April Fool’s Day!

So what’s happened today then?

The Guardian gives up its print and web editions in favour of Twitter.

Youtube has launched a new layout. (View any video for laugh)

Opera lets you surf the web using face gestures.

Newcastle appoints Alan Shearer as manager.

The Pirate Bay sells out to Warner.

Expedia offers flights to Mars for only $99.

The BBC launches a iPlayer on a toaster.

Lovefilm bans French films.

Harvard Professor blames Twitter for the recession.

Sitepoint reports on the internet reboot.

The New Zealand Herald reports that Microsoft has bought Apple.

MSN Messenger launches automatic mood detection.

This week’s listening

The O’Jays – Love Train

Soundtrack of Our Lives – Firmament Vacation

Nirvana – Serve the Servants

The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Before I Am Gone (You Better Love Me)

The Olympics – Secret Agents

Archie Bronson Outfit – Dart For My Sweetheart

Nirvana – Radio Friendly Unit Shifter

Soundtrack of Our Lives – Mantra Slider

Union Carbide Productions – Cartoon Animal

Always check your reciepts before submitting

This morning it emerged that the Home secretary, Jacqui Smith, had made an expenses claim for porn films.

The two films, valued at £5 each, were part of a £67  Virgin Media bill submitted last June.

As we know, MPs seem to be able to claim expenses for pretty much anything, but porn is apparently one step too far. Smith’s husband, Richard Timney, took the blame and said in a statement today:

“I am really sorry for any embarrassment I have caused Jacqui. I can fully understand why people might be angry and offended by this. Quite obviously a claim should never have been made for these films, and as you know that money is being paid back.”

My guess is that the house of commons was pretty empty today as MPs were busy rummaging around drawers looking for their expenses claims.

I wonder what the next thing will be?

What can I say?

Someone has found my blog by Googling ‘what should disabled people eat?’

Something to think about

How many times have you cut out an article from a paper and passed it on to someone?

How many times have you forwarded a link to someone?

Growing up

From morenewmath.com via Ett Liv I Exil

The argument that just ended the discussion

This must be the killer argument that ends the discussion of whether newspapers can survive online by charging for news content. It’s from Jeff Jarvis, writing in the LA Times:

Perhaps most important, putting content behind a pay wall robs it of precious Google juice. Even if Google can search it, the hidden content will not attract as many of the links and clicks that Google’s search watches and values. In American newspapers’ sites, as few as 20% of users in a day come through the home page; most come to news via search and links from aggregators, bloggers, feeds and Facebook. Cutting yourself off from that rich economy of search and links is like taking your publication off the newsstand and making your readers walk to your office to buy it.

End of story.