Category Archives: Blogging/IT

Blogging/IT

Fallen into the Facebook crowd

Don’t quite know how it happened – an accident really, and still not quite sure what I’ll actually do with it, but you’ll find me over there…

Blogging/IT

Not so weighty after all…

How much does the internet weigh?

60 grammes, or 6 microgrammes, depending on which method of calculation you use to weigh those electrons.

As ever, lies and damned statistics…

Blogging/IT

Britblog Roundup No 120

Welcome to the wandering Britblog roundup. Apologies for slightly later than usual delivery; you can blame the lovely Camden Green Fair, the glorious weather, and my ridiculous work schedule. (I’m going to leave the office after this, honest…)

Starting up this week, a fine, reflective piece from Dan Hardy on the Mousa and Mendonca case. As he points out, depite all of the layers of spin, it was in the end about a defenceless man being killed in British custody.

Then some blogging about, well about blogging…

On The Wardman Wire, a reflection on the possibilities and risks for online video channels in general and for 18 Doughty Street in particular. On Investigations of a Dog, the canine in question got a quick response from a government institution, and even a substantive one, when he questioned the conditions of use of a potentially excellent National Archive site.

Ministry of Truth reflects on an stalking case, and just what sort of person is likely to turn into an online stalker.

Staying with the navel-gazing – well if we can’t talk about this crazy new digital world who can? – Sharon on Early Modern Notes has had an encounter with a PR agency. Not a good one. (Well, are there any good ones? Perhaps not.)

Turning political, visiting on The F-word, Kate wonders if threatening in MPs isn’t against the law? (She’s referring of course to a certain Scottish cardinal – burning in hellfire for eternity sounds like quite a threat for those who believe in that stuff.) On the lighter side, Antonia finds out what happens when you have to confess to being a Labour councillor while trying to rent out a room.

Liberal England reflects on how Tony Blair made cynics of us all. The tough question for anyone involved in politics now is how to overcome that cynicism, which has spread to the public’s view of all politicians, not just the dear, soon-to-be-departed, leader.

Central News provides a roundup of thew news in May, with a particular focus on immigration. Piddogfucker offers his, as ever, blunt view on paedophiles and internet images.

Shifting away from politics, at least of a contemporary sort, Red Mum continues her profiles of great Irish women with an account of the life of Delia Larkin, feminist and trade unionist. Jim on The Daily (Maybe) meanwhile has found a younger feminist hero, Minnie Cruttwell, age 12,, who just wants to play football.

Now if you are planning to visit a doctor any time soon, don’t read this post by Katy Newton on Everything is Electric. I don’t want to be responsible for the delayed diagnosis of your illness…

I know we’re not the French, but still why shouldn’t the Britblogs get a little high-brow? So I’ll point you to Camdenkiwi’s examination of a book that explores the ideas of Merleau-Ponty. But if you fancy relaxation instead, visit the Eden project with Rashbre.

Finally, in that odd little spot that you always find in newspapers at the bottom of a column of briefs (pun intended) onyx underpants could get you into heaven. No I’m not going to explain – check it out with Early Modern Whale yourself.

The next roundup will be hosted next Sunday by Gracchi on Westminster Wisdom.

Blogging/IT History Politics

Weekend carnivals

The Britblog Roundup No 119 is now up on Liberal England, and when I say that it is a nice little holiday collection I’m not denying that I did nominate quite a few of them.

But it did direct me to an excellent new “good life” blog, Bean Sprouts, about a green trying to walk the walk. (The selected post is on backyard chickens, something I’m at least half serious contemplating should my long drawn-out, complicated house purchase finally ever come off – one serious barrier being that the lease apparently doesn’t correspond to the actual structure, which the sellers’ solicitor refuses to acknowledge – fun, fun.)

And there’s also a nice little expose of an McDonald’s supporting MP – World Cup tickets anyone?

Heading into older dirt, Carnivalesque No 27 (this one focusing on ancient and early modern history) is now up on Aardvarchaeology. Who could resist a post “on the latest and most titillating dirt on Carolingian royal charters”?

Blogging/IT

How to test your concentration…

Work on Wifi in a “Digibar”, playing house music upstairs, where you are, while a heavy rock band plays downstairs, the vibrations, as well as the noise, coming up through the floor.

You’ll forgive me any spelling mistakes, I hope…

I’m just wondering if the signal stretches across the road to the Tandoori place. I have the feeling the barman would like to get rid of me – I’m not exactly giving his bar the image he’d hope through the entirely glass front; I’m about 20 years too old, and not dressed in the T-shirt of my favourite, cutting-edge band.

Blogging/IT

A landmark of sorts

“Akismet has caught 204,008 spam for you since you first installed it.”

It is a little over a year (April 27, 2006) since I moved to WordPress and installed Akismet. That was the figure a minute or so ago. It will have gone up since…