Three dead swans in Dorset had Bird Flu January 10, 2008
Posted by Andy Roberts in : wildlife, Bird Flu, UK , add a comment
Join the RSPBThe Swannery at Abbotsbury, down on the South Dorset coast has been hit by the deadly H5N1 virus which causes Bird Flu, with three dead swans testing positive for the deadly disease.
This latest case is worrying because it suggests that infection may be originating in wild birds, whereas the outbreak at the Bernard Matthews turkey factory in Suffolk last year looked more like human error with contaminated trucks or feed.
Indeed, the only reason for not beginning a cull of wild birds in the area is given as “because such a move could disperse birds and spread the disease.” according to Guardian News this afternoon
NetNewsWire is now free January 10, 2008
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Mac, tools , add a commentNetNewsWire Lite is a great client RSS reader for the Mac but there was also a “pro” version called NetNewsWire for a small registration charge.
Now the full version is free as well.
http://inessential.com/2008/01/09.php
( via Tom Morris )
So will I switch from Google Reader? Well no, not completely but I’ll use this as an opportunity to start afresh with a new list of RSS subscriptions grouped into folders. Then again, I had intended to do that with Vienna the open source reader which languishes unused in my applications folder.
Foodie Greenwich to have no Kitsch in! January 4, 2008
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Long Tail, London , add a commentBy the end of January there will be one less reason to visit Greenwich, one of London’s more interesting centres, since The Flying Duck is set to close after thirteen years of selling unusual tat, memorabilia, retro designs, kitsch furniture and fittings.
This comes after the closure of Essential Records and Godards Pie Shop, representing a further step in the gradual decline and homogeneity of what remained a relatively unique shopping area.
original photo by Jon
The owners say this is because they feel that Greenwich has lost some of its charm with more chain stores opening up at the expense of the independent trader. Not that they were competing directly with Woolworths, Marks and Spencer or W H Smiths but the niche market served by the curious little shop is probably better located in Brighton or Harrogate these days rather than south east London. There’ll still be plenty of Vietnamese noodle bars, Mexican burgers and posh fish and chips shops though.
The The Flying Duck online ecommerce site continues with a massive sale on all stock and I’m wondering if the rise and rise of Ebay, Amazon and Etsy as venues for buying and selling “long tail” collectibles may have a lot to do with it as well.
is an online professional who initiated DARnet 
