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Testing...

Having made all sorts of changes ('cos of getting a cascade of emailed comment spam this morning), does this still work?

Not used this for ages....

I seem to have moved over almost completely to livejournal these days, but I keep finding myself thinking that it's not worth doing an LJ post just to point at a couple of links. Obviously I need a better model for what goes where, but in the meantime, I'm reviving this blog (which I used to use for the longer, less personal, stuff that I don't seem to be writing these days) as a place to put the odd interesting link and such.

Oh, and using the Atom feed (should I use RSS instead?) to do the syndicated-on-LJ thing....

News of the Weird

Again from the Guardian, Tesco denies using black widow spiders to protect fruit. Tricky stuff, this ecology, you know...

Anyway, an eaten grape is a wasted grape. If they'd made wine from them, no-one would ever have known -- unless someone got bit while treading the grapes, that is.

If Bush and Bin Laden agree on something, it must be good?

Well, no, actually. According to George Galloway writing in the Guardian, an Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq is exactly what ObL needs to stir up more Fear and Loathing.

Add in Bush's three witches (Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice) and a bunch of former East-bloc countries dying (or ready to) to prove they deserve to be in NATO or the EU, not to mention the Arab equivalent of CNN showing every dead baby or burning hospital to viewers from one end of the Islamic world to the other, and the gates of Hell begin to creak open. Which is a Bad Thing, right?

Oh, but I forgot - you can't Immanentise the Eschaton without a serious Armageddon-style war on those Godless Commies Muslims.

They're sheep, I tell you

Bush and Blair are winning: people here are confused between Iraq, Al-Quaida, and random terrosists. It looks as if the Bali horror has caused more people to be in favour of war with Iraq. Idiots!!!

From the Guardian: The music industry versus the net. It is not over yet, says Steve Bowbrick. But he's missing the point. It's not just about the music industry and file sharers, it's the whole digital copyright thing with hardware and software companies ganging up to turn PCs into glorified set-top boxes.

Return of Normal Service

About a month after returning from the European trip, I'm finally getting back into the old routine of quickly checking mail and news, doing a spot of browsing, and then some self-training - but I've still to do a complete wipe and reinstall on this machine (it's the general use one, so it needs to stay as a Windows box, but it's been getting somewhat senile lately).

The other (yes, "other", the one in Rob's room exploded) PC's a dual boot NT and Linux machine, so if it becomes our main internet connection for a while I should look at implementing the suggestions on Internet anonymity for Linux newbies given in The Register today.

Drinks in London, Tonight

Okay, here's the updated plan. I arrive in Waterloo at 14.43, which is ludicrously early to go to the pub (unless, of course, you know better... ;-).

As the reasons for chosing a pub near Waterloo were that I wasn't likely to arrive until the early evening and some folk were going on to events later on (some on the South Bank, making the Waterloo area a natural target), I wonder now if this makes sense, especially as Simon and Sandra really need to be on or near the Central Line to get to the event they're going to... So, may I suggest the Glasshouse Stores, Brewer Street instead? The pub's a Sam Smith's one, with decent beer and rather good food, and it makes a natural starting point for moving on towards the rest of Soho, Tottenham Court Rd/Charing X Rd or Holborn... We're likely to be here for a good few hours (must remember to nip out to check mobile every now and again). Which reminds me, my mobile number is: +44 7940 584 653 and it should be on and charged (those keyring chargers are a godsend -- no-one in Europe seems to have the air batteries) from about 2.30pm.

I'm just off to check in, so will sign off now, pausing only to do a final email check. I should be able to check email later today, but will otherwise be in the Glasshouse Stores from about half five or so.

Drinks in London on Thursday 25 July

I'll be back in London tomorrow, and somewhat thirsty with it, so seriously up for beers... Plans are (ahem) fluid at the moment, but it looks as if I'll be at the Jubilee, Waterloo from about 5 (beer, food, cqtching folk who're off to the theatre), moving on across the river for some more serious drinking (suggestions include the glasshouse stores on Brewer street -- the Sam Smith's pub half way qlong, not the new looking place with a similar name at the very end or the Princess Louise, Holborn -- if it's not got some kind of meeting on), and finishing at the Cro Bar (I can't see getting my rucksack through the door of the Troy Club, somehow)

Comments here don't work yet, so please leave any comments, suggestions, etc in the similar entry in my livejournal...