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Sergei Skripal assasination attempt

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In the early 2000s, a conversation with a Bosnian colleague about the US invasion of Iraq highlighted a fundamental difference in perspectives on the media. While I held a belief in the relative independence of the Western press, my colleague, shaped by his experiences in a country with state-controlled media, viewed the press with scepticism, requiring independent verification before accepting any information as truth. This encounter prompted a reflection on the role of media in shaping narratives and influencing public opinion, both historically and in the present day. The tendency of governments to manipulate media narratives to divert attention from domestic issues or advance political agendas is a recurring theme across different contexts. In Greece, timely provocations by Turkey often served as a convenient distraction from pressing domestic issues. Similarly, in Turkey, the Kurdish issue was frequently exploited to divert attention from other concerns. This pattern raises questi...
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Rediscovering My Blogging Roots (and a Newfound Love for SwiftKey)

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Sometimes the internet surprises you with unexpected trips down memory lane. I had completely forgotten about this little corner of the digital world, a "museum of thoughts" as I once poetically called it, until a random search led me back here today. Talk about a blast from the past! Funny enough, stumbling upon my old blog coincided with my recent discovery of SwiftKey, a nifty app that has revolutionized how I type on my phone. It's a keyboard that lets you swipe across the letters instead of tapping them individually. You glide your finger over the screen, and the words magically appear – it's almost like sorcery. I used to think swiping was a bit impractical, to be honest. I saw others doing it and thought it looked awkward and inefficient. But then a friend of mine, who happens to work for Google, was using it (or something similar) the other day, and I was blown away by her speed. So, naturally, I had to try it for myself. I went straight to the Play Store, fou...
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The Absurdity of Gene Patents: A Call for Justice

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For far too long, the notion that a company can swoop in and patent a DNA sequence has struck me as not only ludicrous but also deeply unjust and unfair. It's a practice that has always felt fundamentally wrong, yet the powers that be at the patent offices have inexplicably allowed it to continue. Companies have been granted the right to not only patent sequences they "discover" but also to restrict other organizations from conducting any research on those genes. It's a blatant monopolization of the very building blocks of life. Thankfully, a glimmer of hope has emerged in the form of a lawsuit in the US challenging a patent issued to Myriad Genetics of Salt Lake City. This lawsuit, as detailed in a recent New York Times article, argues that gene patents actively hinder the practice of medicine and impede new research. I couldn't agree more. In fact, I'd go a step further: by what moral right does any company claim ownership over my basic genetic makeup? It...
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Stifling Innovation: The Story of Cards 911 and Priority Dispatch

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In the world of emergency medical services, every second counts. Bob Austin, a veteran of major metropolitan fire and EMS departments, understood this well. His vision was simple yet transformative: create an open-source medical dispatch system that would not only be free but would also allow for the continuous improvement of life-saving practices. A key part of this system was a project called Cards 911, essentially a streamlined script for emergency dispatchers. By using hyperlinks, this document helped dispatchers quickly gather crucial information and provide immediate assistance to callers. It was a remarkable tool, offered freely to the community, created with the sole purpose of helping save lives. So who could possibly object to such a selfless endeavor? Enter Priority Dispatch Corporation, a company that holds numerous patents related to emergency dispatch systems. Their lawyers sent a chilling cease-and-desist letter, claiming Cards 911 infringed on their intellectual propert...
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eHow's 'Writer's Paradise': Where Dreams Go to Die (Slowly and Painfully)

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Ah, the internet, a vast expanse of opportunities for aspiring wordsmiths to showcase their talents, make a living, and change the world, one carefully crafted sentence at a time. Or, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, you could sign up with eHow, the self-proclaimed haven for writers seeking quick cash and exposure. Don't let the sunshine-and-rainbows exterior fool you; a deep dive into their contractual labyrinth reveals a dystopian landscape where creativity goes to wither and die, all while eHow maintains a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon. Let's start with the illusion of ownership. Sure, eHow graciously allows you to "retain ownership" of your intellectual property. But hold on a second, there's a catch - a rather large, gaping one, at that. They also grant themselves non-exclusive rights to do pretty much whatever they please with your work. It's like owning a car but letting your neighbor borrow it whenever they feel like it, maybe even r...
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Big Pharma's Twisted Priorities: Profits Over Patients, Pills Over Progress

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There I was, minding my own business, sipping my overpriced coffee (thanks, inflation!), when I overheard a conversation that made my blood boil. It was the same old song and dance about the outrageous cost of medications and the devastating consequences for people around the world. One person lamented the fact that life-saving drugs are priced out of reach for many, while another chimed in with the tired old excuse: "But Big Pharma has massive R&D costs to cover." Oh, really? So, the solution is to grant these pharmaceutical giants a monopoly for years on end, allowing them to charge whatever they damn well please? They get to recoup their costs and rake in obscene profits, all while people suffer and die because they can't afford the medications they desperately need. It's enough to make you want to scream. Let's take a closer look at this "R&D costs" argument, shall we? It's not as ironclad as Big Pharma would have you believe. In fact, t...
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TurboTax

It is the time of year when I need to start on my tax returns and I was thinking of software that I have used in the past. Of course Intuit came to mind and they have a product right now called TurboTax with the latest changes required to make your 2008 / 2009 returns. What suprised me even more is that Intuit is announcing its figures this week and do you know, they are a 3.1 billion dollar company now? Well, I thought I would look into them a little more in detail and guess what, this year I think they have managed to turn on themselves. They had a great set of products and Turbo tax was certainly one of them. For many years people would pay a tax advisor or accountant to do their books for them and it was hard enough to persuade them to do it all themselves by using a piece of software. But Intuit did a good job over the years of persuading people to use their doftware and of course once people used it they realised that it was not as painful as previously thought and so year after ...
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