So I've had the Desire for two and a half days now, and I thought I'd give my first thoughts. Things I Love:Friend Feed: Facebook and twitter and flickr all in one widget on my home screen Multiple home screens, fully customisable. The size and clarity of the display. Live wallpapers, especially the one I have called Globe Rotation, which comes up on the menu as GlobeRot and you can select from a vast number of planets. My home screen is currently a rotating Borg Sphere on a star field... The predictive text system for words it already knows is ...
Just fixed my brother's family's computers and found the direct answer rather elusive even when hunting online, so in case anyone else encounters a similar problem here are the details: a. Google search results were coming up ok, but when clicked on intermittently redirected to K-Directory or Search.Pro pages b. Various dodgy pop-ups and other redirects were occasionally happening c. Problem was happening on more than one computer d. The largest collection of anti-virus and anti-spyware programs collected on a machine this side of Offa's Dyke picked up a few small issues but didn't fix mattters The answer? A worm ...
I found this a bit of a washing-up chapter, simply surveying the wreckage of the Roman Empire in its former northwestern extremes.
This is a little curio. In the 1944 Tommy Handley film Time Flies, Handley and a couple of New York entertainers played by the wonderful Evelyn Dall and George Moon get zapped back to the Elizabethan era in a time machine that surely inspired the Tardis nineteen years later. I'd love to show you the time-travel scene (where our travellers collapse, incapacitated, as it takes off) but unfortunately I no longer have the technical means to do so. I can however bring you the two superb scenes where Evelyn Dall's character helps Shakespeare write Romeo and Juliet, and then (it ...
Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 20109. The eleventh most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by LDV co-editor Mark Pack, and originally appeared on 17th April ... Poll surge continues: is this 2003 or 1974? "I will only really believe it when I see it in print!" – so read a text message to me from one of the party's senior campaign strategists after news started spreading about the latest poll: BPIX/Mail on Sunday: Lib Dem 32%, Conservative ...
December Books 14) I, Who: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels, by Lars Pearson December Books 15) I, Who 2: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels and Audios, by Lars Pearson December Books 16) I, Who 3: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels and Audios, by Lars Pearson I managed to pick these three up cheap off eBay a bit over a year ago, and though a little dated they were well worth adding to my Who reference library. Dating respectively from 1999, 2001 and 2003, they attempt to bring the reader up to date with the ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 201st weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (19th -25th December, 2010), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. David Laws ...
Like a lot of people, I suspect, I was intrigued and surprised when this year's James Tiptree Jr Award was shared between Cloud and Ashes by Greer Gilman (who I once had dinner with in Boston, though she will have forgotten) and this manga by Fumi Yoshinaga. I was sufficiently intrigued at any rate to put it on my Christmas list, and my kind sister got it for me (and in time to avoid the last few days' delivery problems). It is an alternate history, set in a world where a gender-sensitive plague killed most of Japan's menfolk in the ...
Daniel Radcliffe has declared himself to be "underwhelmed" by the Lib Dems in the wake of the tuition fees controversy, according to a report in the Daily Mail: A source inside the party said: 'Daniel does not in any way support the violence of the rioters, but to say he is underwhelmed by his party is an understatement. Like millions of others he was under the impression that the Liberal Democrats had no plans to increase the cost of studying. 'While Daniel will never have to worry about his finances again, a tuition fee hike is a serious issue which ...
Blackadder's Christmas Carol is a basic reversal of the original: nice Mr Ebeneezer B discovers he'd get much further in life if he was nasty. It's hilarious. And part of the reason it's funny is because it's true. If you're nice, people will take advantage of you and use you and you'll get much less back than you give out. If you're nasty, people won't like you, but you'll get ahead. This makes me very cross indeed, because people who are nasty SHOULDN'T get ahead, they should be put in their places. I have seen in the newspapers today comment ...
LDV wants to find out who our readers think merits the title Liberal Voice of the Year 2010, and we'll be running a New Year poll to find the individual or group which has most inspired you in the last year. But, as is our traditional little twist, we want to look outside the Liberal Democrats - and find the greatest liberal who's not a member of our party. So, who would you pick? It could be a member of another political party, or one of the majority of Britons who belong to no party; or a group of people, ...
Twitter is below 200, Facebook is down to 127 and LJ is less than 50. I haven't finished with DW yet, though, mostly because a lot of the people I give access to are a hangover from LJ days, and thus a good half of my access list is people who are no longer on my LJ f-list, but whom I still want to be friends with and give access to... it's all so complicated. And I haven't started on my feed list either... ANYWAY. I feel much more sane now and am going to reward myself with a bowl ...
Santa decided to pay me a visit after all. He brought me a shiny new iPad today and this is my first blog post from said gadget. Perhaps with some of the events that I am attending this year there ... Continue reading →
Business Secretary Vince Cable impressed the judges in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, scoring 36 points for a quickstep with Erin Boag. The show, which was recorded before the Telegraph published Vince's comments to their undercover reporters, was broadcast last night. Vince revealed his nerves in an interview before the programme was broadcast, and said that he would not be watching on Christmas Day: Going on Strictly was really quite scary. You know if you break down you risk making a fool of yourself. I was extremely nervous beforehand. The atmosphere, band and flashing lights are quite extraordinary. Even ...
Sun 26th
14:40
LibLink: Norman Baker - Despite the doomsayers' predictions of failure from Day One, the Coalition h...
Over at the Mail on Sunday, Lib Dem transport minister Norman Baker talks about his own experiences of being on the wrong end of the Telegraph's 'sting' operation, in which the paper targeted MPs' constituency surgeries to entrap them into confessions of Coalition discord. Here's an excerpt: Over the years, I have seen thousands of constituents at my surgeries. Many have had big problems. Many have been in a highly emotional state. Some have even been crying. Every week, up and down the country, constituents like this access their MP for help. They come along because they trust their MP ...
Henry Porter has yet another outstanding column in this morning's Observer in which he discusses the consequences of Vince Cable's 'unworldly hubris' and its impact on the future of the British media. He says that if this deal goes through it is likely to reduce the diversity of the media in Britain and will consolidate Murdoch's power over the British political establishment. I particularly enjoyed the description of Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, as a man who wears the smirk of a serial canary swallower, but the importance of Henry Porter's article lies in the final few paragraphs: There are obviously ...
Earlier this month David Lammy MP highlighted the problem of the low number of black students admitted to Oxford and Cambridge Universities and called it the 'Oxbridge Whitewash'. He wrote in the Guardian (6 Dec): "Just one British black Caribbean student was admitted to Oxford last year. That is not a misprint: one student. Merton College, Oxford, has not admitted a single black student for five years. At Robinson College, Cambridge, a white applicant is four times more likely to be successful than a black applicant. Last year, 292 black students achieved three A grades at A-level and 475 black ...
Well, my own fault for relying on a search engine to try and crowd-source my life, I guess... Share this on Facebook Email this via Gmail Email this via Hotmail Email this to a friend? Send this page to Print Friendly Tweet This! Email this via Yahoo! Mail
Every Christmas for I don't know how long we have had rows in our family. This year, I am glad to say that it has been much reduced. I am hoping that this will continue into the New Year. As I have discovered, my family is in no way unique in this Christmas rowing tendency. ...
The Wales on Sunday's Spin Doctor column is well known for its biting, though sometimes misguided wit. This morning's offering is no exception, containing some juicy morsels that are worth reproducing: UNLIKELY MEMORY FEAT OF THE YEAR: Shadow Health Minister Nick Ramsay, reminiscing on 20 years since his idol Margaret Thatcher was forced out of Downing Street: "My only recollections of the world pre- Thatcher were of Jim Callaghan's unstable government, the unforgettable misery of the Winter of Discontent and a Britain that seemed to be falling apart at the seams," he recalled - a remarkable recollection, given Mr Ramsay ...
For some reason best known to this site (and completely unknown to me) the photos have uploaded on their sides. The Paris big wheel looked beautiful at night and I'd love to be able to share the smells and sounds of the Christmas Market along the road nearby. Hot mulled wine, sausages, candy floss and much more mixed to give that very special atmosphere. I was interested (councillor hat on) to
This morning's Wales on Sunday leads on the outcome of a freedom of information request that reveals that BBC Wales spent nearly £600,000 on taxis for BBC Wales staff in just 18 months. The paper says that this is the equivalent of 44p for every single household in Wales on taxi expenses. The average daily spend of £1,088 is the same as taking a taxi from Cardiff - where BBC Wales has its headquarters - to John O'Groats in the far north of Scotland: Staff in the drama department spent the most on transport in the period, totting up £170,342 ...
It is worth looking back at 2010 before we look forward for 2011 and onward.locallyThe last case reference of 2009 was 13945 and the last reference of 2010 is 17452. That is over 3,500 cases handled for people in Yardley.These vary as to how many people are affected and how important the cases are to those households. Constituency casework is important so that an MP can see what is actually
This is a book that I found very difficult to put down once I had unwrapped it yesterday. Mary Roach has written a hilarious account of scientists carrying out research on one of the most fundamental of human activities. It's something that most of us spend a lot of time (perhaps too much) thinking about anyway, but the stories of those who are researching it for a living are, well, stimulating. The biggest problem with the book is that you have to be slightly careful about the company you are in when tempted to read the most glorious passages out ...
Christmas or no Christmas, the Liberal England Sunday music video has to appear. But as it is Christmas, let's take things easy with a sixties classic. This is a cover of a song originally recorded by Bessie Banks. It was written by her husband Larry. The Moody Blues version made number one in the singles chart in 1964. The lead singer here is Denny Laine, who was later to be a founder member of Wings. From the sublime to the ridiculous.
This is the final piece in a series of posts on the main Liberal Democrat challenges for 2011. You can find all the posts in the series here. Having started this series with the economy and then moving on to more internal issue in latter posts, it seems fitting to return to economic issues for the final post in this series. Getting the substance on economic fairness right is and should continue to be a top priority for the party. In addition, getting the messaging right will help differentiate not only the Liberal Democrat contribution to the coalition from that ...
And so, after the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have the Feast of Stephen – or not as it turns out... St Stephen appears to have been sent back to the bench this year. Poor St Stephen, after all, what did he do? Why should we remember him? ...
I don't get two undercover journalists meet me, instead I get a phone call from a self-confessed Telegraph journalist, which puts me in my place [IMG: :-)] But as a result I'm quoted in today's paper: Lib Dem activists are hoping for a series of "wins" over key policies in the New Year to provide their party with some momentum following the "neutering" of Mr Cable, whose business department lost its responsibility for media regulation in the wake of his unguarded claim he had "declared war" on Rupert Murdoch, who is bidding for complete control of BskyB. Upcoming battles include ...
miss_s_b | Hot Men picspam This is an old post of mine, which I found leafing through my Sam West tag yesterday. Rawr. It was a good post to find. (tags: rawr) PSA: Get your flu jabs ASAP | Mat Bowles Poorly Mat is poorly. Even worse, he's given it to me. (tags: illness mat)
Convictions for historic gay sex offences will be erased as part of the Freedom Bill, the Sunday Telegraph reports: Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat equalities minister, will announce firm proposals for new legislation within days, The Sunday Telegraph has learned. The move will benefit thousands of men who were prosecuted for gay sex with someone over 16 during decades when the practice was against the law. Currently, they must disclose the information as part of the programme of Criminal Records Bureau checks if they apply to work or volunteer for charities and other organisations. Getting such a conviction expunged currently ...
I have had a prompt response from Simon Mathieson, the new Acting Director of National Express Dundee, to my questions and concerns about proposed bus fare increases in Dundee. He writes : "My response to your comments is below: a) In any fares increase there are some fares that will increase more than others. The 4+ stages fare is going to apply to a small percentage of journeys that are made. I would encourage people to look at switching to our range of Day tickets or Travecards that will provide better value. If you have specific journeys that you think ...
broadcast anniversary 26 December 1964: broadcast of "Flashpoint", the sixth episode of the story we now call The Dalek Invasion of Earth; final regular appearance of Carole Ann Ford as Susan. The Doctor and friends defeat the Daleks, but he decides that Susan should stay on Earth to marry David, the first ever departure of one of the regular cast.
I don't know what I can say about this. I am still an emotional wreck. I laughed. I cried. I clung to [IMG: [personal profile] ] matgb. I have been used to expecting the new Who Christmas specials to be a bit less than special; this came as such a culture shock. It was amazing. Gambon and Smith knocked it out of the park, and as for The Grand Moff's script... Just beautiful. Yes, yes, one could pick holes. ( SPOILER! ), for instance, although you can fanwank that away by saying ( SPOILER! ), as proved by the ( ...
A few highlights for 2010; everyone else is doing it; #Leadership Debates One of the initial steps in political reform; the Leadership Debates have helped to cross the bridge between conspicuous consumption and politics and engage and inspire new generations and emancipate society from the grasps of those autonomous purchases that repress us. # Demonstrations;After the huge blow to the ego of
BBC News - A real Good Samaritan A charitable train conductor. "If you feel the need to thank me, the next time you see someone in trouble, you help them out. That will pay me back amply. Tell them to pay you back the same way and soon the world will be a better place." (tags: christmas) Sapovnela, 1959, Otar Iosseliani A 16 minute film about Georgian florist Mikheil Mamulashvili, made in 1959 when he was 86. In Georgian, but enjoy the music and the flowers! (tags: georgia films) Frederik Pohl: A Visit to Prince Mtskheta I've also been to ...
On Monday I wrote about the devastation caused by the weather according to one reporter. My view is that we need to put things in perspective and a delay in a journey of an hour or two is not particularly devastating. On Wednesday one of my sons came home for Christmas. He made the journey from Chester to Morecambe and it took him an hour or so longer than usual. He told me that there were scenes of panic when a slight delay was announced and when one train was five minutes late a long queue developed to ask why. ...
