This sounds interesting: > Openreach is pleased to confirm its intention to offer ... FTTP 330/30 Mbit/s on 11 June 2012 330Mbps should be plenty. Source: http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/updates/briefings/super-fastfibreaccessb...
Friday, May 18, 2012
Labour's John McDonnell beats odds to top Private Member's Bills ballot
Labour MP John McDonnell has defied odds estimated at 58,000 to 1 to top the annual Private Member's Bill ballot for two years in a row. MPs' names are selected at random, with 240 having entered the draw this year.
via bbc.co.uk
Er, no, he didn't. The odds of being first this year were 240 to 1, not 58,000 to 1. The odds of him being first next year are also 240 to 1. You only get 57,600 to 1 if you calculate the odds of someone being first for two years when the outcome of neither draw is known.
Met Police to extract suspects' mobile phone data
The Metropolitan Police has implemented a system to extract mobile phone data from suspects held in custody. The data includes call history, texts and contacts, and the BBC has learned that it will be retained regardless of whether any charges are brought.
via bbc.co.uk
Extraction seems reasonable, if there are strong grounds for believing an offence has been committed, but retention if charges are not brought it totally unreasonable. I don't like this at all.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
UK unemployment falls by 45,000
UK unemployment fell by 45,000 to 2.63 million in the first three months of the year, official figures have shown. The jobless rate fell to 8.2%, the Office for National Statistics said.
via bbc.co.uk
A rare piece of good news, even if the drop probably isn't statistically significant.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
So it's all Facebook, at the moment
The BBC’s most popular technology stories are all about Facebook. Is there nothing else going on in the tech world?
Phone-hacking police charge Rebekah Brooks
Rebekah Brooks and her husband, Charlie, are being charged with perverting the course of justice as part of the phone hacking inquiry.
via bbc.co.uk
Monday, May 14, 2012
Bug evolved a self-propelling corkscrew
Read this if you want to know more about bacterial propulsion.
Found throughout the world's oceans, Synechococcus is the basis of many food chains. Its genome was sequenced in 2003, but despite all this detailed knowledge, no one knows how it moves.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Apple to ditch Google Maps in iOS 6, plans in-house service instead
Lots of people are reporting this and it makes a lot of sense. The
less Apple relies on Google for data the happier they'll be, I
suspect. Maps are a huge opportunity for product differentiation. Source: http://m.bgr.com/2012/05/11/apple-ios-6-google-maps-rumor/
less Apple relies on Google for data the happier they'll be, I
suspect. Maps are a huge opportunity for product differentiation. Source: http://m.bgr.com/2012/05/11/apple-ios-6-google-maps-rumor/
Sunday, May 06, 2012
Article: We catch too many sardines — but should we stop eating them?
I keep seeing articles like this one, asking if we are over fishing a particular species of fish and pondering the appropriate action.
We catch too many sardines — but should we stop eating them?
http://grist.org/sustainable-food/we-catch-too-many-sardines-but-should-we-stop-eating-them/
My default answer is that, in every case, we should end industrial scale fishing and concentrate instead on farmed fish. That may mean prices rise and some fish (like tuna) cease to be available but if we continue to over fish that outcome is inevitable and, to add insult to injury, we'll drive species to extinction.
It we stop, or dramatically reduce, our current fishing activities threatened species will be able to recover. If we're lucky, maybe future generations will be able to resume limited commercial fishing.
Handcrafted Products To Give Your Devices A Steampunk, Vintage Feel
Some great stuff here if you're into Steampunk computers: http://designtaxi.com/news/352366/Handcrafted-Products-To-Give-Your-Devices-A-Steampunk-Vintage-Feel/
Friday, May 04, 2012
Article: Keybrid Carabiner Key
Great idea: Keybrid Carabiner Key http://uncrate.com/stuff/keybrid-carabiner-key/
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
iOS feature request
I use my work email address as my default on my iPhone and iPad because, when my home address was the default, I tended to forget to change the from address and ended up sending emails to colleagues or customers from the wrong account. Embarrassing. What I'd like is to be able to set a different default for each app. That would allow me to use my work address most of the time and my home address in apps that are totally disconnected from my work.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Waterproof jacket, sleeping bag and tent
Not necessarily a comfortable residence, but it looks lightweight and easy to transport - a neat solution, maybe, if you want to travel alone in the wilderness. Not really my thing.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Bill aimed at stopping United Nations takeover of U.S. advances
Paranoid Arizonan legislators are trying to pass a bill to defend their state against a non-existent conspiracy.
The Arizona House of Representatives on Wednesday gave initial approval to a bill that some proponents say is aimed at stopping a United Nations conspiracy to take away the rights of American citizens.
Thanks, Arizona - you've given the rest of the world a good laugh at your expense.
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