Category: Life

  • WordPress blocked in Thailand as well

    First WordPress.com was blocked in Turkey, now it seems like Thailand has followed suit. Reports have been coming in since August 22 that the WordPress.com domain has been blocked by the state-owned TOT telecommunications company, preventing their users from accessing all blogs hosted on WordPress.com. The FACT (Freedom Against Censorship in Thailand) blog reports that…

  • Natural History by Justina Robson

    I’ve been wanting to read Justina Robson for a while. Through novels like Silver Screen (1999) and Mappa Mundi (2000), Robson has developed a reputation for writing cutting-edge SF while still paying attention to the characters and the idea that the future is based on our present. That’s why when I finally picked up Natural…

  • Podcast of the Week: Best of YouTube

    Podcast of the Week (29/8/07)Best of YouTubeRating: Best of YouTube is probably a podcast a lot of people know about, but I thought it would be a good one to feature. It’s updated daily and features some of the best and more original clips on YouTube, making it easier to find content without shifting through…

  • An open letter to the Turkish Ambassador

    This is a copy of the letter I’m sending to the Turkish Ambassador to Australia, regarding Turkey’s ban of WordPress. If you would like to contact the ambassador in your own country, feel free to copy and change the text below. August 29, 2007RE: Freedom of SpeechDear Mr N. Murat Ersavci, My name is Christopher…

  • 5 fun Facebook apps for your profile

    Facebook’s really taken off over the last year. It now has more than 34 million users and Yahoo supposedly offered $1 billion for the site last year. Part of its success is how simple Facebook makes it to stay in touch with friends, but the applications you add to your profile are a large part…

  • US Open Predictions

    The US Open starts later this morning, Australian time. So I guess it’s time for my annual predictions. I did pretty well last year (named 1 winner and the 2 finalists). Let’s see if I can top that. ;) For the Men’s, well, I’ll have to say Roger Federer again. He’s clearly the best player…

  • Support Turkish Bloggers

    Today is Support Turkish Bloggers Day. It’s an initiative being organised by members of the WordPress forums and others who feel strongly about censorship and freedom of speech. If you believe in the rights of bloggers everywhere, please join us! I’ve written about the reasons behind this before, but I’ll give you a quick recap…

  • Privacy and freedom of speech online

    Public & Private in the BlogosphereI found this survey over in the WordPress forums. If anyone has a chance, you might like to check it out. It’s an interesting survey, not too long, and for any bloggers out there it’s very thought-provoking. It’s based around the idea of “public vs. private” in the blogosphere; how…

  • Too Much (But Never Enough)

    Too Much (But Never Enough)CJ Levinson I walked across a sunburnt landTried to define myself amongst the sandBut all I found was a memoryOf something I’d tried to leave behindYou smiled at me from across the roomAnd I don’t know why I waste my timeDreaming of something that can never beSomething that can never be…

  • 5 songs to play at your funeral

    A few songs people might like for funerals, or if they’re just feeling a bit down. It was inspired by a survey in Britain, which you can read about here. These aren’t the best or most traditional ones, just some I personally like. No Goodbye My Lover, for instance – that will just make you…