Darfur and Green Avatar (not James Cameron's)

Press the circular button (the only physical button on the front). Touch, slide, tap to enter passcode (yes, I have a passcode) - ****. I'm concerned that waking up with this routine for the last 3 weeks as if I couldn't open my eyes without it is a prelude to some greater gadget/connectivity addiction. The iPhone in itself seems to link the ever-impressive advancements of mobile internet, with a primitive instinct of touch (tactile interaction) which is familiar to most of us from infancy. Watch a child, with their endless fascination for touching surfaces and holding onto things, throwing them around, tearing them up etc, and note the parallels with iPhone wielding yuppies from Sydney to L.A.

The iPhone thus signals the return of the inner child, and in some ways the worst aspects of this. As if baby boomers and some Gen X'ers didn't have enough ammunition for their critical analyses of Gen Y, with lifephone (or lifeline, or post-phone - whichever iPhone nickname you prefer) they can hyperbolically speak of our De-Generation with our short-attention spans, moving between conversations real and online, constant email access (you can now get push e-mail functionality) and addictive games such as Paper Toss or HoopsLite in the split seconds where we were devoid of stimulation before the lifephone, when all mobiles did was make calls, send messages, and play pixelated snake games.

The idea that there are now an endless stream of procrastination methods (let's be honest, that’s what most of the cool iPhone features are about) available via software advancements is nothing new, but there are some positives out there which will hopefully catch attentions and imaginations of the time-starved, overly stimulated (or entertained) consumers of online-all the time lifestyles (proviso added that I'm firmly planted in this group myself). The plight of civilians in Darfur has been well explored in niche academic environments in Western countries, approached with constant difficulty by the United Nations (who have perplexed many in claiming that the 'war is over') and received honourable mentions by George Clooney and Madonna. Although the celebrity factor of the latter is (in many situations) a sure-fire way to reach a mass audience for public sympathy/support, the complexity of Darfur's plight (including the number of state and non-state actors involved and regional, ethnic and religious factors) makes it difficult to package the cause and the action for neat mass consumption, which often means tapping into upper middle-class guilt for $$ that fund overhead (administrative) costs for many not-for-profit organisations.

Turning a viral idea for a cause into a mass display of support is great, and provides a sign of hope to cynical minds who may feel social networking simply allows individuals of Generation-Me to create a 3rd person pseudo-celebrity version of themselves in the virtual world. But once you've got support for the cause - then what? If 1 million twitter subscribers turn their Avatar (profile picture) green in support of an inadequate Iranian democratic system (as happened prior and since the recent 'election' in Iran) can we be resolved of any further action? What are the results of such widespread support? Well the answer, in the Iranian example, depends on who's talking (The issue and the protest are absorbing in their own right - in Kase Wickman's words 'The Iranian Revolution will not be Televised, It will be Twittered' - can cover at least 6 months worth blog entries). Some view the green movement as purely symbolic, one click and the 'supporters' can delude themselves into thinking they've done something, and move on with their lives in a 4WD, with a Big Mac meal and new iPhone in tow. The Air America Media website smacks its readers more directly 'One click is too easy. One click is not one life saved, one dollar donated, not one ounce of difference made. One click is nothing at all'. BC Politics takes the same sceptical stance, but uses the time honoured tradition of parody in suggesting that along with making our Twitter Avatars green, we should also do the following to show our support for Iran from Afar (among other things):

• Change your computer to Iran's time zone (+4:30 GMT).
• Write only in Persian.
• Grow a neckbeard.
• Paint your house green.
• Paint your baby green.

The list ends wryly with 'Cease thinking about Iran once the craze dies down' (for the complete list, and a quick, funny read to boot check BC Politics). On the other hand, the Green Twitter revolution has been a definite influence in the Iranian Government's decision to censor and ban certain webpages from view within the country (including Tehran). And as we all know from the many pop songs banned by churches and governments (see 'Only the Good Die Young', or anything by the 2 Live Crew) whenever something is banned by large and powerful institutions, the more inquisitive people become to seek it.

So, following this long digression, how has gathering mass-support in the age of new media helped advocates of Darfur (for awareness, if nothing else)? If hunger is the mother of invention, then software is at least the favourite son. Having recognised that gaining support for a cause is still a far cry from real action in troubled nations, building awareness is still a great place to start. Combining the badge of support/identity of Iran's Green Avatar with the interactivity (gameplay, if not touch) of the iPhone, is a fantastic web concept developed by mtvU (MTV's college Media Network) called Darfur is Dying (http://www.darfurisdying.com/). It is worth checking out, but is a great attempt at placing users in (virtual) situations familiar to Darfurian citizens living in constant fear of Janjaweed militias. The site is multilingual, and also provides constant exposure to the real message (detailing suffering and human rights abuses in the region), and ways to take real action. A definite goal, a real issue, a worthy cause, and a clear message. Amidst the clutter lies the clear.

For a good overview of the Darfur conflict, check out the BBC Sudan/Darfur Profile and the introduction by Global Security.org.

Tweep Tweep, Who got the keys to the jeep?

'Is Madonna an early adopter?' My tweets are lame (search harpt). However, even I don't tweet out stuff like this - "i iz tired" - thanks for that brit. I'm not sure of the reason you're following me, but I know why I'm not following you. In the last 2 months, I've found slowly but surely many friends and acquaintances are using Twitter as a primary source of information, from CNN feeds, NYTimes feeds to your more sublime and poetic fare such as "u remind me of my jeep...I want 2 ride it", or the prophetic "Ow this bleach hurts, rofl" - this could be interesting if it involved another person pouring the stuff on APGirlie3 - then it would also be interesting as to why she would be 'rofl' - too vindictive?. Google take note, if you want to buy Twitter, you're also buying into banal tweets (ban-weets), same goes for Facebook who, let's face it, may see their numbers dwindle by this time next year in the face of a(nother) significant tipping point in the history of social networking. Personally, I also like the word 'tweet' because it's like the commonly applied sounbyte used to censor swearing on brilliant broadcast TV like Jerry Springer and the like (I don't think HBO has this sound in their database - thankfully). In honouring this, for the remainder of this entry I feel it's only right...nay, necessary, to use the word 'tweet' place of profanity.

When you can break news of an American Airlines flight qualifying for Olympic Diving in the Hudson River, or a swine flu epidemic, or insider updates during the Mumbai Terrorist attacks (11/9 as its being cemented in the public consciousness) faster than the big boys of breaking news - you are onto something. When you figure out how to profit from feeding tweet inquiry into business enquiry - you are onto something. Likewise if a profitable model for news and reliable journalistic practice can be created from this technology (I am indebted to UNSW lecturer Kate Crawford for thinking in this direction). Invariably, in times of revolutions be they industrial, artistic, musical or technological (informational), the old system always breaks before a solution appears.

By the late 1800's, Horse Carriages, or more specifically the horses themselves, were producing such significant amounts of tweet that they placed an almost unbearable liability on the streets (infrastructure) and citizenry of New York City (amongst others), that a solution seemed nigh impossible till Henry Ford waltzed in with those wheels of his, and the internal combustion engine came of age (for those factussies - fact fussy people). Indeed, the tweeting horse tweet problem was such a threat that it dominated discussion at the first International Urban Planning Conference in 1898 - the issues were pollution, environmental by-products and infections where swelling human populations were in proximity with horses and their tweet, and the rise of carriage related accidents. Till Ford, citizens were left with more pedestrian solutions including development of NYC's professionalised street-sweeping service and developments of road rules to reduce carriage-related accidents and deaths (which happened more frequently than us of the 21st Century may expect). For a while there was a system in complete chaos, the dominant thinking being how to preserve the system rather than finding a completely new and innovative solution out of left field. We know the rest of the story, the horse-carriage arrived at it's not so glorious finish line, and a new race started with the Ford Model-A (1903). To begin a sentence with a classic line from 30 Rock's Dennis Duffy, 'In this analogy..', the horse tweet is the old way of doing things - newspapers, online newspapers, facebook (oops), and the internal combustion engine is what we're waiting for, Twitter is just the wheels - and someone's developing the idea for a new Ford Model-A.

Till then the metaphorical chaos in the virtual world gets reflected in the physical world. Illness, Flu. Swine? Is Medieval English on the comeback trail? Well the Urban Dictionary entry is particularly informative in this endeavour, and brings up such gems of definition as "Swine: probably one of the best words ever, swine can be used in any situation to degrade another person... ". The following are U.D's suggestions for potential uses around the watercooler and in everyday banter/duel with your arch nemesis from the middle-ages:

- Leave me alone you swine!
- Look at that tweeting swine.
- That man is a filthy swineish animal.
- You are the swine of all swine.

So it goes, and these may prove more effective in the event of the swine flu epidemic (or is it pandemic? - WHO's Margaret Chan is confusing us all). If it's pandemic, believe I’m taking a break from my beloved Vietnamese Pork rolls at Phuong’s Bakery. However, the possible severity of a pandemic should not be underestimated, particularly in light of the first swine-flu related death in Mexico. That there is any general sympathy about those most likely to be affected is questionable in light of...what else other than a tweet. Here's an incredibly touching, humanistic tweet from NYTimes columnist Charles M. Blow: "Pandemic, Smandemic, I want to invest in that surgical mask company". Lovely. We have the wheels, we need the engine, but what we really need is for these guys to stay in the passenger seats, preferably up the back with the naughty kids. Another browser window is chirping away with news, recommendations, and ban-weets about gardening and recessionary stock-tips. I would love to chuck my 140 characters of gold in with the rest of this horse tweet...but I iz tired.

Finally...a message from Jon Stewart.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
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Doom and Gloom, clouds in the boardroom

Unlike many other popular expressions in the English language, 'Doom and Gloom' which has likely featured somewhere in every form of media since September 2008, is not derived from the King James Bible or that colossus of adage and maxim, William Shakespeare. The phrase has its humble beginnings in the 19th Century Newspapers in the U.S. - take for example this ominous titbit from The Statesville Landmark (1875) "Slowly, and with a tone of doom and gloom, the ponderous clock began striking." Moreover, the phrase was predominantly used in economic and political pieces. However, with nationwide literacy rates still relatively low in the mid 1870's (approximately 50% illiteracy in the U.S.) it's unlikely that Jeb from the anvil factory was going to pick it up and pass the ball till word spread of 'doom and gloom' and the devils earpiece invented by Alexander Graham Bell.

The modern proliferation of the expression can be attributed to that steadfast bastion of the American golden years, the Broadway musical. Specifically, it was the 1947 musical Finian's Rainbow (also popularised for later audiences through revivals and a film adaptation) which spouted a classic line from the pessimistic leprechaun Og "Doom and gloom... D-o-o-m and gl-o-o-m... I told you that gold could only bring you doom and gloom, gloom and doom.” Nowadays you may find "doom and gloom" employed as phrase of the crisis in all media forms. Googling "doom and gloom" proves its popularity also runs across industries - with articles on doom and gloom in finance, I.T., fashion and even fruit juice companies (economic Boost anyone?, Stimulus Jamba Juice?). Although the locution has its origins in Broadway, it is precisely that staple of popular culture that has been thriving despite the global gloom and doom. Broadway ticket sales are surging, even improving during the early part of 2009 on previous earnings from February 2008. True that some of this effect can be attributed to the potential 'ticket tax' that may be passed by New York state, adding an extra $10 to theatregoers bills, however the irony brings a wry smile to the faces of those who are jobless and have time to dig for it (this blogger falls into said category). How can the financial services industry, which has so long eschewed the values of honesty, integrity and basic competence we learnt from musicals such as Chicago (crooks become celebrity) and Westside story (ethical gangster show) suddenly owe so much to the not so humble song and dance narrative..right? Surely a musical about the falling giants of Wall St - complete with Bull symbolism, choreography in the shape of plummeting stock prices, a hedge fund that actually deals in hedges (those of the garden variety) to save itself and numbers like ‘Lehmann Brothers to the gutters’ - is in tall order (and I would say, timely). Also if produced before the NY ticket tax, it may even be profitable – thus becoming the only thing related to financial services that is so.

Doom and Gloom, like a team of parasitic bit-players (think the evil twins in Cinderella, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Hamlet) have filtered their way through the media, via a hopelessly deregulated U.S. market, to all of us to the point where we aren’t even buying underwear. Is there more of a basic human right to be denied? A society in recession and without underwear is a worry indeed. So the recession is real, Pacific Brands has canned 1,850 jobs in Australia, Macquarie Bank had a period prior to Christmas where almost 50 heads were rolling each week, and countless others in financial and other industries are afraid that any second the boss is going to lean over their desk and ask them to come in 'for a chat' or to simply leave with only their personal belongings. As if the layoffs weren’t enough bad PR for these large conglomerates, Pacific Brands, one of the great underwear suppliers (I have some) and now much maligned employers, are paying the Cato Counsel PR firm up to $50,000 per month to revive their public image. Somehow I think that strategy in itself will work against them. Perhaps there should be a PR firm to revive the PR of the PR firm hired to revive the PR of a brand with failed PR. The firm could be called Doom and Gloom PR, their mascot Og from Finian’s Rainbow, assuring us that despite the volatility of financial markets, not even ‘stable’ investments such as gold can escape a global recession “I told you that gold could only bring you doom and gloom, gloom and doom." An optimist might say that the bit players always lose out in the end (see Cinderella, etc), a realist might say this is just the beginning of the play and they will still make us scrub the dirty floors for a while.

One man’s recession is another man’s boom, as they say (I don’t know if anybody has actually said that, but surely someone has). Federal departments have too long been bogged down by mediocre staff, unable to offer top guns the salaries they receive in the private sectors. Now, with big name firms falling faster than a man without a parachute, Governments wait eagerly with napkins on laps, holding out the trampoline below. They are preparing for a net grab, to get the best hired guns who worked for the very companies that strove to find loopholes in federal law to maximise profits. Yes, the silver lining has come in 2009 and it’s called The Year of the Regulator.

Excellence in mediocrity (and the award goes to..)

History books spread across classrooms around the world chronicle the venerable characters of the past, and whether they are portrayed as heroes or villians, they are nonetheless exceptional heroes and villians. Khan, Napoleon, Shakespeare, Gandhi, (Queen) Elizabeth, Hitler, Curie, Lincoln, Einstein, Churchill, Kennedy - all examples of historical figures and more importantly, whether applied for vice or virtue, people with outstanding talents and power. History has rightly been kind to the exceptional - defined as having or showing intelligence and ability well above average - as they are the ones who write it. With our culture dissolving into contradictory increases in consumerism in the face of a financial crisis, where celebrity worship and instant gratification reign supreme, it is difficult to discredit the arguement that (more so than in the past) many of those central to the history of our times (Paris Hilton? Hefner? Bush Jr?) are mediocre personnel whose impact has largely been a result of shock value, celebrity obsession, good start-up capital (Hilton, Bush) or factors more poignant than any aspect of excellence inherent in these people.

As a member of Gen-Y, and an ardent Gen-Y defender to boot, it is nonetheless disappointing to witness the degradation of what is considered exceptional talent in the public eye, and what appears to be an increasing preference for mediocrity amongst positions in which selecting outstanding individuals is crucial in instigating the change required for society to advance. Although quick analogies do not necessarily suffice in an arguement of this scale, they are nonetheless the most direct manner in which to make a point within the blog framework. So Bill Clinton - by any standards an exceptionally intelligent politician, was the first to begin to reel in the treasury deficit. George Bush - by any standards an exceptionally mediocre politician, has in accordance with treasury monkeys, congress puppets and the legitimate Mafiosi of the Fed board (with the exception of Bernanke and a number of others not directly running the institutions insisting on bailouts for debt which they are responsible for creating) has allowed the deficit to blow out to $11.3 trillion to 'save' the world’s financial markets. Spend on a futile war, spend to maintain US dollar supremacy, raise the deficit ceiling to breaking point. The actions of the mediocre have negated the progress of the exceptional and increased the regression of a society and its values.

It is in essence a vicious cycle - feed the masses the ignorant, easily digestible celebrity laden angle of the story, it will sell and propagate in value, further increasing demand for its supply. Nowhere is this more evident than in the comedy otherwise known as the US electoral race. That Sarah Palin can even be considered to be vice-presidential material can happen, as they say, only in America. That a man from Tokyo has made a multi-million dollar fortune in his homeland selling Sarah Palin glasses frames speaks to the ludicrous nature of this electoral race and the 'values' that underpin the Republican party. Even the political move to select a running mate such as Palin, however shrewd, is indicative of the sort of candidate political party's think will win over the majority of Americans. An average education, a strong belief in 'intelligent design', a bible belt buckle holder who ironically had a daughter knocked up before marriage, she thinks she can see Russia from her house, and is unsure of the meaning of the word 'doctrine'. I could go on, however surely the kicker is that she doesn’t even know how to turn up the volume on her TV (thank you Tina Fey for a hilarious impersonation). No amount of toy dolls, cheap-trick advertisements or calls to Americas misinformed and uneducated can hide what the rest of the world seems to already know - that surely the election of McCain/Palin will likely mark the beginning of the end of the great history of the U.S.

That someone of the questionable 'calibre' of Palin is not only standing on the same stage, but attaining greater popularity than Obama/Biden - an opponent with far greater qualifications, integrity, vision and charisma (yes, this is necessary to inspire people in a country that for all intents and purposes appears on the decline) - is an insult to a nation which has proudly displayed its supremacy largely through the exceptional characters of its history.

Although it is generally satisfying to watch the greedy suffer at the hands of their own indulgence, there is nonetheless a dollop of sympathy and regret. This is reserved not for the fat cats who will walk away unscathed, but for the general populace, who in this case seem to have been left highly misinformed (or uninformed altogether), swayed by passionate beliefs rather than the rationality which should be paramount in nation building. As all of us in the rest of the world laugh and shake our heads at the circus surrounding what to us appears to be a simple decision to elect a leader who has great promise to inspire, educate and revive a superpower, we also wonder if that country is smart enough to make the right choice. If you're unsure, buy a pair of Sarah Palin frames, note the blur that ensues, put in some earplugs and listen to confederate songs, while watching the TV with the volume down. That should do the trick.