Category: Ramblings

Fake news is not a true fact

It’s time to rant, because some things get under my skin and fester until I’ve had enough. When my eye starts twitching, it is time to get it out of my system.

There’s no such things as a true fact. It is a fact or it is not and that is all there is to it. If a fact, or something known as a fact, is disproved then it is no longer a fact. The improved information becomes the fact and the old information is discarded as incorrect. There is no place for true facts because that means that untrue or false facts must exist and this simply isn’t possible.

Fake news is equally pointless in its description. It is news or it is gossip, rumour or lies. This is just another trend in trying to soften up language to make the unacceptable seem somehow acceptable, bestow upon it a veneer of respectability. This cloak of disguise for utter nonsense is destructive because it wastes time deciphering fact from fiction, truth from deception.

Referring to something as “fake news”, rather than lies, is a way to try and obfuscate the intent. If it is a lie masquerading as news, then it can be called a lie. If it is the truth but you can’t face admitting it, then much simpler to refer to is as fake news as an attempt to discredit the source. Fake news doesn’t require an investigation, fake news doesn’t require a burden of proof, fake news doesn’t require admitting to anything, it is just an attempt to discredit the accusation.

Burn down the lies, so they don’t appear in news organisations. Make journalists accountable for their statements, make media houses responsible for what they publish – and make people accountable for fake news accusations. Making that statement with impunity is part of the problem, because the words and their dismissive meaning muddies the waters without the burden of proof, so it is an easy out in any situation.

It is past time that responsibility is taken and that actions have consequences, particularly and especially for those who are proclaimed leaders.

PMJ on YouTube
Postmodern Jukebox will have you listening to your favourite tunes in a mix you’ve not considered before.

On a final note, let’s share some music. One of my favourites is Postmodern Jukebox. They take a different look at contemporary music, literally mixing it up. I guarantee you will hear familiar tunes in away you’ve never experienced them before. If you don’t want to watch the music videos on YouTube, you can instead tune in on Spotify.

PS. In case you missed the last post, I’ve taken to using one of my images as the cover for my post, with the image relating to the final note in its place above that paragraph. Let me know what you think of the change.

No-one gets off the merry-go-round

You know who is really good at recycling? Not just surface recycling but ingrained, second-nature recycling? None other than the South African government. You often hear talk about how things have changed since 1994 and the dawn of democracy – you seldom hear that anything (in terms of governance) has gotten any better.

Continue reading “No-one gets off the merry-go-round”

Do your best, even if it isn’t the best

The old wisdom states “if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well”. There is truth to this, but there is also truth to the reality that doing it well and doing it correctly are not necessarily the same thing.

If you ply a trade, whatever it might be, then sheer repetition brings with it skill. Make enough mistakes over enough time and you’ll work out how to do it right. Also, using the same tools and materials over and over again will provide a muscle memory to do things that much better.

You might set out to do things well, but if you’ve never done it before – or only seldom – then chances are your version of well and the professional very of well are two very different things. This is not a reason to avoid doing it though.

In my situation, recent heavy rains have highlights certain … flaws … in my roof. Nothing serious, but there’s work that needs doing. Now, the obvious thing is to call in a professional and get them to do the work. I quite enjoy working on my home, so I’m going to take a crack at it. I’m reasonably handy with tools, I have no deadline (other than making sure it is all watertight before the next rains) and the problem is simple enough that I shouldn’t need help.

This means identifying the right material for the job, following the instructions on the product, watching a few YouTube videos because that’s just the done thing nowadays and then cracking on with the work. Without doubt there will be many people out there that are far more capable than I of doing the work well. That isn’t going to stop me. I’m going to tackle the task as well as I am able. If it all goes horribly long, then I’ll look at calling someone in.

The point really is simply not to be afraid of something just because you’ve never done it or might mess it up. If you don’t try, you’re not going to learn. We also don’t have to start with the big stuff, there are more than enough little things that need doing that we can turn our hand to those. A toe dipped in the water, so to speak.

So go out there, find something that needs doing, something that will improve your life and take the time to do it the best that you can.

On a final note, if you have concerns about your privacy online, then consider the TOR browser. It is one link in a privacy chain that can help you keep a little of your anonymity on the internet. It’s available for a number of operating systems and there’s also an option for use on Android devices. You’ll need to do a bit of reading to understand how everything fits together.