Why aren’t more people feminists nowadays?
Laurie Penny: Feminism is the one F-word that makes eyes widen in polite company (from this week's New Statesman) The other week, one of my Facebook friends (who has severe ME) wrote that it...
Author: Matthew Smith
Lib Dem associations must act against backdoor Tories
Last week it was reported that the Lib Dem party conference had condemned the government’s plan for “secret courts” (as the BBC describes it, “some civil proceedings held in private for fear of damaging...
Is free speech free, or isn’t it?
Note: Further enquiries reveal that “Bethan Jones” is in fact Beth Tichbourne, and that her offence was not only to hold up the placard mentioned, but also to attempt to scale a barrier. Her...
IDS: More Catholic than the Pope?
The other day, Justin Welby, the new archbishop of Canterbury, defended the welfare system that the present government are busy ripping up, describing it as a duty of a civilised society to support vulnerable...
Hadley Freeman, feminism and intersectionality
Hadley Freeman on Sheryl Sandberg, feminism and intersectionality (from today's Guardian) The above is an article by Hadley Freeman, who is one of the Guardian's fashion columnists who also writes increasingly about feminist issues...
Getting CyanogenMod on the Galaxy Nexus
A month or so ago I bought a second-hand Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone — I had intended to get a Nexus 4, but there were the usual supply problems at the time, and I...
Johnson’s cycling proposals are no substitute for new laws
Boris Johnson’s bold thinking could change the future of London cycling | Environment | guardian.co.uk (also see this in today’s Observer) I’ve been a cyclist since I was a child, although these days I...
How not to market a smartphone (or: How to not market a smartphone)
Recently I’ve been hearing a lot about the newly revamped BlackBerry 10, which has been appearing in various phone shops (shops like Carphone Warehouse as well as the carrier franchises). It’s also appeared on...
Human rights are not just for other people
This Venn diagram by Paul Bernal has been doing the rounds on Twitter, and follows the announcement from the Conservative party that at the next election, their manifesto will include a commitment to changing...
A UKIP geography lesson
In Nigel Farage’s local pub, there are no Ukip activists, ‘just friends’ | Politics | The Observer This “sketch” appears next to a large feature on UKIP and their plans to target northern England...
Ten years on, Nick Cohen celebrates the Iraq invasion with a straw man
Ten years on, the case for invading Iraq is still valid | Nick Cohen | Comment is free | The Observer Ten years ago I participated in the demonstrations in London against the invasion...
City University: Friday prayers are part of campus life
BBC News: University locks Muslim prayer room (video here) Last Friday it was reported that City University in London had locked the room used by Muslim students for Friday prayers, having asked the organisers...
Why might DLA help with your blisters?
This cartoon accompanies a Daily Mail piece which was published today, alleging that people are rushing to claim Disability Living Allowance in the last weeks before it is phased out. Bernadette Meaden has a...
The rush to judgement on Oscar Pistorius
The story of Oscar Pistorius's shooting of his girlfriend has been going on for a week and a half now, and last Friday, after a four-day bail hearing, he was released on bail of...
Fedora 18: Dangerous to your Data
Last month Fedora released the latest version of their Linux distribution, version 18, codenamed "Spherical Cow", a reference to an engineering joke, the main new feature of which is a redesigned installer (still called...
No, you don’t have to go veggie
No more excuses. The only defensible option is to go vegetarian | John Harris | Comment is free | The Guardian The recent meat adulteration scandal (in which horsemeat was found to be present...
Horrible Economics
Terry Deary on Libraries (from the Guardian) Terry Deary (of Horrible Histories fame) thinks bookshops are closing because libraries are cutting their throats by lending out books rather than selling them. Uh, not so...
Linux Mint is Ubuntu. Get over it!
Earlier today I was browsing the latest edition of Linux User & Developer, a British Linux magazine with a more in-depth analytical focus than Linux Format, which concentrates on reviews, tutorials and interviews with...
Cait Reilly and Workfare: some basic maths
Earlier today I was listening to the Eddie Nestor show, an evening news phone-in programme on the BBC London station, which was discussing the Cait Reilly case. Reilly had been told, wrongly it now...
Andrade tragedy is not unique
Sexual abuse victim’s suicide sparks call for review of court procedures | UK news | guardian.co.uk Last week it was revealed that Frances Andrade, the 48-year-old violinist and music teacher who had given evidence...