On a Virgin train from Oxford to Brighton, and once again I find myself wondering why Virgin Trains is pretending so hard that it’s an airline.
New house, new blog name
We are back (almost) online after our house move, and are now based in sunny Brighton. So the blog has a new name, not least because I was getting a bit tired of the old one. It also has a new URL (islingwordstreet.com), though lewes.typepad.com will still work.
Unintentionally suggestive comic book covers
Via Popbitch. Link not safe for work.
You are in a maze of twisting policies, all alike
Remember those text-based adventure games? You know “Get sandwich” and all that? Now you can play one as the President of the United States. (via MeFi)
GDB: Benjamin Franklin
Inspired by Virtual Stoa’s Dead Socialist Watch, I’ve decided to start a regular feature commemorating the birthdays of the great figures of democracy.
And first up is Benjamin Franklin who was born 300 years ago today. Read about him at Wikipedia. Among other achievements, he founded the first independent colonial newspaper, the New England Courant, and was involved in the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
Hikikomori
The New York Times magazine has an interesting feature on hikikomori – the ‘shut-in’. These are Japanese teenagers (usually) who lock themselves in their room, away from human contact for years or decades. Is it a culture-specific phenomenon (like anorexia in the West), or could the same thing happen here?
Saving the Post Office
An article in the Washington Post describes how the US Postal Service is tackling problems similar to those that Royal Mail is facing.
The High Weald on the TV
Janina from the High Weald AONB organisation emails to say that the High Weald will be featured on regional documentary show Inside Out on 30 January. The show, which will air at 1930, shows pigs returning to one of the old sunken droves near Wadhurst.
These boots were made for walking
In London and want to avoid pollution? Walk – but whatever you do, don’t take a taxi.
People power!
Spotted on the Bluebell Railway in Sussex – Hudson’s soap is for the
people, unlike those other soaps that are for the
Establishment, for the Church or perhaps for Aston Villa.
Download img_1954.JPG
