UK Government plans for increasing the value of the Internet in the UK →

November 29th, 2011

The government has released a document outlining The UK Cyber Security Strategy.

There’s lots of interesting plans covering all sorts of online aspects, but I can’t help be afraid that ‘cybercrime’ is just code for copyright infringement, and that the biggest result will be loss of freedoms (e.g. of speech and to do business online). Particularly given the resistance the UK government has had to implementing improvements to copyright law, such as fair use, and their involvement with dodgy treaties, like ACTA.

Our vision is for the UK in 2015 to derive huge economic and social value from a vibrant, resilient and secure cyberspace, where our actions, guided by our core values of liberty, fairness, transparency and the rule of law, enhance prosperity, national security and a strong society.

  • Objective 1: The UK to tackle cyber crime and be one of the most secure places in the world to do business in cyberspace
  • Objective 2: The UK to be more resilient to cyber attacks and better able to protect our interests in cyberspace
  • Objective 3: The UK to have helped shape an open, stable and vibrant cyberspace which the UK public can use safely and that supports open societies
  • Objective 4: The UK to have the cross-cutting knowledge, skills and capability it needs to underpin all our cyber security objectives

De-bullshitification of the arguments for bringing in police to disperse peaceful protestors on campus →

November 24th, 2011

 Chief Spicuzza justified the assault by saying that the protest was “not safe for multiple reasons,” none of which she specified

Video of the UC Davis pepper spraying →

November 24th, 2011

This video shows what happened at UC Davis in real-time, from multiple angles. via Daring Fireball

The Definitive Post On Why SOPA And Protect IP Are Bad, Bad Ideas →

November 23rd, 2011

Gives a good background on why infringement is a problem, but what the solution really is, before explaining the bad unintended consequences of SOPA and PIPA.

The post is long but it’s worth at least skimming for an overview.

Raising Some Concerns →

November 22nd, 2011

Looks like the New York Times is just as bad as the BBC for writing meaningless headlines and blurbs.

Microsoft have a WordPress Installer for Windows →

November 15th, 2011

This is pretty cool. I spotted it in a Gmail ad, too!

Microsoft WebMatrix makes it easy for anyone to create a WordPress site. WordPress available from the Web Application Gallery is fully tested to run on WebMatrix.

I love being able to run a full webserver on my home PC (a mac), and wonder if WebMatrix brings that ability to Windows. There’s also WAMP, which has been around for a long time.

The Mac Experience vs the Mac Pro Experience →

November 9th, 2011

Ben Brooks succinctly sums up how the Mac Pro goes against Apple’s hardware ethos. On the future of the Mac Pro, he has this to say.

The MacBook Air and the Mac Pro are polar opposites: one a marvel of engineering — the other a marvel of brute strength.

I don’t think the Mac Pro is going anywhere, but I also don’t think it is something that Jony Ive’s team has spent much time thinking about.

via Shawn Blanc

A Brief Rant on the Future of Interactive Design →

November 9th, 2011

via Daring Fireball

Stale Mac Pro lineup has pro users concerned →

November 7th, 2011

Following up from my post about the Mac Pro’s future, this article highlights lots of people that think they couldn’t live without Mac Pro. See the comments, in particular.

Fake astronauts return to real Earth after fake trip to fake Mars →

November 6th, 2011

Wow! What an extraordinary experiment.