And the next one please...

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The swing against Cameron
David Cameron is now Britain's least popular party leader, liked less than Gordon Brown or Sir Menzies Campbell, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today. It suggests Mr Cameron's efforts to revive Conservative fortunes are suffering in the face of recovering respect for Labour as a party of government.
The Tories can't even pick a decent leader let alone govern the country. As I've said, Cameron is dead in the water.


Queer priorities

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Romney targets gay marriage in new ad
Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is launching a radio ad touting the strength of his opposition to gay marriage. Romney, who has come under criticism from conservatives for his past support of some gay rights issues, says he is the only major GOP candidate backing a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. "Not all Republican candidates agree, but defending marriage is the right thing to do," Romney says in the 60-second spot to begin airing Wednesday.
It's difficult for anyone in this country to believe that a US presidential candidate would make such a big deal about same-sex marriage. The US faces economic crisis, failure in Iraq, a threatened war with Iran and this guy worries about what? Gay partnerships! It beggers belief.


NYT Free

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TechCrunch: The End Of The Pay For Content Model Is Nigh
Yesterday the New York Times announced that as of midnight tonight (US EST, 19 Sep) the New York Times pay to view Select Service is no more. All content previously offered under the paid service is now immediately available for all to view.

Most importantly: this is a win for all of us. The notion of paying to access content is flawed in a connected online world where virtually everything is free, particularly content. Companies such as the NY Times can make money from providing content for free. The fall of the model for all publications is nigh.
UPDATE:
Murdoch, who is in the process of buying the Wall Street Journal’s parent company Dow Jones, says that he will probably make WSJ content free. This is something he’s already mentioned in the past, but was re-addressed in light of the official announcement made by the New York Times yesterday, which has removed subscription fees for its TimesSelect and other premium services.


Happy Smiley Birthday

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:-) turns 25
Twenty-five years ago, Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman says, he was the first to use three keystrokes -- a colon followed by a hyphen and a parenthesis -- as a horizontal "smiley face" in a computer message.

Fahlman posted the emoticon in a message to an online electronic bulletin board at 11:44 a.m. on September 19, 1982, during a discussion about the limits of online humor and how to denote comments meant to be taken lightly. "I propose the following character sequence for joke markers: :-)," wrote Fahlman. "Read it sideways."

The suggestion gave computer users a way to convey humor or positive feelings with a smile -- or the opposite sentiments by reversing the parenthesis to form a frown. Carnegie Mellon said Fahlman's smileys spread from its campus to other universities, then businesses and eventually around the world as the Internet gained popularity.



Remember, customer service!

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Ringleader of Viagra scam jailed
A British businessman has been jailed for four-and-a- half years for organising a conspiracy to supply counterfeit drugs for treating conditions such as impotence and baldness.

Ashish Halai, 31, of Borehamwood, Essex, was described by prosecutors as the "lynchpin" of the British side of a multimillion-pound operation to smuggle fake Viagra and other counterfeit medicines made illegally in China, Pakistan and other parts of Asia.

Three other members of the gang were found guilty at Kingston Crown Court of similar charges of conspiring to sell counterfeit medicines. The gang paid about 25p for each tablet, but the court heard that they could be sold on the internet for up to £20 each. Millions of pounds passed through bank accounts belonging to the four men.
You can buy the real thing in India (generic, in bulk) for not much more than 25p each! And how the hell did they get £20 a piece for them on the internet? The average price today is about one tenth of that. It's true that a few years ago, when Viagra first appeared, they were selling for £20 each on the black market (even buying them at £7-50 each I made a decent profit) but those days are long gone.

It never pays to be too greedy. Even in the illegal drugs business.



Chase me! Chase me!

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Our local bobbies are killing more British citizens than the Iraqi insurgents and home -grown terrorists combined.

 'Needless risks' in police chases
Some police officers are taking unnecessary risks in high-speed chases, a watchdog has warned. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said there were no consistent rules for criminal pursuits and called for compulsory guidelines. The Association of Chief Police Officers has responded by announcing a review of its existing guidelines, which are currently advisory. About 40 deaths related to police pursuits occur a year, the IPCC says.
Think about it! That's 40 Charles Menezes a year. And for what? Having watched police chases on the TV it seems that most of them are pursuits of 17 year olds in nicked Astras. What is it about stolen cars that excites the police so much? If someone nicked my TV (worth a lot more than the average stolen Astra) I'd be lucky to get more than a crime number for my insurance company from my local coppers.