Userboxes This user is an Australian. G'day, mate! 18+ This user is an adult. PhD This user has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Computer Science .

I'm a software engineer/researcher who has worked on software for both regulatory surveillance of stock markets, and image processing for scientific measurement. The stint in finance was in a tiny software company; the image processing continues in a multinational imaging device company.

I find it very interesting to observe the way that Wikipedia copes with conflicts of vested interests: Wikipedia is a participant in the real world, after all, and in the real world, the interpretation of knowledge can have life-or-death, rich-or-poor implications.

It can be very informative to read the talk pages of contentious areas: two examples I've found very educational are CAMERA and Naked Short Selling.

It's clear that Wikipedia desperately needs to attract hordes of intelligent but disinterested observers who can keep debates level-headed and fair, and articles NPOV, complete, and accurate. However, it is also becoming apparent that there is only so much that amateurs can do, and that it is essential that domain experts get involved to set up basic principles and a framework for progress.

• Kate Atkinson
• Louis de Bernières
• Janet Evanovich
• Liz Jensen
• Christian Jungersen
• James Lasdun
• Marina Lewycka
• Lisa Lutz
• Marisha Pessl
• Bernhard Schlink
• Scarlett Thomas
• Peter Temple
• Lee Tulloch
• Vernor Vinge
• Krix
• Michelle Holman

Watchlist Contributions

Did you know that Marisha Pessl donated $450 to Hillary Clinton at the end of 2007?

Zoë Foster's blog

Tom Wait's 20 favourite songs

Photos of Scarlett Thomas taken by Simon Trewin, her agent

Awards, reviews etc

Interview with Lisa Lutz

Biography

Biography at La Jolla Writer's Conference

Nominated in 2008 for three awards for best first novel: Anthony Award;^[1] Macavity Award;^[2] and Barry award.^[3]

Pub Owner James Manning quizzed over Blaze

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sex-party-sets-sights-on-parliament/2008/11/17/1226770300176.html New sex party

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s808274.htm Media watch story about the media campaign that started it all

http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,24795948-5014239,00.html Protests here

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/minister-for-the-future/2008/12/12/1228585118391.html?page=fullpage Article about Stephen Conroy

http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/web/fatal-flaws-in-website-censorship-plan-says-report/2008/12/22/1229794328860.html Landfeldt's report

http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,24833959-5014239,00.html Might extend to P2P

http://www.efa.org.au/Publish/ispblocking.html Commentary from EFA

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24840506-2,00.html Leaks of overseas sites; filtering trial is delayed

http://libertus.net/censor/ispfiltering-au-govplan.html AU Gov't Mandatory ISP Filtering / Censorship Plan

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/filtering-filth-will-not-tangle-the-net/2009/01/25/1232818241442.html?page=fullpage Jim Wallace, Christian

http://opennet.net/research/regions/au-nz Open Net Oz-Nz, with copyright and defamation

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/09/iwf_wikipedia_ban/ Why the IWF was right to block Wikipedia

http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25010836-5013046,00.html Seven blogs for and against filtering

http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25181408-15306,00.html ACMA takes aim at Whirlpool, supplier

http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/295977/australia_internet_filter_ruled_by_single_bureaucrat?pp=1&fp=39&fpid=27794 Ruled by single bureaucrat

http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/iiNet-quits-Conroy-s-filter-trial/0,130061791,339295589,00.htm iiNet withdraws

http://newmatilda.com/2009/03/23/tangled-web Tangled web, link to Ludlum's interview

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2008/s2524308.htm It's being botched

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,,25240337-5006301,00.html German police raid owner of German Wikileaks domain because of Australian blacklist

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/03/26/1237657050527.html G-rated photos added to blacklist

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/03/27/1237657120642.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 Would block political content

http://www.smh.com.au/news/home/technology/caching-error-caused-henson-blacklisting/2009/03/27/1237657133829.html Caching errror caused Henson's blacklisting

http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/articles/2009/04/01/1238261622790.html?page=fullpage Walkback!

http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/2009/04/22/1240079731058.html Optus 'Yes'

http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25615001-15306,00.html AFACT vs. iiNet, June 9 2009

http://www.science.org.au/scientists/nf.htm

• Venero Armanno Candle Life
• Nina Siegal A little trouble with the facts

Also, Tunny