My mate Budgie has completed 100 of his fast fiction challenges in 100 days. Firstly: give him a round of applause. Secondly: go read some of them – they're bloody good. Thirdly: Leave him a new four-word-or-less title, and a word to use in that story. Because I want to see how long he can go on doing this for. Fourthly: buy his book!

Dave pointed me at this, and yes, it is a fascinating light in which to consider the publishing and creative industries, and their approach to history.

Alan Moore's latest audio work (a reading of his piece in London: City of Disappearances scored by some very clever electronica wizards) is available via iTunes. It is two hours of the good stuff, and thoroughly recommended.

Testing this out as a better (and yes, much nicer looking) calendar/todo app for iphone.

Again, relevant to the interests of a number of parties I know, I imagine. Absolutely excellent argument for why the censorship of Craigslist is *not* a good thing, and will not help in the fight against sex trafficking and exploitation of women.

I may be developing an addiction to iphone cases. But tell me this isn't awesome. You can't can you?

Dave Gorman demonstrates remarkable sanity, as per. In fact, here's a quote that basically runs my entire life: "Either way, there's no value in wasting energy in getting upset. The next thing is always more exciting than the past."

This makes my blood boil. What kind of shitehawk can think that is is a fair or reasonable way to do business? The level of contempt that US business interests, and worse, politicians are showing for consumers around the world is staggering. Large chunks of the world are about to be shafted by people who they cannot hold accountable. US-resident chums, I would take it as a great kindness if you would write and call your representatives, on the issue of ACTA, and make their responses as public as possible.

Mr Jones is at the clever again. Good metaphor for designing better human computer interaction.

I've just signed up to beta-test this, turning better habits into a game, although I just missed the deadline for the September game. So, for the month of October, I must: go to the gym twice a week. Do productive work (outside of the dayjob) on three days each week. Drink only one alcohlic drink per week. If do this, I will buy myself an ipod shuffle. If not, I'll donate price of the same to charity. (And if I find it helpful, I'll up the requirements in November.)

Andrew's back writing about comics again, and specifically, about the (lack of) representation of those who are not straight, white, or male in the medium and the industry. I will follow this with interest, and I imagine a substantial number of my friends will as well.

This appears to be the coffee maker of my dreams. One day…

Good, if possibly depressing, article on what happens to partners when their other half has a famous career, covering sexism, being left at home and as a coda at the end, the Yoko factor, containing this quote. I've always had a soft spot for Yoko (despite loathing "Imagine" with all my shrivelled black heart)…

"Yoko was, and is, interesting in her own right. She's a remarkable artist and a unique thinker. All of the things you think of John Lennon doing in the late-60s and early-70s were inspired entirely and directly by Yoko: the avant-garde art, the politics, the whole peace and love thing. She is responsible for the Lennon we remember and love today, and yet she is at best ignored and at worst vilified… For what, exactly? Being loved by him?"

On the one hand: I would cook almost nothing from this. And it is hugely, hugely expensive. On the other hand: it looks utterly fucking beautiful. I've never cooked anything from my Fat Duck book, either, but I love it…

This is utterly brilliant. If I haven't decided where I want to be scattered when I die, then I want this done. Completely superb.

This has done the rounds over the last week. Yes, I am profoundly annoyed about this. Yes, were it another company, I would probably be saying "well, I'm going to stop using their products" over this. And when Apple produce products that actively use this patent or similar technologies, I will avoid using them, and/or seek ways to circumvent them. Just, y'know, so we're clear that yes, I worry about the privacy-infringing moves of companies I like, too.

On the one hand: a nerdy deconstruction of the plot holes in the Toy Story 3 and their implications for the franchise is rather missing the point of the film, in that it's a work about emotion, and you're supposed to forgive narrative flaws if you notice them, because they're in the service of a emotional point. But I'm certain Wallis knew that when he wrote this. His broader point, though, is excellent: that all narrative is now interactive narrative, and that people will take any narrative, and find things in it the creator never intended, and invent new material in the vacant spaces of all stories, and that decrying that is pointless – we should be embracing it.

I am particularly interested in the first two, and wish to remember to return to those ideas later.

This isn't big news, or anything I'm going to need later, this just made me smile.