinion. A guy in the UK is selectively cleaning the grime off urban walls to create his art. It’s like anti-graffiti.

Link via Ben.

I think that the after-effects of the attack on the world trade centre on the 11th of September 2001 are still going to be felt for years to come. And it is only going to get worse. Why? Because the governments of many ‘western’ countries are letting the terrorists win. How so?

1. There seems to be no recognition at the top levels of government that oppressed peoples aren’t always going to respond positively to a completely foreign occupying army, with whom there is often very little common ground to begin with, and no effort to build any common ground.
2. As soon as the ‘war on terror’ justified the invasion of other nations, the hypocrisy of this equation was not only plain to see, but far too easy for terrorists and extremists to manipulate the disenfranchised, suffering people into supporting such heinous actions. At that point it became not a war to protect what was attacked, but a war to win the hearts and minds of the people who could actually make a difference in tracking down the Osama bin-Ladens: regular Afghanis, Pakistanis, Saudis etc. This is a war that the ‘west’ is losing badly.
3. The ban on liquids on Airline flights? The huge delays? The terrorists are winning every time the authorities introduce some additional rule ‘for our safety’ that doesn’t actually make any difference, except for scaring the hell out of us and causing havoc.

Seriously, there is much to be worried about in this world if are waiting for politicians to solve all the problems. Things that actually deserve more attention than this ridiculous, and largely phoney, ‘war on terror’.

I just saw an interview Andrew Denton conducted with Al Gore, on the ABC’s Enough Rope program.

Al Gore was talking up his new movie, An Inconvenient Truth, and the issues behind it. He spoke with passion, intelligence, authority and good-humour. I’m no longer curious why he lost the U.S. presidential campaign in 2000. It’s a well known fact that people rarely vote for people they cannot relate to in some capacity. And, sadly, the qualities Al Gore displayed in this interview are not ones he shares with most other Americans.

Anyway, I hope he doesn’t get back into politics. That would be such a waste. I want to go see the film, but I’m probably not the target audience. I already convinced the planet is going to rack and ruin. Those of you who think global warming is a crock, go see this so you can shoot in down in flames. Go on. Those of you who are unsure, this is as good a place as any to start a quest for knowledge. And its just a trip to the movies! How easy is that?

I hate just listing links, but I’m tired and I have too many I want to post.

dg links to a video of a talk give by Cory Doctorow at Microsoft regarding DRM.

dg links to another place to buy DRM-free music online.

Five suggestions for better communication with clients at The Social Customer Manifesto.

Triple J’s unearthed site - discovering unsigned bands across Australia for about 10 years.

DIY approach to getting an ISBN for your new book.

If you are interested in how the global price of Oil is rising, and the politics behind this, you might be interested in this article here.