One Man's Notes

So, MainMor posted this:

In the interested of fair and balance blogging, I feel the need to post this:

Done.

95%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

[Via Adriana]

Natalie Cooper, who blogs on The Work Clinic, one of our HR-related blogs, was interviewed on BBC radio last week about Facebook. Like so many internet phenomena, it's reached the level of conciousness amongst the general people that IT managers are starting to run around setting up systems to monitor usage, or even ban the site completely.

Natalie's position, like so many others, is "carefully restrict and monitor".

However, I can't help feeling that all of these decisions are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what and how Facebook can be used. For me, it's as much a work tool (keeping up with contacts within this whole web 2.0/online communities shebang) as it is a personal fun tool. Yet all the discussions I'm seeing in the more mainstream media are based on the assumption that Facebook activity is purely for personal fun. And I think that's a poor assumption to make.

And even if people aren't using it for any business purpose, surely existing management policies come into play? If it's distracting people so much that they don't perform as needed, then that needs to be handled like any management issue. Just because a problem is rooted in technology, it doesn't mean it needs a technological solution, especially where people management is concerned.

I wake this morning to the exciting news that iTunes has added TV shows to the UK store. Hurrah! So far, it's just a bunch of US shows, from South Park to Lost, Ugly Betty to Desperate Housewives. But really, who hasn't had the suspicion lately that the US shows are better than our own? (Doctor Who excepted, of course)

One of the things I love about online games is the spin-off creativity that develops around them:

We spent the early afternoon today at the Halesworth Antiques Street Fair. Here's a taste of what it's like:

Halesworth Antiques Fair

…And watching video podcasts.

Waiting for the AA

Book:  Show us a great coffee table book.  

Dictators' Homes: Lifestyles of the World's Most Colourful Despots

Peter York

When driving alone, what do you do?  Sing along to the radio?  Think about your day?  Something else?
Submitted by carapiccoladiva.  

iPod Mobile

OK. Own up.

Trees Overhead

Just testing a Movable Type plugin to cross-post to Vox.

More scanning, this time of a series of pics of my parents' first home in Hazel Grove. Here's one of the builders, from 1968:

Sandown Road Builders

What does your name mean and why did your parents choose it for you? 
Submitted by mommy2two.

Adam

"Adam" means red earth.

And my parents chose it…

…well…

…because they heard it on The Archers and liked it. The original idea was to call me Matthew, but they didn't like the clash of 't's in Matt Tinworth. They also prefered shorter names with the long surname.

So, I was named after Adam Macy, illegitimate son of Jennifer Archer, who is now in a civil partnership with Ian, the chef from Gray Gables.

And there you go. That's how I became Adam.

I was never terribly keen on A-Ha, but I always though that ths video was genius:

All on my tod this weekend (aaaah), so I'm pottering around the flat catching up on the 1001 tasks that need doing, and getting on with some personal projects. I've had TMF's Ultimate 100 songs of the 80s on in the background, and this just came on:

And, all of a sudden. I was back in my sixth form common room at Dollar Academy.

Amazing how music has the power to take us right back to a particular point in our lives.

And equally amazing that I once thought those fashions and hairstyles on women were really hot…

Show us what you're drinking.

Drink Coffee

Follow the bean.