The entry is for logging my work on one of my OU activities – this will probably not be very interesting… Five questions What are the ten most commonly used languages on the internet? Find an estimate for the portion of the web that is indexed by search engines. Does the size of the indexed […]
Links for March 31st
Measles Outbreak Triggered by Unvaccinated Child What began as a family trip to Switzerland in 2008 ended up as a public health nightmare in California. The family's 7-year-old boy, who was intentionally unvaccinated against measles, was exposed to the virus while traveling in Europe. When he returned home to San Diego, he unknowingly exposed a […]
Links for December 23rd
The BBC’s digital rights plans will wreak havoc on open source software Last summer, the BBC tried to sneak “digital rights management” into its high-def digital broadcasts. Now, generally speaking, the BBC isn’t allowed to encrypt or restrict its broadcasts: the licence fee payer pays for these broadcasts, and no licence fee payer woke up […]
Links for December 14th
Cleaners ‘worth more to society’ than bankers – study Hospital cleaners are worth more to society than bankers, a study suggests. The research, carried out by think tank the New Economics Foundation, says hospital cleaners create £10 of value for every £1 they are paid. It claims bankers are a drain on the country because […]
Links for December 4th
Don’t strike up the band Visit a pub and there’s every chance you’ll hear background Muzak, or high-volume Sky Sports coverage of Premiership football. But what are the chances of hearing live music? At least as good as they have ever been, says the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which controls the licensing of […]
Links for November 27th
Boots’ cynical stance on homeopathy There's something of a backlash taking place online against Boots today, after their professional standards director Paul Bennett admitted before a parliamentary committee yesterday that the chain sell homeopathic remedies because they sell, even though they know there is no scientific evidence that they actually work. National papers involved in […]
Links for November 17th
Labels may be losing money, but artists are making more than ever The Times Labs blog takes a hard look at the data on music sales and live performances and concludes that while the labels’ profits might be falling, artists are taking in more money, thanks to the booming growth of live shows. The Times […]
Links for September 17th
BBC looks to copy protect content BBC plans to encrypt Freeview HD data have come under fire from critics, who say it will effectively copyright free BBC content. Under plans submitted to regulator Ofcom, the broadcaster has requested that it be allowed to encrypt certain information on set top boxes. Only trusted manufacturers would be […]
Links for March 30th
Women told: ‘You have dishonoured your family, please kill yourself’ When Elif’s father told her she had to kill herself in order to spare him from a prison sentence for her murder, she considered it long and hard. “I loved my father so much, I was ready to commit suicide for him even though I […]
Links for March 26th
”Hello America, I’m a British Muslim’ When British businessman Imran Ahmad was made redundant in January, instead of hitting the Job Centre he decided to arrange a one-man speaking tour of the United States to spread his message of peace and Muslim moderateness. God ‘will not give happy ending’ God will not intervene to prevent […]
Links for March 17th
Minister won’t confirm belief in evolution Canada’s science minister, the man at the centre of the controversy over federal funding cuts to researchers, won’t say if he believes in evolution. “I’m not going to answer that question. I am a Christian, and I don’t think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate,” Gary […]
Links for March 12th
Iron Maiden speak out over riot Heavy metal group Iron Maiden’s tour manager has criticised the people who were arrested for trying to gatecrash a concert in Bogota. Colombian police arrested more than 100 people after stones were thrown hours before the group were due to perform. In a statement posted on the band’s website, […]