Yet another Facebook contender

I meant to write about the problems with Facebook alternatives quite a while back, as there are many many problems with Facebook (and indeed all social media platforms) but so far no platform addresses them all or indeed very many of them. However the news that “Anonymous” are launching a Super-private social network is an excellent excuse to revisit the topic. As they’re in the news and the new kid on the block I’m going to use them as an example of how difficult the problems of online social network platforms actually are, all of the complaints and criticisms I … Continue reading

The Irony of Runnymede

Spiked have been running an excellent series of articles and held a fantastic talk in the run up to the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. The video of the talk is well worth your time to watch, and I’d say they’ve probably done a better job of celebrating the anniversary than the Magna Carta 800th group who have all sorts of sponsorship but who even at this late hour are still saying: “An official ceremony to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta will take place on Runnymede Meadows on 15 June 2015. Surrey County Council and … Continue reading

Medic-alert not exactly a radical idea

Today I witnessed what could only be described as a furious shitstorm via my lesser used Facebook feed. It contains a vast majority of highly opinionated, self-righteous do-gooders and as such I tend to avoid checking in and reading it. But today was not one of those days and I logged in to find a steady stream of outrage regarding the comments made by Chamali Fernando, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Cambridge. For those who haven’t yet read the story, it can be read here: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/calls-for-conservative-parliamentary-candidate-chamali-fernando-to-stand-for-saying-mentally-ill-people-could-wear-wristbands-10176267.html And here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-england-32299433 And also here: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge-candidates-clash-claims-people-mental/story-26329803-detail/story.html You get the gist. Almost every article almost … Continue reading