Re: [Hampshire] What a load of old cobblers!
On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:14:18 +0100
Daniel Pope wrote:
Hello Daniel,
> My take on the piece was that it's pitched in a chatty, informal style
> that wastes most of the time on pleasantries, so much so that it's
> sorely lacking in content.
Most people these days, apparently, get their news from the internet.
Probably because they can choose their political bias more easily. As a
result, newspapers and, more recently, TV have given up on anything even
approaching newsworthiness. It's all about titillation. That's why
"reality"(?) TV is such a 'Big Thing'{tm}.
Cynical? Me? You're damn right.
--
Regards _
/ ) "The blindingly obvious is
/ _)radnever immediately apparent"
This disease is catching
Into The Valley - Skids
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Re: [Hampshire] What a load of old cobblers!
On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 22:14:18 +0100 (+0100), Daniel Pope wrote: [snip] A quality rant there - nice work :-) It seems par for the course to dumb down TV - even science programs being dumbed down well below the level of anyone who would be watching them. Adrian -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] What a load of old cobblers!
Jacqui Caren wrote: > I agree - some of the BBC backend folks seem to be very "FLOSS" but the > journos (well newsreaders) have no idea what they are spouting! My take on the piece was that it's pitched in a chatty, informal style that wastes most of the time on pleasantries, so much so that it's sorely lacking in content. I hate that conversation style. I can't imagine the BBC employing a conversational structure for any other type of factual reporting. Newsreader: If you're anything like me you don't really get the whole Israel-Palestine conflict. Hell, you could write all I know about Israel on the back of a napkin! I don't know about you! So, can we solve this whole Middle East thing or will it run on forever? Which are better, Jews or Muslims? Should we all be not eating pigs, or not eating pigs? Well, to answer all those questions for me I have LJ in the studio to talk about Jews. LJ is a reporter for BBC's "Oy vey!", and is just generally a Jew nerd. Tell me, LJ, why is the whole Isreal conflict so annoying? LJ: Ha ha ha. Well, Bob, Jews and Muslims don't like each other much but they still want to live in the same place! Newsreader: Ok, so tell me... how did we get into this situation? Why would we want to "refresh", or bring peace to the Middle East? ... I don't think it's deliberate perversion of the issue, I think it's just that TV journalism has become so dumbed down, and so entrenched in those dumbed down metaphors and formats, that they are simply unable to envisage how to construct a segment that would put across these subjects comprehensively and in an adult fashion. Channel 4 News is the only news programme that seems to be targetted at people with a mental age of over 18 these days (not counting BBC 4 News which may be grown up but does not deliver UK-centric focus). Dan -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] What a load of old cobblers!
Hi, Dr A. J. Trickett wrote: > On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 at 09:03:08AM +0100, Sean Gibbins wrote: > >> Could this be more shallow? >> >> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8244644.stm >> > > I saw this and indeed thought it shallow to the point of being > worthless. What do you expect from Bill's Broadcasting Company? > > >> No mention of Linux at all, sadly, but hardly surprising I guess. >> > > If reinstalling Windows was "serious" switching to Linux wouldn't > ever get a look in? > > >> The odd bit of valid advice about backups and easily adding memory and >> disk, granted, but given that it is meant to address the business of >> making >> best use of old hardware (as opposed to binning it and >> upgrading), the piece is a massive FAIL* in my opinion! >> > > Like most British journalism it's shallow and worthless, why > bother working when you waffle and no one will notice or care...! > > and yes I am bitter and cynical but that does not make me > wrong...! > > My experience is that large numbers of journos aren't any better than the average person in the street with computers. Other than technology journalists I find the average production person is overworked and stressed and that they think of their computer as a tool. Most of them have neither the time nor inclination to learn how to fix it. It's really no different than their telly in their eyes. I often find they are worse than average because they have a deadline to finish their work so at best the computer is a tool and at worst it is an impediment to getting their job done. They don't have time to learn how it works. When a computer is not working or is spyware infected the user will soldier on until it really isn't usable then either bring it to work and dump it on the engineer's desk expecting it to be fixed as a favour or they will reinstall Windows. One of the saddest testaments to the poor quality of Redmond's products is that the average Windows user expects their machine to get infected and/or to break and consider a reinstall to be the only remedy within their power to perform and that doing so is something that is normal with computers. They don't know any different. As someone discovered on one of the LUG mailing lists when someone he'd installed Linux for asked him to remove it when his son "who knows about computers" said he should use Windows foind out, most users won't install anything their mate (whom then dump all their computer problems on) can't fix. The average journo works on different stories every day. They write what is their perception of the truth as far as they have been able to ascertain with the time at their disposal. I don't like it but I do understand why they can't be experts in everything they write about. Cheers, Paul. -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] What a load of old cobblers!
Dr A. J. Trickett wrote: > Like most British journalism it's shallow and worthless, why > bother working when you waffle and no one will notice or care...! > > and yes I am bitter and cynical but that does not make me > wrong...! I agree - some of the BBC backend folks seem to be very "FLOSS" but the journos (well newsreaders) have no idea what they are spouting! The BBC is like the old PC-* mags - is the advertisers pocket - but instead of visible advertisers pulling the strings, the BBC have a number of Microsoft managers (supposedly ex-MS staff, but the word "secondment" has been muttered) instead. IMHO the chance of unbiased technology news/articles is almost zero. The BBC has the same issue with "music piracy". I understand a number of the governors and heads of department have ties to the music industry - which explains the rather ineffective and biased reporting of internet music - such as the sony rootkit "storm in a teacup" nightmare. Anyone posted this to one of the "slashdot" sites such as the register? -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] What a load of old cobblers!
On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 at 09:03:08AM +0100, Sean Gibbins wrote: > Could this be more shallow? > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8244644.stm I saw this and indeed thought it shallow to the point of being worthless. What do you expect from Bill's Broadcasting Company? > No mention of Linux at all, sadly, but hardly surprising I guess. If reinstalling Windows was "serious" switching to Linux wouldn't ever get a look in? > The odd bit of valid advice about backups and easily adding memory and > disk, granted, but given that it is meant to address the business of > making best use of old hardware (as opposed to binning it and > upgrading), the piece is a massive FAIL* in my opinion! Like most British journalism it's shallow and worthless, why bother working when you waffle and no one will notice or care...! and yes I am bitter and cynical but that does not make me wrong...! -- Adam Trickett Overton, HANTS, UK While it may be faster than DLT tapes, 're-typing' is not a valid recovery strategy. -- anon -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] What a load of old cobblers!
Could this be more shallow? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8244644.stm No mention of Linux at all, sadly, but hardly surprising I guess. The odd bit of valid advice about backups and easily adding memory and disk, granted, but given that it is meant to address the business of making best use of old hardware (as opposed to binning it and upgrading), the piece is a massive FAIL* in my opinion! Sean * spot GOM trying to keep up with the youth! -- www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
