Alasdair Watson

This could get slightly interesting if they ever come for bit.ly – engendering the single most massive dose of instant linkrot the intertubes have ever seen. (This is, of course, why URL shorteners are evil, and why anyone who uses them outside of twitter is a fuckwit). It's strongly suggest that if you need to post a shortened link anywhere, you use is.gd or goo.gl or another similar service. (Incidentally, in case anyone's wondering, it's stuff like this that made me use black-ink.org and not sda.ir as my primary domain when I consolidated everything.)

Horrifying. I knew about this, but I didn't *know* about this. From now on, I'm only eating chicken where I can name the specific part of the chicken it came from.

I know I sound like a broken record when I link this stuff. Tough. I can't decide if Facebook are stupid, or actively malevolent, but here's the bottom line: a service I quit using, because I didn't trust them with my person data, as a result of a number of breaches of privacy and security, has my phone number, something I regard as one of my most personal items of data, despite my best efforts. It's not something I give out to just anyone. Yet, tt's an accepted social norm to meet people at parties, and become friends on Facebook, and that's fine. But just because I'm someone's friend on Facebook does not mean I want them to have my number. A practical example: I do have a work account on there. It has two friends. I have neither of their phone numbers. Or rather, I *had* neither of their phone numbers. Now I've got them both. Neither of them has uploaded their number to Facebook. (I checked.) Read this article, then write to Facebook.

Lot of interesting stuff about the lack of future (for lack of a better term) that's around at the moment. Playing join the dots with Mr Stross' idea that we might be suffering from massive future shock as a culture, it's not hard to see why we might be lacking a bit

There's so much going on here, it's just not funny. Mob jokes, political commentary against a conservative/libertarian point of view. But here's the thing: it's just not funny. A family's home burned down, and people with the equipment to help them stood and watched the flames. In what world is selfishness on that scale not a crime punishable by imprisonment?

Fascinating reading – the former CEO of Websabe, about why his site was beaten (and eventually, closed down) by his major competitor. Very honest, and quite a clear eyed look at his own mistakes. (I note in passing that I am still (eagerly) waiting for the UK version of Mint or Websabe.)

I would love for our client to allow us to make some of the data generated by their various systems open. I've no idea what the result would be, possibly nothing, but I'd be interested to see, especially as I've been thinking about the vast aggregate of similar data we've got across several clients…

A feminist pop-culture adventure, written by a number of people of this parish. I've read some of what's to come on this site, and if you care at all about one or both of equality or pop culture you will want to read this.

Because Toronto deserves something nice. There are a number of Torontonians around these parts. I urge you all to vote Murray, in the strongest, tenderest possible terms.

And yet we're still not funding space travel properly. What's up with that?

This ones doing the rounds, and with excellent reason. A bit of writing on posthumanity that encompasses all the usual stuff and cyborgs and tool using and modern infrastructure, and goes to some fascinating and non-generally considered places beyond that. For example: "a cyborg revolution was happening the same year Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline coined the term. A hostile environment was being tamed by a newly and artificially capable people. It escaped notice and critique though, because the modified weren’t men, and then environment wasn’t space. The modified were women, and the environment was men. The women of the 60s were the first to modify and control their uteruses."

An absolutely superb essay on influence, creativity, and copyright. The absolute best writing I have read on this subject, anywhere. And with a truly superb sting in the tail…

This is one of those "so simple it's obvious" things, that clearly, no-one has ever thought of. I have one (semi-)regular physical interaction with my internet router, and I bet it's the same one you do. I turn it off and on again. That's the only thing I ever do with it. And yet, the switch to do that is hidden at the back, and there is absolutely no reason why this should be so. No reason at all.

Do you play the lottery? Here's a little tool that will simulate playing a reasonably normal lottery for you, twice a week, for 10 years, so that you can see just how much money you're flushing down the toilet for what kind of reward.

Most of you can safely skip this one, as it'll be incomprehensible tech bollocks. Unless you're interested in good coding practice when developing Javascript for other people to deploy of their websites. No, didn't think so.

Have you ever complained (or thought about complaining, or generally just grumbled to yourself and your friends) when LJ, Facebook, Twitter, or any other large website you use changed something? Have you ever wondered "why didn't they give us the option to keep doing it the old way, if we wanted to?" Well here's a good post explaining why.

Yeah, I know it sounds unlikely to the point of absurdity. But seriously, read this. I don't care if you don't give a shit about one of both of them are – unless you have no idea at all who both of them are (in which case, I congratulate you on waking from your 20 year coma, and welcome you to the future) they I promise you, you'll love it. It's absolutely brilliant.

I'm not posting this as an Apple fan – Apple are a long, long way from being the only example of this kind pace of technology, and probably aren't even the best. But they're a well know, very recognisable one. As you look at this though, I invite you to consider the following: you didn't even notice that change happening, did you?

Need to grab this and get it running somewhere – on the one hand, most of my stuff is inconsequential crap, on the other hand, I don't like not having my own copy of data I generate, so something that auto-archives my socialmeeja crap is handy, especially if it'll let me produce stats on it.

Some data on the behaviour of users who were referred by to a site, split by the site that referred them – for example, users referred by BoingBoing stay longer, but read less extra pages that this initial linked one than those who arrive via Bleeding Cool or io9. I'd be cautious of putting reading *too* much into the data, but it's still interesting.

A savage, brilliant deconstruction of the problems with the way science is reported in the press. Please note carefully the section toward the end (for maximum take-away, you understand) where fringe lunatics and cranks who don't understand how science works (or how to tie their own shoelaces, a lot of the time) are given their say.

I loved Bagpuss. I also love this. The Thomas the Tank Engine (linked within) one is pretty good, too. Well, it made me laugh, anyway.

Even slime mould can make decisions, it turns out. Sounds like it may be smarter than some humans.

Is there anyone in the US who I can paypal cash to, who would be willing to order to have them order one of these and post it on to me?

Of interest to a few folk around here, I'd imagine – a day at The French Laundry, a look at how they work, and how their ever changing menus are put together.