Elsewhere...

I've got a post up over at The Liberty Cabal. A new website that may yet, given time, come to be essential reading for libertarians and liberals. In the meantime, please go read my post about how I think Ed Balls' sudden change of stance on liberty is not 100% convincing...

Blogroll

I'm going to be updating my blogroll next week; it is hideously out of date. Should you wish to have the dubious privilege of being on it, then feel free to e-mail me at thenamelesst[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]uk. As long as your blog isn't total toss (like, say, Richard Murphy's) I'll probably link to it.

Over at the Contrarian there is a frankly wonderful post tearing apart Richard Murphy's utterly spurious and extremely ignorant opinions about Libertarians (and others who he crudely and incorrectly lumps together with Libertarians). I strongly urge you to go take a look.

I've only got one thing to add; Murphy talks a lot about how Libertarians/right-wingers/anarcho-capitalists/the Tories/the TPA etc want to destroy democracy and remove the right of people to think for themselves. Not only is this stuff and nonsense but it also misses the point that it is Murphy and his ilk who don't want democracy or people to think for themselves. Murphy wants you to unquestioningly agree with his opinions on tax, on the benefits of state expansion and on climate change. If you don't, he'll refuse to allow you to make your point and maybe call you autistic at the same time. There's nothing democratic about the way he operates, and there is no way in hell that he actually wants you or me to think for ourselves. Blind obedience is the way forward as far as statist fucks like Murphy are concerned.

Writing style

Via Longrider, an analysis of my writing style:

I write like
Kurt Vonnegut

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Vonnegut, eh? So it goes...

Twattering

In a u-turn quicker than a Nu Labour minister facing a bit of tabloid pressure (given my comments on Friday), I'm now experimenting with a Twatter feed. Rest assured, I remain heartedly unconvinced by its usefulness and whether I can really be bothered with it, but in the interests of at least being a bit open-minded I'm willing to give it a go.

I'm going to attempt to put each post from this blog on to Twatter. I did try doing the same with my Facebook group, but I grew bored of that remarkably quickly. Therefore, if anyone knows of a way to link this blog to Twatter so all posts here are automatically be published there without an iota of effort from your humble author, please let me know in the comments sections. Oh, and please tell me how as well.

Right, enough of these new(ish)-fangled methods of t'interweb communication. Back to "normal" blogging.

Heaven is Whenever

Via DK, I've come across a new project based around music:

Heaven is Whenever is an escape for political bloggers who want to lay down the yoke of partisan commentary for a while and luxuriate in a pastime we all share: music.

As we move into what no doubt will be a bitter election campaign that, in the grand scheme of things, won't matter because nothing will change no matter who wins, any sort of refuge for political bloggers (particularly those who don't fit in with the political mainstream fighting this election) is more than welcome.

Just leave out the politics and focus on the music.

Increasingly, that seems a great idea to me.

There's Nothing British About the BNP

Another link for the blogroll - the website There Is Nothing British About The BNP. You might not agree with everything they publish, but at least they are consistently criticising and helping to build up a massive log of evidence against the BNP.

And at least they are happy to actively fight the BNP. Rather than adopting the Peter Hain strategy of hiding underneath a big rock and hoping that the BNP will go away.

Interview Project

For those of you who like the work of David Lynch and who like little pocket sized slices of American life, take a look at Interview Project.

“Isn’t that right, Donkey?”

The Moai found this really rather startling link (Lord alone knows what he was looking for...) It is difficult to highlight one particular phrase as it is all really eye opening but particular bits that stand out to me are "dressed in latex and handcuffs", "this charge was later dropped when the defendant said that it was the donkey who caused that damage" and "he was fined €2,000 for bringing the donkey to the room under the Unlawful Accommodation of Donkeys Act 1837."

Go read it now. It is going to be a damned sight more interesting than anything else that appears on this blog today.

Tea Birds

Via the Moai, I give you a blog which is dedicated to "Nothing but pictures of cute girls at tea. A tea blog like no other."

Regardless of what think of it, it sure as hell beats this.

The World's Most Photographed Squirrel

Today is one of those fiercely productive days in the office. So in tribute I give you this link.

Count yourself lucky - I could have given you the blog written by a philosophical lurcher.

Changes

No, not a post about David Bowie. But as the more observant amongst you will have noticed there have been one or two changes to The Appalling Strangeness. Mainly the template. If I am honest, I never really liked the last one. For some reason, it reminded me of wallpaper in dodgy pubs. When I first started this blog I wanted a distinctive template. Now I just want one I like. And with a couple of changes (assuming I ever read the book about HTML on my desk) I think I could like this template.

I have also added a couple of links to the sidebar. The Vented Spleen is an obvious but good choice - sweary, right of centre ranting. Brighton Regency Labour Party is a less obvious one, not least because I disagree with nearly everything Neil Harding says. But there are very few people making the case for NU Labour anymore (including ex-Labour leaders and the incumbent Party Chairperson) so I really think it is worth reading. And I tried to add Boriswatch, but the link would not work for love nor money.

And finally, you can now find an e-mail address on my blogger profile and on the blog itself. I appreciate that this will leave me wide open to endless spam about viagara (people, I am 27, I don't need it!) but hopefully it will also allow me to receive hectoring and offensive feedback via e-mail as well as in the comments section.

Enjoy!

Too much time on their hands

One of the great things about the internet, aside from foaming, ranting, right wing blogs, amazon.co.uk and all the porn, is the amount of total crap that can be found by the terminally bored. With this in mind, I give you:

Cat Town

and

FatMouse

Enjoy!

UPDATE: let's not forget Bee Dogs, which claims to be "the premier online repository for pictures of dogs in bee costumes." Essential, groundbreaking work I think you will agree.

UPDATE 2: towcestarian has come up with an excellent link in the comments sections to this post. If anyone else knows about stupid but funny animal related sites let me know...

Other Stuff...

...indirectly connected with The Appalling Strangeness:

The Moai has updated The Daily Mail Tendency with another excellent piece on the ignorance of the nation's favourite hate rag.

And I am now working on a non-political blog called Notes From A Drunken Evening with a user who is new to the blogosphere. The blog will pretty much do what it says on the tin - jabber on about the stupid, surreal and funny things that happen when two adults abdicate all responsibility for their behaviour and just get twatted on stupidly large amounts of alcohol.

Enjoy. Or not as the case may be.

Voluntary Code Free Zone

Disillusioned and Bored has come up with an splendid idea to combat this big ol' pile of dog crap. When I get the time I will be adding a more permanent show of support to my blog, but in the meantime I will show my support with this excellent logo:

A Totally Random Post

In a ponderous, thoughtful mood. So I don’t have anything in particular to talk, swear or rant about. So instead a couple of random quotes:

“All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.”

“The weight of this sad time we must obey;
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long.”

Impressed with any anyone who knows the source of those quotes. Without sticking them into Google, obviously.

I have also been informed that you can cross a Labrador with a Poodle and get a Labradoodle and cross a Schnauzer with a Poodle to get a Schnoodle.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

The Daily Mail Tendency

Last Friday the Moai and I decided, over a few beers in a Canadian pub in Central London (no really, there is one, and I love it), to start a new project. The Daily Mail Tendency. To the Moai it sounds like the name to a politically aware punk band, for me it sounds more like a satrical BBC 2 show, probably along the lines of something produced by Armando Iannuci. But since we are neither punk rockers or TV producers, and because we really like the name, The Daily Mail Tendency will be something else. A blog dedicated to fisking bad journalism everywhere. And whilst it is not the only source of bad journalism in this country, the rabidly angry and often stupid Daily Mail is a good place to start.

Of course, it could go nowhere. But it could also be a lot of fun... Crappy journalism everywhere, bring it on!