Barks 100 / choose (another) Barks favourite

[Nils Lid Hjort]

First of all, happy birthday, Carl Barks, happy 
century. We are all united in at least this particular 
respect. 

Then all our differences and minor and major 
disagreements appear, of course, as they should. 
I'm reminded of this as I view the 
	www.donald.no 
[which quickly transforms itself into
	http://www.disney.no/DonaldDuck/index2.html ]. 
In Denmark and Sweden this would be 
	http://www.disney.dk/andersand/index2.html 
	http://www.disney.se/kalleanka/index2.html

What I'd wish to draw your attention to is the 

	"Stem på din Barks-favoritt!" 

Well, this is at least of potential interest, to discuss 
one's Barks favourite stories. There are aspects
here I do not like so well, however. Click your way;
I'm doing it as I write on the Danish site (the 
Norwegian one is now blocking me away, as it should, 
since I've already placed my vote there). 

(1) The Norwegian page has a very ugly case of 
    "green'grocer's apo'strofff'": 
	" Vinn praktboken Carl Bark's Beste! " 
    (even on Carl Barks' centennial). 
    I suspect also the Danish and Swedish are incorrect; 
    shouldn't it be a real Danish apostrophe in 
	" Carl Barks Bedste! " 
    and a real Swedish apostrophe in 
	" Vinn praktboken om Carl Barks bästa serier! " ? 

(2) The crucial piece of information of what the deadline 
    is, is missing. How late can I place my vote? 

(3) I find it strange to call this is a "competition",
    voting for your favourite story. Yes, 10 "winners"
    are drawn from those placing a vote, but that doesn't 
    make it a competition, in my book. 

(4) There is a significant selection bias and basic 
    setup restriction in that the 13 stories with given
    titles _of course coincides with those in the 
    de Lux book_. You have to be very conscious (and probably 
    more than 13 years old) to allow "other stories" a 
    chance at all. You must in fact also know the precise 
    _title_ of the story. 

(5) I find that there's another selection bias towards 
    story 1, the "square egg" story from Lost in the Andes
    (FC #223, 1949), as it is the "default click" among 
    the 14 possibilities (13 stories + "other"). 
    A person I talked to had clicked on "Vote!" a little
    bit too early; he thought he _then_ would be asked about 
    which story he preferred. But no, he is for ever 
    registred as a square egg fan. 

(6) You can see the current votes, by clicking on 
    "Follow the voting results!". This leads to further 
    selection bias, and is contrary to commonly agreed on 
    democratic voting rules (even in the USA). 
    It is not good for voters of Florida if they already 
    know how all the others voted. 

(7) Shock! The Swedish site doesn't appear to be _finished_.
    There might be a `temporary problem', but at least 
    as I write this only _the first 8 of the 14_ are given
    titles. If you wish to vote for no. 9, you seemingly
    have to guess your way. Horror! 

(8) Finally I understand from a colleague's remark that 
    one may hack one's way into the voting boot _several
    times_ (I'm of course not advocating this). 


Sorry for sounding itchy & bitchy & attac-y. It must be 
my inclination to go for "other" (I chose "Back to the 
Klondike"), as well as feeling that the Square Egg story
is given _too many chances_ in the game. It would please me 
(and confuse the publishing machines) if the pedagogically 
constructed histograms (row diagrams) would show that 
"other stories" outperformed the 13 stories chosen by the editors. 

Go for it (at any rate): visit the

http://www.disney.no/DonaldDuck/index2.html and 
http://www.disney.dk/andersand/index2.html and 
http://www.disney.se/kalleanka/index2.html ,

make your voice heard, and win three expensive books
(in three languages). 

Nils Lid Hjort 
(Danish voter no. 473, one of currently 27 with "other")