Mat Bowles

Icons, voting and a conductor caught in the act

Fri, 16 May 2008 13:36:20 GMT

IM represents 'new linguistic renaissance' | The Register

I still dislike using IM, but the snobs are wrong: far from ruining teenagers' ability to communicate, IM lets teenagers show off what they can do with language

(tags: language linguistics)
Science and SF articles needed

For the science writers and reviewers out there, Nick Mamatas needs feature articles for his Clarkesworld magazine. He'll even pay you.

(tags: writing nick+mamatas)
La conductrice qui jouit

Note to train drivers - if you're going to have a wank after making an announcement to the whole train, turn off the intercom first? (from Popbitch, natch)

(tags: humour masturbation)
Girly B Icons - Various Academia Quotes

There are some rather good ones in this set, haven't figured out what to yoink yet but will definitely grab something

(tags: icons livejournal)
Who to vote for - The Public Whip

Not a bad little tool, biased against the Govt but not horribly so, picks 14 issues of the last few years and you get to compare your opinion to the party voting record, includes stuff like the smoking ban and fox hunting, not all dry stuff

(tags: politics predictions public+whip)
redscharlach: Blackadder II mini-icons: Two spikes would be an extravagance

These are brilliant

(tags: blackadder livejournal icons)
Liberal Conspiracy Â» Forza, Viola

Jarndyce is spot on with this one: The notion that sport and politics should never mix is a curious, and also deeply political, one. Sport, after all, is just the waging of international politics by other means

(tags: sports politics)

What I've been up to by Text today

Fri, 16 May 2008 05:05:57 GMT

My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.

12:33 is laughing at Jennie for ringing me and saying "hello, is that the council tax office" Chace'd be a fine thing--bloody bills. #

Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.

Linkspam for 15-5-2008

Thu, 15 May 2008 13:36:09 GMT

Tactical Voting: Myths and reality - Voting TaKtiX

I wrote this 18 months ago, but I've linked to it increasingly recently to explain points, so I'm bringing it to the top. The electoral system encourages broad church coalitions and two main parties. Every vote is thus, in some way, tactical.

(tags: politics voter+behaviour)
The Fermi Paradox revisited - Charles Stross

Charlie goes back over Fermi's classic 'if they exist, why aren't they here' paradox with a bunch of possible explanations.

(tags: science space charles+stross)
Vatican says aliens could exist | BBC NEWS

Follow up from Fermi - Father Gabriel Funes, said intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space - the Vatican is organising a conference next year to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the author of the Origin of Species, Charles Da

(tags: news space religion science)
bsg vfx: anatomy of a cylon Â« Darth Mojo

Very very cool. Link to part one of some production stills and mock ups of the CGI original design Cylons from the Razor TV movie. Part two, witht he gold cylon, is worth clicking through to.

(tags: TV bsg)
More scans of the Empire Indy article

For those that wanted them from last time, Jen's now posted the whole article.

(tags: Indiana+Jones films)

Linkspam for 14-5-2008

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:34:56 GMT

Canadian federal election, 1993 - Wikipedia

Looking at various sources and I was reminded of this result - is it possible Labour's headed for a wipeout of these proportions unless they sort themselves out?

(tags: politics canada landslides)
'Wizard's First Rule' to be TV series

to be produced by Sam Raimi. That slurping noise? That's a thousand brains melting at the idea. If you haven't read the book? Don't. Really, don't.

(tags: sam+raimi tv terry+goodkind)
BBC NEWS | UK | Dear MoD: where is ET?

Heh: staff and customers at a pub in Tunbridge Wells reported seeing a UFO with "red and green flashing lights" moving across the sky. When asked to describe the direction of movement their answer was "Gatwick".

(tags: ufos MOD news)

Fantastic Films programme announced

Wed, 14 May 2008 12:02:11 GMT

Just received by email from the organisers of the 7th Fantastic Films Weekend (Friday 13 to Sunday 15 June):

Hot off the press (or whatever the equivalent is on the interweb) here's the full FFW 2008 programme, almost all confirmed...

Friday
12.00 Brain Dead TBC
1.00 Count Dracula (Pt 1)
2.00 The Nightmare Man (Pt 1)
2.00 Spine Tingler!
2.15 Vampire Diary
3.00 Schalcken the Painter
4.00 Black Christmas
4.15 Vigilante
6.00 Outland 70mm
6.15 An American Werewolf in London
8.15 The Mist
8.45 Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows

Saturday
11.00 ...And Now the Screaming Starts!
11.30 Scars of Dracula
1.00 Maelstrom (Episode 2)
1.00 The Abominable Dr. Phibes
1.30 Malpertuis
2.00 The Day of the Triffids (Pt 1)
3.00 Dr. Phibes Rises Again!
3.00 Z for Zachariah
4.00 Savage Streets
5.00 Screentalk: Robert Fuest
6.00 Poltergeist 70mm
6.15 The House That Dripped Blood
8.15 Screentalk: Peter Duffell
8.30 The Thing 70mm + intro by John Carpenter

Sunday
10.15 Cat People
11.00 The Most Dangerous Game
12.00 Short Films
12.30 Dracula (digital)
1.00 Chiller: Toby
2.00 Blood on Satan's Claw
2.00 Children of the Stones: Into the Circle
2.30 Grindhouse double-bill
3.00 Frankenstein
4.00 Screentalk: Piers Haggard + Robert Wynne-Simmons
5.30 Daughters of Darkness
6.15 Terminator 2: Judgement Day 70mm
7.30 Screentalk: Harry Kumel
8.45 Hell's Ground

Weekend Pass £40 (£35 concs)
Day Pass £20 (£15 concs)
Grindhouse/Dr. Phibes double-bills £10 (£7 concs)
BTW. Passes do NOT include IMAX titles

If you've got any questions let me know. Oh, and I hope to have at least some of the John Carpenter's exclusive intro to The Thing on YouTube for you all in the next week or so, as a nice little teaser.

Cheers,

Your friends at FFW HQ

I've bolded the stuff I'd like to see, but nothing specifc yet—some of the stuff I haven't highlighted (like Phibes) is cool but I've watched it recently as Jennie's got the DVD. It's in Bradford, 20 minutes by bus from us here in Brighouse, anyone wanting advice for accommodation give us a shout, sofa space may still be available.

Facebook event for those interested.

Poll: Marry, Shag or kill?

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:44:04 GMT

I've mentioned that shared brain thing, right? I finished reading something, got up to go check on the pizzas, stole a kiss from Jennie on the way past and said I had a poll to post when I got back up. She showed me her screen and asked if it would look a bit like this. To which the answer is yes, yes it would. Female voters 'fancy Cameron' apparently, but we're both convinced it's the old shag, marry or kill question, so here we go.

View Poll: Bag, Shag, or Crag

(trying inserting her poll into my post, might not work, will likely take you to her post when you vote, never done this before)

FWD This Link

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:19:58 GMT

Hah, Guru rhodri's new book is available for pre-order at Amazon:
FWD This Link: A Rough Guide to Staying Amused Online When You Should Be Working

It's only £6 (and if you reserve it on pre-order then bookstores will stock more which helps him, right, no obligation to actually cough up later), although given most of my posts at the moment are already linkblogging...

Johhny Vegas sues Guardian over sex assault allegations

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:04:08 GMT

Chortle reports that Vegas is suing^[2] over the allegations made by the Guardian^[1] and hinted at in The Times. The original story sparked a (justifiable) series of complaints and posts, including boycott and letter writing as well as a good explanation from Jennie about why the audience and alleged victim may have kept quiet.

Vegas himself has not commented fully but has said I haven't done anything wrong (ETA: since I wrote this, the Press Gazette has covered the story and has comments from Vegas^[3]). Given the nature of the UK libel laws this makes sense—his lawyers will've told him to stay quiet and not mention specifics, and they'll likely push for an out of court settlement. If it does go to court, unfortunately, the odds are in his favour to win the case. English libel law notoriously favours the plaintiff and all he he needs to demonstrate is that his reputation was hurt (uncontestable); the Guardian'll need to, they need to demonstrate that their version of events is a reasonable interpretation (and he'll only need a few audience witnesses to say otherwise unfortunately). Teh Graun pretty much needs the girl herself to come forward else they've lost. Have I mentioned English libel law is an arse? I think I might've.

Of course, he does have a few witnesses on his side already, this commenter at the Evening Standard Comedy Blog for example:

I too was at the show on Friday and from my vantage point in the second row, I can honestly say that the female audience member in question appeared to thoroughly enjoy the experience. Coming off stage she looked as if she had just won the lottery.

and as Chortle observes:

Did his ‘victim’ feel uncomfortable, too? Undoubtedly. I certainly did. Did she feel abused? Only she can tell. It’s the million dollar question that Vegas’s reputation rests upon. Or maybe the damage has already been done.

We'll be watching this one closely I suspect. Tim? I'll be in touch mate.

[1] Guardian has removed the story as a result of the action, it was here.

[2] A few of the articles I link to have now been removed or locked down by the sites that published them due to liability concerns—no one wants to get sued for libel. Worth reiterating to commenters that under the T&Cs of Livejournal, each individual is responsible for their own comments—this is a public post and Schillings have a rep for searching blogs (see tag).

[3] From Tim at Bloggerheads in his post linking here.
Also? If you're new here, OpenID is the preferred commenting method for non-LJ users, it's easier than it looks and you've undoubtedly got an OpenID from somewhere.

Linkspam for 12-5-2008

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:32:38 GMT

Royce's Random Thoughts - Five Minute Iron Man

Spoilers, natch. SCENE: Many, many, many Testing the Suit scenes, ending with a pretty cool flight over Malibu, a crash through two levels of Tonyâ™s house, and an Oscar winning performance by Freddy the Fire Extinguishing Robot.

(tags: Humour films iron+man)

Linkspam for 11-5-2008

Sun, 11 May 2008 13:31:42 GMT

From the Hall: GmailThis!

This are useful java bookmarklet-highlight some text, click the BM, get a pop up containing the text and the page URL, should work in any browser, nice way of emailing useful info or even just storing something.

(tags: email Google gmail bookmarklet)
Youtube and embedding correctly - Hapless band of staff and regulars

Ryan geeks out over YouTube embed code. More useful than it sounds: Iâ™ve yet to work out why Youtube [have] the video at 425Ã—355px, when the resolution is only 320px wide, creating a blocky video as it is badly upscaled. here is the âœeasyâ way to e

(tags: youtube html embedding)
Pulp Bard - Quentin Shaksper?

Actualy rahter amusing: If but one of thy uncouth, base number Stirs with unrest; then every mother's son Of you, I will put in the earth by this My very own long sword; Harken to'it.

(tags: pulp+fiction humour Shakespeare)
Whacking G****e back :: The Snow In The Summer or So-So

Heh! Iain responds to the comments and feedback you lot left on the last post I made linking to him. See, comments are good ;-) Hadn't considered the domain spoofing thing, but at the same time it's supposed to be for blog commenting...

(tags: Google bloggers)
The Devil's Kitchen: Nadine Dorries: still a corrupt liar

I still can't summon the energy and rage to assemble all the links for the Dorries attack - fortunately DK's done the job for me. If you only read one post on the odious lying disingenous anti-science zealot, this is a pretty good summary.

(tags: Nadine+Dorries)

What I've been up to by Text today

Sun, 11 May 2008 05:06:12 GMT

My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.

19:29 so the next Doctor Who spin off is... #

Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.

Linkspam for 10-5-2008

Sat, 10 May 2008 13:32:46 GMT

BOFH: Shiny new computer room | The Register

El Reg shifted the feed BOFH was on (again) and I hadn't noticed. Been in this sort of meeting a few times, in such a discussion, backing up the MD or the tech, the tech wins. Every time. (reg_bofh is new syndication account BTW)

(tags: BOFH the+register)
Blah blah blah - Beloved Intertubes,

Sparkle has a job interview, and could do with the help of People of Faith, so, y'know go help her (it's a good job): I need to do a short presentation (as if it were to the local Church Council) entitled Teenagers: Faith in a Materialistic Age.

(tags: religion jobs friends)

ETA: the last link doesn't need to be just for those who believe—lack of faith is as relevent I think.

What I've been up to by Text today

Sat, 10 May 2008 05:07:12 GMT

My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.

15:59 is trying to use the mouse before plugging it in... #

Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.

Linkspam for 9-5-2008

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:36:05 GMT

drjon: After a short stay in America, David returned to Florence...

Picture. Rather amusing

(tags: Humour)
Time Freezy HyperSlush(tm)

picture. Also funny

(tags: Humour)
DS is 'toxic drug' that poisons children, claims Daily Mail DS news, Pocket Gamer

Rosie Millard: worst parent ever to write an editorial?

(tags: Rosie+Millard Nintendo+DS)
Has the heaviest element been found? - New Scientist Space

I think I even understand the science of this one; thanks pTerry! Could a superheavy element â“ heavier than anything previously found in nature or made in the lab â“ exist naturally in the rocks of Earth?

(tags: science)
baseballchica03: Indiana Jones, woot!

Jen has a poll and some scans on the new film. Which I'm going to go see. Even if I go alone. It's not Bond, but it's still cool.

(tags: Indiana+Jones)
Games - About Dyson

Annoyingly addictive, the telescopes game especially

(tags: games flash+games)
Solar System Visualizer

Flash thing. Fun

(tags: flash cool maps planets astronomy science)
George Orwell, 'Politics and the English Language,' 1946

Justin linked to this earlier, and it's as true today as it was then.

(tags: politics writing language George+Orwell)
Milk and Cheese @ MySpace Dark Horse Presents

A reason to go to MySpace regularly? This are not good. Actually, it is good, it's damn good, Milk and Cheese are back online. This are very very good.

(tags: MySpace comics)

What I've been up to by Text today

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:09:56 GMT

My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.

18:44 is drinking coffee mixed with tofee ice cream. Mmmmmmm #
21:58 is giggling at The Shrubplaying in the bath and wondering if she's learnt how to not fall in the beck again... #

Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.

Linkspam for 8-5-2008

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:39:03 GMT

liz_marcs: When Living History Becomes "Just History"...

Horrifying story from Liz about the Auschwitz block 24 brothel and the hidden history of the aryanised jews forced into it

(tags: auschwitz history)
Drugs policy: Brown fiddles while... - Liberal Conspiracy

DonaldS: imagine that if we were to hand the supply-chain for curtains, or orange squash, or embossed stationery, over to criminal gangs, trouble would follow. I'm no fan of state regulation - but I'm finding it difficult to think of a market more suited to regulation

(tags: drugs freedom prohibition reform)
uk.people.gothic's FAQ

Ah.. innit sweet? Horribly dated, but taking itself far too seriously for ten years ago, let alone now.

(tags: goth usenet)
drjon: Looksee! Looksee!

Jon shares a cool Livejournal coding trick: only works for logged in LJ users but rather cool

(tags: livejournal)
House of Barred - by Nadine Dorries MP « The Cornerstone Group

Mad Nad says: 'I have rights and I am going to find out what they are and, make sure every other MP knows what they are too.' Most of them already do Nad, even I know you can't film in most of the Palace without permission. This incompetent is running the campaign?

(tags: Nadine+Dorries House+of+Commons)

What I've been up to by Text today

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:06:44 GMT

My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.

22:15 laughing at my old landlord ringing me for the password for the wireless router. 4 months after I moved out... #
00:38 thinks it's worse than that, they're dead Jim. #

Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.

Linkspam for 7-5-2008

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:36:59 GMT

Independent dubs El Reg lesbian | The Register

Why I rarely buy the IndyTab anymore: The final para begins: "So the trial of lower-case lesbian vs upper-case Lesbian is going ahead. Now, a lesbian on-line magazine called The Register has put forward a solution..."

(tags: newspapers the+register the+independent)
Johann Hari: BNP votes are a cry of white working-class anguish - The Independent

Hari is one of those people that I either agree with strongly or disagree with vehemently. This analysis of WHY people voted BNP is better than many I've read, and accentuates the futility of the No Platform posturing.

(tags: politics Racism bnp voter+behaviour)
How Little Do Users Read? (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)

Nielsen is awesome, again, and proves why formatting matters: On the average Web page, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely.

(tags: web+design usability nielsen)
Passive Voice Is Redeemed For Web Headings (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)

Mostly agree with this one to: Active voice is best for most Web content, but using passive voice can let you front-load important keywords in headings - This enhances scannability and effectiveness.

(tags: blogging usability writing)
Alertbox: Jakob Nielsen's Newsletter on Web Usability

Started reading Alertbox before I learnt the basics of HTML, it's definitely helped in my approach, especially for blogging - I break the rules more often than I follow them, but when I really want people to read you'll notice

(tags: blogging nielsen usability writing web+design)
Fight for your writes | Comment is free

Zoe's spot on here - if a newspaper copies your entries wholesale and reprints them then they need your permission and they ought to pay. Exerpts for critique are fine, but substantive content isn't

(tags: blogging copyright writing)
Anti-Social Networking - Full Frontal!

Some good observations on blogging - there's a reason I always write in my name, gives me control: In a Google-Indexed Universe where the lines between online and offline lives are blurred, you don't have to fill in all of the blanks.

(tags: blogging)
Marvel's machine in gear

I grew up on Marvel comics, from the stuff I bought in the store at Butlins aged 5 through to the Transformers when I was 10 to the X Men when I fell for Psylocke. But comics take loads of money. They're doing The Avengers. Properly. Woo Hoo!

(tags: marvel comics films the+avengers)
Hancock Trailer

We saw this before Iron Man and, well, we loved it. I await the actual release as Smith really can act if made to, and he can definitely do comedy. I even laughed at the bit with the whale. Um, sorry bout that.

(tags: Hancock Humour films Will+Smith)
Coalition for Choice

Site campaigning on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, going through parliament, because it has widespread implications for ordinary Britons. Next due on May 12th, more to follow when I've time, and a big reason to dislike Mad Nad

(tags: abortion freedom rights)
Shakesville: Take My Arm, My Love

What it's like being part of a gay couple, even in supposedly liberal, civilised areas, still. From Debi, comes with a challenge I doubt I could manage at all: Spend an entire week pretending that you're not a couple.

(tags: sexuality equality relationships)

What I've been up to by Text today

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:10:17 GMT

My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.

14:43 is wondering how the media can possibly take Mad Nad seriously after she's been debunked so often. #

Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.

Linkspam for 6-5-2008

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:36:29 GMT

Why some mayoral votes counted but not others-Make My Vote Count

So many times during the campaign I meant to write up an analysis of Hennessy's Bloody Stupid Voting System, never did. Here's the main problem with it over AV, which he thinks we're too stupid for.

(tags: voting+systems mayoralty)
Nonsensical excuses for Labour failure - By Bob Marshall-Andrews -Telegraph

The Labour spin team are blaming last weeks results on the mistake of the 10p tax thing. I think it went much deeper than that and that was merely the proverbial straw. Bob agrees, not sure everything he says here is right, but interesting reading

(tags: bob+marshall-andrews Labour policy)
Obsolete: Why Ken lost to Boris.

I had planned to write a post on why Ken lost and similar, I've linked to a few things pointing out the futility of some of the anti-Boris campaigning and reactions, but Obsolete has done the rest for me, so have a link.

(tags: election london mayoralty)
Mapp vs Review: GTA IV

Mark reviews That Game. I have no interest in it, but I like his reviews, so for those of you that like or want to know more about That Game, go read.

(tags: GTA4 friends Review)
Wordpress, Facebook and PHPbb security flaw?

I know nothing about this other than what's presented, but will be upgrading my sites ASAP, heads up for those using it elsewhere and worth a check, also check your Facebook comments for dodgy links, etc.

(tags: wordpress security botnets)
5 Reasons Why [personal] Websites should be (more) standards-based | JeremiahTolbert.com

Jeremy wrote this aimed specifically at authors, but I think it applies to everyone. I need to update all my sites, especially the taktix domain, and XHTML is the way to go these days.

(tags: web+design xhtml web+standards)
Free Little Brother for teachers, librarians: a tipjar alternative for people who loved the ebook - Cory Doctorow

Cory with an interesting alternative payment system for his free eBooks. He's giving away Little Brother free, but if you want to pay him, why not donate a copy to a library? (waiting for the paperback as always)

(tags: cory+doctorow ebooks)

What I've been up to by Text today

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:05:53 GMT

My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.

00:46 watching old Trek with Jennie. It's still awful. #
01:44 possible Wordpress and Facebook security flaw? tinyurl.com/59ytv5 Anyone know more? #

Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.

Hot Fuzz—an apology

Mon, 05 May 2008 15:27:57 GMT

It has come to my attention that a correction must be made to previous comments made about the above named film starring Simon Pegg and others. Comments made in the past such as I thought it was arse. All the good bits are in the trailers, Do not go to see Hot Fuzz and funny at times but not funny enough to make up for The Stupid, nor for the awful plot may have given the impression that this movie was a waste of celluloid unworthy of consideration. In fact, the only comments made that, on reflection, appears to be true, was some great set peice sequences and damn fine acting and a drunken night in front of the DVD might be worth it because that's what we did last night, and I loved it, laughed all the way through it. The first-person-shooter pastiche, the cop/buddy movie pisstakes and the overall quality of the cast really did make for a nice end to a great day.

So I must apologise to those of you who listened to my opinion and avoided the film—have a few drinks, and rent it to watch in good company. It's great fun. I must've been hungover or something.

Jennie and I got a free trial of LoveFilm through one of my agencies awhileback and are still using it, rather good service, happy to recommend it. You can register for a free trial with this link (I hope) and if you like it enough to sign up we get some free credit, which can't be bad, right?

Linkspam for 5-5-2008

Mon, 05 May 2008 13:33:19 GMT

[Greta Christina] The Joy of Theoretical Non-Monogamy | Blowfish Blog

I like this, sums up my fairly lazy position quite well: when you're not monogamous, the soap opera vanishes like a bad dream in daylight. The basic fact that you and your partner are living animals with normal libidos doesn't turn into a crisis

(tags: relationships sex)
BoJo might be a bozo¦ the concise edition » doctorvee

Duncan follows up: My point was that the campaign from the left was a negative one against Boris rather than a positive one in favour of Ken Livingstone. Saying that you should vote against someone just because they are a Tory does not cut it [anymore]

(tags: Boris+Johnson ken+livingstone london mayoralty)
Nuclear threat sparked tea worry | BBC NEWS | UK

Damn silly fules, coffee shortage far more important: The threat of a nuclear attack on the UK in the 1950s caused concern over the supply of tea, top-secret documents which have now been released reveal.

(tags: funny history tea)
Nightmare Playgrounds: Dark Roasted Blend

Sculptures and emplacements in various kids playgrounds around the world. Naturally, we want a Cthulhu for Wellholme. For those that've seen part one before, part two was published Friday

(tags: Cthulhu nightmares playground horror cool)
Amazon worldwide bestseller table | Laid bare | Economist.com

Best selling book on Amazon worldwide in March? 'Liberation' porn novel only available in German (although the author was born in Wimbledon).

(tags: sex porn germany)
Maddest Comment is Free Entry Ever - SpiritOf1976

What's the worst Comment is Free article ever? Goggerty's travelogue, Peaches Geldoff's MySpace thing, Neil Clark's existence? Phil is running a series of polls.

(tags: comment+is+free guardian polls)

What I've been up to by Text today

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:02:39 GMT

My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.

12:46 pondering coffee #

Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.

Linkspam for 4-5-2008

Sun, 04 May 2008 13:32:52 GMT

10 great years in Britain—an immigrant writes

Tim Ireland: To avoid putting you offside, I'm going to list my 10 favourite things about this glorious nation without mentioning one your women that I married and one of your jobs that I took.

(tags: humour Immigration bloggers)
An open letter to Labour MP's from Labour voters. « Schrodinger's Pig

Can't argue with this—watch for the 10p smokescreen as excuse-Perhaps you've forgotten us. We are the tax paying, voting people. Remember the folks who put the X in the box in 1997, and waited with you, fingers and toes crossed, for the results to com

(tags: labour election)
Mayor Boris, eh? — Nosemonkey's EUtopia

Agree with every word: All this hyperbole being spewed about Johnson from normally sensible left-wing sources* - not to mention the dismissal of over a million Londoners who picked him as their first choice as merely âœdoing it for a laughâ - is doing

(tags: conservatives election Labour london)
How the BBC's iPlayer is making a mockery of the 9pm watershed by making explicit material available 24 hours a day | the Daily Mail

Worst journalism ever? Complain about all the filth available, with a nice little popout box listing it all so you can find it easily. The Mail really does know its prurient audience. (from Bookdrunk)

(tags: daily+mail journalism iplayer bbc)
Flame Warriors Home

Forum and comment box archetypes, we've all met them, and most of us are at least one of them.

(tags: Humour internet netiquette satire)
BoJo might be a bozo, but Labour is the real danger Â» doctorvee

Duncan on the Boris thing: Well, all I can say to that is, grow up. This is just the most pathetic way to discuss politics. If you have to resort to invoking the days of Thatcher to persuade people not to vote Conservative, you must be scraping the barrel

(tags: Boris+Johnson london election mayoralty class)