Year: 2012
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Voting at 16 in the independence referendum
Dear Mr. Chisholm, I write to you today to highlight a potential issue in what is likely to be an issue in the upcoming 2014 independence referendum. I note that the agreement has yet to be confirmed, but it has been widely reported in the media that 16 and 17 year olds will be eligible…
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Reviewing movies
It’s Edinburgh Film Festival time again. Every year, I end up writing loads of reviews all the while wondering how *other people* review movies. I find it difficult, but not impossible to churn out 3 or 4 pieces a day. Here’s how I cope. When watching, I keep scribbling notes, to remind myself of people,…
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Enjoying Twitter 101
There’s little surprise that QI host Stephen Fry was one of the first major cheerleaders for tweeting. Twitter isn’t in itself very interesting – but becomes interesting through being a source and user-driven broadcaster of interesting things from its users. I hesitate to use the word recipe. Recipes involve doing things precisely and in order…
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Communications snooping proposals – letter to MP
Dear Mr. Lazarowicz, I am a university-educated IT professional living within your constituency. I write to you today to express my disgust at the announcements made yesterday regarding the massive expansion of the online and cellular surveillance programme – RIPA – which may be part of Her Majesty’s speech in May. Leaked briefing notes suggest…
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Fitness wahoozery
I was asked recently about how exercise is coming along. It went south over October and November, although I kept the PureGym membership and occasionally went to make heavy things move. Over the past three months, I’ve improved. One of my co-workers is a personal trainer and martial artist, and with his help I’ve started…