It didn’t take long, did it?
After years of warnings by journalists, particularly Karlin Lillington in The Irish Times and on her weblog, there is finally an (excellent) editorial in today’s Irish Times detailing the repressive data retention laws slipped past an almost empty Dáil some time ago. The Irish Times is unfortunately behind a paywall, [...]

Currently, half of Sweden’s nuclear reactors are idle, but it’s not because of the 1980 referendum in which Swedish citizens asked for a nuclear phase out plan and a switch to renewable energies (f.ex. the state-owned Vattenfall utility is investing $1 billion in wind and wants to build Northern-Europe’s biggest wind farm), but because of [...]

“Novell Linux has just released this amazing technology demonstration video showing off some of the new features of their impressive operating system. While Windows Vista takes about 500MB to boot this Linux technology can run on almost any hardware.”
Novell Linux 10 xgl - Google Video
The demonstration video is over 12 minutes long, but just to [...]

This is the 150th Anniversary of the birth of George Bernard Shaw.
See the Wikipedia entry on Shaw

If you’re feeling low, have a look at this magnificent Killer Whale and its trainer on YouTube.

Kilkenny Labour councillor Seán O hArgáin has started a petition to save the RTÉ Radio 1 arts programme Rattlebag. Signatories are also pitching for John Kelly’s eclectic Mystery Train, which is also facing the axe. You can add your signature here
via Sinéad’s Sigla Blog, via StellaNova

That you might live in interesting times is an old Chinese curse. These, however, are extraordinary times, and if you want confirmation of it just read the following articles.
First Officer Publicly Resists War
Was the 2004 Election Stolen?

My Blood on the Daisies

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. Declan Kiberd analyses the downside of the property boom, where you’ll have to drive further to get your petrol and to bring your children to school.
But the wider implications of untrammelled development have not yet been considered by the government or economic planners as the [...]

Economist Held a Mirror to Society - New York Times

“The Affluent Society” appeared in 1958, making Mr. Galbraith known around the world. In it, he depicted a consumer culture gone wild, rich in goods but poor in the social services that make for community. He argued that America had become so obsessed with overproducing [...]

Further to a conversation I had with friends yesterday, revolving around a new project (says he mysteriously), I sent out some links to them last night.
I thought maybe I’d put them here, too.
Ubuweb
Note the Becket plays at bottom of page, but this is a huge site - see
artist index in menu.
SHEEBA RECORDS: [...]