nocto

photographica is back working. it makes me want to go and take lots of cool photos….

i hate word processors. staroffice is no less crappy than word. that’s all i have to say on the subject. (but not, unfortunately, all i have to do with the subject.) (this whole one static document lark seems so outdated, we can do much better than this now.) (so it wasn’t all i had to say. never mind. i’ll stop now.)

units converter. when the machine you spend all evening on doesn’t have the units command installed this converter comes in mightily handy.

this week it’s the american library association’s banned books week. i like judy blume’s comment about the fact that both her’s and jk rowling’s books are high on the lists of children’s books that are most complained about.

in my books, it’s reality that’s seen as corrupting. With harry potter, the perceived danger is fantasy.

an interesting way to find books to read by matching up their characteristics against what you like. not that i have any shortage of books to read.

urgh. i can’t believe that 85% of britons really want a compulsory national identity card. i’m with the register in hoping this is just a blip.

on top of the obvious privacy issues, and whatever larry ellison thinks, the software for a system like this would be a nightmare. i foresee more problems being created than solved. dvla couldn’t create a photo driving license system for the uk without royally screwing it up so you can’t do anything without the big photoless paper bit of the license to go with it. i don’t think an id card system could work like it’s supposed to even if i did think it was a good idea.

infinite justice was definitely a thoughtless moniker, but i’m not sure that operation enduring freedom is any better. i think the reich had more taste and sense when they just called their potential operatons after colours.

the military codename generator is a good source of amusement when you’re tired of the real world operations. here’s a few of my results that i liked the ring of:

• operation red grass: a ground battle in the uk (the imagery is horrid isn’t it?)
• operation big clover: airstrike on canada (big red clover surely?)
• operation essential hat: chinese naval battle (you wouldn’t want to be without a hat now would you?)