random amusement

just been searching out links for some physics bods and came across the palatial splendor of the Bush Presidential Library as Texas A&M university:

Quite incredible!

yesterday's paper

blogging folly, it's funny 'cause it's true!
And an interesting piece on immigration, but I'm not sure if I've ever felt that strong sense of belonging either.

vote for what you want!

"Politics is not the zero-sum game Hain, Hari, Aaronovitch et al portray it as (if it ever was) and to believe their ‘whoever is not with us is against us’ logic is to ignore the reality that there are more than two sides in this game now. Vote for what you want, not what they want. They - journalists and politicians alike - like having two sides, so they can paint everything in black and white, declare who are the good guys and the bad guys. It’s too much trouble to admit the world is shades of grey, that people might not appreciate being boxed into one of two camps that our voting system and political organisation are maybe not the best for representing the views of the population."

A couple of good pieces about why we should vote for whomever we want and not toe the "vote Lib Dem/greens/plaid, get the Tories" line:
http://www.nickbarlow.com/blog/index.php?p=325
http://www.nickbarlow.com/blog/index.php?p=327

who?

Who should I vote for?

Your expected outcome:

Liberal Democrat

Your actual outcome:

Labour -6
Conservative -49
	Liberal Democrat 76
UK Independence Party -15
	Green 62

You should vote: Liberal Democrat

The LibDems take a strong stand against tax cuts and a strong one in favour of public services: they would make long-term residential care for the elderly free across the UK, and scrap university tuition fees. They are in favour of a ban on smoking in public places, but would relax laws on cannabis. They propose to change vehicle taxation to be based on usage rather than ownership.

Take the test at Who Should You Vote For

change of pace, change of focus

Week 2 of 4 of my web design job. It’s all going well, I think, although it’s hard to be sure because I have zero experience of a project like this. I know I’ve solved a couple of the thorny problems which were worrying me to start with, but I don’t really know exactly how far I was expecting to be at this point. What I do know is that the feeling of spending the day thinking is great and, because I’m not shuffling about all day, I don’t feel like falling straight into bed when I get home. This is bliss; I’d forgotten it was possible. The only downside is that after spending all day in front of a computer the last thing I feel like doing in the evening is more of the same, so there has been a lack of creative projects despite having an exciting new camera to play with (although I do count this job as a creative project in many ways).

I’ve also been trying to get more detailed info on the election and improve my fairly limited knowledge of what the government actually stands for and what they’ve managed – or not – to do over the last 8 years. A good place to start is They Work for You. I’ve learnt that my MP, Labour man Paddy Tipping, is quite strongly in favour of foundation hospitals; very strongly in favour of top-up fees and anti-terrorism laws; moderately in favour of war, ID cards, banning fox hunting and equal gay rights. These are worked out from the House of Commons voting records so are either an accurate portrayal of the MP’s views, and/or show that they follow the party line. It makes for interesting reading. Also worth a look is The Public Whip who have a full record of the votes and a nice little tool so you can gauge your views about key issues and compare them to the candidates in your area.

all geed up with no place to go

I just couldn't let it lie, what are YOU doing?.

tonyP

Just noticed that a chap called tonyP had posted some interesting views a while back. Tony - if you're still checking back - sorry about the delay and i've posted a reply.

fog

fog (n) 1) a thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface which obscures or restricts visibility. (Photography) Cloudiness obscuring the image on a developed negative or print. 2) a state or cause of perplexity and confusion.

in reverse order...

end

post-apocalyptic beach #2

post-apocalyptic beach #1

the sea front

Work, work, work...

...it's no way to make a living (Kingmaker)

This week I am mostly unemployed. Feels good so far.

Easter highlights:
- Richard Herring
- Photography in Derby
- Fog at the seaside
- Wearing my Pjs all day
- New camera
- Doctor Who
- Thinking

Lowlights
- Some very bad stand-up
- Attempted burglary

That's a ratio of 7:2.