One link, but what a link. [Courtesy of NTK, of course]

Pure and simple genius. Excuse me, I have a lecture to go to. Yes, I do attend them, especially if they're in the early evening, the highest-likelihood time to be awake. Which usually helps.

Outstanding links

These are worth the licence fee all by themselves. Heck, they almost justify existence! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3206876.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1601054.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3207462.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3200256.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3152596.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3206908.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3210262.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3203531.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3194750.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/showbiz/3193534.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3201344.stm [And yes, I have been to all of them myself.. Don't you know it's not that easy to become an official gfreeman.co.uk-hosted link?!]

And so it starts again.

Famous words Peter... Peter-comments are freestanding, mine are bracketed, just life Real Life. And so it starts again indeed... This is probably the only thing people would pay to see of my site. Except for passwords, maybe. Hmmm. Interesting, but slightly odd, and a bit pointless. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3190884.stm I knew that they were about, and I'm pleased about it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3175626.stm Lots of angry people http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3080396.stm Some of these stories must be made up. But still funny. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3186936.stm Well, these things happen. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3177060.stm These things don't happen http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3180340.stm This thing almost certainly shouldn't happen. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3178810.stm Biochemical Dilbert. http://www.bioch.ox.ac.uk/teaching/undergrad/powerpoint.html

Danish people can't express love

Proof that Danish people can't express love for others.

Seriously, how does one say "I love you" in Danish? If you're the first one to tell me, the prize for you will be me telling you I love you in Danish. You might even learn something.

CBC News: "No case made for ID cards: privacy commissioner"

A seemingly obscure story, maybe, but this news story about how the Canadian privacy commissioner Robert Marleau has ruled national ID cards out because "A strong case for the benefits of a national identification system has simply not been made," and "To the extent that benefits would exist, it would be marginal at best." Further, and perhaps most damagingly, a Liberal MP [ie. a politician] says that "We might be creating a situation where people could actually be killed, eliminated, made to vanish in order to acquire an ID card that could be used to get a passport, to get all kinds of services." Well, duh! So what?, you might ask, justifiably. All these arguments are self-evident, you continue thinking to yourself in an anti-social manner.

But as you well know (or should know, unless you're an astronaut or a visiting alien), after 9/11 all Governments have gone security-mad [emphasis on "mad"], because they're idiots and don't actually usually know how to make the country more secure, and because they see it as an excellent way of increasing their powers. ID cards are a good combination of these two traits. Kudos to Canada for having enough checks and balances to make sure they don't become national policy for such controversial reasons as a bad Cost-Benefit Ratio and possible failures such as increasing the amount of murders and other crimes.

Moreover though, this case shows how politics has become so febrile and absurd in many Western states, so that debates about such important matters as ID cards are not even carried out with the public by the ruling Government, let alone amongst the public in the knowledge that whatever they decide will actually become policy. A disgrace, but also a dangerous state of affairs.

God I'm in a good mood today.

"Odd mishaps cause computer grief" [BBC Snooze]

A reasonably amusing tech story about how funny ways of data being lost. The readers' contributions are top-notch (ie. they're quite good), but one has to wonder why so many of them put laptops under the wheels of their cars and then drive over them (the laptops, not the wheels, or the cars). Hmm...

Ultimate policy

The most beautiful idea ever, and certainly the one that takes our most long-term interests to heart best. Read it and weep at its beauty and optimism. Humanity's finest moment has arrived.

IgNobels free publicity

The IgNobels are back again! I found out this year from this BBC NEWS story on the IgNobel prizes, which is comprehensive and competent enough to give the full list of prize-winners. I don't want to dwell on it too much, in case I hype up too much how funny some of the "achievements" are.. but let me put it this way: some of the "achievements" are very funny. Go look. Then link to something else, ad infinitum, carpe diem.

Alice in Wonderland I ain't

Oh dear, I appear to have lost myself in Amsterdam for a couple of days (well, about four days)... Should wake up shortly. And no, of course I didn't take any drugs! How could you even ask such a thing?! You're lucky I'm not going to ban you! Come back tomorrow, you ungrateful freeloader.