Archive for March, 2002
Theres nothing like a nice usable web site
This is what you get if you click through the link that says ‘first time here’, on the British School of Motoring Web site. Well thank you, now that you have instructed me on how to use the web and I have downloaded an insane variety of plugins, I may now attempt to find out how to book driving lessons with you. I think not!
Update: the first time here page has gone
Aside from getting stressed about dreadful sites, I’ve just been busy as always and not getting time to update here.
Last Monday I had an MRI scan which was a bit weird but not too dreadful, and I presume that they located a brain as they allowed me to leave afterwards! I’m feeling a bit lost because I had to take my navel piercing out to have the scan, I’ve going to go have some new jewellry put in on Saturday though, I feel a bit like I’ve been walking around with no pants on all week, without my ickle ring!
Free speech
Al Sparber writes about software piracy, citing the places that allow people to remain anonymous on the net as a big cause of this problem. I don’t disagree on the fact that is the case, after all if we were all tied down to our IP and email address in the same way we are our social securiy or national insurance numbers and home addresses it would make these collaborative attempts to pirate software very difficult indeed.
However, to ban anonymity online is anathema to me. Not because I need to remain anonymous, even when at my most outspoken I always take the credit and the resultant flak for my words and actions, but many are not so fortunate as I.
To ban anonymity means that the addict trying to seek help and support online without her boss, friends and family finding out is unable to do so, it means that someone who is seeking help and community in the face of HIV infection is unable to do so if they don’t wish to reveal their identity for fear of repercussion. It means that those living under harsh regimes are unable to get their stories out to the world.
I think that is too high a price to pay in the interests of software developers. I don’t like it when someone pinches my stuff, or software created by those I know and respect as developers, but I stand on the side of free speech here, and free speech has to include the right to remain anonymous. For so often those who are most in need of being able to exercise free speech are prevented from doing so should their true identity be made known.
The UK Needs a web conference
I’m so jealous. Why does the UK get no decent web conferences? No Fair 
The people upstairs here seem to have developed a strange and eclectic taste in music. For several months all I have heard from the people upstairs has been strange singing at 11pm on a Sunday evening, the occasional episode of bad guitar strumming and sometimes a casio keyboard incident. However, things are taking a turn for the worse. It’s been loud opera for the past two evenings and now we seem to have ‘Lady In Red’ playing. Sigh… I think I preferred the keyboard.
well … that was a short month
The beginning of March heralds the fact that I have been, successfully, running my own business full time for 6 months. Which is cool.
It also signifies the due date of my first essay for my Open University course which is due on Wednesday coming and is all written and ready to mail out today – phew!
