Mat Bowles

One of the things that teaching myself loads of economics is doing is to become even more keen on, and accepting of, the affects of change. Policy makers need to help people as jobs and companies come and go when technology changes, protectionism is stupid. And I really want some nice warm LED lighbulbs to replace the bloody awful sneeze-inducing flourescents that are ubiquitous these days.

Look at the headline and first line there. It's known many skim read and never go past the first few paragraphs. You'd think Linda and Craig had done stuff wrong. I campaigned, unsuccesfully, against both these MPs in 2010. Their expenses as published are not only within the rules, they're mostly on staffing costs. Journalists chase a headline and linkbait, devalue respect in a cleaned up system. Just wrong

I like what Google are doing with Plus. If nothing else, it's competition for Facebook and the cross platform integration with their products makes them more usable. But they really need to get their collective geek heads out of their collective arses and realise the real world doesn't, and in some cases cannot, revolve around the name on someone's birth certificate. For some, it's a preference, for some, it's a longstanding nickname, for some, it's a matter of life and death. Thankfully, that's a small number, but mindnumbingly stupid adherance to daft rules is something I dislike intensely, especially when it stops my friends using something they want to use and I'd like them to use.

This is silly. So very very silly. But pretty, if you like that sort of thing, and fairly well done.

Simply horrifying news from Norway, so many people dead for politics. Anders talks more generally about the scandinavian worldview, and why that island was being used in the first place.

Tim's been banging on about corrupt practices in the Murdoch media and the way it taints Parliament for ages, he'd like to take some time to do more. I attended one of Tim's seminars a couple years back, definitely worth the journey. If you know people whose websites aren't doing them enough, especially in getting new customers or voters, Tim'd be a good person to work with. Tesco definitely thought so, and I learnt a lot of what I know from him.

"Noted equestrian and social activist Khal Drogo has announced that he plans to enter the GOP primaries. While his organization admits he is a dark horse candidate, several Republican party analysts said that he could upset the field. " ~ You need to have watched or read Game of Thrones to get most of this, but very well played sir, well played.

This is weird. They fought each other by beating each other with their wings.

We have plenty of pump clips, beer mats and similar kicking around the house, have to dig some out and get a stamp.

Incredibly good use of Flash to show how big things are relatively, I've seen similar before, but not this well done.

And, in the comments, someone actually dates the birth of Jesus using actual bibilical evidence.September. Can we have our secular/pagan holiday back please?

Um, this article appears to actually be serious. At times reading it I thought it might be tongue in cheek, but I'm not sure it is. Opinions?

Like Wozniak, I'm always a bit ambivalent about net neutrality arguments, but the balance always comes out in favour of the idea, there isn't true competition in the ISP market, and even if there were giving the wealthy/established privileges over the poor/startup strikes me as distinctly unliberal.

I think this sort of thing is a good use of sites such as @libcon. I suspect the odds are if he weren't Assange, prosecution wouldn't be happening for a case of this nature. But there's a large part of me that thinks that prosecution should happen in cases of this nature. Some nice legwork by Sunny, Dr Ben et al.

I believe in due process and the rule of law. Assange should be given the full rights given any accused person, and I hope for a free and fair trial. It's possible he's both guilty and that the prosecution is politically motivated. But if he is guilty, he should be prosecuted, and Wikileaks can, and will, survive.

Andrew makes some good points very strongly here, hadn't considered some of what he suggests, can't say I disagree with him though.

Interesting idea for a site, run by the Commission rep to London. Bit dry, but points for effort (and for using Wordpress reasonably well, although I've seen a lot better)

There are people I've actually met writing stuff for this. Might be interesting.

See, if the world had sane drug laws, this bloke would just be having a nice relaxed Xmas and not hurting, or costing anyone, anything. As it is, the whole legal system has to deal with him. Drove past Koblenz once. Didn't stop.

Legalise it, regulate it, tax it. Generally my approach to most things I disapprove of. I've been to Dortmund, it's a strange place.

A couple of my cousins went to this school. What a brilliant idea and method of teaching science properly. I am impressed.

Jon on the future of blogging. I broadly agree with him about how blogging has, and likely will, develop, group blogs always had an advantage over individuals, if done well. Now that UK blogging has matured, it's unsurprising that group and media financed blogs dominate most rankings. But that doesn't mean they're taking over, or driving smaller bloggers out. They're amplifying an audience, the audience for small personal blogs is probably bigger now than it was a few years ago, and I'd say it's likely even easier for a good individual to break in to the higher echelons if they want to. Twitter and Facebook may reduce the number of people think-piece blogging regularly, but they help the same people build up an audience to share links with very easily. Besides which, it's not like the top group blog in the country has particularly high standards...

More for the comments than the main news. The difference between wanting a blog to write occasional thoughts down, and wanting to be a top or pro-blogger is actually quite significant. La Dale is out of the race for the top, but isn't going to shut the site down, just use it when he feels the need, instead of feeling the need to use it.

I don't know if it's the outfit, the lighting, the hair or a combination of all, but I really don't like this photoset, the look really doesn't suit her.

I've always hated the 'blame the messenger' approach, especially when it's stuff I kinda like. According to some, most of my friends should've committed multiple Columbine massacres by now given their respective combined tastes. Strangely, this hasn't happened. Nice research.

Several different people have linked this and I finally got around to following the link. You should do the same. It would help if you've seen, at the very least, Aliens. If you haven't, you probably ought to report to a reeducation facilty (or a DVD rental facility) ASAP.

Odds are, having most of the Labour leadership campaigning along a lot of senior Lib Dems will do a lot to mend wounds and similar. This will, naturally, be a good thing. I seem to recall talk that the EEC referendum that put the sane Labour members campaigning alongside the Liberals helped foster the bonds that eventually led to the Alliance. Given the personal rapport that already existed between Steel and Jenkins, not sure I'm sold on that completely, but anyone got a source or extra info on that?

Jennie is amused by reactions to the idea that the LDs don't always agree, and this therefore necessitates a split. The idea that a Liberal party agrees on everything all the time is so laughable it's silly. But then, this is the mainstream media.

Sunder debunking a different bit of the No campaign's daftness

I love well decorated cakes. I love Plants Vs Zombies. I love this cake. I probably ought to learn how to do this sort of thing more now I've got the basics of baking down fairly well.

More urban desolation, this time an island off Japan that lost its entire industry and raison d'etre overnight, to simply be abandoned.

An entire town abandoned and being reclaimed, some very interesting images in here. Nature finds a way.

Some very good points on this list, most of which I agree with and try to implement on my blog(s) when possible in some form. Completely disagree with point 6 though, for reasons I've outlined in the comments, but that is an issue that for most just doesn't cross the radar, and I'm aware some find dark backgrounds harder to read, need to make my link to the alt layout more accessible and clearer. Ideas how I should label it very welcome.

I know I'm awful at replying to stuff generally. Some 'features' of email really do make that even less likely

They've given Hans Rosling a series on t'tellybox. This is very cool. Why did no one tell me?

I want it. I like utterly pointless things

Economic growth is a continual process of job destruction, jobs are a cost, not a benefit, of any investment or expansion. We need to make sure that the jobs we create, the jobs the economy creates, are actually useful, productive jobs. Figuring out how to do that? If I knew that, I'd be a very rich man...

If the corporations had their way, every street would be like Times Square, right? That's the dystopian nightmare future in so many SF films. Except it's not unfettered capitalism that makes Times Square garish and ugly, it's the building regulations of the special midtown district.

Want to build a mobile phone transmitter in your bedroom? Not legal to turn it on, obviously, all the bandwidth is accounted for, but a good backup

Note, Coade Stone is not on here. That's because, despite what the gorgeous Ms Coren said on Only Connect the other week, the formula for that was never lost.

Simply amazing presentation (as we've come to expect from TED), makes the point that we know so little about many parts of the world that relating to it is difficult. I probably know more stories and facts about one city in the US than the whole continent of Africa. That's Not Good.

Mutuals are good. Nuff said.

Aubrey De Grey is cool, and thinks the first thousand year old human is alive today. Plus, he likes decent beer, and is openly poly. Jennie likes his beard.

PRetty much agree with this one. One of the biggest problems I have generally when talking about economic stuff is not to come across like some rabid right winger, economic language is so dry and analytical, it can make you sound heartless. But using exact terms is necessary at times. Balances need finding.

Drinking moderate amounts daily is good for you, so many different studies show this. Yet all we hear from various Govt sources is how bad for you excessive drinking is, and how we must control drinking generally. Pig headed stupidity, drinking a healthy amount is pretty much unaffordable for many. Especailly those who would benefit the most from the smarts boost.

Very very sily, naturally, but still cool

The shorter Neil: George R.R. Martin is not your bitch. I still don't get why people can't understand that authors and other creative types don't have on/off switches. I wan the next book too, but I want it to be good, and released when it's ready. In the meantime, I have a whole library full of other books to read.

Oh look, something else we already knew but have to keep repeating because people refuse to believe it. Immigration makes us better off. All of us.

Chris has a historical analysis of MPs pay compared to the average. Does show that they've been going down, comparatively, since the early 80s—strangely, allowances have been going up since then, can't think why. Oh, wait, it was a fiddle created by Thatcher to keep the troop in line but keep the headline salary low. That worked REALLY well didn't it? Can we scrap the stupid allowances scheme, reduce the number of MPs, abolish safe seats and give the replacement lot we elect fairly a decent salary so that there're less absolute numpties and careerist arseholes please?

Interesting talk on how society exploits both men and women, but traditionally in different ways. In many ways it similar in analysis (if not conclusion) to the feminist patriarchy critique, and definitely worth a read as a good contribution to the debate.

Does exactly what it says on the tin. And is probably more accurate than my actual real knowledge.

Of course, the Cornish aren't too happy about this. But then, the Cornish never seem to be happy about anything.

On the subject of the best things coming from Devon, this does of course include pasties. (USians—that's a type of pastry pie, not a silly thing moralists make strippers wear, the A is soft, paaasteee). The British Pie Awards says the best Cornish Pasties are made in Devon. And everyone knows the recipe comes from there anyway.

The (true?) story of how Ada Lovelace became the worlds first superhero crime fighter. Or something. It's cool. And silly. Computers. Invented in Devon. Like all the best things.

Paulie suggests that ISPs should contribute money to content creators out of the money they make selling us connections and similar. Not sure I agree with him, but it's an interesting argument. Much prefer it to the special pleading and subsidy requests some of them are doing at the moment.

Have I mentioned how much I dislike terrible puns? I have? Well, I'll mention it again. Ariane is gorgeous, funny, and smart. But this is one of the biggest collection of terrible fish based puns ever. Even if she is, on balance, having ago at those annoying pescetarians

Well, you will if you like a lot of pics of animals either being cute or in strange poses. I especially like the MeerCat, while SB preferred the snake & robin.

It's a Thesaurus that only throws up shorter synonyms. Useful if a) you use Twitter/SMS a lot or b) you're a verbose git. Like me. Works in the Firefox search box as well, which is nice.

TVSciFi attends a Red Shirt convention. It's utterly daft, but amusingly so.

The good Dr Pack demonstrates that I'm nowhere near the biggest hostiry geek in online Lib Demmery witha pretty good analysis of this classic speech. This REALLY OLD classic speech. Surprising how much it still resonates really, still, those who refuse to learn the lessons and all that...

Andrew makes the point about the damage that can be done to YOUR cause if you, or people on your side, make things up or inflate statistics. One I completely agree with

My (future) mother-in-law is doing a charity run with a friend. She'd appreciate donations. I appreciate a happy mother-in-law. I'm sure you understand, right?