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.

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?’

Growing up

From morenewmath.com via Ett Liv I Exil

…

Courtesy of xkcd.com

To Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling and the Bank of England

Have you guys not heard of John Manyard Keynes? You do all have economics degrees, don’t you?

If not, I recommend reading the Wikipedia entry on Keynes’ General Theory of Employment, Interst and Money.

Heard on the train this morning

A woman is sitting on the train, reading a glossy magazine. Two men get on the train and sit opposite her.

Man 1: ‘Is that an engagement ring?’

Woman, looking up from magazine: ‘Yes.’

Man 1: ‘I’ll give you a grand for it.’

Woman, annoyed: ‘It’s not for sale.’

Man 1: ‘Is he a doctor, your husband?’

Woman: ‘No! He runs his own company.’

Man 2: ‘I went into this shop to buy my girlfriend an engagement ring and asked for the most expensive one they had. But it was a pound shop! Haha!’

Man 1, to me: ‘Mate, can I borrow your newspaper?’

The best job in the world

Been watching video applications for ‘the best job in the world’ this morning. Most of the applicants (particularly the Australian ones) take themselves way too seriously, but I thought this one was pretty funny (no nationalism involved, honestly):

Those Brits again

The whole world is nationalising what was previously seen as the epiphany of capitalism – the banks. Governments are pouring in billions of dollars in subsidies to failing industries. Stockmarkets are crashing.

Why have you chosen THIS PARTICULAR MOMENT to attempt to privatise Royal Mail, Peter Mandelson?

To the point

Exactly why print journalism is dying

Today I found a brilliantly funny article published on the website of the West Seattle Herald, a local American newspaper, titled Local newspapers, blogs and the future (thanks again Twitter).

Rarely have I read a story that manages to miss the point so completely. The jist of the article is that the reported ‘death of the local newspaper’ has been greatly exaggerated and that local newspapers can never be replaced by blogs:

‘But community newspapers are NOT going to be replaced by neighborhood blogs and are doing quite well though in an economic downturn some evolution is necessary for all media. [sic] In the weeks ahead you will see this newspaper change page size, for example, and we are re-launching our Web site to bring you more information and provide greater interaction.

‘We want to assure you that THIS newspaper is stable and devoted to the community and plans to be publishing in print and online for a long time to come.’

It then goes on to argue that you can never replace ‘professional journalists who ‘sift through the information’ and ‘provide an as unbiased view as possible’ with bloggers that may ‘have an axe to grind’.

Perhaps so. Which is why most ‘quality’ newspapers, who – although certainly looking over their business models – are not likely to write a panicky, poorly researched and poorly written piece of drivel like this one to defend them.

The article then points out, rightly so, that there are those in the ‘blogging world’ for whom traditional media can’t die soon enough. After having a look through the home page of the West Seattle Herald, I have to say that I, for one, would have to count myself as one of them.

If this is what ‘professional journalists’ churn out during office hours, I’ll choose an unpaid, ‘biased’ blogger any day of the week.

Among the top 5 stories, we have: Concord, Denny designated as international schools, New senior housing in Western Seattle and Sanislo appointed a new principal.

Do we really need a newspaper for stories like this? Just out of interest, I did a search on the website for ‘cat’ – just to see if I could find the traditional local newspaper story about a cat stuck in a tree.

I didn’t. But I did find an article about orphan kittens being given a new home.

The article is brilliantly summed up in a comment by the signature ‘Kristina Surface’:

‘Your points offered me food for thought – what is the difference between a local paper and a local blog? The answer is clear: a blog posts news in real time, whereas a paper posts (less) news a week later. Unfortunately, your paper is at a huge disadvantage.

‘I will not be renewing my subscription to the paper. I can get the same information, but in greater detail, from a professional reporter at the West Seattle Blog. I am glad to hear that your business is doing so well that I will not be missed, because the one thing that was tempting me to renew my subscription was that I wanted to support a local business. I’m glad to hear that my readership will not make a difference to you.’

There.

Japanese toilet humour

What can I say? They are just years ahead of us in terms of tv humour. (Make sure you watch until the ‘water skiing’ bit).