Official: Google wants to tell you what to think

[#1]

From the Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/27/google_power_readers/

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File this one under spectacular and hubristic PR own goals. Google has anointed an "approved list" of writers it thinks you should read. But not only is Google's choice far from "Neutral" - there's no libertarians, merely one (shrieky and not very representative) conservative, and a preponderance of Greens - there isn't a Google critic amongst them. Well, there goes "neutrality". This seems to be a mistake on several counts. Google is a company whose sprawling media influence is under increasing scrutiny from antitrust regulators in the US and the EU. It's defence is that it's an algorithm company - it doesn't editorialise. But it just has, and the results are revealing. The tech pundits Google chooses are safe, flavourless, humourless, and uniformly Google-friendly - it's a list of Google's trusted pals, really. If you locked them in a room with some drugs, by the end of the evening you'd have heard no new original insight or wit - and the drugs would be untouched. For example, Chris "Long Tail" Anderson tops the list. Do you need to know more?

[#2]

Makes a change from SWMBO 

[#3]

How's Weymouth's preps for the 2012 events going Jim?

[#4]

No idea really as I don't actually live near there.
The big thing is the new relief road which will move the traffic jams much closer to the town and seems to be on schedule. The news reports about the other preparations are positive at present (well you wouldn't expect anything else at this stage would you).
This is worth a read if you are interested http://www.southwestrda.org.uk/region/london2012/news-1/dorset-sets-course-f.shtm

[#5]

ok then

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he Bournemouth Daily Echo has reported that three speed cameras have now been destroyed in East Dorset, all within the past month. Firefighters who tackled the latest incident took 10 minutes to put out the blaze, but the camera was completely destroyed. This comes at a time when Bournemouth's local councillors are still pondering whether to follow Swindon and decommission the area's fixed speed cameras altogether.

[#6]

Drove past one today - actually it wasn't in a silly place.
It was there to make the motorists slow down in the 30 mph limit due to approaching a some fairly tricky junctions and pedestrians crossing.
This picture shows the start of the 30 mph limit (it is a long straight road leading to it) as a red line and the speed camera as a blue blob

[#7]

If the road wasn't dead straight, people wouldn't need to be frightened into slowing down.
Put a few curves and bumps in the road and people will slow down.

[#8]

Don't need bumps - you should see the state of the roads round here 
This is the road in question - Horton Road

[#9]

I was amazed at the new relief road at Weymouth when I visted there a couple of weeks ago.
It has been sorely needed for year - there is only really one way to get to Weymouth, and that is through what is effectively a residential area, with a single main road.  The relief road is being 'plumbed' straight into the main access roundabout, circumventing the entire residential area.
It's very impressive to see all the work going on - they have literally taken an enormous hill out, and placed all the rubble in a valley to fill it up to the level of the new road. 
B.