DRM (Digital Rights Management, or possibly Damaging Rights Management since it means I never buy downloadable music online) doesn’t work. No, really?
“In an open letter on the Apple website, Mr Jobs argues that the copy protection software used to protect digital music downloads from piracy has not worked.” BBC
In other news, snow tonight! The duck pond was nearly frozen over this morning, poor birds had to walk on top of the water like a flock of feathered Jesus.

Surely no shock?
“Women are failing to sell their IT skills effectively

research shows that over half (54 per cent) feel they need proof of qualifications to reinforce their experience whereas their male counterparts would simply talk their way into new jobs and projects.

An investigation by Computing (Computing, 18 January) found women working in the IT industry still feel they need to outperform their male counterparts to achieve the same level of success.”
But is that perception or is that reality? Either way, no wonder this is happening:
“The number of female IT workers is declining, representing just 16 per cent of the industry compared with 19 to 21 per cent in 2000 according to figure released last year by IT trade association Intellect, despite government and industry initiatives to attract women to the profession. ” Computing

Random article from The Age on pale Australians. I’m really not sure whether it’s for or against, but the author still seems to talk about ‘pale’ people as if they’d made an effort to be pale. It doesn’t seem to occur to people that it’s not something you really get a choice over – I can be pink or white, but I can’t be golden or brown.
Ah well. I came all the way to England, the land of the pasty, and I’m still one of the palest people I’ve ever met.

Very short review: last night I saw Kneehigh Theatre’s excellent production of Cymbeline and enjoyed myself to much I’d go see anything else they did without bothering with published reviews.

Clive James, my hero

I think I’ve always had a mild intellectual challenge on him and in a way it’s nice to acknowledge the previous generations of Australians who shaped the UK as we know it now.
He’s about to start a podcast on the BBC, and has a website (though I wouldn’t have called it ‘the first personal multimedia extravaganza of its type anywhere in the world’): “His impressive multi-media website, which acts as a one-stop shop for much of his work, may encourage other broadcasters and writers to follow suit. There is work by James and his favourite authors, plus webcasts of dozens of interviews conducted in his living room with the likes of Julian Barnes, Martin Amis and Cate Blanchett.”