Maybe maths is poetry after all

"the claim of a statistical system is that it indirectly measures some hidden truth"
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/ELO-rating-system

If your type is excessively strange

Extensis do type management software. They have also done a Valentine typeface dating simulation called TYPEmatching. You pick a couple of daters with personality determined by their font, drag them onto the screen and watch the date. The first date I tried was the usual cringeworthy train crash of a blind date, but then I started making up same sex couples and the dates are hilarious. I like Mistral and Comic Sans best, but Helvetica and American Typewriter are just plain disturbing together. Clean your knees, American Typewriter!

WiFi on a Blackberry? Take GPS instead

I got to play with both the new BlackBerry Curve models for IT Pro recently and now the review is up. The design of the Curve 8300 enabled RIM to fit in a full size QWERTY keyboard and a large enough battery to deliver the excellent life BlackBerry users are accustomed to, while still producing something small enough to carry everywhere with you. Adding an extra radio for GPS or Wi-Fi on these devices means even more options but has RIM managed to keep the impressive battery life as well? And as you can only have one extra radio - which one should you choose?Read on!

Tamper-proof CVs?

Three little words that send shivers down your spine: government IT project...

All 14-year-old children in England will have their personal details and exam results placed on an electronic database for life under a plan to be announced tomorrow... Officials said last night that the introduction of the unique learner number (ULN)was not a step towards a national identity card...The new database — which will store a “tamper-proof CV” — will be known as MIAP (managing Information Across Partners). To be registered on the new database every 14-year-old will be issued with a unique learner number. Unlike the current unique pupil number now given to children in school but destroyed when they leave, the ULN will be used by government agencies to track individuals until they retire. Ultimately, it will create a numbered database for every citizen aged 14-plus in the UK.

OK, it's from the Times so it may not be accurate but I just love the idea of a tamper-proof CV - and the way it will shut down most of the more venal recruitment consultants... I don't think I need to say why the database itself is a bad idea, not to mention unnecessary as everyone posts all those details on FaceBook anyway...