puffbox

Civil Serf: the Spartacus effect

I was curious. In an idle moment on the train home on Monday night, I wondered how easy it could have been for Civil Serf to delete all trace of her now legendary blog. So I went to the blog.co.uk site she used, and set about registering my own blog with them. When it asked [...] read on »

The inevitable tragedy of Civil Serf

It's most amusing to see so many journalists writing up the Civil Serf story for the 'proper' media... particularly since most seem to be lifting the key quotes from each other's write-ups, rather than the blog itself (which was pulled, cached versions and all, by Sunday morning). Secondary sourcing at its worst. Steadily though, the Legend [...] read on »

Independent review wants free ID cards, minimal biometrics

I'm surprised how little coverage I've seen of the long-awaited report by Sir James Crosby (ex boss of Halifax/HBOS) into 'Challenges and opportunities in identity cards assurance', published last week by the Treasury. (See press release, full doc as PDF.) It makes a number of interesting proposals, none of which merited a specific mention in [...] read on »

The rise and disappearance of Civil Serf

It was going to happen eventually. I think Puffbox.com was the first to highlight Civil Serf's excellent blog, back in late January. She started to hit the big-hitting political blogs a few weeks later - see Dizzy Thinks, the Telegraph's Three Line Whip, The Times's Comment Central. But it's only when she hits the proper [...] read on »

The problem with ID cards?

For all the critiques I've ever read of ID cards (or more accurately, an identity database), I always find myself asking one question at the end. Are you against them because: it simply can never be done securely? the technology isn't there yet? you just don't trust the current government? you just don't trust any government? you just don't trust [...] read on »

Standard behaviour

I used to get really excited about the release of new versions of the big web browsers. These days the overwhelming emotion is worry, bordering on panic. What is it going to do with the HTML I lovingly crafted to work with its predecessor? I held my breath this morning as I fired up the first [...] read on »

Whitehall, WordPress, where?

We love WordPress round here, and our passion is infectious. I'm currently talking to a handful of new people about possible WordPress-based projects: some small, some huge. The 'yes we can' message goes a long way. But the unknown in the equation is always: where to host it? You don't have to look too hard to [...] read on »

Ordnance Survey reinvents Google Maps

'Following a successful closed launch', apparently involving no fewer than 12 developers, Ordnance Survey has opened the doors to OpenSpace. It describes itself as 'a JavaScript® Application Programming Interface (API) that uses 'slippy map' technology, letting you dynamically pan the map by grabbing and sliding the image in any direction you like.' Just like Google [...] read on »

Labourspace: great idea, awful execution

Relaunched* (presumably?) at the weekend's Spring Conference, LabourSpace.com is the Labour Party's campaign-based social network. Ed Miliband's welcome message calls it 'the place where those of us who share Labour's values come to discuss how we want to make Britain a better place to live.' There's much to like about it, but they get some [...] read on »

Cameron’s online challenge

David Cameron takes his 'be my friend' campaign to the Guardian's Comment Is Free this morning, with a piece about the internet 'transforming our political culture', and how young people are more political than ever - just not via the old-style channel of political parties. As I noted last week, he's presenting this new concept [...] read on »