- No terror arrests in 100,000 police counter-terror searches, figures show | Law | guardian.co.uk
I think the most surprising thing about this story is this quote: "A policy which fuels resentment and antagonism amongst minority communities without achieving a single terrorist conviction serves only to help our enemies and increase the terrorism threat." And the reason it's surprising it that it's coming from a Conservative MP. (Although I it is David Davis, who I confess to a grudging admiration for on the subject of civil liberties.)
- Del's plain english guide
Yes. More of this sort of thing, please.
- WGGB – News – PLR agency written off
Here's one of the governments cuts that won't make headline news, that won't get any of the usual arts bodies fighting against it, because it's not music or theatre or public art or any of the other stuff luvvies and lefties get up in arms about. And honestly, it probably won't change most' people's lives, but realistically also won't save any serious money. It's a cut for the sake of making a cut, an idealogical statement. And that statement is, broadly "fuck writers".
- budgie's squawks – The Fast Fiction Challenge 2010: The final list
Budgie has managed to write 150 ultra-short stories in 150 days. If you think that consistently writing 200 words a day isn't a remarkable feat, then I suggest that you try it. Every day, for almost half a year, you sit down in front of a blank piece of paper, and force yourself to have a good idea. No excuse for illness, no excuses for just "being busy with other things". 150 days, having a new idea every day, and executing that idea to a high standard, without fail. Yeah. My hat's off to you, squire. 200 days next year, year?
Tag: Writing
Bookmarks for October 27, 2010
- Firesheep usage leads to Idiocy | Netcraft
If only I used a laptop on public wifi I'd set this up…
- How to guard yourself and your Mac from Firesheep and Wi-Fi snooping
This has become a reasonably hot issue in the last week or so, as I hope my post earlier made clear. If you're a Mac user, there's some stuff in here that'll help…
- CleanMyMac – Enjoy your clean Mac with just a few clicks!
Should probably run this at home – I just had a quick check on my work machine, and discovered I could free up 4GB of space, and I suspect that number will be higher at home…
- Fast-Forward: The Future of Science Fiction in Africa
Really interesting article on African SF writing – why there hasn't been much of it historically, and why it's something to really look forward to.
Bookmarks for October 21, 2010
- The Right To The City
"The right to the city is not merely a right of access to what already exists, but a right to change it after our heart’s desire.”
- China Mieville: Letter to a Progressive Liberal Democract
I wish I had his way with words.
- apiphile: If it helps, try to imagine I am less of an annoying git and more of a conduit for wisdom
Del, on writing with clarity and purpose. I would like to forcefeed this to oh, really, everyone. Including myself.
Bookmarks for October 12, 2010
- Amazon Introduces The Digital Pamphlet With ‘Kindle Singles’
Ooh, now this is very interesting indeed. I could probably assemble 10,000 words on any one specific subject quite easily. They might even be entertaining enough to be worth buying.
- Pass The Parcel by Delilah Des Anges
Del has made her frankly excellent book, Pass The Parcel, available for purchase, for which you should all be very grateful. Del is a writer of no small talent, and deserves your cash, so you should fork it over at your earliest convenience. In exchange, you're going to get a novel containing Weird London and collection of freaks, losers and bastards with will have you clamouring for more. Go.
Bookmarks for October 11, 2010
- Soylent is people! Word processor plugin crowdsources your editing | Blog | Futurismic
Add some reputation metrics on top of this "accept edits by X" "only allow people with a rating of X or more to edit" that sort fo thing, and some anti-idiot tools "remove all edits by X", and er, yeah. The grunt work part of professional copy editing is going to go the way of the dodo. (The curatorial and advisory role, on the other hand, becomes more and more important…)
Bookmarks for October 10, 2010
- The Trending by C.J. Lines | Feedbooks
C.J. Lines "Filth Kiss" was one of the more gleefully horrible (and genuinely disturbing) works of horror fiction I read the other year. He has made his short story "The Trending" available in a number of electronic formats, for absolutely nothing. It's a lovely little take on the classic Monkey's Paw stories, brought into the 21st century.
Bookmarks for September 30, 2010
- Murray 4 Mayor
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.
- Newly discovered planet may be first truly habitable exoplanet – UC Santa Cruz
And yet we're still not funding space travel properly. What's up with that?
- 50 years of cyborgs: I have not the words. | Quinn Said
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."
- The ecstasy of influence: A plagiarism, By Jonathan Lethem (Harper's Magazine)
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…
- Subtraction.com: The Only Thing a Router Is Good For
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.
Bookmarks for September 22, 2010
- Dan Ariely » Blog Archive Humans and the slime mould «
Even slime mould can make decisions, it turns out. Sounds like it may be smarter than some humans.
- jorno – folding bluetooth keyboard
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?
- Printable version: How French Laundry's chefs reach for the stars
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.
Bookmarks for September 9, 2010
- budgie's squawks – Fast Fiction Challenge 2010: The one hundred stories so far…
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!
- The Commodification of Publishing & Media
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.
Bookmarks for July 23, 2010
- Janet Fitch's 10 rules for writers | Jacket Copy | Los Angeles Times
Actually, these aren't half bad, and if I could make more of an effort to remember them, it'd probably lift my writing quite a lot.
- Wayward Alzheimer's patients foiled by fake bus stop – Telegraph
Architectures of control, right here. Nice.
- The ever-arrogant Apple « Observatory
I admit to coming off like a bit of an Apple fanboy, but still, this piece really nailed something for me: if Apple are sometimes arrogant (and I don't think there's a dispute about whether or not they are) then it's because they've earned the right to be by leading the way in personal computing on a technology level for decades now. They may not have been the most successful financially, but they've been the game changing-innovators since before the iPod, never mind the iPhone and iPad. And if someone comes along that can humble them, then I will sincerely welcome them but it hasn't happened yet. The reason I buy Apple products is that they're the best on sale at the moment, and as soon as someone comes along that offers me a better experience, I'll switch.
- Stuart Roebuck: Mobile Proxy Cache content modification by O2
I'm a little fucked off about this, but not quite willing to throw my toys from the pram over it – not least because I can't, having just signed up for another 18 months. But it's one to keep an eye on, and one to be professionally aware of, at least, as more clients start asking up for iPhone/iPad tailored content.