The Omniverse

Multiverse theory really bugs me in at least three ways:

1) It means Shakespeare was just one of an infinite number of random text generators that produced his works as a one-off feat; no need for chimps, let alone typewriters, infinite quantities, or infinite time.

2) It's an excuse for doing real science - dis-provability is critical in scientific investigation - what experiment could ever disprove the existence of spit universes?

3) But mostly, philosophically, THE UNIverse must incorporate everything that 'is'. So what are we left with to define both a collection of unique 'universes', and the container class itself?

So, I don't really buy multiverse theory, but I can't exclude it - from now on I am going to use the term 'omniverse' to mean the entirety of everything that 'is'. Probably should have googled it before posting, 'cos I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with it.

An email to @GreenNZ re NZ Copyright

This is an annotated verion of an email I sent to a Green MP during the debate... thought it might capture some useful context. Purple bits are the annotations not included in the email.

1)

(Nick Smith is a Government minister - he was standing in for the Minister responsible during the debate under urgency - so urgent that even the Minister responsible couldn't make it - that's extreme!)

Nick Smith: Used comparison / analogy with TELEPHONE network (right to cut-off access for abusers)

All TELEPHONE abuse is OUTBOUND - originated by 'offender'

(Smith referred to people making nuisance calls etc - as an example where the state can prohibit access to a network, access to which is generally seen as a modern 'right' - he failed to mention that people who get cut off would have to be found guilty of something criminal first!)

2)

CORRECT ANALOGY

Get SATELLITE company to block the reception for a single residence, because someone there has been tuning into a station broadcasting unlicenced copyright material.

Accept, analogy not correct in a TECHNICAL sense, but EXACTLY analogous in a COMMERCIAL/ECONOMIC/BUSINESS sense.

(really it is - the Gov't [with the makes-my-skin-crawl-weird] vicious and vehement semi-consent and 100% backing by the main opposition party, managed to swing back and forth between technical and business concerns, to avoid addressing the logical flaws the other-side was attacking on - and then go on to praise [weirdly over-and-over] the other sides negotiating skills.)

3)

THEREFORE: Cut off file-UPLOADERS (how blatantly obvious is THAT?) - Why so much focus on file-SHARERS? (and defn thereof) - The DOWNLOADERS are no more the cause of the problem than that person tuning into that TV station.

(SERIOUSLY: You can't have evidence of file-sharing without knowing which direction it's flowing - so why is denial of the modern 'right' to Internet access threatend for those who tune in to an illegal broadcast?)

4)

Nick Smith: "Low cost and efficient for all parties"

Competer based, run by geeks, like to AUTOMATE. Initially ACCUSATION carries weight - so entirely probable that first stages of penalty (notices etc), completed and concluded via fully AUTOMATED means, triggered by an ACCUSATION

(This REALLY scares me - it establishes the slope, downhill of which is auto-Termination for persistent 'offenders' as identified by copyright holders [or their proxies, etc...])

5)

Either I'm paranoid, or this whole set-up is downright scary! Why has no-one mentioned ACTA?!?!

(Weird - we have this bit of this leaked proposed international treaty [no parliament vote or debate required] that proposed basically this approach - that was removed from the treaty draft after general outrage - and is now being forced through parliament under urgency)

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As of now, it's gone midnight, the Gov't very very nearly got it through tonight, but the house went into recess. The legislation will be passed shortly after 9am Friday morning - unless ... something ... but, .

Best objective (mostly) news-webiste URL ever: http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/4882838/government-is-totally-fucked