Dear Google........

Dear Google,

I've had a peek at your Street View program on Google Maps and I'm not impressed that my residence comes up in a simple search, with a photograph of the full property frontage.

I am especially not impressed because the instructions on how to apply to have this image removed don't seem to help, because it doesn't present like this.
It comes up as a smaller fish-eye photo [cbk.jpg] without a Street View Help link in any way attached.
Ergo, no facility to have the image removed.

I might live in a NSW Northern Rivers street where the biggest thing to disturb the peace is usually the weekly garbage collection; however, this is not always the case and a private residence in my street has been subject to politically motivated ******** ***** **** *** **** ****** [redacted for privacy reasons].

I haven't spoken to anyone yet who appreciates pictures of their homes being copyrighted and given international distribution.

Now seriously thinking about pulling your adverts from this blog.

Yours in disgust,

clarencegirl

UPDATE: Google has now removed the photograph [10.08.08]

Most iconic image found on an Aussie blog this weekend

Found at Ken Lovell's Tweed Heads blog Verging_on_Random

Best political quote on the Teev this week

Paul Keating to Kerry O'Brien on the 7.30 Report last Wednesday.....

"I mean John Howard turned the prime ministership into something like a state police minister. He was at the scene of every crime, twice a day on radio. The guy did no thinking."

Few really want to consult with Australian Government by blog

According to a recent Dept of Finance and Deregulation publication few people are unreservedly enthusiastic about the Rudd Government idea that citizens could engage with it through an Australian Government consultation blog.

Most appear to have thought that the concept was O.K., but only those already engaged with politics and/or blogging were likely to use such a site.
There was little interest amongst focus group (as opposed to online survey) participants in actually reading comments made by others on such a blog/discussion forum.
Unsurprisingly no-one seemed to want Federal Labor's 'grand idea' to replace the traditional forms of community consultation.

Generally the public consultation indicated support for the development of a government online consultation web space that includes blogs, online discussion forums and details of public consultations.

The findings suggested ways that the Government could encourage the public’s participation in online consultations.

Respondents said they would be more likely to participate in government consultations if:
• the discussion topic were relevant to their personal circumstances;
• they had the opportunity to nominate the topics for discussion;
• discussion forums included the participation of Government officials;
• a range of registration options were available;
• the site was well designed, easy to find and use;
• participants were free to express their opinion without censorship; and
• it were unbiased in its operation..........
While many respondents expressed their cynicism about Government actually participating in the discussion, some respondents were optimistic and believed that Government officials would take the website and its discussion forums seriously.

In the same vein, there were clear expectations that an online consultation forum should focus on generating solutions to problems rather than rehashing political debates.

In other word, it's all pie in the sky. Because no government could resist political manipulation of such a blog.
For starters (if the Dept of F&D paper is any indication) it will require a higher level of information for registration and comment will be moderated.

How well I remember the quick censorship that members of the Howard Government put in place when FaceBook and YouTube political candidate sites suddenly became uncomfortable places for their egos during the 2007 federal election campaign.

$$ Beijing Olympics 2008 begin today $$

Poster from Google Images

Let us all get our priorities right

Save the planet

Not the International Olympic Committee