Poor old Stephen Fry. How detached can one Blairite, Uber Luvy become? When asked to prepare a thesis of his own in celebration of Martin Luther’s: Ninety-five Theses in 1517. Fry describes what he thinks is an 'extinction level event' in cyber space. He says here:
“An extinction-level event ... will obliterate our title deeds, eliminate our personal records, annul our bank accounts and life savings, delete all the archives and accumulated data of our existences and create a kind of digital winter for humankind,” he warned.
Notice 'our' order of horrors. He couldn't even manage to mumble something about 'our' NHS records. I know the old chap has a fine command of the English language and even works for the BBC, but it seems to this reader, Fry is actually confusing the definition of his 'digital winter' with the definition of 'freedom'. Something of a insult to all those poor and starving serfs who before, and since Luther, have sort to destroy the tax and tenancy records of their overlords as a first act after battering down the master's door.
I was not invited to the Hay festival, but I would like to contribute some ideas in celebration of Luther's work. After careful consideration, I have reduced the list to one central thesis: Fuck off, Stephen Fry.
Surprised by the outcome
1 hour ago
9 comments:
I was not invited either.
Miffed.
Buy gold in eager anticipation.
Every now and then stuff gets hacked or deleted, most of it is backed up and can be reinstated somehow, this sort of thing is not top of the list of my concerns.
Given that he's a Global Warmmonger, perhaps he just likes purveying doom and gloom?
Re comments above,
In the real world giant firms like Scottish Power have a computer system that is completely incapable of delivering a gas bill that corrisponds to any event in this world,(for years on end) but they happily trundle along. You don't pay an incorrect bill. No problem. They don't seem to care either.
Re Fry: I don't know about any of you. But it was the title deed thing that made me chuckle most. Unless there is some evolutionary, superbug advance where Dust mites and Paper mites are able to consume thick, Victorian title deeds, stored by solicitors up and down the country, then I assume my claim to ownership of my pile is pretty safe.
I suspect Fry has spunked his fortune on BitCoin type investments for the clever with a smartphone, and now wonders what he would do if he got an email in the morning saying, 'its gone'. His thesis works from there to the worst possible case, etc, etc. You will no doubt see the tearful series on the BBC this winter.
@MikeW
"Victorian title deeds, stored by solicitors up and down the country" - have you bought a property recently? Its all electronic now .... no paper deeds issued.
Shiney,
Thanks for the info. Didn't know.
House purchase three years ago (1904 build). Blew off the dust, had a quick look at the previous owners to see what number we were on the deed. Handed it back to solicitor, and have never seen it since.
Mike, if a house hasn't been sold since before the Land Registry was set up, then the paper deeds will still be required until the house is registered for the first time. Then they are redundant for legal purposes.
Shiney, Bayard,
I contacted the Land Registry yesterday to confirm the points you made last night. Unfortunately their systems had just crashed. I got an email this morning saying that they could not now discuss the ownership of my property, as when their system came back on line this morning, the registry shows that the owner of my house is a, MR S Fry, of Norwich, Norfolk. I have warned Mrs W that this may not end well for us :(
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