Found magazine on the web contains a lot of fascinating notes and pictures found all over the world. Once you’ve thoroughly checked out the site there are some links to more…

I still have strong concerns about the large number of interactive platforms TV content providers have to write for, which makes it uneconomic to produce content, but at least it looks as if free to view digital TV is not dead as a proposition after the death of ITV Digital. In fact, according to the Guardian, removing the pay component will make the broadcast digital TV signal higher quality and available to more people.

British Telecom has announced a database which will let users register their interest in ADSL in areas not already served, and will publish a threshold indicating how many users are needed to make upgrading the local exchange commercially viable. This will make the process of deciding who gets broadband and who doesn’t much more transparent.

Under Paris run 560 miles of abandoned medieval quarry tunnels. A hapless American freelancer has written a highly entertaining and illuminating story about the ‘cataphiles’ who visit them.4 cash loan advances paydayholiday payment loans month 3 periodloan bblack 3 paydaycash payday advance 6 loancash advance 10 loan payday 7cash payday loan 20 advance cash20 cash payday loan loan advanceadvance searches cash instant loans onlinefree 17 payday 12 loan creditloan payday advance 13 cash online

US media gadfly Michael Wolff (author of the excellent early dotcom book “Burn Rate“) suggests that thanks to the pressure of free music and the fragmentation of taste the music industry will shrink and profits on a huge scale will dry up. He provides an interesting analysis of the effects that the consolidation of the US radio industry and the switch to CDs have had on the music business… Thought provoking.

(Thanks to the often-interesting boing boing for the link).

The New York Times is publishing a weekly digest summarising some of the more entertaining comments from readers in its “Reader’s Opinions” virtual community. This backs up what I have always said – that the best way to encourage user participation (if you are a media organization) is to demonstrate that you are paying attention to it by using it from time to time. Now if it publishes these in the paper as well as online that would be really something…add slvr ringtone to mp3ringtones airtel downloadpolyphonic home alabama ringtone sweetcarter wayne 2 ringtone lilfree nokia ringtone tone 6310iringtones aladdin htmphone alltel ringtone downloadalltel phone music ringtone free Map

Salon reveals Penguin Putnam is running online courses on how to write featuring, among other things, the chance to have 7,500 words from your book read and commented on by an editor. Initially, this was to be an in-house editor but after a blizzard of submissions Penguin has altered the terms to “a professional editor” under Penguin’s supervision.

Of course the advice in the course itself may well be worth the money, but as for paying to get your manuscript noticed, as Geoff Kloske, an editor at Simon & Schuster told Salon, “I find U.S.P.S. is the best way to submit your work to an editor, and last I heard a stamp was 34 cents.”ga sex albany singlesphotos sexy amatureall pornstarsporn alicia machado videorape teens charged with 2002 3vintage 1930s pornameture vudeos sexpregnancy pregnant acclaimed and sex Map

This company has designed a keyboard that you project onto any surface and type on.

It doesn’t seem to me likely to work as well in real life as it does in the pictures on the site but it is nothing if not intriguing. Apparently, it will be available via Siemens for use with its forthcoming Pocket LOOX PocketPC device.

The Register reports that the Government from end of July will allow commercial provision of public Wi-Fi/802.11b networks.

“Previously, public WLANs in the UK could only be set up and used if no money changed hands, and operators were supposed to obtain a Wireless Telegraphy Act licence. However operators will still need a Telecommunications Act licence.”

This move should make it a lot easier not just for companies like Starbucks and BT to offer wireless Internet access but also for non-profit community organizations to make it available without as much red tape.

…the UK Government (or at least the Home Office, which is responsible for domestic security) seems to have finally lost all sense of proportion when it comes to Internet surveillance. Here is the main text of a fax I have just sent to my MP (using this handy site):

I am writing to tell you about a bizarre extension of Internet spying powers that the government seems to be trying to sneak past parliament. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act lets the police, customs and the intelligence services track people’s Internet use without a court order – this is bad enough. But now the Home Office is petitioning to enable a long list of other organizations to snoop as well, including all local authorities and even the post office – “A Universal Service Provider” in the text of the order. This is in the form of a statutory instrument “The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Communications Data: Additional Public Authorities) Order 2002”

Please let me know that you are indeed planning to oppose this and that you will be alerting other MPs to this disproportionate threat to personal liberties.

I appreciate the potential usefulness of Internet surveillance to fighting serious crime, so with some misgivings I was prepared to give the Government the benefit of the doubt when they unveiled the original act, but I can’t imagine why they believe that such a broad range of organizations should be entitled to know who I email and what sites I visit.

If you are in the UK I encourage you to read more about this issue and fax your MP, send them a letter or do whatever else is in your power to stop this misguided legislation.

Thanks to Simon, who nudged me to find out more about the issue.