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# From the bit-bucket

This section is part of something like a blog. You can subscribe to RSS 1.0
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scheme](../scheme.rss). The scheme feed will be the base for the new SWN once
ready. I fail to keep [details about me](/mjr.html) up to date. To contact me
or comment on this, [see my email page](/email.html).

![photo](/mjr2002.jpg)

* * *

## e-democracy

[e-democracy stats from Bristol
e-panels](http://forums.e-democracy.org/topic/98478)

* * *

## Back again

The good news: I'm back home for at least nearly a week now.

The bad news: my head hasn't noticed I've stopped moving and I still feel like
I'm moving, so it's hard to concentrate on work.

* * *

## Email problems?

  1. My email appeared to be down. At least, incoming email to phonecoop and debian addresses wasn't arriving here. Called TPC support and now it's back up, but expect slow replies for a bit.
  2. Then, two days later, my "reply to these" mail folder vanishes. As far as I can tell from the history, I didn't delete it. I tried a recovery, but I can't remember any particular string and that's a fairly high-traffic partition anyway, so it would have taken too long. I restored from backups, but I probably lost some mail. Resend if you're waiting on a reply from me, please. That test mailserver will be decommissioned very soon. Its lvm-1.0.8-10 with Reiser3 has chewed files before - it was that system which made me never use ReiserFS in paid production, as the same version of lvm ran fine with ext[23] elsewhere. Sorry for the lack of details, but Reiser3 is ancient history, bad for other reasons and it could easily be a one-off failure. 

* * *

## Unkind words that I cut out of emails

If you considered that text to be clear and obvious, please go utilize a
multi-tined eating implement in your cranium and so improve writing standards
;-)

* * *

## Timing Error

11:23pm on 31 March 2006? Who forgot about summer time when setting [that
one](http://linustorvalds.typepad.com/the_kernel_blog/2006/04/account_created.html)
up, planet debian?

## Go Charles Go

> Mutual respect between faiths needs to be restored so as to overcome the
distrust that poisons so many people's lives, Charles said. "This, of course,
is made infinitely more difficult by the stereotypes and absurdities
propagated by certain sections of the media," he said. -- [
Reuters](http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-03
-21T150440Z_01_L21759290_RTRUKOC_0_UK-RELIGION-EGYPT-CHARLES.xml)

Please, remember social issues when you [cast your DPL
vote](http://mjr.towers.org.uk/blog/2006/debian#dpl06debate) and [Rank NOTA
High](http://mjr.towers.org.uk/blog/2006/fdl#rankfdhigh) rather than approve
candidates you're unhappy with.

In reply to Riku Voipio's criticism of [the
UDHR](http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html), with apologies to [Ross
Burton](http://www.burtonini.com/blog//life/cofe-2006-03-21-10-00) for the
title.

* * *

## Language Translation Software Discussion Panel chaired by Mark Shuttleworth

Seeing that headline in the latest edition of [_The
Linguist_](http://www.linguistonline.co.uk/) made me do a double-take. It
turned out to be a [
namespace](https://www3.imperial.ac.uk/portal/page?_pageid=96,401878&_dad=portallive&_schema=PORTALLIVE)
[collision](http://www.markshuttleworth.com/).

Also interesting was [an A-level student's
comments](http://www.ptreasuredsl.clara.net/linguist/theo.htm) on (lack of)
English grammar teaching holding back foreign language learning. I was lucky:
I was taught grammar basics at primary school and it continued through most of
my secondary school, but that was thanks to clever educators who ignored
national guidelines.

* * *

## Angry Radio Show

I was just listening to a radio show which claims to be for Linux users and it
spent about 10 minutes at the start comparing Windows and MacOS. Who cares?
Not all Linux users. That is the sort of silly discussion which irritated me
at Cambridge LUG when I last visited it (years ago now): most of the
conversation seemed to be about Python on Windows or similar. Those
discussions have other places, other media. Don't clutter the Linux space with
them too.

The show redeemed itself with a strong interview with a [flock web
browser](http://www.flock.com/) maintainer. One particularly good question
asked why it doesn't work with many self-hosted applications and privacy-
compromising web app service sites are supported first. I don't think the
answer was brilliant, but it was OK: the services publish APIs more than self-
hostable apps.

Apparently, flock's default search is Yahoo. Although they share some of the
[google bugs](http://mjr.towers.org.uk/blog/2006/google) like China and index
manipulation, they also have a Creative Commons search which could fit well
with flock's collaborative web ambitions (if CC 3.0 fixes the bugs).

Rather irritating that the copyright licence (CC-by-nc-nd 2.0: yes, that's an
old version) doesn't permit cutting the annoying Windows-MacOS guff off the
front. That's why the show doesn't get a web link. I linked it from the blog
last summer, if you really want to find it. Sadly, flock also contains non-
free software by default, but you can cut them out.

Update: later in the show, they comment about their strong free software
beliefs (hahahaha, ulp!) and there's a bad interview too: should have quit
while ahead.

While writing this, I tried to find flock's web page without a search engine
because of other projects and a C function sharing its name. From my
bookmarks, W3C has no browser directory(wow!), browser.org seems dead,
browserwatch.com seems an irrelevant redirect, vlib.org.uk hasn't a good link
for this. I found it in the Open Directory. What's good for this any more? Is
the web decomposing?

* * *

## Links Bitbucket 1

No structured article ready to go today, so here's a random round-up of links
from the last month:

[ Alfred McAlpine failed to remember the dead while rebuilding our town
centre.](http://www.lynnnews.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?sectionid=991&articleid=1254027)
Shame. Minor compared to our occupation of Iraq, though. I didn't observe the
state silence on the Sunday - how can we while our troops keep dying?

Like [ the Drakes' nearest post
office,](http://www.drake.org.uk/archives/2005/11/celebrity_deathmatch_the_local.html)
ours seems to be perpetually under threat. Unlike Martyn Drake's, ours is very
polite about it. The one member of staff who caused trouble has
left/retired/been fired (I neither know nor care), so I do my best to support
it now. I have sometimes called Royal Mail to ask what they're playing at and
that may be part of why our post office survives, despite being fairly near
the sorting office and main town post office. What is Martyn's postmaster
playing at? If they are in trouble, they need friends.

[Always Late, Usually cold](http://www.papajohns.co.uk/) (see
[savs](http://www.andrewsavory.com/blog/archives/000946.html) \- not that I
support buying crap food - and it seems papaj is already the top match for the
phrase).

[Dangers of Microsoft Word and change tracking,
reheated.](http://memex.naughtons.org/archives/2005/11/07/2286)

Keith forwarded an article about [Hardware emulation with
QEMU](http://www.linux.com/article.pl?sid=05/10/24/1845248) to ALUG, which
seemed an interesting little review. I'll have to take a look and see whether
it will work on nail for testing kernel experiments.

[ The lightweight debian archive
scripts](http://www.mattb.net.nz/blog/2005/10/26/lightweight-debian-archive-
scripts/) look interesting. I wonder how much support they'll get.

[Summary of Sony DRM from Technology & Marketing Law
Blog](http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2005/11/is_sonys_drm_sp.htm) and
[EFF tells you how to avoid
it.](http://www.copybites.com/2005/11/how_to_avoid_so.html) The most
interesting question so far seems to be: [did Sony's DRM infringe
copyright?](http://www.copybites.com/2005/11/sony_drm_may_vi.html)

* * *

## Action For Blind People

Had an interesting chat at the door the other day with a rep from [Action For
Blind People](http://www.afbp.org/). Interesting mix of information, advocacy
and employment and - unlike some other blind groups - the web site's pretty
accessible too, as far as I can tell.

* * *

## Job@OSS-Watch@Oxford

It would be good if [this 25-31kGBP/yr
post](http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/jobs/ossresofficer.xml) was filled with someone
who knows a lot about free software and can present it.

* * *

## Seeds for Change Oxford needs money

I had an email a while ago from [Seeds for Change
Oxford](http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/), which is a consensus based non-
profit worker's co-op that offers training in most of the skills needed for a
grassroots campaign groups to work together effectively - campaigning skills
and co-operative group-working skills. They're [looking for
donations](http://seedsforchange.org.uk/free/donate) so that they can continue
their work.

I went on one of their courses some time ago and it changed me. I think for
the better, on the whole, so I repost this request.

* * *

## Burnout

[Can't Get No Satisfaction [New York
Magazine]](http://nymag.com/news/features/24757/index.html#content) is a
pretty interestng article on burnout. (Credit to [House Of
Gyros](http://www.hogyros.de/?q=node/230) for the tip.)

Not sure that I agree with the view of interference and so on, but I think the
observations about "hurry sickness" are interesting. They might be part of the
reasons why I travel over land or by mass transport these days, even when
alternatives are available: it may seem slower, but it's more predictable,
you're not often totally blocked and the blockage doesn't demand all your
attention like it does driving a car.

Meanwhile, it's currently 25mph winds gusting 50 outside and so far I've seen
a 2x3m fence panel go down, and a part-full rubbish bag just blew past my
first-floor window... I think the trip into town can wait until tomorrow.

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This is copyright 2006 MJ Ray. See fuller notice on [front page](/).

  *[the UDHR]: Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  *[SWN]: Scheme Weekly News