Google, thanks to its ‘don’t do evil’ policy, may get the most flak for colluding with the Chinese in the oppression of dissidents, but Yahoo! turns out to be the most censorious search engine, while Microsoft doesn’t understand what the fuss is all about. Fortunately, thanks to Amnesty International and the Observer it’s Continue reading →

I feel rather sheepish, but I watched How to Look Good Naked on Tuesday night and as with all programmes with tempting titles (as in lowest common denominator; Katharine made me watch) it was quite boring and I shan’t be tuning in again. Yet I feel moved to comment. It’s not just that Continue reading →

For an update see: Evo Architects’ Mohammed Afaq & anti-social behaviour Mohammed Afaq is a wealthy man. With Abdulaziz Yakub Mohammed Roker, the managing director of successful architectural practice Evo Concepts, can afford to spend £187,000 on a property only to abandon it. On 25 April 2005 Mohammed Afaq and Abdulaziz Yakub Mohammed Continue reading →

The Trafford Centre has something of the would-be Vegas about it. A wonderfully artificial environment where you can sit outside a plastic pub (or dine on McDonald’s) under an always starry sky any time of year. But it is what it is. And I like it for what it is. Today it was Continue reading →

I’ve been fairly quiet this week as I’ve been stalking notebooks on eBay. It was mainly Katharine’s idea; a coffee table laptop for when you want to look something up quickly (on Wikipedia, say) without trooping off to the study. It effectively takes the place of any reference books you might have sitting Continue reading →