Disheartening Very Disheartening

Scottelly wrote:

DMillier wrote:

Iain G Foulds wrote:

… Scott: A good and fair appraisal. Myself, I care nothing about speed, noise, resolution or LCDs. Simply, the quality of the overall image. And, I have come to see a common rendering to both the Merrills and Quattros. Different in both models, but common to all images from the model.

… But, shooting in it’s zone, I only see the breathtakingly clean images from the vintage Foveon. Not that I myself have managed to take any of these yet. Hoping to do so one day.

… And, 100% on the corruption of Apple.

There is, of course, no freedom of speech on this forum as it is subject to T&Cs and moderator policy. I think that is a good thing.

I don't want to see anyone arrested for their political views and in that regard freedom of speech is essential, but it is a double edged sword where the smallest conversation on the most mundane of topics becomes essentially impossible because of trolls, thugs and bullies. Not to mention the absolute bilge of mis-information and malign foreign actors, difficulties protecting minors and minorities and so on.

I have no idea how this can be solved, but while I agree with the high concept of freedom of speech, it is seriously flawed in practice in the online world. No gatekeepers = drowning in swill.

Have you seen some of the conversations/threads here on DPreview?

I agree there is a serious problem with trying to keep things civil and stop the bots and trolls, but without free speech we would devolve into something akin to China, or worse (i.e. Iran or North Korea), and frankly I don't want to live in such a World, so I choose to fight for freedom of speech. Are you with me? I hope so.

If you've been following what's been going on on Elon's profile there on his website (the big one, which he just bought for billions of dollars), then you are surely well aware of the terrible actions of big tech and others recently. Apple seems to be complicit - a bad actor, if you will. That makes me very unhappy with them (and I hope we see a new SpaceX phone come out next year - I'll buy it . . . if only to just support the direction they'd be heading with that . . . and I'd look forward to the better second and third generation phones, which I would buy too).

Thinking of that, I feel like I should buy a Sigma fp L, just to support where Sigma is going with their cameras, even though I would prefer a FFF.

The big social media sites appear to be pure poison to me, I have nothing to do with them. I expect they are useful to some people, not sure why.

The trouble with free speech online is it is a school playground where the bullies and thugs always win with no teachers to protect the little kids and the gentle souls. In other words, it is free speech only for some.

What I'd like to see is a grown up social media site where everyone has to register formally with similar care as opening a bank account (identity verified by passport etc), you pay a subscription, no advertising, sponsorship or data collection and no popularity or trending algorithms and where everyone posts openly under their own name. Stand by what you say and be accountable for it, or shut up. The idea being to no trolls, minimal rudeness, every member is safe and able to say what they think without fear of bullying or dominating behaviour from anonymous thugs. If you break the rules and get sanctioned it is effective because you can't come back under a pseudonym or create multiples.

Of course, such a place would not be a suitable venue for political campaigning, social justice whatever, but that would not be its function. It's primary function would be keeping in touch with friends and family, organising birthday celebrations etc, not campaigning.

On the wider issue of democratic free speech, what I would like to see is proper transparency and accountability for politicians and media outlets. Sick of seeing failed and corrupt crooks lining the pockets of their mates with taxpayer money before leaving the big jobs to milk the after dinner speech circuit for millions.

Somehow, they have to truly accountable for what they do. We can start in my country with abolishing the house of lords, replace first-past-the-post with some kind of proportional representation system, create an independent standards committee that has a similar status to a court that can properly investigate and punish wrong doing in office (thankfully judges here are not political appointees). No government able to replace the Prime Minister more than once without a general election. And some form of press control (not by government!) that is more effective than market forces which inevitably lead to the likes of the Daily Mail, Daily Express and The Sun whose editorial policy is controlled by the wealthy individuals who own them and use them for their own purposes.  No idea what form that oversight could take or how it would work, but clearly clever people need to address the issue because the current situation is appalling. The "free" press is anything but.