Hi. I still use LJ, follow my friends and similar, but I've moved my main host to Dreamwidth now, and am crossposting everything to here, but asking people to comment there.

Mat Bowles.

It's still fully interoperative, the OpenID comment functions there are good and improving, and I can follow everything from both sites easily.

This one made me laugh. Dramatis Personae:

• Northern Rock: British bank in a little bit of financial difficulty.


• Wikileaks: Wikileaks is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Set up intentionally to allow documents to be hosted without censorship.

And get this, this is the genius one...
• Schillings: Our old friends the Reputation managers with a reputation problem? who used libel law as such a blunt instrument against Tim et al.

The story? Well, it got Slashdotted:

Collapsed UK Bank Attempts to Censor Wikileaks

In their legal demand to Wikileaks, Northern Rock's well-known media lawyers, Schillings, invoke the DMCA & WIPO, claim it'll be 10 years in prison for Wikileaks operators for not following the UK injunction, but then, incredibly, refuse to hand over a copy of the order unless Wikileaks' London lawyers promise not to give it to Wikileaks.

That's right, not content to try to censor a blogger for republishing stuff already in his book, they've now managed to attempt to censor a website specifically set up to stop censorship, by claiming copyright on the documents. Now, of course, they may have a legal case, but, um, guys? Don't you think you could learn from your mistakes?

Odds of me looking at the document in question before today? Minimal. But I've read it now. Nice try guys.

Right then, last year, you lot voted that Best Xmas song lyric ever is:

You scumbag, you maggot You cheap lousy faggot

Well, this morning, BBC Radio 1 decided this was offensive to some listeners but then later on in the day saw sense and backed down. I agree with pickwick, it's a damn shame that the BBC manages to tie itself into hoops as often as it does. Naturally, someone disagrees, and bagrec doesn't like the song and suggests alternatives. But he's a freaky morris dancing types so you don't want to listen to him ;-)

Elsewhere, it's the Arsehole of the year grand final over at publicansdecoy's place, and ihavecake already covered the other main stories of the day:

So, Nick Clegg is the new Lib Dem leader and in a monstrous piece of stupidity the Government has lost more of our stuff, but in really important news, RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE ACTUALLY EXIST!

I do have to say I do share some of Jennie's concerns about the potential of Clegg's leadership but I'm nowhere near as cynical about it. He has at least hit the ground running, complete with YouTube appearance filmed on cheapskate handheld already. Although the town meeting idea does sound like it might have some legs.

What, you expected analysis? Don't be silly, I've been reading stuff about it all day, besides, I didn't end up voting, I couldn't make a decision between the two of them, they're both nice blokes. We'll be fine. Right? Someone tell me we'll be fine. Damnit, they need to do better, else the damn country's doomed FFS, that's why I joined them...

Calm. Now I tag this entry. Um, is there a limit to how many you can use? Appears not. Oh, wait, I forgot a link. Be very glad she's going to be a Doctor of paleontology not medical stuff, medical doctors play with gadgets much more scary than microwaves.

Following up from yesterday, this morning's best radio show award goes to Stewart Lee proclaiming the Devil gets the best tunes. Lee of course is co-creator of Jerry Springer: The Opera, and the show, available on Listen Again, has interviews with Andy Hamilton about oldharrysgame and a bit about the Faustian elements of the Charlie Daniels Band song Devil Went Down To Georgia (which is one of the most played MP3s on my phone). I commend it to you all as a damn good listen.

Unfortunately, Media Watch Watch is less positive about yesterdays court decision:

As it stands, the two judges concluded that the play could not be considered blasphemous “in context”, and as a whole was not and could not reasonably be regarded as aimed at, or an attack on, Christianity or what Christians held sacred. This leaves open the possibility that if some other work could be considered as being - in context - an attack on “Christianity or what Christians held sacred”, then its creators might still be prosecuted under this stupid law.

and Green's bunch of extremist lunatics are going to appeal--here's hoping the Lords really quashes this silly outdated law and tells Green to go get a life. Money quote from the loon himself?

I’m really sympathetic to the freedom of speech argument. But blasphemy is not a matter of free speech, it’s people going out of their way to offend almighty God.

I'm in favour of free speech, except when it's not convenient to me. Mr Green? That's not the point.

Ah well, in more lighthearted news, this map of the world's transit sytems is absolutely brilliant (via).

There are some days, y'know, when the British legal system does us all proud. Two different stories today. Stripogram copper walks on offensive weapon rap | The Register:

Kennedy was dragged before the beak at Aberdeen sheriff court on the offensive weapons rap. However, Sheriff Kenneth Stewart ruled he had no case to answer.

Because arresting a strippogram for 'impersonating a police officer', being forced to drop those charges then chasing him for something else is a really good use of resources. But, much more importantly. BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Springer opera court fight fails:

two senior judges at the High Court said the 1968 Theatres Act prevented any prosecution for blasphemy in relation to public performances of plays - and the 1990 Broadcasting Act prevented any prosecution in relation to broadcasts.

They said it was reasonable to conclude Jerry Springer - The Opera "in context" could not be considered as blasphemous, as it was not aimed at Christianity, but was a parody of the chat show genre.

That's right, the courts have told "Christian" Voice director Stephen Green to go fuck himself--and this has to be a good thing, his extremist nonsense gives sensible people of faith a really bad name. More context on him and his censorship campaign at an old post of mine.