Live to Work

So I haven’t blogged in ages and that’s largely due to some personal upheavals I’ve had to deal with. However, I now have more time to publish my ill thought out and poorly conceived ideas so there’s likely more to come …

It’s the Isle of Man General Election in September and candidates have started their campaigning. This year is my 5th on the island and so I have been able to grow accustomed to the Manx lifestyle and appreciate the issues which the island has, which combined with a degree of experience of my time in the UK, has developed ideas in my head about how I’d like to see things done in the future.

The Isle of Man does not have a party system in its parliament, Tynwald. The island is too small for that mechanism. Instead, individuals are elected, each of which campaign with their own policies. In recent times, the Liberal Vannin party has emerged that does have a consistent “party line” and which is exerting pressure on Tynwald in new ways, which is clearly ruffling old feathers.

As far as I can see, although our parliament is one of the oldest in the world, it is fundamentally undemocratic. In the UK, if you want social reform, you vote left, If you want lower taxes and an enterprise economy, you vote right. Although this is very simplistic, these principles have more or less remained for centuries. By electing a party, you are enabling the “party line”. In electing individuals on the Isle of Man, you have only the policies held by the individual candidates to go on. The candidates have good intentions and strong messages but in reality, the results of these are often weakened by the requirement to “get the vote in” for legislation to be enacted. What actually happens is lobbying, meetings and debates occur in preference for a particular policy or “government line”. Individuals drop their policies, weaken their stance or change their line to avoid to be seen as being disruptive to parliamentary process. And being disruptive in the Manx community is distinctly an unattractive position. One individual who has a record for blocking this process is Peter Karran, of Liberal Vannin. He ruffles feathers because he creates friction in what is essentially a Boy’s Club.

So what value is my vote?

While I’m unsure which way to vote at the moment, the emergence of the Liberal Vannin party in 2006 is interesting and represents a real challenge to this status quo. As ever, it comes down to numbers of votes in Tynwald when introducing legislation and with a party line, legislation becomes more democratic. A number of individuals with individual policies, ideas and priorities clearly does not work; a party with a number of individuals (and therefore votes) is going to have more muscle. While at the moment there are just 2 elected Liberal Vannin MHKs, this number could surely rise this year with increased dissatisfaction with government policy. This will create a more effective vote for the electorate as individual priorities and in-dealing is [hopefully] reduced. However, this only works if Liberal Vannin have the “right” policies for all (not likely in a complex society) or a new party emerges. (Or individual candidates could get a backbone and stand by their convictions on which they were elected and are representing their constituents.) Our process seems to be a mixture of weakened stance and blocking.

Another area where democracy is weak is in the selection of the Chief Minister. Both the current Chief Minister Tony Brown and Richard Corkhill before him have had negative reaction and feeling about their performance and/or conduct in and out of office. Notice how I said “selected”, rather than “elected”. There is no public say in which MHK assumes the role of Chief Minister. In a system which eschews party politics, and where the individual is the representative, surely the Chief Minister as an individual should also be elected in some capacity by the electorate, maybe by candidate manifesto or Proportional Representation?

Transparency in public life on the island is not as transparent as the UK, as seen by the recent inability to implement a Freedom of Information Act which would have enabled public scrutiny in an over large, penny-wise-pound-foolish and somewhat ineffectual civil service. Plans have been afoot for a while for making the Legislative Arm of Tynwald to be elected, as similar efforts in the UK. Both these elements of making the process more democratic and less opaque have faltered, and it is ultimately down to personality and protecting one’s lot. Such attitudes need to change on the island, particularly as hard decisions needs to be made with regards cost savings, for which it is important to get the Manx community on-side or at least educated as to how decisions were made.

“Owning” media used to be about buying the CD, or the DVD and adding it to your collection. I have a large CD and DVD collection as a result. Even when people were raving about downloadable music, I always went out to buy the CD. If it wasn’t “in the collection”, it didn’t feel mine. I also appreciate the finer things, such as the sleeve design, etc. Same for DVDs, buying a box-set feels a special experience, particularly if the box-set has had some thought put into the design.

But, there is an awful lot of media out there, and I only have so much money and space. Buying every film you hear may be good is one thing, but affording it and storing it (if you even watch it again) is another.

The model was “want it, own it” or “not interested”.

So our household has been switching models. Firstly, we decided to stop buying DVDs on recommendations/whim/preference so we don’t unnecessary bloat to an already bloated collection. We get a lot of recommendations for films, we miss out on an awful lot of films that are regarded as “required viewing” for film fans, so we decided to switch to a rental model. We currently use LoveFilm for this. This was a revelation, now we only invest in DVDs as part of a series (say, Doctor Who), special box-sets (the latest Alien HD box-set is awesome) or because we truly believe we will get lasting value from watching it (Chris Morris’ Four Lions is excellent). For £7ish a month, we get 5 DVDs.

But times are changing. Now, consumer devices are fighting to give the next level of media consumption: internet-based content. Whether you choose to buy (eg. iTunes music downloads), rent (download a film from Zune Video to watch within the defined period) or stream (true video-on-demand), people are changing and companies need to change with them.

I’ve always been a firm fan of buying CDs. Having digital copies of CDs feels like it weakens my relationship with the artist and the product itself. Having the designed case feels like I have bought something and the physical CD is at least a back-up of my music. Add to that the maze presented by various DRM models and downloadable music in /MP3 or .WMA form becomes a minefield. If I buy music, I want to be able to use it on all my devices (PCs, portable MP3 players, XBox 360, Blu-Ray player).

Having just bought a Windows Phone 7 and – more importantly – Zune Marketplace launching in the UK, the model has changed.

The model is now: “have (love)”, “have (interested)”, “don’t want”.

Using Zune Pass, I can download just about anything and keep it while my subscription lasts. I benefit from being able to listen to “non-essential”, possibly mediocre music without contributing to my collection or bank balance. I can listen to Take That’s new album without buying it because, frankly, I’m not a fan. But I appreciate good song-writing and love him or hate him, Gary Barlow is [mostly] very good at what he does. If I really like an album, I’ll buy the physical copy from Amazon. I’m keeping the music industry alive using both the new and old-skool models.

That just leaves films. While I really like LoveFilm rental, the waiting period often lasts months for films and a film is often not there when you need it. The only realistic modern option is to be able to download or stream it. Zune Marketplace also provides this and having previously streamed HD through my XBox 360, I can confirm it is a very sleek experience. But it’s expensive and is not covered or subsidised by the Zune Pass agreement. The catalogue is also limited.

What is needed is LoveFilm (or even NetFlix) to provide streaming services to the UK market. LoveFilm do provide streaming services, but their output is reported to be poor quality, DVD-quality at best and being computer based really spoils what should be an 11-foot, surround-sound, large screen experience. Yes, they have launched their offering on PS3 machines, but this is now a walled-garden. Why should I invest in a console worth £200+ just to watch LoveFilm films? I have no interest in gaming other than the casual gaming I already enjoy on the XBox 360.

So while I enjoy Nightwish, Take That, My Chemical Romance, Talking Heads and anything else I can get my hands on through Zune, I will be forced to wait for an equivalent offering for films. LoveFilm have said they are “Looking into other devices” but I don’t hold my breath. They seem to have got in to bed with Sony and Samsung and Microsoft consumers (with their already otherwise complete media experience) will be forced to suffer. Alternatively, Zune could increase their catalogue and decrease/subsidise their rental price through Zune Pass. Either way, in austere times, it’s not looking good for LoveFilm unless they act soon.

I’m a subscriber to LoveFilm, having originally been part of the Amazon.co.uk DVD rental by post service. Whereas I’d previously have bought the films I want to watch, I now have them sent to me. It is cheap, super convenient and I have rarely had issues … and when I have, LoveFilm has been quick to sort.

A lot of my friends are also subscribers, and it is not uncommon for us to make recommendations to each other about which films to watch, knowing that it will cost no more to add a film onto an already burgeoning list of films.

That’s where my problem occurs.

LoveFilm has an extensive catalogue of films, with detailed data and reviews behind each title. Coupled with the user-submitted rankings and reviews, this offers a very useful data source for identifying what films are worth my time. With my friends’ contributions, I have a list which averages about 30 titles at any given time. The downside of LoveFilm is that although you can have prioritisation of titles, it can often be months later when a DVD finally makes it to your door.  Often, this will be met by “WTF?”, as I express surprise as to why I should have rented that title.

The reason is probably a friend’s suggestion or a more geeky reason such as extending my exposure to a particular actor or director’s work. Either way, I have no-one to turn to and express my sincere regret as to their choice of film (and worse, their recommendation that I would like similar content) nor am I able to pat myself on my back for being a complete geek and extending my own breadth of celluloid pretentiousness.

Solving this is easy … really.

For each title I rent, let me add a comment. This comment can be added at the time of rental, after rental or while I’m waiting. It’s just a text-field. I’ve asked LoveFilm for this many times, via Twitter, email and I’ve even called them. For some reason, their priorities don’t align with mine. I tell you what, LoveFilm, I’ll save you time in the design stages. Here’s how it could work:

I can then click on that note (which may indicate a comment already in place), and I can enter a bit of text saying something like “John recommended this because he knows I like things big and blue”. Then, when I receive the disk (likely to be months later), I won’t be inclined to send it back or will be able to understand why I considered it. You could even insert a little note to me in my little envelopes – no scratch that.

Implementing this would be a quick win and many of my fellow subscribers think this is a good idea. An hour to add to the database and business layer, maybe a couple of hours on the user-interface (maybe something AJAX-y like the rest of the interface?) and a couple of hours in testing. You have a day, tops, for an easy #win.

Yes, I could keep my own records. I could even talk to your API, maybe even serve that purpose for others. (I am already planning a Windows Phone 7 UI) But why should I need to worry about security of data, implementation, data protection legislation,  continuity of service, etc. in the first instance?

… and when you’ve done that

Perhaps you could consider equalising the playing field for the UK audience? The US has Hulu, Zune and Netflix, all coming into their computers. For me, I use Windows Media Centre and XBox 360 a lot – not for playing games – but for watching TV, playing music, etc. OK, Zune has finally made it to XBox in the UK, but 1 HD film is equivalent to a months subscription to LoveFilm which gives me 5 films! But at least I have the choice. I also sold my soul to Murdoch and have Sky Player on my Xbox 360. Both Zune and Sky work awesomely well.

Netflix gives US users the ability to order and watch films from the PC or – more importantly – the XBox 360. I applaud your efforts to bring watchable films over the internet, but I’m a snob and I can’t see me enjoying watching a film, in a web browser, with questionable bandwidth, slumped over my PC. Nah, much rather watch it 11-foot away, use my remote control, my existing HD hardware and my broadband using my XBox 360. You have the catalogue, you clearly have the programming talent, so is it not possible to “make it so”?

Do you agree with this feature? Drop us a comment and support the cause …

The BCS is currently “in crisis” or being “transformed”, depending on who you listen to. I’ve spent much time of late trawling through opinion and comment on the EGM that was announced in a bid to modify the somewhat arrogant management mindset, an arrogance that is often required to drive forward change in an organisation. I’m not about to give you any insightful thoughts on which way you should vote, as I have no idea myself at this point. But, I have some concerns.

The rebrand was all a bit of a shock, with some very attractive brochures being sent to me on my membership renewal. Sort of felt like I was buying a toothpaste, rather than a membership to a professional organisation. However, the old-skool “BCS-key” was getting quite dated and the organisation was lacking relevance.

My personal view on IT practitioners is that to operate in IT, some degree of professional qualification or endorsement is required. It is hard to find a job within IT which you do not come into contact with private or sensitive data, which should be treated with as much respect as a doctor with medical notes. This is a multi-disciplined requirement, ranging from physical infrastructure to secure programming. There are too many amateurs in the profession, and it is seen to be too easy for people to gain access to the industry and present themselves as experts. While membership of the society goes some way to endorsing you as a professional, it hardly qualifies you. The CITP membership level, however, does go some way and seemed to be the most appropriate option for me.

The Chartered IT Professional qualification (CITP) that I obtained is now of the “older order”. This is one that required me to meet the BCS’ SFIAPlus Level 5 criteria, be endorsed by 2 peers and to have worked as a professional in IT. I feel that this is the closest I can come to indicate my belief and subscription to the view that IT professionals must operate under. However, it seems that this qualification is being seen by some quarters as a lower qualification. The BCS has traditionally been an academic and science-focussed, who put a lot of value in the CEng and CSci qualifications. Some of that membership are resisting the change from “Computer” to “IT”-focus. If you are working with computers, you are working in IT – be it computers, internet, or policy. Computers are only one medium through which IT is delivered. The CITP is therefore regarded by these people as being irrelevant.

So I am on-board with the change in focus towards “IT”, rather than simply “computers”. If the BCS is to be seen as an industry professional body, it needs to span the industry, not just the machines it uses. What disturbs me is the BCS lack of understanding of how it should engage with its membership. Of the management, David Clarke and Elizabeth Sparrow recently conducted a road-show around the UK to meet the membership, but they seem to have missed out on the Isle of Man – a shame as the Isle of Man is a very engaging and open branch. Their understanding of the web seems to be below that of the general industry they claim to represent, too. The new web-site was riddled with bugs at launch, undermining any sense of quality assurance an IT professional should claim to practise. The society is spending some time reaching out to members and non-members via social media, which is very welcome, and the Savvy Citizens campaign is a welcome “entry-level” point at which non-IT professionals can interact with members. But why spend the money and effort on developing its own social network, under the banner of “BCS Members’ Network”? Such networks already exist. I keep up to date with the various BCS-related groups on LinkedIn, which has ably met my social media requirements – because they are already in the business and know how to do it.

The dilemma I find myself in is: do I vote for the transformation and overlook the arrogance of the management and possibly undemocratic removal of members’ rights to object in the future, or do I vote for the EGM and at least contribute to a “kicking”; hopefully sending a message to the management that while not all members agree with the principles behind the EGM, there is some unhappiness at ground level. For me, the wrong questions are being asked and the society is using the budget of the BCS to market the anti-EGM agenda quite aggressively, which is somewhat unfair as the EGM-agenda do not have access to the membership to provide their argument – even if the required money was available. Instead, the management seem to be counting on the members submitting their vote to the chairman, resulting in a landslide.

That said, although against an undemocratic process, I feel obliged to vote with the transformation – and the long-term agenda. It is up to the society’s members to drive change for the IT industry as a whole and use the BCS as a vehicle for that. So I reluctantly find myself on-board.

So today is the big day of the General Election and we’re just left to sit in a bizarre radio silence while the polls remain open that seems unearthly following the past hectic 4 weeks. I’ve been watching and participating in various social media channels to add my 2 cents (so to speak) on policy, parties, debates and discuss with fellow Tweeters and Facebookers. I’ve enjoyed the last four weeks, except for the distraction element!

We know that the opinion polls are essentially meaningless, and who knows anyone who knows anyone who has ever been polled anyway? Assuming there is some validity in them, over the past four weeks we have come to see a pattern. Starting with The Conservatives in front, they lost a number of points to the Liberal Democrats following the leader’s debates. This has been particularly fascinating, as we may now need to upgrade Peter Snow’s (well, it’ll always be Peter’s, Jeremy) Swingometer to the third dimension. Points have been traded between all three parties, but particularly between The Conservatives and The Liberal Democrats.

One party’s performance has remained consistent, however. Labour has been losing points and sat at third place across most polls taken last night (5 May 2010). Yet, if you look at Twitter, you’d not see that pattern. Yesterday, I pinned my flag to the post as far as my voting inclinations, and this resulted in a number of people replying to me telling me of their disappointment and whether they would unfollow me, or not. We had a bit of a debate and I imagine threats to unfollow me were in jest. I expect that only people who disagreed with my views would take the time to reply, but watching my stream today seems to be of the same opinion – that of the left of the political spectrum.

So is Twitter and Social Media in general, just a bunch of Lefties?

Consider a Twitter search for “Tory”. Run your eyes down there and count how many are pro and how many are against a Conservative government. It seems people go out of their way to actually tweet “not Tory”, as opposed to who they voted for. The screenshot below shows my results:

I’ve highlighted what I think are pro Conservaive (blue) and anti-Conservative (red). It doesn’t look good.

So while people are possibly tweeting in a left-of-centre manner, that’s not necessarily due to lack of effort by other parties. TweetMinster has been an excellent service in the last few weeks and has profiled the live Twitter feed according to region, issue, party and MP. Their analysis shows that both top parties are more or less equally represented – bit this is in candidates and MPs, not the “public vote”. So while David Cameron has specifically used Social Media and his various MPs have actively engaged with the electorate on Twitter, in an “Obama-style” campaign, it doesn’t seem to be doing him any good. In fact, it seems to be turning against him.

I would be a fool to think that this identifies any patterns which may be played out this evening, but it is a question worth asking. Does Social Media attract a more left-of-centre userbase? At first sight, it appears it does.