A mother’s milk

08/02/2010 — efan78

OK, I want to start with full disclosure, just in case anyone stumbles on this post and hasn’t read any of my other posts, or has never met me. I’m gay and have NO sexual interest in breasts whatsoever. I do however care very much for a friend of mine – Gill.

Gill is an administrator over on a Facebook group called “Hey Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene” which has nearly 250,000 members – that’s 1/4 million people!

With just a cursory glance at the wall of this group, as well as the huge variety of topics discussed in  the discussions it’s easy to see that this is a hugely supportive network that has developed in an organic way. But the problems have started, I recently saw an update by Gill that mentioned Facebook were starting to block the accounts of the admins.

To be truly honest, my opinion on the breast v bottle debate is that I couldn’t care less (sorry Gill!) actually, it’s not that I don’t care, I do however feel that it is entirely a mother’s choice, and that this should be an informed one.  But the discussion is seen as unsuitable in general company, whereas the internet is the perfect place for this sort of discussion – the group can reach and help millions of people, linking to resources and make a one-stop place for anyone with questions.

Looking at the way that Facebook is handling this group I wonder if they realise just how much power that they wield?  Google, MySpace, Microsoft, AOL – all these companies have had to face up to scrutiny because of the way that they have approached the information age.  Facebook wasn’t originally designed for the huge numbers of people that use it daily and the recent changes to its interface and privacy policies just show how the team are desperately trying to keep up with the huge expansion.  But they seem to be concentrating more on monetising the platform at the moment, making it more of a challenger to twitter and Google than allowing the community (which is the heart of the site) to develop the networks that they need.

Facebook, be very careful with the way you’re handling this, 250 THOUSAND people is a lot of voices.  And we’ve seen difficulties before, the mighty have fallen and been replaced – just as you replaced MySpace – there’s another social network out there.  It might not be big, it might not even be beyond the concept stage just yet, but it’s out there.  And you need to be ready for it.  You need to work out a way to balance the needs of your users with the money of your sponsors and advertisers.

But most of all – you need to listen!

Photo: Alexander Tundakov

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App Review: UltimateFaves PRO

30/01/2010 — efan78

This is a post that I’ve been meaning to write for ever such a long time but never got round to.  As you may know (if you’ve ever read this blog before or seen my twitterstream) I love my Android phone – and it’s apps like UltimateFaves PRO that explain that love.

Now, I need to start off with a bit of a disclosure, Lior – the fantastically responsive dev behind UltimateFaves PRO, did forward me an email to join the affiliate programme for the app, I haven’t joined and don’t intend to for two reasons.  One: You know that this is a completely true record of how I feel about the app – I’m not making any money from this and have bought the product myself, and two: I haven’t done any work whatsoever on the application and so I truly feel that Lior deserves every penny, cent or whatever denomination you pay.

Android Market QR Code for UltimateFaves (free)

Now, unfortunately – because the Android Market isn’t worldwide just yet – UltimateFaves PRO can’t be obtained directly from the market – but you can at least download the free taster version ‘UltimateFaves’ and try it out.  If you want to support the app after that, or realise just how great it is and want to increase the number of carousels you can use, have a look at Lior’s UltimateFaves Blog and buy using PayPal.

Don’t forget, when you send it to your phone you’ll need to allow your phone to install non-market applications.  (Yes iPhone users – we’re not tied to just the one marketplace – that’s the idea of an Open OS! ;-P)  You can do this by going to: Settings > Applications > Tick the ‘Unknown sources’ box > Click on OK.

Now I’m sure you’re asking yourself “why would I want to download it?”  Well, it’s quite simple – UltimateFaves allows you to create scrolling carousels of your favourite apps that scroll around in a visually pleasing way.  You can also create shortcuts to those carousels on your home screen (a bit like folders) which means you’re never more than a click, swipe, click, away from your programmes.

Now, as I’ve rooted my phone and use apps to SD this really helps me – with over 125 apps in my phone it can get a bit unwieldy – but UltimateFaves means that I can keep all my Office-type applications on one carousel, system apps on another, games on a third and more!

But wait… UltimateFaves PRO doesn’t stop there – contacts, bookmarks, phone direct dials can all be added too.  The latest version even includes the facility to create a carousel of currently running apps and with a long click either shut them down or uninstall them without having to go to the market or manage applications in settings.  (Yes iPhone users – I know you don’t need this facility – that’s because you only ever have one app running! Bwahaha!)

Now, a little background, when it was released the app ran as a straightforward application but that wasn’t good enough for the market and they demanded widgets.  I didn’t know how it could be done but Lior figured out a way.  Of course, as we all know – widgets slow down your home screen.  But then the Android team released v1.6 – which allows the creation of shortcuts directly to parts of an app, so Lior stepped in and included this in a newer version.  As I said earlier – he’s really responsive and you can tell that he has a passion for the application that he’s developed.

I’m really interested to see where the app’s heading – to be honest, I felt that Lior could quite easily have sat on his laurels as it was, and yet he continues to make UltimateFaves PRO do things that I never knew I wanted but now I need!

And I’m sure you’ll feel the same.

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I’ve crossed to the red side

24/01/2010 — efan78

Yes, it is with a heavy heart that I have left my current broadband provider for beardy Branson’s baby.  After updating my PC last year and getting a new Laptop, along with my G1, Andy’s laptop, Sam’s laptop and the Wii (as well as Lee’s PS3 when he brings it over) I began to notice that the broadband wasn’t as robust as it had been.

I used all the tricks to get a better signal into the router – changing the microfilters, moving the router to the Master socket, rebooting it regularly, but it just wasn’t enough.

Don’t get me wrong, the service that I received from the team over at BE broadband was fantastic.  In fact, I’m following them over on twitter and will continue to do so.  My second account (which we set up for Andy’s mum) is also going to be kept, although with the updates to their prices I think the lower package may be the best for her.  There’ll be no difference in speed but if she exceeds the 40GB/month limit I’ll be wondering just what it is she’s doing with her computer!

I really like BE.  The team in their technical support and accounts call centres are fantastic.  They pitch their advice to the level you’re at, simple and straightforward for those who aren’t techie.  Slightly moreso for those who are, and I’m sure if you were some sort of l33t H@XX0r – they’d be able to match you acronym for acronym.  As a call centre worker I think the highest praise I can give them is that I don’t care that they’re not based in the UK.  Well, actually I do!  If they were I’d have applied for a job ;-D

They give the impression that they’re a small company who values it’s customers – and value each and every one of those customers.  They arrange socials, meetings and even conference calls to discuss changes to the service.  They are truly everything I look for in a company.

So why do you want to leave?  I’m sure you’re asking.

It’s simple and has nothing whatsoever to do with BE.  The simple answer is BT.

For years BT had a complete monopoly on telephone services, competition didn’t exist and any that did was swiftly quashed (anyone remember the Mercury button?) But the powers that be decided to break that monopoly (and quite rightly so).  But the problem is – like the gas companies with Transco – new broadband and telephone companies have to use BT Openreach and its outdated copper wires.  This means that they just can’t offer the speeds that we need in this always on, always connected world, because BT can’t keep up – never mind get ahead of the game for the future.

So, it is with a heavy heart that I have swallowed my dislike for Richard Branson and his awful media-pandering ways and gone to Virgin Media for my Broadband.  I’ve been assured that I’ll be able to get 18-20Mb through the fibre-optic cable that allegedly runs into my house, and I’ve also been told that they aren’t running a fair usage policy any more.  But we’ll wait to see.

In the meantime my advice to you is this.  If you’re not in a cable area, or the speed that you can get down a BT line is good enough for you then I urge you to look at BE.  Their customer service is second to none and they’re the company that Branson wants us to think Virgin are.  But if it’s speed you need then I’m afraid you’re going to have to head to the red too.  Sorry!

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The iPhone Rumours have started earlier this year…

24/01/2010 — efan78

OK, I posted this over on my Posterous account the other day as it was just a quick post, but now I’ve got the time to neaten it up here we go:

Taken from Geek.com(via geek.com)

Ah! The iPhone rumours start to congeal yet again into a bland blah blah of things that other companies are already doing but Apple’ll take credit for the wonderful work *sigh*

Actually, I’m seeing at least a couple of things that people were talking about last year when I wrote “What’s so great about the iPhone?”

And just like I did then I can honestly say the only things that even look vaguely interesting here are Dual Core and a 64Gb NAND Memory.

I mean, seriously, Apple fanbois are truly getting excited over a Removable Battery, 5M Camera, LED Flash and Contacts on the home screen, have they seen the Droid/Milestone or the Nexus One? RFID? – Nokia were doing that back in 2008!

Oh, but don’t forget – Apple are expected to allow multitasking (*sigh* Android/Blackberry/Palm) and are planning to release their own maps produced using a start up company that they bought last year (so that’s blatantly going to be better than Google Maps, Microsoft Earth, etc… who’ve thrown millions into this for years).

I said it last May, and I’ll say it again, if this is the best they can do then they’ve run out of steam and need to step aside. And until people start actually looking at what’s available rather than bleating along behind the rest of the sheep that like the iPhone ‘because that’s what’s cool’ – Apple won’t bother – they’ll just let everyone else do the innovating and then trample all over them.

I’m beginning to think that Microsoft isn’t the big bad any more :-D

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BA Cabin Crew Strike – My opinion

16/12/2009 — efan78

ba_logoI left my job at British Airways nearly 3 months ago now as part of the voluntary redundancy packages that the company was offering.  Even then there was a feeling throughout the company that we were experiencing the most difficult times that the airline had ever faced.  I worked at BA through the 11 September tragedy and subsequent closing of US Airspace for over a week.  It was a dark time then and the “Future size and shape” plan that the then CEO Rod Eddington had to implement made things feel even worse.

But the airline pulled together, all the staff looked at what they could do to help and stood together, truly united in helping each other and the company that we loved to survive.  This included some silly things like turning off the fountains in the outdoor smoking area and not providing disposable cups for the water fountains.  But, as Tesco knows, every little helps.

This recession however has been even more difficult for British Airways.  This time the company is faced with the low-cost airlines (who have a completely different business model) as well as video-conferencing, the growth of the Internet & Web 2.0 and mobile technology, all of which reduce the need for travelling around the world to do business.

As background, my role at British Airways (when I left) was in the Customer Relations department.  My role was to deal with customers who wrote, called or emailed in to the company about their experience.  Many of these contacts were complaints about many different aspects of the service, but we did what we could to help customers and make things better.

All across the airline staff have been asked to take Voluntary Unpaid Leave, Voluntary Unpaid Work, cuts in bonuses, reductions in working hours, changes to core hours and anything else that they can do to help.  We accepted as many of these as we could – because we knew that it was vital that we help the company to raise as much cash as possible in the short term, and that we work smarter in the long term.  The Flight Crew accepted it, Engineers accepted it, Ground staff accepted it, the contact centres accepted it.  The only people who seem to have had a problem for the last 9 months have been the Cabin Crew.  unite_logo

In times like this it seems that the crew have forgotten that British Airways trades on the view that people have of it.  BA is a long standing company that is very often in the public eye.  The British public have a passion for BA and feel strongly about the way that it runs.  From many of the people that I spoke to many of them feel personally let down when things go wrong.  They feel personally invested in the company and they want to see it succeed.  But the problem is that a 12 day strike, AT CHRISTMAS, will cause a huge drop in public support.  This will lead to less people feeling confident in the airline, and ultimately less passengers.

Tony Woodley, Unite and the crew – listen to the feedback you’re getting from your customers, listen to the swell of public support for Willie Walsh and the BA management team, listen to your colleagues who are also going through huge changes to ensure that you all have jobs.  Remember that over 40,000 people also work for the same company and this selfish stamping of your feet will trample on their toes and may – in the end – cost you all your jobs.

You’re well off at BA, believe me – I’ve only been working outside the company for 3 months but I can see just how well off I was there, the management do care for your opinion – but they can’t just think of you.  Now is the time for BA to reshape itself for the future.  Because in its middle age shape that it is now it just can’t support itself.

Please, just think about what you’re doing.

Ethan

Team Willie

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National Bullying Week

19/11/2009 — efan78
www.areyoubeingbullied.com

www.areyoubeingbullied.com

So, a little Birdie tells me that this week (16-20 November) is National Anti-Bullying Week.  This little birdie is called Percy the Pigeon and he supports the fantastic BullyingUK in their hard work to help people who are affected by bullying.  Now there has been a lot of discussion in the media about cyber-bullying over the past couple of days and I’m no expert, but I just wanted to say.  If you read this (I know there’s not many people that do, but if you fall on this post by accident!) and you’re being bullied then know that you’re not alone.

There are a load of resources available online and offline for you.  If you’re a member of a social networking site and feel intimidated or bullied then remember that most sites have a safety policy or some way to deal with harassment.  Bebo’s report button has been quite widely publicised but, while Bebo’s big, it hasn’t got the same coverage as the big three.  So, if you want to know what Facebook, MySpace and twitter do about this sort of thing then the links above will take you straight to their safety pages.

But we know that bullying often doesn’t just take place online.  It’s not uncommon for bullies to bully a target in person and then carry this on through new technology.  This can be through your mobile phone, and BullyingUK has a great article about what to do if you’re being bullied by phone.  The thing to remember though is this:

It’s not your fault.  You don’t deserve to be bullied and have every right to feel safe.

If you, or anyone you know is being bullied then speak to an adult who you trust.  This can be a parent, teacher, another family member, school counsellor, police officer, anyone that is there for you.  If you feel unsure then remember that Childline is available throughout the UK.  If you call from a landline then the calls are free.  The number is 0800 1111.  Remember though, you are never alone.  There are lots of people out there who’ve been bullied at some point in their lives.  I talked about my experiences a few months ago.  But do you know what?  We got through it and made a success of our lives – and so can you!

But bullying doesn’t only happen to young people.  Adults can experience it too, at work, at home, out with friends.  And it can sometimes feel even more difficult.  But there are resources available for adults too. BullyOnLine have some great resources for adults so, if you’re being bullied have a look.  And if you don’t know whether you’re being bullied then have a look at this list.

To sum up I have to quote my little feathered friend because: Percy Says “Stay Safe in Cyberspace”

Download the widget stay safe in cyberspace – National anti-bullying week 2009
more widgets at Widgadget at widgets community!

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My Android top ten

15/11/2009 — efan78

Inspired by the release of the Droid and the expected influx of new Android users the guys over at Phandroid have just released 5 x top ten application lists for newcomers to the Android platform.  Now, I mentioned a few a while back but that was before I bothered to root my phone, and get soooo much more from it than I ever imagined!!!

So I thought I’d revisit the subject and have a look for my top ten applications – you know – the ones that I just HAVE to have loaded and running.  Although with the number of apps being released this is probably out of date before I even post it :-D

Android top tenMy first recommendation to anyone who’s new to Android is to get root access – it’s such a lifesaver and believe me, the difference between the way that Android works as provided and when rooted is amazing.  Firstly it’s quicker, the modders (developers who create front ends for rooted phones) spend most of their time tweaking the code to make it faster, you can also “over-clock” your phone too – this means that the phone works harder, of course it also means that your phone won’t last as long (think of it as making your phone run or jog everywhere instead of walking – it’ll get tired more quickly).  But considering the average phone life that won’t make too much of a difference.  You can also get hold of themes for your phone without downloading a Home Replacement app (like aHome, dxTop or Openhome).  Don’t get me wrong, I loved aHome when I was using it, but it did slow my phone down somewhat!

If you choose to root then I can state categorically that Cyanogenmod’s versions are fantastic, quick, easy to use and with so many great little touches it just makes the standard GUI look pathetic!

So, my top ten “must have” apps that I can’t leave off my phone…

1. Twidroid - Okay, I don’t know if you’re on twitter or not, but if you are then Twidroid is pretty much the app to beat.  All the other twitter apps are compared to this one, just check the market!  It’s not without its frustrations but the great thing is that they’re constantly releasing updates and listen to their customers.  If you’re not on twitter then I’d like to recommend that you join it, you can get updates from AndriodGuys.com (@androidguyscom), AndroidAndMe.com (@AndroidAndMe), ForceClose.com (@ForceClose) and others!

2. GReader Notifier – It’s an old app now and not without its problems (the email story function doesn’t seem to work and other little things like that) but it uses the standard Google Reader interface so you know exactly what you’re looking at – there are a lot of things that I’d like to have in it but it’s very functional and does all that I need!  (See – I can tell the difference between need and want – just like I NEED a Vega! ;-P)

3. Documents to Go – There are a few apps out there that cover Office-type things but I haven’t been able to find one that holds a candle to Docs2Go.  It covers everything that I need, full editing (yes, including formatting etc…) covering Word, Excel and PowerPoint up to 2007 and a simple way to forward it – I use it regularly when out jobhunting and the like to send on my CV (and I can alter it to match the job that I’m applying for!)

4. K-9 Mail – I have a G-Mail account (obviously!) and it’s ideal for me to use as my personal email address, but (for the aforementioned job-searching) I also set up a separate personal email address using my own domain, and couldn’t stand the built in email app.  Thankfully the open source community out there had the solution – K-9, it’s everything you need in an email system including (my favourite little function) – Signatures!  (Did you hear that Google – Signatures, give me signatures on my phone goddamit!)

5. AniWidget - I mentioned this over on ForceClose.com, it’s a multi-function widget with an Analog clock, digital clock, calendar, to do list, agenda, weather app, and the obligatory flashlight, mute, wi-fi and airplane mode toggle you get a lot of bang for your buck, and it all fits into a tiny 2×2 or 4×2 widget – leaving you loads of space for shortcuts and other widgets.

6. UltimateFaves – Yes, you could just add a bunch of folders to your desktop, but the thing that UltimateFaves have over simple folders is quite simple – look at it – it’s way cooler!  Whoosh!

7. 3Banana – It’s still my favourite notes app, yes I’ve downloaded (and bought) other note taking apps (like Note Everything) but I still come back to 3banana.  You can jot down a quick note, sync it to the web, share it with your friends via a URL or QR Code, they can add notes to it you can add URLs, embedded images/YouTube videos, hashtag labelling.  It really is everything I’ve found I’ve needed!

8. TuneWiki - This is a great application that allows you to listen to your music that you’ve loaded onto your phone, it scrobbles with your Last.fm account and also has last.fm and Shoutcast radio support.  But its unique selling point?  It makes your Android phone a mini karaoke machine thanks to the lyrics being shown on screen in time with the music!  Oh, and there’s even a little map showing what people nearby are listening to.

9. AddressBook – It’s currently in beta and a little buggy but I love this – it’s the first app that I’ve found that brings together all your contacts in one place, it links your address book contacts (phone/mobile/email) with twitter, Facebook, YouTube and more and aggregates them together in one place.  Want to drop someone a message?  Just open Addressbook and you can check their Facebook account to see what they’re up to.  Was that not updated recently? Send them a tweet!  If they’re not on twitter drop them a text to find out what they’re up to then send them an email with the details of that nightclub you want to meet at.  And all of these are stored in your call history!  It’s really got potential and I can’t wait to see where they’re going to take it next!

10. Camera ZOOM FX/Photo BURST – Hmm, does this count as cheating? Adding 2 apps in one place? Well, if it does, tough! ;-P Camera ZOOM FX is the way that the camera should have been set up, with effects, 3x Zoom and loads of fab little add ons it’s the perfect way to customise your photos as much as you’ve customised your phone, and Photo BURST? It’s the Gallery to show off your Camera ZOOM (what’s with all the capital letters!?!) creations.

10.1 (bugger it – I’ve already broken the top ten app rule anyway!) beebPlayer – It’s only really of any use to UK Android owners so it doesn’t count towards my top-ten – honest!  But if you want to watch the iPlayer on your phone then this is the bunny for you!

OK, so, if this ever gets read by someone who’s just got themselves an Android phone I just have to say.  ”Welcome to the fold, you have in your hand one of the most fantastic pieces of tech you could ever own, the possibilities are almost limitless and you have my permission to walk up to anyone you see with an iPhone and say ‘Baaa!’ then run away laughing like a loon!”

I hope this will be at least a little bit of use to someone, and if it isn’t then I’m sorry for wasting your time!

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Why am I so anti-Apple?

14/11/2009 — efan78

Apple LogoI know I seem to spend a lot of time getting annoyed with Apple, and in particular their marketing and I’m sure that some people will wonder why.  Even if you’re not wondering I’m going to tell you anyway!

I had an epiphany the other day.  There are two companies which, while they seem to be the darlings of the public, I absolutely hate.  And I’ve realised that they have a lot in common.  The companies are Apple and Virgin.

Both companies have some fantastic products and have been truly successful in their chosen fields.  Both companies have made truly innovative products and led the way in so many different ways, but my problem is that they are whiners.

Rather than use their industry leading workforces and ideas to compete with established brands (or continue to innovate in those areas where they are the leaders), the management team of both Apple and Virgin seem to prefer belittling their competition and “stamping their feet” when someone comes out with something better, or work harder at achieving their goals.  They also both have a very strong idea of what they want as a company and the public just has to accept that this is the way that it is.

Now, I’m no business analyst and what I don’t know about marketing could be written in very big writing across the sky, but this approach does seem to work with some people.  The question is, is it connecting with enough people?  Well, the fact that Apple still only own 12% of the market share and Virgin Atlantic only have 31 Airports listed on their website suggests to me that it isn’t.  While the fans of the respective companies fight their corner vociferously it seems to me that they simply make more noise, but this doesn’t equate to more customers.  So, what do these companies do?

virgin_atlantic_logoWell, Virgin decides to belittle it’s competition and suggest that it be better that they go bust and 40,000 Jobs be lost.  While Apple decides to offer what it’s competitors do too but pretend that it’s new and that only they have it (“There’s an app for that – ONLY on the iPhone” anyone?  All of the things that I mentioned in my “What’s so great about the iPhone?” post.)

I think what makes me annoyed is the fact that I know these companies could do so much and yet they just rest on their laurels.  Now I’ll admit I am most definitely a Google fan, but I think that a big part of this is because, even in this high-tech world where I can’t see a niche that isn’t already filled, they find them.  And they create simple, easy to use solutions.  Until GDocs we were happy to download MS Office or Open Office and either email documents to ourself or store them centrally, now the software’s online and you can edit a word processed document through your browser.  Want to keep a calendar/appointment diary, Outlook and Lotus Notes were the two main ways of doing this for businesses (or they’re the ones that I’ve had dealings with) but with GCal you were able to create an event quickly, simply – and because it was online and tied in with your GMail and Maps it just worked.  And now we have Google Wave.  I’ve had a play around with it and, although it’s not much use for me at the moment, I can see situations where it would be and am watching how it grows with interest!

Image taken from http://www.ryebrye.com/blog/

Image taken from http://www.ryebrye.com/blog/

And then there is my beloved Android.  I’ll be the first to admit – I’m a geek.  When the iPhone was released I lusted after it, I lusted so hard.  But I waited, something about it didn’t feel right.  And then came the backlash – so many things that were found to be wrong with the iPhone.  There were so many “design over function” decisions that Apple made and I knew that I’d made the right choice.  Then Google announced that it would lead the Open Handset Alliance in creating Android – an Open Source operating system.  This was what I had waited for.  Now I could have a phone that gave me all of the advantages of the iPhone (internet connectivity, smartphone capabilities, apps etc…) BUT it was open source.  This meant that anyone could amend the code and make the phone do what they wanted.  Now, I’m not in any way a programmer and there’s no way that I could do it, but I was sure that someone would, and to date I haven’t been disappointed!

And of course, because it was led by Google that meant that my GMail, GCal maps and everything else all just fitted in, in my hand, without a problem – even my contacts could all be synced online – making it simple to keep on top of contacts and not being scared of losing my phone.  (Well, not for that reason anyway!)

Yes all the Apple fans talk about the fact that they can jailbreak their phones.  But this is frowned upon, and if Apple get their way – illegal.  Now I suppose you could talk about the cease and desist order Google served on Cyanogenmod but that was simply Google protecting their own closed source apps which have been closely tied to Android.  The whole point is that you can do whatever you like with Android – and that’s why I love it!

Maybe I’m on my own, then again, let’s see what the internet thinks:

What Does The Internet think about Apple?What Does The Internet think about Google

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Privacy? Not in a “Free” Democracy!

11/11/2009 — efan78
Taken from http://skew.dailyskew.com

Taken from http://skew.dailyskew.com

Sorry it’s taken so long to write another post – I have a few half-started articles that I just haven’t got round to finishing but I had to say something about this.

I don’t know if you remember, but back in April Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, announced an idea that she and the Government wanted to put in place.  Basically, she wanted official and Government bodies to be able to have access to your communication details.  This means your telephone calls, emails, websites that you visit, text and picture messages, basically ANY electronic communication that you might make.  This information would be stored by your telecommunications provider for a year and could be accessed by any one of 653 public bodies without a court order or judges permission, any senior official can grant it.

43 police forces in England & Wales, 8 police forces in Scotland, Police Service of Northern Ireland, British Transport Police, Port of Liverpool Police, Port of Dover Police, Royal Military Police, Royal Air Force Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Ministry of Defence Police, Royal Navy Police, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, Serious Organised Crime Agency, Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, United Kingdom Border Agency and The Prison Service as well as approximately 474 local authorities throughout the UK and approximately 110 *other* public authorities, including almost all government departments, including the Serious Fraud Office, Independent Police Complaints Commission, Charity Commission, Gambling Commission and Royal Mail to name only a few.

This would include 43 police forces in England & Wales, 8 police forces in Scotland, Police Service of Northern Ireland, British Transport Police, Port of Liverpool Police, Port of Dover Police, Royal Military Police, Royal Air Force Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Ministry of Defence Police, Royal Navy Police, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, Serious Organised Crime Agency, Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, United Kingdom Border Agency and The Prison Service as well as approximately 474 local authorities throughout the UK and approximately 110 *other* public authorities, including almost all government departments, including the Serious Fraud Office, Independent Police Complaints Commission, Charity Commission, Gambling Commission and Royal Mail to name only a few.  (Taken from the No2ID website)

The rise in popularity of the show Big Brother seems to have desensitised people from the origins of the concept.  In 1984 Big Brother was the leader of The Party who controlled the continent of Oceania.  The people were controlled by the Ministry of Truth (MiniTrue) through selective changes to the news (wiping stories containing unpersons etc…) and through telescreens.  The telescreens were almost like televisions that not only transmitted information but also had a camera could be viewed.  The telescreens were in every house and (to quote 1984):

There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live — did live, from habit that became instinct — in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized. – George Orwell 1984

This legislation is exactly the same concept, the Government can plug in to your information whenever they want, they can see who you’ve spoken to, when and for how long, they can see when you went online and what websites you visited, and they can even see who you’re emailing.  And the reason for this?  To protect us all from Terrorism.  In the words of Benjamin Franklin “People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.”

It is up to us, all of us, to stand up for our rights, the Government and Local Authorities have already proved that they can’t be trusted with this sort of power, using the powers they were previously given to spy on litterers and people who forgot to scoop their dog’s poop!

Sure, the Government might try to bring in guidelines to safeguard our privacy, but what will happen when the next Government is elected who change the guidelines “just a little”, and the next one, and the next one.  What about when they decide that the Jews, or the Gays, or those people with disabilities are anathema, and they have a record of your web browsing, they have a record of your calls.  I’m sorry to invoke Godwin’s Law but this IS the thin point of the wedge.

We have to stop this, and we have to do it now.

If you want to know more about this, or want to do something then there’s the CC Jacqui Smith group (who’ve gone a little quiet recently but I’m sure that’ll pick up soon) as well as the No2ID website.  I’d also highly recommend reading the articles by TechnicalBloke.com, or Henry Porter’s excellent article on the subject in the Guardian.


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Reply from the Daily Mail

22/10/2009 — efan78

Yes, after three emails I have finally received the most pathetic response I have ever seen to the emails that I’ve sent.

(For those who haven’t looked a bit further down my original email can be found here, my first chaser here and my second chaser here.)

To: Ethan Kristopher-Hartley
From: managingeditor@dailymail.co.uk
Date: 22/10/2009 17:23:47
Subject: Jan Moir article 

Thank you for your correspondence regarding the Jan Moir article. We
welcome feedback-whether positive or negative – about the paper and our
writers.
Our Columnist’s views have prompted a widespread response and debate, and
as formal complaints have now been taken up by the PCC, we will be
responding to them directly.

However, thank you for taking the trouble to send us your own point of
view.

Yours sincerely,
Managing Editor’s Office

This e-mail and any attached files are intended for the named addressee
only. It contains information which may be confidential and legally
privileged and also protected by copyright. Unless you are the named
addressee (or authorised to receive for the addressee) you may not copy or
use it, or disclose it to anyone else. If you received it in error please
notify the sender immediately and then delete it from your system. Please
be advised that the views and opinions expressed in this e-mail may not
reflect the views and opinions of Associated Newspapers Limited or any of
its subsidiary companies. We make every effort to keep our network free
from viruses. However, you do need to check this e-mail and any attachments
to it for viruses as we can take no responsibility for any computer virus
which may be transferred by way of this e-mail. Use of this or any other
e-mail facility signifies consent to any interception we might lawfully
carry out to prevent abuse of these facilities.
Associated Newspapers Ltd. Registered Office: Northcliffe House, 2 Derry
St, Kensington, London, W8 5TT. Registered No 84121 England.

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