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Archive for June 11th, 2007


Posted on June 11, 2007 - by jono

The Opinion Slab: Church of England in Playstation Gun Range Shocker

Here we are for yet another slab of opinion. This week I have quite an interesting one for you.

Recently the Church Of England have been having a tiff with Sony regarding the use of Manchester Cathedral in the Alien infested first-person-shooter Resistance: Fall Of Man on Playstation 3. The CofE are not only angry that a holy place was a backdrop for such a violent game, but it also undermines their work to banish gun crime from Manchester. They have demanded that the game is removed from store shelves. A meeting at the CofE on Monday to discuss what actions should be made against Sony resulted in the church asking for a large chunk of earnings from the game being donated to the CofE. They also want the game content adjusting to remove Manchester Cathedral and for Sony to support anti-gun groups. Is it right for the CofE to make such demands? Is the use of Manchester Cathedral really that bad? Is it even more odd that there is a problem with the cathedral being used in a game that is clearly science fiction due to the abundance of aliens? Does the game really undermine anti-gun groups? Is there an ethical issue with the CofE taking a large donation of cash from a game they deem so inappropriate?

My take: I can see the church’s problem with Manchester Cathedral being used in the game, and although I personally don’t have an issue with it, I can see why they take issue with it, but I don’t see how this is undermining their efforts banishing gun crime from Manchester – I thought the debate over video game violence spilling into real life was long finished in the late 90s. Then, to add insult to injury, I find the concept of the CofE demanding money from such an unethical game astonishing. On what ethical grounds can you possibly make such a demand – surely it is dirty money?

I think this is a fascinating topic, lets see what everyone thinks. Add you comments as usual to this blog entry. :)


Posted on June 11, 2007 - by jono

LUGRadio Live 2007 BOF Schedule Announced!

Get all your LugRadio Live news and updates from the LugRadio Live Latest News Blog!

I am pleased to announce the initial BOF schedule for LUGRadio Live 2007 on the 7th and 8th July 2007. We will have two BOF tracks, one of which is scheduled and another which can be organised freeform on the weekend. Below is the schedule for the scheduled BOF track:

Saturday 7th July 2007:

  • 11.00 – 12.00 lug.org.uk
  • 12.00 – 13.00 Ubuntu UK
  • 13.00 – 14.00 Lunch: Keysigning
  • 14.00 – 15.00 Cheaper alternatives to vista
  • 15.00 – 16.00 KDE
  • 16.00 – 17.00 Perl Mongers

Sunday 8th July 2007:

  • 11.00 – 12.00 Jokosher
  • 12.00 – 13.00 hashlugradio
  • 13.00 – 14.00 Lunch: Keysigning
  • 14.00 – 15.00 Power Management
  • 15.00 – 16.00 Bongo

LUGRadio Live 2007 is shaping up to be an incredible event! Go and REGISTER NOW!!


Posted on June 11, 2007 - by jono

Interviewed

Last week I did an interview with the fellas from the Linux Action Show. We chatted about a bunch of things including LUGRadio Live 2007, Ubuntu, Ubuntu Live, LUGRadio, Jokosher, KDE4, GStreamer and more.

The show is Episode 50 (congrats reaching the big 5-0 chaps) and you can click here to download the Ogg.