vendredi, décembre 15, 2006
Not only his middle name, but his style too...
Yes that's right Barak Hussein Obama, not only his middle name is often emphasized, but it seems he is as class as the GQ cover skipper AhmadineJade.
mercredi, décembre 13, 2006
mardi, décembre 12, 2006
French elections...
The political landscape is changing: Rachid Nekkaz, has just got his 500 endorsements (a sine qua none condition, to be able to run for president in France), even if his chances of winning are slim, it is time candidates from the former colonies weigh in the political arena.
samedi, décembre 09, 2006
The Holocaust's Arab Heroes by Rob Statloff
I start with confessing I didn't read the book, but I plan to.
I came accross this article by the Washington Post, and while it is advertized as a book showing arab positive deeds during the Nazi era (Thanks to the colonies), I believe there is more to than meets the eye.
Too bad the author is from the think tank that brought you the war on Iraq (Washington Institute for Near East Policy), namely the Washington Institute for Near . When I read this article I really wonder what it's aims are apart from the obvious, is it to have arab names on the wall of the righteous?
is giving away numbers (usually low to very low) of the arabs who saved jews in arab lands (albeit colonized) not only cementing the ideas that the great majority didin't? finally, is giving the example of what's happenned in the camp at Djelfa not a proof that arabs weren't even forced to torture the inmates?, aaaaah I really don't know what to think about that, it is not because the article finishes with a glorious common religious citation that it doesn't alleviate the implied reading you can draw from it.
I admit though that when I first heard of this book, it was 3-4 weeks ago, there was an interview in Haaretz, the questions came from mixed audience (Arabs, Israelis etc...) and while I liked the article, I was disapointed with the answers the author gave, which were much closer to lecturing than anything constructive.
I hope that I'll get my hands on this book, to make my own opinion, hoping that the sample we get from the article isn't a representative one.
Here is the link to the Haaretz article, if you don't have a life, or a family try also roaming in the talkbacks.
There is also a video on the mysterious Fora.tv website
Needless to say there are some bizarre and odd points of view.
At one point in the presentation he says: "In the beginning of 43 The most important territory in world war 2 theater was Tunisia, was an arab country", Did he forget about the russian front?, what about Stalingrad?
That said, anything that is done to bridge between communities and heal their wounds in commendable and is to be applauded.
I came accross this article by the Washington Post, and while it is advertized as a book showing arab positive deeds during the Nazi era (Thanks to the colonies), I believe there is more to than meets the eye.
Too bad the author is from the think tank that brought you the war on Iraq (Washington Institute for Near East Policy), namely the Washington Institute for Near . When I read this article I really wonder what it's aims are apart from the obvious, is it to have arab names on the wall of the righteous?
is giving away numbers (usually low to very low) of the arabs who saved jews in arab lands (albeit colonized) not only cementing the ideas that the great majority didin't? finally, is giving the example of what's happenned in the camp at Djelfa not a proof that arabs weren't even forced to torture the inmates?, aaaaah I really don't know what to think about that, it is not because the article finishes with a glorious common religious citation that it doesn't alleviate the implied reading you can draw from it.
I admit though that when I first heard of this book, it was 3-4 weeks ago, there was an interview in Haaretz, the questions came from mixed audience (Arabs, Israelis etc...) and while I liked the article, I was disapointed with the answers the author gave, which were much closer to lecturing than anything constructive.
I hope that I'll get my hands on this book, to make my own opinion, hoping that the sample we get from the article isn't a representative one.
Here is the link to the Haaretz article, if you don't have a life, or a family try also roaming in the talkbacks.
There is also a video on the mysterious Fora.tv website
Needless to say there are some bizarre and odd points of view.
At one point in the presentation he says: "In the beginning of 43 The most important territory in world war 2 theater was Tunisia, was an arab country", Did he forget about the russian front?, what about Stalingrad?
That said, anything that is done to bridge between communities and heal their wounds in commendable and is to be applauded.
Cowon's D2 marketing
I posted some time ago a video review of Cowon's D2 mp3 player, apart from the fact that I really like the player, I think that the way this player is marketed, plus the interaction with the potential customers is pretty neat ;)
Like any product soon to be launched, you can see some teasers on the official site, and scattered here and there in Internet, what I think though, is novel, is the following:
A well known fan site, Iaudiophile notice the player.
Because it's mainly a forum (you know the ancestor of the commenting system you can see on any Blog nowadays ;) ), people start to voice their opinions, and what they may like or dislike about the product.
The manufacturer which is known to listen to its customers sends a preview video of the player in action (of course, they use YouTube, what else ;) )
An exchange happens between the company and the potential customers, and soon two videos follow to show some features in-depth. Having the automatic effect of conforting users, which now are sure they might (will!) buy the player.
I think all companies who are confident in their product should do the same, of course it removes some sense of magic to a product, when so much about it is known in advance. But at the end of the day, it's the product that matters.
Until those brands, even if they make great products, gain the aura of Apple (the secretive company, which is known for its groundbreaking announcements, but still manages to convince the die hard fanatics to shell out money on anything they offer)they should use this strategy, I would be tempted to see what this could yield, even when the product is still in the design and planning stage (I am of course not talking about some kind of closed audience, but the plain harsh open world)
Like any product soon to be launched, you can see some teasers on the official site, and scattered here and there in Internet, what I think though, is novel, is the following:
A well known fan site, Iaudiophile notice the player.
Because it's mainly a forum (you know the ancestor of the commenting system you can see on any Blog nowadays ;) ), people start to voice their opinions, and what they may like or dislike about the product.
The manufacturer which is known to listen to its customers sends a preview video of the player in action (of course, they use YouTube, what else ;) )
An exchange happens between the company and the potential customers, and soon two videos follow to show some features in-depth. Having the automatic effect of conforting users, which now are sure they might (will!) buy the player.
I think all companies who are confident in their product should do the same, of course it removes some sense of magic to a product, when so much about it is known in advance. But at the end of the day, it's the product that matters.
Until those brands, even if they make great products, gain the aura of Apple (the secretive company, which is known for its groundbreaking announcements, but still manages to convince the die hard fanatics to shell out money on anything they offer)they should use this strategy, I would be tempted to see what this could yield, even when the product is still in the design and planning stage (I am of course not talking about some kind of closed audience, but the plain harsh open world)
Pan's Labyrinth...
OMG!
Amazing movie, delicate mix of history and Lewis Carrolness, Gripping, Tense, Frustrating, Sad, Essential!
Give this film the honour it deserves, go watch it!
Amazing movie, delicate mix of history and Lewis Carrolness, Gripping, Tense, Frustrating, Sad, Essential!
Give this film the honour it deserves, go watch it!
jeudi, décembre 07, 2006
Today's cool stuff
First, Cowon's new player: D2
Second, Jon Stewart on the Glenn Beck (CNN Headline Prime) and Keith Ellison (First Democrat elected muslim congressman in the history of the US)
Second, Jon Stewart on the Glenn Beck (CNN Headline Prime) and Keith Ellison (First Democrat elected muslim congressman in the history of the US)
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