Provided 4791 (and counting down) more people sign up to this pledge, I will be one of the six thousand people linking arms to express my opposition to the new rules which resulted in someone being fined for reading the names of Iraqi civilians at the cenotaph.

The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA) bans the right of protest (unless it is cleared by a commissioner 6 days in advance) within a 1km radius of the UK’s seat of government. The area covers the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, most government ministries, St Thomas’s Hospital, part of the South Bank and Lambeth Palace.

As such the zone presents a threat to freedom of speech in that it prevents people’s voices being heard by those who make our laws. Since it would be illegal to protest about this the zone, the pledge aims to organise a 100% legal protest just outside the zone.

NB: This isn’t a petition, only sign the pledge if you can attend (for a start you need to live in the UK)

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The Age Project is a rather interesting idea. It enlightens the guessers who are likely to get better and better at identifying age as well as the submitter, who finds out how old people secretly think they are. I guess you have to be prepared for an answer you don’t expect, or want though. The other problem is that submitters might be lying about their age and simply want to know how old other people think them.

It’s still a great idea though! You could even submit pictures of yourself in different clothes and see which looks youngest!

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As you may remembered, I once had my account banned from Digg. Someone else has had the same luxury recently, after posting a pretty funny and definitely harmless joke on Digg and Reddit. His post is also now unlisted anywhere on Digg.

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I think this post from the editor of newsnight highlights an important issue in the blogosphere.

I recently came across a comment claiming Jeremy disliked recording his weekly podcast. I posted a response and the blogger seemed appalled – “the BBC’s watching us – spooky” was his reply. But if you write something about us on the internet surely I have every right to read it and respond – that’s not spooky.

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What could be more boring than watching water evaporate (timelapse)? You could watch grass grow in real time!

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I’m going to be away from home for a bit so expect sporadic posts, probably about uninteresting things!

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These pieces of text are rather clever, as are some of these images.

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This video is confusing but I really enjoyed it. You’re constantly guessing how things happened.

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“If the sea ice melts away polar bears will starve. But climate change is not just affecting remote areas like the poles. It’s here on our doorstep and I feel very strongly that it’s time to do what I can to help raise awareness of the issues.

“I’m hoping my swim down the River Thames will bring the message home that we all have to do what we can to prevent this global catastrophe.”

Link

[Via Londonist]

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I think this clip sums up the pointlessness of television shopping. I also like the fact he talks about a “four ex” zoom, showing he’s reading a list and hasn’t the faintest idea what any of it means.

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My friend Phil and I were going through a metal detector on the way out of Highbury & Islington tube on Friday evening around 8.30pm, on our way to a gig. Phil, who has a degree in physics, said to me in a low voice that the metal detector was a “piece of shit that wouldn’t stop anyone”. Obviously, someone was listening, as all of a sudden, half a dozen policemen jumped on him and hustled him over to the corner of the tube station, where he was detained for about 20 minutes for the grave crime of swearing in public, and fined £80 for the privilege. For swearing! On the tube! If it’s such a crime, then I owe them about a million pounds, as swearing on and at the tube is the only way to deal with the pain of having to travel on the dratted thing every day.

I don’t especially mind the fact that someone is fined for swearing in public. But what annoys me about this is I know that a thousand other swearing people walked past without them batting an eyelid. It was only when someone criticised their work that they got into trouble.

Link

[Via BoingBoing]

Update:
The Register says:

Over, then, to the Crown Prosecution Service’s ever-helpful guidance section. “There must be a person within the sight or hearing of the suspect who is likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress by the conduct in question. A police officer may be such a person, but remember that this is a question of fact to be decided in each case by the magistrates. In determining this, the magistrates may take into account the familiarity which police officers have with the words and conduct typically seen in incidents of disorderly conduct.”

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…this (SWF) happened.

[Via reddit]

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