German experts want search engines to be monitored

Google too powerful?

German experts at a Berlin seminar this week argued that search engines need
to be more regulated. They want companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo!
to exercise editorial control over their search results and filter out sites
with x-rated content or that glorify aggression.

Strange, I seem to remember just recently reading somewhere, that one of the very worst things that the likes of Google could ever do is exert editorial control over search results....

'Blue Pill' Prototype Creates 100% Undetectable Malware

A security researcher with expertise in rootkits has built a working prototype of new technology that is capable of creating malware that remains "100 percent undetectable," even on Windows Vista x64 systems.

Oh, that is SUCH a good idea, I feel so much better now. At this point, you just have to ask why did they even bother?

Penis pump judge faces stiff sentence

Used device 'while sitting in judgment of others', court hears

A retired US judge is himself before the beak in Bristow, Oklahoma, "on charges he used a penis pump on himself in the courtroom while sitting in judgment of others", AP reports.

Of course, judges are themselves not above the law...
I hope they put him away for a long stretch!

Net neutrality rejected in tie-vote by panel

A U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday rejected with a tie-vote a proposal that would have required broadband providers to give their competitors the same speeds and quality of service as they give to themselves or their partners.

As someone living in the UK, I can't help but wonder what the implications of this are for people living outside the US. If net neutrality looses out to big business in America, will we find that our connections to sites held on servers in other parts of the world be affected, if say, the data is passed through US parts of the net?
Also, I would imagine that telcos outside the US are watching the outcome of this with great interest, as I am sure that they would love to follow the American companies into a two tier system.

New blow for Home Office as judge quashes six terror orders

Judge quashes six terror orders System 'incompatible with human rights'
Angry Reid to appeal against high court ruling

Episode 2, the Government strikes back
It seems that this government is absolutely determined to turn this country into a police state, slowly but surely.
I don't feel that this response is in proportion to the threat. After all, it is not as if this country hasn't faced terrorist attacks in the past, and somehow we managed well enough then without massively increasing the police's powers. I think that this is yet another ill thought out, knee jerk reaction by the labour government.

Judge quashes anti-terror orders

A key plank of the government's policy to combat terrorism is thrown out by the High Court.

Looks to me like the UK judiciary and the government are pretty diametrically oposed on this. I have to admit that I would be nervous about living in a country where the police have the right to essentially put you under house arrest just because they suspect you of something, but don't have enough evidence to charge you. And anyone who says "if you haven't done anything wrong, what do you have to fear?" simply must be ignoring the fact that administrative mistakes are being made all the time. Well done the UK judiciary for standing up for human rights.

Weapon of Mass Diffraction

A new technology that corrects for the distortion of light through the atmosphere could help make the doomsday devices of tomorrow. By Noah Shachtman from Wired magazine.


If they do build inside a volcano, all we need are a bunch of ninja and a British secret agent (plus a cute japanese girl in a bikini) to take it down...

MPs condemn plans to limit freedom of information

Media: MPs to condemn lord chancellor's proposals to limit act only 18 months after it became law.

Freedom of information.... as long as you are rich enough to afford it!

Jackal sues agent over 'kidnap'

Carlos the Jackal files a kidnapping and illegal restraint claim against the French agent who captured him.


Rendition anyone?

Scientists Blocking out the Sun

Ashtangiman writes to tell us The New York Times is running an article about geoengineering in which many solutions to global warming include decreasing the amount of sunlight that the planet sees.

I hope they decide to put some solar panels on them, as this could also solve our energy problems, the very thing that is causing the earth to heat up. Meanwhile, back in the real world...

Will Durant

"One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say."

Obviously not following his own advice :)

Joan Klempner

"To achieve the impossible dream, try going to sleep."

Defeating China's National Firewall

Bruce Schneier is reporting on his blog that a recent paper is discussing how to defeat China's national firewall. From the article: "However, because the original packets are passed through the firewall unscathed, if both of the endpoints were to completely ignore the firewall's reset packets, then the connection will proceed unhindered! We've done some real experiments on this -- and it works just fine!! Think of it as the Harry Potter approach to the Great Firewall -- just shut your eyes and walk onto Platform 9¾."
----

Nice. If this works, it is one in the eye to the Chinese authority. I still can't understand how the Chinese government can possibly hope to keep their populace in the dark, while allowing them to have access to the internet. Really, if the people want to get information, they will.

Never fight an inanimate object.

P. J. O'Rourke

I wonder if he meant local government? :)

War is much too serious a
matter to be entrusted to the military.

Georges Clemenceau

This coming weekend will include my monthly visit to the London Anime Club (hereafter refered to as LAC).
LAC is the UKs largest anime club, and attracts members from quite a large area surrounding London (some come from Cambridge and Oxford). The attendance is usually 150-200 people, so it is pretty healthy. As well as anime showings, there are dealers and a bring and buy. The bar is open to club members, and there is an extensive library of anime.
Many people use LAC as a meeting place and jump off point from which to explore London, and go to restaurants.
I usually go to meet friends, and scan for new and interesting manga.

Welcome!

This is my first atempt at blogging, so please bear with me.
I am hoping that this blog will become a place I can comment on current affairs, be these serious or humourus, and share a few of my own thoughts, whatever they may be.
A little about my background seems appropriate, I live in Cambridge, UK and work in media content management. I used to be a graphic artist, but times change.
I am originaly from the North East of England, and moved to Cambridge for the work, however now I am here, it is almost as hard to find work as it was while I was living in the North East.
Such is life.
I am a long term anime fan, so it is quite possilble that part of this blog may turn out to be anime related, but it certainly won't be exclusivley so. I read quite a lot of online news sites, and I often wished that I had somewhere to comment on the things I read.
Here it is.