So the button that diverts the stream of water from the bathtub spout to the shower failed. I mean, first the top came off, and then the bottom started getting resistant to being pulled up. No problem, says the odd-job guy: replace the tap (faucet, for Americans).

Apparently no one in this country has ever needed to replace a bathtub faucet before. Because, to get at it, once you've turned off the water:

- begin by draping yourself limply over the toilet, which is located right next to the head end of the bathtub with only about a foot in between.

- loosen near side of tap.

- realize that you can't reach the far side of the tap, and even if you could there isn't space to fit the tool you need over the nut to loosen it, and even if you could do that you couldn't get the necessary leverage to turn it.

- *take out the bathtub*. Like I say, apparently no one connected with installing this bathroom had ever considered the possibility that at some point down the echoing corridors of time (thank you, Jean Kerr, for that particular phrase) the faucet might have to be replaced. Apparently none of their bathrooms have ever needed repairs before (of course not, they left town too quick).

- naturally, taking out the bathtub makes a few tiles fall off. One of them broke...

So, to recap. What should have been a simple bathtub faucet replacement now includes reinstalling the tub, redoing all the calking, recementing a bunch of tiles, and then regrouting an entire wall.

And the worst part? There's apparently no way to redesign this so that the *next* person won't have to do it all again the same fractured way.

wg

Some of the people around here cease to astonish me in terms of their rigid ideas about how life is lived. Yesterday afternoon, playin g tennis, case in point. One of the players was getting very hungry, and I said in passing, "Oh, well, fortunately I had a couple of cheese scones and two scrambled eggs for breakfast." It was then about 4pm. "That's a long time ago," she said. "Not really," I said. "I had breakfast at 11:30." She looked at me quite puzzled, and demanded quite seriously, "What did you do until 11:30?"

Um...

wg

Tomorrow early. Back late Friday evening unless I'm blown out to sea in between.

wg

Ages ago I asked in here for advice on how to remove encrusted tea stains from one of those stainless steel mug flask things and got varying resopnses (I ignored the person who said to throw it out because it was too disgusting to drink from).

What's worked fairly well for cleaning it thoroughly every couple of months is denture tablets: three of them left overnight in the mug filled with boiling water.

Today I went to buy a new pack of these things and it occurred to me to look at the ingredients. Number one ingredient: bicarbonate of soda. aka baking soda in the US. I should have known. There's a theory that holds that you can do everything you'll ever need to do in your household with baking soda, vinegar, WD-40, and duct tape. So as an experiment I dumped about 2 Tbsp (US) into the bottom of the mug and filled it most of the way with boiling water. Then because the ingredients also included citric acid, I decided to throw in a little vinegar. Pretty bubbles! I then dumped in a couple more heaping Tbsp of baking soda - more foam! - and filled it the rest of the way up. Came back an hour later and everything just fell out. Quick bruch and even the crevices in the bottom of the mug are spotless and shining.

So now we know.

wg

Tuesday night is recycling and garbage night around here, and I generally remember to take stuff out around 10pm, or sometimes midnight. Each of the last Tuesdays I've seen a fox patrolling the street - he dives into the bushes a couple of houses down when he feels the need. He clearly has got the routine taped, although I'm not sure how much food he can extract from people's garbage - we recycle food waste here, and a lot of us have these bins with locking lids that the council issues for the purpose.

It reminds of two things.

1) The friends in Ithaca who had a similar situation with racoons (who are pretty smart). One garbage night, they gave a party and around 10pm they heard this BAM! BAM! BAM! on their back door. it was the racoons demanding to know where the garbage was.

2) A book I reviewed a few years ago for New Scientist called Wild Nights, about the fact that over time animals that we drove out of their homes are getting less frightened of us and are moving closer to human-occupied areas. ISTR reading earlier in the week, on Google News, that this is becoming more and more true, and that some of these animals are becoming significantly more hostile to humans (a story that's sensational enough to be worth being skeptical of). The book was very good, and worth reading - the detail that sticks in my mind was that racoons have been seen teaching their kits to cross streets safely in Manhattan. Told you they were smart.

wg

Finally downloaded Firefox 3 (always wait until others have debugged software for you). The new address bar is obviously impossible: a) it's gigantic; b) they've changed the algorithm that remembers addresses you've typed so that 1) it pops up all kinds of improbable matches from every address you've ever typed rather than giving you choices with the same first few letters as you type them, and 2) it includes every address in your history, bookmark lists, tags, etc. It makes the address bar more like a mini search engine in its own right.

Firefox has long since trained me to remember the beginnings of addresses I use a lot so I can just type a few letters and hit enter. (You may want to know why I don't simply use a bookmark. Well, because I don't. I find it quicker to do things this way, and I don't have to move off the keyboard to find the mouse.)

So to return it to some semblance of the functionality FF had through version 2:

- Download and install oldbar, which returns the address bar to its FF2 size. Doesn't change the algorithm but vastly improves the look.

- Follow for example these instructions to edit about:config (with great care) to lose the bookmark, tag, and history search. This gets the list of matches down to something less pathologically wrong.

- Retrain your brain. Instead of typing the first few letters of the address you want, type the most unusual combination of characters that appears in it. (This is very similar to the way I game search engines, too.) So, say there's a Web forum you read frequently and a number of topic pages you check in on directly. Instead of typing "for..." to start the address, which will give you a load of irrelevant matches FF thinks might be right, type something like the page number ("46") at the *end* of such an address - there are likely to be far fewer matches. After a few iterations, FF will start responding like its old self because it will be putting the ones you've used at the top again.

---
Several very useful add-ons are disabled in FF3. Tax Mix Plus lvoers will be glad to know that although the old version doesn't work there's a new beta that does: see here. While FF's session manager does the save and resume session thing, Tab Mix Plus offers a lot more options for controlling where new tabs open and so on.

wg
(Probably anyone who reads this has already either figured all this out or doesn't care; but at least I can find it again if and when I decide to update FF on the alptop.)

You know I hate to look a free light bulb in the fluorescent inner tube, but gotta say, bit unfortunate in the timing. The source of the four free lightbulbs that landed on my doorstep today is not the local council nor the Friends of the Earth but *British Gas*, the same company that last week announced it was hiking its gas prices by 35 percent.

wg
P.S. Dear British Gas: I put energy efficient bulbs in most of the sockets in my house that will use them (ie, that aren't on dimmer switches) eight years ago.

Try www.isc.ro.

wg

I just read the perfect spoone-phrase:

"policy-based evidence-making"

I intend to steal it early and often.

wg

Simultaneously with writing a piece carping about the EU's term extension proposals for copyright in sound recordings - (it will be) today's net.wars - I got word that Stefan Grossman is rereleasing a number of old Kicking Mule recordings, including the Women's Guitar Workshop, to which I contributed two tracks in 1978.

I found this out in kind of a cool way: someone emailed me to tell me how much the album and all of Kicking Mule's other releases meant to him (KM specialized in guitarists - the jazz titles were I think bought up by someone else a long time ago, but the folk titles have long been out of print).

And now it's back in CD. There will even be royalties, I am told. Probably, after a few years, just about enough to buy that stuffed turtle I really like at Interfauna.

wg

We have a guy ("Ken") who comes here to Kew and parks outside the station every Wednesday afternoon with a van full of fresh fish. He does a horrendous amount of driving, I think, to get it to us from Grimsby, but he's been making this run and a couple of others like it to other locations for something like 30 years now. (He always reminds me of one of the drawings in the Mary Poppins books - I forget whether it was a butcher or a baker, but the shape and the apron and the more or less perpetual smile...)

Anyway, he's been telling me about the background to the rising price of fish. Seems that between rising fuel prices and the fuel subsidies for the fishing industry being scrapped, the price of fuel for a month for a trawler has risen something like £1,200 to £10,000 over the last couple of years. I was trying to make sense of his numbers - gives the rise as more like a one-third increase in the last year. Other EU countries apparently do susidize their fishing industry. That's not the proportion of increase he was talking about, but it's still a lot.

It's quite a collision of policy points: 1) we're all being told to eat more fish (lean protein, less fat), but 2) fish stocks are collapsing and must be managed better and fished more lightly; 3) we should also be saving fuel, and 4) farmed fish bad for environment, wild fish full of mercury and other undesirables.

wg

I have two gigs this month (and then probably nothing for two years, but who knows?).

The first is July 4 here in Kew - it's a fundraiser for a local community center-in-a-church that is doing a July 4 *thing* with line dancing and a BBQ and an hour of music at the end.

The other is July 19 at a nature colony somewhere like St. Albans. For some reason everyone's first question is whether I'll be performing nude. No. I think given the spokes poking out of the banjo and its weight that would be both dangerous and uncomfortable.

I'll be accompanied on both of these ventures by Hector Gilchrist, who is a solo performer in his own right as well as having a fine line in harmony vocals.

wg

She was pretty, slim, adopted blonde, and vivacious until her bones seemed to melt and her partner gently helped her fold to the ground.

But this story is about the partner. We were standing in a queue of people hoping to get into the pre-Wimbledon party, to which we'd been invited for various reasons. The party was full, and so we were waiting for people to leave (a strange way to treat your guests). So he starts telling me he's in PR. He works for a company I've never heard of called Enfatica, which was formerly known as Da Vinci. And he has something to do with Dell, which he says previously had 866 PR and marketing agencies globally.
At this point I decide his story is too improbable to be true. But what the hell, it's entertainment, so it's all good. And then she fainted and they left. At least, I hope it was only a faint; I've been working my way through the TV series House lately (Hugh Laurie and Lisa Edelstein are great, but pity about the "medicine")…I really hope she's all right.

Look it up this morning, and while I can't find any trace of Enfatica, what I *can* find is that Dell really did have 866 PR and marketing agencies worldwide, and it formed a joint venture with WPP (into which it plans to invest, eventually, $4.5 *billion*) that was code-named Da Vinci, and now apparently is going to be named Enfatica. According to this story that Guy found, they're going to "create magic".

There are so many things wrong with this I don't know where to start. 866 agencies??! $4.5 billion??! "Magic"??!
Guys, it's PR. Get a grip.

I am unable to locate Enfatica itself or any of its London offices. But I do hope she's all right.

wg

Charles Arthur pointed me at this story, which I thought was unusual: how often does someone come up with a really new kind of theft? Published today. To me, this really *is* piracy, as is selling counterfeit DVDs and other types of merchandise. I don't think it's the right term for file-sharing.

The non-tennis fans who read this (almost everyone) can avoid my blog postings from Eastbourne at tennis.com.

wg

Been spending this week at Queen's club, writing bits and pieces for Daily Tennis and Tennis Magazine's Tennis.com site. (Unfortunately, the former is published only to subscribers and the pieces for the latter aren't finished yet).

It's been interesting: the tournament, which will need a new sponsor in time for next year, has *the* most incredible field this year. I think they got every significant EBF grass court player except Blake. (EBF = Everyone But Federer)

The one unknown in the mix is Nishikor, an 18yo Japanese player. He's ranked 115 and beat Patience pretty straightforwardly today and Falla in three a couple of days ago. He wants to crack the top 50 by the end of the year. It's his first tournament ever on grass. Nadal's his favorite player, and he thinks the match is going to be "fun". People may remember Gulbis for his win against Henman last year. Ancic, for pedants, is the last guy to beat Federer at Wimbledon (back in 2002). And so on.

CENTRE COURT (start 12:30 PM)
(3)A. Roddick (USA) v (15)M. Fish (USA)
E. Gulbis (LAT) v (6)A. Murray (GBR)
(1)R. Nadal (ESP) v K. Nishikori (JPN)
J. Tipsarevic (SRB) v (2)N. Djokovic (SRB)

COURT 1 (start 12:30 PM)
(10)F. Gonzalez (CHI) v (8)I. Karlovic (CRO)
(5)R. Gasquet (FRA) v M. Ancic (CRO)
(7)P-H. Mathieu (FRA) v (11)L. Hewitt (AUS)
N. Mahut (FRA) v (4)D. Nalbandian (ARG)

wg

I have so far managed to keep the long hair obsession out of this blog. But this I thought would amuse folks. One of the pleasures of long hair is the number of things you can do with it and the amount of money you can spend on silly gewgaws to do it with. Naturally, I couldn't resist this barrette:



wg

This was Hector-the-musician's reaction to learning that I'd steam-cleaned the bathroom (thank you, Mac, for the Domotec pointer). And repainted.

Bit less snarky than perennial guest Andy's comment: "Not before time, was it?"

Kitchen next. But first, the annual trip to CFP

5/14/08 US 729 LHR-PHL, onward to NYC by train
5/24/08 US 728 PHL-LHR

Yes, LHR - US Airways has started flying from LHR as well as LGW, and since BA moved out of Terminal 1, where US Air has lately moved in, I understand the terminal is a half-empty joy to use. I intend to take advantage in the brief window before everyone else starts moving in from T2.

wg

Early bird registration closes Friday, and the chair has asked us all to spread the below around. Please forward to anyone you think should see it.

wg
COMPUTERS, FREEDOM, AND PRIVACY: TECHNOLOGY POLICY '08
http://cfp2008.org/
18th Annual CFP conference
May 20-23, 2008
Omni Hotel
New Haven, CT

Conference Blog: http://cfp08.blogspot.com/
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=683858084
Conference Wiki: http://cfp.wikia.com/wiki/CFP08
LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/61857/7885844E0F9D

Hotel Conference Discount Deadline: May 1, 2008
Early Bird Registration: Fri., May 2, 2008
YJoLT Tech Policy Essay Contest: Mon., May 5, 2008


ABOUT CFP: TECHNOLOGY POLICY `08

What should the technology policy priorities of the next administration be?

As the choice of presidential candidates becomes clearer and election year moves towards a comparison of the candidates' platforms on the issues, technology policy is increasingly relevant to the forefront of public debate. In the areas of privacy, intellectual property, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and freedom of speech, topics that were once confined to experts now appear in the mainstream of political issues. We now know that our decisions about technology policy are being made at a time as the architectures of our information and communication technologies are still being built.

This year, the 18th annual Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference is focusing on those issues at the forefront of technology policy this election year. With plenary panels on the "National Security State and the Next Administration" and "The 21st Century Panopticon?" the discussions taking place look towards our present and future priorities.

CFP: Technology Policy '08 is an opportunity to participate in shaping those issues being made into laws and regulations and those technological infrastructures being developed. Policies ranging from spyware and national security, to ISP filtering and patent reform, e-voting to electronic medical records, and more will be addressed by expert panels of technologists, policymakers, business leaders, and activists. The panel topics are listed below and full panel descriptions are available on the conference website at:

http://www.cfp2008.org/wiki/index.php/Program.

The CFP: Technology Policy `08 conversation has already begun in the virtual spaces connected to the conference. Even if you are unable to attend the conference this year, there are several opportunities to participate remotely. The guiding principles that ought to guide our policies are being debated on the conference blog. Social networking groups on Facebook and LinkedIn are providing new spaces for the CFP community to meet and discuss. The Yale Journal of Law and Technology is hosting a call for essays, on the priorities of the next administration, with more details below.

We look forward to seeing you in New Haven on May 20-23.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Plenary Sessions
Presidential Technology Policy: Priorities for the Next Executive
The 21st Century Panopticon?
The National Security State and the Next Adminstration

Tutorials
A Short History of Privacy
Constitutional Law in Cyberspace
e-Deceptive Campaign Practices: Elections 2.0
Maintaining Privacy While Accessing On-line Information

Panel Sessions
Activism and Education Using Social Networks
Breaking the Silence: Iranians Find a Voice on the Internet
Charismatic Content: Wikis, Social Networks, and the Future of
User-Generated Content
Filtering Out Copyright Infringement: Possibilities, Practicalities, and
Legalities
Filtering and Censorship in Europe
Hate Speech and Oppression in Cyberspace
Interoperability at the Crossroads?: The "Liberal Order" versus
Fragmentation
Law, Regulation, and Software Licensing for the Electronic Medical Record
Measuring Global Threats to Internet Freedom
Network Neutrality: Beyond the Slogans
New Challenges for Spyware Policy
Patents: The Bleeding Edge of Technology Policy
Privacy, Reputation, and the Management of Online Communities
Rights & Responsibilities for Software Programs?
States as Incubators of Change
"The Transparent Society:" Ten Years Later
Towards Trustworthy e-Voting: An Open Source Approach?


CALL FOR ESSAYS

Yale Journal of Law & Technology Call for Essays on the Technology Policy of the New Administration.
Deadline: Monday, May 5th

The Yale Journal of Law & Technology (YJoLT) is seeking essay-length submissions concerning the technology policy platform of the new American presidential administration. Essays selected for publication will appear in the Fall Issue of YJoLT (publication date November 2008).

Ideal submissions will discuss the priorities and guiding principles that American technology policy should follow. Submissions analyzing a particular technology policy issue in depth will also be accepted.

Essays of less than 5,000 words are preferred. Please submit all essays to yjolt.submissions@gmail.com. Please include the text "CFP Essay" in the subject line of the email. The authors of essays selected for publication will be notified on a rolling basis. Any questions can be directed to Lara Rogers, lara.rogers@yale.edu.


CONFERENCE FUNDING FOR JOURNALISTS

The Yale Law School Law and Media Program (LAMP) announces an opportunity for journalists to receive full funding to attend CFP: Technology Policy 08.

CFP: Technology Policy 08 will begin with a full day of tutorials and programming specifically geared toward journalists writing about information technology and policy, followed by a networking reception for journalists and other participants in the Law and Media Program.

We invite you to take advantage of this opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of US technology policy in the information age.

Journalists writing on privacy, intellectual property, telecommunications and cyberlaw are encouraged to apply for conference funding, which will include travel, hotel, meals and any registration fees for the full conference.

To apply, please send a cover letter explaining your interest in the program, along with your resume and three writing samples (by e-mail and hard copy) to Tracey Parr (tracey.parr@yale.edu), Yale Law School, P.O. Box 208215, New Haven, CT 06520-8215, by March 31, 2008. Up to twenty journalists will receive conference funding. Applicants accepted for conference funding will be notified by April 4, 2008.


--------------
Eddan Katz
CFP: Technology Policy '08 Program Chair
http://www.cfp2008.org/

International Affairs Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation
http://www.eff.org/
Lecturer and Associate Research Scholar, Yale Law School
Senior Fellow, Yale Information Society Project
http://isp.law.yale.edu/

##ends##

Among last week's more absurd postal items was an issue of Which? Computing (I think it styles itself), which normally is a reasonable enough attempt to do Which?-like assessments of computer-related stuff (for US readers, think Consumer Reports). It included, though, a lengthy feature on the problem of dirty keyboards. Which? had some public health types survey a load of keyboards, and besides the usual crumbs, skin flakes, and so on, they found BACTERIA. Loads of them. Staph (from all the food people lunch on at their desks) and E Coli, which they attributed to people not washing their hands after using the bathroom. There were several keyboards that had such high bacterial counts that the experts recommended they be dumped immediately.

My question: has there ever been a *single* documented case of anyone getting *any* sort of infection from their keyboard?

wg

Last-minute last call for last submissions for this year's CFP. I know it's late, but this year's conference is May 20-23.

http://www.cfp2008.org/cfp2008/submissions/

is the submission address for anyone who wants to use it.

wg