CNDLS Design Seminar

Interesting comments and opinions of world leaders.  previously confidential material now seem's like the US's underwear when referring to international relations

Impact of wikileaks!!!! US Ambassador to Mexico to step down because of tension created by the diplomatic cables released by wikileaks.

This article is completely irrelevant to what we're talking about...Yet at the same time, I find something relevant about it. It's an article written by Pop Sci about the basics of how nuclear reactors work, in light of the current situation in Japan. The key line (in the subtitle) is: "Here's what you need to know to understand the news, as it happens" As soon as I read this I, of course, though of our approach to the seminar. Not everyone can be an expert in web technologies (or in nuclear engineering) but there is definite value in understanding the web (or nuclear reactors) at a deeper level than the average news-reader/consumer/global citizen. This article is proof of that.   

I completely agree!

This article brings up a good question regarding whether the United States military has been honest in their reports of "enemy" casualties. Another important question is posed at the end of the article with a pentagon statement: "Condemning this fresh leak, however, the Pentagon said: "This security breach could very well get our troops and those they are fighting with killed. Our enemies will mine this information looking for insights into how we operate, cultivate sources and react in combat situations, even the capability of our equipment." Where do we draw the line between the citizens' right to know and the safety of government operations? Is it acceptable to allow secrecy to protect citizens or do the citizens have a right to know all that the government does? These are interesting questions given that the government is to be responsible to the citizenry, however, what if included in that responsibility is keeping certain information classified?

Interesting article on how the media is grasping this story and how filmmakers wish to portray the events surrounding Assange. Could the making of several documentaries and movies surrounding this issue lead to a larger question of legitimacy? Can film researchers potentially uncover answers to some of the questions that are being offered by many around the globe? Will the movies be politically charged, such as the allegations surrounding his trial in Sweden? How will the government react to this new interest in producing films around Wikileaks?

Officer and Miss A met through political party and corresponded over internet months before WikiLeaks chief was accused. The pair corresponded on the internet 16 months before the allegations were made against Assange. Miss A commented on a Facebook update on the police officer's page as recently as 10 February including anti-Assange comments, and is a frequent visitor to the officer's blog. Questions have arisen as to whether Assange may even be expedited to Sweden given this information, and as to why the officer did not declare a conflict of interest if such allegations against Assange are true. Many have cited political motivations in the fight to have Assange incarcerated, raising even more questions.

The WikiLeaks founder says he believes the internet is not a technology that favors freedom of speech but rather spying. Assange disagrees with reports that Facebook and Twitter play a role in the unrest in the Middle East. He offers his reasoning why revolts cannot be started via Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking sites: they can all be used to round-up principal participants, so that they may be beaten, interrogated or incarcerated. Perhaps most disturbingly, he blames leaked diplomatic cables for the unrest currently in the Middle-East being that the United States had decided that in a necessary event, they would militarily back the Tunisian military over the political regime and would mobilize against neighboring countries if need be. There were further cables that also led to US disapproval of Mubarak in Egypt.