links for 2008-02-05

It doesn't always look as brooding as this, honest.

"I had a quick conversation with Seth Godin via email about Twitter and in passing I mentioned his Twitter account. I was shocked to get a response to him saying that he doesn't use Twitter ". Fake Seth has 1,400 followers, and doesn't answer people.

The Spice Girls, beds called Lolita, and Doris Lessing make up an unlikely triumvirate. Not entirely convinced I agree with the statement "Lolita is a lovely girl's name"

"Mr Auty told the jury: 'A police officer misusing a police computer gives a friend of Mark Forbes most of the address'". No amount of data security reviews will ever stop there being the weakest link in the chain - the people using a system.

"What about the legendary tales of Fleet Street debauchery and caddishness? Were the journalists of days gone by always wedded to accuracy and impartiality? When was the golden age?". Before the golden age of TV but after the golden age of radio I reckon.

"Databases, computers, mobiles, the Internet? No cuttings libraries to sift through, no dial to turn on the phone, or phone books to wade through. No telex machines to service". Nick Davies appears to have pleased journalists as much as Keen did bloggers.

"No matter what its price, a work has no value unless it is seen; unfound masterpieces are worthless. When there are millions of books, millions of songs, millions of films, millions of applications -- and most of it free -- being found is valuable".

"We have what we will eventually know as World War III, but won't recognise till long after the fact. Everyone is expecting nuclear tipped ICBMs. Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Pakistan, Columbia, Chechnya…when war is happening everywhere, that's called a world war".

"Peter Hirschberg restores 80s-era arcade games. He was toying with the notion of building a full-blown arcade. And here it is, Luna City Arcade. Missile Command, Space Invaders, Defender, Asteroids, Q*bert -- chirping away with the same old sounds".

"Those gripped over Christmas by Big Cat Diary will not have been aware that one of its stars, Honey the cheetah, had been dead for nearly a year". That's nothing, I watched 'Spellbound' Sunday. Apparently Ingrid Bergman died 25 years ago. Who knew?