Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs new book "Common Wealth"

Not sure if I should really post this... it is a bit relevant to lots of things. Oh well.

Google's 10 to the 100 project

Not that the 10 to the 100 project needs promoting (when there is a link to it on Google's homepage), but Google's 10 to the 100 project seems to me to be a validation of the NotReallyRelevant project. Google's 10 to the 100

Google say:

Never in history have so many people had so much information, so many tools at their disposal, so many ways of making good ideas come to life. Yet at the same time, so many people, from all walks of life, could use so much help, in ways both little and big.

In the midst of this, new studies are reinforcing the simple wisdom that beyond a certain very basic level of material wealth, the only thing that increases individual happiness over time is helping other people.

In other words, helping helps everybody, helper and helped alike.

The question is: what would help? And help most?

At Google, we don't believe we have the answers, but we do believe the answers are out there. Maybe in a lab, or a company or a university - or maybe not.

Maybe the answer that helps somebody is in your head, in something you've observed, some notion that you've been fiddling with, some small connection you've noticed, some old thing you have seen with new eyes.

If you have an idea that you believe would help somebody, we want to hear about it. We're looking for ideas that help as many people as possible, in any way, and we're committing the funding to launch them. You can submit your ideas and help vote on ideas from others. Final idea selections will be made by an advisory board.

Good luck, and may those who help the most win.

CERN Large Hadron Colider LHC Switch On

On Wednesday the large hadron colider LHC at CERN is being switched on for the first time. It is expected to be able to simulate the conditions that were present in the universe shortly after the big bang. It may help provide answers to questions that are fundamental to our understanding of the nature of the universe. This is a 3 minute film about CERN and the LHC. There are documentaries on BBC iPlayer about it too.

3 Minute Introduction to the work of CERN and the LHC large hadron colider

May I introduce Fibby?

May I introduce blogger Fibby. She has three blogger blogs - you'll find the links at the bottom of her profile page. Curious eclectic tastes. 8-)

Set-back for the Big Monarchy campaign

The Big Monarchy campaign has had a set-back in its campaign for an elected UK royal family.

The Big Monarchy campaign attempted to create an e-petition on the 10 Downing Street e-petitions web site.

The first attempt was as follows:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to: 'have the
family occupying the royal palaces and fulfilling the role of
being the british royal family be elected to serve a three year
term via a Big Brother style reality TV show'

(1) The institutions of the UK royal family should be retained
exactly as they are (2) The family that occupies the job of
being royal family (opening fetes and such-like) should be
elected by public vote to serve a three year term (3) The
family chosen to act as the UK's royal family should be
selected on a whole family basis by means of a "Big Brother"
style reality TV show called "Big Monarchy".

We can keep every facet of ancient institution, and turn it
into something that is democratic. The family occupying the
palaces get voted in to serve a three year term. That is why we
are advocating a "Big Monarchy" - that is to say a monarchy
that is drawn from the contribution of all the people of our
country.

The second attempt was similar, but was still rejected:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to: 'have the
family occupying the royal palaces and fulfilling the role of
being the british royal family be elected to serve a three year
term by a public vote'

(1) The institutions of the UK royal family and monarchy should
be retained exactly as they are (2) The family that occupies
the job of being royal family (opening fetes and such-like)
should be elected by public vote to serve a three year term (3)
The family chosen to act as the UK's royal family should be
selected on a whole family basis by means of public vote.

We can keep every facet of our ancient institution and turn it
into something that is democratic. The family occupying the
palaces should be voted in to serve a three year term. We are
advocating a "Big Monarchy"; that is to say a monarchy that is
drawn from the contribution of all the people of our country.

You can read the response from 10 Downing street here:
10 Downing Street response to the Big Monarchy e-petition

Big Monarchy

The NRR campaign for the UK royal family to be elected via a Big Brother style reality TV show, has been upped a gear by means of the "Big Monarchy" Facebook group. See Big Monarchy facebook group.

Here is some of my discussion in which I have tried to encourage people to join the Big Monarchy group.

It for just the reasons that Mark is stating, that I am recommending a retention of all the current institutions of monarchy, but having the people fulfilling the roles of being King, Queen, etcetera, etcetera be elected for a 3 year term via a reality TV show.

We could keep every single facet of that "ancient institution", and turn it into something that is democratic. The family occupying the palaces get voted for to serve a three year term. That is why I am advocating a "Big Monarchy" - that is to say a monarchy that is drawn from the contribution of all the people of our country.

Well it started out with the term being 5 years, and then a discussion amongst the Big Monarchy group members we decided that 3 years would be as much as most families would be able to comfortably cope with.

Although it hasn't been explicitly stated in the Big Monarchy group, I think everyone has been assuming that once a family has been the royal family for a term, they don't get to have another go... so there is no politics or re-election coming in to it.

The idea of the choosing the family via a Big Brother style reality TV show, is that having had your every move scrutinised by the public for the 15 weeks of the elimination competition, and prior to that having gotten your family on to the short list in the first place, the chosen family is as good a choice as any that we are likely to get to represent us at fetes and opening hospitals, and all the other things they do.

Ok, fair dues. It is a bit absurd. But less so than the current situation, I think. Also very future, very now, very forward. ;-) I think its got to be a step in the right direction.

Like when the berlin wall came down, before it happened no one would have predicted. Now its "well of course", and we all take it for granted.

Anyway, as a proud englishman, I would prefer to be known around the world as the country that made people laugh, than as the country who dropped bombs on their children, stole their natural resources, cast their people into slavery, subjected them to ridiculous religions, is wonderfully good at thinking up games that it's people have no natural ability at, who can't loose a sports fixture without having a tantrum, and who can't have a drink in the evening without having to behave like five-year olds.

Now if there's anyone left in UK that I didn't just offend, are you with me!