Need To Know 2003-07-04

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>> HARD NEWS << dancing with prunes We're still on holiday, and as is traditional with our holidays, our server has decided to commit suicide (see alt.suicide.holiday for why this happens). This has left us with a subs list, but no mailing list server to send out any mail. Therefore we have had to type each of these emails individually and send them by hand. Yes, $USER_NAME of $DOMAIN, we really did. On our holiday, too. With the long summer holidays dragging out before you, no 15000 list of your own to manually contact, and our subscribe/unsubscribe "feature" temporarily disabled, what other ways are their to waste your time? We have a few suggestions. If you're still worried about the EUCD (and do try to save your energy, because we'll still be banging on about it when we get back), Chris Lightfoot has suggested you write to Patricia Hewitt, noting your displeasure. http://ukcdr.org/issues/eucd/ - some talking points http://www.patricia-hewitt-mp.co.uk/ - where she lives http://radish.hosted.doosh.net/steiny/mt/archives/000003.html - annoyingly hard questions to answer http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/31472.html - annoyingly good advice from kieran If you're a graduate in one of those scribble-scribble subjects, like economics or sociology, why not consider adopting as your thesis some study of the societal effects and costs of current and proposed copyright regimes? That way, we can use it, Iraqi dossier-like, to help argue the liberal copyright regime with They Who Rule. (We're serious - this would be really handy). Or alternatively, you could port the Government Information Awareness project to the UK. We note that there's already a parliament.csv file in there. http://opengov.media.mit.edu/source/ - the imdb for government Will we be doing any of these things? Of course not. We are on holiday. We will be getting drunk. If you're at the Open Source Conference in Portland, Oregon, United States of La La La America, you can get drunk too: either alone in your hotel room, as usual, or with me somewhere even less salubrious. Mail tipples@spesh.com and we'll sort something out. http://conferences.oreillynet.com/os2003/ - lurching from one o'reilly conference to the next >> ANTI-NEWS << berating the obvious secret life of Barrysworld icon: http://www.barrysworld.com vs http://www.easysexshop.co.uk/ ... for our blind visitors with philosophy degrees: http://www.ntk.net/2003/07/04/dohdogs.gif ... "Wayne's World" sarcastic catchphrase alive and well: http://www.ntk.net/2003/07/04/dohnot.gif ... truth in advertising?: http://www.ntk.net/2003/07/04/dohdef.gif ... http://www.faceparty.com/?display_alert=Anne+Widdecombe+says ... Caprice smashes myth that blondes, models are "mimbos": http://www.speakers-uk.com/profile.phtml?id=145&act_id=5&sid=68 ... http://www.ecmayo.ie/cgi-bin/faq/faq.cgi?faqname=ict , http://www.ecmayo.ie/cgi-bin/faq/faq.cgi?faqname=general ... "the PC is appropriate as a single home entertainment unit", reveals - poll of "around a thousand (985) home PC users": http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/030626/250/e3as5.html ... >> EVENT QUEUE << goto's considered non-harmful The holiday mood continues at this weekend's AMIGA ALPE ADRIA (starts tonight, Fri 2003-07-04, Udine, Italy, free), a mountainside sanctuary euphemistically celebrating the "friendship and diversity" of what's left of the Amiga scene, and whose site - if you don't read it too carefully - gives the impression that the occasion will incorporate "cultural events" by noted Workbench enthusiasts such as James Galway, Moby, Vasily Kandinsky and Jethro Tull. Back in the UK, the endearingly misplaced retro-optimism lives on at THE BRITISH FESTIVAL OF SPACE (from next Thu, 2003-07-10, University of Surrey, Guilford, event prices vary), promising a debate on Britain's future in Space, a Space Ball (featuring "after dinner speech with Astronaut"), and no doubt plenty of opportunities to try on a Space Suit and eat some Space Food. But after that, what could be more down to Earth than the gritty practicalities of YET ANOTHER PERL CONFERENCE:: EUROPE (from Wed 2003-07-23, the "majestic" Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers, Paris, France, EUR99 for all 3 days) - a country where even the phrase "Perl monger" sounds indefinably sexier, dans la international programming language d'amour. http://aaa2003.org/ - see also under "Products/ Legacy Support" http://www.britishfestivalofspace.co.uk/ - sounds like the start of a Quatermass story http://yapc.mongueurs.net/ - Mais non Madame, je suis un perl... mongueur >> MEMEPOOL << ceci n'est pas une http://www.gagpipe.com/ muggle cgi humour http://www.martian.fm/harrypotter.htm ... STEPHENSON novel appears to be scene-setting intro to AD&D module: http://www.baroquecycle.com/preview.htm ... talking of which, BOFH opens game shop http://www.actsofgord.com/ ... possible pitfalls of internet research: getting found out via google: http://www.artimaze.34sp.com/research/pitfalls.htm ... overly-complicated jokes for anime lovers: http://www.destroy-all-monsters.com/patlabor1.shtml vs https://sourceforge.jp/projects/hos/ ... solely justifying http://perversiontracker.com/ : http://www.wunderbear.com/cuppa/ ... robots.txt humour: http://www.crummy.com/robots.txt ... presenting: cthulhu-in-a-bun: http://www.octodog.net/ ... >> GEEK MEDIA << get out less FILM>> there seems to be some sort of limited-release going on for no-doubt-DVD-bound subtitled sci-fi anime cause celebre COWBOY BEBOP ( http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ : contains moderate violence)... otherwise both Bill Murray and Tom Green are replaced by the dubious comic stylings of Demi Moore, Bruce Willis and John Cleese in CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE ( http://www.capalert.com/capreports/charliesangelsfullthrottle.htm genital talk; murder by competition violence; calf birth procedure with arms up the cow and slinging afterbirth on people; playing with bird poop; woman in men's room; every time the name Zaas was spoken to take advantage of its plurality phonetic equivalence, I counted it as a use of a foul word; excessive cleavage, repeatedly)... >> SMALL PRINT << Need to Know is a useful and interesting UK digest of things that happened last week or might happen next week. You can read it on Friday afternoon or print it out then take it home if you have nothing better to do. It is compiled by NTK from stuff they get sent. Registered at the Post Office as "well, three out of five ain't bad" http://www.ntk.com/ NEED TO KNOW THEY STOLE OUR REVOLUTION. NOW WE'RE STEALING IT BACK. Archive - http://www.ntk.net/ Unsubscribe? Ah, well, you see... Subscribe? The thing is: could you wait until next week? NTK now is supported by UNFORTU.NET, and by you: http://www.ntkmart.com/ (K) 2003 Special Projects. Copying is fine, but include URL: http://www.ntk.net/ Full license at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/1.0 Tips, news and gossip to tips@spesh.com All communication is for publication, unless you beg. Press releases from naive PR people to pr@spesh.com Remember: Your work email may be monitored if sending sensitive material. Sending >500KB attachments is forbidden by the Geneva Convention. Your country may be at risk if you fail to comply.