Politics, news, smoking, links, goths, lunatics and Windows Vista--Linkspam o' doom

[matgb]

OK then; I've got so behind posting stuff that hald the links I stored are done already. Meh, have some of the best/more recent while I keep sorting things out.

Softpedia reports that Windows Vista is essentially spyware and Microsoft will be able to track a big chunk of what you do; yes, they're unlikely to pick on individuals, but the EULA gives them carte blanche to give everything away.

Cthuugle--the H. P. Lovecraft search engine. Do Werewolves Roam The Woods Of England? Probably not, but some interesting stuff, even if the guy writing it is a bit, shall we say, touched? How about instead a bunch of 3-D Starmaps? So very very cool.

Reading this Register article on Conservapedia I discover the wonder that is RationalWiki, a slightly satirical riposte to the loons and their delusions. Conservapedia has managed to clean up all the blatant vandalism that it got hit with soon after it launched. Now the edits are much more subtle.

On the subject of wikis, anyone fancy a game of Wikington Crescent? Very very silly way to kill time, but you never know. sunflowerkits recently attended a Gothic Bellydance workshop and has videos of some of the teachers dancing; it is actually very impressive, and I'm not just saying that because they're also quite hot.

On to a bit of politics. My old friend paulatpingu compares Gordon Brown's position to that of Londo Mollari. Yes, that Londo Mollari, the one with the silly hair and the tentacle penis. Scarily, he's actually got a point, although as I commented there it's not going to happen any time soon.

Silliness. Turn the subjects from any feed (including your public LJ posts) and burn them into Lol!cats. Results can vary between the impressive, the funny and the downright stupid. And of course there's an online macro generator, which even works from LJ userpics. Yes, I've ued it, and it's actually not a bad overall tool for quick-and-dirty actual design work.

Lastly? How about a survivors guide to Doctor Who fandom? So very true, especially the Rose-fen; I only really started follwing the online fans since Torchwood started, and seriously, they scare me. Especially the Jack/anto shippers. SRSLY, they're warped. Not interested? Ok, how about an economic argument against the smoking ban combined with an assertion that passive smoking isn't actually dangerous. Ok, that last comes from the Torygraph, and is thus a little sus, but not hugely, the science he researches is real, and I remain of the opinion that car exhaust fumes do more damage than someone else's smoke ever will.

Not bad that, cleaned 16 links out of the folder. You really don't want to know how many there are in total. Trust me on this. Oh, look at that, I've managed to do that silly Doctor Who quote meme without even trying. Bargain.

Comments

[pickwick.livejournal.com]

Hee XD

[matgb]

That's just silly. However, that Hislop pic you just uploaded is just begging to have something added to it.

[pickwick.livejournal.com]

The picture was what I got when I put my journal through the Roflator.

I uploaded the Hislop pic to do this to it, because I've made higmfy for news macros, though I don't know whether to use it yet!

[matgb]

Fair enough. You, um, could have uploaded the icon to them directly, macro'd it and then uploaded it here, probably less effort, but I'm not 100% sure.

Hmm, that community might be amusing; I generally suck at the sort of puns macros need, but it might be worth a try, especially with the direct from anywhere picture uploaded. So many things can be done to Gordon Brown...

[pshtaku.livejournal.com]

I got some good ones posted on my journal (http://pshtaku.livejournal.com/224824.html)

[davidnm.livejournal.com]

On the subject of 'werewolves' in England, there is always Shaun Ellis, the eccentric gentleman of Combe Martin (http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/manamongwolves/biography.html).

Predictably enough, it would have to be North Devon...

[matgb]

Oh my. Lunacy everywhere. Thx.

[poifaerie.livejournal.com]

Oooh, links! *clicky clicky*

The gothic bellydance was looovely, thanks for sharing, and the werewolves one will be passed on...

[matgb]

Aye; when she'd described it in the pub when we met I thought it sounded a bit daft, but having watched them it made a lot more sense.

And the werewolves link was only followed because I know people that are also obsessed witht he damn things...

[poifaerie.livejournal.com]

Oh aye, my lycan-loving chums leapt on the link like... well... like slavering wolves, really.

(Alliteration is fun.)

[mooism.livejournal.com]

It can't parse my lj feed. What is it with me and parse errors?

[matgb]

True, and it's not just you, I can't get it to work on your account either. Weird.

[tyrell.livejournal.com]

These new "And we only run on Windows fucking Vista!" PC games are pissing me off. Not surprised it's Spyware.

[matgb]

Games which will find a dwindling market and be forced to open up their code base I suspect; yes there will be gamer geeks who chase the latest upgrade, but there will also be many that seriously start looking into other options, like Ubuntu and similar.

I'm beginning to hear very good things about software such as bootcamp; I may even try to switch away from Windows again at some point; I'll need a new hard drive to do it mind...

[the-mendicant.livejournal.com]

hi, its me being a pain once more. I emailed your contact in the lib Dem office, after we last exchanged comments. She was on holiday at the time, as I got an out of office reply, but she has never got back to me. Is there any chance you could ask her to search her inbox for the holiday week? I know I'm now running out of time to book a cheap advance ticket if I have to pay for the conference.

[matgb]

I've emailed her, won't be in direct contact for a bit, hopefully it'll sort out soon. I'll give her a bell in the afternoon tomorrow if she hasn't got back.