 On The Net - Computing News
with Chris Goh
Technology Means all the World's the Stage
Whether we like it or not globalisation and free trade have contributed a lot to world peace. Even before the Great War, the British Admiralty stated that the propensity for a nation to go to war was in part dependant on whether the spoils of war would be greater than the cost.
A century ago, when Britannia ruled the waves, global wealth and global trade was heavily dependant on colonisation and physically being there. Over the last three decades, computers and digital networks have changed the way global capital does business. Now anyone with a credit card or online bank account can take part in global monetary trading regardless of where they live.
Enter China, after many years of isolation. They have come a long way, but not necessarily in the same direction as Mao's Great Leap Forward. The late Premier Zhou Enlai worked hard at ending China's isolation policy and bringing the nation into the global economy - and everyone agrees that when the red dragon rears its head, the Chinese economy will play a major part in influencing world trade.
That influence has been felt already - when the country changed its policy from trading in US dollars to the Euro. The Euro had been struggling, but since then, it has not looked back.
Now I know anti-globalist readers will disagree. The price of "peace" through economic wealth and globalisation also has some ominous problems, including exploitation. And in order to keep that peace, politicians don't necessarily concern themselves with humanitarian issues (although they do believe that its important that constituents believe they do) preferring to point to economic growth.
But if you want to cast the first stone, let's test your ethical behaviour. If you could make a $100 profit by selling shoes made by a Chinese sweatshop worker would you do it? What about if it was a $10 million profit?
The question reminds me of an incident with the famous playwright, George Bernard Shaw. He was dining with a noblewoman and asked the lady whether she would go to bed with him for a million pounds? After some thought, she said that she would. (No doubt it later inspired a Robert Redford movie). Shaw asked if she'd do it for one pound. The woman was offended and asked whether he thought that she was a common street lady. Shaw replied: "We already know that, we're just negotiating the price".
Whenever we can put a price on our ethical behaviour, our conduct will always be compromised, the only difference between each person in this case is the price.
Next week I'll look at commercial digital fraud. You'd think that the advent of computers and complex financial systems and rules would mean increased scrutiny (after all, they can manage it for a service station attendant). But it seems the ability to hide $7 billion is no longer a problem.
HotNews
The entry of a new Domain regulatory organisation, AusRegistry, into the market this month coincided with a 3% increase in .com.au registrations. AusRegistry replaces MelbourneIT, which began domain registration in Australia.
USA Today's website was defaced this week, and it carried fake stories for 15 minutes before the site was taken down for several hours to fix the security flaw in their web service. The false articles included missile attacks on Israel by Iraq and Bush getting a propaganda minister. Mind you, it's getting harder to pick reality from fantasy.
If you need to recharge your mobile phone, you'll be able to do it via the USB port on a computer, thanks to a new connector that draws the power from a laptop's batteries.
Murdoch's television company Fox has denied that Homer Simpson is encouraging software piracy. Last week on the Fox Website, that great sage Homer said that everyone should buy multi-region DVD to avoid being tied down to the regional locks in DVD movies. A Fox spokesperson argued that Homer is a well-known ignoramus, so no-one is expected to believe him. That's funny. A lot of people think he's hero. Besides, people believe George Bush.
Document 18 is China's response to software piracy. The software industry is China is hampered because you can buy most programs on the street for less than $1. Document 18 has heavy penalties for people who purchase or sell pirated software. The most serious one is execution. (Next time I fly to China, I'm taking my software licenses with me.) And China has quietly persuaded the major portals hosted there, including Yahoo, to ban links and references to anything that is critical of the Communist government. While China might be open to Western influences, free speech has yet to catch on.
HotSites
- www.sesameworkshop.com
- After hearing that Sesame Street was planning a new character to represent kids who are HIV positive, I can only applaud this bold and necessary move. It's a great way encourage children to explore and gain empathy with the world around them. The site's fun too.
- www.aegis.com
- AIDS Education Global Information System is dedicated in providing people with extensive literature and regular news about HIV. While many remember the infamous Grim Reaper ad of the mid-80s, today too many people forget that HIV remains one of the biggest and most deadly epidemics the world has faced.
- www.worldwidevaccines.com/public/diseas/meningTOC.asp
- Meningitis has been with us for centuries, ending many lives. More recently, the rarer bacterial form of meningitis, the meningococcal virus, has been in the headlines in Australia, especially after a number of young people caught it. Those who survive it are often left with serious physical scars (and in some cases have to cope with amputations). It is a disease all parents should be aware of to educate their children on how to prevent it spreading.
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