In the wake of the internet-wide SOPA protests I found this well known quote bouncing around in my head: Eternal vigilance is the price of peace [and liberty] This is a paraphrase of a quote that has been variously attributed to Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and, no doubt, Kim Kardashian at some point or other. (continues...)

Before we go on, take note: this post is in no way about being Childfree, or making reproductive choices, or anything like that. It's merely about the last stages of a flamewar that has been in equal parts entertaining and educational. It's also about a few of the leading players in that flamewar. (continues...)

So this week the world of Perth twitter encountered the #childfree hashtag. Unfortunately I wasn't there right from the beginning but my understanding is that it started when someone tweeted about being #childfree because they had scored a precious few minutes or hours away from their child. Of course, it didn't actually start there as we quickly learned that the #childfree hashtag already 'belonged' to a 'subculture' of tweeters in the US who were using it to proclaim the fact that they didn't have children. (continues...)

Yes, I know I'm not American. And, yes, I know I don't even live in America but let's not allow common sense and straightforward facts get in the way of something as important as me becoming President of the USA. Yes, that's right, I'm announcing my bid today, and I've outlined the key changes I will make once I'm in charge of the greatest biggest USAest country in the world. (continues...)

Let's get one thing clear right from the outset: this isn't a post about Amy Winehouse; it's not a post about her death; nor is it a treatise on her lifestyle. It is, obviously, inspired (is that really the right word?) by her death, but it's really about the subject of addiction. (continues...)

Your first question is, understandably, why on earth did I spent x number of months slaving over a script that I would never have any chance of selling, publishing professionally, or boasting about at cheese and wine parties? Well, there was the obvious reason: I really like The Thing (as in the John Carpenter movie, not That Thing That Tom Hanks Did). (continues...)

If you've kept up with this blog you'll already know of my frustrations with geotarding and overpriced Australian mp3s. If, like me, you think that it's total nonsense that you can order a CD from amazon.co.uk and have it shipped to Australia, but you can't download an mp3 from the same shop, then this article is for you. (continues...)

My last post (30 Days of Stuff: Developing The Story App) produced some really interesting comments, some on the site, and many on twitter - sufficiently interesting, in fact, that I’ve decided they warrant a follow up post. If I could sum up the comments in one thought it would be this: my development process takes the spontaneity out of writing This is not untrue, but it’s borne out of a slight misconception (I think). (continues...)

Those of you who follow me on twitter (which probably accounts for everyone reading this) might remember that I started a new job about six weeks ago: Software Development Team Leader. The job title pretty much explains itself, but one of the first tasks I set myself was to completely rethink the way my team goes about software development. (continues...)

This is what happened yesterday evening: I left work; I did some shopping; I went home; I unpacked the shopping; I considered making a cup of tea. So far this is all very ordinary. While my preferred routine is to bypass the shopping component of the evening and go straight home and have tea, there are times when I have to eat, and there are therefore not indirectly related times when I have to go and do shopping. (continues...)