One thing though, has his aura of invincibility started to recede a bit. There have been a bigger spread of 'unknowns' cropping up on the podiums than I can remember in a long time. I don't actually follow golf that much, but for sure the rankings don't seem to reflect reality in the way that they do in, say, tennis.
To draw an analogy with the software world, rewriting the source code from the ground up in a 'radical' fashion will almost certainly mean forgetting the lessons that are enshrined in existing legislation.
I think the real lesson hasn't been learnt at all - the banks aren't too big to fail, but they are too big to protect. We should have let them fall and cleaned out the system that way. As it is, we can look forward to decades of support for a discredited system
Even if that's true it doesn't make it right that people should treat marriage lightly. Unfortunately, with all this kind of information out there on sites like the one Anthony mentioned, it's little wonder that people seem to be becoming less interested in genuine commitment.
I've been married 17 years in March and it hasn't always been easy - but its worth fighting for, and I think more young people should follow Anthony's lead.
While the cost/benefit analysis is never going to be clear cut, it's pretty obvious that prohibition has only served to create a whole raft of criminal enterprises.
Whether people taking drugs is desirable or not, people are taking drugs. The law as is stands has been a colossal failure, despite incredible amounts of money having been thrown at enforcing it.
It's just time for a different approach. If my kids are going to grow up and experiment with drugs, I'd rather they were going to buy something safely, legally and in a controlled fashion rather than chancing their arm with some streetcorner thug. Let's lose the moralising about whether using drugs is right or wrong and start to be a bit more clear headed on the issue.
The internet is a wonderful, wonderful tool You can (as the farmers pointed out) make vast strides in self-education from it. You can engage with people through social networks. But also, it is full of lightweight nonsense like bingo, dancing hamsters etc etc etc.
So yes, internet access will ultimately transform the lives of countless Africans, but to even mention in the same breath as the need for adequate sanitation, irrigation, healthcare and education is pretty insulting to the memory of the millions who have died for the lack thereof.
Subtitles on BBC iPlayer Update11:10am on 10 Sep 2009I wrote about the subtitling technology issue recently (from an admittedly different perspective). In all honesty, I've had very little interaction with people with hearing difficulties but it seems pretty clear that a services that marries the iPlayer and subtitles can only be a good thing.
I'm curious about the process of how the subtitles are actually put together. Do you think it would be possible for an effective 'live' transcription? I remember the days of old Ceefax live subtitles, which were obviously being done by actual people - with typos and misliteralisation creeping through quite badly...
Anyway, I know that there's lots of transcription software out there (apparently really prevalent in the medical field where dictation is already automated to some degree) so could it be built into the iPlayer, and if so would the BBC license the solution to outside companies to help people with hearing impairments?
And it is precisely the existence of such behemoths that creates the opportunities for smaller, more nimble businesses to disrupt and improve services overall. If you're unhappy with the service you get from massive companies, you're free to find smaller operators with more personal service. My mobile provider is 3 - still a massive company, but a much more responsive in my experience than the bigger fish.
Right now, entrepreneurs are looking at new gaps that this merger will open up in the market, and ultimately it is these that create the danger of 'failure' - not something inherent in the nature of mergers/takeovers themselves. [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]