threadme

Nowadays, the interior-design preference tends toward neutrality. The mantra; when in doubt, decorate in off-white. An effect of this nationwide creamy palate is the creation of a perfect canvas backdrop for an interminably recurrent guest, the housefly. The bulbous frame and dark features show up a treat against the bright walls.

Currently, I am hosting myself. A fat black fly is making it’s frantic journey through my home like a lost punctuation mark. Loudly hissing toward one end of the room it changes tact when it reaches the wall, zipping back past the bookcase – perhaps it is scanning for fly literature- “Infinite Ascent, David Berlinski ..”

It disappears behind the curtain and becomes silent, perched on the window presumably. (more…)

“…the activists in Copenhagen… will aggressively advance solutions that simultaneously reduce emissions and narrow inequality. Unlike at previous summits, where alternatives seemed like an afterthought, in Copenhagen the alternatives will take center stage. For instance, the direct-action coalition Climate Justice Action has called on activists to storm the conference center on December 16. Many will do this as part of the “bike bloc,” riding together on an as yet unrevealed “irresistible new machine of resistance” made up of hundreds of old bicycles. The goal of the action is not to shut down the summit, Seattle-style, but to open it up, transforming it into “a space to talk about our agenda, an agenda from below, an agenda of climate justice, of real solutions against their false ones…. This day will be ours.”
Naomi Klein, ‘Copenhagen: Seattle Grows Up’ (more…)

La Via Campesina are the international movement of peasants, small- and medium-sized producers, landless, rural women, indigenous people, rural youth and agricultural workers.

Here is their open letter in the lead up to the climate summit in Copenhagen in December: (more…)

Copenhagen 2009: Operation Bike Bloc

From the 7th to 18th of December 2009, the largest ‘climate summit’ ever to be held will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark. This summit has been billed as our ‘last, best hope’ to do something about climate change. But the UN talks will not solve the climate crisis. We are no closer to reducing greenhouse gas emissions than we were when negotiations began fifteen years ago: emissions continue to rise at ever faster rates, while carbon trading allows climate criminals to pollute and profit. It is time to say enough! No more business as usual, no more false solutions!

Read the rest of the Camp for Climate Action’s intro to Copenhagen here.

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We’ve recently been asked by Leeds University Union to be 09/10’s preferential supplier for their 270 societies. This is great news for us, as the union is just on our doorstep. We’ll be using our bicycle trailers to deliver the kit, so we are happy to offer free delivery to Leeds University societies. (more…)

Nodebox is a bit special. I could leave it there, but for the benefit of the blog I will share a little more! In brief, Nodebox uses the Python programming language, a language that has rightfully earned a place in usefulness. Aside from the data handling capabilites, it is the visual engines that interest me the most. The best example online that I can find is here, where visual artists and lab owners Neon Golden lay their rad shit down! That is street-geek for ‘they are very good’!

SoundCloud are quite the people of the moment for me. Wherever a great use of a web developer’s time is spent, I will be harking behind with my notepad! For musicians, DJs or producers this is simply the best tool: Complete web infiltration from one simple portal!

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Everywhere, there is food. Walking along I’ve noticed the red stained marks of dropped cherrys. Apples, that haven’t quite made it, booning about.

A project that I’m excited to be involved with, is Leeds Urban Harvest. People see fallen fruit, get in touch, we go and pick it. A map of all the fruit trees that we can find is also being plotted. The fruit is split between the volunteers, local community groups and the surplus is turned into juice and cider.  Currently, 95 per cent of fruit and 50 per cent of vegetables in the UK are imported. This is madness. (more…)

We’re snowed under with work in typical English summer fashion. The to-do list on my wall is longer than that leopard-print scarf your senile Gran knitted you for Christmas last year. Staring at it the way your Dad stares at the washing-up , I realise that the only way I’m going to get through this list is to prioritise; to only start on what absolutely definitely has to be done, right now…

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As if safeguarding our hospitals with deft programming isn’t enough, Jacob Martin comes right back at you with some rather interesting graphic projects that we think are proper boom. This morning we spoke to him: (more…)