Very clever video with a good message:

Sex offenders could be forced to register their e-mail addresses and chatroom names, the government says.

This has got to be the stupidest idea I’ve heard for a while and a prime example of the illusion of security as often explained by Bruce Schneier. In real life it is tricky but not impossible to fake an identity. But online a new “identity” (email address or chat nickname) can be created in seconds. Plus, what is this supposed system that would be screen all of these people? How soon would that system’s powers be abused for “law enforcement” purposes or the database get leaked/stolen? There are some real technological geniuses manning the pumps somewhere in our government…

Christmas at my parents with Kerry was great fun. We managed to get down there without any transport troubles. My Granny was also there, so that made it a ‘proper’ family event. I got some very nice pressies: chocolate, whisky, books, DVDs. Thank you to everyone for all of them. Christmas dinner was both beef and turkey with all the usual veg and stuff. My sister and her boyfriend had made starters and put on a great finger buffet style spread of Italian meats and mozzarella, Indian bites with cucumber dip and melon balls and prawn cocktail. Kerry and I had agreed to make trifle for desert. We’d got all the sponge, fruit and jelly done (and set) the night before but when we came to add the custard it wouldn’t set, even after about six hours in the fridge! We just served it in the kitchen and said it was quite as firm as we’d liked… I think we got away with it as everyone seemed to enjoy it. When we’d finished dinner, we all looked at the clock and noticed that dinner had taken six hours! Now that’s what I call a meal.

Disaster struck on the way back into Edinburgh. We had loads of bags to carry and I managed to leave one of them in the taxi we got back to the flat. It had my digital camera, ipod, scarf, latest copy of Edge and some of my Mum’s christmas cake in it! Doh! I immediately noticed but the taxi had already disappeared around the corner. Raced up to the flat and called around all of the black cab companies but heard nothing back. I reported it lost the next day but still haven’t heard anything Looks like I’ll need to claim on our household insurance.

Kerry and I are off to my parents today for three days of festive cheer and present giving and receiving. Hopefully the fog/leaf/flood bound UK transport system can get us there in one piece, with more luck than Nick & Steinunn.

Shawn Brown is a Cartographer. He draws maps, awesome maps. If I could have a vast, dramatic change in career I’d be a cartographer (or maybe a steam train driver). I’ve always been fascinated by maps, their construction and just sitting pouring over one. My Dad made sure I could map read and navigate from an early age and has a rather large collection of Ordnance Survey maps as well as an interest in surveying and drawing plans of abandoned underground workings. OS maps are very, very nice but it is a shame the licensing issues are such a mess in the UK. If map data was licensed like the USA then I’m sure we wouldn’t have the quality of maps that we do, but would the openness overcome that?

Pirate Hip Hop with a stop-motion animated video. Need I say more?

Kerry and I are off on a wee break to sunny Whitby tomorrow for a couple of days. Expect a slew of piratey/sea-side photos when we get back

Update: Here are the photos

Yesterday was the wedding of our friends Ian & Jenn. It was an excellent day, superbly well organised and we can’t thank them enough for inviting Kerry and I. I took lots of pictures and a few are up on Flickr.

An advert tartgeted at gamers?