links for 2009-11-02

"A BIRMINGHAM blogger who briefly caused Stephen Fry to quit Twitter by calling him 'boring' runs an adults-only website, it was revealed today. He says he received more than 1,800 insulting emails and a We Hate Richard group was growing on Twitter". There is a 'groups' function on Twitter now? Bloody hell, we only just got lists...

"I doubt whether one child in 1,000 on Saturday night took part in traditional All Hallows games, such as trying to grab apples with their teeth from a floating tub". You know my standard response to people saying things like this don't you - I ask them did you make your children do it? Or did you organise a party where children could play traditional All Hallows games? Well, did you?

"A PCC spokesman said this morning it had contacted the local police so they could pass the family of the man information on its services". Nice move. As well as coping with the death of a family member and its public exploitation for commercial gain by a newspaper, they've got the PCC saying "We won't act to do anything about this unless you fill in some forms to complain"...

Yesterday my initial reaction to Birmingham City's shirts featuring a poppy was that it was a bit tacky. However, now I find out that after the game the special kits were signed by the players, and will be "auctioned off on the club's official website to raise money for the British Legion", so I feel more than a bit churlish.

"The digital era brings new ethical dilemmas for journalists. Chief among them is the question of if and when articles should be removed from a news organisation's website. The issue came up last week in connection with the Guardian's three-day series about police monitoring of people who attend political meetings and protests."

Jan attempts to placate the the gods of the Internet by writing a piece saying "bad stuff happens offline too". The Internet mostly replies by saying things like "Are you still here? - So there's no justice, then - you can peddle your tat eternally and never get sacked...", "Blimey, you still have a job?" and my favourite "But are you going to write another column next week explaining how none of this really means what it seems to mean?"

"You have all these fixtures and you have the intrusion of a friendly international game in some unknown country, so that is a definite thorn in everyone's flesh". Surely this can't be the same Alex Ferguson who took his Manchester United team who last year staged two friendly fixtures 3,000 miles apart within 24 hours in Africa, and jetted off to Saudi Arabia in mid-season January to play in a testimonial?