Archive for November, 2007
Friday, November 30th, 2007
Now the lies are slower than the truth
The old proverb that ‘a lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on’ has been replaced by one in which the blog post has made the trip before the lie has done up its laces. It is a better world, but it is a different world and those of us [...]
No Comments » - Posted in billblog by bill
Sunday, November 25th, 2007
I fought the law…
[As ever, you can also read this on the BBC News website] Like most journalists of my acquaintance I’m very sloppy about keeping my online communications secure. I rarely encrypt email messages, leaving them to be read by anyone in the electronic chain between me and the intended recipient. And I use public chat services [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in billblog by bill
Monday, November 19th, 2007
My del.icio.us bookmarks for November 17th through November 18th
Here’s what I tagged on del.icio.us between November 17th and November 18th: Encrypted E-Mail Company Hushmail Spills to Feds – More detail on how Hushmail communications can be compromised Social networks: after privacy, beyond friendship from openDemocracy – Nice reflection on the nature of friendship and the end of privacy Hushmail turns out to be [...]
No Comments » - Posted in I saw this by bill
Saturday, November 17th, 2007
Show me your papers
I have a passport again, having lost my old one somewhere between Cambridge, Leicester and Corby on a trip last month. The old one has been cancelled, so nobody pretending to be me will be leaving the country on it – and I suspect that it’s actually somewhere completely unexpected in the house and will [...]
3 Comments » - Posted in billstuff by bill
Wednesday, November 14th, 2007
My del.icio.us bookmarks for November 4th through November 13th
Here’s what I tagged on del.icio.us between November 4th and November 13th: Verizon Violates Net Neutrality with DNS Deviations – Ed Felten nails Verizon JCMC Vol 13 Issue 1 on social networking – Lots to read here about social networking MediaShift Citizen Journalism – Nice essay on citizen journalism EU cracks down on fake blogger [...]
No Comments » - Posted in I saw this by bill
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007
Tread softly, because you tread on our websites
[As ever, this is also on the BBC website, edited to take out the Yeats...] Sometime in October a malicious program exploited a security flaw in the WordPress software I use to host my weblog and injected some extra commands into one of the widgets I use to add features to the site. They opened [...]
No Comments » - Posted in billblog by bill
Sunday, November 11th, 2007
Time for teaching
[As ever, you can read this on the BBC News website, though the headline isn't one I'd have chosen for a piece that's about IT education rather than malware..] At some point this evening I am going to have to sit down with my fourteen year old son and have a quiet, paternal word with [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in billblog by bill
Friday, November 2nd, 2007
I saw this…
Here’s what I’ve tagged on del.icio.us on November 1st: Bebo and MySpace join Google Open Social – But it isn’t ‘game over’ for Facebook, whatever the pundits say. We just like a nice simple narrative for our audiences. BBC Trust public consultation — bbc.co.uk service licence review – respond now!
No Comments » - Posted in I saw this by bill
Thursday, November 1st, 2007
Learning the hard way
[As ever, you can read this on the BBC News website too] The British Computer Society is the professional body for those working in IT, and is one of the bodies that defines the working practices for those responsible for ensuring compliance with data protection legislation. Sending out an email to seven hundred people with [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in billblog by bill
Thursday, November 1st, 2007
Judging the Internet
[This is also on the BBC News website, as usual] Three Sheffield Wednesday supporters who posted anonymous abuse on the ‘Owlstalk’ website will be staring into their cornflakes this morning as they wonder whether they will soon be receiving a libel writ in the post. The club has obtained an order from the High Court [...]