I’m slightly speechless at the sheer idiocy of this latest pea-brained proposal for the honours system from HMG. Aside from the market in fake honours badges that would spring up overnight, do we really want to reward those who make an outstanding contribution to our nation and society (if that is what an honour is intended to mark) with something akin to a boy scout badge of merit??
Category: current affairs
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Browser wars – new skirmish
IE7 in development – official. Not much information at the moment, and this announcement has clearly been spurred by the rapid success of Firefox. As a seasoned IE user (heck, I used IE back when everyone thought that Netscape 3 was the mutt’s nuts) who also has Firefox on my machine, I’d ask a few questions:
- is this going to be a new build or a tarting up of IE6? I suspect the latter.
- will it have better standards support and compliance? I suspect so, but whether it will have enough to match the other browsers in the market, given that they will also be improving their offering between now and the launch of IE7, is another matter.
- how long will we have to wait? At least a year, I reckon.
- will there be changes to the user interface? For all its faults (no need to list them here), IE has an interface that is easy to learn for any computer novice that has become familiar with any other component of the MS Office suite – and, let’s face it, that’s just about anyone who has ever used a PC. Whilst new features would be welcome, in many ways I hope that they don’t change it too much – the transition from IE5 to IE6 was pretty much seamless.
I guess we will just have to wait and see.
(via linkbunnies.org) -
Rant brewing…
…on the following subjects:
- IKEA idiocy
- The Freedom of Information Act
- low slung trousers in the State of Virginia
- Charles and Camilla
- Tory plans for the police
…and possibly much more. But I’m a bit busy at the moment, so the ranting juices are on hold for now.
But get in quick! Send your replies to my anticipated rant in the comments NOW! -
In the news today:
- Army discipline pilot for using helicopter to deliver pizza to girlfriend – I particularly like the nameless BBC wag who has added the line "The Ministry of Defence spokesman did not confirm what toppings were on the pizza".
- Britain welcomes home Dame Ellen. A fantastic achievement, undoubtedly. But is the government hoping to achieve some mileage and share in the glory by announcing the honour so quickly?
- Tooth brushing cuts the risk of heart disease according to new research. Or, on the other hand, poor dental care is an indicator of people who generally do not look after their own health, and these people are more vulnerable to heart disease.
- Observations of evolving planetary system made using Spitzer orbiting telescope, news coming on the same day that we learn that NASA plans to bring down Hubble. So much science to be done, yet no money to keep the tools of research available.
- McGhee keen for Seagulls to focus – too right, and with a goal difference of -13, they need a few wins to be really sure of staying up.
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G7: ambitious or overblown?
Evan Davis on the G7 finance ministers’ meeting.
It’s probably best to think of it as being like a rather obscure Ibsen play, though the fanfare around it this time is making it seem like a new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. -
News addict
For all you news addicts out there – keep up with global events in graphic form, updated every twenty minutes.
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Kilroy was ‘ere
Kilroy-Silk launches Veritas political party. The Daily Mail in party political form?
Strangely, I think that they could poll quite a few votes in the next election. Which is a shame. -
Circus clown
The media circus surrounding the Michael Jackson child abuse trial seems completely alien to those of us who are never likely to be caught up in such scenes. It seems that the child abuse allegations are, at the moment at least, secondary to the stardom and fame of the defendant. Either way, Peter Bowes’ quasi-blog™ on the court case is worth reading and provides a lighter view of events.
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Ivan Noble, RIP
An ordinary man who, through his openness and honesty, touched many people.