Unlimited Jargon

Nick Clegg's big error of judgement

2009-09-20T21:03:00.003+01:00

I was disappointed to see Nick Clegg reject David Cameron's offer of, if not friendship, at least a working relationship.

If my analysis is correct, Cameron realised that with Labour's declining strength, there was (and perhaps still is) an opportunity for the two main parties in contention to become the Conservatives and Lib Dems. I would support this outcome because I think the Labour leaders clearly did not represent the working class during their last 12 years in power, but acted selfishly, dramatically eroded civil liberties and ultimately bankrupted the country (not for the first time).

The fact that Nick Clegg threw Cameron's offer back at him shows he is not leading properly.

Clegg should have said something like: "The Lib Dems have much to offer and many unique points, though we welcome the Tory party support in working with us in fields where our objectives/policies correlate to see Britain improved."

The Lib Dems must up their game for the good of the country and prepare themselves for the possibility of having a real chance of winning two-four elections down the line. If they cannot break out of the "protest only" mindset, then this opportunity will be lost.

University clearing is unnecessarily tough.

2009-08-21T10:56:00.005+01:00

Back in January this year I posted that I thought the government had made a mistake by reducing/capping the number of university places. My argument back then was that by increasing places you can encourage more students to go to university and develop their skills and take young people out of the job market. I made it explicitly clear that it was a much better investment than a lot of what the government was spending its money on.

Consider how tough clearing is right now:
a) More applications from existing students for MAs/PHDs
b) More undergraduate applications to universities
c) Grade inflation and more people achieving high marks
d) Restricted growth of places enforced by the government

This is unfair and I really feel for anyone hunting for a place. If I were searching for a course, I would contact the universities I had applied to and see if they can offer me anything and if not, get a league table of the universities and phone up each one until I'd got a place. Also I would consider being flexible about what I wanted to study.

The UCAS website and hotline can help.

TIP: Always phone a university you are interested in (you can normally find their telephone numbers on their websites) and don't just rely on listings in newspapers and such. There may be unadvertised places available.

Good luck.

Firefox reaches 1 billion downloads

2009-07-31T20:12:00.001+01:00

Congratulations are in order to Mozilla following their announcement that Firefox has been downloaded 1 billion times in total and that market share is now around 31%. Now onwards to 2 billion!

The full story can be found here.

Trial without a jury - how is this acceptable?

2009-06-19T11:12:00.002+01:00

The BBC and The Sun are reporting the story that for the first time in England and Wales a trial without a jury will occur.

This is simply unjust. It is one of the fundamental rights that defines our society.

BBC clip on the ANPR database

2009-05-25T08:35:00.003+01:00

The BBC has an interesting video on ANPR here which eloquently summarises the pros and cons of the system.

As you might expect, whilst I can acknowledge the benefits of the system in all manner of crime fighting, I fear the scheme is the precursor to things like road charging, extended congestion/emission charging and additional driving laws/restrictions with far tougher enforcement.

Moreover it enables the government to comprehensively track innocent people travelling - whether to go on holiday or on a business trip or simply to meet with friends. Add this to the extensive public transport surveillance infrastructure, air and port surveillance and additional general monitoring cameras and suddenly it has become extremely difficult to travel without being recorded.

This is not necessarily a bad thing if we can trust the people working in the government to behave responsibly and not lose data.

However if we were to get people in the government willing to abuse their positions and compromise national security and individual liberty, then the flood gates open for stalkers. All it would take is a few well positioned people and suddenly people in government protection would become vulnerable (as they frequently travel by car). Violent partners with connections could conceivably track down their relocated Exs and their children. Debt collectors could hunt for evaders and company activities could be extensively scrutinised, perhaps by competitors.

Sometimes it is important to be anonymous and have privacy for legitimate reasons, not simply to cover up your expenses, for example. So a message to the Labour party, not that I expect it to be heeded at this late hour: if you want to protect yourself, protect others.

Google's "Wiping data 'hits flu prediction'" excuse

2009-05-20T11:16:00.003+01:00

According to this BBC article Google is claiming that if they are forced to delete user data after 6 months as the EU desires then they will not be able to predict pandemics.

I don't know about you, but that is the single lamest justification for keeping data / infringing privacy I have ever heard. They could easily have said that the data enables them to offer improved services and had a degree of credibility.

Instead they've spun a tall tale which makes me worried. When a company or government tries to cover up its data retention and usage practices then it suggests we wouldn't like what they are doing with our data.

In regard to spotting pandemics, just because people are searching for swine flu or indeed flu symptoms, this does not necessarily mean that people are infected with it. They could have regular flu or simply have heard something on the media and decided to do some research (as I do all the time). Also if Google is going to rely on data older than 6 months to tell people that a pandemic might be near then its probably a little late.

Moreover I am pretty sure health officials around the world can spot and measure pandemics far more accurately than Google could.

I'm not convinced. Are you?

A response to Labour's: "Cameron's Conservatives" smear campaign

2009-05-15T09:48:00.005+01:00

I am less than impressed with Labour's new smear campaign against David Cameron. Granted Cameron is a spin merchant and he does game the media, but name me one politician elected today who doesn't?

So why is Labour's campaign poor? Take a look at this Labour election broadcast which apparently features real people.

1) It is entirely negative. By contrast Cameron's Party Election Broadcast is fairly positive. It is true that Cameron HQ has created some negative videos, specifically in regard to Gordon Brown and debt however Cameron has not resorted to the personal slurs Labour has - for example when Labour created a billboard ad featuring Hague with Thatcher's hair, Dave the Chameleon or this.. improved version or the whole McBride scandal

2) Comments/ratings are censored/disabled on the YouTube version of Labour's election broadcast, however this site contains some comments, most of which are critical of the video.

3) I think there are some important policy considerations in the video, however the way they are presented prevents anyone from taking them seriously.

Tfl to trial speed control devices in cars

2009-05-12T13:51:00.003+01:00

According to this bbc video Transport for London is going to fit 20 cars/buses with machines that know the speed limit of all roads within the M25 and display a green smiley face when a driver is under the limit, an orange straight face when the driver is slightly over and a red sad face when the driver is over by more than a few miles per hour.

There is also a "voluntary" mode in which drivers can have the device restrict the maximum speed of the car to the limit.

What do you think about these devices? Another authoritarian measure to enforce unnecessarily slow limits/raise revenue or a legitimate attempt to improve safety?

My opinion is this: when the speed limit is reasonable then it should be respected. However I know of not one speed limit anywhere which has been raised. They are only going down - meaning that there is no reward for safety, only punishment for danger.

Based on this philosophy the end point is that we all get out and walk.

Beating the recession blues part 3: BBC extras

2009-05-10T01:27:00.002+01:00

The BBC is arguably the best media organisation in the world. However if you go to the wrong sections, they can often seem fairly negative and blue. Question Time for example rarely has anything good to say about, well, anything. Also a lot of the main news can be fairly negative.

The parts I recommend for happy living are:

1) Iplayer. Since the BBC has begun using flash for all their shows, it has really taken off. Normally you will be able to catch up online for at least 7 days (often more if you factor in repeats and such) or up to 30 days if you download shows (though I don't fully see the point of this unless you specifically want to watch something offline).

If you are international reader, then do not despair. Despite the BBC filtering much of the video content by ip location, you can still get access to a lot of the radio services from the BBC, and if you haven't looked through those you are in for a bit of a treat. There are loads of good shows (especially on Radio 4 and the hidden gem that is Radio 7 which predominantly has plays, drama, comedy and other fun goodness).

2) Fun news. Most of the BBC news is sombre, but there is an Also in the News section, which has more fun bits.

3) The Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. If you are looking for something a bit less conventional, the BBC supports the H2G2 community dedicated to extending Douglas Adam's world. I found it a bit confusing, but perhaps you'll understand it better.

4) Browse - start at the BBC homepage and see what excites you - there are language courses, history and science lessons, information for people with hobbies in Gardening and Antiques, health tips and advice, loads of recipes from many different shows and lots more. In particular if there is a show you like, many of the personalised websites have loads of bonus content and features. I won't spoil all the surprises. But I will say if you haven't give the BBC site a thorough look, you'll probably have missed some bits that you just might find can give you a smile.

Beating the recession blues part 2: Jibjab new-ish movie

2009-05-05T22:50:00.002+01:00

I missed Jibjabs annual yearly review video in December, but I've discovered it at last. You can watch the year 2008 here. For those who don't know Jibjab is a company that used to produce lots of its own movies, however lately has shifted into ecards and such. It may be more profitable, but I still prefer the proper movies. If you are like me though, do not fear, but instead head over to Newgrounds flash portal for all your flash needs. Yay!

Protecting our rainforests

2009-05-05T22:08:00.004+01:00

I was very pleased to discover that Prince Charles has taken an active step towards ensuring we do not loose the world's rainforests with the formation of The Prince's Rainforests Project. Whilst readers may be aware of my scepticism for a lot of political climate change posturing, I think preserving the rainforest is a very worthwhile cause for the following reasons:

1) Natural beauty - I think rainforests are spectacular and often unspoilt parts of nature - in England for example, you'd be hard pressed to find any area of land that isn't being "managed" or otherwise mucked around with. The rainforests aren't national parks or anything like that. They are raw and untamed and we should value them immensely.
2) Scientific interest - rainforests have some of the highest biodiversity figures in the world and many of the plants and species already discovered have had extensive medical uses and other benefits.
3) Carbon storage - of course this area is contentious and the amount of carbon released during, for example, a bush fire is huge, however our rainforests do absorb a large amount of CO2.

Unfortunately because these wonderful natural assets gifted to us are so valuable - the soil is rich - at least for a short time after deforestation, the wood can be of excellent quality such as century old or longer mahogany trees and the land cleared can have any number of uses, deforestation is occuring at an extremely fast pace.

We therefore have to work around the world to halt the destruction of the rainforests and give them time to reestablish themselves and expand again.

As the Prince says in this video, rainforest deforestation accounts for more than all the C02 caused by transport around the world. Of course if you ask an eco-warrior what the solution is, because they have been so heavily indoctrinated by the media, they are most likely to blame modern lifestyles.

My opinion however is that we can have a good quality of life and continue to grow if we practice sustainable policies. Google for example are attempting to run their search operation off entirely renewable, non-polluting energy. I do not think we are overpopulated, simply that we need to manage ourselves better. My opinion is that the world could support, if required,
maybe 20 billion people or more if we manage ourselves and the world properly.

Do you agree?
Either way if you visit therainforestsite.com you can give money to the preservation of the rainforest for free by viewing a page of adverts. Though don't get me started on all the questionable activities of the so called "do-gooders." For example I think tagging animals in many cases is cruel and traumatic. Do we really need "big brother for animals?" - it isn't as if nature can manage by herself.

Anyway I'm going to end this post here before I confuse you further. :)

Beating the recession blues part 1: Happy news

2009-05-03T21:42:00.008+01:00

Around the world people are worrying about the economy and associated troubles, so over the next few posts I am going to cover what's great.

To get things started I want to recommend Happy News. It is a brilliantly designed website that focusses exclusively on positive, good news and events. Whilst it is largely US centric, there's plenty of international coverage as well. It's perfect if you want to stay sane and remember that life is special. :)

Update: They also run the Happy Living magazine.

As if child welfare matters anyway....

2009-04-28T00:00:00.003+01:00

This story from Mark Eaton is extremely worrying. Whilst I don't necessarily support illegal immigration and people trafficking, there is no justification for treating young children in the degrading and humiliating conditions described in the story above.

I think Britain should always, without exception, treat people as people. The conduct of the immigration officers described above was completely unacceptable. It doesn't matter where a person is from - it does not give officials an excuse to treat them poorly. It's called racism and it is far worse than, for example, Carol Thatcher's "golliwog" remark which I think was an innocent enough mistake. There was no mistake made by the immigration officials. In their minds they haven't done anything wrong, but I disagree. If they treated a Brit like that they would have been sacked for gross misconduct.

This is a common US trick when justifying torture and such - they claim that the constitution doesn't apply to aliens - It isn't as if the statement "all men are created equal" from the Declaration of Independence matters or anything.

Ultimately we are not barbarians. When people try and give themselves and their children a better life we should condemn the means they used to get here, but respect them immensely for trying and making it this far. If immigrants are willing to suffer such hardship just to reach our shores, one has to ask, what have they left behind and what are we going to do to ensure that everyone, no matter where they are born, can have a decent quality of life?

The London underground tube is too slow

2009-04-27T15:17:00.004+01:00

I've been ranting a lot lately but I think today's topic is a good one.

In 2007 approximately 1.1 billion journeys were taken on the tube. The people on the tube are some of the most powerful and productive in Britain who contribute massive amounts to the economy.

However whilst Livingstone and Boris have promised upgrades to the tube, rarely do they address, what is for me, the biggest priority. Speed.

Certainly if you play with TFL's journey planner you'll be forgiven for thinking all is well. But the journey planner significantly underestimates the time trips take and always assumes buses run to schedule and the tube "average journey times" are extremely optimistic and do not include the time it takes to get from the platform level to street level, which can add several minutes.

Lets take for example a trip from Notting Hill Gate at the western edge of zone one to Liverpool Street which is near the eastern edge using the central line. According to Transport for London's journey planner you can do the journey in just 18 minutes. It is 11 stops along. This means that the train can take no more than 1.6 minutes (or 1 min 36 secs) to travel between each station and offload and pick up all the passengers. Dream on.

So realistically lets say that the journey could be done in 25 minutes, allowing 2.2 minutes (or 2 mins 12 secs). The walking distance between the stations is around 5.4 miles according to Google Maps (if you want to repeat this experiment).

So if we take TFL's estimate of 18 minutes over a distance of 5.4 miles gives an average speed of 18mph (though you would need to factor in stopping times to be fair, in which case (allowing 30 seconds per station) the speed is 18 minutes minus 5.5 minutes equals 12.5 minutes. The distance is 5.4 miles. So distance divided by time gives us a speed of 25.9mph.)

Using the realistic times 25 minutes - 5.5 minutes = 19.5 minutes. This gives an average speed including stops of 20.9mph

Once you factor in the waiting times, train changes, walking down to the station level and up to street level, getting through the barriers, buying a ticket and any other inconveniences your average speed is going to be very low indeed. TFL hopes that we don't realise just how slow we are going. It is simply the short gap between each station that creates the illusion of speed.

If TFL increased the average tube speed they could have greater capacity and improve the London economy because if everybody saved 5 minutes on their commute (10 minutes daily), in a 310 day working year that's an extra 3100 minutes, or 51.666 hours, or to put it another way, an extra day at work and an extra day at home with friends and family, with a couple of hours left over to grab a drink and read the paper.

Multiply that by everybody using the tube and suddenly the arguments become very compelling indeed.

Cinema woes, BBC radio 1 adverts and "premier seating"

2009-03-22T11:15:00.001Z

I like going to the cinema now and again. However increasingly the cinema companies seem to be trying to sabotage my happiness.

Firstly we have the adverts. 20-30 minutes of being annoyed, though in fairness I resent the forthcoming movie trailers much less then the generic car, government, orange and bbc adverts.

Speaking of the bbc, the last few times I've gone to the cinema, I've had to sit through what must of been a 2-3 minute ad for radio 1! DEAR BBC, DON'T WASTE LICENSE FEE PAYERS CASH ON EXCESSIVELY LONG, EXPENSIVE AND BORING CINEMA ADVERTISING. Basically the problem here is that the bbc won't admit the reason few people listen to radio 1 is because its mostly rubbish and completely out of touch with all the generations. It tries to appeal to teenagers, but fails. It tries to appeal to the highly sought after 18-35 group (which I'm in) but fails. So rather than accepting radio 1 is always going to have a small market share of delinquent social misfits, they are blowing huge amounts on expensive cinema campaigns, when they could, for example, spend the license fee on creating quality programming, employing new people and contributing to society as best they can to help everyone through the recession. Throwing money at cinemas (who have increased visitor numbers) helps nobody.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Carlton Screen Advertising thinks that it is earning itself some recognition by repeatedly blasting the screen with its trashy, outdated, unpleasant logo. I think it is a headache inducing waste of time. I have not once, ever, bought something I've seen advertised at a cinema which I wouldn't have purchased anyway as part of my normal life.

Then there are the adverts before the adverts. I've only seen this once thankfully (at an Odeon), but honestly how desperate to make money do you have to be to put adverts on the screen as people as sitting down?

Now lets turn to the latest attempt of cinema companies to make life worse. Premier seating. Whenever I used to go the movies, I'd buy a ticket, get into the auditorium and hunt for the best seat still available. I've always felt there is a real atmosphere in a cinema when a film has recently been released, and the cinema is full up of people ready to see and enjoy a film they are keen on for the first time. With premier seating, the numer of seats available has fallen, the best locations have been reserved for those willing to pay more and it introduces a class system which was never needed before. Suddenly there is an "us and them" situation. Those who are willing to pay an extra couple of pounds to have a more comfortable chair and a bigger popcorn holder and a better view and people like me, who don't appreciate cinema profiteering and therefore get a seat on the front row next to a speaker.

My opinion is cinemas should be upgrading all their seats, not just a select few. Moreover if I want to enjoy a high quality cinema experience I'll either travel to one of the Leicester Square cinemas or go to a specialist cinema that might, for example offer 3D. When I go to my local cinema, I just want a comfortable, enjoyable experience. The real question is: why pay to go out and see a film if the cinemas are unpleasant places to be, when you could just as easily download it or view it online for free?

Hope for civil liberties yet

2009-02-28T10:56:00.002Z

Today I was extremely impressed to see the Modern Liberty convention website. It is proof to me that many people are united in their disliking of and resistance to excessive and disproportionate surveillance and the curtailment of civil liberties.

I found the "Petty Britain" page to brilliantly highlight the problems of poorly designed and written legislation and the brandishing of essentially innocent people as criminals. For example one man got a criminal record because his wheelie bin's lid wasn't firmly closed (see the site for more information). This is absolutely ridiculous.

As I've been growing up, increasingly I've seen the British civil liberties campaign evolve. What was once just a few disparate individuals trying to raise awareness has now grown into something which now unites NGOs and has cross-party support in government. Since the ID card bill was passed, I firmly believe it is only the Labour party whip which is keeping things going. The surveillance state is more vulnerable than it might first appear. The people of Britain will reclaim their liberties yet, and when we do, we will be able to turn to the rest of the world and say once again, this is how a liberal democracy should be.

Government travel database plans

2009-02-08T15:26:00.003Z

Civil liberties in the past twelve years or so have faced an unprecedented attack. Technological advances coupled with the decline of liberalism and the rise of a form of we-know-best socialism have led to numerous schemes from road charging to ID cards to the children's database to ISPs storing records of all emails sent and sites visited and so on.

The latest nail in the coffin is an attempt to keep track of the travel patterns of all British citizens for 10 years at the moment (though probably for life with an amendment near the end of the firt 10 year period).

It seems to me through all this that the government is right to want to help us, but wrong in its execution. There is no point in making people safe if they don't have any quality of life and live in fear of breaking one of the numerous new rules that have been passed and having to give up more personal information to the dna database.

"One of your five a day".... yeah right.

2009-02-06T22:38:00.004Z

I'm not a health nut. I don't spend my life looking for reduced fat, high in omega 3, carol vorderman approved yoghurt.

Nonetheless I think the "5 a day" campaign to help people eat better is not necessarily a bad idea. Now naturally any advice from the government should be taken with a great deal of suspicion e.g. don't save your money but spend it = save as hard as you can, but this seems reasonable, if a bit of a hassle.

Anyway I took fruit and veg to mean one banana, a few raisins, a bit of salad in a sandwich and so on. However apparently this isn't good enough.

Today I bought a bag of grapes and according to the advice to get "1 of your 5 a day" I must eat 20 grapes! Now I don't know about you, but 4 or 5 grapes is about all I normally want. To put it another way, to get your full five you'd have to eat 100 grapes. That doesn't sound very healthy for me or my digestion.

This isn't the only case though. Whenever I'm in supermarkets now most of the supposedly healthy products firmly tell us just how much we have to eat get 1 of our five a day and normally it is such a high figure, you'd have to eat half the world's supply.

I think the problem is two-fold. Firstly a lot of food which claims to have fruit or vegtables has such a tiny amount that it is irrelevant (I've seen drinks and juices with less than 4% fruit before now). Secondly some companies are deliberately stating you have to eat a set large amount of the product to convince you to over consume (and then buy more).

Either that or the "five a day" advice actually means a lot more than it suggests.

Mozilla firefox nagging

2009-02-04T14:53:00.005Z

I've been a long term fan of Mozilla, back when Mozilla was the name of its browser and I think it is still the best browser. However today I discovered several problems with firefox and the community websites which were frustrating.

I'd been playing around with a beta version of Firefox, and decided to uninstall it and revert back to the stable release. Firstly I ended up with a duplicate Firefox entry in my add/remove programs list. Then I opted to remove my preferences whilst uninstalling the beta version and lost my preferences for the stable version of firefox I also had installed. Doh!

So I went about setting up my browser again. I wanted to add some less common searches (such as youtube) to the dropdown list within firefox which are not available on the main addon site, so I had to hunt around for mycroft.mozdev.org. Then I wanted to installed a "paste and go" addon, but discovered because it was "experimental" I would have to register. Normally I'd download it from another site, but it seems the alternative download locations are drying up.

Then I tried to re-install Adblock, and found that a hash key error meant I couldn't, even after I tried a manual installation. Then for some reason I wanted to connect to https://addons.update.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10 and got a "Secure Connection Failed" warning. Eventually I found a second install location and got it working.

All in all, Firefox today was a pain. But I still love you.

Massive Google error

2009-01-31T14:49:00.008Z

Today as I searched for information on "environmentalism" on Google, I recieved a page of results where every link had a "this site may harm your computer warning". I did a search for Internet Explorer and Microsoft and the same error occured. Come on Google, you could try being fair. Then I did a search for Google and the same message came up. Back to Yahoo I guess. ;)

News articles:
Google Breaks
Google taking security a little too seriously

Update 1: The problem has been fixed.

Update 2: The cause of the problem was a "/" in Google's list of harmful sites according to The Register.

A really bad government idea

2009-01-24T15:09:00.002Z

In times of a recession, what is a smart move for a country to do? Perhaps encourage people to seek extra training and education at university whilst there is a shortage of jobs? It stimulates research, growth, culture and creates new opportunities for students whilst supporting local economies (because universities hire a lot of local people for support staff). However the government has announced that it is restricting growth on any increases of university intake numbers. Honestly. Just look at this BBC article on the subject.

This is an absolute crime. Instead of obsessing about banks lending and people borrowing again and trying to return to the past, why not do something which really would help the economy?

It is my belief that this government has got itself in a complete mess, given handouts to all on a first come, first serve basis, gone broke, and now has reduced the support for the one group who could best aid the recovery of this country in the long term. Anybody who wants to learn at a higher level (and has a reasonable aptitude for it) should be allowed to, and not be held back by short-sighted blundering incompetence of a government that still won't halt the ID card project and put the £5 billon+ it would save to a good use, such as paying off some of the excessive debt it is responsible for.

New Year - New Challenges

2009-01-03T00:03:00.003Z

There are many lists of things to do before you die - (see a search engine for many examples), but one of the best ones I have found is at squidoo. Whilst new years resolutions might fail, progress is still progress no matter how small, and that's what I like most about the aforementioned compilation. It has many great suggestions for inspiration and improvement plus tips to help you follow through on your ideas.

Caesar's Christmas Message

2008-12-23T01:12:00.003Z

As it is customary in Britain every year for the Queen to deliver a Christmas message to the people, I also have some words of wisdom to share with those who are willing to hear.

2008 has been a very exciting year in many fields including politics, science, astronomy, culture and much more. However as the year draws to an end it is recession fears that seem to be dominating the headlines. There are several causes such as reckless borrowing, lending and spending on the part of banks, governments and the public and of course the economic cycle. However do remember that recessions are not only a normal part of an economy, but useful for keeping the economy lean and trim, but I do understand they cause much pain for people relying on growth and if you are suffering economic hardship then I wish you luck and good fortune in the future.

More than ever however, I view Christmas 2008 and the year ahead to be a chance for healing, communication, new beginnings, kindness and opportunity. What many people forget is that change doesn't come from others, but from yourself. Now is the time to set your direction for the future, be confident and stay true to what really matters.

Happy Yule Ladies and Gentlemen.

Anonymous bank accounts - why not?

2008-11-06T11:35:00.002Z

In today's society it is hard to imagine not having some of the bureacracy that has grown up in recent years. One area we could change however is bank accounts. Currently whenever I want to set up an account in Britain I have to provide extensive personal information as the operative transfers my life's history onto the bank's database. However with things like pre-paid phones and debit cards, I can't see why we don't have anonymous bank accounts.

Here is how it would work. You go to a bank with, for example, £100 and ask to set up a basic account. You are given a pin number/card and security password so only you can access your money. Simple.

Obviously the problem here is money laundering/benefit fraud/child support evasion and so on, however I'm sure with a suitably low limit to the amount you can have in the account and considering that most government means-testing is based on income, not the total money you have, it really should be possible. Indeed effectively with store money vouchers and mobile phone top-up this is exactly what we do already have, only without any interest. There seems to me no reason why the scheme couldn't be extended.

Online verification to post comments

2008-11-05T22:57:00.002Z

How often have you attempted to post a message online and been met with a frustrating "online verification" box. Now this is an important measure for site owners to prevent spam messages being published, however the text messages should be reasonably easy to read. Increasingly however I'm finding the verification methods hard to read/decode and the disabled sound clip options resemble bleating sheep watching terrestrial tv in Wales - *krzzBAAkrrzzzz* - and they are set to become increasingly more difficult to decipher as spammers become more sophisticated.

Things websites could try:
Easy random IQ tests.
Pictures of things and users have to describe what they see e.g. cat, boat, car.
A word with all the characters split in half in two separate images. The user then simply matches them together.

Gah. I don't know. How can a computer create something which is random, easily readable to the public, but not other computers?

Please send your solutions to the problem to Yahoo, Google and all the others using such verification techniques (once you've patented it) because it could be worth quite a bit of money and make things easier for the rest of us.

TFL passenger campaign is patronising and a waste of money

2008-11-05T22:12:00.005Z

As someone who uses the tube often I can tell you it is becoming an increasingly unpleasant environment. From all the cameras staring at you to the excessive announcements reminding you that the cameras are there and the security warnings designed to make you not resent the presence of all the cameras coupled with the expensive shops, electronic adverts and the relentless drone of the grey ticket barriers slamming open and shut.

Once we get past all of those problems then I start to think about the other passengers because frankly on 90%+ of my journeys the other passengers are silent and completely immersed in their own plans.

Anyway sometime last year I started observing stupid posters saying things like "I won't play my music loud" and "I'll keep my temper down" and similar slogans. Of course I posted a rather dainty response on the ever informative Spyblog site:

"I won't run around stations" "and I won't shoot you down".

You can imagine my bemusement when today I discovered that tfl had launched an online version of the campaign.

In my usual jubilant spirit I posted a comment which criticised the environment of the stations as described above, yet somehow it seems to have been filtered.

Now whilst I understand the spirit of the campaign is to encourage the public to be passive on the tube, I think the messages are patronising, derogatory and avoid tackling some of the other essential reasons that the tube isn't always a great place to be. The fact I was censored says it all. Authoritarians.

Blogger won't let me log in on Opera

2008-11-05T22:08:00.004Z

Alas I've been trying the excellent new Opera 9.6 but sadly blogger won't allow me to log in using it. Annoying. Though I can understand why it might be commercially difficult for Google. Ah, back to Firefox I guess.

Searching Direct.gov

2008-10-20T00:08:00.004+01:00

As a joke more than anything, I thought I would compare the results you get when you type different things into the http://www.direct.gov.uk search engine. I started off with terms like "Authoritarianism" - 0 results, "Totalitarian" - 0 Results, "Coercion" - 0 Results, "Deceptive" - 0 Results, "Honesty" - 3 Results, "Data loss" & "Apology" - 238 results and finally I tried "new powers" - 500 results. Bingo.

Identity documents required to purchase mobile phones!

2008-10-19T10:49:00.005+01:00

As I perused the newspaper online, I was saddened to learn that GCHQ wants a database of all mobile phone owners. I have two words to say to this: "Low Battery".

Here is a list of reasons why it might be a good idea:

1) When your calls are intercepted and your location identified, GCHQ will also be able to determine who you are and who the person you are talking to is. So if you are a criminal/terrorist then beware... unless you got your mobile second hand... or swapped with a friend... or found a way to unlock the phone... yeah...nevermind then.

Here is a list of reasons why it might be a bad idea:

1) If you are innocent the state will be able to track your movements. Wherever you carry your phone, it sends out a signal, even when switched off. With the authorities now able to track a mobile phone's location very accurately (within 100 yards), if you're travelling, you can wave goodbye to privacy.

2) If you are innocent it will now be possible for the state to have a complete record of all your phone calls and identify it to a person, much in the same way as they do for land lines.

3) If you are innocent, it's another nail in the coffin for your privacy. When coupled with all the other surveillance legislation and proposals, such as the database of all communications, it makes it harder to live life without being spied upon constantly. Whereas government departments previously have had to ask for your mobile phone number, now it won't make the slightest difference.

Alas how now can one travel without being continually monitored? Trains/stations have CCTV and ticket tracking, buses have CCTV and, if using Oyster, ticket tracking as well. Car number plates are recorded by the vast ANPR surveillance network cameras, all airports already have very sophisticated surveillance systems.

This measure is further authoritarianism in an age when liberty should be flourishing. Why is the government so happy and willing to throw away the freedom of its innocent citizens? Specifically show me where I consented to this severe breach of trust. We wouldn't tolerate it if a business was this intrusive, so why can the state get away with it?

Outlining a vision

2008-10-15T11:52:00.004+01:00

Today I want to explore what it means to have a vision.

To explain this, I am going to talk about what makes people successful. In the majority of cases they start creating a new mental realm - it might be a new business idea or a book or an interest and then either alone or with others begin pursuing the growth of the project, investing energy, time and resources.

This applies across history, whether a business leader like Bill Gates, a military leader like Napoleon, numerous inventors and artists and so on.

So what determines the success and realisation of a vision?

Firstly is its viability. If it is a good idea then it has a good start, but also do you have the means necessary to get it moving - can you spare the time, do you have sufficient finances and so on.

Secondly do you have support for your vision? Other people helping make it much easier and more likely to go forward. This is not to say that other people are always right - Harry Potter may never have got published were it not for J.K. Rowling's persistence (her book was rejected many times over before Bloomsbury accepted it), though they can sometimes be making a valid point. Many ideas presented on "Dragon's Den" are clearly not viable and the people should try something different.

Thirdly, how does it fit into the world? A new supermarket chain might be an excellent idea, but given the level of saturation of such shops and the dominance of a big few, is it viable and/or will it be viable at some later date? Will your insta-toasta be welcomed? More importantly does it add something new and of value to people. If your vision is a negative one, it is possible that the smaller positive elements and resources you invest may sustain it in the short term, but long-term it isn't going to get very far unless you make modifications. The best visions should create win,win scenarios.

Having a vision means knowing precisely what your end position will be, the time it will take to reach that state and an idea of what it will take to accomplish such a goal along with a commitment to get there.

My post was intercepted... what should I do?

2008-10-14T12:34:00.003+01:00

Today I received a letter from my bank which had been opened. I know this because there was a small tear in the envelop and two identical claw-like tears on the edge of the balance sheet. Now as you might imagine, being a student, I'm not amongst the wealthiest of people, but I do know that my financial information should be confidential, and even more than that, I think there should be common courtesy in not opening other people's mail. It's called respect.

Britain needs to start aiming high.

2008-09-26T23:42:00.004+01:00

Having watched with growing concern at the economic situation around the world, it is my opinion that Britain needs to start setting itself higher personal targets. We should be world leading in more areas and involved in more industries, and not relying so heavily on financial wealth generation. For example in technology we are a long way short of the rest of the world, with one of the lowest Firefox uptake rates in Europe. We also have very little programming going on. The British film industry is not particularly good - Billy Elliot doesn't cut it. We are not leading the way any more on medicine and health research. Our space efforts are dwarfed by French, EU, US, Russian and now Chinese programs. Our transport infrastructure is slow and most money allocated for improvements goes towards side schemes such as park and ride, narrowing roads, installing cctv at stations and so on - not upgrading the core capacity of the network as such.

The reason I say this is because Britain has some huge talent within it. The BBC for example proves we can create world class tv, our commitment to CERN and our ongoing efforts to help aid Africa show that we can do great things.

I think by not trying and accepting a role as second best, as so many people I speak to seem to think we should ("We aren't a major world player any more", "We don't have an empire" and so on), we are selling ourselves and the world short. Just leaving things to others like the Chinese or Americans reduces world growth, which is a shame considering how much we have to offer others.

My opinion is that the best place to start here is with an attack on our middle class, bureaucratic culture. Let's have more support for enterprise and innovation, and less scorn towards people who go wrong. After all, if you don't try, how will you possibly succeed and grow. A more diversified portfolio could be just the ticket. :)

The perils of stopping

2008-08-01T17:14:00.003+01:00

For readers who have been looking for updates, do not despair, I am still here but have recently been consumed by several great time-devouring events like losing a lot of data after my CD backup failed after I upgraded my system and discovering several highly addictive games which I was "determined" to get through. *Many hours passed*

Subsequently I've found myself behind in lots of areas. Emails unanswered, blog posts needing writing, friends needing contacting, work needing doing, forms needing filling it and so on. It is no wonder when the British go on holiday they take their phones, laptops, blackberry's and unfinished work - some even phone the office to check all is well. I used to think this was all a sign of people who have been consumed by stress, society and the corporate culture, but unfortunately now I can see how stopping, even for a short time, can really set you back.

Perhaps the real key to a successful break is tying off all the loose ends before you stop. :)

Firefox download day reminder

2008-06-18T13:18:00.003+01:00

If you aren't already aware, today Mozilla is attempting to start a new world record of the most software downloaded in a 24 hour period to correlate with the release of Firefox 3. After some early problems with their servers due to a massive demand, things are now running smoothly. Grab your new version by 6pm tonight (UK time) and help make history. You can also check the progress of the record attempt with the live download counter. At the time of writing the count stands at 6.3 million! Pretty good for a not-for-profit organization.

France planning to block more than child pornography

2008-06-15T05:13:00.005+01:00

Few would disagree that child pornography is unacceptable - it may encourage further paedophilia, scar a child mentally, involve unpleasant acts and exploitation to obtain such material and if shared/posted online expose the child to a global audience - hardly the kind of start they need. I also believe there should be greater online accountability regarding adult material posted without consent as well.

Anyway the point I am making is that blocking access to child pornography can be justified - certainly it threatens free expression, however it hurts vulnerable people.

Most nations have stopped with blocking this material. France however has tacked on "terror" and "racial hatred sites". Here I believe they may have overstepped the boundaries.

In regard to racial hate sites, the site owners are simply expressing an opinion - it may not be one the vast majority of people agree with - however to block access is censorship. The language is also quite ambiguous. Racial hate to some might mean the BNP. Also what about other types of hate - religious, gender, homophobia and so on. Are these going to be blocked as well? What other criteria will be added later?

More worrying however is the block of terror sites. Any political page could be labelled to be terrorist in nature by the incumbent leaders/party. For example should Iran's media or government site be blocked from western view? My view is no it shouldn't. Bush might disagree.

Additionally there should not be a distinction between "academic" and "non-academic" sites/ opinions. A working class mother is just as much entitled to express her opinion about immigration as a right wing academic who qualifies his views. When does a view become racist or extremist?

Clearly it is entirely subjective. The difference between France and, for example, China however is that France claims to be democratic, and this entails permitting minorities and dissenters from speaking, even if wrong.

Be more positive - using bookmarks

2008-06-12T12:10:00.003+01:00

If you are anything like me you might often feel that the vast majority of information you receive is negative. For example the media often criticises, friends regularly gossip and complain and comedy seems to rely on other's misfortune and opportunistic cynicism.

In an environment of such morbidity it is hard to keep positive and optimistic, however I have developed an intriguing solution which I will now share.

The basic premise involves studying your lifestyle and routine and observing when and where you get your information from.

So for example you might end up with something like:

TV
Internet
Newspapers/Magazines
Friends & Family
Books
Speakers e.g. at public events
and lots of other smaller sources as well.

The next step is to review each of the areas you have identified - for example - tv - and specifically examine which shows make you happier/better informed/more positive and which make you lethargic or sad.

So for example you might find that after watching BBC News you are better informed, but also less happy. A good way to test your interest is to see how much of the news you remember the following day.

Assign each show a score out of 10 based on how positive you think a show is and the impact it has on you (are you happier?).

Now repeat the same steps for websites - which ones make you most positive and best empower you. Again score the sites.

Repeat for newspapers, magazines, friends, books and so on.

What you should end up with is a list of the places you get your information from along with a score of how positive each source is.

It is now simply a case of maximising your exposure with the sources that make you positive and minimizing contact with ones that make you less positive.

Some suggestions for doing this include checking out when your favourite tv shows will be on and avoiding shows which don't give you value, adding more positive bookmarks to your browser and removing sites which aren't helping, changing your newspaper or magazine subscriptions to ensure you get regular positive information, spending more time with people who make you happy, reading the books of authors you enjoy and also going to events you benefit from. In this way cultivating a positive attitude will become easier and when people do feel down you'll be ready to remind them of the good things.

Cameron Direct

2008-06-06T12:50:00.007+01:00

I was impressed to learn David Cameron launched a new "Cameron Direct" idea in which he travels around the country to town halls answering questions anyone sets him with open access. However I will be looking to see how long he maintains it and also where he actually chooses to visit - if he only goes to marginal seats then he may well come in for criticism and who can forget the trialled and ended "Ask David" and "Webcameron forums"? Still at least the sentiment is right and certainly Cameron's effort appears to be trumping Brown's Downing Street questions to be answered later this month.

Filtering content by IP location sigh

2008-06-01T09:02:00.001+01:00

How often have you been trawling through the net, only to find yourself blocked by a message reading something like "this is only available to citizens of ..." or "this is not available outside ...". Now obviously I can understand some of the restrictions. The BBC for example prevents access to Iplayer to non-UK IP addresses on the basis that the people in Britain pay a tv license for the content.

Nonetheless there are quite a few examples of instances where it is unnecessary. For example during the 2004 presidential elections, George Bush's campaign website was not accessible to people outside the US. Why? It isn't as if there are eligible voters outside the US or even some interest from the rest of the world as to what the president's policies might be. Also Google believes it is being helpful when it automatically forces people who visit the .com site to go to their local site, yet clearly they have not requested local content. Access the language translation of numerous government pages and you'll normally find an entirely different version of the site, targeted at overseas citizens. Even youtube has started blocking videos on the basis of location - and speaking of youtube - I don't think the number of views a video receives is particularly accurate, but perhaps that is a rant for another time.

Regardless localised content is great when it is asked for, but websites which force it upon users or restrict access purely for nationalist reasons are going against the spirit of the internet.

The start of Google rebranding

2008-05-29T12:16:00.001+01:00

Have you found yourself tiring of the Google brand? I experienced this a couple of years ago and although I often use Google, I'm also not tied to it and regularly use Yahoo and to a lesser extent Ask, Live, Gigablast, Clusty and a few others as well.

To prevent users get bored with a few coloured letters and a grey button, Google often runs "doodles" which correlate to certain events during the year. I'm sure most users will have seen a few.

However it appears Google has taken a big leap today with the use of a new site icon (the one you see in the address bar) - and perhaps more changes will follow?

Wikihow: advice for all

2008-05-25T23:59:00.000+01:00

I've recently become rather impressed with the website Wikihow. It is based upon the simple idea that people from all over the internet can write advice for other people in the form of "how to" manuals. There are loads of excellent categories and the search function reveals all kinds of gems. For example try "write a book".

Some key points to remember are: 1) As the content is not necessarily from experts, not all the advice is good (some is even inaccurate or damaging) and 2) there may be more than one "Wikihow" that deals with a topic you are interested in from different authors.

Enjoy!

Fun mysteries to solve

2008-05-22T18:35:00.002+01:00

If you've ever wanted to try your hand at being a master detective, there is now an easy way to test your deductive powers and logical skills online. Simply head over to Mystery Net and there you can find daily and monthly mysteries, community mysteries and even some famous fictional mysteries to enjoy (under the mystery greats heading). Now if only someone could solve my mystery of where all my time seems to go lately! Until next time, happy solving!

Original news in blogs and the dilemmas

2008-05-18T11:59:00.001+01:00

When trawling across the "blogosphere" the majority of blogs that go beyond providing a daily diary of personal trivia tend to get their information from the mainstream news media such as the BBC. They then add a comment, spin or other fact, repost it and the world comes and reads it. Sites such as Digg and Slashdot have basically grown around this model.

The problem however seems to be that the end result is a concentration of power in few hands. When blogging began it was a revolution and a few eminent bloggers such as Iain Dale grew very popular this way. Increasingly now however blogs are simply just serving as link sites to media groups with the resources to research news.

How can this process be challenged? Should bloggers all try and find their own news? Perhaps the real role for bloggers is helping the world determine what is important rather than it all being controlled by the mass media?

One thing is clear though - it is still very hard for bloggers to be heard.

The Hunger Site benefits Americans first.

2008-05-15T22:55:00.003+01:00

As regular readers will know, I think The Hunger Site is an excellent website. It enables people to click on a link, view some adverts and the revenue generated goes towards charitable causes. It's a brilliant idea. However one of the problems I have with it (and the other charity causes the site operates) is that a large proportion of the donations go towards US poverty - US charities get the money, US children get the books, US animal welfare centres get the financing, US women get breast cancer mammograms. Now obviously poverty anywhere can be a very devastating force, however when I click I want my money to go to those most in need - people starving in Africa and Asia, books to go to schools where there are no resources available, medical help for those who otherwise wouldn't have access.

This is not because I am against Americans getting aid - of course not - I just believe that when a website makes money from people all over the world - the money should be spent on the most pressing global causes first and foremost. Otherwise why shouldn't a percentage go towards British poverty and British charities or our children getting new books? Otherwise surely it is unfair and not charitable after all?

What do you think? Should The Hunger Site be forced to give its money to the most deserving? Is it fair the US gets a proportion of all donations when it is the world's largest economy?

Boris as mayor

2008-05-11T23:36:00.005+01:00

I know it is early in his premiership, but I have been very impressed with the actions of Boris Johnson since he has come into office. Already he has organised a team to run an audit regarding Ken Livingstone's expenses, instituted a ban of alcohol on public transport, held a meeting with the heads of the local boroughs and unlike most politicians has not backed down from his manifesto pledges, but reiterated them. I think therefore it only remains for Unlimited Jargon to wish Boris good luck in fulfilling his pledges and making London better.

Linux dependencies make me hurt

2008-05-08T22:59:00.003+01:00

In Windows when you decide to install something new, you look at the box/case/website of the software and read the system requirements, and if you've got those then 99% of the time things go smoothly when doing an installation.

However every time I try to install something on my Linux machine I get a dependency error - one or numerous small files are missing - and they have to be installed before I can add in the software I've been trying to get to use.

Unfortunately what the Linux advocates don't tell you is that because of the differing release schedules and different rates of development every program requires a different version of the programs which the program I am trying to install is dependent on.

If that is unclear let me also add that if you upgrade (or downgrade) the dependency program so that the software you are trying to install will work, this then registers to all the existing software on your computer using that dependency that it is no longer installed! GAH!

So basically to install one new program, I need to upgrade my entire operating system. It is because of issues like this that Linux is unnecessarily difficult to live with. Perhaps some clever genius could come up with a solution and save all Linux users a lot of time and stress!

Taking Liberties on tv

2008-05-04T20:31:00.002+01:00

The film "Taking Liberties" will be broadcast on More 4 this Tuesday at 10pm. I recommend it as essential viewing for anyone who needs a little convincing on why civil liberties matter.

Bush requests food aid from Congress

2008-05-01T23:55:00.001+01:00

The US president has requested an increase in food aid to assist nations currently feeling the squeeze of high food prices. This is a most welcome, though somewhat unexpected move. Of course it may well be a publicity stunt by Bush - an attempt to repair the tarnished US image following its aggressive and unpopular foreign policy during his term in office - he certainly won't be around when the other candidates have to deal with the economic consequences and it's not an easy proposal for Congress to decline.

Nonetheless perhaps this shows that despite US belligerence and militarism they are genuinely interested in helping the African people and it's at times like this my respect for America increases. Good job!

Should Microsoft buy Yahoo? I don't think so.

2008-04-27T18:22:00.004+01:00

Across the net I've heard numerous advocates of the proposed deal between Yahoo and Microsoft. Here is why I think it is not a good idea:

1) Yahoo is fantastic the way it is - Yahoo Answers, Yahoo Email, Yahoo Search, Yahoo Games, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News, My Yahoo, Yahoo Geocities, Yahoo Briefcase and hundreds of other services are all good to outstanding. It has developed an awesome internet culture.

There is a reason it is the world's most popular page.

Of course the reason Google is currently more successful than Yahoo is because of Yahoo's failure to create a proper advertising service like Google. That is Yahoo's single biggest weakness and it has prevented it from really cashing in.

2) Web competition

Currently there are three major services, Google, Yahoo & MSN/Live. Would two be better? No. No it wouldn't.

Of course from a shareholder business perspective this is not the case - big cash deal - better prospects for Microsoft - great. Well no actually - if Yahoo stood alone it could monetize far better rather than be absorbed by a cumbersome giant which hasn't had a good idea in a long time.

Furthermore do we really want one giant company ruling the entire technology field? Wasn't the internet concept based on different ideals.

3) Privacy

None of the current three powerhouses have anywhere close to reasonable privacy policies for user data - the Americans lack a data protection act - Reducing user choice means it is highly likely these companies will be able to collect more about people - for Microsoft this means complete control over a large number of users' computing experience.

4) Corporate culture

Microsoft has traditionally built up a reputation of being against free markets and fair competition - Google too - for all those people who argue this will improve the net, I suspect it will actually restrict innovation in the long-term. What if the two agree on certain standards for websites? How will issues like file sharing and copyright management be addressed? Will search results be influenced? How many people will migrate from Yahoo to Google?

Ultimately though Microsoft is being lazy here. The way to success on the internet is to win the hearts and minds of the users - like it did with MSN messenger or too a lesser extent Hotmail for example. It should stop following and start leading again.

If it has the services and people aren't using them, then after ensuring their product is suitable and getting some customer feedback, perhaps it should spend some of its $40+ billion on some marketing and regaining the trust of the public by committing to respecting its users.

Just a thought.

Just a thought.

Dilbert revamped

2008-04-24T23:59:00.000+01:00

For anybody stuck in a mundane job in an office, or even who finds themselves in some pretty paradoxical situations, Dilbert can provide some comic relief. Recently the site has been redesigned so now all the comics are in colour, and there is also a "mashup" feature which allows users to add their own end slide. If you prefer to access the daily strips using rss, this feature has also been added.

Keep your internet experience fresh

2008-04-20T23:49:00.003+01:00

I often find myself just visiting the same ten sites more than any of the others. The BBC news site is a good example of one which I just spend a load of time on, even when the quality is not great. It has become habitual. The same could be said about many people's devotion towards Google. The problem with this approach however is that from a web perspective it threatens the diversity of the internet and also affects users because they are then forced to rely on fewer sources.

So recently I've tried breaking such habits. Yahoo for example (assuming Microsoft doesn't get control of them, is an excellent search engine and Ask often gives a different set of results (useful for research purposes. Clusty is another excellent search service which provides an innovative way of narrowing down results. In regard to news did you know that Aljazaeera runs a pretty comprehensive English website. Nobody is saying its going to be unbiased, but surely it can't hurt to learn a different opinion or get a fresh perspective?

Also of course its important to support bloggers and small scale operators. So try breaking some of your mainstream habits and you might find your web experience becomes a lot more exciting. :)

My witty republican advert..

2008-04-17T23:58:00.002+01:00

In my usual cynical humour I've looked at trying to make fun of the US elections. What do you think of the following joke:

Republican tv advert:
voice-over: "The Democrats only see the world in black (Picture of Obama) and white (picture of Hillary), whilst the Republican party understand there are many shades of grey (picture of McCain)"

What do you stand for?

2008-04-13T18:40:00.003+01:00

To find out the answer to the question: "What do you stand for?" without an extended period of self-exploration and searching someone has created an online quiz which can be taken within five minutes to tell you. Highly convenient I'm sure you'll agree. According to the test I stand for human rights, but somehow I think that catergory is pretty vague. Give it a try and see if you agree. Note: all complaints should be directed to the "Junk mail free delivery service" and contain a stamped address envelope... and a photograph of you... (preferably round and the size of a standard dart boa....er....pizza). :)

Excellent BBC mayoral debate

2008-04-10T19:51:00.003+01:00

Newsnight recently hosted a live debate between the three main mayoral candidates. It was very interesting and Paxman challenged all of the candidates in several key areas. If you haven't decided who to vote for (or even if you have!) I recommend viewing the video whilst there is still time to see it. Isn't politics grand!?

Negative campaign from Ken

2008-04-06T11:59:00.000+01:00

A top tip from Caesar on politics:

One of the things I've noticed about politics is that the losing side often becomes deeply critical of the opposition without offering something new or different. John Major did this in 1997. Mugabe has done it in Zimbabwe. Now Ken Livingstone is doing this towards Boris.

I disapprove. Negative smear campaigning is really what is not needed in politics. The media does that enough already. To win in politics your message must be positive and visionary but also with a sense of stability and recognition of what works well already.

Horoscopes....which one should I believe?

2008-04-03T23:06:00.004+01:00

If your life is anything like mine, external (good) advice could be rather useful and apparently it is available from fortune tellers and astrologers who look to the stars (or the cards) and discover information about you.

My problem is: there are hundreds of sites claiming mystic knowledge, but which service should I believe? One might say I'm due for a love encounter, the other I should back away from new commitments until the planets shift. One might suggest its time for a new career move, the other saying I should be take time before making any hasty decisions.

I think ultimately my dilemma can be summarised by The Simpsons: In one episode Homer opens a fortune cookie saying "you will find happiness with a new love", and then they show the kitchen and the chef says open up the "stick with your wife" barrel.

Maybe I should turn to religion for an answer like Tony Blair suggests. Or would that be shirking my responsibility to take action and make decisions based on rational arguments? I don't know. If anyone has an answer, I'd like to hear about it. ;)

Unusual web - wierd, wacky stuff I can't explain

2008-03-30T17:29:00.000+01:00

Periodically in my travels through cyberspace I come across very odd things. Below are a few such items. Don't worry, normal service will be resumed next post.

Dancing Chibi Fox

Weird Al:
Some of his songs in flash movies are listed below:
Do I creep you out
Don't download this song
That's your horoscope for today
What I bought on ebay
- also see the list of songs by Weird Al

Star Wars clips:

Star Wars kid
Lego Star Wars
Star Wars Help Desk

EU & US Big Brother and the costs

2008-03-27T16:45:00.005Z

Many times in my exploration through the internet I find Americans (and to a lesser extent EU members (not including the Brits)) who are extremely patriotic, drawing pride from their constitutions and freedoms. This I feel is natural and good. We certainly should compliment states and governments that respect the society they serve.

However in regard to the US, whilst most citizens still believe in liberty for themselves and their fellow neighbours, many have stopped supporting the notion that foreigners should also enjoy these same freedoms and rights, as can be shown through their "patriot act" and the US Visit scheme (in which all visitors must be fingerprinted and photographed). Also I don't envy anyone who has to try and obtain a US Visa! Interestingly though according to Salon.com (you might have to view an advert to access the site), since 2001 according to the commerce department America has lost over $100 billion in tourist revenues because of the new "anti-terror" regulations and Bruce Schneier points out the excessive costs of the scheme equating to a spend of at least $15 million per criminal/illegal immigrant caught.

The EU however is even worse, because unlike Americans who are directing their totalitarianism outwards, the EU is targeting its own citizens. For example, Statewatch has highlighted that the "majority of the (EU Council) delegations supported the commission proposal providing for an obligation to take fingerprints from the age of 6 years".

Unfortunately what both governments are missing is that one step leads to another. As with the ID Card scheme, when they are installed under one regime, other omnipotent officials use that as justification for installing them in a new location. The US approach therefore is doomed because "what goes around comes around".

The EU approach is also flawed, but for different reasons. The EU was created to prevent war and fascism returning to Europe. It sought to do this by creating economic and ideological connections based upon liberalism. By subverting this ideology which promotes tolerance with one which denies privacy or secrecy except to those in authority, the foundation for the abuse of human rights has been erected. Economic stability cannot always be guaranteed. Additionally as the pool of creativity is drained by bureaucrats and authoritarians the competitiveness and vibrancy of Europe will be threatened and undermined.

It is only by working together for a genuinely free world for all people that we can all enjoy the benefits. To deny freedom to others is to prove you do not deserve it yourself.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T10:22:00.003Z

Ahh its Easter and in between eating eggs, religious ceremonies and family time you might enjoy:

Some Easter Wallpapers:
The holiday spot
Billybear4kids
Funmunch
Wallpaper base

Or some Easter Games:
Easter Egg Swap
Easter fun - a selection of Easter games

Or maybe you'd like to create your own giant Cadbury's creme egg or a slightly more appetising one.

Cracking.

The last day of Winter: time for PC Spring Cleaning

2008-03-20T11:00:00.000Z

This year Winter has been fairly mild and I'm happy about that. Although the novelty of snow is fun, early mornings when it is freezing and you've got a long journey ahead are definitely not!

So as today is the Vernal equinox and the end of winter, I've compiled a list of "spring cleaning" tasks for all computer users.

1) Do a back-up of any essential data.
2) Patch up your system fully and check to see if there is a new version of your operating system or any key programs you use.
3) Buy yourself a few new games
4) Uninstall one program you rarely use
5) Perform a complete anti-virus scan and anti-spyware scan (using a program like Spybot for windows)
6) Reorganise your folders/bookmarks if things are getting messy.
7) Change your desktop background to something appropriate (See: here, here and here)

A few bonus extras you might like: if your OS permits, change your theme and start-up sound.

Now to prepare for Easter...

Tibet independence?

2008-03-19T15:02:00.001Z

When I think about Tibet, I am reminded of the British Empire and the numerous calls for freedom from its members and I think, well okay, those people wanted an autonomous, representative state and that's a reasonable request. However then I think of Scotland's SNP calling for independence and I'm less cheerful. If Scotland left the UK our international political power would crumble away.

So how does this relate to China and Tibet? In the UK, Scotland and the other non-English members are subsidised by us through the Barnett Formula. Though the amount given is gradually declining, it is still significant at this time. This gives them an incentive to remain in the UK, and China is investing in Tibet to achieve the same end.

Imagine for a moment the consequences of Tibet being granted independence from China.

1) Geographic size

Tibet is very large in size and has several natural resources. China has a high population. Any land loss would weaken China's political power. (map)

2) Political Precedent

If Tibet can have independence, why not Hong Kong or Taiwan?

3) Possible instability

The region could become destabilised if a suitable government was not established. Is Tibet ready for a democracy? Would the west compel it to be one?

4) Border disputes

There have been numerous disagreements over where Tibet's borders should be. What event in history do you use to determine the true borders?

Of course leaving Tibet under the control of China is also a danger. They have a poor human rights record and disallow any political dissent. The population is clearly not going to passively accept Chinese rule and increased resistance is likely.

ID cards: the idea that won't die

2008-03-09T11:35:00.000Z

It has been over five years since I became interested in the ID card proposal and over seven since it was first introduced. During this time I have written to the Home Office (and political parties, NO2ID, Individual MPs and others) expressing my criticisms to the scheme. I've supported Spy Blog and NO2ID. I've questioned MPs over it.

Essentially I've been one of the people who, despite not having anything to hide, believes I have a lot to fear from this scheme (and the numerous others introduced in the name of security) and have made my voice heard: ID cards are a bad idea; totalitarianism is a bad idea. There are too many people who unquestioningly accept the "law" as a moral code or standard, as if it replaces ethics and virtue, respect for humanity and the right to life.

Even with the recent government data fiascoes and the function creep of their legislation and schemes, they are still demanding this extension of power.

So lets consider a few of the ways the government has tried to get the scheme through:

Benefit fraud
Identity fraud
Terrorism
National Security
"Everyone else has one" - in reference to the other EU nations that have cards (without the database I hasten to add)
Convenience
Mandatory with passport
Optional with passport
Increasing the passport fee to reduce the costs of the cards (Passports now cost £72!, ID cards and a passport was originally going to cost £70)
Needed to get a job/benefits
Ignoring/discrediting opponents - The LSE report against ID cards was dismissed on the grounds that one of the contributors was a civil rights campaigner
"Biometric data will make it secure"
You won't need to provide biometric data initially
Everyone has to have one - Blunkett
Not everyone has to have one - Clarke onwards
Use of other legislation to circumvent need for ID cards + give the government other powers
America demands biometric passports anyway
And so on

Pretty underhand and coercive eh? The state is there to serve the people, not to control them. Indeed virtually all of the above arguments have either been entirely refuted or at the least are highly questionable.

There latest gimmick involves following the US strategy of attacking the liberties of foreigners who visit, migrate or study and getting them onto the scheme. Then it's just a small step to increasing the categories of people who must have a card. Military personnel, teachers, doctors, criminals, civil servants, the unemployed, anyone who goes to apply for a new job and needs to prove their identity and so on.

Sadly what the advocates of the scheme and the government fail to understand is that the reason I am against the scheme is because I am a patriot. I want the UK to be a beacon of success, prosperity, liberty and freedom. Identity Cards threaten these values to a far greater degree than terrorists, who we have grown very sophisticated at handling. America has proven to be so successful because the economic (e.g. private business) and civil spheres have not been intruded upon by the state.

We are in the middle of a dangerous descent towards authoritarianism. Technology should be used to improve the quality of life for humans, not merely as mechanism for coercion and control.

NO2ID expose "coercive" government

2008-02-12T13:20:00.000Z

NO2ID currently are linking to a poorly written document in which the government reasserts, albeit in very emotive and erratic terms, several arguments for Identity Cards. However the NO2ID annotations easily dispel its credibility. It's a real shame the government is stubbornly clinging to this flawed idea. With all this civil Liberty speak, now would be an interesting time for another terrorist strike wouldn't it?

Have a gift...but I expect something back.

2008-02-05T12:55:00.000Z

How often has this happened to you? Someone nice gives you a gift (of their choice, which may or may not be what you want) without prompting and then expects something in return. For me this is rather infuriating. If you are going to give something, give it freely or not at all.

Now this may sound miserly and somewhat unfair, but actually it isn't. For example if I go and buy someone a fishing rod, expecting that they: a) go fishing with me b) enjoy the fishing process c) buy me something in return of equal or greater value, who is being more selfish?

On the other hand, if I ask someone for something, and they get it for me, then there is an argument to be made that I owe them something, but again, if it is given as a gift, then I don't.

Definition of a gift from Merriam Webster: "something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation"

Some people even try to disguise what they are giving as a gift, but add a condition either when giving, or shortly afterwards.

Only something given without conditions is a gift. Otherwise its a contract agreement, like a loan.

The end of Oneword

2008-01-11T16:38:00.000Z

I was quite saddened to hear Oneword ceased transmitting on 12th January 2008. The radio station was only available via the internet or digital radio, however it run many quality programs such as plays, poetry and readings of novels. It was a genuine pioneer and encouraged the BBC to launch BBC7.

However the audience was too low and they couldn't attract sufficient advertisers. Additionally digital radio has not taken off at the speed expected, the owners/funders of Oneword may have had vested interests and failed to promote the station adequately. Finally their website was lime green.
It is my firm belief that had the service been managed properly, it need not have closed down.

Still Oneword proved to me that the British can be very intelligent and do great things.

Caesar's Christmas and New Year message

2007-12-31T11:36:00.000Z

As 2007 concludes I would like to take some time to share my thoughts and rants about many things.

Firstly I had a go at rewriting Christmas songs:

Christmas lies,
ID cards and spin,
Chil-dren binge drinking,
With ASBOs and fire,
drugs on the street,
A time for condemning all we see

OR

Its voting time,
There's a need to be afraid,
At voting time we let in prejudice and build up hate

And in their world of plenty, they want more power,
To wrap their claws around the world at voting time.

But say your prayers, to pray for the other ones,
At voting time, its hard to have fun

There's a world outside your window - and its a world of dread and fear
When the only water flowing
Are the tears of the Lib-Dems...

---

I think you get the idea. Making fun of Christmas is easy - the mass consumption, profiteering, the lie that is Santa Claus (sorry to any children who might be reading) and the onslaught of other phony things.

However I think we should regard Christmas as a special and remarkable occasion. This is because for a precious short period humans all over the world demonstrate virtues like giving, tolerance, kindness and many more. Then a few days later they go back to how they were before, but slightly changed. That's because every year Christmas is a holiday dedicated to innovating in being virtuous, and we can apply what we learn from it in the New Year.

Secondly, looking back on 2007, I see it very much as a year of optimism, hope and change. Humans achieved so much, I think we have lots to be proud about in areas such as science, technology, healthcare, medicine, space exploration, literature and many others.

Well done everyone.

Finally lets turn to the New Year. What is your New Year's Resolution? What are you going to do next year to make 2008 even better than 2007? Whatever you decide, I wish you luck in achieving happiness and spreading virtue.

What's happened to WebCameron?

2007-12-31T11:10:00.000Z

Over the past few months I've been visiting WebCameron fairly frequently - more so than the other political party websites - because I was impressed with David Cameron's fresh approach to politics. He frequently releases videos and a diary of his activities to engage people in politics and his message.

When the site began he introduced a feature called "Ask David" - which allowed people to ask questions and vote for the questions they most wanted answered. Every few weeks he would then answer the top three. However he stopped doing this because of abuse of the service (interest groups would vote to ensure the same questions kept on reaching the top).

The feature was replaced with a forum, in which David occasionally participated, however he got to choose which posts he responded to and also in order to register and participate you had to provide a lot of personal data, such as your postcode and house number. Despite this it was a revolutionary and positive idea.

Alas in my most recent visit, I've discovered that WebCameron has been merged with the Conservative website and the forum has been removed and now the site has become purely a propaganda outlet.

Hopefully the Conservatives will see the light and restore the forum function soon, but until then I'm going to be visiting WebCameron rejects.

Driving madness

2007-12-21T00:23:00.000Z

How many times over the past few years have I criticised the government for stupidity? Quite often I suspect. However the proposals that you'll face several years in jail/a large fine for using a mobile, phone, sat-nav, or even tuning your radio whilst driving are utterly awful.

As one commenter on The Times website put it: "So let me get this straight, violent crime, breaking and entering, sexual assault... nothing. But use your phone on the motorway 2 years in prison!!!!!!!
Says it all really
Steve, Sunshine Coast, Australia"

If you happen to read this post Steve, please accept the 2007 Unlimited Jargon blog award for talking sense, because you are absolutely right.

This is yet another classic example of a government which completely fails to understand concepts such as "Freedom" (as in the freedom to drive whilst listening to the radio), "Probability" (as in if a million cars are on the road, a few crashes are statistically likely/there is a high probability of accidents) and "Justice" (as in Justice means being fair).

I am highly tempted to write another letter to the transport department about this poor idea and would encourage other readers to do the same if there is any sign these measures are being seriously considered. Hopefully though it will die early and we can get back to living life rather than being fitted with mandatory foam jackets to protect us from it.

Of course if you are a cynic, you might notice that there is a big fine associated with these particular offences, and that the government is constantly increasing its spending commitments... just a thought.

Clinton declares she will reduce executive power

2007-10-23T10:01:00.000+01:00

I was delighted to read on the Guardian America site that Hillary Clinton is going to completely review the increased powers of the White House introduced under Bush and restore the integrity of the US government. Perhaps Cameron could do the same when he removes Brown, who according to the Telegraph, wants to introduce a 5% tax on school budgets at the end of every year, discouraging saving and promoting short term thinking. Still it does look as though with the changing leadership in the UK and US we might get some integrity back in politics...maybe.

07 Predictions review 2

2007-10-13T13:17:00.000+01:00

At the end of 2006 I made some predictions about 2007 and earlier in the year I reviewed the progress

Lets see how many have come true so far:

In technology:

1) Several bugs and vulnerabilities will emerge in Windows Vista - see previous review, however the beta testing certainly helped and Microsoft certainly has done a better job than I expected.

2) Firefox and Linux market share will still rise, but by far less this year - see previous review and here and here

3) Apple will released yet another Ipod variant - Iphone/see previous review

4) There will be new "unexpected" problems with the Identity Card scheme/database - aside from them not actually creating a new database, but simply drawing on old ones and the spiralling costs and the function creep and all the problems that NO2ID reports upon daily, the process seems to be rolling ahead - or at least it would be if the Conservative party hadn't declared it would scrap them and use the money for more police. Thank you David Cameron.

In business:

5) Oil prices will rise - yes, see here

6) The house market bubble will continue to grow - see previous review, although actually it is starting to fall back slightly.

7) More businesses will declare themselves eco-friendly and ethical in 2007 - yes, every company is trying to prove its green credentials.

In politics:

8) The Olympics will run over budget - see previous review

9) "Global warming" will get worse - ha. Every secondary school in the England and Wales has been sent a copy of Al Gore's An inconvenient truth - its just a shame how little is actually fact.

10) The Labour party will learn a valuable lesson about integrity - Judging by the recent polls and news stories, I think this is another prediction that has come true.

So, depending on your opinion, between seven to ten of my predictions have come true. Now I must go and consult the crystal ball and find out who will win the football game tonight.
*blurry haze*

Ah perhaps there are some things we are not supposed to know eh?

Brown's strategy

2007-10-06T13:03:00.000+01:00

Gordon Brown has taken a surprisingly active role in challenging the Junta in Burma and their abuse on human rights. The UK does have a responsibility to the rest of the world in showing how a democratic government should act and I think this is a positive position for brown to take and may help to restore the credibility of the UK in the eyes of the world following the foreign policy of the Blair government.

Despite this, Brown's actions could be regarded as electioneering and an attempt to prove himself a man of integrity, rather than the man responsible for the economic instability we now face. Over the past few months he has been incredibly active, however has dodged any questions on the date when he will call an election. This is understandable as a strategy because it unsettles the opposition and gives Brown time to think, but if he doesn't make a decision, then he risks appearing indecisive and this will give the media the ammunition it needs to speculate and spin his policies the wrong way.

Russia's assault on human rights

2007-09-05T11:48:00.000+01:00

The developed nations are expected to set an example to the rest of the world on how to operate successful democracies in which people are happy, safe and free. Unfortunately Russia has chosen the path of oppression and is starting to clamp down on civil society. Of course being in the UK I can hardly claim that my state is much better. According to Privacy International, the UK is just as bad as Russia based on its level of surveillance.

What kind of message is this sending? Isn't totalitarianism and Cold War militarism a thing of the past?

British political parties: What they say and what they mean

2007-09-01T16:50:00.000+01:00

Below is a quick though not necessarily accurate guide to deciphering what political parties actually stand for. Enjoy!

Liberal Democrats
What they say: We'll protest about anything!"
What they mean: "We won't do anything!"

Labour/socialists:
What they say: "The state needs to be richer"
What they mean: "The workers need to be poorer"

Conservatives:
What they say: "We want change"
What they mean: "We won't change"

BNP:
What they say: "We want Britain to be great"
What they mean: "We want the British to be great"

Respect:
What they say: "We'll challenge Labour"
What they mean: "When our leader isn't in Big Brother we'll criticise Labour"

SNP:
What they say: "We want independence"
What they mean: "Will England still subsidise us if we are independent?"

Green party:
What they say: "We'll protect the planet"
What they mean: "When the other parties destroy the planet we'll be there to tell you we told you so..."

UKIP
What they say: "We'll take Britain out of Europe"
What they mean: "We don't understand the EU"

Bad news for China

2007-08-19T14:01:00.000+01:00

Here is an excellent example of what happens when you allow the state to become omnipotent: China's 'Big Brother surveillance' to dwarf UK. Communist China doesn't sound like much of a utopia to me, but that could be because I haven't experienced the miracles or played the right video games.

Climate Change Propaganda

2007-08-16T12:04:00.000+01:00

We've all heard the stories. The planet could soon become so hot we won't be able to live in it - like Venus. From an early age children are taught "The Greenhouse Effect" and during Live Earth in the UK, Johnathon Ross likened Global Warming to Slavery. So like the great "oil will run out in fifty years" crisis of the nineties and the "millennium bug" and various other theories such as "the sun revolves around the earth", humans are basically making educated guesses about the planet. Of course to ignore our scientists would be foolish, however lets hear both sides of the debate before deciding.

So to begin, most scientists do not dispute that Climate Change is occurring. The real debate is whether human beings are contributing towards global warming, and if so, whether there contribution will actually damage the planet.

Media groups/scientists/governments supporting the theory that man is responsible:

BBC Climate Change - Note how under the evidence section there is no evidence and also how the series jumps to an assertion that humans can do something about it.

An inconvenient truth - The temperature of the planet is rising, but the site lacks evidence that it is caused by greenhouse gases or that humans have made a significant contribution.

The Guardian - note how they say "Measurements at the Earth's surface show that average temperatures have risen by some 0.4C since the 1970s. Scientists are confident this change can be blamed on human emissions because the increase is too big to be explained by natural causes."

Defra/UK government - The evidence area is interesting, however I think there are gaping omissions. The ActOnCo2 site does not even provide any evidence to support its assertions.

Campaign on climate change - again the evidence is lacking

Friends of the Earth - no evidence here. Just the same assertions.

The Royal Society - misleading arguments.

New Scientist - This article claims to be balanced, but it is?

"Neutral" sources:

Wikipedia - the evidence

The Times

Media groups/journalists/scientists/governments who challenge the "consensus" on global warming:

Gary Novak - An argument that Global Warming is not caused by CO2 emissions.

The Telegraph - Does the temperature of the Sun have any relevance?

The Telegraph - Are the statistics used valid?

The Letter science magazine refused to publish - Is this a common pattern?

Sun Times - Counter arguments to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth"

If you've taken the time to read all the above, well done. When I finished I found myself immensely confused. It seems that their isn't a scientific consensus at all and that the debate is still going strong.

Nonetheless I came to the conclusion that we shouldn't ignore it and that scientists should start directing their efforts towards producing energy without releasing CO2 and politicians should provide grants and incentives for companies and individuals to utilize the alternatives...at least until we understand things better.

Charging more for flights and trying to get people to put less water in their kettle is, in reality, a complete waste of time because firstly nobody with the money to go on holiday is going to stop using planes or stop filling up their kettle. Secondly when China and the rest of the developing world starts to make the same energy demands that we do, a few half-filled kettles simply won't cut it. Non-polluting fuels however would be a solution to the problem..assuming there is one.

Unsociable Mobile Phone users

2007-08-12T16:59:00.000+01:00

Mobiles have transformed the world. We can socialize from anywhere whether to chat about evening plans or to ask for help when the car breaks down. People can accomplish much more in a shorter space of time.

Yet there is a downside - the fact that I often find myself talking to a person face to face when their mobile goes off. What happens? The person answers the phone and proceeds to have a five minute conversation whilst I am next to them and forced to waste my time as they chat. I find that extremely disrespectful and unsociable, and its not limited to one or two people - everyone seems to think it acceptable.

However when I am with someone and my phone goes off, I politely request to the person on the phone that they call me back or attempt to end the call rapidly (unless there is an emergency). Its a sign of respect to the person I am with.

Therefore my advice is that in future you note the people who continue to have their conversation in your presence and who are prepared to waste your time. These people, without intending to, are telling you exactly what they think of you and you should react accordingly.

News blues

2007-08-12T01:46:00.000+01:00

Today I read a very telling article at The Times. Apparently Blair was not a good prime minister and never was. Its interesting however that the paper actually supported the Blair administration whilst he was in power and waited until his departure to condemn him. Its good to know how the media treats the subjects that make it rich when they are no longer useful.

Another story which made me cringe was: 'Stress risk' for British troops. Of course there is going to be stress! Its part of territory and something you accept if you take the job. Perhaps the media should consider how much stress every single Iraqi faces in their life every day trying to stay safe. They don't have a choice and can't leave when things get bad.

Do you agree? To help you decide take a look at Jibjab's movie: "What we call the news".

The Blair legacy

2007-08-06T13:08:00.000+01:00

Blair did a surprisingly large amount as PM and below is a summary of what I believe his successes and failures are.

Successes:
Northern Ireland - He helped peace emerge in the region - this is, in my opinion, his biggest achievement. Lets hope it will endure.

Minimum Wage - Despite its effects upon inflation, it has helped ensure that people in unskilled jobs are recognized and I think it should be viewed as an achievement, albeit tentatively.

Making the Bank of England independent - Again we should be cautious in declaring this an outright success, but I think it added stability to the economy, however for too long they were pressured into keeping interest rates low - and this has had consequences.

Community Support Officers - Initially the idea seemed ridiculous to me when proposed , but they do now patrol the streets and try and make people feel safe. However whether the rest of the police force ever get involved in the area they serve is arguable.

Neutral:
Olympics
He supported the campaign for the Olympics, however did not lead in this area. Overall I think it is the Mayor and Sebastian Coe we should hold responsible for it.

Africa:
He added support to the campaign to Make Poverty History late in his premiership.

Climate Change
He added support to the campaign on Climate Change however made no effort to introduce cleaner fuels except for nuclear power, and that was only after David Cameron made it a political issue.

Iraq
The reasons for the war may have been flawed, however he has brought Britain closer to America and removed a tyrant.

Failures:

Stealth Tax - 66 new taxes

NHS - Small improvements in some areas such as waiting times, but massive overspending (such as on the computer system and colossal staff salaries (£100000+)), poor staff management (such as the lack of GPs available at off peak times) and poor financial planning which has forced the NHS to tighten its belt.

National/Cultural Identity - This might sound quite an odd category, however people have grown progressively more selfish, nosy and cynical. They over-consume, gossip, binge drink, take drugs and have no respect for their neighbours. Blair and the House of Commons for a long time ignored the public and made policies without listening to them.

Weakening of the House of Lords - Admittedly admittance should be due to meritocracy and not family, however its role in ensuring our nation remains democratic and free is essential. Blair tried to get his way with the House of Lords and when his attempts failed he sought to undermine it.

Education - I've ranted about this many times, but the system is a shambles. It rewards conformity rather than individuality and is generating a society of bureaucrats. Did you know that exam boards are given a "quota" - a target number of students which should get an "A", "B" and so on. If not enough students get an "A", they simply change the grade boundaries. It might explain why more people are getting better grades at least.

Housing crisis - Blair ignored the warning signs completely and then proposed a reactionary measure -"affordable housing" to respond to the price rises.

Pensions crisis - Blair failed to deal with it, and in doing so has let the problem compound and grow.

The Dome - Yes, I know, its an old issue but it symbolizes to me exactly what the Blair government has been about - overspending, giving jobs to the lads, short-term thinking, poor planning, unrealistic expectations and missed deadlines.

and finally, his biggest failure...

Civil Liberties and Terrorism - The role of the state is to defend Freedom, not erode it.

Lateral Thinking

2007-07-25T12:20:00.002+01:00

How often have you found yourself working hard on something, only to discover that there is an easier way which you could have done it? An example is cleaning. Do you use your hands or a cloth or broom or vacuum? Will you use a toothbrush when scrubbing or something more appropriate? If the end result is the same, why not take the shortcut?

The above are somewhat simplistic examples of "Lateral Thinking". Indeed there is a blog titled "The Lazy Way to Success" which glamorizes the process of using intelligence to get things done faster or in a superior manner.

It got me thinking about some of the recent flooding in the UK. Why were the houses built on flood plains? Could the streets have been sloped in a manner which drained water away from residential areas? Could the houses have been designed with flood protection? Would it have helped if more people had gardens to absorb the water? Would more parks and open spaces have helped? Could the water have been pumped out at more points along the rivers rather than just in the affected areas?

Perhaps officials in future will attempt to use Lateral Thinking in their planning? In the meantime here are some puzzles to get you started: http://www.badinage.com/ltq/

Helping good causes: Distributed Computing

2007-06-28T12:45:00.000+01:00

Its nice to help good causes, but rather than just giving money, why not give your computer's time and power?

That's the idea behind distributed computing; a user downloads and installs software which utilizes spare processing power for a project of their choice. These projects can include anything from disease research to searching for extra-terrestrial life (SETI).

If it sounds like something you'd like to do take a look at the BOINC site (the standard software used for distributed computing projects) and then distributedcomputing.info for a list of projects to choose from.

If that doesn't sound appropriate for you however, then don't forgot to visit thehungersite.org and make your donation for free.

The end of Adsense at UJ

2007-05-31T16:42:00.000+01:00

Today is momentous. I've decided to remove Adsense from this blog. There are several very good reasons for this:

1) People on the internet just seem to be after money. Have you ever read those sites which have product recommendations or say something like "I will show you how to make money but first you have to send me money". I don't agree with this philosophy. I want UJ to be a not-for-profit blog which raises awareness on important issues and generally entertains :).

2) Adsense is not profitable unless your site is very successful. You'd have more success referring people to Adsense like Problogger does.

3) I try to make UJ a fast loading page which validates. However the Adsense javascript file is very large and slows down access times.

University students and the danger of being well-informed

2007-05-02T20:00:00.000+01:00

Why go to university? To give your ideas credibility!

Let us suppose for a moment that you believe that war is wonderful and helpful in determining strong races and civilizations.

1) If you just say that in the street or at the pub, nobody will take you seriously. If you've gone to university people will probably respect your opinion more.
2) At university you learn to argue better and sound plausible. This does not necessarily mean your argument is any better than a rival one, only that you can present it better.
3) At university you learn how to support your argument with evidence and justify your conclusions.
4) Free speech means not censoring any ideas, even when they become unrealistic, impractical or unethical.

Thus all people who go to university obtain knowledge and inspiration and learn how to structure their ideas in a presentable way and loosely connect it with other academic works, but this does not necessarily make them intelligent or wise.

Debt society.

2007-04-11T01:08:00.000+01:00

Did you know that when the average student graduates now they will be between £15000 - £20000 in debt. Another interesting fact is that the average age a person buys their first house is now 34. Next consider this: in 2006 house prices rose 9.8% to £214,566 which means you'd need to have earned about £20000 after tax and national insurance just to get any closer to being able to afford a property. I found this out from a telegraph article whilst looking into a report by the think tank Reform. The report aptly titled "IPOD Generation" (which stands for Insecure Pressured Over-taxed and Debt-ridden) discusses the situation for adults under the age of 35 and unfortunately I'm in this age group and worse still I can confirm that it is a pretty accurate reflection of the society we are faced with. Enjoy your retirement Mr. Blair.

Easter soon...

2007-03-29T09:51:00.000+01:00

Yes its that time of year and I've compiled some media items I've found interesting from the past few weeks.

There was an interesting program on David Cameron on channel four called "Dispatches: Toff at the top". The basic argument was that contrary to Cameron's public image, he is in fact a Conservative and that he only changed once he became leader. However the term "Conservative" is wide open to different interpretations because whilst Conservatives are often perceived as resistant to change they traditionally reform themselves enough to be re-elected. This therefore suggests that David Cameron is ahead of the party. However there is a problem. If the party is not in tune with the leader at this stage, then will we be able to trust the Conservative manifesto? Is Cameron going to win an election based on liberal ideals and then return to traditional Conservatism?

Either way until Cameron British political parties were consistently moving right. He has shifted the debate back towards the centre ground, something the Labour party should respond to quickly if they want a hope of winning.

In regard to the budget it seemed to me to be fairly standard (taxing individuals more and forcing increased dependence on the welfare state for the poor) although it received lots media attention in the hope that analysts could make a further inference about Gordon Brown.

Iran is starting to try and display its might by capturing the British sailors, but I think it is going to be challenged for the spotlight as Russia, China, India, North Korea and several other emerging nations are also trying to be taken seriously by the west as potential allies or enemies.

Google got support for announcing it will delete elements of its log files after two years. Perhaps someone at Google read my previous post "The search engine I've switched to"? It is certainly a very positive step forwards.

About now the UK Passport and Identity Service is commencing its interviewing of all first time adult passport applicants. That is as long as they aren't on strike. While we are on the subject of Big Brother, the Labour party is now trying to identify and remove any civil servants who disagree with its policies. Another example of the Labour party tyranny of the majority or perhaps this is the tyranny of the minority?

To close a Norwegian has become famous on the internet for skiing down Europe's longest escalator.

2007 Predictions review 1

2007-03-11T11:26:00.000Z

Back in December last year I made some predictions about 2007.

I thought it would be interesting to see how many have come true thus far:

In technology:

1) Several bugs and vulnerabilities will emerge in Windows Vista - Yes - take a look at this article Windows Vista Activation System Cracked Open, however Microsoft's decision to release several beta versions definitely helped keep the system safe.

2) Firefox and Linux market share will still rise, but by far less this year - Yes - take a look at these articles. The first talks about the browser market share and the second talks about how Dell is considering to offer systems preloaded with linux.

3) Apple will release yet another Ipod variant - Sort of - Iphone

4) There will be new "unexpected" problems with the Identity Card scheme/database - not yet - although its been revealed you won't be allowed to travel without one

In business:

5) Oil prices will rise - unclear at the moment

6) The house market bubble will continue to grow - yes - article

7) More businesses will declare themselves eco-friendly and ethical in 2007 - yes article

In politics:

8) The Olympics will run over budget - yes - article

9) "Global warming" will get worse - Yes (of course), but the media view is changing: article. Good thing I put Global Warming in speech marks ;)

10) The Labour party will learn a valuable lesson about integrity - Not yet...but there's still plenty of time...

So in summary five of my predictions have come true outright and the other five are moving in the right direction. I imagine if all the predictions were to come true that would make me some kind of divine figure? hmmm?

The BBC on You Tube.

2007-03-03T23:38:00.000Z

The BBC's recent announcement that they are going to have some videos on You Tube sounds to me a rather poor idea. Firstly the videos on You Tube are capped at 10 minutes so it will never be more than short clips which could just as easily be watched/hosted on the BBC website. Secondly You Tube is funded by advertising and controlled by Google when the British public pay for the BBC which makes it accountable to us. Third what happened to their plans to use a file-sharing style program to enable the British public to download and watch entire shows. That surely would be far more useful?

However I'm not going to be too critical because the BBC is a great innovative force on the internet and the world overall. Its yet another way the BBC is trying to make itself accessible to more people.

EU moving towards Big Brother?

2007-02-24T13:48:00.000Z

I'm very alarmed by the recent news that Europe is shifting towards a more authoritarian position. There are plans to share DNA databases between members and several other issues such as sharing travel and banking information with the US which are currently in the media.

It seems to me that should the EU's values be corrupted and it decide to pursue dictatorial, intrusive policies in the name of terrorism, then individual member states will be permanently unable to defend the privacy of their citizens.

Obviously the UK is partly to blame for the emergence of such tyrannical policies in the first place and will no doubt pressurize other members to follow a similar line. I hope that member states have the courage to stand up for their privacy and freedom. If not, then 1984 will have got another step closer.

The new Times website..what have they done!

2007-02-17T15:22:00.000Z

In an effort to make the times website more popular, the esteemed Webmasters have decided to use a healthy dose of green. I am unsure whether this will prove to be a leading example of how to make a newspaper site more engaging and accessible or a bit of a joke. What do you think? link.

Cameron smoked drugs?

2007-02-10T23:10:00.000Z

I recall a short time back David Cameron being accused of smoking cannabis. It appears now this has been confirmed. As stupid as this might be, I hardly think he is alone in this. Indeed I read a report on drug use in universities (http://www.maps.org/publications/1996_webb_1.pdf) and apparently 60% of men and 55% of women admit to smoking cannabis at least once. I don't think these are particularly cheerful findings. It seems to me that as usual young people have been manipulated into thinking that taking drugs/smoking is a good way of rebelling and being cool. Obviously this is completely stupid (just have a look at the side effects of crystal meth).

However the real question in regard to David Cameron is whether mistakes people make in their childhood should prevent them from succeeding in later life. My opinion on this is that people should be allowed to make minor mistakes when young and not spend the rest of their lives having to apologise for it.

The person who really deserves to have to apologise is the guy who gave the story to the media in the first place. Making money off the expense of others is hardly ethical. Nonetheless now this information is in the public domain it seems unlikely anyone can accuse the Conservatives of being out of touch with young people. In fact it may even have the positive effect of convincing teenagers that actually it isn't really that cool after all.

The search engine I've switched to.

2007-02-03T21:46:00.000Z

I decided to do a simple experiment a short time ago and not delete my history for a long time. However the results were alarming. It became very clear to me that I was far too dependent on Google, which despite their motto "Don't be evil", may actually prove to be extremely evil. Its not a chance I want to take with all my search information. So I went hunting for a better search engine with a decent privacy policy. Instantly this ruled out Yahoo, MSN/Live and AOL.

I eventually stumbled upon a meta search engine called Ixquick who make a pledge on their homepage to protect user privacy and delete IP addresses from their log files within 48 hours. This is very good and unique amongst the major search engine players.

The search performance is generally good for global/US queries. However if you want to find local information then Ixquick doesn't currently deliver. Nonetheless for standard queries it is certainly worthy of your time and their algorithms do rank pages pretty effectively in my opinion. Try it.

Unfriendly Linux forums

2007-01-28T13:36:00.000Z

If you run Linux as I do, you will have invariably got stuck at some point. Linux is a very complex system with lots of configuration required. Normally the best idea to do is to go online and search to see if others have had similar problems.

I do this regularly for several Windows programs with no problems, but once you start looking for Linux help things can rapidly degenerate.

There are three basic problems I have with Linux forums.

1) Assumed knowledge. So many posts jump immediately into great detail and skip key areas. This leaves me pondering what to do between steps 3 and 4.
2) Just giving commands. "Type this in and it will work." Ok, but what did I actually do?
3) Arrogance. Something along the lines of "Do a Google search and stop wasting my time" or "There have already been loads of posts about this so I'm not going to answer."

Obviously this is not the case all the time and its great that the Linux community is so strong, but if you are a veteran Unix/Linux user, spare a thought for all the newbies switching.

Doomsday clock moves forward - unsuprisingly.

2007-01-20T22:03:00.000Z

I am getting extremely frustrated with the scientists, media and various groups who insist on telling us how close we are to "the end of the world."

So when I read this story, I decided it was time to do a post about it.

The "Doomsday clock" group are extremely pessimistic. Were I in charge of an international body of scientists, I'd create the "Dawn of time clock" and have it just five minutes after midnight. It would provide a vision of hope and prosperity and encourage innovation.

Now of course I am not saying that the dangers facing humanity such as nuclear war, global warming and state surveillance are too be ignored. Far from it. However, these are short term issues compared to the problems that the world has previously faced, and neglible compared to the problems the universe as a whole has and continues to face. Additionally what exactly is the average person going to do with the information "We are five minutes from disaster." Run?

So instead of scientists trying to alarm us, perhaps they should be trying to come up with some solutions to help us. For example I don't yet see cars that run off CO2. I don't yet see a nuclear bomb forcefield system. I don't yet see a device which cloaks us from satellite tracking and other surveillance devices.

Ways to get noticed: do not read this.

2007-01-18T02:14:00.000Z

Every now and then I try and raise awareness on several important issues, such as Identity cards. However at times like this I hardly get noticed at all. Yet whenever I try to do something privately, everybody notices. Whenever I do something unremarkable and uninteresting (in my opinion) everybody notices. But the moment I try to get people to take note of something and suddenly they've all dissappeared.

Its a strange pattern really and I ponder whether UJ readers have similar experiences? Of course there won't be many readers because I've published this online. Were it the case that my opinions had been "exposed" by the Sun or some other gossip based rag I'm sure it would be far more popular.

Anyway this observation got me thinking and I've come up with some possible strategies:

1) Add "top secret" or "Do not read this" to post titles

2) Write something in a book with the word "diary" on the front and "accidentally" leave it at a bus stop

3) Encrypt all computer text files and wait for the government to read them

4) Make access to this blog denied to all and wait for Google employees to read it

5) Write all personal secrets on a blog and keep anything important secret.

Sadly what all this suggests is that people are more interested in other people's lives and gossip (one of the few areas where people aren't apathetic) than important issues. That's why I say use their nosiness to teach them something. Gossip spreads quickly....

The Times newspaper supports Labour...

2007-01-12T15:26:00.000Z

Have you ever read "The Times" newspaper (www.timesonline.co.uk) and thought "this sounds pretty impartial." No? Me neither. Today I found some proof of this fact with the following line:

"Mr Brown, almost certainly the next prime minister, will put the increase in the leaving age at the centre of his 10-year plan for government, to be unveiled when he launches his bid to succeed Tony Blair, The Times has been informed."
(source)

Deal or no deal summarised and destroyed.

2007-01-08T17:18:00.001Z

If you live in a country with too much money and a generally stupid population you might have noticed "Deal or no deal" on television. The basic format is that 22 contestants line up, one is selected and they have a sum of money in their box between 0.01p to £250000. They then chose some of the other 21 boxes to be removed and their rate of success determines the amount offered by the "banker".

When it first arrived, I will confess, for a short time I was interested in it. There are moments of tension and the banker is a clever character. As we enter 2007 however its clear how boring it has become. The format is repetitive and despite assurances by Noel Edmunds to the contrary, the game does not require skill. So now someone has actually won the jackpot its time to kill the show. Noel should learn his lesson from his time at the BBC and move on before he becomes boring, assuming he isn't already.

I generally find it hard to make the distinction between what is boring and what is not on television. Broadly speaking though I have a simple rule: length (In minutes) X level of chat (out of 1(best) to 10(worst)) / quality (1(worst) to 10 (best)). The lower the score the better.

L X C
_____ = Program boredom score.
Q

For example:

The Simpsons: lasts 30(20) minutes .
It has a lot of chat, but a lot of events and actions also so I'd give it a 6.
The quality of unseen episodes is normally 10, but repeats are only worth an 8

So 30 x 6 = 180 / 8 = 22.5 (One of the best scores)

Celebrity Big Brother: lasts 60 minutes
It has almost entirely chat so I'd give it a 10
The quality of the show is awful so I'd score it a 2

So 60 x 10 = 600 / 2 = 300 (One of the worst scores possible)

Coincidentally these shows are all on the same channel at the moment, unless you pay extra for your television, in which case you are probably very boring indeed.

So back to Deal or No Deal.
It lasts 45 or 60 minutes
It has mostly chat so 8/10
The quality of the show has steadily declined so 3/10

45 x 8 = 360 / 3 = 120

On my scale, anything above 100 is not worth watching.

Proof! Simply apply the same formula to any show and, if like me you are struggling to differentiate between boring television content, you can have a mathematical formula tell you the answer. Eureka!

Changing attitudes

2007-01-03T13:42:00.000Z

When I was younger I often pondered in a cynical undertone why things happened. For instance I was amazed how Tony Blair got re-elected in 2005. I couldn't understand why everybody drove/still drives around in cars using oil when biofuels exist. I wondered innocently why we need Identity Cards when all the September 11th terrorists entered the US on legal documents. I also questioned why people in Africa regularly die from starvation when over a billion people are now obese and there is clearly no food shortage. I was despondent when Blair decided he would close lots more post offices and when Brown and Livingstone decided the best (and only) solution to a rising population is to build lots more "affordable housing" when the good old tenements should have scared everyone away from building "cheap" housing. The war in Iraq never made sense to me and neither did the way the BBC made stories from nothing: "We now go to reporter (x) to tell us what we can do in this time of crisis... "Thanks (y), as you know the shortage of news has hit the BBC hardest.." or something like that.

My conclusion at the time was that everybody was apathetic and stupid. However I decided that merely highlighting the flaws is only going halfway and I began proposing solutions to the problems such as dealing with terrorism. Why do terrorists strike? Because they hold a "false" belief? Surely therefore to solve terrorism requires that terrorists are better educated/enlightened? The Labour government think surveillance/oppression is the answer. Also their solution to congestion/pollution is road charging and the congestion charge. My answer is cheap, fast, efficient public transport, road widening/redesigning, renewable fuels and more appropriate speed limits, amongst other things.

I believed it was simply the case that I had come up with far better answers and all I had to do was let the government know my ideas and they would change. So I sent them some letters and awaited their replies. Sadly all I got back was the message "Thank you for getting in touch, but we are going to continue doing our own (wrong) action anyway."

So if I can't reason with people (because they are too inept/apathetic to appreciate my ideas) then the only other course of action is to force my ideas on people.

Unfortunately at this point I am reminded of Tony Blair, so I think it better to go back to the previous stages of coming up with a superior idea, making sure it is actually a good idea and convincing other people to support it.

Therefore if anybody disagrees with my ideas, please post a comment below (nothing offensive or it will be deleted), otherwise, presumably 100% of the population agrees with me. :)

Welcome to 2007

2007-01-01T08:01:00.000Z

Happy new year everyone. I hope 2007 proves to be a great year for you.

New year predictions.....

2006-12-30T13:22:00.000Z

As we draw to the end of 2006, I'm going to make a few predictions for 2007.

In technology:

1) Several bugs and vulnerabilities will emerge in Windows Vista

2) Firefox and Linux market share will still rise, but by far less this year

3) Apple will released yet another Ipod variant

4) There will be new "unexpected" problems with the Identity Card scheme/database

In business:

5) Oil prices will rise

6) The house market bubble will continue to grow

7) More businesses will declare themselves eco-friendly and ethical in 2007

In politics:

8) The Olympics will run over budget

9) "Global warming" will get worse

10) The Labour party will learn a valuable lesson about integrity

Caesar - December 2006

Christmas is getting closer....

2006-12-09T19:06:00.000Z

and yet you will not see everybody happy about this. I often feel sympathy when there are lots of happy people everywhere and a few sad people also scattered around.

Here are some of the people who might be sad at Christmas:

1) People who are lonely
2) People who have suffered a recent sad incident
3) People who are poor and can't afford gifts or have to work or are homeless or starving
4) People in third world countries who get no Christmas break
5) People who do not celebrate Christmas but have to endure it

The list is not complete, but I think its enough to show that at Christmas time in our frenzy of buying and celebrations we should reach out to some of the people who are sad and try and make a difference, however small.

All I've done so far is fill up one of those third world shoe boxes.

But to truly help someone doesn't even require you spend any money. Just listening to people and supporting them out can make a difference too.

So go and be there for people. Help them out, be generous (if you can) when giving to charity and ultimately remember that we are all human and all on earth together. Life is hard and we need to look after each other, and if not at Christmas, then when?

A complaint to webmasters who have "exit" buttons.

2006-12-02T14:41:00.000Z

I am what you could describe as an internet veteran. I've gone through the various fads (anyone remember freeipods.com?) and can usually tell a good website from a bad one pretty rapidly. I am assuming, as you were able to find this page, you also are fairly experienced with the web.

OK. So every now and then I will come across a page with an "exit" button. (Note I'm not talking about the "close" button on some popup windows).

An exit button is completely meaningless for the following reasons:

1) I could easily navigate away from the page or close my browser
2) The button gives no idea of the action that will be taken. Will the browser close, will I go back to the home page or will I be directed to another page.
3) If the browser window is going to close, I could do that myself already. If the button is going to take me back to the homepage, it should be called "home" or some other suitable name. If the button is going to take me to another site it should be called the name of the site it is going to take me to.
4) Also when an exit button is going to move you to another site, it often spawns adverts or the page being linked to is filled with adverts and is usually completely irrelevant and unhelpful.

Don't use them. They make sites look unproffessional and they slow down the browsing process, which will reduce the number of people who return to the page.

Creeping surveillance - alarming update

2006-11-22T01:53:00.000Z

I am still thinking about the issues raised in my previous post. Today however I want to quickly draw attention to this article: Police fingerprinting. The basic problem is that I think within a few years we'll lose the right to not be fingerprinted (assuming they don't simply arrest you and take them anyway). Also how soon before they extend this to DNA?

Even more alarming is the fact that it will all be linked to the national identity database.

Dangerous times - for the innocent.