I don’t download illegal music files from the Internet. I’ve found the ebook version of Data Munging with Perl on enough dodgy web sites to know how it feels to have your copyrighted material ripped off. I do, however, listen to music mostly at my computer and I have something like 40 Gb of digital… Continue reading Digital Copy Protection
Author: Dave Cross
Film Studies
My step-daughter has just started an A level course in flim studies. This means that I (hopefully) get a good excuse to buy lots of classic films on DVD. It also means that we get to have interesting discussions about films. Like this one from last night. Gill doesn’t like many Hollywood films. She thinks… Continue reading Film Studies
Grauniad
Oh look. It seems I have an interview for a job at the Guardian. I’m going in to see them tomorrow morning. Anyone know Nik Silver and can have a quiet word with him for me?
No Sex Please We’re American
Under the terms of the multi-million-dollar fund which have been made available under President Bush for abstinence education, schools and groups can only claim federal money for sex education programmes if the classes have as their “exclusive purpose” the promotion of abstinence. They must make clear that sexual activity outside of marriage is harmful, both… Continue reading No Sex Please We’re American
Dubya Comes Clean(ish)
George Bush has gone on record as saying that Saddam Hussein had no involvement in the WTC attacks of September 2001. This clarifies his previous somewhat confused message on the subject. A recent opinion poll showed that 70% oF Americans thought that Hussein was personally involved in the attacks (and therefore, by implication, that this… Continue reading Dubya Comes Clean(ish)
Blaine in “Solitary Confinement”
The disparities between the advertised, and real event were such that you wondered if there could have been some kind of mistake. Weren’t Tower Bridge and the Thames meant to be somehow involved, instead of just picturesquely adjacent? And on telly, a wide-eyed Nicky Campbell had referred repeatedly to “solitary confinement”. Blaine had also stressed… Continue reading Blaine in “Solitary Confinement”
DSEI
The Defence System & Equipment International Arms Fair has opened in the Docklands. It is, of course, disgusting that the UK Govenment would consider letting something like this take place in the UK, but it is becoming increasingly pointless to expect New Labour to exhibit any kind of moral judgement. A couple of interesting stories… Continue reading DSEI
Meaningless Numbers
£30M Wiped off Man Utd Shares screamed the headlines on yesterdays Evening Standard. But what the hell does that mean? Can you work out how badly Manchester United shares had done yesterday from that headline? Of course you can’t. For the £30M figure to mean anything, you need to know the total value of issued… Continue reading Meaningless Numbers
Opus Returns
According to a report in the Washington Post, Opus the penguin will be returning soon. During the 80s Opus was one of the main characters in Bloom County which was the best comic strip ever.
Warren Zevon RIP
I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook’s Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein Ah-oooh… Werewolves of London Warren Zevon dies :-(