Category Archives: Blogging/IT

Blogging/IT

Elsewhere

It might look like I have been rather quiet here recently, but I have been busy elsewhere:

* Watching The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes by the RSC – if you missed it you didn’t miss a lot, although Wilton’s Music Hall is, as ever, a wonderful venue. It is still mostly faded glory, although they have manage to restore and paint the ceiling in the auditorium, down to the first cornice anyway.

* Hearing about the possibility of a world environment court

* Hearing a debate on have we seen the worst of Aids?

Blogging/IT

Recommendation?

Anyone have a recommendation for a free PDF creator programme? (Mostly from Word 2007 files, but occasionally probably from Excel and other programs.) There seem to be huge numbers of them around, but I’ve had problems in the past with ones that caused crashes, failed to work, and were generally a pain. I’m not looking for bells and whistles, just a basic thing that works

Blogging/IT

Britblog Roundup No 198

News-wise it’s been one hell of a week. I’m going to put these into the main categories to make it manageable…

1. Mumbai: Sid on Pickled Politics assembles what’s know about the
alleged attacking group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, while Sunny on the same site contemplates what India might do next.

Blood and Treasure contemplates possible Pakistani involvement, Charles Crawford considers the tactical implications.

2. The economy: Jonathan Porritt, Sunny Hundal, the Daily Mash, and the Diamond Geezer takes a hands-on approach to studying Woolworths’ downfall.

3. The arrest of Damian Green: Craig Murray can hear the jackboots and A Very British Dude says this is the way the world ends and Mick Fealty wonders what the Speaker was doing.

4. Violence Against Women 16 days: the F-Word addresses asylum and rape.

5. The Baby P-case: Lynne Featherstone has seen the serious case review, and is in no doubt that it should be published, and on Heresy Corner, the Facebook Furies are comprehensively slapped down.

6. Miscellaneous politics: the Bristling Badger (great name for a blog), considers a report on climate change technofixes, Jim wonders just how horrible we can be to each other. How can any of us get to the bus stop without being murdered?

And Stumbling and Mumbling explains why Andrew Lansley is a prat who got it right then got it wrong, while Rhetorically Speaking dissects Melanie Phillips in search of logic and Liberal England looks at Phil Willis’s view of university education.

Rather close to home to me, in Camden on Theo’s blog there’s some links made between praise on the environment and political posts, and over the border in Islington a fellow Britblog Host, Suz Blog, has an account of an eviction of an alleged anti-social neighbour.

Okay, you can take a lungful of air after that lot … but there is a blogging world outside politics and world affairs – and it can even be more fun….

To begin, an account of a top secret, dangerous mission.

Ruscombe Green’s guest blogger, a marine historian, explains how he’s been saving an extraordinary graveyard (for boats), but Unmitigated England couldn’t save a mighty fallen giant.

Penny Red’s been trying to found a New Left Media (well not all on her own), while High On Rebellion sets out her views on the Guardian’s coverage of feminism.

On An Overgrown Path pays tribute to Richard Hickox.

Almost finally, let’s have a treble of light relief: Elizabeth Chadwick’s been contemplating how we depict medieval garderobes and their use. Why has King John got his hose around his ankles?

And Kate Smurthwaite’s been finding the real reason for stripping in Mr Stringfellow’s clubs…

And Lady Bracknell’s got the final solution to sorting out those coots and moorhens.

Then really finally, perhaps the most important post of the week, from The Misssy M Missives, how to get through your office Christmas party.

I think that’s quite a large enough collection to keep you going for a week… Next week the roundup will be on Redemption Blues. If you’d like to nominate a post (and please do), email britblog AT gmail DOT com.

Blogging/IT

Bangkok and local troubles

Over on Comment is Free I’ve been writing about the background to the current sad troubles in Thailand. It’s hard to see a way out.

Closer to home, the Modern Liberty conference, with strong blogging links and a stellar speaker list, has been announced.

Blogging/IT Carnival of Feminists

Drumroll please…

… the Carnival of Feminists No 68 is now up on Fourth Wave. And a superb collection from the feminist blogosphere it is too – if, hopefully, the last for a while to feature Sarah Palin.

This is, if memory serves me right, the first to feature Olympe de Gouge, wonders why some men only want to eat food cooked by women, and the post on “my neighbour’s sex life” explores some very interesting issues. (And really, I’m not just following the old journalist’s line of always getting sex in the headline.

And I’m looking for hosts for future carnivals – if you’re interested – and don’t be shy, you can be a new blogger, a long-time blogger, or anywhere inbetween – drop me a line: natalieben AT gmail DOT com.

While I’m here I’ll also mention that there’s a fine Britblog Roundup this week, just up the road from me in Islington, with Susanne.

And finally I say eon: here’s why.

Blogging/IT Politics

Around and about…

Over on My London Your London I’ve just posted a review and commentary on the Liberty exhibition at the British Library. Simply the most important, relevant exhibition you could imagine. See it! (Or at least vote in its online survey.)

Elsewhere, on Mercurius Politicus Carnivalesque 44 has taken on a delightful early modern tone – definitely not to be missed.

And this week’s Britblog Roundup on Liberal England is an unusually delightful, broadranging selection.

Finally, I’m unable to resist pointing to this story, which really speaks for itself in its headline: Brainy children ‘likely to vote Green’.