Yearly Archives: 2005

small smugness

Posted on September 20, 2005 by acb

There may not be many readers of the wrap, but at least one of them is the editor, which is why yesterday’s worm’s eye column pitched up on the front of today’s Guardian. Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism | 3 Comments

The festival of diversity took place on a day when Trevor Phillips, who seems a very sharp cookie, was warning that there is a real danger of the emergence of a ghetto-ised and segregated underclass in this country, however much … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in British politics | 3 Comments

Silly Ethnographic note

Posted on September 19, 2005 by acb

Yesterday was Uttlesford Council’s diversity day, with a fete in the grounds of Audley End house. There was a fair cord and I did see one black person there. Though there are four or five whom one sometimes sees shopping … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blather | Comments Off

Another end of privacy

Posted on September 13, 2005 by acb

An astonishing piece of research, found through Bruce Schneier which shows that a sound recording of a typist at work for fifteen minutes can be analysed to reveal almost every word they typed. The trick is that the keys on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Net stories | Comments Off

Redesign thoughts

Posted on September 12, 2005 by acb

The new Guardian gets better as you go into it. Perhaps that’s another way of saying that it works better with fewer stories on the page. I hate the front. Making allowances for the fact that all readers hate all … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism | 5 Comments

The best idea since Flickr

Posted on September 10, 2005 by acb

Librarything is a combination lookup tool for bibliographic information, a way to tag and catalogue your books collection, and a social service, where you can browse other people’s libraries. Type in a few identifying words from a book’s spine, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Net stories | 10 Comments

Smartass– Nerd help wanted

Posted on September 9, 2005 by acb

If anyone knows the code that will produce rss feeds of comment threads, will they make themselves known to the management? I really would like people to be able to subscribe to these, if they want to. Continue reading →

Posted in nördig | 4 Comments

With a preface by whom?

Posted on September 7, 2005 by acb

Is there anyone who can cast light on this entry from the Library of Congress catalogue? Author: Dawkins, Richard, 1941- Title: The selfish gene / Richard Dawkins ; with a pref. by Anaïs nin. Published: New York : Oxford University … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Literature | 2 Comments

How much was Bush to Blame? (2)

Posted on September 7, 2005 by acb

via John Naughton, I see that there’s a very lucid piece by Geoffrey Hodgson on OpenDemocracy.net arguing, as I did a couple of entries down, that we should blame the system for the failure of government, not just the Bushies. Continue reading →

Posted in Blather | Comments Off

Good advice

Posted on September 5, 2005 by acb

No: better than that. The best advice you could ever give your children. (from Making light). Continue reading →

Posted in Literature | 1 Comment