I'm Not Gonna Teach

The Height of Erudition

This chap - Niall Ferguson - is writing a new history syllabus for British schools. I wonder, who writes them for Malaysian schools? (Especially with much emphasis on "sejarah" lately, that it is now a must past subject for SPM!)

Yesterday..

Checkmate, Atheists!

Haitian Protesters - Don't Bite The Hand That Feeds You

You must have heard about the cholera outbreak that has struck Haiti recently. Some parties apparently claim that the UN peacekeepers are responsible for this outbreak - and took this cause to the streets. I can't even imagine what to respond to such things.

  There is no doubt, that by mere accident, the Nepalese peacekeepers that the UN has brought in to aid reconstruct Haiti might have carried the disease and spread it to many Haitians, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of at least a thousand of them.

  However, the fact that the UN is struggling enough to fight this epidemic (still appealing for millions of dollars of donation) might have been grossly overlooked by the angry mob.

  I admit that as I sit comfortably typing these words out to criticize the Haitian protesters, I cannot possibly understand their plight. That said, I hope the efforts to alleviate the matter and prevent more tragic loss of lives to be successful, very soon.

A Confused Harry Potter

Yes. I just saw the latest Harry Potter movie - the penultimate chapter to the enchanting fictional series of the world of wizardry. I quite like it, actually. Although, now that I've seen it, I can't wait for the final movie to come out next year. (Well done, Mr Director!). Well, here's a funny sketch on BBC about a mix up of the three of the most successful lot of fantasy film series ever!)

Wikipedia Should Allow Ads Already

First, the appeal from its founder Jimmy Wales:

...No ads. No profits. No agenda.

A decade after its founding, more than 380 million people use Wikipedia and its sister sites every month - almost a third of the Internet-connected world.

It is the 5th most popular website in the world. The other four have been built and maintained with billions of dollars in investment, huge corporate staffs and relentless marketing... [emphasis mine]

  If we want to build a company which aims at 'no profits', and yet needs money in order to maintain it, of course we must turn to donations and other kinds of support. Let's ask ourselves then, from where comes all the donated money? Yes, capitalism.

  So why must Wikipedia be afraid of putting ads on their website? Afraid of other websites offering 'free encyclopedia' with no ads? Isn't competition a good thing?  

  So suck up that 'no ads' ego, and do what Youtube does, introduce ads to have a certain return in profits. Yes, most Youtube users moan about those ads, but until they have better alternatives, people are still using it anyway. Remember, in capitalism, it's not just the big corporations who are seeking profits, the consumers are too, with their power to choose (the best bargain of a certain product)!

  Wikipedia can then use the profits they make from allowing ads to invest on better products for the benefit of everyone, being a charitable organization as they are. And hey Jimmy, without the 'billions of dollars in investment, huge corporate staff and relentless marketing', I don't think we'll ever get free access to Maps, Email, News or even those Search results linking back to Wikipedia! Maybe I'm wrong.

But the fact that we can now and then see Mr Wales's face at the top of Wikipedia pages - pleading for donation - renders the "no ads" title meaningless, as self-ads are still ads! (The title of this post must now be: Wikipedia should allow ads from other companies) 

Michael Moore vs Capitalism, Really?