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Web Science - If I Ruled The Web / Net Neutrality policy
« Last post by Richard Gartside on July 11, 2017, 04:46:24 PM »
[size=12pt]Firstly I will start with a confession - I exceeded the word count, this is something that I accept is a demerit on my assignment, and I would be entitled to be fairly criticised for this on the course.

ok, so this was my submission[/size]

[hr]
[size=12pt]If I ruled the web, I would declare myself First Web Lord.

That accomplished, I would have to justify my position, so my next task would be to introduce a global Net Neutrality policy.

The policy should be simple enough for the average 12 year old to be able to understand, and seek to avoid legal or technical jargon.

The policy aims would be to establish a clear guideline to both users and suppliers to identify what a user can, and can not, expect from suppliers and clarify what the requirements on suppliers are.

Key outlines of the policy:
Access to the web is to be made available to all where practical
Users may not use disproportionate amounts of net resources to the detriment of other users
An international, independent arbitration system would be created to resolve any disputes over policy implementation

By creating a single, universal policy there would be a consistency no matter who was accessing the net, or where they were accessing it from - we call it the "world Wide Web" yet every region has its own rules and approach creating a very fragmented and uneven experience.

One of the biggest implications for the policy would be "mission creep" - the attempt to make it cover too broad a range of objectives. 
Another issue would be keeping it from becoming too bureaucratic or cumbersome to implement
By way of example, the EU has 3 separate regulations and directives governing net neutrality and open internet
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/policies/open-internet-net-neutrality
Also a concern would be ensuring the regulatory bodies had the teeth to enforce the rules against non-compliance.  This could actually be a problem when dealing with national governments who may be resistant for political reasons to ensuring net neutrality, as the sanctions available may ultimately prove limited.[/size]
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Web Science - If I Ruled The Web / Introduction
« Last post by Administrator on July 11, 2017, 04:33:52 PM »
[size=12pt]This is from the University of Southampton Web Science course

The question posed was quite simple,[b] If you were able to rule the web, what policy would you introduce?[/b]

The criteria were fairly broad, the optimum length was no more than 200 words and the submission should take note of the following:

  1.  Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts introduced in the course
  2.  Write clearly, and express your arguments in a coherent way
  3.  Support your views with evidence or reasoned arguments[/size]
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European Culture and Politics - Write Policy Memorandum / Re: language problems.
« Last post by Richard Gartside on June 18, 2017, 10:03:56 PM »
[size=12pt]That is what I mean, you first have to teach phonetics before you can even start to teach anything else. 

This means you are looking realistically a full generation away, ie the kids of 2 or 3 today are going to be your target audience, which means that there is going to be something like a 15 to 20 year lag before you start to see any benefit.

I think it is a commendable aim, but even the EU has a terrible track record of planning that far into the future.  There is perhaps something to be said for dictatorships, they do not have to worry about consequences of their actions because they have no dissent allowed LOL[/size]
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European Culture and Politics - Write Policy Memorandum / Re: language problems.
« Last post by Jennifer H. on June 18, 2017, 05:31:22 PM »
You obviously don't know phonetics as each sound is unique: enough is /invf/ )v should be upside down and pronounced as in up, could is /kud/ and cough is /kof/ - easy when you know how!
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European Culture and Politics - Reflection Blog / Re: Europe - my reflections.
« Last post by Richard Gartside on June 17, 2017, 01:06:20 PM »
Jennifer, I think that for many the course proved more challenging to their beliefs and perceptions than perhaps they had anticipated at the start - this is no bad thing, it does us all good to be shaken out of our comfort zone once in a while.

You make a valid point that many of the ideas and concepts the course threw up, it also challenged their validity.  Unlike many courses, although I think the course leaders had an 'agenda' they made it less forcibly than on some other FutureLearn courses, and left more room for debate.  Equally though, the course accepted that if they questioned many of the ideas that the EU has built itself on, then this opens the door to unforseen ideas whose impact is uncertain.

I dont think that we could summarise all that the course did in such a few words, so to say the scope of the task was immense and hard to comprehend is perhaps a reflection of your appreciation of the size of the task being proposed.  We assimilate information from a variety of sources, so if the course made us reflect on what we are learning from where, and assess them more critically, then it could be argued that the course has achieved its aims, and this reflects as a positive thing on the course and its creators.

Am I more pessimistic about the EU?  maybe, but I think by seeing where we are going wrong then we start on the process of rectifying the problems.  If you do not know what is wrong, how can you hope to fix it?  We as individuals on our own will not change Europe or the EU, but if we as a collection of individuals come together to say we need to change, then we have a momentum of our own that can make the difference.
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European Culture and Politics - Write Policy Memorandum / Re: language problems.
« Last post by Richard Gartside on June 16, 2017, 08:34:08 PM »
You raise a valid point, communication is a key aspect to how we relate to others.  Whilst I am able to communicate reasonably well in 2 'european' languages, this is far from the norm - especially in the UK.  We have developed, possibly because of our empire past, an arrogance that assumes everyone will understand english - you just have to speak it slowly and loudly enough.
(sorry, my personal rant there)

But lets take the central assumption that English is to be defined as a core common language of European communication.  You rightly point out that even within England, let alone the rest of the UK, there are distinct regional dialects and accents.  Traditionally this was resolved by the adoption of "BBC English" which was a fairly neutral, southern accent, however there has been an increase in the media for more tolerance of regional accents.

Learning to read phonetically is actually something I still have to engage brain with, I do not do it 'day to day'.
[size=12pt]
As you suggest, probably the best way to approach this is to start them young, and teach it from nursery/primary school age (4/5 years old) so that they understand how to read phonetically, and to appreciate how "standard" english should sound.  This does carry the warning that standard english should not be taken to be superior to regional accents.  The same is true in France, where despite the best efforts of the Academie Francaise to maintain the highest standards of French, regional and international variations creep in.

an interesting side-effect of teaching children to read and speak phonetically is that it may assist with learning foreign languages, as they can see the correct way to pronounce words - no more me speaking French like an englishman <sigh>, or german like a chinese person apparently

btw, this is an old one, but it illustrates the problems with spelling and pronunciation - based on pronunciation of words, FISH could be spelled GHOTI
GH as in the F of ENOUGH
O as in the I of WOMEN
TI as in the SH of FICTION

indeed in your example of 'correct' pronunctiation I read "houp" as the same way as 'hoop' but it could be pronounced 'hup or 'hop'' - the difference in pronouciation between COULD, TOUGH and COUGH[/size]
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European Culture and Politics - Write Policy Memorandum / Re: Reform of Referendums
« Last post by Richard Gartside on June 16, 2017, 08:11:46 PM »
[size=14pt]This is not totally unsimilar to the situation in the UK

strictly speaking, a referendum can only be carried out with the permission of the Westminster Parliament.

So for example, Scotland can not hold a 'legal' referendum on Independence without authorisation from Westminster.  That said, practically speaking, there would be some difficulty if the Scottish government went ahead anyway and carried one out, especially if the vote was for independence, and the UK government ignored it.

My personal take on the issue of Scottish independence is that it will happen eventually, but the Scottish National Party are waiting to be very certain (as far as anyone can) that the result will go their way before calling for an independence vote - to lose again would put their cause back some way, but once they are happy they will win, then they will carry it out, with or without the authority of the UK government.[/size]
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European Culture and Politics - Reflection Blog / Europe - my reflections.
« Last post by Jennifer H. on June 16, 2017, 09:14:33 AM »
What insights and qualifications did I gain from the course “European Culture and Politics” and how can I employ these in my daily life?

Introduction:
The course examined several concepts, namely cultural identity, democracy, the nation-state, modernity, transculturality, etc. I propose to examine the insights I acquired although I cannot specify any particular qualification because I am not sure what the question implies. The effect of these insights on my daily life will also be considered.

Body:
If the course has achieved anything in my case, it is the questioning of all these concepts:
There does not seem to be a common cultural identity and all attempts to promote one are based on cultural heritages which may not be relevant today or increasingly less so.
Democracy is seen to vary in its application and many leaders claim democracy which others question. The concept of illiberal democracy is a new one which challenges the very meaning of the word. As we theoretically should not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, we can only observe and evaluate their policies.
One thing is the nation and another the state. A nation-state can be composed of different nations as in Britain, although some conservative views insist on one nation only as in Spain.
Modernity goes back to the French Revolution, which is so far back that we have to invent post-modernity, although we are not sure what that is yet.
Transculturality is positive if it leads to a widening of horizons and a new experience. We should always be ready to question our own values and norms and respect those of others.
As for the way one can implement these insights in one's daily life, I think it is simply a question of adding information to the store one has already accumulated. The more information one has, the better equipped one is to make decisions, to criticize constructively and to understand the world around us. However, I do think we lack information. In Spain, all newspapers but one are conservative and most people receive the information that the powerful classes wish to release. Progressive forces are kicking against the pricks and are often unfairly criticized. Freedom of expression exists but some voices are heard louder than others. I also feel that we lack information about other countries, which would help us to understand them and share their problems. Many people think their problems are only in their country and other countries are better off when this may not be so and the problems are international.

Conclusion:
All kinds of study, information and research are valid to shape opinions. This course has introduced some ideas I was not aware of. However, as for Europe, I feel even more pessimistic about its future than before and I seriously consider that we should face our everyday practical problems before trying to create something which may or may not emerge in the future.
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European Culture and Politics - Write Policy Memorandum / language problems.
« Last post by Jennifer H. on June 16, 2017, 09:11:23 AM »
Problem: I think one of the main problems, not just in Europe, is efficient communication. As Esperanto was not adopted and English has become the international language, the inconsistencies of pronunciation and spelling in English have made it hard for foreigners. Besides, English speakers have dialectical variations that create difficulties.
Proposal: I propose that all languages, starting with English, should use the International Phonetic Alphabet. This is taught in some countries and used in good dictionaries to help pronunciation. It is standard and common to all languages. It would not be difficult to learn. Imagine being able to read Russian or Chinese without learning their pronunciation system!
Solution: Computers would need a series of new letters as the ones we use are insufficient. These can be found on the internet but are not on the usual keyboard. (ai houp it wud bi: posibl tu du it)
Implications: At first, texts could be done both ways, and if the solution is acceptable, it might gradually take over. Many young people already use a more phonetic spelling in SMS and accept novelties like LOL and ASAP with no problem, but they should be standardized.
Strategies: The alphabet already exists and is used, so it is a question of promotion. If the EU recommends its use in schools and starts to publish in the IPA, it would catch on and simplify effective communication.
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European Culture and Politics - Write Policy Memorandum / Re: Reform of Referendums
« Last post by Jennifer H. on June 16, 2017, 08:59:09 AM »
What do you think of the problem of the Catalonian Referendum in Spain? Here the state government (right-wing) denies the right to a referendum in just one community as the constitution admits them only on a national scale. The Catalonian government has declared a referendum for independence on the 1st October. The left-wing Podemos admits the referendum but it must be legal and they believe it is the only way to solve the problem as the majority of Catalonians do not want independence. Meanwhile, the Catalonian government spends public money on trips, talks and even embassies to "sell" the idea of independence, not to mention the propaganda and biased education!
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