What’s Happening Here?

Just to explain what’s happening here: my blog is changing. I will no longer be blogging regularly (or even semi-regularly!) since the daily podcast (Litopia Daily) has largely replaced that function. It’s also higher on my list of priorities – I think a short daily podcast will be of more direct use and [...]

So Many Beards, So Little Time…

It’s beard week here in Baker Street. Kicking things off, this rather splendid graphic from Jon Dyer’s equally magnificent beardy blog. What style shall I choose next? Spoilt for choice! The French Fork is tempting… so is the Mighty Insecto… pass me those scissors…

Get A Few Batteries…

Police constable Zeeshaan Chaudry describes in today’s News of the World how he can “fit up” anyone he wants as a terrorist - and ten years jail time.
“Get a few batteries”, says PC Chaudry, “put wires around them, strip the wires to make it look like he is making bombs and that. Put them in [...]

Reading Churchill

“History will be kind to me”, said Winston Churchill, “for I intend to write it.” I’m reading two Churchill tomes at the moment - “A History of the English-Speaking Peoples” and “The Second World War” (abridged). They are both exceptionally absorbing, and I recommend them to anyone with any interests in these subjects. Contrary [...]

The Truth About Litopia After Dark…

Somebody released this damn thing onto the internet. All I can say is: I didn’t know I was being recorded. It was Sting’s fault, curse him.

Halligan

I never knew what a halligan was before this – but damn, I want one now.

OK, so get over it

glumbert - He’s Dead Jim

Anon Strikes Again!

And out of the blue, they came… to Tottenham Court Rd, London, this afternoon, and probably most other places worldwide where the Xenu-philes are located. Impressive demo.

Kiva plug again

I’m getting an unreasonable amount of pleasure from Kiva, previously mentioned. For less than the price of a cheap meal, you can positively and directly affect someone’s life in the third world.
In the current Western economic climate, with obscenely-rewarded bankers demonstrating that their spectacular incompetence is rivaled only by their rapacious greed, it is quite [...]

Archertypes

Why does every BBC radio drama production sound like “The Archers”?

Cramer Was Right

Flashback to August 2007 - we was warned, folks.  Happy Holidays.

What the Dalai Lama Must Do

picApp_publisherId = 1402;picApp_imageId = 7921;picApp_imageWidth = 201;picApp_imageHeight = 302;picApp_configUrl = “http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/FlashSite/GetConfig.aspx”;picApp_Picview=”http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/FlashSite/en/picviewerv1_1.swf”;picapp_numberOfLine=2;ImageServe(); The Dalai Lama is a theocrat, with much the same claim to authority as any other ruler who asserts leadership through birth and/or presumed special connection to God. However, we in the West prefer him over other theocrats (Khomeini, for example, or even [...]

Bear Stearns

Paul Krugman makes some good points writing in today’s NYT:

He goes on to say:

Rough times ahead.

Garfield Minus Garfield

“Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?”
Less is more…

Wikipedia For Sale?

All the current Valleywag trash talk about Wikipedia chief Jimmy Wales, 41, who dumped his girlfriend with an announcement on the encyclopaedia’s website (girlfriend then sells Wales’ laundry on E-Bay… how very Web 2.0) misses the more important point.
There is serious talk in certain quarters concerning the possible private sale of Wikipedia.  Impossible?  With a [...]

My Personal Media Audit

It was quite simple when I was growing up. We had the local newspaper, the radio (just BBC), and later on, the television with just three channels to chose from. Voila.
Today, this is my current media mix:
Morning
Radio Five – in the bathroom, for the simple reason that it’s the only station I [...]

My Favourite CAPTCHA

Is here.

The Fate of the Gray Wolf

photo credit: CCCPxokkeu
It is a shameful testament to the enormous political lobbying power of the American livestock industry that they have connived to get the gray wolf removed from the Endangered Species List.
What is not often understood is that the vast majority of the land - Wyoming, Idaho and Montana plus parts of Utah, [...]

Burgered

Obama A Target?

photo credit: Munoz Family
There’s a widespread difference in perception between those Americans I’ve spoken to and many Brits / Europeans about the likelihood of an assassination attempt on presidential candidate Barack Obama. Doris Lessing believes, in common with many others outside of the States, that the establishment would never permit a black man [...]

Dyson the Rotifer

I fondly imagined that this might be the only rotifer video on YouTube - not a bit of it, there seems to be a very enthusiastic bunch of video-microscopy freaks hanging out there who even use electron microscopes to pursue their passion.  However, this is my first rotifer video, so please excuse the rough edges.
Rotifers [...]

Anonymous Strikes Again

I had a feeling this was going to grow and grow… there’s something well worth studying in this C21st grassroots movement.  Who is Anonymous?  We all are.  As I said previously, the Scientologists ought to be very afraid.  Next event is March 15th.

Hackers Post YouTube Video Declaring War on Scientology

This is one scary video, posted by the hackers who recently brought down the Scientologist’s website. If I was Tom Cruise, I would be afraid, very afraid. But I suppose if you can trounce Xenu, you can defeat anything, right Tom?

Payback!

Just received an e-mail saying that the first monthly repayment from loans made to Kiva at Christmas has arrived.  I’m very impressed with this creative and humanitarian use of the Internet.  The loan in question was made to a 34-year old woman who sells eggplant, okra, and tomatoes in at a market in Sassandra, a [...]

David Lynch on the iPhone

I couldn’t agree more…