History
While I'm on my technology screed, I also was reminded about history and how it is being reworked thanks to the Internet. I was scanning a blog the other day where someone was complaining about some big business suing a smaller business over a domain name. I agreed with the blogger's annoyance that a big business was going to court in order to get their domain name, instead of buying it from the owner, but the blogger tried to maintain that the company's name being used in the domain name hadn't existed at the time that the domain was registered in 1994.
In fact, the company's name had existed since early in the 1930's in their own country and later began use in the US in the mid 1980's. So this blogger decided that he would rewrite history to make his point.
There is a magnificent quote that I have tacked to my wall (sadly I can't recall the name of the Latin American filmmaker who said it), "History is not how it was; it is how it is remembered." This blogger rewrote history to his liking - and some people are going to read it and believe it. How often is this happening out there?
Just go to Snopes.com to see how much history is created in the form of urban legend to get just a tiny taste of it. I read inconsistencies in history quite regularly in the blogs I frequent. Usually, they are simply accidents. But these kinds of things perpetuate themselves until, like in Orwell's 1984, people are erased or we forget who we're at war with until the government tells us who we're at war with. It is amazing how quickly we forget...and how easily we are duped to a voice of authority.
But I shan't go there today. :o)
In fact, the company's name had existed since early in the 1930's in their own country and later began use in the US in the mid 1980's. So this blogger decided that he would rewrite history to make his point.
There is a magnificent quote that I have tacked to my wall (sadly I can't recall the name of the Latin American filmmaker who said it), "History is not how it was; it is how it is remembered." This blogger rewrote history to his liking - and some people are going to read it and believe it. How often is this happening out there?
Just go to Snopes.com to see how much history is created in the form of urban legend to get just a tiny taste of it. I read inconsistencies in history quite regularly in the blogs I frequent. Usually, they are simply accidents. But these kinds of things perpetuate themselves until, like in Orwell's 1984, people are erased or we forget who we're at war with until the government tells us who we're at war with. It is amazing how quickly we forget...and how easily we are duped to a voice of authority.
But I shan't go there today. :o)
posted by Erik | 7:50 AM
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