Different world...

[dbowie (Brenton)]

For starters Im not inviting debate on left or right wing ideals, opinions or outcomes, just a dissemination of material source and my amazement of how much of the world I haven't and don't see thru media..
Don't shoot the messenger..

So I got my NBN, I can watch streaming entertainment unlimited no more annoying lack of new news , obviously bias media selectiveness in the crappy array of public broadcasting and endless never-ending CSI variants, commercial breaks..blah..blah...small rant

After a 2 day Youtube binge to my surprise realising the Youtube App gives you the ability to dial in to greater extent a bigger picture of the big picture and the content I want to see as opposed to the browser based Youtube, I realised its a whole different world both here and abroad than I see on a day to day basis thru "conventional" commercial media. I don't have and never have had any form of social platform such as Facebook, Twitter etc apart from interest specific forums such as IIS and I don't contribute on my Youtube acc for obvious reasons preferring to engage with people in person sociallly. Ive always liked both sides of the story/ argument if possible to form an opinion trying to keep passion to a minimum and only where absolutely needed.

Ive therefore subscribed to Far Left to centre to Far Right channels and I gotta say its enlightening, you get to see the best and worst of what the world has on offer and what really impacts on ordinary peoples lives in a generally factual unedited fashion and when your done you can watch an episode of Dads Army to debrief..

People like Australians Gary Orsum, Mark Latham's PC, Tommy Robinson in the UK on the Rebel Channel to name a few might seem Right Wing but you get to see the Far left as well in an open discussion environment and how both sides conduct their "debate" on all the topics that kinda matter to me at least...have a look, like me you might be surprised...

[xelasnave]

Don't forget to go though all the funny cat stuff.
Alex

[dbowie (Brenton)]

Originally Posted by xelasnave

Don't forget to go though all the funny cat stuff.
Alex

Im getting to that

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by xelasnave

Don't forget to go though all the funny cat stuff.
Alex

A bloke at work reckons the internet only exists for cat videos and porn. Strangely I manage to spend too long on line without availing myself of either.

[xelasnave]

You find worlds you never realise exist.
I thought a good idea was a solar hot air balloon... Well 30 of them
Alex

[julianh72 (Julian)]

As long as you're subscribing to BOTH "far left" and "far right" sources (and a few middle ground ones as well won't go astray), you should be able to retain some semblance of balance.

The problems start when your "stream" presents only one side of the debate - either through self-censorship to only hear the stories that fit your own world-view (a basic human failing which afflicts us all), or only receiving the stories the government wants you to hear (generally associated with dictatorships, but democracies are by no means immune), or the stories that Rupert and his mates want you to hear (a very common problem for democracies and dictatorships alike!).

Even if you disagree with the policies and conclusions that "the other side" hold, you need to understand where they're coming from - either to shoot down their arguments in a debate, or occasionally, to recognise that "your side" doesn't always have all the answers!

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

A bloke at work reckons the internet only exists for cat videos and porn. Strangely I manage to spend too long on line without availing myself of either.

Whatever you do, resist the urge to Google for "cat porn video"!

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by julianh72

As long as you're subscribing to BOTH "far left" and "far right" sources (and a few middle ground ones as well won't go astray), you should be able to retain some semblance of balance......

I am reminded of moderator of a BBC debate who finished a show with the comment: "well we have heard the arguments for and against capital punishment and I'm sure the answer lies somewhere in the middle".

Why should we assume that the 'correct' position in any debate is in the middle? Isn't it possible that one side is right and the other is on the wrong side of history? Personally I think that fence-sitters get simply get splinters where it hurts.

One caveat though is that not every proponent of a point of view or idea is a competent advocate of that point of view or idea. For example, I am a firm believer that anthropogenic global warming is real, however not every 'greenie' has a good grip on what it is or it's consequences. ['We'll destroy the planet.' -- rubbish] The solution to that bias however is not to watch the Bolt Report, it's to seek out the views of competent scientists. Similarly, I wouldn't look for an analysis of the problems in Cuban society in one of Trump's tweets.

[LewisM]

Yup, the mainstream media is for the brainwashed sheep getting fed a steady diet of one sided disinformation and persuasive propaganda. The amount of facts NOT disseminated is astonishing, and the sheer volume of deliberate mis-information even more so.

Haven't watched mainstream in 10 years now. Happily absorb from ALL sides - as we do - but refuse to be insulted by the transparent bullspit of mainstream media that present theory as fact, or opinion as gospel.

[Astrophe (John)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

I am reminded of moderator of a BBC debate who finished a show with the comment: "well we have heard the arguments for and against capital punishment and I'm sure the answer lies somewhere in the middle".

Excellent. I firmly believe that the surest path to madness, is to try to reconcile all points of view and come down somewhere inbetween. If one possesses a general philosophical position on politics and life in general, then one is less likely to be swayed by arguments from the extremes at either end. The internet is simply a tool and it conveys the opinions of individuals and groups which seek to influence and persuade others to their points of view.

The golden rule in this, is to think for yourself....think things through before coming down on one side or the other.

[Wavytone]

That only works if you assume all views are equally valid.

In maths, engineering and the hard sciences there's one correct view and the others are provably incorrect.

Philosophy ceased to be relevant to real-world problems in the 19th century.

[xelasnave]

I use a very basic approach.

First.
Follow the money ..
No matter what is going on someone usually stands to profit.
Does not mean their point or position is wrong but you may realise they are "invested" in a position.

I doubt if the NP folk care about the planet when they say they have the answer, the science will be used as a sales presentation

Second
If there is some major problem front lining the news look on page five to see what they want you to miss .

Third
Remember do not trust anybody as often the nicest are the best con men

The above seems simple but look at just one piece of news and try and apply without falling victim to your beliefs.

And follow the rules of Pythagoras try to understand why he made such rules....few can

Alex

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Yes, Youtube on TV is great. Sometimes I find myself watching more Youtube on TV than I do Netfix and free-to-air combined.

Watch a Top 10 on say Time Travel movies, and suddenly all these time travel movies I've never heard of show - both as full movies and short movies.

Want a big laugh - just type in Honest Trailers, and look up the films you've seen (don't miss Tom Cruise in Top Gun).

Plus plenty of history stuff either directly or the historical accuracy of movies.

Not to mention watching any number of concerts from your favourite music stars.

And watching Mark Latham, who used to be considered as something akin to the Greens nowadays, becoming the darling of conservatives for his railing stand against political correctness, cultural Marxism and identity politcs - is really something to behold. Especially as his views on workers' rights, the welfare state, climate change etc haven't changed from when he was Labor leader.
Regards,
Renato

[LewisM]

Yes it is very easy to forget Latham was PM..briefly...

Latham? Who?

Living in Canberra you are continually reminded of our PMs due to suburb naming. I had to seriously think who Latham was lol.

EDIT: Yeah, OK, he never got anywhere. Hmmm. Told ya I don't watch the Idiot News...just become an idiot independently.

Just waiting to see how long the thwarted aviation terror plot will last...Hot on the heels of Turnbull wanting ability to hack into people's phones to help fight terrorism...ahem. "See, we told you so"

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Yes it is very easy to forget Latham was PM..briefly...

Huh?

I think you may have been watching too many "Fake News" sites!

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Originally Posted by Wavytone

In maths, engineering and the hard sciences there's one correct view and the others are provably incorrect.

Ummmmm .... no.

Yes, in science, you can perform an experiment or make an observation which will prove that one theory is incorrect, and scrub it from the list of valid theories, but you can not prove that any theory is the one "correct" view.

The best designed experiments will eliminate as many counter-theories as possible in one fell swoop, but that doesn't make the supporting theory "correct", there is still the possibility that another theory will come along to supplant the current leading contender.

That's why we still have debates and conflicting theories on things like Dark Matter, Dark Energy, etc.

[rrussell1962]

Originally Posted by julianh72

Ummmmm .... no.

Yes, in science, you can perform an experiment or make an observation which will prove that one theory is incorrect, and scrub it from the list of valid theories, but you can not prove that any theory is the one "correct" view.

The best designed experiments will eliminate as many counter-theories as possible in one fell swoop, but that doesn't make the supporting theory "correct", there is still the possibility that another theory will come along to supplant the current leading contender.

That's why we still have debates and conflicting theories on things like Dark Matter, Dark Energy, etc.

Karl Popper?

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by rrussell1962

Karl Popper?

Best thing to understand is what it,does,and what it does not do..
To help understand science read Popper
Alex

[rrussell1962]

Originally Posted by xelasnave

Best thing to understand is what it,does,and what it does not do..
To help understand science read Popper
Alex

Popper was certainly very influential when I was doing my science degrees in the early 1980's. I've not revisited him since then, but may do so if I have time.

[LewisM]

Originally Posted by julianh72

Huh?

I think you may have been watching too many "Fake News" sites!

Yeah, see, that's how forgettable he was! LOL