- Parliamentary train – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I'd never heard of these before today. Noted and filed, to be used later.
- Unusual Words Rendered in Bold Graphics | Brain Pickings
I have learned words, and seen pretty pictures.
- PHP solves problems. Oh, and you can program with it too!
I am a PHP coder. It is, in truth, the only programming language I'm any good at. Well, OK, maybe javascript, too. I got into it because I wanted to get things done, and PHP maybe it very, very easy for me to do that. I'm not the sort of person who learns new languages for fun, so PHP is where I've stayed. But the reason I've stayed is because I've never found anything I wanted to get done that I couldn't do in PHP. Which suggests to me that the hate it gets from "proper" programmers is basically, so much bullshit. So I liked this article.
- "Obamacare" explained very well. via reddit.com
Just in case anyone reading this is confused about what the healthcare reforms in the US mean. Basically, if you read this, and are still opposed to them, then I can only assume that you are someone who would like more people to die. In which case, perhaps you could help the rest of us out by setting an example.
Tag: us
Bookmarks for April 2, 2012
- Planning a trip to Canada or the Caribbean? US Immigration may have other ideas… – News & Advice – Travel – The Independent
I await the first tales of someone's holiday being fucked up because they happened to share a name with someone who is on the US list, even despite the fact that they're not even flying near the US. I also await being allowed to deny US citizens the right to enter France.
- BBC News – 10 stories that could be April Fools pranks but aren't
Several of these are fascinating. Others are just mad. Either way, I like 'em.
- What Lies Beneath: Excavating Crossrail's tunnels | In-depth | The Engineer
This is fascinating reading. Example facts from this piece: tunnel boring machines go at about 100m per week, and have a turning radius of 250m. Inpressive enough, but in places the tunnels these things are cutting are passing with 1m of existing tunnels, which, obviously, it would be very bad if they were to hit. "Lads, we've got to start turning now, so that we're in the right place in 2 weeks time. If we're out by over a foot, were going to cause major damage to something expensive. No do-overs. Everyone ready?"
Bookmarks for July 6, 2011
- US anti-piracy body targets foreign website owners for extradition | Technology | The Guardian
Here we go again with my blood pressure spiking. The US is basically saying that it considers it acceptable to attempt to extradite foreign nationals who have never set foot on American soil, who do not own anything in the US,and who have not committed any crime in the country they live in. Basically, it's saying that it believes the world to be subject to it's law. This is exactly why anti-US terrorist movements get traction in other countries, you know.
Links for Wednesday June 22nd 2011 through Monday June 27th 2011
- Hoban Cards – Letterpress Printed Calling Cards
Oooh, tempting! Very lovely letterpress business cards.
- Contact Us – Conversion University Help
I need to understand google analytics much better. Please kill me.
- F.B.I. Seizes Web Servers, Knocking Sites Offline – NYTimes.com
Seriously, at some point, someone needs to start running training seminars for law enforcement agencies, explain what technology actually *is*. I have no doubt that they employ many people who know, but it's be useful if the people doing the physical work weren't half bright morons hopped on fake authority. Because while knocking a few sites off the intertubes isn't the end of the world, it still is neither right nor fair that innocent third parties like pinboard.in, or Instapaper should be knocked off the internet, and their paying customers deprived of their service (and therefore their money) by government incompetence just because they happen to be in the same room as a computer someone might have used once to do something wrong. This sort of thing makes me disproportionately angry, not for what it is, but for the principle it represents: that the government can screw people for no reason, any time it likes, and receive no comebacks, not even be required to make an apology. Power and stupidity and no accountability. How do we stop this, exactly?
- Adramelech Books
Here is where you can order C.J. Lines new short short collection, Cold Mirrors. You should do this, pretty much right now. I routinely describe his previous novel as one of the most gleefully horrible things I've ever read, and if you like horror, and haven't read it, you've missed a treat. This short story collection promises to be superb, so seriously, make with the clicky and the shopping.
- WordPress › Passwords Reset
The WordPress main repository got hack the other day, and several popular plugins were modified to carry malicious code. Long strong short: if you are running a WordPress blog, and have updated your plugins in the last few days, then you should probably check to see if there are new updates available. Most plugins are unaffected, but a few of those that are are very common. The new updates will fix the problem.
Bookmarks for May 31, 2011
- UK Mobile Internet Usage Statistics February 2011 | Tecmark
Need these for work. They're not very interesting unless you're writing about mobile internet strategy, and if you are, you have my sympathies.
- Why Privacy Matters Even if You Have 'Nothing to Hide' – The Chronicle Review – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Good article about well, what it says on the tin.
Bookmarks for May 19, 2011
- The People vs. Goldman Sachs | Rolling Stone Politics
If you haven't already read this, do so now. And then join me in praying for some criminal prosecutions.
- Namib-Naukluft Park Picture – Travel Wallpaper – National Geographic Photo of the Day
I got this one from kottke.org, and I'm just going to quote what Jason said about it: "The caption says that this is a photo. My brain is having a difficult time agreeing." Go look.
- On TermKit | Steven Wittens – Acko.net
This looks interesting. He's right – while I need the power of Terminal a lot of the time, there is absolutely no reason why it has to look and behave like it did 20 years and more ago.
Bookmarks for August 17, 2010
- BBC – Dimensions – Index
BERG produce a site that helps you understand the scale and distances of things in the recent, and not so recent past. If the Apollo 11 astronauts had landed at your front door, could the distance they walked have enabled them to buy a pint of milk? How far away from your parents house would the German trenches have been, if WWI had happened where you grew up? And so on, and so forth. Nice!
- BookBook for iPad – BookBook for iPad – Twelve South
If I didn't have my Dodocase, or if, god forbid, anything should happen to it, I'd want one of these, I think.
- rejectamentalist manifesto
China Miéville has a blog. I believe this may be relevant to our interest
- Science Digestive: My application for a job as a Homeopath
In case were weren't aware NHS Tayside are offering a £68,000 a year job for a fucking homeopath, despite having laid off 500 people due to the current round of cuts. The level of angry this makes me is hard to fucking describe – it is a near perfect example of the counter to the "well, it can't hurt, and it might help some people" argument that others put forward. Anyway, setting incandescent fury aside for a moment, here is an amusing read: A qualified neuroscientist applies for the job.
- Washington, We Have a Problem | Politics | Vanity Fair
interesting article on the daily routine of the Obama presidency, and the difference between the media now, and the media of a decade ago.