Latest links

I’ve been receiving comments and direct emails from a quite incredible number of people from around the world. Some of the most recent have come from Italy, Israel, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Brazil, Australia, China, all over the USA, Canada and Belgium (Michiel told me that a Belgian paper De Standaard not only published the story they ran a Dilbert cartoon next to it! Priceless - obviously they got the joking tone, unlike the company).

I was writing yesterday about the way in which I have always loved the connections you can make via the web. Distance and geographical borders are no impediment – communications flow as fast as Einstein’s rules will allow around the world. It looks as if even language is no longer the barrier it once was – barriers can be surmounted when we really feel we have to, physically and spiritually. It’s stimulating and humbling at the same time.

I’ve always enjoyed being part of the online community and the SF community, but never as much as now, despite the worries and travails which come with all that has happened. We may not think about it every day, but we should pause and consider from time to time just how marvellous it is that we can reach out to one another across distance and time. If it makes me feel like this I wonder how valuable it feels to those who are infirm or disabled or housebound? Those in more isolated areas?

Here are just a few of the latest links:

Fohla Online (Brazilian newspaper).

Nu.nl from the Netherlands.

Diverse Books.

The Blogger’s Rights Blog.

And closer to home here in Bonnie Scotland (and it is actually nice today – cold, crisp, clear, sunny and calm after the gales and storms. Not superstitious, but I do hope that this is a good omen!) from Scotland’s other quality broadsheet, The Herald, which has some very interesting angles on it on blogging, privacy, freedom and companies – worth reading for any bloggers actually (thanks to Bob for the link).

This link isn’t about me (good, some folk will say!), although it came to me via a nice letter of support (and some nice suggestions) from Jason, who is a presenter, journalist and musician. He is trying something very interesting in terms of making music and downloads which he hopes will benefit the victims of the recent tsunami, which has been another instance of the web and blogs being used to effect good.